The Slump...

My Blog is in a slump. It has been for a month. I have had pretty much just one thing on my mind. I am moving.. where? when? why? blah.. blah.. blah. Really I only have one thing I want to blog about and who all wants to hear about me moving to Indiana.



Now I know the where, and pretty much the when, and the why because the boss said so.. and well so did the Lord. My questions are answered.. kind of. But then it opened up a whole bunch of knew questions. What house, which city, schools, church, shopping, and the list goes on.



I am asked if we are excited. I will be honest, the opportunity for Randy's job is totally exciting! And really we feel so incredibly blessed to have been given such a wonderful promotion. The adventure is exciting, the chance to live so close to so many Church history sites is exciting. We are going to be close (well driving distance) to where Randy served his mission! How cool is that! There are so many things we are so very excited for. It is a new adventure, and we love adventures. They have a zoo there, and the best Children's Museum in US there. Everyone is telling me all about it. We will have amazing experiences there, I have no doubt. And I am going to live outside of Washington State for the first time! So yes we are excited for part of it.



And yes I am very sad to be leaving my family. We have been blessed to live close to family for so many years that it will be hard to not have them close. My Mom is one of my best friends. I don't want people telling me how it is good to be away from family, I get that we cleave to our spouse and our children our little family unit. But I like having my Mom around. Thankfully we will live near a big airport, so flights shouldn't be too bad. We have our cell phones, the Internet and web cams that we can use. It will all be okay, but I do know that this will be hard.



These are the things that are going on in my head daily. Am I strong enough to do this? Does the Lord really think I can do this? Will my kids handle this okay? Is this going to be our forever home? What next? HOLY CRAP IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING? What happened to my life as I knew it just a few weeks ago?



The Lord has blessed me with quiet reassurances that this is indeed what we are supposed to do. I can do this, and it will all work out. I know this. It is still sinking in, and I don't know that I will fully comprehend it until I am there. I do know that I am truly grateful that the Church is everywhere. I will have a ward family instantly and I will have a place to call home. The Lord has a reason for sending us to Indiana, and hopefully one day I will fully understand them. But for now I trust Him. I am thrilled for the opportunities that Randy has with his work. Seriously we could not be more blessed. And I am thankful I am not a pioneer or it would take me three years to get there and I would never see my family again. I feel blessed in so many ways, and we have truly felt like we have been so blessed and have had many things so inspired throughout all of this.

*Beware if you don't want to read more or learn more about this you might want to avoid my blog for a while. Hopefully you love me enough to want to hear all of the gory details!

MLM Returns!! 6 Word Life Memoir

My Life Monday is back! Are you excited? Because I am excited. I love love love love love love love love love love love My Life Monday! Understood? Great!

Today's topic is 6 Word Life Memoir. I have felt stumped.. and unsure.

I am choosing It's the Little Things that Matter.

In my life it always seems to be the little things that make a difference. It never fails that when one little thing gets thrown off my whole life gets out of whack. When I take time to take care of the little details that keep everything together my life is better. I apply this to the Gospel and the way that when I skip a scripture study I notice. It matters, it changes my day and I don't feel the Spirit as strong. When I take time to listen, to stop, to be aware of the little things in my life I feel so blessed. The small things move mountains for me, and help to keep me grounded.

Now go to Rachelle's blog and join in!

Stop the Presses!!

Okay, I am having to out myself quicker than I was planning.

1. I haven't met Jordan and Pippen.

2. Yes, we are moving to Indianapolis, Indiana.

3. No I am not pregnant. I thought that was a given with me being fixed and all. I am truly sorry for the speculation.

4. My Dad always threatened me that if I got my ears pierced I had to get my nose pierced.. thankfully that didn't happen.

I keep thinking I should end the post here. But, I won't torture you.

Randy was offered a promotion with Merck and we have accepted it. We will be moving by the first of May across the country. We are excited, anxious, and looking forward to this next step in our life. We have known for the past month this was coming.. we just weren't sure where. I am sure the next 8 weeks will be interesting.

3 Lies, 1 Truth

Just a random post.

1. In 1995 I met Michael Jordan with Scottie Pippen downtown Chicago.

2. We are moving to Indianapolis, Indiana.

3. I am pregnant!!

4. My Dad made me pierce my nose and my ears at the same time.. he thought it would discourage me, but it didn't.

Sitting at the Stop Light

Do you ever pull up to a stoplight glad the light is red so you can fix your makeup, pick that booger, eat that fry that fell? I think a lot of people do.

I was recently sitting at a stoplight and watching as these teenage girls next to me we fixing their makeup, and caking it on. I giggled. I remember riding with my cousins who would do that.. me I put my makeup on once, it had better last all day!

I looked at another car and saw this guy eating his food, and then sticking his head down coming up with another fry, and I giggled again. There you all know I point and laugh at people. (Okay no pointing, but you get the point. Flame me!) Seriously when you are driving and eating you always drop something you wanted to get in your mouth.

Then there was this pretty fancy looking lady who was all alone.. or so she thought and there she was picking her nose. Guess what?? I giggled again. And you know you have done it, we all have done it. Who doesn't pick their nose from time to time, little did she know I was watching and just cracking myself up.

And then there is me. Sitting in my AWESOME minivan and rocking out, dancing to the music sitting at the stop light singing my little heart out. Who do you think everyone else was pointing and laughing at? Me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Valentine's started at midnight.. or a few minutes before. Little Miss has been struggling with her tonsils and the recovery. Things have been on the mend, and the nights still had some whimpering, but not nearly as much. Last night (this EARLY AM) I went in to a whimpering girl who had blood coming out of her nose and mouth. Not what I wanted to see. I took her into the bathroom where she proceeded to pull clots out of her mouth and bleed profusely. I threw on my sweatshirt and decided we should go to the ER. Ainslee had to get pink blankie and her white kitty for security and we were off.

We arrived and because she kept spitting blood they got us back into a room quickly, it tends to gross out people in the waiting room when blood is coming out of a little girls nose and mouth. Our Dr came in and checked her out and saw a LARGE clot on the left side. They had her gargle with peroxide and water. (Have you ever tried to get a 4 year old to gargle.. I don't suggest it.) When that didn't work they decided to wrap her in a sheet tightly. She was less than thrilled. Little Miss is like a cat at times. When she is in trouble and being sent to her room she will grab anything and everything and is like a cat being put into water. She was ready to attack anyone trying to get her in the sheet. They were suprised at how fiesty and strong she was.. (she is so MY daughter!) They then tried to suction out the clot, it failed, and resulted in her yarfing blood all over the nurse. It was gross, and I almost lost it myself, I am a sympathy puker.

After this they decided she would be admitted to the hospital and that the ENT would come in the morning and she would probably be sedated by general anesthia and have the clot removed, and things fixed. This was not what I wanted to hear, but I would rather be there if she was going to continue bleeding horribly than at home. Thankfully after we were settled up in Peds the bleeding ceased. I crawled in bed with Little miss and sometime after 5AM I slept for 60-90 minutes, I am not sure.. but it wasn't nearly long enough. Randy and Little Man came up to visit her and then we hung out and watched Playhouse Disney. Finally her Dr came in and decided that we should try suctioning one more time. I pinned her legs, Randy had her head and face, one nurse had the arms, and another had something else??? I don't remember and the dr stuck the tounge depressor in and the suction and after more of the cat like fighting the clot was sucked out. I about bawled though. My baby was screaming, and fighting for all she was worth, I hated to be holding her down, but I knew it was better than being put under. She survived and they let us go home one hour later. Much better than they originally thought. Thank goodness.


I gave Randy a card for Valentine's when we get home, and we are going skiing tomorrow.. or supposed to be going skiing for his present, and he suprised me.. okay not really, but I will pretend he did with a nice new piece of glass. And not just any glass this one! And I am thrilled.

Sadly I am too sleepy to play with it. I need a nice nap and then hopefully I will get to snapping. Happy Valentine's and more your day be less dramatic than mine.

Oh yes and one more thing. Randy is the best Valentine in the world, because he loves me unconditionally. And that says a lot. He is my hero. He is strong and always there for the support I need. He allows me a shoulder to cry on. He is my biggest fan. He is the man of my dreams, and nothing less. He is super sexy. He is the best father any kid could wish for, he is the best person I know. Randy I love you, Randy I do.

Love At Home

On Saturday I had the chance to go and watch a broadcast of the World Wide Leadership Training for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I will admit I wasn't exactly excited to go, I wanted to just have some alone time with my husband. But I am extremely glad that I went.

Some thing I remember, and really liked.

-The family is important, more important than all of the extra-curricular activties you can put your children in.
-We shouldn't be selfish, too many people think they need more ME time when we need more family time. We need to do more service for those in our family and others.
-No matter where we are we will have family, our ward becomes our family. Every ward you can find a Grandma for your children.
-Family Home Evening, Scripture Study, and Prayers will help keep our children strong.
-Love at Home, first thing we need to learn. (I love this, I want my home to be a haven a peace, somewhere that is away from the World and place where people feel the Spirit.)
-The World has always been evil and wicked, that is why we have the gospel, we shouldn't fear raising our kids in the world they are blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are so many more. It was uplifting and edifying. I walked away knowing that I can raise my children to grow up righteously. The Lord is so aware of us, and of the struggles we go through and He has provided many helps for us along the way. The Family A Proclamation to the World was inspired by God. He is helping us if we will look and reach out. I needed this meeting more than I knew. I am grateful for parents who offered to watch our kids so we could attend, and my husband who was more than willing to go.

Update

I took Little Miss to the doctor for her Post-Op appointment, things are going good. Her healing is going along just perfectly, and the scabs that are falling off of the back of the throat make it sore to eat, (that makes me want to throw up.) The nasal squeaky Minnie Mouse voice will go away once the swelling is gone in the nose and throat, and once she learns to adjust to breathing through her nose. The milk and other liquids coming out of her nose is from her being able to move air and other things through because the blasted adenoids are now out. The screaming, they think it is night terrors caused partially by the medicine, but it should be clearing up. She slept much better last night. I think it is because she had a blessing. And today is much better than yesterday! We did watch Peter Pan and snuggle most of the day, but it is looking up! WOO HOO! I am ready for my poor girl to be well.

Tonsil Drama

Little Miss had her tonsils taken out 10 days ago. You would think that she would be better by now. You would think I would have been rejoicing the blessings this has brought into my life with how excited I was about this. I had done this before with Little Man, he bounced back quickly and he was only 3 1/2. This couldn't be any worse with her. I was WRONG. Horribly WRONG.

Little Miss has lost five pounds, that may not seem like a lot but it is over 15% of her body weight. And if you have seen her she didn't have any to lose to begin with. She still is having a hard time eating anything, much less something that will keep her from losing weight.

Her voice, well it sounds like Minnie Mouse on Helium who is liquored up so all words are slurred and it is EXTREMELY hard to understand. I was told it would be high, and seriously nasal but I truly am shocked, but they assured me in the next few weeks it will get better. We are going to Elsa (speech therapist) tomorrow so hopefully she will help us.

Little Miss has not been able to breathe through her nose, who knows if ever. She now when drinking randomly has it come out of her nose. Seriously that just seems miserable.

She has screams randomly and very often for the past three nights in a row. I stayed in her bed all night last night in hopes that it would provide me a little more rest, and her with a little more comfort. Have you ever smelled the breath of someone who just had their tonsils out? It is nice. It is as though my daughter is having withdrawals from the pain medicine. It breaks my heart for her to be struggling so much.

She has become a permanent fixture to me, either lying or sitting on me at all times unless I am in the bathroom or shower. And even then those must be quick. I remember when I didn't feel good, Mom just makes it better. At least I know I am providing her comfort, the poor kid is just having it rough. Thankfully we go to the surgeon tomorrow for a follow up.

She is eating popsicles today, and is quite the Connoisseur on them. I bought the Jell-O pudding pops for her and she doesn't want the chocolate it tastes like Costco Chocolate Cake and don't I remember she doesn't like it right now! Umm.. I guess I missed that memo.

I feel for Little Miss. I know how horrible surgery can be. I wish she wasn't going through such a hard time. I want her back to her happy self, instead of being moody and telling me, I AM HAPPY MOM, I AM NOT CRANKY. Sounds believeable huh? I want her to be able to eat, to drink and not have it come out of her nose, to sleep and not scream, to just be my Little Miss.

Tagged a MeMe!

Thanks Tiffany for the tag.

1. Ten years ago: I was 17, soon to be 18, soon to be graduating from Pomeroy High School, (GO PHS!!) I was have a heck of a time with my asthma and in the hospital all.of.the.time. I swear it was constant. How the heck am I still alive? I was enjoying hanging out with friends that I haven't seen in nearly 10 years.

2. 5 things to do on my to-do list: 1. Take a Bubble Bath 2. Get a massage 3. Get Ainslee better 4. Relax 5. Make it through another week

3. Snacks I enjoy: Anything with sugar.... Sugar is my friend.

4. 3 bad habits: 1. I stay up late.. way too late 2. Procrastinating 3. Stressing over that which I have no control of. Working on that one.

5.If I suddenly became a billionaire: Pay off my house! Invest and save and live off of my interest.

6. Places I've lived: Washington State.. and Washington State

7. Jobs I've had: All of the jobs I have ever had? Oh boy! I mowed lawns with my brothers growing up, and not just a few a good 30 a week. And then I waited tables, worked in a department store, worked at a daycare (yuck), bank, brokerage firm, and medical lab.

8. Things people don't know about me: Hmm.. this is my blog and I blog about lots of things, but I also blog about ME a lot. So what don't people know about me? I can palm a guys basketball. My hands are very long, and I have bigger hands than most guys I know.

So in honoring the tag I tag: Terilyn, Alli, Lisa, and Marilyn.

Always There

I came across this and I love it. I know that whenever we need our Savior Jesus Christ, He is always there. We need to ask and reach out to Him. He will help us through all that we endure.

The 16th Prophet

President Thomas S. Monson, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. I am overjoyed at the news of our new beloved Prophet, of his Counselors President Henry B. Eyring, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

I remember the first time I really noticed President Monson December 1988, the Christmas Devotional he gave a talk and related the story From Lucas To Santa, I loved the story, and during the broadcast we were no longer able to hear the whole talk that he was giving. I wanted to hear the rest, I was 8 and I fell in love with President Monson. I wrote him, and he wrote me back and included a copy of his talk. I was thrilled, and poured over it many times reading it, and devouring every word that he had written. He cared enough about me to send me his talk so I could hear the whole message. I wrote him a few more times and each time I requested that when I was in Utah next that I would love to meet him. That question was never answered. I was naive, I figured anyone could go visit him! I have each letter that he wrote me. I adore President Monson, and have no doubt that he has been called by God. He is a chosen Prophet and will go forward with this great work.

I am excited that my kids will know him as their Prophet and hope that he will impact their lives as much as he did mine. My heart is full. I know that our Heavenly Father is so aware of each of us.

Answers

I love when I read the scriptures and I recieve answers, and realize that I needed to read that just now and so have the comfort that I know my Heavenly Father is aware of me. I would feel ungrateful if I did not recognize it. Tonight we were reading as a family, and normally I am just trying to get it read and keep the kids quiet. As I read my verse Alma 36:3 this part stuck out to me. "... for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." How grateful I am for this scripture, I feel it was written just for me. I have read it several times but this is the first time I believe it has ever been so clear and exact.

Surviving

Little Miss had her tonsils and adenoids out yesterday. She puked about 10 times before bedtime. Poor kiddo, the anestia hits her like it does Mom and Dad. The pukes haves stopped and she is resting. Her surgery went great! The doctor think we will see huge improvements, and she barely bled at all. She has had a couple of people bring her balloons and come to visit. Grandma even sat in her room with her and us for hours. She is surviving. She hurts but each day will get better.

And I am off to snuggle my baby.

Happy Blogging!

Today marks my Two year Anniversary of Blogging!
Here are some of my favorite posts from the past year.

The Brave Princess

The Hair Change

Lovin' My Kids!

In This Skin.. I like seeing my progress!

Feeling at Home

A Proud Mommy Moment

April Re-Cap

Celebrating ME! We all should do this.

I love HIM

She's Growing UP!

Special Olympics

Why my camera makes me better

I Will Cherish You because I love him THAT much!

Wow he is BIG!!

The DIVA is here

Summer FUN!

Success! Can you believe I am doing it again?

Get my a walker

This just makes me giggle..

General Conference

Growing up

Halloween

A good Motto

Vegas

Done!

6

Boots!!

Smile

364

The BEST women

Yeah there are lots of my favorites. And there are even more. That is a total trip down memory lane. I love getting to read about my life/thoughts and stuff. I have now successfully journaled for 2 years. Go me!

In Memory of our Beloved Prophet

I came upon this tribute, how beautiful and perfect. He was truly a Prophet of God. We were blessed to be taught by him and to feel of his love for each of us. I look forward to the progression of the Church and to sustaining our new Prophet.

President Hinckley

I am sitting here in shock. In disbelief with great sadness. Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I try to wrap my head around everything. Our beloved Prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away this evening. My friend IM'ed me and asked if I had heard the news.. to which I replied what news? And she informed me that President Hinckley had passed away at 7:30 MST. I went to tell Randy and burst into tears. They are tears of joy, and of sadness. I am elated for the chance he has to be with his wife after nearly four years. But I am saddened that my children will not know him the way that I have known him. He is the first Prophet who I related to, and who truly made an impact in my life.

I was 14, almost 15 when he was called as Prophet. I loved hearing him speak. I had the chance to hear him speak in person at the Conference Center, what an amazing feeling and blessing it was. The moment he walked in you could tell he was truly a man of God. He challenged us as Saints to go out and to be better. He wanted us to try harder, to attend the temple, to enjoy our lives. He brought temples to many who lived so far away from them. He helped us to grow as Saints. I am saddened to not have his messages to look forward to, but thankful I can read the past ones.

I am sitting here thinking that there must be quite a celebration on the other side tonight. I imagine there is quite a party as he is having the chance to his beloved wife.

President Hinckley will never know the great impact he had on my life, and on many others lives. He inspired me to do good. I left each General Conference knowing that I could do better and it was doable. I felt uplifted. I have so much in my head, but I can't seem to express it all the way I want to. The world is missing a great man. The heavens have gained one.

God be with you 'til we meet again.

Why I am a Heathen

Evidently you all want dirt on me. Black mail? Maybe. But really it isn't juicy. We went skiing at Spout Springs on Monday. It was fun. Randy decided we should try these other trails further over. I reluctantly went with him. We were skiing in powder.. and not a little it was insane amounts and I was wondering if we were going to get lost and no one would ever find us and children would be left without parents. Why I didn't say anything.. I didn't want to be a wuss. So I kept going. It rocks to be so brave. ha! We get to a point, and sorry for the link, I can't get it to copy, save, or anything, CLICK HERE! And we went past lockjaw.. over to those other trails, the ones with the dotted lines, no longer dashed. (Does this sound smart? Do you get that Randy and I are just learning to ski.. they taught us how to put our skis on in the lesson.) Randy thought we could do it. I thought he wanted to take me off to get rid of me. Trade up for the newer model. (Okay not really... you can't get better than this.)

We kept going further following these lone ski tracks, seriously I don't know what we were thinking. We get to a hill, and then another one further over. I ask Randy what he wants to do, he said to check out the other hill. And like I explained I thought he wanted me to ski over there. I did, and a little down. He asks how is it? Umm.. I can't see the bottom, heck I see a ridge and then trees. Looks deadly.. think we should try it? He tells me to come back. Yeah right. Have you ever tried that on skis in powder so deep? Have you tried to hike up hill in skis? Or ski uphill? Doesn't he get that is why we have ski lifts, people don't do this. I start trying to step, walk, ski up the hill. It wasn't going well, and I kept falling and working my butt off to get up the hill. After just barely standing up to move for the millionth time I fell again and this time I cursed. I wish Darnit had come out.. but it's evil-step-sister did. I know I am a sinner. I felt ashamed. Really, I did. I know better and it is just wrong. I was so done and let it slip. The guilt. Who heard it? Me, the Lord, and Randy. Not millions of people, but I have guilt. I hate doing things like that in front of my husband, completely humiliating.

I took my ski's off and hiked in thigh high powder up the blasted hill and finally we got over to a decent trail and made it down. Lesson learned, don't ski in the deep powder and try and go up hill. I will say things I wish I never had. I apologized to Randy and he laughed.. it makes him giggle when I get that upset. Have I mentioned I am so lucky to have him? Because I am.

Blogger Block

Lately I don't know what to blog about. Do I really want to write about my daily life, got up, showered, brushed my hair, put lotion on my face. Fed kids breakfast, drove Little Man to school. Drove home. Hung out with Little Miss, ate lunch. Shopped. Browsed online, cleaned up the house, picked up Little Man. Somewhere in the day I talked with Tiffany, and then made dinner, and went to bed. Something along those lines. Do I care to ever read about it, probably not. Will it bore everyone else to tears? Definitely.

Any terrific ideas? I already told you how I had to hike up the stupid hill, I didn't tell you I was a heathen though.. I let a word slip. I know I am purely evil, and I have great guilt. I. Have.GUILT!. I could tell you that I haven't even started the Center Pieces for my Brother-In-Laws wedding that I am doing for Saturday, but I would look like a procrastinator.. and that is my secret. I could tell you about Randy's new saxophone and more but I want you to hear it. I could tell you about lots of things but I never know which one to pick.

How about you choose, anything you want to know, or hear about. What would you like to know about me.. or my life?

Skiing Fun!

Randy and I went skiing at Spout Springs yesterday. We had so much fun. I picked up our babysitter at 6:50AM and we left for a day of skiing fun. We took a hour and a half lesson and loved every minute of it. We did one run before we had our lesson and I fell getting off the lift, thankfully no one else was coming and I had to have the attendant help me up. It was awesome. And then I fell going down the hill, had to take my ski off to get up. Yeah, I felt so cool. I was thrilled to have a lesson and learn more about what I was doing. I skied in '97 and in '99 once each time. And Randy had skied back in '96ish before his mission.

The next time we went up the hill the attendant grabbed my hand to help me off the lift, I was so grateful, and I got good enough on that hill I could go down and not fall!! WOO HOO!! I was feeling pretty awesome. Then we went up the bigger hill. I fell getting off that lift too.. just the first time. After that I mastered it. We went down some pretty steep hills, and enough falling shook my confidence, but Randy did awesome. We both had some pretty good falls, but it was so much fun!

Randy later wanted to try a different trail so we went out into uncharted territory, the trail wasn't groomed it was deep fresh powder. I went to far, the hill had no bottom, it was like a cliff, I didn't want to die! I ended up having to hike up this beastly hill. Let me tell you, I was not a happy girl. I was grumbling and ready for someone to come along on their snowmobile and drag my sorry butt off of the mountain. Randy waited patiently trying to be encouraging and I finally got through and was thrilled to get to a still-steep-but-at-least-I-could-see-the-bottom-hill and go down.

We did at least 16 runs, I think more. We are going to go a few more time this year and take the kids so they can learn now. I had so much fun, and enjoyed 11 hours with my husband and having the chance to learn something new together. Thanks for a fantastic day!

And sorry no pictures, we are neither one talented enough to take a picture of the other one while skiing. So just pretend you see me rolling down the hill.

Engagement Pictures

There are a few up on my Photo Blog and I am thrilled. This was one of those shoots the whole time I was thinking I can't wait to edit these!! I think we will have almost 60! It was cold, very cold. But they were troopers and just terrific fun. And for those of you who don't want to click here is a teaser. I will be putting more up in the future. And aren't they so cute??

1 Year Ago

One year ago today's I posted about this, it was a joyous time. My beloved camera was finally in my possession. I had wanted one for months, and I was constantly showing Randy the best deals I could find all. of. the. time. I think he got so sick of it he brought it home so I would shut up and leave him alone. It worked! I still love my camera as much as I did the day I got it. And I have since acquired more lenses and a flash with two more lenses coming soon. I can't wait! And if things go to my plan it will be getting a new sister this year to accompany us everywhere we go.

I had no idea what getting my camera would do for me. I mentioned yesterday it brought me joy, and it has brought so much needed joy. And it has healed my heart. Not the actual camera, but photography.

I dreamed of having a big family. I would have a minimum of 4 kids and hopefully more. It was all going to be perfect. Then due to health issues (trying to die while pregnant) every doctor said we were done. I was betrayed by my own body. It had failed me. With all of my health issues I have never felt like my body was betraying me, but when I realized I couldn't have more kids I felt betrayed and like I was a complete failure at the one dream I had. My not being able to have more kids changed how I viewed myself and my body. I felt as if I was defined as a failure. It hurt. I cringed when I was asked when we were having more because I felt like everyone else could see my failure also.

This past year I have had the chance to bring my art back into my life. I used to paint, and I love to paint. My parents have my paintings and art is a passion of mine. I had shoved it back and down for so long because I didn't have the time. I decided with my camera I would start doing what I love, taking pictures and do something I know I am good at. It started slowly and I read and learned to understand everything my camera would do and also everything photoshop could do for me. I have taken over 44 pictures for other people in the past year. I had no idea it was that many until I just looked, (this includes my 5 weddings.) Somewhere along the way this year my heart was healed. I no longer feel that I am a failure. The number of kids I have does not define me, and my children are by no means a failure of my body. They are wonderful beautiful miracles. Capturing the moments people want to remember and taking the time to get to know people and learn about each family has brought a sense of peace and joy that I needed. I needed to have something I was good at that was mine. It was separate from that of a mother, separate from that of a wife, it was me. Nothing less, nothing more. A part of me that I lost so long ago was brought back and I feel whole. I no longer feel I have failed. Who knew what this camera would do, and that I needed it oh so much? I never imagined the healing it would bring to me when I got it one year ago. I felt guilt that Randy spent that much money on me, but I was thrilled.

Every infant, child, family, couple, wedding, that I take pictures of is forever imprinted in my heart. I love that I am getting to know so many more people and that they share parts of their life with me. I can't wait to see all that comes from 2008.

The Break is Over

I have had a good 3 weeks off of my photography and I miss it tons. It was nice to just be able to relax and not have photos waiting for editing, but I am ready to jump back in and get things going.

Tomorrow I have a super fun engagement shoot that I am beyond giddy for. It will be nice to capture them and they are up for a fun and funky shoot. Those are always my favorite. So be on the watch for some new pictures. I am so excited for 2008 and the progress I have seen in my photography and for some of the things I have planned.

And tomorrow marks the one year date of getting my beloved camera. Who knew the joy that it would bring to me. Dear Camera, I love you.

124

I realized I blogged on this blog 124 times in 2006, and 124 times in 2007. (I had my photo blog going for 2007, so I blogged on it this past year also, so I actually blogged more but different.) Think that will be the same for this year? I blog about 1/3 of the days. So not too shabby, because really I don't always have great things to blog about. Like today. I feel I should blog, but I am insanely busy.

Did I mention I have had my cute sister all week? It is so much fun, but I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Three kids definitely has thrown my life out of whack. I have no idea how mom's of many do it. You have my respect.

And because I haven't shared our 2007 Family Picture, courtesy of Misty, here you go! We took these the day we went to Las Vegas. These are what I have displayed in my home.

And here are a couple that Randy thought should make the cut to show us being real. Not everyone needs to see the backhanding. But the jumping, I totally love.

Have an awesome day. Go out and do something fun and make the most of this brisk January Day!

16 Days

Little Miss will be going under the knife. She will have those blasted tonsils and adenoids removed. They are extremely large, and are effecting her breathing, sleeping, speech, and even eating. I am thrilled that we only have to wait 16 days. I am excited for the surgery and to see the progress. Prayers that things go well and that the outcome is as great as they are hoping for would be greatly appreciated.

Yipee!

Little Miss is going to the ENT today at 11:30. We weren't suppose to get to go until the 29th so I am thrilled we are getting in earlier. Hopefully we will schedule surgery. Am I sick and twisted that I am so excited to get this done?

We had speech yesterday and I was talking to her speech therapist because I have several friends who teach K, that don't know LIttle Miss well but were talking about how they thought kids with summer birthdays should wait until they are 6 to start K. I asked Elsa what she thought would be best with Little Miss and she said Little Miss is totally ready and the S, L, and R are already progressing but she should have no problems. And hopefully getting the adenoids and tonsils out she should clear up soon.

I am looking forward to her being able to speak without it being such a challenge for her. It is hard when she is trying to get it out and she is so nasally and just so muffled that some things just aren't as clear as they could be. I can't wait for the surgery for her to be able to sound like herself.

Perspective

Do you ever feel you are sinking? Like your ship is going down? I do. And it is not a pleasant feeling, and one that I try my hardest to get to go away. I told Randy this AM I felt like I was sinking. I wasn't sure I was doing the best as a mother. Was I doing what my kids needed me to do?

Little Man has had his adjustment going back to school. I try my hardest to do the best but sometimes it just feels like my efforts are in vain. I have spent quite a bit of time on my knees praying for guidance with him. He is busy, he is good, he is creative, he keeps me on my toes, and he is a sweet loving boy. And after much prayer and contemplation I know that my reactions when he does things is what triggers his reactions to me. He mimics me. Nice huh? So the things he does that I don't like he just learned them from me. How is that for perspective? As I work on me to be better I believe that he will become better. I have a stronger influence than I realize at times, and one that can be for good or bad. It is up to me to teach him. The days I feel like I am failing him, he can sense my feeling of failure and picks up on it. My attitude and feelings as a mother greatly effect my child's action. I have more control than I want to realize I do.

I realize how little I know about being a Mother. And sometimes I feel very unqualified to have these special kids that my Heavenly Father is allowing me to raise. Thankfully our Heavenly Father blesses us with guidance and inspiration. I am praying for patience and the ability to step back and listen to the Spirit in situations where I am frustrated. My kids deserve this. I can do this. Perspective.. it is all about realizing what is important, and what isn't. Getting rid of the things that don't matter, forgetting the worries and stresses and focusing on what really matters in life.

The Real Story

I decided after pondering all day yesterday to make an appointment with Little Man's teacher. Anyway I called his Spanish Teacher and set up an appointment, and thankfully he was willing to meet with me yesterday afternoon, once school was out! YAY! And even better Randy was able to go with me.

I went in trying to remember to not be short because I am my child's advocate but I also like his teacher. He wanted to know what Little Man had said the reasons for not being allowed to go to recess were and Mama Bear came out, and shortly after I started speaking I realized that my position was quite hostile looking, arms folded (just like you need at Church) voice slightly tense, and a little more intense than I meant to be. I thought whoa.. bring it down girl. And so I took a breath and tried to make sure I was calm collected and could explain myself without putting his teacher on the defense, because he is a great teacher and I was sure this would all be fine. Things came out calmly and collected, I was pleased. Because Little Man's teacher cannot speak English to him at all there is a big language barrier when discipline happens. Little Man was in trouble because when one of the para-eds was helping him she was wanting him to say a few simple words he knows well in Spanish and he decided to say Caca. Now my niece who is 2 calls everything Caca, and we have never considered it a bad word. His teacher informed us you know what that means, so we can't allow him to talk like that and ignore it. Randy and I laughed and looked at each other and said he doesn't have any idea that is bad in Spanish, he isn't trying to cuss, he is being silly and thinks it is funny. Mimicking his cousin. Mr. Solano looked relieved and shocked, but realized we don't speak Spanish and why would are kid be swearing in Spanish. He never swears in English.

We talked and got things straightened out. Little Man had gotten in trouble for good reason, but he didn't understand the reason. Now we have a notebook and he has our cells and email addresses to call if there is a problem so we can make sure Little Man is clear, and it will help the both of them. Going back to school after Christmas break has been an adjustment for him. But I am sure that with a little more time things will smooth out.

We left on a good note, Mr Solano grateful that we are involved and wanting to help, and me grateful that the teacher isn't going to punish my boy for throwing his hat. And the worry and stress was gone.

Private!

Ohh.. I am private now. Thrilling huh? I left it open hoping I could get every one's emails who wanted to still read. So if you hear of someone who doesn't have an invite send them my email or send me their email and I will invite.

Some positive things about being private, I can share more stuff I want to, including my kids names! Aren't you thrilled to finally hear them.

Some current things, Little Miss had her first speech evaluation. WOO HOO! She has a hard time with S, L, and R. And with the blends on those words. So for consonant sounds she is in the 7th percentile. I was shocked it was that low considering those are the letters that Elsa (speech therapist) said she needed to work on. Those are her only letters she has a hard time with but S in blends makes up a lot of blends, but we are working on it and she is already showing progress. YAY! Elsa imagines 2 months of speech and she should be pretty cleared up. And getting the tonsils out will help immensely, she said right now she just sounds severely muffled and no amount of speech will help that, the tonsils and adenoids are just too big. January 29th we get to go to the ENT, and I am anxious.

Little Man is loving school. He is learning Spanish and really excelling, even though it is hard. He was the first English speaking kid to read Spanish in his classroom and is very proud of that. He likes to have fun and play around which sometimes gets him in trouble. He ended up not getting his afternoon recess yesterday because he threw his stocking cap up in the air. He was quite heart broken, he was just trying to make a basket. lol. I felt so bad for him but he has to obey the rules. I would like a different punishment than missing all of recess, maybe 5 minutes instead? Or something else. He only gets two recesses as it is, and he is 6 he needs to get some of his wiggles out so he can concentrate. It is hard he goes from his Grandmother-ish English teacher to the 25 year old Senor. They have very different expectations of these kids. I am pondering what it is I need to do. I want to be my kids best advocate.

Being Mom.. it is fun, rewarding, and great. But sometimes it is hard when you watch your kids struggle and try to figure out the best way to help them.

Just a Quick Reminder

I need email addresses from many of you. email me Thanks. Or leave your email in my comments.

Going Private.

So I am feeling the need to go private. I like to blog for myself, I don't do it for anyone but me. But I hate seeing where people stalk my blog for hours on end. It is creepy. So my blog is going private. If you want to still read it leave me a comment with your contact info.
Editing more.. because I have been so busy and in a hurry I don't always get my thoughts all out.
It isn't just seeing people on my blog for a long time.. but I also have been hearing lots of stories that kinda freak me out. And doing some research I don't want my pictures of my family pulled onto other peoples web sites for weird things. I hope that explains things better. Clear as mud? I am just trying to take more safety precautions on the Internet and be a smarter blogger.

Seriously.

I am editing what I wrote.

Hi! Due to recent events I am editing my blog to only allow people with blogger accounts to post comments.

Hope your day is just awesome.

Thank you,
The Management

2008

New Year's Resolutions.

I don't really have any. There I said it. I am just going to keep doing my best, and I am not going to beat myself up for just doing my best. I am going to try and be the healthiest, happiest, best me I can be. That is all I ever want to be is me. I want to be true to myself and who I am. I want to be the best daughter of God, Mom, and Wife I can be. And this isn't a new goal for myself, this is part of my daily life. Always trying to be my best self, not anyone else's best self.

I like myself. That was a goal I have had over the past few years was to like me, and I like me now. And part of liking me is just trying to do my best at life.

Happy New Year. I hope everyone can like themselves as much as I like myself. It sounds humble, I know. But really it is good to like who you are, and to feel okay in your own skin, and not need approval of others and to realize not everyone likes you, you can't please them all. It is okay. Just like you and be true to you.

Goodbye to 2007

2007 is coming to a rapid close. We ended our year sledding in the mountains all day. It was awesome! I took my camera and grabbed my freshly charged battery and was so excited to find out my battery was dead.. weird, I know. No pictures of our wonderful snow adventure.

I am looking forward to an even better 2008. Happy New Year!

Two of my Favorite Women!

These are two of my favorite women. My Mother, and my Sweet Sister. I took this picture yesterday after their fresh new haircuts. They are simply beautiful huh?

Why they are my favorite women.

-My Mom is so kind, one of the kindest people I know.
-My Mom is the best MOM in the world. I hope I can be the kind of Mom to my kids that she has been to me.
-My Sister is hilarious!
-My Sister helps to always keep things in perspective.
-My Mom is the best Grandma I know.
-My Mom makes me feel better whenever anything is wrong.
-My Sister is the best Aunt! Who else will play Barbies for hours with her nieces?
-My Sister has held my hair and patted my back while I have thrown up, she is so compassionate.
-My Mom is a talented musician.
-My Mom has always had time for me and my siblings, no matter what we needed.
-My Sister is one of my hero's. She is brave and stubborn.
-My Sister is a much prayed for Sister, I wanted a little sister for years, it only took a little over 16 to get her here, and life would not be complete without it. I have the best sister anyone could ask for. She was worth the wait.

I am blessed to have two wonderful women in my life. Two women who have shaped and molded who I am. Two women who share so many great qualities, many more than I have named, that was just a small list. Two women I love. Two women I want to shape my life after and the life of my Favorite Girl in the world, Little Miss.

Why do you blog?

I was blog surfing and came across a blog and there was a quote that someone had said about blogging. They were being encouraged to talk about more random personal things on their blog, and they felt they might sound like they were bragging or something. And that isn't who they are. And they were told "just the fact that I have a blog is very presumptuous and that I already have crossed the line, it doesn't matter what you say on it, you already think you are important enough that people will want to read it."

I read this about a month ago. And I keep thinking about it. Why do I blog? And I have come to realize I blog so I can remember what happened when. I love that I get comments, and people reading it. But I also didn't used to want ANYONE I knew in-real to know I had a blog. I let it slip once in front of my Sister in Law, Hi TAMMY! And I was mortified. But then I realized at least people can get to know me and all the craziness that is me through my blog. Because face it, I am pretty honest and open, and it all just falls out on the pages. I don't blog because I am a fantastic writer, who has a passion for writing and keeps you at the edge of your seat. ( That was an obvious statement I know.)

Many of my family members still have no idea I blog. I don't include it in my Christmas letters, I would have never told anyone in my ward but I did somehow and now I get comments at Church from people about stuff they read. Maybe I should censor myself but this is my history, and I am not going to apologize for being me. I like me! I love how I can go back and see where I was in all aspects of my life over the past almost two years. This is my most consistent journaling, record keeping I have ever had! AMAZING! But I really feel my blog is a place for me to get things out and sorted, to remember the great details about being 'The Mom' and overall remember my take on life.

Since I know I have many more readers than commenter's, stop in say Hi, you don't need to lurk. And let me know.. why do you blog?

Only 364 More Days

Until Christmas! Can you wait? It is the BEST time of the year. But before we get to excited about Christmas 2008 I think I should have a run down of Christmas 2007.

Christmas Eve, late Little Man's race track was being set up. And it was so awesome! And when it was finished we decided that it should be tested to make sure it was just as cool as we thought it was. We were wrong. So wrong. It was a pain in the butt. The upside down loops left the cars flying off of the track, and I could not make a full lap without crashing 3 or 4 times. Seriously. I was frustrated and I knew if I was frustrated Little Man would be 10 times as frustrated. I looked at Randy and said that's it, I am going to Wal-Mart, we need a new toy. Stupid Racetrack. He asked if I thought they were open, and I was sure they would be.. they don't give their employees the holidays off do they? At 12:30AM I took off to Wal-Mart only to get their and find out that they closed at 6. That is good but I was sad. How was Santa going to fix this?

I came home and Randy informed me he was sure it was closed but knew that I had made up my mind and it was best just to let me go. He knows me well.. lol. But Randy being the smart man that he is took out almost half of the track pieces and simplified it to the point that we could race and not have our cars fly off. Finally a little after 1AM we decided all was well and we went to bed. I was exhausted. Normally I can't sleep on Christmas Eve. I was out in a minute and didn't wake until after 7AM, I think this was the latest I have ever slept in on Christmas Day. The kids were ready to run down the stairs, but Randy had blocked the stairs with the toy kitchen. Smart thinking on his part.

Little Man had his faith in Santa restored. He knew he was on the verge of getting coal, and had prayed that he would be on the good list. And he got great things in his stocking that made his day! And Little Miss was thrilled to get some pretties for her hair.

Then to the tree. The kids were giddy seeing all of the presents and ready to open them all. They opened all of their gifts and he looked at me and said Mom, you forgot my racetrack in your closet. I saw it where is it. I looked at him and said sorry buddy, I took it back. You peeked, no race track. He fought back tears and looked heart broken. I felt so bad for him!!

Randy went upstairs and then called us up and we hurried up to go into Little Miss' room to see a new Doll House. And not just any doll house but an awesome wooden three story Barbie Doll House. It even has an elevator and a toilet. Little Miss was speechless. She just stared at it. Little Man asked her if she saw it when she got up, and she shook her head no and just stared at it. It was so cool! She likes to have all of her dolls go to the bathroom, and thinks it is hilarious to make the bathroom noises, oh joy. It has even helped her brother to want to play with her, he is very excited about having Ken go to the bathroom.

Little Man took us to our closet to look for the forgotten racetrack, sure that it had to be there. His face fell when he realized it really wasn't there. We told him we had heard Santa working that night so we went on a hunt to see if we could find anything else. And finally we opened the last bedroom door to find a wonderful racetrack all ready to be played with. He was thrilled, and so excited that Santa worked so hard for him to set this up. And he has informed me that Santa is real. I took back his race track and Santa bought him an even better one! And it is so fun! He LOVES IT!

Randy got some hunting stuff including a goose call, duck call, coyote call, lanyard, and some cool boots. He was thrilled and went around all. day. long. blowing the blasted calls. You could hear him coming.

I got a wonderful sewing cabinet and some more sewing things. And a set of terrific candle sticks.

We were off to the In Laws for Breakfast and more gifts. It was wonderful to visit and get a chance to just hang out. We had a terrific time, and we got 72 hours kits! I am so stinking excited!! The kids got new jammies, and Little Man a transformer, Jazz, and Little Miss a new baby!

We had Brunch with our wonderful neighbors. We had a chance to hang out with all of their kids and feel like part of their family. We even had stockings to open there. They went all out, and we had a chance to just laugh and have a great time, and eat way too much.

Then it was time to go to my parents. Little Man received the GI Joe I told him I took back, he was thrilled that Grandma knew enough to get him more GI Joe stuff. She is number one in his book. And Grandpa is talented and made the kids an art easel. Little Miss got all of the best accessories for her new doll, a play pen, car sear, stroller, high chair, everything she needs to be the best Mommy to her new "pretty baby". We are a wonderful Ham dinner at 2:00, (see how much we ate!!) And then we had pie. Our Christmas Day was filled with many wonderful moments. We enjoyed all of the family time. The chance to Celebrate Jesus' Birthday as Little Man put it.

I am thrilled Little Man has renewed his belief in Santa, Little Miss is still wondering why she didn't wake up when he brought in her doll house. I don't remember believing, and never thought I would care if my kids did. But it was truly Magical.

And the Stockings Were Hung...

Christmas Eve.. one hour left until Christmas Day. I have been busy wrapping, stuffing, sneaking, cooking, and we still have to set up the race track. The kids unwrapped their Christmas Eve presents, as did Randy and I. They were thrilled with their new Christmas Jammies, and even more thrilled to realize that the boys and the girls had the matching pants. Now they could each look like Mommy or Daddy. What a thrilling idea! Seriously, have you seen anyone any more excited over dressing like their Daddy?I would have taken a group shot of us all in our new jammies, but it was late, and the kids were anxious to get in bed so Christmas would come sooner. Today we tracked Santa, and I think that has renewed some faith in Santa for Little Man. He couldn't wait to get into bed so that Santa would come, and urged us to go quickly.

I can't wait for the morning to see their smiling faces and here the squeals of Little Miss as she opens her presents, and all the fun boy noises Little Man will make with his new ones.

As I sit here tonight I think about Mary. In a stable, getting ready to bring the Messiah into this world. The wondrous woman she was. I remember when I was in labor with my kids I loved them so dearly and was anxious for their arrival. I am sure she was ready for her beloved Son to be born. I love the song Mary Did You Know? I am sure she knew. She knew He was the Chosen one, come to save the world.

I hope we can all take a moment to think of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To reflect on His birth, the wondrous blessing it is in our life, even over 2000 years later.

From my Family to yours, Merry Christmas.

2 More Days

Until CHRISTMAS! Can you wait? Are you ready?

I for one am so excited. I still have to finish the Christmas Eve pajamas, I have to make pants for Little Miss and I. I was going to make the shirts with it. Last night I realized that I had not cut out my fabric for any of them and I probably wouldn't be getting it all done. Thankfully I was able to go to the Mall (my happy place) and I get cute shirts to go with my fabric. Thank you Old Navy and GAP! And I finished Randy's and Little Man's pants last night. Hopefully I will finish the rest tonight after everyone is in bed.

Yesterday proved to be an interesting day. Little Man was told this past month that there was no Santa. Thank you Carpool Boy! He was informed that Mom and Dad buy everything and Santa doesn't come. We asked him what he thinks and he thinks Santa is real, but I can tell he isn't sold on the idea. Who knew at 6 this would be happening?? I haven't been too sure what to think. I never thought Santa was real. I love the idea of it, but I knew someone wasn't coming down our chimney, but it was fun to pretend.

Unfortunately Little Man found the Christmas Stash yesterday. And being the sweet innocent boy he told me how he found this cool race track in my closet, and G.I. Joe's and a Island Princess Barbie for Little Miss and some candy canes. I looked at him blankly and said, where were you? And the sheepish grin on his face spilled it all as he answered simply, In your closet. I think he knew that I was upset. He instantly gave me a hug and I asked him if he was snooping and he willingly admitted he was. I am glad he feels he can tell me these things, but man I was so sad. He told me he was just so tempted to find them and he couldn't help it, and he felt yucky when he did it, but he was too excited. And then he told me he showed Little Miss the Barbie. So not only ruining some of his surprises some of hers also. The stinker!

I called a few people needing advice, do I return it all? Give him only socks and underwear? Give him coal? Nothing? Leave it alone? What was the right thing. My friend Alli sent me a link to this blog and I really liked it. And so I decided he can keep all that he saw. And thankfully he didn't see it all and those will be from Santa. Little Miss might have a bigger Santa present this year.. I am still undecided if I set the race track up in an extra room if I can put from Santa on it, or if it will be enough the same as the picture on the box. Thankfully Little Miss didn't see the doll house or her Christmas would be ruined. Hopefully the magic will a little longer and even then I hope they always believe in the magic of Christmas. The goodness of others, and the charity we see in this season. I like what Hilary says about Santa and Christ. I think one day when I am willing to take that step that will be a good way to explain it to my kids.

I Believe. Do you?

Mother's Intuition

I was right. I was sure Little Miss' problems were from her Adenoids. I prayed about and felt strongly we needed to get them looked at. I called our doctor and he got us in that day, that never happens. We did the X-Ray and I was told it would be a few days. They called yesterday, I wasn't home so I talked to them today. I was told the Adenoids are large and could be causing a very large obstruction. I was happy to hear that. Strange I know, but I know Heavenly Father prompted me to look into it, and it is always nice when you hear that your promptings were right. It is just a sweet tender mercy that I am so grateful for. I think we might finally be able to start getting the help she needs. And we go to speech Jan 3rd for our first evaluation. And I am waiting for the ENT appointment, hopefully that won't take too long.

The Fairest of Them All.

Little Miss is my Princess. She is sweet, kind, silly, and just all around fun. She is the Fairest Princess of All the Land. We went to her 4 year old check-up today.. yeah I know that it is 6 months late. Our pediatrician is always so good with her and is very thorough.

Things about her, she is 42 inches, and is 38lbs fully clothed. She is over 4 inches taller than 16 months ago, and is 2lbs heavier than 8 months ago. She is the same size I was at that age. And has been since she was 6 months, we will see if this trend continues. She also had the privilege of getting 6 shots. Yes you read right. 6 lovely shots.

We had an X-Ray done to check her adenoids, they are wondering if taking them out would help in her clarity of speech, and also with her nasal sound, and the almost drooling at times. Hopefully we will get that back quickly and have an idea of what is going on with her. Allergies or Adenoid problem. Hopefully within a week we will know.

We are going in to have her speech re-evaluated. And honestly, I have mixed feelings on this. I am all about doing what needs to be done, and early intervention. But we have done so much already and we were released and done with it with her being at the 80th percentile for her age group. Right now we are looking for stronger clarity, and also proper use of pronouns and such. Basically we aren't from the backwoods, so she should speak without the "Is you going to do that" phrasing. I have prayed about what to do to help her and I know this is the right direction to just go see what needs to be done but I feel for her. There are times when people don't understand her and it makes her so sad. But by no fault of hers she talks fast.. and doesn't annunciate. Hmmm.. think she is like her Momma? When she slows down and takes her time she is clear and easy to understand. So maybe the adenoids are the answer, I felt strongly we needed to get them looked at. I just hate seeing things being harder for her. I want the best for her. And I know that if we are back to Speech that it will help. But I am hoping that the adenoids can help and we can be done. Time will tell.

Little Miss is my Princess. My Ballerina Princess as she likes to call herself. She is growing, learning, and she amazes me everyday. How did I get so lucky as to be her Mom?

Things That Make Me Smile

I decided today I needed a things that make me smile post.

1. Little Miss yelling from the bathroom in the specific tone, MOM....... (big pause)..... I went POOP! Can you wipe me? I giggle every time.


2. Little Man who rolls his Rs in all words with an R in them. And the little Spanglish that he does.


3. Making Sugar Cookies for the kids to decorate after FHE and watching them cover each cookie with more sprinkles than any cookie should ever have.

4. The sweet snuggles the kids give you in the night.

5. The excited squeal in the morning of "8 More days until CHRISTMAS!" Not that they are counting down or anything.

6. Realizing that Christmas is coming that soon! I can't wait.

7. Little Man who has become very polite and compliments every thing he possibly can. He wants everyone to feel good, and it sure does work.

8. Randy. Do I need to say more? Everything about him makes me smile.

My list could go on, and on. But these are a few of my favorites for today.

In Light of the Media

We as Latter Day Saints are having great amounts of attention brought to us. What do we believe, are we Christians, do we worship Joseph Smith, what goes on in the temple and many more.

I am by no means a spokesman for the Church, but I do believe that it is important to stand up for what we believe in. I want to willingly help to answer questions about something I hold most dear and sacred in my life. I have changed my blog to include a picture of our Savior Jesus Christ, and also links to Mormon.Org and LDS.Org. I believe that as a Latter Day Saint I need to be willing to share the most wonderful blessing in my life at any time.


These are our Articles of Faith


1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.


We are Christians. Our Church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We worship the same Jesus Christ from that of the Bible. He is our Savior, come to atone for our sins.

I am going to do my best to share more about what I believe. To be more open and to look for opportunities to share about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you have a question that I can help with please don't hesitate to ask in a comment. I will address it in a post in the future.

Get Involved

I like to listen to Talk Radio, thanks to my wonderful husband. When I get a chance I listen to Glenn Beck, (I know the theme song!) Rush, Michael Medved, and on occasion Michael Savage. I like to know about the issues, be aware of what the candidates for the GOP and also the Democrats stand for.

This started a little over three years ago. I always paid a little attention, but one day I heard that the guy running for Congress, and the guy running for Governor were going to be in town. I called up Tiffany, and asked her if she wanted to take her kids with me and go meet these guys and support them at the local rally. Thankfully she was excited to go with me and didn't think I was being all weird and freaky. So off we went. We listened to them, we cheered, we had them sign our posters. And then they asked us if we would help. We nodded our heads, not sure if it was the feeling of we can't say no, or if we thought we could change the outcome. They handed us a few fliers, and then a few more until our stack was huge. We looked at it looked at each other and laughed, did they not see the 4 crazy kids running wild. We went and knocked doors together encouraging people to get out and vote, and promoting our candidates. And we were finished we felt accomplished. We did something that had us involved. And it felt good.

I am trying my best to be involved and know the issues. I get emails from Women for Romney, you should check out their site. I read Five Brothers: The Romney Campaign Blog. And if you want to know more about Mitt Romney go here.

I loved his speech last week. I felt it was so true and inspiring. He believes in our constitution. I loved listening to him speak, he already sounds like a President. His speech was about American Values, something that many candidates are lacking. Our values are what bind us together as a people and a nation, it is what will bind our future generations, we cannot let them be destroyed. I love this quote by Rush Limbaugh and his speech, "The kind of stuff Romney said today is the kind of stuff I've been dreaming of hearing in a presidential campaign in a long time in terms of what this country is and where we're headed. . . . Do you realize how long it has been since a political person, a presidential candidate of either party, spoke extensively of the founding of this country and how crucial everybody's understanding of that is to maintaining American exceptionalism?" Seriously could it be said better!

A few more quotes about his speech that I just love!

"Romney's speech, however, was an achievement. It had the boldness to argue with Kennedy on key issues and the intellectual seriousness to win some of those arguments. Kennedy's speech remains a landmark of American rhetoric. But Romney's deserves to be read beside it." -Michael Gerson

"He held up a mirror and, for the first time in a long while, Americans did not have to avert their gaze. They could see themselves reflected and be both proud and humbled by their country's unique beauty." -Kathleen Parker

"The key to that notable and perhaps historic success involved the candidate’s eloquent ability to insist on the proper distinction between religious values (which nearly all Americans share), and specific doctrines and traditions (on which we differ dramatically). . . .But in Mitt’s remarks today, he not only looked and sounded like a President – he actually looked and sounded like a great one. All Americans should feel encouraged and grateful." -Michael Medved

I heard on Talk Radio that if Kennedy were to run today he would lose, he was too conservative of a democrat compared to the candidates we have now.

I am anxious to find out who will be the two candidates running for President of this wonderful Country. Obviously I am strong favoring Mitt Romney, and the GOP. I believe in what he can do for our country. Get involved in what you believe in. And learn more about who and what you believe in and who you want to represesnt your country.

YIPEE!!!

I wasn't sure how yesterday was going to go. I had no idea if I would really get my van back. But, I did! I am so excited. I love my van. Today, I get to go to the Mall and shop, I can't wait.

Day 22

November 20th I took my van into the shop to get the transmission looked at. I had no idea that after 22 days it would still be there. My life has been weirdly moving forward but feeling as if everything is on hold for these 22 days.

I have not set foot in the mall since Black Friday, just a few days after I took my van to the shop. I think that is a record for me. I haven't felt ready for Christmas or like I am in the full Christmas Spirit. This is my favorite time of the year, but I have been stressed this year.

We bought our Dodge Grand Caravan last year and I also purchased an extended warranty from SmartAutoWarranty.com. I knew Dodge's were FAMOUS for their WONDERFUL transmissions, I would cover myself. And after having it for one year it needed a new one. Normally getting a new transmission would take a day or two right? Yeah not with our wonderful warranty company.

First they had to send a guy out to verify that it did indeed need a new transmission. It took a few days. And then we had to order one from Georgia. Like I have time to just wait for my van to just sit in the shop transmissionless, and with the wheels off. It was supposed to be done a week ago. I was anxious but trying to be patient. I went in and checked and the transmission was lost. Hopefully to be here this week. First how the heck do you lose a transmission? Seriously! And Second didn't you think maybe you should be paying better attention than to just leave it on a shipping dock. It's not like this was a small box that was easily misplaced. Thankfully the company who sent it rented me a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan at the shipping companies expense! (It was nice!)

The transmission arrived on Monday evening. And the work to install it began yesterday.. it has take an while. But I should be picking my van up sometime today! WOO HOO! I can't wait to see my van with wheels on it and I am thrilled that I should have it and no longer be home bound or dependent on my friends who kindly drive me or pick up my children.

The Dodge dealership is excited that they will have their lift back after 22 days of me taking up one lift and slowing their efficiency down. And I can get in the Christmas mode with just 13 days until Christmas.

Problem Solved!

I had to go to my lovely Rheumatologist today. Since I had to make a good drive, I decided a little shopping was necessary. And so I hit up my favorite store, Nordstrom's Rack. I love that store. My favorite part about that store is all of the shoes, the size 11 shoes. 100's of wonderful shoes that fit me. No scrunching my toes, or hoping this 10 will fit. My feet have room to breathe, the toes can wiggle. It is blissful to see so many wonderful shoes.



Now you might recall my problem that I have been dealing with for years. I am pleased to announce that my problem is solved. Seriously solved. The heavens are singing, my husband is thrilled, and I am thinking they may never come off of my feet again. They are HAWT, Comfy, have a skinny 13 1/2 inch calf, that doesn't leave me looking like I am wearing someone else's boots. Thank you Nine West for realizing I needed this specific boot. It is so cute I bought it in brown also.. but I get those from my Mom for Christmas. Yipee!

Here they are! And they are just heavenly. My quest is over after seven years of searching. It has come to an end. I hesitated at first, was I sure.. I walked in them, stared at them, and decided they were the chosen ones. Life is good.

And in other news.. my appointment went well. I am upping my drugs a little but that is pretty normal for this time of year. Hopefully this will do the trick to get me back to normalish.

Goose! YUM.

Randy decided it was time to go Duck hunting on Wednesday. I told him it was fine with me as long as he understood I was not participating in cleaning or doing any such thing with them besides cooking them for him. He can deal with all the yuck. *shudder* He called me and I asked him how many ducks he was bringing home. He said none, but I have 4 geese. I hadn't eaten Goose before, or Duck so it was all a new thing. And he hadn't killed either one before.

My Dad offered to come help skin them, you don't pluck them. Weird huh? So they skinned the geese in our garage and we had 4 large goose breasts to eat. Everyone told me goose was gamey, oily, and not good. I was DYING to eat it. Ha! I got on to my favorite website for cooking, and found a Goose recipe that had 5 stars. I decided that would be dinner for Little Man's birthday, and he was excited to eat Dad's kill.

I was apprehensive to cook it, worried it was be totally disgusting. But I got it going in the morning and it smelled wonderful. I pulled it out of the crock pot and started preparing it and it looked just like beef. I was rather surprised. Finally I had everyone served their Goose Sandwich and I decided I could brave it. I took my first bite fully expecting it to be wretched and have me looking for anything to spit it into. And to my shock it was good. I ate my sandwich and watched as everyone was surprised that it wasn't disgusting as they had heard and tasted before.

Randy can't wait to go hunting again and bring home more dinner. And well, I will cook it as long as I don't have to clean it or touch the dead bird until it is just a piece of meat.

(Disclaimer: Animals were killed and harmed for this post. They were skinned and eaten.)

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Little Man is 6. I just checked on him sleeping so sweetly with his favorite blankies, and it made me wonder where did the time go. It seems like only yesterday I was looking at him for the first time. Feeling as if I had known him forever. I am nostalgic for that time when he was a newborn. When I could just sit and hold him and enjoy every minute. That time past so quickly and now we are at another wonderful stage. He is still likes to sit on my lap and snuggle, but he is at school and a busy big boy.

I baked two batches of Cupcakes this morning, and his birthday cake. Check out my awesome cake decorating skills. Okay so I lack in that department. But it tasted so good! And Little Man thought the decorations ROCKED! And then I started our dinner, we had goose. Yes you read the goose. More details on that tomorrow or so. I had to get it in the crock pot by 11:00 so it would be ready for dinner. I had the last minute shopping for Little Miss to choose him his gift and I desperately needed wrapping paper.

After those errands then it was off to his school to take in the cupcakes. I took them to his Spanish classroom today. The kids were thrilled to see cupcakes! Little Man handed them out so politely asking each of his friends if they wanted Chocolate or Vanilla. His teacher had asked me to bring in a slide show of pictures of him, and also if I would read the kids a story in Spanish. Ummm.. sure. Have you heard me speak Spanish? I did it. And it wasn't horrible. It was El Oso. The Bear. I think he had me do it so he could get a chance to giggle at my horrendous non-Spanish Spanish.

Little Man came home and got a chance to open his presents! We ate our BBQ Goose dinner, and then had cake and ice cream! He loved all of his new toys and just getting to have a great time.

I am so proud of my Little Man. He is growing up and is so polite and kind. I had the chance to observe him doing Simon Says today in his Spanish Class. He was telling the kids all the directions in Spanish! I was amazed at how well he was doing it. It was a wonderful Mommy moment. He is my buddy. I am so grateful I am his mother. What a blessing for me.

Happy Birthday Little Man. I am so proud of you. And I love you more than you will ever know. Thanks for being my special boy. To the Sun, the Moon and back again I love you.

A Problem.

I have a problem. One that I have been trying to solve for YEARS. I have searched high and low for an answer to my problem and have yet to find my answer. I want a pair of black tall boots with a cute heel. I really really want a pair. My problem is my feet are big, size 11. But my calves are skinny. I have yet to find a pair of boots in an 11 that don't sag and look utterly ridiculous. I am on a mission.. so if you know of a pair of killer boots that are BIG yet skinny and not $400 send me a link. All I want is a nice pair of boots.

I have debated if I should look more into the slouchy boot and get some cute skinny jeans to go with them, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want. If you find any cute ones that would look HAWT on me let me know. And my other issue is they need to be tall enough. I am on a search to fix my problem.