NEW BEGINNINGS

So Landen got his new bed… well, not so much new… very, very used bed is more like it. His cousins used it first and then it was passed down to Kalea. Then to Mia. You get the idea. But it’s in really good shape.

Look at the smile. Looks thrilled doesn’t he. Don’t let him fool you, he hates it. He refuses to sleep in it unless I am sleeping on the floor next to him or literally sitting on his bed rubbing his back while he lull’s to sleep. He has some SERIOUS separation anxiety. It’s ridiculous. However, I am such a pushover with this guy that and I hate to hear him cry. Last night was the first night I let him cry it out. I went outside into the garage with Christian while he worked out so I didn’t have to listen to it. 45 minutes later we came back in and Landen was out cold… by the door. I didn’t dare open up for fear of awakening the beast. He woke up again at 2am and cried for almost an hour. But I held my ground and didn’t go in there. He woke up for the last time at 6:30 am and cried. I did go in there this time because I didn’t want Kalea to wake up too early for school and be a zombie the rest of the day. (Yes, the girls can sleep thru his tantrums).  I’m hoping the more he gets used to it, the less he screams. Kalea and Mia both went through the sleeping-by-the-door phase also, so I don’t worry about that one.

On a side note, there was a tall shelf (over 6 feet) in his room. It’s not expensive, it’s not solid wood, and it’s not nice in any way, but it’s useful. Anyhow, we knew it needed to be removed from Landen’s room because it was just a matter of time that he would try and climb on it or pull books out of it. So we moved it into our bedroom upon my request. I emptied it and Christian moved it. He didn’t like it there so he brought it downstairs into the toy room. Have you ever SEEN OUR TOY ROOM?!  It is packed full beyond belief… piano, toys, large moving objects, etc. I DID NOT WANT IT THERE. Mostly because the books on the shelf are church books and are important to me and I didn’t want the kids to think they owned that too. It turned into an heated discussion ( I did most of the talking). So Christian went and sat on the couch and watched tv…and I went a little ballistic (not gonna lie). Suddenly I was Samson, or Zena, or Goliath, whoever you want to use as a reference. And all 5’1, 98 lbs of me picked up this shelf and carried it up our flight of stairs back into our bedroom. (Christian said he looked over at me and thought, “Kristy’s officially gone crazy.”) And put it back into our room in a different spot then the original spot picked and started loading the books back on it. It’s not the most attractive thing in our room, however it’s not in the way and it’s in a decent spot where the books are accessible. Moral of the story: well, there is none. But it does remind me of people who suddenly have super human strength and can lift cars to save children. Not quite the same, but whatever. rawr.

Houdini

Oh, just a little update… Landen hates sleeping. He wakes up at least once a night crying for me. It’s getting EXHAUSTING. It’s always around 3 am and the little stinker learned how to CRAWL. OUT. OF. HIS. CRIB!! Yes… you heard me right. The first night (Saturday) was his first attempt. He fell, but nevertheless, succeeded. Then last night (Sunday) he apparently succeeded without falling and hurting himself because the next thing I knew my door was opening and I assumed it was Mia. But as soon as I heard his little run and the sound of his diaper, I knew it was him. I was absolutely baffled. This little guy is so determined to sleep with me and be with me 24/7 that he has risked life and limb. What a stinker. So now what!? Do we put him in a toddler bed and let him escape all the time? Or do we keep the crib up and let him break his neck trying to get out all of the time.  I know what you’re thinking, it’s a lose - lose situation. I agree. I guess it’s probably time for a toddler bed and we’ll just put one of those baby proofing door knobs on his door. That’ll teach you, Houdini.

MY FAVORITES part 2

I was just sitting around thinking about some of my favorite stuff. I blogged about some of my favorites awhile back… here’s a new list cause I’m bored:) Plus, I’m always curious as to what other people love and swear by. Feel free to comment and share as to what you can’t live without!

Some of my personal favorite things are:

SCENTS

Right now I’m in love with the perfume Moon Sparkle by Escada. My friend Erica wore it on a play date and I was hooked after smelling it (I’m creepy, I know). It’s really light and fruity/floral. Perfect for spring or summer and not overpowering at all. LOVE IT!

 

I absolutely love candles. I burn them all the time and Christian has only fed this addition during holidays and special occasions. During the winter I love cinnamon and cookie smells. But once it’s spring and summer I love the smells of coconut and the beach. Yankee candles are my absolute favorite to burn. They don’t have that waxy smell in air. They may be overpowering to some, but I love them. I have one called Beach Vacation that is FANTASTIC. I burned it all summer long last year so there is barely any left.

MAKE~UP

This is for sure the time of year to keep up with your toes! I love bright pinks on my piggies. Their just fun and bright. I rarely veer from these bright pinks, but will occasionally wear a red just to mix it up a bit. I don’t think I’ve had “bare toes” since middle school.

 

Maybelline makes really good mascara's at a reasonable price. I personally love Define-A-Lash in Blackest Black. I like it cause it separates all of your lashes and never clumps. I’ve never been a fan of layering a million times to get thick lashes or having to apply that white stuff first and then the black stuff. This stuff does the trick for me!

 

PHYSICAN’S FORMULA 

Anything Physician’s Formula is awesome ( in my opinion). It’s a little more then I like to spend but it lasts awhile too. If you want that natural bronzed look they have the BAKED bronzer and it gives you a little bit of a natural glow. Also, one of my favorite things about their bronzers are that they are Matte. Which means there is NO SHIMMER in there. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to look like Edward when I step in the sun so I’m not a big fan of shimmering make up. These have a great color (not orange at all) and they come unsparkled! 

The other of the 2 is their wet/dry eye shadow. These are great because you can use then dry and fast. Or if you want the color to last longer you can wet the applicator and the color stays on for a long time. I love their colors also cause they are more neutral. More browns and earth tones when I think are nice… more subtle and you can wear them anytime!

 

COVERGIRL – They make these little compacts that come in the PERFECT tone for my skin. I have a weird olive color… which actually makes my skin have about 0% red in it. Most people when they tan they have more of a red tone to their skin. My skin however lacks that and it’s been hard to find a make up that will match my skin tone. Covergirl has done it… however! I can only find my specific color – soft honey – at
Wal-Mart.  Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, grocery stores… nada. It’s crazy… but well worth it. If they ever got rid of this I’d be back at square one and I would not be a happy camper.

HAIR TREATMENTS

Yay for 3 minute miracles!!  I use this about once a week in Aussie’s deeeeeeep conditioner. It does wonders for my over processed,damaged, flat ironed, blow-dried hair. Not to mention that I get my hair cut every 4 months… maybe longer. So my ends need a little TLC. This product is fantastic and it also had the fun smell of coconut which I love. :)

To go one step further… Tresemme has a really great hot oil treatment that is self-warming. It’s awesome cause you don’t have to heat up a cup of water, put the tube in and wait. You just apply it right to your hair for 1 minute and voila!  Your hair looks soooo much better then all the damage that has been applied to it. If your hair tends to be greasy, I would steer clear of the roots and only treat the middle and ends. But this always helps whenever my hair feels dried out. You can usually find this at ULTA but I haven’t been able to find it many other places.

HEALTH

Emergen-C!! Made from the best stuff on earth… sorry Snapple. But if you’re ever feeling sick or the beginnings of a cold. I just pour a Dixie cup size amount of water, pour this powder in and watch it fizz. It works immediately and what’s great is that it has a natural energy booster along with all the Vitamin C and minerals. You can find a big box of these anywhere in their vitamin section or you can buy the generic brands that Target offers for cheaper. Definitely worth it during cold season though.

I am the allergy QUEEN! I didn’t have allergies as a kid but the older I’ve gotten the worse it’s gotten. It got so bad that 2 springs in a row I would get massive ear aches and swelling in my throat. Ok… it was time to take action. Here is what I do to overcome and be comfortable all spring/summer/fall… yes, it is that bad. Winter is the only time I get relief.

ZYRTEC – this WILL make you ridiculously drowsy. I take this at night around 8-9pm. It helps sooo much. I’ve tried prescriptions such as Allegra. This stuff is so much better. Just make sure you take it at night (I only take 1/2 a pill because it makes me that drowsy).

CLARITIN – I take one Claritin in the morning. Considering both of these products are 24 hours I take them at separate times. But as a team they work wonders.

NASANOX – This particular nasal spray is a prescription. I’m NOT a fan of doctors. Mostly cause I don’t like finding a sitter for the kids. But this stuff helps me so much that it’s worth it. It helps my sinus’s from going crazy and causing me pain, headaches, and swelling.

SUDAFED – not that PE crap… the real stuff you get behind the pharmacist counter. I don’t take this daily or regularly, but if I’m having issues I usually pop 1 or 2 of these bad boys and I’m back to business. *HOWEVER* it will keep you up at night so don’t take it close to bedtime.

GLEE

 

Need I say more?! This show is so hilarious. I’m so glad it’s back!

… OK, since I just obsessed about the things I love, I thought I’d share a few things my family loves…

LANDEN 

BALLS! This kid is obsessed with balls. A few of his favorite things to do with them is to a. throw them at your face… and yes he has a good arm and yes he has good aim. You will frequently see me covering my face when he has a ball cause he loves to try and peg me. A few of the words he’s started saying (FINALLY) …

“BA” – ball minus the ll’s
”OH THIS!” – he’s been saying this for awhile. it’s sort of his trademark.
”HI”
”BYE”
”ALL DONE” – which he said today only because I asked him if he wanted to finish his nap.

2 of his other favorite things: his faux hawk. Loves it. When I finish doing his hair he looks in the mirror and nods. He will even bring me the pomade to do his hair with. And the other… cologne. He loves to smell Christian’s Cool Water and go “mmmmmm”. We even sprayed him for church. Little Stud.

MIA

Candy. The End. This child is Obsessed. It’s frustrating at times to get her to eat something healthy. As Christian would say, “She got it honest.” She didn’t have a chance between him and I.
She does love all of her kitties – she has about a million and a half of those Littlest Pet Shop kitties. She is in love with those. She asks all the time for a real kitty. Maybe one day… maybe.

KALEA

This is what she does all day and even when she’s supposed to be sleeping. She has learned to spell so many words just by sounding them out. She is determined to write, draw, and be creative. As long as this child has a pencil, paper, or some markers… she’s a happy girl. Kalea still has the sweetest most tender heart of anyone I know. She’ll even write us letters when she’s in trouble and express how sorry she is. However, she likes to spell Kristy instead of Mommy which I’m trying to get her to steer clear from calling me by my first name.

CHRISTIAN

Our yard is his baby. He has worked long and hard since we’ve moved in to make it perfect. As soon as he comes home from work, he comes in and says hi and them announces “who wants to go outside” which is exactly where everyone heads while daddy does his yard work. We love the time we spend outside together and the kids really love helping planting and watering the flowers and garden. Christian’s grass is so thick people are constantly complimenting him on it. He seeded it himself and I like to call it his grass toupee. Christian’s other most favorite thing are his basketball shorts. He wears them every second he can. He’d wear them to work if he could cause he’s nuts. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to wear something nicer when we go places. I’ve pretty much given up trying. You love those things about the other person, even if it drives you nuts…. cause those will be the things you’ll remember when you’re old and grey.

HOW CAN I BE

One of my absolute favorite songs. It brings me peace and comfort each time I hear it. You can't help but want to be a better person when you hear something like this. I know it's not something new... but I just thought I'd post it.

TENDER MERCIES

This has quickly become one of my favorite posts from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by Elder Bednar. I hope you enjoy it and know that the Lord knows us each individually and knows our needs.

SIMPSON FAMILY EASTER

We went to the Simpson Homestead on Easter Sunday in between General Conference sessions. The kids have so much fun playing with their cousins and it’s fun to watch them create such great memories. We were able to celebrate the March and April Birthdays (there are so many birthdays, we do them in chunks). Here are a few pictures of mostly our children.

ALSO…. Grandpa Simpson has a cool workshop and not to mention a cool blue truck that was Great Grandpa Helms’ truck. It was a great time to take some pictures of something so awesome right in your backyard.

That’s the last picture…. I promise.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALEA CADENCE

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALEA!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT BIG SISTER AND A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER. WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU ARE IN OUR FAMILY.

HAPPY EASTER