So much to do...

...and so little time! I feel like I've been neglecting so much lately! Taylor's head just keep's getting more bald on back (I promised my brother it would be grown back in time for his wedding August first) and Tanner just keep's up his 'smart' act...he really is too smart for his own good. And mine. :)

Really though, I can't complain. I am just going to ramble, with no order to my thoughts. Feel free to 'check out' if you'd like!

Ryan got a wii...yes, something we're 'caught up on' - we don't have cell phones, or a house, or children who sleep through the night or behave in sacrament meeting (or anywhere else, for that matter), but we have a wii. So now we can be cool. The wii fit - it's great! I have a fitness age six years beyond my current age, I have poor posture (I didn't need the wii to tell me that, but it definately confirmed my suspician), and I haven't figured out what the A button is on the controller. I'm struggling!!! Nevertheless, it's fun, and now I can pathetically exercize on a little white box in the stuffiness of our small apartment. We were going to keep it on the down low, but whatever...the cat's out of the bag now! Truth be known, I'm pretty excited about the whole wii thing, but it is pathetic that we are exercizing in our small living room on a little box thingie, watching tv - which regrettably returned from our garage....

The TV returned becasue we needed Tanner to 'chill' while Ryan did his finals this week. Typically we just stick in a DVD into the computer, but our computer went kaploot on Father's Day, (goodbye scrapbooking and serious blogging until it's fixed) and so Ryan brought in the TV, VCR (yes, we still have one) and DVD player. Now Tanner can fashionably watch movies on a TV instead of the Computer.

I just asked my son a question, and his reply was, "Uh, Yeah-uh... (duh, mom)" like a little school girl...ARRRRGH! It was kinda cute though!

I spent the weekend at my mom's getting reading for a bridal shower in Utah (Thursday) which was fantastic, and one this Monday...Hope I can pull it together in time! My pet peve is when people say they don't have time, and my thoughts are "everyone has the same 24 hours...get with the program and plan accordingly...we're all just as busy as the next person" and now I'm finding myself telling myself this same thing!!! I really just need to get with the program and plan accordingly! Hah!

Maybe with our 'regular' computer on the fritz, I'll get something done. Maybe I'll plan better. Maybe I'll be productive, but then again...

...Alright - no more rambling today. Thanks all for reading if you got this far...better read promised for next time!

Tag, You're it!

I'm avoiding my dishes and preparing for singing time. So, I have this monsterous post/tag, and it actually turned out kinda' fun!

Two Names I Go By: Deanna, Mommy
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: Glasses and a lovely sunburn
Two Of Your Favorite Things To Do: Be with my family and be with my family

Two Things You Want Very Badly At This Moment: Sleep and my dishes to be done
Two Things You Did Last Night: Folded Laundry (a miracle!) and got Taylor to take a bottle
Two Things You Ate Today: Cotton Candy and Tanner's potty treats - gummy bears. :)

Two of the Last People You Talked To: Tanner and Ryan

Two Longest Car Rides: Back East to Nauvoo and comming up trip to San Diego
Two Favorite Holidays: July 24th (Pioneer Day - yes, I'm from Utah) and Christmas
Two Favorite Vacations: What's that? just kiddin - I loved our trip to Nauvoo (summer of '02) and am looking forward to our trip to San Diego the last week in July
Two Favorite Drinks: Spring water from Chesterfield, and Barq's Root Beer (I used to think it was Barg's - I'm still trying to convince my mom, but we grew up calling it Barg's.)

PICTURE ME Tag - go to google images and find answers to these questions.

Birth Place: Payson, Utah - this is a picture of Maple Mountain - I grew up in Springville, Utah -This was the view from out Kitchen window until my parents renovated our 100 year old family home, and then it was the view from the Library.

Color of Choice: Earth Colors, accented with Red. I suppose I'm drab - I love to decorate in Brown, Black, Cream and Red. I don't mind blue and green, but I like mostly 'shades' of colors. Dream Career: I've always wanted to be an archetect or interior designer. I love architecture from the early 1900's (which encompasses a lot) and the 1800's.

Guilty Pleasure: Florence's Chocolates. Ryan introduced me to Florence when we were engaged, and I've loved the woman and her chocolates ever since!

Hobbies looking to re-surface: Machine Quilting, Stitching, and Scrapbooking - if I had no children, this is what I'd do all day long.

Love the styles: of Eddie Bauer and JCrew. Simple, mostly modest (at least I can find modest things there) and nerdy. Yes, I'm a nerd and like preppy clothes.

Flowers to adorn my gardens some day: Hollyhocks and Roses. I grew up with my mother's immaculate flower gardens and I loved to watch her garden - my mother tended her rose bushes like she did her children, and my dad loved to plant and re-seed and re-seed hollyhocks every year. The picture of the "Girl and the Hollyhocks" was painted by John Hafen - it's said that the hollyhocks were near the springs by our old house in Springville. I love this picture and can't wait to get my copy of it framed for a little girl's room some day....and no I'm not making any announcements!

I tag anyone between the ages of 18 and 80. That should get most, if not all of you!

The New Do...

Are you ready? I don't have a before picture - I guess go to some previous post, but here I am now! (I'm making a really weird face, so just ignore that...here it comes!









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I went to the Defining Line in Idaho Falls, and Absolutely LOVE the way my hair feels now - Hope Ryan likes it! I need to touch-up the ends a bit, curl them out a bit, but other than that, I really like what they did! Thank you all for your suggestions! And a HUGE THANK YOU to Rachel for watching my boys while I went and pampered myself at this awesome salon!!! (They offer you water, hot chocolate or coffe - I had water - while you get your hair cut - and you get a great head massage/treatment!!! ) THANK YOU RACHEL - AGAIN!!!

What's in a Name?

So my good friend Stevie did this on her blog, and it looked like fun...I had to do some digging with Ryan's mom...but in the end, this is the results...

Ryan Lynn Poulsen - Ryan claims he was named after a lake called Ryan - but his mom begs to differ, saying she'd call me back as soon as she remembered why he was named Ryan. The Lynn is after his uncle Gary Lynn Frazier.

Deanna Crandall Poulsen - I was named after my dad's 'favorite' mission president's wife, Deanna Flake. I have met Elder and Sister Flake and they are just the most wonderful people! And Crandall is my maiden name.

Tanner McKay Poulsen - Tanner was 'junior' while in the womb, and after he was born - for about a week. I was extremely anxious to leave the hospital without a name for my child, but the nurse assured me it would be okay (they called every day to see if we had named him). We finally settled on Tanner after N. Eldon Tanner (but the real stor is: I had a wonderful friend growing up named Tanner that my parents and his parents were adament that we married - lucky for the both of us I moved when I was too young to date him and we were just good friends - plus I really liked the name). McKay after David O. McKay. We wanted something noble, but not stuffy. That way, if we messed up as parents and he never turned out normal, he would at least have his name to live up to! :) So Tanner it was and Tanner it is!

Taylor Lynn Poulsen - Taylor was fortunate to have his name on his crib card - because of our last experience, I called Ryan at work about three times one day from the hospital and told him his son needed a name. He told me I could pick, but all I had was girl's names - so we talked about James or Brady for his side of the family, but I liked Parker after Parley Parker Pratt or Taylor after John Taylor. Ryan suggested Taylor Lynn and I thought (still do) that there were too many 'L's, but I obviously got over it enough to name our second son Taylor Lynn Poulsen. It's a mouthfull, and hopefully he never has to say it with braces and headgear on... :)

Our next child's name is already decided - but I'm not telling. Some may know what it is and that is fine, but I am not saying until she is born, whenever that may be....in three years? :)

C'mon. Be honest.

Okay. So I think I'm having a mid-life crisis. I'm getting a wild hair - going out on a limb - and seriously thinking of CHOPPING my hair. I'm sick of it!!! Done with it!!! and ready for something new. This is now. It's my fall-back style. I'm comfortable (and homely) in my long-ish (it's been longer and shorter) hair style. And Ryan's tired of dishing out $$ for gel, hairspray, etc, etc, etc. (I'm tired of it too. Change is good, right?)

So, the Polls are now open, comment if you'd like, and please don't tell me to leave it as it is...I need a change and want a change (unless you really think I should leave it or reconsider my options).

Option A: SHORT BOB - I'd have to blow out my hair, and even then, I'm not sure I could pull it off after the cut...Lets just say I still have the baby weight on my face.

Option B: SHAGGY - I think I'll still have to blow out the hair a bit - maybe not. This age thing is really loosening my curls, so this is a real possibility.

Option C: ???? I know this is a wig, and if this doesn't go how I want, I just might buy it...with my new good looks. But really, this style - think I can do it?

Option D: SHORT - I told a stylist this once, and I came out looking like this....all on the sides and back. HUMMM...I don't know if this is what it'll end up as....(this isn't me) but I think my hair would react similarly when cut short. Straight in front and side, and curly everywhere else.

What do you all think? My goal: something new, chic, and non-mommy (really I'm hoping for less hassle because I'm a mom - SOOOO tired of pony tails and the little twist-it thing where my bangs were - my hair naturally twists like that, I've been doing it so long!!!

Impressed. Definately suprized and impressed.

I finally finished it. I completed my reading of "the Host" by Stephanie Meyers. I've got to hand it to her - the woman can write, and it's good. Needless to say it took my a while (week) to get into the book, but by day eight and page 63-ish, I was hooked.

I won't spoil it, but I really liked the love 'square', if you will and how it ended. Definately a suprize!

Recommended read this summer! Star Scale: (out of five) Four point seven five stars. Satisfactory, and Likable.

It's science fiction, some weirdness, but the internal conflict is ... um ... interesting.

Love My Mom

So yesterday I wasn't feeling too hot - actually I was feeling very hot - maybe that's why I didn't feel so hot...Somehow I caught something. That something made my body ache, my head spin, my balance off, and my neck swollen. It also gave me a fever...not so pleasant! But it was alright...my sweet husband gave me a blessing that I'd be able to accomplish what I needed to do before he left for work.

So I took Taylor to his six month appointment, where he got shots. I went to my meeting after that, and I also went to my piano student's recital...where my sister played a beautiful piece on her violin and I was able to accompany her. It all worked out! (I even braved walmart with both boys to pick up ice cream sandwiches for after the recital...they were both well behaved! Yeah!)

My mom came up with my sister, to listen to her perform, and stayed aftwards to eat dinner and help me out while Stephanie was at a Cedar Badge meeting. She did my dishes, bathed the boys, played with them, fed them, and visited with me. She let me soak in the tub for a few minutes, and she did the most wonderful thing...She put Tanner to bed for me! I just love my mom for all these reasons, and more! It only took 15 times of walking him back to bed before he stayed, but the point is that he was asleep by the time she and my sister left. THANK YOU MOM!!!!

I am feeling much better today, and hope to go plant my garden this afternoon...we here in Idaho have been waiting for the rain to slow down to get any planting done...BTW - Kate, your garden looks beautiful!!! I'm so jealous you're already picking produce!!! I've got work to do, that's for sure!

Wow! What a Day!

It even started out with a bang! Taylor woke up this morning at one-ish, screaming (probably hungry) and that unfortunately and unusually woke up Tanner...the next three hours were terrible!!! By morning, Ryan and I were shot. Literally! We were barely functioning, but I got some much needed work done on the computer at six, so I was thinking it would turn out to be an okay day.

We took a quick and rather event-less trip to Shoe carnival to exchange some shoes (it's been way too long since I've bought shoes - for me - so I bought some running/jogging shoes and some fun dress-up or dress-down shoes.). I was amazed how well those little stockings you use to try shoes on with if you came without socks entertain two-year olds!!! Tanner had them on his hands, his feet, and then he took them off and put the handful of waterballoons (not blown up) in them and carried those around! It was really nice not to have to threaten to leave the store...he was rather well behaved! So I decided we could go to the grocery store...no biggie, right?

This is where it got really fun for anyone watching a tired mother haul two kids into a grocery store, finally settle on the ridiculous carts that have car fronts, and try to maneuver them through small isles. Who invented those anyways? Kids can climb out of them, and the seatbelts don't hold them in tight enough! PHEW! We were doing alright until checkout...I was third in line, and a new cashier motioned and commented that I could start a line and her register. So off I go, doing a five point turn to get out of one lane and into another, by this time, Tanner is climbing everywhere, running his hands up and down the rack with french bread.

But it's OKAY! I can do this!!! I load my groceries on the little counter thingie, and have them separated into two tabs, since some of the stuff was for piano, and I'm trying to keep the tabs separate. The lady that had me come over had left to talk to another lady (who probably really did need help or something) and left me standing there for more than five minutes!!! By this time, there's a line behind ME, and Tanner AND Taylor are crying, becasue Taylor doesn't feel good and I'm finally catching on that it's lunch time and Tanner has had it. But I just keep thinking, it's okay, I think I can do this.

Finally a gentleman comes over and askes if I had been helped, and I said I hadn't. He proceeded to ring me up, and about halfway through Tanner has chucked my keys, a pen, and his shoes. So, I tried a little trick I learned from "Parenting with Love and Logic" - I sang, infront of everyone at Albertsons, the "Uh-OH"Song. It goes like this: "Uh-Oh - time to ______(go to your room, etc.) sit on the floor by mommy's legs until you can quit having a tantrum." So I put him on the floor, it gets worst, and the dam behind my eyelids is about to burst open.

I don't think I've ever been so close to tears with my two boys in a public place! All while this is going on, the sweet lady behind me is smiling, telling me that she's been there (which I really appreciated) and that he's probably hungry, and it looks like it had been a long morning for us...duh - how about a long night, too!!! And to top it off, because I can't handle my own children, another mother in the line over, with her one year old, comes to see if she can soothe Taylor...who of course in unconsolable by now.

Keep Reading, though, becasue it really does get better. There is a happy ending!

I finally resorted to appologizing to the cashier, told him to end the bill, and appologized that the rest of it would have to be put back, because I was leaving the store. My dignity had left long before, and I wasn't about to stand there any longer.

By the time I got home, I told Tanner he'd be in time out for ten minutes, we briefly talked about how he disobeyed mommy, and I invited him to eat a peanut butter sandwich with me. To make it easier on him, I turned on a movie to 'eat to'. I went to my my sandwich and came back to a peacefull sleeping boy, doing the hu-hu-hu huuuh breathing after a hard cry...I'm sure you know the one.

I put him to bed, of which he stayed in for three hours! I got a nap, Taylor got a nap, we ended the day with some play time at the park with friends and dinner.

The best part of my day: The bridesmaid dresses that Tricia wanted - well they finally found my size!!!!! YEAH! I could have squeezed into the same size as my sister for one night, but would never wear the dress again...now I think I can wear it! And have my kids with me when doing so! (The too small one was a bit low, and too short...) Here's a picture...can't wait to try it on! This is the color, too...