still life

Cooking with Emma

2010-04-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Click here: Adventures in Cooking - to view this in High Definition.

Adventures in Cooking from Amy Leavitt on Vimeo.

Emma's Birthday Portraits

2010-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I can't keep up with two blogs... head on over to my photo blog to see Emma's birthday portraits:

Click here

The Desert is my Playground

2010-02-13T17:18:00.001-08:00

We went for a walk this afternoon. It seems every city in these United States is covered in snow. Except mine. The lovely Silver State has it's advantages. Sunny, high 50's, perfect day for a walk.

We had nowhere in mind to go, but ended up at our neighborhood park. Let me tell you about it; wide field outlined by a walking path, a full size basketball court and sand volleyball, a remote control car race course, and two ultra-safe modern playgrounds – a grand example of the over-thinking of child psychologists. These bubble-wrapped playgrounds are aimed to stroke over protective mothers – you know, the ones with Children's Motrin in one hand and Neo-Spray in the other.

My kids dropped their scooters in the grass and waited for us to catch up.

“Can we go up in the desert?”

I looked at the playground. A few kids dabbling on the equipment, a mom in between the two structures checking her phone.

I looked up the steep landscaped hill, over which the desert lay.

“Ok,” I said.

We climbed up and let Pepper off her leash. (One thing about pound dogs. You're the best they've ever had – they want to be with you, so go ahead and let them off the leash, they won't go far.) The oldest two were off, ignoring the youngest's cries, “Wait! Wait-a-me!”

They found a large cement drainage pipe, it's mouth shooting out of the ground a good 6 feet at an angle. Groundwork for the acres of new homes to be built before the over-inflated economy popped. Here it sat, abandoned, a ghost town before it was even built. They stayed there as I traced the pipe to it's “end” - a square hole in the ground, lined with cement.

“Say something!” I yelled across the desert.

“Hello!” They say into the cement mouth, and I am still amazed at the physics of sound at the age of 35. They sound so close I check to make sure they haven't crawled in.

We find another drainage ditch filled with scattered debris and I feel like we're in a Bones episode and if we look too closely we would find skeletal remains.

It's like this; we all laugh about our toddlers on their birthday. They play with the box and ignore the shiny new toy. And we marvel at their ignorance. No, no here is the fun thing, the worthwhile thing. The box is not fun – look - let me show you how fun the shiny thing is. But the child has figured it out. The child is under the control of the toy. It dictates to the child, and is limited in it's abilities - it can do only one or two cool things. But the child has total control of the box – and there are no limits.

Hannah told me of a time she came out to this desert and found a large piece of cardboard covering another hole – this one contained two lawn chairs and a small pile of stones.

There's a great story in that hole. Out there somewhere are two people who will always remember that one time when they put their lawn chairs in a hole in the desert and built a fire. You can't do that on a playground.

2009

2010-01-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

I'm no scrapbooker. However, I love to work with photos, so this is my way of documenting our life last year:

2009-Our Year in Photos

Sacrament Meeting Protocol

2009-11-01T23:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Jim:

You've been in the bishopric for a long time, and thus have not been present for much of our children's sacrament-meeting-behavior-training. Now that you are sitting with us, I thought it would be a good time to go through a sacrament meeting refresher.

Customs and regulations regarding diplomatic formality and precedence in sacrament meeting:

"Keeping the kids quiet" does not include handing a child your iPhone to play "Tap Tap Revenge".

Writhing on the floor is not allowed for children eight years of age or older.

Making paper airplanes out of the sacrament program = bad.

Our children are not allowed to keep the sacrament cups. Seriously.

Two of our children cannot sit by each other. This will bring about consequences previously unknown to you. If this law is broken, it will bring about castastrophic results. Think 2012.

Yours truly,

Your loving wife.

My Scooter Man

2009-10-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Scooter was our first baby. We went to the pound (the best dogs are pound dogs) just to look around. We took a walk down the hallway of cages. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were going nuts. Barking, howling, jumping, and throwing themselves at the cage. We walked past a cage which held a small black dog. He wasn't barking. He was sitting still. He saw us and laid his ears back. I bent down and coaxed him over. He timidly approached us and licked my fingers through the cage. We asked to play with him for a little while and found out that he was on day 2 of his 3 day stay. (they only keep dogs for 3 days, then euthanized them if they're not adopted). We adopted him right then.

He was skittish - so we called him Scooter. He was afraid of Jim, and all men. We soon theorized that he had been either the recipient or observer of abuse. Jim came home one day and went in the room to change out of his work clothes. Scooter walked in just as Jim was taking off his belt. The poor little guy ran out and hid behind a chair for hours.

When Hannah came along, he loved her too. He tolerated all her poking and pulling, and I would often find them like this:

He was so protective of the kids. When Hannah was born and we had lots of visitors. He would discreetly position himself between the visitor and the baby. If the visitor got up and moved around, Scooter would get up and reposition as well. He slept under her crib. Up until a few weeks ago, when he could no longer go up the stairs, every night he slept underneath Emma's crib.

He loved to join the kids in the street riding bikes and playing. Near the end, he couldn't join them, but he loved to lay outside and watch them go up and down the street.

I keep looking at the spots in the house where he would always be. By the stairs, under the desk. And he's not there. He's not here anymore.

People say "he's just a dog". He was much more than that to us. He was a comforter and protector, a friend and loyal companion. He is part of our family and we love him. We'll miss you so much, Scooter. There'll never be another dog like you.

only mormons do this...

2009-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

We just built a room where our tandem garage space used to be. I guess we got tired of all the food storage in the office, under the beds, in kids closets, in the linen closet, and in every nook and cranny of our house. When it was done, it looked so pretty, I could think of a hundred other cool uses for it (a rockin' movie room with big screen tv? A sweet photo studio?), but food storage room it must be (mud room too). These are the "before" pics.

One More...

2009-10-16T16:17:00.001-07:00

At Target, I had some cash in my hand as we left the store. Emma leaned over the shopping cart and kissed it.

"What did you do that for? Where did you learn that??"

"Mr. Krabs did it."

You can tell me why I shouldn't let my kids watch SpongeBob. It's ok, I've already been told I'm a bad mom for doing it. I am fully prepared with my theory about how SpongeBob is actually a pretty good role model. That's right. You heard me. Bring it.

Secrets

2009-10-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the inspiring Holly, who wonders what life is really like behind all the perfectness we put on our blogs.

I NEVER wrap the cord around the vacuum properly. I lasso it and throw it on the hook. It drives Jim NUTS.

Sometimes I really like to drive Jim nuts. Like when he places the kitchen towel on the knife block (because he thinks hiding them behind a towel will prevent an intruder from finding and using them) and heads up to bed, I will take the towel OFF and chuckle to myself because he will be sleeping ALL NIGHT not knowing that the knives are TOTALLY EXPOSED! [insert evil laughter here!]

One day recently my kids were acting like complete crazies. So I sent them in the backyard and locked them out.

Emma and I went out for fast food three times last week....

We don't let our kids watch TV on Sundays. But during fantasy football season, I sneak upstairs and watch my players...

I don't let my kids have pop, but I have at least one Diet Coke every day.

My office is messy. All the time.

Last Friday, I vowed to myself I would finally reach the bottom of the laundry basket. Instead, I watched a live police chase for an HOUR and a HALF, then took Emma to lunch at Jim's office...

Ok, I've totally exposed myself. I urge you to do the same. It's very liberating.

I ♥ faces

2009-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is so fun! Another week, another challenge at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com. This week's challenge is "Completely Candid".

I ♥ faces

2009-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to join this fun weekly contest! They have a contest every week, just for fun. The challenge this week is "contemplative" and "pets". Click on over for more details and to enter your own photo!

I should be doing other things...

2009-07-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of things to do and a few minutes to do it, but here I am. procrastinating.

We made this last night because the recipe looked soooo yummy.

Watermelon Strawberry Lemonade

8 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup white sugar - I used only 1/2 cup and it was still VERY sweet! I would use 1/4 cup next time.
2 cups water

Combine everything in a blender and blend until smooth. This is pretty "pulpy", so if you prefer, you can strain it. And Cindy - it's 152 calories per serving - BUT if you reduce the sugar by half, like I did, it's only 100 for 8 ounces. 5 lbs lost and counting!

Poem from Iran

2009-06-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

While I went through my day complaining of a cold, people in Iran are literally fighting and dying for their freedom. I can't believe that anyone from either political spectrum wouldn't be moved by this. Even though they know that snipers are randomly killing protestors, and police are using chemicals and tear gas - they still march. God bless the people of Iran.

Dallas

2009-05-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

Tornados, swine flu, yeah... good times! Seriously, Jennie's post pretty much sums it up! Jennie, my friend, thank you for going with me! I don't know that I would have gone by myself. It was a blast hanging out with you - I will go to a Socialist Party with you anytime! (ask Jennie - she tells the story better)

I posted a few photos on my other blog HERE. I am now a fan of Cheryl Muhr, Amy Smith and Patti Schmidt. I also met Jamie Poort, another attendee from Vegas - she's very cool. Great photographers and great people. I came back with the one thing I needed most: confidence. I feel confident. I can say, "I'm a photographer" and not laugh at myself. I am a photographer!

Pita Pizzas

2009-04-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Some days I just get tired of sandwiches/leftovers/fast food for lunch. So the other day Emma and I made pita pizzas. It's super easy, light and yummy! Every time I make these, I wonder why I don't make them more. They're so scrumptious and satisfying.

Just grab a pita bread (white or wheat), spread just a little butter on top. Then sprinkle with feta cheese. Top with sliced roma tomatoes. Season with oregano, and a little salt and pepper. (I grabbed a little fresh oregano from my garden). Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, just until the edge of the pita is golden brown.

“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

2009-04-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

It began as an innocent childhood game my kids and the neighbor kids came up with, "So You Think You Can Fart".

... which turned into my mature role model of a husband showing them how to google "fart sounds" for even more flatulent fun, thanks to the fart soundboard. (Seriously, who has the time to record fart sounds.) And I'm sure you're just dying to hear our favorites, which include "Uh-oh", "Puff Daddy", "Goose-Gas" and my personal fav, "C-flat".

So now I have the privilege of explaining to my lovely neighbor about the goings-on in our house while we had their two girls over. And I'm sure I'll be apologizing for their new found knowledge of internet fart sites.

*sigh*

But, I have to admit it was pretty funny.

adventures with scissors

2009-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

No, I wasn't watching her. (To be honest, I was probably on the computer) No, I didn't notice that she saw where I hid the pencil box (with scissors and glue - a 3 year old's favorite things). And no, it wasn't even me, the mother, who figured out what happened. It was Hannah. She saw the open pencil box on the floor next to a pile of silky blonde hair... I tried to fix it, but .... well, here she is:

Climbing Mountains

2009-03-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday feeling itchy. A little boxed in. In the afternoon, I put Emma down for a nap and asked Hannah if she wanted to go climb a mountain. You see, Calico Basin has this gorgeous, tempting rock mountain. Every time I go, I see little specks of people up on it, and I've always wanted to be one of them.

You see that little tree at the top? Yes folks, we hiked up to that very tree. Well, hike isn't really the word for it. It was more like scrambling up big rocks. There's no trail, you just pick a rock and climb up it. Hands and feet and knees.

And here's that tree up close. Growing right out of the rock.

The view from the top:

It took us two hours, and our legs were like jelly on the way down. And we felt magnificent.

Dear Mr. President

2009-03-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I can be a total brat sometimes. So, when I heard Mr. President was "taking questions", my bratty-ness surfaced. I just had to ask:

"I have a hard time believing that you did not know that the treasury department asked Chris Dodd to add the AIG bonus language to the stimulus package. Are you lying or are you really ignorant of what goes on in your administration?"

What's your question?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/OpenForQuestions/

I'm absolutely sure that Mr. Obama will choose to answer my question!! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

"Seriously, so blessed" makes me laugh out loud. This post is particularly funny today. Enjoy.

waiting for daddy

2009-03-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

What we do

2009-03-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

We play dress up.

We have impromptu photo shoots.

We play chess. In our underwear.

We fall asleep reading.

We twirl in pretty outfits.

Happy Birthday Aunt Wendy

2009-03-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

random thoughts I had today

2009-03-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I've been out of flour and envelopes for this long.

Sometimes I do a thing just to see if I can.

I don't think God orchestrates deaths.

I love knowing why the camera makes that sound every time I take a picture.

If I get elbowed in the boob one more time ...

Somedays I am a single mom. I have no clue how they do it every day.

I'm sure Mr. Shimerda was murdered.

Lemon Chicken Scallopini

2009-02-26T21:17:00.001-08:00

We went to this restaurant a few weeks ago, and I could have died - their chicken scallopini was SO good. I have been craving it ever since. Now, I do not have the ability to just "come up" with recipes. I'm a recipe follower. Tell me what to do and I'll make it taste good. But, I could not find a recipe that matched what we had at the restaurant. So I was brave and made up my own - and I will admit, it was fabulous! Here it is - I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I was too busy scarfing it down. (By the way, the picky neighbor kid even ate it - then told me I was a "great cook"!! - Um, can I adopt you?!?)

4 chicken breasts, thin cut

2 eggs, beaten

salt & pepper

1 cup bread crumbs, plain

olive oil

2 1/2 Tbs butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 Tbs crumbled bacon

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 small jar artichoke hearts

Angel hair pasta

Season eggs with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in egg, then bread crumbs. Saute in olive oil. Remove chicken from pan and place in a warm oven. Cook pasta. Add butter to the same pan you sauted the chicken in. When butter melts, add flour to make a thick paste. Cook paste for about 2 minutes on medium high heat. Whisk in chicken broth and continue whisking until no lumps remain. Stir until thick, 5-10 minutes. Add bacon, lemon juice and artichoke hearts, heat through. Add a little sauce to the pasta. Make a bed of pasta on a platter and place chicken on top. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

If you love savory + tangy flavors, this is for you. The artichoke makes it so smooth and creamy, and when you get a bit of salty bacon - heaven!

Delicous.

2009-02-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

That's what I think when I see a pile of great books. Yummy.

These are the books that my two book clubs are reading this year. (If you're counting, I already owned some books to be read this year) I bought them all in anticipation because I am a total book-geek. Imagine me waving my book-geek flag now.

And the great part? I got them all used on abebooks.com. It averaged $4 per book. :)

Our Park

2009-02-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

It was a great day. We watched the ceremony dedicating a park to Jim's dad, Myron.

We got to see the Mayor, in person.

They gave all the kids balloons to release in Myron's memory. It was very sweet, but a bunch of them got stuck in the tree...:)

A very thoughtful gesture from the city, to a very deserving man, who was in every sense of the word, 'honorable'.

Three Days

2009-02-21T21:38:00.000-08:00

I live by two mottos. They are my New Year's Resolutions every year:

1. Put your head down, and plow through.

2. Live life as if you are living it for the second time, and you're about to make the same mistake this time as you did the first time.

Man, have these two come in handy this past year. Our sweet, strong-willed, bright, tender-hearted little boy has come a long way.

Three days. No explosions. None.

It may seem trivial to an outsider looking in, but it has been huge for me. Credit is due to much prayer, fasting, and this book. We read it, and we did it, and although it was very difficult, we each found our "non-reviling" strategies. We have become a little bit better, and that little bit has been rewarded back to us many times more than the effort put in. I know it's not over, and there will be slip-ups on both sides. But we know what to do and how to keep doing it. And what will keep me going is the happy, content look on his face that I've seen the past few days. I feel like I have my little boy back.

Giving is Awesome

2009-02-19T14:33:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who nominated a family for free portraits. I guess I didn't realize how hard it was going to be for me to choose. How can I say one is more deserving than the other? They are all beautiful, inspiring stories. I know I originally said I would announce a winner tomorrow, but I need some more time to think and sleep on it. I'll announce the winner on Sunday.

Happy Cake

2009-02-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

We went to Olive Garden to celebrate Hannah's win at the Science Fair (ok, that was a while ago, I'm behind on blogging). It's her favorite place to eat. Of course, we had to get a dessert. We flipped through the dessert menu and I asked Emma to pick her favorite. She points to the chocolate cheesecake and says very matter-of-fact-ly:

"That's happy cake."

I think that's quite possibly the most perfect name for chocolate cheesecake that I've ever heard.

You know you're doing something right when your child associates chocolate with happiness. :)

Babies make me happy

2009-02-12T21:18:00.001-08:00

Trust me, you will smile when you see these. Newborn skin is usually splotchy and red. This handsome little man has gorgeous coloring (not to mention the cutest profile I've ever seen)! Check him out HERE

Giving is Awesome **Sticky

2009-02-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

What a cool idea. I love to do things like this! I just ran across this idea today. Hundreds of photographers have joined this cause.

Do you know someone? Someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, or raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances? Do you know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it fully? Do you know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty?

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography worth over $750. The winner will receive a photo session with me, 5×7 prints from the session and the complete set of digital files.

Oh, and by the way, the person who nominates the winner receives a $200 print credit on a future session. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

 * The session will be for one of the following: newborn (14 days or under), baby or child, senior, or a family (up to six people).

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need. )

* The session will be on location in the Las Vegas, NV area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve a free session. Please include a way to contact both your nominee as well as yourself.

* E-mail me the full story : amy@amyleavittphotography.com

The deadline for entries is 12:00pm on February 13, 2009. The winner will be announced on Friday, February 20, 2009 — so get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Please feel free to email this to anyone in Las Vegas - they might know someone too!

Two down...

2009-02-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

One of my goals this year is to read more from my own custom book list.

I recently finished up these two:

Love in the Time of Cholera

A Tale of Two Cities

And since I am boycotting the book from one of my book clubs, (The Host) and I've already read the book from my other book club, I have more time to read. I am now reading....

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac.

This girl is amazing

2009-01-28T21:02:00.001-08:00

This girl won 2nd place out of 65 students in her 5th grade science fair! Hannah and 5 others will attend the UNLV Science and Engineering Fair in March. She studied how different types of music affects sibling interactions. She studied several groups of siblings and played angry, happy, sad and calm songs, and observed their positive and negative interactions.

Today, she also got 3rd place in the whole 5th grade in the American Math Contest. She is such a hard worker, I'm glad to see she is being rewarded for her accomplishments!

:) <-- See this? That is me grinning from ear to ear!

Poisson Rouge

2009-01-27T08:33:00.001-08:00

This is the coolest website for little kids that I think I've ever seen. It's so intuitive, you don't need instructions. Emma has a blast with this game and has learned a lot. It's a french game, but has an english side to it. (Poisson Rouge means Red Fish in French). To use the english, click on the 'a' that has an apple when you mouse-over it.

2009-01-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

Trying to explain the historic importance of the inauguration:

Jacob: It's really important because he's the first brown president.

Me: ... yes.

Jacob: Yeah, cause if it's a girl or a brown person, it's reeeeeeally exciting. But if it's just white people, that's kind of boring.

Giggles

2009-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Emma and I have spent quite a bit of time in the car this week. Jim's car is being fixed and we have been driving him to work and picking him up. She was at her wits end so I gave her my phone to play with. She punched some button, giggled, pressed again, giggled. Repeat.

I finally asked her what was so funny. She showed me the phone and this was up:

Along with these:

I'm giggling too.

Brushes

2009-01-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here are the brushes I made for the 365 Project - feel free to download them if they are useful to you! Scroll down to the next post for an example of how I use them. (They can be any color)

You can download them HERE

Project 365

2009-01-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

I've seen this idea around - Project 365 - which is where you take a picture every day for a year. I've considered doing it but didn't know what to do WITH it at the end of the year. Thanks to Sarah and her recent blog post about it, it got the wheels in my head turning. She posted about a Project 365 scrapbook kit. So at the end of the year, you have a nice look at "a year in the life" of your family. Now, I hate scrapbooking. But I like the idea of having a book about my family's life that year. Long story short, by the time I finally decided to order a kit, they were all sold out with no plans to make any more available. I did a little research and found an amazingly generous person offering 12x12 free templates specifically for Project 365. I like the idea of doing this digitally, then I can have a beautifully bound book at the end of the year. Here's one of my first pages:

I'm really getting into it - I even made my own photoshop brushes! (the day stamps)

Great to be Eight

2009-01-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm still a bit shocked that Jacob will be eight this year. Oh, the internal struggle between wanting them to stay little and wanting them to grow up...

FYI for family: He will be baptized on Saturday, September 26th at 12:00pm.

Psycho Geese

2009-01-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

Imagine a nice stroll through beautiful Tule Springs. Young parents walking their babies, older couples taking a romantic walk, the sun providing just enough warmth against the cool breeze of a Las Vegas winter...

God help you if you happen to have a bag of bread. Or if all three of your kids, (plus two extra) each have their own bag of bread. And if one of said children just happened to throw a piece of bread to the sweet, mentally stable ducks in the pond, kneel down and say your prayers. And prepare yourself for a herd of 4,573 psychopathic geese who just happened to notice that piece of bread flying through the air, because they will come stampeding towards you, with their wings spread out in a jealous rage, and the sound of their crazed honking will fill your ears.

That's only a slight exaggeration... no really.

Emma let out a blood-curdling scream. Not one of those "Jake-is-harrassing-me!" screams. A real scream of terror. I did one of those one-armed pick ups - thankfully she is light enough to still do that. And although I will admit I was a little scared of them myself, my mother bear came out. And I was not happy that my kids were threatened by lunatic crackpots of the feathered variety. So with toddler on one hip and my other baby (my camera) on the other hip, I yelled and kicked dust at them, and they should be thankful I didn't drop kick their feathered butts into the pond!

And then they knew who was boss. I let them know who was going to be fed and how much, and when. And then we all settled down, shoe-ed away the big fat greedy geese, and fed the smallest ones, the ones who weren't quick enough to grab the goods and were left with only a few crumbs, with tiny bellies to show for it. The gorgeous peacocks nearly let us feed them out of our hands. Emma sat on the picnic bench with her little hand out and very soothingly said to the geese, "Calm down. Calm down." And they did. Because she's really bossy.

Snow Day at Mt. Charleston

2008-12-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

There were cousins. And there was snow. And sledding, and hot chocolate, and a snoopy puzzle and trays of yummy croissant sandwiches and lots of leftover Christmas goodies. There was the orange glow of a fire in the fireplace and wet socks and cold red noses. Does it get any better?

A Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T22:20:00.001-08:00

We stuck to our goal. We gave only 3 Santa gifts to each child and one from us.

And it was just right.

I made an absolute fool of myself and got WAY into American Idol for Wii. Hannah and I played it for hours, learned a few new songs, and acted like total idiots! (Simon loves me!!!!!)

There were no meltdowns, no explosions, and no fights.

I worked out for 30 minutes on my Wii Fit. Then, proceeded to eat my weight in See's candy.

It was the sweetest thing to see Jacob get so excited about everyone opening the presents he bought for them. He took his own money to school, and at their little gift shop he bought everyone a present on his own. He obviously put a lot of thought into it. He got Jim a basketball CD case, a ring for Hannah, a Christmas bracelet for me, and a bouncy ball for Emma. After all the toys she got today, she is asleep right now with that bouncy ball in her hand. He is becoming so tender and thoughtful.

And my most awesome husband gave me a surprise gift, something that I wanted but never mentioned to him. He never reads my blog. But in search of gift ideas, he and the kids read every post. And he found a post where I had mentioned this one thing... and he searched every store and all of them were out except one store - they had one left... And anyway, it was so thoughtful and romantic, I will remember it for a long long time.

Sleeping Beauty

2008-12-23T13:30:00.001-08:00

Me: We're going to make gingerbread houses first thing in the morning!

Jake: Well, we have to get dressed first.

Hannah: Well, maybe not first thing, because after we sleep for 12 hours, we're going to need a break.

Happy Birthday, Booty

2008-12-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

Today is Jim's birthday. This is my absolute, all-time favorite portrait of him: I just adore the scratch right down the middle of his forehead. It tells me so much about how he was as a kid.

Why do I call him "booty"? I'm not sure. The Leavitts all have nicknames for each other. There's Doc, Poo, Luke, Nack, Yak, Bird, and of course Booty. Hey, it's nicer than my family's nicknames; ugly-geek, wide-geek and stupid-geek...

I just can't resist posting these runner ups: Dude. Check out the hair.

I'm totally diggin' the collar. It's far out.

Last year we had a huge party at Red Rock Lanes. We splurged big time and it was super fun. This year we were low-key. When I asked the kids what they wanted to do, Jake had a great idea to go bowling with just our family. We had pizza and chicken fingers while we bowled. Even Emma had a great time. No pictures. I just wanted to enjoy it this time.

SNOW DAY

2008-12-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

It's official! School is cancelled for tomorrow due to the snow in Las Vegas!

This week's highlights

2008-12-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

Some highlights from a way-too-busy week (so far)

5th grade Colonial America Festival

My favorite one liners from the skits:

"If we're going to have four people living in our house, we'll need a slave!"

Colonial boy on bended knee proposing to colonial girl:

Boy: "I will go to the ends of the earth for you!"

Girl: "Yes, but would you stay there?"

Jacob's Brazilian Carnival. Did you know that Brazil is the largest country in South America? They had a real snake and a drum made out of monkey skin. You could still feel the hairs.

This is Jingle. He is a magical elf that lives in Jacob's classroom. He is real. You must not touch him! Because if you do, some of his magic will go away. He moves around magically and is in a different place every day.

He creeps me out.

Hell has frozen over.

I'm not saying Las Vegas is hell, I just mean that we normally have a temperature similar to hell. As I write this, it is snowing like crazy!

What to my Wondrous Eyes Should Appear?

2008-12-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

It's snowing. In Las Vegas. I mean, serious snow, not like the usual Vegas fall-and-melt-immediately snow. This stuff is the real thing. And it's stickin'! My poor roses are so confused.

Treasure Hunt

2008-12-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was folding laundry in my room. My bed was sprinkled with several loads. In walks Hannah with an idea.

"I want to find my pogo stick. I think Dad hid it under your bed. Let's clean it out."

Pertinent information: Jim hides things. Jim hides things that are not kid-safe. He hides choking hazards and sharp objects. I have bouncy balls in my jewelry drawer, and nail polish on my jeans shelf. There are screws and lego-man heads on the mantle above the fireplace. There are hair clips and pens on window sills, game pieces and bobby pins on my dresser, and jump ropes in my sock drawer. I'm not complaining... oh no.

So he hid the pogo stick. And when a child comes to you with an idea to clean something out, you never say, "not now, honey." Not even when your feet ache and your head hurts, and you haven't even made dinner yet or started homework.

And so I said, "Go for it."

And she did. And when she found the croquet mallets, Jacob was instantly there because he smelled a weapon, like a cat who followed the scent of a fresh baked pie on a window sill. Then Emma arrived and they both played croquet while Hannah used her mallet to to scoop out the hard to reach goodies from under the bed;

a baseball

a binky

socks

a bath toy

an islands cup

and the pogo stick.

And I am still up with a migraine made worse by incessant banging 0f croquet mallots on the floor, and the rhythmic but ear splitting thumping of a certain pogo stick. To my wise husband, I bow in admiration of your perceptive powers. I am stupid.

8 things

2008-12-08T17:41:00.001-08:00

8 TV shows I enjoy watching:
1. The Office

2. Life

3. 24

4. Masterpiece Theatre

5. The Soup

6. I can't think of anything else...

8 things that happened yesterday:
1. Stayed home from church with a sick kid.
2. Took a nap.

3. Watched Nemo and played Poisson Rouge with above mentioned child.

4. Made dinner for a friend who just had twins.

5. Sent out 715 emails for various ward things... I'm not exaggerating...

6. Made chocolate oreos for teachers and classmates...whew!

7. My two older kids sat alone in sacrament mtg - and I heard they were very well behaved. I'm very happy about that.

8. I fell asleep very quickly ...

8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Meeting my new niece and nephew next year.

2. Jacob's baptism next year.

3. Going to an awesome photography workshop

4. Weekend getaway with my friend Melisa.

5. Disneyland trip
6. Snuggling in front of a fire at Mt. Charleston for Christmas break

7. Sledding!

8. Visiting family next year

8 things I love about WINTER:
1. Cooler weather

2. No snow

3. Christmas

4. Sledding at Mt. Charleston

5. Comfort food!

6. Rainy, overcast days (we don't get many here on the surface of the sun)

7. Warm fuzzy jammies

8. Making chocolates

8 things on my wish list:
1. A simpler Christmas

2. Wii Fit

3. A Personal Chef for one month

4. 24-70mm zoom lens

5. I'm a simple, low maintenance gal..

8 people I tag:
1. Becky R.
2. Rebecca W.
3. Alisa C.

4. Maribeth M.

5. Melissa P.

6. Nicole D.

7. Mike W.

The Opportunist

2008-12-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

Emma is an opportunist. The other day I was mopping the floor. Meanwhile, Emma took the opportunity to dump out half the flour bucket in her "special spot" behind the couch. While I was cleaning that up, she went back into the kitchen and took the opportunity to pour out a huge bucket of lemonade on the floor I just mopped. While I was cleaning that up (yes, this really happened) She dumped out a bottle of red sugar sprinkles on my white couch. She must have previously obtained the sprinkles and stashed them somewhere while she thought of an evil plan.

Then yesterday, she came up with another evil plan in the car. Throws shoes, yells at me with life-or-death urgency to pick them up!!!!!! I wait until I reach a stop light, contort myself to reach the shoes behind my seat, while she takes the opportunity to kick me in the face a few times. She's lucky I'm a "worn in" mom, because now I just think it's funny.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-02T21:48:00.001-08:00

First snow

2008-11-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

Check out Hannah and Jake in the Review Journal online.

Since they had the week off school, we headed up to Mt. Charleston and on Tuesday night, caught the first snow. Of course we had to go sledding, and the RJ photographer was up there taking pictures. (click on "captions" when the video starts)

Mom - Wendy - check out her hat!

Grateful

2008-11-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am grateful that my parents raised me right, to value being a mom, and to understand that my children don't "hold me back", they make me a better person.

I am grateful my children still love me even if I yell sometimes. I'm glad they feel comfortable enough to act completely goofy and know that I won't chide them for it, I will probably join in...

I am grateful for little hand prints on my computer screen, little voices crying for mommy, little hugs and big kisses, because they mean my children are here, with me, right now.

I am grateful, and amazed at how God created a woman's body to create a human life. I am so fortunate to have a body that made three beautiful, perfect, individual human beings.

I am grateful for a guy who loves me even if I'm crabby, who thinks I'm beautiful even if I don't see it, who is the most giving and selfless person I have known, and who works everyday not for his own reputation but for his family's well being.

I am grateful for a country whose freedom has been guided by God, and for the religious liberties I enjoy.

And for much, much more, which can't be written here.

I must be bored . . .

2008-11-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

86 words

Typingtest

Christmas Tag

2008-11-19T23:25:00.000-08:00

So my friend Becky tagged me. I've never been tagged, so I had to do this!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Jim and I wrap everything, only because he insists.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, but only because I'm lazy.

3. When do you put up the tree? Before Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? When I feel like it.

5. Do you like egg nog? Uck.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember gifts. I just remember our handmade crochet stockings. I really, really, loved mine!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother-in-law. She has everything. Seriously.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids. I always know what they want.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm a photographer, I love to have nice cards to send out.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't have one...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Mr. Krueger's Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After Halloween.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Who hasn't?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Easy. My Grandma's rockin' C-H-E-E-S-E-B-A-L-L!!!

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, the white lights that do like 8 different things. I like the slow fade in.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Hmmm, mormon tabernacle stuff.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I usually like to stay here.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dancer, prancer, oh what the heck.

20. Angel on the tree top or star? STAR.

21. Open the presents at Christmas eve or morning? Kids get to open 1 present on Christmas Eve. Everything else gets opened Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? NO SNOW.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I never get to have a theme or colors. I have kids.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham with my Mom's horseradish sauce and my Mom's fabulous rolls.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? You want a list?!? Here ya go; I want:

my kids to stop throwing their dirty socks on the kitchen/living room/bathroom floor.

my stocks to go back up.

a 24-70mm lens

some motivation to clean out my pantry and fridge (it's bad)

the news to report the news. (If I hear another talking head blathering on about what kind of puppy the Obama's are going to get, I'll barf.)

to get in shape

bin laden captured

And last but not least, I want my kids to have GOOD memories of their Christmas.

P.S. If Jim were in charge, everything on this list would be accomplished. Well, maybe except for the sock part...

26. Who I tag: Anyone who wants to be!

Quote of the day

2008-11-18T18:13:00.001-08:00

I'm carrying Emma upstairs for her nap. She's tired, she's got her sleep-inducing pacifier and super soft blanky. She lays her head down on my neck and pats my back. I am totally overcome in unconditional love for her. You know, the kind of love that makes your tummy flip over and that familiar I-would-die-for-this-person kind of feeling. "I love you sooooo much, Emma."

She lifts her head up and continues patting my back.

"I love Hannah."

Tell it like it is

2008-11-09T21:28:00.001-08:00

I'm singing a song to Emma while doing her hair for church today.

"Mom, mom, stop stop." And holds her hand up - talk-to-the-hand style.

"Makes my tummy hurt, I'm gonna fro up."

If it wasn't so funny, I might be offended...

Ok, so tomorrow I'm going in for my tooth-pulling. I'm just glad I don't have to do it like Tom Hanks did in Cast-Aways.

Can you pass the Citizenship Test?

2008-11-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to take the test. In my world, all voters would have to pass this test before voting. My score was 90%.

Christmas Sneak Peek

2008-11-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

We went up to Mt. Charleston last weekend to take Christmas pictures for our Christmas cards. I already posted them on my photo blog, and I'm too lazy to post them here too. If you want to see my cute little stinkers dressed to kill in the gorgeous mountains, click here.

Election Blues

2008-11-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

This blog is my therapy, and I'm trying to find a happy place right now. So to my family, who disagrees with me politically, please don't be offended, this isn't about you. I just need a place to vent. What great author once said, "I never know what I think about something until I write it down?" I'll have to look that up, because that's me right now.

Obama is not my President. He will have to earn that. I was hoping he would say something, anything, to the half of the country who didn't vote for him. All I got was "I need your help, and I will be your President." Well, I guess I expected a little more than that. It just added to my disappointment. I hope that the media who played a major role in electing him will come back to objectivity and hold him accountable - fairly.

However, I'm trying to be fair and look at the bright side. I hope and pray that he will be a good president. I truly think he CAN be, but what I've seen so far has not been encouraging. I am giving him a chance. I will not be someone who condemns him immediately.

And on a more lighthearted note:

At the beginning of the primaries, I showed Hannah and Jacob ALL of the ads from the candidates - way back when there were like 14 candidates. I didn't coach, I didn't betray my own leanings. Hannah chose Hillary Clinton. Jacob chose Mitt Romney. When the primaries were over, McCain won Hannah over. Jacob was a different story - he was still liking wounds over what McCain did to Romney. He supported Obama. As we talked as a family about the issues, he came over to McCain.

They really liked McCain. So tonight, they both felt the loss deeply. Hannah cried, Jacob was depressed. I tried to console them;

"Look, this is really neat. When you grow up, you will be able to tell your kids that you witnessed the first black man become president. That's historic! And you were here and you saw it."

Jake frowns and says, "He's black?"

He looks at the TV - Obama is speaking. "He doesn't look black."

I explained that he had a white mom and a black dad, so he's a little of both.

"Oh, yeah, he's kind of brown."

So here's my bright-side in no particular order:

I proudly gave my vote for a man of character and courage, who has sacrificed so much for America, getting so little in return, who showed grace and no ill will in his concession speech.

I got to see the first black man become president! That's pretty cool.

Prop 8 passed. In some ways, I think this was more important than the presidential race.

Shelly won!

Jim's ballot question passed.

I don't have to hear people spewing hatred for President Bush anymore! I hope he takes a long vacation.

Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have paved the way for women in major leadership roles. We are next to make history! They have proven to every young girl that anything is possible for a woman in this world.

I heard a rumor that Mitt Romney might move to Nevada and run against Harry Reid in 2 years. YES!!!!!!!! Now THAT would be a landslide.

And the greatest of all; my children are truly color blind.

VOTE!

2008-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

(Sticky post, scroll down for new posts)

My own family and my in-laws are very politically minded. So how can I not post about this election? Early voting has started - go vote!

I'm officially recommending that you vote for two things:

Michelle Leavitt - Jim's sister. She's a great judge and a very protective mom of three kids. She knows the law, she's very experienced (she's running for re-election) and works hard. She NEVER plays favorites and has refused to be part of the "boy's club".

Yes on Question #2 - Jim and his boss, Kermitt Waters wrote this. Their office specializes in eminent domain. They represent landowners whose property has been taken by the government. The government is known for paying landowners the lowest possible price when condemning property. This amendment protects landowners by defining fair market value as the highest price the property would bring on the open market. It also provides that the transfer of property from one private party to another private party is not considered a public use. It's a no-brainer!

Oh, and GO MCCAIN!

Scary

2008-11-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Post Secret is a blog that posts secrets that anonymous people have sent in. I am outraged by this one:

People FOUGHT and DIED for the right to vote, and this jerk is stealing ballots?!? No matter what anyone thinks about Prop 8, this is insane!

For Wendy

2008-10-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Character

2008-10-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Character: an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.

Emma walks over to Jacob and hugs him, saying, "I wuuuuv you, Jake."

She hugs Hannah and says, "I wuuuuv you, Hannah."

"What about me?", I ask.

She wraps her arms around my neck and says, "I wuuuuuv you, boppy-head."

Jim took this the one time he gets to sit in the audience at church - primary program. This is quite possibly my most favorite photograph of all time:

Jim found her fast asleep like this in her crib the other night. Comfortable?

gone

2008-10-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that "old man smell" is gone! That news deserves its' own post.

Ode to Wendy

2008-10-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

Wendy is the best aunt in the world. When I ask my kids, "who loves you?", Wendy is always in the top 3. She never misses a birthday. She sends treats and toys for Valentines Day and Halloween, carefully ensuring there are no peanut products in any of the goodies bags. And best of all, she really loves my kids, and they KNOW it!

It's cold now in Vegas (50 degrees, GASP), so we've been pulling out all the awesome hats Wendy has made for the kids. Here's just a few of our favorites. Some of these are Jacob's but he wouldn't model for me. Thanks, sis!

The Big Read

2008-10-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

I heard about this from a friend's blog. The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program to encourage community reading initiatives. This is a list of their top 100 books. They estimate the average adult has read only six.

Look at the list and bold those you have read. Italicize those you intend to read. *Star the books you LOVE. Goodnight, I have some reading to do!

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen *
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien *
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte *
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling *
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee *
6. The Bible *
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott *
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien *
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan *
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel *
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon *
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas *
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett *
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery *
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

A few pics from Jacob's birthday

2008-10-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Is it weird in here, or is it just me?

2008-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a weird week.

I have to have a tooth pulled because the cavity has actually travelled to the root, because I chipped my crown while I was pregnant with Emma and my other dentist didn't want to do anything because I was pregnant and told me to come back when I had the baby and now she is 2 1/2 ....
Hannah was asked out on a date to a Halloween Dance... she's 10. Here's what I think about that:

!@#%$$^%#!()#@$%!$%@# !?%$#!%#!$%$&%@

?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?

3. Jim has acquired old-man-smell. (It may be because he's getting sick, but still....)

Boots

2008-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

When Hannah was 3-ish, she created an imaginary friend named Boots. Hannah has a beautifully imaginative mind and I was always interested in her stories about Boots. Sometimes he was tiny and she kept him tucked in her pocket. Sometimes he was a girl or a monkey (I think she got him from "Dora"). Occasionally he was mean. She loved to boss him around. My favorite all-time Boots anecdote was when she swallowed him and he lived inside her and pushed buttons to make her do certain things, like a robot. Brilliant.

Yesterday Emma was telling me a story. She went on and on - this was a real story, not just babbling. I stopped doing the dishes because baby-language translation requires a ginormous amount of concentration.

"An, ova derr, an unner da tay bull, an boots, an a way way, uh can shee boots..."

Boots? You mean Boots like on Dora?

"No, boots is unner da tay bull. Come on, boots!"

Really? She creates an imaginary friend with the same name? Eerie. Like Boots is real, and he has been living in our house all along, inexplicably tied to our family like a house-elf from Harry Potter. Only he skipped over Jacob because he is a realist, too black and white for Boots. And he's overjoyed to have a young creative mind that notices him and pays him special attention.

Enjoy it while you can, Boots. Soon enough that imaginative mind will be swallowed up by the realities of this world, and there will be no more acknowledgement of you. Then you'll have to find a new house.

Happy Birthday to my Bakey

2008-09-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

We had a hard time getting Jacob here. 21 hours of labor, 3 more for pushing, and an "urgent" c-section because of a placental abruption. He had respiratory issues when he was born. Jim told me later that he experienced the worst feeling in the world; He didn't know if I was ok, they couldn't get the blood out of Jake's lungs and without saying a word they whisked him off to the NICU. The nurse tried to close the door on him but he stuck his foot in the door and said "I'm coming in."

I was completely out of it - after 24 hours of labor and a c-section, I don't remember much. I do remember laying on a cold table alone, after the c-section in the recovery room for an hour. I had no idea if Jacob was ok, I just knew Jim was with him and couldn't be with me. I couldn't move and no one was there to tell me anything. Thankfully, my great mother in law came in to talk to me and tell me what was going on. I never loved her more!

Luckily, we knew the nurse and she arranged for us to go home together. I didn't get to hold him until the day after he was born. I do remember shuffling to the NICU every two hours to feed him. He nursed like a champ though, and was the fattest baby in that NICU.

I love the look on his face in this picture:

How can you not love that face? What a sweet, thoughtful boy. Not to mention he is excellent at sports, a great negotiator, a kind friend and can kick your butt at Mario Kart any day of the week. (One of my favorite memories is him at family dinner beating ALL his teenage boy cousins - he just took them down one by one!)

Mother's Guilt

2008-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today I had to repeatedly tell myself:

I am not a bad mom just because I had to buy a cake for Jacob's birthday instead of making one.
I am not a bad visiting teacher because I didn't bring treats.
I am not a bad wife/mom because I once again didn't finish the laundry.
I am not a bad mom because we had leftovers (twice) instead of a homeade meal.
I am not a bad mom because I didn't read Emma a book today.

Sometimes guilt is a good thing. It can be an indicator that I'm doing something wrong, and a motivator to make it right.

"Mother's Guilt" is not like regular guilt. It's irrational, nit-picky, and discouraging. It makes me want to give up because it requires perfection in order to be satisfied, and perfection is out of reach. Mother's Guilt is not from God.

Sometimes as I lie in bed and replay the day in my head, Mother's Guilt will creep in, just a little at first. And if I oblige it in a small way, it will soon smother and suffocate me.

Did I tell Jacob I loved him enough?
Did I play with Emma enough?
Did I pay enough attention to Hannah?
Did I do enough to take care of Jim?
Did I accomplish enough today?
enough, enough, enough.......

Enough of these silly, small thoughts will make me miss the big things.

Tonight we're starting a new birthday tradition (inspired by Nie Nie Dialogues). Jacob will write a wish on a balloon, then let it free. I think I will get an extra balloon for me, and later, while everyone is in bed I will get a big fat sharpie, and I will write MOTHER'S GUILT on it, and I will watch that candy-colored balloon float away, until that sucker explodes into a million little pieces.

Things I loved most about today

2008-09-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Waking up to Emma's sweet little voice.

Her warm, sleepy smell.

Watching her do her "morning stretch-slash-yawn" in all her petite-ness.

Seeing Jake's dark chocolate brown eyes light up as he tells me about his awesome birthday experience campout with Dad. And did you know it was really cold and he had to wear his spiderman pajamas and Scooter kept disappearing in the forest and he found the coolest rock that fits perfectly in his hand and it was SO windy at night so they couldn't sleep and it was so FUN!

Watching all three kids dogpile on Daddy at the park.

Watching Jake BEAT Hannah consistently in racing.

Cold mint patties from the fridge.

Making Banana Oat Muffins with Hannah, and watching her figure out how to double the recipe in her head.

Eating above-mentioned muffins and smoothies for dinner.

Watching Emma shake her booty to the music at the smoothie place. The girl ain't got no rhythm.

Finally getting the kids to bed.

Sitting on our comfy couch watching The Office with my best bud.

The Truth About S 1738

2008-09-15T22:42:00.001-07:00

So I heard about Oprah's show today and emailed my senators like a good girl. I just had a thought in my mind tonight, that I should have researched this before I sent emails about a bill I know nothing about. I've just finished reading the bill, S. 1738 - Protect Our Children Act of 2008, and actually, it is only one part of a much larger bill (containing about 36 additional bills). The official bill is S. 3297, the Advancing America’s Priorites Act.

In order for this bill to pass it would mean the entire bill would need to pass…which is why it failed in 2007. Before you start sending emails, look through the 36 other bills and then ask yourself if you are willing to pay for the interstate commerce of non-human primates or the construction of a greenhouse in Suitland, Maryland. - Yes, those are really part of the bill, and you will have to pay $65 per family for all 36 bills, not $4.93 for S 1738 alone.

Here's a list of all the bills rolled into one: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/blog/2008/07/24/the-coburn-omnibus-36-bills-in-one/

Because this bill is loaded with unrelated bills, Senator Tom Coburn introduced S 3344, a child exploitation bill that PAIRS 1738 with the Securing Adolescents from Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act of 2007. SAFE is strongly supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and has already passed the House. Read a letter from NCMEC here.

The official title of S 3344 Protecting Children from Pornography and Internet Exploitation Act of 2008 is this: "A bill to defend against child exploitation and child pornography through improved Internet Crimes Against Children task forces and enhanced tools to block illegal images, and to eliminate the unwarranted release of convicted sex offenders."

S 1738 is a small part of a large bill package which includes many unrelated bills.
S 3344 combines S 1738 with SAFE, with no other piggyback bills.

Oprah is a nice person, but she's not a prophet and therefore is not worthy of blind obedience. I encourage everyone to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.

:)

2008-09-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

credit: Saxon Clay

Name That Tune

2008-09-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

9.11

2008-09-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was 9 months pregnant with Jacob. Jim is getting ready for work and gets a phone call from his boss to turn on the TV. He does, then comes to wake me up, "A plane has hit the world trade center..." I debated whether or not to go back to sleep, but got up anyway. Just after the second plane hit - I think after that second plane we all knew it wasn't an accident. I was glued to the TV. I remember having to take Hannah to a doctor's appointment - everyone was just in a fog - the looks of disbelief on their faces, including mine. I watched those poor people jump to their deaths - live. They don't show that anymore. I watched the news for two days straight. One image is still so vivid. A cameraman was walking the streets on Thursday and came across bodies of two firefighters and their dog. They were all covered in dirt and blood. I thought they were dead. But they were sleeping - they had been working frantically to find their brothers since the attacks and had finally collapsed on the street out of exhaustion. A few years later, Hannah asked me what "hero" meant. I told her about 9/11 and that heros are those that ran into a burning building about to collapse while everyone else ran out.

We don't hear their stories- truly heroic stories. We only hear about Britney or Paris or what Brangelina is doing. Because they sell magazines and get high ratings. How messed up is that?

(Two weeks later, to the day, I gave birth to Jacob. And my awesome Mom FLEW on an airplane to help take care of me! She said there were just a few other people on the plane, and they all just kept looking at each other)

And can we please just build the towers again? The same towers only stronger, and better? None of this idiotic Freedom Tower stuff! Just rebuild! It's been SEVEN years and all we have is a hole in the ground?

Today's Highlights

2008-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Emma helping me make dinner. Don't panic, it's just a butter knife.

How can you not be happy when you see this smile all day long?

Finally finishing Jake's room. Is this not the coolest mural? We all love it. Our painter, Mike Smith did a fantastic job!

I love this face. Behind him on the wall is a dream catcher. Hannah made it for him. It catches bad dreams before they get to you. In the morning, you have to make sure to shake all the bad dreams out to empty it for the next night. Hey, whatever keeps you in your bed, buddy.

Finally solving our table dilemma . Hey, it only took me 3 months. Whoever suggested I get black chairs and not try to match the wood is a GENIUS. I think it looks perfect!

Absolutely yummy vegetarian chili. We put cheese, sour cream and fritos in it. Mmmmm.

How do I love thee?

2008-09-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

After getting home from our Women's Retreat - which could not have gone better - I had a massive headache and I was completely exhausted. This was my own doing, since I voluntarily stayed up the night before until 3:30am...

I barely mustered a "hello" and collapsed on the couch. Jim had not only taken care of the kids while I was gone, but had cleaned the kitchen and the downstairs. I put it in the back of my mind to thank him later, then passed out. I don't remember how long I slept. But when I awoke, Jim had taken all the kids to the grocery store to get groceries for Sunday, (a feat which requires super-human powers in and of itself), gassed up my car, unloaded my stuff from the car, re-installed the car seats which I had taken out for the trip, and was making me a homeade cobb salad with bits of real ham, muenster cheese, spinach, and romaine lettuce, and of course yummy dressing. All I know is it tasted fantastic and I felt a thousand times better after eating it!

I remember a couple of days ago hearing about a friend who receives flowers almost daily from her husband. I admit, even though I'm not a flower kind of girl, that it was a little dagger to the heart because it seemed so romantic. Now, I don't feel one bit disappointed. Flowers? What flowers? What's been going through my mind all day? One of my favorite poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browining:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Christlike Parenting

2008-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've spent a fair amount of time on my knees regarding my kids lately. Last night, after a particularly difficult evening of one of my kids continually disrespecting me....I asked a specific question. Whether or not I was supposed to allow this behavior or demand respect. Instantly I thought of a book I bought several months ago, "Christlike Parenting". I hadn't touched it since. I found it at the bottom of my "to-be-read" pile on my nightstand. Maybe I thought it couldn't help me because my children are different than most. It seemed like a book for normal parents of normal children (is there such a thing?) So, I intended to skip to the "difficult child" chapter, if there was one. I didn't get farther than the first page. The first paragraph was an exchange between a mom and her 16 year old daughter. She asked her daughter to vacuum. Her daughter screams and swears at her. (this is my life). The mother responds with total calmness and does not react, just continues her request. The next paragraph directly answered my question. It was a definition of Christlike parenting:

"Free of reviling. Rich in nurturing. Completely nonreactive."

I have to learn to suffer through, to just take it. I have practiced extreme patience with this child, but I can't say that I've been "nonreactive." I made Jim read it and it's like a light went on for both of us. He said, "So it's not him that has to change, it's us." Jake is a sweet, kind and thoughtful boy. He's also the kind of person that makes a decision and goes 100% that way. I know if we don't help him now, he may go in a dangerous direction later.

I know what I need to do, now it's just a matter of doing it.

What dinner looks like

2008-09-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

So this is a typical dinner at my house. Jim's here most of the time for dinner. Tonight, he's at Shelly's fundraiser, then over to finish some church work.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I was making dinner: Grilled salmon with Chinese Barbeque Sauce, restaurant style potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

Most of the time, I'm not sure what Emma's doing while I make dinner. It's usually not good (vaseline+2 year old=psycho mom) At least she was within viewing distance of the BBQ, where I could watch her soak herself with the hose and strip.

Hannah likes my cooking. :) Or maybe she just says that to be nice...hmmm.

Emma cleaning her hands in her beverage.

This is Jake refusing to eat, and explaining how badly he detests what I made. (At 8pm he devoured everything and asked for more broccoli...)
Scooter is no fool. He knows where to be.

And the winner is...

2008-08-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

amersrae for $250!!!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in bidding! It does my heart good to see all these bloggers pull together and raise money for this lovely family.

If you didn't win the bid, please still consider donating to Stephanie and Christian's Paypal account.

Silent Auction

2008-08-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is a silent auction to benefit the family of Christian and Stephanie (Nie Nie) Nielson. I don't know the family personally, but I came across their story through the blog world. I've been so affected by their story, and their lovely family. They were in a plane crash and sustained severe burns. You can read about them here or here.

They have four children. Both Christian and Stephanie will be recovering in the hospital for months. As you can imagine, their medical bills will be extremely high, which is why I want to participate in the fundraising.

Here's what you get:

1 Family Photo Session, AND

10 prints (your choice of size), AND

1 Gallery Wrap Canvas OR Gallery Wood Mount of your favorite portrait from the session. (Valued at over $400)

The photo session will be on location - at a location of your choice, your home, or one of my locations in the Las Vegas area.

You can view my website here: http://www.amyleavittphotography.com/

To bid, post a comment with your bid price. The highest bid at the end of the auction, Saturday, August 30th, 10:00pm, wins. At the end of the auction, I will post the bid and the winner. If you are the winning bidder, email your contact info to me at amyleav at gmail dot com. The winner will then directly donate to Stephanie and Christian's paypal account.

PLEASE, pass this on to anyone who might be interested in the Las Vegas area! The more bidders we have, the more money will be given to the Nielsons.

Many bloggers are also participating in silent auctions on Thursday. Click here for a one-stop shop at Design Mom's.

Bidding starts now!

My baby is 10

2008-08-25T22:29:00.001-07:00

...and I'm having a hard time with that. We waited so long for Hannah, I think it made us better parents. We really were appreciative of the gift that she was, and still is. I won't go on and on about how wonderful she is. Anyone who knows her already knows that!

She was a ginormous baby - nearly 9 lbs. I specifically remember her crying like crazy when she came out and the nurse told Jim to go talk to her. (first time Dad, you know) as soon as he opened his mouth she immediately stopped crying and tried to look around - like "I know that voice!"

So we celebrated with a little LOVE. Beatles Love, that is. The greatest band of all time! I got her a little go-go girl outfit, got all dressed up, ate at a fancy restuarant, where we acted silly and laughed so hard I unintentionally SNORTED! I kid you not. And we were sitting right next to a really rich old couple.. Hannah was loving it. She got to wear lip gloss AND have pop with dinner!

Here she is flashing 10 fingers.

She had the hiccups right before the show started. She had everyone around her chuckling. She tried holding her breath, putting her head down. I tried scaring her, patting her back, etc. The man in front of us even had her try a trick of his. I told her as soon as the show started she would be so blown away that her hiccups would stop. It worked. I highly recommend the Beatles Love show for all your hiccup problems.

Cheez-its for Church

2008-08-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of ways to describe Jacob. I prefer to call him "spirited". I recently came upon some information about 'difficult' children. There was a checklist describing a difficult child, and let's just say Jacob aced it. Although I don't like labels, it was nice to know that there are other children out there like him and that there is help available. We have struggled as parents to know what to do with his explosions, and I'm so happy that there is more information available! We have tried everything, time-outs, sticker charts, point systems, taking away privileges, natural consequences, etc. None of it worked. And now I know why.

Most children learn to deal with frustration and adapting to new situations around the age of 3. Some children, for unknown reasons, do not learn this. So we've been treating Jacob as if he had the ability to deal with frustration, and as if he knew how to be flexible. He just doesn't. Our approach was inflexible ("You ARE going to Church!"). Combine our inflexibility to his inflexibility and what do you get? An explosion. So now the task is to teach him how to cope with frustration and solve problems. And that involves us being more flexible, while meeting both our concern and his concern.

This was a typical scenerio:

Me: It's time to get ready for church!
Jacob: No! I'm not going to church!
Me: Well, you have to go to church, we're all going to church.
Jacob: (louder) NO!!!!
Me: You WILL go to church! Now go get dressed!
Jacob: I'M NOT GETTING DRESSED!
Me: Then I will take you in your underwear!!
Jacob: (KABOOM)

And this was today:

Jacob: I'm not going to church!
Me: You're not going to church? What's up?
Jacob: I hate it! It's so boring.
Me: Well, everyone else is going to church, and I can't leave you home alone. What can we do about that?
Jacob: Dad can stay home with me.
Me: He'll be at church too. Do you have any other ideas?

So I left him to think about it and went to get ready for church. Then,

Jacob: I want Cheez-its! Where did you put them?
Me: I'll get them when I'm all ready.
Jacob: NO! I want them now! If you don't get me Cheezits I won't go to church!
Me: So...if I let you have Cheez-its you will go to church?
Pause...
Jacob: Okay...

Ya! I'll give Cheez-its for Church any day over an explosion!

Del Mar

2008-08-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to going through photos from our California trip. We had such a fun time and we got to vacation with family.

Emma did this ALL day at the beach:

I just kept bringing her buckets of water and she would pour, fill, and mix for hours. This is the first year she really "got" it. I think she had the best time out of all the kids - she totally loved it!

We loved the beach house we stayed in, it was gorgeous!

We completely wore the kids out . . . YA!

We enjoyed sunset walks on the beach. Who doesn't??

What I Learned This Week

2008-07-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

1. A jar of vaseline has the addictive qualities of crack cocaine if you are a 2 year old.

2. Putting a jar of vaseline in a "safe" place like the cupboard above a countertop does not mean it cannot be found by a 2 year old.

3. Vaseline wipes off of a leather couch pretty easily, even though it may take some time if a naked, vaseline covered 2 year old ecstatically jumps all over it in an effort to get away from a crazed mother.

4. Vaseline does NOT come out of hair very easily, but CAN produce a really neat red-neck type mullet on a 2 year old.

Note the pleased expression on her face....

At least her skin is nice and moisturized. :)

Good News

2008-07-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

Scooter's limp got so bad he had a hard time getting up and walking around. He ALWAYS lifted up his paw everytime he sat down. The vet thought it was probably bone cancer. The other alternative was a bone infection. We just got the news the other day that it's an infection and can be completely controlled by anti-fungal medication!

I know, he's "just a dog", but he was really my first baby and he's a member of our family. We're all happy he'll be around a while longer! AND, I had to post this picture because he's sitting with both paws down! I'm just so happy!

Torrey Pines Beach

2008-07-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is my sister-in-law's family. While we were in San Diego they graciously let me practice on them! They were all good sports and I think they turned out really well!

Hangin' Out

2008-07-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

We love Mt. Charleston. The day I took these, Tuesday, it was 70 degrees. Then it hailed. Awesome!

Conversations with a 2 year old

2008-07-16T15:17:00.001-07:00

Emma: "Mom, what are you doing? What are you doing, Mom?"

Me: "I'm driving."

Emma:"You're driving?"

Me: "Yes."

Emma:"Why?"

Me: ...

Emma:"What are you doing? Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom! What are you doing, Mom, what are you doing?"

Me: "I'm driving!"

Emma:"Why?"

Me: Sigh. "Because."

Emma:"Mom. Mom. What are you doing, Mom? Mom!"

Me: "I'M DRIVING!!!! What are YOU doing??"

Emma: "I'm driving."

Photography Tips

2008-07-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

So I know everyone will be traveling around this summer and taking lots of pictures. Here's some things I wish I had known about taking better snapshots:

1. No one (except those born with perfect features) looks good in a photo straight on. Have the person turn their head slightly while still looking at the camera, just enough to hide one ear. It's so much more flattering.

2. While they are turning their head, have the person tilt it slightly. It creates a connection with the viewer, it's endearing.

3. Don't believe the myth that the sun needs to be behind you (the photographer) in order to light the subjects properly. All this will do is throw harsh light on your subjects and cause them to squint. Instead, pull them into shade, if possible. Shade light is much softer and more even.

4. If you're taking a picture of more than one person, or a group, have them tilt their heads towards each other. (Again, it's about connections!) Or, have them put their arms around each other, or touch in some way.

Have fun!

Just call me Geena

2008-07-05T17:47:00.002-07:00

This is so fun. Ok, I really have no life... Jim actually told me once I looked like Geena, but I'm not sure I see it. And for the record, I'd much rather have my guy than any of these guys!

Decisions...

2008-07-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have an assignment for my photography course. I need to turn in a head and shoulders formal portrait with window light. My beautiful model looks great in all of these, and I can't decide which one I like best. So, if you are reading this, please vote for your favorite!

#1

I love Moscow

2008-07-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Idaho, that is. Let me tell you about Moscow. Wheat and lentils are grown there, so you see a lot of this:

And you'll see a lot of this:

And everywhere you look, you'll find this:

While driving around, you'll find these:
And there are these fascinating old abandoned shacks and barns. This is one my Dad shot a while ago, and he said there were still old black and white photos tacked up on the walls. Someone's mom, or girlfriend. When we went for this shoot, they were gone.

We actually went inside this one and snooped around. It's much more stable than it looks.

And sometimes, you see this off in some farmer's wheat field.

We found these things in Moscow, they're called "flowers", they grow, like, right in the dirt!

We ate here. I always have to eat here when I go to Moscow. They have a great bacon cheeseburger, it's super healthy. Plus, their fries and fry sauce rock!

Hangin' out with cousin B.

Yes, the sunsets really look like this, virtually every night.

Candy Makes Me Happy

2008-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Emma has a shirt that says "Candy Makes Me Happy". I had to buy it because it's so true for her (and me but they didn't have my size).

With Hannah and Jacob at Grandma's, it's been fun to do things with just Emma. Except for my bright idea of a photo shoot - her least favorite thing. I thought I could get some happy faces with some smarties, but all I got was this:

Then when the candy was gone, I got this:

When I told her to stand up so I could take a picture, (she wanted to sit in my lap) I got this:

One of Those Days

2008-06-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

So, we've had this dining table for 13 years. It's done. It has been stained with easter egg dye, assaulted with "washable" markers, and attacked by various children as they go through the Spontaneous-Stabbing-of-Forks-and-Knives stage.

So Jim gets online to research a new table. He finds a smokin' deal on a solid asian hardwood table. I was busy with something else, and said it looked great, and to make sure it came with CHAIRS. "Oh yeah, it does, everything looks great."

We got the table yesterday...

A beautiful asian hardwood table.

With no chairs.

So right now we have our crappy 13-year old chairs that completely clash with it. And, for further insult, matching chairs to this table aren't even available! I have no idea how we're going to go about matching this type of wood - so we're sticking with the crappy chairs for now...

And just to be fair, this was also the day the mortgage company called because I forgot to mail in the payment this month...are we getting old or are we just dumb??

Wait, don't answer that. Especially you, Mom.

To My Favorite Dads

2008-06-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

My dad is the most fair person I know. He doesn't label people or judge them. He doesn't toss people aside. Everyone has something to say and everyone is worth something.

My dad taught me to love Science Fiction. He introduced me to Ray Bradbury, and Isaac Asimov. He taught me to stretch my mind and make it bend and flex, to think about what is beyond and what is possible. My mom often jokes that he doesn't just think outside the box, he refuses to even acknowledge the existence of a box.

My dad taught me to love the outdoors. He took me fishing and camping in the real wilderness. I learned to respect the power of an enormous river like the North Fork of the Clearwater, where you quickly learn who's in charge. He loves the earth God made, and no one can accuse him of not enjoying it fully.

He taught me to love photography. He can see beauty in the grand landscape scene, but is sometimes more fascinated with the intricate patterns of the petals of a flower, or a colorful bug on a leaf. I learned how to notice those small beauties, to slow down and appreciate them.

And besides all of this, he can make the awesome-est upside down cake you every ate in your life!

So thanks, Dad. Happy Father's Day!

And to the awesome father of my kids;

He was so concerned when our first child was born, even though she was sleeping in her bassinet in our room, he put the monitor in her crib, and the receiver right next to his ear at night, so he could hear her breathing through the night.

When he was just starting out as an attorney, he would work until 8 or 9 at night. Regardless how late he worked, he would come home and play with Hannah for 2 solid hours. Every night. We let her stay up late as a toddler so she could have that time.

He doesn't work one minute more than he has to. He doesn't chat with colleagues or take a long lunch. He wants to be home more than anything and be there for the kids.

He has never missed one single school party, play, concert, etc. For our son's kindergarten graduation, he was the only father present. He drops the kids off at school every day.

I couldn't have picked a better dad for my kids!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-06-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you what my Mom taught me.

She taught me that what I like to call "true feminism". She raised me to be a strong woman, to have opinions and to speak my mind. She taught me to not care what other people think and to do what is right. She taught me that women are equal to men, and I always felt that I could do anything I wanted. And she also taught me the value of being present as a mother. I knew the security I felt coming home from school, and my mom was *there*. She was always there, and I knew I wanted to be that kind of mother.

She taught me to love reading. She always knew when I needed a boost and could pick the perfect book for me at any time. Through her, I found my favorite books; To Kill a Mockingbird, The Giver, The Hobbit.

She taught me that cooking dinner for your family every night isn't just about food, it's about love, and it's worth the trouble.

She taught me to be independent, how to take care of myself and to be accountable for what I do.

Thanks for everything, Mom, and Happy Birthday!