Today is just the best day ever.

I have had such a great day. Caleb has slept for 9 hours the past 2 nights. It has been amazing, I cam so excited for this turning point, I am just hoping it IS the turning point and not just a fluke, It will be nice to not have a baby in our room anymore, just me and the hubs.

Alan woke me up for prayer, just like every morning, but instead of going back to bed, I got up, and that in itself is a type of miracle. It makes me happy to get up before the kids, I feel like I have a purpose outside of just getting my cute kids breakfast. So after breakfast we headed over to my friends house, she had some clothes she was getting rid of and let me go through them. Talk about jackpot, I am SO excited for my new wardrobe. She had so many "granny sweaters" and Alan calls them, which I LOVE. I am so excited for this next weekend when we will make lace broaches at our R.S. Super Saturday. I will totally be gettin my Granny on. ;0)

After Courtney's we went to my friend, Shay's house. She was kind enough to let us play outside before se had to jet off to the grocery store. The kids had a blast, and when they have fun I don't feel guilty sending them to bed after lunch, so win win.

We got home and had lunch, I made some boring meal that the kids actually loved, another win. Then they played nicely while I nursed Caleb, then they all went to bed. WIN. I then called my homeopath for my daily pep talk which usually consists of, "you are doing good, just hang in there, you can do it." Today was a little different, today I asked if I could have mayo, mayo has a tiny bit of sugar in it, I told her I only used a Tbsp in my chicken salad and she totally said it was ok. YES!!!!! WIN!!!! She proceded to say that it is good to cut sugar out, but that it is nearly impossible to cut it completely out, she said "you would only be able to eat broccoli" which is exactly what I was thinking. ;0) So she said, "do not stress your self out about it, you are doing a good job, just do everything in moderation." I NEEDED those words SO bad today, if I were in AZ right now I would have driven over there and given her a kiss. This has totally changed my day, I don't feel as if I need to be the sugar nazzi, I can relax a little. Phew.

So now that I told you about my great day, I will tell you that I am going to try hard to not write such long posts, I know they are probably WAY too long and boring for all of you, so in-less you tell me otherwise, I am going to cut them short, and I will stick to writing the longers in my journal.

Now for the fun part, Calvyisms. He's had some good ones lately.

M: P U. Calvy did you toot?

C: Yah, I toot a lot.

C: Mom, do hangers hang on hair?

C: Mom, the the stove isn't working (in their new doll house), and the radio isn't working either.

M: Oh, maybe the batteries died. Did you accidentally turn it off?

C: No the batteries just died on purpose.

M: Maybe you just turned it off.

C: No, the batteries died on purpose, it's their fault.

C: Daddy, check out my cool dance moves.

C: Will you help me with this?

D: Can you say the magic word?

C: No, magic words are for magic people. I'm not a magic people.

C: Mommy, can I have an apple?

M: Yu can have half.

C: You mean whole???

Well, that's all I've got for ya. Hope you have a great day, and make sure to use your magic words. ;0)

-Keara

P.S. I'll do another post later with pics.

Pee Pods, Aussie and funny faces.

The last few days I have been feeling really tired, which stinks because I have been dying to make some progress on the kids room, but we did manage to get some stuff hung on the walls and cleaned up in preparation to moving Caleb in, so I am grateful for that.

Alan says there is a healing cycle to the body, so I am probably on one of the down cycles where the body takes a break to re-group and then be ready to kick butt again, and then I will have my energy back, so I am looking forward to that.

This whole diet and holistic medicine is really exciting for me, I feel really in-tune with my body, it's a very cool feeling.

Yesterday Ellie was acting grumpy so I grabbed her up and put her on this chair then bundled her up with her baby. She stayed like this for a few minutes until Calvy wanted to be "wrapped up" too. I lay the blankets on the floor and had them lay down and I rolled them up like a little taquito.

Calvy loved every minute of it, but I think Ellie was just tired and wanted Calvy to get off "her" pillow. ;0)

Caleb has been pretty gitty the last few nights just before bed. I caught it on camera, but alas I do not know how to use my totally awesome camera that we spent a lot of money on so that I could take some amazing pictures.....hm, I don't think we thought that threw. It is probably time to learn how to use it. You can get the message though, he is adorable, we love him and he loves the camera.

Alan had a mission buddy stop by tonight, he is visiting the U.S. from Australia, where Alan served. His accent was dreamy...tehe. I love being exposed to other countries customs, although I do think that Jay is a few steps up on the "cool" ladder than me because he is Australian and says cool things like, "sweet as", "fairdinkum" and "can I use your toilet?"

He and Alan talked about old mission buddies and their mission Pres, Pres. Fox. We had dinner and chatted in the Living room for a while, he called some phone co. rep a "Pineapple", we took some pictures and had to say good-bye.

I really like to have visitors, so I wished he could have stayed longer...and I wouldn't have minded hearing that accent for a few more hours...tehe. I definitely want to go there some day. It was really nice to have him over, we were so happy to have him here and hope someday to make it over to his house, that is if he still lives there, he loves the U.S. so much he said he'd like to live here. I'm sure our house had something to do with that....haha. Thanks for coming Jay, drive safe and tell the fam we said hello. "G'day mate!"

Alan and Jay

Well, I hope everyone has a good week, and I hope my kids sleep through the night. Fingers crossed.

-Keara

New Shoes and Frozen Fruits

These are my sweet new shoes that I got from Goodwill. $4.38

This is my couch that I am trying to sell, it is taking up WAY too much space.

These are my kids, they take up space too but I can't sell them on Craigslist. LOL ;0) Ellie bit into her tongue yesterday so we ate some frozen fruit, in the process of me getting the fruit out, one of my bags of frozen milk flew out of the door onto poor Calvys' foot, so that explains his sad face while he enjoys some frozen berries.

Here is a double, it wouldn't let me delete it.

Life is pretty good, I am gaining energy and the diet is going pretty well. I am SO thankful for this energy, I have really been missing it. We are re-doing the kids bedroom in preparation to moving Caleb in there. We let them pick out fabric for their new bedding and we are in the process of buying Ellie a new big girl bed.

Ellie is still obsessed with my "boobies" and tries to watch me getting into the shower, taking a shower and while I'm getting out.

The other day our neighbors brought over a Barney costume for Calvy, to add to our dress-up,

Calvy told them he didn't want or need it. I thanked them and said that Calvy said thank you too

and we closed the door and sat down for dinner. I told Calvy that when someone gives us something,even if we don't like it,

we always say "thank you".

M: "Calvy, when someone gives you something, you always say 'thank you', even if you don't like it or want it."

C: "We always say 'thank you?'

M: "Yes, it is the nice thing to do, it makes them feel sad if we don't."

C: "Even if we don't like it?"

M: "Yes, even if we don't like it."

C: "oh, ok. Thank you for dinner Mommy."

M: "..........you're welcome......."

So, I guess our new diet isn't always pleasant, but we are trying.

Little Caleb is not so little anymore, he is a big baby. We love every inch of his chubbalishisness,

he is always giving me a big smile and Daddy and one eyebrow raise. tehe :)

We love our family and love being parents and sharing this experience together. Life is interesting, it has a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs, but who would ride a rollercoaster that only went straight. I am grateful for this life and it's challenges and hope and pray that I will always rise up to meet them.

Have a GREAT day everyone!

P.S. Did you catch my little shout out to Kelsy and her super cool new hubs???? Take another look if you didn't. XOXO

Dishes and F.H.E.

This is how my kitchen looked last night. Being honest.

This is how they look tonight. I think I would like a dishwasher someday. My mom makes the joke that I have a dishwasher..named Keara. Blah! Not a fan. My house has been a COMPLETE wreck. Every night I gain some energy and try to tackle a part of it, but by the time everyone is awake the next morning it is trashed again. Tonight I tackled my gross kitchen and 4 more baskets of laundry(all kid clothes), I think I am going to have to start censoring what goes down the laundry shoot.

This was us during F.H.E. last night. We learned the First Presidency's names and make Halloween crafts and ate popcorn as our treat. We sang "Follow the Prophet" and "Leaves are Falling"

This was Ellie. She was interested in only the scissors and running with them, and we all know that we do not run with scissors.

Alan was scary the kids, Alan was playing some type of monster and Calvy tried to back away from him and this is where he ended up. It was funny. After we helped him out Ellie volunteered herself to sit in it next.

Calvin has been complaining of pain in his bones, I told him I think they are growing pains. that show "Growing Pains" has a whole new meaning to me now...now I get the metaphor. Only took a few 20 years. ;)

We did our Fall tradition, we went to the library and got all the Halloween books we could find and brought them all home. They got a taste of them just before bed, but tomorrow will be filled with lots of story times. I LOVE Halloween. If you know me well enough, you know that is an understatement.

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

-Keara

Noon

Lunch time, cracker, cheese, apple, water. YUM! I am on a new diet to help get rid of this infection, it consists of no white potatoes, very little bread, one piece of fruit a day, lots of protein and lots of veggies and absolutely NO sugar. Have you ever tried to live without sugar? I don't just mean sweets, but I mean no sugar at all, it is hard there is sugar in EVERYTHING, well almost everything. I am back to a label reader which is good but it makes shopping longer...for now at least until I learn what we can and can't eat. So happy lunch time.

See you again soon.

Mornings

Calvin was playing today and they were acting like their toy giants were jumping on the coffee table. I told them to stop because it was too loud and would ruin the table. They did it again of course. I told them again and said that I would have to take them away if they couldn't stop.

C- "But they aren't jumping."

M-"If you want to jump then jump on the carpet, not on the table."

C- "Were you talking to the giants?"

M- "Yes."

C- "They're not real."

OoooooKaaaaaay.

I am listening to the most beautiful music while blogging and surfing. It is a great way to bring in the Spirit. Check it out, it is only $25 and the money goes to a REALLY great cause. To get the music you can check out her blog. The music is by her husband Chad Woolner, who is an amazing guitarist. Please read their story and I hope you will feel the need for some really great Hymns.

-Keara

Calvy/Ellie-isms

I started using cabbage leaves as a natural remedy for mastitis, and while I was placing them this morning this was the conversation that ensued.

C- "Those don't go on your boobies. What are you doing?"

Trying to be more discreet and walking away from him.

C- "Those are yummy lettuce for eating."

M- "Mommy's using them to make her boobies better."

C- "Those aren't medicine. Did you run out of breast pads?"

Shirt on end of story. Phew.

After putting a costume, with a big stuffed belly, on Ellie she patted her tummy and said "boobies?"

Later on I handed her a sippy with Clifford, with his paws folded in front of him, on it. She touched his arms and said, "boobies?"

Then later on still, I lifted her off of the changing table and she patted my chest and said, "boobies!"

I see a pattern growing here. This infection has definitely left a mark on our lives.

Real Life Davenport

"I'm not tired. I just want to stay up all night." -Calvy

"Too bad." -Mommy

This was our house the other day, I like to document my REAL house every now and then. This is my bedroom, all the frames on my bed getting ready to be hung for my new wall art project.

Little Caleb sleepin away in my new best friend. I know I am creating a crutch, but this is the only way he will sleep for more than 3 hours, and I am totally taking advantage of that.

The kids room which looks different today, sometimes I just need change. I'll post a pic soon.

Bathroom, nothing special, although I'm sure if you look hard enough you could probably see some pee stains around the toilet....rather it be there than in his pants. ;0)

I'll bet you wouldn't find this in Better Homes and Gardens. haha Can you see my cute kids playing together in the other room.

Kitchen with an enormous tub of cheeseballs, those went in the trash after this pic, we really do just buy them for the container all our Mr. Potato Head parts. The old one turned into our bat catcher. haha

My sweet husband cleaning up breakfast oatmeal on the floor from our sweet Ellie. You can see my cute vintage $4 highchair in the back, so cute.

What's going on in your house right now? I want to see. Post it and send me a link.

-Keara

Parenting

I think we all need a reminder sometimes. Parenting

What I live for

Today was a very good day, it had a rough start but ended with a BANG. My sweet husband finally got my picture frame collage on out bedroom wall, I printed off all the new pictures I wanted up around the house. We kept the television off except for Oprah of course, and the kids just ran around playing with each other. Around 6:30 we left the house for dinner, our neighbor upstairs gave us a gift certificate for a free meal at Golden . We hadn't been there for a VERY long time and we took definite advantage of the FREE all you can eat buffet, oh boy did we. Alan and I both said that we had not eaten like that for a very long time, and it's a good thing too, I'm sure I would be much larger than my current size if we ate like that too often, I still feel full an hour later. The kids loved it, they played and ate fried shrimp and fresh fruit and each got to pick out their own desserts.

I can't describe why today was so good because there is nothing extraordinary that happened, but I felt good and Calvy felt better and I chose to be happy and I must say that I succeeded in my goals to be sweet to my children today, it made a total difference, they were happy all day, Calvy didn't pee his pants once and they got along with each other all day. My goodness I love even thinking about it, it was such a sweet day.

Thank you for all your sweet comments, I love to hear from "my" readers it makes me feel good. I hope you all have a great night and that, I am off to bed.

-Keara

Chunky boy! I bet you want to want to chew on his cheeks, I do all day. Hehe :0)

Playing with Ssssocks on their hands.

Tappings

"There are moments in my life when I feel like my spirit is tapping at my heart to remind me just why I still mortally exist." -Nie Nie

I have been feeling this exact feeling, like my spirit is tapping my heart reminding me that my Heavenly Father loves me. Today it was while watching Alan do the dishes while I rested from a long day, and in him staying home from meetings so I that could rest after church. It was in stoking Calvy's cheak while he lay in bed sick feeling o much love for him it hurt, while holding Ellie for an extra minute before putting her into bed, just loving every inch of her, and it was in my baby's giggle as I gave him kisses on his neck. I am so grateful for these times that remind me that I am special and that I am worth it. The love I have for my Father in Heaven is greater than any amount of words could ever express, and I know that His love for me is even greater. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it gives me comfort when nothing else can. I know that it is true, I know it.

I Alan and I are always joking about how much Heavenly Father must like us. It is not a joke, just funny how things always seem to fall into place for us. The other day our lawn mower broke down, and just yesterday we found a lawnmower on the side of the road, we took it home at it works even better than the one that just broke. We also found this painting and this cute red chair. We are so grateful to be thought of in even the smallest parts of our lives.

Have a great night everyone, and don't forget to say your prayers. :0)

-Keara

Reflection

Thanks to my wonderful MIL and Proactiv my reflection is looking better these days, but my body is feeling a little tired and yucky.

I'm not really sure what I want to write about tonight, I've been feeling a little down lately so nothing too fantastic is sticking out in my brain. Alan did a lot of work on the treehouse, I stayed in bed till noon and the kids played.

I don't like feeling sick, I feel guilty sleeping and staying in bed, it's very hard to do, I think as women we let that guilt get to us...at least I do. I tried to ignore it and let my body recover but I have so many things that I wanted to get done on this break, and today was my last day, so being sick was a HUGE inconvenience. It is a good time for reflection though, and maybe that's what I needed more than getting my projects done, I needed to slow down and reflect.

I have been thinking about where we are going as a family and what our family life will be like 5 years down the rode when our kids will be older and in school, making their own friends, and what type of friends they would choose. I think of how they will treat me and how I will treat them, the type of relationship I will have will them. I sometimes long for those days when they are older and we can talk about the gospel and we can memorize scriptures together as a family and go on fun outings that are difficult with toddlers and babies, but then I realize the life I am longing for won't happen on it's own, that I need to start now. I have to be more patient and soft spoken now if I want to be later, I have to start a sweet relationship with my children now and care for them now so that later they will know I really do care later. It is actually a little overwhelming for me to think about, I do wish a tiny bit that it could just happen on it's own, but I do know that it is worth it.

I was asked by our YW President to speak at this months fireside. At first I felt pretty cool that they picked me, but then I felt VERY unqualified. The topic they asked me to speak on is Divine Nature. I have spoken in Sacrament Meeting on this same topic before, so I am excited to do it again. There is a lot to say about Divine Nature...I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I know there will be a lot. ;0).

Our house is clean and we are ready for Church tomorrow. I am hoping that I feel really good so that I can go. I am also hoping to hear back from our Homeopath in AZ about what's going on with my poor body.

Here is one of the talks I have listened to to help prepare for this talk. It is a great talk for everyone to hear, I love Pres. Eyering.

I would like to write more, but I know that my lengthy posts are a little too frequent, so....

Happy Sept 11 everyone, I hope you say a special prayer for our wonderful country, those who run it and all those affected 9 years ago.

God bless America...my home sweet home!

Not Again.

Today I spent most of the day in bed. I am on the verge of mastitis again, I can really feel my body keeping it at bay. I have been a little extra tired and grouchy the past week, and I think this is why. So last night, when I felt it coming on, I took a bunch of vitamins, ate something and went to bed. I tried really hard to listen to my body to make sure I was giving it what it needed to fight this off, and I craved toast and an orange. When I took the first bite it was like HEAVEN, so I had Alan make me a second serving, I felt SO much better this morning, so I think I gave it what it needed. I still wanted to make sure I gave my body ample time to recover, so I stayed in bed till the early afternoon and slept. I still feel a little yucky and realize I should have gone to bed several hours ago. Oops.

Alan told me a funny tidbit about what Ellie did today while he got her dressed.

Calvin: She wants to wear her shorts.

Ellie: Shorths shorths shorths shorths.

Alan: No Ellie these are pants.

Ellie: panths panths panths panths.

I think you can see where this is going. ;)

Treehouse is pretty much finished, at least finished enough to where I will let the kids play on it now without getting hurt or falling off the edge. Although we did have some friends come over to show their kids Treehouse and their son jumped off the railing, which is about 3 feet higher that the floor of the treehouse, so now I have a new fear. :) Boys will be boys. Elder Seabolt, the redhead, was transferred today. ;0( We'll miss you Seabolt!

Things are good, our short little vacation from school is coming to and end and I am really bummed. Maybe we will go do something fun tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that I continue to be well.

Check out this new book by Jonathan Safran Foer. It gets you thinking. We'll talk about it again later.

Good Night!