Husband and Wife Tag

My cute sister-in-law Sarah (the Mundy Family), tagged me for this husband and wife meme. I'm so glad because I was lacking any new blogging ideas this week, so here we go:

What is his name? Kyle (a.k.a. Pookey or Sweetie)
How long have you been married? 12 years
How old is he? 34 (35 in July)
Who eats more? He does
Who said I love you first? He did the Hans Solo/Princess Leah thing and said "Do you love me?" I said "yes" and he said "I know". I was not amused and had no idea that this was from a movie until a couple of years ago. His friend showed up right as this was happening. As soon as the friend left he told me he loved me too.
Who is taller? Kyle--by about an inch
Who sings better? I think we're an even match, but he doesn't like to be heard
Who is smarter? Book smarts, maybe me. Common sense smarts--definitely him.
Whose temper is worse? I get mad more often, but when he gets mad it's worse. We're both pretty easy to get along with and we rarely fight.
Who does the laundry? I do it. : P
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Kyle does. I like being closer to the air conditioning vent than he does.
Who cooks dinner? Me.
Who drives when you are together? Kyle always does and I like it that way.
Who is more stubborn? Definitely me.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Hmmmm....I don't know. Maybe we're an even match on that one.
Whose parents do you see the most? Kyle's
Who has more friends? Me. Kyle is very easy going and everyone who knows him likes him, but I am more outgoing and social
Who has the most siblings? Kyle (5).
Who wears the pants in the family? We share them. It's very cuddly : ).

I tag Kari and Christina

Thinking Green

Well, my Dad and Stepmom have been in Ireland for a week now, and my Mom and her friend just left yesterday. I hope they are all having a great time. I was thinking the other day that Ireland is somewhere I really need to visit someday. I have ancestors from there through my direct blood line, but my Stepdad (who has passed away) had ancestors from there and would have loved to go there. I think that's one reason my Mom was so eager to go there. In honor of Memorial Day we watched part of a taped interview with my Stepdad that we taped many years ago--that was our family home evening for tonight. I'm so glad that we made that tape because it will give my children a chance to know him.

I also think of the song "Danny Boy" when I think of Ireland. The first time my Dad and Stepmom went there they purchased some music CD's. One of them had the song "Danny Boy" on it and was especially significant to them because of my little brother, Danny. Years later when he passed away, that was the song that was played at the opening of the funeral. Hearing it now makes me sad, but also reminds me of him, so it has a special place in my heart.

Another thing I think of when I think of Ireland is sheep. I have always loved sheep. It really started when I was a teenager and I went on a country bikeride with my Dad. We approached a field of sheep and I was excited because I love any kind of animal. Then all ran away and hid behind a barn. Shyly, they slowly started sticking their heads out from behind the barn and were making their cute little "baaaa" noises. I was just totally endeared by their sweet little personalities. I'm sure my mom will think of me evertime she sees a sheep over there.

Here are a couple of pictures of Ireland to enjoy (aren't the sheep so cute?):

Life in These Here Parts

I haven't posted much lately--shame on me! I'm in this bad habit of thinking that if I don't have any pictures to share that it's not worth writing a post. Luckily, we have taken some pictures this past week or so, so I've got some things to show you all. On Mother's Day (which was also my birthday) we went down to Fairview to see DH's mom. Fairview is about 1 1/2 hours away, so the drive is a drag, but it sure is pretty:

Here is a picture of DD out on the paddleboats with her Uncle John and Cousin Derek. We love getting to see Uncle John because he works in Africa and is gone a lot. They took Smuckers out with them. They could tell he couldn't make up his mind about jumping in and swimming to DH, so John gave him a little push and made up his mind for him.

It's ok though, Smuckers is a great swimmer!

Here is the beautiful waterfall that DH made in our backyard. Be sure to notice the fence in the background. YAY! Our first fenced yard. It makes it so much more peaceful back there to have that fence up.

Last year, Grandma and Grandpa got the kids a sand and water table to play with. We got some "play sand" at the hardware store, but it really wasn't very fun for playing. It had a lot of gravel in it and was really nothing like beach sand. More like lake sand. So, this year the kids saw some colored sand at Wal-Mart and were dying to have some. It was about 3 times the cost but totally worth it. It makes great castles and things. We spent Sunday afternoon building dams across it, filling one side with water and then "flooding" the village below. Fun times.

This picture is included just because I love it. This is such typical cat behavior! And DD's eye peeking through is just the best!

I'm thinking of Ireland lately. My Dad and Stepmom are in Ireland as I write this for a two week vacation (doesn't that sound fabulous?). My mom and her friend from work are going there next week. What are the odds? All of my parents (all three of them) are going to be in Ireland for the same week just by coincidence. I don't think my mom has ever even left the United States before. I'm really excited for her. My dad and stepmom have been there before and have given her some really great tips for her trip. What are the chances they run into each other over there somewhere?

I'm excited for American Idol tomorrow night. David Archuleta just gives me chills when he sings. David Cook is spectacular too, but the raw emotion isn't there the way it is with Archuleta.

Have a great day!

My Newest Creation

Usually I post stuff like this on my Stamping Blog, but I think I'll post it both places this time just so everyone will see it : ).

My former roommate of 5 years, Stefani, is expecting twins in the next month or two--Wow! I can't even imagine how much work (and how much fun) twin girls would be. I picked out a couple of super cute outfits for the babies, but wanted to do something a little creative for them too. So, here you go Stef:

Here is the card (couldn't figure out how to make this one twin-like):The next part is a shadow box. I got this idea from a blog I visit daily (Taylored Expressions). You can find her masterpeice by following the above link and looking under the category "Altered Art". For some reason I couldn't get a link to the specific post, or I would have done that. So, here it is:

It's a little hard to see every detail in the photo, but after the word "baby" is a "2" with rhinestones on it. There is a stamped background behind the flower that says "too cute" in a circle. These aren't the exact colors Stefani had in mind for her baby decor, but I just couldn't pass up this paper! (It's Nanna's Nursery by Die Cuts With a View).

The Best Cake....EVER

So, yesterday we went down to visit DH's mom in Fairview. It was a nice, peaceful day. I took a great nap while DH took the kids out on the paddleboats. DH decided that I still needed to have a birthday cake. We thought we might have some down in Fairview because there are so many in his family that have May birthdays, but most of the family had headed back home by the time we arrived on Sunday. Anyway, to get to the point, I requested that DH go to Dippidee's in American Fork. They have the absolutely yummiest cupcakes and things that I have ever had. Nice and moist on the inside with a chewy outer crust--and they always fill them with yummy creams and things. Mmmmmmmmm.

Check out this cake I found on their website. I would love to learn how to do cake decorating, but it doesn't seem like a good hobby choice for someone with a sweet tooth! So, I only practice that kind of thing when we actually need a cake or cupcakes for something, and that hardly ever happens.

DH went there tonight and brought home this yummy little specimen, along with a chocolate one (it was super yummy too, but not as cute.)

Ahhhhhh....a Nice, Relaxing Friday.

Seriously. I can't usually say that because Friday is early-out day at school and the kids usually have other kids over to play all afternoon and it gets a little hectic. Today we had 3 different things going on at the school starting at 8:00. I took all 3 kids over with me bright and early. There were a lot of parents there--they kept announcing over the loudspeaker for people to move their cars out of parking spots that were illegal, unsafe, etc. I had to smile once again because I didn't have to drive! There are only 3 families in the entire school that live close enough to walk, so I love being able to do that.
First there was the "Moms and Muffins" event in DS's classroom. We had muffins and he read me a book that he wrote about me. It was great! Then we went over to DD#1's room for a kindergarten presentation put on for the moms. She was so cute and did a great job! Then DS was in a musical performance called "Heroes". It was great. I am so pleased by the things my kids learn at school that go beyond just the academics (although I think they're doing really well in that area, too). My favorite part was when all the kids sang the theme songs from each of the armed forces and anyone in the audience who had served in that armed force was invited to stand as the kids sang. It was really cool. I would have liked to have stayed for the whole thing, but DD#2 was being impossible, so we snuck out the back door and came home.
So, that part of the Friday was fun but not relaxing. Once we got home, though, the girls went upstairs and played quietly for about TWO hours! That hardly ever happens. I watched The Office and 30 Rock online and took a nice, long shower. Then the girls wanted to watch some TV in my room so I cuddled with them and took a nice, snuggly nap. It was great.
Now I've got to do some cleaning, but I'm actually all geared up for it now. DH got a gift card to Applebee's at work yesterday, so we're going out for my mother's Day dinner. Yum. Then we're leaving the kids with a sitter tomorrow so that we can go to Carraba's for my birthday. The big 3-6! I think 40 is going to be really weird when I get there.

Our Little "Sheep" is Shorn

Or sweet little Smuckers sheds ALL over the place. We've been talking for awhile about shaving him to see how that goes. Yesterday just seemed like the right time, so we got to work. It was quite the job. Smuckers enjoyed every minute. However, his coat is SO thick that it took quite a while to get it all off. He seems to really like it. We didn't shave all the way down to his skin because we want him to have protection from the sun. We just took off his longer "outer coat" of coarse fur. Now that his undercoat is exposed he is a lot softer, even though he looks a little funny (shhhh.....don't tell him!).

It's finally starting to feel like spring here. There are guys outside right now putting in fence posts around our yard--YAY! However, Alpine Homes put a sprinkler line right along the inside edge of the sidewalk, so that got drilled into. We'll have to repair that. Oh, well--it will be well worth the trouble.

We had a nice night out on Saturday. We took the kids to a sitter and had a YUMMY dinner at Chili's. We LOVE their chips and queso. Then we went to pick out some clothes for my birthday. It's funny how I get more and more laid back about "birthday rules" the older I get. I've actually worn all of the clothes already. Forget saving them until it is actually my birthday.