Not Much to Say (let the pictures/video do the talking!)

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -Mark Twain

Well, I'm not staying quiet. I'll let you think what you may.

Not that there's a whole lot to say. Jason's started school again at the beginning of this month, and he's been keeping busy between that and his two jobs. Andrew, since turning 3 at the end of December, has turned into even more of a handful (can we say talking back?), and David is now walking. Ahhh!

No, I have not started my resolution to begin running/getting in shape.

But, I HAVE started on another resolution. I didn't tell you about it because it completely counters my other resolution: become a better cook/baker. Now, I'm not saying I'm terrible, because I'm not. I just have my favorite things I make, and I make them consistently without a lot of variation. Mostly because we have no money and I know that we can afford what we've been eating. But I've decided that one way to improve is to  try making new food and treats. Mostly the treats. :)

I've made these:

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

and these so far:

Carmelitas

Alright, I also made this, but I don't count it because the cheesecake batter came ready-to-eat in a tub:

Easy Oreo Cheesecake

Yum!

Oh, have I mentioned I made these a few months ago?

Rolos Cookies

Aaaand... they were wonderful.

Is your mouth watering yet? Because mine waters every time I see those pictures!

If I don't start exercising soon, I'm going to get really fat. And I'm probably going to enjoy most of the process.

Looking back over the last few months of posts, I've been neglecting my boys. I spend just about every moment with them, and I want to show you some recent pictures of them. They are so cute! I may be biased, as their mother, but I just can't help myself. I love their darling faces.

Kinda a creepy picture, I know, but the smile he has on his face is a REAL one!

There's a story behind this picture. I took a picture of him like this TWICE after asking him to say cheese. My phone is a little slow taking pictures, so I guess this is the face he makes after saying "Cheese!"

David is walking! He walks with his arms up, just like that, and he does this old-lady stomp thing with his legs. It's hard to describe; you just have to see it.

What a cute smile!

My little baby boy is growing up!

The boys are 1. playing together, 2. both in the picture, and 3. both smiling. It's a miracle!

Just FYI, at Andrew's 3-year wellness checkup on his birthday at the end of December, he weighed 41 lbs and was 39 3/4 inches tall. BIG boy! He was exactly the same at a WIC appointment last week. David, at the WIC appointment, was 21 1/2 lbs (ish) and 29 inches tall. They didn't give me percentiles for David, but I'm pretty sure he's just about average with everything, probably a bit skinny, but I'll take him like that!

Oh, and here's a video for your viewing pleasure. Andrew kept pressing a button on their play keyboard that played a short song, and wanted David to dance with him. Until it ended! (Sorry it's sideways... I don't know how to turn it!)

Secret: I have a big pile of CLEAN laundry that has been sitting on the floor in our bedroom, just WAITING to be folded, for over a week. Isn't that sad? Doing the laundry isn't hard for me; it's folding it and putting it away!

Holy Heck!

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
-Aldous Huxley

I played the cello from fifth grade through the end of high school. I haven't played since, and sometimes I regret that, and sometimes I don't. Watching this.... makes me regret it. I was never super, and I know I probably wouldn't be able to get to this point even if I tried (my fingers had issues moving quickly, especially my pinkie), but I can dream, right?

Watch, and drool, my friends. Watch. And. Drool.

Bach is Back by Steven Sharp Nelson

Oh! Oh! Watch this one too!

Moonlight (inspired by Beethoven's Moonlight Sanata) by Steven Sharp Nelson

Oh man. I love music.

Secret: I had to take music history twice my freshman year of college. I needed a better grade the second time around, and I got it. I actually got so into it that I would listen to my 8 listening cds for fun. AND I kept the book so I could read it for fun later. I am SUCH a nerd!

I admit...

"My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit." -Phyllis Diller

I have to admit - I don't make resolutions. I never have. I have this whole issue where I make goals and then forget about them. Especially if they have to do with getting in shape. Those are "conveniently" forgotten, and more easily than I'd like to share.

But... I just got new tennis shoes. Yay for Groupon deals! Anywat, they're not running shoes, but they're better than the regular joe-shmoe shoes I've had for the last few years.

And... my husband is trying to work out a few times a week at school or with my brother-in-law.

And... my friend Suki has done this thing a couple times called c25k, or Couch to 5K. I looked up what it is HERE. I also found something similar to the c25k program on Pinterest, pinned HERE. And to tell the truth, it doesn't sound completely bad, and that's saying a LOT coming from an exercise-a-phobe like me.

With the new shoes, my husband already working out, and all the information I need to start, it really feels silly to not try and make the resolution to get at least a little bit more in shape than I currently am.

My only problem is finding the time. My husband is in school, and works two jobs when he's not in school. I don't have a car most days, nor do I have money to pay a babysitter. I'd do it during nap time, but Andrew doesn't take naps anymore, so I'd have to wake up around 6 (oh, heavens, don't make me wake up before 7:30 or you'll regret it!). Or I'd have to wait until after they're in bed, and at that point I'm exhausted from keeping the apartment from completely falling apart and the boys from killing each other. Or rather, keeping Andrew from killing them both.

PLEASE share, mommies like me: how do YOU find the time to work out?

It's really too bad you can't get a body like this just from existing:

Picture from HERE

Secret: I think my aversion to exercise started when I was young. In gym class, all they'd have us do is have us try different sports, and my coordination is severely lacking. To say I was terrible at sports would be a generous statement. I even got made fun of a few times in gym classes. I love watching sports now, but most of the time I avoid playing them like the plague.

Happy New Year!

"Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world." -Anonymous

I haven't updated for a while, for good reason. I have a serious lack of pictures from the last two weeks. Also, we've been busy. We've spent time with friends and family, celebrated two holidays, celebrated a birthday, planned and carried out a Christmas program for our ward's sacrament meeting (with a few hitches along the way that nearly gave me a heart attack each time), went to an NHL hockey game, had a doctor's appointment, went caroling THREE times, taught a young women's lesson...

And now I think I'm suffering from a serious holiday hangover. After all the anticipation and exciting things, it's back to the normal everyday stuff, and it's a little depressing.

Alright, enough of that! On to happier things!

My mom works for the local newspaper here, and through the company got free tickets to our hockey team's game last Tuesday. We played the Calgary Flames, and lost after overtime and a shoot-out. It was really exciting! We had unbelievable seats too - third row from the ice! I had never been to any sort of hockey game before, and since then I've been in a hockey-mood. I watched the first Mighty Ducks movie, and if my older sister didn't have the next one, I would've watched that one too. I'm going to have to watch Miracle here in the next few days as well.

The view from our amazing seats!

Andrew turned 3 years old on Friday, December 30th! We didn't do anything to celebrate that day, but he DID have his 3-year-old wellness checkup at the pediatrician's. He's 39 3/4 inches tall (90th percentile), and he weighs 41 lbs (95th+ percentile, of course). They showed a little concern that he's heavier than he is tall, but otherwise he's healthy. We're trying to eat fewer snacks, cut out some tv time, and up the exercise a little bit.

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday with my family. Between Christmas and his birthday, he's been spoiled with all the stuff he's received! After eating pizza for lunch, cake for dessert, and opening presents, we went to the zoo to see the lights. Here are some pictures:

Carrie took this great picture on her iPhone. It's his new shark hooded towel. He thinks it's a dinosaur. Haha.

Sitting on the polar bear statue with Grandpa B

Sitting on the rhino statue with his Aunt Carrie

We had a good time, although it seemed like the lights weren't quite as good as they had been in years past.

Unfortunately, I didn't take ANY pictures from Christmas (how lame, right?). Christmas was actually pretty stressful and busy this year, so it's not too unexpected. We went to my parents' ward in the morning, opened presents, ate, then went to my ward. I would've skipped my ward, but being the choir director and then being in charge of our Christmas program that all but fell apart previous to Christmas day, I couldn't miss it.

Ummmm... I don't really have anything else to say. I hope your holidays have all been wonderful!

Secret: We introduced the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Andrew a few days ago, and now I have the songs stuck in my head. The songs are pretty catchy, even if they are cheesy. I used to LOVE that movie as a little kid! What are some of your favorite childhood movies?