Crazy Lives Filled with Love

What Happened??

2011-12-27T23:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't been on my blog in a LONG time! Why is that? I had baby #3! He is so sweet and such a wonderful joy to have around. However, I am now a lot busier than I was when I only had 2 kids. Everyone told me it's having the 3rd that does you in. I really didn't believe them. All my friends I know with 3 kids never leave their house. I was sure that wouldn't happen to me. Well, my little guy is almost 18 months and I can tell you that having your 3rd child changes how you are as a parent.

If you were an active parent that liked to go out and take your kids to plays and library readings, well you won't do it anymore. If you were a mom who tried always to feed your kids healthy nutritious meals, always making sure they had at least some veggies in their day, that will most likely change when #3 comes along. You will just be happy they get veggies in their diet at all during the week- canned, frozen and if you get some fresh ones in you'll feel like mother of the year. If you always made sure your kids had clean clothes, hair done and you never left the house without makeup, you will not like how different it will be. You will be lucky if your kids have their clothes ON, let alone if they are clean and makeup will be a thing of the past.

Things I never thought would happen to me as a parent; well they did when my 3rd came along. But I wouldn't change a thing. He is the sweetest, most loving and fun little boy around. Boys are very different. He destroys the house a little at a time. If I am putting it away he will come behind me and get it out. If I am cleaning he will decide he needs to "help" me, like unfolding the laundry. But if I need extra love and snuggles, there he is.

My adorable little guy this summer.

Sweet Lindsey.

Sisters are so great.

Oh, my sleeping baby.

My cute little dancer.

Swinging fun!

Halloween costumes at Homeschool park day.

Halloween pictures with the kids.

Just LOVE that face!

Where have the years gone? She looks so grown up!

She's still my sweet little girl. So precious!

Trying to get a picture with my kids isn't easy.

Sweet little Pooh Bear!

First snow!

Look who figured out how to get his own cracker.

I've also been very busy making this happen for my girls. We had to take a door out that went to our storage room and I had to mud the drywall, sand and paint, paint, paint. I LOVE the colors! The girls love their room. I got it done for Christmas and they say it's their favorite present.

Christmas 2011 was wonderful!

Choir Performance

2011-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Emily had her first choir performance the week of the big sale. I didn't plan it that way, it just happened. It worked out okay too. However, it was also a crazy time for weather. Spring really never seems to get the memo that it should take over and we had a snow storm. So of course the power went out for her performance. It came on at the very end, but most of the pictures didn't turn out. They were supposed to be dressed like the 60's-70's in theme with a lot of their songs like Catch a Falling Star and Here Comes the Sun. Emily had a great time and did very well.

I painted the peace sign on her shirt and then at the sale I found these capri's that were cheap enough I had to get them that were covered in peace signs.

It was a lot of fun and we were so glad that two Grandma's were able to make it. And we were also disappointed that we missed the second performance since I once again got horribly sick. Flu wasn't fun, stomach flu was even worse. I am just hoping that is the last my poor body will have to endure this year.

THE SALE and Much More!

2011-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

If you have read about it before, I love this sale. It is how I get clothes for my kids every year. I spend about $250-300 for the whole year and they have everything they need. It is every spring and fall held at a local Methodist church. I volunteer AND I sell, which I didn't used to do. Now I practically clothe my kids for free. It's so awesome. But it is a lot of hard work. The last couple weeks of March are spent getting ready, tagging, hanging, etc. all of the clothes, toys, books to sell. I had over 200 items. It was another great event and I was super excited because I actually didn't need a lot of clothing for the girls this time. I ended up stocking up the past 6 months and a lot of Emily's clothes still fit- for now. But it doesn't mean I didn't end up buying anything.

I probably got all of this here for $50. The jeans right up front were $2 each with no wear in them. The dresses were about $4 each. I love the blue jacket that is for next year. It's hard to see, but it's pretty stylin'.

Summer shoes are much harder to come by. Let's face it, kids RUIN their sandals. But this was a good year. I was pretty impressed. I love the sketcher's Emily got and the gorgeous Gymboree blue mary jane's were $4.50 with not a scratch on them. Willis got 5 ties for $4.

One of the best parts about volunteering is the pre-sale. All of the volunteers get first picks of all the good stuff. And because I didn't need as many items of clothing for the kids I was finally able to try the toy section. I hear in the fall before Christmas it's amazing! I wish I had two of me and I would love to do both clothes and toys. I should have saved the toys for Easter, but I was so exhausted and I knew Robert was taking the day off to be with them and I thought they would be extra pleasant with new toys. Turns out I was right. They had a blast with them. I found Magnetix
...these amazing magnetic toys provide hours of imaginative play and building. My girls loved them. Course they have to "live" up high in a closet because one lost magnetic ball could be doom for a little baby. There was a giant bag of plastic + velcro middle play food for $2. A Leap Frog cash register for $5, a bag of My Little Ponies $1 and a few more odds and ends. Those were the big ones I found and they are still a huge hit.

Another amazing sale. However, I wore myself down to the last wire. What we crazy parents won't do to clothe our kids and in my case clothe, save money, sell AND let's face it I love to shop. To me this is so much more fun than retail. I love a good deal and I love feeling like I saved money on something so I can spend it on something else- like decorating and remodeling my house. Unfortunately this time I was so worn down that I got sick right after this crazy event. Good thing it was after and not before.

He is So BIG!

2011-04-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

My little boy is growing up before my eyes! And so are his big sisters. They love him, they are in his face and even fight over him. We really can't get enough of this little guy. He definitely makes it harder to get to blogging and takes all of my time. But he is so worth it!

The girls have been busy with their physics connector set. Emily has built cars and ramps and now she wanted to try building one for their stuffed dog. She did a great job I'd say.

My Family

2011-02-15T23:27:00.001-08:00

Flying Willis! Don't you just love those chubby fat legs? I just want to munch on them all the time.

The love of a daddy for his little boy is so precious I can hardly capture it.

So beautiful. His sweet face makes me think of this Mindy Gledhill song. I think of this song a lot when I look at my kids.

He is really loved in our home.

He's one cool dude and his sisters make sure of that!

Emily lost her two front teeth. She is very cute and big. She is so awesome and helps everyone in the family so much. I am so lucky to have such a good friend as my daughter.

What a sweet smile. How can she pull off beautiful so effortlessly?

I am one blessed Mom to be given such amazing kids and loving husband. We sure don't have much, but we really do have it all.

Lindsey is 4!

2011-02-15T23:15:00.001-08:00

My sweet little girl is so big. She turned 4 last month and we went out to eat and saw Despicable Me in 3D. She is adorable. Lindsey is very compassionate, very huggy and just loves everyone. She is a wonderful friend to everyone in her family. She is really funny and very smart. I am grateful every day that God sent this amazing sweetheart to our family.

Willis waiting with his daddy for the food to come.

Cousin Sienna came too. She and Lindsey are 2 weeks apart and have been best buddies since they were babies.

Family party with grandmas, cousins, aunts and uncles.

Lots of pet shop presents. She just loved them!

Happy Birthday my little girl!

Craft Room

2011-02-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

My craft room is a work in progress, but it is a lot of fun to see it coming along.

I still have another wall shelf to put up, but I am missing one of the brackets. I put up the pink peg board not too long ago. Right now I also have some cans with pink and black mod podged scrapbook paper over them for pens and pencils.

Ribbon organizer, pink curtains. Robert is a little worried about so much pink.

I Am a Mother

2011-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been dealing with some interesting internal conversations. The kind of conversations I never used to have. They all have something to do with myself as a mother and they are all NEGATIVE. I have always wanted to be a mom. I have vowed to be a good mom and there are things I knew I wanted to do AS a mom. I felt it was important for me to be home with my kids. Not everyone is able to do that or wants to, but for me, I felt it was important. I also knew I wanted to homeschool my kids. We love learning together and we have a great time. My kids are learning and thriving and so am I.

But these conversations have been going something like this: "Why am I even staying home with my kids it's not even making a difference in their lives" and "I am not able to be the person I really want to be." or "I am not contributing to society." and "I should just go get a job since financially we are tight and I can't provide for my kids like I want to." and "I should just send them to school since I am probably not doing a good job anyway." I have been listening to these thoughts for awhile and sadly I have been believing them. And what has been the result of listening to all of this? I have been very unhappy as a mom and as a person. So I needed to take this matter to the Lord. Why am I losing my convictions as a mother? What is wrong with me? Am I following what is right for us and for my kids? The answers have come a little at a time.

First, the conversations are not the truth and they come not from me but from Satan. He wants me to devalue myself and my important roles as wife and mother. Understanding this has been huge. Second, what I am doing is not unimportant. It is not trivial. I am not JUST a mom. And I have needed some reminders about this. One of those reminders have been in reading the book I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson. It is a wonderful book that reminds me what is important. Reminding me that mothers don't just cook and clean and wipe messy faces. They are bringing souls to Christ.

One of the things that people say, that the world says and that even those I know have said is that motherhood and even marriage mean that you lose your "identity". Nothing can be further from the truth. Selfishness leads to a loss of identity. Because only through the service of others will we truly find ourselves. As Luke 9:24 says: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." When we serve others we are serving God. I am so grateful to be a mom. I am SO far from being perfect and I make so many mistakes and resolve every day to be better. But I love serving my kids. One day I will wake up to a clean house and a quiet car ride and I know I will miss it.

Honoring Jay

2011-01-20T13:22:00.001-08:00

Robert's dad Jay passed away New Year's Eve. When Robert was 9 his dad got thyroid cancer. They took care of it and all was well. 9 years later it was back and it was much, much worse. His life was spared, but with complications. The past 12 years his body was shutting down because of the radiation. I was over at their house on Thursday night and he was having a hard time and wasn't sleeping for over a week. We knew he was having a hard time, but we thought he had at least another year with us. That night he passed away suddenly and Robert barely made it to his bedside. We will miss him a lot and are so grateful to have had him in our lives.

He loved his grandkids and was there to hold each one of them.

Holding Willis in the hospital in July.

Grandpa and Emily.

He was at my wedding.

And he was with us for every major holiday and event. We went to see the lights at temple square worried that it was his last Christmas. We love you and will miss you Jay!

The funeral was beautiful.

Its been hard for Robert. He is so young to lose a parent. He loves his dad and it was very hard for him. It still is when we go to his mom's. His dad is still very much a part of everything in the house.

His mom needs all of our love and support and she misses him dearly. We are so thankful to be there for her.

It was a hard day and it will be harder still, but we are grateful that he will no longer be suffering. There was so much love and support felt by everyone. What I will remember most is the love and Spirit that was there. And we know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ that we will see him again one day. That we can be sealed together forever.

Field Trips

2011-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

We love our homeschool park day friends and when it got cold this year none of us wanted to quit playing. So we decided it was time to go on more field trips as a group. We went to a grocery store for one of them. They showed the kids the very cold freezer and let them walk inside. I didn't venture in, I stayed in the refrigerated area to take the pictures.

The group went on a field trip to a candy factory that sadly we missed. But after that there was the Tower theatre. It has been used in the Sundance film festival and was open in 1920. It's really cool.

It was really dark in the theatre and the guide was awesome and showed the kids the projector and talked about the building. Fascinating place! And then he showed us 2 Charlie Chaplin films and the fact that the theatre was called Tower Talkies because it was one of the first to have talking films. The kids thought the first Charlie Chaplin film was really funny. One of my dad's favorite movies is City Lights with Chaplin. He even popped us all a little popcorn. It was a lot of fun.

We have had a great time so far and hope to go on many more field trips. The girls get so excited when I tell them we are going on a field trip. I think its my turn to plan one too so I better get cracking!

My Wonderful Kids & Loving Life

2011-01-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

One of the many snowstorms we have had so far. We are getting so sick of the dumps and dumps of snow that we feel fortunate when its a light storm.

This just shows some of the mountains of snow we have had this year. The girls have loved it though.

Stuck Emily. She was out playing with Lindsey who decided she was done and I waited and waited for her to come. Finally I went out to find her like this.

Christmas cookie making.

It was a lot of fun making the cookies and they were REALLY good.

Even Willis was there for cookie making. Too bad he couldn't be there for cookie eating.

We were working on money math and lunch became part of the lesson. Each item has a price and the girls came to the "restaurant" with their money in their purses and purchased each item.

Valuable life lessons and lots of fun.

My kids are so wonderful. Life isn't always easy, but we have fun being a part of it. We laugh, we cry- and I do mean WE- and we PLAY!!

Willis is GROWING!

2011-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sweet little Willis is getting so big! Its been awhile since I have updated. Here he is in all of his chubby cuteness.

You just can't pass up kissing those adorable cheeks.

Reading Together

2010-11-23T22:55:00.000-08:00

Emily loves her little brother- a LOT! She tries to pack him around, much to the dismay and objection of her parents. Holding him on the chair is one thing, carrying him around is another. If there were 2 of him, he would equal 1 Emily. My big boy loves his sisters!

Trick or Treating

2010-11-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

The day before trick or treating we went to IHOP for free pumpkin face pancakes. They went with their cousins and we took a few pictures. Lindsey was Angelina Ballerina- her favorite literary character. Emily was a witch so she could be like her cousin- she later changed to Minnie Mouse for trick or treating and Willis was the cutest bee you ever did see.

The kids at IHOP.

Don't you just want to kiss and squish those cheeks?!

At Grandma's house on her floral couch. It looks like he is in a flower garden.

Buzzzzzzz....

I love how Lindsey is peering into her pumpkin.

I love my sleeping bee... sweet dreams full of honey little one.

Picture Fest

2010-10-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Willis is getting SO big!

Fall is a time for delicious fall foods. I have been making a lot of them. One of my favorites is my pumpkin chowder recipe. I have made it twice now and it has been delicious every time.

There is still loads of reading going on at our house. And Lindsey is starting to put together simple words like C-A-T. It's so exciting to watch them learn.

Painting clay canopic jars for our study of Ancient Egypt. Our lapbook has been a 3 month study and we have had a lot of fun. That will be up next when it is finished.

The image isn't very good, but these are our canopic jars. Emily's is the head of a dog she decided in place of their gods. I tried to have mine be closer to the falcon headed Qebehsenuef, one of the sons of Horus that were often on the lids of the canopic jars.

The girls lovingly showing off our fall decor.

Our fun little guy!

For Robert's 31st birthday we went to see Toy Story 3. We were the only ones left in the theater when they were playing "You've Got a Friend in Me" in Spanish. The girls decided it was dancing time.

Last but not least Emily became a very big girl and got her ears pierced. It was a fun outing with her cousins and Aunt and she was very brave.

You can't see very well, but she chose rainbow daisy studs. She loves them and feels very grown up.

Zoo Fun

2010-10-26T23:08:00.001-07:00

Before the weather got cold we had a great day with homeschool friends at the zoo. The girls loved it, the animals were out and it was great to enjoy the beautiful day.

Up close with the tiger "cubs". We never saw them when they were small and now they are more like adolescent cubs.

Adorable baby elephant. He was so cute staying by his mommy and picking up food with his small trunk.

Emily has cracked!

Emily and our friend Alma.

Halloween Times

2010-10-18T22:48:00.001-07:00

We went with family members to a fun boutique place that was all decked out for Halloween. It was so fun to walk around and see the pumpkins, witches, shops, lights. The girls were so cute and they loved being with their grandparents.

Lindsey, such a sweet and funny girl.

Daddy's boy.

What a funny look on baby's face.

Grandma Betty hanging out with the baby. She was so worried all night that we would lose the kids. We had to reassure her that we would make sure they stayed close. And they did.

Robert gave me an early Christmas present. He had been into this little shop before and decided he couldn't choose what I would want and needed me to do it. So I got it early and I got to build it myself.

Isn't it pretty? I love it. So awesome to get Christmas early. One of the best parts about being an adult during the holidays.

Books on Tape

2010-09-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Moving to the west side and being farther from family has contributed to much longer car rides for myself and my kids. To make it more bearable we have started doing books on tape. We only have a tape deck, but we also have an adapter for a CD player if we need it. So far we have found the books we want on tape at the library. Once upon a time we did Winnie the Pooh and the girls were too little to remember it, even if they did enjoy it at the time.

Recently we have listened to one of my childhood favorites, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And I was surprised at how quick it was. The girls loved it and were sad when it was over.

After that one we moved onto Hello Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. They loved this one because they would talk about the things the kids shouldn't have done, like be "cry baby" or "whisper" about other people. I liked how the families were tightly knit in the stories and the mother's were genuinely concerned for their kids no matter what troubles they had.
After we finished this one the girls had decided they really liked listening in the car and would ask to have me turn them on as soon as we got in the car. I was happy when I found Stuart Little at the library and we have been enjoying this one a lot. I think we may need to start putting some others on hold because of how much we have enjoyed this past time in the car. Sometimes they are so interesting we don't want to leave.
I think this will be one of those things we will be continuing. We love to learn at our house and this is definitely a fun way to do it.

I Want to be Super Mom!

2010-09-29T00:29:00.000-07:00

I am now realizing that I am the type of mom who just can't do it all, despite that I would love to. Its so hard to admit that or remind myself of it when I am having one of those days where I think I can and get disappointed when it doesn't happen. I am now realizing just how much being pregnant with Willis made it so hard to function the way I normally do. Its like I was working at less than half speed. And my brain wasn't working well. All of the things I enjoyed or wanted to do, create, learn, etc. felt monumentally difficult to do. It was just enough that I got dressed, cleaned some, did school and made dinner.

The second my little guy was born I felt like I had stepped outside of my cocoon and was once again myself. It is so liberating! However as a nice and beautiful me came out so did my wee beautiful baby with needs and desires of his own. And as much as I feel like myself wanting to do it all, I know that babies are only small for small moments. The temptation to do the things I have been dieing to do for a year come when the attention of my small ones are so present in my day.

The second I begin something, someone needs me. Despite the fact that my art has been neglected for a year. I haven't done anything beautiful to my yard since moving here last May, in fact the lawn died a horrible death this year when our pipes burst. It was a bad week and we never did get the grass we did have back to living. Its been a year since I have read a book from beginning to end. My brain isn't able to hold the attention of an entire book when my body is cooking the intelligence of another human being. I guess they just don't work so well together. Before I got pregnant I painted my living room with the hopes of having the entire house decorated and painted by this time. I haven't painted any of the other rooms in this house. The girls got their bunk bed and it was only the deadline of them needing a place to sleep that forced me to finish. I haven't in the last year, scrapbooked, sewed, exercised, sang in a choir or done 90% of the projects I planned to do this time last year.

So while I am feeling myself come alive again with the lust and love for life and all the possibilities that lay before me. The Etsy shop I want to open, the yard sales I want to have, the art I want completed and sold in galleries, etc. I am also having to stop myself and remember that even if I want to, I can't always be super mom. It is a myth that you can have it all. Because as soon as one thing is where you want it, something else will be off balance. And the last thing that should be off balance is my family. I am beyond grateful to be doing the most important thing I can do right now. That is rocking my baby to sleep. Reading to my 3 year old. Studying addition with my 6 year old. Playing Candy Land for the hundredth time whether I want to or not. Giggling, tickling and making pumpkin cookies. And when the baby cries from the back bedroom, dropping it all to show him that he is welcomed and loved. Because "babies don't keep".

Smiles!

2010-09-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

We have been getting smiles for awhile now, but haven't been able to catch them with the camera. We got a few small ones here and have even had some giggles because little boy is so ticklish.

Two Months

2010-09-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Willis is two months old today! He is the sweetest baby and we just adore him. He loves to smile and "goo" at us. I think he's a keeper. He is 13 lbs now and I can feel it in my arms. He loves to eat and I can feel that in the 7 lbs I gained since having him. I eat all the time too trying to keep up with his appetite. I feel like I am always starving. And I'm not if you look at me, but I feel like it.

Willis with his great-grandma who was married to his namesake who passed away almost 2 years go.

We had this banner up for his baby blessing. We had about 40 people over and so it was a crazy day and we completely forgot to get pictures of him in his suit. Thankfully we still have it and we will have to dress him in it again so we can get some good pictures of him to show off.

Is it just me or do they look very similar in this picture? Oh and love our beautiful chair? I hate how the stuff on the arms is coming off. Think of all that weird stuff and what it would look like ALL OVER your house and on the carpet. I would just get rid of it, but I can't replace it right now and it is the only rocking chair we have and it doubles as a computer chair. If I become really crafty I may just recover it. We'll see. Its still in good shape and it would be a pretty easy one to do.

Nothing like a home made fall wreath above the fireplace don't you think?

School Has Begun

2010-09-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

School started at our house on the 23rd of August. I had a fun day planned for the girls. We played a game so they could find their back-packs with new books, pencils and treats inside. We made cookies and just had a good day.

We have been doing a unit study and lap-book on Egypt. The lap-book is still in progress. So far we have learned about mummification. Emily's activity was to mummify her Barbie and make a death mask for it.

We also made Egyptian headbands. You can't see Lindsey's wonderful coloring on hers, but it was very cute. We have been working on making canopic jars out of clay and beaded jewelry.

Field trip with our homeschooler friends at the Dinosaur museum. You can't see the fun sand and water Emily is playing in, but it was lots of fun.

Love that face!

And thankfully we have been able to get a lot of schooling done because our sweet Willis does a lot

of

this...

Picture Time

2010-09-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

It has been crazy busy around here. Adjusting to having a little baby in the house has been interesting. He is such a good baby too. At 2 weeks old his poor little skin broke out in baby eczema that lasted a good 3-4 weeks. Poor thing. I was constantly slathering his little skin with vaseline because it was so dry.

Robert looks so tired there! He has helped me non-stop and I really appreciate it. Every night he changes the baby before I feed him and he takes him when he gets home. He rocks him, bounces with him, burps him, etc. All of my kids are really lucky to have a father who is so involved. And I am really lucky as well.

He really wanted to suck on something and found his Daddy's hand and grabbed on. He would not let go either.

First bath. Can you see the rash around his face and body? Oh it was so bad!

We went out with our friends to Temple Square. Emily and Mary, such good friends!

Busy With Baby Willis

2010-08-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

We have been busy falling in love with our special baby boy. He is so cute, so sweet and most of the time he is pretty laid back. The only time he isn't is if I eat chocolate, beans or he just does not want to go to sleep. Other than that he is perfect. He even slept from midnight until 6:00 a.m. last night. He loves to look up at you and watch you and his little sisters just love him. We get a lot of requests to "hold the baby". They talk to him when he cries and mommy can't come right away, they play with him, sing to him and kiss his cheeks as much as they can. I have forgotten how time consuming this phase of babyhood is, but also how precious and wonderful it is as well. And I DO remember how quickly it is gone. Looking at my baby and then at my two girls I wonder when they were ever this small. And I get sad realizing how fast they have grown. But I also love watching them grow and be the people they are becoming and see them change.

He is so handsome!

Emily is such a good big sister.

Willis in his bouncy chair. He likes it sometimes, and other times it is where I have to put him to give my arms a rest and he hates it. He loves being held.

Big sister Lindsey loving her little brother. Lindsey has also done something amazing for everyone involved. She has decided finally that being potty trained isn't so bad and underwear is a good thing. Just suddenly she did it on her own and I am beyond grateful!

Before Baby

2010-07-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

I need to update some of what life was like waiting for this little guy to come. I had some pretty hard last 3 months to deal with. I had awful swelling in my feet. I could hardly go anywhere, stand, sit in one place long or walk without getting enormous feet and ankles. Despite all of the water drinking I was doing- 70 oz and more- I still felt horrible too. My blood pressure was still in the good ranges, but I am normally 90/50 about and it was getting into the 120-77 range. Which everyone thought looked great, but I could tell a difference because that is high for me. However, I tried to still go places when I could and still tried to enjoy the last little bits of pregnancy.

I took the girls to numerous parks to run and play and burn that energy. We even kept up with our homeschool park day friends as long as I could. After awhile the heat plus swelling made it impossible. We are excited to go again.
Happy Lindsey.

Emily the spider.

We took walks around the temple to get out as a family. The girls liked doing this, even though it was a cold night.

They are so fun!

Swollen me. Don't I look great?

I took them to an old historic farm with their homeschool group. The tour guide even pulled me aside and asked if I could go on because of the look of my horrible swollen feet. I told her it would be like that if I went to the grocery store so I was sticking with it. The girls wanted to milk the cow, but he wouldn't let it happen. We just watched him eat.

Petting the baby calves. This farm is state run now and unfortunately because of that they are very limited in resources. Their track record is that they have only had 1 calf survive to adulthood in 5 years. That means the odds for these calves are pretty slim. Poor things!

We went to the 4th of July breakfast at our church.

Shooting hoops hoping to bring on labor. No such luck. Just the on and off contractions I had been getting for weeks.

The 4th of July park fun. The kids got handed a bunch of tickets and went on several fun rides with their cousins.

My sister-in-law Lori and I who is due a month after me with her 4th, also a boy. Our last babies were born 2 weeks from each other.

Birth Story of Willis Reed

2010-07-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

Willis Reed

Born July 16^th 2010

8 lbs 9 oz 20 inches long

The Beginning

Both of my girls came at 38 weeks to the day so when I was still pregnant at 38 weeks after contracting on and off for a couple weeks I was pretty surprised. Then a few days after my 38^th week it was the 4^th of July and I thought perhaps he wanted to be patriotic and come then. But I was wrong. I continued to contract on and off. I had prodromal labor with both girls as well, but it was for only a couple days and then they came. This time it was for about 4 weeks before I actually delivered. The worst part about prodromal labor for me is not even the disappointment of not having the baby, but the emotional and hormonal drop from completely stopping. Every time I would go through the hormone highs of contractions, they would quit by night time and I would wake up on an emotional low. I could feel the drop in my hormones and a deep depression would set in. I explained to Robert that I was disappointed yes, but I could tell this was worse and felt irrational. The week before I went into real labor I contracted heavily all morning and could actually FEEL my baby move down lower into my pelvis. I have never had it to where I could feel the baby actually drop. Those contractions stopped as well, but I noticed that I felt a lot more comfortable all of a sudden and the shape of my belly was very different.

The Day Before

I didn’t want to make it to my midwife appointment. I wanted to go into labor and avoid the ‘yes I am still here’ comments. Unfortunately I was still pregnant so I went in; my hope was high though because I was contracting on and off, just not consistently. The assistant noticed the difference in my belly immediately and that was comforting to have it confirmed. I decided since I was contracting on and off that day to have her do a check on my cervix. 3 cm and 80% effaced and his head was very low. The midwife said she was surprised I WASN’T in labor already because of how low he was. She felt that all I needed was consistent contractions and he would be here. I didn’t make an appointment either that was how sure we were he was on his way soon.

Before the appointment some of my nesting bug came out and was able to clean parts of my house. I had been frustrated that every time I cleaned anticipating his arrival, the house would get messy again. I had cleaned and I came home and decided to relax a little and see if the contractions kept up even with my relaxing. They were there, but about 30 minutes apart or more. I still thought it was a good sign that they hadn’t stopped.

Early Labor

At 3:00 a.m. I started to get horrible ligament cramping with my contractions on the left side. It was very painful and I struggled through that for an hour until I was able to relax again. I propped up my belly on one side to relax the muscles while the contractions continued. I grabbed the cell phone so I could time my contractions in between resting. From 3:00- 6:00 a.m. I labored in and out of sleep. I started to notice they were getting stronger and staying consistently 5 minutes apart. My midwife had said to be sure to call her as soon as they were consistent so she could get to the hospital in time, my last labor only being 2 hours long. I woke Robert up and told him it was time to get ready. We woke up our girls and Emily said “I knew he was going to come today.” She had told me this the day before so she was so happy to be right. We got them ready and as I finished a few of the last minute items to grab for the bag, toothbrushes, etc. my contractions picked up to 3 minutes apart. Robert was trying to get a hold of the hospital that hung up on him twice and put him on hold as well. We were out the door soon enough and I tried to focus on each contraction as they came. I had to stop and sway through them and moan deep and low to get through each one.

The Car Ride

There are a few hospitals close to us, but the ones that are the closest are the ones that have way too many horror stories. So I chose the hospital that was farthest from my house, but still about 20 minutes away, longer when there is traffic. Another reason for choosing the hospital is my good friend is right on the way and it was the easiest solution for finding someone to watch our girls. We quickly dropped them off and were on our way. The contractions in the car were very intense. Each bump and turn was dreaded and Robert did his best to be slow and careful.

Labor

Once in the hospital they tried to give me a wheel chair and I refused. Sitting in the car had been unbearable and I just wanted to walk. I had to stop a couple times, but made it into the delivery room. My midwife showed up and checked me. There is nothing worse than being checked in full blown labor. Because the baby’s head was so low and pushing so hard on the cervix my midwife couldn’t feel my cervix at all and mistook me for being complete. I thought it was really odd because I didn’t feel that I was in the worst of it yet and I was still managing things really well in between contractions. Everyone was around ready for me to deliver, but I continued contracting the way I was. My midwife realized I may not be as close as she thought so she checked again. 5 cm and 100% effaced. That sounded right to me and was consistent with feeling active labor pains. My friend, who we had planned to be there as my doula support, was sick unfortunately and she and I were disappointed that she was unable to make it. Robert is an amazing support coach, but I wanted him to have support as well so he could be even more involved. He took over completely and was once again amazing at giving me what I needed.

I continued to labor and focus on my contractions. I was finding I was having a hard time focusing on my breathing during each contraction so I asked for some extra oxygen. My midwife got me out of the bed and told me to start walking, but unfortunately because I wasn’t complete they began the GBS antibiotics but having an IV going in makes me very light headed and nauseated. I asked for a birth ball to lie across and a pillow under my knees and I labored like that for a while. I must have been nearing transition at this point because I started saying ‘Why am I doing this?’ and ‘I can’t do this.’ Thankfully I had told Robert that when I started saying this he needed to encourage me and cheer me on. He did just that and I felt like I could go on a little longer.

The nurse was great and supportive in my efforts to have a natural birth. She checked me after an hour of laboring and I had reached 7 cm. After being in the position of leaning on the ball for a while my legs started to ache, but I did not want to be up and walking. The bed was pushed up all the way and the bottom was down low so it was more like a chair. I sat on that with oxygen to my face and labored through transition. Robert would walk the floor while I rested and even managed to fall asleep in between contractions. Then as one would begin I would moan and Robert would come over so I could squeeze his fingers as hard as I could. The last 5 contractions were the most intense I have ever felt even with Lindsey. I was feeling so overwhelmed to even focus through them. I started to feel that they would just keep going until the baby was here and I felt the pressure so intensely that I knew he had to be on his way. I just prayed over and over to God to strengthen me. Instinctively I flipped over onto my knees, facing the back of the bed and gripped the sides and began to push. I told Robert I was pushing and he paged the nurse who had stepped out.

My midwife showed up with the rest of the team of attendants. She told me to scoot into more of an upright kneeling position and hold onto the back of the bed so I could use gravity and get more leverage. That position was not one I would have thought I would have used, but it worked so well. My water broke at my feet and all over the bed. All I could say was ‘help me’ as he started to crown and I could hear Robert and everyone say his head was out and then the rest of him quickly slid out. Just when I had thought I couldn’t stretch anymore, there was more to be stretched. I heard Robert as he came out say that he was out and get choked up. It was really touching and very high emotion. I was so happy and relieved that he was here, that it was over with and that I did it again and all natural too. I was helped into a better position so I could hold him and he was so beautiful and sweet. I didn’t tear or hemorrhage which I attribute to my midwife. I really think my placenta was pulled out faster with both girls because I don’t remember ever delivering it. This time my midwife was patient and let it come with a contraction and gently on its own. She did say I bled more than she normally sees, but it was under control quickly and my uterus was firm not too long afterwards.

Willis had to be observed to full 48 hours because I only received 1 hour of antibiotics for the GBS. They did a blood culture and he is fine. Though he is a little jaundice and we will need to go back for a test at the Pediatrician’s office. I feel really good. I would have left earlier and I have been up and about feeling great. I am still trying to take it easy though. It’s nice to see my ankles again for the first time in 4 months. There were times where I doubted myself and wondered how I could do it. But the rush of the emotions and the overwhelming joy of what I just did to bring my baby here was amazing. I love feeling that surge of love and joy and amazement at the end. It really is beautiful and I am so grateful for the beautiful baby boy I have to snuggle.

In early labor on the birth ball.

He's here!

Sucking his thumb before figuring out how to nurse.

His eyes are open.

Biggest sister Emily.

Big sister Lindsey.

Daddy and his little boy.

I love to snuggle this little boy!

We love our little baby!

Putting Up the Bunk Bed

2010-05-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

I bought this bunk bed last June from good will for $50. I had the plan of sanding and painting them. Well, when I started I had no tools to make this worth while. Finally I was able to borrow some from our friends and the process was able to really begin. However, vacation, Emily's appendicitis, pregnancy complete with morning sickness, made the project a lot longer and harder than originally planned. But I finally got it done what with the deadline of baby #3 looming over me. Here is the beginnings of putting it up.

We realized as we were putting it up that we were missing some much needed support for the base boards. So Robert went out and had them cut a lot more to keep the beds secure.

The finished project. I really like how nice this bed is. For a $50 bed + time and money on redoing it, it is really pretty sturdy. I have been hearing all about the bunk beds they are making these days that are $400 and yet are horribly creaky and unstable particle board. This is solid wood with metal parts and it is much stronger than what we could have bought at the store. The girls love it!

More Science Experiments

2010-05-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned Emily loves science experiments and she is very happy when we find fun ones to do. We have joined a science co-op that begins in the fall which is really exciting for her and they have a summer field trip class that we will be able to go to some of. The first one is a mountain hike that I will be for sure missing. This is her slime experiment.

Directions on how to make green slime.

I think she likes it.

Slimey fun and lots of fun playing with it.

The Doors

2010-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

They are coming along. On Easter I got hit hard with a horrible flu and gave it to everyone we know, including the family who is helping us with the doors. It took about a month and a half for it to go through all of us, Lindsey with her asthma had to be on heavy steroids and Robert was pre-pneumonia and had to be on antibiotics. Then it was going through our friends family too. It was a horrible flu with cough, fever, malaise and the kids even got conjunctivitis too. It lasted forever. So it has been hit and miss with the weekends we have been able to work on it with them. But this is it so far.

Our ugly deck we need to replace one year and the doors from the outside.

There is molding up at the top and along the sides. We just need to finish spackling and then painting and putting a finish at the bottom and it is pretty near done. Just touch up work now and then figuring out what to do about privacy. The curtains ARE temporary I swear. They actually belong in the kids room where they have kicked the blinds to death.

Spring Pictures

2010-05-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

We are alive and have been busy. I just haven't found a lot of spare energy or time to complete any blog posts. But I am finally going to do it. Here is a bunch of random pictures of what we have been up to.

Strong Emily!

Cute Lindsey!

Sisters have so much fun together.

Sweet smiles from Emily.

Emily and Lindsey playing. Lindsey has a blanket around herself that is tied in front so she has a cape.

Robert and his girls. They love their Daddy and can't wait until he comes home. Especially since that involves lots of hugs, kisses, "tackles" and tickles.

The girls doing school work. Emily is practicing her writing and Lindsey's page was to draw a "sad dad" she did a good job too.

A belly picture! No my face isn't in it and that's okay for now. Actually this picture was taken a couple weeks ago and I believe I have grown a lot more since then.

Isn't she a beautiful sleeper?

She is bored, but still humored me with a smile.

Remodel Saturday

2010-04-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had some fun remodeling the ugly glass doors in our kitchen and put in this nice door. Courtesy of our awesome friend Troy who got the doors for free and then helped us put them up. It was pretty nerve racking since we had to replace the beam as you can see and find out our doors are not standard size. It isn't done yet so this is our temporary fix. Like the red duct tape? Its keeping out the draft until we can do another day of trim, insulation, dry wall, etc. I rigged these curtains up for some privacy.

It has a nice dead bolt now instead of a cheap lock and a stick. I will post more pictures when it is all done and completed.

Creative Play

2010-04-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Emily and I finished her clothes pin dolls she got from her great-grandma for her birthday. She has been very creative in creating her people. Its actually been quite fun to see what she could make with them.

The guy with the yarn all over him is "King Tritan" for the mermaids. Emily wasn't sure how to make him so he is kind of like an octopus.

The other day Emily and Lindsey pulled all of their Barbie furniture out of their room and their doll house and set it up in the living room. It was like that for a couple days because it was very cute and creative to watch them set up house and play Barbies. Finally it had to be put back, but I did get a picture taken before.

I love the "living room" behind the hideous chair (one day it will be gone and there will be better ones in its place).

Bean Demise

2010-04-21T16:19:00.001-07:00

In our homeschool we have been doing experiments. We had a lovely stalactite experiment that was finally doing what it was supposed to be. It was wonderful, but before even taking a picture we studied it and then got rid of it. It was clogging my counter and taking 2 much needed glasses from the cupboard. The other experiment was "the bean". We took our bean, put it in a glass (another glass we couldn't use) and put in a wet paper towel and stuck it in the window for some sunshine. It grew and was looking awesome and the girls asked every day to "check on our bean". Then for Easter I was hit hard with the worst cold ever. Another reason there are no Easter pictures. We did do something small, but I spent most of the day in bed and was out of it for about a week. This caused our poor bean to feel very neglected and it can't live without water. The girls were sad that their bean was dried up and dead. I made it up to them by getting a couple flower growing pots and now they ask about those every day. When they reach a good size we will transport them outside.

Consignment Sale Stuff

2010-04-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have blogged about this consignment sale before and the awesome stuff I usually bring home. Well, it was another good spring/summer season. The next one is in the fall for the winter season and at that time I will have a newborn baby. And this sale will be even more important when I am trying to outfit 3 kids. I volunteer my time for this sale and that is what gets me the most "goods" is the pre-sale for the volunteers. But there isn't a way I will be able to volunteer next year with a breast feeding baby.

My sister-in-law does this as well and is having her 4th child soon after me. We are both having boys and are very excited since last time we both had girls 2 weeks apart. Her little one will be even younger than mine. She came up with a great idea of volunteering our husbands so we can still shop the pre-sale. They are both saying they will do it because they know how this helps our families stay in our clothing budgets.

This season though, we worked even with our large expanding bellies and it was very worth it! Here are some of the spoils I got for Lindsey and the baby. Emily didn't need near as much since she still fits a lot of her good clothes from last year. She didn't have much to pass down to her sister at this age though since she was very hard on her clothes that year. I only got a few "must have" items for the baby and the boppy pillow over there with washable cover was $3 so I am happy about that. I am missing the awesome sandals I got for the girls in these pictures. I put those away since they were being tripped over.

Believe it or not but there are still a few items missing from here that were in the wash. Probably missing about 5 outfits total. Oh and 2 adorable dresses.

Emily's stash. I really like a lot of the shirts I found for her. She SO didn't need capri's or shorts. She isn't lacking in that area. And she didn't need any spring or summer dresses either.

Lindsey is really excited for her bike that was $18. The training wheels are in a bag just waiting to be put on. Now I need to pump up Emily's tires and Lindsey's and they can go riding together. They are really happy about this.

We stopped by DI after wards and found my favorite item. The maternity shirt was from the sale and the shoes were a DI find. They are adorable and brand new Nordstrom wedges with the price tag still on them reading originally $88, marked down to $58 and I got them for a killer price of $8. Course after 3 days of the crazy sale my feet are too swollen to wear them now, but later on... Total amount for all I got, 5 pairs of sandals for the girls, top for me, red shoes, bike, countless clothes: $160. That to me is a steal!

Pictures

2010-04-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am not very good about going and having professional pictures taken of my girls. Most of the time I just try and create a good photo myself and use that. Sometimes they turn out, sometimes not. Its a lot of work to get the girls ready and dressed and not ruin their hair and clothes on the way to get the pictures. Some how though, before Easter, my sister-in-law Lori and I managed to take our kids to get pictures taken for the grand parents. Unfortunately I don't have her kids pictures up with my kids, but they turned out beautifully. Emily got a few more pictures than Lindsey did because Lindsey was starting to melt down and not cooperate for many of them. But the ones she did get were so cute!

Beautiful smile!

Angelic isn't she?

I think they turned out really well.

Messes and Playtime

2010-04-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Lindsey is at the lovely age of 3. The age that can be so cute, sweet and funny and then at the same time be tired, crabby and destructive. After a very long day the day before I was tired and swamped with messy house. I worked all morning to get the kitchen looking nice and then in the afternoon was met with this disaster. Emily helping Lindsey with strawberry Quick and Lindsey wanting so desperately to "look inside" when it toppled over onto everything! Being already tired, frustrated and largely pregnant, it took a lot to hold in the anger. I didn't make it without a scream or two, but kept my sanity enough to take pictures. Lindsey promptly was sent off to a nap.

The "dust" on her nose is the first evidence of the crime that took place.

There is more...

And there it is. A whole can of strawberry Quick on the floor and counter. The vacuum was pulled out and the lady with the giant goiter- I mean sweet baby bump- vacuumed it up.

After nap time, there was guilt when the little one came to snuggle and sit in my lap for stories. We read and discussed the things in her books that interested her. The cuteness came back and then so did the humor when she showed me how she too knows how to wear my bra around her waist. I laughed a lot and then pulled out the play-dough.

There is good mess and there is playing mess. I like this one so much better!

Emily's Lost Tooth

2010-04-01T17:42:00.001-07:00

Emily feels all grown up! She has lost her first tooth. Her cousins and friends are a year older than her and have all lost teeth. She was trying hard not to be jealous, but its difficult being the only one without a lost tooth and money from the *cough* tooth fairy. (Emily knows its mom) She was so excited when it began to wiggle and as it got more and more loose she decided it was time to pull it out. She went to the bathroom and did it herself. She jumped up and down and put it in a plastic bag for the mom-fairy to place some money under her pillow.

Fantastic Thrift Finds on a Saturday

2010-04-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

I went to the thrift store (DI) on Saturday and found some awesome things! I love going when everyone is de-cluttering their homes of the things they never used, can't use or have gotten sick of. It means more awesome stuff for me!

Cute framed saying, brand new with the tag still on so originally $15. I got it for $3.

Plant holder, not sure where to put it or what to do with it, but I like it a lot. $2. Small can of light green paint in the clearance section of Wal-mart for $3.50.

I got the white milk jug on the left for $2 awhile back at DI and have loved it. It looks even better when it is filled with something. I found the second one for $2. The other one is slightly different, but not by enough that they don't look like a pair to me. $4 for the set, awesome!

The tall red vase was brand new with the tag on. Originally $25, I got it for $5. I love yard sales, garage finds and thrift store finds. They really make me feel like I get my very own treasure hunt.

Beautiful Spring and A Sandwich

2010-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Well, at least some of the time it is. The girls were really good and we decided to have a day out at the park. They chose this tiny park with monkey bars, swings and graffiti and not much else. They had a good time having their daddy push them so high I was afraid they would get whiplash. I was the mom off to the side saying "Be careful! Robert, be careful!"

I have found a gluten-free and yeast-free bread recipe. I do miss that yeasty flavor that bread normally has, but the texture is the same. And the best part is it is a really simple recipe with few ingredients. That is an A++ recipe to me! And it is fantastic as sandwich bread. I have even toasted it with cheese and tuna fish. I feel like I have died and gone back to food heaven. Have I mentioned that this bread is good?

Birth Obsessed

2010-03-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well know that I think birth is cool. I get a little obsessed when I am pregnant. Probably in a way it is to prepare myself for what I am about to do. I enjoyed my natural birth with my last one and will do it again this time. I don't think everyone needs to do it this way. I am for choices in birth and to me that is the most important thing. I don't like to ever hear about a woman getting bullied into doing something they are not comfortable with. That said, I wish more women wanted to be in the moment of labor, but also understand why they don't and know that most women don't feel the need to experience it. For me, it was a great experience. I felt so connected with bringing my baby into the world. I was amazed at how much the body can handle, how it was made to handle labor. How God has made a way for us to be able to go through it with nature's pain reliever in the form of hormones. I really don't think about it much, but when I am pregnant I read birth blogs, birth books and just want to talk about birth. Not everyone wants to listen. But that's okay.

I read this book this last couple of weeks. It's about a midwife during the start of the birth movement in the 60's when women were tired of being drugged and tied to the bed during labor. Peggy Vincent, the author, was one of few midwives that was able to deliver both in a home and hospital setting. Unfortunately that doesn't happen anymore. Its either one or the other and women are given a lot less choice when it comes to birth. I wasn't thrilled with the amount of cursing in the book, several 'F' words too. And being in the San Francisco area means for some different stories to say the least. I love her referring to herself as a 'wanna be hippy' that didn't take. But the birth stories were awesome and some of them were so interesting! And a few of them were down right funny while others made me cry. If you enjoy birth or stories about birth this is really an intriguing book.

Swings

2010-03-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

My girls love swings. They were really good at the doctor's office and so after lunch I took them out when the day was nice and warm. It only lasted for an hour and the clouds came and so did the rain and cold. Emily and Lindsey are out door kids. They love to be outside and when it warms up we are usually out. It's really nice to have active kids who soak up the sun and don't sit around being bored. We have a hard time when it is too cold to be out.

Happy Birthday Emily

2010-03-10T14:45:00.001-08:00

Emily is 6! She wanted a pink cake, with pink candles and pink frosting. She loves pink if it isn't obvious by her choice of cake.

We had family over for cake and fun on Sunday and the next day was Emily's birthday. I had planned a fun trip to see The Princess and the Frog and go out for ice cream. But Emily decided seeing a movie was not that much fun.

I decided that we would scrap the movie, go out for ice cream and find a park. For some reason my girls thought this was an awesome birthday idea. So that's what we did. I love my laid back, easy to please daughters. Then for dinner it was pizza, presents and more ice cream.

Happy Birthday Emily!

"Think I'm Gonna Have a Son"

2010-02-25T13:40:00.000-08:00

"And even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey, And everything will bring a chain of love."- we love this song.

Yep, we are going to have a little boy! We are so excited! Emily got to come and see the baby bouncing around in there. With Emily I had a few vivid dreams that it was a little girl and she was. With Lindsey I had a couple dreams as well and I just knew she was another girl. I had a dream a couple years ago that I had 2 girls and a boy so I just felt strongly that this was a boy. I never even called it a girl and rarely called it and 'it'. It just felt like a little he to me and I was right. Mother's intuition sometimes can be spot on. When we saw for sure that it was a little boy Emily said "Yay Mommy, now we can buy little bow ties!" We still don't know what his name will be, but we are anxious to meet him!

911 Is A Blessing

2010-02-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Where we live because of the economy we are going to be charged $15 a month for the police department. There is not enough sales revenue and so here we are with a new bill to pay. Its one that bothers, but in the end you want to have law enforcement. Today I am grateful to have that ability to call and access them when I need them.

I was home with my girls chatting on the phone with a friend when I got a knock on the door. I have told the girls many times that only Mommy gets to door. Emily starts heading towards it and I tell her that I'll get it. I open the door and see a woman I don't know with a few bags. She asks to use the phone and I hesitate and she says "Can you just call the cops because this guy won't leave me alone." Then off to the right this guy appears. The woman was standing off of the porch, but this guy comes onto it and rushes towards me and the door! I slam the door and dead bolt it. I run to call 911 while the two of them are still on my porch. I get transferred to the police and tell them what's going on. My heart was pounding! I expected someone to try the door, but they didn't. Not long after they left and the woman started walking down the street. I never saw the guy leave. Don't know who he was, if he lives close, if he had a car or what. The police show up not long after and I tell them what happened and they said they would patrol the area.

Today I am very grateful for the ability to call 911 and the cops. It was very scary and I am SO thankful that I had the presence of mind and quick reaction to slam the door. The Lord protected us and we are okay. After it happened I once again stressed to Emily and Lindsey why only Mommy and Daddy can open the door. I am thinking I may want a chain for the door so I don't have to open it so wide. Emily asked after if she could play outside today. Not today! I am a little shaken up.

Robert's Cancer Screening

2010-02-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Most people know that Robert had his thyroid screened for cancer last week, but I thought I would put it on the blog too. For back ground, his dad has had thyroid cancer a few times in his life and lots of radiation. The radiation wasn't kind to him, saved his life, but caused some brain damage. His sister was in her mid 30s when she got diagnosed with thyroid cancer and a first cousin also was recently diagnosed. The good news with thyroid cancer in the family is it has a low mortality rate, but it recurs frequently in a person's life. His sister's cancer has been more aggressive and she has spent some very hard years trying to take care of it. We have spent countless hours thinking, fasting and praying for her. This October she had a scan that didn't show cancer cells. That is very good news and in 6 months she will have another follow up. We pray that everything stays positive.

With this family history Robert and his two other siblings have had scans done to check it out. The specialist sees what are probably cysts around Robert's thyroid. His blood work shows he has Hashimoto's disease which means his body and thyroid don't work together. His sister also has this. The cysts are under 1 centimeter, they don't biopsy anything under 1 cm and even if it was cancer, there is no positive outcome in removing a tumor under that size. The Specialist said that Hashimoto's does not cause cancer, though they see it more frequently in those who have it + he has the family history. So for now there is no bad news and basically no news at all. It could be cancer, but is maybe just a cyst. She said he could go through his whole life with never getting it. He just needs to stay on top of follow ups. Every year now he will have to go in and have a scan done to make sure they are 1 cm. And a cyst can even reach 4 cm, so reaching 1 cm doesn't mean cancer either, but it does mean a biopsy. We were very grateful for this news already having some medical hardships this year and expecting a baby, surgery and radiation were not on our list of things we wanted. I am VERY grateful for this! We just pray that we never have to experience this and that his sister can have complete relief as well.

Big Sisters Emily and Lindsey

2010-02-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

I love that Emily is big enough to be excited and understand about the baby coming! It is so much fun. She is like having a good girlfriend in the house to be excited with you. Robert is excited too, but he doesn't like to shop the way a mom and daughter do. I took Emily on a Mommy daughter date tonight. It wasn't much, we chose a treat and got a few books at a thrift store. Then we went to see if anyone had any baby clothes on sale I just couldn't do without. There were very cute things, but not in the right sizes, seasons or prices. But I love that Emily ooos and ahhhs over the baby stuff. Even though I don't know what I am having yet.

I brought out the ultrasound tape that has video from both girls. Emily enjoyed watching it and so did Lindsey. She snuggled in my lap and told me, she was a baby in my tummy before too. Lindsey yells at my belly and says "I like you baby! I'm your sister!" If I had a million dollars to spend on a baby this is what I would just LOVE to get.

Oh, yeah this is because it is GOING to be a boy. I just have this feeling. Haha!

So True

2010-02-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

As I sit up WAY too late on the internet, on my computer, with horrible heart burn from the lovely Valentine's Day chocolate, I wonder why I am up so late. What am I doing? Oh, nothing earth shattering. Looking at other more organized mothers and homeschooler's blogs than my own. Wondering WHY I am so disorganized until I remember in the morning as I struggle to get out of bed. Looking at natural child birth blogs for the FUN of it, and yes I am serious. Reading about the many frustrating birth stories because another mom gets pushed to do something she didn't want and the amazing stories where a mom births the way she wants to. And laughing to myself, because Robert went to bed already, at the babies in the documentary Babies. So adorable! Babies really are the same, just with different backgrounds.

I don't normally go to bed so terribly late. The heart burn usually gets the better of me before now and I actually get nauseous if I stay up late. But tonight I sit here fighting the nausea and amusing myself with online window shopping of baby stuff and homeschool curriculum. Realizing I don't have the money for either right now until taxes are done. Normally they are finished and returned by now, but this year we are stumped waiting for a reply to our audit paper work. Brother! I couldn't help myself in getting one of these though:

Great promotional gift alerted to me from Pinching Your Pennies.
I love that site! For $14.95 I got this gift set from uddercovers.com. I am so excited! It will make summer nursing SO much cooler. I hate having to put a blanket over my head, making baby and I sweaty and uncomfortable.

I guess I can't sit here for too much longer. Baby is kicking me, either telling me to take something for the heart burn or to just go to bed! Either way if it doesn't push me to go, Robert soon will. Wonder what my response will be...

Lindsey is 3

2010-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

Lindsey turned 3 on January 23rd. We decided to have a family day out to The Children's Museum like we did last year. And our good friends the Williams oldest daughter's birthday was the 24th so we thought it would be awesome to go with them- they were coincidentally planning the same outing. We had a lot of fun!

Lindsey and her friend Sadie in the car.

Emily in the play store with friends Mary and Ellie.

Presenting: EMILY!

Eating lunch with the Williams. Yum... strawberries!

Smile!

Checkout girl Lindsey here to serve you.

Hi Robert!

Lindsey is now the town police officer who also checks the mail in her spare time.

Happy Birthday Lindsey! You are a joy to have around and you make us laugh all the time. Our home is happier because you are in it. We love you!

Baby Bump

2010-01-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is a picture of my belly bump. And trust me, it has gotten bigger since this picture was taken. I feel huge right now AND I am feeling the baby move! That's the best part. Especially if I eat something sweet and sugary. Baby loves it. I should also mention that I am convinced it is a little boy. Not because I HAVE to have a boy, truth is I really would be just as happy with another girl. Built in playmates, pass on clothes, paint the room pink, bows, etc. But I really feel its a boy. I think the ultrasound will just confirm that I'm right. Who wants to take guesses on if I am right or not?

Tent Sleeping

2010-01-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile the girls go crazy just like I do being stuck inside and I decide to put up the tent. It keeps them entertained and they play great games inside the tent. And because I just AM a cool mom, I let them sleep in it.

Cousin's Birthday

2010-01-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

Cousin Andy had a birthday and invited all of us to go swimming at a Rec Center. The girls were so excited. I unfortunately am too large to fit into a swimsuit, but Robert was able to be with the girls.

Andy turned 10! Double digits and everything.

They are so excited to swim they can hardly leave the window watching to enjoy the party.

They had so much fun swimming! They didn't want to leave and we had to DRAG them out of the pool.

Place Value

2010-01-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

Emily and I have been working on her understanding of place value for some time now. We brought her math with us to a friend's house and after working on a few questions it was clear yet again that this concept hasn't quite sunk in yet. It may be more time before it does. We are taking a little break for the time being. But here she is decorating her place value houses for the many times and using Legos to illustrate the numbers.

I let her decorate the houses so she could do something visual. My visual learner needs constant reminders in order to remember. Now what will I do with Lindsey, my kinesthetic learner when the time comes? That will be the real challenge! At least I understand the visual learner since I am one.

Flash is too bright Emily? Her cute friend Mary in the background having more fun playing with the Legos ON the thousands place.

Turning 27

2010-01-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

I turned 27! I still feel young. I refuse to say I feel old until either 29 or 30. I had a good birthday. All I wanted to do was go out shopping with Robert and out to eat at P. F. Chang's. It was a wonderful day and I couldn't ask for anything better.

Snow!

2010-01-30T22:17:00.001-08:00

Emily and Lindsey wanted to play out in the snow. Being a morning sick wimp that I was at the time, I stayed inside and took pictures of my cuties out in the snow with their buckets and shovels.

Emily shoveling.

Lindsey didn't want to leave the porch, the snow was too cold.

Lindsey never did leave the porch and came in first because her hands were frozen once she took off her gloves. Silly girl.

Favorite Past Time

2010-01-30T22:08:00.001-08:00

The girls LOVE to color and draw and they are both good at it. Lindsey could color, draw and paint all day if it suited her. She is getting very jealous when I use my expensive art materials and wants to use them to. How to explain to her that her cheap crayons and my pencils that are worth over a dollar per pencil, can't really compare and she should stick with her crayons? I am finding lovely "art work" all over my walls from this very creative child. I am raising monster my mother always wished I would. Serves me right since I colored on the walls until I was... *cough*... 10... *blush*.

Christmas

2010-01-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

I always think I overload my camera with pictures of the girls opening presents and I never remember to take videos. Well, this year I remembered the video and forgot the pictures. At least I have some from Christmas Eve day and Christmas Eve night.

I have two of the most beautiful girls!

Retelling of the Christmas story with their new Fisher Price Little People Nativity. I got it for a great deal and they loved having something they could actually play with and not worry about it getting broken. They acted out the story just great!

Christmas Party

2010-01-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas we always have a family reunion party. This year was a lot of fun. The girls saw Santa and Emily sang a beautiful song and without prompting Lindsey grabbed the microphone and sang the ABCs. It was pretty cute.

Emily and Andy decorating a "Christmas Tree" ice cream cone. I later found them licking the spoons and sticking them back into the container. I am sure they weren't the first kids to do it.

Lindsey earnestly making a Christmas tree ornament.

Present from Santa (we actually don't 'do' Santa at our house, but the girls still love to see him as a fun part of Christmas. We know that the presents come from their wonderful Grandma.)

Lindsey's fearless singing with her cousin Sienna by her side.

Exciting News and Crazy Times

2010-01-12T22:31:00.001-08:00

I haven't updated our Christmas pictures or anything yet. We have been very busy. We are ready to announce the July arrival of baby #3 to our home. We are very excited. Emily especially. She asks daily what is going on next with the baby, how big is it, what is growing and oh when, oh WHEN is the ultrasound? She is really cute. She wants the baby to be here now she says. Having this be a big part of the chaos is a large reason I haven't updated. I think it is a boy this time, but will truly be happy with whatever I get. I LOVE my girls and another one would be wonderful and a boy would be awesome to experience and buy infant bow ties for.

The other reason is just every day crazy and bouts of sickness in the house. The usual fun stuff life is made of. Everything else is going really well. Emily is learning and doing really well. Her writing has improved a lot and looks so cute. She has been writing in a journal for her school work and that has really helped. Though she is too advanced for Kindergarten math and understands a lot of 1st grade math, we are getting stuck on place value so that is taking some extra time to make sure she really understands it. We have been spending a lot of the cold gray days with friends and having fun play dates at least twice a week. It really helps all of us cope with the blah of winter. Lindsey has been learning more and more of her letter sounds. I love it! Like when she says "Rocks Mommy, R-r-r-rocks" or "Gone, G-g-g-gone". Its really awesome to watch her already be showing pre-reading readiness. Like asking me what things say and knowing that the words are what tells her the story. Or recognizing letters on signs outside. And Emily is so great and encouraging about it too.

We are busy, there is disorder and clutter while I have struggled with morning sickness, but hopefully the worst is behind me. Everything is great.

The Christmas Symphony

2009-12-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

Last year we went to the symphony with our girls and their cousins and grandparents. We had such a good time we decided to do it again this year. It is really fun taking the light rail train up town and seeing Santa Claus with the symphony and hearing beautiful Christmas songs. We had a great time. Then we love to go take the train back the the Little America hotel and eat in their restaurant. I was so happy they even had a gluten-free menu. The food was very good and my girls ate every bit of it. After wards we went and took pictures in front of the beautiful trees in the lobby.

Emily and Lindsey with their cousins, Kara at the top, Sienna at the bottom and our Alex on the right.

Waiting for the train in the cold.

Crazy Emily and Kara on the train.

Christmas pictures. They all matched perfectly and we did not plan it.

Beautiful girls!

They are so cute looking at the gingerbread house and Sienna in the corner picking her nose is priceless.

Before Bed

2009-12-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

I love that Emily and Lindsey are so good about going to bed now. Emily gets her own pjs on and we help Lindsey get hers. They bring us their toothbrushes and we help them brush it before they have their turn. They get their books for their stories, we sing, pray and then they go get in their own beds. Its pretty awesome.

I remember being the kid who tried to weasel my way out of going to bed. "Can I have a glass of water?" Of course my kids try this too. They wouldn't be kids if they didn't. But they still go to bed pretty easy and I am so thankful for that. I hear them in there laughing and giggling and sometimes I allow reading time. In general though, they are great.

Christmas, the Girls and Green Walls

2009-12-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

I was so happy when I got my Christmas present early in the mail. A new digital camera. I really needed one. I was getting so sick of blurry pictures and a mediocre camera that I was hardly taking any pictures. There was a great deal and I found an awesome Fugifilm FinePix camera. So far I am loving the look and quality of the photos. I also need to show off my green walls. The living room walls are a very light green. So light you don't notice until you see it offset by the white trim and the dark green accent wall.

You can only see part of the light green wall off to the side. The girls have been excited to pose for the camera and be my objects to test it on.

I really like how the dark green wall makes the white railing and light fixture stand out. I think it is much cooler in real life and the pictures doesn't do it justice. This very tall ceiling was HARD to paint, but I did it. This is the only thing I have painted so far, but it will NOT be the last.

Looking at their Daddy and not at the camera, but they are both so cute.

Grumpy contest. I don't know who wins, they both do a good job at it.

It is very fun this year to have a fireplace to decorate around. I found a really good deal on the Fisher Price little people nativity this year and it has been very played with.

Reflections

2009-11-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

I have had so many reflections since being home. While I was in the hospital my good friends lost a child who lived only 11 hours from severe heart defects. They knew he wouldn't live long, but nothing prepares you for something like that. They were in the hospital next to mine that was connected by a long hall way. We visited each other back and forth, unable to do much except try to comfort and fill the long hospital hours. I attended their little son's funeral and someone gave a wonderful talk about a father and son. For medical reasons the son was in pain and the father held him during a very hard procedure. He prayed to God that he could take the pain from his hurting son and give it to him to bare. He felt the Lord say "You can't. But My Son can." I have thought about that when Emily was in pain in the hospital, how I had wished it was me hurting instead of her. Crying on the phone to Robert that I would loose all I had to take care of Emily. And how helpless I felt when I couldn't take it away, but I could pray that Jesus would.

Before Emily went to the hospital we had a Family Home Evening about the 2,000 stripling warriors in the book of Alma. We talked about how brave they were going to battle even though they knew it would be hard. They had faith that God would be with them. That we can do hard things with Christ there to help us. We also talked about how they didn't doubt that their "mother's knew it". That they knew the gospel and taught it to their sons. Emily was given a blessing before surgery and in the hospital she said to me "Mommy, I really hope there is a Heavenly Father." I told her that I DO know there is and that just like those sons, she needs to know that her mother KNOWS it. The Lord strengthened me during my trials, just as I watched Him strengthen my friends during theirs.

One could say October was a hard month, but as my mother-in-law and I said today, it was a blessed month. Emily is well, my sister-in-law got clean, no cancer scan for the first time in 2 years and my sister and other sister-in-law went through the temple.

Another reflection comes from Nienie's blog. I have become a reader. I love her faith and spirit and she inspires me to be a better mom. What impresses me so much is what a loving mother and wife she was before her accident and how strong she continues to be. It humbles me when I had a not so patient day with my kids today. A day that I wish I could have rewound and done a little better, especially when I am so grateful to have them. The little things they do are so sweet. Like Lindsey telling me that the wind was blowing her bangs away and now they won't be cute. I love my girls. I also need to be a better picture taker- which inspires me to search for a new camera. The reflections of a mom late at night, too late at night, can bring her to tears of gratitude and repentance to be a better mom overall.

Emily and the Ruptured Appendix

2009-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

We are home now, released Friday the 23 of October. Since then I have been recovering and cleaning the house I missed SO much. We have lots of sad and good pictures to remember this not so fun experience, but we are so very grateful for the outcome of our sweet little girl being well.

Emily got sick on a Sunday and threw up all morning. The next day began with fevers of 103 and pain in her stomach. I figured it was just the flu and hunkered down to wait it out. However, the next day the fevers were gone, but the pain had intensified. I thought it was a bladder infection like the one she had had 9 months before so I took her into the doctor. They tested her urine and found that wasn't the problem and then the light bulb went on that it could be her appendix. We got an ultra sound that showed what we thought. I had to call Robert from work and also call grandma to come get Lindsey and off to the ER at Primary Children's hospital. After some tests and talks with the surgeon- who is amazing by the way!- they said they were pretty sure it had already ruptured by her symptoms. They took her up to surgery right away and our poor little girl was already asleep from all of the pain. Surgery went well, but they told us they have 5 levels of rupture and she was level 5.

Her pre-surgery kitty from the hospital that she named Lucy. And her post surgery animal she named Cassie. She asked us to help her with a name for her kitty and we suggested lovely names like "Dumpling" or "Sprinkles" to which she replied "Those aren't names those are food." So Lucy it is. These are post-surgery pictures. She did really well after surgery.

Sitting up to watch a movie with her smiley face bandage for her IV that pumped fluids and antibiotics into her. Then things took a bad turn. They gave her a day of fluids only and then upgraded her to foods. That was when she started vomiting really bad smelling bile. Dark green nasty stuff. Unfortunately the first time it happened the nurse didn't record it. When it happened again that night they told me they would need to put an NG tube in her nose and to her stomach to pump out the fluid- doing this with NO sedation. I was terrified! It was late, I was alone and had to be outside of the room hearing the nurses hold her down while the shoved a tube down her nose and throat. I cried for a long time and called Robert on the phone sobbing. It was heart breaking. At 3:00 in the morning she told me she had ripped it out during her sleep and they had to come do it again. She didn't take it out a second time.

Emily spent a week looking like this. She couldn't eat or drink, didn't have the energy to play and was very miserable. She spent a good part of the day with a bucket to her face so she could throw up if she needed to. Even though she had this horrible tube down her throat it was still important that she get up and walk 4 times a day and do her breathing exercises every hour. She hated doing it, but she did it. She kept herself from getting pneumonia because of her efforts. We would have to unhook her drain and take a bucket on our walks so she could puke. Until one of our favorite nurses decided to put the end of it in a baby diaper to drain so she wouldn't be sick to her stomach. It worked wonders.

After a week of misery she was able to play some. She got a CT scan which she said was very scary and they gave her a glass doll because she was so brave. The scan was to check for abscess infections. It showed none. Here she is coloring her hospital doll.

Primary Children's is an AMAZING hospital! Every day they have an activity for the kids to do, they have a playroom with closets of toys, movies, therapy dogs and cats to visit sick kids, books to borrow and some to take home, volunteers to come and read to them, etc. etc. We were so amazed by them and are so grateful to all those that helped. We are wanting to donate to The Festival of Trees this year that helps the many kids that need it. So many children there stay for months at a time for various problems including cancer.

This is the wonderfully horrible pull out bed that I slept on 5 days a week and Robert slept on for the weekends. It was terrible!!

Emily finally got that horrible NG tube out. She was so happy to be rid of it she told them she would pull it out herself and she did! Here she is playing with playdough and a toy pretzel.

The many toys she got from the hospital. This is a small portion. There was so much more.

Emily and the only therapy cat named Bullet. This cat is insured for 1 million dollars.

Robert had his 30th birthday on the 21 of October while Emily was still in the hospital. Emily wanted so much to celebrate his birthday still. She loves birthdays no matter who is having it. So we spent the day making a card for her Daddy. She did a great job too.

Before his birthday she started spiking a fever of 104 so off to the CT she went. She has decided that tubes are no good by this time. She had the tube in her nose, the tube in her bottom for the last CT and she has a tube in her arm for her antibiotics. They put a PICC line to her heart so they could give her more food sustaining IVs so she wouldn't loose weight. The second CT showed and abscess on one side so she went down to radiology to get it drained under sedation. Turns out the radiologist was an old Bishop at the University of Utah. Emily was hilarious under the sedation. Laughing and giggling and asking people if they had any glasses for her. Then they kicked me out to put the tube in to drain the abscess. So another lovely tube.

Sleepy Emily.

Emily had 3 Aunts come and stay with her for a couple hours so Robert and I could do something for his birthday and actually see each other since we hadn't done that in so many days. We just traded off hospital stays and going to spend time with Lindsey who was with her grandma all this time. We were so grateful she loves and knows her grandma so well so that she was okay to be with her. We don't know what we would have done without her grandparents help.

Emily is the nurse putting an IV in for her hospital doll with the child life therapist at the hospital. I called them up to give her some attention because for the first week when she was so sick Emily hardly talked at all.

Cute nurse Emily!

Painting her birdhouse. They decided to pull Emily from her antibiotics and IV fluids to see what would happen. We were being trained to have her go home with a PICC line and a home care nurse to give her daily antibiotics. Well after pulling her off of them a fever began. It got to 101 and then was gone for 2 days. They pulled out her drain and took her PICC line out. She was eating and keeping it down so they sent us home.

After 17 days in the hospital we felt like we missed out on beautiful fall. We went to Robert's parents house to pick up Lindsey and Emily was so happy to be outside she wanted to play in a pile of grandma's leaves.

Lindsey missed being home, her own bed and her family.

It has been a hard few weeks and makes us appreciate being in our own home so much. Emily has lost about 8-10 lbs and we are working to build her strength back up. We aren't going out much in the hopes to avoid any other illnesses. I don't think our little Emily could handle it right now. We are grateful to God that she is okay.

Come Join As A Mom!

2009-10-17T00:34:00.001-07:00

Come join the movement. More information is here.

Emily in the Hospital

2009-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Emily's appendix burst last Tuesday and she has been in the hospital since. She was sick on Sunday, fever on Monday and in agony on Tuesday so I got her into the doctor in the morning. I thought it was a bladder infection. Turns out that was not the problem. We took her up to Primary Children's hospital and they got her into surgery. It went well, but she is a level 5 on a scale of rupture. There are lots of complications right now and we don't know how long she will be there. I will update more when I have time. Please pray for our sweet Emily to get better quickly.

General Conference Weekend

2009-10-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

It was another amazing Conference. Emily has been sick since Sunday and we are going to take her to the doctor for what we believe is another bladder infection. Poor thing! Lindsey has been so bored without her friend to play with. She doesn't quite know how to play with toys alone like Emily who had a lot of practice her first few years of life. But we had a quite Sunday listening to the hymns and wonderful talks.

I loved Elder Oaks talk about the love of God. That God doesn't need our love and us not loving Him doesn't diminish His power, but WE need His love. And that some suppose that because He loves us that means we have no need to obey Him. That He will understand, beat us with a few stripes and that will be enough. But even though His love doesn't change, He still requires us to obey Him.

And the talk that stuck out to me so profoundly was that of Elder Holland's. It was an amazing testimony of the Book of Mormon. I have been touched by many words of prophets and apostles. This talk touched me very deeply. I can't put into words what he said because it needs to be heard directly from him. So if you missed it, DON'T miss it! Listen to it HERE

I am so grateful for Conference and for what I learned about charity, service, Christ's love, missionary work, etc. Every Conference I come back edified and driven to do better.

Propaganda In Schools

2009-09-23T23:25:00.001-07:00

I am moving this post over to my political blog because it bugs to be on my main one. So enjoy it over there.

Vacation 2009!

2009-09-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

We haven't really had a family vacation in 6 years. Robert and I went to Disneyland for our 1 year Anniversary and we were both sick during the whole thing and raced home to the doctor. Turns out part of my sickness was because I was pregnant in Disneyland and didn't know it. We have always wanted to take a vacation, but work and school have kept us busy and finances have been tight. Things let up for us this year and we have been very blessed. It was time to re-do our Disney vacation and this time bring our 2 kiddos with us. We didn't want to go alone though so we invited Robert's parents and Grandma to come with us. We all had a BLAST!! We are sad it is over. But we have great memories and I took some pictures to help us remember it.

Emily hanging out at our fantastic hotel complete with free shuttle, complimentary breakfast (and not just stale bagels and juice, pancakes, eggs, bacon, cereal, fruit, etc.) and excellent service. We found an awesome deal online and on one morning all the shuttles were full so the assistant manager gave us a ride. They were GREAT!

Did I mention it came with a fridge to keep all our snacks and goodies?

The Disneyland shuttle drop off.

The main entrance!

In front of the castle. They are SO cute! I never knew Disneyland could be so fun until I had kids. It was so worth everything to see them get so excited and talk about what they saw and did.

Lindsey called this "Its a small world after all" and has been singing the song since the first day when we went on it. We only did it once, but she remembers it.

ToonTown is also a good climbing town.

Lindsey chillin' on the stairs of Mark Twain's boat.

Since we went during the "off" season there were only fireworks on the first night we were there. The girls loved them if you can't tell by the expressions on their faces, their eyes big as saucers and their mouths wide open.

We spent a day in Sea World and had a good time there.

The best part about Sea World was the Shamu show. That was incredible and we crazily sat in the "soak zone" and got pretty wet. Lindsey was NOT happy about that and told Shamu that by waving her angry fist in the air. But I convinced her to do the Shamu fin shout and then it was okay.

Robert's Grandma Betty and his mom Arlene and dad Jay. They were the ones who so kindly took us to Sea World. It was wonderful.

In one of the theaters they have some rooms that follow some of the Disney movies. This is Beast's library from Beauty and the Beast. It had interactive books and the fire would go out and the petals on the rose would fall. Then you could go into Ursula's lair and she would steal your voice when you sang some Disney songs. It was really fun! And the girls loved talking to Crush the turtle and Emily was so excited that he talked to her!

Riding in Flik's raisin hot air balloons.

Pixar had an awesome parade of the characters from the many movies. Lindsey loved Boo of course and that was one of the rides she really liked was Monster's Inc. She was afraid of many of the old Disney movie rides, but Winnie the Pooh and Monster's were great for her. Emily went on the Matterhorn and Splash Mountain and hated them both.

Lindsey hopping during the Pixar parade. We were all SO tired every night and my feet were throbbing they hurt so bad.

We saw our good friend's the Bytheway's who live about 20 minutes away in Disneyland on our last day. It was totally a miracle we found them in the crowds of people and neither one of us knew we were going to be there. And turns out they were in Sea World the same day we were there too. It was so weird we had to get a picture of it!

I promised Emily even with my motion sick tummy that I would go on the tea cups with her. I made it and it wasn't that bad.

Dancing with daddy the last night. It was so beautifully lit up it was SO sad to leave. I never realized I would love it so much, but I really did. It felt so magical and special and great to have my girls with me and Grandparents too.

The beach at California. We had such a good time collecting sea shells, wading in the ocean and playing in the sand. We got all disgusting, but didn't care.

We had such an amazing time and just hope to be able to do it again some day. Our girls won't remember it, but we will and it was so worth it. They are only small for so long and then its gone.

Summer FUN

2009-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great summer! We played and went with friends to St. George. We swam and had a great time. Here are some fun summer pictures.

St. George fun and Lindsey in her swimming suit.

4 families, 8 adults, 9 kids and 1 baby on the way. It was a fun group and the kids had a blast playing!

The girls on the steps of the St. George temple before heading back home.

One of the many hours of reading these girls do together.

Lindsey loves Elmo and tried on her cousin's costume for Halloween. It ended up being too small, but she was really cute and funny in her red suit!

New School Year

2009-09-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

We have started our school year this last week. Though we are taking a week off or so later for vacation. Emily is really excited for a bunch of books we have this year. She has been really enjoying math recently which is awesome! And she is waiting patiently for the mail to send her an educational game called "slamwich". She has also had a lot of fun this summer going to park days with her homeschool friends. She has made friends with a lot of the kids and with a very cute poodle named Peanut. She enjoyed playing games in the trees and climbing them. It was nice to take a break from classes and just have fun. We are also on the look out for a lesson of some kind. She has talked about taking ballet again, but says she is not sure. We better find out soon what we will be doing since sign ups are beginning now. We are excited to join with other field trips and homeschoolers and learn this year. For more regular updates come visit us at our homeschool blog through out the year. Have a great school year to all of the moms and kids!

More Awesome Deals

2009-08-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love finding deals if I have not mentioned that before. It is a sort of therapeutic high for me to find things I want or need for great prices. I used to love shopping at malls as a teenager and now I can't stand them unless I am there to just window shop or have something specific in mind. There is nothing but a bunch of over priced items in uppidity stores who think their merchandise is worth my arm and leg just because it is "Gap". Don't get me wrong there are rare occasions when I find the deal of a century in a mall, but they aren't very frequent. I have a hard time spending money without feeling guilt so when I find smashing deals it makes it feel SO good! Here are some of my latest finds:

Prismacolor art pencils are the best colored pencils out there and I love drawing with them. They are also more than a dollar a pencil. I have an old 48 pencil set that I have worn down and had to replace half of the stubs in the set because I use them for more than just drawing. Well, I wanted to go bigger and get a 72 pencil set. I found online that it was much cheaper than in the store and I could get them for $50 with $8 shipping. Not too bad considering they are normally $85 or so not on sale. My friend sent me a link to an art supply online store that had a fluke price of $13.00 for 132 pencils! I freaked out and ordered them immediately. Of course though, I didn't get them sent to me and had to go calling the company. They told me that unfortunately they could in no way honor the $13.00 for the set, but they would do it for $50. Ummmm... YES!
So here I am with my awesome set!

I love Target, they are awesome! Especially in deals. I love Vans gluten-free waffles and they are $3.50 not on sale for 6 waffles. They double as pretty good bread so I use them for sandwiches when they are on sale. Well I found them in their freezer section for $1.50 a box! Awesome price and I grabbed 10 boxes. When I bought them they rang up at 50 cents a box! When I went back a couple days later to grab 4 more boxes, they were back to $1.50. I don't know how I got the fluke price, but I will take it.

Also at Target were the cutest open toed heels for $6.24. Yeah, they are really cute and so cheap. It was love because of the price and they are pretty comfortable too. And I should mention that on Target.com this same shoe is on sale for $17.48.
And a couple weeks ago Smith's grocery store matched all of my manufacturer's coupons so I spent about $150 in groceries and saved about $100 in groceries with many items being under a $1.00 or even free.

So there you have some of the things I am happy about right now. Sigh for good deals. Its so nice.

July Family Reunion

2009-07-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Its that time again. The reunion everyone looks forward to in July has come and gone. We were happy to be with family and see the old farmhouse once again.

There it is, with the "addition" added on back. Its more like a house next to a house what with the original farm house built in 1912 falling off the foundation. This house is complete with root cellar and mice hanging out in the grass and the old barns still standing in the background.

We spent time in the streams and even had a horse and carriage ride.

And who could forget the fun alien voices the kids made in the fan at the motel with no air conditioning.

And the pizza hut that has to have extra staff each July because of the family tradition of dining in to have pizza.

And no reunion is complete without it falling on Lisa's birthday, this year she turned 25 and it was awesome to spend her birthday with her.

The breakfast Sunday morning is still the best breakfast of the year for me. Farm eggs, ham, pancakes, fruit, juice, mmmmm...

After breakfast it was time for the annual tour around the farmhouse. As I said before this house is very old, though other less authentic additions have been made to it.

Can you spot the working buggy in the background? The junk yard, I mean barn houses hidden treasures that have yet to receive their full potential. Its a crying shame really. This was Robert's great-great-grandfather's buggy.

How about the authentic work bench with wooden vices? Can you spot it next to the toilet seat? This was also Robert's great-great-grandfather's.

Can you see the old original milk cans in the background?

Can you imagine this as once being an old horse corral? Under the spools it used to house horses for Robert's great-great-grandfather and his great-grandfather.

This is the bed that Robert's grandfather slept in with his brother. The original bed. His grandfather passed away this last December.

And his sisters slept in the "room" next to him. This is their original bed and dresser.

Another great reunion at the old farmhouse. So much history still there to see and experience and so much not being appreciated. I still love coming here and hope that the annual family reunion will keep going for a long time.

Oqurrh Mountain Temple

2009-07-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

We went a while back to the Oqurrh Mountain temple open house. My girls were so excited to go inside another temple since they were able to see the Draper temple open house before it was dedicated. Both temples are beautiful and I can't wait to go back after the dedication. Here are the girls outside.

7 Happy Years

2009-07-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

Robert and I have been married 7 years on July 19th. Not every year has been easy. We have dealt with my sicknesses and my families trials and his families illnesses. But we have come closer together and have become stronger through it all. We are more in love now than the day we got married. Robert is truly my best friend and when the storms of life hit I am grateful every day that he is with me. We had a great day of celebration, even when our car died on the highway and we had to push it down the street. One alternator later and we are very blessed. We look forward to so many more happy years to come and an eternity of happiness together.

Trials in Life

2009-07-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have really come to the realization that life is full of ups and downs. It is never a constant thing. It is always in motion and I am grateful for that. That there is joy along with sadness. Recently as I have seen a few family members deal with difficult things and a few friends as well, I am reminded of just how much the Lord is in control. And also how much our choices can often affect the outcome of our trials- or in some cases be the cause of them. It is hard to watch those I love suffer and hurt, but I am thankful to know that trials are but small moments of life. That enduring them well, we can be exalted on high. That true happiness comes through Christ who is the source of all peace. I just felt compelled to share my thoughts about all of this during this difficult time.

I Love to Pinch My Pennies

2009-07-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

I love to save money. In fact I hate spending money so much that saving it is so much more fun. No really, I get into spending just as much as the next person. I have just become too cheap not to try and make my money stretch. I talk about thrift shopping and coupons and here is one of the ways I have made my coupons really help on our grocery budget. I go to Pinching Your Pennies.com They have great coupons and grocery guides and I get awesome deals through them. How else would I know about the .75 cents off of milk on top of the milk sale and the doubled Albertson's coupon that gets me a gallon of milk for a total of .30 cents? Its through pinching your pennies. If you have never tried it and need to make your money stretch- give it a try!

No to Socialized Medicine

2009-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Listen to this. Reagan talking about the reasons why we don't want socialized medicine. It makes me sick to think how far we have come and how complacent the American people are. They run to the very thing that will take all their freedoms away, like sheep falling off a cliff after the wolf tells them to jump.

Cool Finds

2009-06-30T21:11:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have to brag about all of the awesome finds I have made in the last little while. I am missing a couple, like the light that will go in the dining room once I get around to putting it up. And the bunk bed which is a LARGE project of sanding to get it like I want it. But here are the ones so far:

Picture in frame- either keep the picture or use the frame for one of my own pieces. Either way I like it, got it at a yard sale.
Regular Price: $109
Actual Price: $15

Bathroom shelf that I just needed to spend $4 to get the hooks for the back. I got it at DI and just hung it in my bathroom today.
Regular Price: $70
Actual Price: $15

We needed a nice couch for our living room and didn't want to spend too much on it. This was a great find because my relatives work at the store and got me a friends and family discount on top of the sale. I love to thrift shop, but not with couches- this one is brand new AND cheap.
Regular Price: $400-450
Actual Price: $311

I found both of these at DI. Not sure what I am going to do with both of them, but here they are for now. The plate was $3 and the box was $2.

Both of these vases were $1 each and purchased at DI and they are now sitting on my shelf in my bathroom.

Love this modern vase, DI, $2.

Love this one too. Don't know where I will put it in the end, but its on the mantel right now. DI, $2.

Love this cool basket and it was also a DI find for $1.

This is a yard sale find that is hanging in my bathroom. The greens really go well with my shower curtain. It had a twin picture that I didn't think I wanted and now wish I had just because I like the frame and picture so much. Oh and it was $5.

There are 2 of these side tables in my bedroom, but the red just doesn't go so they will be a dark brown with baskets underneath, but for now they are being used as well. They were a DI find for $20 for both.

I have had a lot of fun searching around and seriously it does feel like a treasure hunt. Why have my house look like one store or like it came straight out of a catalog? It is so much cooler and more fun and not to mention economical to thrift. Yay for thrifting!

Weekend With Family

2009-06-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

We drove 2 1/2 hours to go spend a couple days with my sister and her husband and their two kids Savanna and Lilly. Savanna is a year older than Emily, but they play really well and Lilly and Lindsey are a month apart. They live out in a rural town in the middle of seriously NOWHERE. But its fun. We went hiking with them to a cave and some hieroglyphics and saw a dinosaur footprint. Emily HAD to see that.

Don't step back! Yeah, its quite a fall from the top to the bottom. Its really beautiful though.

It was a steep climb to get to the top of this and it was hard with shoes that had no traction and two 2 year olds, but we made it!

My sister Rachel and Emily sitting at the top in front of some hieroglyphics.

The 2 year old was so pleasant for this picture. All she wanted to do was get down and break her neck scaring her mommy half to death. At least we didn't find any scorpions.

Don't dig too deep girls, its the scorpions home. After we hiked to this area we got drenched hiking back. I thought it was a desert. It looked like it to me, but you would have never guessed by our dripping hair and clothes and very muddy shoes. It was a lot of fun and we were happy to hang out with family.

Little Readers

2009-06-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

They love to read and I love books. I buy them new ones all the time- well by "new" I mean new to them. I get them at thrift stores all the time and they devour them. Lindsey says she is "reading them" and Emily actually is. She reads to Lindsey all the time. They cuddle in their room or mine with a million stories all over the house. That is the only problem. I hate cleaning up so many books at night. They get them all out and their book shelf is so packed that they can't put them back very well without ruining half of them.

If you look closely you can see a pink thrift store sticker on Emily's book. Haha. I usually take them off and wash them before they get to them, but this time Emily was too quick for me.

Robert's "Rock" Band

2009-06-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

At Robert's job last year he was part of a band and he was the keyboard player. This year they had rock band the game, but still a band. Our friend Nate who works with him did a great Ozzy Osborne impersonation. He put on the wig and clothes and made his mouth look like his and it was really good. Robert had me spray his hair white with blue tips and he grew a beard for the occasion. Doesn't he look dashing? Most people don't even recognize him when they see him with the glasses. They seem surprised that he can truly pull off the "look". I think he is super sexy!

Gone with the Wind

2009-06-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

I have loved this movie since I was a teenager and first saw it. I loved the cinematography, the dresses, the history and the love story. Its no question then that when I read the book that I would love that too. But just like with almost every book I love, they are always better than the movies that follow. Some books I read I end up loving the book and the movie as separate phenomenons, but both I hold on high levels. I believe this book is like that. I will always love the movie, I love it all the more because I read the book. However, the book is mile stones ahead of the movie because of the depth of character understanding and the details that they cannot possibly convey in a movie, no matter how long it is. They actually did a fantastic job with what they did do, but its always not enough. Its that way with The Lord of the Rings as well.

For those of you who don't know the movie or the book I will spare the details and just give some of what I thought. I was amazed at the very vivid writing of Margaret Mitchell. How she could possibly be so fluid in her explanations of everything from feelings to scenery to characters without going overboard is astounding. I have read a lot of good authors and many have this talent, but they seem to possess a genius about their writing that gives into monotony at times- Victor Hugo for example. But she makes it seem so effortless and you feel right along with the characters. You also love them and hate them because they are both good and both bad. They are selfish and selfless, childish and heroic. The emotions that exist in the book surpass those of the movie. The infamous sad ending is all the more agonizing with clearer understanding of the characters. When you see their pride and selfishness revealed, the walls go down and the sad ending that I always hated, I know cannot end any other way once you read and understand the depths of each character. It is a book that sticks with you and its also why it is a classic and personally Wuthering Heights doesn't come close to the sad feelings of this book.

In short, it is an amazing novel and is quickly climbing the charts as a favorite of mine.

Emily and Lindsey Hide N' Seek

2009-06-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Aren't they silly? They love that there are so many more places to go in their house. Yesterday though they were burning off their energy by running in circles in the living room. I couldn't take it anymore so we went to find a park to play in. Funny girls!

Yard Pictures

2009-06-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

The house we bought was vacant for a year while it was being fixed up before the investor was foreclosed on so the weeds have taken over the lawn. We talked to a neighbor who was very nice and gave us 2 boxes of flood lights and a large sprinkler. He is so happy to see us trying to get the yard back. He said it used to be so well tamed and beautiful and we want it that way again. Robert's mom brought her tools and lawn mower over so we could get started.

Robert's mom Arlene helped us cut down some of the enormous bush. As beautiful as this bush is and so private, it is going to be a hard one to tame.

Robert took these other pictures on another day when the storm came.

Bearded Boy

2009-06-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Robert has been sporting a beard for awhile now. He has another "Rock Band" band at work and the beard is for looks and not getting a hair cut. Here he is posing. He is pretty cute with it, but boy does it feel like needles sometimes. He had a beard about 3 years ago and he had some red hair in it, this time I don't see any. Weird. I didn't know beard hair can change colors.

Home Repairs and Fun

2009-05-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

We are mostly moved into our new house and we are so excited! Two days after we moved in we had our new furnace and A/C installed. Our Realtor has a brother with his own company and he got us a great deal on the two together so we didn't have to deal with that blasted swamp cooler. Sweet! A lot of houses out here have swamp coolers and we had to replace the broken furnace anyway, it was a good way to get the central air as well. For two days they were here drilling and fixing and I was un-packing and dealing with a puking two year old. She screamed and cried and luckily missed the light carpet. Our furnace is now installed and it looks something like this:

I have opened our utility closet door more than once just to see the "pretty" furnace. The basement is cold no matter what the temperature is upstairs, but it is so nice not to have my kitchen be 90 degrees. Just a quick button push away and it all cools down. Now that we have A/C it was time to put some weather stripping on our door. The front door had an inch where from the basement you could look right outside and see who is knocking on the door. A nice feature, but not energy efficient. Robert said he feels very manly in using his tools and fixing the weather stripping. It looks great too!

I worked for days on putting brown contact paper in the cupboards because the old 70's paper would not come off. I finished that and loaded my cupboards with dishes. I was so excited though to finally use one of these- brand new too- after 4 years without one!

And then I was amazed when I used this without going outside, to the next stairwell, down the stairs, inserting 50 cents, setting my timer and coming back 46 minutes later. Instead I just stayed right here and turned it on. Beautiful!

The girls toys are all over the playroom and they really need some shelving for organization so I went to Target and bought this:

Perhaps it is not a bad shelf normally, but the parts did NOT fit and it was 2-3 hours of nightmarish fighting, screaming, pulling out hair until I gave up, shoved it in a box and will soon be taking it right back to Target. If anyone has any easy shelf ideas, let me know. I hated this one. We were tempted to buy one of these today:

We didn't, but we may. We have horrible reseption. We went from free cable to no cable- can't bare to actually pay for it. Now we are down to 4-5 channels total. Its been interesting missing out on my TLC and HGTV. Oh, well. More time to fix up my house!

Our living room has a solitary college dorm chair. College dorm because I got it for free from a room mate when I was in college 7 years ago. It is falling apart and is pretty ugly, but as of right now it is the only thing in there. So we went out today to find a couch. I forgot that I have distant relative friends who work at a local furniture store, but when I walked in it was nice to see familiar faces. I liked a couch that was white and was told it also comes in brown and my nice relative also gave me a friends and family discount. The microfiber couch that was already very discounted, was cut down even more. One of the best deals we have found all over town. In about 2-4 weeks we should be getting something like this delivered to our door, but in brown of course and a little different from this one.

We have also been over run with WEEDS. This home was vacant for awhile so the weeds have taken over. Tonight Robert sprayed them all and hopefully we should see their demise soon. It will be nice when we can get down into the lawn care and I can trim back my rose bushes too. I have to brag about my awesome husband who has been AMAZING at each home repair, cleaning, un- packing, etc. thing to do with this house. He has helped me every step of the way and I am SO impressed by him and have to tell everyone that I married the most awesome guy EVER! Next time we buy a house I will know for sure that it is complete when I have one of these with me:

And sorry I got the last one and there is no sharing AND I am the lucky one because I got the best model there is. Moving, home repairs and buying furniture. Its all fun and we have been happily busy doing it all.

House

2009-05-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of the house. I debated on showing them before it is ready, but I really want everyone to see it. Its a nice house and we are excited.

Dining room area- light is old and I would like to update it eventually. We bought this fridge and I really like it, even though our other appliances are white. Its a nice fridge.

The ladder is so we could change some light bulbs.

Stove and dishwasher are brand new.

His and hers closets in the master bedroom.

Upstairs bathroom- the bathtub has a pipe we are working on with a friend who knows a lot more than we do about this stuff.

Front door. We think painting the outside of it red would be fun.

There is some of the house so far. We have lots of plans- some of them include a new furnace and roof, but that is STILL fun. I also plan to paint even though the walls are newly painted. I can't handle stark white walls too much longer!

Big Day

2009-05-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is the day we made the biggest purchase we have ever made since we have been married. Robert's sister Lisa had our Realtor when she bought her house and she took a picture so to keep up with her we decided to as well. Our lender said in 14 years she has never had it done, well first time for everything! That's sparkling cider over by us, they give you a choice of "real" bubbly or the fruit stuff. We did go home and celebrate it was a very good day. Scary too, but good.