Heather Needs...

So I've got another tag. I wasn't sure if I was really going to do it, but I was laughing so hard that I just had to share. For this tag you just go to Google, type in your name followed by the word needs and see what the first 5 things are that come up. Here are mine, and I'm glad they're not true! (At least I don't think so.)

1. Heather needs two therapists
2. Heather needs to grow up
3. Heather needs help
4. Heather needs Facebook
5. Heather needs a childhood

and since I found this so amusing here are a few more for fun.

Heather needs a body guard
Heather needs an eccentric beauty parlor owner
Heather needs a vacation


Okay, so maybe I do need Facebook and a vacation-but personally, I disagree with the rest. (Unless help means hired help in the home, then I'm all over that!)

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Getting back into the swing of things

I really need to post about our holidays, but I can't seem to get around to it. Instead I'm going to do a fun tag, that I hope you'll do when you finish reading. Maybe soon I'll post pictures from the last few weeks, but for now I hope you enjoy...

Rules: Anything you have done has to be in color, bold, and/or underlined. How much have you done? It only takes about 5 minutes...just do it. It's fun!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
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. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
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
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
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
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
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
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
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 lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

"Our Deepest Fear"

I stumbled across one of my favorite quotes a few minutes ago. Since it is that time a year when we are thinking about Christ and how to help our fellow man I would like to share it with all of you. This inspiring quote is taken from Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love. Though often quoted as part of Nelson Mandela's moving inaugural speech, "Our Deepest Fear" does not appear in the speech. May we help each other by letting our own lights shine this season...

Our Deepest Fear

By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness

That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small

Does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking

So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,

As children do.

We were born to make manifest

The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;

It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we're liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

Gingerbread Houses

We had a lot of fun decorating our Gingerbread houses last week. My family came over as well as our nephew that we were babysitting.

Heidi, Hayden, and Sara joined us.

Hannah was very serious about her decorating. This year she could use the icing bag and did a wonderful job. I hardly even touched the house. I built it, then put the icing on the roof for Emma and Britton to stick candy on. Then Hannah did everything else by herself.

Britton was hilarious. He could NOT stop eating the candy no matter how hard he tried. I would tell him "No more candy" and then we would watch him slowly bend over and eat a piece (without using his hands) as if it made it okay. He was so stinkin' cute that night! He had a ball with his cousins! I think he'll want to visit us more often because he'll remember being loaded up with sugar at Aunt Heather's! Anyone else want us to babysit? We know how to keep your kids happy!

The finished product! (Hannah and Emma are quite proud!)

The Sounds of the Season [at our house]

"Mom can we decorate the tree?"
"Mom can we decorate the tree, yet?"

"Mom can we PLEASE decorate the tree?"

"Mom when are we going to decorate the tree?"

"I WANT TO DECORATE THE TREE, MOM!"

*repeat as needed until the tree is finally decorated

Bye to Ellen

On Thanksgiving Ellen returned back to New Zealand with her daughter. The night before we all went over to say goodbye. It was strange though-she has pretty bad dementia and wasn't even sure what was going on. She couldn't remember that she was leaving or who some of the people were that were there. Hopefully she felt the love that we all have for her. We all went to say goodbye because chances are that we will not see her again in this lifetime. She has been a wonderful step-grandma for 15 years and she will be missed!

Holly, Ellen, My mom with Grace, Me with Emma, Heidi, Hannah and Sara (in the front)

Ellen, Grace, Mom, Hannah, Heather, Emma

Gracie is 3 months old

So I can hardly believe that Grace is 3 months old now. I LOVE this age. She is smiley, giggly, social, sleeps through the night (10-11 hour stretches), takes 2 or 3 long naps, can't crawl, can't grab everything in sight, doesn't need toys dragged everywhere we go, and is generally a very good baby. I've got it good and everyday I'm grateful for it! Yesterday I took her to Kiddie Kandids and had some pics done. I mainly went to get a certain picture that matches ones I already have of the other girls at 3 months. They did an good job, but boy have their prices gone up over the last few years! I haven't needed to go for a few years now and was shocked by their prices. I came away extremely grateful that we have our own photographer in the family that takes great pictures. Watch out Viv, here we come! Anyhow, I thought I'd show off my cute girl (again) because I'm a proud mom who can't help but brag!