Which one?

So I'm getting my hair cut this friday and I need people to tell me which style is best. Elijah wanted me to get bangs, but I'll only get them if they're side-swept. And it has to be long enough for me to pull it back somehow. Ignore the blonde hair on the second picture because I might just get some very subtle blonde/caramel highlights. Please vote! Oh and sorry the first picture is a little out there but oh well. I liked the hair style.

Before and after

This was posted by a mom on the message board I'm a part of. I thought this was hilarious, and for all the moms out there, you'll DEFINITELY relate with at least 1 item on this list! Enjoy!

When I was younger, I remember receiving the inevitable homework assignment to write an essay on "something I am thankful for." Then I'd spend a lot of time sitting in my room trying to figure out just what in the world that could possibly be; and I'd end up writing down everything I could think of from God to environmental consciousness.
But after having children, my priorities have clearly changed:

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful to have been born the USA, the most powerful free democracy in the world.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for Velcro tennis shoes. As well as saving valuable time, now I can hear the sound of my son taking off his shoes -- which gives me three extra seconds to activate the safety locks on the back seat windows right before he hurls them out of the car and onto the freeway.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the recycling program which will preserve our natural resources and prevent the overloading of landfills.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for swim diapers because every time my son wanders into water in plain disposables, he ends up wearing a blimp the size of, say, New Jersey, on his bottom.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for fresh, organic vegetables.
AFTER CHILDREN: I am thankful for microwaveable macaroni and cheese - without which my children would be surviving on about three bites of cereal and their own spit.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to obtain a college education and have a higher quality of life than my ancestors.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to finish a complete thought without being interrupted.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for holistic medicine and natural herbs.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for pediatric cough syrup guaranteed to "cause drowsiness" in young children.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for all of the teachers who had taught, encouraged and nurtured me throughout my formative years.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for all of the people at Weight Watcher who let me strip down to pantyhose and a strategically placed scarf before getting on the scale each week.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to vacation in exotic foreign countries so I could experience a different way of life in a new culture.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to have time to make it all the way down the driveway to get the mail.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the Moosewood Vegetarian cookbook.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the Butterball turkey hotline.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for a warm, cozy home to share with my loved ones.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the lock on the bathroom door.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for material objects like custom furniture, a nice car and trendy clothes.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful when the baby spits up and misses my good shoes.

BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for my wonderful family.
AFTER CHILDREN: I am thankful for my wonderful family.

Now share which ones you related with the most!

What happened to LIFE?

No, I'm not wondering about the game LIFE. I'm talking about my life. All the parents's lives out there.
What did we do before we had kids? We wasted our time away with our boyfriends/girlfriends, whenever we felt like it. We spent money on stupid things. We partied and played games until 2 am on the weekends. We did whatever we wanted, right? Do you remember those days???
I certainly do. And I miss it. The other day we were at the Real Salt Lake game with some friends of ours and we didn't get home until after 10pm. That's LATE. Jacen was cranky and cried most of the way home. And by 11pm, when he had gotten his bath and had his bottle, and was tucked in bed, asleep, I sat on the couch and thought... "I'm exhausted!" And it's only 11pm on a saturday night! This should only be the BEGINNING of the night!
Elijah and I then decided to catch up on some of our shows from the DVR... by 11:30pm, we were falling asleep. What's this all about?!
This is the HARDEST thing I've had to learn to adapt to after Jacen came along. No more independency. No more staying up late until the wee hours of the night. Everything revolves around Jacen and his schedule. I think my baby blues lasted longer and hit me harder than I thought because of this. And I want my life back, but when do you REALLY get it back? Does it ever come back?
I know that school and work for both me and Elijah has really put a damper on our lives because we must stick to a strict schedule in order to survive every day. If it wasn't for this strictness, our lives would be a total mess (more than they are right now!)
BUT, please don't get me wrong: having Jacen was the greatest miracle that has ever happened to me (and the BIGGEST surprise of all!). I'm not saying that we don't like having him around, and that he ruined it for us... I'm just saying: does our real life, and our real identities EVER come back?

Mother's Day!

It's so weird to think that three years ago I didn't even THINK of the possibility that I could be a mom so soon. In fact, people would tell me "Happy Mother's Day!" when I wasn't even a mom, and I really didn't care for it. I thought for sure it'd be at least 5 years until I was anywhere close to having a baby. But God works in some mysterious ways, and here I am, having my second Mother's Day.
This is by far the best day of the year I think. I actually believe it's better than my birthday, in my honest opinion. My birthday has lost it's magic, but not Mother's Day: it's designed to relieve stress and bring peace of mind, for at least 24 hrs. Whoever came up with it deserves the Nobel Prize.
I had an awesome Mother's Day! Well, it didn't start out that way, but it ended on a good note at least! I had to work all night (saturday-sunday) and not only was I watching over W4, I had to watch over Special Care Nursery as well. It turned out to be a good night, although it was busy. I should get paid double for doing the job 2 clerks can do! Then I had to drop off a document at the NICU at IMC, so I stopped there on my way home from work.
Then I slept from 8:30am until 3pm. Let me tell ya something: it's SO nice to be able to sleep for that long. It's almost as if I don't sleep that long, I pretty much go through the day in a fog. Got breakfast in bed (oatmeal!) and got ready.
After that, my mom came over so we could call my brother in Japan! It was really nice to be able to talk to him. He's got such a strong testimony, he's totally changed since he's gone on his mission- and it's a change for the better!
As soon as we were done, we headed to Olive Garden for dinner. It was so yummy!


Here's a picture of me with my mom. I love my mom!

Then a picture of Elijah with his mom! So cute!

And a picture of Jacen and me :)

And I had to post this picture cuz I thought it was just absolutely hilarious! Jacen learned to ask "Wads dis?", "Was dat?" (What's this? What's that?) while he points to things, and one of them was that lime. So being the mean mom I am, decided it was time for him to suck on a lime and see how he liked it.... well, we realized he's just like me: he LOVED it!!! And he continued to suck on it for a while! When I was little I used to pull out some tweezers and a slice of a lime, and just pluck out the little fibers, and stick a whole bunch of them in my mouth and then pop all of them at the same time to get the juice. So fun! I just thought I'd share this little story LOL

Anyway, I hope all the moms out there had a fabulous Mother's Day!

H1N1 Influenza A...

or the so called "swine flu" has now hit Utah. It's a combination of pig flu, bird flu, and human flu. YUCK!!!! (every time I hear the term "swine flu" I picture pigs with those old fashioned rubber ice bags on their heads while they have a thermometer in their mouths LOL). I wouldn't worry much if it was like the whooping cough that hit about 5 years ago, but this one is different: it kills healthy, young people. And I am reminded of it every time I check my work email: there are daily updates of what's happening and what we need to be doing to protect ourselves from it (even though I work in maternity, there's always a risk to get it from careless visitors).
I'm shocked at how quickly this thing is spreading. The CDC thinks it's spread to Asia, which scares me even more: my brother's in Japan and he is around a LOT of people all day long! I sent him an email a couple of days ago saying to please "wash your hands, and carry hand sanitizer with you wherever you go, and stay away from people who are coughing or seem sick". Mwahhh!!!!
One of the websites I've visited about this emerging pandemic mention emergency preparedness, and how we need to keep at least 2 weeks of food, water, medication, and necessities at hand just in case this thing explodes and stores close down. Maybe this is what the church has been telling us to prepare for years!
What are your thoughts on this? Am I worried about it for no reason?