Apparently this is the list of must-do's before you die. Like my sister Meg- the one I copied it from- I was pleasantly surprised at all the things that I've already done, and got super excited for all the others that I still want to do. So copy, paste, and bold 'em baby!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band. . .(Allie's beginning band- pre-Brutally Rebuffed for those of you who know it)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland. . .(Just this last summer and I LOVED it!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris. . .(a year and a half wasn't enough)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. . .(I'm a furniture upholsteress now :)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning. . . (Oi with the mussels already!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (Yes, I still have the pictures. :)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing. . .(Love it!)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. . .(sigh.)
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain. . .(a little cold, and not as pleasant as it seems in the movies)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie. . .("The Penny")
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book. . . (does a short story count?)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous. . . (Does Donny Osmond count?)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Fallen in love. . .(with the man of my dreams. Cheesey, yes. But entirely true. :)

Exactly when do you start potty training?

So, I'm sitting here smelling a very yucky diaper and thinking to myself, since Reese is so opposed to having her diaper changed, and both Ryan and I are feeling less-than-thrilled to be changing these diapers, why the heck not buy a little potty and get the whole shibang started?

Maybe we'll get brave. Who knows?

Alright, who pulled all the wipes out of the package?

Yet another week of whirlwind here at Badger headquarters. Ry has been so busy with school and doing so well. I'm super proud of him. A few days ago he called me to say that he got a paper back from his Native American class and proudly announced that he had received 100% on it. Who knew scores like that were even possible in history?! Most of his classes have been pretty tough despite his talent and hard work, so it was a very pleasant surprise and good confidence boost for him. Yay Ry!

It's been awesome to see things falling more and more into place as Ry has gotten further along in his major, and also to see him excell as he's sharpened his focus with his minor. I just love that feeling that the Lord is behind you and opening doors as you follow His promptings.

While I'm talking about my absolute favorite person, I just have to make a quick tribute. It is my opinion that every wife falls head-over-heels for a man who cleans. Oh yes, its true. I heard someone say that before I got married and I remember thinking, "Hmm. . .that's slightly pathetic. I'm not sure how that could ever be a turn-on."

However, time and experience have made a complete and total believer out of me.

Like I mentioned before, its been a busy week- work has been hectic as the bakery prepares for Thanksgiving (yikes!), and I went to work Saturday morning around 4am. When I got home Ryan had cleaned the entire house top to bottom-- which should count as one of Hercules' labors when you consider that we haven't seen the floor in our bedroom for weeks now, and everyday our little Tasmanian Devil wreaks havoc in every room in the house in about 5 minutes flat.

Oh how I love him! It was beautiful and the scoreboard was simply afire with all the extra points he scored.

The pictures here are the highlights of the week. Well, actually, I'm not sure if you could call them highlights- finding Reese in her crib this morning, her arm stuck inside her pajama top with the sleeve totally soaked and mangled like she'd chewed her arm off isn't all that sensational, although we did get a good laugh out of it.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and are inspired by our architecture to build a blanket fort of your own- one of those childhood past-times that never looses its magic. I think Ry and I played in it longer than Reese.

Don't be fooled by its common place appearance, this is by far the COOLEST blanket fort you will ever see. :)

We even propped the whole thing up with very large sticks. Very rugged and tent-like.

We put our huge and fluffy down comforter inside and Reese threw herself onto it repeatedly with wreckless abandon. It was a huge hit.

And here's the little munchkin with her knawed-off hand.

To Cut or not to Cut

So. . .I'm thinking of chopping my hair. I saw this picture of Reese Witherspoon in Macey's the other day and LOVED it. Ry isn't so sure, but I'm sorely tempted.

Thoughts?

More and More Family Pics

It must be family picture season because it seems that we've been posing in every which way for several weeks now. I thought I'd post some of our favorites for your viewing pleasure. Yes, you may now get the microwave popcorn and gather the kiddies. Some are funny, some serious, and as always, Reese is the most photogenic of the bunch. Maybe because she cares the least.

"Little Pea was a happy little guy, he like to do lots of things. . . "

I have entered a whole new Mom Zone.

While I was still pregnant with Reese, about a year-and-a-half ago, I was window shopping with Ryan in the Gateway Mall in SLC. While there we happened upon a book called "Little Pea". I immediately fell in love with it, and I can only assume the tiny unborn baby inside of me did too.


It is now Reese's favorite book, and heaven help me, I'm not sure I can take much more of it. I can recite the whole thing in my sleep.


Last night before bed Reese ran to the bookshelf, and since she's just a little too short to reach the shelf with all the non-board books, she started chattering away and pointing. Knowing how this was going to end, and thinking of my own sanity, I grabbed a few new ones- very worthy and excellent books all of them, but she would have none of it. She wouldn't budge or smile until I put my fingers on Little Pea. A huge, irresistable grin spread across her cute little face. The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs, Olivia, and Bear Sleeps On were hurridly cast aside in her anxiety to get ready for the most entertaining book of all time.


We read it five times. And when she woke up this morning, she ran for it again.

Family Walk

I was just out walking with a friend of mine and as we rounded the bend of a street nearby we were met by a full-grown black lab with three of puppies, one of them with an adorable black and white speckled coat, all galloping behind. Both of us are avid dog-lovers and so as we crouched down, putting out our hands and trying to cuddle them, on came the rest of the family. Mom and one more adorable little puppy, with almost no coordination and whose feet and legs were too big for the rest of it, made the charge towards us.

We laughed so hard; you could almost hear the dialog as the parents tried to corral their rambunctious babies into some kind of order before they went for their walk.

It was one of those simple pleasures that you don't encounter very often, but when you do it makes you smile for the rest of the day and again every time you think of it after that.