one more project completion.... check!

Once upon a time, we had some friends over for dinner. We had some yummy rolls. The rolls were served on this platter:
My friend asked me if I painted the plate. I laughed at her confidence in me... but later as I was washing it... I thought, "hey, I could paint this!

So I did.

On the wall.

And I had a lot of fun doing it.

Since we moved in almost two years ago, I have been wanting to do something fun and creative with this room. We have been using it as a toy room for a while, but it is pretty cramped in there, since it's just a little closet under the stairs. So thanks to Brittany, I made my decorative decision... and then I actually did it!

This is the view from the family room with the door open:

Since the room is so small I had a hard time getting good angles with the camera. Just use your imagination to turn them all into a panoramic view:






Here's the view if you lay on the floor and look up:

Here are a few close-ups of the smaller paintings:





I added a few little wooden decorations from Roberts:


Our boring white closet under the stairs that evolved into a toy room has now become a mini children's library....
set up with a movie area and all.

It took a lot longer than I planned since I usually only had a chance to paint during nap time, but I had so much fun doing it, so it was worth it!

our trip to arizona

On Friday we left to go to Arizona. The trip was nice and long... especially for Livia! We stayed with Jason's cousin and his wife, Scott and Tiffany. They were so sweet and generous to invite us to stay with them. I realized the morning we left that I never took any pictures of them. It was so fun to get to know them a little better.

Two of my dear mission friends live in the Mesa area, so I was super excited to see them again. Mary Ann was my mission trainer, (aka mi mami) and I haven't seen her since she left Argentina almost 7 years ago. Erika and I were at BYU together, so I've seen her a lot more since the mission. But she's been back in AZ for a while now, so it was so good to see her again and catch up on both their lives. We met for brunch at Crackers and chatted it up!


Mary Ann, Sophie, Joe, Carter (hidden), Chris, Erika, Livia, Sally, Jason, and (a very uncooperative) Sam

After Brunch we went over to Jason's cousin's home for the Cook Family Christmas Reunion. We went to Heath and Michelle's house, and they had a very fun place for little boys! Usually Sam is a little shy at first to play and adventurize.... not at this place! He was quite excited to see this little site:


Heath recently bought these three giant toys from a rental company that was going out of business.... which means we'll get to see these little beauties every time we go down for a Cook Family Reunion!
After about an hour or two of bouncing and sliding fun.... Sam made a new discovery:

He drove this little toy around for another hour... and eventually let his cousin, Brigham, hop on for a ride. I was really surprised with how well he handled it. He learned to put it in reverse if he got stuck and was able to follow the curves of the paved path he liked to drive on.
Meanwhile Jason found some exciting times at the basketball court. He even won a game of Horse.

This is the back side of the pool. But it was pretty nippy, so no one jumped in (except for the two teenage girls that spent the entire afternoon making a list of how much everyone would pay them to jump into the pool... which they did after it got dark and even colder. I have no idea how much they made though.... I doubt it was worth it!)
I didn't think to take a picture of the front of the pool until after it was dark, but it was a super awesome pool so sorry for the darkity.

We all gathered inside and began the little program.

Our family sang Jingle Bells as the little boys rang the bells. I had to take pictures, so I couldn't stand up with them and sing.... ;) Way to go Jenny and Brian... you're good sports!

On Monday we went on a little Memory Lane Tour with Jason's parents. It was so neat to see the places that were significant to them in their early marriage. We started at the temple where Jason's dad proposed to Jason's mom... we even got to see the re-enactment! Very cute. Jason got a good picture on his phone of his mom jumping as she said, YES! We also got to see the homes where they both grew up, and the newspaper office where Jason's dad earned enough money for his mission and shared the amazing story that he had there. We saw each of their first apartments and homes, along with the home Dad's parents moved to while he was on his mission and the now-empty lot where Grandma Elsie (Livia's namesake) once lived. Most of the tour was spent in the car, listening to their stories via walkie-talkie. We really enjoyed sharing in their memories and hearing each of their thoughts as they started their life together. Not only was it great to see the sites, but it was also a blessing to hear some of their special experiences that greatly affected their lives and the lives of others.

Jason had some work to do, so after lunch we went back to Scott's house and laid the kids down for naps. Then I had some serious shoe shopping to do.... And let me tell you.... I did it. My friend, Erika, came with me (since she lives a mile away from Scott!) We both thought we might buy one or two pairs at the most.... we walked away with 4 pairs each. (Don't worry Jason, I only spent $50 which is pretty darn good!)

Later that evening was the night that we originally planned to make the trip for. Jason's mom's side was having their annual Christmas Family Home Evening. Since there would be 1 or 2 hundred people at the party, it was held at the church. We knew we wouldn't get to see Grandpa and Grandma Schlink much there, so we stopped by their house earlier on Monday to visit with them. They are such a sweet couple! They have been married for less than 10 years (Jason's Grandma passed away in the late 90's) and they are so good for each other. Grandma Jane was so excited to get toys for the kids and hold them and hug them. I forgot to get a picture of the little car ramp that Sam played with the entire time we were there.





We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives. It was such a blessing to be able to see them (and in my case meet some of them!) and to enjoy a portion of this Christmas season with them. We look forward to going again some year, hopefully not too many years away.
It was a great start to a great Holiday Season!

don't cry for me...

Argentina... a very different (from what I am used to) and amazing place. A country that I love and whose people I love even more. (Most of them anyway....)
Today is the 6th anniversary of my return from Argentina. Yesterday marked the day that I left that awesome place. I left at 10:30 pm as scared to leave as I was to come! After 18 months of always having someone around... I had to fly halfway across the world by myself. I sat next to an 80-something year old grandpa who didn't speak Spanish (my English was a bit rough by then) and was hard of hearing. He finally just went to sleep.... I took the hint. And the tears rolled down my cheek as I watched the lights of Buenos Aires diminish from my sights. I wondered then, and I wonder still, will I ever see those lights again? It was bittersweet.
After 24 hours of airports and airplanes... I arrived in Bismarck, North Dakota.... only to be greeted by most of my extended family and several members of the Bismarck Ward. I was reminded how blessed I was to have such dear family and friends!
And I am still blessed by those same people! And more! I am blessed for the amazing time I had in Buenos Aires and I wouldn't change my decision to go on a mission for anything!

Here are a few photos I pulled from a mission friend's facebook page... sorry for the mini-ness of them all.

bye bye love...

...sac that is.

Yes, it is true. After almost 5 years we have decided to sell our CuddleBag.

On February 14, 2005, Jason said he had our first Valentine's Day all planned out. It was a Monday, so after we got home from school, I asked him what our plans were. He told me to tell him my thoughts on his plan.
The plan:
We buy a big love sac, buy a movie with our Ultimate Electronics Gift Card we got as a wedding present, then watch that movie on our new love sac.
I was a little hesitant since love sacs were not cheap... and we were poor students.
The decision-maker:
We put a 'yes' and a 'no' in a little box and Jason picked one to tell us if we should buy one or not.
As he reached in and grabbed one, I saw 'yes' on the paper that he did not pick... and I made a disappointed face.... so he dropped it, and grabbed the other one.
The decision:
Yeah! Jason picked the one that said 'yes' so we knew that's what we were going to do!
The result:
The purchasing of an 8-foot CuddleBag.

It has pretty much always taken up most of whichever room it has been kept in. So we decided a few days ago that it was time to sell it. Later that day, a lady came and took it away. We were sad, but lately it has not been used at all, and it seemed to be mostly in the way.
And trust me.... it is a beast to move.

So, fare well, dear cuddle bag... you will be missed.

silly turkeyness

I have officially hosted my first Thanksgiving. Let's just say I'm glad that only 14 people were affected, and I won't be surprised if my sisters strongly suggest that someone else host from now on.
Ok, so it wasn't horrible, but the turkey was a little dry and over cooked in my opinion. Jason said it tasted great, but I think he knew that he had to tell me that since he's my husband.
Thankfully my mother-in-law was available that morning to walk me through the whole turkey-going-in-the-oven process. Then, my brother-in-law, Ron, assisted in the whole turkey-coming-out-of-the-oven process.
I'm embarrassed to say that I've never even made mashed potatoes! So clearly I needed help in that department as well. Thank you Ron and Ronda and Dan and Leesa for all your help!




The kids had to stay in the kitchen... for obvious reasons!

Adam and Brynja even had their own little table.

And did I mention I only have enough silverware to feed 8 people? This was the silverware tray before we even got to the pie! Thank goodness for plastic forks!

Maybe by the next time I get to host I will be a little better equipped for such an occasion! But even without the proper dishware and seating, it was so nice to be with 2 of my 3 sisters (Swensons and mom and dad, we really missed you!) We enjoyed the day together and I am so grateful for my family and the closeness we share. I have the best family ever!
(Then to make my day even better, Ronda invited Sam to go to her house for a couple of days... I don't think she realized at the time what she was in for though!) Thanks Ronda! It's always nice to get a break from a 3 year old!

5 years

This past Friday Jason and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary. It was my turn to plan our celebration. We had an awesome weekend together, and we both feel that the time we had together really refreshed our relationship. (Thanks to Jason's parents for watching the kids, and to Ronda who offered to watch them and was very willing to do so as well.)

We started off our date by checking into the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake.





I didn't have any specific plans for dinner that night. I left that up to Jason. Instead of eating right then, he thought we should go to a movie. He suggested New Moon. (How many women out there are so super jealous right now?)

We quickly bought tickets online and ran out the door since we only had about 20 minutes to get to the Gateway and find parking! But we made it!

After the movie, we walked around the Gateway looking for a place to eat dinner. We were hoping for a nice steak...

We got it. And it. was. delicious.

We returned to the hotel and took a quick dip in the hot tub.

The rest of the evening is none of your business.

The next morning was so nice because we didn't wake up to a loud child, a crying baby, or a noisy dog! (Perfect!)

Since the hotel wanted $13 for each Continental Breakfast (and I always thought "continental" meant free) we decided to make a quick run to my personal favorite...


By the time I returned to the hotel, I found Jason watching this:

Because he thought I would like to watch it. Isn't he so sweet?

We needed to check out by noon, so we eventually got showered and ready for the day. We went to the Salt Lake Temple and enjoyed the peace there as we did a session.


We also planned on going target shooting, but the weather was a little cold for that activity, so we're hoping to do that sometime soon.

The only disappointing part of our time together was when it came to an end. But it was nice to see the kids. I guess.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary Jason! I love you more and more every year we have together! I am so blessed to have you forever!