I always knew I was the daughter of a Sultan

You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Suede's Birthday Bash

Suede's 1st B-day was April 25th. Taralyn was proud of the ladybug cake she and her mom made. Meanwhile, Taralyn's dad was exhausted from all the work Taralyn and her mom had done. 

Johnny Cash @ the Muppets singing with Miss Piggy

I've had a rough well.....school year. I finished my first final of the semester this morning and needed a much needed break. I decided to listen to a bit of Johnny Cash to ground me. Wow, did it do the trick. I couldn't help but move and tap my feet. I'm sure those around me in the study room found it quite odd that in the midst of hell I was tapping my toes with my headphones on. I decided to share the wealth and post a bit on Johnny and came across this treasure. Nothing better than Johnny and the Muppets to make your day. There's more too if you need some extra pick-me up on You-Tube. I'm still smiling.

Fiddler On The Roof - Bottle Dance.

I knew I had seen Suede's skills somewhere. Thanks to Corbin for pinpointing it. Fiddler On The Roof bottle dance. She's got an early start. Soon we'll be able to add the bottle.

Suede's Scootin' Shufflin' Shimmy

"When words are scarce they're seldom spent in vain" Shakespeare

This pictures is a bit old (about 3 mo ago), but I felt it was fitting for her first word. Let me introduce the family dog. We enjoy all the perks of being dog owners without any of the hassle i.e. feeding, cleaning, walking. Our upstairs neighbors (my brother and his family) have the best Boxer. He's smart, sweet, and cuddly and Craig never lets us forget he's also stinky. He's amazing with kids and Suede squeals every time he comes down to visit us. So her first word was not the loving expression of Mama, but that of "Boo" the family dog. You can see here she is tugging at his ears while he just lays in waiting for what may come next. He has one blue eye that is thus red in the picture and I'm starting to think he might be deaf in one ear. His hearing is very acute, but he has trouble spatially; figuring out where the sound comes from is sometimes a challenge. He opens doors to get in the house (which can be bad if you want to keep his muddiness outside). But like I said, I have the joy of hearing about the messes without having to take part in their cleaning up :). He actually assists in OUR clean up with his rapid actions under Suede's high chair after meals. So, all in all I don't feel slighted by her choice of word. I think he's rather great too.

DISCLAIMER: Craig, being the one that sees the most of Suede during the day, states that Suede's first word was in actuality Dada. I was not told of this at the time, thus if he wants me to concede to such things has to keep me abreast on all the latest happenings in the world of Suede.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I had a wonderful week leading up to Easter Sunday preparing to speak in Sacrament Meeting (to the congregation). I've never spent that much time contemplating the Resurrection of Christ before Easter actually comes, and I think I'll make it a yearly tradition (hopefully not counting the speaking part). It really helped me to appreciate it much more than I have in the past. We spend so much time leading up to Christmas, but Easter, the most important event of all we kind of glaze over until the day of. It was a little nerve racking having me and Craig as the only speakers on Easter Sunday, but we got through it.

My favorite quote of this year for Easter is by Howard W. Hunter (in his talk "He Is Risen"):

“Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial. But there remained one more set of chains to be broken before the Atonement could be complete; the bands of death... It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]” (Ether 12:41) and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son.”

Here are some pictures of Suede and her cousin Hannah in their pretty Easter dresses. Happy Easter!