Scrappin' Secret #2

So, here's what I did with the adorable picture of Nics begging:

Emily and Sariah's Irish Secret

Congratulations to my 2 beautiful Irish Dancers! Tonight, they took 3rd Place in the Three Hand Reel at Utah Feis (pronounced "fesh"). Great job, girls! And good luck tomorrow.

Update to my Secret

So after posting that I am a praise junkie, I feel a little like this:
This is the look I typically get from Nicole when she really wants something. Notice the very pouty lower lip and the cute puppy paws. The only thing missing is the little whimpering puppy noises she makes while begging.

I am not really begging for praise... it was just an observation of mine. A little insight about myself.

On the other hand, if you feel a need to praise me... go right ahead! I won't mind. Really ;p

A Little Secret About Me

Hello everyone, my name is Kelli. (Now you all say, "Hi, Kelli") And I am a praise junkie. It all started when I was a little kid. I loved to be praised for the things I did. But it didn't grow into a serious addiction until my high school/ college years. I spent those years participating in debate tournaments. And ever since my first trophy, I have been addicted. I loved getting the ballots back and reading what the judges thought of my arguments and my speaking style. I loved receiving awards that validated what I was doing. I loved winning! And I loved that I could still be the 3rd place speaker at a tournament even after losing every round. I loved it! And I was totally addicted.

I thought I had kicked the addiction after I became a mom. When I began receiving praise like, "Mom, you don't have to go on Biggest Loser even though you still look like you have a baby in your tummy" and "You are really good at taking naps" or sometimes "you are the best mom ever" (but that is only after I stop and buy them milkshakes). I was cured! I no longer craved praise daily. I had learned to live without it and be okay.... at least most of the time.

Then, I started this blog. And the addiction has come back in full force. Thank you to everyone who has told me they enjoy my muses. Especially Heather S. and Callene. Heather, I kept your email so I can read it whenever I am in need of a fix. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It gets worse. After reading The Alchemist, I discovered that I am very much like the crystal merchant. In an effort to breakaway and become more like the brave boy who discovers treasure, I have challenged myself to do a few of the things on my secret "to do" list. One is to participate in scrapbook challenges at my favorite website. I posted a few of the layouts now and people like them! I had not expected any comments on my pages and truthfully, I don't have that many. But as soon as I saw my first comment, I was hooked on praise... again.

So here I am. I admitted it. I am a praise junkie! Does anyone know the 12 steps for this one?

Scrappin' Secret

Couldn't resist posting my latest creation based on last Friday's noodley fun adventure at the pool.

3 Secrets

A few days ago, my sister tagged me. And then yesterday she began nagging me about why I wasn't playing along. So here goes....

3 Joys
1- Steve
2-my girls
3-the gospel

3 Fears
1-being in small or even large places where many people are breathing the same air. I am afraid that there will be no air left and I will die! And yes, this does apply to the chapel at church. Really, I am not a super-righteous person. We sit in the front so I can breath and escape if necessary.
2-losing my memories (I think that is why I scrapbook so much)
3-losing Steve. I am seriously paranoid about his death. I freak out if I can not get a hold of him.

3 Goals
1-Learn to be a better photographer
2- Finish my Bachelors degree. I have an Associates, but was about 15 hours shy of my Bachelors when Steve was promoted and we moved from Logan
3-Keep up with the laundry (ha ha this is never ending)

Current Obsessions
1-taking my kids to the pool.
2-The Sweet Shoppe Designs challenges
3-blogging

And since all of my blogging friends have done this already, I tag Shannon who just started her blog. And Heather I. just as soon as she has one. :)

Secrets from You to Me (June)

So, I was thinking... since I have been in the Primary, I have very few oppurtunities to hear the testimonies of my friends. You are probably thinking, "what does she do during Fast and Testimony meeting?" Well, have you met my daughter? If I get 10 minutes to really listen, then Sacrament Meeting was a success. But I really do miss that closer feeling of sisterhood as women share their testimonies in Relief Society. So I have decided to use my blog for good! (You know instead of an outlet for me to ask about boob jobs).

So this month, share a secret with me! Tell me about a time when you knew that you were a child of God. Post it here or spead it to others via your blog.

Here's my secret.

I have had a few times when I have truly felt like a daughter of God. One very special time was in November of 1994 when I was baptized. Some of you already know about this, but for those of you who don't, here it is. I was 17 years old when I finally accepted the Savior into my life and decide to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at my baptism. I think I thought it would be something like swimming... you know when you dunk your head under water. But what I got was very different. The waters of baptism were nothing like I expected. It did not feel like water. I did not move like water. It was something more. And when I was under that water, what I felt was heavenly. I felt completely enveloped in the love of my Heavenly Father. As if he had his arms around me. Hugging me. Telling his daughter that all things past are forgiven. Go forward with faith. Go forward with me. It was a really special experience.

There's my secret. What's yours?

A Secret About Steve

Tonight Steve and I were watching reruns of Home Impovement. Tim, of course, said something stupid on the show. And my husband, with a very straight face said, "I hope I don't say stupid things like that". Really! You! No, honey, you never say anything like that!

Our Secret Summer Hidding Place

Okay, so maybe this is not such a secret. Most of you know by now that we spend most of our days at the pool! Today, we had some visitors with us. Jaqui, Morgan, Annie, Ellie & Anna joined us for the day. An extra adult gave me a rare opportunity to takes some photos! Here I am with my four beautiful beach babes. (Photo courtesy of Jaqui :)

Here are the kids having tons of fun with the Noodles!! By the way, the Noodles turned me into a totally bad mom! I guess kick boards, floaty tubes, inflatable lounges and floppy flyers are not enough fun as a single Noodle. A good mom would have know this!


But if you want to look truly cool at the pool, you must do something like this...

Secret Things I Think About While at the Pool

Okay, so these are my secret thoughts. If you want to be in my head, then you can not judge me.

Do you think they give a group discount on breast implants? Like if you and all your pool friends came in together and asked for roughly the same size implant so that you could all go to the pool together with matching breasts, do you think you would get a discount?

I was also wondering, do breast implants come with a free tatoo?

It is crazy what my little mind thinks of while I am chasing Gracie around the kiddie pool.

One "Mmmm... Nummy" Secret

Emily really wants to learn how to cook, so we have been having cooking lessons with on Wednesdays for the summer. Tonight she made pancakes for dinner! Wa-hoo! Someone else made dinner while daddy was out of town! Here's how it went:

Everyone had a chance to stir the pancakes:

Gracie was a little worried about this plan to have Emily make dinner. She thought she would call for pizza in case this crazy plan did not work out.

But in the end, Gracie got to taste test the pancakes. Her response, "P'cakes. Mmmmm! Nummy!"

Jaqui's Secret Kiss with the Popular Boy

Well, she's done it now! Jaqui has taken her love for the "popular boy" (see Jaqui's blog for more info) to the next level! Tonight she was able to kiss him! But she wasn't the only one... almost all the girls got kisses goodbye from that cute guy! He leaves for his new home 13 hrs away tomorrow:(


Gracie was even able to get a few hugs out of him. She kept hugging him, but after the first hug, he was merely humoring her. At one point he was even running from her. It was cute!


We had a really nice visit with Mike, Jamie and Noah and wish them luck and happiness in there new home! And we are looking forward to visiting them in the beautiful state of Oregon! And Mike is hoping for a December visit because somehow he gets a kayak if we do...


As a parting shot, here is a picture of all the cousins. And yes, there is only one boy. After his sis is born, he will be one boy out of ten grandkids. And on the other side, he will be the only boy of four grandkids. This guy is totally girl trapped!


P.S. I took too many pictures! I'll upload to phanfare tomorrow, it will take to long tonight.

6:26 am Secret?

Grace has a new little secret called wake-up at 6:26 am everyday! Gracie, let me let you in on a little mommy secret... it's summer!! Sleep in, girl! At least until your usual 8 am waking because unlike you, no one else in this house takes a nap at 8:30.

She is driving me crazy! Schools in- she wakes up at 8. Schools out- 6:26? Please.

The Secret of Dallin

Today, I spent some time pondering my primary calling. Something is different than last year...well, duh: new kids, new teaching companion, new ward members. Of course, something is different. But this is something else. Last year, for the first time in all my years as a Primary teacher, I sometimes felt more like the student than the teacher. I would come away from my class with an answer to a personal struggle or inspiration on something I could do to improve my life. I never missed Sunday School or even Relief Society because I always felt like my cup was being filled. Now don't get me wrong, I love Primary. I love my Primary class. I love that they are reverent and sweet and so excited about baptism. But today I was lamenting the loss of something I have become accustomed to last year.

I spent some time talking it out with Steve today and I discovered the little secret I was missing this year. It's Dallin! At times, he was difficult but that was just the nature of the trial he was given for this life. But he was also full of the spirit. He would just say things that were so very inspiring to me. One day, while doing a maze in Sharing Time he taught me a great little lesson about life. The maze had very tiny print, you were suppose to look at the choices and choose the right and that would lead you to the Celestial Kingdom. But because the print was so tiny, I was trying to read it to the kids. When I got to Dallin to help him, he said he did not need me to read it for him because he was just keeping his eye on the end. Keeping your eye on the end, hmm. In this world where everything is always a little skewed or in tiny print it can be difficult to discover which choice is right, but if we keep our eye on the end, we will always make the right choice. Another Sunday, I was inspire by our High Councilman (Ed Rock) to try to see the spirit in my life more. His talk went along well with the Primary lesson, so I took the opportunity to ask the class what they thought I could do to see the spirit in my life. Dallin raised his hand and told me just to decide that I will. "It's that simple?" I asked him. And he said something like, "Yes. You can choose to feel the spirit or not. You decide." I miss those statements.

To his parents: I know that on one hand, he is a great trial. There are difficult aspects, new trials, and mystery surrounding so much. But on the other hand, he is really close to Heavenly Father. He understands the working of Heavenly Father far more than any other 8 year old I have encountered. He really is a sweet spirit trapped inside a body that can't understand the world the way his soul does. I am sure you already know this.

After a year of sharing the spirit with him every week, my spirit misses it. It took me a while to figure out what was different... what had always been different about last years' class. He was the secret ingredient. His spirit always seemed to assist the others. And all though he may have annoyed his classmates from time to time, I could tell that his spirit really inspired theirs. I have never had a Primary class before or since that is the same. And I miss it.

I hope that this in no way reflects poorly on this years class. They are really wonderful kids and I love them. I love teaching them and watching them learn. I really do enjoy my time with them. This is just a little ramble on what I miss....

A Secret to Making Friends

Get a blog. No seriously, I'm not kidding! Get a blog and then start blog-stalking! Link up to your friends blog and look for names that look familiar in their list of favorite blogs. Just follow them and secretly read the blogs of everyone you know. You will learn so much about them and their families. Then just wait, one day someone whose blog you secretly stalk will be braver than you and admit they read your blog. Seriously, it happens! You can make a friend without even leaving the security of your computer! I know this is true because it happened to me. While blog-stalking the Kestons, I discovered that I was added to Emily's list of favorite people! Wa-Hoo!

P.S. Emily, you should have Caely and Morgan whip you up some of their delicious syrup whoops I mean punch that they were selling the other day. It was very... flavorfull:)

Secrets of Fathers

As a mother, I do not completely understand the secrets of a father. How is it that they can get the kids to bed on time without any excuses or bickering? How do they get little whinny girls to smile? And seriously, what makes a daddy so much cooler than the mom? I guess I may never understand it, but I am grateful for the daddies in my life.

First, for my dad who came into my life when I was four. Who bandaged my skinned knees, chased my evil friends out of the house, dropped me off at college and high fived me when I was ready to leave there. The one who handed me over to my husband. And took all my babies in his arms. Thank you, Craig for the wonderful things you have done and continue to do for me. I love you.

Second, to the daddy of my beautiful girls. My sister-in-law told me once (after our second girl) that we would probably never have a son because Stephen is too good of a father to little girls. Her statement has proven true. I think it is difficult to walk through all the pink days and dress-up and I am not sure that it will get easier for him as they get older. I am grateful that he is there for them. To love them and support them and to do all those girly things that only a daddy can do. Thank you, honey! Thank you for watching them shine, watching them grow. Thank you for being there when they "leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream" and letting me sleep. Thank you for helping them find that light within them that will shine on them forever. And for "standing guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever" please continue to do that as they grow into teenagers. And thank you for giving me the knowledge that "there will never be a father loves his daughters more". I love you. Happy Father's Day.

Third, for the new father I received the day I was married. I miss the man who taught my husband to be the man he is today. The man who demonstrated love and laughter as a father and showed my kids' dad what it means to be a dad. This is our first Father's Day without him and he is very missed. We love him and miss him.

Happy Father's Day!

Love, Kelli

What is the "Secret" of the Speedo?

I don't get it? What compels an overgrown man to wear a bright blue and yellow checkered Speedo to the pool? If anyone knows the answer to this secret, please let me know.

The Secrets of a Flirtatious Babe

Why is it that at about twenty months, each one of my little girls has become a little flirt? It all started with Emily flirting with the little boys who sat behind us at church. And now little Gracie has hit that stage! However, she is not flirting with boys at church... she is flirting with "babes" poolside. It started on Monday. She was sitting on the steps of the pool when a little boy about her age sat next to her. He looked at her. She looked at him and called him, "baby". He smiled at her. She did a little dance for him. He hung on the bar showing off for her. She gave him a little giggle. And then he moved in towards her. That's when I saw it, my little girl was flirting with a total rebel! That's right, he was breaking all the baby pool rules... he was more than an arm's distance from his mom and he was wearing a regular diaper... no swim diaper for this rebel. I guess Gracie overheard me telling her daddy about her "questionable" choice in boys because today, she moved out of the rebel stage. Today she found a boy with dedication, responsibility, and the power to save lives. And of course, he was a man in uniform. Today, Gracie spent the afternoon flirting with the lifeguard! He was on patrol at the "Baby Beach" just walking back and forth keeping his eye out on all the little ones. She danced for him. She showed him how she could roll around in the water. And every time he looked her way, she gave him one of her adorable four and one-fourth tooth smiles. He was pretty enamored with her as well. Every time she smiled he stopped to smile back. He would even stop and watch her sometimes and then laugh at how adorable she was. On one hand, I am grateful to see that she has moved on to a "responsible" boy. On the other hand, I am not so sure that I like her flirting with boys who are at least eight times her age. lol

The Secret to "W'Sup?"

Today, the girls taught Gracie a new saying, "Yo, yo, yo! W'sup!" They taught her on our way to Walmart, and she said it to everyone we saw! It was so cute!

The Secret of the Pool

My four beautiful girls are completely in love with going to the pool. It is their favorite summer activity. The pool has such a great power over them. They will clean up the entire house first thing in the morning in order to go to the pool for the afternoon. I love it! I love that I do not have to battle them to do their work. And then I get to spend the day playing with them in the water or sitting lazily beside the pool while Grace plays with the buckle on her stoller. Meanwhile, my house stays clean!!! It makes for a good day. So if you're looking for us on us a summer day, try the pool.

The Secret to Being Lazy

One day after washing, drying & folding laundry for hours, Sariah informed me that I was lazy. Now, she was laying on her bed and I was putting all her freshly cleaned clothes away. I pointed this small fact out to her. She then stated that I should not feel bad because Grandma Purser is lazy too. What?! What in the world was she talking about? She then went on to inform me that both Grandma and I take a lot of naps. So the secret of being lazy is taking a nap. And it looks like Gracie has got that down! However, I think that taking a nap is the secret to something else... keeping your sanity! Especially with four little girls.

The Secrets to Camping

5. Don't let Kaella try to start a fire.

4. Fire roasted Tootsie Rolls look a lot like deer droppings

3. Don't fall in a stream trying to take the cutest picture of your daughter on a rock. If you do, you may burn your shoes while trying to dry them by the fire

2. Bring plenty of food for Anna or she may starve to death! Luckily we had life saving licorice!

1. Make sure the snow is gone or you may freeze all night!

The Secret Behind This Blog

My list of reason's for starting a blog:

1-my little sis is definately not moving to utah anytime soon... after nearly 2 years, I should accept this and try more diligintly to keep her informed

2- all the cool people are doing it (Heather that means you) and yes, mom I may jump off a bridge if all my friends did

3- I can not figure out how to use Facebook!!! So now all my friends think I am snubbing them!

4- I am trying day by day to discover the secrets of life. Writing them down usually helps me remember them when days are bad.

5- I am running out of storage on Phanfare!

6-Jaqui is starting one! And my little sister is not cooler than me!!! A little sisterly competition never hurt anything.

So welcome to my blog!