Going Private.

Well, I've debated back and forth a million times about going private. I've decided to take the plunge.

Please leave a comment with your e-mail address if you would like to be included in the readers' list.

I welcome ALL readers who I know...even if you are a friend of a friend and would like to keep up with the Ulrichs.

Don't be shy. I probably blog stalk you too. :)

I plan to do this in a week or so.

I walked in the office and what did I see?

Meant to be sung with the tune of "Popcorn popping".

I walked in the office and what did I see?
Londyn holding bu-u-ter the size of a tree.

She seems to always bring me such a nice surprise.
Butter almost on my carpet right before my eyes.

She could have taken an arm full and made a treat,
A bu-tter ball would NOT be so sweet

It WAS really so, but it seemed to be.
I stopped her right before the bu-tter SPREE!

(It was a miracle.)

Quote of the day.

"Whoa Mom, that's freakin' me out," says Londyn (two years old).

Gratitude.

This last couple of weeks have reminded me of how wonderful my life is. I wanted to write down a few things that I'm especially grateful for.

#1: A wonderful husband who has no problem doing laundry, dishes, and putting the kids to bed. As I have accepted a new calling in our ward, I am gone more than ever, and he has not complained once.

#2: To have grown up in a home where both my parents were "real." I don't know how else to put this, but I've encountered a lot of people over the course of my life, and I'm VERY grateful to have been taught to be "real." I choose to be down to earth instead of in "la la" land, and I'm glad to have been taught how to work hard.

#3: I'm grateful for my education. Everyday I watch miscommunications happen. We are surrounded by sooooo many channels....blogs, facebook, text messaging, e-mail...yada yada, and it is VERY easy for miscommunications to take place through these channels. I am grateful for FACE to FACE communication where miscommunications are much fewer than through these other channels.

#4: I am grateful for the guidance of the spirit. I have relied on that guidance in my life. I love that warm feeling.

#5: I'm grateful for great kids who make me smile every day. I'm definitely not a "perfect" mom, and I give myself a hard time about striving for perfection, but I'm grateful at how wonderful they are, and how much they love me.

#6: I'm grateful for great friends. I love the friends that I can not talk to for weeks/years at a time and we can pick up from where we left off. I'm grateful for thoughtful friends who know me. I've always been a little on the "crazy" side, and I appreciate those that see that as a good thing and not a bad thing. :)

#7: I'm grateful for my calling. I have NEVER felt so much love in my entire life for perfect strangers. I'm grateful for that love, and I'm loving getting to know these girls.

#8: I'm grateful that I was blessed with a visual/creative eye. When people ask about "talents" I can't say..."I play the piano," or "I sing," but I can say I'm pretty creative. I'm grateful for that.

#9: I'm grateful for a family who loves me and has my best interest in mind. I love that I can call them when I have silly questions or if I need someone to help me edit something. (even if it is midnight).

I know this post is random, but I'm afraid random is my middle name. :)

What have we been up to lately?

BEWARE: This post is going to be RANDOM!

My kids thought that drinking sparkling cider out of these Valentine's cups was the coolest thing ever. I think they drank most of the bottle of cider in about 5 minutes!
Oaker's face in this picture says it all. Can you see the "craze" in her eyes!?!? Oaks is starting pirouettes in dance, and she is doing really well. I was looking at pictures of her hair when she was little, and I'm starting to wonder if her she is losing some of the "red". I hope not.
Londyn's latest:
"Please pass the chocolate crayon" (wanted the brown crayon...I literally laughed out loud).

When asked what is your favorite movie she says "NACHO" (Nacho Libre...I know...she's not the usual two year old...what can I say.)

She loves to take a nap in ANYONE'S bed but her own. Mommy's bed, Connelly's bed, Oaklyn's bed....I give up.

"I want to go to KELLIE'S house!" She says this about 50 times a day. Kellie is Dan's cousin who watches her while I teach at Dixie College. She LOVES Kellie's house.

"I want to go to D.I." (As she is sitting in her toy car. Can you tell we go to D.I. searching for furniture to redo a LOT!)

"The, the, the, the binch."(She loves the Grinch, but it sounds more like the Bi*ch)

Laying on the ground throwing a fit she says "I want to go to GRANDMA'S!"

"You're mean Mom." Can't even tell you how many times a week I hear this sentence.

When we are going down a hill in the car she yells. "WEEEEEEEE, go fast Mom, go FAST."

She changes her clothes about 10 times a day...this is getting old. I don't need more laundry.

She loves nursery (luckily).

She loves her dog "Shoogs" and carries her around all day.

If we shush her she says "No, YOU shush"

She loves to sing and sings "Tomorrow, tomorrow" from Annie and "Twinkle, twinkle little star"

I can't believe how fast she is growing up.
SWING!!! She is obsessed with it.

This is Connelly and his best little friend Bridger. It's kind of funny that they are such good friends. I grew up with his dad, Kyle. Connelly could play with Bridger all day, EVERY day. I have so many funny memories that have Kyle in them from good 'ol Millard county. I just love his wife Jen too. I always tease him...how did he score a girl like her! Lucky guy, lucky guy.
My kids' new favorite show is "Shark Boy" with Taylor Lautner. I'm afraid my crush on Jacob Black is RUINED.
I have been eating, sleeping, DREAMING about the So You Think You Can Decorate Contest that started on Sunday. I'm honored to have been asked to be a contestant, and I'm working really really hard to do my best. If you haven't voted yet, go check it out and vote for your favorite 2 projects. Hopefully our pillow project is one of your favorites!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ya know...I have an awesome husband. He is my partner in crime and has done so many awesome things for me lately. I have to show you a few of the things he's done just to brag about him for a minute. This is a picture of my master bedroom wall before he painted it.
Here it is after. Yes, he made this wall art too. He painted this wall, made the art, and painted the furniture.
He put up this back splash...doesn't it look AWESOME!?!?

AND....he just built this swing set (with help from Mike) for our back yard. The kids play and play and PLAY out there. I'm so proud of him. He's the handiest guy I've ever seen, and how lucky and I to have him around!?!

I LOVE LIVING IN ST. GEORGE! Have I told you that!?!? :)
He even does laundry! Yes, yes I am a lucky girl. I tend to take him for granted sometimes, but the thing is...he's the best husband in the world.

Happy Valentine's babe. Thanks for the flowers. Lately, I've been a big grouch. I'm pretty sure I'm the crappiest wife around sometimes. I literally ran in the door on Friday, saw the flowers and yelled THANKS FOR THE FLOWERS HONEY as I ran out the door for baptisms for the dead for YW.

As far as we are concerned though, this new year has been great so far. I am only teaching one class at Dixie this semester, and life has slowed down a bit. I can breathe again. At the end of 2009, I literally was so stressed that I couldn't take a deep breath. I guess that's what anxiety does. I'd never experienced that. But, I can feel air in my lungs again.

We have lived in our house of 7 months now. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. We are slowly acquiring furniture. We bought a bed like this one the other day for Connelly's room on Craigslist for $30.00. He is so excited to have a CAR bed!
Oaks is reading so well, and we can't believe how fast she is growing up! She LOVES the monkey bars.

I had to show this picture of Londyn. She was laughing her head off in the tub the other day when I did this to her hair! I remember doing this when I was a kid!

I'm pretty excited that All Things Thrifty got invited to be part of this decorating contest. Check it out, and VOTE for us. :)

We are hoping to start our backyard in the next few weeks. So, I'll be documenting the progress! Wish us luck!

New Calling.

I had an emotional day today, and I need to write down my feelings so that I can remember how I felt.

I got called to be in the Young Women Presidency this week in my ward. I'm so excited! I get to work closely with the Beehives. Today, I honestly couldn't stop crying. I was very emotional. I look up to the girl that I am replacing so much. She is darling. She has always been so kind to me, and I have BIG shoes to fill. I hugged her, and I LOST it. Tears and mascara...everywhere.

Here are a couple of the feelings that I have felt today:
Excitement
Joy
Love for the girls that I don't even know yet
Inadequacy
The Spirit
Busy
Self -consciousness
Gratitude
Awe of the current leaders
Fear
Warmth
Worry (about how my calling will impact Dan and the kids)
Trust in the Lord

I have had an overwhelming confirmation that I was chosen for a reason. I just need to figure out what that reason is. :) I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be called into the Bishop's office and receive this calling. I was impacted greatly by my Young Women leaders growing up. They each made an imprint on my heart, and I instantly had a flood of memories of those great times.

Then I forgot all the things that I'm good at...and could only focus on the things that I'm BAD at. I guess that is Satan's way of trying to influence us. I'm sure I'll get to know everyone fast, but I kind of felt like the "new kid" today. I was crying, and my makeup looked horrible. I was suddenly VERY aware of my Sunday wardrobe...how lame is that....I'm usually such a confident person. I guess that's what happens when I'm out of my comfort zone. It is good for me. One of the first things I thought about when I got the calling....I CAN'T WAIT for GIRLS' CAMP!!! Woot Woot!

Over all, I'm just EXCITED with a capital E.

Fablehaven...

Every once in awhile I start a book that I CANNOT put down. Dan's cousin recommended this book to me. I actually had it for a month before I started reading it, but once I started, I COULD NOT stop.

It's really good. I am already on the 3rd book! There are a total of 4 books out right now in the series, but another one is coming out in March. You should read it. :) Just prepare your husbands for laundry to pile up.

Toys UPDATE!

UPDATE:

If you want to donate toys, please bring me the toys to my house by 11:00am tomorrow (just leave them outside on the front porch, because I'll be teaching my class). Justin got the final plans and he has to leave earlier than planned to get his bags checked in.

I will be meeting Justin at 11:30.

THANK YOU to those that have already donated.

Do you have any TOYS to donate to the children of Haiti?

I have a friend named Justin Bowen who is leaving for Haiti in a few days. He will be traveling on a government plane and would like to gather as many small toys as possible to take to the children there.

Justin is part of an LDS group of volunteers that will be staying in Haiti for three weeks. Most of them served missions in Haiti, and know the native language. You can read more about the group in THIS article.

We have drop areas in: LAS VEGAS NEVADA, ST. GEORGE UTAH, CEDAR CITY UTAH and ALPINE UTAH.

He will be coming through the St. George area on Wednesday afternoon sometime, so we only have a little bit of time. Please get a hold of me if you would like to donate.

Leave me a comment with your e-mail address (if I don't already have it) and I'll get back to you ASAP.

THANKS!

2010 Resolution

I have decided that I only needed one main resolution this year. Yes, I realize it's a little late. But, hey that's how I roll sometimes.

Here it is:

SIMPLIFY!


I might need a reminder every two weeks or so. Anyone want to have the assignment to send me a reminder text? :)

Santa Pictures 2009

December seems like a blur! Dan worked so much, that it was a pretty CRAZY month. I wanted to hurry and post pictures of the kids and Santa. Londyn was terrified of him. The others could have sat on his lap all day.

I love this Santa. :) Doesn't he look like he just stepped out of the North Pole?

ummm. What a disaster.

Journal from Teaching Fall 2009

I've debated on going private for reasons like this one. I like to use my blog for a journal, since I don't keep one separate from this. So, don't feel like you need to read these, but I wanted to write down a few of my favorite evaluations from teaching last semester. It made me feel great, and I want to document them for the future.

I worked really hard and teaching last semester was a blast. I taught three classes, and found that was a little too much. It was great once I got there, but since I taught at 8am, it was a little too much hustle and bustle in the mornings. So, I decided to scale down to one class this semester. We'll see how it goes. :)

My goal as a professor is to create a friendly environment for students to learn. I learn every student's name so that they can feel comfortable asking questions if they have them. I think the more personal the class is, the more the class will participate.

Sometimes it feels good to get some feedback from OUTSIDE sources. :)

So, here are a few of my favorites:
1010 class:
I really liked this class. Brooke is an excellent professor. I would take her class again in a heartbeat.

We had class discussions, the teacher made sure that we all understood the content, and the whole class knew everyone's names in the class. It was actually my favorite class of the semester.

I learned a lot because she taught us the information in more than one way...we had assignments that didn't overload us, used the book, movies and her lectures. She's not monotone and actually built a relationship with our class.

She is very patient and willing to do all she can to help us students. She loves her job and it shows in how she teaches. Her enthusiasm for communications is awesome!

Brooke is AMAZING! She's such a great teacher and easy to learn from. It was fun, and she teaches in a very understandable way.

2110 Class #1:
it was fun!! i looked forward to coming to class everyday! fun lesson plans and interesting information!

It was fantastic!

Professor Ulrich is a really fun, enthusiastic teacher! She loves communications and it's easy to see. I have enjoyed being a part of her class, she's awesome!

AN AMAZING TEACHER!! OVERALL A GREAT, POSITIVE, INSIGHTFUL TEACHER WHO EXUDES HER PASSION FOR TEACHING CONTAGIOUSLY!! Best experience here at Dixie State College...You should commend her on her teaching abilities and the say she helps students when they have a question. Again, amazing teacher=great experience.

She was very caring. She cared about you as a student.

She was very fun and very easy to understand. She made you feel smart and feel like you could do anything. I learned a lot.

2110 Class #2:
This class really taught me to be more comfortable with myself and not be shy. I really learned a lot from this class. I will say this class has been the best class I've had from all my college years. EXCELLENT TEACHER AND COURSE.

It taught me how to communicate better and I will use it the rest of my life.

EVERYTHING!!! Brooke Ulrich is the best instructor I've had from all my college schooling. She definitely knows what she is talking about and makes it clear. I learned a countless amount of valuable information. I would encourage all the students to take a class with her!!!

She is a fabulous teacher! I really enjoyed being in her class. She made it fun for everyone. I recommended her to all my friend that are taking communications next semester.

I would recommend everyone to take a class from Brooke because then you will know how a real professor should teach their classes. This was such a fun class I really enjoyed it and I'm grateful that I had Brooke for my communications professor this semester.

I don't know how she did it with that many students in one class, but Brooke made that class an intimate experience. I think most of us have left this class as friends, amazing job Brooke! We had some great discussions in there. I hope I get to interact with the other student in more classes next semester. It was very informative and lots of fun.

2009 Major events in a Nutshell!

1. Buying our house!
2. Dan turning 30 and sending him to Boston for a "guys trip", and his awesome 80's prom party!
3. Starting All Things Thrifty
4. Dan wrecking his truck
5. Carving 50+ pumpkins with friends and family
6. Oaklyn starting 1st grade...doesn't seem like I should have a kid that old.
7. Playing co-ed Softball with Dan
8. Learning to shop with coupons
9. 10 year high school reunion
10. Taking a TON of pictures for both my family and others. :)
11. Going to Vegas a few times with friends
12. Teaching Connelly to ride his bike without training wheels
13. Learning how to reupholster
14. Teaching at Dixie college
15. Buying the minivan
16. Getting extensions...and then chopping off my hair after it was grown. I'm wishy washy. :)
17. Meeting some really sweet people.
18. Lots of visitors to St. George...love having a spare room!
19. Getting Sugar, our Shih Tzu
20. Watching our kids open presents on Christmas.

I'll be contemplating my resolutions. I haven't had time to finalize them in my head yet. Happy New Year! I can't believe it is 2010.

Christmas 2009!

Dan and I decided to stay home this year for Christmas morning. Now that we are in our house, we figured it was time to stay home and let Santa come to our house. (Every other year we have been with family). So, we had a quiet Christmas Eve. The kids had a blast making cookies and reindeer food. (Recipe for reindeer food: Quaker oats, red glitter, and silver glitter), and watched Christmas movies with the kids.

The kids woke up around 7:30am and were so excited that Santa found our house! The cookies were all gone and the reindeer ate the food! The kids couldn't hold back their enthusiasm! (AND Dan and I couldn't wait to see their faces!)

Here are a few pictures of the festivities.
Oaklyn asked for a computer from Santa, and Santa knew that Connelly would probably fight over Oaklyn's so he brought one for him too. (Santa is smart!) She also got make up, a few barbies, and a ton of art supplies (paper, markers, pencils, chalk...etc).
Connelly asked for a Nerf gun and was surprised to get TWO! He also got a transformer and a football. Grandpa Dave gave him a BYU football outfit. It is so cute! The back says "C. Ulrich" and his number is 66 (Dan's high school football number). CUTE idea huh!
Londyn asked Santa for "barbies" this year, but I must not have taken her picture with any of them. She got several barbies, a cleaning set and a sit and spin.
On Christmas day we headed to Salt Lake to meet up with Dan's family. It was fun to see everyone, as usual. Our family is growing! Soon Whitney and Ty will have a little boy to add to the mix! :)

To end the festivities we went to Holden for a fun dinner and sledding time with Grandpa Ken. The kids had a blast. I didn't think they would last very long since we live in St. George where we don't have snow, but they were out there for hours! Thanks Grandpa!
The only downfall? Coming home to a house that looked like a wrapping paper bomb went off inside!