My New Do

While visiting my sister in NYC, I decided to get my hair cut. To me, I feel like I've had my hair the same forever, when I guess just three years ago I had cut it really short. Anyhow, it just felt blaa, and to do it and actually look good, took time, something that I don't always have the luxury of with three people crying my name, Mammacita.

Well, I wanted it short, and had found a picture of how I would like my hair cut. Well, between sleeping in until 11, and having to go eat all the time, I found my time in NYC growing short. While walking around we found a place for me to get a haircut. I had thought that getting my hair cut in NYC was the perfect place, the person to cut my hair would have style and know how to give my hair much needed style. I should have run when I saw the stylist.

I do have to take accountability here. I did go into a place where I think everyone was a walk-in, there were more stylists than victims - errr I mean customers, and the salon was even less decorated than a supercuts. My assigned stylist was some fifty-something hispanic lady who used her language barier too much to her advantage. Her hair was somewhat frizzy and lacked style, I felt like I was walkng to the guillotine as I headed to get my hair washed. The entire time she was cutting my hair I had a pit in my stomach and felt like I should just leave. But, I am a wuss, I didn't want to hurt her feelings and plus she was already washing my hair.

I had asked her if I could donate my hair, but she faked that she didn't understand what I was saying, and I really couldn't understand what she was saying, so my hair just fell to the floor and was thrown away. She cut my hair, and got upset at me when I would run my fingers through my newly cut hair. She would want to know everything that my sister said to me during this time - but hey I thought she didn't understand English too well? She cut my hair in a slanted bob, then roll brushed it dry, which isn't a huge problem, but being such an up-to-date salon, they didn't have any straiteners. So I left looking like a 5 year-old with my hair in the cute little girl bob, but not the 25 year-old stylish cut I had hoped for.

Is your hair supposed to look this awful after going to get it done?

To sum up, I'm not really a fan of my cut, but I will be getting it cut again this week. But, I do have to say, I love having short hair!!! I thought that I would miss my hair after cutting it, but not once have I, even with my not so favorite cut. I love how easy and quick it is to do. I find myself more willing to take showers, cause getting it wet isn't the same hassel as it was before. I don't feel as heavy and that my hair isn't in the way of my life. Todd absolutely loves my hair. He is also just a fan of change. But he says he loves seeing my neck (I dunno, it's a guy thing I guess). He even told my mom that if I wasn't already pregnant, he'd get me pregnant again - just what every mother loves to hear. The only thing that is worse with short hair is you never realize how warm your hair makes your neck until you have it short. But with scarves, problem solved!!!

Ice Skating

Saturday we took the boys ice skating. I was debating if I should just have Todd take Mikey for I wasn't sure Roger was old enough to handle it. We went in, rented the skates, and proceeded to put on the skates. Both boys were really excited about the skates and the idea of going skating. As I was trying to get Roger's skates on, I second thought taking him. I thought for sure that when he had to stand up on his skates - which are akward compared to shoes -that he would freak out. But, he didn't complain.

When we got out on the ice, I was a little nervous. Neither Todd nor I are good skaters, we each had to help an almost helpless child, and I am very pregnant - bad combination! Luckily the rink has what they call "Training Cones", which are just cones that you take along with you that will help you from falling. We went in a smaller rink, that's meant for non-experienced folks like us.

I took Roger around the loop once, holding his hand to the cone, and his other hand in mine. Imagine my suprise when after just once loop, he didn't need me to hold on to him. He was a natural. Every once in a while he would let go of the cone and try skating without it, and even though he would fall everytime, he could go quite far sometimes.

Mikey wasn't quite a natural with skating. He would let his legs go limp and fell quite a bit. I was shocked to see that it was Roger, not Mikey who had an easier time with skating. But, once again I did see where they differ so much. After about an hour of skating, Roger insisted that we get out of the rink. All of us got out and Roger walked over to the bench and instantly wanted me to take off his skates. Mikey turned to Todd and asked him if he would take him out to the bigger rink. So I stayed with Roger and Todd took Mikey skating. Mikey ended up skating 20 minutes longer!!! Roger kept saying that he had fun, and I know he did, but he just doesn't have the dedication or determination that Mikey does. I was very pleased to see Mikey not give up, but to keep trying and working hard.

We had a great time, and it is so much fun to see how God sent us such different little people.

Where was William during all this you ask? Don't worry, he was in his stroller, outside of the rink. If anyone tried taking him I'm sure we could hurry and skate out of the rink, and chase him down with our skates on.

Our Valentine Celebration

Cake that I made

Our Candlelight dinner
Todd's present to me - it took two sets of Willow Trees to get me enough children - I wonder what we'll do next year?


Since Valentine's Day was on a week day, and our preferred babysitter had a basketball game, we knew we wouldn't be going out that day. So, we decided to see if we could make it so that someone else could go out by watching their kids. I don't know if people were afraid that I would treat the kids like I do my own (which I usually do), but everyone that we asked turned us down.


I decided to do what a friend of mine was doing. We dressed up nicely and had a nice dinner at home. I didn't tell Todd the plan, but he was pleased to see the dining table all fixed up, and the candles all lit. The boys loved the candles, and actually left them alone. I even made a heart cake, which I was pretty proud of. We talked about love, inwhich Mikey kept saying that he loved Bandit, my sister's dog, yet totally forgot about me. Don't worry, I'm just the one who feeds him, cleans up after him, comforts him, and popped him out. We gave the boys each a little matchbox airplane as gifts from us. Overall, a really nice evening.

To My Valentine

This being Valentine's Day, I've decided to dedicate a blog to the man in my life. True there are many men (or should I say boys) in my life, but the man in my life is the one that has made all others possible.

I dated some really nice guys. I dated some really smart, charming, handsome, righteous, fun, cute, humerous, and respectable guys. Whoever ended up marriying any of them is lucky, but I really have to say that I am so thankful that the Lord directed me to Todd.

I do have to say that it was the Lord that directed me to Todd because on my own I couldn't figure out how perfect Todd is, perfect for me that is. I feel that even though I knew and dated all these nice guys, I would not be as happy with any of them as I am with Todd.

Todd is really amazing, and because of him, we have such a great marriage relationship. He knows how to encourage me to be better, to be stronger, all while still encouraging me to relax, take a nap, don't worry too much, etc. I really love being with him, and love just talking to him. We work really well as a team - which with 3 1/2 kids, we kinda have to work well together. He brings out the best in me, and the best in our children. I often tell my boys that they need to be like their daddy, and more often I pray for that. Here's a list (comparatively short for how amazing he is) of things that I like about Todd.

-He has the cutest sense of humor, and will suprise you with the things he comes up with. When we were first engaged my sister made a comment to me about how she didn't think he was that much fun, but now that she's gotten to know him better, she agrees that he is a riot.

-He is so cheerful that one cannot be grumpy around him. He has a very comforting and calming presence -which is why I think he'll do well in the ER. My favorite part of the day is when he comes home. 95% of the time, he is smiling and happy and encouraging that in the rest of us.

-He is so helpful. He has started what he calls "The O'Neil Family Tradition". This is the tradition that the dad and kids clean up the kitchen after dinner since mom has worked all day & made the meal. As of right now, he's the only one really participating in this tradition (the boys aren't much help), and there are some nights that he's too busy with studying, but I am so thankful that he is so willing to help. He also volunteers to help for everything at church. He's signed up to help at the Primary social on Saturday, he's always babysitting at the Enrichment nights, he signs up for the storehouse, clean the church, clean the temple, give blessings, feed the missionaries, donate blood at the blood drive, and whatever sign up that goes around. He really is such an example of selfless service.

-He is incredibly thoughtful & sensitive. He makes me feel really special just by the effort and thought he puts into things. He loves to find ways to give me a break or to make me happy. He's very sensitive to my needs, and to the boys needs. He is very concerned with all of us, always trying to make things better or be more involved with each of us. It's no wonder that after a weekend of the boys being with him, and not me, that after seeing me for a couple of minutes, they still prefered to be with their daddy.

-Todd is very righteous and has his priorities in place. He is very faithful, always supporting of church and God. He never talks badly about our leaders - or anyone in the ward either. He doesn't question the commandments, and follows them because he has a testimony of the Gospel, and not because it will please his parents or me. He truely loves the Lord, and does all that he can to please Him. He is aware of his responsibilities as a priesthood holder, and does not treat them lightly. I am very thankful that my boys have such a great example of how to live.

-One thing that I was conciounsly seeking while dating was someone who didn't have an "image". I always felt that when guys had an image to keep up, they would put that image before you, God, everything. I really love how honest Todd is. What you see is what you get. He doesn't try to appear better or different than he is, he is just that, Todd. If you want to know something, he'll tell you truthfully, he has no "image" to keep up. Now, in some cases it is somewhat hindering - he once got a speeding ticket because he was totally honest (the officer was looking for an excuse to not give it to him) but even though sometimes it costs a little bit, I love that he won't paint a different picture or loose his integrity.

-Todd is very respectful to everyone. He views everyone as someone important and treats them that way. He is very respectful to his elders, and especially to women - which I love. I am really grateful that we both recognize that there is a difference between men and women, and that he does all that he can to respect and glorify womenhood. I guess one reason we are having so many boys is so he can teach them something that the world is very quickly forgetting, to respect women.

I could go on and on about how wonderful my Valentine is, but that would probably bore a lot of you - let's be honest, how many of you just skimmed this blog in the first place? But I do have to say that I am so thankful that I have Todd in my life. He is amazing and meets my needs and wants so perfectly. I hope all of you have a great Valentine's day and have an equally perfect person for you to spend it with!

Happy Birthday to me?!

Kitchen decorated!!
Boys singing "Happy Birthday". Notice the cake that the boys and I made, yep no breaks
Todd blocking Roger trying to blow the candle out
Roger feeding cake to William

So last Wednesday was my birthday. I use to get excited about my birthdays (when I was a little kid), but now they don't seem to have the same fire. Todd, who usually leaves the house before any of us are up, woke me up with a kiss before heading to work. Luckily I got to sleep for another hour. After the boys woke up, we went downstairs to make breakfast. To my suprise, Todd had gotten streamers and decorated the kitchen with them, and had gotten me some long stemmed roses waiting in a vase. I was so suprised and so touched by his thoughtfulness. It reminded me that he really had remembered my birthday.

That morning I was going to a playgroup, and felt amazed because it actually looked like we would be there on time. I even did my hair!! Well, after finishing my hair, I went downstairs to get the boys shoes and coats on. I found Roger in the bathroom. In the mornings, Roger likes to wear underpants, which I will let him wear as long as he's willing to go on the potty every hour. He actually is getting good, and his only holdback with getting totally toilet trained is me. He prefers to use a little potty, which I have taught him how to empty the contents into the toilet - which he does quite well and routinely. Well, when he urinates, it easily slides from the bowl to the toilet, but not so much for BMs.

I walked past the bathroom, where Roger was, and found the present he had left for me. The bathroom was covered in poo. It was all over the floor, on the walls, on the door, on the step stool, and even on the floor in the hallway. I about died, but I was happy to see that he had gone to the bathroom all by himself, but just had trouble with the emptying the bowl. So, of course I gave him candy and gave him a little cheer before going and tackling the mess. I ended up being 45 minutes late to the play group. Kids really do jinx you so you cannot be on time.

Later that day, Mikey left me a present. Mikey has not had an accident in nearly a month - which we are very pleased. I heard him in the bathroom, so I went in to see if I could help him at all. I found him, with his pants off and for the second time that day, poo all over the bathroom. He had an accident in his pants and had tried cleaning it up himself. I again got the bleach cleaner out. The cleaner was being difficult to open for some reason, and when I did, out sprayed some chlorine bleach solution. It got in my hair, on my face, and unfortunately on my shirt - which now has white spots.

I couldn't believe the luck as I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Didn't the boys realize it was my birthday? But, the reality is, when your a mom you do not get the day off, and you have to continue with your duty, no matter how disgusting it is.

Todd definatly made up for my boys lack of respect for the "Birthday Girl". Upon arriving home, he informed me that I had to leave in 30 minutes. He had scheduled a pregnancy massage for me! How sweet! He also let me go visit my sister in NYC this weekend - with NO KIDS!! It was great, I got to sleep in, not cook, and not have to be aware of 3 young kids every move. I was very grateful for Todd's sacrifice in letting me go. When I got home last night, Todd told me that everything about me seemed so great - that I seemed rejuvenated (which I am). He even suggested that I get a break more often - which I would not turn down.

A Perfect Day

Today Todd got the day off of school & work - boy were we excited!!! We decided that since it wasn't too cold outside, we would go on a family bike ride. We only have one bike-puller (which barely fits two kids) so I had to call around to find someone who had one we could borrow. Everyone that I called commented on how cold it was and that we should probably wait another month or two. What these people don't realize is that when I was training for my marathon, I ran in much worse weather - all while Todd rode on his bike pulling the kids (on the long runs anyhow).

I guess Royalty gets to ride alone

We finally were able to borrow Terra's bike puller (thanks!), and set out to go biking. We went to a reservation park that has a bike path connected to it. We got the kids all bundled up, got the bikes out, locked the car and started riding. As we searched for the bike path, we realized that we had gone to the wrong park - the park with the bike path was a mile down the road - a road much too scary to ride your bike on.

Well, in this short time, both Roger & William had fallen asleep. So to not wake them, and also to not have to deal with getting them in and out of their seats, we placed the trailers in the back of our car. We were laughing about how silly it seamed to be putting our kids in that way, but also decided that it wouldn't make too bad of a road trip.

There's children in those carriers

We finally got started on the path. It was perfect. Earlier (and I'm talking minutes) it had been raining. But when we started, we were dry, and the temperature was perfect. A little chilly, but perfect with coats and gloves and such while biking. A couple of hours later, just as we were done it started downpouring with rain. We got a little wet getting the kids and everything packed up, but we were just so thankful for the great weather we had in between.

That's mud on Roger's face

The boys were excited for a break when we stopped to let them run around for a bit

Mikey looking out his "Window"

To give the kids more room, we put these two together at the end. William was happy for the company - but needless to say, Roger wasn't thrilled about it.