things I'm lovin today

Today has been hard. Portia is still sick, and we spent almost 2 hours in the doctor's office this morning. Those of you with small kids know how un-fun that is. Brandon and I have not been sleeping well, since Portia has been waking up several times a night. Add that to Margot's several times a night, and you get reeeeaaaalllly tired parents.

I was really hoping for a nap this afternoon while these babies were sleeping, but it didn't happen. I was pretty sad. It seems that not much is going right for us, so I decided to write this post about what is.

ahem

Things I'm Lovin Today:

1. Corndogs and a large Dr. Pepper. You know that's right.

2. The fact that Portia only has the flu and not strep throat. I have heard strep is going around, and was worried. But the doc said she is on the tail end of the flu and it should work it's way out of her system in a day or two.

3. The fact that Margot has not caught the flu from her sister. It's really a miracle. None of us got flu shots this years, and I was sure that with the close proximity of these girls, Margot would get sick too. But she hasn't! I think Heavenly Father knew I couldn't handle both of them being sick right now. Either that or she has super powers (forcefield, anyone?)

4. The fact that I get to hang out with my family in Tulsa all next week! Wooo!

5. J. K. Rowling just announced that she is writing another book. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I'll give you a hint: super super happy.

6. America's Next Top Model starts on Wednesday. Bring on the crying!

I feel better already.

forts

The last few days, Portia has been sick. Fever, coughing, nasty stuff. Today she seems to be feeling a bit better, only because I made her a blanket fort.

She loves blanket forts. I made this one a few days ago:

She spent hours in there.

This is what she looks like today:

Falling asleep while watching Curious George on the ipod. Poor thing.

babies, crafts, and romance

Portia is really into "getting married" right now. She loves looking at pictures of weddings, watching movies with weddings, and pretending to get married herself. So when we went to her Valentine's Day party, and there was a dress up bride outfit, Portia was in heaven. So I decided to make her a bride veil and tutu.
It's my first time making tutus, and I think it turned out pretty good! She loves it. She's been prancing around the house talking about her upcoming wedding all day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWl1-fNF_8A

Owen is a little boy her age, who Portia adores!

Sweet babies!

and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

I don't know if any of you watched the Grammys last night; I only caught the very end. Let's just talk about Paul McCartney 's performance of Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/The End. It brought me to tears. And with Joe Walsh, Foo Fighters, and Bruce Springsteen, it was phenomenal.

Apparently, twitter blew up during his performance with teenagers asking who he is. They don't know who Paul McCartney is. Paul McCartney...of the Beatles.

I weep for this generation.

snow babies

Last night was the first snow of the winter!

Portia was so excited! She was cold, but playing and laughing!

Margot was just cold.

In keeping with the theme of Valentines Day in my house...

Pretend I dropped these in the paper sack you decorated on your desk in the 3rd grade:

and my personal favorite:

things I learned while trucking

When I was a little girl, my dad drove a semi for a living. We didn't get to see him a lot, so during the summer, my sisters and I would take turns and go trucking with Dad. We were usually gone about 2 weeks, and we traveled all over the country during that time.

Here are some of the things trucking taught me:

1. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Some of the nicest people in the world are truck stop regulars, and they look terrifying. I remember a guy in Florida who gave me a raisin box full of real shark teeth while I waited for my dad to finish tarping a load. I was a bored little girl and he took the time to stop and entertain me for a bit. I still have those teeth.

2. Sometimes you have to take the scenic route. This is a beautiful country, with some of the prettiest places you'll ever see. Go for a drive, look out the window, stop at the rest stops, enjoy the beauty around you.

3. The best place to eat in Louisiana is the Tiger truck stop. Its a tiny little truck stop/restaurant right off I-10; the owners of the truck stop have live tigers in pens right there on the lot. Get the Crawfish Etouffee. Oh my heavenly stars, it is amazing!

mmmmmmmm

4. Follow the rules of the road. My dad told me enough stories about bad wrecks he's seen to teach me that no matter how annoying I may find the rules, they are for our safety.

5. Ricky Skaggs is a musical genius.

6. My dad is also a genius. Seriously. Close your eyes, point to a random spot on a US map, and my dad can tell you how to get there, right down to the exit number.

7. If you eat a chocolate yoohoo and a crawfish meat pie in one sitting, you throw up.

8. My dad doesn't like it when you throw up right outside the door of the truck.

9. Embrace your weirdness. There is a phenomenon that is not widely known, called "trucking personality." I'll explain. When one is stuck in the cab of a semi for 2 weeks, one begins to lose one's mind. To keep sane, we develop trucking personality. Everyone's trucking personality is different. Daisy talked nonstop, Jeannine read book after book, Carrie sang at the top of her lungs, and I just became weird. Really weird.

10. My dad loves me a lot. He let me spend 2 weeks every summer crammed in his truck, hogging all the room, eating his food, drooling on his pillow, and he never complained.

weirdo

I just found Portia trying to stick a tortilla to the fridge with magnets.

the Daddy-Daughter Dance

This last weekend was the annual Daddy-Daughter Dance in my home stake! My dad used to take my sisters and I every year as kids, but it has been a very long time since we all were able to go together. This year, we made it happen.

My handsome dad and us girls:

Brandon even brought Portia! (Margot stayed at home with Grandma, since she is still a bit too little to enjoy dancing the night away.)

It was a lot of fun. There were a bunch of activities geared for little girls like Portia, like puppet making and balloons, and there was plenty of dancing for us older girls. It was a blast.

Sorry, I didn't take any other pictures; I was too busy shakin my booty.

things I'm lovin today

1. The pajamas my mommy got me for Christmas. They are the comfy and warm and cute, and long enough!!

2. These babies reading books together.

3. Smoked Gouda cheese. Enough said.

4. The awesome nap these babies let me take. I needed it!