Weird things my kids wear.

I could feel guilty that this post is Henry picture heavy but Sarah runs or buries her face most of the time I try to take a picture of her so I don't feel bad and you better not judge.

Henry put on Sarah's "wedding hat" and walked around the yard. He was still in his pjs. What does a mother do besides take a picture?

Sarah's preschool had superhero day. That word means nothing to Sarah so this is the closest to a superhero I could get her to dress up.  She's a superhero princess ballerina fairy she says.  What a girl.

We brought up Sarah's cardboard house from the basement. It's been down there for more than a year and you'd think it was Christmas all over again. Unfortunately Henry is now old enough that they fight over it and heaven forbid they go in it the same time. It will be going back down pretty soon.

Henry spotted these shiny shorts at the store and said, "Mine, mine." So I did the only logical thing and bought them.  What baby wants, baby gets.  Just kidding. I was looking through racks of shorts and these were no better or worse than what I would have picked so if he liked them so much, okay.  Sarah also wanted a pair too because they look just like Justin's bball shorts. Henry only wears them over other clothes (he has other shorts on underneath).

Henry loves boiled eggs but he has to eat them outside because he has a bad habit of stepping on the yoke.

And he still loves his blanket. He spread it out on the kitchen floor while I was making dinner.

She's a goof.

Henry likes mac n cheese.

Sarah goes crazy for it.

Henry has been scooting around on his truck the last couple of days.  It seems too slow and uncomfortable to be fun but who am I to judge?

Is lining up cars a developmental milestone. I find cars lined up all around my house.

Sarah created a fortress of cereal boxes so Henry couldn't look at her. Henry wasn't looking at her and he didn't care.

I got this bucket and pail at the store yesterday for our trip to California next month.  I don't think they know what it's really for.

They genuinely think it's a hat.

Tell me how to resist this strawberry-face-bucket-head boy....

Because I'm in trouble.

 Does anyone else's heart skip a beat when they see these blue eyes and impossibly long lashes?  Just me?

 And here's a sneak peek at Henry's birthday present. He's going to loooove me. 

Getting to know me

Did you know there's a journal tool on LDS.org? I'm assuming it's supposed to aid in scripture study but I'm using it for something else--a personal history journal! I haven't really kept a good journal since I met Justin 7 1/2 years ago so I feel like there are a lot of holes in my record keeping. This blog is definitely awesome but I write for you and I write to entertain--not as a record for my posterity.  So I've just began writing in my journal on LDS.org. I am writing a collection of stories, anecdotes if you will, that will portray what I was like, what my family was like, the tone and feel of my life. I'm not going in any order, just what I feel like writing that day. I try to get a story done in 30 minutes.  I was inspired after reading "These is My Words" by Nancy Turner. Some things will be spiritual, others hilarious, some hard-learned lessons. I don't want my posterity to try to piece my together from other sources. They'll know me because I'm telling them all about me. "What would they want to know and what do I want them to know" are my guiding questions for each entry. "How would I tell this story to my adult grandkid?" "What memories do I tell Justin as we sit together and talk about nothing?"

So here's one my stories, Diane Day, Job Finder

After years of underemployment, I felt when Justin would find an engineering job, it would feel like winning the lottery. Searching was exhausting and seemingly fruitless.  Justin registered with engineering jobsearch websites and most of the postings were in California or back East and it felt like his resume went into the far-reaches of the internet abyss, never to be heard from again. Then Justin found a job listing with a firm in Heber shortly after graduating April of 2012. A friend from high school currently worked for the company so Justin felt he had an in. Justin wanted to do this right so he asked this friend to submit his resume for him. We decided to wait until after the weekend, use that time to fast and pray and then send the resume Monday morning either on our own or through this friend.  I sent an email to my family asking for prayers, fasting, positive thoughts--anything that might help Justin get this job. Unfortunately we never heard back from this friend. Monday morning, after our day of fasting, I discovered that the job posting had been pulled. We hadn't applied.

After I got off the phone telling Justin what I'd discovered, I was very tempted to be angry with Justin for waiting so long. He should have just applied! Waiting to do it the perfect way took us out of the running.  Then I felt a very strong impression not to get angry. Don't get mad, stay calm, you need to listen. All I could feel was my disappointment. Justin had sent his resume to dozens of jobs across the country but we both wanted to stay in Utah. Then a very simple idea came to me: Make a list of Utah engineering firms. Thus began my search.

Google became my friend.  I found lists of engineering firms of all kinds and compiled them into my master spreadsheet. I ruled out any company not civil-related. Then I searched each firm individually hoping to find a company website. Once on the site, I looked for job listings or a contact for employment opportunities or just an email address. Without Justin's knowledge, I inquired with these companies via email if they had any positions. Cold-emailing, I call it.  I made up a name, Diane Day, just in case what I was doing was completely unprofessional. I didn't want it to reflect on Justin.  I got a response within an hour but the email was a gmail account.  What company was this Brandon Anderson from? He said to send in a resume but I can't reply back, "What company are you again?"  Oh, what have I done?  I called Justin and told him not to get mad at me but I've been searching for jobs under a pseudonym on your behalf and this guy wants your resume but I don't know what company he is from. Justin laughed because I was being ridiculous and he can't get mad at finding a job lead.  After tracing my steps and comparing emails to other companies, I deduced it was Brandon Anderson from Anderson Engineering (that's what I would have guessed anyway). Justin applied, they called for an interview.  A couple of weeks later, they called for a second interview and then while we were in St. George in June, they called and offered him the job! He later found out he beat over 100 applicants!

I think back and wonder if fasting for that Heber job was a waste of time. It wasn't. Fasting showed the Lord that I was serious about wanting his help. But more importantly, it put me in a humble place where I could listen, really listen to what He was trying to tell me. Falling into anger and bitterness would have made me deaf to the instruction I was wanting to hear. How many times is God trying to tell me something but I've shut him out with my pride and anger? I wonder what other things I am capable of, what other things I will be led to if I strive more to get on that spiritual place where I can truly listen.

Other stories on my to-write list: When my babies were born of course, When I Almost Got Hit By a Pheasant in my Living Room and other Bird Close-Calls, Snow College: Land of Fun and Not Studying, Why it Took Me Clear to My Senior Year in HS to Learn That Not Missing School Actually Made School Easy and Fun, River Heights, Utah: The Land of My Innocent Childhood Except for the Time Kenny Fox Tried to Strangle Me for Throwing His Blankie Down a Window Well and When I Got Caught Lighting Matches Behind the Neighbor's Front Porch, The Most Mad I Got At a Walmart Employee, I May Be the Only Person Who Swore When They Got Their BYU Acceptance Letter, Why I Can't Eat Panda Express, and Moms Do Play Cars Despite What Hotwheels Execs Think.

Easter and some stuff

We got Sarah a bigger bike since she had outgrown her trike (not that she noticed or cared). Justin put on the training wheels on a cold and snowy Friday so Sarah had to try it out in the garage.

 She didn't seem to mind.

She was all giggles and smiles.  She does pretty well, I think. She's a little too brave and has managed to tip it over a surprising number of times considering it has training wheels.

Henry will try on your shoes if you leave them on the floor. Here he's wearing Sarah's sneakers and thinks he's pretty funny.

 Justin introduced Henry to Oreos and milk.  He's a fan.

 Sarah was not a fan of getting her picture taken.

Friday Sarah set up a practice egg hunt in the backyard for herself and Henry.  Henry was more into eating his boiled egg.

 "Oh look Henry, there's more over here!" Sarah said, as if she wasn't the one who placed them around the yard.

 All that practicing paid off, Sarah was ready to go Saturday afternoon.

This is Sarah and her cousin Bella. Bella is the sweetest thing ever. I've never seen her anything but polite, friendly, and fun.

This is the best my kids would do at looking in the general direction of the camera with their eyes open.

The candy crew. Henry toppled off the steps like 2 seconds after I took this picture and scraped up his forehead and nose.

 It put a damper on his egg hunting fun.

 But nothing heals a fall like free candy.

He got the hang of it pretty quick. He would have been content sitting down with his first piece of candy and watching the other kids but I was not.

Over to Sarah, she's a pro.

I love this tree in my parents' yard. It's so good for hiding eggs and climbing. My dad wants to cut it down and I hope he knows I'll stop coming over if he does.

 Sarah and Brooke take a moment to check each other's baskets.

This is my dad, my brother and my cousin Joelle. She's from Chicago and attending BYU. She's cool and classy and smart. Pretty much everything I wanted to be when I was in college.

 Back over to Henry, they've made some progress...they're on the other side of the ladder now.

 Henry loves him some M&Ms.

 How I love my boys.

 Henry worked hard getting something out from between these rocks.

 Too bad it was dirt, not an egg.

 This is my niece Jill who I met for the first time this weekend. I love her.

 Henry is very excited as Justin opens his M&Ms.

 Nothing says Easter like teenagers throwing raw eggs.

Tyler and Peyton won because they had an indestructible egg. Tyler just picked it up after it landed and bounced into the garden.

My kids continue their non-cooperative streak of not looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.

 Henry was just distracted.

Ha! Got her! She's never been a very good pouter.

After church we went to Justin's parents' house for dinner and an egg hunt. I don't have any pictures from that one since I was busy guiding a blind-folded Justin around to find eggs. We gave Henry some toy motorcycles. He has barely let go of them since. Can you tell he's making motorcycle noises in this picture?

 You may see a little boy with a messy face. I see my heart.

 Sarah got a much wanted kite.

 There wasn't much wind but she didn't care. She wanted to run with it anyway.

 Ugh. I hate seeing pictures of Sarah looking so grown up.

 Best $4 I ever spent.

 "I'm getting hot and sweaty."

Sarah's quote of the week:

Me: Sarah, are you stuffed up? You sound like you have boogers in your nose.
Sarah: Do I sound like a man?

I also hear her sounding out words she sees around the house or around town.  I even heard her trying to sound out the VIN stamped on her car window.

And here's some extra cuteness. Someday I'll watch this video and cry at how much they've grown.