The Overtons of Overton

Two Very Happy Little Boys

2012-01-05T19:39:00.001-08:00

A New School Year

2011-09-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

This summer flew by so fast! I can't believe that summer vacation is long gone and that the kids have been back in school for three weeks already. Here are some pictures from the first day of school along with a little info about the new school year.

Makenna has loved middle school, so she was actually excited to go back to school this year to spend more time with her friends, particularly Natasha, Riley, and Hannah. Unfortunately, returning to school has had its donwside. She keeps complaining that all these boys keep coming over to talk to her all day. Poor thing ;-) .

Makenna is on the Lyon Locomotion Dance Team again and is loving it just as much as she did last year. They performed at an assembly the morning of the first day of school. She and the other girls did a great job!

I was a little nervous for Matthew to go to middle school, but he is really enjoying it so far. He likes being able to move from class to class, though doing so in less than three minutes can be a bit of a challenge.

Matthew loves science! He is particularly interested in the dinosaurs, evolution, and the solar system.

Jonathon is in Mr. Rowley's fourth grade class this year. He likes his teacher, but misses all of his old friends from last year, most of whom are in Mrs. Simpkin's class. Fortunately, he is starting to make some new ones.

Jonathon and Kevin both live for the weekends when their friends Omer and Vance come visit their dad, who lives in our neighborhood. They love building forts together, playing on the wii and playstation, and watching movies. Life can get a little crazy in our house on the weekends. :-)

Kevin is enjoying afternoon kindergarden in Mrs. Hammon's class. He has made a new friend named Ruger, but still plays with his friend Dominic.

Kevin has been working hard to learn all his letters. He is such a sweetheart! I'm happy to be able to have him at home with me during the morning.

This is a picture of the "Brother Friends." They do their share of fighting, but they are also best friends.

Playing Catch up-Jonathon as Franklin D. Roosevelt for his 3rd grade Chataqua

2011-09-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Playing Catch Up-Matthew's 5th Grade Graduation

2011-09-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

The T-Shirt My Brother Made For My Parents A Few Years Ago

2011-08-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

August Update

2011-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a synopsis of some of the things the kids have been up to over the last few months-

Makenna's had a fun summer! She went to Girls' Camp for the second year. This year the girls got to stay in someone's huge luxury vacation cabin up in Utah. I was more than a little envious! Not surprisingly, Makenna had a great time! She has been spending a lot of time this summer with her friend Natasha. I think the picture above is from the trip to Knotts Berry Farm near the end of the school year. Natasha has a pool, so Makenna loves going there to swim. She always comes home looking like a lobster no matter how much sunscreen she has applied. Makenna and the rest of the kids have been able to spend some time with Grammy Mimi in California, where they've played at the beach and Knott's Berry Farm. Last week Makenna attended dance camp here in Overton. She had a great time, though she came home super sore every day.

Matthew graduated from fifth grade in June! I can't believe he is going into middle school?!! Crazy! Matthew spent most of June and part of July traveling the country with my parents. I missed him, but knew he was having a great time. They spent a week in Tennessee, a week in North Carolina, and a week in Massachusetts. So far he's been to 47 states so far, all but Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota. I'm so happy that he has had the opportunity to travel with my parents. This is the third year he has shared in their adventures.

Jonathon had a very exciting last day of school. A few years ago he received a certificate for perfect attendance plus a candy bar from the principal. This year he decided he set a goal to reach perfect attendance again. I was really proud of how hard he worked to accomplish his goal. He even passed up missing school to go to the fair and was one of the few kids who attended that day. On the last day of school he was presented, not with a candy bar, but with a beautiful red bike! Definitely a wonderful surprise! He has had a fun summer visiting California, spending WAY too much time on the Wii and the PlayStation 3, and playing with friends.

Although Kevin really liked kindergarten, he has definitely enjoyed having some time off for the summer. He's kept busy playing with his "brother friend" Jonathon, playing the PlayStation 3, and shooting his water gun. We recently celebrated his sixth birthday, but I still think of him as my little tiny baby. I guess he will always be my baby. Like the other kids, he enjoyed spending time in California with his relatives and has decided that he wants to live in California someday.

April Update

2011-04-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the month of April by attending the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. We usually spend both Thursday and Friday at the fair, but this year we decided to just go on Thursday. I went to the fair that morning with Kevin's kindergarten class and enjoyed experiencing the fair with four adorable five-year-olds. At noon, I went home and picked up Makenna and Matthew, dropped Makenna off at her friend Natasha's house, then hooked up with Jonathon's class. Unfortunately, there was really horrible, dusty wind that day and we could barely stand up or see straight, so Jonathon's class ended up going back to the school early. We'd pre-purchased carnival tickets. so we stuck it out to get our money's worth and the children enjoyed the carnival rides. Makenna spent the day at the carnival with her friend Natasha, so we didn't see much of her. On Friday, I gave my kids the option of attending school or staying home. Makenna chose to stay home, but all my boys went to school and were one of just a handful of students in class that day.

Later in the month, we enjoyed Spring Break relaxing at home, picnicking at the Valley of Fire, playing with friends at the park, and spending time together. That weekend, Jared took the kids down to Newport Beach to celebrate Easter with his family.

Here is a little update on what the kids have been up to this month-

Kevin had a great month. To our immense relief, his missing glasses turned up. He looks so adorable in them! I wish he was wearing them for his pictures, but he forgot them. He picked out his own clothes that day, as you can probably tell by his mismatched outfit. I was just relieved that he had put his shirt on correctly since most mornings he puts it on backwards and I have switch it around. He also likes to wear his clothes over his pajamas, and I usually let him do it. One week he took layering to a whole new level and wore his pajamas, three shirts, and a jacket to school. Silly boy!

Kevin continues to enjoy having play dates with his friend Dominic, playing the wii, and attending kindergarten. Each week he looks forward to a "Fun Friday", the day when he and the other kids get to play with toys and eat treats at kindergarten. This month Kevin has enjoyed watching "Johnny Test" on Netflix and reading Green Eggs and Ham with me. A couple of weeks ago he lost his first tooth and was subsequently visited by the tooth fairy.

Lately Kevin has been obsessed with my "tummy", rubbing it, kissing it, lying on it, and squeezing the "chub." It drives me crazy, but I am trying to endure it as best as I can since he obviously finds it extremely comforting.

My favorite moment each day is seeing a cute little blond boy with glasses and a big smile jumping off the school and running towards me. He is such a sweetheart!

Jonathon's birthday is coming up in May, so he's been busily trying to finish all his Wolf requirements, happily planning his birthday festivities, and anxiously anticipating the arrival of a watch he ordered for his birthday. He continues to pass of his math facts at school at lightning speed and has been finishing his homework during his daily ride home on the school bus.

A few weeks ago Jonathon made homemade paper wallets for everyone in the family. They actually turned out pretty cute. Hopefully I can get some pictures of them on next month's "Update" post.

A few days ago Jonathon put a carton of chocolate pudding in his backpack, which got all over his music folder and textbook. He was pretty upset over it, but we were able to replace the folder and clean up the book, so it all worked out okay.

After weeks of listening to Matthew's pleas, I finally agreed to take him to the store to buy a magnifying glass. On the way there, he told me that he wanted to use it to set things on fire. Needless to say, we had a long talk before we actually made the purchase. I told him he could set little leaves or twigs on fire as long as he was very careful. He enjoyed doing that few that for a few weeks until the smell of smoke led me to a full-blown log fire in our front yard. Since then he's been prohibited from starting fires, but that didn't keep him from taking his magnifying glass to school, where it was confiscated. He's been begging me to go pick it up for him, but I'm not feeling particularly inclined to do so.

A few weeks ago, Matthew discovered on Netflix a 65-episode documentary on the Universe. He's been it everyday, much to the chagrin of his youngest brother.

I can't believe that he'll be going onto Middle School next year!! Where has the time gone??

As mentioned in an earlier post, Makenna made the Lyon Locomotion Dance Team again. Hooray! She had a great experience this past year and is looking forward to what will hopefully be another great year. Unfortunately, their dance coach, Sara Leavitt, is moving to Utah. She did an amazing job and will be greatly missed. Their new coach will have some big shoes to fill.

This morning was a crazy one in our household. To start at the beginning, last night Makenna's best friend Natasha came over at 9 p.m. to spend the night in anticipation of the school's pride trip to Knott's Berry Farm the following morning. Were they ever hyper?!! At eleven thirty p.m. I had to come out and tell them that if they wanted me to get them to the school by 3:10 a.m. to leave for the trip, they had better let me some sleep. I reminded them to wake me up a few minutes before they needed to leave, then went back to bed. Next thing I knew, a frantic Makenna rushed into my room and announced that it was already 3:50 a.m. and she had slept through her alarm. We had a few minutes of panic, but it all turned out okay. Fortunately, the principal had been kind enough to hold the bus for them so they were still able to go. Whew!!! Hopefully she had a fabulous time at Knott's Berry Farm and made it on time for the return bus trip. She and her group should be eating at the Barstow McDonald's right now.

We are looking forward to next month! May means May Day Dances, Jonathon's birthday, and the winding down of the school year. Hopefully, it will be a great month!

Dance Team Tryouts

2011-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Makenna made the dance team again this year! Hooray! About 60 girls tried out, so it was really quite an accomplishment. Here are a few random pictures from last year...

Dance Camp Eighties Day at Dance Camp

Pool Party

Overton Update

2011-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to fill everyone in on what the Overton children have been up to lately.Kevin is a sweet, good-natured little boy, who is almost always pleasant to be around. He has really enjoyed his year in Mrs. Williams' morning kindergarden class. When he is home, he enjoys playing games on the Playstation, watching "Phineas and Ferb", drawing pictures, and playing with his best friend, Dominic Cortez. Unfortunately, Kevin's new glasses have been missing for almost a week, but we're hoping they will turn up soon. Kevin has been anxiously awaiting "The Bunny Day" and all the candy that comes with it.

Jonathon is having a fabulous year in third grade and takes great pride in the fact that he is leading the class in Math facts. He is thrilled to able to have the same teacher, Mrs. Wimer, for both school and church. Jonathon loves playing the playstation, throwing around a football with mom or dad, and participating in cubscouts. He is very responsible and never needs to be reminded to do his homework. He is a big help around the house and is in charge of keeping the living room clean.

Matthew has had another great year in Mrs. Hall's class and is looking forward to moving on to middle school next year, where he hopes to start play either percussion or the trombone. Matthew recently spent a weekend at Astromcamp where he had a fabulous time learning about the solar system, swimming, and making lots of new friends. Matthew enjoys riding his bike, going for long walks with mom, and making ham and swiss cheese sandwhiches. He is having a hard time being separated from his dog Daisy, who is currently staying with my parents.

Makenna just finished off a busy year on the Lyon Locomotion Dance Team. Last month they participated in a dance competition and performed at the annual the Dance Review. She has done a wonderful job on the dance team and has improved so much this past year.

Makenna recently completed a quarter of Home Ec at school. For the final project she was required to cook a full meal for the family. She served Frito Casserolle, rice, mandarin oranges, and chocolate chip cookies. Everything was delicious!

Memorable Remarks

2011-04-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

SORRY!! My blog still isn't letting me space paragraphs.! *Makenna (as we're about to head off to a ward party): You look like a gangster mom! *Makenna: Sorry, but I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend until I'm 18. *Matthew: When I am holding lots of money I feel like I'm better than other people and that's a horrible feeling because I know that's not how Jesus wants me to feel. *Jonathon: Does Satan live in the City of Darkness? *Kevin: Mom, I love you like a brother! *Kevin: Kindergarden's not half bad. *Kevin: I just want to be a Jesus member.

Dance Pictures

2011-03-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Makenna had her dance pictures taken last weekend. We're still trying to decide which ones to buy, but you are welcom to check them out.

1. Log on to www.debbyleavitt.com
2. Go to Galleries and Blog (up in the right hand corner)
3. Click on photos after 2009
4. Scroll down to two folders marked 2011 Mack Lyon Locomotion

The Story of the Human Language

2011-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I started flipping through a catalog at my parents' house and realized that it featured audio recordings of college-level courses on a variety of topics. I was most interested in one entitled, "The Story of the Human Language," but it cost over fifty dollars per course. So I did what I normally do in such circumstances, I got on the Clark County Library website, found the cd at a Las Vegas library, and requested it.

The course is really interesting and explains how language began and evolved, among other topics. I've been listening to the lectures while I do housework, but I may move it to the car, so my kids can listen (whether they want to or not) to it. I've really enjoyed it so far and can't wait to learn more. Who knew cleaning toilets and folding laundry could be so intellectually stimulating??!!

p.s. I meant to put this one on my personal website at christinaoverton.blogspot.com. Oh well...

One More

2011-03-04T21:23:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I pointed out a house decorated for St. Patrick's Day. Afterwards Kevin turned to me and asked, "Mom, when is St. Sponge Bob's Day?"

Question, Comments, and Coversations

2011-03-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the questions, comments, and conversations we've had over the past few days in our home.

*Makenna: It's not fair!!! I tried to make my eyelashes look small today, but they still look big.
-Um....okay....life's hard.

*Matthew (After mentioning how much he preferred playing to going to school): I wish there was a hat to make you smart.

Mom: Maybe you should invent one.

Matthew: I don't think I can. I'm not intelligent enough to tamper with the human brain.
-That's probably a good thing. I'm envisioning him attempting some pretty gruesome experiments.

*Jonathon: Don't you think FDR should be on Mt. Rushmore?

Mom: Well, I think Mount Rushmore was made before FDR became president.

Jonathon: They should have put him on later.
-Hmmm....which president should we take off to make room for FDR?

*Kevin: Mom, are we hobos?
-Maybe we've overstressed the importance frugal living.

Kevin's New Glasses

2011-02-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Losing My Mind

2011-02-10T18:33:00.001-08:00

As I pulled into the driveway-

Me: Matthew, when we get home will you..... (At which point I realized that I had just dropped him off at scouts.)

Me again: Jonathon, when we get home will you...(At which point I realized that I had picked him up from scouts and had dropped him off at home 15 minutes earlier.)

Me once more: Never mind I'm all alone in the car and just talking to myself... (At which point I turned around and saw Kevin staring back at me.)

My Obsessions Blog

2011-02-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

After a couple of months of debating with myself, I've finally decided to go public with what I like to think of as my Obsessions Blog. It's basically a record of whatever I'm currently obsessing about, And believe me I am ALWAYS obsessing about something!!!! My interests range from fashion, beauty products, and stilletos to Gothic romance novels, language histories, and poetry. Pretty eclectic! Chances are, my blog won't be of much interest to anyone but me, but I like it. It gives me a forum to vent about my latest and dearest obsessions. Feel free to check it out at christinaoverton.blogspot.com

Christmas Eve in Newport Beach 2010

2011-01-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Sitting with Santa

2010-12-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Jonathon and Kevin

Matthew

Makenna

Makenna (again)

My sister's dog Esme

Busting My Buttons

2010-12-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

My brother Michael just got his GRE results. He scored a perfect 800 on the quantitative section, a 710 (98th percentile) on the verbal test, and is still waiting for the results on the analytical writing portion. I am positively bursting with sisterly pride!!!

Pomegranate Salad

2010-11-29T11:08:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with my family. Most of the foods we eat are the same Thanksgiving dishes eaten by every other family in the country, but we do have a few that are more unique to us. Here is one of the Leavitt family favorites:

Pomegranate Salad:

Mix together apples (peeled and chopped), bananas (sliced), pomegranates, pecans, and cool whip.

Whipped cream was originally used in this salad, but a few years ago we started substituting cool whip in its place. This recipe came from my great-grandmother, Udora Hunt Leavitt. She passed it down to her daughter-in-law, who was my grandmother, Zelma Hollinger Leavitt, who always made it for our family on Thanksgiving. Now that she has passed on, my sister, Tammy Leavitt, has taken over the assignment. My dad called my brother in New York City on Thanksgiving and discovered that he too was making it. I love traditions! Whenever I eat pomegranate salad I think of my grandma and all the wonderful memories I have of her.

25 Things I Adore

2010-11-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

1. Hugs from my kids

2. High-heeled shoes

3. Mackinac Island, Michigan

4. Gothic romance novels

5. Huge bathtubs full of bubbles

6. White Chocolate

7. Designer Jeans

8. Murder mystery t.v. shows- Bones, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist etc.

9. Carrot Cake

10. Sunsets

11. My cats

12. E-mails from friends

13. Reuniting with my baby after the endless 2 1/2 hours that he is in kindergarden.

14. Watching my daughter's dance team performances.

15. Japanese hair straightening

16. Lunch dates full of girl talk with friends

17. Cinnamon rolls

18. Shopping

19. Perfume

20. Victorian Homes

21. Primary

22. Baking chocolate chip cookies

23. A clean house

24. Naps

25. English accents

HOORAY!!!!

2010-10-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

I often feel frustrated with my brain, wishing it worked faster and better, especially at things like math and physics. But for today (and probably today only)......I am feeling very SMART!I just completed a course on The Psychology of Personality through BYU independent study. I was worried about my grade because the instructor expected a very in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. . I was also pretty stressed because I knew that if I applied to grad school, my course grade would be the only indicator of my current academic abilities. The pressure to do well was intense. I took my final on Wednesday and was concerned by how hard it was. However, I must have done better than I thought since I checked my grade a few minutes ago and discovered that I had scored an 96% on my final and a 97% overall. An A was anything above 84% so I am feeling really good about my grade. HOORAY!!!

The Cutest Kids Ever

2010-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've despaired of ever catching up with my blogging, so I'll just fill you in on some of the things my kids have been up to lately.

Makenna is enjoying seventh grade. She loves being on the middle school dance team, Lyon Locomotion. The picture above was taken after her first performance. She and the other 21 girls did an amazing job! Makenna is also having fun being in YW and had a fabulous time at Girl's Camp last summer. More than anything, I think she is excited about finally being tall enough to wear clothes from Aeropostle.

This picture was taken of Matthew at the school May Day dance back in the spring. He and the other fourth graders were doing a disco dance to the song Staying Alive. He is in Mrs. Hall's fifth grade class this year. He had her last year and is thrilled to be able to have her again this year. His favorite activity is roaming around the neighborhood on his bike with his dog Daisy at his heels. He spent over a month this summer traveling around the U.S. with my parents and had a great time. He went last year as well and is already begging to go again next year.

This picture is of Jonathon performing a Hawaiian dance at the school May Day Dance. Jonathon is in Mrs. Wimer's class this year. Mrs. Wimer and three of his classmates are in our ward at church, so that makes it a lot of fun for him. Jonathon was baptized last month. It was a very special day. Makenna and Matthew gave talks and Kevin led the singing. Jonathon is excited to be in scouts and is very gung ho about completing his requirements.

This is a picture of Kevin with our puggle (half pug/half beagle) Daisy. Kevin LOVES Daisy and our two cats, Alice and Zoe. He can't seem to spend enough time petting and playing with them. He started Mrs.William's morning kindergarden class this year. He seems to enjoy school, though his mom still misses him tremendously. He wants to eat cottage cheese for lunch everyday when he gets home, so I have to make sure the refrigerator is always well stocked.

Just Kidding

2010-08-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

I've decided to keep this family blog going a little longer. Let me know if you'd like an invite to my private blog.

New Private Blogs

2010-08-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've decided to retire this blog. Long story. So...I am going to be starting two new blogs. One will be a family blog and the other a personal (Yes, I'm copying you Andrea) blog. Both will be private. If you'd like an invite, please leave your name and e-mail address in the comment section or e-mail me at christinaoverton@hotmail.com

Patience

2010-08-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I used to be an avid journal writer. In fact my storage area contains a journal for almost every year of my life. Several years ago I came upon a saying that subsequently became my first entry in any new journal. Here it is:
Every New Beginning
Is a Door to Adventure-
A Threshold of Discovery......

I've always loved that saying, but it seems particularly poignant to me at this time. Those of you who know me well, know that over the last few years my life has taken some suprising and unexpected turns. And now I'm faced with many difficult decisions....

Looking back, I realize that I haven't had a lot of tough choices to make. Although I am cautious and indecisive by nature, most of my "big" decisions weren't very difficult ones. Usually I just knew in my heart what the right choice was and made it. Problem solved!

The decisions I'm now facing are much harder and more complicated than ones I've faced before. There are no perfect solutions, at least none that I can come up with. And as I've prayed over the most significant choice, the answer that keeps coming to me is to, "just wait." I hate that answer! I am eager to move forward, eager for closure, eager for change, eager for a "New Beginning." But there are certain choices that I simply CANNOT make unless I KNOW with 100 % certainty that they are right.

I don't know what the future holds for me. I wish I did. In the midst of one recent crisis I counselled with my dad, who said, "I wonder, when you look back at this point in your life will you see it as the end of a good stage of life or as the beginning of one?" His statement gave me pause. Although some windows are closing, others are opening. I am beginning to see cracks of light through doors I thought would be forever closed to me. And that gives me hope. I don't know what tomorrow will bring or even what choices I will make, but I do know that it will all work for my good and that for now I just need to exercise patience.

Christina, The Fix-It Woman

2010-04-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

I am horribly behind on my blogging, but before playing catch up I need to brag about my most recent accomplishment.

I was having trouble with my washing machine, but hated the idea of paying a plumber to fix it. The hot water setting seemed to work just fine, but when I switched to the cold water setting the water barely drizzled into the washer. So...I did some googling and concluded that the cold water pipe must be clogged right at the point at which the water entered the machine. The plumber had recently cleaned out the hot water heater, so I surmised that some of the loose debris had clogged the cold water pipe.

I was anxious to get to work, but decided I'd better call my dad to come over and supervise just to make sure that I didn't electrocute myself or flood the house or anything like that. However, I must emphasize that I did ALL the actual work myself.

I don't want to brag or anything (yea right!), but I am proud to say that I now have a working washing machine. Am I good or what? Maybe I should forget applying to an MSW program and go to plumbing school (is there such a thing?) instead. What do you think???? Could I pull off the frighteningly low hanging jeans with the old grubby shirt plumber's uniform?

There was only one downside to the whole experience. Unfortunately in my zeal to test my efforts, I almost electrocuted myself by plugging in the washer with wet hands. My arm still hurts. :-( Still...since I am still alive, I am counting the whole experience as a great success story.

Gratitude

2010-03-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Life has presented many challenges for me lately. It's funny how our greatest challenges sometimes bring to light our greatest blessings. Here are some of the things I am grateful for:

1. A loving Savior who is always there for me.

2. Wonderful parents, siblings, and sister-in-law who love and support me.

3. Four amazing and loveable children.

4. A loving ward family.

5. Fabulous friends.

6. Inspired priesthood leaders.

7. Anti-depressants-I'm not even joking. :-)

8. Greater self-confidence than I have ever experienced before. Ironic, but true.

9. Hugs

10. Knowing that my best days are still ahead of me. Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself of this, but I know it's true.

Looking On The Bright Side

2009-12-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

One very constipated four-year-old=various remedies (I'll spare you the details)=one little boy freaking out and running around the house naked=finally having an excuse to purchase a carpet cleaner.

My Latest Obsessions

2009-12-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

THE CONFERENCE ENSIGN: This last conference was especially amazing. So many of the talks seemed to be aimed right at me

READING: My latest obsession? Who am I kidding. I have always loved to read. I just wouldn't be me if I wasn't in the middle of reading something. I am just about to start on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I love the various movie versions, but have never read the book.

COOKING: Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I can barely stand it. Lately I've been obsessed with it. I have been experimenting with lots of new recipes, the best of which were these banana muffins. Super yummy!

Unfortunately, not all of my cooking attempts turned out so well. At least someone enjoyed this sausage and mushroom quiche.

CLEANING: I have been super obsessed with cleaning lately and am proud to report that I spent 24 hours lastweek cleaning/doing laundry. My obsessive compulsive side requires :) me to log all my cleaning hours. I should add a disclaimer though that the cleanliness level of my house doesn't always reflect my hard work. My kids are awfully good at undoing my cleaning efforts.

SOAPMAKING:Makenna and I have had a great time making melt and pour glycerin soap lately. Hopefully, we will advance to cold process soapmaking someday. Soapmaking has been a fun mother/daughter activity. We are giving them away as Christmas presents. The pictures are not actually of the soaps we made. Stay tuned for those later. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats, right?

Crunchy Cookies

2009-11-25T11:35:00.001-08:00

I REALLY wish I had a picture to go with this post! Unfortunately, I didn't think about taking one until it was too late.

This morning I decided to make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies to take to California for Thanksgiving. Not traditional Thanksgiving fare, but I needed something that would survive tomorrow's six hour trip. Besides, Makenna doesn't like pie. Unbelievable, but true.

Anyhow, I had already made the dough and was busy flouring the table when Kevin came in. I had planned the cookie making to be a quick solo project, but Kevin got excited when he saw what I was doing and went to grab the rolling pin. We worked on the cookies for awhile and were just putting the third batch in the oven when I looked down and saw that he was totally and completely covered in flour from head to toe. And that wasn't the worst of it. I looked down at his hands and saw that they were absolutely filthy. Now I'm not talking about a little grime here. I'm talking about totally caked and thick with mud. He had been playing outside earlier. Needless to say, the cookies will not be traveling down to California with us tomorrow. However, I am going to let my kids eat them. I was serious when I said that I am a laid back mom. :)

Cute Conversations

2009-11-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Kevin: "Mama, what is a slave?"

Me (trying to explain in language he might understand): "It is a person who is trapped by another person and has to do lots of work."

Kevin: "Like flying?"

Me: "Umm......sure....and cleaning the house and working outside."

Kevin: "Why does Santa have a slave?"

Me: "Oh, a sleigh!"

Another Christmas conversation-

Jonathon: "Mama, wouldn't it be silly if Mommy and Daddy were really Santa Claus and they put cookies out for Santa Claus and then ate them themselves?"

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

House Update

2009-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me what happened with this house. We were outbid. :( I'm sad about it, but hopeful that we will be able to find another great house.

Photo Booth

2009-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

As I was browsing through my Sister-in-law Becky's blog today I came across these pictures of my kids. They were taken at the photo booth at Becky's fair-themed wedding reception. I couldn't resist stealing them.

Halloween Party!

2009-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween!!! It's probably my favorite holiday. To celebrate the occasion, I am having a Halloween party on Friday, October 23rd at 7:00p.m. in my parents' "forest" (as my children call it). Bet you didn't know that Overton had its own forest, did you? It's basically a grove of trees near my parents house. There is an empty circle in the middle and this is where the party will be. We will be watching "Halloween Town" on our 52 inch big screen tv. We will provide hot chocolate, marshmallows, and whipped cream. I suggest you bring a chair to sit on, a jacket, halloween treats to share (optional), and a flashlight Please RSVP so I can know how much hot chocolate to make. Hope you can come!

The Human Alarm Clock

2009-10-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Are your mornings like mine? Is it a battle to get everyone out of bed in the mornings? I pretty much have to pry my boys out of bed every day, coming into their rooms over and over again with the wake up call. They seem to be pretty good at totally ignoring me. I've tried to get them to wake up with a traditional alarm clock, but they seem even better at ignoring it than they are at ignoring me, the human alarm clock. I'm often pretty annoyed by the time they finally straggle out of bed.

My experience with Makenna is even worse. Her bus leaves at six thirty, so the day starts pretty early. It's been a tough adjustment. Here's an example of a typical morning:

5:30 a.m.
The Human Alarm Clock: "It's time to get up! You really need to hurry!" You can hear a slight touch of irritation in her voice. It really isn't fair for one member of the family to have to get up earlier than everyone else. Wouldn't you agree?

Sleepy Girl: "O.K. I will, I will in ......just a minute." With these words she snuggles down even deeper into bed.

5:37 a.m.
The Human Alarm Clock: "You need to hurry and get up! You've already slept seven minutes longer than you should have!" You can definitely hear the irritation at this point.

Sleepy Girl: "I know, I know I will. I'm just really tired." She still shows no intention of getting up.

5:40a.m.
The Human Alarm Clock: "It's getting really, really late. I'm tired of you sleeping in so late every morning!" The annoyance is mounting by this time.

Sleepy Girl: "I'm sorry, I will, I promise....soon....." Feeling guilty, by now, but not quite guilty enough to get out of bed.

5:45 a.m.
The Human Alarm Clock: "Hurry and get up! I'm really mad at you!"

Sleepy Girl: "Sorry Makenna. I'm getting up right now."

See what I mean? Would you want to be practically dragged out of bed each morning by a cranky tween?

Makenna's New Hairdo

2009-10-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Makenna has a new hairdo. I love it! Her hair looks so adorable short. Sorry about the hairs tweaking out. You can still get the basic idea.

Over the years Makenna and I have struggled to come to a consensus over her hair. Her hair is really fine and thin, so I prefer it short and curled. She wants it long and straight. I insist (for now) on her keeping it short enough to look healthy. But we do have a styling compromise: she styles it M-Sa; I fix it on Su. It seems to be working out okay, though both of us cringe on the day(s) we don't get to style it.

This is a day that I did it. How could I miss those hairs sticking out when we took the picture??? Oh well. If you see Makenna please tell her how great her hair looks. She could use some convincing.

Another House

2009-10-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

We viewed this house today and placed a bid on it. It is a super adorable house! I have really fallen in love with it!

The pool is one of the many things I love about it. The thing I don't like about it: the price. It would be a stretch for us. So I'm excited about the possibility of getting this house, but stressed that we might not be able to afford it. Jared seems certain though that we CAN afford it, so I hope he's right because it is a fabulous house. I can't believe that there is a possibility that we might actually be able to live there someday.

My Sleeping Sweeties

2009-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that Jonathon had abandoned his bedroom and bed after taking a facebook quiz. For those of you who didn't catch that post, the quiz was entitled, "What scary creature haunts your room at night?" The answer: A Scary Doll. Since then he has been terrified to go in his room, so he and Kevin have been sharing a bed. I have to laugh at how they fight until they fall asleep and then snuggle the rest of the night.

Neither of them are wearing pajamas as you can probably tell. Some of you will probably be totally horrified and disturbed to learn that none of my boys EVER wear pajamas to bed. Shocking-I know!! They don't seem to want to, so why bother with extra laundry? Please don't report me to CPS!!!!

These last two make me smile. I think I love my kids most when they are asleep. Besides the fact that they aren't crying or whining or fighting (which are all huge bonuses!), they just look so sweet and innocent, almost like they did when they were babies.

Hopefully, Jonathon will eventually move back to his own bed, but until then I will continue to enjoy peeking in on these two at night.

Overton Update

2009-09-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Makenna started middle school this year. Yikes! Where has the time gone? I am seriously wishing that 6th grade was part of the elementary school, but I guess I have to let her grow up someday. Luckily for me, she still thinks boys are gross. Now if she can just maintain those feelings for another 10 or 15 years....

Makenna has adjusted well to middle school and seems to enjoy it despite the occasional challenge of getting her locker to finally open and making it to class in the measly 3 minutes provided by the school. She is playing the flute in band this year, taking dance lessons, and wants to join the school art club.

Matthew is in Mrs. Hall's fourth grade class this year. He seems to be enjoying it. After school he likes to play outside, make complicated paper airplanes, read nonfiction books, and play the wii. He is very creative and has an amazing imagination. He spent over a month this summer traveling with my parents and had a wonderful time. The highlight of his trip was seeing the turtles in Central Park when visiting his Uncle Michael and Aunt Catherine in New York City.

Jonathon is having a great time in Mrs. Bailey's second grade class. He especially loves math. Like Matthew, he enjoys playing the wii and running around outside. This summer we moved him into his own room. Unfortunately, soon afterwards Makenna helped him take a facebook quiz entitled, "What scary creature haunts your bedroom?" The answer: a scary doll. Now he is afraid to go in his room alone, even in the middle of the day. Thanks a lot Makenna! At night he squeezes into bed with Kevin who doesn't seem to mind. They look so cute together!

Kevin turned four in July. He is such a sweet, loveable guy. I love having him at home with me during the day. He smothers me with hugs and kissed and frequently tells me how much he loves me. I may need to go back to school soon, so I am really savoring the time we have together. His latest toy obsession are three little toy "Jedites."

I love these guys (and girl) so much! Sometimes I wish I could trap them at their current ages forever. They are such sweethearts. They mean everything to me!

Forks

2009-08-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all you Twilight fans out there-

Are you jealous?

Michael & Catherine

2009-07-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? One of my brothers finally got married. I seriously thought that day might never come.

I am SO totally completely thrilled to have Catherine Biel Leavitt as my Sister-in-law and so proud of my brother Michael for choosing so wisely. I couldn't be any happier that the two of them are married. We arrived a day early to meet her family. They are fabulous! I am excited that my brother married into such a wonderful family!

They were married in the Seattle temple. Their reception dinner was held at Matt's in the Market at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Here is the view from the restaurant. I can't take credit for any of these photos though. I stole them all from Catherine's facebook page.

Here is a picture of the newlyweds. Catherine looked stunning in her wedding dress!

Another picture of the cute couple. They are going to be living in New York City for the next few years.

Doesn't Michael look happy? What a great day it was for all of us. I am so happy to have Catherine in the family.

HOPE

2009-07-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I was feeling really sad and discouraged....

Enter my daughter Makenna who walked by humming, "We Thank Thee Oh God For A Prophet." And the phrase that ran through my mind was, "When dark clouds of trouble hang oer us. And threaten our peace to destroy. There is hope smiling brightly before us. And we know that deliverence is nigh."

I guess that is what I need to focus on- HOPE! Even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, there is always HOPE.

House Hunting

2009-07-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

We have been doing a bit of house hunting lately. We placed a bid on this one yesterday. Isn't it cute? We love it!!! There are tons of houses hitting the market soon, so we will probably be placing bids on some of those too. It may seem like a strange time for us to buy, but I am trying to be optimistic. And we're not actually committing to anything by placing a bid. The whole process takes several months...

The Sunken Family Room. This house is 3,400 square feet. I love the idea of having more space!

This is a fabulous kitchen with beautiful cabinets. The counters are not granite :( , but are nice nonetheless.

I love taking baths, so the quality of the bathtub can make or break a house for me. This is a nice one.

I love the yellow walls of the bedroom and would probably keep them this color. Love the spaciousness of this room.

Uh Oh! My blog is not letting me put a space in here. How frustrating!!! So what do you think? Like it? Please keep your eyes and ears open and let me know if you hear of anything new that might be hitting the market soon. The prices are fabulous right now!!! I'm just grateful that we weren't househunting three or four years ago. OUCH!!! We wanted to buy at that time, but Jared was starting his residency and we were way too poor and home prices were way too high for us to even consider it. I was sad at the time, but very grateful now. We are definitely hitting the market at a good time. What a blessing!

Cleaning Weekend

2009-06-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Jared and the kids are going to California for the weekend. And what am I going to do with all my free time? CLEAN, CLEAN, and CLEAN some more! Hopefully, I can have a perfectly immaculate house by the time the gang gets home and it will stay that way forevor and ever and ever.

Missing Matthew

2009-06-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know my parents know that they LOVE to travel. When I was growing up we would spend a full month traveling around the U.S. each summer. My parents are still spending their summers traveling, though now they spend much of the time visiting their various timeshares around the country.

Last year Makenna accompanied my parents on their travels and had a great time. A few weeks ago, I started worrying about how I could keep my kids occupied throughout the long, hot summer months. Then I had this great idea! I called my parents and asked how they would feel about taking Matthew this summer. They went for the idea and so did Matthew. I congratulated myself on my fabulous idea!

But when it was time for Matthew to take off last Wednesday, it suddenly didn't seem like such a great idea anymore. The day before there had been a terrible car accident involving a group going to girls camp. Two girls had died. You can understand why I would be anxious to send my little guy off the next day on a road trip. But Matthew was so excited about the trip that I bit my lip and sent him off for a month +.

I sure miss this little guy! Luckily, he is having a fabulous time and totally enjoying himself. As a neglected middle child, I think he is loving having all of his grandparents' time and attention for himself.

Matthew and my parents are currently staying at my parent's time share in Crossville, TN. It is on a lake. Beautiful, isn't it?

Here is a picture of the time share. Makenna took all these pictures when she was there last summer.

Each day, a little turtle suns itself on this dock by my parent's place. Matthew ADORES turtles. I'm sure he is in heaven and having a fabulous time. And life is certainly easier with three kids instead of four. Still...I MISS HIM!!!

Take Me Away!

2009-05-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Jared and I are spending the weekend at Lake Las Vegas. Am I ever excited! I definitely need a break from the stresses and humdrum of daily life. I can hardly wait!

5 lbs.

2009-05-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Life has been challenging lately, so I am trying to celebrate the small stuff. So here is my little celebration: I finally lost those pesky 5 pounds I have wanted to lose for awhile! I fully realize that some of the weight is undoubtably water and muscle and the supposed 5 pounds are really only 4 1/2 (I rounded up!), but it's still an accomplishment, right?

Sad

2009-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Makenna didn't make dance. My heart is just breaking for her. Her goal was to make cheerleading, dance, or the gymnastics preteam this year. None of them have worked out. My poor little girl is feeling very sad and very discouraged tonight. And so am I.

Dance Tryouts

2009-04-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Makenna is trying out today for the Lyon Locomotion Dance Team at the Middle School. Both she and I are feeling pretty stressed out. I just can't wait for this day to be over!

Superfishy

2009-04-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I became the reluctant owner of a large fish tank and several fish. Long story! Over time all the fish died except Jonathon's "Superfishy." I have to admit that a big part of me was anxiously awaiting its demise and the subsequent removal of that ugly tank from our kitchen counter. Yesterday, the last one finally died. The hard part was telling Jonathon. His face fell and he looked as if he was about to cry. Then suddenly his face brightened up into a big smile and he exclaimed, "Good thing my birthday is coming up next month!" Wonderful.

Memories: The Heber Creeper

2009-04-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting another "Memories" post. The primary purpose of these posts is to allieve some of my guilt over being about 9 years behind in scrapbooking. These are photos of our ride on the Heber Creeper in 2005. We were living in Salt Lake City that year and decided it would be fun to celebrate Matthew's birthday with a train ride. Definitely a fun experience! In these pictures Makenna is 6, Matthew is 5, Jonathon is 2, and Kevin is a little shrimp in my tummy.

Newport Beach

2009-04-17T21:30:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we skipped the local Clark County Fair and spent the weekend visiting Jared's family in Newport Beach. We lived in Newport Beach for five years while Jared was in grad school, so it still feels like home. We left Friday morning and returned Sunday night. On Saturday morning Jared's mom took the boys to the dog beach while Jared, Makenna, and I walked around Balboa Island.

When I'm sweltering in the 115 degree summers in Southern Nevada I dream about having a summer home on Balboa Island. Now if I can just scrape together 4 or 5 million dollars...

Easter decorating gone wrong. Is it just me or do these bunnies look like they could use some prozac?

Thank You Kara Jayne!

2009-04-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago I learned a valuable lesson: wasting time on the computer can have unexpected rewards. I woke up at about six a.m. one morning, tried unsuccessfully to drag my children out of bed, then plopped down in front of the computer and started browsing through blogs. Lucky me! A fellow Israel study abroad classmate of mine Kara Jayne was celebrating her birthday by giving away home made gifts to the first five people to comment on her blog. I felt guilty jumping in front of closer friends, but not guilty enough to abstain. I left a comment, and Wallaa! Look what came in the mail for me today!

Two fabulous home made necklaces. Aren't they great? Of course these pictures don't even begin to do them justice. Sorry for the glare! The one on the left is actually reversible with a cute floral design on the other side. And the one one the right has four little circles, each engraaved with the name of one of my kids. I love them! Thanks so much Kara Jayne!!!

The catch-on my birthday I'm supposed to give away gifts to the first five commenters. Stay tuned on July 25th.

My Talented Daughter

2009-04-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of my daughter Makenna practicing for cheerleading tryouts. She is one talented (and flexible) chica! She didn't make it, but I am so proud of her for having the courage to try out. I hope she feels good about all the hard work she put into it. You too Isabella!

Here are a few more pictures just to show off Makenna's flexibility.

Water Woes!

2009-04-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, for the past couple of years Jared and I have been subdividing an acre off my parents' property so we can build a house on it. It's been a very lengthy, frustrating, and expensive process. One of the last steps in the subdivision process was to buy water for the property. The company handling our property subdivision told us it would be about $20,000. Ouch!

We went over to the water company to see if there was any way we could buy water later so we could include it in our construction loan. After looking over the property map, the water company manager told us there was no way we could link into the water line my parents use. We would need to hook into the main line, which meant drilling under both the highway and the railroad tracks. His rough estimate of the cost-$150,000!

I spent the rest of the day crying. All that time and money down the drain! There are no loans available for property divisions, so we were advised to put in on our credit card and that we could later put it into our construction loan. So now we are stuck with about $11,000 on our credit card. We aren't people who normally carry around credit card debt, so it just makes me sick to my stomach! I try to console myself with the fact that if we had bought a house a couple of years ago it would certainly have depreciated more that $11,000. Still......

I am trying to look on the bright side of the situation. Our new game plan is to buy a house this fall. The great news is that it's a fabulous time to buy and we should be able to get an amazing deal. And no I'm not completely giving up on my dream of a house on the property we were subdividing. I'm still hoping that a way will open up...eventually... But for now we are looking forward to buying a house. Let me know if you know of a great house at a good price!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-03-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 12th Anniversary to Jared and me! What did we do to celebrate this joyous occasion? We both got up at 5:00 a.m. and got ready for church. Jared headed off to his 6:00 a.m. Bishopric meeting, while I got the kids ready. I drove to the church, deposited the kids in the nursery, then met Jared at a 7:00 a.m. ward council meeting. I glanced down at the date on the agenda and realized its significance. Oops! I turned to Jared and whispered, "Happy Anniversary!" We were interrupted halfway through the meeting by one of our crying children., who needed to be comforted. After the meeting, Jared went home with the kids while I attended BYC then stayed after for a short meeting with the Bishop. I met back up with Jared and the kids in the chapel for sacrament meeting. After the meeting, I quickly finished preparing my lesson (Yes it had been one of those crazy, busy weeks!), then taught an incredibly boring lesson. Sorry Laurels! After church we went home, changed our clothes, then drove over to my parent's house where we ate dinner and helped Makenna practice (I know! Sigh....not the best Sunday activity!) for cheerleading tryouts. From there we headed to a home teaching appointment with one of my favorite people in the world. Then instead of attending our marriage and family class, we decided to relieve our exhaustion by taking a long nap. Our efforts to do so were foiled by a houseful of cranky, fighting children. Serves us wrong for ditching our class! We spent the rest of the evening helping our daughter prepare ( I know, I know, another not so great Sunday activity!) for her science fair project. Then I went to bed and Jared stayed up to work on taxes. Definitely a less than exciting/romantic anniversary. Hopefully in a month or so when we have more time and money we can do something a lot more fun.

The Far Pavillions

2009-03-26T08:47:00.001-07:00

The past few months I've been re-reading three of my favorite books by M.M. Kaye: Trade Winds, Shadow Of The Moon, and The Far Pavillions. I would highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Don't be intimidated by the length of these books! They are worth the time and the effort.

Oops!

2009-03-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

My husband just happened to read my last post and saw that it started out with the quote, "You will either marry or give birth to your greatest challenge in life."

He pointed out that since I then mention that my kids are wonderful, the natural conclusion could be that he is not and that he is my biggest challenge in life. Nothing could be farther from the truth! He is a wonderful husband. Marrying him was the smartest thing I ever did. I just thought it went without saying that my biggest challenge couldn't be him. Sorry Jared! I love you!

The Struggles of Motherhood

2009-03-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

"You will either marry or give birth to your greatest challenge in life."

That's what our high council speaker said on Sunday. Ain't it the truth?!!

I have wonderful children! But like most parents I spend quite a bit of time thinking and worrying about them. It's scary being a parent sometimes, particularly a mother. You've probably heard the joke amongst Psychologists, "So tell me about your mother?" The meaning behind it is obvious. No one impacts or influences a child as much as his or her mother. No pressure!

One of my children has been really struggling lately. As a mother, it's so hard to watch this. My child has experienced some very serious disappointments. And looking back I can see that I could have prevented the situations. I'm doing everything I can to help now, but some things are just beyond my control. I wish I could just jump in and make everything all better. But I can't! And that's really hard!

I'm doing my best to help the child learn from the experience. There are certainly some lessons to be gained. And hopefully I can help my child learn them and to grow stronger because of the trials of life.

Any advice from you parents and friends out there?

Moapa Valley Residents-Sign up here for St. Patrick's Day Treats

2009-03-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Early St. Patrick's Day everyone! In honor of the holiday and my Irish heritage (who could have guessed?) I am giving away treats to anyone who comments. And no, this is not just a ploy to get you to leave a comment. The truth is that I made a list of everyone I wanted to deliver treats to and found that there were more people than I could handle. I tried to think of ways to shorten the list, but none of them seemed satisfactory. I finally decided to just have a sign up list here for all my friends who would like to receive St. Patrick's treats. It's easy! All you have to do is to leave a comment and I will show up at your doorstep on March 17th with treats in hand.

Sadly, I can only deliver treats to those of you living in Moapa Valley. Yes, I know, it's completely unfair. The simplest solution would be for all of you to move here. I'm sure you've always wanted to live in a little desert town out in the middle of nowhere, right?

Dance Anxiety!

2009-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling very stressed and anxious this week! Why? Because I was foolish enough to volunteer to dance with my daughter and my friend, Summer in the ward variety show. What was I thinking??!!

It all started innocently enough when I volunteered Summer to dance with Makenna. Makenna was very excited about the idea. Summer...less so. I felt guilty about volunteering Summer so in a very weak and very stupid moment, I actually agreed to dance with them. Of course they both thought this was a wonderful idea. Then I dug myself even deeper by notifying my mother, the ward activities director, that we would be dancing. And now there is no way I am getting out of this. Yikes!!

So basically I'm going to be a 34-year-old woman doing a hip hop dance with an 18-year-old and a 10-year-old. Nice. I 'm worried that I am going to look totally silly and old ladyish. And the stress is mounting as the event approaches!! How in the world am I going to pull this off?

My Cute Kids!

2009-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how few posts I have about my kids! Why is that??!! My life definitely revolves around them. I guess it's just nice to get away from them sometimes, even if it's just in the privacy of my own blog. That being said, it's high time for me to tell you more about them! A few posts ago I promised to repent and start taking more pictures of my kids. I really have been doing better at it. Here are some pictures I took of the kids this last week, along with some info about them. I'm also going to have them tell a little bit about themselves.

Here is my oldest, 10-year-old Makenna. Isn't she cute?!! She was our only BYU baby. She just got her braces on a couple of weeks ago. She is a very sweet, responsible girl. At school and church she is very shy and quiet. Sometimes I wish she was more like that at home! She talks and laughs non stop at home and we are constantly having to tell her to quiet down.

Makenna loves to draw, watch Smallville, and to tease her brothers. She is in two gymnastics classes this year. I can't believe how flexible she is. She can effortlessly do the Chinese splits. Even in jeans!

Pretty much every day we fight over her hair. I love it like this, but very rarely style it this way. You can probably tell why. Makenna says it is much too "fluffy" this way. What can I say? I grew up in the 80's. When asked to tell about herself, Makenna says, "Don't put that picture of me on your blog Mom! I'm not going to say anything because you put that picture of me on your blog!" (Well, that worked out well! Can't wait for that girl to become a teenager!)

This is Matthew. He is 9 years old. He was born when we were living in Newport Beach, California. He constantly amazes me with his creativity. Two of his school teachers have compared him to Bill Gates because he is very intelligent, but definitely thinks outside the box.

He loves to play Spore on the computer and Sim City on the Wii. He also enjoys learning about the solar system. He spends a lot of time playing outside and loves to build things in the dirt.

I had a very disturbing experience with Matthew this week. He came up to me and asked, "Which is more like an eagle, a Klingon bird of prey or a Romulon War Bird?" Uh oh! Someone has been spending way too much time watching Star Trek with Dad!

Matthew says, "I like Daisy. Makenna and Jonathon are always being mean to me. I like to play outside, play the computer, and play Sim City on the Wii. My Aunt takes us on trips to the movies. My teacher is Mrs. Buchanan. I like to make paper airplanes."

Meet Jonathon! He will be seven in May. He is such a sweetie. He is very smart and really enjoys going to school. His reading has really improved this year. He enjoys playing outside, coloring, and playing lego Indiana Jones on the Wii.

I love Jonathon's smile! It always makes me smile. I love how he does his best at school and tries so hard to follow the rules.

Jonathon says, "I'm good at gymnastics. I'm good at karate. Jason is my friend. I like playing outside. Cody is my friend."

Here's the baby of the family, Kevin, being held by his big sister Makenna. He is also known as the "Chunky Monkey." Kevin is my only child at home now during the school day. He has a really cute personality and is fun to spend time with. For the last six months he has been obsessed with the Disney movie Cars and will watch it as often as I will allow. He loves to play with his little cars and act out the scenes with "Lightning the King,""Doc Husband," and "Chicken."

Kevin's other love is our dog Daisy. She is a puggle. Her dad was a pug and her mom was a beagle. Kevin is very attached to her. Unfortunately, neither Kevin nor Daisy have much need for personal space, especially when it comes to tongues and mouths. Disgusting!

Kevin says, "Daisy was licking me. I like to play with Daisy. I like Happy Feet. Daddy holds me. Grammy Pat hugs me. Nenna (Makenna) holds me too cuz I'm heavy."

Makenna's Blog

2009-02-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had this great idea for Makenna to start a blog. It seemed like it could be a fun mother/daughter activity for us to work on together. Unfortunately, she is a bit lukewarm about it at present. I'm hoping she will become more enthusiastic as she receives some comments. She hasn't received any yet for her first post, , so I am asking, no begging you to read the first entry and to leave a comment. Thanks! The address is: Makennasblog.blogspot.com

A Walk To Remember

2009-02-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

I really love serving in the Young Women's program. It's so much fun! Ever since I graduated from High School I have wanted to be a Young Women's leader. I had a long wait! I started out in student wards where we just had Relief Society. Eventually, I moved on to family wards, but I was always called to be in the Primary or the Relief Society. I enjoyed serving in those organizations, but still hoped to eventually end up in Young Women's.

About 18 months ago, I was called to be the Beehive advisor. Yippee!! I was sad to leave my primary class, especially because my daughter was in the class, but excited to finally make it into Young Women's. I really enjoyed getting to know the Beehives. What great young women they are! I also loved working with Jill Williams, the YW 2nd Counselor. I really miss seeing her every Wednesday.

Everything changed last September when I was called to be the YW president. Help! I was absolutely terrified! I had never even served in a presidency before, so I felt totally unqualified. Fortunately, I have a wonderful presidency and fabulous class advisors who make my job so much easier. At first I was really sad to leave my Beehives to work more with the Laurels. I still miss my Beehives, but I love being with the Laurels. I am truly amazed by how mature and responsible they are. And I've really enjoyed working with Sister Irene Hauver, the Laurel advisor. She's amazing! I love the great example she sets for the girls.

For our mutual activity last Wednesday, we went on a "walking picnic" that the class presidency had planned. One nice thing about working with the Laurels is that they are responsible enough to plan and carry out their own activities. Mostly I just show up and join in the fun. It's great! Anyhow, the plan was for us to get a little exercise by walking around to the the various Laurel's homes to pick up food for a picnic. We started at Shelby Simper's house, where we picked up chips and hoagie buns, then walked on to Madison Hauver's house to get juice and potato salad. From there we went on to Noelle Rust's home to pick up veggies for the sandwiches. We ended up at Brittney Teeples house. She brought out the ham, cheese, mayonaise and mustard. We had a great meal on her front porch. The weather was perfect! In the summertime I ask myself over and over again why I live in Southern Nevada. But at this time of the year I remember.

Here are a few of the pictures I took at the activity. Summer Simmons, one of the Laurels, helped me (Thanks Summer!) to fix all the red eyes. Here's the weird thing. Because it was dark and I was using the flash, ALL of us had red eyes in EVERY picture, exept for Irene and Madison Hauver. NEITHER of them had red eyes in ANY of their pictures. I am very puzzled by this phenomenon. Does anyone have any ideas about why that would be?

(From left to right) Brittney Teeples, Madison Hauver, Irene Hauver, Noelle Rust, Summer Simmons, Ashlie Simmons, and Shelby Simper

This is a picture of Summer and Ashlie Simmons. I'm so happy that Summer brought along her young sister. I'm hoping to see a lot more of Ashlie at our activities.

Here we have the whole Laurel gang. I'm so happy that everyone was able to come that evening!

Here we have Ashlie Simmons, Shelby Simper, and Summer Simmons. What cuties!

This is a picture of Brittney Teeples and Madison Hauver. We sure will miss Brittney when she heads off to school.

So, that was our Walk to Remember. I am excited to spend more time with these wonderful girls at all the fun activities we have coming up.

Memories: Makenna's Kindergarden Days (2004)

2009-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make! For the first 18 months of Makenna's life, I took lots and lots and lots of pictures. And I did lots and lots and lots of scrapbooking. Then everything changed! I had another baby-Matthew. Life got pretty crazy and I stopped scrapbooking completely. That was nine years ago. Even worse, I've hardly even taken any pictures. I know, it's terrible! I am appropriately ashamed. And I am resolving to do much, much better in the picture taking department. As for scrapbooking, I think I'm done with that-maybe forever. I just don't have the interest anymore. I'm going to just blog the pictures and memories from now on. Unfortunately, I'm pretty behind. So, I hope you'll forgive me for all the "Memory" posts that will be coming along. I don't expect my friends and followers to read and comment on them all. Of course, if you'd like to, that would be great. Just don't feel obligated.

As I still haven't learned how to scan photos, I'm going to start with ones I already have on my computer. I seem to have quite a few kindergarden pictures for Makenna, so I'll begin with those.

This picture was taken outside Makenna's kindergarden classroom at Newport Heights Elementary School in Newport Beach, CA. We lived there for 5 years while Jared was in graduate school. We moved to Utah the following summer, so Makenna was only there for kindergarden.

This is Makenna with one of her kindergarden teachers, Mrs. Kerri? Holland. What a great teacher! She managed to run a tight ship, while still being nice and sweet. She was also the prettiest and most stylish school teacher I've ever known.

This is Makenna's other teacher. I wish I could remember her name. She was actually a long-term sub. Makenna's regular teacher, Mrs. Mountain was removed from the classroom. Long story. Let's just say I wasn't sad to see her go. The substitute teacher, however, was great.

The fun corner of the classroom. Note Matthew in the red Hawaiian shirt.

Here is Makenna with a life size replica of herself. I love that little pink dress. Still have it , just in case...Makenna's class was raising these cute little chicks.

The next few photos are of us on the kindergarden playground.

Yes, I admit it. I LOVE to swing. Everytime we go to a park I just can't seem to resist!

The next few pictures were taken at an after school Hawaiian party.

Here is Jonathon at age two. Thank goodness he eventually outgrew the thumb sucking!

This is Matthew at 4 years old. I love this little red Hawaiian shirt. It has now made it all the way down the line to Kevin. Having three boys in a row does have its advantages when it comes to hand me downs.

What a little daddy's girl! Makenna's cute little Hawaiian dress is one of her school uniforms. Uniforms were not required, but were strongly encouraged. Unfortunately, I found out about the uniform policy after I had bought Makenna's school clothes for the year.

Here is Jared showing of his hula hoop skills.

Here is a picture of Makenna with a little red-haired boy in her class. Sadly, I can no longer remember his name.

Makenna's teacher, Mrs. Holland, told me that she heard them talking about getting married someday. Makenna always insisted that she did NOT have a crush on him-

but I had my doubts...

"Little" Miracles

2009-02-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

In Gospel Doctrine today we talked about "little" revelations and "little" miracles. We discussed how we are sometimes looking for such dramatic revelations or elaborate miracles that we miss all the "little" ones in our lives. Today, I experienced one such "little" miracle.

Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from an old, dear friend whom I hadn't heard from in years. She mentioned that her mother had been experiencing some severe health problems and her father had made the difficult decision to place her mother in a home. She requested that I give her dad a hug if I happened to run into him.

My heart went out to her parents, but I knew that there was no chance that I would "just happen" to run into her father. I had not seen him for years, certainly not in the 3 1/2 years since I had moved back to Overton.

I stayed after church today for a meeting with my Laurel class. My husband and I decided that he would take the kids home and help them change their clothes, then pick me up on the way to my parents' house for Sunday dinner. After the meeting, I called Jared and suggested he pick me up in back of the church. "That's good," he said, "Unless you'd rather have me come pick you up on the side."

The side sounds good," I responded, then walked to the side of the church and waited for Jared to come.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, I saw my friend's father get out of his car and walk toward the building. I walked over to him and was able to give him the hug my friend had requested. We talked for a few minutes about his wife and the trials he'd been through. I don't know if the experience touched his heart, but it deeply touched mine. I know we did not meet by chance today. I am so grateful for the precious "little" miracles in my life.

Valentines Date

2009-02-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

I dearly love my children, but sometimes it sure is nice to get away from them for awhile....even if it's just for a few hours.

This year for our Valentines date we went to the Cheesecake Factory at Caesars Forum. Caesars Forum is a unique shopping area in Vegas, complete with statues, fountains, and ceilings painted to look like the sky. If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas and are planning to do some shopping, check it out!

The Cheescake Factory is one of my all-time favorite restaurants. Both the food and the atmosphere are fabulous. I love how menu is one of the longest I've seen, but ironically Jared and I always seem to get the same thing.

This is Jared's Factory Burrito Grande. You probably can't tell from the picture, but it is HUGE! And Jared finished it off. I will never understand how he manages to stay so thin!

This is my Chinese Chicken Salad. There was enough to stuff myself, and still have a full take home box to eat the next day. Delicious!

Jared and I both ordered the Snickers Bar Cheesecake for dessert. YUMMY! If you like cheesecake and haven't tried the Cheesecake Factory, I highly recommend that you do so. They have every kind of cheesecake possible.

After we left The Cheesecake Factory, Jared held the camera at arm's length and snapped a couple of pictures of us and then....

practically ran over to the Apple computer store. Doesn't he look happy??!!!

After I had FINALLY managed to drag him away from the Apple Store, we decided to get some pictures of us by a fountain. Unfortunately, neither of us were brave enough to ask a complete stranger to take our picture, so Jared just took this one of just me. Sorry about the red eyes. I don't have a clue how to get rid of them. Perhaps one of my oh so wonderful friends will show me what to do...

Luckily, a kind stranger offered to take our picture, so we were able to get our couple picture.

So there you have it, everything you wanted to know about our date and more. Hope you all had a fabulous Valentines Day too!

80's Hair

2009-02-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

The comments about my 80's hair have prompted me to WOW you all with some even more impressive pictures.

This is one of my senior pictures. Like I needed any more attention drawn to my humongous hair!

This one is from my junior year. Yikes! What in the world was I thinking?!! The crazy thing is that I remember lots of people telling me what a fabulous picture this was. And they were serious!! Or at least I thought they were...

Yet another picture of my monster bangs. You know you want them! Right? It's truly amazing what hot rollers, a mini spiral curling iron, lots of gel, and half a bottle of hairspray can accomplish!

Someday I will be able to laugh at his one....but not yet! Don't you just love my perm? I didn't have the slightest clue how to take care of one. I would wash my hair every night, sleep on it wet, and brush (Yes, I do mean brush!) it out in the morning. Presto! All ready for school!

The scariest part is that in 10-20 years I will look at my hair in my 2009 pictures, cringe, and ask myself, "What in the world was I thinking???!!!!"

25 Things I Love About Jared

2009-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone! In honor of the occasion, I am posting 25 things I love about my husband Jared.

1. How he is the best husband in the world. This is not an opinion. Just a fact.

2. How he never criticizes me.

3. How he doesn't seem to ever get angry or be in a bad mood.

4. How he is a wonderful listener.

5. How his profession gives me access to my own personal clinical psychologist at my beck and call 24/7. (And believe me, I do take advantage of it. Wouldn't you?)

6. How he has blond hair.

7. How he is tan. He thinks this one is hilarious and says that I am the ONLY person in the world who would describe him as tan. But compared to me...

8. How he is absolutely and completely loyal. When I was on my mission, I encouraged him to date other people (What was I thinking?!!) and kind of blew him off. He asked a girl out several times and eventually decided he was going to put his arm around her. But when he went to do it, he became so nauseated that he couldn't. He later told me that he just couldn't put his arm around her when he was in love with me. Isn't that sweet?

9. How in high school he could run 3 miles in 14 minutes and 36 seconds. (Pretty impressive, eh?)

10. How he has never once complained when I have spent too much money on a frivolous purchase. (Not that I have EVER actually done that!)

11. How he will take lengthy phone calls from his patients at any time of the day or night and will never charge them for it.

12. How he has no interest in sports, camping, or hunting.

13. How he makes ramen noodles for the kids on Wednesday nights while I am at Young Womens.

14. How he gave up going to study abroad in Israel to marry me.

15. How he agreed to move to Overton even though he hates small towns and the desert.

16. How he can eat whatever he wants, never exercise, and never gain weight. Actually, this one is somewhat annoying. Make that very annoying. How did this one make the list anyways?!!

17. How he doesn't seem to be aging. Yah, I have mixed feelings about this one too.

18. How he loves Star Trek and even has his own uniform. Definitely gives me some great material for teasing him.

19. How he worked full time during graduate school so I could stay at home with the kids.

20. How he puts the kids to bed every night because I hate to do it.

21. How he fell head over heels in love with me right away.

22. How he still wears his hair the same way he did as a missionary despite my occasional encouragement (translation: nagging) for him to update his look.

23. How he will rub my back for hours while we watch movies.

24. How he thinks I am better than I really am.

25. How he wants to be with me for eternity.... (A definite sign of superb taste!)

Braces

2009-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Makenna got braces today!

She is starting out with just the top ones.

I wore braces too!

8th Grade

9th Grade

I'll just sit back now and wait for all the comments to come in about how gorgeous I was as a teenager.

A Sad Day For A Historic Building

2009-02-11T08:41:00.001-08:00

February 4, 2009 was a sad day for residents of Moapa Valley. The Logandale Chapel caught fire at about 4 a.m. The fire began in the relief society room, but quickly spread.

The fire spread to the roof and the attic, eventually leaving the chapel in a state of rubble.

The Logandale Chapel had a great heritage. Before its construction, various wards and bishops in the Moapa Valley area had dreamed of building a modern chapel, but had been were discouraged by the cost. In addition, local church leadership knew that the small chapels being advocated by the church building department at the time would not meet the needs of the large Logandale ward. Finally, in 1949 Bishop Grant Bowler of Logandale received permission to build a chapel. He talked with Brother Andersen of the church building department and chose a chapel plan that would accomodate the needs of the ward. The new chapel was projected to cost $150,000, half of which would be paid by the ward. This was a large commitment for a ward of less than 400 members. In addition, the ward members would need to raise $10,000 before construction could begin.

Grant M. Bowler 1954

Upon arriving home, Bishop Bowler went straight to work to raise the necessary funds. He and his bishopric visited ward member homes, showed them the building plans, and encouraged them to donate to the fund. In addition to other fund raising projects, members donated horses, livestock, cars, pies, hay, etc. for an auction. This spirited event was a great success.

Bishop Grant Bowler and Thomas Leavitt-1950

After Bishop Bowler returned home from the auction, he received a phone call, from Lou Adams who asked how much money the ward needed to meet the $10,000 goal. Bishop Bowler informed him that the ward had earned $9,907. Brother Adams stopped by Bishop Bowler's home the next morning with a check for the remaining $93.00. The goal had been reached!

With the $10,000 check in hand Bishop Bowler made his way back to Salt Lake City. He met with a building supervisor there who said that the ward would need to build a different type of chapel than the one originally agreed upon..He showed Bishop Bowler a photo of a small chapel that greatly resembled a barn. Bishop Bowler stared at the photo in horror, saying that Brother Andersen had promised him that if they could raise $10,000 then they could build the original plan. During hs imapassioned plea, Brother Andersen appeared at the doorway. With a faint smile he said, "Well, it looks like there is no way out of this, eccept to build the chapel we agreed upon last spring."

The original building site was on Liston street, but a series of land swaps occured that allowed the building to be built on Moapa Valley Blvd. The new building site added an additional $2,000 to the cost. Nothing was said about the change by the church department until several months later when Bishop Bowler received a phone call informing him that the new property was too expensive and that another site should be located. Bishop Bowler informed him, "Well, we are just a little late to do that. We are putting on the roof."

Saturday Construction Crew 1951

As the buidling was being constructed, Bishop Bowler felt that it would not be large enough to accomodate the needs of the ward. He talked with Stake President Bryan L. Bunker, who wrote a letter to the church requesting approval to enlarge the original plan. Because of limited time, President Bunker requested that he be notified within 10 days if the building department did not approve of the enlargement. Ten days went by with no word, so the ward went forward with the enlargement.. The Church building department never said anything about the addition, but local church leaders realized that they were no doubt displeased with an enlargement to a chapel they already felt was much to large. However, when the Presiding Bishop LeGrand Richards came to dedicate the building on February 18, 1951, he voiced a differing opinion, saying, "the building wasn't too large. We are building too small of a chapel all over the Church."

Logandale Chapel 1951

Le Grand Richards

Little did anyone know that the Logandale Chapel would need to serve as a Stake Center just three years later, when the stake was divided and the Moapa Stake Center was moved back to Logandale. Apostle Harold B. Lee, who presided over the stake division, informed the saints that the Logandale Chapel would serve as the stake center and told them that, "The Lord has a way of seeing ahead so as to have things prepared when he needs them."

Elder Harold B. Lee

I am sad to lose a building of such great historical significance. When I think of this sad event, I am reminded of an experience I had about four years ago. We were living in Salt Lake City for a year while Jared completed his residency. The local chapel was rededicated after an extensive renovation project. H. David Burton, the Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, presided at the dedication.

Presiding Bishop H. David Burton

He explained that because of the magnitude of the renovation project it would have been cheaper to tear down the existing building and build a new chapel. However, he said the original building was preserved because of the many memories and spiritual experiences that had been gained in the chapel.

I did not attend church in the Logandale Chapel, but it was the closest chapel to my home. It served as the stake center for most of the years I was groing up, so I have many memories associated with this buiding-stake conferences, youth dances, stake youth conference, firesides, my baptism etc.. I will greatly miss this historic building. I feel as if I have lost a dear friend.

Note: The historical information and pictures were obtained from the book Zion On The Muddy: The Story Of The Saints Of The Moapa (Logandale Nevada) Stake by G. Lynn Bowler, the Logandale Nevada Stake Historian and son of Bishop Grant Bowler. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the history of the saints of The Moapa Valley.

Makenna

2009-02-08T18:27:00.001-08:00

This is my daughter Makenna. I know I'm biased...but isn't she gorgeous?

As my only daughter, she's a bit spoiled: abercrombie clothes, the best bedroom set in the house, even her own bottle of mascara. A ten-year-old in mascara! What is the world coming to?!!

On a more serious note, I am so pleased with the choices Makenna is making. I know I can always count on her to do her best and to do the things she knows are right. She is also very kind hearted. For example, last year her teacher, Mrs. Kulp, periodically handed out "Kulp cash" for good grades and behavior. The money could be used to bid on cool prizes at an in-class auction. There were three auctions during the year, but Makenna saved all her money for the last one. As she left for school on the morning of the last auction she was bubbling over with excitement, but when she came home that afternoon she was absolutely devastated. Amidst tears, she related the events of the auction. Makenna bid on a few items but was outbid. Finally it came down to the last item. Both she and one of her best friends raised their hand to bid on the item. Makenna realized that she had more Kulp cash than her friend and could easily outbid her. But kindhearted Makenna lowered her hand and allowed her friend to win the item. She was absolutely devastated not to win a prize, but I was so impressed with the choice she had made.

I love this little girl so much! I hope I can always show her just how special she is to me!

Cinnamint

2009-02-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to put a plug in for my favorite lip gloss-C.O. Bigelow Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine. My sister-in-law Michelle gave me several fabulous lip glosses last Christmas. Thanks Michelle! This one has become my favorite lip gloss of all time. You can purchase it at Bath & Body Works. Try it! You'll like it!

My New Jeans.

2009-02-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

Yippee! I bought a new pair of jeans!. I love clothes and get way too excited about my clothing purchases. I somehow managed to pry myself away from 7 for all mankind jeans and venture out into the unexplored territory of Paige Premium Denim. I love these! The floral motiff on the back won me over.

I purchased this pair as well, but returned them for the sake of frugality. I hope to repurchase them in a couple of months or so if they are still around. They are the Scorpion jeans in amethyst by Rock & Republic. Didn't I look hot in them? O.K. So this picture is not really of me. I wish...

The Fruit Bowl

2009-02-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to improve my eating habits. I wasn't ready to commit to anything major, so I just decided to start putting a bowl of fresh fruit on my table. I didn't actually commit to eating more fruit, just to setting out the fruit. And of course the obvious has happened. We are all eating more fruit. Even my husband.

Dream Homes

2009-02-03T17:58:00.001-08:00

Today (like pretty much every other day) I have been thinking about how much I hate the house we are renting. The amenities include disgusting toilets with ill-fitting tanks covers,

weird leaves stuck on the kitchen ceiling,

and cactus in the front yard.

Sigh.....Decent rentals are hard to find. Especially in a very small town. Especially when you want something over two thousand square feet. Especially when you have an indoor dog.

We are in the process of subdividing an acre off my parents property. . We have to pay for the subdivision and for water, but other than that it's free. How else could we get 1 acre of land in Southern Nevada for under $30,000? The money we save will enable us to build a much bigger and nicer home than we could otherwise afford. However, there is a downside. And not a minor one. The land division process takes forever! We hired a company to handle it for us, but we are already at the 1 1/2 year mark. :( I am becoming increasingly more impatient and frustrated. I spend a lot of time dreaming about the house I would like to have. These are a few of the homes I love.

This one is my all-time favorite home that is even remotely within the realm of affordability. About seven years ago, when we were a poor student family, we found this home plan. It is the Collinwood plan by Frank Betz. Both Jared and I fell in love with it. We are more than a bit obsessed. Just to give an example.......April of 2007 we flew out to Virginia to see a house built from this floor plan. Seeing it in person only served to increase our obsession. My husband is almost certain that we will be able to afford this home by the time the property division is done. I am almost certain that we will not. Jared is notoriously optimistic. He would say that I am notoriously pessimistic. This is one occasion when I hope he will prove me wrong. I think most likely the Collinwood will go down in family history as the house that got away...

I have come up with some smaller (ie. less expensive) home plans that I like. However, even these may be long shots. But, who knows? Maybe insurance companies will actually start paying us for a change. Maybe we'll win the lottery even though we've never bought a ticket? Stranger things have happened. I think.

This is the Shenandoah. Before we left for Virginia to see the Collinwood, my sister said, "What if you go to see the Collinwood and find another house you love even more?" Blasphemy! How could that ever happen? I had searched through literally thousands of home plans and had yet to find anything I liked better. However...I do REALLY like this house. It was in the same housing division as the Collinwood. Gorgeous, isn't it?

This is another house I found online. I LOVE Victorian homes. As if you couldn't tell. This is one of my favorites. It's about 2,500 hundred square feet, so it should be fairly affordable. At least that is what I'm hoping. I would probably change the color. This one seems a little dreary to me.

This is another of the more realistic possibilities. I love the cheeriness of the yellow. The gazebo is nice too. Think outdoor wedding reception...The downside is that it only has 3 bedrooms. Of course, we could probably have the plan expanded or altered a bit to include a fourth bedroom.

And last, but not least, yet another Victorian home plan. I love it when online home plans include photos.

So what do you think? Which do you like the best and why? I would love to hear your thoughts! Please, please, please leave a comment!

The Overtons of Overton

2009-01-31T18:28:00.000-08:00

O.k., o.k., so we don't actually live in Overton at this exact, precise moment, but we used to....and we will again....so the name was just way to good to pass up! I grew up in Overton and always dreamed of raising my own family here. I left for school and eventually married a great guy who just happened to have the last name Overton. When it came time for him to go to grad school, we made a deal that if we moved to California, one of my least favorite places (Sorry all you Californians), for five years, then we could move back to Overton, one of his least favorite places, when his schooling was finally over. And now we're back! Or rather we were back for a couple of years. At the moment, we are temporarily living in the neighboring town of Logandale, but still think of ourselves as the Overtons of Overton.