So, we just got back from the Primary Activity. It turned out well. We had 13 kids come. Miah went home with the Primary president and Isaac is playing quietly, so I have a few minutes.

It has been a busy week with Joy School and everything else. The Donegans' are still out of town until Monday night. It has been nice to have a car to use whenever I want. Someday, we will become a two car family. . . I hope.

I'm just looking forward to hopefully scrapping tonight while JD watches a Jazz game that is on cable. He is excited because it will be the first Jazz game he has been able to watch all season. I'm going to make my mom's salsa chicken tonight for dinner. We haven't had that in a long time! Tomorrow I will make a roast. I'm trying to motivate myself to make some rolls or something, but I think I will just try to be crafty instead!

Hope you are having a good weekend too!

We had a nice Valentine's Day. JD surprised us and brought us gifts home with him on Friday. He got Miah a white rose and some candy. He got Isaac and bus and candy. I got a dozen red roses and the new The Fray CD.

On Saturday, Kadiatou came to watch the kids so that we could go on a date! We went to the Cheesecake factory. I tried the garlic noodles and they were really good. Then we went and watched the movie Gran Torino. I wasn't too sure about it, but I have picked the movies that we have seen lately, so I told JD to pick. It was actually a good movie. It was not what I expected.

We have a busy week coming up, so you may not hear much from me. It is my week to teach Joy School on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday I have a Primary meeting and Saturday we are having a Primary Activity. The Donegan's will be going out of town on Wednesday, so we will have to take care of the dog and bird.

Sunday, I had to do sharing time and my primary lesson. Sharing Time went well, but during the second hour it did not! I have the kids from 4-8 and it is rough. Two are special need kids and they were shouting at each other yesterday. I'm glad that another sister and I are going to start rotating the primary lessons too. Hopefully, I've fixed the schedule that we won't have to do both sharing time and the lesson on the same day. It is just too much sometimes. In sharing time this week we had at least 20 kids! We filled every chair.

Happy Valentines! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Also, this is my 100th post. When I started blogging I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

To celebrate the 100th post here are 100 things about me (the first 25 are the same as on FB, so if you read those, skip to 26).

1. I have loved blogging. I’ve become a blog addict and I am thankful for Google reader because it makes it easier to be an addict.
2. My daughter is named Miah. We spelled it like that because of JD's full name, JeriMIAH. He says she is not named after him though.
3. My favorite color is maroon / dark red.
4. I never thought I would be a Primary President, but I was before I was 30.
5. I did not think that I would have a hard time living in NY. It has been VERY HARD!!
6. I didn't realize how much my family meant to me until I moved out here.
7. I can't wait to move. We hope to move somewhere this summer because Miah starts school this fall and I don't want to put her in NYC public schools.
8. When JD proposed to me, he was trying to be so nice and romantic. He told me that he wanted to have our children. I readily agreed that he could carry them and I laughed at him. I still tease him about having our children.
9. I loved being pregnant.
10. I HATE video games. They seem like a waste of time to me, but I do like the car racing ones for some reason.
11. I still love Soda. Almost any kind except for Pepsi.
12. Pepsi makes my teeth feel weird.
13. Even though I am short I never wished that I were TALL. Though I do hope my kids are taller than me.
14. My siblings always teased me that I was adopted.
15. I am a PICKER . . .not a nose picker. It drives JD crazy because I have to pop his zits.
16. I LOVE to read. If I enjoy a book I can read it over and over.
17. I also like to watch movies that I love over and over. I've never understood the people who don't like to watch movies again.
18. I love to scrapbook and make cards. JD keeps telling me that I'm not a scrapbooker anymore because I usually only make cards.
19. JD says that I have taken our new computer over and I don't let him use it anymore. I am a little possessive of it.
20. I love to watch the Closer. It is my favorite show. JD has bought me the first 3 seasons and I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I’m also glad that I didn’t have to wait until the summer for it to start this year because it started in January.
21. I think about having more kids. Right now it scares me because I DO NOT want to have another one in NY. It was a horrible NY hospital experience.
22. I did my taxes on the very day JD's W2 came. We got our federal return, but are still waiting for the state.
23. I want a mini-van. I always said that I would NEVER want one. It would just be so much easier with the kids!
24. I like to think that I am organized person, but I'm really not.
25. I love being a MOM. I have wanted to be one my entire life. When I was in junior high I would write about and to my future kids in my journal.
26. My first real job, besides babysitting, was helping Santa and the Easter Bunny at South Towne Mall.
27. I have been in 3 car accidents. Two of those I have been hit and the other car has taken off. Only 1 of them did not total the car. None of them were my fault.
28. I love to cook and bake.
29. I love to eat, but if I make it myself it does not taste as good for some reason.
30. I hope to visit all 50 states during my life. I’m not there yet.
31. We would like to visit all of the National Parks too.
32. I love going to concerts. That has slowed way down since getting married and having kids. Since moving to NY we have only been to one show (sad I know), which was Coldplay and I was pregnant.
33. I cannot eat peppers because they make my stomach hurt.
34. Can I be allergic to peas? Yuck!
35. I HATE Snakes. YUCK!
36. I’ve been to the hospital 4 times for myself: dog bite (I was 9), contusion on my elbow (9th grade), to have Miah (2004), to have Isaac (2006).
37. I have only been on one cruise and would love to go again. I went my senior year in high school with Wendy. Good Times.
38. I don’t like to wear much makeup.
39. Thanks to my mom, Miah loves makeup. She is always asking to put it on. It was the only thing she asked Santa for. I'm not very happy about it.
40. I have worn glasses since 9th grade.
41. I hate contact lenses. I can’t stand feeling something on my eye.
42. I think about having Lasik, but I’m afraid I would freak out.
43. I took piano lessons from 4-12 grade, but won’t play in front of people.
44. When JD and I met I would hardly talk to him. I was really depressed at the time and would just walk in the apartment that I shared with Tara and go to the bedroom. I don’t know how Tara put up with me that year! Thanks Tara!
45. I like to shop.
46. I am the youngest of 4 children. JD is the oldest of 5.
47. Sometimes, I don’t know how JD can put up with me!
48. I use to get so mad at JD for teasing me and being sarcastic. Now I tease him and I am sarcastic all the time.
49. JD has been good for me. He has changed my life for the better.
50. I’m lucky to have such GREAT kids. They get along together really well and play together all the time.
51. Miah keeps asking me when we are going to have another baby. She wants another sister and brother she says.
52. Most of my stuff still is in Utah.
53. Most of what I did bring to NY is in a POD
54. It is hard to live without my stuff.
55. I hope my piano is safe in storage.
56. My piano use to be my Aunt Ida’s. When I was little I would go visit her with my Mom and pretend to play her piano. She always told me someday I would have the piano and learn. My Mom managed to get the piano after she died.
57. My Mom told me I could have the piano as long as I continued to take lessons until graduating from high school.
58. I love dogs, as long as they are not inside the house.
59. When I was a senior in High School my plan was to take some time off from school.
60. Luckily, I got a scholarship to Snow College to do the newspaper, so I went.
61. I’m very glad that I got the scholarship, so that I went to school.
62. I had been engaged once before JD. I’m so GRATEFUL that didn’t work out!
63. I have never had a pedicure. I’m not sure that I could do it because I have ticklish feet and I think it would be weird because feet are gross.
64. I love netflix. It is nice not to have to worry about getting movies turned back in before they charge you again.
65. We finished watching seasons 1-4 of the Office. It is another one of my favorite shows.
66. I really want some new glasses. I have had these since right after Miah was born. Time for a new pair!
67. I take turns with two other families teaching Joy School to 5 kids. Miah has really enjoyed it. We did it last year too.
68. I hope that I can put Isaac in a preschool next year. He does not pay attention to me when I try to teach him things. I just try to stick things in for him whenever possible like this is your blue shoe. Miah would sit and read with me and learn, but Isaac just doesn’t sit like that.
69. JD set up our old Mac for the kids and I’m so glad that I don’t have to use that computer anymore.
70. We got the next to the biggest screen for the computer, but now I wish we would have just got the biggest screen.
71. I had a goal to visit all the Utah temples before moving to NY. It did not happen because I missed Timp, Provo, and Ogden. Now there will be even more temples to visit.
72. I’ve only been to the Manhattan Temple once.
73. I cut coupons every week and am always on the lookout for a good deal.
74. I like to stamp.
75. My favorite CTMH color is Cranberry and paper is Silhouette.
76. I started my wedding scrapbook last summer after only 7 years!
77. I’ve been nervous to work on it because I want it to be PERFECT!
78. I bought Isaac a new swimsuit and rash guard (shirt) yesterday. I figured I needed to get him another one since we are only a block away from the beach.
79. I bought my kids special chocolates and new pajamas for Valentines Day.
80. I don’t do the Blog header. My friend does it for me. Thanks Jana!
81. For money in high school I cleaned houses.
82. I hope to go to Portland sometime soon to visit one of my best friends. She has been to NY to see us, but I’ve never been there.
83. I would also like to go see Greg and Tara and take the kids to Disneyworld, but I don’t know that financially we would be able to afford that anytime soon.
84. I need a vacation.
85. I hope that we can afford to go to Utah in May when JD’s little sister is getting married. Congratulations Ashley and Ben.
86. We are hoping that JD can transfer to the warehouse in SLC before the fall. If can't find any other job we might move to Buffalo where there are jobs with his company. JD is also in a teaching adjunct pool for a school up there, so maybe that would come through too. We need to get him some teaching experience somehow because I really think that is all that is lacking on his curriculum vitae (resume).
87. I never thought I would be a stay at home Mom.
88. When JD and I got married we talked about him staying home and drawing while I worked. Things have worked out much differently than we thought. He always told me that he would work because he knows it is important for me to stay home.
89. If you had asked me 12 years ago if I thought I would be where I am, I would have said NO WAY! I did not think that I would be as religious as I am, definitely didn’t think I would have been married in the temple and going to church regularly.
90. My parents had to drag me to church after turning 13. So, they probably did not think that I would be where I am at either.
91. I have never done any illegal drugs.
92. I wish that I kept in touch with people better. I’m glad for blogging, facebook, and email that helps me attempt to be better at keeping touch.
93. I think that I spend too much time on the computer some days.
94. I will miss good Italian food and pastries if we move from to NY.
95. I’m glad that they have a cheesecake factory in Utah now. That will help. I love the chicken salad sandwich or the Navajo sandwich there.
96. I will miss Johnny Rockets our favorite hamburger place here.
97. I’m hungry. Can you tell since I keep talking about food?
98. I’m grateful to the Donegan’s for letting us have their basement. I’m also glad that I have a husband who could finish it for us to be able to move in.
99. My husband is a romantic. Every month on the 9th, I get at least a rose to celebrate our relationship. We had our talk on July 9th, 2000. We were married on June 9th, 2001. We were sealed on Nov. 9th, 2002. We always try to make it a special day. I’m so lucky to have him for my husband and best friend.
100. I love JD, Miah and Isaac very much! I can’t imagine my life without them!

Yesterday we had the Joy School Valentine's Party. It went well. The kids really like decorating the sugar cookies.

Go to:

http://www.jeanettelynton.com/

and enter to win the That's Amore Paper Packet and Stickease by leaving a comment about a special Valentine's that you have had.

Yesterday Miah and I made sugar cookies. . .YUM! We decorated a few, but most are for mutual and Joy School. They will decorate the rest of the cookies.

We had the Tubmans over to celebrate their birthdays. Obie turned 16 at the end of January. The twins had their 18th birthday on Thursday (5).

So my cousin in Colorado started making bows for her little girl and has now started a blog to sale some hair things. I just received the first set of clippies from her for Miah and they are so CUTE! She just added headbands and now I want to get some of those too!

Here is the blog if you want to check it out:

http://princessbows.blogspot.com/

So as you can tell I've not been in the best of moods the last few days. I'm feeling a little better today. We got our federal taxes back yesterday, which was GREAT! We needed it! We paid off a few things. We are still planning to meet with a financial counselor and do a debt consolidation soon.

JD called in sick on Thursday because he had a really bad headache, then took Friday off too. It was really nice to spend some time with him and just RELAX. I think we both needed it. We have been watching the Office on Netflix, which you can watch instantly. That has been fun to just sit and laugh together. We just finished series 3 last night at 3 in the morning. For those of you who know us really well, we LOVE our sleep. We love to stay up late and sleep in. That is harder to do with kids, but we have taken turns. Thursday I got up with the kids and JD slept until noon. Yesterday, he got up with the kids while I slept until noon.

We are having Kadia and Kadiatou over tonight, possibly their brother Obie too. It was their 18th birthday on Thursday. If you haven't heard me talk about them before they use to live in our branch. They still come to a lot of our youth activities even though they are not in our boundaries anymore. They have quite a story that I will have to share with you another time with their permission. They are great kids and we are PROUD of them. Kadia has accepted a FULL ride scholarship to a school in Boston. Kadiatou is still in the proces sof applying and we are hoping she gets a scholarship somewhere too! Obie just turned 16 two weeks ago.

Living here in NY has really opened my eyes to see how some people live. I am so grateful for my family and upbringing! I'm so lucky that I have a family that took care of me and loved me! Aynway, enough of my babbling today.

I thought this article was interesting.

N.Y.C. so costly you need to earn six figures to make middle class

Here is the link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/05/2009-02-05_nyc_so_costly_you_need_to_earn_six_figur.html

No wonder why I have had such a hard time here! We make more than double than we made in Logan, but are doing so much worse! I'm so ready to leave NY!

I swear that I always get bad news on Feb 4th. We put my favorite dog, Jane, down my senior year on this day. I had my miscarriage in 2003 on this day. It is one of my best friends birthday and today I made her cry. I asked her about her boyfriend and didn't know they had broke up last week. Then, this evening I got some other bad news from our closest friends. I think next year I will skip this day somehow!
Plus, it is a Wednesday so JD doesn't get home until late because he goes straight to Mutual. He won't be home until around 9:30. The kids are cranky and so am I. Isaac did not take his nap, instead he decided to play. I didn't notice until later because I was doing other things until to late. I sure paid for it tonight and he is in bed an hour before his bedtime. He has only been in there 15 minutes or so and I think he is already asleep.

Sunday we took my parents to JFK. Isaac was ready to get on the plane with them. It was nice to visit with them for a few days. Thanks Mom and Dad for everything.

We watched the Superbowl with the Donegans. The game was actually semi-interesting this year. I was a little disappointed in the commercials though.

Saturday, we were going to go to the TOP of THE ROCK (Rockefeller Center), but it was so windy we skipped that. We went to the NYC Public Library, which is a cool building. Also, we went to Littly Italy to our favorite restuarant, La Lunella and to get pastries at Ferrera. YUMMY!

Ashley, JD's little sister got engaged a week ago. She is getting married on May 11, so hopefully we will be out to Utah in May! Yeah, we miss everyone!