Women's Conference...here I come!

I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I have been secretly hoping for about two weeks that I could go to Women's Conference at BYU next week. Yesterday, Paul called and asked if I wanted to go. He must be working on his good husband skills, because nothing could have made me happier! I have wanted/NEEDED some time to myself for so long. I love our little family, so I need to work on ME a bit in order to give them what they deserve. So, on my first journey to Women's Conference I would love any advice, insight, tips, and I would love to see any of you who will be there! We could have a blogger visit! Anyway, just had to share my happy news. Now I just have to coordinate about one hundred thousand things to pull it off! Wish me luck!

Does anyone know what the dress code to this thing is?

We love our minivans!

I just had to add this link that my cousin sent me. It is so funny and so true that I was laughing out loud! I'm sure it is funnier to those of us who have 2 or more preschoolers, but all should appreciate this for having gone through it, or for anticipating this exciting stage of life! As my wise brother-in-law once said, "embrace the chaos." (It is my new mantra) Click below to view "Mom My Ride" (a play off the Mtv series "Pimp my Ride")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFE3B0Rje0

Put a plug in it!

This is why Nora Jayne never gets to have her "cozy" outside of her crib! She will immediately grab it and start sucking her thumb. I will admit it is very cute, but her thumb is a little raw. Ella had just gotten her out of her crib in this picture and let her bring it downstairs with her. I had to snap this picture before taking the cozy back up to bed!! Advice for new mothers...Choose some sort of little cozy for your new baby and sleep with it in the hospital. From then on always put it in the crib with baby when it's time to sleep. Only let them have it when it's time to sleep, or when they NEED extra comfort. Every babysitter I have had has commented on how easy Nora is to put to bed!

Thoughtfulness...the essence of Good Mail!!

I am still composing my post on good friends, but couldn't wait any longer to praise one. The other day, in the midst of mass chaos, a knock at the door was actually quite unexpected. The package that was sitting at my door was even more unexpected. I was immediately excited because it was a Barnes & Noble box. I was racking my brain to try to remember what I had ordered. "No, they wouldn't send my pre-ordered Harry Potter book yet!" I thought. As I opened the box and read the sweet messages I literally started to cry! I'm not joking. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of my sweet friend Sally. She lives in Idaho and I don't get to see or talk to her near enough. She is one of my favorite people, and one of the most thoughtful. She had seen my post about the upcoming pirate party and sent these two cute books. My kids were thrilled...but not as much as I was. I am more motivated than ever to send "Good Mail" of my own. I'm sure mine will be mostly notes of my thoughts and feelings for people, but that's what touched me the most. So, if any of you are still wondering what Good Mail is, just click on the words and it will take you to a place to learn all about it! Thank you Sally, I love you!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix with pudding (will say that on the box) - I prefer Pillsbury moist supreme.
1 sm. pkg chocolate instant pudding
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3/4 C. water
4 large eggs
1 C. sour cream
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine first 3 ingredients. Stir w/ fork or wire whip to remove large lumps. Add remaining ingredients except choc. chips. Stir until smooth. Stir in choc. chips. Pour into greased/floured (the Pam with flour works awesome) bundt pan. Bake @ 350 for 1 hr. (in my oven I only do 50 min. because it's a fast oven, and also because I like it super moist) Cool 10 min. on a wire rack in the pan. Remove from pan and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

I am not a frosting fan and the beauty of this cake is that it is so moist and delicious that you don't need frosting! ENJOY!!

Dad

Yesterday was my Dad's 70th birthday! I thought about him all day and smiled. I love my Dad so much. He always made me feel important, beautiful, smart, talented, and capable. He still does. I always tell Paul that if I need a quick pick-me-up I just need to call my parents. They shower me with (much undeserved) praise, and always make me feel better about myself. My parents are such genuine people and I think that is the trait I respect and admire most in people. I have many friends, from many backgrounds. A lot of these friends lead lives that are very different from mine, but I learned from my parents that being "real" is what makes connections strong...not being the same. We were blessed with a long string of "visitors/live ins" when I was growing up. There were several exchange students, refugees, unwed mothers, cousins, friends, and even complete strangers that came to live with us for weeks and even months. It was such a blessing to me and I'm sure to them. Our home was always open to anyone who needed a place to stay and a listening ear. I have had so many people throughout my life tell me about the difference my parents made in their lives by being so accepting and willing to help ANYONE!

I could go on and on. But for today I just want to say THANK YOU DAD! I love you so much and KNOW how much you love your kids. As a parent I struggle everyday with knowing if I am doing the right things. I'm sure I don't do it all right, but I do it the way I know how. I know thats what you did for us and I am forever grateful. I hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Birthdays and haircuts!

It has been a BUSY BUSY week! I have already had four meetings and one activity for my new job at church, and now I need to learn how to cook with a dutch oven so I can teach all the girls about it on Wednesday! Other than that, I sprinkled in a get together with friends, having a family over for dinner Friday night, Jack's 5th birthday party on Saturday, and a family party for him today. Unfortunately our camera battery was dead and I didn't get one single picture of Jack and his cute pirate friends at the party. Luckily our video camera was up and running and we got video footage. Some day I will learn how to post video for you to watch. It was hilarious. Our camera was charged today, so I have a couple of pic for you anyway.

Max with his new Summer hair-do! Sorry Mom, I know you like him better with hair, but it was just too bushy! His noggin looked too big for his body!

The boys sharing their Pinata treats!

Jack - in his swimsuit - with his favorite cake (Chocolate chip bundt cake - to die for - I will post the recipe for any interested parties!) That is his cousin (my brother Dave's oldest) Andrew in the background imitating his pose. Yes, these two are related by blood, and yes it is still April here, not August!

I'm still working on my friends and soundtracks posts...look for them soon ...I hope!

Good Mail!!

I am now an official recipient of "good mail." This is an idea (although practiced for years, and by many without a title) that has become quite a little movement. (Thanks to Jill and Kristi) Here is a cute picture of the note and adorable ribbon Kristi sent me to welcome me to the blogging world. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, get to it!! You may want to wait until you have a chunk of time where you don't need to get anything else done. It is an inspiring creative adventure! Thank you SO MUCH Kristi!!

I also wanted to post this picture of Max. He dresses up like a pirate EVERY DAY! This time he couldn't decide between Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow so we got a bit of both! (minus the hook, which has been a staple the last week or so!) The last photo is an old one of both our "priate boys." (sorry about the image quality - it was a cell phone picture) The faces they are pulling crack me up!

Look out Heidi and Giselle...here comes Ella and Macy

On Saturday, Ella and her best little friend Macy decided they wanted to do a fashion show. I was outside with the little kids when they called us in and had us sit down on our assigned seats.

From left to right: Kara, Nora, Jack, Max

We waited anxiously for the descent. (I was filming and taking pictures, Nora was asleep)

The grand entrance!!

Sorry about the blurr....it was a live action shot!

The final pose!

It was so cute and creative. They had the music from "High School Musical" playing. (I love that soundtrack...I am already composing a post about soundtracks...look for it in the future)

I am so grateful for Macy and what a good friend she is for Ella. Ella had such a hard time leaving her best friend Ally in Wisconsin.

I think she never thought she'd find someone she loved as much! Ella and Macy were together Saturday from 9:00am to 8:30 pm and got along the whole time. There is never a squabble when those two are together. They are both such happy and positive girls... and so cute too! Aren't good friends the best? I've been blessed throughout my life with great friends. (I'm composing a post about that too!)

Sunday Shocker!!!

Isn't it funny how quickly life changes? Saturday night I was thinking about how I should post about my Sunday school class (17 year olds) and see if anyone had any advice for me on how to get and keep their attention. Come Sunday morning we get a call from a member of the Bishopric to see if Paul and I could come early. I was sure that they were going to call him to team teach with me since his job in the church is not very demanding. Boy, was I wrong!!

They asked me to be the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidency (the program for girls aged 12-18 in our church). I was not expecting this at all and was actually really enjoying my current job. They asked Paul to come because, for those of you of my same faith, you know how demanding serving in the Young Women's can be. They wanted to make sure it was okay with him!

While we were living in Wisconsin I served as the Young Women's President for three years, with three kids, and a husband that was never home! I actually really enjoyed it and had some of the most incredible girls in my program. I will admit though that it was a big weight lifted when I was released and got to teach Gospel Doctrine for our last year. So, if you would have asked me last week what I would do if I was called to serve in the presidency again now I would have laughed and said, "I would die!"

It's a funny thing how the Lord works though. Sitting there in the Bishop's office, when the words came out of his mouth, I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement! Working with these incredible girls with such potential will be so fulfilling and enlightening. I know that it is the right thing for us right now. It is a big commitment, but one that I think will help me prioritize better. The other kicker is that they want me to go to girls camp for a week in June. Not only do they want me to go, but I will be the Assistant Camp Director. So, now my brain is racing about the logistics of arranging for my kids. I'm still not so sure how happy Paul is about all this. Anyway, any advice, thoughts, encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

On another note, I thought I would post a picture of the invitations I made for the pirate birthday party I am throwing for Jack's 5th birthday on Saturday. I have had repeated requests from friends to post some of my craft projects. (I used to be really crafty... not so much now) At first I hesitaed, but then I thought, "hey, it's my blog and I can do whatever I want!" And since this blogging thing has absolved me of my scrapbooking guilt (meaning I don't do it), I figure it will be a good way to document for the kids the fun things we do.

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my incredibly talented and creative sister-in-law Sue for the wording on the invitation. This is what it says:

Aye Matey. .
Well, shiver me timbers, words goin' round that
Captain Jack be's havin’ a party.
Chart yer course fer the Kelly's
on Satuday, April 21st
We be a meetin’ at 1:00 to 3:00
fer some swashbuckling fun, and grub, kiddie spirits and hidden treasure!
Wave yer flag if ye be attendin’
or have yer mum send message by yer phone to #
xxx-xxxx Sees ye there. . . aarrgghh!

I rolled those up and put them in an empty water bottle. I also have to give credit to my favorite clip art artist Amy Dott Harmer. She has the best stuff and I use the cute images all the time. You can buy her stuff here. Just click on shopping, and then shop by artist. You will see her name at the top of the list. I used that for the card of directions, and the little stickers of the pirates. I will post later about how the party went down.

Crazy hair day!!

I just had to post this picture of Ella after attending a birthday party at a store here called "girly girls". They went and got their nails painted and could choose from one of four hair styles. Ella (not a very girly girl) chose the "rock star" hair style and it was great!! She loved it too until this morning when she woke up and was in tears. He head hurt so bad from all the bobby pins. We quickly took them out and she had a great bath. She is such a fun, good, happy girl. We love her so much!!

This is going to be dangerous

Okay, so now I can't turn off my brain. All I keep thinking about is blogging. I write posts in my head constantly. I'm also trying to figure out if I can create a poll on my sidebar and let you guys help me with decisions, (or just give good advice). Wouldn't that be great? There are so many things I want to document just for myself, and I don't have the time or computer/typing skills to get it all on here. So, you may see several posts/changes a day until I get through this inital "honeymoon" stage!

Anyway, I need some major help on a camera. I HATE mine and therefore I never take pictures. It's really sad, and I want to catch all the funny cute things my kids are doing. I want something that takes a good quality picture, but all I have to do is push the button. I can't stand red-eye, and the thing I hate most about mine is that you have to wait about 20 sec between pics. Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated. (Small enough to carry around in my purse would be good too!)

Quick aside...my grammar and spelling are horrible and I know it. Just chalk it up to one of my many flaws. Funny how secretly I wish I was a great writer!

Well, I am going to post a couple of great pics of the kids (of course). They always make me laugh. They say the funniest things too, so get ready to hear a lot of those on future posts.

Ella and Jack on top of my Dad (Stuart)! I LOVE this picture.

If any picture could top the last one it would be this one! As kids we always walked on my Dad's back, so I love that my kids love to do it. Somehow we caught Jack jumping off at just the right moment.

This is a really old picture of Nora Jayne, but has always been one of my favorites, so I had to share!

See, Arizona really can be beautiful...even in the winter. This was in February. Of course, Max had to have his sword. These Boys!!!

Ella and Jack in front of my favorite Cactus.

Exposing Insecurities ... don't worry...I'll get over it!

Okay, so I keep trying to think about what to post, and how to be witty and creative. It has meant that I think about it and never do it. I will come to grips with the fact that I am not half as fascinating or clever as any of the other blogs that I have been pouring over. So, here I am... take it or leave it. It's funny though, because I have always prided myself on the fact that I have never been one who tries to impress, keep-up, or compare myself with others. This blogging world that I have found has exposed some of my insecurities.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have been checking out lots of different blogs the past week or so. I'll go on some of my friends blogs and click on the links to their friends blogs, and their friends and so on to see how people set theirs up. In so doing I have seen how many amazing, creative, funny, down to earth, good people there are. Of course this is a good thing and it inspires me, but it also makes me realize all the things I should/could be doing as a Mom/individual. I had to shake myself a bit this morning after reading all the Easter posts and all the fabulous traditions and activities everyone was involved in. I just have to remind myself that between the 10 blogs I read, each family does it's own thing, and they were not each doing it all.

I was feeling a bit guilty about our very sparse Easter activities. I'll post some pics of the cute kids. Of course we could never get them all together for a good Easter Sunday picture, but isn't that life? We did some egg coloring, an egg hunt, baskets, and told them the real reason for Easter, but it just didn't seem as "special" as all the other peoples I read about. Okay enough of my pity party.

I must warn you now at the end of this post that I will probably be posting almost daily once I figure this all out. I always have so many thoughts and emotions running through my head, and now I will have a way to get them out. PLEASE, PLEASE, leave comments for me. I still find myself feeling a bit lonely even though we now live closer to family, and comments will make me feel like we are all closer. By the way, my brother Dave and his wife Natalie (who we now live close to) are some of the best people I know. I don't know what I would do without them. Someone once told me when I was little and Dave and I fought a lot, "you guys will be best friends some day." They were right. And it doesn't hurt that his wife is someone that I would call a best friend even if she wasn't married to Dave. Thanks guys! Happy Spring!!


Beautiful Ella! She is an absolute sweetheart!



Hey! At least we got three, all together, looking forward!



And here is number four (Nora) trying to make a break for it!




Sweet Jack and Silly Max!

DIVE RIGHT IN

I guess I better just dive in and not think too much about this. I have been trying for a few days to learn about blogging and how to do it ALL before I even start, but between the kids, the house and Easter I haven't learned much! Anyway, welcome to our family blog - (AKA Kara's blog that will inform you on the whole family)! Hopefully Paul will post every once in a while.

I have been doing random Family updates through email the past 7 years and figure this is a much better idea. This way I only have to force our lives on those who care enough to visit the blog. Also, I am hoping for this to become a good scrapbook/journal for our family since I am no good at either one. Unfortunately for many of you who will visit, I will probably write a lot and often. I hope any of you who visit the blog will also post comments and let me know if you have blogs, or just let me know what you are up to!

Well, that is about it for my first post, but I do want to send out a plea to those who are old pros at blogging. "HELP" I would love it if anyone had some time and could call and walk me through any of the tricks of linking, posting pictures, and adding blogging buddy lists to my blog. Thanks for visiting and hopefully it will be more interesting in the future!