The past several months

Hello People. Well, A LOT has happened these past few months. Here's a quick hi-lite of the important events...

#1 We bought a house.

As you can see we are still working on making it more homey and not so cold and bare. This last picture is what our spare room looked like for the longest time. I am happy to say that it now looks better.

I hope to post more pictures as our house evolves into a very Josliny space. I have a million projects I want to get done before the baby comes. Oh, and speaking of baby....


#2 We got pregnant.
(in realty, this happened BEFORE we bought a house, but the house took precedence at the time).

I thought for sure it was going to be a boy this time, but when we had our ultrasound the doctor said he was 98%  sure that it's going to be a GIRL again. I can deal with girls.

We are due August 10 (the day before our anniversary....I guess we'll never be home for this kid's bday).

I was going to post a picture of this baby, but I think you've seen a ultrasound before, right?


#3 Sophie has turned THREE YEARS OLD!!

Our Soph is a BIG GIRL now. She is becoming more independent each day. She now insists on putting her clothes on by herself until she gets too frustrated when she can't find her arm hole. She is very good about taking her cereal bowl to the sink when she is done and washing her hands after dinner. The amount of tantrums we've had has lessened (thank goodness!) and she has learned to play by herself since we've moved to a place that has some good digging ground. She thinks the name of the baby in Mommy's tummy is Alex. She recognizes Adele's voice every time she hears one of her songs on the radio. She loves dancing herself to some Star Wars Disco Funk.

RECALL NOTICE

For Immediate Release
January, 2012


Lucasfilm is recalling certain episodes of its Star Wars Saga released between 1999 and the present, citing numerous safety and continuity issues identified by consumers. Major issues cited included:

Small children and Star Wars veterans may choke on loose plots and flimsy characters;
Overly flashy packaging and animations may cause epileptic seizures;
The brakes are known to not work, as it just keeps going and going and won't stop;
General inability to deliver on expectations or to perform per previously set standards;

Specific episodes in question are episodes #1, 2, and 3, and any current or future variations on these. Some recent revisions to episodes 4, 5, and 6, released in the late 1990s, are also in question. Consumers are strongly cautioned to stick with the original episodes (#4, 5, and 6, produced before 1997), and to avoid newer revisions and episodes if at all possible. Parents are strongly cautioned to limit or prevent their childrens' exposure to the questionable episodes as well.

Please send your copies of the Episodes in question to George Lucas, and include a copy of this notice with your request for a refund.

(By Dave)

Count Your Blessings!

just do it!

Christmas with the Delicious Bass

...that title may or may not be misleading.

This is Sophie (oh, really?) on a Merry-Go-Round at the Bass Pro Shop.
Which is now my new favorite Christmas Location.

Lindsey Insight Coming Your Way....

We have all said it at one point or another in our lives. 

"Sorry my house is dirty."

"The house is a mess, but come on in!"

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

Okay, so maybe not the last one, but you'll see what I mean in a minute.

The past couple weeks I can count three different times when someone apologized for the mess in their house. I would like to make a public announcement about these Dirty House Statements. When you say your house is dirty all you are doing is drawing more attention to the Mess. (Gasp!) And here's another weird thing: Those three times I was in someone else's home, I didn't even NOTICE the mess until they said something! It's the same concept as "Don't look at the elephant in the corner." What are you going to do when someone says that to you? You're going to look at the pachyderm, of course! 

So let's look at Dirty House Statement #2 "The house is a mess, but come on in!" Do you know what it really means? Either (1) "I would have rather that you called before you stopped by so that I could have made the front room presentable" or (2) "I wouldn't have cleaned this even if you did call before hand, I just would prefer that you don't come in" or (3) "I'm pretending the house isn't normally like this, but it actually is."

Now about Dirty Houses. I can honestly say that I once saw a "Dirty House" and was relieved about it. I once entered a lovely, cozy, well kept home. "This woman obviously has everything pulled together and has an amazing life!" I thought. Then a few weeks later I went over to her house again. It was pretty messy. I sighed within and felt at peace knowing that she wasn't perfect yet.

Conclusion: We do not need to make excuses for our homes when they are messy once in a while. Life happens. We get busy, something throws us off track, our kids are insane.

I definitely am not a clean freak or a perfectly organized CEO of the household. But I have sworn off saying, "Welcome to my home. My house is a mess. Please make yourself comfortable in between yesterday's Squashed Frozen Pizza and my daughter's freshly messed panties."
Okay, actually I may say that one day. But just for kicks.



**This post is not meant to offend anybody on their protocol on inviting people into their homes. Just take it as a general Lindsey opinion on her observations of life.**

The month of November? Oh yes! I love that month.

Thanksgiving Activities:

We had a great day of Giving Thanks down in the Old Pueblo. I have always loved the month of November because it is sandwiched in between Halloween (love) and Christmas (really, really love) and not to mention it is my birthday month. And, of course, Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, here's what happened on that eventful day:

 

Football.

 More Football.

Family Walk.

I love Arizona Thanksgivings. Where else can you spend the whole day outdoors with no jacket?

      

My Birthday!

Yes, I am a quarter of a century old! Hooray!

Check out what my sister, Laura, gave me:

1940's Opera Glasses! What an awesome and completely random gift!

Phantom of the Opera here I come! (That is, when they come to town next and if we ever have money again after our large purchase this month).

Another Sophie Moment

(Dave calls this pic Sophie's Dramatic Teenager Pose)

 So the other day Sophie and I are reading the Barney Opposite Book. We get to this page:

I ask Sophie pointing to the first picture, "What is this?" 

"Bath!" was her reply.

Then I point to Barney toweling off. "What is this one?"

"Cold!"

Yes, Sophie. The opposite of Bath is Cold.

Monkey Prayers

(monkey picture - coming soon!)

So, for today's fun tidbit of raising a toddler:
We were helping Sophie say her prayer tonight, and sometimes she likes to hold her stuffed animals and help them pray. Tonight it was big monkey's turn, and Sophie did a thorough job of it, folding his arms, bowing his head, and repeating the words of the prayer:

Mommy - "Dear Heavenly Father..."
Sophie - "Our dear Father"
Monkey (Sophie in higher-pitched voice) - "Dear Father"
Sophie - "Good Job!!"
Mommy and Daddy - (giggling)

Good to know that Sophie thinks compliments are part of the learning process, so I guess we're doing something right :)

Lindsey-added:
In other news...
The other night we were making brownies and wanted to watch a movie:
Lindsey - "Let's watch Inception or Pride and Prejudice."
Dave - (silence)
Lindsey - (gets out Inception)
Dave - "But I wanted to see Pride and Prejudice."

Here Comes the Bride.

Dave keeps saying, "It's so weird to see Joseph kissing someone. He's still a baby to me!"

This weekend we celebrated the Joseph and Hannah's Wedding! It was a fabulous weekend. Here are a few of my favorite pics...

Brotherly Love.

This is probably my favorite.

This was the best part of the weekend. Seeing this girl show up for her photo shoot in this dress!!! The photo does not do it justice. :)

My two loves. Three if you count the Temple. :)

Things in life that make me happy

#1
This girl. Duh!

#2
Homemade Crockpot Applesauce
Thanks to a certain Hawaiian Friend, the most amazing cinnamon-applely smells have been filling our house. I've already made two batches. This is seriously going to be a new Fall Tradition in this Joslin home.

#3
Time Out for Women
I have some awesome parents that made last weekend possible. All us girls in the Hancock clan ate lots of food, hung out at the mall, and stayed up late talking in the hotel room until the security guard shushed us. Oh yeah, and we listened to some awesome inspirational speakers!

For more TOFW pics, click here.

#4
We're getting closer to our house. I mean seriously close. It's kinda weird. But please--still keep your fingers crossed!

It's all about the lips...