tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18532979149357437722024-02-19T22:22:38.068-07:00Molen NationA nation is bigger than an opolis.Brad Molenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16886474793741994965noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-19972893429898183482013-05-21T09:47:00.002-06:002013-05-21T09:47:54.884-06:00I thought it was time to kick this blog into gear again, since we have a lot of changes happening right now and some people will want to keep an eye on our life.<br />
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Sometime in the next few months we will be moving from Utah to California. It's a great adventure, and where we feel our family needs to be right now. I'm excited and nervous, scared and insanely happy. And sad to be leaving so many great people I see all the time here in Utah.<br />
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I might play a little catch up, I might not, just to keep you all (all five of you) on your toes. For now, I'll leave you with a few pictures Kate took of us so we remember our first home in Eagle Mountain.<br />
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<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-14587829725525741302010-10-12T00:08:00.003-06:002010-10-12T00:38:36.581-06:00Disney!We brought Lottie to Disneyland this week. On Friday, the day before we left to drive down here, we decided to leave Kelsey with the Aunts for the week. She will spend the weekends with Stephanie and the week with Aunt Colleen & Aunt Della.<br /><br />We have one more day here before moving on down to San Diego. Here are a few pictures... I promised to show Aunt Stephanie how much fun we're having. I will post more later.<br /><br />They have it all decked out for Halloween. Lots of pumpkins.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyGJMwdemLM0CufUoVWVJBbe-fJNOE5wTVsbauIdEd-FTxjR3ZtIyzBsWWqabJUzDRsyc9kHr8XQESlkiBnRGkNFijCGGzHRoRiWmUkit7zSM9wjqlXU1QrH32ZO7hgWkY0Y3gYfYe5M/s1600/Entrance.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyGJMwdemLM0CufUoVWVJBbe-fJNOE5wTVsbauIdEd-FTxjR3ZtIyzBsWWqabJUzDRsyc9kHr8XQESlkiBnRGkNFijCGGzHRoRiWmUkit7zSM9wjqlXU1QrH32ZO7hgWkY0Y3gYfYe5M/s320/Entrance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527042710489362322" border="0" /></a><br />Lottie got cozy on Pluto's bed at Mickey's house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl27C9_y7yONKtlzK5k5mYiIWB6I2xZOA83Tm1mPdcA0CJMM5i6hWxLmPYcj3fzPwUG3VIKW_y13vc1xPQRO1jAl7FRmuLajTMMeqghlCtc6Pvzt8_Z3c8qbyB_ftF7pK5JOBOyTWkU6Y/s1600/PlutoBed.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl27C9_y7yONKtlzK5k5mYiIWB6I2xZOA83Tm1mPdcA0CJMM5i6hWxLmPYcj3fzPwUG3VIKW_y13vc1xPQRO1jAl7FRmuLajTMMeqghlCtc6Pvzt8_Z3c8qbyB_ftF7pK5JOBOyTWkU6Y/s320/PlutoBed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527042709386274162" border="0" /></a><br />She was a little scared of getting too close to Mickey. She shook his hand and was excited to see him, just didn't want to hug him.<br /><br />She did better when we saw him out in costume today. She actually hugged him and kissed his nose.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweSZx8-Jb6TzZQXuulzvMH3RvAajd4UfILxdqfjxVIBWYO0GBtrHZiEDeII_z-DqyoYioApDoJPdqS2SiO9mKNOkpKIzDxzeEDKm4zEMmlR7MwiNZB2koGT7JpW6JYq3QumRZYsj1gwU/s1600/Mickey1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweSZx8-Jb6TzZQXuulzvMH3RvAajd4UfILxdqfjxVIBWYO0GBtrHZiEDeII_z-DqyoYioApDoJPdqS2SiO9mKNOkpKIzDxzeEDKm4zEMmlR7MwiNZB2koGT7JpW6JYq3QumRZYsj1gwU/s320/Mickey1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527042706789095714" border="0" /></a><br />Mama Bo (that's what Lottie has started calling my mom) wasn't afraid to give him a hug and smooch though!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3arP2n43HygAgQ1QdtuDWnE61H_3hPuRi9ZxWBqwPn4U76N9obxEg8kcAivqvgp_y19HHjAc-BLx9cJ0mjYKqIUw0I6k_rVQKf8b1wRMt4VjoDSU1Qr4D50E1mHVdPPHoGWTEVPmgl6k/s1600/MickeyGrama.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3arP2n43HygAgQ1QdtuDWnE61H_3hPuRi9ZxWBqwPn4U76N9obxEg8kcAivqvgp_y19HHjAc-BLx9cJ0mjYKqIUw0I6k_rVQKf8b1wRMt4VjoDSU1Qr4D50E1mHVdPPHoGWTEVPmgl6k/s320/MickeyGrama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527042704686391490" border="0" /></a><br />Lottie did run right up to Princess Tiana. We had to hold her back to wait her turn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvssK7dHH8dObfBranB1YhtpJsbThs6JSX3V0Mo2gwpTHnYyJQcizqemS5GHPB6DIDTZYMph5woWSZp8bvkChRZfzyYm5kkjywXQbeRTqz4R_v0ZAK50wYr55rOIrwbu_AUA5P1451oQ/s1600/Tiana.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvssK7dHH8dObfBranB1YhtpJsbThs6JSX3V0Mo2gwpTHnYyJQcizqemS5GHPB6DIDTZYMph5woWSZp8bvkChRZfzyYm5kkjywXQbeRTqz4R_v0ZAK50wYr55rOIrwbu_AUA5P1451oQ/s320/Tiana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527042699822432562" border="0" /></a>We are having a great time, in spite of the fact that Mama Bo passed out while waiting for the fairies. Way too long standing in one place in the hot sun. She's just fine though. At least it got us special seating when we went to see World of Color. See... there's a bright spot in everything!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-46374518055767619992010-07-22T09:14:00.004-06:002010-07-22T09:30:12.639-06:00Feel so TrendyDo you ever come across something you love, and then wish you didn't because it's just so trendy? I didn't even know how trendy until after I was in love though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU7INzFVZEk9rL7BI6qM4t2NoPb-Hknl75XUmf1IbubbKCmoLaLoTqAxqZVhqHVKdfZ1LoGaTcLaw6A8c2ml4VC8TbawDEKYkWAB76og2NQbXa5gbLKtVKmaC6fEiW7F8G2luz2oDE3k/s1600/51BuhjcJWyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU7INzFVZEk9rL7BI6qM4t2NoPb-Hknl75XUmf1IbubbKCmoLaLoTqAxqZVhqHVKdfZ1LoGaTcLaw6A8c2ml4VC8TbawDEKYkWAB76og2NQbXa5gbLKtVKmaC6fEiW7F8G2luz2oDE3k/s320/51BuhjcJWyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496749424732822530" border="0" /></a>I have been listening to my Glee Cast Radio on Pandora (I know... more and more trend) and heard this song <span style="font-style: italic;">"New Soul."</span> I really dig it.<br /><br />So at my girl's night last week I asked my friends if they had heard it. Kristyn had bought the whole album on iTunes already. Kalee had to listen, but then said "Oh, I know this song... from the commercial!"<br /><br />Right there, I thought, dang! Sometimes I just don't like to jump on bandwagons. Kristyn said the rest of the album wasn't as good, and I shouldn't waste my time. I had to check it out for myself, just to be sure. I listened to previews, and hurried over to buy the whole album myself. Sorry Kristyn, I love the whole thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Paris"</span> intrigues me. In fact, since I bought it yesterday, I've listened to that more than <span style="font-style: italic;">"New Soul." </span>Yael Nain (the singer, and the album title) sings several songs in Hebrew (her native tongue) and they are haunting and beautiful - even though I have no idea what they're about.<br /><br />Anyway, I highly recommend this album if you're into this kind of thing. The musical style kind of reminds me of Poe's <span style="font-style: italic;">"Haunted</span>,<span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> which I also love.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-71291935520363196892010-07-13T13:29:00.002-06:002010-07-13T13:33:10.409-06:00One of those daysDo you ever have one of those days? You know, the ones where you are at work, doing your job as a technical writer, and you suddenly realize that Microsoft Word is not spell checking your documents?<br /><br />And with the error you just found (Waranty? How is Waranty an acceptable word?) in the title of your document, you know that it hasn't been working for over a month at the very least? And you know how you have written and updated hundreds of documents during that time?<br /><br />Here's to the three hours I spent fixing that one mistake... in the dozens of pdf bundles that form is included in. And here's to many more opening all of the documents I've created lately (once IT actually gets the problem fixed) and checking them.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-34709968843015510222010-06-17T15:55:00.003-06:002010-06-17T15:57:11.824-06:00An Open Note...to Shopowners Everywhere,<br /><br />Please do not display merchandise for sale in your bathrooms. Because... Ew.<br /><br />The End.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Grossed-out Fabric Shopper<br />(who did not purchase, and now will not purchase from your store.)Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-85154610997516061462010-06-09T21:03:00.003-06:002010-06-09T22:05:47.099-06:00Not to complain...But I'm going to complain. I don't like to vent and be all negative on the blog, but today I have to.<br />This Saturday is June 12th. Many of the 3 or so people who read this blog remember that I am running a half marathon on Saturday.<br /><br />Excuse me, <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> running a half marathon on Saturday.<br /><br />That's right. I have allergies, asthma and OCD - which means I can't run on Saturday. Okay, maybe the OCD has nothing to do with my running, but that diagnosis came this week too. Here's the story:<br /><br />I've been having asthma attacks much more frequently the past couple of weeks. I know it is because of the cottonwood trees that are shedding their little cotton balls all over the place around here. So, it's been really hard for me running.<br /><br />I've been working for five months now, building up the endurance I need to run 13.1 miles. Three weeks ago I ran 8 miles and thought I was in great shape. Two weeks ago I was supposed to run 10. I hit about 3 miles, had an asthma attack and ended up walking 1.5 miles home. Last Saturday I was supposed to run 8-10 miles. I did 6 and thought I was going to die.<br /><br />This leads me to Monday. I was sitting and sewing, and I had an asthma attack. That's right, no activity at all and I couldn't breathe. So, I went to the doctor. He suggested (told me) that I shouldn't try to do the run on Saturday because it was likely I would push myself through an asthma attack and end up in the hospital. But he didn't absolutely forbid my running.<br /><br />I debated long and hard. I talked to Brad, I asked sister, and I talked to Kimberly at work (who has been a big support in my running - she's doing the full marathon on Saturday hoping to qualify for Boston). After that and a lot of soul searching, I decided finally that it wasn't worth the risk, and I haven't really wasted the last five months, because as soon as I get my asthma under control I can keep training to run a half marathon (maybe Vegas in December?) in a much faster time. I can set a new goal for myself, instead of just finishing, to finish in under two hours.<br /><br />It's hard. I still really want to run this week, and part of me still thinks that I've wasted a lot of time for nothing. After all, I was hoping this would help me get healthy and lose weight. I haven't lost a pound (and no, my jeans are not fitting any looser either) and I get winded just walking up the stairs. But then again, I get winded just walking up the stairs and so I know I can't run 13.1 miles this weekend. I just have to realize that I'm at least a little healthier, because five months ago there is no way on earth I could have run eight miles at once and been okay afterward.<br /><br />And now here's the funny part. I have been teased a lot about some of my quirks. Yes, I call them quirks. Some call them freakish behaviors. It has always been a kind of joke that I'm "a little OCD." Well, a few weeks ago I came up the stairs at my house, and was so bothered that I had to go down and do it again. Turns out, it was just because I started on the wrong foot. That got me thinking really hard, noticing more of my "quirks."<br /><br />I have a system when I get in the car. If I don't do things in the right order, I have flashes of horrible accidents while I'm driving. Not so much if I start off right.<br /><br />I can't start cooking a meal when things in my utensil turn-about on the counter are in the wrong place. Like, if Brad has put the dishes away (which he does a lot. I have a good husband.) and he just sticks things in there wherever they fit, I have to stop and sort it out right before I start cooking. Even if I'm not using anything in there. I think about burning food and catching the house on fire if I don't fix those things.<br /><br />Well guess what... that means I have OCD. There's a distinction between quirky behavior and liking things in order and OCD. A tell-tale sign of OCD is associating horrible events with certain quirky behaviors.<br /><br />I'm not at the "What About Bob" stage... and I will probably never be. I'm not even at the needing medication or a therapist stage. I am supposed to talk about my behaviors and thoughts. If I feel like it's taking control of my life, that's when I would start seeing a behavioral therapist. For now, all of you, my good friends and family, get to be my therapists.<br /><br />And yes, you can tell me I'm crazy. Because let's be honest here. I am a little bit crazy. (The first time I said that, it was to Brad. And I'm lame enough to have finished it up with "and you're a little bit rock & roll.") And really, as I heard once... "I don't have OCD. I have CDO, because I believe everything should be in alphabetical order."Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-16630973788412454942010-05-24T10:22:00.002-06:002010-05-24T10:44:14.798-06:00Don't Read This!!!If you didn't watch the series finale of Lost yet, don't read this. Wait until you've watched it, then come back.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/images/celebritology/10/lost0524_jin_juliet_etc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 454px; height: 303px;" src="http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/images/celebritology/10/lost0524_jin_juliet_etc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />First off, Boone is hot. Just had to get that out of the way. I was glad to see him for just a few minutes at least.<br /><br />But where was Michael? And the annoying kid? Walter! How come they didn't get to come meet up with everyone in heaven? (Not that I minded too much - I didn't really like them.) Basically, if you weren't a couple, you didn't get to heaven. Except Boone, probably because he's hot.<br /><br />And how unsatisfying that they call it a resolution, when all it was is everyone meeting up in the afterlife, since they're all dead. I mean, sure, they held true to the "dead is dead" philosophy, but seriously? That is not closure.<br /><br />I was with it right up to the point when Jack started talking to his father. At that point, it became just another Dallas moment - where an entire season was a dream just so they could get Patrick Duffy back, or Newhart... "Honey, you won't believe the dream I just had." Lame.<br /><br />As Brad said, "I just wasted 120 hours of my life."<br /><br />Okay, maybe not all wasted, I just feel cheated. There were no answers here, just another intense, very good episode. Only this time instead of leaving us hanging and wanting more, they wrapped up with five minutes of crap.<br /><br />I'd go so far as to say I think even Seinfeld ended better. Leaving the main characters in jail is better than saying "Hey, we're not going to tell you what really happened to any of them. We're not going to explain anything about the island, just introduce you to a new shiny place there. We'll just let you know they all got to the afterlife. Because they all died at some point. Just like everyone else."<br /><br />I am done now.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-9479136400561514692010-05-11T13:34:00.004-06:002010-05-11T13:44:17.090-06:00TrackingOnce upon a time, my sister went on a trip. Far away. Like, halfway around the world.<br /><br />I was jealous. I still am. Mostly. She's had some flight issues. She didn't get to Barcelona until a day after she was scheduled, since her flight out of Salt Lake was delayed by snow and she missed the connection in Atlanta.<br /><br />She should have been home yesterday, but her flight out of Barcelona was canceled due to the no-fly zone in Portugal because of the ash cloud from the Iceland volcano. She was re-routed through Paris and was supposed to be home about 30 minutes from now. So I thought I would get online and just check to see if she really would be.<br /><br />Looks like her flight was delayed a few hours and she'll now be home in 2 1/2 hours. But at least it's in the air and back over North America. Know how I know?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mNiYvnOEcqdCJHucifu6kijI6g4Dh7b4xGUDY6VVd0PV1TqtUAivns-VyGv0IqFcyGELQ0JSaejVRb83DPOqgrNxZAOB-o7v7Wll6aHSeGsd8zI4XHhSQj2PsnuMnM4d2or783e5Z2A/s1600/tracking.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mNiYvnOEcqdCJHucifu6kijI6g4Dh7b4xGUDY6VVd0PV1TqtUAivns-VyGv0IqFcyGELQ0JSaejVRb83DPOqgrNxZAOB-o7v7Wll6aHSeGsd8zI4XHhSQj2PsnuMnM4d2or783e5Z2A/s320/tracking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470099531973640594" border="0" /></a>How cool is that? Not only does it give you the expected time of arrival, but you can actually see the progress of the flight! Ah, web stalking. What did we ever do without it?<br /><br />P.S. Notice how they couldn't fly through Portugal, but they can fly directly over the volcano producing the ash? Mother Nature is one freaky lady!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-12685330578507009522010-05-03T19:26:00.006-06:002010-05-03T21:59:42.457-06:00Lottie's Nemo PartyLottie turns two this week. It's crazy that she is that old... sometimes she seems much older!<br /><br />We had her birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's house on Saturday. We're still at the stage where we really just have family at the party, but I think next year she'll get a party with her little friends - since they'll probably be old enough to understand and maybe care by then ; )<br /><br />Warning... picture overload coming up.<br /><br />I barely finished her birthday outfit, since my sewing machine jammed up while I was halfway through quilting her new quilt. Good thing she's not old enough to realize she didn't get it on her birthday! I borrowed my mom's machine and finished the pants late Friday night. Which means I didn't get to try them on her, and they are too long. But that's okay, she's still cute.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_Mv5aTGWRNRPhgUSH6C9G8joVTliyrMsR7c64xr2AayIChRm93eYg2s_v2EronpKphVtbpMRQ_tSO8hwLCrPuApNWtArtT4oqysKI2Cxq-nO4ow17aE50g9EU8F5QNcQFJnH7T54RIY/s1600/lottie+birthday.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_Mv5aTGWRNRPhgUSH6C9G8joVTliyrMsR7c64xr2AayIChRm93eYg2s_v2EronpKphVtbpMRQ_tSO8hwLCrPuApNWtArtT4oqysKI2Cxq-nO4ow17aE50g9EU8F5QNcQFJnH7T54RIY/s320/lottie+birthday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251214252659810" border="0" /></a>She liked twirling her shirt. And she even left the flower in her hair for the whole party. Hanging out with Ainsleigh is really turning her into a princess.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMTCrAuTBVu7MLLD1P_763l9PoZUy5H7A2Jxrm1Vsj5EPG_by3aZsLKLLqouYJoUDYgl6tZ0Tm2Ex5bVRpcP6wUzcMIl6dnMX4x7vuNTH9kOGLy6B6eJU6bj6_haLAbEkDPlXYdK3W-s/s1600/Lottie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMTCrAuTBVu7MLLD1P_763l9PoZUy5H7A2Jxrm1Vsj5EPG_by3aZsLKLLqouYJoUDYgl6tZ0Tm2Ex5bVRpcP6wUzcMIl6dnMX4x7vuNTH9kOGLy6B6eJU6bj6_haLAbEkDPlXYdK3W-s/s320/Lottie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251232926718786" border="0" /></a>Daddy helped her open her presents. She was really spoiled by everyone. Grandma and Grandpa Molen made her a picture book with all of her Aunts and Uncles and cousins on the Molen side of the family. That will make it much easier to teach her who her family is that she doesn't get to see all the time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7500TsE_tdPUHsbRenrVw9WYZPSe43y8uT2FZapqgnHor0JnelbuEYlSVV2NemRV7SF4bnbr6gn2IfvJHr3Wb6Wxa32ijmEwYXV3h3XlkQKQjrpoFKQ2KKOJfcr5KFjMP4Nx1BXJ5-cw/s1600/presents.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7500TsE_tdPUHsbRenrVw9WYZPSe43y8uT2FZapqgnHor0JnelbuEYlSVV2NemRV7SF4bnbr6gn2IfvJHr3Wb6Wxa32ijmEwYXV3h3XlkQKQjrpoFKQ2KKOJfcr5KFjMP4Nx1BXJ5-cw/s320/presents.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251342602685986" border="0" /></a>Aunt Stephanie couldn't be at the party even though it was at her house, something about being on a Mediterranean cruise or something, but she made sure that Lottie had a new bike to match Ainsleigh's so they can ride around together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQliFA6JL_NE3UOI6VwKHMFphcP4IUMpeGuEi1-qvFNVcGnVFuNaLh8RU7NfgDg2VmdCjr5tT1Pg2_kO-7Xh7YWUrsQsvGkWyt67KC4o3gL71iBAputShFIQhVLjko5BgtytNWibLs-MU/s1600/Lottie+Bike.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQliFA6JL_NE3UOI6VwKHMFphcP4IUMpeGuEi1-qvFNVcGnVFuNaLh8RU7NfgDg2VmdCjr5tT1Pg2_kO-7Xh7YWUrsQsvGkWyt67KC4o3gL71iBAputShFIQhVLjko5BgtytNWibLs-MU/s320/Lottie+Bike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251205089051906" border="0" /></a>And Liam's just so upset that he doesn't have a big kid bike to ride.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODywQNSg6gYsxXNH-OoyPBvFNaGDJ-QSy5fV787uWWPd0HFkLvoNKbPJrRVExdxkXlrWCk-ZZjl4PBYSjPWrkOnkG9CA5YJ4A6Wj3s-t-oWjIa1JlQfIc15YaXfFolGmX9_yUyjhhFb0/s1600/girls+bikes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODywQNSg6gYsxXNH-OoyPBvFNaGDJ-QSy5fV787uWWPd0HFkLvoNKbPJrRVExdxkXlrWCk-ZZjl4PBYSjPWrkOnkG9CA5YJ4A6Wj3s-t-oWjIa1JlQfIc15YaXfFolGmX9_yUyjhhFb0/s320/girls+bikes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467220357155991858" border="0" /></a>Or maybe he's upset because his pants kept falling down so we put him in suspenders to match Grandpa.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYc6E3FpI5KB5tiG976OCdutsvIxZxaSk5IY23jsj9M6V2AenZwWYNWsb6YPYRJNT28Lri0e-A8l_Fcc2um7wK6dibPsFOw_1U9ZQ8dnIYN6kZHZUHo1MjzGggdOa2bRVTc2R26_kbAQ/s1600/Liam.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYc6E3FpI5KB5tiG976OCdutsvIxZxaSk5IY23jsj9M6V2AenZwWYNWsb6YPYRJNT28Lri0e-A8l_Fcc2um7wK6dibPsFOw_1U9ZQ8dnIYN6kZHZUHo1MjzGggdOa2bRVTc2R26_kbAQ/s320/Liam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467220364082926882" border="0" /></a><br />Then we had the pinata. One of my neighbors made this for the party. Since Lottie is our little Cinco de Mayo baby, we've had a pinata for her birthday party. I think that will last as long as she likes it... not sure how we'll work it in when she wants a princess party though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxhxgxlvyv2VsAh4DjnUzm-nVWRDZnPKZX3NXjtifmsvPIfWiVbttnXN8nZzAus4UIY18_Fwc5vSE-l3nZSUh2X5EtHiDlNtZ0aT7WEleIJv5GJvk4dRNsrpVy3xEqOnxg66CsjTqnBg/s1600/lomo+pinata.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxhxgxlvyv2VsAh4DjnUzm-nVWRDZnPKZX3NXjtifmsvPIfWiVbttnXN8nZzAus4UIY18_Fwc5vSE-l3nZSUh2X5EtHiDlNtZ0aT7WEleIJv5GJvk4dRNsrpVy3xEqOnxg66CsjTqnBg/s320/lomo+pinata.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467220367859156402" border="0" /></a><br />And don't let their innocent faces fool you. They may look sweet, but they had great fun yelling "Hit Nemo!" and "I hit Nemo's face!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROfgQWkz5WDb6FRQxfiYBZ6JXx3k4c7ccKlLfJvoeaXWE5mJmnNLNHIs8VVvhv0kMwFf4RnUYuXJekUmWruOmfAzAXiIPfmHjboaD7idfKRiEIV5rFiS_6KVHA5P1mq6715OCXwCAE0s/s1600/AinsPinata.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROfgQWkz5WDb6FRQxfiYBZ6JXx3k4c7ccKlLfJvoeaXWE5mJmnNLNHIs8VVvhv0kMwFf4RnUYuXJekUmWruOmfAzAXiIPfmHjboaD7idfKRiEIV5rFiS_6KVHA5P1mq6715OCXwCAE0s/s320/AinsPinata.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467255129811873794" border="0" /></a>Come to think of it, maybe pinatas don't teach the best lessons... Then we moved on to the cake. My Neighbor (notice the capitalization of Neighbor, that is not a typo - we don't actually live by each other any more, but she'll always be Neighbor to me - and she's awesome) made this amazing Nemo cake. And she always says she's not domestic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkPRqsElvOxTfTWJH9jBa3L-bryonrsN07Izqt5Jx9yxPWcJZRPPAkLhm8G2uKZloJtKcipPcOIpHibYVFcvtGexugxMUJO2uBLdkjqMLMDKpaHCQ5vEeGIIXKR0kKwBRpGHAltHNROs/s1600/nemo+cake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkPRqsElvOxTfTWJH9jBa3L-bryonrsN07Izqt5Jx9yxPWcJZRPPAkLhm8G2uKZloJtKcipPcOIpHibYVFcvtGexugxMUJO2uBLdkjqMLMDKpaHCQ5vEeGIIXKR0kKwBRpGHAltHNROs/s320/nemo+cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251240745875250" border="0" /></a>Lottie sort of blew out the candles. Mommy had to help.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVhLCDZBIOyFvOuhliSTmRPg0lGFF7Ii9ACMZKbFmUDhwd6cvxyM9-vrkaTnGRaPI-1y4o3tHQYGf428ezfksx7uskDoleuj2XmfbmynhhujtCa6LgilGhNTWFRPOijaTo4w3mQMtQPs/s1600/candles.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVhLCDZBIOyFvOuhliSTmRPg0lGFF7Ii9ACMZKbFmUDhwd6cvxyM9-vrkaTnGRaPI-1y4o3tHQYGf428ezfksx7uskDoleuj2XmfbmynhhujtCa6LgilGhNTWFRPOijaTo4w3mQMtQPs/s320/candles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467220350093530706" border="0" /></a>I made Nemo and bubble cookies to go with the cake and ice cream. I mean, really, what's a kid's birthday party without loading them up on sugar and sending them home with their parents?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ozwaLHdxwwTM8UP6cqvyXBVtxia6y7EfgopTFz7BFLHEJ4tzjF9hHWXX7yvQTtZlcTg7UKDjALefq3j8CScdvwkkFkCPIS4QYexDagda3XYWtauSKmdxuhNafCuMdp-8JOdjFYuq4Y/s1600/nemo+cookies.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ozwaLHdxwwTM8UP6cqvyXBVtxia6y7EfgopTFz7BFLHEJ4tzjF9hHWXX7yvQTtZlcTg7UKDjALefq3j8CScdvwkkFkCPIS4QYexDagda3XYWtauSKmdxuhNafCuMdp-8JOdjFYuq4Y/s320/nemo+cookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467257503141851602" border="0" /></a>I just miscalculated the "sending them home with their parents" part since all the kids were hanging out for the rest of the day at my parent's house. Oops. Well, at least they sat with their balloons watching a movie for a little while. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBJ6Y3t6FBOu4aUviW4KaeWBrEJ19wQn08kJixsI5Yzv9j2Lx2xeYR0iH5tscRJXxT1Dn51d_kPT-VMmB4Cb7Q8Fd626AYulxBgWzE60IzvKriz4NpjDNAesoxQ0vi5F549Swg0qx3VM/s1600/lomoAins.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBJ6Y3t6FBOu4aUviW4KaeWBrEJ19wQn08kJixsI5Yzv9j2Lx2xeYR0iH5tscRJXxT1Dn51d_kPT-VMmB4Cb7Q8Fd626AYulxBgWzE60IzvKriz4NpjDNAesoxQ0vi5F549Swg0qx3VM/s320/lomoAins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467251200688211698" border="0" /></a>It was a great birthday party.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-65375118979544978142010-04-19T21:28:00.003-06:002010-04-19T21:51:33.746-06:00A Few Things About Lottie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o_XcObdHPdwI2QJ5cFEYVLBNOIqFLZTX2rK2Nc4Mk9rNlLm8wxv7k8iJG6yadlMmHZ2IE8eokjQima8KI6YJGpWUoo2UXz2T1HUE7MvzwngXiau-q0xHpy-okeFGDcuyHzr8p6kahGw/s1600/Lottie+chair+lr.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o_XcObdHPdwI2QJ5cFEYVLBNOIqFLZTX2rK2Nc4Mk9rNlLm8wxv7k8iJG6yadlMmHZ2IE8eokjQima8KI6YJGpWUoo2UXz2T1HUE7MvzwngXiau-q0xHpy-okeFGDcuyHzr8p6kahGw/s320/Lottie+chair+lr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462056785635700946" border="0" /></a><br />She is just beautiful. Really, everywhere we go people comment on how beautiful she is. She's got that perfect hair that is naturally highlighted, changing from red to blond depending on how the light hits it. Vivid blue eyes. And a smile that can light up a room.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5ezcouNXHsrkmYqqD6gNVuNTJVSjX80ZcLmr-PzJkIp3w6na8TPczRCSN_HthyphenhyphenLP3nPuoOAOKfzU-l4qx43CaWLN_dxAjvSsQ5f7NPO-PIgi16H4DUv7ov-I3jZDXIR5y6a_6nHLouQ/s1600/lottie+cheese+lr.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5ezcouNXHsrkmYqqD6gNVuNTJVSjX80ZcLmr-PzJkIp3w6na8TPczRCSN_HthyphenhyphenLP3nPuoOAOKfzU-l4qx43CaWLN_dxAjvSsQ5f7NPO-PIgi16H4DUv7ov-I3jZDXIR5y6a_6nHLouQ/s320/lottie+cheese+lr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462056773276829346" border="0" /></a><br />She likes cheese. Every time we open the fridge, she runs over and asks for a cheese. It's adorable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP0nWBfskn70_pqfgF1WHKzzdRr_6VG30IXDyVqa1-jZTnxv8C2mHDbbbPOG40sy9gCVE4zCfZWqTk0fYkI_LobnYrEEJ2aLE8PjV91gZJynAo6MgNk5IS9O4oGpUXJF7agWQ4_P05Tw/s1600/Lottie+low+res.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP0nWBfskn70_pqfgF1WHKzzdRr_6VG30IXDyVqa1-jZTnxv8C2mHDbbbPOG40sy9gCVE4zCfZWqTk0fYkI_LobnYrEEJ2aLE8PjV91gZJynAo6MgNk5IS9O4oGpUXJF7agWQ4_P05Tw/s320/Lottie+low+res.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462056770830246610" border="0" /></a><br />And she loves {Vegas}. Not the city so much as the bear. I'd say 90% of the time you see her, it is like this, Vegas hanging from her hand, or tucked under an arm. When she's cuddling Vegas and you give her kisses, you have to give Vegas kisses too. In fact, he's been kissed and cuddled so much that he no longer has a nose or mouth, the threads broke from so much love.<br /><br />Aunt Stephanie brought him back from a trip she took to Las Vegas, and he's been Lottie's favorite ever since she could pick a favorite. She has others she likes - {Tiger} that Uncle Lane gave her, and {Princess} from Aunt Dayna - but nobody can replace Vegas.<br /><br />This is an unfortunate fact, as Vegas is missing at the moment. Yup... we had him last night, but nobody's seen him at all today. He magically disappeared between bedtime last night and this morning. We have searched our house, Grandma's searching hers (in the morning), and the van has been thoroughly searched as well. I have no idea where he could have gone. Let's just say that I hope we can find him soon. It's more than an hour past bedtime, but she's still not asleep, missing her Vegas. {And let's be honest here... I kind of miss him too... she doesn't cuddle anyone quite as adorably as she cuddles him.}<br /><br /><br />A few notes:<br /><br />1. Kate took these awesome pictures while we were doing Kelsey's six month photo shoot. Doesn't she take great pics?<br /><br />2. Lottie has a nice leather chair that is all her own. My furniture is stained microfiber... how is it that kids have nicer stuff than their parents?<br /><br />3. We just found out tonight that the bear Aunt Dayna gave her is named Princess. He usually sits on the shelf above her play kitchen, but when we tried to pacify her with him, she did at least hug him and call him Princess. So maybe I should stop referring to Princess as "him" since this bear is obviously a girl.<br /><br />4. Recently, I've been using brackets {inappropriately}. I just think they're cute. And I'm a firm believer that you can't break the rules until you know how to follow them. And since I know how to follow the grammar rules, I feel I can break them if I want to. (Just don't let it get out with the people I work with... they'd lose all respect for me.)Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-68959347919912209972010-04-07T20:26:00.003-06:002010-04-07T20:35:34.892-06:00EasterWe had a great Easter with our girls. It was so much fun to decorate eggs with Lottie. She put the eggs on the spoon for me to dip into the dye, and was so patient as she waited for them to come out colored.<br /><br />I'm waiting for pics of that from my sister Kate, but I do have a few others that Kate took that day to share here. We had a fun little photo shoot with Lottie, Kelsey, Ainsleigh and Liam.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNndMLqrWRLpI-poTTetqUMkAJA-VvfGLlYObi9hdOQGFADpPQb-NEX0atJgIAkoWyIHfs9Fo4xPWm8K0bZJ5h6hvg4AQBrxyVKMS64wUoMZo23zJZUQazQxyg2cApB3dXelQ-Ogb4o8/s1600/Lottie+Easter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNndMLqrWRLpI-poTTetqUMkAJA-VvfGLlYObi9hdOQGFADpPQb-NEX0atJgIAkoWyIHfs9Fo4xPWm8K0bZJ5h6hvg4AQBrxyVKMS64wUoMZo23zJZUQazQxyg2cApB3dXelQ-Ogb4o8/s320/Lottie+Easter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457589127493068354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClxJ5As3YsUEFZhneVM6L8DdazHQVNOGe3ISd3v_LnQuY11iXGc_zb1IDC7JuPG0f-KqE5r6mpH9WtF7AIGtiTwOnxE5h3yL5XnRkeDQE8KTqZRvnFwH7JcS_oaI7uBmyUSHZ0UUrFTg/s1600/Kelseys+Easter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClxJ5As3YsUEFZhneVM6L8DdazHQVNOGe3ISd3v_LnQuY11iXGc_zb1IDC7JuPG0f-KqE5r6mpH9WtF7AIGtiTwOnxE5h3yL5XnRkeDQE8KTqZRvnFwH7JcS_oaI7uBmyUSHZ0UUrFTg/s320/Kelseys+Easter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457589142829914018" border="0" /></a><br />We also did a photo shoot for Kelsey's six month pictures. I will post those as soon as I have them.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-13849601470336539982010-04-01T08:49:00.000-06:002010-04-01T08:51:31.841-06:00I love a sense of humorWhy can't everyone have as good a sense of humor as Google? Really, if one of the top companies out there can play <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/todays-vowel-outage.html">a good April Fool's Day joke</a>, I should work harder to get in on the action.<br /><br />{Brad, consider this your fair warning!}Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-69520469291850877602010-03-09T20:37:00.002-07:002010-03-09T20:51:11.898-07:00Dear US Census Bureau,<br /><br />I understand your desire to have every person in the country counted. I understand the reasoning behind this desire. I even understand the lame radio commercials I've been hearing to inform people the census is happening, and to make sure we are aware our form coming in the mail is legit. I fully intend to fill my census form out completely and return it to you.<br /><br />I do not understand the need to mail a letter to me telling me you will be mailing my census form to me. Really? It says to watch for my form in the mail. Do you think that letter is going to reach people who <span style="font-style: italic;">aren't</span> checking their mail? Really!?!<br /><br />Is there any purpose in this letter other than wasting money? Maybe your purpose is wasting time. Or killing trees. So, I guess maybe there is more purpose than just wasting money. I take it all back US Census Bureau. Maybe you know what you're doing.<br /><br />Then again, I know some of your employees... so maybe you don't.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />A Resident of Eagle Mountain<br />( I just thought I should tell you where I live, because my letter came addressed to the resident at my street address, my zip code, city of Lehi. I don't live in Lehi.)Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-28621658511771831832010-03-06T20:01:00.005-07:002010-03-06T20:11:06.582-07:00TrucksKelsey is having a rough time right now. RSV with ear infections in both ears makes for an unhappy baby. She has been getting a lot of my attention right now. Sewing is getting no attention. Lottie is still getting some, but not as much as she should be.<br /><br />Instead, I'm sorry to say, I've resorted to the electronic babysitter all too frequently this week.<br /><br />Her new favorite - even more requested than Yo Gabba Gabba - is Trucks.<br /><br />Or, as everyone else knows it:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_VGYwd-FGRwJqu8rwY871EFmRMxmTXxziqxy6mbFfaF8KtjGUc7Ct-Q0U9sMU27D1P7JNwj8EmSVLiA_IcNAvUvMBH4JoZR-UScRFK8YM8jrOMIFEhHJLJsv3X7fW6iwuGo1ASnIabk/s1600-h/cars.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_VGYwd-FGRwJqu8rwY871EFmRMxmTXxziqxy6mbFfaF8KtjGUc7Ct-Q0U9sMU27D1P7JNwj8EmSVLiA_IcNAvUvMBH4JoZR-UScRFK8YM8jrOMIFEhHJLJsv3X7fW6iwuGo1ASnIabk/s320/cars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445723520001262418" border="0" /></a><br />She especially loves Mater. And I'll admit - he's kind of my favorite too.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-73438215562148086302010-02-24T21:05:00.003-07:002010-02-24T21:14:15.080-07:00Favorite PlaceLottie has a new favorite place to be. Often, if we cannot hear her, we go into her room and find her here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHlOHjyLYjMYplKDZh1P3SP0-Syr1VMEAKoe9tBrh_8-xwxSwd2NsouiWeG7bg9sxs2CqMuZODMLbIfxzETF6rdGKlpbxZOIhClMfSQ2vtZrGoZnE3sodAxFvY-b4k-f3ov1ZVX7vD_o/s1600-h/Hiding.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHlOHjyLYjMYplKDZh1P3SP0-Syr1VMEAKoe9tBrh_8-xwxSwd2NsouiWeG7bg9sxs2CqMuZODMLbIfxzETF6rdGKlpbxZOIhClMfSQ2vtZrGoZnE3sodAxFvY-b4k-f3ov1ZVX7vD_o/s320/Hiding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442028666717790338" border="0" /></a>Although, she usually looks up and laughs. But the other day, she didn't feel well, so she curled up and went to sleep under Kelsey's crib.<br /><br />Kelsey's favorite place to be is anywhere someone is paying attention to her:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVDO19KUG5wdGTJV6_eTgeMIIBrRUfkoXDyRzxRDTX8Obo7HE4OsTmrXhiRFKjqjfSMw_JJvEzKv4JnPVhZjrXsDISVwpKOLe52s907vvny-r_5a5QFGrIGUp-CuxdwppyA0bMmPge4E/s1600-h/laughing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVDO19KUG5wdGTJV6_eTgeMIIBrRUfkoXDyRzxRDTX8Obo7HE4OsTmrXhiRFKjqjfSMw_JJvEzKv4JnPVhZjrXsDISVwpKOLe52s907vvny-r_5a5QFGrIGUp-CuxdwppyA0bMmPge4E/s320/laughing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442028665403084818" border="0" /></a><br />We see the smile on her face a lot more now that we have her reflux under control and have switched her to lactose-free soy formula. More expensive, but I'd say that smile is well worth it.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-74563531326760238512010-02-15T15:52:00.004-07:002010-02-15T16:31:44.417-07:00I LostAnd losing was never so much fun!<br /><br />We had a great Valentine's Day around here. We've sort of got an arrangement: Brad plans our Valentine's activity, I plan our anniversary. I've got a lot to live up to in June.<br /><br />This is what I got Brad:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsHg4i205z3r5X-u7goSpwlkwfRZDRzVLuOi26ng0_j2r0JNdOMGlwLUeyzWrmRqqcwqSAO_Xe1ngUHv-DxRuNxU-SLd_akFSFjUrQ5RVBvw-XXKRSc6PJKt8tn15lktW1QxneVvGwUA/s1600-h/gift.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsHg4i205z3r5X-u7goSpwlkwfRZDRzVLuOi26ng0_j2r0JNdOMGlwLUeyzWrmRqqcwqSAO_Xe1ngUHv-DxRuNxU-SLd_akFSFjUrQ5RVBvw-XXKRSc6PJKt8tn15lktW1QxneVvGwUA/s320/gift.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438609965585513922" border="0" /></a>Yup. Some movies (let's face it, I don't even know if he wanted them... but I did, and I knew he would enjoy them) and fabric. You read right - fabric. He needs new pajama pants, and I thought it would be more thoughtful if I made them, but I didn't even get around to getting them done before the big day.<br /><br />This is what he got me:<br /><br />He dropped me off Saturday afternoon at a Day Spa for a pedicure, manicure, one-hour massage and makeup treatment.<br /><br />While I was relaxing at the spa, he relaxed with these:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBoyWb5Mb97T1liWa_-A1Y9jISNsE-gO1UeY9JkGilO4FR0_QayeGYael8gDr83xeq9Gh3PuOAFqzr8uA34nJtV-gulFLAM0oKTdEe7J1BOUwkwkHN_iNcIDe4VwR70BbuHw7sj8OnJo/s1600-h/together.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBoyWb5Mb97T1liWa_-A1Y9jISNsE-gO1UeY9JkGilO4FR0_QayeGYael8gDr83xeq9Gh3PuOAFqzr8uA34nJtV-gulFLAM0oKTdEe7J1BOUwkwkHN_iNcIDe4VwR70BbuHw7sj8OnJo/s320/together.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438609972409682210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovxYphMG3TG0Bv6w30pM3fpE5ZLWyl-AJQ4iGV_JE6FCLEVtd0lKlYwrEZGyf20CYrtDP7IzqTZPqq9ToySeCf4kd5wjKOKE5LEUAzaDFUEJbSgufNo9FA2BjUYhdO_eoIRudFItaOw8/s1600-h/piano.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovxYphMG3TG0Bv6w30pM3fpE5ZLWyl-AJQ4iGV_JE6FCLEVtd0lKlYwrEZGyf20CYrtDP7IzqTZPqq9ToySeCf4kd5wjKOKE5LEUAzaDFUEJbSgufNo9FA2BjUYhdO_eoIRudFItaOw8/s320/piano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438609977742634994" border="0" /></a><br />(Lottie takes after Grandma Molen... she loves to play the piano!)<br /></div><br />He picked me up from the spa and we went<a href="http://www.theparis.net/"> here</a> for dinner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_4MEBUm90h9rOUYigsKYXw_bohke1lbWWDx9i5BoxFPF7ro_xt-2apqnItNOadvMd5OuNwCDfaCpQ0T4zm4o3CuAfMIfw095Tz_YUsXXjbXbvJe3Yz7hLudy7pra9YL-u5Yyy-yjLPw/s1600-h/paris.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_4MEBUm90h9rOUYigsKYXw_bohke1lbWWDx9i5BoxFPF7ro_xt-2apqnItNOadvMd5OuNwCDfaCpQ0T4zm4o3CuAfMIfw095Tz_YUsXXjbXbvJe3Yz7hLudy7pra9YL-u5Yyy-yjLPw/s320/paris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438612111712140322" border="0" /></a><br />During dinner he let it slip that he had only thought of the spa the day before. I knew that he hadn't forgotten to get me a present because he had been planning this for so long, so I had a sudden "a-ha" moment when I realized that the spa hadn't been my only present! Sure enough he pulls this out of his coat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUBSgzUyPCPlGHraWmvuCzBjcb0bTLzAhJ5sadSrs-U9ikrrKbfWulUYnbHotyTxJ8LrP5izgz_YHEMCGPzeRJMbzXXazyUyXkNyhHvbrmM5U57vOlBB9SLLzaoxCqJy2NKQkiH20LZk/s1600-h/bracelet.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUBSgzUyPCPlGHraWmvuCzBjcb0bTLzAhJ5sadSrs-U9ikrrKbfWulUYnbHotyTxJ8LrP5izgz_YHEMCGPzeRJMbzXXazyUyXkNyhHvbrmM5U57vOlBB9SLLzaoxCqJy2NKQkiH20LZk/s320/bracelet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438609980960605810" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">(except of course, my charms say "L" & "K")<br /></div><br />I have been seriously wanting some of<a href="http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/"> Lisa Leonard's jewelry</a> for a while now. She has some awesome stuff. I follow her blog and feel like I know her amazing little family. I don't know how Brad knew the perfect gift to get me! (Unless, of course, it was the e-mail I sent him one night as we were both sitting next to each other surfing the web on our iPhones.)<br /><br />We followed it up with a movie. It was a real date night out - which we don't have very often. Not often enough.<br /><br />So that night, Stephanie said to me, "You totally lose. Look what he got you, and you got him that?" So yes, I lose. But in losing, I totally won.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-89396365834934575782010-01-22T14:08:00.004-07:002010-01-22T14:19:25.400-07:00June 12thOne might ask: Why is this day important?<br /><br />I will tell you. On June 12, 2010, I will be doing this:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.utahvalleymarathon.com/utah-valley-half-marathon.php"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnxfJmsi56SFKjnAArGWExemxAs3OpWWVXGtOtdsEmN9HqFhyphenhyphenzswJEh8DukL-EHJlfcCQ0rTn6GxGWQgYvAyMPTbCXv2ntuwI4r6_mHaO2rVncke3szkJeByPvhxLOGwJbH7p696gnN8/s320/uvhm.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429674717282159586" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, technically I will only be doing half of that. But they didn't have a cute logo I could put up that said half. So - keep bugging me and ask if I'm keeping up with my training schedule. I might get to the point I need pushing!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-6999232032794929452010-01-05T22:22:00.003-07:002010-01-05T22:29:02.488-07:00Okay, I fully plan to write about Christmas (we had a wonderful time), but this is just a quick post to point you towards my other site where I'm in need of help and offering free things for it!<br /><br />Click here to check it out:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thebusybean.com/?p=23"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v6WstyrS8A0peFfadKHir5PHrXkrn9QQBb6U8s6_Pl1bFEO3cXQNlRx0gcDvykSFPemjSe4xU2OzXKinqv6INvWskFoCabmaapmcIaICBuGNG1Oa6YcJ4dFH__81URXgE07aimlyzrc/s320/smallbean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423494303391574322" border="0" /></a>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-70055358161571696102009-12-17T12:21:00.002-07:002009-12-17T12:23:41.091-07:00Sometimes...Sometimes when you're listening to Christmas music on the radio do you have to stop and yell, "But Neil, you're Jewish!" just to remind him, because obviously he forgot?<br /><br />Because I do. Although I find it a little harder to yell the same sentiment at Barbara...Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-15765067555301985852009-12-13T21:10:00.003-07:002009-12-13T21:13:48.904-07:00Just becauseI am organizing pictures. I'll post more soon, I promise. I just wanted to share this one of Lottie and Brad from our trip to the zoo in November.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENe6OdIybtWuM_3E77twFb1-hm_EqnHClCxf4pYSh4k7EaAqaH_9XNs_UbIQ7oUmk0C1jtGjHAWXlwUqDQSFgkHmWXMM9tqcWbNEOM9pdJbNJbOeWK07eco0yhauOPDmBbWK4oTcBeg/s1600-h/IMG_1594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENe6OdIybtWuM_3E77twFb1-hm_EqnHClCxf4pYSh4k7EaAqaH_9XNs_UbIQ7oUmk0C1jtGjHAWXlwUqDQSFgkHmWXMM9tqcWbNEOM9pdJbNJbOeWK07eco0yhauOPDmBbWK4oTcBeg/s320/IMG_1594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414939984516701698" border="0" /></a>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-6184845272171193462009-12-13T20:33:00.003-07:002009-12-13T20:52:01.216-07:00Mama’s Holiday Wish List MemeSo, who wouldn't want to win this? Well, except maybe sister... she's not so crafty.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.todaysmama.com/exclusives.php">TodaysMama</a> and <a href="http://www.cricut.com/holidaywishlist/default.aspx?utm_source=todaysmama&utm_medium=meme&utm_campaign=HolidayWishList_Today%27sMama&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1">Provo Craft</a> are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?</span> An immersion blender, a Cricut, fabric, a new computer (oh wait, we just got that...), world peace? Although, my husband has already finished shopping for me, and I've only told him one of those things. I didn't give him my list until he'd already got my big present.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?</span> My mom gave me a nativity made of wood. Nothing fancy, but I love it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?</span> I tried scarves and they turned out great, now my husband wants me to crochet some gloves. I don't know that I really <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to tackle it, but it would be interesting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?</span> I don't remember many, (although I remember every year my dad coming down the stairs after turning the lights on the tree and saying Santa didn't come - so predictable) but I remember the year we got the Nintendo DS. We put that thing back in the box for weeks every time we were done playing with it - only to have to get it out again when we wanted to play. Once Everett got sick of that and left it out, I threw the worst tantrum I remember. I screamed "No, No, No! Put it where it goes!" over and over. I was even on the ground kicking and punching. Seriously, I had issues.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?</span> They're not quite old enough to make lists. But Lottie's getting a play kitchen and Kelsey is getting a musical learning table.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. What is your favorite holiday food?</span> Nuts & Bolts (my mom's version of Chex Mix), or the fudge... maybe caramels? I love all of the tastes and smells of holiday food.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?</span> I made a clutch for one of my girls night girls (Kristyn, if you're reading this, I need to get you your gift - act surprised). I haven't done too much crafting for gifts this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. What is your favorite holiday movie?</span> A Charlie Brown Christmas, or It's a Wonderful Life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Favorite holiday song?</span> I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Favorite holiday pastime? </span>I love decorating the tree. And I love Christmas Eve. My family's tradition is to have breakfast for dinner, read the Christmas story from the Bible, and each open one present. I love the traditions. Brad's family has a giant hoagie sandwich on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas they open one gift at a time so everyone can see what each other received. I am glad that we both have such strong traditions that we can merge together to pass on to our children, and that we have started our own traditions.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-9077927176087068442009-12-10T10:43:00.001-07:002009-12-10T10:49:11.797-07:00An Open Letter<span style="font-family: verdana;"><p>To All Patrons of the Theatre,</p><br /><br /><p>Don’t arrive late. It’s just rude. I know that sometimes there are circumstances beyond your control Sometimes there are accidents or bad weather. Maybe you should plan a little extra time for travel to account for the unexpected.</p><br /><br /><p>If you do arrive late, shut your mouth as the usher shows you to your seats. Don’t continue to discuss the unexpected event that made you late, hoping that those around you will overhear your conversation and assume that you are not really late, since it wasn’t your fault. That just makes those around you dislike you even more.</p><br /><br /><p>And speaking of late, don’t wait so long to order your tickets that you won’t be able to sit with your entire party, and then yell across rows of people to the rest of your friends. It’s just rude. As you wait for the show to start, get up and go talk to whomever you want to, but don’t make everyone listen to your life story. Especially when you have a voice like yours (yeah lady behind me the other night, you know who you are)! And extra especially if you realize right before curtain that you left your cell phone in the bathroom. Nobody needs to know that it was in your hand, and you don’t know where you put it. The mental images that conjures are just wrong. Then, as the lights are dimming and the gentleman is telling everyone to turn off their cell phones and enjoy the show, when your cell phone rings (loudly) don’t pick it up and have a conversation telling that person that you thought you lost it and your daughter is off looking for it in the bathroom! Just turn it off and wait until intermission to apologize to your daughter for making her miss curtain while searching a bathroom. Especially if your daughter is sitting several rows of people away from you.</p><br /><br /><p>When you bring children to the theatre, please be mindful of what they are doing. The person in front of you does not keep turning around to look at your child because he’s so good looking. It’s probably because your child is doing something annoying – like kicking the seat in front of him. So when the patron in front of your child politely asks them to stop kicking the seat, don’t look at her like she is rude for talking. And when the musical (or other event) is over, don’t stop the kind beautiful woman who was annoyed by your child and say “I’m sorry he was kicking your seat. He just doesn’t understand that he’s not at the movies.” Because I’ve got news for you – That’s not okay at the movies either!!!</p><br /><br /><p>And speaking of when the musical is over – it’s not over until the house lights come up. This is not a football game where your team is up 54-6 with 40 seconds left. It’s not over until the performers are done with their bows. Don’t start walking out at the end of the finale to beat traffic. Be respectful of all the time these performers put in to give you a few hours of entertainment. Because I’ve got news for you – it may be dark where you’re standing, but the actors can still see you. And it hurts a little that you don’t care enough to stand for a few extra seconds and clap for their talents and efforts.</p><br /><br /><p>Sincerely,<br><br />A Patron of the Arts (who has at least a little class)</p></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-64978639906105787862009-11-22T21:08:00.003-07:002009-11-22T21:20:44.306-07:00Boutique<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8o7Nx2HOxEHxKUytiHUQloDjcD0ZUrL6fjLUX_LdD_mdKwcRkL92QxaBDXyCVspho4lKxVLECYBIWWB-B9KCo9Kzt2rRwlAlyR7SuXUqWBGGFemYD09op_OyyBAvPYhsecV71aT_z0ZY/s1600/Boutique+invite2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8o7Nx2HOxEHxKUytiHUQloDjcD0ZUrL6fjLUX_LdD_mdKwcRkL92QxaBDXyCVspho4lKxVLECYBIWWB-B9KCo9Kzt2rRwlAlyR7SuXUqWBGGFemYD09op_OyyBAvPYhsecV71aT_z0ZY/s320/Boutique+invite2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407146194411350658" border="0" /></a><br />It's time for our annual holiday boutique. For the last several years my sister and cousin and I have had a holiday boutique. While my cousin is unable to be there this year, and Steph no longer sells Pampered Chef (she will be hosting a catalog party for the boutique), we have been able to add Kate's photography, Mom and Barry (the brother, not the father)'s yummy baked goods - think delicious caramels...- and a friend's cute little girl fun stuff!<br /><br />I'm really excited about it this year. In years past, I've been set up to sell Mary Kay at the boutique. While I will still have that available, this year I will be selling my new handbags and accessories. I've just started making bags, wallets, and accessories to sell online. It's my new business - The Busy Bean. Visit my new website to see what I'm making! www.thebusybean.com. Okay, right now there's really only one post there with the first bag I designed and made, but I'm working on finishing a few other styles and getting those pictures up as well. I've also finished a necklace and bracelet - with more to come.<br /><br />While these will all be available at the boutique, I'll soon open up an etsy shop to sell them as well. The goal is for me to do this and teach piano, and be able to stay home with our girls. Being home for six weeks when Kelsey was born really made me realize how important that is. While it's great that they are always with family while I'm at work, I think it's still important for me to be with them more. And if I'm home, then Brad will get to spend more time with us all as well.<br /><br />So, wish me luck, and tell all your friends about me - because all women need more handbags, right? And who wouldn't want a unique bag, instead of the same old store-bought, mass-produced bags everyone else carries? Come see the debut on December 5th!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-19070632172556367852009-10-15T12:50:00.004-06:002009-10-15T13:36:10.705-06:00Gone, Baby, Gone...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0C67OB4lemz6yfx-ed1gwx4s5HGrqKx9Lktv_r54fEeiiPD5esuTc3XB_pTdVvbns8vlaKmDsGokqi6yFffDJOvoGAgwsv6v8kIKBvS1TO29tEU6ZtcCTa308cKhsB4XL14IMPibEcI/s1600-h/IMG_1548.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0C67OB4lemz6yfx-ed1gwx4s5HGrqKx9Lktv_r54fEeiiPD5esuTc3XB_pTdVvbns8vlaKmDsGokqi6yFffDJOvoGAgwsv6v8kIKBvS1TO29tEU6ZtcCTa308cKhsB4XL14IMPibEcI/s320/IMG_1548.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392901350627758946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">The mullet's gone. Yes, my child had a mullet. It wasn't intentional, just the way her hair was growing. And it was so long in the back I just couldn't bring myself to cut it! Until today. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2yAY0w-DSj1XayNfJFsc5w5ITZSuBs193nZTclhU7QAnRoOEOYo_KMVDVDgWqP0e7oUUIh5YlmmiprOR-LNA2ofh6DrmTDwJPTW3RLAFkQmjTntlXtQHkQz0yRLOZkxqZdV229k7txk/s1600-h/IMG_1549.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2yAY0w-DSj1XayNfJFsc5w5ITZSuBs193nZTclhU7QAnRoOEOYo_KMVDVDgWqP0e7oUUIh5YlmmiprOR-LNA2ofh6DrmTDwJPTW3RLAFkQmjTntlXtQHkQz0yRLOZkxqZdV229k7txk/s320/IMG_1549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392901338995656514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">And yes, she was cute before, but now she looks even better. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On another note, I meant to post this a week ago, but time just gets away from me. On General Conference Sunday, my family gathered at the Aunts' house to watch conference and do some humanitarian projects. We made games for the Humanitarian Center and blankets for Primary Children's Hospital. While we were there, Lottie finally let go. She's been walking with assistance for so long, but wouldn't really go more than a step or two on her own. Then that all changed...<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_LVEEj6LM2kmcEMBHiTE4_E9oHb0FAR3H4Y87wF-QdATRbKgFrVlSO7TrtA79rPu8GQ4_zNaFOzaxCgTAyA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1853297914935743772.post-92052210447126080792009-10-04T08:03:00.003-06:002009-10-04T08:58:18.847-06:00Kelsey McKinleyI guess a week and a half is too long, and I should have put up some pictures of Kelsey long ago, but I just spend too much time cuddling her to get on the computer.<br /><br />Kelsey was born last Wednesday (missed Aunt Della's birthday by 17 minutes... so sad for Aunt Della) at 12:16 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long. For being 1 1/2 pounds more than Lottie, her delivery sure was a lot easier.<br /><br />They induced me on Tuesday at about 4:30, I got an epidural when the contractions got uncomfortable, and at 9:30 I was still only at 4.5 cm. Yeah, I'd been almost that far along for three weeks on my own! But from there it went pretty quickly, I was ready to start pushing at midnight. My doctor got there at 12:10 a.m. and told me to start pushing. I was expecting this to be a long process, since I pushed with Lottie for about two hours. So, he said "Give me a big push" and tried, but started coughing. Gave him another good push, then he said "Okay, now another big push for the shoulders" and I was in shock! It couldn't be that easy, right? Instead of pushing I ended up coughing again. One more push and it was over, so I pretty much coughed Kelsey right out.<br /><br />Now, my sister-in-law Kate is pretty much awesome. She's our family photographer, and we're lucky to have her. Visit her blog <a href="http://katejohnsonphotography.blogspot.com/">here</a> - Kate Johnson Photography - remember that if you ever need great pictures taken. I was going to have her take pictures next week, but then I found out on Friday that she was going to be out of town for two weeks. So, Saturday morning I sent her a text and by that afternoon we were taking Kelsey's pictures! I love the way they turned out! Here are just a few...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l-QzbTkBi96pRq81p8ifJAxbY8Tuf-PZNMCyIRsvzJjALBBVbOuSAFXAPr4r_NkYpC18eqSmZ_tiFHzwzqcTFj87nUFncM91aKD1yuxy0acQ29enyxFzDs_Xyxkok1V3w3uHLWsw1nQ/s1600-h/IMG_2498.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0l-QzbTkBi96pRq81p8ifJAxbY8Tuf-PZNMCyIRsvzJjALBBVbOuSAFXAPr4r_NkYpC18eqSmZ_tiFHzwzqcTFj87nUFncM91aKD1yuxy0acQ29enyxFzDs_Xyxkok1V3w3uHLWsw1nQ/s320/IMG_2498.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388754284775127586" border="0" /></a><br />With the teddy bear Grandma Glo and Grandpa gave her<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsAt3dYLpw_OW0nRicuS9UuKgzuX6aevxvRVg3Si_cFzAfiKoRi_95rxZiTch0ragZdsxPQaW6j3dmA60Osq76fQaXcJKVb_bamUbuCyNyL3OWT_KlXA-fbxlO9PQJnRpvTif4chWB4A/s1600-h/IMG_2451.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsAt3dYLpw_OW0nRicuS9UuKgzuX6aevxvRVg3Si_cFzAfiKoRi_95rxZiTch0ragZdsxPQaW6j3dmA60Osq76fQaXcJKVb_bamUbuCyNyL3OWT_KlXA-fbxlO9PQJnRpvTif4chWB4A/s320/IMG_2451.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388754278767248450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKdQgzE-rXuCz7XDrSAxCfK_sTwiKi1QO0vT1Bj-o2slaKhjTNGl-ZYP1GxfFpt-9jc7P4_4UGiDei-b9fRbwSvOW7_uueUyP1Z06gxIIYF59zLKdhuohobV2aEPsMa_XrxxaunlxeyA/s1600-h/IMG_2491bw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKdQgzE-rXuCz7XDrSAxCfK_sTwiKi1QO0vT1Bj-o2slaKhjTNGl-ZYP1GxfFpt-9jc7P4_4UGiDei-b9fRbwSvOW7_uueUyP1Z06gxIIYF59zLKdhuohobV2aEPsMa_XrxxaunlxeyA/s320/IMG_2491bw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388754267609235506" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a cute one of Lottie that Katie snapped while I took a break with Kelsey. I can never get Lottie to smile in pictures for me, but Katie has a way of catching her at just the right moments to really catch her personality.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFRX4OmaltIcl-ZJ8vsy90Kvouosk06dIOWohQj3DiY95tNERy9FcawIrwsc4nhV6LO4KI0LKLEXM92YDS6djgoIm3ETlvh1DHIssDQAtDLlRQ9tEb5Gl2CjBMplirW2dqdv3qfGm22U/s1600-h/IMG_2504.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFRX4OmaltIcl-ZJ8vsy90Kvouosk06dIOWohQj3DiY95tNERy9FcawIrwsc4nhV6LO4KI0LKLEXM92YDS6djgoIm3ETlvh1DHIssDQAtDLlRQ9tEb5Gl2CjBMplirW2dqdv3qfGm22U/s320/IMG_2504.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388754263928695490" border="0" /></a><br />And finally here's me with my two girls. Brad was at Priesthood Conference while we did this, so he didn't get any pictures with her, but we'll catch that later.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-cx6XJ0fydvK7TMMIOaGlBR0KEsOXhBEED25Ok5ROENNQphbyepIEMHRV3CkajUjlRvXpWetBJtRIQn8unjPXjepsGrYW1B06oSsG4RXmmyL2lBi74jGQXN6HHKDxckiLRC4mx0R9Gw/s1600-h/IMG_2482.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-cx6XJ0fydvK7TMMIOaGlBR0KEsOXhBEED25Ok5ROENNQphbyepIEMHRV3CkajUjlRvXpWetBJtRIQn8unjPXjepsGrYW1B06oSsG4RXmmyL2lBi74jGQXN6HHKDxckiLRC4mx0R9Gw/s320/IMG_2482.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388754259475436658" border="0" /></a><br />Kelsey is so sweet. She doesn't look at all like Lottie, yet. I have a feeling they'll look more alike as time goes on. Kelsey does have my darker hair, and doesn't have Brad's eyes and eyebrows like Lottie does. I may be biased, but I think they're both adorable.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02866354523790530407noreply@blogger.com8