Sophia has just started this new thing. She loves to ride on everything. One in particular is a Levi’s toy dump truck. She looked so cute we had to take a picture. The side veiw is probably the better view because you get the sense of how much bigger she is compared to the truck. When we tried to take her off she wouldn’t let go and started to cry.
Preston came up to me today and said “Mom guess what the bus stops in front of our house now” I asked “well how did you manage that?” One day this week he went outside to walk the 2 blocks to the bus stop just as the bus was driving past our house and the bus driver stopped the bus for him and asked if he wanted to get on. The next day he watched the clock and timed himself to leave at the same time so that he would get out there when the bus drove by. She stopped again and let him on. The bus driver told him that he could get on there from now on. So now there is a bus stop right in front of my house in the mornings and Preston doesn’t have to walk in the freezing cold for 2 blocks and stand and wait for 10 minutes for the bus. It amazes me what he comes up with.
I’ve started doing Yoga with a couple of friends a few weeks ago. On the weekends I usually try new videos on my own. I usually wait until the kids are in bed but this particular night I started early. Levi decided he was going to be my yoga buddy. He was copying everything I was doing and would ask if he was doing it right. It was so cute. He stood so close to me that he was stepping on my toes most of the time. This is a picture of him doing downward facing dog. Corey took a video with our camera but it had a little of me in it and nobody wants to see that.
We decided to have an indoor picnic the other day. It’s one of the boys favorite things to do. As long as the kids have an enclosed cup I’m all for it. We use paper plates and normally have sandwhiches and chips and stuff like that. That makes easy clean up. The kids can’t wait until we can finally go have picnics outside. Cross your fingers that it’s only going to be a couple more months.
This past week we went to Utah for a couple of days. Corey had a meeting in Ogden so we all decided to go. It was nice to finally leave Idaho Falls for a while. This is the first time I’ve been out of town since July. I know it’s sad. This first picture was taken at the Weber state natural history exhibt. The boys just loved the big dinosaur bones. It was really hard to keep Levi from touching anything.
We had to wait for Corey for quite a while so the boys decide that they would pass the time by catching up on the news. It was so funny. They just found a newspaper sitting on some chairs and opened them up and started to look through them. They looked so grown up.
When we finally caught up to Corey we parked our car and rode the train (front runner) to Salt Lake. Levi and Preston were so excited to take their first ride on a train. It was about an hour long train ride and well worth it. Levi’s nose was glued to the window the whole time. They had a blast.
When we arrived in Salt Lake City we rode the Trax to the planetarium. We took a trip to the moon and to Mars. The kids loved seeing all the different
exhibits. Preston still thinks that he is going to grow up to be an astronaut. So we try to do all we can to encourage it. Levi’s favorite part was going up and down in the elevator.
Next we headed for temple square. It was a beautiful day and about 50 degrees outside (warm for us). We walked around temple square for a while and started to get tired. It had been a long day and when we got back to the train Levi fell asleep. It was so cute he was all curled up in ball. Over all it was a quick trip but well worth it. We all had a great time and can’t wait for our next adventure.
I recently received an email from my little sister about how she has been able to lose all her baby fat. I guess people have been asking her “what is your secret”. If you know my sister she eats very healthy and exercises regularly. She is also taking a supplement that she says helps. My bet is that my sister lost her weight because of diet and exercise and not because of the supplement. Whether or not this supplement helps is not what I’m about to rant about but it is the way that this supplement was presented that makes me a little wary.
I’m sure all of you have heard from time to time the term “All Natural” pertaining to food, vitamins, creams, and many other things. It bothers me that we take that phrase and immediately think “oh that must be good for me”. Well someone could sell you a tape worm in a pill form (which has happened) and call it “all natural” and they wouldn’t be lying about it. Would you take it then if you knew it was a tape worm? Most of us would pass. I have a bachelors degree in community health from BYU and one of the subjects we talked about in my training was how dangerous supplements and herbal remedies can be.
Number one warning about supplements and herbal remedies is that they aren’t required by the FDA to pass any kind of test to be considered safe or healthy for you. In fact the supplement is presumed safe and put onto the shelves for the consumers to use. If the FDA receives many reports about adverse reactions to a supplement only then will they warn the public.
Another problem with supplements is there is no way to know if it does what it says it will do. I remember back in 2002 my parents were taking echinacea to prevent them from getting colds. They even convinced me to take it a couple of times. Echinacea was a popular supplement that people took because it claimed it could prevent and treat colds. In 2005 a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It concluded that echinacea did not have any effect on colds. Those given echinacea and those given a placebo had the same effect. Meaning essentially taking echinacea is the same as taking a sugar pill.
There are also dangerous herbs out there that can actually cause kidney failure, liver problems, and even death. I’m not saying all herbs are bad, you just need to know what is in a supplement and know what the risks are. Don’t just take something because it says “All Natural”. Do your research. Make sure your research isn’t biased. If you are getting your information from the company that is selling or producing or in anyway connected with the supplement, that information will most likely be biased. Do the research yourself before you try any supplement. Don’t just take your friend’s advise. Also once you’ve done your research then discuss it with your doctor. Just be smart about taking supplements. Don’t be duped by the “All Natural” phrase.
Our little Sophia is growing so much. We rigged the boppy so she could sit up on her own. She seemed to enjoy it. She is all dressed up ready to go to church. We also fed her some rice cereal for the first time. She is just the cutest little baby ever. 
The kids had a great time on Halloween. Preston was so excited about his costume. If you can’t tell he is supposed to be an astronaut. He helped us make his costume. We went to trunk or treat on Tuesday and then trick or treat on Friday. The kids have so much candy we don’t know what to do with it. 
We went on a walk down by the green belt and these geese started to flock toward us. They thought we might have some bread to feed them. They were surprized when the boys challenged them to a game of football. We call it the geese bowl. A pre-game for the turkey bowl. My money is on the geese.
I love to read. I’ve read a lot of books this summer and don’t have time to blog about all of them. So I’ve decided to make a list of the books that I’ve read. Most of them have been great reads and would be worth the time to check them out. The ones with * by it means I didn’t really care for it. If you want more info about a book then contact me and I’ll email you about it.