Our Top 20...

There are many things that I fail or slack in as a mother...for example; the number of veggies my children get each day, the amount of milk they drink (or don't drink), how I let them stay up and watch American Idol with me and Cory, how neither of my children are in preschool nor have they been in ballet or gymnastics, how on most days they are in their pajamas until lunchtime and except for Sundays, I usually let them wear whatever they want (as bizarre as it may look). But...there is one thing that I refuse to fail in and that is reading to my children. I love children's books (except for the ones that I have to read 20 times a day)!! My favorite class in college was Children's Literature and that is when I began to collect children's books. Now I get most of them from Goodwill or wherever else I find a good deal.

Reading time is not only my favorite things to do with my girls because I love books, but also because it is the one time where I have their full attention and when they will snuggle up really close to me for the whole 20 minutes. My sister asked me if I would make a list of some of my favorite children's books for her to check out at the library for her kids. I thought that was such a great idea. So I'm posting these hoping that others will let me know some of their favorites as well. So here is our (me and my girls) top 20...

1. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (my all-time favorite!!!)
2. Happy Birthday Thomas! by Rev W. Awdry (Cloey's all-time favorite...she even has it memorized)
3. Barbie Wheel of Fashion by Jill L. Goldowsky (Katelund's all-time favorite!)
4. Philadelphia Chickens by Boynton (Sandra and her husband...it's a collection of songs with a CD)
5. Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
6. Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton (really I love any Sandra Boynton book)
7. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle (LOVE Eric Carle)
8. Little Monster's Bedtime Book by Mercer Mayer
9. Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat
10. The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel (great for building confidence in emergent readers)
11. The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado (any of his books are great as well)
12. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
13. A House For Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
14. We Just Moved by Stephen Krensky
15 Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (LOVE IT!!!)
16. My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss
17. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback (great for building confidence in emergent readers)
18. Put Me in the Zoo by Lopshire
19. The Brand New Kid by Katie Couric
20. Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman

It's OFFICIAL!!

So when I first found out I was pregnant, I seriously got morning sickness the very next day. Cory teased me and told me that the sickness was all in my head just b/c I knew I was pregnant. The teasing continued and he would tell me that maybe the test was wrong and I really wasn't pregnant at all. Of course I knew he was just playing with me, but as I sat on the doctor's table wrapped in my robe and sheet, I started to panic. I was seriously thinking in my head, "what if they do the ultrasound and there is no baby in there? What if it really has all been in my head, you know the mind is a powerful thing." In fact, I was about to get dressed and run out of that room to avoid the embarrassment that was sure to follow. Before I could make any final decisions, the doctor knocked and came in . It was too late!!

As the picture appeared on the screen, I had a rush of mixed emotions; excitement, RELIEF, nervousness, happiness, and gratitude. The tears started to well up in my eyes and my heart started to beat wildly as I realized that I was witnessing one of God's greatest miracles, the power of creation at work inside of me.

As I was showing the picture to the girls (they could NOT see a baby in there), I told them that the next picture that the doctor would take might tell us if it will be a boy or girl. Katelund said, "Oh, so we will be able to see if the baby has eyelashes?" I said, "Katelund, boys have eyelashes too." She thought about it and then said, "Oh, right." It was so cute.

Camping Trip

Yesterday Cory got off work early so that we could go on a camping trip. We camped right along the N. Carolina and Tennessee border (the most beautiful spot ever). It was so much fun!!!! We actually bought the girls their own tent and sleeping bags. They were so excited. I was pretty nervous about bears. I was so worried that they were going to come out and drag the girls tent away into the woods so I stayed awake most of the night ready to wake up Cory so he could pull out his gun and shoot whatever was moving outside. Fortunately for all the living animals in the mountains, none of them came near us. It was a pretty cold night. We made sure the girls were really warm. I was warm as long as I was snuggled right up into Cory (he is my personal heater). One of the negative things about going camping while pregnant is that I had to pee so bad during the night, but there is NO WAY that I was going to get up out of the tent and risk seeing something moving outside or freezing to death!! By the morning, my eyes were a bright shade of yellow.
Cory had huge warm fires going the whole time we were there. It really pays off to marry an eagle scout!!

Katelund was loving the roasted marshmallows, although they usually ended up being only slightly warm because she couldn't stand to wait very long. Cloey didn't even bother waiting she just ate them out of the bag.
After our DELICIOUS tin foil dinners (thanks to Cory) and our roasted marshmallows, we just sat around and played, laughed, and sang. It was so much fun!

More Camping Trip Pics...

We took the girls little potty training potty for them (and me) to use. It was perfect.
Once we cleaned up camp, we went down to the river and did some fishing. We didn't catch anything but we had a lot of fun trying.


We definitely played hard! :)

Awareness Test

You've got to try this and let me know how you do...
{thanks for the idea, Dean}

http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

Locked OUT!!

This morning while I was getting ready for the day, the girls decided to pull down all of their clothes that were hanging in the closet and all of the blankets that were on the top shelf. I was so upset! In fact, I had to whisper the whole time I was getting after them because I knew that if I didn't whisper than I would definitely be yelling. They have been destroying their room so much lately and I have run out of patience! In order for me to bend over and clean up their room, I end up getting so sick and spending time gagging/throwing up in the bathroom the rest of the day. It is just not fun. Since they apparently don't know how to clean up their rooms I had them sit on their beds and not talk the entire time I cleaned their room, spot cleaned the floor, and magic erased the walls. After an hour, I let them choose a couple of toys and then I locked their room up. Yes...that's right. I LOCKED THEM OUT OF THEIR ROOM! I told them that if they wanted new toys then I'd unlock the door in order for them to quickly switch out their toys for new ones. It has been FABULOUS!! It is 6 pm and their room is still spotless! It's amazing how clean a room can stay when no one is in it.
You may be asking yourself, "What kind of a mother locks her children out of their very own bedroom?" The only response that I have is...."a desperate one". :)

My Incredible Cousin

My cousin Jenna just had a baby a couple of months ago. She took a couple of weeks off after having her baby and then had to leave her baby to finish out the rest of the year teaching her 6th grade class. Her little baby Cade stays with his Grandma during the day, except for the days that his Daddy takes him to his class at BYU and then spends the rest of the day with him. I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for Jenna to do what she's doing. When I did my student teaching in Texas, I cried everyday when I left Katelund with my mom or my sister, not that I didn't know she was in good hands, but the fact that I was missing even one day of her life was horrible to me. It was so hard. I couldn't imagine having to do it with a brand new baby and while nursing, pumping, not sleeping, planning lessons every night, and adjusting to life as a mother. Her husband, Cole, is such a sweet guy. He secretly got into her blog account and posted a whole post about how much he loves Jenna and how grateful he is for her sacrifices. It is the most adorable post ever. If you have a moment, you should check it out. Her link can be found on my link list as "Jenna".

My Sweetheart

Cory woke up this morning and shut the door behind him so that I could sleep in. I was really sick last night after YWs, I think I threw up everything that I'd eaten that day...my "morning sickness" is really an all day thing but it is especially bad in the evening. So anyways, I had left all the dinner dishes out and the rest of the house was a disaster as well. I do what I can and that is it, so my housecleaning is really suffering. Anyways, I woke up right before it was time for Cory to leave for work. He had done all the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and living room and he'd gotten breakfast going. I couldn't believe it!! He has been so amazing about helping me cook dinner and take care of the girls at night. I feel so bad because he has to come home from work and do more work. I am so thankful for such a thoughtful husband!!

So he called to check on me this morning and to let me know that he'd forwarded me an email he thought I might be interested in. This was the article...

A dozen pregnant women wanted - for ballet

By Kate Kelland 1 hour, 55 minutes ago

And to prove it, Balletlorent is recruiting 12 pregnant women to star in a dance production alongside six professional ballet dancers.

"MaEternal" will be performed in the northern English city of Newcastle in May and is offering the 12 who get through the auditions "a chance to share with an audience the beauty of what it means to carry the life of another within you."

Artistic Director Liv Lorent, who, coincidentally, is pregnant herself, says she has always been keen to combine trained dancers with people from all ages and stages in life to make her ballet productions richer.

"I've done projects in the past where I have invited all sorts of people -- children, old people, builders, footballers doctors, all sorts -- to take part," she told Reuters.

"This is another development of a long-held wish to mix up the different physical types in my choreography. The shape of people changes the way they move, and I like that very much."

She notes the stark contrast between the typically lithe light and muscular physique of a dancer, and the softer, rounder contours of a pregnant woman, and delights in it.

"You can't get a 25-year-old size 8 ballet dancer type body to move with the weight, the gravitas or the sheer cheerful spirit a pregnant woman," she said.

Lorent promises that no previous dance experience is necessary to audition for a part in MaEternal. The only requirement is that anyone wishing to take part should be up to 32 weeks by the time of the performance on May, 14. Beyond that, she says, the risk is too high of unplanned dramas on stage.

As well as recruiting 12 pregnant women, Lorent has also signed up Lynn Campbell, an active birth therapist who runs pregnancy classes in and around Newcastle, to advise on the movements and abilities of expectant mothers.

"Pregnant women do sometimes feel heavy and weighed down by all the changes, but sometimes they also feel fascinating and beautiful and amazing," Campbell told Reuters.

"Culturally we don't always have the words to celebrate the beauty of pregnancy, and although people are often fascinated by it, they don't know how to express that, so the say things like "Aren't you big!"

"So this is a real opportunity for pregnant women to be seen in a new way."

How awesome would that be!!! It could have been my dream come true! Unfortunately, I won't be far enough along... but it was the thought that counted REALLY BIG!!!

Pictures from the Weekend...

Lovin on Grandpa!
Riding the carousel at the mall (part of their Easter egg scavenger hunt that Grandma and Grandpa had put together for them).
Whenever Cory and I are at his parent's house on Sundays, we always go for a Sunday afternoon walk. It was actually one of the most memorable parts of the trip b/c while we were on our walk we decided to take a self-guided tour of the new mansion in their neighborhood that is finishing up the final phases before completion. Cory's parents didn't go in because they didn't think we should, but all of the rest of us did. We had so much fun exploring the place and we were joking the whole time about what we'd do if the owners came while we were there...well they did. We all ran as fast as we could from the third floor. It was so hilarious!! Luckily, Cory's parents were talking (really distracting) them in the front while we ran out the back onto the golf course. It was quite a rush and REALLY funny!
If you look at the trees in the background you will see my favorite things about N. Carolina in the spring!! The beautiful white blossoms on the Bradford Pear trees that are everywhere!!!
Top Row: Grant (Logan's baseball buddy from SVU AND Cloey's new boyfriend), Logan, Grandpa
Middle Row: Chelsea (Becca's roomate), Stefani, Becca, me (I looked and felt so sick at the time) , and Cory
Bottom Row: Grandma with the cutest little girls ever!!

The Proposal

This weekend we drove to Fayetteville in order to meet Becca and to witness Logan (Cory's youngest brother) proposing to Becca. Not only was it so fun to be part of such an important and exciting event in Logan's life but it was also just a FUN weekend. This was my first time meeting Becca (Cory and the girls had already met her on a trip they took to Fayetteville a couple of months ago), and I was so impressed! They have been dating for a year this spring and they will be getting married in the Fall. It is so crazy to think that out of all of Cory and I's siblings, after this fall there will only be one left that isn't married (you know Stefani, the one that is going to BYU in 2 weeks and is in love with a returned missionary who we all know wants to marry her?) . Anyways, back to Logan and Becca. It is really cute because Logan is a star baseball player and starting pitcher at SVU and Becca is a star basketball player. They are both athletic, adorable, funny, and are both just so easy going and lovable. They are quite a pair!
Logan had planned on proposing at his baseball game. The coach was going to have Becca throw the opening pitch in order to acknowledge SVU's basketball time who got 3rd in the nation in their division, and then Logan was going to go out to the pitcher's mound with a ring instead of the ball and propose. BUT...the game was rained out....so he went to plan B...a scavenger hunt at the mall that included a manicure, massage, make-over, dip 'n'dots, a movie, etc, and then ended with a picture with the Easter bunny where he got his last "clue" in an Easter egg, which of course was the ring. It was really cute!! Becca was very surprised!

Top 5 reasons (of the week) why I have the BEST family ever...

1. Cory took the kids last night to basketball (without any hinting from me) so that I could have the whole night to myself and my book (One of the best books I've read--Redeeming Love). Then he called me half way through the night to make sure I was feeling okay and to see if I needed anything.
2. As I was hanging my head over the toilet bowl on Tuesday, Cloey came into the bathroom and said, "Mommy, I'm just going to be right here by you."
3. Katelund helping me out by putting her clean clothes away and giving me a good laugh at the same time. If you look at the picture below you will see the dilemma she had. The pants and skirts go in the bottom drawer and her shirts go in the one above that. I asked her why her overalls where hanging out of the drawers and she said, "Mommy I didn't know which drawer to put them in because they have pants and kindof a shirt too, So I put them in both drawers."

4. Having a wonderful sister who calls and checks on me everyday and reminds me that my house doesn't have to look perfect...AND a mom who found and ordered me the cutest maternity skirt and top for Katie's wedding.
5. Yesterday afternoon I got a text from Amber that told me to not make any dinner plans because she was having something delivered at 6. Sure enough at 6 o'clock the Papa Johns pizza guy shows up with 2 pizzas and a box of bread sticks. Seriously?? Who thinks to do something so thoughtful like calling from Las Vegas to take care of dinner for her sister-in-law in North Carolina? I couldn't believe it!!

I am seriously in such awe of my family, extended and all! I am truly blessed!

Order is EVERYTHING!!

Today Katelund came up to me and said, "Mommy, first I'm going to go to college at BYU, then I'm going to get married, and then I'm going to get a baby in my tummy."

It was a proud moment.

Yesterday....not so good...

So really I don't want to complain everyday that I am feeling tired and nauseous, but yesterday was just one of those terrible, really bad, not so good days. We always say our family prayer together before Cory leaves for work, but as we were gathering together, I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. It was an omen for the rest of the day.

At one point in the day (after I'd gone in to check on my children in their room, that I had just spent an hour cleaning, and then found all the books, there's at least 50 of them, thrown all over the floor along with all of the clothes from their dresser) I went into my bedroom laid down on my bed and just cried while I thought to myself, "How will I ever survive with three?"

As the day continued on in a similar pattern (I'll spare you the gory details), I was really looking forward to Cory coming home so that I could escape and go for a run. So I went running only to find myself struggling up the hills, throwing up and gagging all along the part of my run that is next to the busy road, and then running my lame two miles in a pathetic 21 minutes. After I walked for awhile longer, I came home to find Cory falling asleep on the recliner (it was 7 pm). So after dinner, he went to bed early and left me with kid duty for another hour. It was one hour more than I could take. I feel the sickest at night and they wanted nothing to do with sleep.

As I laid in bed and tossed and turned I realized that I had been a horrible mother. I was so glad to finally close my eyes and know that the day had finally come to end. So here is to today, another day filled with nausea, but hopefully one filled with love, laughter, obedient children, and kindness.

The Big Number THREE!!!

My sister sent me this email awhile back. It is so funny!!!! I can't really relate to the third baby...yet...but I will let you know in October. Yes...that is an official announcement. :)

Your Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

---

Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

---

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

---

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress-a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

---

Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

---

Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

---

Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

---

Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

---

At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't
squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

---

Swallowing Coins (a favorite):

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Ketchup anyone??

Yep....you're right. My daughter is eating ketchup dipped orange slices. I asked the girls what they wanted for lunch yesterday and Katelund said, "apples with ketchup please." I tried to tell how how disgusting that would be but of course she had to try it for herself. Then I asked Cloey what she wanted and she said, "oranges with ketchup." Again, I tried to talk her out of it....but she persisted as well. So I stood there and watched them (trying to keep myself from gagging) as the first mouthful of fruit and ketchup (only like the weirdest combo ever) entered their mouths. Katelund had one bite and decided that maybe ketchup wasn't the best dipping sauce for apples....Cloey, on the other hand, LOVED it! She ate every last disgusting drop of her ketchup dipped oranges. Sometimes I just don't know where this girl came from!!! :)

My Little Shoplifter

So today at the mall Cloey intentionally shoplifted. She took some lipstick and stuffed it into her pocket. Once we had left the store, I realized that she was acting very mischievously and she had something stuffed in her pants. I asked her what was in her pocket and she showed me her stolen lipstick that I'd seen her eying in the store. We walked back to the store and I had Cloey give it back to one of the workers and apologize. It was seriously so hilarious that she would go to such extremes because if you know Cloey then you know she is OBSESSED with lipstick!!! What is the deal?? I hardly ever wear lipstick. I just don't get it!

Best Friends

This was the conversation in the car the other day with Katelund and Cloey....

Katelund: Mom, you have to pull over right here to pick up my friend Casey (Casey and Tina are the names she uses for her Barbies, babies, and imaginary friends).
Me: Okay hold on let me pull off to the side of the road (so that I can pretend to pick up her friend).
Katelund: Oh, thank you Mommy! Casey needs a ride to school and she is my very best friend.
Cloey: I'm not your very best friend!!???
Katelund: No, your my sister.
Me: Katelund, your sister will always be your very best friend.

After I said those words, they really sank into me. How true it is. My sisters (and sister-in-laws) truly are some of my very best friends!! I love each one of them so much and each of them touch my life in their own unique way and in ways that they will probably never even know.

Trip to Fayetteville

This last week the girls and I went to Fayetteville. Amber, Stefani, and Sherrie went to New York City to celebrate Stefani's graduation from high school (she's going to the Y in April) and Amber's official graduation from BYU (she had to finish up some online credits). I got to stay and babysit my sweet little neice Brooklynn. Not only is she sweet, but also an absolute angel...seriously!!! The three girls had SO MUCH FUN playing together. They just ran around giggling like crazy. We had a great time watching Dora, playing dress-up, making and eating peanut butter play dough, coloring the driveway with sidewalk chalk, having pillow fights with Grandpa, swimming in the bathtub, etc...

The best part of the trip for me was when the girls (the big girls) all came home. Stefani had to go back to work and Grandma was just in heaven with all her grandaughters and so Amber and I got to spend an entire day shopping!!! WITHOUT KIDS!!! It was so much fun!!! We spent about 3 hours in A.C. Moore looking at and buying scrapbook stuff. In fact, it took about 20 minutes just to ring up all of our stuff. Okay, maybe about 5 minutes for me and 15 for Amber. :) Then we went to the mall to see Stefani working at the Buckle and buy some clothes, then we ate lunch/dinner at Red Robin , and then finished our shopping day/night at Target. We had such a great time. How lucky I am to have my childhood best friend as my sister!!

Here are some pictures of the trip. I don't know how I forgot to take pictures of anybody but the kids, I guess that is just part of being a mom . :)I can't believe that I didn't get any pictures of the girls with Grandma. Although, this picture is a pretty close replica of what Grandma spends a lot of time doing (wearing reading glasses because she loves to learn and read, talking on the phone--either to her kids or the sisters in the ward since she's relief society president, and playing the piano)
Grandpa and his grandaughters had the time of their lives playing and tickling each other.
Those are some pretty cute little girls!!!!
Before we went on our walk, the girls all had to climb inside the jeep and pretend like they were going on a drive. Each of them was singing their own song. It was hilarious...and a little bit weird because it brought back a lot of memories of Amber and I riding around town (specifically to the mall) in that very same jeep.
Amber and I couldn't resist buying them some matching shirts. Isn't that just a requirement??!

Citizen Times Article

About two weeks ago, I was asked by a member of my stake presidency to be one of four people interviewed from our stake for the Asheville newspaper--The Citizen Times. The interviewer asked all sorts of questions about how I felt about the transition between prophets and basically all sorts of other questions about the Mormon religion. The following quotes are found in the article.

"Melissa Mann, a mother of two and member of the Asheville congregation, said she is "grateful to know that we have a living prophet who receives direct revelation from God, and through him, God's will is made known to us."....

"One of the things I love about my religion is that it helps me to be a better person." Mann said. "As members, we don't just attend our meetings on Sunday; we try to live the Gospel everyday. We strive to study the Scriptures, say our prayers, serve others, strengthen our families, and increase our faith in Jesus Christ."
The best part of the whole thing was being able to say that my picture was on the same page as President Hinckley and the First Presidency. That will probably be a once in a lifetime happening. :)

Feeling the Love

This year for Valentine's Day, the girls and I gave Cory's office a "heart attack" while he was out for lunch (well he was supposed to be at lunch, but he was back when we got there so we had to send him out into the hall) I had cut out about 25 red paper hearts. We took about 14 of them and wrote reasons why we love Daddy. Then on the other hearts, I let the girls decorate them with glitter. We taped the hearts up all over the room and then on the door we put a big heart that said, "Why do we love you? Let us count the reasons..." It was so fun!!! I wish I could've taken a picture, but of course I forgot my camera.

Afterwards, I let the girls play in the food court at the mall to let out some energy. While Cloey is content playing by herself, Katelund, on the other hand, LOVES to play with the other kids that are there. She always ends up with a big group of friends that run around together. Well this time there were only 3 other boys there and they were not giving her the time of day. They just kept running aways from her. So she came up to me with the saddest little face and said, "Mommy, today is Valentine's Day and nobody is showing any love to me." It was so funny, sad, and adorable all at the same time. So I made sure that the rest of the day she felt lots of love!! :)