The age of discretion...

Jason and I have often talked about "what is the right age for us to start being more discrete when going to the bathroom in front of our children." You know, because there are times when your kids are so little that for a mom to go into the bathroom and shut the door inflicts feelings of panic so significant you might as well have dropped your child off in a foreign land all alone. So we instigated the "open door policy". Sure kids, come on in! Play on the floor, check out what's in the cupboards, throw pieces of cheese in the tub....but don't mind me, I'll just be sittin' over here in the corner mindin' my own business.

So a year or two may pass....and somehow the open door policy has remained....until you hear a little conversation like this:

Daddy: Come on Dallin lets put your big boy underwear on.

Dallin: NNNNNooooooooo, I want to wear a diaper.

Daddy: What?! You don't want to wear a diaper! You want to be a big boy. Does Daddy wear diapers?

Dallin: No....

Daddy: Does Mommy wear diapers?

Dallin: YES! Mommy wears tiny diapers!!!

That's it!

Time to be discreet.

It's a trick and it's a good one...

When daddy says it's time for bed and you definitely do not concur.

Sometimes he'll say,

"Okay, you don't have to go to sleep."

"But just come over here and lay down by me.....and we'll see what happens."

Smart Daddy!!!

I've been tagged...Our Dating Story!

1. Where did you meet your husband? I first saw Jason at a BYU swing dance. I was there with my younger brother Mark, who had just got home from his mission, and I was trying to get my bro to ask someone to dance. He was being a little shy (Oh, that's an oxymoron....shy=mark). Anyway, he wouldn't go and ask anyone to dance and so I was trying to show him how to be gutsy and I picked out a really cute guy that danced like a dream, swallowed my Adam's apple (because it had somehow made it's way up into my mouth) and went and asked him to dance.
I then spent the rest of the dances of that fall semester trying to get my boyfriend to go ask someone else to dance, so I could go and conveniently stand in the vicinity of where Jason was standing and look AVAILABLE.
2. What was the first thing you said to your husband? Wanna dance?
3. Where was your first date? Our first date was to a fireside at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake to hear Neal A. Maxwell speak. Poor Jason was so tired, he could hardly keep his eyes open. Then we walked around all the visitor centers until we ran into a guy that I had dated a few months back (left him high and dry).... It wasn't a pretty sight. :)
4. Where was your first kiss? There was this trail head up on the east side of the mountains in SLC that had a huge parking lot and it overlooked the whole valley. (Great place to watch fireworks.) Anyway, we were sitting there ...overlooking the valley when he smacked 1 (or 2) on me. ;) There was also a guy a little ways over that was sitting on the hood of his car playing his bagpipes...it was pretty cool!
5. How long did you date? Our first date was in January and we got engaged August 1st. So about 7 months.
6. Did you have a long or short engagement? It was short... 2 1/2 months.
7. Where did you get engaged? Jason proposed at a candlelight dinner that he had made himself. Chicken Alfredo with salad and cheesecake for dessert. Complete with candles and sparkling cider in plastic goblets. He is such a romantic and I love it! We went to a mountain overlook with a picnic blanket and picnic basket this time in Provo and ate our dinner. After dessert he gave me a speech that was so cute and popped the question with a ring and all! I was so surprised. I thought he was going to say I love you so much and lets start praying about whether or not we should get married. But, no, he was ready and willing to take the plunge. :)
It quite possibly couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that I tried to break up with him 2 days earlier because he just couldn't make up his mind about whether he was ready or not. This was just the reaction that I was hoping for! :)
OH! and the best part was that Amber and Gayla were hiding in the bushes about 20-30 feet away and video taped the whole thing. Thanks guys! That was awesome!
8. Where were you married? Salt Lake Temple
9. How did the reception go? We had 2...1 in UT and 1 in AZ. They were both awesome and both a blur. After our first reception in UT, I just remember being so sad that I was leaving such a big mess for everyone to clean up! I started helping clean the tables and Jason was like "What are you doing?!?!" "We are supposed to leave so that everyone can chase us in their cars!" oh....I didn't know that. :) It was a fun chase.
10. How was the honeymoon? Fab-o! We went to Vegas, then to a beautiful bed and breakfast called The Blue Dolphin Inn at Cambria, CA, then on down to Disneyland for a couple days then over to AZ for the next reception. I think the best part was all the time that we got to spend together in the car. We had spent so much frantic time working and trying to plan the wedding that it was nice it was all over and we could just spent time together. We talked and talked and laughed and ate mini sandwiches and leftover eclairs from the reception until we were sick. :) Good times, good times.
11. Now I tag: Shannon, Katie and Mark and Ashlee!

Let me count the ways!

I have to be the luckiest girl ever because I married a total dream-boat. I was just sitting here thinking about what a wonderful husband I have and how lucky I am that I talked him into marrying me. (Couldn't have done it without you Amber, Thanks!)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. He gives me back rubs.
2. He is the most patient person I have EVER known.
3. He is such a wonderful Daddy and his sons just worship the ground he walks on. Honest! Dallin seriously cries when he goes to work.
4. He always tells me how wonderful dinner was even when it's not.
5. He helps me keep perspective on life
6. He never raises his voice.
7. He never has said a mean thing to me....ever.
8. He looks good in anything....and nothing.
9. He is a huge support to me when I have a recital or performance to play in.
10. He is a DANCER! (oh, that one just made all the girls jealous, I know it!)
11. He can engineer the dishes in the dishwasher to hold about 50% more than I can!
12. He never talks mean about people.
13. He loves to go out on the weekends.
14. He is supportive of whatever my latest feats happen to be.
15. He helps me keep a positive attitude and be happy.
16. He tells me he loves me everyday many times over.
17. He makes a pretty mean fruit smoothie.
18. He tells me I am beautiful (even when I am not) and means it.
19. He works very hard.
20. He is always willing to help anyone that asks him.
21. He makes the bed when he is the last one out.
22. He still lets me cut his hair even when I occasionally make mistakes.
23. He is always the first one to jump up to get me a blanket when I say "I'm cold."

I Love you, honey!
What do you love about your dream-boat?

Mastering the "Imperious" curse!

Don't Worry, No Spoilers!

I just finished the last Harry Potter book a few days ago and I can't even begin to imagine the kind of pressure that it would be to know that the whole world is waiting for you to wind up this fabulous saga that has had so many people on the edge of their seats for years! Whew!

In the Deathly Hallows, Harry says that "you have to mean it when you are trying to execute a curse." This was the exact little tidbit of information that was just what I needed to hone my own magical powers.

You see, last Friday Jason was working late. Not just an hour or two...but about 9 hours late. His boss had been out of town for the past few weeks visiting family in Turkey and so his whole team was trying frantically get caught up to where they needed to be by the time he returns on Monday. Finally, by about 3 am he was home and we could go to bed. I don't know what it is about being home alone at night, but I kept hearing subtle noises downstairs, I was anxious and sleep was eluding me. After finally going to bed, I slept like a baby because the mantle of defender and protector of the family was no longer on my shoulders....it was on Jason's. Though I don't really think he noticed the mantle because he slept like a hundred year old man that had fallen and was not gettin' up any time soon.

The next morning came all too quickly and it's just our tough-luck that Dallin is so conscientious about getting up every morning at the same time. Even when I keep him up until almost midnight the night before to help me safeguard our home against impending destruction, he is at my bedside at 7am....bawling. This kid wanted apple juice and he wanted it yesterday. At roughly the same time, Thatcher started crying in his bed. I jumped up and in a very soothing voice tried to explain to Dallin that Thatcher was crying too and I needed to get him up before I could get Dallin some apple juice.

Well, this sort of reasoning just doesn't sit well with an ornery 2 year old. I picked Thatcher up out of his crib and immediately took him to the changing table where I was able to asses the situation. Dallin was still howling at my feet and I realized that Thatcher was wet through his pajamas. Chaos. The great thing about having 2 kids in our home, is that there are also 2 parents and so I decided to call in reinforcements. "Jason?....Hon, can you please get up and get Dallin some apple juice while I change Thatcher? Jason lifted his head up off the pillow, looked at me and even responded "sure." There was absolutely no action, other than laying his head back onto his pillow and letting his eyes roll back into his head. By this time, Thatcher had joined in the wailing because he realized that he hadn't eating in about 12 hours and he was dog-hungry. So I tried again. "Jason" I said a little louder, "can you help me?" After all, I had stayed up until 3 am also, and I was still able to function. This time he didn't even move. Just as I was about to be engulfed into an element of "Woe is Me" I heard a voice in my head. I recognized the voice to be none other than that of Harry Potter. He said to me, "Use the Imperious Curse."

For those of you that don't know, when you hex someone with the Imperious Curse you can make them do whatever you want them to do...but you have to mean it when you cast the curse. So, dropping my voice an octave lower I spoke as if a voice from above was summoning, "Jason, can you please get Dallin some apple juice from downstairs." Immediately, Jason threw back the covers and with eyes half-closed, jumped up and took 2 steps toward me then stopped. He hesitated for only a moment then turned on his heels and went downstairs. He got Dallin some apple juice, walked back to bed and flopped back in the covers. I was amazed! It had worked and I didn't even have a wand! The great thing about the Imperious Curse is that later he didn't even remember what I had made him do!

Hogwarts here I come!