WooHoo!

I am so excited that my friend's baby girl is finally here! I don't want to step on Lori's toes and post a picture first but this is for my family who hears me talk about Lori this and Lori that and for the girls in my ward who can't wait to see what she looks like. This picture doesn't do her justice but I didn't take my camera and this is the only one I could snag off a relative's blog that wasn't blurry. She is soooooooooo cute!!!! She was born on Monday evening and weighed 10 lbs 3 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long. I just love her hair!

Check out this Blog!

This lady is so funny! Some of you might have seen or read her articles/posts because she writes for Deseret News. I've read her blog a few times but I think it might become a daily ritual. She also writes about some interesting controversial topics which I enjoy. The following is from yesterday and make sure to check out this post and tell me what you think.

I really mean it this time!

Erin Stewart
DeseretNews.com blogger | Sept. 10, 2009 at 6:34 a.m.

The terrible twos. Somehow they crept into our house while I wasn't looking and now my husband and I are trying to agree on a discipline strategy for our daughter, Nicole.

We've hit some snags on our quest for the perfect discipline plan that will not only make her an adorable toddler and well-adjusted adult, but also make us look like amazing parents. We've gotten a lot of advice from, well, everyone, but nothing seems to fit just right.

One member of my family who will remain nameless (let's just say she may or may not have given birth to me) suggested a stern "No" followed by a classic "I'm going to count to three" maneuver.

This tactic, however, usually ends with me counting ridiculously slowly to three while Nicole misbehaves and laughs. I also throw in a series of escalating threats as I get closer to the dreaded No. 3. It goes something like this:

Me: Nicole, pick up your cup. I'm going to count to three. One. I mean it. Pick it up. Two. I'm really serious now. You're going to get a time out. I'm not joking. Two and a half. OK, no dating when you're in high school. Two and three-quarters. That's it; I'm really not joking this time. OK, there goes college tuition. Three.

I fear that in the end, I'll be left with a child who is grounded until she's 36 and has an irrational fear of the number 3.

We've also employed the tactics of a series called "Love and Logic." Basically, you empower the kid with choices and then deliver immediate and natural consequences when there is misbehavior.

But the trouble is this requires quick thinking. It's not easy to think of common sense, logical consequences for misbehavior when your child is slapping the dog's face while attempting to ride it like a cowgirl.

So what has worked for you? Tell me what discipline methods you've used and why they've worked for your kids. The one that can get my child to dismount from the dog before I count to three wins.

"X" marks the spot

Thursday night we headed up to Jeanette's house in Garland for the weekend and on Friday we went to Bear Lake with Jeanette, Erin, Laura and families. It was really windy when we got there but it calmed down AFTER Tom and Kendall got back from "sailing". I think they were holding on for their lives more than anything hoping the boat wouldn't tip over. Desi LOVED the water, especially splashing and standing on the shore waiting for the next wave to come up. She even got mad when I took her out of the water to warm her up.
Don't worry, I made sure to keep her covered with sunscreen and sometimes a jacket.I just forgot to cover myself with a little something..."X" marks the spot where I didn't get sunburned. And yes it feels as bad as it looks!I think between Kendall, Tom and me, we will be making sure to slather on the sunscreen for this week's campout and I will definitely bring a bottle of vinegar. Who knew it takes the sting out of a sunburn? Thanks again Erin for putting up with the stink of it to put some on my back. (Sammy wanted to be in the picture too.)

Refugees

What a wonderful country we live in! We can say anything and do anything! I take SO MANY things for granted! I'm so thankful that we have soldiers fighting for our freedoms!! These people are very happy to be here but they have no friends and family and they're starting over in a totally different culture. I hope we continue to have some refugees move into the apartments in our ward. They bring such a neat spirit!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6830264

If anyone knows of someone that needs an eagle project, etc this would be GREAT!

Silly Girl

Tom took this video on March 15th of Desi laughing because of the noises I was making. We just can't get enough of her smiles and giggles! (I've been meaning to post these videos but just figured out how.)

Laundry

I recorded this video on May 2nd while I was folding laundry. Desi was laying on the bed watching me and I was flipping the shirts to straighten them/get the wrinkles out. She started giggling when I waved one over her face plus she had the hiccups making it even cuter!

Peekaboo

We recorded Desi playing peekaboo on June 5th. I can't believe how much she's learning and how fast she's growing!