bunco night

And to think that I voluntarily hang out with these crazy girls every other month... this is what I get for living in the quintessential American suburb. Obviously, I didn't get the "make a goofy face" memo, but if you can't tell by my smile, these girls deliver a belly-aching good time.

all things b.m.-ish

Yesterday this guy pooped in our front yard. A neighbor witnessed the incident from a distance. B ran in to tell me the news with an incredulous look on his face, "Mom! Guess what! Lukie pooped! In the grass!" I could tell he was torn between feelings of disgust at the inappropriateness of it all and also a little bit of awe that his brother would do such a thing. I heard all this with quiet horror and ran outside to catch the culprit. And there was the neighbor, witnessing from a distance and too far for me to say anything to. She was trying not to look, but I'm fairly certain she saw the whole thing. Then again, what would I have said? "Sorry you had to see that"... "boys will be boys"? In any case, there was discussion about how only doggies poop in the grass and little boys should poop in the potty.

it's all in the details...

Bruce is a master delegator. And he's always coming up with fantastic little random jobs for the kids to do around the house. We're currently doing paint touch-ups around the house and he had B put little sticky notes on the walls wherever there were scuff marks. This was right up B's detailed little alley and he was thrilled!













On another note, B and Luke are always fighting over cars. Always. B feels like the best way to solve this sharing problem is to just buy Luke his own set of identical cars. It would seem like the logical way to go, if one wasn't concerned about setting a precedent or the cost behind buying two sets of everything, not to mention other more significant principles that come into play. But when Bruce and I are feeling particularly lazy at parental reinforcement--like we were this week--B gets his way.













He left the above note and cars outside Luke's door during naptime: "Dear Lukie, I like you, I love you and I like it when you share with me. Love, Bryson"

athleta, i love you

This is why I love Athleta. Look how pretty! Sigh. I currently have $892 worth of stuff in my online shopping bag. Sometimes I click "checkout" for pretend. In a perfect world, I would have an extra $1000 lying around to buy a whole new wardrobe full of Athleta clothes. And I also wouldn't have to worry about G's, because you know, those really make the outfit.

one semester of spanish love song

Kasey, this one's for you...



Ohhhh... you know you wanna watch it again. Just try not to sing it. Just try... "feliz cumpleanos... y cinnamon twists."

Thanks, Aud. Made my day.

Note: Don't forget to pause my playlist, to listen to this rockin' song.

mom, happy 50th birthday!

My mom is elegant, classy, beautiful, fiesty, patient, creative, obstinate, artistic, colorful, compassionate, wise and full of love.

I love how she stomps her foot when she's trying to make a point--well, I do now. I didn't when I was 17.

I love how she takes a project and runs away with it--like the time she painted all three bedrooms of my house in less than a week all by herself, because she knew I wanted color in my home but had no time to paint all that I wanted with a new baby to take care of.

I love that she is a convert. My testimony has grown as I've watched hers evolve.

I love that she has an insatiable appetite for knowledge. I've never known her to be without a book, article, or pen and notebook in hand wherever she may be.

I love that she is the only one that would sit for hours listening to me sing and play the piano. It's good to remember when B wants me to watch him play those super exciting racecar video games.

I love that she is an amazingly talented artist. You can check out some of her paintings here and here.

I love how she smells whenever she hugs and kisses me. I've just never outgrown her love and affection.

The boots really make the outfit here... I think she was like 20 in this picture.


This is the day she and my dad eloped. Yes, they eloped. And yes, she is pretty much just wearing an apron in this picture--a dress she sewed herself. Obviously, this is pre-Church and pre-modesty-standards-stuff as she always tried to remind my sisters and me when we were teenagers.


The '80s were an interesting, interesting time... my crooked little bangs pretty much rocked the casbah.


Again, I am the whitest one in the picture. If I didn't look just like my dad, I would've thought I was adopted from an albino.


Love you so much, Mom!

twilight - the movie

Okay. Seriously. I need help. I was creeping on Stephenie Meyer's website again this morning and found this.




Why oh why did this thrill me??? It's just a MOVIE. A FICTIONAL STORY!!! I have serious, SERIOUS issues, people.

I think I need to get out more...

mullets, babies, and teeth stuff

Saturday night, we had some friends over for food and games. Actually, the only game we got to play was Cranium. The men were like loud and gabby little girls. Here's how the women looked for most of the night:


Well, minus Neal in the corner...

There were highlights. Like Seth's clay creations, which included a birdbath that looked more like a meat taco. And also the infamous mullet. He was all over that 10/90 ratio thing. Only, he forgot to make the head for contextual purposes, so no one really figured out what that floppy pancake was all about.


In all fairness, Seth is an IT guy. For future reference, dude, stay away from the sculptorades.

But I think my favorite moment of the night is when Joel shared his "I used to race Elder Bednar" story. Back when Elder Bednar used to be president of Ricks college, always speed-walking, head down, booking it from building to building. A man on a mission. Joel and his friends would test their speed-walking skills unbeknownst to our current apostle. A serious feat, considering the icy walkways of Rexburg, ID.




"Hey, President."


And let's see... what else is new? This little girl is CRUISING...




And last, but not least, I got my teeth fixed today! It was totally excruciating. All that wrenching and pulling and yanking and drilling and burning smell--but now I have a new crown/bridge thing to fill in the space on the right side of my mouth. I feel like I can smile like a normal person again! Yay!

i'm it

So I was tagged by my cute friend Christine.

10 Years Ago: I was a senior at Red Bank High School and doing a mentorship at The Chattanooga Times (or Free Press? - can't remember) in their photojournalism department. (This is back when I thought it would be cool to work for The National Geographic and go off to exotic places like Singapore and shoot photos of barefoot children next to bright blue walls. Actually, I still think that would be cool.) I had shorter hair that was entirely too poofy from those ginormous velcro rollers and I cared too much about what other people thought.

5 Things on my to-do list today:
- take a shower
- feed some children
- change a diaper
- clorox wipe the boys' toilet seat
- fold laundry--or wait for Bruce to do it

What would you do if you were suddenly a billionaire?
I would first buy the complete Athleta sueded tactel series. Maybe fix that dent on the back bumper of our Pathfinder. And then maybe buy one house in Hawaii for Bruce and a cabin in the mountains somewhere for me. I would also hire a cook, a housekeeper and a full-time potty training specialist whose services included cleaning poop off the carpet.

3 of my bad habits:
- falling asleep with my contacts in
- not folding laundry
- Internet

5 places I have lived:
- hotel
- apartment
- condo/townhome
- single ranch style family home
- a small space under the basement stairs where my parents kept the trash

5 jobs I have had:
- dog walker
- waitress
- research assistant
- communications specialist
- group fitness instructor

5 Things people don't know about me:
- I hate movies with talking animals.
- The sound of silverware clanking together gives me goosebumps and makes my teeth hurt.
- I get itchy when I'm nervous or stressed.
- I once ran away from home when I was 9. I got as far as the forest of trees next to our neighborhood and was away as long as it took me to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had packed.
- I used to hang out with a guy named Jared who had a glass eye. He was nice, we'd go climbing a lot, and he really liked me, but I was really hot for his friend Stephen. And you know, I never really got around to finding out how he got that glass eye. Guess we'll never know...

And now I tag whoever hasn't been tagged yet... Betsy? Sidney? Melissa? Dana? Ceri? Yeah, I don't know who hasn't. But you know who you are.

will work for food and hot wheel cars

how gross is this?

You don't even want to know how often I feed this to my children. They are dying a slow, cheesy death...

family and friends...

I know it looks like I tortured B into taking this pic, but I swear I didn't.

ahhh... my valentine!

why i love my husband

In no particular order...

1. He does the laundry and ALWAYS folds it. Really, that's an understatement. He's my personal housekeeper. Some guys come home and turn on the TV to "unwind" or whatever. Not Bruce. He starts picking up and "tidying" the house as soon as he gets home. He always bathes the kids if he's home. All three of them. It's like his nightly ritual with them. He always does the dishes, plugs in my cell phone because I hate to, and organizes our home from the garage to the kids' drawers. One of our closets is filled with all the kids' clothes in big rubbermaid action packers and labeled according to size (0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, etc.). He's so efficient, and it's sooooo hot.

2. He still makes me laugh out loud with the crazy things he says. Thanks to Bruce, the words "dude", "snap", and "yo" have found their way into our kids' daily vocab.

3. When I first met him, I thought there was something wrong with his leg. Like maybe he had a perpetual limp. But I later realized it's his "strut". I can't even do it justice just talking about it. This is something you would have to see.

4. I still get tingly when he touches me. The other day I was doing the dishes at the sink, he came up behind me and grabbed my elbow as he leaned down to kiss me. I think an electric shock went through my body.

5. His favorite place to be is home with me and the kids, and I can see it everytime he looks at me to say goodbye as he leaves for the day or to fly out of town.

mom, how do you make babies?

This is like the several hundredth time B has asked me this question. He's been asking me this question since he was two. I think today was number several hundred. I've so far been successful at redirecting his train of thought. He was watching Makenna eat lunch today and marveled over the fact that I was no longer lactating. He wanted to know why. Then he wanted to know how I could get the lactation going again. And then he added that he wanted me to have more babies for our family. This is where the infamous "how do you make babies" question came in. I took a quick detour and asked him how many babies he wanted to have in our family.

B: "I want four boy babies and thirty girl babies."
Me: "Thirty girl babies. Really."
B: "Yes, thirty." Small pause.
B: "Actually, that might be too many, because I don't know how we'll get to Church. We'd need lots of seats and we'd have to go really early or something."
Me: "Right. Good call."

I'm not sure the whole getting to Church thing would have been my first deterrent, but I appreciated the practicality. B is all about the logistics.

So. Friends, family and fellow bloggers, how would/do you answer this question? B is 5. A very precocious and detail-oriented 5-year-old who likes to get technical. And I suppose that at some point in time, I'm going to have to give him a straight answer.

P.S. No new babies in the near or distant future.

feed my lambs

I realized that perhaps my blog doesn't accurately reflect how grateful I am to be a mother. So I wanted to share some recent thoughts I had...

We had a Stake Enrichment Meeting a few weeks ago (for my non-member friends, it's where the women of our Church from several different congregations get together to be taught principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ). The subject was personal ministry and finding our own personal ministry.

"To minister is defined as attending to the needs and wants of others. The Bible Dictionary adds, 'The work of the ministry is to do the work of the Lord on the earth--to represent the Lord among the people.' Love and relationships--simply and profoundly--are what personal ministry is all about."
- Bonnie D. Parkin (former Relief Society General President)

"I have sometimes wondered if the phrase 'love of God' means our love of God or His love of us. I'm no scholar of prepositional phrases in the scriptures, but my own experience has convinced me that it is impossible in all practicality to separate the two. When I feel His love for me, I instantaneously am flooded with my love for Him and vice versa. We cannot have one without the other. No wonder it is always simply and profoundly stated 'the love of God'. The love of God is the heart of Christianity, the centerpiece of the plan of salvation, and opening our hearts to receive and give it is our daily opportunity."
- Virginia H. Pearce (former 1st counselor in Young Women General Presidency)

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, that I could be doing more, that I should be doing more. It's easy to get caught up in doing the things that are not as important. The most important work I will ever do is within the walls of my home. We know that, of course, but it's often hard to find a balance. (And really, who can concentrate on the eternal perspective when changing a poopy diaper?) It's a fine line we walk, but the path to eternal happiness is straight and narrow. There is no grey. Not really.

Most of the Lord's ministering opportunities were spontaneous, not planned in advance. I like what Sister Parkin said about this:

"Much of the Savior's ministering seemed almost incidental, happening while He was on His way to somewhere else--while He was doing something else... Our acts of service don't need to be planned. By acting on opportunities to serve, we can 'feel at one with the Savior at that moment.'"

Most of my favorite moments in life are those quiet moments with my family, when we are paying attention to each other, working together, eating together, playing together. And although it takes some effort and planning, for instance, to have Family Home Evening each week or to ignore the dirty dishes in the sink while I play Candyland with my kids, there are additional teaching and service opportunities with my children born as a result that are unplanned and even more fulfilling. When I am tuned in to the Spirit, I am tuned in to life. To my children. To my husband. And I feel alive with joy and love for the blessings I've been given. So when I kneel down to ask Heavenly Father whom He would have me serve today, I think I already know part of that answer... who knew dirty diapers could be so fulfilling?

sad, but probably true...

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/rd/50651/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=F

no one likes a frowny face

Luke might look semi-cheerful in the following pictures, but this past Saturday's birthday party was not one of his finest moments. He is my most easy-going child, sweet, affectionate, and charismatic. But when he's mad, he's scary. And he was very mad and pouty on this particular day, because he had gotten a haircut that morning. He absolutely hates haircuts. Seeing and feeling the snipped-off hair on his body freaks him out, and he screams bloody murder. As a result, he wasn't in the best mood on this particular day and during all the "festivities", one of the helpers at JW Tumbles asked Luke if he wanted to come join in. Luke screamed, "NOOOOO!!!!" in the poor, unsuspecting teenager's face and proceeded to kick the poor guy. All the parents in the room gasped and I bit my cheek to hide a smile. He's the kid you don't want your kid to play with on the playground.




He perked up marginally on the tire swing.




The zip line at the end was the highlight for him.

birthday highlights

1. I went out with a couple girlfriends Friday night. We got pedicures and then went to a restaurant where the party of six across the way from us went all "pulp fiction" and started cursing and flinging glasses of whatever at each other. Seriously. It was some sort of lover's spat from the sound of it. And a GANGSTA lover's spat, from the look of it. One dude was big pimpin' it with his gold chain and top hat yelling at his lady love in her high heels and faux fur. Classic. No guns involved, however, so I was able to make it to my 28th birthday unscathed. I was envisioning the headlines during those few tense seconds, "Innocent bystander, Noelle On, would have been 28 on Saturday..."

Thank you, Bonnie and Brooke! Never a dull moment with these two around...


2. Our waitress had the same birthday as me. And I have to say our service was fabulous. People born on Groundhog's Day are awesome.

3. Listening to my guys sing happy birthday to me over a chocolate cake with a cherry on top. "Happy Birthday, Mama!" is the sweetest sound in the world.

4. Bruce took me to see 27 dresses--a movie that most guys wouldn't be caught dead in. I'm pretty sure he was the only guy in that movie theatre. But what can I say? He loves me. Although, I did notice he quickened his step a bit on the way out.

All in all, a great birthday weekend. I like being 28! I have a thing about even numbers sounding cuter than odd ones.