Puppet Show

Starring: Avery and Madi

Singing and preforming Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

(Madi's puppet was feeling a little blue during this performance.)

I am Martha Stewart's worse nightmare.

I made THIS for dinner tonight.

Looks edible enough, right? It's layered with chicken, broccoli and cheese, and some other tasty ingredients. Pretty normal ingredients for a casserole dish.

Well, it wasn't a hit. With me. The kids. Or the Mr.

In fact, it was so bad Madi made the comment, "It looks like it's something that should go in the garbage."

Followed two minutes later by Avery vomiting it back up onto her plate.

Nice.

Yeah. It WAS that bad.

Even the hubby who walked in the door five minutes after the vomiting occured said, "Something smells a little off in here."

I have never claimed to be a good cook. Out of 6.8 billion people on the earth, I rank down there with the worse of them. I am not being negative. I am just stating the facts. There's a difference.

And the fact is, I will probably never hear or see the words,  "Best Cook..." for anything. I will probably never win a blue ribbon for homemade jam or bread. And I will probably never be featured or have a recipe shared in a recipe book anywhere.

Sad. I know. You are probably feeling really sorry for me now, aren't you? (heavy sarcasm)

I totally accept that cooking is not one of my gifts. I know you can become good at alomst anything if you practice enough and work hard, so I am trying to do just that. But some things, no matter how much you practice or work at it, you still never become great at it. Maybe better over time, yes, but never great or outstanding.

However much I stink at cooking, I find myself really enjoying the time I do get when I cook and prepare food...(when that doesn't involve kids crying, whining, telling me they are hungry a ba-zillion and one times while I am trying to prepare it, or having to wipe their noses and/or bums another ba-zillion times(don't worry I wash my hands, which is another frustrating thing, always having to wash my hands because of the snot and poo (yes, I just said, "poo".))).

I have made a few dishes/desserts that I find absolutely divine. Recipes that my family gobbles up as soon as it's done. For one thing, I think I can scramble up some pretty tasty scrambled eggs. And I love my chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! Oh, they are Heaven.

So even though this casserole failed beyond even my wildest imagination...(because I don't imagine vomiting when I imagine my cooking) I will keep trying to cook and become better not only for my family but for those poor individuals who get invited over for dinner. God Bless their hearts... and their taste buds.

Free photo cards from shutterfly

Free photo cards from shutterfly

Free, yes my friends I said free photocards for bloggers from Shutterfly. I think a lot of us probably think of shutterfly picturebooks but they also make fabulous greeting cards and I'm most excited about the photo christmas cards. This whole special comes at a great time because this weekend my husband and I were trying to decide if we want to send a photo christmas card or a card with a 4x6 print. We probably spent over an hour looking at photocards on-line from costco, walgreens, and vista print wondering if we really want to use those templates for our annual Christmas card (mind you we have never sent out a photo christmas card)....so I'm excited to be able to get some nice looking ones for FREE!

There are a few different styles that Shutterfly offers that I dig: 

The 5x5 square: here  

here 

here 

here

I also like the 5x7 with 3 of more photos option: here     

here (I like this one because you have room to write the annual write up)

here (you can fit a lot of photos in this design)

Have fun!!

Pediatric Profiles

Madisen, aka:Madins
                                                                                                                    
                                is very compassionate and sensitive.  She shows great empathy for others. She is always concerned with others around her and loves to laugh and have a good time. She is a big helper and is always willing to help out around the house. She loves her sisters and plays with them. Her and Avery make the best pals and play so good together, which has been such a blessing. She loves school and is learning to read now and comes home excited about the things she did that day. She loves to pretend she is a dinosaur or some sort of animal, it's different everyday! She love to crawl around the house and be "that" particular animal in her behaviors.She was a Cheetah for Halloween this year.She has a great imagination, and is always coming up with things to do or play. Madisen loves to sing and make up her own songs too. She is really starting to blossom and will talk to anybody in the store or at church. It amazes me still how she can just warm up to anyone, especially since she used to be so shy for so long. Her favorite food is dinosaur chicken nuggets. Her favorite color is yellow.

Avery, aka:Poh-bah is all girl. She tells us everyday, if not ten times or more, "I'm a princesses," as she twirls around and frolics across the room. She really doesn't ever run, it;s more like she prances. She loves wearing dresses, skirts and jewelry. She would wear makeup everyday too, if I let her. She loves to dance and sing and show off. She loves Cinderella and that's what she was for Halloween. She is also the clown of the family. Always goofing around. You try and be serious with her and she pulls some off the wall face when you least expect it or says something so funny it's hard to stay mad at her for long. She doesn't stay angry very long, In fact, she can switch moods in a blink of an eye. She can be so excited one minute and the next, crying. She is a very passionate kid and loves giving hugs to her sisters. She loves her sister Madi and is always excited to go pick her up from school. Avery is also our eater. She is always hungry, or maybe just for sweets! . Her favorite food is anything with sugar or chocolate. Her favorite color is pink and blue.

 Emily, aka: Bubbies is such a sweetheart. She just melts everyone's heart. She will wrap herself around your neck and hold on as she lays her head on your shoulder/chest. I love holding her and she loves being held too. She loves to be tickled, or have her back scratched. She is a mommy's girl, and likes to follow mom around. Of course, she is also very independent in her own way too. She is a very determined toddler and doesn't give up easily, if at all until she gets her way. Which can make for some pretty bad temper tantrums too! =0 . Emily loves electronics(as mentioned in previous post) and is always carrying around some sort of cord, a phone, getting her hands on our laptops is her favorite. She likes the vaccum or anything else that moves and makes noise.  She is pretty sensitive and is always observing people's facial expressions. She is walking all over the place and loves to tackle her sisters and join right in with them as a "big" girl. She is quick to laugh and has just realized her ability to make others laugh as well. Her favorite food is pretty much anything.

 First Sisters, Forever Friends

"I love technology...always and forever..."

 I left the room for 2 seconds to wipe Avery's bum and when I came back, look who's taken over my spot! Ha. I think, she thinks, she can do a better job of doing both at the same time, than her mom. (That may be true, but we'll save that argument for another time).
If we ever left her alone somewhere like Best Buy or Staples, she would have thought she had died and gone to heaven surely, as she loves all kinds of gadgets and electronics.

This is not the first time I have come into the room (nor will it be the last I'm sure) and Emily has been either on my phone, on the computer typing away or doing both at the same time. This particular time she was doing both. Usually, I get her off and down from the table as quickly as I find her, but this time I delayed the inevitable and decided to snap a few pictures for record.

She must have gotten an important text here...          "Oh geez...they are out of my favorite diapers again."

She decides to take a moment from her work to shoot a smile across the table for mom. (She looks pretty guilty, huh?)

Well, it's back to work!

 "Hmm...that's interesting. Those diapers are actually cheaper!"




Even at this moment as I type this post, she has gotten ahold of my phone and is "text-ing". If you ever receive a phone call/text from me and I don't answer or the text doesn't make sense, then it's most likely Emily.
-----------------------------------
HAHA...ok not five minutes after I posted this, two things happened that I have to share(mostly for record).
My mother-in law just called and said she just recieved a call from me and couldn't get a repsonse...well that's because it was Emily.
And just two seconds after that I received a call from some lady with an area code of 214 who said she got a call from someone from my cell number yesterday and was returning the call...? haha!
Emily!  :)

We are seriously going to have to limit her cell phone use!

"Life's Short...Eat Cookies"

Hi. My name is Christy Hodges and I am addicted to chocolate chip cookies.

Ahhhhhh.....  (big relaxing exhale). 

There. I said it. 

That felt SO good to finally get off my chest.

"Life's Short...Eat Cookies". That has been my motto ever since I first lay eye... I mean, bite on chocolate chip cookies, some 27 years ago.  I have this exact quote above our kitchen table for crying out loud.  I know, strange huh?

My two favorites types of cookies: homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and "Chip Ahoy" chunky chocolate chip cookies with a big glass of milk. (Of course, I will eat just about any kind of cookie though).

 I. love. cookies.

There. I said it again.

My mouth waters just saying those words. haha.

Ryan once told me not too long ago that cookies are my drug, and when I am stressed out or just having a bad day I crave, no, I NEED chocolate chip cookies to fulfill me because I am that addicted. It's my drug of choice as Ryan has been telling me for years.

I have been in denial for a long time, now I have come to accept that this is true. For my eyes have been opened. I have caught myself on numerous nights the last few months as soon as I have put the kids to bed,  I am in the kitchen in a flash, diving for the cupboard to take out a cup to fill it with milk. Then I spin around to the closet and grab the bag of chocolate chip, "Chip Ahoy" cookies and literally scoop up about 5 or 6 in two seconds flat. Before I realize it, I've sat down at the kitchen table and have already dipped and eaten one cookie and am now on the second. I devour each one pretty fast and take a long swig of cold milk. After eating those, I think, "well, I will just have a few more and eat them more slowly." So I go and grab 3 or 4 more and slowly eat those till they are gone. And drink the last of my milk, enjoying the flavor of cold milk mixed with cookie.

Ryan comes into the kitchen and sees I have just eaten some cookies, so he proceeds to do the same. Yet, when he sits down with his milk and cookies, I notice he only took three cookies.  Three. Meaning, he eats JUST 3 cookies. 1,2,3. That's it. No more.

Huh?! I am so confused by this. I think, "how can he just eat 3?"  

So in my state of confusion, I go and grab two more cookies just to have something to chew on while I sit and ponder this little bit of information about my husband. Who is he? Where did he come from? How can he only EAT 3?

After eating those two cookies. I sit there, still wondering how a person, especially my husband can eat just three cookies and be done?! What is wrong with him? Doesn't he LIKE cookies??

Then it clicks.

Oh my gosh!!  I JUST ate (if you were counting)  like 10-12 cookies!! Oh, man. That's like 650 calories! What is wrong with ME?!

Uhhhhhh..... (Frustrated Napoleon exhale).

By this point I am so depressed that I ate so many cookies, that the only thing that will cheer me up at this point is....

Yep. You guess it.

I dunk and eat 3 more cookies and then go straight to bed, disgusted with myself. Blah.


What's funny though about this all, is growing up in my family my mom made a rule in our home, that we could only have 3 cookies when we came home from school and wanted a snack. The first time Ryan came to my home to meet my family, I remember my mom made cookies and Ryan took like 4 or 5! Umm...hello? Don't you know, you can only have three?? Well, that is exactly what my little brother Randy said to him. Ha. We still joke about that to this day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hate to admit this, but I honestly think that I single-handily kept Chip Ahoy cookies in business the past few years.

That might be a slight exaggeration, but that's how I feel. That's not something to brag about either. So now that I have confessed my addiction to you all, (and completely embarrassed myself)  my hope is to conquer this addiction. Because it is real.

In fact, just last night I finished a bag of Chip Ahoy cookies. The same bag that my husband bought just the night before, for me. The bag I begged, no threaten him to buy for me as he was heading to the store. That bag is now gone. In ONE day! 

My husband has known that I have had this addiction even before I did, but has been very patient with me. My husband has a small addiction of his own. He loves pop. Or soda or, "coke" as they say here in Texas. But he made a goal not to drink any pop for a whole year! And he is just 1 1/2 months to his goal. What will-power! He is my hero. :)

Wow. Sorry. This post has gotten way out of hand. I didn't mean to write so much. I just couldn't stop... like my addiction with cookies!

I am setting a goal for myself today. I am not going to eat cookies for an entire week. Then once I conquer that, I am going to go for a month, then two months, then possibly a year!  I have to take it one day at a time though. My new motto will now be something like, "Life's Long....Exercise Longer."

What are you addicted to??

I've been Tagged.

1. Favorite picture and why?

We don't have our home computer up and running at this time, so I don't have many pictures downloaded to this laptop, just the ones we have taken recently. While we were staying in Colorado for a few days before heading down to Texas, we went to the Colorado Springs Zoo, with Ryan's family. There, at the Zoo, they had a huge wooden porch chair, that was just adorable! I sat Emily down and she instantly threw a fit, sliding herself down the chair with a determined grunt in protest, to definitely let me know she is NOT going to pose and BE cute no matter what. 

Obviously, it was the sun in her eyes that she didn't like, (I don't blame her). And maybe, just slightly though, annoyed with me for putting her there in the first place. :) So before she got too outraged with her current surroundings, I snapped this beauty. HA. Now, who's more ornery?! (That was a rhetorical question...you weren't really supposed to answer that).

2. Time to admit it, name your favorite reality TV show? 

Biggest Loser!!!

 This is pretty much the only show I watch, (which I find myself even getting burned out of this lately) besides an occasionally entertaining Oprah or Dr. Phil show. I am just not into TV shows. I find so many inappropriate and disgusting, that I just don't find joy in watching TV very often. Plus, I want to set an example to my girls, that if something is not appropriate it goes off. That doesn't mean that every show is bad, I haven't even heard of half the shows on TV these days. So if you try to spark a conversation about some TV show with me, and I have a blank look on my face... yeah, now you know why.   I choose other ways to waste my time, either on the Internet or making endless lists of things I want to do and goals to work on. Which is ironic to me, because, as I spend time writing lists out all the time, I could be working on some of the things ON those lists. Such is (MY) life. 

*Sorry got off on another tangent there, the question was, "what is your favorite tv show" and I end up talking about lists and other ways I waste my time...I'm a dork!

3. If you could go one place in the world where would you go? Who would you take? 

I was just researching how much it would cost to Disney World the other day online and finding hotel deals and such, so I would love to be able to take my girls to Disney World and any extended family that could come too would be so fun.


4. If you won the lottery, name the first three things you'd do with the money?
1. pay tithing :)

2. pay off debt

3. buy a house


(Or should I say, 2.buy a house, 3.then pay off debt.)

5. What is your main regret in life?

That I didn't stick to playing the piano in high school, and that I also never took choir or learned how to sing because I was too afraid of getting made fun of even more than I was already.


6. Where has your favorite trip been to so far?

I have never gone on a trip anywhere spectacular or out of the western part of this country. I know. Boring huh? Someday Ryan and I hope to take a trip together.

7. How did you meet your spouse?

We were in the same ward at Ricks College, and we had a an activity/dance night in the Taylor Building and Ryan came up to me while I was dancing with a group of friends and said, "Dance with me." 

It wasn't a question. It was a command. Haha! 

So I did. I mean, he was definitely cute enough. :)

8. Name something that irks you.

Hmm...where did I put that list....

Just Kidding. I have never written a list about things that irk me...but maybe I SHOULD. hehe. 

I would have to say people that are blatantly rude, bold or selfish and don't think they are. Being late to things, is another thing that irks me. I am not talking about 5 or even10 minutes, I am talking about a half an hour or more! Grrr.... I usually laugh about those things later though. haha.

I tag...

April, Cristi, Rory, Genny, and Joanna and Lisa (when they both find time, as they just had a baby! But I just love their blogs too :)

Our New (temporary and permanent) Home

First of all, Ryan came home from work yesterday and showed me this:

   If you can't tell what it is by looking at it, it's a doctor's prescription pad. And if you look closely Ryan's name is officially on it!! I know it's probably silly to be excited over, but silly nonetheless, He and I were doing a little victory dance in the kitchen together when he brought it home to show me! He can now write prescriptions!

Anyone in need??

Haha...JK!

    Obviously, we are stoked that he has a job. And a good job, for us. It took us a bit longer than most of his classmates to find a job. We kept praying and tried to be patient and have faith that we would find one perfect for us. And I know that through our patience and faith we found this job. It's in a rural area with many lower-income families, and also a high percentage of Spanish-speaking people. Ryan will be able to use his Spanish and help many that can't afford health insurance and have no way of paying for their medical bills. The job is great in another way too, in that it will pay back all our student loans! (Of course we have to commit to 4-5 years and if we come to love it here in Greenville, we might permanently call it, "home" and then convince our family in Idaho, Colorado, and Utah to move here too ;)). What a tremendous blessing! I have such a strong testimony of the importance of praying for the things your family is in need of, in order to bless not only your family but to use it to bless others around you. Although, we don't know very many people yet, we have felt that this is the place where we need to be; to grow, to learn and to meet new friends. Hopefully we won't have to learn anything too hard!  hehe. ;) But if we do, I say, "Bring it on!"...kidding, kind of. lol!

Sorry to get off on a spiritual tangent, (I just couldn't help it) I am just so very grateful for the many blessings in my life, for my testimony, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, that sometimes I just have to shout it!!! (This is me shouting!)

Anyway, off to tour our new "temporary" home...

 Front door area

 Front room and view of kitchen

 Another view of front door and hallway to girl's room.

 Living Room with our new couches...or new to us! Thanks Wendy and Jerry!!

 Dining area and kitchen

Master bathroom...attached is our room, but it isn't the cleanest right now, so you will just have to imagine our room and walk in closet. :)

 Girl's bathroom and there is also a laundry area just next to this bathroom.

Girl's room.

Yep. That's it. Our whole 950 sq. ft. home. It's going to be a little bit of an adjustment to get used to, as our old home was about 2,600 sq. feet. But home is where you make it, right? We will be living here for the next 6-9 months and then hopefully buying a house! 

Where have we been?!

I haven't updated in so long, I seriously had troubles logging on and remembering how! I am sad that I did not post once, during October. I have always posted at least once a month, and now I have missed a month! Dang it.  Oh well, it's not like it's the end of the world, but pretty close. ;)

It's good to finally have access to the internet again. It's amazing how much we rely on the thing! And when it's not available, it's definitely a  "lost" feeling.  "Lost"  in that you can't look at your bank account, your emails, your social networks...just completely lost to the outside world. Which was actually kind of nice though too. Not worrying about those things for awhile.

 Most of you know we took at job in Texas. Ye-haw! We live in Greenville Texas, about an hour north east of Dallas. It's a beautiful area actually. So many leaf trees and it's so green here. We are living in an apartment for the time being, trying to determine where we want to buy a house. We have successfully unpacked our whole house and hung up decorations. So it feels close to home again. We have been busy getting things ready for Ryan to get to work and Madi to get to school. I love the school systems here for the most part. Madi goes to school everyday from 8am-3:15pm. It's great. She goes to a school where they require the students to wear uniforms. I personally like the idea, but I know many who don't share that opinion. To each his own, I guess.

Here's Madi showing off her school pride.

Back tracking a little bit... Ryan had laser eye surgery a few weeks ago. We both have been wanting to get this done and we thought it was the perfect time to do it right before he goes to work. He was so excited. And he is thrilled that he no longer has to wear contacts or glasses. Here he is for the last time in glasses...Way to go babe!

What a hunk!

Ethan's grave stone was finished just in time for us to see it before moving. It turned out beautiful I think. I was afraid that it had too much writing on it, but I like how it turned out after all. As we were leaving, Avery yells out, "Bye Ethan. I love you." And Emily waves bye-bye. It was really cute.

All four of our kids together.

A few weeks before moving we got to spend some time saying goodbye to our dear friends. Pam, Emily and I went out to dinner at Olive Garden one night. Also the girls from our ward had a little get together at a park and it was great to be able to take a break from packing and hang out with the girls from the ward. Love you guys!

"Bring it!"

Ryan and Dan in their wrestling masks.  Those boys have way too much time on their hands...haha!

Saying our good-byes to our son, Daniel. We will miss him tons. He is such a great friend.

And of course we will miss our family so much. It's going to be hard not living close to any of them. I wish I would have taken more time to spend with them while we did live so close to each other.  Love you family!!!