Shhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Do you hear that? Ahhhhhhhhhhh. No crying. Noah has recently done an emotional 180 and I couldn't be more happy!! It seems that for about a month or so now Noah has been one chubby ball of grump. What made things worse is that he was extra grumpy for Mommy. Noah could be playing happily with Daddy but when Mommy walks into the room weeping, wailing and gnashing teeth burst from the mouth of my....sweet boy. Just when I was beginning to think Noah simply wanted to make my life miserable things start looking up. Now that he has given birth to two new teeth and overcome 2 months worth of colds, ear infectios and RSV (knock on wood), he is one content little guy with a smile to die for. Now if I could just get him to sleep through the night.

Will It Never End?

Not only are these boys twinners in what they wear but also when they choose to get sick. Kyle decided to go first by scaring his mommy with a case of pneumonia. Just when it seemed as though Kyle was beginning to feel better Noah decided it was his turn. Noah has come down with a case of RSV and an ear infection. And to top it all off he is also teething. Ho hum. This hasn't been the first time either of them has been sick this winter either. Its pretty much plagued them all season. I know that I am not the only one out there with sick babies. Pretty much everyone I talk to has a sick child or two. I'm hoping this last batch is the climax of their illnesses before getting better just in time for Spring. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Oh So Innocent

After not checking on Kyle for a little while, he come running into my room with chocolate covering his lips and face, laughing with delight. Just when I was about repremand him he says in his cheekiest voice with head cocked to the side, "You not put me in time out!" All I could do was bust up laughing and no, I did not put the cheeky monkey in time out....

A Tribute

Watch this video. Listen to the words. Tell me it is not a most perfect and beautiful tribute to a Prophet of God. I'll never listen to this song in the same way again. (Thanks, Adam.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acfk-kCTXvo

You will be missed, President Hinckley.

Bear With Me

I have decided to turn my blog around. I find that I to use my blog primarily to entertain others and while this is a worthy endeavor, its not enough. (Love ya!) I am not the greatest of journalists and want...no, need to be better. This blog is a wonderful way of doing so. Not only do I get to make a record for myself but for my friends and family too. My point? A warning to you. My future posts might seem trifling to you but I want to get them down just for journalings sake. Sometimes the things that seem small end up being what will be the most fun to read in the future. We always remember the BIG things so at the risk of boring you all to death, I am going to make a new effort to remember the small things as well.

So, please bear with me.

My Hubby

My husbands name is: Adam Kyle Shiflett
How long have you been married? 5 years, 3 months and 29 days- Phew!
How long did you date? 9-ish months
How old is he? Just turned 28 on Dec. 12th
Who eats more? Dang. That all depends on what we are eating but on the whole he does.
Who said I love you first? Adam did, I wasn't ready to go there!
Who is smarter? I am not afraid to say that Adam is definitely smarter than me
Whose temper is worse? Definitely ME! Adam is so good to me.
Who does the laundry? I do the laundry but being the sweet husband that Adam is, he'll fold it if it sits around long enough. :)
Who does the dishes? I do but that's because I like the way I do them better.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me but we've gone back and forth over the years. I sleep on the right now so that I can get to the baby more easily when he wakes up for 23rd time during the night...*sigh*
Who pays the bills? Me
Who cooks dinner? Me and I'm no good at it either. It is a work in progress though.
Who drives when you are together? Adam does but sometimes I do.
Who is more stubborn? Um, that'd be me. Yeah, I'm pretty much the ornery one of the relationship...
Whose parents do you see the most? Its a toss up.
Who proposed? Adam
Who has more friends? Weird question. Now that we are married we pretty much share friends. Before we were married Adam had more. He was soooooooo popular!
Who has more siblings? Again that'd be me since Adam has NONE!
Who wears the pants in the family? Oh, me again! :)
I thought this questionnaire was about Adam. ;)
I love you, Baby!

My Love Affair With Target

It is a dang good thing that I don't live extremely close to Target. *sigh* (The nearest one is about 20 minutes away and Wal-mart, well, you just don't cut it.) Target and I have this love/hate relationship that is killing me. I told Adam that next time we move we cannot be any more than 10 minutes away. Really though, its probably a good thing that I don't live closer because every time I walk into the place I have to grit my teeth and think "WWAD" (What Would Adam Do- I'm such a good wife...) They have this new in-store line of home decor that I absolutly LOVE. If I could decorate my house anyway I wanted, it would look something like these. Check 'em out: http://www.target.com/b/sr=1-1/qid=1200090605/ref=sr_ilm_1/601-6786441-0112116?ie=UTF8&node=13763961

Now don't even get me started on their dollar section. Its where I shop when I feel extra poor...which is, like, always.

I just went to Target today and am feeling particularly obsessive so I just had to share. However, I know I'm not the only Target junkie out there. C'mon ya'll. Fess up!

My Favorite Christmas Photo

These two sweet boys (in their new Christmas jammies) are beside themselves with excitement for Santa's arrival.

Hey Good Lookin'!

We got these pictures taken way back in October but we're just getting around to posting them because they were part the grandparents Christmas presents (Surprise!). I wish I could post all of them because they are beautimus!

"Tried and True"

I decided that since my profession is being a Mommy/ Household CEO, I am bound to come across useful information that makes my life easier. So, I decided to dedicate a section of my blog to these little tidbits of helpful information. It could be scrubbing the bathroom toilet to occupying a hyper 2 year old. All this information will be tried (by me) and therefore, true. Many of you may be better houseold CEO's so some of this info will be old news. For that, I apologize. I don't know about you all but I get excited when I discover a new trick to make life easier. We could all use it, right? So here is my attempt at doing just that.
Disclaimer: Blog owner not responsible for misuse of information. In other words, use information at your own risk! :)

Erin on Being 30

It's allllllllllllllllll good. Seriously. Why wouldn't I be happy about the fact that I've lived another year and been blessed all the while? Sure I've got a few extra wrinkles to contend with. Maybe I still break-out like a 30 year-old teenager. So what if I've been waking up every morning with a back ache since my birthday. So what? Being three decades old means for me means that I have a silly, sweet two year old who loves me more than just about anyone and constantly tells me so. It means I have 6 month old whose entire body smiles in wiggles and squirms when he sees me. It means I've been married 5 years, 2 months, 8 days and 7 hours to, quite literally, the man of my dreams. A younger man I might add. ;) For my birthday, this dreamy man took me to see the Billy Joel concert which, believe me, if it takes turning 30 to see him then I'm cool.
It really is weird not being in my 20's but I am looking forward to what is next and if that means getting old....er then bring it on!

Tagged

5 THINGS I WAS DOING 10 YEARS AGO:

1. Getting ready for a mission

2. Going to school at SLCC

3. Getting a mission call the England London South Mission

4. Learning to swing dance.

5. Getting ready for my mission...seriously, I can't think of anything else that I did.

5 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST TODAY:

1. Do Laundry....blah

2. Clean house for Thanksgiving

3. Play with my baby boys

4. Take a much needed nap

5. Go Christmas shopping

5 SNACKS I ENJOY:

1. Peanut M&M's

2. Chocolate milk

3. Cinnamon Wheat Thins

4. Bagle w/ chive and onion cream cheese

5. What ever I am craving at the moment

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE:

1. Buy a House

2. I am sure I would become the clothes horse I have always wanted to be....sigh

3. Take my entire family on a trip

4. New cars all around!

5. Get my dog fixed :)

3 OF MY BAD HABITS:

1. Procrastination, by far!

2. Hmmmmm........ procrastination.

3. Putting things off until the last second....

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED:

1. West Jordan, Utah

2. London, England

3. Murray, Utah

4. Midvale, Utah

5. West Valley City, Utah

5 JOBS I'VE HAD:

1. Mowing lawns

2. Paper girl

3. Direct TV doing cust. service

4. Ortho tech and patient coordinator

5. A Mama to Kyle and Noah

5 THINGS PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME:

1. I love and have had an addiction to Flaming Hot Cheetos

2. Matt Damon is my husband

3. I started sluffing school in Kidergarten

4. I want to be a motorcycle cop

5. I did not date in high school

There you have it. Pretty exciting stuff. I know, I know. You all want to be just like me now.

Can't Wait!!!

I just have to say, I am SO excited for Christmas this year!! I was excited last year because Kyle was 18 months old and I knew that he would grasp it a little more. However, this year, I don't think I've ever anticipated the 25th of December...well the whole month of December so much. Kyle gets so excited when he sees a Christmas tree or anything red and green. Neither Adam or I have made a big deal of it. It's just like the magic of Christmas is just ingrained in him. All Christmas lights, meager or fancy, deserve a big "Whoa!" and a "WOW!" He even has a red winter cap that he has dubbed his "Christmas Hat" (see above photo). I went to Kohl's today and was near the toy dept. when, of course, Kyle got away from me. When I found him, he was on his knees looking at a train set with big, round, blue eyes and then went from toy to toy saying "Ooooooo, I want it, Mommy." (At this age this is cute rather than obnoxious.) It was all I could do NOT to buy him toys to his hearts content. On top of that, this year the magic will be double as now we have two little boys to share it with. Even Noah will appreciate the sparkling lights of the tree.
We haven't started listening to Christmas music yet (Sorry FM 100....). Neither have we put up a speck of red or green decoration because I always want Christmas to be that extra, extra special time of year. I'm itching to dive head first into the season but Thanksgiving, I will never forget you.... :)

Fabulous Chicken Taco Soup

I love this recipe and always get positive feedback when I serve it. Give it a try! Oh and the best part? It's EASY!

6 cups water
6 chicken boullion cubes
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 or 2 tablespoons chili powder
1 (29 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup rice
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, undrained
(I add corn sometimes too)
Corn chips
cheese, grated
Cilantro, chopped (I never use this as it is NASTY. :) )
Sour cream
2 limes, quartered

In large pot, bring water to boil; dissolve boullion cubes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cubed chicken, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, sugar, rice and garbanzo beans, Simmer for about 1 hour. When ready to serve, add remaining ingredients as toppings to individual servings. Makes about 8 servings.
Source: "Essential Mormon Celebrations" cookbook.

My New Discovery

Do you have nasty hard water stains that while scrubbing makes you sweat more than a prostitute in a convent? Well, I have the product for you! I struggled myself until I found Sno Bol. ( Yeah, I don't get the name either.) Now cleaning my toilets is a joy...er...not really but at least I'm not pulling my hair out. Seriously ya'll. I was happy to find something that works that I just had to share. Maybe I'm just way behind when it comes to toilet cleaning technology but in all my 29 years of cleaning toilets (yes, I swear my mom got me started at a very young age) nothing has worked so well. I would have posted a pic of the inside of my toilet but I thought that would be going a little far....