Your Turn

Okay, I shared a good idea with you last week. Now it's your turn.



Ned is going to be baptized on May 9th (can he really be turning 8 already?) and I have been trying to think of things that will make this day special. So, I am turning to those of you that have had children baptized (or have been baptized yourself) and have great ideas.

What has worked for you? What hasn't worked for you?
What are your thoughts on giving an 8 year old their own set of nice scriptures? Have you done that and then decided they were too young to take good care of them?
Really, any advice would be appreciated. I just want him to enjoy it and I want him to have some great memories.

The only idea I have so far is that I was thinking of doing a photo montage to play while we eat cake (obviously it will be my Raspberry Cake, pictured at the end of this post ,YUM! What kind of family event would if be if I didn't make that?)

Good Idea

About a year ago my sister was reading to me from a notebook she had from when we were kids. My mom and my sister would take turns asking one another questions. I think she was about 10 years old when they did it. It was so sweet to hear the questions my sister asked my mom and the loving way my mom answered those questions. When I see a great a great idea I like to copy it (see #23) so I bought two composition books and started this with Ned and Dusty.

Ned usually asks how our day was


and sometimes he draws us pictures


Dusty draws pictures also


sometimes he has us write the questions for him


I think it will be so fun to read these in 20 years or so. Plus, my hope is that this will be a way that my boys can communicate things with us that might be hard for them to say to us face to face. So far it has been really fun and I am glad that I started it. Thanks for the great idea, Mom!

31st Date Videos

Thanks to all of you that took the time to vote for Evan. I just wanted to share the video from the show. There is another video that has more from the date.

He WON!!!

Check it out here and the GMA Weekend video here.

Vote Before Midnight

My brother in law was date number six over at 31 dates in 31 days. He could be selected to be date #31 if we all go and VOTE for him. Watch ABC's Good Morning America Weekend tomorrow to see if he is the ONE (or thirty-ONE, whichever) that Tamara picks.
Michal explains this all (and has done a pretty darn good job campaigning for Evan) here.

Live from the shower, Dusty and Lucky

There are a few times that they sing it correctly, but in case you missed it...

Dusty sings it like this once: Take my hand and we'll make it on a prayer. Oh, oh. Livin' on a dare!

25 Random Things

I was tagged to do this on facebook and figure that I have been tagged enough to do this sort of thing on blogs that I might as well post it here too.


1. When Ned was a baby we lived in 5 places in one year.

2. I never finished college and while I would love to finish one day I will never regret the things that got in the way.

3. My blog is almost always positive and even if people think I am painting a pretty picture of my life I don't care because I just want to be able to look back at the good times I had with my kids.

4. When I announce that I am pregnant it will not be by posting a picture of my pregnancy test and will not put a floating baby on my side bar. Those pictures are gross and the floating babies are creepy. I am obviously the minority on this.

5. I am not pregnant and I am not trying but I will have at least one more baby, hopefully sometime in 2010.

6. Lately I have had a hard time hearing about other mothers’ relationships with their new (and older) daughters. I also can’t look at really cute girl clothes without getting a little bit sad. If you say that there are a lot of cute boy clothes out there too… well, they just don’t even come close, do they?

9. I will not lie, I want a girl next.

8. My husbands big Christmas present to me was to get my porcelain veneers redone on my teeth. I am in the process and they will be finished in April. Hooray!

9. I really should turn off cable to save money but I don’t know what I would do without a DVR.

10. I analyze every conversation I have with people. I never want to hurt someone’s feelings but always worry that I have unintentionally.

11. I am terrible with punctuation, especially commas. Did I even use that one right?

12. I do not like tomatoes but I wish I did. They look so yummy!

13. I try not to buy cookies and treats. If I have to actually make them to eat them I have them less often.

14. I have never been much of a reader but I read the Twilight series and enjoyed it. I would love to read more.

15. I really love living in Oklahoma and wish that people would not make fun. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

16. I love to talk on the phone. You already knew that? Oh, sorry… Call me!

17. I was invited to, but missed the birth of my nephew. I hope that someday I can experience that.

18. I don’t even want to think about how much money I have spent on scrapbooking products.

19. I think I have a bad gallbladder (I feel pain daily) but the tests came back normal. I wish I could get it out anyway so that I could have a better (less sick) pregnancy next time – apparently that seems to help some people.

20. I have never met my husband’s mother, brother and sister. When I talk about my in-laws it is the Johnson family that I am referring to. They are not related to my husband by blood but they are my family and I love them.

21. I have had a sewing machine for 7 years and sewed with it twice before it stopped working. I only want to get it fixed so that I can sew onto my scrapbook pages.

22. I would love to be good enough at something (singing, dancing, scrapbooking) that people would pay to see my work.

23. I am really great at copying other people’s good ideas. I don’t usually come up with any good ideas on my own. Everything seems to work out better in my head, though. Especially things I say. (I stole this one from my sister’ s list)

24. I am not good at putting on eye shadow. I love it but I just never know what to buy and how to apply it well.

25. I try to be a good friend. I hope I really am.