GO Cougars!

Sam tells me he "doesn't know how to smile".

Well, after this photo experience, perhaps I believe him. :)

We met up with Nate for a BYU Basketball game a couple weeks ago. GO COUGARS!

Here's photo attempt #1.

Photo Attempt #2

Proof that Zack and I were there.

Photo Attempt #3 - Zack getting in on the "I don't know how to smile" action.

Photo Attempt #4 - A tiny bit better...

Photo Attempt #5 - Good enough. I'll take it.

Signing off from "I don't know how to smile" land over here...

Our New "Pet"

Guess what?? We finally got a beautiful piano. It is such a joy and fills our home with such vibrant LIFE. It feels so much more homey now. Is that just because I grew up listening to my mom's piano playing as the background soundtrack of my childhood and teenage years? Maybe. Either way, we LOVE it .

Here's Matt at his first lesson. Everyone had lessons today - Sam, Zack and Matt. (excuse the mess on top of the piano... we have yet to find a bookshelf, etc for our music!)

Sam wanted to make sure Zack was in a picture too...

I can't tell you how much we love having this piano in our home. And it has only been 4 days. :) Everyone loves it. Especially me.

Now I'll be able to teach my cute students from my home... and probably add a few more. I love teaching!

**A note about the post title. I am obsessed with mint.com. I LOVE budgeting and tracking our expenses daily. Matt and I had set aside $$ for this piano, but I wasn't sure where to categorize the expense. I decided long ago that all our big ticket items will be put in one of the automatic categories that we never use. Today, Matt saw where I had put this expense and hasn't stopped teasing me about it. I'm sure you guessed. It's in "Pets". Makes perfect sense, right? :)

Overscheduled Part 2

I made it.

And I made these.

Lots of these.

Like over 350 of these.

These "helpers" were very ready for me to be done. I sure was too...

HOORAY! Happy wedding Aleena! (Not sure I'll volunteer for such an undertaking again..., but I was happy to do it for you!)

Overschedule much?

Ever overschedule yourself?

I do. I'm not good at saying no sometimes. The real problem lies in the fact that I really do believe that I can get it all done.

Really.

But check this out...

Between today and Friday I

-have to make 300 cupcake bites for a friend's wedding reception friday night. 180 down, 120 to go. and the 180 took me ALL DAY TODAY

- watched a friend's 3 year old and 18 month old all day today

- am watching same kiddos tomorrow from 9:30am - 4pm

- hosted Zack's playschool (= six kids ages 2-3 for 2 hours) this morning with about 2 hours notice.

- hosted mutual at my house just now

- taught piano lessons to two students today

- teaching piano lessons to three students tomorrow

- attending said friend's sealing friday morning

- speaking in church in 10 days.

- decided "we don't do enough" and invited over 4 families for a get together here on sunday evening

- heading up our neighborhood's playgroup.. first one tomorrow from 9:30 - 11 at the church.

- have Shipoopi practice on friday night. Yes. We were somehow roped into being part of the "Shipoopi dancers" for our stake's musical. Fun, but stressful too. Come see us in March...

is this so much it's comical yet?

I MIGHT COLLAPSE FRIDAY NIGHT AND NEVER RECOVER!

(not to mention a few recent changes in our house... I was called as YW Pres, Sam has been diagnosed with EE and needs regular endoscopies and potential diet restrictions (likely we're off dairy and eggs again over here), and we've been asked to go on Trek this summer. EEK.)

Am I the only one? Does anyone else get themselves in these predicaments???

On another note, these monkeys keep me fairly entertained.