The "Bubba" Family

love love love this weather

2011-03-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

Life is good. We are loving this St. George spring weather. We put in our garden a few weeks ago. It is like being pregnant...(which I am not) it takes forever and the waiting is killing me. My sweet dad came down and tilled and Mark helped plant the garden. It is beautiful. Now I just hope I don't kill it along with the grubs and the birds. The birds liked my beans. grrrrrrr!!! I think I have to replant them.

The girls love this weather too. While I was gardening they made a lake of mud and wallowed in it like piggies. I had to spray them down and make them strip down before entering the house. LOL! They were a sight.

My awesome Mom came and help us get started on our painting project. We painted the kitchen, living room and hallway. It looks so great. This old house is getting a facelift (thank goodness)

Well Sydney had a birthday, and she didn't get the amazing party she wanted because we were all sick for a bit. But she did get an awesome Rapunzel cake. I will post pics next time. Taking them is easy...getting Mark to download the pictures off his camera....not so easy. :)

Miss you all in PA. Hope all is well.

2011-02-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

We are doing well. Sorry I haven't posted for so long. Life is just busy. Mark loves his new job, I love being at home with the girls, Sydney LOVES her new school and teacher, Rowyn doesn't love potty training... and we all love the weather. So needless to say we love St. George. The girls are growing so much. We have a house...we are painting and patching and fixing and building. But soon it will be a wonderful place.

Sydney had her 6th birthday. I can't say how amazing she has been. I am forever grateful to the Lord for bringing this wonderful spirit into my life. She brings joy beyond description. She has this lovely smile that just lights up the room. She grasps the spirit and the theory of reverence for our Savior that just warms my heart. I love this sweet girl so much, and now she is 6 oh let these young years last as long as possible. I pondered the other day what I was doing at this moment exactly 6 years ago. I had no idea what lay ahead. I had no idea how amazing she would be ( i had hoped but never knew how great it could be). My favorite thing about Sydney is that she is a wonderful little missionary. She touches people with her testimony. What a future lies ahead for us. :) I am truly blessed.

2010-11-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to show pictures from Halloween Sydney my little Bat Girl and Rowyn my little Dora. What a fun night! And these pictures are a few of my favorite that Cathy ( a dear friend of mine in PA took right before we left PA.) They are so special. So much to be thankful for right now. These girls keep my perspective in line. I may be anxious to be without a home...but as long as I am with my family....I am home. (Thank you Josh and Jalee for making sure we have a roof over our heads until we get our home) :)

New Life

2010-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy couple of months. We have been extremely blessed above all to know that we are where we are supposed to be. We are days away from buying our home. We were supposed to have it last week....but you know how crazy things are when you are buying a home. We are really anxious to get in...clean it....and get settled. We are buying a home in an amazing neighborhood, but it has been vacant for about a year. Everyone in our ward is super nice and helpful. I think they are just really happy that someone is moving in and fixing up this house. Our Mayor lives right around the corner and informed us that if we need anything that we can just come over and rummage through his garage. I love our neighbors already. I have never had such nice neighbors. They even have the awesome neighborhood parties that have seemed to be exstinct in most parts of the country. So we were watching on craigslist for appliances because this house doesn't have ANY. So we found a woman in cedar city who was remodeling her whole home. We went and got .... A fridge, Stove, dishwasher, microwave, couch, loveseat, coffee table, 2 side tables, and matching lamps.....for.....wait for it. $1000. We were thinking we would spend that on just the fridge alone. YAY!!!! Now just give me a house. :)

Halloween was awesome. The girls were Batgirl and Dora (thanks to Shandra) I was the Rosy Riveter from the womans liberation pictures....you know the one with her arm in a muscle man pose. Mark was a professor. He is so excited to be one already. :) I am loving being home again. I do miss PA though. I miss you all so much.

New Job/Moving

2010-08-08T04:37:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone.....

Mark got a job teaching at Dixie College/University...???... He is teaching/Marketing/Recruiting. I think this is his dream job. So So So So excited. We are hopping in our car, and moving van, and we should be there a week from today. We ask all of you to keep us in your prayers as we cross this great country. Hopefully the girls will travel well. We have loved PA. I will greatly miss the wonderful friends and family in this part of the country. The ward here is absolutely amazing. I don't know that I will ever be a part of a ward that is this much a family. Thank you all for being my family & dearest of friends. I hate that I will miss so many sweet babies...blessings...baptisms...singing times....mission calls...visiting...parties...and just everything. I will miss all of my sweet primary kids. I love them so so much. :'(. But I am so anxious and happy to get to St. George and see what we can be there.

Thank Pennsylvania...for giving me the best 8 years of our lives. I am having a much harder time leaving than I thought I would.

I love you guys. Thanks to everyone who has watched my kiddos and come and painted and come and made us waffles. You are such wonderful people. I wish you all the very best.

nope nope nope

2010-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, to all of you who know us well enough to know what is going on...Mark didn't get the job he was interviewing for in St. George. My heart hurts over it but all will work out. We are still moving forward and feel that the Lord is directing us in the way we need to go. I love all of our good friends who have been fasting and praying for us.

Love ya.

Waiting

2010-07-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting........I am not good at waiting. I think I have eaten 6 bowls of Ice cream...with super yummy homemade hot fudge sauce, I never realized that I am def. an nervous eater. Caught up with some great old friends of ours. It is crazy how our lives intertwine and others really shape our lives in so many ways. Great memories...and great stories to tell our kids. Everyone keep Mark in your prayers as we are waiting to hear back on an awesome job opp.

The kids are great. Sydney is learning to read, and Rowyn is talking more and more everyday. This past week as we were passing a bunch of scroungy road workers she yelled at the top of her lungs, " Hey strangers, We are going to geegys to play in the water." She was so proud of herself. Cute stuff. I love this age.

Everyone have a great week and much love goes out to our friend Jasen....who is finally getting MARRIED!!!! YAY!!!!

Life is good

2010-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Life is good. We are still waiting to find out about interviews. Mark is working hard to get the house fixed up. We had a cute young couple drive past our house and ask if it was for sale....we said....yup...in the next few weeks it will be. funny. Heavenly father is bringing them right to the doorstep. So keep us in your prayers.

frustrations

2010-06-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

Sorry it has been so so so long. We are so busy. Work, house, kids, church, camping, living eating. It all just adds up and it is crazy around our house. The whole house seems to be under construction. Boxes and bins of thing everywhere. But even when we are stressed and crazy, we are ever so happy to be a family. We went camping a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. Poor Rowyn got a nasty spider bite but I think she was the only casualty.

Rowyn had a birthday....I can't believe she is 2. Time flies. She is growing into such a beautiful sweet girl. We have really enjoyed watching....and listening ( oh boy does she make us laugh) to her grow. Pictures....of course. Enjoy.

Eye openers

2010-05-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a moment that breaks you down to the point you see clearly. I had one just last weekend. a few months ago I was watching a movie that I almost always cry too.....but nothing....I tried to remember the last time I cried......I couldn't.....maybe the last time my mom was here. 2 years!! It had been 2 years since I had really cried. So I was a bit worried...that I might be getting too introverted. I really do keep my emotions bagged up. So imagine my surprise this past weekend when something quite silly happened and I just happened to offend a little girl. My heart was broken. I cried for about 5 hours straight. I couldn't stop the tears....i couldn't stop the heartache. All of the things I have been repressing came rushing in. All I could think was I need to go home. I need to be surrounded by more of the people I love. I need my mom and dad....whom I haven't held in my arms for a year now. It all hit hard and my sweet husband felt overwhelmed that he couldn't comfort me enough to help me stop crying. Needless to say I feel much better now and I am glad that all that repressed frustration with life is out.

I really need some direction right now. Utah is our destination.....where, when, how, and why....are in the lords hands now. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to sell our house.

:)

New Calling

2010-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

So....I never did tell ya'll what my new calling is. I am now the Primary chorister....or as they call me the singing time lady. It is a bit stressful. I feel like I am there entertaining them for an hour. It is draining....and I need loads of ideas. So give em up....all of those fun ideas you are all holding....give them to me. I need more time and creativity if I am going to be able to pull this off and get those little ones singing these songs.

No laughing.

2010-04-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today I found some old photos from when I worked for the Utah Shakespearean festival. Oh what I would give to have that body back.

The first one was super fun. Lots of dancing.

This was me studying my Organic Chemistry test while waiting for the indian scene in Peter Pan.

We were quite the dangerous group of indians

and Mermaids. I loved flying with the mermaids. Someday....I want to do that again.

I love memory lane.

new calling

2010-03-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't been getting any replies on posts these days. I'm not trying to guilt anyone....I know I do it all the time, look at someone's life and then move on to the next blog to see what all the other people in my life are doing. Besides, this blog is meant to be a journal of our life, and I shouldn't need feedback, Right? But I must admit...when I don't get comments I often think I am silly for blogging at all. So if you are out there in the big wide world...let me know your there. I love to hear from you all.
I feel a bit isolated her in PA. You see I can go a full week without seeing a fellow member of my church until I go to church....and If the kids are sick I can go a full month. That may not seem like a big deal to many of you....but I long to be around members who love the lord, who respect him, who live as though they are trying to be like him. Here, well lets just say christian doesn't stand for much to many these days.
I never thought I would miss Utah so much. I miss working, playing, shopping, camping, and just existing along side so many wonderful loving people. I didn't know it until I was so far away from it....It is a bit of a secret heaven there in Utah and other saturated Mormon Communities.

Don't get me wrong....I have an amazing ward here in Pennsylvania. So many wonderful people....but our ward covers nearly 30-40 miles of communities...and needless to say if I want a playdate for my kids...I can't walk there...it is a bit of a drive.
I can't let my daughter out in the neighborhood because the kids have horrible manners and mouths that would make a sailor blush. Our next door neighbor has tried to teach sydney....she is only 5.....about puberty, gays, swear words, and even sex. Heaven knows how many times I have had to kick that girl out of the house. yikes.
So Yes....I miss you all, and long to know how you are. Even the little "hi" comments are so cherished. Love you all out in that abyss. :)

By the way....for journaling's sake, I got a new calling. I was released from my secretary in the RS calling to something new and a bit overwhelming. I can't say what ....but it is very intimidating and a bit nerve racking. wish me luck.

2010-03-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry everyone,

I know it has been ages since I blogged. Life gets hectic around here. I am working long hard weeks...Mandatory overtime is not my favorite. Life is never as easy as it seems when all is well. But All's Well that Ends Well. We have new pictures that i wanted to post.

Birthday cake. For those of you who know me know that I have pledged to make every single Birthday Cake for my kids....unless something awful happens to the cake and I have to go buy one. Or if I am sick or something...I have given myself some reasonable outs. Never the Less...Sydney is 5 and Rowyn 1 and I haven't missed one yet. Sydney turned 5 Feb 1st and the theme for her birthday was Wizard of OZ. Here is her cake. It was fun...not to elaborate....but super fun to make. I am going to take some classes this year. :)

So when we aren't celebrating birthdays we are haveing a good old time. Sydney thinks she is a fashion model and likes to pose a lot.

Rowyn is growing at about the speed of light...

and this is their favorite babysitter Abbey...she is also our little acting and singing student.

Good luck with the auditions this week Abbey... you will be a perfect Alice.

GUESS WHO IS FIVE

2010-02-12T03:52:00.000-08:00

GUESS WHO IS FIVE.

Time just flies. My beautiful Sydney is now Five. It seems like yesterday that she blessed our life, and now she is so excited for school. But she says she can't go to school till we go to Utah. I feel the same way. I must say she is a character. Mark says it is my fault that she is so Melancholy, it is from all of the Pride and Prejudice. She loves Mr. Darcy....she even says it with an english accent.....Mista Daaahcy. She makes me so laugh. Her birthday this year is Wizard of OZ theme. She is so excited to have her friends over. With all of the snow we are getting...1 1/2 ft....we are waiting another week for the party. She is my little lady. She is really becoming a beautiful young lady. I hope she stays the sweet wonderful little lady forever.

We love you Syderbug.

holidays are over

2010-01-08T11:08:00.001-08:00

sydney with Katie and Chris Rowyn with Uncle Cecil

Christmas was great this year. We had two very happy little girls jumping around and squealing over dolls. New years was fun as well as we did the first night event with Mark's family. It was cold but the girls were troopers and it was fun. Rowyn was in the backpack all night and she was so great. I honestly did'nt know how long she would last. Here are a few pictures....more to come. :)

2009-12-22T03:02:00.000-08:00

New Haircut. ;)

I love & hate getting my hair cut. I worry for ages over the style....then I get it done....then I love it.....then I try to make it look as good as it did the first day......grrrr......then I hate it because I can't figure it out.....then I love it when it just finds its own lazy style. So here is my new do. I will post pictures of it on me for real....soon.

Christmas is coming

2009-12-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

We are so excited right now. We have about a foot of snow/ice. so the girls love to go out and play in it. Christmas is coming. I am loving the excitement and telling of stories and traditions and memories. I will miss being away from home but we are now making our own home and traditions and establishing the christmas spirit of the Houser house. I am happy to be blessed with a loving family. There are so many things that I had on my Christmas list this year and slowly one by one I have eliminated them, for I see that christmas is for the children...for them to smile and laugh, and for them to learn about giving and about the true meaning of Christmas. I don't mind living in humble circumstances...because humble as it may be, we are still able to help someone in an even humbler place in their lives. Blessed am I.

I love you all. Merry Christmas.

love this girl

2009-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

All is well at our house. We are so happy for our friends the Markhams. If you have a chance go to their link. They have been trying to adopt a baby for many years...they have shed many a tear over their losses. We are so happy that they could provide such a wonderful home to such a beautiful baby boy. Hurray for Melba and Sammie. :)

Sydney has quite the list this year....Barbie Dream House....the pink convertible and of course more Polly Pockets with a Blue car....and .....and.....and......

I don't know how many times I have said....we will see if Santa can find it. :)

Rowyn is probably going to get the short end of the stick though. She loves to play with Sydney...so they will probably get the same stuff or just get everything together. Maybe some clothes. Anyhoo. Life is good....and when it's not.....love gets me through.

finally Halloween

2009-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Finally....I have pictures from Halloween. Now I am warning you....don't laugh at me. Sydney made me dress up. she begged and begged until I finally said yes. She was so happy to have the family be all Peter Pan characters. So as you can see I was Peter Pan...Sydney was Wendy...Rowyn was Tink....and Abby our little baby sitter was Tiger Lily and Last but not least Mark was Captain Hook. We all had a blast and ate tons of candy.

The pumpkins were my favorite part of Halloween this year. We really had fun doing them.

and Rowyn loves toasted Pumpkin seeds...I didn't realize how many she was eating because we were carving pumpkins....but the next day I couldn't believe how many were in her diaper...it was insane. yikes. :)

We love Halloween at the Houser house.

life

2009-11-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

Life is good. We made a new friend this week. Turns out that Mark has been needing some male bonding time and as friends are usually busy he has been deprived and sucked dry by our two beautiful girls. So when a new guy came to our ward that was a movie camera specialist working on the movie being filmed in this area...(Unstoppable) he jumped at the chance to make a friend with similar interests. Little did he know that Nino...(german) needed Mark just as much as he needed Nino. It has been fun watching them. Mark has been enjoying going on set once in a while and watching filming. He also got to meet a fabulous Cinemaphotographer....Zuckerman. And Nino is a great friend for Mark...I believe they will be friends for eternity.
I know the Lord is mindful of us...bringing people into our lives when we need them.

The girls are growing so fast....Rowyn is talking so much and sooo fast. :) We really can't understand 70% of it, but she keeps us laughing. Sydney is so excited for her big girl bike. Daddy put training wheels on it and she has been rideing it in the house cause it is so cold here.

Halloween was a blast...Sydney had the say in everything. She decided she wanted to be Wendy...so Rowyn had to be Tink....Mom Had to be Peter Pan...and Dad HAD to be Hook. It was a blast and we all got a great workout walking up and down the gynormous hills of Bellefonte, the most beautiful Victorian Town ever. Life has been very good to us. We are blessed. I will be posting pictures soon. Mark bought me a small camera to play with...His are so stinking big and complicated so I usually leave the picture taking to him....Now I have my own little camera that I can whip out whenever I want to and get pictures. Yay....that means more cute posts. :) Tell then.

heart broken

2009-10-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know if many of you know Abby Davis Maile. She and Mark grew up together in State College PA. She later went to Ricks and then married Naki who played Football for BYU. They eventually moved to Utah, and live in Orem. They have 6 of the most vivacious and beautiful Girls I have ever seen. I randomly got to know Abby when she saw my blog and inquired if I was Mark Houser's Wife. She is a very sweet sincerely wonderful mom and woman.....that is why I am so heart broken for her right now. Abby's husband Naki passed away very unexpectedly last friday. I am sorry to her and her beautiful family. At these times I realize the greatest gift God can give us is the chance to seal on earth what can be forever in heaven. Eternal Families are the most important thing in this life. Our family sends our love to the Maile family. Abby's blog is in with my links. Please go and they have a site set up for those who want to donate or just send them their prayers and love.

We will forever keep you in our prayers Abby and girls.

broken hearted.

2009-10-23T11:00:00.001-07:00

made my day

2009-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

This conversation made my day today.

Sydney: Hi Mom I missed you

Me: Hey baby, what did you learn in preschool.

Sydney: Oh Oh Oh we learned about Dinosaurs and how they all died because they stinked.

Me: Cause they what??

Sydney: Cause they xstinked.

Me: lol lol lol lol. That is so awesome. yes the dinosaurs are Extinct.

I love you Sydney. Thanks for making my day.

nothing new

2009-10-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

I wish I had something exciting to post. Our lives tend to be slow lately. Sydney is growing up. whimper whimper. I know they have to grow up but boy it is hard letting them. She has brought me so much joy. What a blessing she is. Rowyn is wonderful too but she is a hurricane...always moving and fun and lovable. The two of them are still adjusting and getting to know each other. I think in time they will be best friends.

We got Snow here last week. Snow in early Oct. No...it isn't supposed to snow until at least Halloween. Right. Nope we got several inches of snow and sleet. It was crazy...power was out for 14 hours in some parts of PA. Sydney was so excited for the snow. I started getting ready for Christmas. I got my lights out. I love decorating for Christmas. I won't be going to UT for Christmas so I think I will go all out so I have more distractions for my homesick self. I miss Utah. Never thought I would miss Beaver so much. :)

Pre-school

2009-09-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our first few days of preschool have been fun. Sydney really loves having something fun to look forward to. She has enjoyed learning and is a very fast learner. She is only one of 2 girls...she has been complaining a bit about a boy who doesn't share and is a little too aggressive. Oh well, We can't shelter her forever. We have been trying to teach her to talk to the teacher and tell her her feelings. I think it is good prepareation for school and not being afraid to stand up to rude kids. Any suggestions?? All is good and extremely wet in PA this month. 90% humidity and thunder storms every day this week. My hair is crazy from all of this humidity. Half of it decided it wants to be curly while the other half is limp and lifeless. needless to say we are all wearing ponytails at our house. Life is good and all is well.

:)

2009-09-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Worked my tushie off this past week pulled of a super sweet baby shower for a friend here at work. I started by making some Mashmallow fondant and making the baby butt first...then the next day I made the cake. It was a super yummy quadruple chocolate ding dong cake. It was so so so so yummy....but.... the super gooey chocolate ganache that I put on as Icing didn't like the white fondant that I tried to put on the top. I learned a special lesson that day. Fondant doesn't go over gooey iceings, only greasy butter creams. So I went to the store and bought a pre-made sheet cake and put my little baby on top. Here is the final results. Still so cute but not all homemade. I am now focusing on makeing a really good cake. I think I will then focus on makeing it cute. Good lessons. The best part....we got to eat the super yummy quadruple chocolate ding dong cake. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. No losses here.

2009-09-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

We miss the horses.

Not much new. Life has been throwing us some obstacles. Mark did not get the job we were hoping for in Cedar City...but our home needs a lot of work before we will be able to sell it and we feel that perhaps the Lord has given us this time to prepare. In the mean time we are having Yard Sales to get rid of excess and are taking on big projects....even painting the house... we will see if that happens before it gets to cold.

Life is good though. Mark's back is beginning to feel better and the house is recovering from the hurricane Rowyn that hits it on a daily basis. Sydney is wonderful as usual and Life Moves On.

Hurricane Rowyn moves in on a few unsuspecting ducks.

good things are coming our way

2009-08-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

I love these mountains.

As life moves forward after our amazing trip to Utah...I have realized how much of my heart is there. It is like I am only living day to day with half of my heart when I am here in PA. I do things Half-heartedly....I don't really devote any time to friends and rarely spend much time focusing on extended family. I feel that I have just been coasting by as far as serving others especially outside of the church realm.

When we were out west I felt invigorated. I felt it was where I functioned the best as a wife as a friend as member. I am not saying I am a terrible person here....I just feel that I have been unhappy here. Not miserably, just unknowingly going from day to day. I love my family...when I am home and with them...my cup overfloweth. When I am away from them, I am a bit lost and in a daze.

I am secretly praying daily that Utah will be the place for us. Mark is working toward this as well. All I know is that change is coming and we are trying to prepare for it.

My heart yearns to be near the people who add to my selfworth and whom I can be myself with. I miss my dear friends....you all know who you are. Thank you for being true friends. Hopefully we will see you again soon. :)

Enough of that....here are some great pictures from our trip. We had such a wonderful time.

amazing vacation (few pictures)

2009-08-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah from the 5th of Aug to the 18th of Aug. We had such a good time that I forgot to take very many pictures of us. We have plenty of the mountains. Luckily Mark is my full time professional photographer. It is almost like having the paparazzi following us around when we vacation. He usually gets amazing pictures. I will have to post more as I get them from him.

I will document the amazing vacation....mostly so I can come back and relive it when I am so sick of work.

Day 1 Aug 5th

We woke up at 4 stinkin am to get to the airport. Sydney and Rowyn were such troopers and actually pretty happy to get on the plane. Crazy rearranged flight schedule. State College to Detroit.....Detroit to Chicago.....and Chicago to SLC. We lived....that is all that I really want to say about it. Lets just say the last leg of the trip was a bit frustrating and I will encourage all mothers to rock their second child to sleep every night to get them to fall asleep in your arms regularly. We thought it was so great that Rowyn...unlike Sydney....would let you put her right in her crib and fall asleep without any snuggling or rocking. Now Rowyn will not fall asleep anywhere but a comfy crib. I rock and rock and rock....and she fights and fights and fights. oh well. We made it to SLC and my wonderful Sister Cheryl picked us up.

We went to Cafe Rio to pick up some yumminess and straight to her house for relaxing.

Day 2 Aug6th we traveled to Midway Utah to stay in a huge house that my parents rented for 4 days. All my sisters and all of their families were there. It was a blast. We spent the afternoon getting relaxed and unpacking. Then we went to Park City where we rode all of the rides. My cousins loved the slide....Sydney and I loved the Coaster that takes you to the top of the mountain and lets you just sail to the bottom. (we almost touched a fawn that was inches from the track) I loved the bungy jumpers where I relived the acrobats we did in Peter Pan.

Day 3 Aug 7th Four Wheeling. Fun Fun Fun. We spent hours up in the mountains in Park City Four wheeling all over the mountains. My father and I had a water fight and it ended with us both being drenched in a stream. lol. Then home for dinner and relaxing and swimming.

Day 4 Aug 8th we Went out on the boat at Deer Creek. It was very windy and we didn't stay too long. I got to catch up with my best friend from High School, Monica. She has a lot going on with her hubby's new job and moving to CA. She has 3 beautiful daughters and it was so great to see our girls playing together. I have missed her. I wish her the best of luck with everything. Soon it was time to go. We traveled the rest of the evening and returned to Beaver.

Staying at the Homestead in Midway was the funnest time we spent with my family.

Day 5 Aug 9th was a special day for Mark and the girls and I to go to St. George to our best friends Baby blessing. Lelah Riley Scott. We had a blast with the Scotts. They are such a happy family and we always feel so at home with them and their family. The blessing was beautiful.

Day 6 Aug 10th we went to the splash pad in St. George. It was uber hot and super fun. The girls loved it. They ran and ran and ran. Rowyn had a blast trying to catch the kids and playing in the water. We also got to see some old friends Mike and Emily Malliard. Mark lived with Mike in College and eventually baptized him and then did the blessing to make him and elder and then we both attended the sealing where Mark was a witness. It was great to see them.

Then we went to Cafe Rio (I know.... again) we took it home and ate with Josh and Jalee....Then we went to Cedar City. We had Dinner with our old friends Dennis and Karen and their daughter Michelle. Boy we miss them.

Day 7 Aug 11th. This was our Cedar City Day. We spent the whole day applying for jobs and visiting old friends. Then home to Beaver

Day 8 Aug12th Teeth time. My wonderful father and personal dentist checked out teeth. Sydney did awesome with one small cavity. Rowyn's teeth are great no odd balls. Mark had a perfect score with no cavities and kudos for flossing. I did not get a perfect score....2 cavities and I need to floss or I will have a lot more. oh well. I walked around looking goofy for the rest of the day...only half of my face would smile. My good friend Shandra came by this evening and we caught up on each other's lives. She has a beautiful girl sydney's age. They tried to out do each other all night.

Day 9 Aug 13th More Four Wheeling in the Beaver Mountains. Some of the tallest Mountains in Utah are in Beaver. We rode the ATVs as far as we could and then we hiked. Our two favorite peaks are Baldy and Belnap, they are both around 12,500 ft above sea level. It was beautiful and we kept missing the rain. What a blessed day.

Day 10 Aug 14th My Cheryl and her family came to visit again. We had a nice dinner and relaxed.

Day 11 Aug 15th Mark and Martin went fly fishing and Cheryl and I went Yard Sale-ing. Then Mark and I got tickets for a play in Cedar. We went to Secret Garden. It was great to see it again. Mark and I were both a part of this production when we were in College. He was Dicken...and I was a stage Manager, and back up singer. It was so much fun. We dated and some of our best memories come from spending time together during this and other productions. Seeing it again brought back wonderful memories. Although the Dicken was not even close to as good as Mark was (voice and all) and the Martha was no where near as good as Melinda was. We enjoyed it overall. Mark overheard a girl tell her friend that she had seen the same show years ago when the college did it and the Dicken was tons better. It made him feel 10 ft tall. :)

Day 12 Aug 16th. Sunday.....Church..... Dinner.....Relax. Then Mark Took Family pictures for my Sister Debbie and her family. They were super cute. Then we relaxed with my Uncle Dale and Aunt Louise.

Day 13 Aug 17th. We went to Lehi to stay with my sister. Big family barbeque and then a big family photo. I will post it soon. Then a lot of tears as we all said goodbye for another 2 years. LOTS and LOTS of tears. I am pretty sure all of us are praying that Mark and I will move back to the west soon. :)

Day 14 Aug 18th. Wake up at stinkin 4:15 AM. Get to the airport....my bag is 3 lbs too heavy. Boo. All those extra clothes we got at DI. We don't have a DI in PA so Mark and I always end up looking and buying and then having more than we took. boo. Oh well...I took a few things out and ta da!!! Grumpy airline workers. Sydney flew like an angel. Rowyn was a crazy drunken fool since I tried giving her benadryl and it made her a drunk. it was pretty funny. Overall it was a nice trip with only one layover in Detroit. We landed just minutes before a crazy crazy wind and rainstorm hit. We were lucky to have missed it. We missed our little home and Sydney missed her big girl room. What a great trip with amazing memories made.

Fourth fun

2009-07-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July

We had a great time for the fourth. The girls got to hang with the cousins. I really think sydney has a crush on all of the boy cousins. so funny. Rowyn loves being outside. but all and all it was a great day and the fireworks are always amazing. Penn State sports the title of 4th best display in the nation. Not bad.

Penn State football gear. Syd could hardly stand. Mark is wearing the helmet used in leatherheads. a bit small....ya think....:)

NOPE

2009-06-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I would let all of you know that we will be staying here in good old PA for a little longer. We had our sights set on a few jobs out west....but the Lord must need us here because we are staying. Oh well. My parents will be a little sad, but I know that if it were supposed to happen it certainly would have. I think Mark is even more disappointed than I am.
I guess that is all for now. I will report if we hear anything new.

he's home

2009-06-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

He's Home He's Home He's Home!!!!

I don't know about any of you but I hate to spend time away from my Husband or family. Mark has been in CA for a week and boy am I happy he is coming home today. I don't know how all of you single mothers or fathers do it, with out help that is. You never really realize all they do until they are gone. He was missed.

So CA is not much of an option for a moving destination as of now. But we won't rule it out completely...just not now. 2nd option is still on the Table...St. George is still working out their hiring process and will not be calling for a bit. We are hoping and I think my parents have worn holes in their knees praying that we will get it. I must admit I am hoping for St. George too. So keep us in your prayers. I would love to be near my Utah family and friends again. I miss you all so very much. So hear is to hopeing.

2009-06-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

New new new. I love having new stuff to share. We are well. Mark has an interview in CA on the 19th....so we will see. It is out of our hands at this point. Rowyn had her First Birthday and we all had a blast. And Sydney is getting to be such a big girl and getting ready for Pre-school.

getting big

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Celebration in Boalsburg, Home of the very first Memorial Celebration. They have a really cool reinactment of a civil war battle. Costumes/and cannons and all. The kids love it.

She loves her Daddy.

cake anyone. Rowyn wasn't sure about Sydney gettting that close to her cake. That is Sydney's Finger about to swipe a bit of Rowyn's Icing. LOL

What is new??

2009-05-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages simply because nothing has really seemed to be monumentally new. Except for now. We have been smoothly sailing along these past few years working and running Mark's business and me working as a chemist and moving up in my job. Church is busy too, we both have callings, Mark is young mens pres. and I am the sec. in RS. The girls love it here. Sydney is so beautiful and loves to dance and sing around the house. I love it when she tells me she wants to show me a play she has been rehearsing all day. I really want to get her into gymnastics so she will learn about her balance. She is always always tripping and stumbling over her feet. She is a trooper though and hardly ever cries over her scraps and bruises. But she cries at the drop of a hat when it comes to dramatics. Boy can she put on a show. Rowyn is at that amazing age of copy cat. She does everything you tell her to do. She watches like a hawk and loves to imitate her daddy. She loves her daddy. So here we are just getting used to life in the Moist North East......and boom......all of these opportunities pop up for us to move west. Sooooooo I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I know somethings starting right now.....can you tell my daughter loves the Little Mermaid??? Something is in the works. We don't know when or exactly where but there are so many different options right now that we pretty much feel inedibly that we will be in Utah or California by the end of the year. So yay for the Lord's hand in our lives. I think my parents have been praying so hard for this that I can give them credit for convincing the Lord that we should be there. :) I will keep this updated as we find out more.

Sooo much Too Much

2009-05-05T07:52:00.001-07:00

So lately there has been a lot of buzz around our house about trying to find a job out west and moving and selling our home and it is a little too much. There is no definite on anything right now. We have some really big hopes and some really great opportunities on the horizon but I don't want to get all crazy about it yet. I feel like if I do I will go crazy. I still have the craziness of everyday life looming over me...I can't take on the craziness of thinking of moving and selling and adjusting until I know it is a definite thing. Then I will jump up and down and get all excited about it (for sure). For now, I am just mellow and working and keeping involved in the present.

I have been thinking a lot about being in plays this week. This is the week that the Utah Shakespearean Festival brings in all of its summer actors and Cedar City comes alive with acting and atomosphere. I can almost hear the sound of sets being built. I didn't realize how much I have missed that rush of being an actor and beginning something new. Maybe, someday I will get a chance to do it again. :)

Here is to high hopes for the future.

2009-04-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Isn't she gorgeous!!! My wonderful friend Jalee had her baby. I am so proud of her. She was in labor for over 36 hours and this baby is beautiful. I kept thinking....why does this baby look so perfect and my babies all look like I hit them around for a day or so before they were born. Oh well, some people have all the luck. Beautiful baby Lelah Riley Scott. Now the sleepless nights begin. I love you Jalee. :)

DAD

2009-04-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

So.....my biggest fear, living so far away from my parents, is that something will happen and I won't be able to get there fast enough or I won't be able to do anything to help. So when I recieved a call that my Dad had been taken to Cedar for emergency surgery, I just crumbled. I love my dad. We have one of those great relationships where I was practically his shadow growing up. He is such an inspiration to me. Well... He is ok. He strained his body so much working in the yard that he tore a hole in his retina. They were able to save his eyesight....if all goes well. They had to weld it back together with a laser. Crazy stuff. I am so happy that he will be able to "see" my daughter when we go in August. He has never seen Rowyn yet. Not in real life anyway. So I am thankful today for the blessing of sight and all of our senses that we have been blessed with.

Love you dad.

giveaway

2009-04-08T06:41:00.001-07:00

there is another give away on princess hair. http://hair4myprincess.blogspot.com/

2009-04-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

I love this girl. :)

Saturday and Sunday were wonderful days at the Houser House. We are doing some renovations to the Bathroom and Windows. The windows especially since the big wind storm we had blew one of our upstairs windows out. The baby's room was quite chilly and we were alarmed to se the window completely shattered. So now Rowyn has a Cardboard window till we can get it replaced. Silly weather. Everything else is good though. Mark is working hard to get this place in order.

My favorite thing about the weekend though...was Sydney and her enthusiam for Conference. She sat so reverently doing her coloring and or painting, then when the prophet spoke she would shout things out like, "Thats our Prophet" or, "He said Jesus Loves us" and "He is a great Man, he is my prophet." It was such a faith building experience for our family to see her excitement for the gospel and our Prophet. She listened and would repeat things as the speakers said them. It kept me alert too, as I am known to sleep through a few talks here and there. She didn't even fall asleep during any of the sessions. What a wonderful weekend. Sometimes I wish every Sunday could be Conference.

2009-03-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

So yesterday...my daughter Syd tells me that she has a sister missing from the dinner table. "What did you say" was my reply. She declared that she had another sister that needed to sit at the dinner table with us. That she was her very good friend. So Mark and I looked at each other and just smiled. Maybe....we will see. It always makes you rethink things when kids come up with stuff like that. It may not be anything at all but a few prayers and I think Mark and I will know how to feel about it. I wouldn't mind have one more. :) Kids are such a blessing.

New topic....I have a first birthday for Rowyn coming up in a few months and I am looking for ideas for a cake and or Party. Anyone got any good ones?? Let me know. I haven't even got a theme in mind so give me all your best ideas. The winner may get a prize. :)

awesome give away.

2009-03-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

There is an awesome Give away over at "The Story of a Princess and her Hair" http://hair4myprincess.blogspot.com/ I have a link to it on the side bar as well. She is giving a 20 dollar certificate to the coolest Hair accesory place called Flowerz in Her Hair http://flowerzinherhair.com/ go enter. :) I have been having way too much fun with hair lately. Oh well.....It is all Monica's Fault...... Thanks Moe.

blogger blues

2009-03-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

So I have been sad lately because I haven't received many comments. I know you are all out there, and Like me you read and run. I rarely leave comments. But just this once I would like everyone who reads this to leave me a comment so that I can gauge on how many people I am getting in touch with. especially Family. I want to see if my family is actually reading this blog....that is the main reason I have it....to keep them updated on the kids and everything. I love the friends that keep in touch on this blog. It is fun to get everyone's feedback. So thanks to all of you who care enough to see how we are. We don't have the most interesting lives but we love it. Hope you are all having a wonderful day. :) And as Mark always says, no matter what time of the year.....Merry Christmas.

finally

2009-02-25T07:32:00.001-08:00

Here are the latest pictures of Sydney on her 4th birthday. We had a Princess Royal Tea Party. It was so much fun. I made the cake all by myself. (Sydney helped) it was so much fun. I used Fondant for the first time and truly enjoyed it. I am making another one for a little girl with leukaemia this month. she has always wanted a princess party.

2009-02-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

So a friend of mine is doing this pay it forward thing. This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a special giveaway from me during this year - and you all know how I love to cook. :) So it will be a surprise, When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift.

Sorry this took so long for me to post Mel. :)

While we are waiting

2009-02-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

While we are waiting for pictures of Cakes and princesses and Short Hair I thought I would post a few pictures that I do have. This is Mark's newest Family Pictures. What a great group. The last time we were all together was Christmas.

Mark's Dad always plays Santa for the Church Christmas Party. I think Sydney is catching on...but not quite Positive that it is Pappy.

And last of all...My littel 4 year old monkey. This was her birthday and grandma gave her the cutest little monkey PJs. (can you tell I love to do her hair?) I will miss the long hair.

2009-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Chop Chop Chop,

For the last 4 weeks I have had to listen to Sydney whine every time I put her shirts on because she has gotten her hair stuck in the sleeves. Whine every time I brush or wash her hair because it is so long and it takes forever to wash it and get the tangles out. Whine every time her sister crawls up to her and pulls her hair. Sooooooo We chopped it off. betweeb 5 & 6 inches of beautiful long blonde hair gone. She is so so so happy. She loves her new bob and has not missed her long hair one bit. In fact she says she sleeps so much better without her hair. :) She looks older and that scares me. I, once again, will post a picture when my busy honey gets his stuff together. We have been more busy than I think we have ever been these past few months. Life has really been crazy. I think I need to take over at least one of our many digital cameras and call it mine.

Now it is just my turn to chop chop chop my hair off. When time allows! I will post. :)

2009-02-11T04:54:00.001-08:00

Holy Shnikies. I have bruises all over me. We had our first Fencing Tournament last night.

I did ok. Mark totally rocked it though and got 2nd place. I am so proud of him. On the down side...He lunged so hard on one of his advances that he shoved his toenail into the front of his shoe and it broke. He took his shoe off and it was completely black an blue. He will probably lose it. I guess that is the price for fame. I'm sorry I lost but I am overjoyed that I still have my big toenail. lol. I am going to give him Private lessons with one of the greatest fencers in our area, for valentines day. Romantic huh???? It will make him so happy. I did ok, but have a lot of work. sydney loves it too. We are tempted to enroll her in the kids classes. She sits and watches us and tries to do it. We bought her a little jedi sword that she uses. It is a blast. I will post pictures super soon....as soon as I can bug my Marky enough to download them from the camera. Love that boy. :)

Party time

2009-02-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a blast.....I don't have pictures yet, but I wanted to blog about it because it was so much fun.

We decided to have a birthday party for Sydney this past weekend because Super Bowl was the week of her birthday and that is not fair. So Friday I baked the cakes and made the Marshmallow Fondant. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm so good, and the Swiss buttercream Meringue. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Then I discovered that I am not bad at putting Fondant on cake number 1, and making a crown out of fondant. Saturday bright and early we made more Fondant......can you tell the cake was mostly Fondant?? But we finished in the nick of time wit mommy still in her sweats and a sink packed with cake making dishes. Fun Fun. Then the Princesses started to arrive. Sydney was Jasmine, Kaitlyn was Aurora, Isabel was just stinking cute without a specified Princess. and Sammy was Barbie princess. They all had a blast. The cake was a hit, and I feel like the best mommy in the world.....for today. It was fun. I will post pictures soon. :)

2009-01-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Sydney!!!

This weekend is my little Syd's Birthday. She will be 4. Oh how those 4 years flew. Some of my favorite things about Sydney are...

1. She is a singer...everywhere she goes she is singing. She loves to just sing about things. Now she is in primary she is getting to know actual tunes rather than just making them up. Her favs are I love to see the temple and I am a child of God.

2. She loves to dance... she dances like a soccer player. Her body jerks in different directions and she runs and falls down a lot. She really gets me laughing.

3. She likes to put on plays. She acts out situations with dance and expessions, I think this one makes me laugh the most because she is so very expressive. She is so so so dramatic.

4. She has so much love. She can't let anyone leave our home with out a hug and kiss if not 3 or 4. She is very sensitive with her loveing.

5. She is very spiritual. She will say a prayer at the drop of a hat. There have been times where she almost creeps me out because she will talk about the darkness and how she prayed and Jesus came and chased the darkness away. She is very close to our father in heaven and our Savior her faith and innocence really inspire me to be closer to them as well.

6. She is a great big sister. Rowyn insists on being right beside her and she loves it. She can't wait till Rowyn can dance too.

7. Words. Like her mommy she loves to make up words if she doesn't know the right one for the job. Privacy is Priceavey. Button them is Buttom um.

8. she is a princess. She loves dressing up as a princess. Many people call her their little princess. She loves that.

9. She captures the heart of every man in the remote area. She has Mark's young men wrapped around her fingers. Of course Mark would do anything for her. And many other neighbors and friends just love her.

10. She calms me when I am sad. Whenever I am having a hard day she is right by my side. she even says, "Mommy lets watch that movie with music and dancing and Mr. Darcy," Now that is a girl who knows how to cheer me up. She will sit through the entire movie of Pride and Prejudice with me. She is her mamma's girl.

2009-01-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Time Flies.
Dress up is a favorite at our house. Never mind me... I am just out of bed and look more the part of the wicked witch than a fairy princess.

Well Sydney's 4th birthday is just around the corner and I am opening up the blog for ideas for a cake and party. She loves princess themes. Any good ideas for cake and invitations and decor are so very welcome. She has been quite in love with little mermaid lately too.

This is Sydney telling me that Rowyn made the mess in her room. Yeah....right....but oh man isn't she growing up fast?

. Rowyn, she is getting around more. Her first official crawl was yesterday Jan 12th. yay!! no more mancrawling.

Last of all....we got about 8 inches of snow. This is our Snow Lady. She was fun to make. Sydney loves making snowmen. Rowyn didn't do much other than sit in the snow and tip over on her head.

Lovin the snow, Mark and his scouts went on a snow hike and camping trip on Friday and Saturday. Needless to say.....they froze. But they had fun. that is what counts. :)

2009-01-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list.

Put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and figure out if you have a life.
I know i don't. I've seen way too many.

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show(x) Grease(x) Pirates of the Caribbean(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest( ) Boondock Saints(x) Fight Club( ) Starsky and Hutch(x ) Neverending Story(x) Blazing Saddles( ) Airplane

Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride(x) Anchorman(x) Napoleon Dynamite() Labyrinth() Saw() Saw II() White Noise() White Oleander(x) Anger Management(x) 50 First Dates(x) The Princess Diaries(x) The Princess Diaries 2: ()Royal Engagement

Total so far: 13

(x) Scream(x ) Scream 2( ) Scream 3( ) Scary Movie( ) Scary Movie 2( ) Scary Movie 3( ) Scary Movie 4(x) American Pie() American Pie 2() American Wedding() American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 16

(x) Harry Potter 1(x) Harry Potter 2(x) Harry Potter 3(x) Harry Potter 4(x) Resident Evil 1(x) Resident Evil 2(x) The Wedding Singer(x) Little Black Book(x) The Village( ) Lilo & Stitch

Total so far: 25

(x) Finding Nemo(x) Finding Neverland(x) Signs(x) The Grinch() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning() White Chicks() Butterfly Effect(x) 13 Going on 30(x) I, Robot() Robots

Total so far: 31

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story() Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events(x) Along Came Polly(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin(x) Never Been Kissed(x) Meet The Parents() Meet the Fockers() Eight Crazy Nights(x) Joe Dirt(x) KING KONG

Total so far: 38

() A Cinderella Story(x) The Terminal( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber() Dumber & Dumberer() Final Destination() Final Destination 2() Final Destination 3() Halloween() The Ring() The Ring 2( ) Surviving X-MAS() Flubber

Total so far: 40

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle(x) Practical Magic() Chicago() Ghost Ship() From Hell
() Hellboy() Secret Window(x) I Am Sam() The Whole Nine Yards() The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 42

(x) The Day After Tomorrow() Child's Play() Seed of Chucky( ) Bride of Chucky(x) Ten Things I Hate About You() Just Married() Gothika() Nightmare on Elm Street(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans( ) Coach Carter() The Grudge() The Grudge 2(x) The Mask() Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 47

() Bad Boys() Bad Boys 2() Joy Ride() Lucky Number Slevin(x) Ocean's Eleven(x) Ocean's Twelve(x) Bourne Identity(x) Bourne Supremecy( ) Lone Star() Bedazzled() Predator I
() Predator II() The Fog(x) Ice Age(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown(x) Curious George

Total so far: 54

(x) Independence Day() Cujo() A Bronx Tale() Darkness Falls() Christine(x) ET() Children of the Corn() My Bosses Daughter() Maid in Manhattan() War of the Worlds() Rush Hour() Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 55

( ) Best Bet(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days(x) She's All That( ) Calendar Girls() Sideways
() Mars Attacks() Event Horizon(x) Ever After(x) Wizard of Oz(x) Forrest Gump() Big Trouble in Little China(x) The Terminator() The Terminator 2() The Terminator 3

Total so far: 60

(x) X-Men(x) X-2(x) X-3(x) Spider-Man(x) Spider-Man 2() Sky High() Jeepers Creepers() Jeepers Creepers 2() Catch Me If You Can(x) The Little Mermaid(x) Freaky Friday(x) Reign of Fire(x) The Skulls() Cruel Intentions() Cruel Intentions 2() The Hot Chick(x) Shrek(x) Shrek 2

Total so far: 70

() Swimfan(x) Miracle on 34th street() Old School(x) The Notebook( x) K-Pax() Krippendorf's Tribe() A Walk to Remember() Ice Castles() Boogeyman() The 40-year-old Virgin

Total so far: 73

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 79

() Baseketball( ) Hostel(x) Waiting for Guffman() House of 1000 Corpses( ) Devils Rejects(x) Elf() Highlander(x) Mothman Prophecies() American History X( ) Three

Total so Far:82

() The Jacket() Kung Fu Hustle( ) Shaolin Soccer( ) Night Watch() Monsters Inc.(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail() Shaun Of the Dead() Willard

Total so far: 84

( ) High Tension() Club Dread(x) Hulk() Dawn Of the Dead(x) Hook() Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe(x) 28 days later() Orgazmo() Phantasm(x) Waterworld

Total so far: 87

(x) Kill Bill vol 1() Kill Bill vol 2(x) Mortal Kombat( ) Wolf Creek(x) Kingdom of Heaven() The Hills Have Eyes() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman( ) The Last House on the Left( ) Re-Animator() Army of Darkness

Total so far: 90

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace(x)Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith() Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage() Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 95

(x) The Matrix(x) The Matrix Reloaded(x) The Matrix Revolutions()Animatrix() Evil Dead() Evil Dead 2( ) Team America: World Police(x) Red Dragon(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal

Total-- 100

At least it is an even 100 Right. Oh well. I knew long ago I had no life.

Prize-a-fee

2009-01-05T04:23:00.000-08:00

Prize-a-fee. Sydney, in all her curiosity has been observing dad sans clothes whenever she can. She walks in on him going potty or getting out of the shower. He usually shrieks and says TRRRRRRIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!! So now we have told her over and over that daddies are different than mommies and they need their privacy. So now when she needs to go potty we aren't allowed in cause she needs her Prize-a-fee. We love it. She is great at giving Mark his privacy as well.

26. This is the magic number of people my mother-in law tried to squeeze into her home every stinking day of the holidays. The first day I was afraid to put my baby down for fear she would be stepped on or sat on. 2nd that many people belong in a very large space not a 2 bedroom home with a kitchen the size of an outhouse and dinning room that you have to "suck it in" when walking around the table. needless to say we passed up many a family bonding experience due to claustrophobia. I love family....but I love to visit on a one on one basis.

New calling....Relief society Secretary. I am enjoying being with the adults after 5 years in primary. I do catch myself talking to the sisters as if they are 7 years old. I am working on that. I am sure they don't appreciate it. hee hee. Oh well...that is what happens when you are with children 24-7.

relieved that the holidays are over....I am ready to begin my wonderful new year and work on all of those resolutions. :)

2008-12-22T04:59:00.000-08:00

Not much is going on right now. We have a ton of snow but we have had freezing rain the last 2 days and so Sydney can't play in the snow because it is one solid piece of ice. She just jumps on it and pretty much ice skates across the front lawn. boo. I wanted to make a snowman.

Christmas will be fun this year. I got Mark a secret present. Each year I am only able to slip one present under his nose. He is sneaky. He does the checking accounts and bills so I have to figure out a way of purchasing something under the radar. He trys to figure out everything he gets for christmas. This year I have him stumped. I am so excited. It doesn't help that I am a horrible secret keeper. So if you have a secret....don't tell me. I could keep it if I knew it would hurt someone if it was told....but a present.....nope. Well this year I am doing great. Oh it is killing me not to tell him. But it has kept the excitement of christmas high at our house. Sydney loves to see him try to figure it out and has joined in on guessing.

Rowyn is getting big and growing into a lot of that baby fat. She is beautiful. She is like a little upchucking machine lately. I keep a bib on her daily. yuck. Oh well. She spit up at church yesterday and the young girl behind me, home for christmas from college, gagged. I just laughed and said, "makes you want to have kids right away doesn't it." She said "NO!!!"

I love my girls. They are such a slice of heaven. They really make my life so full of love and laughter. We were playing a guessing game in the car yesterday and we were saying, "I'm thinking of an animal....." Well Sydney said she wanted to do people. So she started with a friend of ours named Chad. She said, "I'm thinking of a guy with a face and a great big head....oh and a big tummy." Mark Said Chad!!! We really laughed.

Merry Christmas to everyone. We love you all so much

I am going to try fudge and caramels this season. I have never tried but I have to try sometime right?? Thanks to Monica for the recipe for caramel.

:)

2008-12-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

Fencing is insanely hard. Mark and I have been doing it for a while. Mark has been doing it for about 4 months and me 4 weeks. We fence for about 3 hours every Tuesday. when I walk out of Penn State my legs feel like Jello. Wow. I don't think I have ever done anything this hard before. It pushes me beyond my limit and then some. I am sure that it will get easier with time but wow right now I am really having to work. It really feels good to be doing something that really kicks my trash. I have been taking it easy for far too long.

After I get feeling better with this I am going to take a dance class. I am excited for that.

I have also been singing a lot lately. I really love to sing. It is the key to lifting the burdens in my life. It is like I sing away any stress and pressure it is an awesome vice in my life. I thank heavenly father for giving me such a beautiful talent. I love to help people feel the spirit through my songs. I think I get a great workout when I sing with the choir cause they always make me hit those High notes at the very end and it takes all I have to do it.

So I guess it really has been a few months all about me. Sometimes you need a me month. Where you do things that you love to do and feel good about yourself. So yay for me. :)

I am so excited for Christmas this year. Merry Christmas. :)

2008-12-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

Getting to Know You: Christmas Edition
Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. I got this from Melissa and thought it would be a fun post. Copy it if you wish...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper I love love love to wrap the presents with fancy ribbon!
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I love real trees but I have kids and that equals needles everywhere.
3. When do you put up the tree? Wellllllll......not yet, and it is Dec 3rd. arrrrggggg
4. Do you like eggnog? maybe...if it is really watered down with Milk
5. Favorite gift received as a child? A Shetland pony name Pudge....I loved him for about one day, until he ran me under the clothes line, then....not so much.
6. Hardest person to buy for? Mark, He ALWAYS buys whatever he wants so that leaves me with very little to get for him.
7. Easiest person to buy for? Sydney. She is easy to please.
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Used to...when Sydney was small we got a resin one which we thought she couldn't hurt. We were wrong, by the end of the season I don't think a single member of the nativity escaped unscathed. Headless and legless I had to get rid of everyone. :( We will try again this year. :) Oh wait....Sydney got a stuffed version last christmas. So yea we have a stuffed toy nativity.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I am making my own this year. I love crafty people. (If you want one, I might need your address!)
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? There is no such thing as a bad present.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas. (Love that it is on broadway too!) Melissa and I have good taste.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After black friday madness is over. I really don't want to get trampled to death.
14. Favorite thing to eat at lunch on Christmas? Leftovers. mmmm pie homemade noodles cheese balls with crackers. I'd go on but I am making myself homesick.
15. Lights on the tree? Yes. White no exceptions. no colored lights at my house.
16. Favorite Christmas song? What child is this?
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends on the year. This year, we will be staying home but my sister is coming to visit!
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?Easy Peasy, Sydney has been watching the old Christmas movies. Rudolph is one of her favs.
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Actually niether. I have a beautiful father christmas that goes on top.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We do both.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When people forget the true meaning of Christmas
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like a lot of Silver with cool colors like blue or pastels. I also really love Red. Who doesn't?
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like a simple christmas meal. We mostly just piece on sandwiches and snacks. The real feast happens christmas morning breakfast.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Joy and Peace.

new pics.

2008-12-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Loving the new pictures. We had a great holiday. My favorite was that Mark and I got to go on a DATE!!! We had a sweetheart (Meagan) babysit for us. The girls love her. She is an aspiring photographer. NICE I KNOW! She got some great shots of the girls. I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. Bring on the Christmas Music. The Tree goes up tonight for Family Home Evening. Our good friend Rob gets baptized on Saturday. All is great. :)

month of Birthdays

2008-11-25T04:35:00.000-08:00

Today I am wishing a Happy Birthday to the hottest man alive. My husband.

Mark and I have known each other since 1995. These have been the best 13 years of my life. He has graced my life and made me so very happy. We have been married for 10 of those 13 and we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in Dec.

If you know Mark you know he is crazy fun. He always wishes everyone a Merry Christmas no matter what month it is.

He is an amazing photographer and I cherish every picture he takes (except the the ones when he catches me eating or pulling a wierd face). He is the best dad ever and I is more like the Mom at our house. He keeps us all together. Time has flown as we have 2 girls now and he is even more handsome than the day I met him.

We have been Fencing together lately and that has been fun. We are both on the Penn State Fencing Group. He is actually very good and kicks my butt very often. I am working on getting better so I can redeem myself.

Mark is going to be 33 and looks 25. Go figure.

He has 3 different books that he is writing and is always jotting things down in his journals. He has at least 5 current Journals.

His latest passion is Fencing. He is amazing at it. I love to brag him up. He is a wonderful Man and I just wanted to wish him the best birthday ever. I love you babe.

Happy Birthday Dad.

2008-11-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday DAD!

I must blog today about a wonderful man in my life. For a long time the only man in my life. My dad put up with 5 women in our house for a very long time. He was and is the most patient man I have ever ever ever met. He has a heart the size of texas and he is so creative and hilarious. He can always make me smile. I really really miss him. He and I became best friends. When I was young he and I used to catch bugs together. He loved Botany and insects in college. When I got older he and i used to do a lot together. We rode horses, we shingled the garage, we put up a whole sprinkler system. I really don't know what I would do without him.

I always felt and feel so much love from my father. He is the best man I know. :)

I love ya Dad.

2008-11-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a friend over for dinner. He is an investigator to our church. The missionaries have only been teaching him a few weeks and he is ready to be baptized. He is a great guy. He has been through a lot in the last 4 months. His wife had an opportunity for a job in Baltimore....and she went to check it out. She never came back.... she left him with 3 girls. He didn't know what to do. They are back in contact now and trying to figure things out. But when the missionaries came to his door he knew they would change his life. It is very touching.

It really makes you appreciate what you have when you know that it literally could walk out the door.

He is a stronger and better man than I could ever be. He will be a wonderful member.

In light of the experience this weekend. I would like to post pics of what I am thankful for. My family.

picture overload...

2008-11-13T18:52:00.001-08:00

I downloaded over 100 pictures today from Mark's archives and I would love to post every last one of them. but for the sake of time, which I have so little of lately...I will post the most recent ones. Halloween.

Sydney got to go two different nights the first night she was Cinderella. The second she was little Mermaid. She and Morgan ran around for hours And then little timid Sammy needed a hand for extra courage to go up to the houses and say trick or treat. Syd practically dragged her everywhere. :)

This is a picture of Rowyn in her blessing dress. She is so so so strong. she holds herself up and Loves to sit up. She has really found her smile.

This is our most recent family picture. lol. Mark wasn't very happy with it (perfectionist) He won't put it on the wall if he isn't happy with it. I like it because the day was so much fun. we went to the pumpkin patch to pick pumkins and went for a hay ride. rowyn got cold but sydney had a blast. she even got to cuddle up with Benny.
so cute.

Cheryl came to visit

2008-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Amish weekend

So we had a wonderful time this weekend with my sister and her family here. We enjoyed good amish countryside and food and had a good time catching up. They are wonderful. I think they really enjoyed the quaint victorian town we live in....and the Amish community not far from where we live. Jillian...their little 2 year old girl and Sydney had a great time together.

I love the Amish People. They are usually so meek. except for the boy that flipped us off because we were trying to take a picture of him.

This is the Reynolds Mansion. One of the many bed and Breadfast mansions in our neighborhood.

2008-11-06T07:57:00.001-08:00

Sooooooooo.......

Wow. We have a long 4 years ahead of us. I am personally going to focus on preparing my family for anything. Food storage and 72 hr kits. This year will be my Food storage improvement year. I worry for our Country. I worry for our future. But mostly I worry that I won't be prepared.

These are the Last days.

I read an article that said the food storage is to protect you from yourself. It said people do the most unimaginable when they are starving....and they will do just about anything to get food when they are watching their children starve. I believe this. So I do think it very important to make sure I have enough food and heat for my family.

Mark thinks I over react when it comes to this stuff....I do.....but I would rather that I over react than not react enough. :)

It is my goal to start canning this winter and next summer. I have a great canner, thanks to my great friend Steph.

God Bless America. We are going to need it.

2008-11-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

I stole this from Monica's Blog. Sorry Monica....I had to. It is so true.
Vote today.
I am.

I will have loads of pictures tomorrow. Yay.

Twas the night before electionsAnd all through the town
Tempers were flaringEmotions all up and down!
I, in my bathrobeWith a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TVTired of political crap.
When all of a suddenThere arose such a noise
I peered out of my windowSaw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the othersWho had not worked a day!
He snatched up my moneyAnd quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink
He then rallied his henchmenWho were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out To tear my country apart!
' On Fannie, on Freddie, On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his causeAnd as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to thinkOn this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

2008-10-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

This is our little Rowyn. She is growing. I still can't believe it has been 5 months since we were in the hospital waiting for her to come. I remember thinking time was going so slow. Now time has gone too fast to measure. She is teething. Yesterday she chomped down so hard on her finger that she scratched a big cut on her gums. She was bleeding and I couldn't figure out from what. goofy girl. She looks like a Murdock.

This weekend was a crazy cleaning frenzie. My sister Cheryl comes to visit from Utah next weekend so we are cleaning up the guest room.

The Missionaries came by and one of them had a pair of shoes that were falling apart. So Mark got rid of 2 pairs of shoes, hurray. Mark is a shoe monger. So I think it was great that he was able to give them to the Missionary. They will be put to good use. We made the Missionaries carve our pumpkins for us. Elder Hess got the tough task of carving the Gourd that Sydney had picked out. Sydney loved it.

Mark's brother Cecil is in town so we will be out and about playing with him all week. Lots to do.

the great pumpkin

2008-10-20T04:16:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend. We got up early Saturday and went to Wasson's Farm where we took a hayride to a pumpkin patch. Once in the pumpkin patch we were allowed to pick whatever pumpkin we found...big or small. Sydney searched the whole patch and chose the smallest little....wait for it.......gourd. Mark chose a gynormous Green/almost Black Pumpkin. And I chose a pumpkin for Rowyn. We got woopie pies, amish yummieness, and apple butter. I lost Sydney in the Corn Maze because I was Carrying Rowyn and couldn't keep up with her. She is fast, And Boy I am out of shape. I will post pictures as I get them from the photographer. He is super uber uber busy right now. Weddings and Senior portraits really keep us busy during the fall. I love his fall weddings though. They are so beautiful. The colors are gorgeous.

Well that was our weekend. Lots going on but still time to play and be together as a family. Blessings are abundant. I love life.

Happy Halloween.

Oh yeah....I was going to post about costumes.
Rowyn is going to be a Pumpkin...very original...Syd is going to be one of 3 things. 1. Cinderella (with a little pumkin named Rowyn) 2. Little Mermaid 3.Tinkerbell
Mark's Mom loves to buy Syd costumes for dress up so she has so many to choose from. I will let you know. and lots of pictures are to come. :)

forgotten things

2008-10-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

i have realized over the last Months that I have not been a very good blogger. I have had some great experiences that I haven't written in. Now that my family is checking the blog I wanted to make sure I got those in.

Baby Blessing....

Yes we blessed her August 31st. She looked so beautiful in her white dress. Mark gave a beautiful yet surprisingly short (if you know Mark you know he can TALK for great lengths of time). I expected it to be a lengthy blessing. It was beautiful though. When he brought her back to me she was sopping wet. Mark had accidently unlatched her diaper so that one side was completely undone. So in the middle of the blessing....she peed all over him. Then she also spit up all over him. So both of his arms were quite wet when he handed her to me. I had to immediatly take her out and change her clothes. It was a short lived moment for the beautiful dress my mom bought for her. :(

Sydney is growing like a weed. I have some new pics I am posting. She says the cutest things. She repeats everything we say. She asks the sweetest questions and she gives her love so willingly. She is very emotional and very dramatic. She cries easily when you are repremanding her, and she laughs every other moment of the day. She loves to laugh. She sat on Marks lap the other day and said " I love you gorgeous man " which is what I call him. It made us laugh so.

We are keeping busy and the baby is growing so fast. Time flies.

tagged

2008-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Jalee. This is my first tag. So bear with me. It is to tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you and then Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them . Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

Yikes. I have a few doozies!!!

1. I am a picker. I know I know ewwww gross. If my husband or I have a pimple..... I have to pick it. It drives me nuts not to get the ugly thing. I think this is my worst quirk so breath easy the rest are more mild.

2. I love to run my fingers through my hair. I do it all the time. I had to stop lately though because after I had the baby my hair started falling out. Naturally. But when I run my fingers through it it started coming out in large masses. So I try not to touch my head.

3. I have a terrible habit of not knowing the right word for the right meaning, so I tend to make up a word that sounds close to the word I am trying to think of. For example...... I might say succinctly rather that sequential. Or turbid rather timid. Or eccentric rather than intrinsic. I have a hard time saying what is in my head. it is like my lips don't connect to the mother board. oh well. Those who love me understand me. That is all that matters.

4. I love sweets but I try to hide that I eat them. I will get a candy bar here at work and hide it and take nibbles of it. Even if there is no one around. Goofy. I try to do the same at home. Sydney always catches me and says me too me too. I look like a binger sometimes cause I will shove a whole cookie in my mouth and chew it up fast so no one will see me eat it. I am sure there is some phyco-analytical term for my quirk....but I don't really care. To me it is just an insecure quirk.

By the way....this is harder than it sounds. Naming all of the things that can embarrass you takes some guts.

5. I love to kiss babies. my babies, and sometimes nieces and nephews, and even an occasional close friends baby. I hold them and just kiss their little heads over and over and over. I breath in their little baby smell and it is like I am in a kissing trance. Baby lotion makes this quirk even worse. I just have to kiss them. mmmmmm I love kissing baby heads.....and cheeks.....and fingers....and toes. I love it.

6. Last of all. I talk to myself. I think I get lonely for decent conversation when Mark and I are so busy. I just end up having full out conversations with myself. I don't neccessarily answer back.... I just need to hear what I am thinking out loud.. Sydney asks me what I am doing all the time. And I just say...Mommy needs to hear how she is doing. lol. She says ok. Then she asks how I am. I give her a great big hug and tell her I am doing wonderful. Then she and I talk for a long time. Kids are wonderful.

Oh I almost forgot....when I was younger I used to walk around with my head slightly tilted to the side. I later found out I had a spinal condition and it takes a few visits to the chiropractor but I don't walk like I forgot my V8 anymore :)

give away

2008-09-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.5minutesformom.com/4380/win-a-new-bedroom-set/

they are giving away a bedroom set for the best picture of your baby sleeping. Under 12 is the only stipulation. Go ahead....try it. :)

I would go for the Summer breeze one cause it goes with the nautical theme we have going on.

Wouldn't that be cool.

Here are my pics.

sleeping like a baby

Here, Sydney is playing Sleeping Beauty on the couch

she could really use a bed.... Her prince is here to rescue her

Prince charming saves the day.

And finally my favorite.....
Sydney likes to sneak in

and get the new baby

and take her to her bed

to sleep. they are sweet.

Life

2008-09-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Life seems so uneventful right now. There is so much happening but so little. Does that make sense. Mark has his last two weddings this month. And I have a new calling. I am the Relief Society Newletter Guru. I just finished up 5 years in the Primary Pres. I hardly know how to communicate with adults. It is nice to be back with the adults though. I do miss the funny things that kids say in Primary. And I miss that amazing spirit that dwells with them.

We are thinking of taking a fall foliage trip. We do this every year. Last year we went to Maine. It was so so beautiful. We went to the white mountains and visited so many light houses I lost track. So this year we want to go somewhere to take pics of the fall. New England is notorious for it's gorgious falls. We have narrowed it down to North Carolina, cause we have friends with a house there, or New Hampshire, cause we have friends with a house there. ;) Funny... you know you are broke when your vacations are limited to free lodging. Oh well.

Some day we hope to get to England where Mark's sister in-laws parents live. We really want to do a tour of Europe. I have a feeling the girls will be in College by then. Maybe the US dollar will be worth more than 23 cents then. Someday. I can wish...right. :)

better

2008-09-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

AAAAAhhhhhhh that is better. Thanks to all the good advice from Monica and Sister Dean. I am up and flowing again. Such a sensitive area. Who knew that could bring to me the edge of my pain threshold. I am a dramatic person to begin with, but I am really not exaggerating too much. :)

I will have pictures to post today (not of the Mastitis.....lol) of Syd and Rowyn. So I will put them on as soon as work lets up a bit.

back to playing with my Chemicals.

I finally got my family hooked into this blog so they can read the updates. Hi guys. I love you all so so so much. I miss you and hope that this blog will give you some daily connection to us drifters here in Pennsylvania.

Holy Mamiferous Mastitis

2008-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

OH MAN. Why did no one tell me about this blasted problem. MASTITIS!!! I thought I had breast cancer with moments to live...it hurt that bad. Hurts that bad. You can see the enormous lumps. Sorry...a little graphic. This cursed thing. Ok. Now I have looked it up and done all the suggestions to help make it feel better but it isn't working. I am going home to ask my husband for a blessing, feed the baby....if she will take it, and sleep for the rest of the day. Wow. Now I know why women stop breast feeding when they get this. Please keep me in your prayers cause I could use a little extra help on this. And if you don't pray......start. :)

post later.

booklist

2008-09-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine posted this list. It is a good one. You are supposed to bold the ones you have read and put the ones you want to read in italics. I used Italics for the ones I have started but didn't finish.
24 out of 100 boy I need ot get reading. :)

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 (some of them)
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 (another one I started)
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 (Yet, another one I started...)

2008-09-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

What do you all think of this Haircut???? This is similar to what I have done in the past... and I think it is a better length for me. Basically I am just going to cut off the shaggy part of the Shag haircut I just got. :) Tune in tomorrow.

never satisfied

2008-09-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

So first thing I have to do is apologize for no picture of the new do. But.... I don't like it anymore. I am having the hardest time styling it. I have a bit of natural curl in my hair and it makes the do just look like a mess. So.....I am going to have a new stylist cut and do my hair. No offense to Mark's mom..... my first haircut.....but I need a current professional. Mark's mom used to be a beautician but I need someone a little more familiar with the trends. I definetly love her for doing it though. So....again. If you have any suggestions on a cute do. Let me know. I will probably go sometime this next week.

I wish everyone a happy weekend :)

pizza mmmmmm

2008-09-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

So who likes Papa Murphy's Pizza????? Well I love it. Especially the gormet chicken one. Well here in the east they only have Papa Johns, which isn't anywhere near Papa Murphy's.... and no one in this part of the country does a chicken pizza like them. So....i went to good old copycat recipes and I made it myself. Oh man..... it was just like it. Sooo sooo sooo good. Mark and Sydney and I pigged out. Needless to say we will be makeing it again.

Here is the recipe... if you want it.

2 cups ranch dressing- (prefferably homemade with the hidden valley packets, with buttermilk)
1-2 tsp minced garlic. go by your taste. If you like it garlicy go with 2.
put this in a food processor and cream together. This is your sauce.

Then boil 1-2 chicken breast (depending on size of pizza) boil till the pink is almost gone. Then chop them up into little pieces.
Dice 1-2 tomatoes (again according to size of pizza)
Dice 2 sprigs of Green Onion.
Top the pizza with Sauce, then Mozzarella, then tomatoes and onions.
Cook in oven for about 20 minutes on 350.

I use the premade dough from the good old freezer department in Wal-Mart. Any dough will do.

enjoy.

PS. They also have a make it yourself Cafe rio Salad Dressing. So so so good.
I am drowning myself in saliva, so I have to go now.

cut cutty cut

2008-09-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

So I did get it cut. I used the picture I posted in my last post. It isn't exact, but no hair dresser is perfect. I really like it . It frames my face in and makes me look nice. I can just run my fingers through it and tada!!!! I havn't had my hair done in a long time. I have been pulling it up for about a year straight. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that no one even noticed I got it cut, cause I always wear it up. I will post a picture soon so you can see it.

I love this blog thing. I love seeing what my old friends are up too. I love to see how blessed you all are. What a testimony that the Lord blesses us all and knows us so well. It is apparent that he is actively blessing each of us.

Love you guys.

new hair

2008-09-05T11:20:00.001-07:00

It is that time.....when you get sick of the old hair and need something new. I am challenging all my friends to find a cute medium short to short hair style for me.

this is the one I am considering today. Tomorrow.....who knows. I will let you know which one I choose. :)

Darn I really wanted to win the cute hair stuff at girly do's but oh well. Sydney loves to look at her little girls princess hair dos. Have a great day.

give away

2008-09-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

The sweetness of Girly Do's is giving away prizes. Go and see. http://girlydos.blogspot.com/

We love to try all the cute hairstyles.

great weekend

2008-09-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

So we had a great weekend. WE took Syd to her first water park. She was cold. But I think she had fun. We got there at 11:00 and went home at 8:00pm. Long day but not bad when you have two angels. Both the girls were wonderful. I couldn't believe how good they were. I guess it makes it easy when you are having a great time. Rowyn was the best. She was so laid back sometime I forgot she was even in the stroller. She loved the colors and lights. Needless to say we will be going back. I don't have pictures yet but.... here is one from last weekend at Chocolate World.

Rowyn loved being a factory worker.

2008-08-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.reliv.com/US/EN/Health.html?id=3552

I have been checking it out and it is tempting. Reliv. A little pricey but it seems very legitamate. Anyone ever try this stuff/?? I am trying to decide if I should try a classic suppliment or just go straight for the weight loss stuff. If anyone has any experience let me know.

2008-08-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Fun Crazy weekend.

Our friends Josh and Jalee and their kiddos all came to see us from ST. George. Wow they must love us to come that far just for us. We had a blast.

Syd finally found a prince phillipe who would kiss her and wake her up. He even carried a sword everywhere he went.

We love the Scotts.

Rowyn didn't know what to think of all this excitement.

so similar

2008-08-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking at pictures of Sydney when she was Rowyn's age and I think they look a lot alike. It will be interesting to see as Rowyn grows how similar they will be. These are some of my favorite pictures when Sydney was a baby. See if you can tell which one is Syd and Row.

new pics

2008-08-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone (Monica and Jen) for the great advice. I am on my way to healthier eating and taking on the Treadmill 4 times a week. Has anyone ever heard of ReLiv??? My mom might get me some so I think I will try it. Thanks for the tips on eating Monica. I am looking forward to a yummy smoothie every morning. It has to be better than eating dry cereal at work. I can make it and take it with me. So hurray. My amazing friend and her family are coming all the way from St. George just to see us this week. We are going to do all the fun stuff in PA. First we are going to go gawk at the amish. It's one of my favorite things to do. They are so intrigueing. Plus sometimes the uber religious group will have a rebel boy who will flip you off if you try to take his picture. lol. They have beautiful homes and make the most amazing food. We go to the buffet and eat until we can't eat anymore.....then we have homemade ice cream. Then after that we will try to go to either Gettysburg or Washington DC. Both are amazing to behold.

Here are the latest pics. Mark's aunt Lori came to visit.

workout??

2008-08-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

So now the baby is here I need to get back into a workout routine. I have no ambition. Does anyone have any ideas. I have pilates that I love but I just can't find the time to do it. So I have a few options. I have a treadmill and a total body workout machine. Niether really are tempting to me. I'd rather make chocolate chip cookies with Sydney. I guess that is why I need to workout in the first place. So I am calling out to all of you for ideas for fun or effective workouts you have found. Especially one condusive to 2 kiddos and a fulltime job. Oh and good diets. I could use some good tips on healthy eating. Monica.......your the dietician......help me. Ok.

I took Rowyn to the Dr. today and she is 12lbs. Holy man. She is a cute pudge. I love how she sinks into her fat wrinkles like a wrinkle pup. I call her Roby Doby, which Sydney has interpreted as Doe Doe. I love kids. I love eternal families. I love this smily stage.

I will post pics soon.

Doula

2008-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

A Doula.....

I have decided to go through the process of getting certified to be a birthing coach, or Doula. I am so excited. One of my dearest friends, and personal Doula Kirsten, inspired me. My Midwife, when I had Rowyn, told me that I was made to do this. (have babies) She said I make it look easy. So... I have decided to help those who want to do it natural but are afraid. There are so many little tips that make having a baby easier, that women just don't know. I want to help women to acheive a less painful more fulfilling Birth. It can be so beautiful. Some women have these horrible horrible experiences, but it can be so wonderful too. Out here in Amish country they have midwives that you can certify with. they take you to their home births and it is just amazing what these women do. So anyone having a baby??? I can get my hours in by participating or just witnessing a birth. Hurray. I think it is amazing to be there when a baby takes it's first breath. Or when parents see the baby for the first time. Closest thing to heaven.

Labor

2008-07-22T04:38:00.001-07:00

I thought I would take a sec and brag myself up a little. This Picture was taken at 3:47 am right after Rowyn was born. Labor was crazy. 10 minutes of pushing that was it. 2:30 was the first contraction and we got to the Hospital at 3:30 and she was born at 3:47. We are booking a room in advance next time. We are glad she is here. No drugs.....now that is something. Molly, my friend once told me they don't give awards to women who do it naturally. Oh but you get to brag about it and that is almost as good. Plus you can tell your kids how much pain you suffered to bring them into the world. And my favorite.... you get to walk into the bathroom and take a long hot shower right after you give birth. That is the gold at the end of the rainbow... oh yeah and you get the most beautiful little girl, a gift straight from heaven. I am just glad she is healthy, drugs or no drugs. If it had been longer than the hour I was in labor I don't know that I could have done it without a few shots of something. So perhaps the Lord knew that. Anyway we are glad Rowyn Quinn is here.

back to normal....kinda

2008-07-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

Hurray!! My hubby is home and the kids are great. I have pictures for everyone to see. I am such a proud mommy. These are when we first brought Rowyn home. So I need to get updated ones cuz she is smiling now instead of her little frowny grimace. I need to claim one of Mark's camera's for my own so I can capture her best moments.

2008-07-11T14:40:00.001-07:00

Almost there,

Hurray!!! 3 more days till Mark comes home. wow!! I think we have watched every single corny musical made. I was getting so tired of watching Disney animation so we started singing and dancing 1950-60's cheese. Sydney loves Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly. A girl after my own heart. So I need a shower. Single parenting is insane. So power to you all who do it full time. I think you all need a metal of honor. All is well with us. :0 Yawn. Time for a nap.

crazy

2008-07-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

I love babies. It has been quite the experience to have 2 beautiful crazy girls in our home. Especially since Mark is out of town. I didn't realize how much he did for us. That is why there aren't any pics on the site. He is gone. My picture guru is gone. Oh well he will be back soon and then you can all see our beautys. I have been having fun with these new hair sites for kids. Sydney gets a new one everyday. We both love it and it is a good mother daughter bonding time for us. :) So thanks to my wonderful friends Monica and Jalee for sending me sites. I will have to post pictures. Ok. Well that is all I have time for. Babes are calling and milk is coming in. ouch. tooodalooo.

Finally

2008-06-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Finally Finally Finally.

I am so sorry to all of you who have been checking this regularly to see if we had our baby. We did indeed!!! Friday June 6th at 2:30 in the morning I awoke with unmistakable labor. I rolled over and told Mark I had a big contraction and like himself he said oh.....wake me up when you have the next one. I had been having false labor for about 2 weeks straight so he wasn't very convinced. I woke him up 10 minutes later with another very big one. So we started to take it seriously. then 5 minutes. Then wake up my mom and lets go. We left the house at 3:00 got to the hospital about 3:20am and had that kiddo the moment I climbed onto the bed at 3:47 am. we got there just in time. No drugs lots of stress and only 10 minutes of pushing. We have a beautiful 8lb 6oz 21in little girl with a little bruising from the speed and stress. I know it has been almost 12 days since then so I am sorry. It all goes so fast, the time that is. We are loving being 4 and we can't believe that we were ever just 2. We are so happy. Sorry. Her name is Rowyn Quinn Houser. You will be seeing some pictures later. Love to you all for blogging in to see.

June 4th

2008-06-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

So today was the day mom's original plane ticket was for. I feel horrible to make my poor mom come out an entire week early just because I thought I might go early. I guess we learn the hard way. Unless of course we go today. Who knows. Mom finished Syders room today. Hurray. What a project it turned out to be. I will post a picture or two soon. So anyway, no baby today so far. feeling something but who knows if it is real. We will see. The doctors are right..... no two pregnancies are alike. I can't think of anything more opposite than the two pregnancies I have been through. I wonder if the personalities of each girl will be as opposite. Can't wait to find out. Hope everyone is well. All is well here.

aaaaaarrrrrrrgggggge

2008-05-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

I am so anxious. All is well and I feel great darn it. I wake up each morning hopeing it is the day.
So today we are makeing Sydney's whole room over. We got her a brand new bedspread and pillows and everything for you new big girl bed. Then grandma and daddy are going to paint. She is so excited. I walked about 4 miles yesterday and nothing. I guess it is safe to say it might be a few more days. Probably a good thing. We have a primary activity tomorrow and I am in the pres. so I had better do my calling then the lord will let this little angel come. In his time.

All is well, all is great.

false labor

2008-05-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

HI everyone.

So this weekend was crazy!!! I started with contractions all day Saturday and by 12:30pm we were on our way to the hospital. contractions were strong and about 3 mins. apart. So we thought it time to go. When we got to the hospital and checked in they were about 5 min. apart and by 3 they had stopped completely. They kept us for 2 extra hours and sent us home 90% effaced and dilated to a 3. So that is where we sit. waiting waiting waiting. Oh well. My mom is coming to stay tomorrow. That will be fun to have her here. We haven't seen her since christmas. I will keep everyone updated.

2008-05-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Sydney is potty trained, officially. It has finally happened. We have been working on this for months and months. She was there and then she was indifferent and then it was just wet panties all the time. But I am proud to say she is there. Knock on wood. We had a ceremony offering her small princess potty up to the potty faries coincidently on the same night the trash goes out. We said "Oh potty faries, take this my offering and bring me a treat!!" She was so cute with her arms in the air yelling at the sky. The next morning she found a bag of treats and coloring books and playdoh on the door step, from the faries. She has been going on the big potty ever since. She is so proud.

So not much else is happening. Dr. said anytime or 2-3 weeks. 1-2 centimeters dialated and 80% effaced. So it is out of my hands. Just keep us in your prayers. I am nervous this time around.

Mark taught Syder to say peace out and what's up dog. as you can see.

worry

2008-05-19T05:21:00.001-07:00

So we watched the movie Untraceable. holy cow. eeewwwwww and oh my!!! It was eye opening about how easy it is for people to find you on the internet. Computer hacking made simple I guess. Mark gets nervous about putting pictures and info online so I may keep it to a minimum. Please don't use names and places when you comment. Thanks.

Other than that we are having a great time getting ready for #2. Syd gets a big girl bed this week. She is so excited. mom is going to help us give her room an entire makeover, painting and new bedspread and curtains. The works. I can't wait. :)

Pictures

2008-05-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

For any of you who don't know us well, Mark is a professional photographer. He started in Cedar City about 10 years ago and he runs his business here in PA. He loves it. So.... we tend to post a bazillion pictures. Here is one of Sydney trying to hear what the baby is saying to her.

2008-05-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

2008-05-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

Sydney loves her daddy. She loved their fishing trip.

So many pictures so little time.

The Bubba family

2008-05-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

This is a first for me. I am a simple computer person. This is huge for me. Mark is the guru so I am just winging it. This is our family blog. If anyone has any little tips for me as a new blogger, such as what you do and don't do, or little things you can add that are cool. Let me know. k. This is my start.