The Morris Family

It's a Girl!!!

2010-08-02T14:54:00.004-04:00

It's True! Right now, as I type, I am holding my sweet baby girl. In all her pink glory. She was born on may 19th. She has been with us for eleven weeks now and we are all taken with her. Her name is Evelynn but for the most part we call her Evie. She has lots of blond hair and looks just like each of her brothers. So much in fact, it's hard to remember that she came with girl parts. All of my boys were eager to come, and came quickly. Evie on the other hand fought us every step of the way and took her time. When she did arrive she was angry and let us know it. She came to us at a good 7 pounds 6 ounces, but lost a lot of weight quickly and was in the six and a half pound ranges for awhile. She was under a watchful eye for weeks before she got back to her birth weight. And now she keeps growing strong and adding a few cute rolls that make your heart melt. She was a long baby at 21 inches. With long fingers and long narrow feet. She takes after daddy there. And now she is pretty healthy with the occasional tummy trouble and thrush that seems to be hanging around longer then we would like. She sleeps good threw the night but rarely sleeps during the day. So it's close to impossible to keep up with all that life demands with a family of 7. Having a girl is even more then I imagined. I'm really enjoying all that comes with it and looking forward to what will come. I do wish however, that I was in charge of when and how she grows. If I could just freeze her at this age she's at now for awhile. And then when I'm ready I'd let her move on to the next stage. If I could have a super power that's what I would like it to be. Wishful thinking, I know, but you can't help what you day dream about. The best I can do now are with pictures. That's why I end up with so many, I don't even know what to do with. I'm so grateful for her. And for the feeling of a complete family. She's our caboose and all I can say is.... I'm happy it's PINK!

Servpro Update

2010-06-14T21:59:00.003-04:00

So it's been a while. Things have been crazy still even after the flood of 2010. I'll write more about that later. The purpose of this post is to update you all on the power and influence an otherwise anonymous blog has. After the flood I was so upset. I was upset at the situation, the loss of our possessions and memories and the fear that we'd never see any of those things again. I took it out on the only people that came to mind. I used this blog as a way to get my feelings out because I just had no other outlet. Apparently, my friends and family aren't the only ones who read this blog because a few days after making the previous post Don got a phone call from the guy who owns the Servpro franchise in Arkansas and a few other places. He said the things you'd expect a person to say after reading that their company had ruined someones life. Don said that he was very impressed that he would make a call like that. He said it would have been far too easy for Servpro to simply ignore one negative blog, but they didn't and that means a lot. It made an impact on me too. I realized that these people were just like me. They have memories, they have possessions, they have things that simply can't be replaced. The truth is, Servpro was very professional and did the best they could to restore our things. I realize now that some things we lost were just simply unrecoverable-nothing anyone could do. Everybody makes mistakes and while nothing or no one is perfect it made me feel better to know that there are people still trying. I hope something like this never happens to me or anyone else, but if it does you CAN count on Servpro.

2010-03-01T13:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the absence everybody. It's been crazy. we have had to much going on for me to keep up. I'll give you a quick review just for fun, but unfortunately I wont be able to keep this up until life gets back to normal around here. I'm guessing a month or so.
First off the good news. Most of you know that I am pregnant and have been for a while. I'm in my 6th month and enjoying the thought that this is the last pregnancy I'll be putting my body through. I am so excited to report that we will finally be getting the little girl that we have been longing for. YEAH!!!!!!! Everybody is so excited!!!!! The boys were just as excited as we were to find out. So Evelynn (or baby Evie, as we call her now) will be arriving late May. And our whole world will change. Something I just cant wait for. Bring on the pink!!! I'm ready!!!!!
Now for the not so great news. We have had a lot of testing going on for 2 of our children, Jaren and Kelland. I have known for a while that something was there and that I just didn't know how to help them or how to get help for them. So we have been going to a wonderful psychiatrist to help us diagnose my two beautiful kids. The diagnoses came back as Asperger's disorder. A form of Autism. While this information was hard to take in at first, I have found it to be quite useful now. And it's easier for me to understand their brilliant minds and know how to help and get help for them. Kelland will have to repeat kindergarten next year but it will all be in his best interest. And now with getting him the help he needs it's fun to see him blossom into an eager student. He actually says he loves to learn and can't wait to go to school! That's something that I was not expecting! I feel like we can get through this now. I have a good support group here as well. And that's always a great feeling!
Now for the bad news. On our way home from visiting family for New Years we arrived to half of our house flooded. It had gotten so cold here that the pipes froze and then burst. Unfortunately our pipes are in the attic. So ceilings collapsed and walls were damaged. The room that was effected the most was our office. So computer gone! I haven't been able to even check everybody blogs. I have felt so disconnected from the world. It's amazing how much we rely on computers isn't it? And all my scrapbooks and pictures destroyed. So sad!!! Really upset about all that. We had a service called Servpro come out to help us get things cleaned up and and help out with the damaged things to try and save them. They totally dropped the ball. And instead of saving things that could have been saved, like my photo albums,scrapbooks and books, they just left in a room to get moldy and ruined. I was so upset about this because I can't put a price on these things. I felt betrayed. They said they would fix it and they didn't.I could have dried them off myself and saved them. But I trusted them and they let me down. Now I'll never have those things again. Lesson learned here? Do it yourself and tell everybody you know not to use Servpro. Anyway, the last 2 months have been dedicated to rebuilding and renovating the house. It's still not perfect yet but we are close. We decided since we are painting and changing our house a bit that we will get it ready to sell. We need a bigger place now that we are adding to our family. So that presents even more projects. Life just doesn't seem to stop. We are really busy with everything but still feel blessed. And we really appreciate all the prayers that have come our way. Again, sorry for ignoring everyone for so long. And i will try to keep everybody posted here and there from now on. Love you all!! Miss you much!! I'll post soon enough. Wish us luck!!

It's about time! Right?!

2009-09-15T15:56:00.006-04:00

Ok, So I know the kids have been in school for a while now but I just couldn't leave these pictures out. Grandparents look at this blog too. So without further ado, The First Day of School pictures.

The night before was a hard one. They were to excited to sleep and went to bed way to late. I thought I was going to have a hard time waking them but the excitement carried into the morning. It wasn't until the 3rd morning that the lack of sleep caught up with them.

Layton staying cool in his Labron James jersey, camo shorts and new shoes. Forget the forth grade. This kid is headed for stardom. Or so he thinks anyway. It's hard to keep this kids head out of the clouds, but he is going to have an awesome year. I can just feel it.

My GQ boy Jaren. Out of all my boys, this summer was a time of change. He grew up the most. He got taller and has a look now more like a big kid then baby face. He is headed to second grade with great expectations. He had a rough year last year but the future looks bright. A lot of good things to come for him.

My big kindergartner. Kelland was probably the most excited about the day. He normally is very slow in the morning but this day he was up and willing. To bad every morning can't be like that. The worst part of my day is trying to get this kid going. Slow poke is an understatement. I feel like I accomplished great things when I get them to school on time. He is so cute though. You just can't stay mad for to long. It will get better. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

Ok, funny picture! I asked the boys to put their arms around each other like a hug and this is what I get. Can't they just stop being boys for two seconds while I take a picture? Honestly!

So I drooped them off and then snuck in to take some pics of them in their new classes. Jaren in his seat not even noticing I was there.

And Kelland who I couldn't get to turn around. I didn't want to be that annoying mom with a camera. I tried to be cool about it. I knew, however, that Layton wouldn't have found it to be cool at all but I tried anyway. His class left all ready for another activity. bummer. Another missed opportunity to embarrass, gone.

I always pick the kids up from school And it never fails that the first day of school is the worst day to do it. The line went on forever. The school was still around the curve, and over a small bridge away. Crazy, I know!

Brigham couldn't wait any longer. After waiting in line for 1/2 hour he was gone. Dreaming of picking his brothers up in a timely fashion no doubt.

And my cute kids waiting for me. They had a really good day. Lots of fun. It's going to be a good year. I'm really excited about it!!

"I'm not a baby! I'm a BIG boy!!!

2009-08-20T12:09:00.017-04:00

Another year has past and he doesn't seem to stop growing no matter how hard I beg and cry. My sweet little one is a big 3 year old. How did this happen. Life is cruel sometimes. We didn't have to big of an ordeal planned. Just a weekend of fun with the family. But a family of our size is an instant party. So I'm not worried that he didn't feel special. Still a lot of people to celebrate with love. We took him to dinner. A birthday dinner at Jason's deli. Our kids favorite. I think they just go for the ice cream!
Kelland takes his ice cream seriously!

Mom: "Jaren take a lick of your ice cream so I can take a picture."
Jaren: "But it's sooo cold mom!!"
Layton: "that's why they call it ice cream Jaren." (cue eye roll)

Then (of course) a trip to TOYS R US. A tradition. We always take the birthday boys there to pick out a toy of thier choice..................Well, with in reason anyway. He always goes straight to the big wheels. After this, nothing seems as good.

model cars? No, just not the same.

Model Airplanes? A little better.

Remote control airplane? Yeah!! That will do!

Helping daddy put it together before bedtime.

This was when Grandma and Grandpa or Nana and Papaw called to wish a happy birthday. I can't remember who it was exactly, but both times it looked just like this. He really enjoys talking on my phone. Pretty soon he will be begging for one of these for his birthday. They start way to young. Am I right?!

Sunday was his actual birthday. So we had some friends come over to celebrate with cake, ice cream and presents.

Kelland was counting the candles for him and anticipating digging in.

"Happy birthday to Brigham! Happy birthday to you!"

Present time!!

Lightning McQueen is his favorite Disney character. What a shocker for a kid who LOVES cars!

Thank you Oma!!! You always sends books and the kids are never disappointed!

Come on Brigham. Be nice and let Kelland have a turn!

Our sweet friend Jeniffer is always there for my boys. She shows them so much love and they LOVE her for it. I swear, they would spend all day with her...... And have before. It just wouldn't be a party without her there to celebrate!

Best present of all. And of course the cheapest!

Brigham is an amazing kid. Very animated and funny. I love to be around him. Always puts a smile on my face. I hope it was a special day. Only the best for my little man.

BEST NIGHT with my BEST FRIEND watching the BEST BAND ever!

2009-08-07T12:55:00.006-04:00

I love Paramore! There is just something about them. I have never felt this way about any other band. I love their music and if I was 10 yrs younger I probably would have spent the whole summer following them going from concert to concert. But I'm not 23 I'm 33 and that would just be plain crazy! So I settled for one concert. It still was a little crazy. Because the closest concert was in St. Louis 5 hrs away and in the middle of the week. Don was great though and made sure that it happened for me. Even though it was a pretty stressful time for him with his job. We decided to make a little trip of it. Just one night but worth it. It was our first night away from ALL the kids, but not the last. They did wonderfully and we had a blast. Paramore was great but were opening for No Doubt. So Paramore's concert was to short and when No Doubt came on I found myself disappointed. I've always liked No Doubt, but to me they just weren't as good. A little weird actually. We were getting bored and I suggested we leave, and walk around. I was hoping to run into them. Don just kept smiling at me. I'm sure he was thinking I was crazy but he didn't make me feel that way. Instead just went along with it. We didn't get to meet them but it was still a wonderful night. Hot! but wonderful. They wouldn't let us bring cameras into the concert so we had to use cell phones. Bummer.

Don had WAY to much fun taking pictures of me and even a few videos. I think he thought it was so funny how excited I was. And it was funny. That's why I'm going to spare you and leave the videos nice and snug in their file folders.

The next day we didn't have to much time before we had to get back but we wanted to do something. We didn't have a lot of knowledge about the place so we had to go with what we knew. The Arch is the place to visit when you go to St. Lois right? So that's where we headed. It was fun but something you don't have to do twice. Beautiful city though.

I can't wait for more bests! Thanks hon! Your the ultimate BEST!

Independence Day

2009-07-21T13:28:00.007-04:00

Well it' about time I posted these pictures. The 4th of July seems like such a long time ago. It's crazy how fast this summer is going. Anyway, We were still visiting my sister and her family for the 4th. We had just got back from our camping trip and and were a bit warn out. So we didn't want to go all out. Just some place to go to watch fireworks and then maybe a few of our own on their driveway. But really, it turned out perfect. I think if we had packed anymore into our night it would have ruined it.

We found a perfect location. It was in a town that I had never heard of before but it wasn't to far away. We traveled down there, found a parking lot, got out and waited by the car to watch. Brad and Natalie let the kids climb onto there Suburban, which, as you can imagine, was a BIG deal to the kids. Brigham was the only one not allowed up there but as you can see, he was content with daddy.

This is the part of the night that was a bit scary. All the children wanted to help Don and Brad with the fireworks. And most of them didn't get to.

Layton got to!

And Cally got to. But that was it. And you can see that some of the kids were disappointed. Honestly, can't they just be happy with what the got!?! Wow I just had a flashback to my parents saying that to me. I couldn't have been as selfish as my kids were acting could I have been???? DON'T ANSWER THAT MOM!!!!

I put this picture in because it shows how many children we have together. We definitely are a crowd. Brigham was the only one not in there. And look how big they are getting!

Well, that was the end of our trip. We left the next morning. It was great though. And I miss my sister terribly all ready. Next time it's their turn to come visit us. Hopefully before school starts. So what do you say Natalie?

CAMPING?! ME?! Who would have thought!

2009-07-13T16:13:00.053-04:00

I'm sorry about all the pictures. This is for my sister as well. So a picture gallery is what has to happen I guess!

FINDING FIREWOOD!

NIGHT TIME MAGIC!

MORNING DIP!

If you know me, you know that I am not that fond of the camping thing. Unless it involves a trailer/ camper of some sort with a mattress and a bathroom. Tents? Not my thing. Bugs? Hate them! Toilets dug out of the ground by my 9 yr old? NO THANK YOU!!! So against my better judgment, I agreed to a camp out with my sisters family. Not wanting to look like the wuss. Aside from the things I hate most, I have got to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually a lot of fun. Lots of work but also a lot of down time to just relax as well. My sister and her family have a boat that we take out on the lake every time we visit. We always go around and in between islands with campers doing their thing and we thought it was our turn for the adventure. It's a lot of prep work to get everybody out there with tents and food and blankets, pillows, life jackets ect, ect. It's a wonder we got it all done to enjoy ourselves. The night was the best part for me. kids asleep, us next to the fire enjoying each other. Romantic in a way. The kids had fun swimming and looking for fire wood. They all became campfire experts. It was hard to keep it safe some times. The highlight for them was the s'mores though, I'm sure. In the morning after the Daddy's woke up, it was tubing time. Everybody took turns in the tube that was pulled by the boat. Lot's of fun. I.m glad it was for just one night though. Sleeping on the sand is ruff on the hips and back. Nobody got a lot of sleep but it was worth it. Great fun!!!!!!!

I didn't get pictures of some of our highlights like the tubing and the s'mores. I was afraid to take my camera out on the boat and I was to busy with s'more building to stop for pictures. Sad I know but I got some great photos.

My Truck!

2009-07-07T12:18:00.009-04:00

We bought this Power Wheels Hummer almost 3 years ago as a Christmas present for the boys. Brigham was 6 months old then. They got to ride it once before the battery died and never came back to life. It has been sitting in our back yard all this time just waiting for us to get a new "whatever" to help it work again. Part of our delay I think was that none of the children seemed to care much if it worked or not. But Brigham has always been interested in cars and would climb on in pretending that it would work. Well, one day last week Daddy came home with the new "whatever" that was needed and fixed it for Brig so he could really enjoy it. He loves to take rides in "daddy's truck" so it's not surprising that he calls this toy "my truck". He rides it everyday so far. All day if he can help it. He loves his truck!

If you have one of these power wheels, you know that the battery doesn't last forever. And eventually needs to be recharged. When the battery is low it will just stop moving not having enough power to to keep it going. If you let it sit for a while the power builds up just enough to go for a bit more and it starts all over again. Well a 2 year old doesn't understand this, to him it's just broken. When it would stop he would run to me to tell me that his truck was broken, that he needed to fix it. Screaming this to me as he is looking for tools to use to work with. He found a screwdriver and some pliers and got to work. He would work on it for a bit and get back in. And to his surprise his truck would move. Until it ran out of "juice" and would stop. Then he would start all over again. He is just to cute for words. Really, he keeps me smiling!

I don't know if you have ever done this....But sometimes I look at a picture of my children and see the future. Something was captured in that split second that revels an older version of what I see before me. In this picture it is Brigham. The way he is standing looking over the car. Something tells me I will see this again Someday!

Where did my baby go?! 5 is for big kids!

2009-06-10T14:51:00.012-04:00

Seriously!!! Where did he go?! In just one year! The picture on the right is from his 4th Birthday party. Just look at that sweet baby face. And the big kid with all the grown up attitude is from this year. What a difference. It happened so fast! :(

He got the birthday hat at school to wear for the day. He took that literally and wouldn't take it off. I think he went to bed in it that night as well. There's nothing more important then Birthdays when your 5.

For his birthday he wanted to go to a new family fun place that just opened up in town. It has those enormous jumping castle like things in a big warehouse. Lots of running and jumping and climbing. Great for letting them burn a lot of energy. A few friends and his brothers made up the guest list.

Brotherly love.

They all enjoyed Don joining in the fun. I would have as well but didn't have the right foot wear. Socks are required. Next time I will remember that. It looked like fun.

This was what most of my pictures looked like. I felt like I was always chasing them. "Stop kids and pose for the picture!"

Just one cute kid.

The tallest slide there. You have to admit, that does look like fun!

Then we headed home for cake and ice cream and presents. He had a wonderful time. And it was worth all the planning. Birthday #5 is always a big deal. I hope he will always remember it. I sure do love my big 5 year old.

For sweet little Jansie!

2009-05-26T19:50:00.002-04:00

Jansie is 8 months old and is allergic to milk. She has spent a lot of her little life in the hospital just trying to find out what was wrong. There were other problems as well but as soon as they figured the food allergy out her life became a whole lot better. Her mother asked me to make her a cute bracelet for her to wear, and of course, I can't pass up an opportunity to make small little girly things. I made it with rainbow colored beads so that she could wear it with mostly anything. And it has a magnetic clasp so it will just pull apart when tugged on or is snagged on something. This was very fun to do. And I need more little girls to get my fix of "the girly" stuff that I don't get nearly as much of as I would like. Oh well, maybe someday.

A gift for a new mother

2009-05-22T15:02:00.003-04:00

I feel like I have been away for a while. Sorry about that. Life gets busy. I made this necklace for a friend who wanted to give it to her friend who was becoming a mother for the first time. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. And even more excited when I found out that the NEW MOM loved it too. It makes it worth it in the end. I like how it is 3 different pieces but come together to look like one. I love it! I can't wait to make more!!!

Babies, Sisters and Friends......... OH MY!!!!!

2009-05-06T14:13:00.016-04:00

My Utah trip was awesome! All I was concerned about was taking care of my sister Tiffany, hanging out with my family and taking pictures. I got to do all of these things and by the length of this post you'll see I mean it. I had way to much fun with my camera. I have some adorable nieces and nephews that I really just couldn't resist. I had fun trying new things and learning new things about my camera. We had a few photo sessions and I was happy to see the kids just as excited and helpful to have there pictures taken. We had fun.

Isn't he adorable?! Cohen Warner was born April 20th. And he was 6lbs 15 oz. He was a shorty at 18 inches long. He was so much fun to hold and watch. Pretty content until mom wanted to nap then for some reason would find his lungs. He was very photogenic for such a little tike. I had fun snapping picture after picture of this sweet angel.

Tiffany is my youngest sister and sometimes I have a hard time not thinking of her as a little kid still. But she truly amazes me as a mother. Very loving and giving. And those kids listen to her. Something they wouldn't do for me. (I didn't mind though) She was just coming home from surgery and was having a hard time. But she was determined to have fun with us and not be left out. Sometimes I think she could handle anything.

My sister Mandy and Cohen. We all loved holding him.

Chris is a wonderful father and husband. It was fun to get to know him better on this trip.

So I was all dolled up. With Mandy (the hairdresser) there to do my hair and Natalie there to do my make-up I was set for the runways. Of course that wasn't going to happen so the front room would have to do. I went first and then it was Mandy's turn.

This is how our nights were spent. Siting down in front of the TV. Watching a girly flick. Laughing, taking pictures and eating chocolate. This was the best part of the trip. Just being with my family. My Aunt Linda was there also because she lives close to Tiffany. She is my mothers oldest sister. They are so fun to watch. They always act like they're 13 yr old when they get together. Always hugging on each other and giggling. I wonder if my sisters and I look like that to our kids. That's a funny thought. Anyway, I think they were the true entertainment.

On Sunday Natalie and I got to Temple Square while we were there. The flowers were gorgeous and the buildings amazing. It was a cold day though and we didn't have to long to dilly dally. I can't wait to go back. Very beautiful!

These are some pictures from the photo shoots that I had with the kids.

Anzlie was wonderful with the baby. She loved to help out her mom.

Landon is a very sweet boy. And funny. He reminded me a lot of my boys so I had a special place in my heart for him.

And this sweet little girl Ciera, stole my heart! I couldn't get enough of her. I would just follow her around thinking that I wanted one of those. My sister Mandy would do her hair so cute and I just wanted to kiss her and squeeze her and call her mine. She got sick while we were there with a high fever. And when she just wanted me to hold her it made my trip. I miss her.

Mandy's little man,Tyson! The youngest of the group. He was stuck to Mandy like glue. So very cute. A sweet personality full of wonder.

We had such a good time. But I was ready to get back to my kids and my life. I've never been away from them for this long. I'm glad I did it though. It's good to be away so you can appreciate what you have. I haven't told my husband this yet but we have started a tradition of getting together every year from here on out. Something that we can't deny ourselves anymore. I'm going to have to make that up to him somehow. I will! I promise Honey. You were wonderful through all of this and I thank you!

Ok! Now it's your turn!

Babies, sisters and friends..........OH MY!

2009-05-05T12:12:00.012-04:00

Sorry it's been so long. But I had 2 trips back to back that left me to busy to blog. But I'm back and fully recovered and cant wait to show you all my pictures. Both trips went perfectly. Don was awesome with the kids and taking care of everything while I was gone. I'm so grateful to have him. After he excepted all of this I think he was just as excited as I was. Which just means I wont feel so guilty for next time.Hee hee!

The first trip to Ohio was nothing less then extraordinary. It's not every day that you witness miracles. I was fortunate enough to be there for my sister (in-law) while she delivered her first child. Having done this 4 times myself, I always wondered why people always acted like it was such a phenomenon. I think when you have 9 months to prepare yourself for that exact moment and your working and focusing so hard to just get the baby out already, it takes away from the "phenomenon" your so much a part of. It's not that I took it for granted before this, just that now I understand it from a different perspective and it is amazing. It's more of an awesome site when you don't have to work for it. (I hope I explained myself alright. I don't want to be getting any hate comments) Hayden Avery was born on April 15 and she was 8 pounds, 5 ounces. She had a very full head of hair. And the most beautiful skin I've ever seen. She is absolutely gorgeous. I got to hold her and and then hand her to her fabulous mother after the nurses cleaned her up for the first time. SO AWESOME!!!. Kari was amazing. She had to push for 3 hours and I could see her losing endurance. She was exhausted but she never complained. She took it like a trooper. Singing along to the country songs in the back ground between pushes. Funny, right? She is an amazing mother already. (I knew she would be) She asked me to be there for her to help out but she really didn't need me. She knew what to do. I just was there to encourage her. Maternal instincts are another miracle all on it's own. I am so proud of her. Thanks again Kari.

Before her first bath at home.

Home for the first time. Zion, their puppy, was so excited to greet her new sister with a kiss.

I also got to see some old High School friends while I was there. My trip was short, so my visits with them were also short. I really wish I had the time to really enjoy everybody on a more intimate level but I'll just have to save that for next time. I took my camera with me when I went to meet up with my gal pals Emily and Becky. We met at a park so their kidos could play and have fun while we caught up on the last 15yrs. YIKES! That just made me sound really old. Anyway, The setting was perfect for pictures. The sun, a playground and happy children. What could be better. These pics are for you guys. I love you!

Tomorrow the second part of my trip. It was a sister fest. With all of my sisters and my mother and her sister. A very girly weekend. Every girl should have one of these. It's just that fun!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T10:52:00.002-04:00

Our Easter was cold and rainy. It Rained all day. I was so bummed because I got the boys the cutest outfits to take wonderful Easter pictures in. You know, the ones where they are outside searching for Easter eggs with their baskets. Layton wont be doing these types of things much longer so I feel like I am running out of time. He already seems to be humoring me to say the least. But the weather had different plans. Cold , rainy and very windy. I couldn't have even faked it if I wanted to. So pictures were taken inside. And I wasn't feeling inspired in anyway. And the kids just wanted to eat their candy. Posing for pictures was last on their list of things to do. Don always hides the baskets for the kids. A little tradition he is continuing from his childhood. He always does way to good of a job and they always seem to get discouraged. I usually brake down and give them a hint and Don gets mad at me like I ruined the fun. My hints do normally send them straight to it but I just can't seem to help myself. Most of the candy is already gone. I don't think they had a real meal until dinner. There aren't many days where they can get away with eating candy for lunch. All in all, it was a fun family day.

The sister for the day! (A little note for Tiffany)

2009-04-12T16:09:00.004-04:00

Hey, Tiff! I've been anticipating your birthday all week. I knew it was coming and I made a mental note to remember for your sake. Yesterday was one of those busy days. Lots to do and get done before I leave to go out of town. But I was amazed at how often my thought turned to you. Just mental flashbacks of childhood memories. Random thoughts of the time we will be spending together here soon and the excitement that would follow. And then that would send me wondering how you were holding up and how you were feeling. It happened for most of the day and I hadn't really put 2 and 2 together until I was talking to mom. She happened to mention that it was your birthday and my heart sunk. I scolded myself for missing it. For not taking better precautions to insure this wouldn't happen. What gets me the most though is my subconscious was trying to tell me and yet I was to busy to listen. At least I was thinking of you on your special day. So in a way I felt closer to you. Which I am grateful for. I miss you and long to be with you. Another reason why I was thinking of you so much yesterday, I'm sure. I hope it was a good day. Heaven knows you deserve it. One of the things I admire most in you is how Strong you are. It hasn't been easy for you with your health and also the kids health. But you seem to take it all in stride. With a smile even. I admire that. I love you Tiffany. I can't wait to see you and get my fill of you. I don't see you nearly as much as needed so I have to stock up when I can.. Happy, Happy birthday! I love you so much!! See you soon!!!!!!!

Spring has come!!!!

2009-04-09T15:40:00.015-04:00

This is how I know it's warm outside. When I'm wondering where my two younger ones are and I look outside to see them in barely nothing playing in the woods. It's a cute sight to see but I have to be honest. I'm tired of trying to keep them clean and inside. I have always loved the spring time. It's my favorite time of year. And the weather is the best part. Not to cold not to hot. But now I find myself excited for the cooler days or rainy days. So I don't have to give the boys a bath 3 times a day. How sad is that. Boys will be boys, I know!! Man, I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Next you'll see pictures of me playing in the mud!!!!

HAHAHA!!!........right!.....Sorry! That would never happen. But I have been known to play in the rain from time to time. Now THAT is what I call fun! That will be the next photo shot for sure!

These pictures were taken after the first bath.

Brigham and all his different faces. He was telling me something but I have no idea what. I was completely mesmerized by his angelic face to recall anything.

And this is after the second bath!

Such busy little boys. But oh how I love them!!! We broke down and got locks for all the doors. It has gotten a lot easier. They hate it but I LOVE it!

Just for you Dad!

2009-04-03T18:15:00.012-04:00

As a gift for my Father on his Birthday I decided to give him one of my favorite memories. I also know that this is one of his favorites because it's a classic. However, I'm not sure if he has ever herd me tell it before. I'm expecting that this will be fun for him. So here we go.......................... MY 16TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

I am the oldest in my family so it was a big deal when I was legal to drive. Obviously for me but just as much for my parents. I was grateful that my father was just as excited to get me a car as I was to get one. Our priorities were a bit different however. I was looking for something more like a Honda Accord with maybe 5 years under its hood. And my Dad was looking for something that was 2 bolts away from dumpsterville. He found it..........A Volkswagen bug that was in serious need of some help. He seemed to be very confident in his abilities to fix it up just right for me. I on the other hand wasn't so confident. But being the good daughter that I was I didn't want to shatter his excitement. So I went along with a smile. And in all honesty, the thing that kept me going was the fun, cute look that a valkswagen bug has. Something different. Why be like every body else right? So it was bought. My Dad decided that my birthday was a perfect time to go pick it up. We piled everybody in the mini van and headed for the freeway to down town Columbus. When we got there the green bug was parked in back of an old house with grass growing around it like it hadn't been moved in years. It wasn't the best way to sell the thing to me. I was a little nervous to be driving it. Anyway, The next thing I remember is my Father driving, me in the passengers seat next to him and my sister Natalie in the back seat on our way back home. My mother and the rest of my family were following behind us in the Mini Van. It was dark by this time and it started to rain. Once we got on the freeway my Dad put the wipers on which failed to work. The car would barley go up to 50 mph. And when it did it sounded like it was being tortured to say the least. We pulled off of our exit and as we did so, my mother behind us starts honking her horn over and over again frantically trying to get our attention. When my Dad looked behind him all he could see were flames. THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE!!!!!!!! He pulled the car over immediately and yelled at the 2 of us to get out of the car. My poor sister was in the back closest to the fire and trapped behind the two front seats that were refusing to cooperate and move forward. My Dad scrambled to get her out and then ran to the back of the car to the engine. He pulled up the tiny little hood and flames started bursting out at him. He took his jacket off and started hitting at the flames to smother them out. Meanwhile my mother runs to the nearest restaurant and calls 911. My father succeeds in smothering the flames, with some help from the rain I'm sure, just in time for a big fire truck to arrive. It looked to me like my father was a bit embarrassed standing next to the engine shifting his weight a lot while talking with the firemen. Later I found out that the tags on the licence plates were expired and he was worried they might find out. I was watching all of this from the inside of the mini van wondering what was being said . All of the sudden they all start looking around on the ground obviously looking for something. This is when I noticed a few very good looking firemen and decided that they obviously needed my help. When I got out into the rain I asked what was going on. Apparently my Dad had put the key in his jacket before he started trowing it around, thrashing it against the flames. The Key had to have fallen out of the jacket, on to the street or near by. Everybody was helping to search for a shinny metal thing in the dark and the rain. As I was helping to do the same I was excited when a few of the "cute" firemen wished me happy birthday with a sympathetic smile. I don't even remember if we found the key or not. This tragic night turned out wonderful in my eyes after that. Best birthday ever as far as I was concerned at that point. A tow truck was called and I rode with my dad in the tow truck as we headed home. Soaking wet and a little worried about my future car, I gave my Dad a big hug. My 16th birthday adventure was over. But that wasn't the end for my little green bug. My dad kept his promise and made it perfect. Well perfect enough for me anyway. And there are many many more adventures that I had in that little green thing. I loved every minute of my time spent in My bug. It was a great car.

So there you have it Dad. My version of the story. I know that you tell it so much better then me and maybe now you have a little bit more to add when telling this classic tale to others. Thanks for the memories Dad. I had a wonderful childhood filled with love and adventure. What more could I ever ask for. Your my Hero! Then, now and always! Happy Birthday!!!!

Cupcakes for dinner anyone?!!!

2009-04-02T11:26:00.008-04:00

I always wish for a perfect April fools prank to come along. One that isn't hurtful or harmful but full of fun. One that would knock your socks off. My usual target is my husband. I would love to catch him off guard. But it has never happened. Mostly because I forget the stupid day altogether until April 3rd or 4th. Obviously to late. Yesterday, I was at the store picking up a prescription at the store and talking to my Sister Natalie on the phone. She just happened to remind me then of the special prank day. And immediately I was disappointed that another prank day had come with me not prepared. She said she always wanted to come up with a silly dinner to prank her family. I figured since I was at the store I could make this happen. So our plans went into motion. We both decided on the same type dinner to prank our families with. I got all the ingredients and was smiling from ear to ear in anticipation for my "evil" plan.

I decided to make the kids a fun after school treat to start off the food fun. I made mud pudding, and put in a few gummy worms for effect. I took plastic cups and filled them with the messy stuff. Then I told them on the way home from school my elaborate story of how I inquired cups full of mud and worms for them to play in. (Only boys would buy this I think) They immediately came in and went for the usual after school snacks but stopped short when I pulled out the cups of mud for them to play in. At first they believed me but one by one their little noses bent down to smell the sweet mud and it was decided that this was something better. I still had to remind them that this was not to play in but to eat. Brigham didn't listen putting real dirt in there for, what I can only imagine, was for more flavor. He didn't get to participate as long as the others did. He was a mess.! So great!! I had fooled them. Layton even told Dad of the awesome snack prank that I had pulled. Always a good sign for success. Now on to the second part of my plan.

The kids were asking what was for dinner and I had suggested cup cakes. They looked at me like I was lying. Asking if I was "for reals" as they put it. I said sure why not. The only problem with this was now everybody was ready and willing to help me with the cupcakes. It was hard to keep them out of the kitchen. and when they saw meatloaf in the cupcake holders they started to catch on to my little prank. When Don came home he was just playing along and waiting patiently for dinner. He was hungry and I'm sure he wouldn't of cared what I served as long as it was edible. When I started dividing the mash potatoes into 3 different bowls for food coloring, my prank finally took effect. That's when every body came in to sample the sweet frosting as they always do. And mash potatoes with food coloring looks a lot like frosting. So little fingers would go in to take a big taste. One by one you could see there disappointment that it wasn't the sugary stuff. Kelland was the funniest. After his bit he looked like he was going to throw up. But once he knew what it was and what it was for he enjoyed every bit. The kids were excited to have a funky dinner. I was excited that I pulled it off. And Don was just excited to have something to eat. I was surprised that all of the cupcakes were eaten. And I only had one. I swear it was because they looked like cupcakes. They wouldn't have eaten as many if it looked like meatloaf. and boring mash potatoes. It was fun. A dinner to remember. I have a funny feeling that I will be making this meal again here soon for birthdays. They enjoyed it that much. In all the commotion though, I forgot to yell out April fools! What a bummer. Now I'm just a crazy lady who likes to experiment with food coloring.

A brcelet for Nana

2009-03-23T17:39:00.003-04:00

My Mother-in-law and I have a special relationship. It's one that I Cherish. We have a lot in common and a lot of the same interests. Some of those interests are Beading and my children. I wanted to give a special gift. One that expressed how grateful I am to have her in my life. Not just as mother, but mostly a great friend. I think that describes our relationship perfectly. We are great friends. So I decided I would go with my strengths and make her something she could wear. It's a mothers bracelet but with a twist. A Nana bracelet. It has all of her grandchildren initials with their birth crystals hanging from them. She loves copper metal the most so that was fun and different to work with. I'm proud of how it turned out and best of all so was she.

Thanks for being there for me Patsi. You have been my geinni pig with my jewelry for a while now. And it's only getting better. I appreciate you!

I'm a bit embarrassed to say, but yes, I loved it!!!!

2009-03-12T13:50:00.004-04:00

Sorry I've been away for a while. I wish I had a good excused but truly, I don't. I have a little confession to make. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a Twilight fan. It all started when I asked a few friends of mine (who are really into the books) to take me to see the Twilight movie for my birthday. They asked If I had read the book yet and I confessed and said no, Which to me, is the whole point of making a movie from a book. But they insisted that I read it before seeing it. In all honesty, I knew that wasn't going to happen because I wasn't going to wast my time or money on the book. But my dear friend bought me a copy for my birthday and all the sudden I felt very obligated to read it. The first half of the book I struggled. It was hard to get into. but as soon as you get through that point your hooked. and I couldn't put it down. I hate to admit all this because it goes against my normal reaction to this sort of thing. Any big craze out there that has to do with love crushes that make girls scream and cry uncontrollably, I run away from feeling ashamed for sharing the same x chromosome as them. Plus, I don't read. I have never been the best reader ( it's a comprehension thing) and the last book I read all the way through was when Layton was a baby (when I had time) and it took me about 2 to 3 weeks to read. And it was a good book. But this series however is different. It captivated me. It was easy to read and to understand. Filling your mind with graphic images. Very riveting. The love story is beautiful and electric. Literally! And the characters are complex and intriguing. The books are suspenseful with plenty of action that became very real in my mind. The sadness and sorrow in the books were heartbreaking and you could not help but feel that emotion through the words. Their are 4 books in the series plus half a book on the Internet that wasn't completed and I read all of them in 2 weeks. I didn't do much else but take care of the things I needed to and read. I've lost a few pounds because eating wasn't a priority and I am defiantly sleep deprived. But it was worth it. It is truly that good. If you don't believe me, I dare you to read it for yourself. And if you have read it then you know what I'm talking about. I know it's kind of embarrassing. It's hard to compare myself with the tweeners out there screaming and fanning themselves to not faint from Edward-itis. But it wasn't like that for me. And maybe it wont be like that for you. Come on...... I won't make fun if you don't!?!

. Family, Friends.......and Hot Springs. A perfect, BIRTHDAY, weekend.

2009-02-24T12:26:00.010-05:00

Well it was a surprise all week. I didn't know what was going on. But my Husband and friend were concocting a fun day for Saturday to celebrate my birthday. It's no secrete that I love Hot Springs AR. We go there a lot. So the plan was to go down there with kids in tow and enjoy just being with each other. The fun part was we did things that we have done before and things we have never done. That made it interesting. The weather also made it interesting. When we left it was cold and gloomy. Not to mention the sheets of rain obstructing our view on the way down. But the weatherman said that it would clear up by the afternoon. So we pressed on praying the whole way. We first headed to Rod's Pizza Cellar for lunch. The Morris family had been there before and we knew how good the food was. This place also has a train that goes around the whole restaurant which the kids love. And TVs in every corner. Cartoons and sports were the only thing on. Why isn't there ever anything else on? honesty! I had my good friend Dawn to keep me entertained. So I was good.

This is a picture to keep forever. Kids talking with their mouths stuffed full with pizza! Gross. OK maybe it isn't a keeper, but this one is. How cute are they! Talen and Kelland.
Layton and Jalen. They are good friends. Sports 24/7 with these two.

Now there are some wacky kids for ya. The brown family has 4 kids as well and we both have kids around the same age. Layton and Jalen, Jaren and Deserae, Kelland and Talen, and Brigham and Brody. Brody is missing in this pic but you get the idea. We are one wild group.

Then it was off to Oakland Park for a little horse racing. We have never been there before and it was a lot of fun. The kids loved seeing the horses even though they smelled really bad. But I was really impressed with how small the jockeys looked. and how muscular the horses were. I really didn't know how all of it worked because I have never been to something like this before. But you could tell that this was something people took very seriously. There weren't a lot of kids there. Mostly people with wads of money and a beer in hand. But it was still very thrilling and exciting to see the horses do their thing. It's something I've only seen on TV. We enjoyed it. I think we'll be back.

This was us just waiting around. There was 30 min in between all of the races. But the actual race only took 5 min. It was hard to wait sometimes with the kids. (Now I know why people don't bring them.) The races went on all night long. But we could only stand to stay for 3 of them. It really just becomes the same thing over and over again. But those 5 min are pretty intense.

OK, I just had to put this picture in. It's so funny to me. Who do they think they are? Seriously!! It reminds me of an album cover for a Rap/hip hop group or something. 9 is a funny age. Yo man! What up Duwg.
The Morris Family at Oakland Park.The Brown Family at Oakland park.

So after this we still had some time to kill so we went to the old down town of Hot Springs (my favorite part) and went to the Fudge Factory for some ice cream. It's a little place that looks like it did the day it opened in the 1920s. A cute little sweet shop. It was fun. And the ice cream was so Divine. But the fudge is to die for. So we stayed clear of that this trip. Maybe next time.

How come children are never happy with what you give them. They always want what isn't theirs. Kelland was a good big brother and shared. With a little convincing from his parents.

Finally a picture of cute Brody. He stole his Mothers ice cream.

Dawn with her girls. Look at all the pink. ........I love pink

What a great day. Thank you Don and Dawn. I love you both for this!

Happy Birthday Cally!

2009-02-16T17:58:00.006-05:00

Well, I want to give a big shout out to my friend Cally on her special day. We were the best of friends all through our teen years. And after graduation (as with all those relationships back then) we went our separate ways. But because of this wonderful thing called Facebook (as if no one else had heard of it), my sister Natalie found our long lost friend. We soon found out that we were all into blogging. And soon rekindled our friendships once again. Her blog is on the top of my list to read. Not just because she is a dear friend but because it is truly entertaining. She hasn't changed much and the changes made were for the better. I love that she LOVES being a Mother. And I love how talented she is. Her bags and drawings are to die for. Also she is a gifted writer. Very clever and witty. She has adorable children and takes wonderful pictures of them. If she had more time she could be a very accomplished photographer. I love that we still have a lot in common and that are friendship is still as strong.

So I know that we decided to swap talent for talent and do an exchange around our birthdays. But I've got to tell you I am a bit nervous. I've seen what you can do with your bags but you were very sweet to go on blind faith to exchange your hard work for my jewelry. I'll admit your style is different then mine and so it posed a little more of a challenge for me. But I like a challenge. And I pride myself in custom jewelry, making any style my own. I hope I accomplished that. This is also the first time I have displayed my work. So I am a bit shy about that as well. I know I need to quit doddling and just do it already. So This is for you, my dear, sweet friend. I hope you like it.

An antique version of something you loved and wanted.

This photo I got off of your Blog. You posted some cool art that you really liked. See if you can remember which one it was. It was my favorite.

A mothers bracelet with your children's birth crystals.

Happy Birthday Cally. And ENJOY! It was fun making it for you.

Oh!... Yum!........ Memories!

2009-02-12T11:29:00.013-05:00

I found a whole group of pictures in the other camera this week that I haven't down loaded yet. Ever since I got my new camera I forgot about the old one having pictures on it. It was fun to go through the pictures. There were fun memories that I didn't even knew existed. It's like when a good friend stops by to bring you one of your favorite treats. Just because she was thinking about you and she thought it would be fun. It was a plate full of delicious memories. Oh the joy it brought to my soul. So, I thought I would share some......... Memory treats anyone?!!

A relaxing Sunday afternoon memory

This is a fun Sunday activity (that I love) when it happens. I try to get the kids together on Sundays to read stories out of the friend Magazine for some "together time". This is my favorite place to sit and read in our big comfy chair. But it is starting to get a little snug. These kids have got to stop growing!! (If ONLY!!!)

A photo shoot memory

I was cleaning up the office when Kelland came to me and asked for a photo shoot. Well, more like "Mommy, take a picture of me." He would make this silly face and pose. Then the flash would go off and he would make another face and pose. He would do that over and over again. For some reason, all his pose faces have the same look. Funny I know, but don't tell him that. He insists that each one is unique. I actually enjoyed cleaning the office that day.

Baby's first hair cut memory

This actually was a few months ago. Don took him for me and he grabbed the "other" camera instead of the one I am loyal to. So I didn't see these pics to remember to post them. Don takes the boys for their first hair cuts because I just cry when they cut off the curly locks. With all of my other boys, once they cut the curls off they didn't grow back. But for Brig I was pleasantly surprised to see them come back. full as they were before. Thank you Nana. I love my curly head boy!

Well, I can't wait for my next batch of memory goodies. What will it be next time? A sleep over? A baking session? A crayon incident? Who knows. But I bet it will be as sweet as this batch.

Jaren, I'm your # 1 fan!

2009-02-03T13:14:00.015-05:00

Jaren turned 7 on Saturday. He has been anticipating this event since Christmas. My son has a Lego star wars obsession to put it lightly, and he just couldn't wait to get his hands on some more Lego sets. Jaren has always been like this with his birthdays. And I would always try to make it more then just about presents. I thought by having a party with friends and games and birthday festivities it would take the focus off of the one thing he couldn't stop thinking about. Sometimes I would insist on the guests not bringing gifts. It didn't seem to matter either way. He isn't really a social butterfly so he really never had any true friends to invite. They were always his Church primary class because I was friends with their moms. And as hard as I would try he never seemed to have fun on his birthday until the gifts were opened and it was time to play with them. This year was different, FINALLY!! He still doesn't have a lot of friends but the two he has are good ones. Ones from church and ones from school. He wanted both of them to come to a big birthday party at our house. But two friends doesn't make for a big party. So I suggested going somewhere. Unfortunately, the only place open around here for kids on Saturdays is Chuck-E-Cheese. A parents worst nightmare. But kids love it.So we picked up his friends and headed down to north little rock. It was fun to hear him laugh and socialize with his friends. Really this is something new for us. And it turns out he's quite funny. He had a blast with his friends and all the kids enjoyed Chucks place. When we got home it was time for presents. It used to be all that he could think about but this time he was content to wait until the end of the day. This is really a big deal. The fact that he could focus on being with friends instead, was huge for him. This is true progress. He's getting older and I think is starting to deal better with his obsessions and self soothing tendencies. I'm so proud of him and glad that he had a great time. I think it's safe to say this small, dinky birthday was the most successful one we have had. And I know his favorite so far.

I wanted to get other presents for him to open that wasn't Lego's because it just doesn't seem healthy to feed his obsession. But if we spent a lot of money on things he is not interested in then it's a waste. So I decided to just get small, inexpensive things like..... a BIG candy bar, his very own cup, some stickers, some star wars PJ's, things like that. And he couldn't open them all at once. He could only open one every hour until we left for his party. At first when I told him he had presents starting at 9 am and going all day I could see the (oh so) familiar excitement in his eyes. I had to prep him by saying that these things were not Lego's but small gifts just for fun. And that his big gift was coming after his party. I was proud of myself for thinking of this because I think it helped him to keep his focus off of what he knew was coming. I think it also helped him to wait as long as he did. It helped him but it was still him who accomplished it. I'm just so proud.

My dear sweet Jaren. I know that life can be hard sometimes. That you have things consuming your mind to the point where it is hard to focus on anything else. I know this is a struggle for you. But I am truly proud of the way you are dealing with it. You have come a long way Jaren. I am so happy with the way you are growing and improving. I hope you never forget how special you are. How you put a smile on my face when you walk into a room. How your hugs fill my soul with joy. How important you are to this family. I promise you I will do everything in my power to make your life as easy as I can and as fulfilling as possible. You deserve all that I can give and more. Your our sweet Baby J still, no matter how old you get. And we will love you always. Happy Birthday.

One Cloudy, Scary Weekend!

2009-01-27T13:24:00.008-05:00

I seem to be blogging a lot about Brigham lately. I don't mean to, it just happens I guess. I love all of my boys so I'm thinking it's just the age. 2 yrs old is so entertaining. This weekend, however, was anything but. A bit of an eye opener for me you could say.

I need to fill in some new readers if I'm going to explain all this. I don't blog about My kids Immune Deficiency very often even though it is a big part of our lives. Only 3 of my 4 boys have it. Layton, Kelland and Brigham. I was so excited that I didn't pass this on to Jaren. (Yes, it is genetic and is passed through the mother) They have to have IV treatments of B cells to help boost their immune systems to a normal kid every month. The treatments help so much. It is like night and day. But it doesn't mean they will never get sick again. It just means that it's not as frequent. The real truth is that this immune deficiency is pretty rare. And because of that they really don't know a lot about it. They are still learning. It is called X-linked Agammaglobulinemia or XLA. Because my children can't produce enough of the b cells to fight off infection they are at a higher risk for getting sick. Not just small stuff like upper respiratory infections but also big stuff. Like pneumonia, meningitis and even cancer. The treatments help the risk to go down. But I think the Doctors are still concerned for the worst scenario.

Brigham had the flu last week with a fever and an achy body. His fever broke and a small nose cold set in. And by Friday I had noticed that the left side of his neck was swollen. And when I felt his glands I felt a golf ball size rock where his glands would normally be. I was concerned because this was obviously abnormal. But at the same time he didn't have a fever anymore and appeared to be feeling better. So I called his ped. Dr. To see if he should be seen. A nurse assured me that this is common sometimes after a cold and to treat it with Motrin. His doctor, however, called me after hours and explained that because of his immune deficiency he really should've been seen and we need to go to the ER right away. Don took him that night. They decided that it was probably Limphitis and gave him an IV antibiotic. Then sent him home with a prescription and a follow up Dr appt. for Monday. By Sunday he was doing a little better and it seemed as though the swelling was starting to go down. We went to church and I was telling some friends about what was going on. One of my friends started to get teary eyed as I was explaining and said that is really scary. She had a daughter about 3 yrs ago die of cancer. And she said that's how it all started with her. Everything seemed to mimic exactly her experience with her daughter. Where the lump was on the neck, what they did and said for her daughter, what we did and said for Brig. What the doctors did and said. Even the same antibiotic. The only difference is that the lump appeared to be getting smaller and her daughters didn't. Knowing that my children are at risk for things like Cancer I was terrified all the sudden. I hadn't considered it being something like cancer. And it hit me hard. I didn't want to over react. I just kept telling myself that this wouldn't happen to us. It will be ok. But all I could think about was I know that Jennifer (my friend) thought the exact same thing with her daughter. I told Don and he was just as concerned. We considered taking him back to the hospital to get some answers. But decided to calm down and wait for the Dr appointment the next day. We were very uneasy all day Sunday. As much as you tell your self not to think about it you always do. By Monday the swelling had definitely gone down. And I was feeling much better about it not being cancer. And the Dr was pleased as well to see that it had gone down. I didn't realize how pleased until I asked her the Cancer question. I asked her if this could be cancer. She admitted that she was concerned about it being cancer. Because kids who come in with Lymphitis (especially with how bad Brig was) they don't act like he was acting all energetic and calm. They have high fevers and have to be admitted to the hospital to control the pain and the swelling. So she was concerned that it was something else but needed to rule out the lesser of the two evils. At first I was kind of embarrassed to ask. Not wanting to look like one of those extreme moms. But when I realized my feelings of concern were confirmed I had mixed emotions. Part of me would rather be the crazy, overly obsessed mom. And I was a little upset with them for not telling us. I know that they didn't want to upset us if there was nothing wrong. But I feel as though I need to know so next time I wont just call the Dr to SEE if he should be seen but demand it. I realize that my kids are still pretty vulnerable. Even after their treatments. And I know I can't go through life, waiting for Cancer to hit. I don't want that. But I want to be aware. And knowledgeable. So that when we come across a nurse or Doctor that doesn't quit understand their condition, (which happens way to often) I can be the one to have the knowledge and confidence to speak for my children's well being. So it seems to only be Limphitis. And he is on a strong antibiotic for the next 3 weeks. Nothing to worry about. It was just a scare. But one that has changed how I look at this crazy thing. In some ways I feel more in control. And that would be the silver lining in this cloudy, scary weekend.

Like Father, Like Son

2009-01-20T12:46:00.004-05:00

Brigham is a funny kid. He likes to mimic what we are doing a lot of the time. He likes to try out new things and never wants to be left out. He likes to pretend with Kelland. He throws the ball around the house just like Layton does. Layton even got him his own little football so he wouldn't keep taking his. He likes to put make-up on with mommy. Don hates this but I think it's cute. The only problem is he wont let me put it on. He has to do it himself so it gets all over his face. Then when he looks at himself in the mirror he gets upset that it doesn't look right. He got embarrassed when Daddy told him that it was for girls and he isn't a girl. But he just wants to see how things work and be a part of things. So when he saw Daddy pull out his laptop, I could see the little wheels turning in his head as he ran off quickly and came back with his Diego laptop in hand. He climbed on the bed and sat right next to daddy. Who knows what he was thinking in his head.......Check out all the emails in his box? updating photos on facebook? A little eBay shopping maybe? I'm sure all he cared about was that he was doing exactly what daddy was doing. I love this age of discovery. So magical and sweet.

I don't know why I've waited so long!

2009-01-09T14:19:00.009-05:00

Well, maybe I do. Because he wouldn't want me to post this probably. But I just can't help it anymore! I want to shout it from the rooftops!!!! I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!! Shew! I feel a little better. But I want to explain why I am doing this and why I seem to be so passionate about him.

First off, it is his Birthday. Or was on the 6th, but we are celebrating it all week. He is the hardest person to try and celebrate for. So I've been trying hard to honor what he would want with the only things I know. How do I show him how I really feel? I always do a Birthday spotlight for my family members and he was no different. But that day I stopped myself and decided it would be something that he might be embarrassed with. So with all of my ideas that I had for my, one and only, I decided not to go through with them. There was always a doubt that he wouldn't like it or appreciate it. Ultimately though, what ended up happening was nothing. A big, fat nothing! He has been sick as well but still!!! I hate this feeling of letting him down. Of not showing how much I truly do appreciate him. How much I love him. So again, I don't know why I waited so long.

The first time I met Don was the summer before our freshman year of High School. We were both in band together. He played the saxophone and I was in Color Guard. (the people with the flags) We were at a band practice and the band members were in trouble for something and were being yelled at to stay at attention. The color Guard members were busy placing flags around the field. I was running through a line of band members when I accidentally hit one of them with the end of the flag pole. I immediately went back to say sorry for my carelessness. And to my surprise he didn't really acknowledge my apology. Or me for that matter. I do remember being a little put off by this and left it with something like, "I said I was sorry!" Well, you guessed it. It was Don that I clobbered with the flag pole and to his defence he didn't want to be the guy to get everybody in more trouble for talking or screaming out in pain (Not that you would have honey) so he just stayed quite. But I was oblivious to this and took offence. I quickly got over it though and hardly remembered the incident until he brought it up again years later. We have known each other ever since. We had one class every year together plus band and band trips. It really wasn't until our junior year that we really became good friends though. We were in an English class together and he would sit behind me. Some flirting went on but mostly just good conversation. Then our Senior year hit. And it was a big year with band and sports and all that fun high school stuff. We had government class that year together. Which was 1st period so I got to start my day off with him. He would always make fun of me because I was always late. That hasn't changed. And between classes I couldn't wait to get to his locker to flirt and talk until it was time to go to class. The whole year was like that. After we graduated there were graduation parties one after another. I almost didn't have time to make it to his party but I'm so glad I did. After meeting his family he walked me out to my car. And on the way he said to me, "Since we both are not in relationships anymore we should hang out more together." And I answered with, "I would like that." grinning from ear to ear. Because I had this exciting , funny feeling came over me. Like I knew right then and there that this was going to be more then just that. And I was excited. So we have known each other for a really long time. We have been through lots of stages in life together and have grown up side by side. We have been through a lot but it has just brought us closer. He works hard being a better person. And I've seen those changes and admire him for it. He is a WONDERFUL father. And I am so grateful that he has been in my life for this long.

Happy Birthday Don! Thank you for all that you do for this family and for this country. I am so proud to call you mine and to share my life with you. You are my other half. The one I can't live without. You are my husband, my best friend. My everything. My world is you!!! I'll love you always!!

(kiss, kiss)

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Christmas series: Part 2

2009-01-06T13:29:00.004-05:00

MORE GOODY MAKING!!!!!!

But these were strictly for SANTA ONLY!!!! This is a fun tradition that we have with Nana. The Kids really got into it this year. There are a lot of pictures. Sorry about that, but I really did it for Nana. She is my biggest blogger fan and she deserves to have these memories as much as I do. Thanks Nana for more

WONDERFUL MEMORIES!!!!!

Aliening the cookies in a straight line to be baked. Not such an easy task with 6 little hand in there all at the same time. But fun!

Layton's contribution! Stealing cookie dough.

They ALL had to help put the cookie sheet in the oven. One sure way to make Nana nervous!

Layton came in for another "contribution"! But darn! He was to late. I got a cute photo out of it though.

Set the cookies out on the Santa plate!!

Make sure you pour Santa plenty of milk!! I love the way Brigham is helping here by just placing his hands on the milk jug. He can never be left out. So funny!

All Done! That was fun!!! Lets do it again!

ENJOY SANTA!!!!!

And he did!!! hee hee!

Christmas series: Part 1

2009-01-06T12:54:00.006-05:00

I know that Christmas is over now and the New Year is here already. I'm sure everybody has the same feelings I do that it's time to get on with life and to not look back because the future awaits us. But I never had time to post on the wonderful Christmas that we had. So for my sake, and the sake of my family, bare with me as I go through Christmas photos and jot down a few highlights of this wonderful time.

First off..... Goody Making! I never had helpers in the kitchen really before. So to me this was a big deal that I just had to document. Jaren and Kelland were a big help and really enjoyed themselves. Brigham would have been a helper as well but he was taking a nap. (Thank heavens)

We made these little fun treats 3 times this year because they kept disappearing and it's such an easy thing to make that the kids insisted on it.

A great holiday memory!

Spotlight: Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2009-01-01T13:01:00.002-05:00

My dear, sweet Mothers birthday was the 21st of Dec. Probably the craziest week of the whole year. We were leaving for a Christmas trip that week and actually was travailing on her birthday. I thought that it would be ok to wait because I was sure to have a moment to do a fitting tribute for her. But without Internet there was not much I could do. So alas, I had to wait and I hope this didn't bring sadness or a "bummer" birthday. I was really hoping it would all work out for her sake. She deserves SO much more then I can give. She's had a rough year I think and I wish that I could be close to her and be there for her. She's always been there for me. There is nobody else in this would that can make me feel better so instantly. She gives the proper amount of sympathy needed to pick me up from the sorrow. Through the week I was talking to a few friends and family members who are expecting babies here in the near future and the question was asked who would they want to be there with them through this difficult and exhausting time? They all agreed that they wouldn't want their mothers to be there with them and I was shocked! I guess because that is the first person (besides my husband) that I would want there. It's because of how kind and supportive she is. And her mothering way of taking care of me. She always has been that way. Never nagging. Never harsh. Just a gentle and honest love. She never tells me what to do or how to to it. She just is there to support and agree with every decision I make. And if by some chance it is the wrong one she is there to encourage me and keep me positive to carry on. I know that she is my mother and she always will be but now she is even more. She is my friend. my confidant. I go to her for everything and anything. Evey mother, daughter should have this type of relationship. It is priceless to say the least. I am truly lucky! And I realize this now. I think I take my mother and our wonderful relationship for granted. It has been clear to me this past week that it isn't the same for everybody. And I am so grateful that I am fortunate enough to have it.

Thank you Mother! For being the person that I look up to. The person that I strive to be like on a daily bases. Thank you for creating a relationship that is irreplaceable. I love you so much and hope that you can forgive me for my tardiness. You truly are the best!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Life lessons taught by children

2008-12-17T12:12:00.012-05:00

Last week Don received his Christmas present. A 2005 silver Land Rover. And I, of course, got my present a month ago so we wanted to try them both out. We decided to take a little trip to one of our favorite places, Hot Springs AR. It was a perfect destination. An hour and 1/2 away and a beautiful place to take pictures. I had heard that they had trees lite up in the park so I was excited to try it out. The kids like going there because I think, to them, it's a fun place that we go as a family. There really isn't much for them to do there but walk around. But I wasn't concerned about them. They would find some fun. And lets face it...... This was about me and the photo shot I was imagining in my head.

After we parked the "new ride" and headed out to find something to eat it was clear to me that this wasn't going to be the night I envisioned. The boys were CRAZY! We even had a couple walking past us laugh sympathetically while giving us a good luck before exiting our lives forever. That is never a good sign. Nobody wanted to pose for pictures. And nobody wanted to listen. Don was getting frustrated with them and I was getting frustrated with my camera. I'm still trying to figure out low light or night photo taking. Don, I think, was convinced that I was doing it wrong and thought he would have a crack at it. but same results with even more frustration added. Well, I thought we just have to keep trying, but I think this was getting old for Don and he was starting to wrap it up so to speak. And I'm leaving pretty disappointed thinking, out of ALL the pictures I took I don't even have one that I am excited about. And it didn't fit the expectations for the evening events.

We left around 10:00 and I couldn't wait to see if I had at least one good picture that was worth all the yelling and crying and frustration for the night. What I saw when I pulled them out to edit was amazing to me. The night that I had remembered was not the night that I had captured. The running, the jumping, the playing around with each other. The laughing, the smiling. The happy children. And all I could think of was "Where was I?" When I looked back on the night I realized the yelling was from the parents. And the crying was because of the parents. And the frustration was not present on the faces of my kids. But on the faces of us, the parents. So who needs to learn a lesson? That's right, The parents! And even though I still never found that perfect picture, I will treasure these photos forever. Because their life is to short to always try to make it perfect. It's never perfect! And it NEVER WILL be perfect. So take this little life lesson taught by children and apply it to your life. And I promise, you will not regret it!

In this series all I wanted was to get a cute store front picture with them all smiling, of course. But they were having to much fun playing with there hats and just being silly to pay attention. This is were the couple passed us with their words of encouragement. AS IF WE NEED IT! RIGHT BOYS?!!!

OK, a bit of a warning: There are a lot of pictures. I just couldn't stop myself. I guess there were more pictures that I liked then I thought.

Go Figure!!!

I think I was saying "Please just stand still and look at the camera!" Just wasted effort. But look how happy they are. Me? Not so much.

Brotherly love. It melts my heart!

That would have been perfect if it wasn't blurry darn it.

This is were the Parents were being not so good Parents. And look how unhappy they are. Man, a picture never lies.

Boys are so funny. They see a big rock in front of them and they just have to climb. They all wanted too. And Brig especially. He never wants to be left out. Layton and Jaren made it up on there own and daddy helped the other two. Mommy was on the ground barking orders on where to sit and how to stand and really being nervous about the whole thing. Don acted like I was being silly but I was just sure something was going to happen. Boys will be boys. And apparently they don't grow out of it :)

I will be missing the blogger world for a few weeks. I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday. And I hope you remember to enjoy it. This is my motto for the new year. I don't want to be left out of the fun any longer. Life can be crazy but what's wrong with crazy. As long as nobody gets hurt and everybody is happy, I'm all for it. Crazy is the new sane. WOW! I like that!

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

Merry Christmas to me!!!

2008-12-11T13:44:00.030-05:00

I have a new best friend. She makes me so happy!!! My husband is a sweet wonderful man and he introduced us. He knew that I was looking for some one like this and he was so kind to help me find her. We met about a month ago. And I just can't stop thinking about her. We have been spending a lot of time together. And a lot of time with my kids. I love what she does for my kids. How she makes them smile and light up. I love the way we seem to be just perfect for each other. And that she understands me. She gets what I'm trying to do and makes it even better. I have to admit she is a bit hard to read and I really haven't totally figured her out yet but I think that's part of the excitement for me. I love the way she feels and how she fits in my hands perfectly. And the beautiful sound she makes is a rhythmic beat that excites my soul. CLICK, CLICK! CLICK, CLICK!

Meet Nikon.

Isn't she beautiful?! We do wonderful things together. The life that we capture is beautiful and fun and I'm addicted. These are some of my favorite times that we have spent together.

And this is just the beginning!!!

Turkey Bowl

2008-12-03T11:57:00.008-05:00

It was held the morning of Thanksgiving and this was actually Dons first time going since he has always been gone. Layton also got to go and he was very excited. I got a babysitter for the other boys and went to cheer them on and, Well who am I kidding, I went there to try out my brand NEW camera(more on that later). It was fun to see them play. Even though they really didn't have that much fun during the game, (Both of them never got the ball. It got too competitive with some players and it ruined it for everyone else) They still found time to enjoy each other and the game they both love. I got some great pictures of the two of them. I love the smiles on both their faces. Father/son time is so important. I'm glad they will always have football to bond over. Notice their OSU attire. You can't guess who our favorite team is can you? Oh, I love my Buckeyes!! Especially these two!!!

GO BUCKS!!!

Spotlight: Happy birthday Mandy!

2008-11-25T09:56:00.003-05:00

I know that I've said this before but I really believe it! I truly had the best childhood ever!! My parents were great to us and tried hard to provide well and teach us right from wrong. They also taught us the importance of family. And showed us how to love one another. I have a younger brother who is serving a mission right now in Pennsylvania. (I am so proud of him) And I have 3 wonderful sisters. Growing up playing with them was magical. All the wonderful memories. Yesterday was my sister Mandy's Birthday. She is the third child. Right smack dab in the middle. That's right the "middle child". She handled it well though. Her real name is Amanda but we call her Mandy. I always thought her two names fit her so well. Because Amanda fit her responsible, independent, sophisticated side. She always seemed older then she really was. And people, I'm sure, would say it was because she had older sisters but I just think it was her. I think she was the first one to ever get a bank account at a young age and was happy to work for it. I was always impressed with that. And Mandy fit her fun, caring, easy going side. We always have so much fun when we are together. Even now. We could stay up all night eating, doing hair, playing games and laughing so hard, our sides would hurt by morning. She knows how to tell a good story and she always has one. She knows how to relate with everyone. And make them feel important and like a dear friend. Her best quality by far. She will do anything to help out and knows the exact amount of sympathy needed to comfort. ( I honestly think we can all do this well and I think we get it from mom! Love you Mom!) She is a protector. We have this in common. I remember when she was younger the bus driver that we had was being extremely mean to her and picking on her, making her cry. I remember letting that bus driver have it and ranting and raving about it to our mom. (I still get mad about that! Funny!) And just recently she was willing to pick a fight with someone who had been rude to me. That meant a lot. I know I could count on her for anything. She is beautiful! She is inspiring! And I long to be around her. I love you Sis!

I miss you Mandy!! I hope you have had a wonderful Birthday. You deserve it!

Happy Birthday!

2008-11-18T14:32:00.008-05:00

I have to say I'm a little worried that I may have over did it with my last post. I have been frustrated with my 2 yr old lately and that may have come across a little to much through my words. I have received some anonymous comments that, dare I say, hurt me to think that they didn't get fully what I was trying to say about my sweet lil' Briggy. The first anonymous comment I deleted thinking that it would make me feel better. Unfortunately, it didn't. The comment was that I obviously am not beating him hard enough. And If they didn't have kids already this would have made them want to be sterile. I'm Paraphrasing. To this person who wants to remain anonymous, It is apparent to me that you don't know Brigham. Because If you did you would know how sweet and fun and adorable he is. When I was pregnant with him I became depressed knowing that I was pregnant and that it was, once again, a boy. I felt guilty for feeling this way but not enough to pull me out of it. It wasn't until he was born that I was taught the lesson the Lord wanted me to learn. He was born full of life. So happy and ready for anything and everything. Always smiling always giggling. Snuggling. Just happy and full of joy to be here. He hasn't changed. He still is full of life, Running like he's going to miss something. He is so happy to just discover and try everything that is in his path. He is so spirited. His personality is intoxicating. You just want to be around him and watch him be imaginative and watch him interact with people and things around him. He's so smart and he makes me laugh everyday. Even if he wasn't all these things I would think that he was cute enough because he is MY son. MY child. And all the messes in the world will never change that.

On to the next comment. Disciplining children isn't an easy thing and I think most parents can agree with that. Every child is different. Which means the way you discipline each child will be different. How I disciplined my other children when they got to this phase (and it is a phase) isn't necessarily the right thing for Brigham. But we will figure this out. It already has gotten better. But,It doesn't happen over night. And sometimes the hardest parts are just getting through it. I don't need Nanny 911 because I am VERY confident in myself and my parenting that I can handle it and get this under control. I don't have unruly children. They aren't bad seeds. They're not perfect but they are kids. It would be unfair to expect them to be. That's why I have to keep at it. And do the best I can. They are extremely Loved. And part of being a loving parent requires the discipline. I know this and do it on a daily bases. I will do whatever it takes to help my children be the best that they can be. And help them to become successful, loving parents of their own someday. The best examples of great parenting to me are my own parents. I was truly blessed to have a wonderful childhood. It wasn't because I was perfect. Or even because they were perfect, because they weren't. It was because I knew they cared and they showed that through love. Sometimes tough love. But love none the less. So I know how to deal with this. And then it will all be a distant memory. One that will make me laugh when I think about it or look at the pictures. There will be a day I will miss it. I already miss these days with my older ones. I wish I would have been better at expressing my feelings and keeping a journal to help me remember their little phases through this time.. It all goes by so fast.

At first I was really hurt by the comments. But now I'm gonna have to say I'm over it. This experience helped me to stop feeling sorry for myself. And realize what I already knew about this sweet boy. That I've just been blinded by the frustrations of life with THIS certain 2 yr old. But that I need to look at it more as a growing experience for the both of us. And in the end we would have become even closer.

Having said all that. I want to remind people that words do hurt. I blog because it is therapeutic for me. And to connect with friends and family. But reading mean things on my Blog is not fun obviously. And ruins it for me. I've noticed that this unkindness seems to be happening more and more ofen out there as I do the blog surfing thing. And I am really disappointed. We all seem to be adults and yet this act of rudeness is pretty immature if you ask me. Even my kids in elementary school are taught to follow the golden rule of: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Not a hard concept people. Didn't your mothers ever teach you; IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL Come on, Let's kept it friendly and fun.

BAD BRIGGY!

2008-11-13T23:22:00.012-05:00

I don't know if you've noticed lately but I haven't been posting as often as I used to. There is an explanation for this. I have been preoccupied, you might say, with a certain 2 yr old that demands ALL of my attention. And if I don't give into his demands, I pay for it dearly. I know what your thinking. "It couldn't be that bad. Just look at that sweet little face and curly head charm." I know! I know! I fall for it too. Still don't believe me? Well, lucky for me I have proof. I do have to warn you that if your not already, you may want to sit down for this. I know I have to.

So most of the time when I go to do things on the computer, or finishing up a jewelry project, or take a shower, or in the other room cleaning up, or making dinner, or talking on the phone, or....., well you get the idea. When I'm not devoting all my time to him this is what I find.

Or this..................

OH, WAIT! There's more.

Also this................

Notice all the smiles in the pictures! Oh, that little stinker!

The photos do NOT give this mess justice. It took me over an hour to clean this mess up. I had to dump out the Lego's on to the floor and remove each small, little, "stupid" Lego out of the Grape Nuts cereal one at a time. Very annoying to say the least.

And on a daily bases you will see this...........

IT'S A GOOD THING HE'S SOOO CUTE!

YEP! A VERY GOOD THING!!!

NOTE: Sacrifices were made in the making of this post.

He will stop at nothing!

Pray for me! It's his only hope.

I wish my decision was that easy!

2008-11-05T10:15:00.005-05:00

For about a month now, Layton has been coming home and talking a lot about the upcoming election and asking a lot of questions about the candidates. At their school they have been teaching them about the issues and the importance of voting. On election day, Nov. 4Th, the school held their own election. They set up the music room with different booths and ballots. They had red, white and blue balloons everywhere for decoration. each class would take their turn through out the day to go and cast their vote. And at the end of the day they would announce who THEY elected to be the next president.

When I went to pick them up Layton couldn't wait to tell me which one Northside voted for president. OK so this is our conversation in the car on the way home....................

Layton: Ok, you know that I voted for Obama, Right?

Mom: Yes, did he win?

Layton: No! John McCain did!

Mom: Really!! (that surprised me.)

Jaren: Yea, I voted for John McCain!

Layton: WHAT! WHY?

Mom: Hey Layton, he can vote for whoever he wants. It's his right.

Jaren:Yea, Layton. Leave me alone!

A pretty big pause and I was wondering why he voted for John McCain. And quietly (so Layton wouldn't hear) I asked Jaren..........

Mom: So why did you vote for McCain?

Jaren: Oh, because his first name starts with a J just like mine and his last name reminds me of candy. You know like candy cane?

Mom: (with a big smile on my face) Oh, yea, that makes sense. Good for you buddy!

Jaren: Thanks!

I am grateful that he made a vote based on those things. I shouldn't expect anything less from a 6 year old. I'm glad that he was taught the importance of voting but I just want him to be a kid and live a happy, unconfused life.

I had a really hard time this election. Even some tears of frustration were shed on which of the lesser evils to choose from. Now that I know who won, it hasn't brought me any comfort and I am still scared for the future. But I would have had just as many fears if John McCain was put in office. I was prayerful. And I didn't feel like I got a feeling either way. I'm not sure what that means but it is what it is. And a new beginning is upon us whether we like it or not. I love this country. I am proud to be an American. My heart over flows with pride.

IN GOD WE TRUST!

And that is what we all need to do right now.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-10-31T13:11:00.009-04:00

BOO AT THE ZOO

What should we do for family night? Oh I don't know, How about go to an overly price NIGHT OF TERROR!! The kids will love it!

So here's the deal. The Little Rock Zoo puts on a carnival every year around Halloween. It cost $5 dollars a person to get in and that will get you a strip of 9 tickets. They have little booths set up through out the park with people handing out candy. Each ticket gets you 2 pieces of candy. There are carnival rides all over the place but you have to purchase other tickets for those rides.Of course against our children's request we did NOT purchase these tickets. To expensive for a family of 6 And just not worth it. Needless to say we were not prepared for our wallets to be cleaned out that night. They had food but again not included in the admission. There were a few haunted houses that you could pay cash for. $1 to $5 depending on how spooked you wanted to get. And we did pay $5 dollars for all the boys and Daddy to go through the lamest haunted house / maze. Jaren loved it though. He pretended he was a real trooper saving the world. I know what your thinking, At least there were animals to see. WRONG!!! No Animals! Not even scary ones that you might see out around Halloween. Nothing!! To top the whole evening off it was the coldest night we have had so far this fall. In the 40's with a strong wind. Pretty cold! And Don didn't even want to go but I convinced him it would be fun. Oops! My bad! Sorry Don! Now that I painted this horrible picture of the night let me tell you why I actually had a good time.

BECAUSE OF THESE KIDS!

They had so much fun. Brigham couldn't get enough of everything. He was in wide-eyed wonderment with every light, every sound, every scary thing he saw the whole night long. Jaren was excited to see other storm troopers and star wars characters. There were lots of them. He actually went up to one kid who was about his age and said. "Hi, My name is commander Rex and you are my storm trooper." It was endearing because of how innocent it was and comical for how serious he was. He's so funny! Layton liked all the spooky stuff and at one point was begging for a chance to go into a scary haunted...uhh...tent. (Not really a house) And kelland enjoyed.....Well, kelland enjoys everything. So he was just happy to be there. We did just really have a good time as a family and for as cold as it was and lack of funds for the night there really wasn't a lot of complaining. Now that is a miracle all in itself. Despite all this I can pretty much grantee that we will NOT be going back next year. Once is enough for us. We wouldn't want to ruin a good thing now would we?

Another season of FOOTBALL!!!!!

2008-10-30T10:57:00.003-04:00

So It has begun again. Flag football. This season they are the Browns. Layton was not very happy about that because he really doesn't care for the NFL team. But I was excited because I like the colors better. Hee Hee!

This was the first game and it was hot that day. Layton was playing very well and they beat the other team pretty bad. Of coarse I forget the score but it was bad.

I brought lots of water that day because it was hot and the kids went through all of them before half time. This was a sweet moment between brothers and I couldn't help but document it.

I'll keep you updated on the success of the Browns. It should be a great season.

Ear Surgery Again?!

2008-10-30T00:39:00.007-04:00

Poor sweet Kelland. He has had so many problems with his ears. He has had 2 sets of tubes already and his adenoids out. But he still had ear infections. This time they put permanent T-tubes in. These wont come out until they are taken out And that wont be for at least 3 years. Which, by that time, we hope he can be over this stage of his life.

We had his hearing checked because he wouldn't listen very well. For about a year he had significant hearing loss in one ear because it was blocked. He has never had good balance and because of that he is very clumsy and he runs funny. I hope that this will help him and he can start to run normal. He is starting school and kids can be cruel. (Yes his run is that bad)

I could tell when we got there that he remembered. He was walking like he was going to his doom. Head down, dragging his feet and sighing every once in a while. I felt so bad for him. I have to say he did great though. Very brave. He took his goofy juice like a man, which was a big deal because the last 2 times he would spit it out everywhere. Also, after the goofy juice started working and they were ready to take him I would walk half way with him in my arms and they would have to pull him away from me with that confused, groggy look on his face. This time he just hopped into his bed and they wheeled him away. He barely seemed to care that I was still there. I actually missed him clinging to me. It made me realize he is growing up. And I miss him.

Waiting for all the doctors to come in can be pretty boring. But we made up for it. Oh the fun you can have when you have a camera. (he always likes to play like he is asleep for the camera. I know, I don't get it either but it sure is funny)

He had the camera for a while. This was the only picture that made sense. I sat there and posed several times but he wouldn't take the picture unless I was waving. Funny huh?

I took this picture because he was starting to act real funny. And you could just see on his face that the goofy juice, as they put it, was taking effect.

So into bed he went.

And off to dream world. Sweet dreams my sweet baby................ Oh they grow up so fast.

Just to prove it here was is first ear surgery. He wasn't quite 2 yet I don't think. But really in the space of 3 years he has changed this much. That is mind-boggling! Don't you think? (Isn't he so cute and precious! I could just eat him up he was so cute!) Also, just on a side note........ This was taken before he started getting treatments for his Immune deficiency. Look how pale he was. I knew then that my 3 boys were pale and that this was the cause of it but to see how different he is now is kind of amazing. I just found that interesting. (See Natalie and Tiffany it does help)

I put these two pictures in because it goes to show that some things don't change. Just funny that I got the same picture without knowing it.

What a cutie! He recovered very well and I am happy to say that we are already seeing improvements in his balance and hearing. Thank goodness! Hopefully we wont have to worry about it for a long time.

I am Grateful for music!

2008-10-14T13:08:00.010-04:00

I don't know if you have noticed my list to the right of all the things I'm grateful for. Well I just added another.....Music. What would life be without music. Everybody enjoys it. I know people who always have a tune in their heads and I've gone to school with people who dreamed of being on Broadway and would sing their way through life. Even my husband, as he drifts of to sleep, starts tapping his foot and moving his fingers to the silent beat in his head. (always makes me laugh, that's a musician for you) I was never one of these people but music is still something I don't want to live without. I love the little things in life and music seems to be part of those little things sometimes. Like when your really having a bad day and all of the sudden you hear an up beat song and it puts a smile on your face and you just have to move and dance. Like this song for me..... SUDDENLY I SEE, from KT Tunstall.

Or songs that empower you. Like DARE YOU TO MOVE from Switchfoot.

Switchfoot has a lot of songs like this but I manly like them because Don likes them and we have been listening to them for years. We've gone to a few of their concerts and the songs hold a lot of different memories. Another thing I love about music. Everywhere we've lived we have music to go with it. On road trips we like to pull out our CD collection and reminisce about all the songs and where we lived when it first came out. Don and I have known each other close to 20 years now so we have quite a collection. This is one of my favorite things to do.We also like to watch TV together. One of our favorites is Scrubs on NBC now (I think) Anyway this song HOW TO SAVE A LIFE from the Frey is on one of our favorite episodes. And when I hear it, it will always remind me of my husband and the fun we have being together watching simple TV. Oh how I miss this when he's gone. That feeling I don't ever want to forget. Also music that I hear when I was growing up like the whole JELLYFISH album. So many memories with cousins and family road trips. Thank you Natalie for finding them again.

When a song comes along that fits your life perfectly in that moment, It's magic. This happened to me a while back when I attended Time out for Woman. Michael McLean sang a song called Lullaby for me. The song to me was very moving. It was a long summer without my husband and every word he sang rang true and I couldn't stop crying. It explained my feelings so well. May be you have felt this way before.

This hasn't been a day that I would call my best.

I'd give myself a failing grade if this had been a test

I did not comfort you when you were all alone

I was to busy crying through some problems of my own

Today I have not been the Mom you needed me to be

And tonight I wish that you could sing a lullaby for me

I'm glad that you can sleep. I wish that I could too

I'm sorry that today I wasn't really there for you

I must have slipped away to some far distant land

Where I'm the child who cries until her mother takes her hand

Tomorrow I'll reclaim my proper place

I'll tuck you in and gently kiss your face

I'll do the things a mom's supposed to do

And I'll know what those things should be

Cause now I need them too

This hasn't been a day that I want to repeat

I'm sorry I could only say I'm sorry while you sleep

Today I have not been the mom you needed me to be

And tonight I wish that you could sing

A lullaby for me

Tonight I need someone to sing

A lullaby for me

And then he started playing the hymn

("Oh Savior stay this night with me, behold tis eventide")

And even now I get teary eyed because it felt so real to me. I left there feeling understood and loved. Yes, I had my days where I wasn't exactly the Mom they needed. But it was ok. I'm not alone in this feeling. What a wonderful blessing to have this song to remind me of this. I'm so grateful.

This song LUCKY from Jason Mraz was another that truly hit home for me. And I played it over and over again singing my heart out with mixed emotions of love and heart ache. I'm so lucky to be in love with my best friend but I missed him because he was across the ocean like the song says. And it has become our NEW song. Every word fit the situation. And I love it when that happens.

COME HOME By One Republic was a hard one to get through. Just after he left I went to a One Republic concert with a good friend of mine and he started this song with an explanation that he wrote this for a friend who's other half is in the desert fighting in this crazy war. And when he started to sing he was singing just to me. And it took everything i had not to loose it right there. I would later play it over and over singing (more like pleading) the chorus "come home Come home." I know it sounds so sad but it did bring me comfort. And Church music always brings me comfort. And it calms me more then any other kind of music can. Sometimes when I'm rushing here and there and the kids are fighting and whining I turn my church music on and it calms me. And I am sane again. The power of music has entered my life, yet again. And it consumes me. I hope you enjoy my play list. There are some really good tunes in there. Some you could truly be grateful for. I know I am.

Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I take your order?

2008-10-05T23:47:00.006-04:00

My sister Natalie challenged all her readers a while back to post one of their embarrassing moments. And I meant to get to it but other things kept coming up and really, I forgot about it. She was even nice enough to create a very well illustrated drawing of that wonderful moment in my life. And I found it yesterday as I was cleaning out my email. So here we go...... Thank you Natalie for pushing me to humiliate myself. I can always count on you.

After giving my sister a hard time I have to admit that this really isn't that bad. It was more funny then embarrassing. But my face still turned a nice shade of pink, non the less. It was one of my very first jobs and I was working at Pizza Hut calling services. You know, "Will this be pick up or delivery?" It was just this big open room with rows of tables with computers and phones.Well it was Friday night, our busiest night, and I was getting tired. I answered the phone with "Thank you for calling Pizza Butt! OH I MEAN..." immediately I heard the guy on the other line burst out laughing. Also the person next to me started laughing and I was so flustered I just hung up on the guy. The person next to me was a friend (thank goodness) and we just laughed about it. I didn't live that down for a long time after. You would think that they would have heard somebody do that before. But they assured me no one had. Whatever! I was a legend in the eyes of my coworkers, or so I told myself. When I got home to tell my family, everybody enjoyed it. Again it was really just funny. A mistake any one of us would make.........Right? Anyway,That was one of many embarrassing moments. If you feel so inclined to do so, Post one of your embarrassing moments for all of us to enjoy. It's fun. And everybody always likes a good laugh. Maybe you're as talented as my sister and can create an image to illustrate to help visualize the moment better. Thanks again Nat. I hope you enjoyed it!

calico Give away!

2008-09-30T15:54:00.003-04:00

These little monsters are exactly what your kids need or just what you need to help get into the Halloween season. Cally of calico is a good freind of mine and I remember her doing this sort of thing when we were younger. Who knew it would become more then just a fun hobby. She is extremely talented and I am so proud of her for expanding this wonderful gift she obviously has. So check her out and leave a comment. You wont be sorry!

I have a 9 year old! Yikes!

2008-09-29T01:32:00.008-04:00

Happy Birthday Layton!

My oldest son turned 9 on Saturday and I really can't believe that time has gone by so fast. There is only a year left before he gets into the double digits in his age and I'm sad to see these years go. He has always acted older then he really is. Even as a 2 yr old he was getting in trouble for saying things to people he didn't understand. But because he acted like a child who would know better he was misunderstood a lot. Unfortunately, this hasn't changed much. His mouth is still running faster then his maturity level. I'm sure he'll grow out of it eventually but not without some hard life lessons I'm sure. Because of this though I think I feel him slipping away into independency quicker then I had anticipated. I am truly proud of the way he has grown. It isn't easy for either of us, but well worth it when I see the man that he can become.

For his Birthday he wanted to keep it simple. A sleepover with 10 kids. Simple right? Luckily only 3 of the 10 could spend the night. Everybody else left around 11:00. And all I want to say to that is Hallelujah! It made my night a bit easier. I think he had a good time. The party started at 6:00 and didn't stop moving until 2:00 in the morning. In between pizza, opening presents, singing and blowing out candles, the kids played our new Wii and the X-box. A boys heaven! And if those were taken then we also had a play station set up. After awhile I took the boys out to play ghost in the grave yard and other silly night games. It was fun to see them run around hiding and seeking like I did when I was that age. It brought back some fun memories. I hope he will have the same wonderful memories of his childhood like I do mine. Then I'll know I did something right. Here are some pictures of his party. There were so many boys in my house We could barely walk around. And there was a lot of rough housing that we definitely did not have room for. I told Don we need a bigger house for next time because this party (in Layton's mind) was a bit on the small side. Go figure!

They were SCREAMING the happy birthday song in the most annoying way only ten 8-9 year old boys can. Note to self: We will be skipping this part next time!

Now for my favorite part of the night! This truly was a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday my sweet Layton! I wont let another year go by without making sure you know how much I love you on a daily bases. This is my promise to you! I love you sweet pea! ......... MOM! Don't call me that!...... Why?.......... Because I'm 9 now and that is what you called me when I was a baby. It's embarrassing........... Can I call you that for just one more year ? PLEASE?........ NO MOM! You call Brigham that and I am to much of a Man for that........... OH REALLY! OK, I get it, I get it! No more sweet peas. How 'bout "My Little Man"? Hee Hee......... MOM Seriously!

Granny, I love you!

2008-09-17T01:10:00.002-04:00

Boy, It's been a long time since I've blogged. I have to say I miss it. Life after a deployment is not always easy. A lot of adjusting going on whether we like it or not. And just when we were getting things back to normal wouldn't you know our lives got flipped upside down again. I received a phone call from my mother explaining that my grandmother (Granny) went in to surgery, had a massive stroke, and wasn't going to survive. I haven't seen my Granny in over 2 years and all I kept thinking was "NO! not yet!" I wanted to see her one more time. Get that final hug that could never be mistaken. Losing a close family member is something I haven't had to do yet. Everybody has their time I know but it has taken me awhile to write this post. It seemed more final writing it down like this I guess. And I didn't want to face all the emotions that come with it. We immediately had to change our planes for the funeral. I was so grateful that Don could be there with me along with the kids. I knew she was happy to see all of us there. Along with my family, my sisters were there and my brother. My aunt and uncle from Utah and two of their kids and my other aunt and her family and uncle and his children who live there. It was a beautiful funeral, If there is such a thing, and we actually all had a wonderful time just getting to know one another again. I know that is exactly what she was wanting for a long time. A family reunion. And she got us there.......But we missed her, In the kitchen, making every southern dish you can think of from scratch. The kitchen was here domain. She knew it like the back of her hand. In fact in the last couple of years she had become pretty blind I was told but you never would have guessed it as she moved about making this and that for family and friends. As I was looking through the cupboards for some jam for the kids I found a whole stash of plum jelly that she had made 2 weeks before. I wanted to take one with me and savor it, never letting her memory fade. My grandpa Evan (Pa) was so strong. I wasn't expecting that but I should have known that he would be that way. That's how she would have expected him to be. My Pa told me that after he came home from the hospital and started off to bed he went in to his bedroom and saw the bed all done up and made just right. It was then he knew that she knew she was not coming back. And he almost didn't want to pull down the sheets. I wouldn't have, I know I'm not as strong. She was in a lot of pain and despite everybody asking her not to get this very risky surgery, she decided she just couldn't live that way anymore. And for that reason alone I am grateful that she is where she is, happy and safe from any pain. For my mother and her two sisters I decided to make bracelets that were all the same. I also made one for their mother to ware for all eternity. I was hoping this would help in the healing process for them. But it turned out that it was for me as well. I got to place the bracelet that I made for her on her. I was a little leery at first. I think any funeral is hard that way. But it became very personal and I knew she loved it. Oh, I miss her! She was good to us all and now she is just getting everything ready for when it's our turn to pass through the Vail. She's just like that. That's what I like to picture any way. I cant wait to see her again and receive the hug I'm aching for. I miss you Granny.

This is my mom and her dad, my Pa.

Me, Sister Tiffany, my Mom Faye, Sister Mandy, and Sister Natalie.

My Uncle Harold and his kids: Alisha, Timmy and his wife Leandra.

Cousin Alisha, her mom Aunt Brenda, My wonderful Pa, Sister Mandy and her son Tyson. My mom, My awesome aunt Linda, My sweet, sweet aunt Margret. Sister Tiffany, cousin Cami, daughter to Aunt Linda, Cousin Lindsey,daughter to aunt Margret. That's not the whole crew but you get the point.

The love of my life has returned!!!

2008-08-30T02:43:00.028-04:00

Yes! The day has finally come!! The day we are reunited. We were all so excited for this day and I didn't want to miss anything. So I asked my dear friend Megan if she would come and take pictures for me. She was so willing to help. She even rearranged some things in her life so she could be there for me. And what I got from her generosity was nothing less then priceless. I was just looking for a few pictures for documenting the occasion. But what it turned out to be was a story of our lives in that moment. You can see every emotion. The waiting, the anticipation, the excitement, the joy and the love. All of this in these photos. It is such a blessing for us have these. I can always look back on them and remember that it was difficult but very rewarding. Everybody hates deployments but the best part of it is the homecoming. I hope you enjoy these beautiful photos. And be prepared there are a lot of them. I couldn't just pick a few when so many help tell the story of that wonderful moment. Thanks again Megan! I owe you one!!!

Chapter 1: The wait!

We arrived a half hour earlier then they said to just to be safe. But the plane was about 45 min. late. So the wait time was long and hot. There was a nice breeze but only occasionally. Thank goodness for shade.

Kelland had a hard time waking up from his nap. This kid can sleep. I picked him up from school in the middle of his nap and he slept in the car on the way there, in the stroller as we waited and I still had to wake him up. The kid needs his sleep I guess.I LOVE this picture. I don't get to see this everyday. In fact I don't think I've ever seen them do this. I remember laying in my sisters lap like this as a child but I guess because they are boys they show affection and kindness in other, mostly aggressive ways. I'm so glad I captured it.

Chapter 2: The plane has landed!

Wake up Kelland!! Daddy's plane is coming!Brigham says "Daddy plane Mom!!""Daddy! Daddy!"He actually got down from my arms and ran towards the plane. I had to chase after him and he wasn't happy about it. Pretty confusing for a little one with no Patience.

Chapter 3: The Anticipation

We had to wait for customs to go in and check everything before they gave us the "go ahead" to start walking down towards the plane. So more waiting. And as they started stepping off the plane, it was person after person and they all started to look the same.

In this picture you can just see how anxious they are looking for their father.

And then out of nowhere he pops out of the crowd with a huge smile on his face. Oh! how I missed seeing that face!

Chapter 4: Reunited!

Layton and Jaren saw him first and ran to him for his embrace. He didn't even have time to put his stuff down. When Don saw this picture He cried. He missed them so much."DADDY!""Is it really you?""It is you!"Finally my turn. How I longed for this moment.

Chapter 5: updating Daddy

"Look! Daddy plane"Jaren seemed to have more to say then usual. He was very excited!And Layton being funny and updating him on all his football glories.Jaren showing his dad his wiggly front teeth.One more longing embrace.Chapter 6: Ready to go home!

Let's go home Daddy!Thank you Megan!

Epilogue

What a magical day! As Megan was taking pictures of us she happened to capture another reunion. I thought this was to sweet not to post! That little boy is so precious with his eager run towards his dad. This day was filled with moments like this. Later when we were waiting for the luggage to arrive I witnessed an Airman pick up his loved one and swing her around in a bear hug. I saw a father throwing his child up in the air with joy on his face and the boys laughter filling the air. And I watched as one more kiss just wasn't enough before leaving to grab his bags. I loved being there and seeing all the happy faces around me. It was truly magical..........A moment I'll never forget.

First day of school

2008-08-22T12:52:00.006-04:00

It wasn't the smoothest of mornings. The kids woke up fine but they were just really slow. And poor Kelland! His first morning was a rough one. It all started the night before. He was so excited he couldn't sleep and went to bed very late. The next morning he was happy and excited, then something like his brother standing in his way and it would set him off to grumpy ville. I have them get in the shower in the morning to help wake them up and on his way into the shower his hand slipped from the side of the bathtub and he caught himself with his face. All I could think of was "Are you kidding me?! Leave it to Kelland to get hurt in a time crunch." He decided he didn't want a shower after that. We finally made it in the car and off to school. and as I was looking for a parking spot Kelland announced to me that he had pooped. Yeah, you read right..... POOPED!! I didn't believe him at first because this isn't like him at all to have accidents, but he insisted that we go home and change. So for his first day of school he was 20 min late. When we did finally get there he really seemed to get in the spirit of things and was very excited!

When I went to pick them up at the end of the day he got in the car and told me "That was AWESOME!!!" He loved it. It's Just Pre-kindergarten but here in Arkansas it's all day everyday so I treat it like the first day of school. The other boys were happy with their first days as well. Layton talking about a cute girl in his class and Jaren worried because he didn't really make any friends yet. But he will and I predict that this will be a great and successful school year.

Date Night!!!

2008-08-21T20:12:00.007-04:00

Kelland asked me on a date and I just couldn't refuse. His gorgeous blue eyes and charming little smile stole my heart away. What can I say, I'm in love. He wanted to play video games. So we went to a place called FUNtastics here in town. It's a lot like chuck E Cheese. Instead of tokens though, they have the card system instead. I put 5 dollars on the card which was plenty for the both of us. His favorite game was the snow mobile. The seat is shaped like a real snow mobile. When the game starts it blows wind in your face like your really moving. And the seat vibrates and stuff like that. we played that one over and over again. After our money was gone we turned in all the tickets he won and got a toy. He really enjoyed that. we were really hungry at this point so it was off to the Dixie Cafe for dinner. This is where I had the most fun. Because this is where I got to see Kelland for who he really is and not just as my 3rd child. I knew he was imaginative. but what I didn't know was how creative he was. I had brought my camera and was taking pictures of the both of us. Then after we did that a couple of times he said to me "OK Mom, now lets pretend we are asleep. Now take a picture of me with a funny face. My turn to take a picture of you with a funny face." And he didn't like the face I was making so he posed me the way he wanted me and then said "ok Mom, don't move. It was so fun to see him get creative with me. We also played ACTION-FINGERS. It's where you turn your hand into a mini person who goes around saving the world. The ACTION-FINGERS would air surf with the french frys avoiding the ketchup lava. It was fun. He's very sweet and was hugging me and giving me kisses all night long. I normally don't go that far on a first date but I couldn't help it, He's got me mesmerised by his boyish charm. We had so much fun, and I can't wait for him to ask me out again!!

Happy Birthday Brigham!!!

2008-08-09T23:24:00.010-04:00

It's a sad day for me today. If you know me, you know that I hang on to the "baby stage" for as long as possible. It's not until 2 yrs old hits that I truly believe they are growing up. So today is a day for letting go. But first, a few pictures of the past 2 years.

Brigham has always been a happy baby. Very enthusiastic about trying everything life has to offer. He is bright, demanding, knows what he wants and usually gets it. He is also kind, loving, affectionate and very charming. I was so blessed to have him come when he did. His pregnancy was a difficult one for me. I had hit a depression that was hard to shake. He came along and cleared my gray sky's into a bright sunny yellow. And it has been that way ever since. Age two is posing some new challenges that I am already seeing. Time out has been introduced already, however isn't understood completely and sometimes turns into a game. Very annoying. Toddler years are hard for everybody. I just got to remember that.

Today started with a birthday breakfast. His favorite......yogurt. Then a little play time, Nap time and off to start the celebration. For the kids birthdays we always go to Toys R Us for them to buy a present that they pick out. Brigham is to young for this concept so he didn't understand we were there for him.

He was jetting back and forth through the aisles so quickly it was hard for me to take pictures. He wasn't interested in the camera at all. Not like he normally is. We also went to Chick-fil-a for dinner.

Which was interesting to say the least!
Then it was back home for a few more presents and cake. The cake was adorable! A friend volunteered to make it for me. And I think it was appropriate for Brig because he loves anything with wheels.

The day finally ended with Brigham playing with the toy he picked out. I must say it is perfect for him. He loves cars and playing in them. And now he has his very own to play in. Which is great because sometimes I find him out in the garage playing in the van. Not the safest thing to be doing and not to mention the whole dead battery incident a few months ago. Hopefully this will solve that problem.

I love this big boy. He has brought such joy to my life. I hope he had a wonderful day. And here's to the next chapter in the book of life........ toddler hood!!

Scorpions, and Spiders, and Ticks, OH MY!

2008-08-06T16:53:00.011-04:00

Arkansas is an amazing place! I'm sure in more ways then one but what I am talking about isn't a good thing. At least not in my eyes. I've never been fond of bugs. And we have lived in a lot of places and have seen our fair share. But nothing can compare to Arkansas. I know, you wouldn't have ever guessed it but it's true. Arkansas has every bug known to man. Even desert creatures that you thought would never be here. We have encountered a few things in our home and even more outside. Like the usual........ ants, they seem to always attack the bare feet and ankles (ouch!!), spiders most of them are harmless but we do have the black widow and the brown Regulus which we have see on occasion. Miskito, ticks (which make my skin crawl), and chiggers (which are just a miserable thing to have). Now the things you wouldn't expect to be here......Scorpions, we found 2 in our house already, and even tarantulas!!!

There was one just crossing our driveway and going into our front yard when Layton screamed at us to come out and see the tarantula. Of course Don and I were both thinking he must be mistaking. But when we got out there, sure enough there it was. And I've lived in Arizona before and never saw one. This was amazing to us so we just had to take pictures. The locals say that the tarantulas are really calm and wont hurt anyone. Unlike the scorpions. Very mean.
We also get weird reptiles here. Like snakes, but they seem to stay on the out skirts of our yard. We do have a constant stream of turtle and frog visitors in our back yard. And a steady flow of geckos hiding out in the front yard near our house. One time I found a pretty large lizard in the garage one day and I was terrified of it. I told the kids to not go out there and I would just leave the garage door open and hopefully he would leave on his own. It took him two days to finally leave. He was scary looking with different colors running down his tail. Something you would see in the tropics maybe. I told my husband about it and friends trying to see if anyone knew what it was. Nobody seemed to know and I don't think my husband believed me. But the other day Kelland came to me and said that there was something in his room and he couldn't catch it. When I looked it was a gecko that was not willing to surrender itself. We lost him quickly and I just figured he escaped out of the house or we would see him soon. Life went on and I forgot about our little visitor. UNTIL 3 DAYS LATER!!!! I found him hanging on my curtains in my bedroom.I screamed for Layton to come and get him.(having boys comes in handy sometimes) But that was after I took a picture (I just couldn't resist).I didn't notice until I looked at the picture later that he had a blue tail reminding me of the big lizard that I saw in the garage. I about died realizing this could have been the same thing. Crazy!!! I don't know what is up with this place but I really feel like it could just get up and crawl away. Creepy! Have I got you feeling itchy yet?

Best Date I've Had In 3 Months!!

2008-07-30T10:27:00.005-04:00

One of the things I try to do while Don is gone is to have one on one time with my boys. This time it was Layton's turn. They get so excited to take mommy on a date. I tell them they get to pick out where we go and what we are going to do. They get to do everything but drive. Oh, and pay for it unfortunately. Layton decided to take me to the pet store. He knew they had a really big snake there. We enjoyed looking at all the critters, a few creepy things and lots of fish. They even had some puppies to see but they couldn't play. They were sleeping. After we spent almost an hour there he wanted to take me to an early dinner. His favorite type of food is breakfast food so I was not surprised when he picked Waffle House......... Yeppie.

Most of our conversation was about the cars that were going by. He loved his meal of ham and cheese omelet with toast. And I didn't like my meal of a grilled chicken sandwich on texas toast. Would not recommend. That's what I get for not ordering a waffle. It was fun just to be with him. He is growing up to fast. Faster then he needs to be in fact and I don't want to miss it. I hope he remembers this when being seen with me is so uncool. He has already started that. He was getting all embarrassed when we were in the restaurant and I was referring to it as a date. He would look around and say"Mom stop saying it like that." I guess this is the beginning of all that. All well, I still have 3 more.

Kelland just asked me out on a date. I said yes and we will be going out real soon. It's nice to be so popular!

TAG YOUR IT! Thanks Casey!

2008-07-24T02:05:00.007-04:00

I got tagged. 50 things.
Ok I just want everybody to know that these are probably the dumbest questions I've ever heard. I mean, who came up with these? A drug deal'n, kinky love'n, high school wanna be?! That is what I came up with anyway! Seriously, Weird! Anyway, Back to the reason why we are here:)

1)Favorite hobby? Making jewelry, Scrapbooking, Decorating my house.
2)Have you ever smoked pot? Uhhh, OK! Who would ask me that ever?!!.......Do I have to tell the truth? Ok mom skip this part! Yes! But only once. And it didn't even work. So I don't really think it should count! Anyway,side note: It was my senior year and I knew Don, my husband, then. When he found out he was sooo disappointed in me. and he still is. sorry honey. I promise i'll never do it again. Ok Mom you can come back now.
3)Do you own guns? No we do not. However Don does right now. (he is serving in Iraq) He sent us a video and was showing the boys his gun and they were so impressed. Boys are crazy.
4)What flavor do you add to your Sonic drink? I always get sprite with apple juice added. It reminds me of when we lived in Germany. We went to a carnival type thing outside and we got thirsty so Don bought us a apple drink that came in a glass bottle shaped like a cola bottle only it was a green color. Anyway I fell in love with the taste and have loved it ever sense. Do you remember that Don? Fun memories.
5)Do you get nervous before Dr apt.? It depends on the situation. I always do when I have to see my O.B. It's just always awkward. Right Ladies?
6)What do you think of hotdogs? Ok this is another weird question, but, If I don't think about what someone told me they were made out of then I think they are delicious. My mom always put ketchup and mayo on them so that's how I like them.
7)Favorite Christmas song? Angels we have heard on high.
8)What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Gin and Tonic. Why, doesn't everybody?
9)Can you do push ups? Well, yes! in fact I'm sure I could do 100 of them....just not all at once. Hee Hee
10)Can you do chin ups? I haven't tried in a very long time, but to be honest I'm sure I can't. Now that will be my new goal. To at least do ONE chin up! Go Me!
11)What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My pilot wings necklace my husband gave me. When he was getting his pilot wings pinned on after years of school and training he presented me with my own wings because he said I earned them as much as he did. It was so sweet for him to think of me and credit me for going through it with him. It was a hard couple of years and I wear it proudly.
12)Do you like blue cheese? Do I what? Who cares?!
13)ever been in a car wreck? yes. And I'm horrified to say it was my fault. I still feel like I need to apologize to my poor sister Mandy, who just happened to be in the car with me. You never did trust me after that.
14)Do you have AIDS? WHAT?!!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!! WHO WROTE THIS?! Are they insane! Of course not! DUH!!!!!
15)what is one trait you dislike about yourself? Well I really should be dwelling on my good attributes, not my bad, right Natalie? but it would have to be my weight.
16)middle name? Lynn ( hey Casey, we have the same name. Cool!)
17)Name 3 thoughts at this exact time? Wow this is taking a long time. Boy I wish Jaren would go to sleep. I need to take Layton's treatment out.
18)Favorite drink? Hot chocolate on a cold night. Nothing better. Us Sandbergs are addicts.
19)Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Flowers, cards, and a locket with a four leaf clover in it. Birthday presents for my friends.
20)currant worry? My husbands safety and happiness being over in Iraq. And hopping my children are coping with it ok.
21)Current dislike right now? Having to take care of everything while Don is gone. He does it so much better then me. I am trying so hard to make him proud!
22)What food could you eat for the rest of your life? fruit. I'm on a fruit kick right now.
23)who were you with for New Years? Don and my kids.
24)Where would you like to be right now? Probably with my sister Tiffany. I know she is having a hard time right now and I would like to help.
25)Tag 3 people who need to complete this? Becca, Mandy, Rochelle (your welcome)
26)Do you own slippers? Don just sent me some!
27)What shirt are you wearing? a pink t-shirt. I love pink!
28)Do you like sleeping on satin sheet? Oh yes!!!! My dream is to one day be surrounded by satin, all over my bed. Red and leopard print. And to have a 4 poster bed that vibrates and a mirror on the ceiling with glowing lights.
29)Can you whistle? I am proud to say that a little sound comes out of my puckered lips when I really concentrate. That is a big deal for me. I've been trying my whole life.
30)How would you define your own personal space? I thought I just did! Just kidding. A place where I can relax. Most likely a Spa.
31)Would you be a Pirate? Again, WHAT? WEIRD!........ I guess I would have to say no because I'M NOT 4!.
32)What song do you sing in the shower? What ever song just happens to be in my head at the moment.
33)Favorite girl names? Kasha, Evelynn
34)Favorite boy names? Layton, Jaren, Kelland, Brigham (really like this name) Cohan
35)What's in your pockets? I don't have any pockets
36)Last thing that made you laugh? I was sitting here at the computer when Jaren came up to me and said "why do farts have to be so fast? I almost saw it this time but it was just to fast!" I couldn't stop giggling and he was looking at me like this is a serious mystery that needed to be solved. Kids are so funny.
37)Best bed sheets as a child? I remember charlie brown sheets I think.
39)Do you Love where you live? I don't hate it. I have such wonderful friends here that it makes it worth while. I would stay here forever just because of them. But Arkansas itself is yucky!
40)How many TVs do you have in your house? 3 and we use all of them.
41)Who is your loudest friend? Stephanie probably. She always makes my laugh.
42)How many Dogs do you have? 1 Murray. He's such a pretty boy! He likes it when I say that to him.
43)Does someone have a crush on you? like, I think Don Morris does. He is so cute and dreamy and he's like, always flirting with me. DON + CHERSTIN FOREVER!
44)Have you ever liked someone your friends warned you about? Welcome to the highschool portion of this quiz! Yeah, I don't remember.
45)what is your favorite book? Ha ha ha, Yeah, I don't read. But I'm seriously considering the Twilight series that Natalie is trying to get me into.
46)What is your favorite candy? That is easy......Anything chocolate. What? I'm a girl!
47)Favorite sports team? The Ohio State Buckeyes of course! Your welcome baby. And any team my kids play on.
48)What song do you want to have played at your funeral? YIKES! I haven't thought about it. That's alittle dark isn't it?
49)What were you doing at 12 am last night? I was checking all of my friends blogs and leaving comments, and starting to answer all these questions.
50)What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I wonder if Don is online to chat with.

Wow, I'm done! Now it's off to do laundry. Yippee!!!

Ohhh, How Sweet!

2008-07-18T02:04:00.004-04:00

It's Late at night And I'm here at the computer waiting for my two older children to fall asleep. They are in the other room and I can hear them talking and giggling every now and again. Then it was quiet for awhile and I thought this was it. When all the sudden I hear this wonderful good night wish between the two of them..............

Jaren: "Well I'm tired now. I'm going to sleep."
Layton: "OK, see you in the morning."
Jaren: "Yeah, you too. (yawn) See you in the morning."
Jaren: "Goodnight!"
Layton: "Goodnight!"

It made my heart melt! I love my children! Another wonderful "MOM" moment. I wouldn't trade this for the world!

Spotlight: Happy Birthday Natalie!!!

2008-07-08T14:34:00.005-04:00

I chose this picture because when I think of my sister this is what I see. Totally happy, laughing hysterically, and full of fun. I love being around her because she always laughs at my jokes or my stories that I tell. And in return can always make me laugh. Natalie and I are the best of friends. We always have been. We are only 16 months apart and have always been close. We even married two guys that were best friends with each other. So needless to say when we all get together we have a blast. She has always been there for me. Encouraging me, supporting me, or just helping me to stay on the right path. It was my teenage years when she mostly did that for me. She has always had the strongest testimony and even when we were younger she was the strong one that I looked up to. She is a stubborn thing though. When she believes in something she will not budge. And has very Strong convictions. Unlike me who can easily be persuaded. A quick story: When we were growing up we had a small dog with long hair that we all loved and helped take care of. Well sometimes Snickers, our dog, Would get "dingle berries" in her fur after going out to do her business. We would all have to take turns cleaning Snickers in the bathtub, BUT NATALIE!!! She was so convincing, with her stubborn tone in her voice that she just plain wasn't going to do it, that my Mom and Dad didn't even seem to put up a fight. And even if they did she would always win because the next thing I knew I was doing it! Not fair I know, but her stubbornness is what gave her her convictions. She was even there to help remind me of who I was and what I believed in. More times then I wish to remember. I love her sense of style. She loves color and she isn't afraid to use it. She is a wonderful mother. It's not an easy job and yet she never seems to complain. She is a good example to me on being a wonderful wife also. She is so good to her husband, never talks bad about him or situations they may be in and is on his side and showing her love. But I think my favorite thing about my sister is how she loves me. I know she does, without a doubt. We have so much fun together. We are always laughing when we get together. I think we actually could lose weight just from laughing alone if we didn't like to bake so much when we get together. (Sandberg curse) I have truly been blessed to have her in my life. from the very beginning she has been there and I've never known any different. We always had a plan that we would marry and then live close to one another for the rest of our lives.(In my head that meant right next door) But life is not like that, and family and jobs have a way of changing things. But it doesn't matter the distance between us. We are always the best of friends. And nothing can compare to a sister. When you have one you are truly blessed.

Happy Birthday Natalie.

I hope you know how much you mean to me. Thanks for the laughter and for your wonderful example. Thanks for loving me and supporting me through the rough times. I will always be grateful to my heavenly father for you. And don't ever want you to know otherwise. I hope your happy and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Vacation Time!!!

2008-07-02T12:09:00.003-04:00

Well I am taking a break. It's time load up the car and go on a mini vacation. I'm going to see my sister Natalie. I am in desperate need for sister time. I'm so excited to see her. She also blogs but I'm guessing we wont have much time for it. I'll have lots of picture and stories to blog about . I'll be gone a week and be back going strong,or so I hope. Enjoy your holiday weekend. Post later!

Oil change?

2008-06-27T23:33:00.006-04:00

Today I had to take the van in to get an oil change. Of course the only place they had to wait was a small little room with 5 chairs and a water cooler, my worse nightmare. So we went across the street were there was an open courtyard and a pavilion for shade. We had a little picnic and then some play time. And I had some play time with my camera. It was just as fun for me to take pictures of the children as it was for them to play. I had fun trying new things and just finding the perfect pose to capture. I'm trying to get better. And I even messed with the color and things for a fun look. I think my camera has become my # 1 accessory! All of this while waiting for the oil to be changed!

Did you know? Backwards is in!

2008-06-26T22:44:00.004-04:00

So today was like any other day. I Had a lot to do and not enough time to do it. I normally help Kelland to get dressed but today I asked him to just try it on his own. He first came out with just his under-roos on and immediately I noticed that they were backwards. My thought? Apparently I could not leave this for him to do. No matter I'll get to it soon. But not soon enough!! A proud kelland came from his bedroom, so happy with himself and announcing to everybody that he had done it!! Not only was his underwear backwards, but his shirt AND shorts were backwards as well. The whole ensemble!?! Backwards!! How does that happen!?! Just makes me smile. And the complete joy of accomplishment on his face is priceless. Of course I had to document it. Being 4 can be so challenging sometimes. I need times like these to help remind me of that. He is so sweet and adorable. I'm so lucky! It's a mom moment for sure.

Superbowl Champs!!!!

2008-06-24T12:03:00.011-04:00

Well we made it to the play offs and then to the Super Bowl. The game was close with us just scoring one goal in the first 15 min of the game. The rest of the game was spent playing real good defense from both teams. He was so excited to win. And he proudly displays his trophy and shows it to anybody that walks in our door. If anything, this experience has help to prove even more that he was born to play football for the rest of his life! Or so HE thinks. We'll just have to see about that!!! He played really good defense and got a lot of flags. Notice the red flag in his hand. We were so proud of him. I think he improved most on being a more aggressive defensive player this season.
In this game not only did he play quarterback but he also played the receiver position. A couple of pictures of that. Just click on the picture to see it better.

And then the celebration!!! It was so neat to be there with him to celebrate. Lets face it, if daddy were here it would have been him that he was jumping up to. I think for me that was the best part of the game. And I want to thank my friend Megan for being there to take pictures for me. Otherwise I never would have gotten this picture. I almost didn't put it in because it's not the most flattering picture but his hug says it all to me and I will cherish it always. The rest of the day was filled with rounds of "We are the Champions" and big, big smiles. Of course the coach got drenched with Gatorade and then the award ceremony. Each of them received a super bowl champion trophy. All so wonderful and memorable. He will never forget this! I just know it!!

My Riverfest weekend!

2008-06-10T09:58:00.019-04:00

Here in Little Rock Arkansas, over Memorial Day weekend, they have a big party down by the river called Riverfest. Yes, I know, very original. It's a lot of fun with big concerts, carnival like games, activities and way over priced food. It lasts all weekend long and on the last night they end the festivities with a fireworks show. Well I got all excited because One Republic was coming to give a concert there on Saturday. So I asked one of my really good friends Krista, if she would like to join me for what I was anticipating to be an awesome concert. She was just as excited as I was and we both really couldn't wait. First we decided to go out to eat at a restaurant before getting there because the food is to expensive and just plain bad for you at the Riverfest. ( you know carnival food, Yuck!) We started hours earlier then the concert so we new we would have plenty of time. But you can't get girls together without chatting the night away which we almost did. Girls never grow up either I guess. So we were off to the concert. We did everything backwards. Paying to much for parking, parking on the wrong side of the river, walking the longest rout to the concert, cell phones not working, pee brakes along the way,(Krista and her water obsession. Seriously this girl can drink! LOL) it's a wonder we ever got there. Finnally we made it and just in time, so we thought. But there was a huge crowd already and it seemed like they had been playing for awhile. All well, We weaseled our way through the crowd to get to a spot that we could actually see them and plopped a squat. I took pictures of the concert but none of them came out. Bummer! It was a great concert, even better then I thought it would be. They were all so talented. And after the concert our trend of doing everything backwards continued until we were out of there. The funny thing is that we both agreed that we wanted to bring our kids back the next day to watch the fireworks. We must of had a good time because even writing that sounds crazy. But the next night we piled 6 kids in the van and headed back. Now for some reason i took plenty of pictures this night even though to me the best part of the weekend was the concert and being with Krista. But this was fun too. It reminded me of how wonderful and care free it is to be a kid. down by the river where they were setting off the fireworks was a brand new kids area. It was so new that half of it was still blocked off for construction. But the water fountains were up and running. And to a kid how can you resist that! Even though we were not prepared for a water extravaganza, we agreed to let them run and play and have all the fun a child should. THIS was actually FREE! As a kid I could see this night as being so magical. Fountains shooting out of the ground while burst of color shoot up in to the sky nearly over our heads. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again just to have that magic feeling one more time. It was truly a great weekend. I was actually taking a picture of Kelland but Layton was trying to be funny. He kept doing this several time. After the first time it's just not funny any more. A lesson that is hard to learn for some. Your so silly Layton!
Jaren is just a cute kid. he loves to play in water so this was the best night ever for him! Water just shooting out of the ground! How can we do this at our house?! I just wanted to put a picture up of the magical fountains. Kelland: "Where does it come from mom?"

And then the fireworks. This was Brigham's favorite part. He's not to fond of getting wet so for him this was the part that intrigued him the most.

Jeren Watching the fireworks under a cozy blanket. I'm glad we brought them.

I think it's quit obvious what he needs help with in this picture however, just five seconds after this picture was taken I looked over to find a bare butt and a stream of, well, you guessed it. I was horrified and several adults were chuckling at our expense. Classic Kelland. Lesson learned Mom? Probably not!

Happy Birthday Kelland!!

2008-06-01T20:01:00.007-04:00

This picture was taken on Kellands first birthday 3 years ago. Wasn't he the cutest with his curly locks. It's amazing how much can change in just 3 years with kids. He looks so grown up now. He will be starting prekindergarten in the fall. They just don't seem to be home long enough before they start to become more independent and leave the nest, so to speak. Out of all my children he's the least independent. Not because he's hesitant or scared but just because he's happy and content where he is now. He was my easiest baby. So cute and laid back. He took his time to do everything. Again, not because he was slow but because he was in no rush to get there. And he still is that way. I can't get him to move quick enough to get anywhere. Life is on his time and he can't be rushed. He is the kindest most loving child. Giving hugs and kisses out to anyone who shows him the least bit of kindness. He loves to sing and dance. And loves to play with his brothers. He loves play-doh and begs me to buy him some every time we are at the store. I usually give in because it's only 59 cents for one and it keeps him quite. But he doesn't play with it as much as you would think. He just carries it around with him all day and you will find it in his arms as he falls asleep at night. He actually does the same thing with water balloons. He'll beg me to fill it up for him and I do just enough to have it expand a bit but not enough for it to explode and he carries it around and will sleep with it at night. Kind of corky, but so sweet. He loves to laugh and be tickled. And has a smile that will melt your heart.
Because Kelland loves Play-Doh so much I decided to have a Play-Doh at the Park party. I have a really good friend who made this beautiful cake that looked like it was made out of play-dah. The kids kept asking me if they could really eat it. The Cake however didn't like the 90% humidity and was starting to slide to one side. It didn't matter, it was still very delicious. Silly mommy forgot the matches so we had to pretend that the candles were lite. But he still blew them out like they were. That's so funny! I love his face in all of these pictures. He looks so happy. I hope it's one he'll always remember.

Kellands doing his favorite things..........Being with friends and playing with Play-Doh!
HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY KELLAND!!!!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-05-28T14:37:00.003-04:00

As long as I could remember it was explained to me what it would be like getting married to my one true love. How we would kneel across from each other with the infinity mirrors behind us symbolizing our eternal marriage and commitment to each other. Me in my beautiful white dress and my "true love" there staring into my eyes as we exchanged our rings and they pronounced us man and wife. And then he would kiss me and my life would be complete. So romantic and exactly what every girl wants for her wedding. Well I can honestly say it was very close to that. The only mishap has now become my favorite part in this fairytale like wedding. After we exchanged rings they told us to seal it with a kiss. And in my overwhelmed, on cloud 9 head of mine, that meant to kiss his ring. So I did and everybody laughed. But that is my favorite part now of our wedding day. For years after if you took your ring off Don, I had to kiss it right when you put it back on. For some odd reason this tradition stopped. So a few years ago when I got you a new ring I engraved it with "sealed with a kiss". So you would never forget of that day and my commitment to you. What I love about our marriage and our relationship is the balance we give to each other. We seem to have opposite personalities. I'm more laid back and you like to be in control. I'm more of the sympathetic, lovey, over indulge type; you are the consistent, disciplinary, grounded type. And the longer we are married, the more we are becoming like the other. Creating a perfect balance. I could not be this "take charge" type of person while your gone without your example. And I have truly seen you soften over the years. Your first encounter with the church was the LDS commercial stating that "Best friends make the best marriages"; and you thinking of me even all those years ago as your best friend, has held true through out our marriage. You were my best friend then and you are even more now. And I love that. The things that make me go head over heals crazy for you are...... Your funny laugh. Nobody in the world can even duplicate it I think and I smile every time I hear it. Your beautiful blue eyes. What a wonderful father you are. The way you take care of us. That your a hard worker. That you never give up even when you really want to. The way you keep growing closer to your Father in Heaven. That you take being a priesthood holder and a good home teacher seriously. That you are a strong leader. I didn't realize how much I found this to be an attractive quality until I started to watch LOST with you. My favorite character on the show is Jack because of the way he leads and takes care of everybody. I can so see you in that position if we were ever deserted on an island. Haha. I seem to like the strong, take charge type and that is sooo you. I know I never told you that because I was a bit embarrassed but I got to tell you that is so hot!! Hee hee! The way you show me you love me. You never hesitate to tell me how pretty I am or how much you love me. And when your gone it's very apparent how much you miss me. The way we still flirt is so much fun and the way you can make me laugh. Thank you for these 11 years of ups and downs, of growth and enlightenment. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it and for pushing me to improve myself. Your my life, my everything. My world is you!! And I'm so glad I accidently hit you, all those years ago, with my flag pole at band rehearsal. Here's to another wonderful 11 years together. I love you Don! Happy Anniversary!!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-15T10:59:00.006-04:00

We had family pictures done a week before Don left. I got them back on a cd so I thought I would share some with you. I put them in a slide show because there were to many that I liked. So enjoy! And family if there are any that you want let me know. I'm taking orders. he he!

I can't help but brag alittle!

2008-05-06T16:53:00.005-04:00

Layton has finally found a sport that he loves AND is good at.

FOOTBALL!

It started in the fall with watching OSU football games with his father, and then playing football video games none stop. Then it went to him picking up a football and never letting go of it for 6 months. When he found out there was going to be a football team he could play on in the spring he begged us for the chance. I was ok with it because it is flag football so no tackling. They have practice twice a week and the first week it was easy to see that he was a natural. The coaches were impressed and couldn't believe that this was his first year playing. They made him the main quarterback for the team and they are 6 and 0 with 3 more games to go. The NFL sponsors this program so they have real NFL team jerseys. Layton's team is the Detroit Lions. (They are white and blue not blue and white) He loves playing and takes the game very seriously. As of right now this is what he wants to do when he grows up. And his father couldn't be more proud of him. The first game Don told me that the other parents around him were saying things like "wow that kid is good." And there's Don beaming as only a proud parent can saying "that's my Son". In fact I don't know who was more excited Layton or Don. So the rest of that weekend they both couldn't stop talking about it and the future. It's so fun to see them so happy together and connecting as father and son. Next stop......

THE PLAY OFFS!

GOOD JOB LAYTON!

GO LIONS!!!

return to me

2008-04-29T11:49:00.002-04:00

Thank you everybody for your love and support. It makes it easier when we know we have so many friends and family out there to help and cheer us on. It will be over soon before we know it and life will get back to normal again. Please continue to pray for us. Especially for Don and the other troops out there who are also giving and sacrificing for our country and our freedom. Thank you again for your compassion. We love you all!!

Bye Bye Daddy!!!

2008-04-27T15:13:00.005-04:00

Well the time has come once again for my husband to go and serve in Iraq. We dropped him off today at 7:00 in the morning and he left about 4 hrs later. The first day is always the hardest for me. So I give myself the one day to sulk and feel sorry for myself. Then the next day it's time to move on, be strong and get things done. And by the second day it's already one day closer to him coming home. So the countdown begins. Even though I know that we don't have it as bad as most, it's still hard to be away from each other. The loneliness sets in and emptiness that makes you feel like part of you is missing. I always have a list of things that I dread at first when he leaves and it's the constant reminders that he's not home. The missing tooth brush. The smell of his fabulous shower gel that lingers after his shower. The empty side of the bed. And then the ones that really bother me, like his laundry that starts to disappear after awhile. This always reminds me of the danger he is in. And the posibility that I may never do his laundry agian. I try not to think about that but that's why this one is so hard on me. Not being able to watch our favorite shows together. One of our favorite things to do together. Going to church without him there. I really have a hard time with this one because I'm surrounded by Dons friends and their presence makes me long for him to be there. After a while has past, like 2 months into it, I start missing being held and touched. Even just a hug.

Having said all that I want people to know that I believe in whet he is doing. I am so proud of him and am grateful to call him mine. I'm grateful that I too get to play a part in serving my country. He is a strong leader and will be every bit as successful as I know he wants to be over there with getting the things he needs to done. No matter how difficult or tiring it might be. I on the other hand am not a leader. So this role is a little more difficult for me. But I try. And sometimes I fail and sometimes I'm successful. I have noticed that when I am closer to the Lord I have more successes then failers. I'm so grateful for the friends that I have here and my family to help me through these hard times. Sometimes it's hard to ask for help but I'm getting better at it. Even though this is really hard I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow from this trail the Lord has challenged me with.

I will make it through! I will succeed! I will make you proud Don.

I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU TO RETURN!
I LOVE YOU!!!!

I MISS YOU!!!!

BE SAFE MY LOVE!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2008-04-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

It has been raining here a lot lately. But on this particular day it was raining sheets. By the time it was over which was just a few hours, this is what I saw when I looked out my back window. Our house is backed up against the woods and this is the path that goes up the hill and back into the woods. I'm explaining this to you because in this picture it looks like a waterfall not a path. I've never seen it do this before and I have to say it was quite a beautiful sight.

Last day of vacation!

2008-04-23T11:10:00.006-04:00

On the last day we decided to venture of of the base and on to the main beach there in Pensacola. It was about 20 min away and I have to say we didn't enjoy it as much. It was dirty and crowded and the people were a bit questionable. Everybody was very nice but definitely different life styles. They had this big long peer that was a mile and a half long that we decided to walk on. When we got to the top there was a fee of 2 dollars to walk across. Don wasn't very happy about it and was trying get out of it but didn't work. There were a lot of fisherman trying to catch fish off the side and apparently this is the only use for the peer. This one guy caught a fish right as we were passing and the boys were very interested in what he was doing and what he caught. To my surprise the fish had teeth and wouldn't move until you were close enough to bit. So it was important that they didn't get to close. I think it was funny that this guy insisted on being in the picture. I think he was proud of his fish. I really didn't care about the fish I just wanted a picture of my adorable boys. Too funny!!

We then went to the boardwalk and had lunch in this little cafe. Everybody seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason. Well the kids anyway. It was hard to get them to smile for the camera. Why is it that small little cafes take forever to get food! We were the only ones inside the restaurant, I think there was another group outside, but still it took FOREVER for our food. We had plenty of time for picture taking and video shooting. Unfortunately because of this I used up all my memory. And on this camera it wont let you just delete one photo at a time. it's all or nothing. I was so mad. The rest of the day we spent on the beach . Well, Don and the kids did anyway. For me it was shopping on the boardwalk. That was the gift Don gave me for my upcoming 4 month sacrifice. It was fun to just go where I wanted to go without any little ones to have to worry about. I could take my time and shop. It was very relaxing.

In this video Brigham was just plain mad. He wasn't in a good mood and I thought it was funny. He was yelling that he wanted french fry. He had scratched me earlier and I was trying to get him to say sorry on camera but he was to mad. Some of you might see just a bratty little kid but he isn't like this very often so I found it entertaining. I'm sure nobody else did though.

We didn't get back to the hotel until late and the next day we were leaving. It was a wonderful vacation and I really enjoyed visiting Florida for the first time. Thanks for reading my in depth vacation saga. This will be going down in the history books as the best vacation ever!!!