Snips & Snails & Puppy Dog Tail...ps: I've been M.I.A.

M.I.A. yes, I haven't posted forever...

I gotta get caught up not only on my blog but on checking on yours! I'm not gonna bore you with tons of pics but we had a great summer...here are a few highlights...

the BEST of all is at the end!

Savannah had a great summer and spent alot of time in the pool! She had an awesome time swimming with her HAST team and swam fast! She also skied behind the boat this year for her first time up in Island Park! Her daddy bought a boat, so she has been getting alot of practice time out on the Utah Lake and at Deer Creek!

First day of 2nd grade! I LOVE school! I am obsessed with making my own lunch. I get up before my alarm goes off - I will never miss the bus! I don't really dig homework because it is still so hot out that I love to play with my cousins and friends after school! 

My name is Lucy, also answer to Laquisha! I had an fantastic summer hanging with all my cousins at my family reunions! My summer goal was to learn how to swim without my floaties and also to learn to write my last name...I had too much fun in the water so now my fall goal is to learn how to write my last name! 

 My first day at pre-school. I miss the kindergarten cut-off by just a few days (what is that...you can hear my mother crying in the back round!). I like to get up everyday with my sister and be ready to go when she leaves the house at 7:30 for the bus...I cry because I can't go with her! I love gymnastics! I love playing barbies with Jilly! I luv riding 4-wheelers in my backyard!

 My name is Jilly and I freaking love cheetos! My nanny brought them to our Park City reunion and I lived on them for 3 days!!! I luv summer because I wear really pretty sun-dresses everyday and I get to boss my doggie Nancy around the backyard!

 I'm currently being potty-trained because my mother blacked out a couple weeks ago because my poops were so disgusting! (sorry!). I am rocking the potty world and currently luv gum and suckers for rewards! My panties are pretty! I luv my sister Lucy, I yell for her all the time!!! I luv to play My Little Pony's and I am very good at causing big scenes at church (not limited to...throwing my sippy cup across many isles, yelling poop during prayers, smacking my mom in the face and last week knocking the bread tray completely onto the floor!). I am a princess...my world is about to be turned upside down...why you ask...

I AM HAVING A BABY BROTHER!!!

I am 15 weeks pregnant and we are so excited to announce we are having a 

BOY 

(oh my heavens I actually typed girl and had to erase it - HA!). 

We are in shock and "freaking out" like Savannah said when she saw the blue cupcakes! 

I am due at the end of February...I am starting to feel better, hence my M.I.A. 

"You are gonna feel so much better mom when that kids gets out of you! - Lucy

"I guess we aren't having any more chicks in this house!" - Lucy

"I'm just telling you Aunt Cami, having a boy is gonna be rough on you!" - My niece Ellie

"Why do you always have to copy me?!" - My sister Jessica (who is due with a BOY in November! And my sister Lindsey is also having a BOY in December!)

Here's to another great adventure...

check IT out!!!

 I started reading the SEGULLAH blog over a year ago because it was introduced to me through Cath. She is an amazing mother and gifted writer. I luv this blog because it is inspiring. It is truth. It is women coming together to share, discuss, support, and believe in the important role of women and mothers in today's society. Not only has it affected me, but I have been able to forward certain articles and thoughts to women I know....and it has touched them.

TODAY they posted a submission that I wrote about a year ago...I would LUV to hear what your thoughts are! Check out their website, no doubt you will love and relate to it too!

click here...MOMENTS

mascara and mothers...

I am a Mother. by Jane Clayson

"You didn't quite look like yourself today," a beautiful sister said. "I just want you to know that I love you. And I am so glad you are in our ward." Tears rolled down my face. I could not express at that moment what that act of kindness meant to me. This woman, busy with her children and her own demanding job, could have easily felt justified in labeling me "unfriendly" or "stuck-up". She could have said, "Who does she think she is?" or "Too good to talk to the rest of us?" But she did not. She did not gossip. She did not judge. What she did was show me that someone cared, someone thought of me as her sister in the gospel. What a difference a small act of charity can make in another woman's life! Charity has the power to pull us together, to make the labels we place on ourselves - and that others stick there for us - obsolete. And without labels, 

we are known only as daughters of God. "

i luv this story, this thought. when i read, words just stick to my soul sometimes. and i refer to them. i hear them echoing throughout different experiences in my life. i relate to them. and i learn from them. i luv my mother and i luv being a mother. and i am most grateful for all the women and mother's who have touched me and shown me by example..."that someone cared". 

 the perfect mother for me. 

 strong. self-less. loving. patient. fun. so FUN!

 and so beautiful. 

 being raised with 4 beautiful sisters, i always got asked the question or heard the phrase "Wasn't that hard?!" "I bet you fought all the time!" and references to all the competition between "us". now if you know the freeze girls, you know we luv a little competition...we are talking about a miss indiana beauty queen, byu cheerleader, student government / class clown extraordinaire / successful real estate agent by the age of 20!, the first ms. basketball in the state of utah, and the 4-sport lettering senior with perfect grades...yes, those are my sisters. but i can honestly say, i never felt compared or jealous or less or more than any of them. i know this is because of my mother. she had a way to make me feel special and exceptional. and the funny thing is, i believed her. she taught me to love and to be loyal. thanks to her, i will always have 4 very best friends throughout my life. 

*happy mothers day to you too amy, jess, em, and linny!

me & mom.

 i luv being a mom. a mommy...i don't know why but i luv when the girls call me mommy, it reminds me of europe and how they say "mummy"...i really need to travel to europe :)

anyways, oh yeah, i luv being a "mummy" but it's hard sometimes, ya know. *see picture below. but exhaustion, tears, stained insides of expensive purses, overflowing laundry baskets, so many marks on my kitchen table i don't know which ones to mention, and saggy body parts aside...it's the best gift that i have ever been given. each day is a blessing of sorts. to learn more about myself. heaven knows i am not perfect, but i am trying and luving (almost) every minute of it :)

i didn't think i ate that much, but hey two breakfast trays, i am not going to complain!

 mascara anyone????

 happy mother's day all you sweet, sweet mummy's!!!

What is the most important thing your mother has taught you? 

Do your kids ever write on your kitchen table and you want to cry but you have to laugh? 

and do your body parts sag as well?

Have you traveled to Europe? Do you like being called Mom? Mother? or Mommy?

road tRiPPin...

we headed out for our spring break this week...this is the "toiletry bag" you get with 3 girls!

jilly enjoying her gas station treat...nothing like a little twinkie on the road!

 i thought i pretty much ate my way across new mexico but i guess i slept a little bit of it too...cameron is a machine at the wheel, he just keeps going & going...funny how all our heads are turned to the same side. 

 cameron's favorite random stop so far for obvious reasons...

things we are luving...arizona sunshine, the pool!, friends: janae, sterling, johnny & linda, jamie, sarah, scotty & andrea, wish we could have seen more of our old AZ gang & ward, the girls luv sleeping on the hide-away beds in the hotel rooms, i am sick of trail mix, have i mentioned the sun?, what did we do before dvd players in cars (and ipods too), a great mani / pedi, being together!

ps...forgot to mention we totally missed our chance to sleep in a WIG-WAM...

it's like a pit in my stomach, how did i not plan better.

*what are you guys doing this year for spring break? what did you do growing up?

we are on a road trip...utah to arizona to new mexico to colorado...to home! this is really our "first" spring break trip, seeing that savannah' is only in first grade and cam has a more flexible schedule now. i don't remember taking official spring break trips growing up. our BIG trip was our summer trip when we drove to utah - we lived in indiana. we drove it in our station wagon...me, my 4 sisters and mom & dad. it rocked. 

*do hotel bed comforters freak / gross you out?

yes. no question.

*do you always have to get a treat at the gas station when you stop for gas?

i don't think so...i even packed great treats this time and also pb & j with bread. but then it's like you run in to go potty and those darn isles are calling your name...and the crushed ice is too much sometimes. but we have been pretty good...so far: twinkies, skittles, and a pack of gum are all the treats the girls have gotten on the "pit stops". and pretty much hit up every sonic along the way as well...did i mention i luv crushed ice.

*does your conversation ever go blank / dull with your driver and how to survive it?

we always start out strong...we are rocking the convo, laughing, singing michael jackson...we could write a book we start coming up with such good insights, memories, current events, future plans / goals and then it hits like a fly against our windshield. flat. dead. we know it is there (not the fly, the silence) but we just keep driving. i wanted to get one of those "300 questions" to being a better couples book but then i just decided i would instead tell cam, "hey i am just gonna rest my eyes" and then discretely catch up on my sleep. cheerio.

lasagna. and such.

....yes, all these pictures are uploads from my cell phone.

no touch-ups, no special lighting.

i am pathetic.

i made lasagna back in the year 2000. right after cam and i got married. it was my mom's famous recipe...i don't know how i screwed it up, but i did. i swore it took me like 5 hours to make / cook. it tasted like cardboard. i threw the whole thing out. i vowed never to make lasagna again. i havent. until last month. my sister-in-law, you can call her Eve or SJ...she will answer to both :), swore on a "No-Fail" lasagna recipe. ive been cooking it ever since. probably cooked 10 lasagnas in the past two months...for my family, for my extended family on sunday, for a neighbor and for a young womens activity.

call it perspective or perseverance or just a really good recipe but sometimes in life you gotta take a step back, you gotta look at things from another person's point of view, forgive yourself, never give up, and enjoy the goodness in life - don't give up on it just cause it sometime taste like cardboard. these past couple months have been busy, ya know the madness and craziness of life. all of you can relate. but a dear friend moved to a state that i am not even sure where it is located in the US (yes you heid...where is iowa again?) and another is moving from Utah back to san diego and i can't help but luv blogs because they help me keep in touch with all the special people in my life. i luv reading and seeing your pictures...

here's a little update of my cam2 life...

i don't know who this child is. it certainly can't be my little jilly...i can't believe she will be 2 in may...how did her legs get so long...

lu...there are no words. i luv this girl to pieces.

st. patty's day rocked. thought of the lind's & edgington's :)

lucy & savannah were sick the whole month of february...this is no joke. savannah will have her tonsils & adenoids taken out in two weeks :/

a fun girls weekend to salt lake city with the kesler girls...a three hour excursion in IKEA, a session at the Draper temple, delicious food at Cheesecake Factory, some shopping, awesome tours on Temple Square, a brisk walk with M.L.K, and of course "Who's Terri?"

THREE ski days with cam in ONE month. beautiful, beautiful weather. the best company ever. park city. brighton day. brighton night.

spring you are so close...i won't give up on you. i will continue to walk and run and beg for your arrival...you are so close!

tell me she doesn't make you laugh too?

savannah j. turned 7. sigh. she got a trampoline. best investment we have ever made. the girls are oBseSSED! i had a fun date night with her at the Salt Lake Real soccer game...just me and Vanny. luv her. a little bff. funny. silly. sensitive. smart. strong.

been working on a quilt...i figured since i couldn't go to hawaii this year with emily and my mom (who are going in ONE WEEK :( that i would instead make a hawaiian quilt...pathetic again right. its taking forever but i refuse to put the card table away so it is sitting in my front room...totally a mess and i sew a square any spare moment i can. lucy is a great helper!

so many reasons to luv this photo...i was at my wits end, cam had been working a 24 hour shift. it was sunny outside - THANK YOU SUNSHINE - but it had been a LONG day...didnt want to cook so i headed to iceburg, but along the way there was a neighborhood girl selling snowcones so we bought one for everyone...my little niece ellie was having a sleepover. so we were waiting in the drive through and the car was full of pandemonium...jilly had a bloody nose and was screaming blood murder because she wanted her own slush, savannah was crying because she was sick of sharing her slushee, a fire truck was going by so ellie and lucy were laughing and screaming at the top of their lungs...and me, i was just taking it all in...moments later...

have i mentioned i luv utah.

and i luv waking up to lucy snuggled in my bed.

jilly is everywhere and into everything at all times of the day in all different ways. be afraid be very afraid.

and a very fun visit from my niece morgan from denver...so luv you morgy! swimming at the rec center...

and then there is me...depressed after the byu loss and to put a knife in my back, the duke loss. jimmer it was fun. duke, obviously you will be back in full effect next year...no doubts. march i luv you.

and to my life, i luv the madness.

luv / hate relationships.

well since it is february and its all about LUV (and my birthday, which of course most people will forget because it is not a leap year this year, if you are wondering...this is a HINT, don't forget me!)...i thought i would share with you some of my luv / hate relationships...

- old navy. cute kids clothes, right??!! but why is it that either:

#1. everytime i buy something on sale, i go to the register and it doesn't ring up on sale and i have to tell the cash register girl and she changes it or she says nope, you must have been looking at the wrong sign (even though the outfit was literally sitting on top of the sign).

#2. so i go ahead and buy the kids clothes and then 24-48 hours later, everything is on-sale...a good 30-40% off (yes i know i can take my receipt back and get the difference, but another trip...). anyways, it leaves me confused and hatin.

- cooking.

man, i get in these phases where i am a rock-star...trying new recipes (mostly only those who have been successfully attempted & made by my fabulous sisters or sister-in-laws) and even making a few recipes ahead of the game and freezing them in the freezer. but then it just gets buggin sometimes and i get in a rut...you have to BUY it and PREPARE it and SERVE it and CLEAN it up and so on and so forth. it's literallytiring thinking about it and i mean if someone asked me what is the most annoying question you can think of, my answer just might be:

"what is for dinner?" AHHHHHHHHHHH. help me.

but then j. cam's skills are minimal and i can only survive on a few nights of eggs & cinnamon toast or frozen pizza, so back to the kitchen i go because i really do luv to cook, the way you feel after you serve a yummy meal, and to have fun convo at the dinner table.

- cell phones.

i luv my cell phone, um lUv. it saved me in san diego when i could talk endlessly to my sisters and mom when i was going through a hard time & not able to travel home much. it allows us to keep updated so easily and quickly with one another. it's fun. the apps, let's not even start right...they are ridiculously cool and creative and unbelievable.

but last week when i was coaching a young women's basketball game and when the girls subbed in and out of the game, they went right to their cell phones when they were on the sidelines, my eyes started opening a little. i thought, what are they doing?...but then, mostly, i started asking myself the same question...what am I doing? how much am i "into" my phone. how many days of the week do i check that phone first thing in the morning, before i do anything else. it can be consuming. then, a couple nights ago i watched extreme makeover: home addition and i took this pledge...im embarrassed to say that i have texted while driving, ive entered an address into a gps while driving. sometimes the things we luv can become the very things we hate if we let them consume us.

- people watching at the gym

...it's fun...it's sometimes funny...it's interesting...it's sometimes inspiring...i feel lucky to have one so close to my house, i got a super slick deal on my membership & it includes daycare (holla!), it's an adequate alternative to the great outdoors in the dreary winter months...BUT

im freaking out lately...it's like i go to the gym and i must be going at the wrong times because there are hardly any open treadmills, workout equipment in general (except for the lame stuff nobody wants, you know what i mean) and then i look at the peeps on the treadmills and they are on their cell phones (*see luv / hate comment above...), laughing and chit chatting to their neighbor at 2.5 speed, continuously putting their hair (and by hair, i mean extensions) up and down from a pony tail...i want to yell "hello people, either start kicking your trash or get off the machine so i can start kicking my own...its called a workout & time is precious." okay that was kinda harsh and slightly rude but don't worry because it bites me in the hiney everytime i think those things because i usually end up right next to the person with ripe b.o.

i'd LUV to hear about your luv / hate relationships...or can you relate to any of mine...

do you text when you drive?

i don't anymore. i even talked to my girls about it, so they will help by also not bothering me so much when i drive (with changing dvds, treats, yelling, etc).

? do you want to take the pledge, click here.

what's your favorite recipe right now?

lately i have been obsessed with soups (they are easy andi can throw them in the crock pot...my sister lindsey has a killer white chicken chili recipe, let me know if you are interested).

where do you like to shop for kids clothes?

i usually shop at target & old navy. i always hear people getting great deals at macy's (yes, you nachelle), where do you get the best deals?

do you usually end up next to the person with b.o.?

yes, 50% of the time.

I put this at the bottom, in hopes you would read that whole post :)

MINDY & SARA

your books are ready for you!!! i will send them first thing in the morning!

If you are still interested in reading along with me, I will happily email you the reading chart...I think you guys would luv it!

ways to start out the new year...

ways to start out the new year...

or rather how i have started out my new year.

- by throwing your back-out at a weight lighting class at the gym, while the instructor kept yelling at you (but actually it's me) to "ride the pony" (could hardly sit down for about 10 days)

- have a secret addiction to valentine's candy and hope no one finds out, except obviously your dentist because you know you are gonna get a cativity

- get a job...YES! im so excited to be heading back to st. mark's hopsital, i start in february and although i will only be working 4 days a month, im happy to get back to helping momma's bring their new little babes into the world!

- bite your tongue (not literally)...but this has saved me over the past couple weeks, think before you talk...it actually works sometimes

- hit your hand hard against your door in your basement because you are so ticked that your house is dirty AGAIN! and possibly leave an indention of your fist...which is a great reminder that you need to chill out sometimes

- quit feeling bad about throwing your hair into a pony...but rather be grateful it is long enough to throw into a pony, invest in a few cute headbands and viola - you are ready to go for the day!

- get a new calling at church...i know it might be hard to believe, but you are actually reading the blog of the new young women's president in my church ward (shock & awe, autographs later or sympathy cards welcomed)...but the truth of the matter is after three weeks i feel really lucky and blessed and excited about it...i have 35 beautifully amazing, fun girls that i get to work with throughout the year and it's gonna be great

- pay down a student loan by 80%, that's sure tomake you feel good :)

- run outside between 2-4pm with the sun shining, just warm enough to let your lungs enjoy that nice, brisk january air, and luv every minute of those beautiful utah mountains

- set a goal, like maybe to read the book: JESUS THE CHRIST, we are doing it this year as a Young Women's...join us, it's going to be an amazing journey!

- go to the byu basketball game vs sdsu and get your own kinda "zumba workout" by jumping up and down, shaking what your momma gave you and being jazzed about some seriously fun basketball to watch (yes that is a life size cut out of jimmer that my dad not only took to the game but all around provo on game day...)

- continuously splash at your mommy when you take a bubble bath while laughing and laughing and laughing and also while causing a big mess(but nobody cares cause your laugh is so cute!)

- get a cold but then still smile for the camera because your mommy makes you fruit smoothies, cuddles you up in your blankie and turns on the dvd that you are currently obsessed with (SHE-RA) and lets you watch it ALL - DAY - LONG

- let this same child come in your bed in the weeee hours of the morning to snuggle and then as she pats your face and tells you she luvs you but then adds "momma, why are your teeth yellow?"...do not take it personal.

- get new glasses...because the school nurse actually was right, you needed them (those dang nurses, always right) but be excited about picking out a cute blue pair that match your beautiful eyes and be proud to tell everyone "just so you know, these make me smarter"

how is your new year starting out...i would luv to hear...do you set new year's resolutions, goals, or adjust schedules or get excited about organization...do you read this blog anymore...have i lost my touch...

i miss alot of you friends and think about you often!

PS! Leave a comment & if you are interested I am giving away 2 copies of JESUS THE CHRIST, along with a reading outline for the year! I will draw 2 names on Tuesday night (February 1st)!

PSS...if you have your own copy of Jesus the Christ and want to follow along, this was the first week of our reading and you should be at page 17! This coming week we are reading to page 34! We will finish our reading December 11th!