Primary

So last year we had a really hard time with our primary class. We teach the 9 year olds (turning 10). Last year we had all girls and it was really rough. They are so chatty and they are just at a hard age where they don't really want to listen and they take some small detail you say and that is all they focus on for the rest of the time. In December we threw a part for the girls because they all memorized their articles of Faith. It was a pretty lame party because only 3 girls showed up and we just decorated cookies and watched Elf but you know, not every party can be awesome! It reminded me of our primary party from the year before with our 6 year olds who we were completely in love with. I never got around to blogging about that so here are some pictures to document! (I got no pictures from this year)

This year has been much better. We have 4 boys and 3 girls and they are so much more behaved than our class last year. It is also easier to teach because we are teaching the old testament so it is more individual stories rather than one long story about the saints moving west (I know it is a very important story, but try filling an hour every Sunday about the facts of the Saints' journey). We are enjoying it much more! We told our class that if they can all do their Articles of Faith this year we will have a pizza party. They are all working really hard!

Warning

Warning. Blog posts ahoy! I have been seriously slacking and I am going to just write like crazy until I get all of the posts done that I need to!

I don't even remember the chronological order so I apologize!

HERE IT GOES!!

Things to Think about

My brain thinks of a lot of weird things. It keeps me entertained though! Here are some of the things I have been thinking about lately:

-Who in the world decided on the UNIVERSAL card size (like credit cards, gift cards, loyalty cards, etc.)
Was it the card company? Was it the wallet companies? And why did they make them that size? Weird.

-I wonder what my sweet little Brynlee is going to have be the "cool things" when she is growing up. Will the "norm" be to wear makeup at 8 years old? Will there be some other nonsense thing that when I was a kid would be unheard of? What will society be in the next 20 years that my daughter and future children are going to have to deal with.

-How do they make KRAFT macaroni so DANG good??

-Am I really getting that old? The other day my Grandma and I were looking for nail stickers. You know, it's just a little pad of stickers that you stick on after your nail polish. Well, they are NOWHERE! We looked at Wal Mart and the dollar store and couldn't even see anything like them. I feel like those are a pretty normal thing but good golly, was that something from back in my day that they don't do anymore?

-What are diapers made of that makes them so expensive?? Gold? DIAMONDS?!

-How do places like Chuck-E-Cheese trick us into paying so much money for tokens? They make it sound so cheap, 22c per token if you buy 150! (we got those for free but just pretend that we bought them) What we ended up with was 600 tickets! That's more than I have ever gotten at a place like that. What we came home with: a little plastic tiara, a pair of too big plastic glasses, a hopper frog thing, a little mini rubber duck, and a pack of fun dip. FOR THIRTY DOLLARS. I know they have to pay to keep the games going, but why don't you just go to the store and spend $30 on actual good quality stuff?? We must be insane.

-Why are baby clothes so expensive? They use sometimes HALF of the fabric and yet, they cost like as much if not more than adult clothes.

-How does the human brain really figure things out? Watching Brynlee figure out how to crawl is so interesting to me. We all learn new things every day, but someone is usually teaching us. How is her body just figuring out that to move she needs to get on her hands and knees? Nobody is showing her or teaching her, she is just figuring it out. It's incredible. And she is learning so fast.

-Why do babies still settle for gross formula once they have had so many other tastes?? It's gross. It smells gross and I'm sure it tastes gross (not going to try it). Brynlee has had juice and every kind of baby food and lots of what we eat, but she still gets so excited when she sees her bottle and guzzles it down. Oh well, to each their own.

-How did facebook just turn 10 when I was looking at people's videos and everyone I know started in 2008? How did it exist for 4 years and nobody really knew about it and then all of a sudden it became this huge thing?? Also, how do you get everyone to join a site like that? Like Google+ tried to be the new facebook but nobody really switched over. How did facebook get everyone in the whole world to switch over from whatever else they were on to start with? The internet is a crazy thing.

Anyways, I'm sure there will be more of these posts. Anybody that reads this have any good "things to think about"?? I always love things that make me think!

Date Night

Spencer and I have really been wanting to go the rec center in Gilbert to play walleyball! We love playing and never really do any physical activity anymore. We have been wanting to go for weeks and have not been able to have anybody watch Brynlee. It just kept falling through. Well, Sunday I was reminded that Spencer has a cousin who is a senior in high school who loves to babysit and basically begged me to babysit! SWEET!! I always forget that she is available! We made the plan for Tuesday and got really excited! It was finally going to happen. Madison comes over and we get all dressed in our walleyball finest! We get to the rec center, walk in, tell the lady we want to play, and she says they don't have any rooms available until after 8....it was 6:45! We couldn't wait that long and didn't want to be out much later than 8:30 anyways so we left. We were seriously so bummed. We decided to just go walk around Superstition mall. We never have the chance to just walk around and browse. We stopped back home, I changed into my cute clothes, and we headed to the mall. It was actually so much fun! We looked at T.J. Maxx, sniffed every candle in Bath and Body Works and even ended up getting two things on sale so we only spend $7! That's unheard of. Then we went and walked around Icing (I know, my hubby is the best!) and just laughed and joked together. We got to walk around holding hands and acting like a real couple! :)

On our way out we stopped back and felt some blankets at T.J. Maxx and got a cheap hamper for our bathroom. We decided we weren't quite ready to go home yet so we stopped and ate ice cream cones at McDonalds and 'people watched'. I love that me and Spencer are actually friends. We seriously just walked around the mall and had the best time! I am so glad we got to go on a date together AND we get to go tomorrow night to the rec center and we are calling to reserve a room! Whitley and Nick agreed to watch Brynlee for us since it's right by their house. They rock!

One other crazy thing from that night. The next morning I was making sure that Spencer was ready to leave for work by going through the checklist. Phone: check. Keys: check. Heart Medicine: check. But then Spencer told me that this morning he realized that he hadn't taken his heart medicine the day before. He felt kind of funny he said but wasn't quite sure why. It actually ended up being a huge blessing in disguise because if we would have been able to play, he probably would have had an episode and it would have really put a downer on our night.

Sometimes the best plans fall through, and you end up doing something BETTER!

Hunter is Pretty Cool

My brother in law Hunter is pretty cool. He is probably the one I know the best and feel the most like he is my brother. This fact is why I am SO SAD that he is leaving on his mission. I am so excited for him and so happy that he is choosing the right, but this is one of those times I wish he wouldn't ;)! (JK!!!! I totally want him to choose the right!). Anyways. This past Sunday he had his farewell talk. I can't believe that in 2 weeks he will be gone. When he got his call it felt like forever until he would be leaving, and yet it has come so so fast! He is going to be an amazing missionary. He is so friendly and genuine. He has a great sense of humor and isn't afraid to be his own crazy self. The people of Poland are really gaining an awesome guy! I am so not looking forward to going to the airport to see him off because I have never done that before and I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I hope I will be just fine, but I'm afraid my new mommy hormones will kick in and I will be a wreck. I am already looking forward to mother's day when we get to skype him...and he hasn't even left yet!!

Brynlee Girl is 6 months old!

I seriously cannot believe how fast time is flying! It has already been

Half A Year

since Brynlee was born.

Brynlee had her Doctor's appointment on Tuesday and these are her stats!:

Weight: 13 lb 6 oz 5th percentile

Length: 24.5 in 5th percentile

Head Circumference: 25th percentile! Guess she has a big head :)

Likes: FOOD. If we are eating, so is she. Sitting up, her binky clip, spitting, being thrown in the air, taking baths, taking naps, water bottles, and ice cream.

Dislikes: Over stimulization, vegetable beef baby food, cold peas, shots, getting stuck, and being alone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

This time has been amazing and terrifying and exhausting and exciting and yucky and adorable all at the same time!! 

I have gone from being my own person to being a provider for 2.

 I have gone from wife to mother. 

I have gone through a lot of things that I could never have dreamed would happen.

 I love someone more than I ever thought would be possible.

 I have fought through pain like I never thought I could. 

I have been patient in times that before Brynlee I would have lost my cool. 

I have cried over silly things that all of a sudden mean more to me because I am a mom. 

I have gone without enough sleep for way too many days in row and still been able to function. 

I can carry more things that three of the old me could carry at once. 

I have learned the art of one armed....everything!

 I have gained muscles in my arms that only being a mom can produce.

 I have willingly acquired more baby items in my home than can fit. 

I have given up a clean home for a home filled with toys and books and blankets and swings and bouncers and bumbos and bottles. 

I have learned the art of sneaking in and out of a sleeping baby's room. 

I have learned the art of changing a diaper without taking off their pants.

 I have accepted my post baby body and love every stretch mark I have. 

I have learned to love the 5 minutes I get in the shower.

I have realized that my work as a mother is never going to end. Even though I am fully grown, the first person I call when I need help, advice, or comfort is my mom.

 I have learned that nap time snuggles on the couch are way more important than anything else I have to do. 

I have learned that I need Spencer.

 I have realized that more people say hello to the baby instead of saying hello to me, and I'm ok with it.

 I have come to an understanding that if the baby is wearing a white onesie, she WILL poop on it. Every time. 

I have seen so many dirty diapers....

 I have been shocked by how much I miss her if we go on a date for 2 hours.

 I have been amazed at how quickly Brynlee picks up new skills. I have watched her go from sleeping and pooping to sitting up and trying to crawl. 

I have learned that a sleeping baby is probably the most peaceful thing.

 I have learned to appreciate silence. There is nothing like the quiet moment when the baby is actually asleep for the night and you sit on the couch and just soak it in. 

I have realized that with a baby to stare at, I can walk almost any distance and love to! 

I have realized that I talk in baby talk and accidentally play peek a boo with Spencer and I'm ok with it.

 I have come to a small understanding of the love my Father in Heaven feels for me. I feel so grateful and blessed that he trusted me with his precious daughter.

 I am in awe of the many miracles I have experienced in the last 6 months and I'm sure I will see many more. 

And Cue adorable pictures!

My ninja baby :)

She kinda likes  herself!

Daddy is training her young. Little gamer girl.

This picture perfectly captures the way her mouth looks when she is talking. She moves it so funny and it cracks us up!

She always takes her morning naps in my bed. This time, it was laying like a big girl!

These are her 6 month pictures we took at the park! That was the only smiling one we got except for on the swing.

Big girl sitting in the high chair!

At work with Daddy :)

Seeing what Daddy does for work.

I'm a Bzz agent

*I received all of these products for free and all thoughts are my own*

So a little while back, I got the urge to go online and sign up for a bunch of those websites that give you free stuff to test out and review. The two main ones that I have been a part of are Bzzagent.com and influenster.com. They are basically the same thing except bzz agent seems you things to try out and get you to talk about it. They send you coupons and things to share with friends and is usually just one thing. Then influenster is a little more generic. They send you a box (voxbox) of stuff and then incentivise you to talk about it by saying that the more you do, the more you get chosen for more things.

From influenster so far I have gotten one voxbox and I have one on the way! My first one wad called the jolly Voxbox and came with a bunch of random stuff. I'm going to review them here just in case anybody wants to try them out!

From being a bzz agent I have received the cottonelle flushable wipes with a bunch of coupons and also a schick Razor. I also have more stuff on the way so stay tuned! Ok here it goes!



This is the Schick Hydro Silk sensitive care razor.
I was using the Gillette Embrace razor before so that is what I have to compare it to.

• First off, it looks WAY prettier than my other one did, so right off the bat, points go to the Schick.
• I love using a new razor so I was excited for this one. It does give you a really nice, soft shave. There is a strip of like protecting gel or something in it that a lot of razors have these days to prevent razor burn. It did it's job! Maaaaaybe a little too well. I had to keep running it under the water so that some of it would wash off because there was so much on my leg that it couldn't really get to the hair. 
• The shave did NOT last very long. Normally if I shave according to my regular habits (like once every 3-4 days) I don't feel prickly until like the third day. With this razor I shaved my legs in the afternoon one day and by the next morning I was already feeling it. 
• The shape is a little weird. My old razor is the one on the bottom in the first picture and see how it has that nice little bump where your finger should go? And also the bumpy handle so you can hold it? The Schick has the opposite shape which I thought might be good too but it was terrible. I was terrified of cutting myself the whole time because I was afraid I was going to drop it.

Overall? I give it a 7. If you want this razor purely to prevent razor burn then buy it. But I still love my Gillette.

This is the Cottonelle Flushable wipes container. The wipes are gone now so this is all I have.

• This is not something I have ever/would have ever bought if I didn't get it for free. The thought of wiping with a wet wipe was not that promising to me. I actually got my mind changed though! I'm just going to be honest here, I felt so clean! I didn't use it every time...but when you do your business, you use a LOT less toilet paper with one of these first.
• The size of them was a little small. They didn't quite cover your whole hand so you had to be a tad careful but it wasn't that bad.
• The container was my biggest complaint. I wish it was like the old ones where they pull out of the top. If a wipe was out of that hole at all the top didn't close all the way and if the next wipe didn't feed through you had to open the bottom, push it out, you know...way more trouble than it's worth.

Overall, I give it an 8. I might actually buy these again if I have coupons!

This is a picture of my voxbox right when I got it.

 

This is NYC color trio eyeshadow. I don't really wear eyeshadow because it annoys me. I did try this though and I liked the colors! They have a nice shimmer to them without being strait up sparkly. 

This is Rimmel London Show Off Lip Laquer. I also don't wear lipstick very often and it's because of the exact reasons why I didn't love this.

• It's SO STICKY. I hate not being able to open my mouth because my lips are glued together with lipstick.
• It smells funny. I am way more of a lip gloss girl. The kind that smells like candy! This just smelled weird.
• It did have a really nice cover though. It didn't make it splotchy or anything and the shimmer was nice. They gave me a really bad color for my skin tone so I won't continue to use this bottle, but if you don't mind the sticky, you should try this!

Overall, I give it a 5. Minus the sticky? Probably 7.5

They sent me puffs lotion tissues. As you can see from the picture, they have been used. To me it was just a normal pack of wipes that you can take with you. The only difference was they were sturdy. Lots of times the tissues in these packs are a little...wimpy. These ones were lotiony and thick and much nicer to use. The downside to that is it feels like there are less in a pack because each one takes up more space.

Overall: 9. Who doesn't love a good tissue!

They sent me a roll of mini duckling duck tape! I am not in love with the pattern I got, but it's such a cute little roll! I honestly haven't opened it yet. It is sitting in my craft drawer waiting for a project to come along that I can use it for. I saw some things that other people did with it though and it looks like you can do so many things because the strip is so skinny it is easier to work with.

 

I don't have my own picture of these, but that is because they were gone too quick to get a picture! These were my favorite part of the voxbox! I was a little nervous because it looks like chocolate for dieters and hey...I don't diet. I like my chocolate! But I was pleasantly surprised by how seriously good these were. There are three little squares in each pack and each pack has only 130 calories. It is the perfect amount of chocolate to fill a craving without throwing you into a guilt spiral. The chocolate was really smooth and they tasted so yummy. If you are someone who likes to eat chocolate but probably shouldn't, these are a good thing for you! I highly recommend them!

My rating: 10!

So that is my review of the things I have gotten so far! I will update when my new stuff gets here! :)

*I received all of these products for free and all thoughts are my own*