Tagged Again

So I've been tagged again by Sarah, so here is 7 little truths you may or may not know about me.

1. I love Diet Coke and I will probably never quit drinking it despite the fact that I know it's not good for me. It is one of the things that I truley enjoy in life. I love going every day and getting m Coke fix.

2. I have a crush on Billy Joe Armstrong (the lead singer of Green Day.) I kind of go for the bad boy with crushes, and it's funny because anyone who knows Jeff knows he's not a bad boy.

3. You know when you leave a comment on someone's blog and there is the word verification. I HATE that. I have never gotten junk comments left on my blog and have never talked to anyone that has, so why. Why, why, why? It's pointless. Sorry to rant on so long, but it really annoys me when I have to enter those 6 little letters.

4. I adore Disneyland. So much so that I am going in exactly 10 weeks and 4 hours from this moment. My family makes fun of me because I keep a count down going and I will email and text message them daily once it gets to about 8 weeks and counting until we leave. I'm like a little kid and can't sleep at night thinking about all the rides I'm gonna go on. Seriously.

5. I love to do laundry. There is such an accomplished feeling after it's all done. I love the smell of clean clothes and having a full closet of things to wear. It makes me really happy.

6. My middle name is Kasey and I can probably count on one hand how many times my dad has actually called me Shannon. When I was little I went by Kasey so that's what my dad and his side of the family calls me. I regret changing to Shannon when I was in kindergarten. Kasey seems more original. In fact, some of my dads side of the family wouldn't know who you were talking about if you called me Shannon.

7. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the smell of baby's stinky sweaty feet. I know I'm weird, but I love to smell their little toesies. I can still be caught catching a wiff of Hallie's little stinkys. Yum!

All About My Guy

He's kinda cute, huh!

I've been tagged by Candi, so here are my answers!

1. What is his name?Jeff

2. How long have you been married? 11 1/2 years

3. How long did you date? 9 Months

4. Who eats more sweets? Jeff, I only let myself eat sweets every once in a while; he eats them every day.

5. Who said I love you first? I seriously think we both said it at the same time.

6. Who is taller? Jeff

7. Who can sing better? Although he never sings very loud, Jeff has a very good singing voice like his Grandpa Swenson. Now if the question was who sings more, that would be me.

8. Who is smarter? Jeff by a landslide, which is why he's the one with the Master's Degree. But if you ask Abbi, she'll tell you that I am. While Jeff was going to school I told her that he needed to go to school so that he could be as smart as me. Hehe!

9. Who does the laundry? Usually me, but he helps

10. Who pays the bills? Jeff, it stresses me out way too much.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do

12. Who cooks dinner? I do

13. Who drives? Jeff

14. Who is more stubborn? Yeah, that'd be me.

15. Who kissed who first? Doesn't it take 2 to kiss?

16. Who asked who out first? Jeff asked me out first

17. Who proposed? Jeff did

18. Who wears the pants? I think we both wear a leg.

Now I tag Angela, Chelsey and Maria

My Cowboys

Any of you who know me that I am SO not a cowboy; and my husband SO is. Luckily Jeff has raised Abbi to love horses and the farm just like he does. In fact, 2 years ago for her birthday, all she wanted was a cowboy hat and purple cowboy boots. Friday night Abbi's school had a Daddy- Daughter Date Rodeo. From what I hear, it was pretty fun. Abbi kept talking about the wheel barrow races and all the fun food that they got to eat. I took this picture of them just before they left. Even though I'm not going to get geared up in cowboy clothing, I sure think these two look great in it. I'm sure glad to have these 2 cowboys in my life.

Blogable Bread

My sweet friend, Chelsey, brought by a few slices of Amish Friendship Bread and a start to make my own. Let me just tell you that this bread is delicious. For 10 days you either smush the bag that the start is in, or add ingredients to the start. Friday was the day to make the bread and pass on my own starts. It was really fun. I kept one of the starts so that I can make another batch of bread in 10 days. If anyone is interested in getting a start, let me know. Every 10 days I will have 3 starts to give away.

Pay It Forward

So I saw this on my friends blog and it sounded like fun! “I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward (PIF) exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within a month from leaving your comment, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”Apparently this has been going on for over a year and I for sure had to keep it going! So comment away! I think I am pretty crafty so hopefully I don't disappoint!

I Know I'm Special

Today Abbi had an assignment from school to answer some questions about herself. The first one was "What makes me special?" Abbi thought for a minute after reading the question and then answered, "Because I'm adopted." I had to hold back tears because I was so glad that being adopted isn't something that she feels makes her weird or different from others, but "special." I love having this little girl in my life. She truley is special.

My Leprachaun Name

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Tiny Whiskeybreath

What's" Your Leprechaun Name?

I would change this to Fatty Dietcokebreath.

Just Me And My Dad

Hallie LOVES her daddy. She misses him so much when he is at work. One day when Abbi and Jeff were gone to school and work, I started whistleing a tune. Hallie must associate whistleing with her daddy because she came running down the stairs saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" When she realized it was just me, she was pretty disappointed. All day long she asks me, "Where's Daddy?" Seriously, about 8-10 times during the day I'm answering her, "He's at work." I'm lucky to be able to stay home with her, but honestly, wouldn't it be nice to be missed sometimes?

Our Little Cuties

Both Abbi and Hallie love listening to music. Lately it's been Hannah Montana as their favorite singer. Last night we

downloaded a bunch of music on Abbi's mp3 player. I came downstairs this morning to get the girls breakfast and both girls had an earphone in jamming, dancing and singing away. It was pretty cute. They are so lucky to be sisters.

Dinner by Candlelight

2 years ago Jeff and I went out to dinner for Valentines Day. When we put our names on the list at Ruby River, we were told it would be a 4 hour wait. We ended up going to Chuck-A-Rama. So I vowed never to go out for Valentines Day again. So this year Jeff and I decided to have a candlelight dinner with Abbi and Hallie. We pulled out the china and crystal and ordered take-out Mexican food. It was really fun. The girls loved the rose petals on the table and the sparkling cidar. It was a perfect way to spend the evening with our little Valentines.

Cute Stuff

I love anything that lets me be creative. So every year I choose to make Abbi's and Hallie's Valentine cards. This year my cute friend, Tiffany, made adorable Valentines. I copied her idea (not exactly the same, I used different stamps and tweeked them a little.) They turned out pretty cute and Abbi couldn't be happier to take them to school for all her little friends.

I have one of the greatest moms in the world. One year for Valentines she made us gigantic sugar cookies. I LOVED them so much and still remember them, so I decided to make my girls some this year. They were fun, and a little tricky, to make.
I did Hallie's first, so it looks a little funny, but it still turned out cute.

A Million Bazillion Cookies

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember my mom making sugar cookies. She would let us help her frost and decorate them and I've carried on the tradition with my girls. Wednesday morning Hallie and I made the cookies and then when Jeff and Abbi got home we began frosting them. We like to take them to everyone in our family, so we make tons and tons. It's a fun family activity.

Hallie was more into eating the cookies than decorating them. Jeff happened to get this snapshot of her on one of the rare moments she was decorating.
Abbi has such a creative little mind. She did great using the decorating tips. This cookie ended up in her belly right after the picture was taken.

Puppy Love

Most of you know that we have an amazing relationship with our daughter's birth families. Abbi's Grandma Jenny (biological grandma) got some new puppies and invited Jeff, the girls and I up to her house to see them. The girls loved them so much. The puppies, however, weren't quite sure what to do with all the kids around. After we visited for a while, Jenny took us out to Chili's for lunch. It was a very fun day. We love getting together with her so much. She's so kind and loving. Abbi adores her.

We've Been Keeping A Secret...

Jeff and I have been keeping a secret. We have been taking dance lessons every Wednesday night since the beginning of January. Last night at class, they video taped us shakin' our stuff to see how much progress we've made. There is music set to it, so before you push play, go down to the bottom of my page and pause the music on my blog.

Don't send a lame Valentine's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Top 10 Things I LOVE

For Valentines day I thought it would be fun to blog about what I HEART. It's a little early, but I don't know if I will get a chance to blog again before Valentines Day. So here we go. (These things are in no order)

* My AMAZING husband. They don't make 'em any better than him.
* Abbi. She is so fun to be around. So sweet. Always thinking of others feelings before her own. Very creative.
* Hallie. Spunky, cute and full of energy all wrapped up into one little girl. I adore this little one.
* My girls' birth-moms, dads, and families. I wouldn't be a mom without them and a day doesn't go by that I am not completely grateful for the selfless decision that they made that made me a MOM.
* My family. (Mom, Dad, Garth, Ann, Bro's and Sis's on both sides. Seriously, I don't know what I would do without them.
* My friends. I have been blessed with a couple REALLY good friends (you know who you are.) I'm so glad they are in my life. We have lots of fun together.
* My house. It's tiny but homey (and let's face it, I don't wanna clean anything bigger than this.) I love being here.
* The Food Network. This may seem silly, but I hate cooking, but love watching other's do it. This channel inspires me to get off my butt and make some food for my family.
* Blogging. It has become my new pastime. I am constanly checking other blogs or posting to mine. It's become my way of journaling. I kind of consider myself a "blog-stocker" (in an un-creepy way) of other peoples blogs.
* Sunshine. I have really come to love the sun this year, since there hasn't been much of it. Every time the sun shines, I really get happy.
* This one is a bonus, and I almost forgot it, but I really really love my Diet Coke with a fresh lime. I have a couple cold ones a day.
So there you have it. 10 of the things that I HEART for Valentines Day.

Just A Few Pics

Hey Look, I'm a Diet Coke. Who woulda guessed

You Are Diet Coke

You are energy in its purest form. No need to complicate things with sweetness. And while people may hate your aftertaste, you are seen as a necessary evil. Your best soda match: 7 Up Stay away from: Coke

What Kind of Soda Are You?

A Couple of Days of Fun!

I've about had it with this crappy weather we've been having. So Monday and Tuesday of this week, Jeff and I pulled Abbi out of school and took the girls for a couple of days of fun. Monday we went to see "Alvin and The Chipmunks" and then went to lunch at TGI Friday's. After that we went to Jumpin' Jacks. Tuesday we went up to Park City to hit the shops in the freezing cold. When we hit Heber on the way up, our thermostat in our truck read -4 at one point. But one good thing was there were hardly any people shopping. So we didn't have to fight the crowds. And we got super good deals on spring clothes for the kiddos!

Hallie had so much fun. Abbi would help her up the ladder and then she would turn around and go down on her belly over and over again.
Jeff took Hallie down the great big slide (that is what Abbi calls it.) I think it scared both of them because this was the one and only time they did it. Good thing I got it on camera.
Hallie is not crying in this picture. The theater was dark and the flash startled her. "Alvin and The Chipmunks" was really cute. The girls loved it. We almost had our own private showing until 4 other people showed up to join us in the theater. This little mini vacation gave us something to look forward to. Now I think we can make it until March when and if this stupid snow ever melts.

I LOVE This Guy

Okay, so Jeff wins the husband of the year award, already for 2008. I've been having one of those weeks where I don't really feel like doing anything. Laundry was piled almost to my ceiling, garbages in the bathrooms were overflowing. I had a work meeting tonight and came home and the laundry was washed, folded and put away. The garbages were emptied. Abbi's homework was done and both kids were in pajamas. Hallie was even in bed and Abbi was on her way upstairs to brush her teeth. I say all of this like I'm surprised. But the truth is, Jeff is an awesome husband. He is so helpful around the house and with the girls. I am a lucky lucky girl! Thanks, babe, for everything you do!

My Newest Creation

For Christmas our friends, Cole and Chelsey Ercanbrack, gave us a subscription to Family Fun magazine. I was so excited when it came in the mail last week. One of the projects they had done was red felt hearts that they made to go on shoes, belts, barrettes, etc. I couldn't wait to try them out. So here is the finished product. Mine obviously wasn't a heart, but a flower. I thought it turned out really cute. They are not, I repeat, NOT for sale. But I would be happy to show anyone who would like to learn how to make them. Super easy and inexpensive.

Girl's Night Out

Well, really it was a girl's day out. My friend Cindy and I took our girls, Abbi and Piper, to the Hannah Montana 3-D concert at the movie theater. I must say it was really good and well worth the $30 spent on our tickets (I'm not even being sarcastic.) Abbi and Piper both love Hannah Montana so when they heard that there was a special 3-D concert at the movie theater they totally wanted to go. Let me tell you, Cindy and I both lost sleep last night because we were so excited to go. And after hours of getting ready and dressing in full Hanna Montana attire (sadly, I forgot to get pictures of us, but we looked awesome, Cindy even had the long blond wig on,) we were ready to head over to Provo.

The girls totally had, like, so much fun. Abbi kept leaning over to me saying that it looked like we were really at her concert.
Don't they look great in their 3-D glasses.

Takin' Care of Business

Leave it to Hallie to take care of our finances. One day while I was talking on the phone, Hallie opened up my planner and started playing with my calculator. She would then scribble something on a receipt and then go back to calculating. It was pretty funny to sit and watch her. It seriously looked like she was balancing the checkbook. Little ones mimic everything we do!