Today I took Devan to the mall the play at the playground because it is SO HOT here! I had been waiting for summer to kick into gear, I just didn't know I had to wait till fall! Anyway- there I was walking around the mall when I approached Old Navy. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the big red clearance sign in the window. I quickly put Devan in a cart and began to shop. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that not only were the clearance racks 50% off- they were an additional 50% off!! Old Navy does this several times per year, but they don't advertise so I'm always excited when I show up and find a great sale.

I looked in the maternity section, but there wasn't much going on there so I started looking for larger sizes in non-maternity clothes. I found with Devan that it's better to plan ahead when it comes to maternity clothes, especially for me because I hate paying full price for anything. So I found some great deals. I mean great. Probably the greatest deal I've ever gotten. Remember the shirt I got for $.39 at Target? I did way better.

One shirt I found was marked down to $1.99. I was pretty excited because it was a plain white t-shirt and you can never have enough of those. When I went to pay, this particular shirt came up as $.05! Yeah. Five cents! The cashier checked it and said it was right so I went along with it. I also bought several other shirts for $.99, $1.97, and $1.49. And these are not some of the weird shirts Old Navy often has, or the shirts with "Old Navy" printed on the front. These were all plain colored t-shirts that you can wear with just about anything.

Unfortunately this sale was only on Mens and Womens. The little girls clearance section was the usual 50% off. The moral of this post is to get to Old Navy fast if you want to save some money!

And for those of you who will make fun of me for being so crazy about finding good deals, let me leave you with a quote from Brigham Young:

"If you want to get rich, save what you get. A fool can earn money; but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage".

I think buying a new shirt for $.05 is disposing of my money to my advantage. You can't even buy a used shirt at a thrift store for that much. Or a garage sale. Believe me, I've looked.

Every Sunday the youth stand up and we all recite "The Purpose of the Aaronic Priesthood":

* Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live its teachings.
* Serve faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.
* Give meaningful service.
* Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.
* Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission.
* Obtain as much education as possible.
* Prepare to become a worthy husband and father.
* Give proper respect to women, girls, and children.

I feel that I have done, and continue to do, all of these things, but one. Every time I hear "Obtain as much education as possible" I always feel a pang of guilt. I did well in High School, mostly without trying, and then went to UCLA and now I work full time. I am busy with work, church callings and a growing family, and I used those as an excuse to not go back to school.

But as I sat looking at my degree hanging on the wall, listen to the "Purpose" and think about the future I feel this pressing need to go back to school. I would love to have an MBA. I have procrastinated enough.

I long for the challenges of academia and the rigors of scholarly pursuits. It keeps the mind sharp and increases future potential.

OBTAIN AS MUCH EDUCATION AS POSSIBLE!

(John holding Devan in our trusty green recliner. One of the few pictures where she wasn't screaming. Boy am I looking forward to having a good camera this time around!)

So my doctor told me I could take Tylenol and all it's derivatives during pregnancy. This includes Tylenol PM. Those of you that read my Car Wash post know that my mind doesn't stop, not even for bedtime. So I thought I'd give Tylenol PM a try. Last night I got a little curious and googled the question "How does Tylenol PM work?", not wanting to know how effective it was, but rather how it could cause drowsiness but still be OK to take during pregnancy. What I found was that most people were interested in how effective it was, and one response in particular made me laugh out loud.

I was looking in Yahoo answers where someone asked "How well does Tylenol PM work?" This got many responses, but this was my favorite.

Every time my car gets really dirty and it's time to get it washed, my mind explodes with all kinds of crazy thoughts. This is usually how it goes.

1) I start thinking about how I am so not a "car wash" girl. I am a "wash my car myself" kind of girl. I hate spending money on something I can easily do myself.

2) The problem with #1 is that I live in an apartment where it's a little harder to wash your own car. They have water you can use but you need to have your own hose. I know. Lame. Where am I going to keep a hose? Under my bed? So then I think that washing my car at my apartment/buying a hose is out of the picture. Which brings me to thought #3.

3) I can wash my car at my Mom's house. The problem with this is that I don't know when I'll be there next. Also, when we do go we usually take John's car b/c it costs half as much to fill up. So eventually I decide that washing my car at my Mom's will probably not work out.

4) Okay, I guess I can go to the car wash. I always spend the most time on this thought because I had a bad experience at a car wash in the past. A few years ago before we had Devan I had a brand new special edition civic that I LOVED. It was my first new car, and first non-American car, which made me love it even more. I decided to take it to the car wash on my way to school one day. The car wash was right next to our apartment and it looked empty so I thought it would be quick. To make a long story short, they drove my car into the car ahead of it while it was coming out of the wash! I cannot even begin to tell you how irate this made me. And the worst part was that they didn't even offer to refund me my money, I had to ASK for a refund! They paid for the repairs but that's all. If I owned a car wash and one of my employees did that, I would be offering the customer free car washes for life, at least!! One more reason why I hesitate to go to the car wash.

5) So once I finally decide to go to the car wash, like everything else in my life I try to find the best deal. I will collect all the car wash coupons I can find. Usually I find several in those money mailer things that come with your mail. So once I find a good coupon I check out the place first. For instance, the car wash closest to our apartment has a special on Wednesdays where every car wash is $2 off.

6)Tipping. I agonize over this. How much should I tip? This thought alone almost makes me back out of the whole thing. Part of me feels like they shouldn't get much because it's their job, and part of me thinks they really need the money more than I do and I have a van and it's hot outside etc, etc. And then I'm in a part of Orange County where the car wash guys are probably used to getting big tips. And then I feel bad because my car was a gift and theres no way I'd have this fancy of a car if I were paying for it and I don't want them thinking that I can afford to tip them more because I really can't! So today I tipped the guy $3. I felt like it was enough until I saw the girl sitting next to me with her claim ticket and a 5 dollar bill. And she had a tiny car. Oh well.

Have you ever wished you could just stop thinking for a while? I wish this every day but my mind just keeps going. How much do YOU tip the car wash guys??

The other day I was listening to Carrie Underwood's version of the song "I'll Stand By You". I have heard this song many, many times before, but this time it was different. All of the sudden it made sense- this song is clearly about a parent/child relationship! Maybe I missed this all along, but it's very clear to me now. I cant listen to it without thinking of Devan. It makes me cry every time. I think it perfectly depicts how every mother feels about their children.
(the video)

I love you Devan!

Foods I crave:

Otter Pops
Starbursts
Fruit Roll Ups
Smoothies
Subway sandwiches

Food aversions:

Anything else.

I guess I can't complain. My nausea isn't so bad that I can't eat anything- it's just bad enough that I can only eat certain foods. The good news on the topic of pregnancy is that I found a doctor I really like. He's from New York and comes from a family of OBGYN's and even has a cousin that practices in TO. His office is seriously nice(the waiting room has bottled water on a silver platter and a huge flat screen TV) and he has privileges at 3 local hospitals that are all within a few minutes from me and offer private rooms where your spouse can stay.(The hospital where I delivered Devan didn't offer this. I had a roomate which wasn't the most horrible thing, but I'm definitely looking forward to having my own room this time around). I tend to be a little picky about finding doctors that I like, so I'm really glad I got this one out of the way.

On a side note- like everyone else, we have TV guidelines in our home. Devan is aware of the fact that she is NOT allowed to watch Spongebob Squarepants. Apparently John didn't know this. Last night when I was at enrichment, John said he was getting sick of watching Devan's cartoons and asked her if she wanted to watch Spongebob. Devan shook her head and said "No, Mommy says no Spongebob!" I was so proud of her until he told me that a minute after that she asked to watch it and he said yes. The things they get away with when Mom's not around!

I don't normally drink soda of any kind, but my Mother swears that it helps nausea. She tells me the story of when my sister Quinn was serving her mission in South America she got so sick on a Sunday that her companion called the mission president. The mission president's wife got on the phone and told her companion "I don't care if it's Sunday- go to the store and buy her a coke!"

I heard the same story when I was pregnant with Devan. I couldn't remember if drinking coke helped or not, so I picked up a coke on my way out of the grocery store today. Devan took note as I took my first sip in the car.

Devan: "Mom, I don't like soda".
Me: "I know. I actually don't like it that much, either".
Devan: (placing her hand on her chest)"I am a little girl. I don't eat soda. It makes me sick".

She said it so matter-of-fact I couldn't help but smile. And the coke hasn't done much for my nausea yet.

So- anyone have any good tips on getting rid of nausea?

Here are a few more things I forgot to put on our Christmas lists:

If you don't like it, stop reading! Just a warning.

So, we've been potty training. Devan has been doing great as long as the toilet is in her view and easilly accesible. We get VERY excited when she uses her little toilet. I've been letting her run around naked and moving her toilet a little closer to the actual bathroom every other day or so. This is usually how it goes. She will go pee pee on the toilet and then exclaim, "Mama!! I go pee pee!! Wanna see?" And I get really excited and tell her she's doing a great job. This is also the case when she goes number 2.

This morning she was cracking me up left and right. I was washing dishes and she was sitting on her toilet. I asked her if she was going pee pee and she said, "No, Mama, I farted!! Wanna see?!"

Then later she went pee pee again. After I gave her the usual "You're such a big girl!" speech, I took her tiny toilet bowl out to dump the pee pee in the big toilet and rinse it out. As I was walking to the bathroom she says "That's a lot of pee pee! Daddy's gunna love that!" I couldn't help but laugh. She has gotten into this habit of saying "Daddy's gunna looove this!" When I am cooking dinner it's "Daddy's gunna love this dinner!" Or when I'm folding John's clothes it's "Daddy's gunna love these clothes!" And now, even when he's not home, he loves when she goes pee pee!

I will be keeping the cowboy quilt. I love it. I loved the flannel when I bought it and I love it even more as a quilt.

I also thought about keeping the pink and green one, because there is a spot on the flannel where you can see some of the selvage. In a corner you can see part of the word "Joann". But it is so cute besides that and I think I could get away with it as long as I told the recipient that it was not intentional.

I have also been trying out some new stitches on my machine. So far my favorite is the twirly one. I used it on the pink and green as well as the cowboy quilt. I really like how it turned out and will definitely be using it more in the future.


So, I just need to find some baby showers to go to and I will be on my way to a less fabric filled closet!

Every year I have a hard time coming up with a Christmas list, and inevitably ask for things that I don't really need or really want. This year I am prepared. I have been keeping a list so when my family starts asking I can whip it out and without hesitating know what I want. And for my family- please send me a list! And John is notoriously bad at coming up with (reasonably priced) items. I think the first year we were married I got him a pillow and a plain black sweatshirt. Yeah. I know. Anyway-Here's my list:

Multi-Cooker. Although my current crock pot works just fine, what I'm looking for is something that will work for me on Sunday's. My problem is that I like to have a whole meal cooked when we get home, and when I throw potatoes and vegetables in with the meat, by the time we get home from church they are often over cooked. This one comes with a steaming tray, which would be great for veggies. Has anyone used one like this? Do you like it?

The Egg Cooker. Previously blogged about here.

That Devan is only 2. For instance...

Yesterday, while playing together, Devan said to me

"Where is Daddy, Mama?"

"He's at work today"

"He's at work, again??"

"Yes, he's at work again".

"I really miss him".

"I really miss him, too".

"I know, but I miss him for a long time!"

A few days ago John broke his toe. He was sitting on Devan's bed while she was playing with some toys.

"Come play with me, Dadddy"

" I can't play right now cause I have a boo boo on my toe"

"Daddy, you don't have a boo boo".

"Yes, I do, I broke my toe".

"Daddy, your boo boo is FINE".

Every now and again she will ask about Josh, our real estate agent who's in our ward. She will say things like,

"Mommy, where's Josh? Josh is a nice man. He's helping us find a new house. Right now he's home with his babies. He's nice".

And then after these types of converstations I remember that she is in fact only two years old when she says things like this

"I'm not sorry to you!!"

"I want to go to Grandma's house RIGHT NOW!!"

"Stop that!"

"Don't look at me!"

"Mama, just go to your room!"

" I don't want to go to bed ANY MORE!"

Having Devan has made me realize it was a good thing I made the decision not to spank long before I had a baby, or else she would have a seriously sore butt.

I love you Devan!

The festival is like most other fairs- full of really good smelling food, kettle corn, fresh lemonade and lots and lots of vendors. What's unique to this is the ships and pirates. There are lots of pirates walking around, singing, giving tours and handing out gold to the little kids.
And if you are willing to fork out a little money, you can do things like tour the ships and even take a little cruise on the ships and watch them shoot the cannons. (Which inevitably set off several car alarms and make a few little kids cry). There was also a man dressed up as a dolphin and a man with several parrots he was letting the kids hold. And the OC fire department was there letting kids tour the fire truck and handing out hats and stickers. Devan loved her hat the most, I think. All in all it was a fun day, but next year we will be sure to get there earlier in order to get a better parking spot!

And in case you were wondering, John hiked back up that steep hill to get the car so Devan and I wouldn't have to. Thanks hubby!!

That's what I think EVERY time I take Devan to a playground, either in a mall or outdoors. And it seems every time I bring something like this up among other mothers, they all feel the same way. So why is it that every time I take Devan to a playground there is some kid who is being mean, some kid who is WAY too big to be in the playground, girls that are being bratty and about 15 school aged kids running a marathon around the poor little toddlers?! It drives me crazy!

Today I promised Devan I would take her to the mall to play because it's way too hot to play outside. Devan may be a handful at home, but she is generally pretty shy and sweet around other kids. The playground at our mall has an abacus (the wooden bead counter things) that Devan loves. I happened to be sitting right next to it so she just plopped down next to me and started playing with the beads. A few mintues later another little girl who looked maybe a few months older than Devan sat down and began playing also. Not only did she totally dominate the toy, but she kept pushing Devan's hand out of the way and giving her mean looks! Poor Devan was being so nice. Finally I said something to the little girl and she went away for about two minutes and then was right back pushing Devan out of the way. Eventually I told Devan to find something else to play with, and as soon as Devan left, this other little girl left. How rude! This whole incident was probably 10 minutes or so, and I kept looking around hoping the little girl's mother would see what her daughter was doing, but no. Seriously, if this mother was actually watching her daughter, how could she watch her repeatedly push another little girl? And if she wasn't watching her, who zones out for more than 10 minutes?? I start to freak out if Devan is out of my sight for more than 10 seconds! What's wrong with these mothers? Taking your kid to the playground does not mean you are no longer responsible for them!

Thank you for letting me vent, internet!

A little while ago my Mom taught Devan a little song. I'm not sure what the song is officially called, but here is how it goes:

" My Mom gave me a nickel, to buy a pickle
I didn't buy a pickle, I bought some Bubblegum!
Some buh-buh-buh-buh bubble gume, some buh-buh-
buh-buh bubblegum!"

Devan loves this song and sings it all the time. The other day we were in Joann's, or the Ring Pop store to Devan, and we were singing this song. I had just told Devan I would get her a ring pop and she began to sing.

" My Mom gave me a nickel, to buy a pickle
I didn't buy a pickle, I bought a Ring Pop!
A buh -buh-buh-buh- RING POP,
A buh-buh-buh-buh RING POP!"

I started cracking up and tried to explain to her that the song would go something like " A ra-ra-ra-ra ring pop" but she didn't get it. I love my funny girl!

20 years ago I was ... 7 years old and in 2nd grade with my childhood BFF schmath. This would be the last year of our lives we got a ride to school. Starting in 3rd grade we rode our bikes to school every day until high school started, and then we walked. (Schmath, if you are reading, did you know that Cypress was 2 miles each way? 4 miles a day!) We also would soon come up with our "couch bike" idea- a big couch on wheels that had things like heated seats and a homework machine. We had many conversations about the couch bike on the cold mornings riding our bikes to school.

10 years ago I was... 17 and in my senior year of high school. Working at House of Fabrics with all my friends, on the prom committe, senior class secretary and still keeping up my 100% seminary attendance record. Spending the weekends (and sometimes weeknights) at Zuma beach, State Street in Santa Barbara, Universal City Walk, and 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica.

5 years ago I was... Engaged to John and working full time at a Chiropractors office. I was going to school and planning a wedding. Getting ready for life's biggest challenge to date: Reality!!

3 years ago I was...Pregnant with Devan. While pregnant I went parasailing in Miami and spent a week in New York City. It was then that I swore I would never go on vacation during my first trimester again! It's no fun being sick on vacation.

So far this year I have... Had the most stressful experience of my life, moved, been to the beach countless times, been to Kauai for my first time, and made an offer on a house!!

Yesterday I was... at the Urgent Care because I still haven't found doctors down here. Taking care of a sick child and putting my new memory foam mattress topper on my bed! Why didn't I think of this sooner? Seriously, I think last night I got the best nights sleep since before I was married. We bought the 2 inch one, which came with two memory foam pillows for only $70. We (allegedly) saved $260. If you have thought about getting one, I would recommend going for it!

Next year I will... Hopefully be living in a home I own, celebrate my 6th wedding anniversary, have my 10 year HS reunion, become a better cook, seamstress, wife and mother. And maybe even add to our little family!

Thanks, Tricia! That was fun. Oh yeah, and I tag Jackie, Ruth, Schmath, and anyone else!

Please let me know what's worked for you!

Every time I hear someone say the words “I Hate country music” I seriously want to sit down with them and have a nice little chat. This will be long, but please, especially if you are part of the country hating club, read on.

I’ll admit, I was once part of the country hating crowd. I didn’t think I liked country music until I heard a song in High School that I liked. Still, I wasn’t convinced. I liked the song, but wasn’t sure about country music as a whole. I’d say things like “ I don’t like country music, but I do like that one song…” and then it turned in to “ I don’t like country music, but I do like a few songs” and eventually it was “ Yeah, I do kinda like country”.

You see, I was a hip hop/ r&b girl. I am still a hip hop girl at heart. It was almost all I listened to my whole life.(That and DMB!!) I absolutely loved it. I listened to it almost exclusively until I got married. I began to see and feel myself transitioning into a working woman and wife. The more experience I had in the “real world” the more I found myself needing a little more inspiration at the end of the day. And unfortunately, hip hop just wasn’t cutting it. And there was always this little voice in the back of my head reminding me that hip hop really wasn’t making me a better person, or making my world better. It wasn’t easy, or quick, but I can now say that I almost never listen to hip hop anymore, nor do I miss it. (On this topic- I have to say I’m a little worried about Devan. She knows the entire chorus to “Damaged” by Danity Kane and begs for more when the song is over. She’s definitely got my music genes).

So I needed something to fill the void on my drives to work and school everyday and country music was it. I began to notice that the messages in country music were far more applicable to my life than that of hip hop. The more I listened, the more hooked I became. It was like discovering this wonderful world of inspiration that I never knew existed. I often found myself in tears while driving. I was able to repeatedly hear songs with good, wholesome messages about family, God, love, raising children and getting through tough times. Important things, that are not usually included in non-country music, especially hip hop and rap.

I could really go on forever. There are so many songs that have made me cry because the words are so true. Country music makes me feel good, and it makes me want to be a better person- which is far more than I can say about most of the stuff on the radio today. It’s a refreshing and comforting feeling to turn on the radio and be able to hear artists who are not afraid to sing about things like faith, prayer, and God.

Here are a few of my favorites. You HAVE to watch the video for this one. It reminds me so much of John. He has always been so patient with me, and still to this day will go shopping with me to the stores I know he hates. But he still goes and will just wait for me. Even today, we went to the mall and he watched Devan in the playground while I shopped. And I often hear stories of men who fall asleep while their wives are in labor. Not John. He waited for me and Devan, wide awake, from the moment I went into labor. And this video makes me cry every time when I see the old man dressed in white at the end. I know that is how it will be if John passes away before me. I know I will find him dressed in white waiting for me. Watch the video!

Other videos that make me cry:

Just A Dream
There Goes My Life

Watch them. I dare you not to cry!

I'm getting a little bored with posting about Hawaii, so I'm going to post a few more pics and call it a day. If anyone who went on the trip wants copies of any of these, or other photos you know I took but haven't posted, just let me know!

This was a waterfall you could literally just drive up to. Wailua falls? I think.

Waimea Canyon. "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

Devan and her Great Aunt Corinne


Look! I really was there! Our little family.
Our big family.



A local Hannalei shave ice truck



John and Devan

Kipu Falls. These pictures are not the best, mostly because I couldn't get that close. I was also trying to balance on two rocks in the middle of the river. We found this waterfall in our book and it said there was a rope swing there. It also said it was a five minute walk from the main road. Well, there was a rope swing but it was hardly a five minute walk. It was a hike, through wet slippery mud and crazy jungle like foliage that you needed a machete to get through, and then you had to climb over wet slippery rocks and then you got to either jump in the falls via the rope swing or you got to hang out on the rocks, which is what I did. It was probably the worst possible place for a two year old. I was fortunate to be with Tim and John or I never would have made it Carrying Devan, a big beach bag, and my camera bag. Tim took Devan and waltzed over the rocks holding her like he does it every day.

Anyway- here is a shot of Tim. The falls were actually pretty big, even though you can't tell from the photo. And the locals were climbing up in the trees and jumping in off the branches! Crazy.

Adrienne



John



Hilary
Here's a shot of one of the many geckos we found in our house. Devan loved these guys. But she couldn't stand to be too close to them. If you told her there was one on the floor she would bolt for higher ground, usually the couch.

And one more. The house across the street had this beautiful plumeria bush and I got some great shots. This one is my favorite.

That's all for now! Thank you SO MUCH to my amazingly generous in-laws!! It will be years before we can afford to take a trip like this on our own!