*tag* I'm it!

Here are the rules:

1. Go to your my documents/my pictures

2. Go to your sixth file

3. Go to your sixth picture

4. Blog about it

5. Tag six people

There was only one photo in my sixth folder, and it was this one. This is Scarlett drinking a capri sun, on the floor at Payless Shoesource with some sunglasses on. I had just finished rebuilding the display behind her that she completely dis-assembled. I think she may definitely have a future in retail. It is funny, when my mother in law saw this picture, she couldnt tell that it was a capri sun, she thought scarlett was holding a thong. Hahaha.

Scarlett and I LOVE shoe shopping.

I tag RatalieNose, Wendy, Sarah, Allison VP, Camille, and Cat (EthansMommy).

inquiring minds want to know....

(image from here)

So a few posts ago, I mentioned that my parents were in a motorcycle accident. Like the picture above, they decided to take a romantic motorcycle ride to some place near globe for a nice little picnic for Valentine's day. On their way back, they had a tire blow-out. They both were ambulanced and individually helicoptered to the nearest hospital to be checked out, but short of some bumps and scrapes (and some painful road rash on my dad), they are fine and on the mend. My dad hasn't missed any work, and even took Scarlett and I to yard sales on Saturday.

Like I said before, I am so glad they are okay. Of course, all of you who know them, can agree. The Lord knows they have more good works to do, and spared their lives.

A Whole New World

Please Don't Stop the Music (thanks Natalie for the idea)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put your Ipod or other music player on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the NEXT button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got this from.

"Tag, You're it...let's see what ya'll are listening to!"

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY?
Loose Lips (Juno Soundtrack)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Alone (Gina Glocksen)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Garden Grove (Sublime)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Red Shoes (Elvis Costello)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
I'll Cover You-Reprise (Rent Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Smoke two joints (Sublime)-- for those of you wondering, I do NOT smoke pot, its just a funny song.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
(Dancing)Cheek to Cheek (Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Sleeping in (The Postal Service)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pop (Kidz Music)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Can you Feel the Love tonight? (Elton John Lion King)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP??
The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE??
Naive (Lilly Allen)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
The Wobbly Dance (The Wiggles)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

One Song Glory (Rent Soundtrack)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
No One (Alecia Keys)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
(I'm your) Hoochie Coochie Man (Muddy Waters)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Suds in the Bucket (Sara Evans)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Day'N'Nite (Kid Cudi)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
A place in this world (Taylor Swift)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
It Comes and it Goes (Dido- Safe trip home)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Tree Hugger (Juno Soundtrack)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Killing me Softly-Cover (Tori Amos)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Fighter (Christina Aguilera)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Pieces of You (Jewel)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Adia i do believe i failed you (Sarah Mclaughlan)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Reflection (Christina Aguilara from Mulan)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
The Longest Time (Billy Joel)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Take it Away (The Used)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
A Whole New World (Aladin Soundtrack)

I tag anyone who feels like doing this!

I just used my itunes, because I keep misplacing that silly ipod... Have fun!

Scarlett and Skylie

A week ago Saturday we went to a baby shower for my friend Crystal. She is pregnant with a boy. She has a little girl about Scarlett's age, named Skylie.

They had fun playing together.

hair color

brown eyes

All my life, I have never thought there was anything particularly wonderful about having brown eyes. They seemed so common, ordinary, or less than special to me. Perhaps this is because I was born with them, or because most of the people I knew had brown eyes. It was not until my friend Samantha posted this picture of Scarlett, that I realized how magical brown eyes can be.



Her eyes do not always look so brown, so I was somewhat surprised to see this, but it was definitely love at first sight.

Throwing up isn't easy.

this is a picture of my husband when he was well and I was sick. I woke up with the pukey bug on V-day morning. It lasted up through yesterday evening. This morning, I finally woke up NOT feeling like an ailing old woman and thrilled to see that Scarlett is feeling so much better too.

Being sick is THE WORST! Hands down.

I feel like I should update about our Valentine's day. Joe bought me red roses, and a card and a really cute notepad pencil, pocket thing (almost looks like a planner from the outside, but so much more practical for me, because HE KNOWS that i won't ever use a planner, but that i love to doodle down important things that i want/need to remember. I love him so much, that it hurts.

Which is why it is so sad that today at lunch time, Joe came home with the exclamation that he and his boss are also both sick with the stomach flu. It is a NASTY NASTY bug. Sad. My poor Joey is the worst at being sick. He is so pitiful, he just says, "Oh, Molly" in this sad sad voice, like I should just be able to take all of his pain away. I wish I could.

(image from flickr.com)

I love my little family so much. Today was my sister Wendy's B-day, and so we had a little get together at my parents house for her. It was fun to see people, it feels like with all the illness we have been stuck at home for the past week or longer.

(image from here)

I was also surprised but glad to find out that my parents are totally fine, even after a close call on a motorcycle accident on Saturday. That is such a blessing. They are such wonderful people, and I am grateful that the Lord was watching out for and protecting them.

Thank you for being such valiant readers.

SPOTLIGHT- Shumway Family

My brother Adam and I are the two youngest kids in my family. As such, we have had the most years together. I was always glad to have him as an older brother. He paved the way for me in school, by being such a good example, making teachers EXCITED even to have, "Adam's little sister" in their class. Some of the times though, they soon realized that our being related was where most of the similarities end. While Adam has always been a studious, responsible student, I was more of a flibbertigibbet with my head in the clouds. Adam has always been an exemplar of optimal character. A golden child, but also, a really fun person to be around. When he returned from his mission, we had the joy of attending Singles Ward together. There are a lot of good memories from at time. At one point we had to stop sitting together, because people didnt know we were brother and sister, so they wouldn't approach us, thinking we were a couple.

The singles ward was such an interesting place. I was really interested in this guy at one point named Mark. One week, I was standing in the hallway flirting with him, and there was another girl in the hallway with us. Our bishop had just taught us in recent weeks that the way to land a date is to provide the guy with information on things we might like to do, so that then the guy has the option of asking you out to do that, instead of overwhelming the guy by asking him yourself. The girl in the hall had beat me to the punch, and Mark had asked her to go to Carraba's for dinner on Friday. Then he said that his favorite restaurant was Rigatoni's and I quickly said, that I have never been there, and he said, okay, well would you like to go on Saturday? I was glad he had asked and quickly accepted. My brother, Adam was standing in the Hallway, too, next to me, Mark and this girl I did not know at the time. I said, "Hey, Adam, you should ask this girl out!"

Well, as events would turn, this girl, was my now sister-in-law Nikki. She is such an adorable and wonderfully genuine person. She has so much artistic ability, and has such a cute style. Her hair is always fun, and she loves Red, just like me. Adam and Nikki got married the same month as me, though they were engaged much longer than Joe and I (which is normal). The summer before Adam and Nikki got married, Adam decided to go up to Alaska for a season of Salmon fishing. Nikki, so in love, had a hard time with him being gone, but I loved having the chance to spend so much time with her, bonding. I love her so much, and am SO glad to have her as a part of our family. She is just perfect for Adam, and can appreciate all of his fine qualities. The greatest part is that he is the same for her.

They have two beautiful children, both girl and boy versions of their perfection. Karsyn is such a bubble of joy. She is friendly, and outgoing, funny, and so cute. She is also nice and light, which I love... completely opposite of my heavyweight Scarlett who is only two months older than her. Seth Adam came along quickly behind her, and he is such a handsome little guy. He reminds me of how difficult I remember feeling Scarlett being as a baby. She was often gassy and fussy, and I remember just wondering what on earth I was doing wrong, when really, that is just a normal thing for lots of babies. He is just adorable though, and his mommy dresses him so cute. I cant wait to have a little boy of my own just like him.

I love this little family so much, and I am sure you have never seen a better looking bunch!

a GIVEAWAY!

I managed to get to Lana's blog in time to be on the receiving end, so I am going to do this too..

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!

ready, set, GO!

Puking Beauty

My poor little Scarlett has been throwing up all night. From the hours of 12am to 3:30 am she has puked at least 5 times.

This is right after I gave her a tubby and got her dressed. I asked her what she wanted to watch, and she said Ne-Lan (Nei-How Kai-lan on noggin is one of her new faves) I figure if it can teach her Chinese, cool!

She is so pitiful, but beautiful, as you can see.

She DOES have a bed, but it was easier to lay her on the floor so that I could easily sit next to her and hold out the bowl when she needed it, you can see the big red bowl in the pic above. She didn't seem so thrilled that I was documenting this event with pictures, but there was no flash, so I didnt feel like I was inflicting further torture...

Poor sick little girl. (she was giving little half smiles to Little Bill on the TV) I hope she is better tomorrow.

I am also hoping I dont come down with it myself.. Maybe some sleep will help (hope i can sleep)

The Daws

My Sister Wendy is so many things to me. She is my friend, my Nurse, my Second Mommy (in childhood), my shopping companion and one of my people to vent to when things are crazy in my life. I am always glad to be there for her to when she needs me for the same.

She is such a great Mom, not only to her wonderful children, but to the care and aide of anyone who is in need. When I went to the hospital to have Scarlett, I was SO GLAD to have her by my side, watching over me, and understanding all of the technical terms. She was there to assure me that things would be okay when there were complications with my delivery requiring an Emergency C-Section, and was there to remind me that I didnt have to wait to get my wonderful Epidural during those wonderful contractions. She is an RN, and works at the Mayo Clinic, so she knows her stuff, and is the best nurse in the world (in case you were unaware). She is definitely the right person to have in your corner. She brought me good shampoo and conditioner, and two pony tails so I could put my hair in pigtails at the hospital like I wanted. She is such an amazing and loving person.


She has bought Scarlett so many beautiful outfits, and buys clothes for all of our siblings babies. She would never allow any child to go naked, no matter the expense to her. She works so hard, way beyond the call of duty, so that she can give to others, and be there for those in need. She is also very good about knowing the sales on the best quality clothes for bargain prices, which is one of the reasons why I love to shop with her. I love her so much. She is truly one of my very best friends.

Her boys are so handsome. The oldest, Brian III is so smart, and keeps you on your toes, never knowing what new tidbit he has learned, and has to share. Griffin Mazer is so adorable. He is their middle boy. He has so much sparkle and excitement in his eyes, and in EVERYTHING he says and does. Through his eyes you can see all of the wonder and innocence that comes from inside a child. All the world is a stage: to be explored, enjoyed, and played on. Lincoln, their youngest is so strong and tough, as one would have to be as the youngest of 3 boys. He can get hurt and just bounce right back up again. He and Scarlett are very close in age, so I am constantly impressed with his risilience, and easygoing nature, not to mention how strong and limber he is. He is truly all boy.

It is so fun to go to their house, because Scarlett loves to play with their fun toys, her favorites being: The indoor playhouse, and the back yard, equipped with a safe trampoline, and a lots of space to explore. Every day, Scarlett asks me if we can go see Didi(Wendy), Brian, Griffy and Linky, so you know they have made a lasting impression, not only in my mind, but the heart of my two year old.

Wendy's Husband, Brian is such a great guy. He is totally funny, and very knowledgeable about pretty much any topic one might bring up. He also loves to play video games and take his boys on such fun adventures, even long car trips which he will brave on his own sometimes without Wendy.


They are such a beautiful family, and I am so glad to have them, and especially my sister, in my life.

SPOTLIGHT- The Merkleys

Many, Many, years ago, when I was very young, 4 or 5 I think... Someone very special came to live with my family. His name is Rob. To me, he was the essence of fun. He would take me all kinds of fun places, and let me climb all over him and do flips, and let me meet all of his fun friends, and take me to see fun movies. I loved Rob so much, and could not wait to grow up and do all of the fun things that he could do. A year or so later, Rob left on his mission, which to me, was the end of the world. To leave me for two long years, and go all the way across the contry to live in Ohio, seemed like death, to me.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, he was home again. He truly was a part of our family from the day he set foot in our home all of those years before, and is still, and is even more a part of our family now, so many years later.

He, in time met and married his Lovely wife, Autumn, and years later came Xarissa (the x is silent). Then a few years after that, came Ella, and then Maren, and Mallory in that order. They have the most beautiful girls. All so different and uniquely precious. Truly Gems in a crown of glory.Autumn is such an amazing and talented woman. She keeps all those girls in line, hair combed, clean faces, and beautiful smiles. Their kids seem to be rarely sick, and always well taken care of. We went over to their house a few months back, and Scarlett was so happy to be there. She felt like she fit right in with all of those girls, and all of the fun toys they had for her to play with. You can definitely feel the love and happiness, order and unity in their home.

Xarissa, being the oldest, (and was the only for a few years there) is a take-charge kind of gal, and is so very helpful to her family and cousins. She has so many talents, which include singing, art, and conversationlism. Ella, is a beauty, with long beautiful hair. She loves to feel pretty, and can appreciate the joy it brings. She also is a great help with her younger siblings, and is very friendly. Maren, is also so very beautiful, and bubbly. She is quite intuitive, and always manages to find the small things that might need help or attention, and most importantly love. It is hard to keep a cloudy disposition with her around. Mallory, though still very young, and not much of a chatterbox yet, has a sweet and cherry disposition. She is very patient and curious with the world around her. Together they are quite the bouqet of diverse flowers which cast so much beauty out into the world.

I love them all so much. I wish that we would spend more time together, and hope to remedy that in the future, with actions. The Lord blesses our lives in so many ways, with family, and friends who come and nest inside of our hearts for eternity.

scrapblogged

SPOTLIGHT- The BK Shumway Family

Ben and Kim Shumway Family.

Kimberly, Westin Carter, Benjamin, Rhett Kempton, and Sage Wimberly.

Ben and I always had a very close relationship as siblings growing up. He was the one that I could talk to about boys, and would give me the real deal truth about what goes on in the minds of boys.

While on his mission, I had the chance to bond so much with his then girlfriend, now wife, Kimmy. In that time, we became so close, and I prize the strong connection we have with each other. We are so often just on the same wavelength, which is such a great thing. Kim never ceases to amaze me with all of the things she does. She can make awesome headbows for babies and little girls, runs her own Scentsy business out of her home, which is pretty lucritive, and keeps her house so clean even with three children all demanding of her time and attention 24-7. She was the one who encouraged me to make a blog, and now, I dont even know how I lived without one! I definitely thank her for that.

Their kids are so well behaved, it definitely puts mine to shame. At least with their example I have something to aspire to.

Westin is so eloquent, and smart. He is also very observant and honest. I love the beauty of childhood honesty and innocence. I remember the first time he saw one of my tattoos; Of course he doesnt know what a tattoo is, so I said, "Man, it looks like somebody drew on my back with a magic marker!"

Sage is so cute and loves to have people read books with her, and also speaks so clearly. She has cute cowboy boots, and loves to look pretty. She can even walk and play in dress-up shoes, which is impressive to me, as Scarlett doesnt nearly have the balancing skills (nor do I!) to do such things.

That new baby Rhett is SO adorable. Words just cannot express, but of course you can see it in the pics. He seems to be quite patient too, sharing his mommy's attention with two older siblings. He looks so cute in everything he wears, and the other day I was talking to him about how cute he was and he just smiled so big. His mommy told me that most of the time he is pretty reserved with his smiles, and that he smiled at me like I was mom. That made me feel so special.

SPOTLIGHT- The Foot Family

Today I got a CD/Disk with all of the pics from the photo shoot I mentioned in my last post, and so I couldn't help but jump into Photoshop. They have this way of putting artistic filters on the pics to make them look cool and different. So then I had the idea that I could share my edits, and spotlight these wonderful people in my life AT THE SAME TIME! So that is what I am going to do. And so as to show no sort of favoritism (or at least none I would ever admit to) I am going to go in the order the pictures were taken. This may take days, because it takes time to play with the pictures, and for me to write the whole spotlight... but here goes.



This is my sister Sarah and her wonderful Husband Matthew, and two adorable sons, Alexander Matthew and Tyson Joshua. This family is by far the cream of the crop. Sarah and Matthew are both so very talented in so many ways, and I am not saying that in a generic generalized way.

Sarah is: Artistic, Helpful, Energetic, Sympathetic, Caring, Loving, Thoughtful, Organized, and Crafty to name a few of her many wonderful qualities.

Matt is: SUPER SMART, Helpful, Funny, Thoughtful, Hard Working, Sincere, Patient, and Loves my sister so much, makes me love him all the more.

Alex is: Loving, Friendly, Happy, Cheerful, Inventive, Outgoing, Sensitive, Smart, and so Handsome. Alex is a lover. He gives great hugs, smiles, and happiness to all he reaches. He is autistic, which makes certain milestones, and speech and verbal communication more challenging for him, but he has grown and learned and matured so much over the past few years with help from various therapy programs offered in their area, as well as the patience and loving care provided to him by his loving parents.

Tyson is such a sweet boy too. He has the most beautiful eyes, and is very loving and friendly to all he meets. He has some developmental delays, but is progressing rapidly also with therapy programs.

My sister is so amazing to me, with the love that she provides to all she knows, and her strong desire to help everyone around her. She and I have always had a close relationship, and shared a bedroom for many years growing up, which also helped to strengthen our bond. She has so many talents, from Graphic Design to Painting and Drawing, to Arts and Crafts, to painting furniture and kids toys to give them a face lift. I love her so much and am so glad to have her in my life. She is so strong, and I hope one day to be strong, like her.




I've decided that everything looks better with a little more red, and that's why I'm around...

FAMILY PICS

This post contains a lot of pics, but you should have inferred that from the post's title :)

It was a lot of work trying to get a good pose for everyone, and being the youngest and last in line, i think we may have had the worst luck with trying to get a good snapshot of our little family, but the pictures do seem to tell a story, which is, at least entertaining.

























For more pictures of other people that were taken on this blessed event, check out our album on Facebook. Sorry, you have to add me as a friend to see them, as the album is set to private.