Proud Mommy Moments

This girl is quite the puzzle.  Sometimes she is super sweet.  Sometimes she is silly and making jokes.  Sometimes she and her brother are fighting over who took the last cookie.  She is never easy to wake up in the morning, but the other day when told me how she stood up for her friend I just had to share.  She has a friend at school who is legally blind.  A boy was picking on her friend at lunch time and Emily stood up to this rotten kid.  It wasn't just that she stood up to him, it was how she did it.  As an English major and a lover of words, I am always looking for new and different words and then I share them with my kids.  As result, they gain an interesting vocabulary.  When this boy started picking on her friend, Emily took no time whatsoever to say, "Why don't you take your infinitesimal brilliance somewhere else you ignoramus."  She had to explain it to hear friend.  As for the boy, he was a deer in the headlights, and he walked away.  HA!  I am so proud of this girl.  

I am linking up with EmmyMom and KMama for Proud Mommy Moments

Pasta + Pie + Blogger = Food, Fun, and Laughs.

What do you get when you cross 8 bloggers with Marie Callender's and a new promotion called Pasta and Pie Amore?  For starters you get a lot of tweets, status updates, and one very patient and gracious server.

Our server Miguel was awesome.

For a limited time, Marie Callender's has a special menu called Pie and Pasta Amore!  The menu items start at $9.99.  They have Baked Rigatoni with Caesar Salad, Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Rosemary Chicken, Shrimp Angel Hair Sorrento, and Chicken Pesto Alfredo with Caesar Salad.

 Wild Mushroom Ravioli

I chose the wild mushroom.  It was very tasty.  I was a rebel and didn't let my fellow bloggers get a hold of it to take pictures first.  I dove right in.  I delighted in every bight.  I also got a taste of the Angel Hair with Shrimp.  Creamy and delicious.

I also mentioned pie.  We can not forget pie.  It's always such a hard decision.  However, I always go to my standard favorite:  chocolate cream pie.

Marie's pie's never disappoint.  You can pick any flavor and be happy.  I just go for the chocolate for my comfort and happy place.  This is a great feature menu item just in time for Mother's Day.

It was a great time, with great food, and lots of laughs.  Oh...and did I mention I got to see my bestie too?  Well, I did.  And it was an excellent evening.

*  This is a sponsored post by Marie Callender's.  All opinions are mine and are truthful.
**  The Pasta and Pie Menu Items are for a limited time only.

Ten Things

April is over....School is coming to a close...things are flying by...where does the time go?  I don't know either.  I am just here to share 10 little things that made me smile in the last 30 days....

1.  Ryan telling his sister that she is beautiful.

2.  Receiving letters from our Dear Elder friend who is now serving his mission in Taiwan! We miss you Elder F.

3.  

Seeing this cutie pie

4.  Ryan again....(he will make the list a few times)  observing it would be weird if someone didn't have a private...aka...well you know what HE has!  

5.  

Vadering!

6.  This hilarious bit between Harrison Ford and Chewbacca.  This is how it's done!

7.  Kristin took her friend A to a fireside this past Sunday, and when I picked them up, A remarked how cute Mormon boys are.  Yes, yes they are.

8.  While watching Ghost Hunters with Kristin, during a particularly quiet scene I yelled out, "BAH!" Kristin jumped about ten feet.  I of course was rolling around in fits of laughter.  Yes, I am twelve.

9.  Knowing we are always taken care of even during times of trial.

10.  Ryan telling his other sister that he likes her new glasses.

I think she does too!  She can see a much brighter and sharper world.

I am linking up with my bestie, Emmy today for Ten Things to Smile About!

Blogging Old School--Getting To Know You

I wasn't tagged this time.  I just chose to participate.  I need to do something I fear most:  create a schedule!!!

For now I will just blog old school style and answer some fun questions....

1.  How did your husband pop the big question?

It was very impromptu.  We had spent the weekend together.  It was early in the morning and he just popped the question.  I tease him now and then that he owes me a proper and more formal proposal.

2.  What are the three most surprising things about marriage?

You learn a lot real fast about each other.  Dating and spending time together is one thing, but living together 24/7 for life eternal is another thing entirely.  I know he would take a bullet for me, but can never pull the plug. I can do both.  

3.  How did you find out you were pregnant for the first time?

The very first time?  It was literally the very first time we tried.  Success!  Miscarriage.  We waited the prescribed 3 months.  Then we tried again and SUCCESS!  Nine months later we had our first baby girl.  Each pregnancy after that didn't come quite as easy.  

4.  How did you choose your baby's name?

We chose her name like most people by pouring over the baby names book.  Her middle name happens to be her Great Grandmother's middle name.  We decided to keep that tradition alive.  Emily's middle name is the same as her Great Aunt and Ryan has a middle name that is a family name on both sides.  I think this is perfect as he is our last child.

5.  Describe where you see yourself in 10 years?

I have always hated this question, but after reading Emmy's answers it really got me thinking.  Personally, I will be a college graduate thank you very much.  My youngest child will be a heading towards his last year in HIGH SCHOOL!  I could be GRANDMOTHER!  I am not sure how feel about that last one.  I do know it's going to be here before I know it.  How about you?  What are your answers?

I Am Proud...

We were talking about mean girls who say mean things.  Then, that dreadful word came up:  UGLY.
It took no coaxing, no hints, just a simple question to an honest young man...

I asked him...."What is your sister?"  And with a little grin, and his eyes looking down in a bashful manner he answered sweetly, "She's beautiful."  Just like that.  

Out of the mouths of babes!  I was very proud.

I am linking up with Emmy for Proud Mommy Moments.

The Kool-Aid House

*Image From Google*

Have you ever heard the term, "Kool-Aid House?"  In case you have not, let me sum it up in a nutshell. This is to describe the neighborhood house where all the kids go to play.  I have been that house since I had kids.  I am not sure what it is.  Once my children started making friends, I was the "it" house.  One fine autumn day in VA, I had about 10 kids in my front yard.  I had to thank the Lord that they were not inside!  My driveway was littered with toys.

When we first moved here, our street was very quiet.  There were hardly no children. That is except my own.  At times, I felt pangs of guilt when I let them play out in the backyard.  What if they were too noisy?  Would the neighbors complain?  My kids are pretty good kids.  They don't throw rocks at people's windows.  They don't throw mud.  They just yell, sing loud, chase, run, and play.  They do not cause mischief, or do things that are harmful to others.  However, their noisy games had me worried.  Then, we got new neighbors.  These new neighbors had kids.  It was good.  Or so I thought.  It really hasn't been so good.  Since then, we have found other kids to play with, along with these neighbor kids. The problem I am facing, is I am the go to house...or as I like to call it:  The Kool-Aid house.  On the one hand, I do not mind as I know right where my child is, what he is doing and who he is playing with.  I have all the details.  I am a nosy mom, I need information.

So yesterday, I had two little people over my house.  I had them all day, with the exception of lunch.  At that point, they were sent home to eat their lunch.  Did they eat?  I have no idea.  All I know is, they played here all day.  And not once, during that time, did a grown up come and check on these two.  (They are not related.)  Not once in all that time did a grown up tell me, send them home if you have had enough.  Not once did a grown up thank me for letting their child spend the entire day here.  And not once did a grown up come and fetch their child.  One child was fetched by her older brother who is only nine, and the other sent home by myself.

I just am astounded that people are willing to send their little children off for an entire day, without knowing where they are.  Or at least, that is how it felt.  Maybe they named their friend.  "Ryan's house."  However, they don't know Ryan's parents.  I know this, because I do not know them.  (I know some, but not all.)  Just the same, none of the adults came to me.  Would you allow your child to be gone for so many hours without question.  Would you never speak to the adult?  Not even introduce yourself?  I am happy to let kids play here.  Then I can control (a little bit) what goes on, but have some sense.  What is in their heads???    Are they at work, and the child is being watched by a lazy babysitter?  I am trying to make sense of what I find to be disturbing.  After a long day with extra children, I felt, in a word:  used.  I have guilt issues if my son spends too much time at one friends house.  Maybe I feel this way because I know what it is like to be the Kool- Aid House.

I am linking up with Shell today, and pouring out my heart.

I Smiled...I know I did!!!

Some days and months are harder than others, but it is always fun to look back remind ourselves what made us smile.  I am linking up with Emmymom, my bestie, to share Ten Things that made me smile in March!

1.

Ryan writing a letter to our own Missionary.  Elder F.

2.

Sitting with these lovely young ladies after opening night and feeling like I was part of the group.

3.  My new addiction to Plants vs. Zombies!!! 

4.  Ryan doing an impression of a television character that he is only familiar with by osmosis.

5.   At Ryan's open house, Emily got to see her past teachers.  They were floored to see how much she has grown.  She was always one of the smaller kids, and now she is taller than some of her teachers! They love her and are also very proud of her accomplishments.

6.  Seeing Kristin in Bye Bye Birdie.  It amazes me how extremely talented these kids are.  The plays are completely student run.  The Drama Director merely acts as a Producer.  He lets the kids run the shows.  It's spectacular.

7.  Seeing my Bestie...just yesterday in fact!  And do I have the picture???  Who's the punk now!  Ha!  I love you Emmy!

8.  Taking this picture at Wal-Mart with my mom...Angry Housewives coming this fall on TLC...

9.  Playing with, and taking pictures of my sweet monster of a nephew.  

10.   Our cat Sheldon "talks" in his sleep.  He mostly does it when Rich coughs.  Literally from a dead sleep, this cat meows at...nothing.