Our Frolicking Family

Here she is!

2011-12-06T21:22:00.001-07:00

Maddie's glasses came in today. She's still getting used to them and I honestly can't tell if they've made a difference. We're just going to pretend like the do. :)

So here she is before:

And after:

She's now officially part of the glasses club!

And the patch club!

Random funny things

2011-12-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

This was our conversation over breakfast this morning:

Me (trying to instill a little bit of confidence): You know that you guys are important? And you can do anything you want to do?

Parks: Yeah. Because George Washington won that war and we are free.

Me: Um, yeah, I guess. So you can do anything you want to do. If you want to be an astronaut, you can be one. If you want to be a teacher you can be one.

Maddie: Yeah I want to be a school bus driver.

Me: Awesome.

---------------------------------------
A conversation with Maddie over homework. I was trying to help her with her vocabulary words.

Me: Maddie, what does "active" mean?

Maddie: It's like when you're in a play, like, "LAAAAAAAA!" (using her best opera voice)

----------------------------------------
On Sunday I brought up a box of Chex from the pantry and Maddie announced that we were going to make a treat.

Parks: Oh, oh. I love those things. What are they called? Those brown things. Oh yeah! Muddy Friends!

I think from now on Muddy Buddies will now be immortalized at our house as Muddy Friends!

Do you see what I see?

2011-12-03T22:31:00.002-07:00

So, here's the short story: Maddie has HORRIBLE eyesight and has to get glasses. They should be done any minute. Apparently the lab had to restart her lenses because they didn't pass inspection the first time so it's taking longer than expected. So we're still waiting, but not so patiently. Here's the long story...

This all started at the beginning of November when the elementary school held vision screenings. I was actually there helping all the kids get screened when Maddie got her eyes checked. It was one of those crazy E charts, where the kids are supposed to turn their hand in the direction of the E, like this:

She couldn't seem to make her hand go the right way. I thought she just didn't understand what was going on, but in reality, she just couldn't see. I was glad there was an actual nurse there to work with her and follow through. If not, I probably would have just insisted she could see fine and that we didn't need to do anything. But the nurse persisted and ended up giving me a referral form for her to see an optometrist.

It took several weeks for the optometrist to be able to see her. Again, we waited patiently. :) The appointment went well. Maddie really seemed to be OK with everything and the doctor was so good with her. She had the full eye exam and he had a hard time believing she was functioning as well as she was. He let me look through some lenses to show me how Maddie is most likely seeing the world. I was astounded. There was one little sliver of the lenses that I could see through. Everything else was blurry and distorted.

So it turns out Maddie is farsighted, also known as hyperopia. This is how she would most likely see the world if her farsightedness wasn't so severe:

Which I guess wouldn't be so bad, but she also has an astigmatism. Which blurs everything- near and far. Kind of like this:

She also has amblyopia, meaning one of her eyes is lazy, or weaker than the other.

So with the combination of all those things, she really can't see! Which leads me to wonder how the heck she's been able to function throughout her life. Every year at her physical her eyes are always tested, but the more I thought about it, I realized that she will never tell the nurse the symbols or letters on the eye chart. I thought she was just being stubborn (which she is prone to be), but in reality I'm sure it's because she couldn't see! I honestly had NO CLUE she was struggling with anything. She reads, she writes, she dances, and hardly ever runs into walls. :) She is just such a fighter she must have been finding a way to make do with what she could see.

Anyway, I don't really know what all the technical details are, but I do know that the doctor said she's currently seeing 20/200 with her right eye, and 20/60 with her left. By definition, being blind is anything 20/200 or worse. Needless to say, she needs glasses! The doctor said after she gets her glasses, her vision should improve to 20/60 in her right eye, and 20/30 in her left.

We'll also have to patch her left eye for a couple of hours every day to make the right/weaker eye work harder. We're still working on getting an awesome patch put together, but it will probably end up looking something like this with a little bit of Hello Kitty flair- by her request:

There is a great tutorial here on how to make these patches.

So that's the news on Maddie. We sure love that girl. I'm so glad her school did vision screenings, or we may have never discovered this. Also, I can't wait until she gets her glasses and is able to actually see! I'll post a picture when they finally come in!

Parenting Fail

2011-10-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

Today the kids got out of school early. Random for a Monday. It had something to do with a bus furlough. Anyway, since they get out early today, apparently that also meant Maddie was supposed to arrive early for Kindergarten as well. Although no one told me anything about it. She arrived 30 minutes late, or ON TIME according to the normal Monday schedule. Parent fail.

Oh and also, Maddie didn't make it to her totally awesome soccer game on Saturday because # 1) it was Conference weekend, and # 2) she wasn't feeling well. It wasn't until this morning (Monday), well past the time of said game, that I realized she was supposed to bring treats. Parent fail.

Sigh. Can someone get me a new brain because I seem to have misplaced mine.

One down, only 19 more to go

2011-10-03T12:37:00.000-06:00

7 years and 6 months old, and Parks finally lost his first tooth! He seems to have held on to his teeth longer than most of his classmates, so I'm sure he's glad to join their toothless ranks.

His only dilemma was whether or not to admire his slightly bloodied tooth for a day or to leave it under his pillow. I heard a lot of bumping around going on in his room last night, so either the tooth fairy is very clumsy, or he's just too excited to sleep. Good thing it came out when it did because its replacement is already coming in behind it!

School

2011-08-28T16:05:00.000-06:00

Hooray for school! Hopefully that means an end to the non-stop fighting we've been having around here lately. Maddie started Kindergarten and Parks moved on up to 2nd grade. Two days down and all is going well (except for the part where Parks has to walk his little sister home from school....we're still working on that). :)

Quote of the day

2011-08-24T19:02:00.002-06:00

From Maddie: "Hey Mom, wanna watch me pump myself?"

WHAAA?

Apparently it's in reference to this lovely Kid History video at 3:48. My kids could watch these for hours:

And here's their version:

Stinkin' Pinterest

2011-08-22T12:08:00.002-06:00

Alright, so if you haven't heard of Pinterest, you need to check it out. Pinterest is like a virtual pinboard. You find an idea you like on the Internet, you can just pin it to your pinboard. A picture of the idea, along with the link appears on your own personal pinboard. It's kind of like an organized, picturized, awesomeized bookmark list.

I don't think you need to have an account to browse through everything, but in order to pin things, you will need an account. Just click on "Request an Invite" to get signed up.

Anyway, here are a few things Pinterest has forced me to do:

Use vinyl tiles to cover up the ooogly kitchen cabinet bottom:

Source: familyhandyman.com via Mary on Pinterest

Make shutters for our house (more on that later):

Source: cozycottagecute.com via Crystal on Pinterest

Chomp down this Nutella cheesecake:

Source: themoonlightbaker.com via Megan on Pinterest

And find all sorts of witty and thoughtful sayings like this:

Source: None via Megan on Pinterest

Pinterest also has a function where you can follow other people and see what they pin and they can follow you. The search function is also really awesome. I love how everything is picture-based. Anyway, if you haven't checked it out, you NEED to. Just a couple of warnings: 1) It is a bit addictive and 2) as I've browsed around, I've run into a fair amount of curse words. Finally, I'd like to ~~blame~~ thank my friend Jen for introducing me to the marvel that is Pinterest.

To be a saber-toothed tiger

2011-08-15T13:37:00.001-06:00

Parks decided to climb into my bed the other morning and I was using him as a pillow. "You're really heavy!" he exclaimed, "How heavy are you?" Not wanting to reveal my true weight, I replied "750 pounds". To which he retorted, "Nu-uh. You don't weigh as much as a saber-toothed tiger." Well, he got me there.

A conversation over lunch

2011-08-04T13:56:00.002-06:00

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Parks' and Maddie's conversation during lunch today. It went a little something like this:

Parks: Maddie, what talents do you have?

Maddie: What?

Parks: Talents. Like, things you do good.

Maddie: Uh, twirling around and round.

Parks: No. Not that. Stuff you do good.

Maddie: Front flips on the tramp?

Parks: No, something you're really good at.

Maddie: Eating? Writing the letter "P"

Parks: No, like if you do something really good you can be in the talent show at school.

Maddie: Folding clothes?

Parks: No. You can't show somebody that!

Maddie: Kissing somebody

Me: "WHAT?"

p.s. I'd almost forgotten I have a blog here. I'll try to use it a little more often. :)

Rumpus

2011-05-25T19:43:00.003-06:00

So I finally figured out how to get movies off our new camcorder. I know, amazing. So here's Parks in his performance last night as the Shaman in "Rumpus in the Rainforest". It was dang cute.

Look for more exciting videos coming soon. :P

How was your Sunday?

2011-04-10T21:03:00.002-06:00

Did it start like this?

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

"What is that?," you may be asking yourself. I know you may be thinking it's one of those really cool blown glass sculptures. You know, like this?

Yeah, that's really what I was going for. OR, it just may have happened when the lid to a jelly roll pan got left inside an oven and then said oven got preheated and then the lid melted all over kingdom come. Personally, I like to think I'm exploring new mediums.

But, you may still be asking yourself how this might have happened. Hypothetically speaking, you could have been in a hurry to get the house cleaned up before a babysitter arrived. So you may have taken a stack of dirty pots and pans (including a PLASTIC! lid) and moved them into your oven for safe keeping, just until you had time to wash them. And let's just suppose you forgot about those pans until 2 days later when you thought making muffins on a Sunday morning might be just the thing to do. And then you smelled melting plastic and thought, "Huh, wonder where that melty plastic smell is coming from?" I'm guessing that's how it could have happened. Maybe. Possibly. But I'm just guessing.

Oh well, at least the muffins were good.

Maddie is 5

2011-04-10T20:58:00.002-06:00

Boy is she ever. Maddie turned 5 in March. It's a rare occasion that we have birthday parties with friends, but this was one of those years. I decided I wasn't going to go all out this year because, let's face it, they're 5-year-olds. So I had Maddie pick a theme from the dollar store. She picked butterflies. Here are some of the things we did.

We read "The Hungry Caterpillar", then made a couple of crafts. Butterflies on a straw:

And painted symmetrical butterfly wings found here.

We played some games, among them, Elefun:

And ate cake:

And cupcakes (because they were so dang easy and cute):

Oh, and I can't forget the stinkin adorable treat boxes they took home. My cute friend Jen made them. She is super amazing. Aren't they the cutest ever?

I did, however find a tutorial for these little butterfly clippies here and tried to whip some together. And by whipping I really mean cursing and poking pins into things that shouldn't be poked. But at least they're cute, right? RIGHT?! I made some with the corker ribbon bodies and I actually liked those better. Anyway...

Are you butterflied out yet? Good, 'cause I think that's all I have to say about that.
Happy dang Birthday Maddie!

Snow Day!

2011-03-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

At the end of February we got nearly a foot of snow overnight. Aaron spent the morning shoveling us out and was exhausted. So the kids and I got to work building this top-of-the-line snow cave.

And still had some energy for a little fun.

Dr. Seuss Day

2011-03-02T15:19:00.006-07:00

Apparently, today is Dr. Seuss' 107th Birthday. You probably wouldn't know that unless you have a school-aged child. Somehow, it's a big deal at school. One more reason to celebrate, I guess. So Parks stayed up late last night, and got up early this morning to make a packet of "Seuss-ish" pictures. His remake of the cover of "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" was my favorite.

He also drew this one a while back. I wonder if every six-year-old dreams of having a world like this:

I think I could use a pizza land right about now.

100 Days

2011-02-08T09:33:00.003-07:00

What is it about the first of the year that puts me in a slump? Honestly, every year it happens. I don't take any pictures, we don't go on any outings, I don't (ahem) blog. Something about the winter or cold weather just makes me want to hide away somewhere.

But, Parks just completed his 100th day of school. Yay! In elementary school, that's a big deal. They do all sorts of events and activities that have to do with 100. Anyway, this year, they did a writing exercise where they filled in answers about 100 different things. Here are some of Parks' responses:

100 FEATHERS would make me giggle
100 PAPER CUTS would make me say ouch
100 SISTERS would make me mad!
100 PUNCHES would make me sad.

I could eat 100 ICE CREAM but not 100 SHRIMP.
I wish I had 100 LEGO SETS because I ONLY HAVE ONE.

In 100 years from now... I WILL DIE.

Well, there ya have it. 100 Days down, only 80 more to go.

Yay!

2011-01-09T22:17:00.003-07:00

Because they are the only ones that entered, Audrey and Jessica are the lucky winners of Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover". Told you the odds were good. :) I'll get them out ASAP!

In Three Years...

2011-01-01T21:44:00.004-07:00

Haaaaaapy New Year! If your New Year's Resolutions include anything to do with finances, then you've come to the right post.

A few years ago, we started our journey to become debt free. Luckily we never made horrible financial decisions in our marriage, but we weren't totally awesome financiers either. Then we stumbled across Dave Ramsey. I've talked about him on this blog before, but I just love the guy. Well, maybe not him, but I honestly love his ideas.

We jumped on board after attending a live seminar. That was in May of 2008. After that seminar we literally cut up our credit cards and vowed never to purchase anything on credit again. So far we've been able to stick to that goal. We've paid off student loans, and our van. We've put together a 3-6 month fund that should cover any expenses we may have in case of an emergency. We've increased our investments and started college funds for the kids. We purchased Aaron's truck with cash, and we've become completely debt-free except for our house. All in all, we've saved or paid off close to $60,000 since May of 2008. And as of this month, we are just THREE YEARS away from paying off the mortgage on our house! Woo-hoo! That seriously excites me! It hasn't been easy, but it's so nice knowing you aren't indebted to anyone.

So, if your New Year resolutions have anything to do with finances, I HIGHLY recommend getting started on Dave's Baby Steps plan outlined in his book, Total Money Makeover, or on his website HERE. I'm not saying it's a quick fix, and I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying it works. And, to make it even easier for you to get started, I'm giving away a couple of his books! I know, I know, the best giveaway EVER. :P

So leave a comment by Saturday, January 8 and I'll pick a couple of lucky winners and then I'll mail you this book that outlines exactly what you need to do to get started. And since there are about 3 people who read this blog, your chances of winning are pretty dang good! I'm not gonna lie to you, it's hard work, but the results are awesome!

Almost anything and everything you need to know about the Dave Ramsey plan can be found on his web site HERE.

Merry Dang Christmas!

2010-12-23T10:54:00.002-07:00

Alright, so blogging lately has been somewhat non-existent for me lately. Sorry, about that, eh? But since it's that time of year (Christmas letter time), and since I didn't really send Christmas letters this year, here's what our family's been up to lately:

-Aaron continues to work for the same company. He's been there for over 10 year and still enjoys it. He heads the IT department and has fun spending other people's money. He didn't travel nearly as much this year as he has been in the past, which was nice for us.

-Megan is at home with the younguns. Next year(!) when Maddie's in Kindergarten, we may have to re-think that arrangement, but for now it's been great. I've been enjoying Zumba lately- both attending classes and teaching every now and then. I discovered almond milk this year which has led to a resurgence in my obsession with cereal. (Random, I know!)

-Parks loves first grade. He loves his teacher, he loves learning, he loves recess, he loves school lunch. Hopefully we'll survive these next couple of weeks without school. He loves playing with friends, creating things, and playing video games. His latest obsession is Word Mole on Aaron's phone. Good thing we don't have a gaming system or we may never see him.

-Maddie is just ~~crazy~~ full of life! She has so much energy. She literally dances, jumps, and runs her way through life, sometimes on her hands. She is fun and funny too. She loves loves loves to sing. Every night she falls asleep to her songs and we can hear her singing in her room. She's really enjoyed preschool this year and is proud of the way she can write letters and sound out some words.

So that's a brief synopsis of our year. Merry Dang Christmas from our family to yours!

Thursday Thought: Christmas edition

2010-12-23T03:18:00.002-07:00

We've added a slide show about the life of Christ to our Christmas Eve celebration for the past few years. We watch around the same time that we read the Christmas story in Luke and it's really added a lot to our Christmas Eve. It was created by a sister in our ward. I'm so glad she's let me share it.

Go HERE to watch the slide show.

Merry Christmas!

A conversation with Maddie

2010-11-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

(As I'm dancing around the kitchen):

Maddie: "Mom, you are so weird."

Me: "No I'm not. I'm cool."

Maddie: "Yeah. You're kind of cool weirdish."

I guess it's better than being just plain weird.

Thursday Thought

2010-11-19T11:44:00.002-07:00

...a little late. In preparation for a little mini talk I had to give, I've been reading this article by President Uchtdorf. It's directed to the young women, but I think it applies to every one of us. He says that in order for us to reach our own "happily ever after" we have to experience some sort of trial, adversity, or challenges. We need to have opposition in life so that we can prove what we're made of. He says this:

"My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop."

I love that last part. It's how we deal with adversity that determines whether or not we'll reach our "happily ever after". I liked this part too:

"In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy."

So next time you're going through something crappy, just remember, that's how it's supposed to be. Nice thought, eh?

Your Happily Ever After, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010 Conference.

Sunday, Sunday

2010-11-01T22:27:00.001-06:00

I don't know what Sunday is like at your house, but at ours it can get a bit, well, goofy. At our house we have a "No TV" and "No Friends" rule on Sundays. So needless to say, we get a little sick of each other and a little silly by the end of the day. Hopefully with a later church time next year the day won't seem so long. But until then, here's what some of our recent Sunday antics have entailed.

I'm thinking Maddie missed the stop at wardrobe before her YMCA debut.

What is it with the booty shakin'? Sigh. We love Sundays.

Parks

2010-10-30T10:23:00.002-06:00

So, have you ever been reading a blog that was over the top with someone gushing about their kid, and you thought, "Enough already!"? Well, full disclosure/ fair warning here: This is going to be one of those posts.

We just had Parks' parent-teacher conference this week. I've decided those conferences are parent pay-back time. It's either the time you feel really guilty about all the things your kid is not doing (read: all the things you're not doing as a parent), or it's a time where you just get to revel in the fact that maybe you are doing an OK job as a parent.

In Parks' case, I just loved every minute of his teacher telling him (and us) how wonderful he is. These are the exact words she wrote on his assessment:

"I think I should just steal you and take you home with me. You are a great friend, great reader, great listener, super on task 1st grader. Great mathematician, great writer, and an awesome student. What a smartie! I think you are super great! Keep up the good work."

Honestly, what parent is not going to feel good knowing someone else sees how wonderful their child is? I guess as a parent you want and hope and wish your child is the perfect little angel when they're away from home. So it's nice to know he actually has learned how to behave and listen and learn, even if he doesn't always do so at home. Know what I mean?

He also had a part in his class Halloween program last night. Unfortunately, I was heading up a ward chili cook off, so I couldn't be there, but he had plenty of support from Aaron, Maddie, and G&G Cameron. And thank heaven for video. Here is part of his part:

(He was "The Thing" from Fabulous 4 for Halloween.)

Finally, I kept thinking that Parks was over his phase of creating and drawing every minute of his life. It seemed like he hadn't created anything for awhile and I thought he'd moved on from that phase for a minute. Well, apparently all he needs is some holiday to inspire him. He created most of these pictures in just a day, although some were made at school. They are now proudly displayed on his bedroom door.

Anyway, I just love this boy. He is the best and I'm so glad he's part of our family.

Family pictures

2010-10-18T13:39:00.002-06:00

Why is it that getting family pictures taken is so stressful? Finding coordinating outfits, getting everyone's hair just right, finding the perfect spot to take them. It just wears me out. So for most of those reasons, we are about a year behind at having family pictures taken. The last ones we had were when Maddie was 2 (yeah, the one in the blog header, that's the one).

Anyway, we got them done. Yay. We're lucky to live right near a canyon and fall colors are my favorite, so I was glad we managed to get some pictures before the color was gone. Here they are:

They were taken by Captured Moments Photography.

Ha ha halloween!

2010-10-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

I posted this on Facebook, but who doesn't like a little redundancy in life?

We were at the store last week and Parks saw these and said, "Mom, look at this trick-or-treat bucket!" Apparently he's expecting quite a haul this year.

The joys of eductaion

2010-10-13T04:09:00.001-06:00

This is what happens when your six-year-old learns to read and write:

Apparently he knows how to operate a chat screen too. What a sneaky little bugger, eh? I'm keepin' my eye on this one.

Mad Gab Hymn style

2010-09-29T20:59:00.000-06:00

Maddie's Primary teachers tell me that she's good about singing loud during Primary. However, she sometimes makes up words when she doesn't know them. They kinda sound the same, but not quite. You know, like Mad Gab. Anyway, see if you can guess which hymn Maddie is trying to sing.

It's that time again

2010-09-22T11:01:00.006-06:00

What time is it? MRI time! Yay! That lovely time once a year where I figure out what the heck is going on in my head- literally. September is the month I was diagnosed with MS in 2007. Has it really been 3 years? Sheesh.

Anyway, every year they have me come in for MRI's to see what's going on. This year it looks like one of the lesions on my brain is a little larger, and there is a new lesion on my t-spine. But everything else looks good. Apparently it's nothing to worry about. I guess it's normal to get 1-2 new lesions every year. As long as there's not an explosion of them, nothing in my treatment changes. Which is fine-a-ree with me. So, there ya have it. Go, fight, win!

And if you've never had an MRI and want to know what it's like, it's kinda like this, but with more banging.

If only you didn't have to sit completely still through 40 minutes of that, it wouldn't be so bad. Or here's a teenager's version of what it's like. Usually a barking dog isn't part of the package deal.

Awesome, eh?

Well, well, well, what have we here?

2010-09-17T08:12:00.003-06:00

Alright, so I was on a pretty good blogging streak for awhile there, eh? I was really trying to keep at it. You know, like an every other day kind of thing. But then I didn't. Oops. So here's some random stuff.

Maddie started dance class this week. I'm sure most little girls are well on their way to an illustrious dance career by age 4, but I just couldn't start her any earlier. Dance is just one step closer to gymnastics and I'm just not sure I want to go there yet. She did have fun bee-boppin around to "I Want Can-day". Believe you me, she knows that song pa-retty darn well now. However, she refuses to wear a dance leotard like all the other girls. Sigh. I believe I've got a bit of a non-conformist on my hands.

Both Parks and Maddie started Fall soccer last week. As you can see, they take it very seriously.

This is a new thing for us; multiple little people playing multiple sports during multiple seasons. It makes life dang busy. I think we have 2 free nights a week. But it's better than sitting on the couch, right? Right??!! Tell me it's better than sitting on the couch, because when I sit there watching Maddie stare into the sky for 45 minutes, the couch sounds pretty appealing. At least they look cute in their uniforms.

Hey look

Yup, that's our van. Doesn't it look so much better? I think so too! Plus it's even detailed inside and out. It's like a brand spankin' new van landed right in our driveway. I'm diggin it. Although I have to say, I kind of had fun driving the little rental car we had while the van was otherwise occupied. I forgot what it was like to drive a vehicle smaller than a hippo. Alright, not a good comparison. I guess what I mean is, it was nice for a few days, but I'm glad to have good ol' reliable...Sally? Sugar? Safflower? ...huh...guess we haven't christened the van with a name yet. Do you have any good suggestions for a van starting with "S"? Anyway, I'm glad to be vanning it up again.

Picture of the Day

2010-09-07T09:18:00.000-06:00

Maddie's first day of preschool was today. With Parks at school all day, that means two and a half hours of freedom! What shall I do with myself?

And one more picture. Let me preface this picture with two things: 1. No one was in the car, and 2. The car was parked. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

Summer Adventures

2010-09-03T13:31:00.000-06:00

Although I sucked it up when it came to blogging about these events, here are some pictures of our summer fun:

Maddie's swimming lessons.

She was always cold.

Watching our cousin compete in a 4-H horse show. I think he had the biggest cheering section there.

We played at Bear Lake:

And came home to a beautiful rainbow

We also spent some time at the Gateway. We hit the Planetarium

And had fun splashing in the fountains there:

Finally, what summer could be complete with out tee-ball?

So there ya have it, our summer in pictures. It was fun, but exhausting. See, even he thinks so:

Cake Wreck repost

2010-09-02T15:32:00.003-06:00

Honestly, I can't get enough of that blog. If you're not already reading Cake Wrecks on a regular basis, you're missing out. This one was from part of yesterday's post, "Oh the Irony":

And finally, there are many ways to spell the word "irony." This, however, is probably the best one of all:

Go here for the whole post.

For the grandparents

2010-08-30T11:05:00.003-06:00

Because they're probably the only ones who care to see this. It's Maddie's debut at the high school dance clinic. Woo-hoo! She honestly loved it.

Awesome

2010-08-28T08:26:00.000-06:00

Remember how I posted earlier about Maddie knowing everything? Well, apparently she also knows how to match her clothes. She insists this outfit matches because, "Look, Mom. Blue and blue."

No matter how persuasive I am...

(The turquoise blue and the royal blue aren't friends. They don't like to be near each other.)

OR

(That red bow on your shirt looks a little lonely, don't you think those pants with the red bow would be perfect?!!! DON'T YOU!???!!)

...she refuses to change her clothes. Hopefully someday soon she and the color wheel will find a place where they can peacefully coexist. Until then, well...

Sigh.

Because it's somehow obligatory

2010-08-26T09:39:00.005-06:00

Here's a picture of Parks on his first day of first grade. Not sure what we'll do all day without him around, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Wanna know what this is?

2010-08-23T07:03:00.007-06:00

Yeah. It's a picture of those child latches that have been all over our drawers and cupboards for the last 6 years. And guess what? They are no more! Last week we took them all off. For me, this means something. This means that we are not expecting any more little ones running around any time soon. No more toddlers prying into dangerous places. No more little hands reaching for something they shouldn't.

I guess it's not an announcement, but it is an acceptance that we're most likely, probably, in all actuality, done having children. And I'm OK with that. I always thought we'd have a larger family. At least 4 children would be fine, thank you. Actually when Aaron and I were dating, we joked that we wanted a dozen children. Well, that's not happening. Between MS and life in general, I think two may be our stopping point. I'm sure we'll get questioned for having "only two" children, but they are enough for us. And unless something mind-blowing, or incredibly earth-shattering happens, I think that's where we'll stay. After all, they each have the personality and spunk of at least 2 or 3 different kids all wrapped up into one. So what more could we need? Yeah, we'll keep 'em.

I am not lying, this is the best picture of Maddie I could find. Someone's gotta teach that girl to look into the camera.

A rambley one

2010-08-18T10:59:00.008-06:00

First of all, is rambley a word? Probably not.

Second of all, blogger changed all its formatting stuff and I can't figure out how to get my dang header centered. So until I do, pretend like it's supposed to be that way, mmmkay?

So I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. We have been doing things, I've just been a little too lazy to post about them. But I'm trying to be better. Maybe. ...Not making any promises.

It's not Thursday, so no Thursday Thought, but I have been thinking about something. Maddie and I have been butting heads recently. Recently, as in, most of her life. She is little Miss Independent. She has to do things her way or no way. It has to be on her terms, or no one's. Of course, since she's four years old, she knows how to do everything. She knows the right way to do it and she doesn't need help from anyone, ever. At least she's cute, right?
Anyway, I'm struggling with how to parent her and how to teach her because she's just so difficult to interact with. I'll try to teach her something, and she responds with, "I KNOW!" Time outs don't seem to phase her, taking away privileges doesn't seem to work. I don't know how to reach her. She is SO darn stubborn! If she would just let me help her, I think it would make both of our lives easier. And I think I might grow to love and understand her more because she'd be letting me serve her.

Jump to this past weekend. It was the ward camp out. We camped about 45 minutes away in a beautiful campground. It was a great weekend. I was in charge of most of the festivities which was fine. Except then Aaron got sick. And he couldn't help. He drove up and dropped stuff off, then went home to rest. Which would have been fine, except for trying to do everything, and having Parks and Maddie not in the best of form. Parks got a sick stomach, Maddie was whining/crying/screaming because some boy hit her with a branch. And I'm trying to gather up everyone in the ward for a special program. Anyway, it wasn't working too well.

We made it past the program, and the camping weekend was nearly over. I was getting ready to go, packing up the tent, etc. As I'm doing so, two teen-aged sisters showed up and started helping me pack. I assured them I was OK and I could do it on my own. I didn't want to bother them, it was fine. They insisted that they had nothing better to do. They WANTED to help. I told them again I was OK. Everything was fine. I could do it myself. One of them responded, "You're making it pretty difficult for me to help, but I'm going to do it anyway."

That kind of took me by surprise. Then I started thinking, that maybe I was being just as stubborn as little Maddie. I put off their offers to help, mostly because I didn't want to be a bother. But I WAS being just as stubborn as Maddie. I told those girls I could do it myself. And yes, I could have. BUT, if I didn't let them help, I'd miss out on an opportunity to let them serve me. AND, I would have missed out on an opportunity to grow as well. Because in letting them serve me, I grew closer to them and had a greater amount of respect for them. And it really did help me to let them help.

So the "a-ha!" moment for me was in realizing that we need each other in this life. We need to, in humility, allow others to help and serve us. And we also need to do the same for others. It's the way it's supposed to be. And as much as I'd like to think that I can do everything on my own, sometimes it is SO much easier and nicer to have that help. Now, learning to ask for help, that's another problem altogether. My four-year-old certainly isn't there, and after 31 years on this earth, I'm not much closer either.

Alright, I found one quick quote that goes along with this. Marjorie Pay Hinckley said this:

“Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old... We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other.”

Virginia H. Pearce, ed., Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley (1999), 254–5

Parks in the paper

2010-07-25T15:05:00.004-06:00

At our 5th of July parade, the local paper snapped a picture of Parks eagerly waiting for candy. He was excited to see himself in the newspaper. (He's the one second from the right). Although, the jury is still out on whether or not I should be angry with him for choosing candy over riding on the totally awesome cow float.

Thursday Thought

2010-07-22T09:00:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I've found a good Thursday Thought. Probably because I haven't been looking. But this one from the lds.org homepage is pretty darn good. It's directed to youth, but I think it applies to all of us at one time or another.

Elder Uchtdorf tells the story about the Ugly Duckling and makes several comparisons to our lives. He says this:

"There will always be voices telling you that you are foolish to believe that you are swans, insisting you are but ugly ducklings and that you can’t expect to become anything else.

But you know better. Because of the revealed word of a merciful God, you have seen your true reflection in the water and you have felt the eternal glory of that divine spirit within you. You are no ordinary beings, my beloved young friends all around the world. You are glorious and eternal."

"It is my prayer and blessing that when you look at your reflection, you will be able to see beyond imperfections and self-doubts and recognize who you truly are: glorious sons and daughters of the Almighty God."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” CES Fireside for Young Adults • November 1, 2009 • Brigham Young University

And here's the YouTube video that was created from this content:

Trent funnies

2010-07-13T12:41:00.012-06:00

So Trent, my brother, is pretty dang smart at all things technology. He's good at sharing fun and funny things he finds all over the Internet. A lot of them make me laugh out loud. Unfortunately I'm not techno-smart enough to figure out how to put them on here without making you click through to the websites, but here are a few of the fun things he's found:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Funny. Even if you don't have a cat, or OCD.

Nintendo anyone? (Click on the picture to view the video)

And, finally, Dilbert. Why can't I ever think of those snarkastic remarks off the cuff?

Thanks, Trent, for being so cool.

Float or sink?

2010-07-07T21:48:00.005-06:00

Well, after many hours of work and a lot of staples and festooning later, here's the lovely float for our local 5th of July parade. I think it turned out pretty well, all things considered. It was a fun experience, but one I hope I don't have to repeat any time soon. I think the cow was my favorite part.

We had to base our float on something from the town's history. Our float was supposed to be a representation of the local dairy co-op where farmers sent their daughters to milk cows all summer. We had some pretty cute cows. Especially one named Maddie.

Wasatch Back- Speedy Turtles Edition

2010-06-29T08:25:00.028-06:00

I ran the crazy Wastach Back Relay race again this year on June 18-19. I didn't feel quite as prepared as I was last year, but all in all, I really enjoyed it. I think a lot of the fun of this race is spending time in a van with 5 other crazy runners for nearly 2 days. Even though I didn't know all of them when we started, by the time we were done I wished they were my neighbors. We had a great time together.

The Speedy Turtles (I AM Running!) team started out at 7:15 Friday morning. Our team consisted of 12 people in 2 vans. I was in Van 1 along with Dustin (my brother), Craig (one of Dustin & Monica's family friends), Jill (Craig's daughter), Chad (Criag's son-in-law), and Jessica (one of my good friends).

Dustin got us off to a good start as he made his way through Logan, Providence, and Millville. He handed off to Jessica who booked it through Nibley, up Hollow Road, and down into Hyrum. She was struggling with an injury, but you really couldn't tell. She was a champ. Jess handed off to Jill, the Jill ran through Hyrum and Paradise and handed off to her dad, Craig. Craig ran through Paradise and headed up Avon Pass:

If there is one thing our van was good at during this race, it was support. Not to toot our horn, but we were great supporters,of our team, and of those around us. I think that's what made it so fun.

So Craig handed off to me and I started making my way up Avon pass. It was about 7.5 miles uphill. And really, the uphill part wasn't too bad. It was more the dust and dirt and heat that made this run a lot of "fun". I just kept plugging along. I walked when I couldn't run, and tried to get into a pretty good pattern of running 5 minutes, walking 1.

About 2/3 of the way through my run I noticed a girl running behind me who was keeping pretty good pace with me. She never passed me, but was always pretty close by. I asked her if she wanted to run with me. So we ran together for the rest of the race. She wasn't quite prepared for the heat and dust and hills and was having a pretty hard time. Actually she sounded like she was hyperventilating and I don't think she had enough water in her. Several times she said she might pass out. So we walked together for at least the last mile of that leg. In a way I was disappointed to not be able to give it all I had, but in another way it felt good to be able to help someone out. That's one of the things I love about this race. Really, you're not trying to "beat" anyone or get a PR. You're there to have fun, and support one another. And even though my time was not the best on that 7.5 miles, I felt good about it.

At almost the top of Avon Pass I handed off to Chad who was amazing on the downhill portion of his leg as he made his way into Ogden Valley. Chad became known as our "pleasant runner" because he was so happy and pleasant to be around. I don't have many pictures of Chad running. I think because he ran right after me and I wasn't thinking about taking pictures. But here he is with his cute daughter after finishing his last leg:

When Chad was done we had a chance to rest for a few hours. Craig directed us to a great, shady park where we ate, rested, and got ready to run again. A few hours later, we were up at Snowbasin ready to run. Dustin ran all the way down Trapper's Loop. He is a trouper. His knee was hurting, and I'm sure at this point he as developing his monster blister. Look at this thing:

Anyway, he kept running and running down that hill for over 8 miles. Crazy.

When he got to the bottom of the hill, Dustin handed off to Jessica and we started the whole process again. Along the way, we had quite a bit of fun. Craig showed what it meant to be the ultimate Speedy Turtle:
Chad found some great places to rest and support his runner:

He may, or may not have gotten caught. Oopsie.

Jill just rocked all of her runs. What an animal:
We found a team mascot in Winston the dog:
Jess showed us all what it means to be tough and push through the pain:

and Dustin demonstrated that safety flags are good for more than just safety:
For me, the evening/ night runs were the most enjoyable. The sun was starting to go down and we were running through such beautiful country. My second time running I ran out of Morgan and started to make my way up to East Canyon. My leg was pretty short this time, a little over 4 miles and it was pretty nice. Again, towards the end, I met up with an injured runner. We ran and walked our way to the finish line and I really had a good time talking with her. I'd like to think I stopped to help her because it seemed like a nice thing to do, but in all reality it was good for me to stop too. I didn't mind walking for a bit, and I think my team was OK with it too. So I wasn't speedy on my 2nd run of the day, but it was enjoyable.

I handed off to Chad, and he ran all the way up to East Canyon. It was a killer climb, but he handled it like a pro. It was really dark by this time and a little hard to see him in the dark. Dustin started yelling "CHAD! CHAAAAD!" Into the night because we had no idea where he was. He kept this up and one time he randomly shouted, "CHAD, IF YOU'RE THERE, SAY HELLO!" It just so happened that Chad was right next to our van at this point and shouted "HELLO!" We all busted up laughing because we weren't expecting him to be right there. I know it doesn't sound funny now, but at that point in our journey, it was hilarious. There's something about running all day, sleeping little, and eating less that makes you a little loopy.

Anyway, we finished off at East Canyon, handed off to our second van, and made our way to Kamas where we'd start running the next morning. We slept at South Summit High School and were able to find a nice quiet sleeping spot in the library. After about 4 hours of sleep, we were off again on Saturday morning to finish off our last leg of the race.

Dustin started us off again still running on that monstrous blister (which he never mentioned until the race was over). He still had enough left in him to do this:

Remind me to never open my mouth while using the camera. Anyway, we all finished off our last legs without incident. I think by this time we were all so tired and worn out that we were lucky to finish. My last leg was only 3 miles, but it went up a steep hill for at least the first half of it. I walked most of it, but made it. I was just glad I didn't have a longer leg to run. Those 3rd runs were killer.

We all finished our last legs and did pretty well. There was still plenty of silliness to go around. As in, Craig wearing Jill's Pink pants:
But we made it. We finished up somewhere near Heber and were planning on making our way to the finish line where we'd meet Van 2. However, the rest of our team in the 2nd van didn't fare so well. They were sick and dehydrated, and not feeling like running all day. So our van stepped in and ran parts of one leg. It was a killer because it was hot, and we'd had little sleep, and we'd already finished our runs for the day. But each member of our van took a part and ran some. We finished that leg for our teammate who was being pumped full of IV fluids at the time.

Then we made our way to Park City and the finish line. Once we finally got up there (after waiting in lines for over an hour) we had a great time finishing together. Here we are on the gondola ride up to the Canyons resort for the finish.

Chad, Jess, Jill, Me, Craig

Craig, Chad
Dustin, Jill, Jess

And here we are after we met the rest of our team and had finally completed the race in over 33 hours.

And here's our Turtle-mobile. Our giant inflatable turtle made it the whole journey without popping.

It was exhausting, tiring, exhilarating, but most of all a blast! The teammates in my van made it such a fun experience and even though after finishing I thought I'd never want to do it again, I'm pretty close to making plans for next year. Go Speedy Turtles!

Name that Thursday Thought

2010-06-24T07:17:00.001-06:00

Alright, time for a little shake up in the Thursday Thought realm. Last week as I was trying (unsuccessfully) to get to sleep the night before the Wasatch Back, I listened to a few Conference talks hoping they'd put me to sleep. Unfortunately they didn't have a sleep-inducing effect on me, but I did enjoy quite a few talks.

So, I'm going to post a quote from one of the April 2010 Conference talks, and your job is to find out what talk it's from and read it. Then come back and leave a comment with whose talk it's from. And if you can do it without using the search function, you get bonus points. Here goes:

“Our family’s faith is in Jesus Christ and is not dependent on outcomes.”

Isn't that a great quote? It sounds like a family mission statement. So, do you know who said it? I'll give you a hint. It's from the session the girls can't go to. The first person to correctly comment with who said it could win a really cool prize. Like maybe a red scripture marking pencil. :)

Look Ma!

2010-06-21T11:54:00.003-06:00

Maddie's been working on this, and she finally got it!

Random News from the W's

2010-06-12T08:02:00.009-06:00

So, we really have been doing stuff lately. I swear. Here's some of it.

Big Bang
Maddie got hit in the head by a baseball bat. Parks was playing tee-ball in our yard and hit the ball, then proceeded to throw the bat behind him, which headed on a straight course for Maddie's head. A few stitches later, and she's no worse for the wear. The doctor warned her the numbing shots were going to hurt, and that it was OK to cry. But, being the stubborn little girl she is, she didn't even move a muscle, let alone cry. The doctor said she's one of the best patients he's had. They even gave her a special syringe squirt gun for being so well behaved.

A hiking we will go
Of course, the whole stitches incident took place while Aaron was gone with his Varsity scouts. They've spent the last week hiking all over Southern Utah. Luckily they've all made it home without any injury or maiming. However, I'm pretty sure Aaron's wanted to kill a couple of them throughout the course of the week. Thankfully he knows how to practice self-restraint.

Batter up!
Parks finished soccer (isn't he just cute?)
and has started another season of tee-ball. Now that he's in his second year, he seems to know a little more about what he's doing. Now he especially knows the importance of bat safety! Sheesh! Anyway, he can usually hit the ball off the dang tee on his first try and he's getting much better at catching the ball. That said, it's dang funny to watch all those 5- and 6-year-olds play. I could watch one little boy on his team run all day.

Still running
It's T minus 6 days until the Wasatch Back relay race. I'm running it again this year with a good friend, and Dustin, and a bunch of people I hardly know. I'll be on the same leg as last year, so hopefully my body will know what to do. My training hasn't been as intense this year, so I'm praying to just make it through. Our team name is Speedy Turtles. And with all the injury we've had this year, we'll be lucky to make it to the finish line faster than a turtle. At least we have a cute cheerleader!

Float or Sink?
I'm in charge of planning and creating a float for the city's 4th of July celebration. Lucky me, eh? I've never even been on a float, let alone attempted to make one, so this should be interesting. If you have any expert float-making tips, I'd be glad to hear them. :)

Sweet Baby
Dustin and Monica blessed their sweet baby girl this past weekend. She is just the cutest thing. Maybe it's because babyhood is 3 or 4 years behind me, but I can finally look at a baby and just want to want to eat her up. A couple of years ago, the sight of a new baby would just make me tired. But she is just such a sweetie. I've offered to take her home with me several times. For some reason, Dustin and Monica have never taken me up on that.

So that's all the random stuff that's been happening at our house lately. The End.

Thursday Thought

2010-06-10T09:51:00.002-06:00

I'm thinking of re-naming this blog, The Blog of Neglect. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Anyway, in an effort to stop the neglect, here's a good ol' Thursday Thought.

This past Sunday our lesson was a on a a talk by Elder Maxwell from 1991. It was all about how adversity and afflictions serve to teach us and make us stronger. "For whom the Lord loveth he chaseneth." That's basically what this talk was about. The quote that stood out the most to me was this:

"One's life...cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free."

When that was read on Sunday I unwillingly let loose a "darnit!" Sometimes I wish it were more simple to live the gospel and not have to deal with the stress it brings. But that's not the case. Elder Maxwell put it pretty powerfully here:

"... how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, “Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!”

Ouch. I'm sure I've been guilty of thinking those thoughts. Another darnit! So this talk has helped me realize that if I want to get better and become more Christlike, I really have to work at it and put up with hard things. Sweet. I just can't wait. :)

Neal A. Maxwell, “Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds,” Ensign, May 1991, 88

Mother's Day Treasures

2010-05-13T10:26:00.001-06:00

One of the reasons I love Mother's Day is because of all the fun things the kids make. They came up with some great stuff this year. Maddie did this one at preschool (you may have to click on it to read it better):

I'd love to be 21, but wearing a size 31 shoe? Not so sure about that. Maybe she's thinking European sizes. She does have me pegged on the computer thing though.

And what better way to show your appreciation to Mom than with this?

What's that? You don't know what it is? Why, it's a Mother's Day platypus, of course! Not every mom gets a platypus for Mother's Day. I am one lucky gal.

All in all it was a pretty great Mother's Day. I'm really blessed to have such a great husband and kids.

To the moms

2010-05-08T07:54:00.003-06:00

I remember growing up that Mother's Day wasn't always the most glorious day. I remember wondering why moms didn't just relish having a day all of their own. Now that I'm a mom, I understand that feeling a little better.

On Mother's Day, when all you hear is how wonderful moms are and how much they do, it's hard to not feel uncomfortable and guilty about the things you're NOT doing to make your kids' lives better. You regret things you did that prevented you from being that Mom that's put on a pedestal. You feel guilty for the time you took out for yourself; for the times you could have done more; and for the moments that were lost. It's easy to get sucked into that trap. That blasted mom guilt trap. It's easy to feel guilty and to beat ourselves up, but it's a lot harder to congratulate and celebrate all the things we're doing right. Because you know what? All we can do is our best. I love, love, love these words from President Uchtdorf:

"May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Influence of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Sep 2009, 4–9

Doesn't that just make you feel better about yourself? If you have a few minutes, go read the whole talk. It's definitely worth reading.

Anyway, on this Mother's Day weekend I want the moms in my life to know how much I love them. They are incredible women whom I look up to and admire. I have never met more hard-working, loving, caring, and considerate women. They are the best of women, mothers, and grandmothers. My kids love coming to Grandma's house because they know they'll get spoiled, loved, and cherished beyond compare. I am so lucky to have been blessed by their righteous influence and hope to be able to emulate the way they love, uplift, and inspire. Happy Mother's Day!

Cake wreck

2010-04-28T14:57:00.005-06:00

I've discovered there's a very good reason I've never made "real" birthday cakes for my children. And that reason is, because I suck at baking. And cooking, and anything else you do in the kitchen. Parks asked for a chocolate cake with red frosting. That should be a piece of cake, I thought (wakka-wakka). But I learned a few things whilst making said cake. Among them are:

Apparently, you shouldn't use cooking spray and flour in the bottom of a pan when making a cake. Nope, that doesn't work. Apparently you should use shortening and flour. Well, why don't they SAY that in the recipe? Honestly. I was feeling all proud of myself for making a cake FROM SCRATCH. I really did. No cake mix or anything, and this is what happened:

Isn't that a beaut'? I dumped the thing over and it comes out like one big pile of dirt (I was thinking something else, but dirt seemed like a more appropriate four-letter word). I literally took handfuls of cake and smooshed them all together to make that somewhat oval-shaped thing at the bottom of the picture. Really, does that look appetizing to you?

But wait! "I can salvage this!" I thought to myself. I'll just cover it all up with frosting. Well, apparently it's a pain in the you-know-what to make red frosting. I swear I dumped half the red food coloring thingy into the frosting and it was still pink! And apparently when you dump that much coloring into the frosting, it loses its frosting consistency and instead turns your frosting into liquid. Who knew?!!

So I'm glopping on the stinking red (pink) frosting slurry and Maddie is "helping" by telling me that I really need to practice more. And maybe I should let her do it instead because I'm not doing a very good job. Welp, I'll tell you what, that's the last time Maddie helps with cakes. Needless to say, she was not my favorite person at that point, and quickly got banished outdoors.

But I kept at it. I was so sure frosting would fix everything. Well, as it started to harden, it didn't look too horrible. Then as I added the licorice whips I thought I could maybe pull this thing off. Well, I'll spare you the rest of the gory details, but here's what the cake ended up looking like:

I guess it's better than could be expected given the circumstances. But it was sure an adventure I'm not soon to repeat. Honestly, next year, it's store bought all the way, baby. At least he liked it:

And, if you want to get a laugh at some other "cake wrecks", make sure to check out this blog. It's sure to lift your spirits. This post just had me rolling. Not sure why misspelling "Happy Birthday" is so funny, but it is. It so is.

They say it's your birthday

2010-04-26T07:23:00.004-06:00

Today Parks turns 6. He has been so excited. Each day he reminds me how many days are left, and not to forget to buy him presents. He's even left reminders on the computer for me. I have gotten him some presents, but unfortunately, none of them are on his list. Here is his list from this year, word for word:

1. Toy tarantula with a remote control
2. Hulk costume
3. Turtle
4. Dinosaur with a remote control
5. My own calf wich is going to be a cow
6. A shark kite
7. My own cd player
8. My own big art set
9. A rug with spiderman
10. A mp3 player

Really? The calf/cow thing is not going to happen. He already has an art set (apparently it's not big enough?), and don't you think six is a little too young to be blasting mp3s? In any case, hopefully he's happy with what he gets.

We sure do love Parks. I think we get along pretty well together. He seems to know just how far he can push me and rarely goes over the line. He's so intelligent. It's been a lot of fun watching him learn so many new things. It's fulfilling to see him grow up and experience life.

I've been thinking a lot about Parks and about how he came to be. Well, not THAT part, but how he came into this world. So I dug up some old pictures. Here's me, very pregnant with Parks. I think I was 39 weeks in this picture. Yikes!

Parks was due to come into this world on April 11. However, at the time I was finishing up my first year of an MBA program. I was working 40 hours a week, and I slept my way through the rest of the time. I remember feeling like I wanted Parks here, but I still had so much stuff I had to do first.

At my 40 week appointment, the doctor said Parks looked fine and that he could stay in there another week. I was fine with that, so he stayed. At 41 weeks they checked things out again. Things still looked good. At 42 weeks, I had just taken my last final for an accounting class, and I felt like I could finally have this baby- NOW! So on April 26, fifteen days past my due date, the doctor finally said it was time for Parks to come. I was induced and after 18 long hours Parks was born. Yay! We were so glad to finally have him here. Aw, look at him:

Could you just eat him up? We sure love this little boy. We had another whirlwind after all that when Parks' pediatrician said he wasn't doing so hot. To this day, we still don't know exactly what was wrong with him. His blood pressure wouldn't stay up and he was having trouble breathing on his own. He got to take a helicopter ride to another hospital with a larger NICU. It was hard and strange to see him attached to so many wires and tubes and not know what the heck was wrong with him. It was also funny to talk to the other parents with children in the NICU. Usually they had preemies, so their first question was, "How big is your baby?" When we told them he was over 8 pounds, they could hardly believe it. Here is is in his little house:

He does look pretty big, doesn't he? Anyway, that was a crazy, stressful, tiring week. But after one week in the NICU, all his vital signs looked great and we got to take him home on my birthday. What a great gift for me. I guess he really just wasn't ready to enter this world. But we're so glad he made it and we're so glad he's a part of our family. We love him so much and have loved seeing him grow into the wonderful boy he is.

He grew:

And grew:

Into the handsome little devil he is today.

Happy Birthday Parks! We sure do love you!

Spring is here

2010-04-21T12:20:00.007-06:00

Spring is here and that means soccer. We've never been a soccer family before, but this was the year, I guess. Parks had a hard time deciding to play soccer, and an even harder time getting to his first game. Fear of the unknown, I guess. But after 3 games, he's really starting to get the hang of it.

And I'll say this, he is a great runner. He really likes to run near the ball, he just doesn't love getting in the thick of it. But Tuesday he played defense and seemed to like that a lot more. He even scored his first goal. We'll see how the next month or so progresses, but I think we can officially say we're a soccer family now.

And the best part? Treats at the end!

Thursday Thought: Short and Simple

2010-04-15T09:59:00.004-06:00

As I listened to this last Conference I was impressed with Elder Christofferson's talk about the scriptures. Here's a short excerpt from that talk:

"being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost."

That thought keeps playing through my mind over and over. When we're confirmed we're commanded to receive the Holy Ghost. He becomes our constant companion only if we receive Him. But, it requires action on our part. And through this talk I've learned that reading our scriptures is one way we can act and receive the Holy Ghost. Neat, huh.

And if you want a little more meat, here's the entire paragraph I drew that sentence from:

"Because they expound the doctrine of Christ, the scriptures are accompanied by the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to bear witness of the Father and the Son (see 3 Nephi 11:32). Therefore, being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost. Of course, scripture is given through the Holy Ghost in the first place (see 2 Peter 1:21; D&C 20:26–27; 68:4), and that same Spirit can attest its truth to you and me. Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. Ponder and pray over them. Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation."

"The Blessing of Scripture", Elder D. Todd Christofferson, April 2010 Conference.

Two-week menu

2010-04-13T12:39:00.007-06:00

Alright, first of all, can you believe what a blogging streak I'm on? Seriously, I'm impressing myself. :) So down to business.

Those of you who know me know how much I hate cooking. Really, it's right up there with changing diapers. Actually, it probably surpasses that. Because if you have a stinky diaper, the smell forces you into action. Whereas if you don't cook dinner one night, meh, no one will die. Anyway, I digress.

So while watching the mormon channel one night, (BYU something or other, you know the one), there was this crazy screaming grandma lady on. She talked all about the importance of meal time, meal planning, having family together during dinner, yada, yada, yada. She's called the Food Nanny. Basically it's just like that british gal who tells parents how bad they suck at parenting. The Food Nanny does the same thing, but instead she criticizes your cooking. Sweet, right?

Well, she's not mean, she just tells you what you SHOULD be doing and encourages you to do better. Actually she seems pretty nice, just really, overly excited about her food. Anyway, for food-challenged people like me, she has some good ideas. One of the ideas I've tried to incorporate is preparing a two-week menu.

You sit down and plan out meals for 2 weeks. Each day of the week has a theme. Like, Sunday is traditional food, Monday is Mexican, etc. See here for one of her examples. I've tried doing this and while I'm not 100%, it's definitely helped to at least give me an idea of what to prepare each evening for dinner. Then you use your 2-week menu plan to prepare your shopping list.

So here's our menu for the next 2 weeks. It's nothing fancy because we're not fancy people, but it's a least an idea of where to start if you're food-challenged like me.

Week1:
Sunday (traditional): Pork Tenderloin
Monday (rice/oriental): Hawaiian haystacks
Tuesday (Italian): Chicken Parmesan
Wednesday (favorites): BBQ Pulled pork sandwiches
Thursday (Mexican): Tacos and Spanish rice
Friday (pizza): Individual pizzas
Saturday (Soup/salad/grill): Taco salads

Week 2:
Sunday (traditional): Pot roast and potatoes
Monday (rice/oriental): French dip (so it doesn't fit the theme, but will be great to use up the leftover roast from Sunday)
Tuesday (Italian): Creamy ravioli and pesto
Wednesday (favorites): Grilled turkey burgers
Thursday (Mexican): Enchiladas
Friday (pizza): BBQ chicken pizza
Saturday (Soup/salad/grill): Pannini sandwiches

So there ya have it. Hip hooray. I figure once I get an arsenal of 2-week menus built up, I can start repeating them. Less work for me. That's always a good thing. And if you want to know more about the Food Nanny or the 2-week plan, go here.

Kid Funnies

2010-04-12T08:29:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I got "Hello, Goodbye" by the Beatles stuck in my head. I kept singing it and eventually Parks started singing it with me.

Aaron, ever the trivia expert, asked, "Parks, who sings that?"
Parks responded, "Mom."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
After church yesterday I asked the kids what they'd learned. Parks said they passed off the 4th Article of Faith song. So I started asking him how it went. I'd say the first part, then have the kids tell me the next part. Like this:

Me: "Second"
Parks: "repentance"

Me: "Third, baptism"
Parks: "by immersion"

Me: "Fourth, "
Maddie responds: "Laying on a bed"

I guess that kind of sounds like "laying on of hands". Sometimes it's just a laugh a minute here.

Watch out Michael Buble'

2010-04-10T14:47:00.004-06:00

"I love to sing, sing in the shower." Remember that song from Sesame Street? Good times. Well, I heard Maddie singing in the bath today and it just made me smile. I recorded her singing (play the movie below), but I'm sparing you the video. Common decency, of course, requires it.

What a day

2010-04-08T09:51:00.003-06:00

Spring break is this week. Yay. It's great, except that we're already going stir-crazy. So yesterday we decided to take a little trip. The intention was for the kids to have fun, but in reality I think Aaron and I had more fun than they did.

We went to

Which was an adventure all of its own. I think IKEA is one of my new favorite places. So much fun. The kids each found something fun. Parks got this:

The leaf canopy thing, not the bed. It may just require a new color scheme in his room. Hmmm. Maddie got these:

Really, that's what she wanted. Crazy, but cheap at least. I got this (among other things):

And Aaron got this:

Not from IKEA. But he'll still take it. This isn't his exact truck, but very similar. He's been saving up for several years to be able to buy one and yesterday was the day to pull the trigger. I'm still undecided about the whole thing. It's his vehicle and I told him it was his decision. I guess as long as he doesn't do this:

Or this:

to it, then I'm totally fine with him having a truck. I'm sure it will come in handy. And he seems to really love it.

So really, IKEA was for me, the truck was for Aaron. But we did still manage to fit some fun stuff in for the kids. Like this:

And this:

Can you believe we fit that all into the space of 10 hours? Me neither. Today I'm ready for a nap.

Easter Thought

2010-04-04T09:47:00.002-06:00

I know this one has been circulated a lot on the Internet, but it's one of my favorites. Happy Easter!

Here's the link to the original source.

Random News from the W's

2010-03-28T13:52:00.000-06:00

Lest you think this blog is only about Thursday Thoughts, here's what we've been up to lately.

-Maddie turned 4 last Saturday! It's hard to believe she's so grown up. After living with her 4 years, I think it's safe to say we'll keep her. After all, she can do stuff like this:

Who wouldn't want that type of non-stop entertainment in their house, I ask you?

Also, Maddie received a great birthday present. She gets to share her birthday with a brand-new baby cousin! What a fun surprise. Dustin and Monica welcomed their little girl to the world Saturday, March 20 at 6 early something in the morning. What a little doll!

She is such a sweetie. I could just eat her up. Happy March 20th!

A little something for Easter

2010-03-28T07:49:00.000-06:00

So if you're still wondering what to get your kids, grandkids, or significant other for Easter, here's a great idea. Buy them "Esther and the King".

It's a great DVD from Liken the Scriptures. I've talked about these DVD's before. The kids love them. They're full of singing, dancing, and carry a gospel message. And for Easter, you can get "Esther and the King" at Wal-Mart for $10, which is basically half off of what you could buy it for online. Apparently this particular DVD is a test for Wal-Mart. If it sells well, they'll continue to offer more Liken products. If not, then they won't. So get to your Wal-Mart and pick one up. Go here to see what the DVD is like. And that's enough of that product plug for now. :)

Thursday Thought

2010-03-25T20:21:00.004-06:00

In church on Sunday, there was a talk was quoted quite frequently, and I really liked a lot of what it had to say. It's about the Book of Mormon, and how to receive answers to prayers and questions through reading the Book of Mormon.

It's a good reminder for me because I often put scripture reading on the back burner. Life and its distractions often crowd out the things that are most important. This talk helped me to realize the importance of persistent scripture study. I especially liked this part:

"Life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read. Do not let too much time pass before reading a verse, a thought, or a chapter."

I've often heard it said that reading scriptures is one of the best anti-depressants there is, and I'm sure it's true. This part is also good:

"...plain and precious insights are everywhere in the Book of Mormon... I learned that anyone, anywhere, could read in the Book of Mormon and receive inspiration. Some insights came after reading a second, even a third time and seemed to be “likened” to what I faced in everyday life."

So after reading this talk I'm more determined to make scripture study a priority in my life, and to turn to them when I'm in need of answers.

Boyd K. Packer, “The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ—Plain and Precious Things,” Ensign, May 2005, 6

Things I should be doing...

2010-03-18T21:15:00.003-06:00

...writing a Thursday thought post

...working on taxes

...cleaning up the dinner dishes

...family history

...transferring pictures to the computer

...planning Maddie's birthday party (it's only 2 days away!)

...making important phone calls

In case you're wondering, I'm not doing any of those things. Sometimes life just gets in the way of all those good intentions. Well, either that or laziness. Hmmm. I think that's been the theme of this blog lately. A little lazy. I blame the blog. I swear I have all sorts of good posts planned in my head. And I'll get to them. Really I will. Sometime...maybe. Tomorrow?

National MS Week

2010-03-14T12:45:00.003-06:00

Last week was National MS Awareness week. I'll admit that I am not the most outspoken MS publicist. But, I do know that learning about, and helping to further the cause of MS research is important. So, here are a couple of facts about MS, and a few of my experiences so far:

-MS affects around 400,000 Americans, or close to 2.5 million worldwide.

-MS is thought to be an auto-immune disorder of the central nervous system. Meaning your immune system attacks healthy parts of your body. With MS, the myelin, or protective sheath surrounding the nervous system, is attacked. The holes left in the myelin are then filled in with scar tissue, also know as sclerosis (hence the name Multiple Sclerosis).

-MS affects everyone differently, so it's hard to diagnose. In my case, I get numb, tingling legs and feet. Sometimes I have that same sensation in my back and spinal cord. I've been pretty lucky that my vision, balance, and muscle control haven't been affected. For the most part I lead a normal life.

-I was diagnosed a little over two years ago. Here's the story of how I came to be diagnosed. I've had very few flare ups since then, so I consider myself pretty lucky. I'm over my flare up from January and I'm back to feeling just fine. Really. That's the strange thing with this disease, sometimes you're completely OK, and a week later you're not. That's what can make it difficult to diagnose and treat.

So now you know a little more about MS and me. If you have the time, join the movement. Get involved. The National MS Society has lots of great resources and information on their site. Also, my brother is again riding in the MS 150 Bike Race this year. Click here if you want to help him help fight MS. Let's MOVE IT!

Thursday Thought- kind of

2010-03-06T07:01:00.002-07:00

So I read this article recently. If you've ever screeched or screamed at your kids, then go here to read it. It's not by a General Authority, but it certainly made me think twice about the way I parent my children. I especially liked this part:

"As children get older, they find different things to do that will make their parents want to screech in surprise, fright, dread or anger... But the very fact that they expect, when discovered, to be screeched at does not mean that screeching is the best response. They know you disapprove. That's why they concealed it from you until now....More often than not, a calm discussion is the best way to begin."

"Of Children, Eggs, and Screeching", Orson Scott Card, 4 March 2010

Thursday Thought

2010-02-25T09:12:00.002-07:00

I often struggle with selfishness. I get irritated when I have to stop what I'm doing and help one of my children do things I would rather not be doing. However, I know that as we begin to selflessly serve those in our family, we grow to love them more. Elder Eyring said this:

“Just as Jesus used a child in His mortal ministry as an example for the people of the pure love they must and could have to be like Him, He has offered us the family as an example of an ideal setting in which we can learn how to love as He loves.“That is because the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows we experience are in family relationships. The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Our Perfect Example,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 70-71

Blog shout-out

2010-02-19T12:30:00.004-07:00

So are you reading Thrifty Decor Chick yet? If not, head on over or add it to your reader. I loved this inspirational crafty post. She has such great ideas and it always puts me in a crafty creative mood. Yay!

Thursday Thought

2010-02-12T12:57:00.003-07:00

A little late- but I still wanted to sneak a thought in for this week. This one is an oldie, but a goodie. I just love Sheri Dew. What an amazing woman. Her book, God Wants a Powerful People is one of my favorites. I love the way she encourages, uplifts, and inspires. Here's a quote from a conference talk from long ago that I really like:

"...no woman is more persuasive, no woman has greater influence for good, no woman is a more vibrant instrument in the hands of the Lord than a woman of God who is thrilled to be who she is. I like to think of us as the Lord’s secret weapon."

I love the part "thrilled to be who she is". How often can we say that about ourselves? It's hard to get to that point, but when we feel that way, it's amazing how much we can accomplish.

Sheri L. Dew, “Stand Tall and Stand Together,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 94–96

Random News at the W's

2010-02-03T09:43:00.008-07:00

Hooray for February. Why is it that January is such a hard funk to crawl out of? Maybe it's the cold, the dismal air, the frozen car windows...

In any case, I'm glad February is here. Honestly, I only took three pictures in January. Three! And they were all of Parks' artwork. So yesterday I pulled out the camera and snapped this beauty of the kids:

Yup. That's what we do for fun at our house.

In other news:

-Parks is learning to read. He's actually quite proficient at it. It is exciting to watch the world open up to him. He's learned he can read just about anything around him. It's like learning a new language, but better. He's loving school still and thinks his Kindergarten teacher walks on water. This past week he finally graduated to a real twin-sized bed. He's so excited about it and is constantly inviting his friends to come over and look at it.

-Maddie has really taken a liking to Sunbeams. She loves going to Primary this year and she especially loves learning new songs. She still sings herself to sleep at night and often makes up random words to Primary songs. Here's one of the latest:

There's not too much for Aaron and me to report. Is there ever? Besides, kids are much cuter, wouldn't you agree? Here's to a much improved February!

Well, crud

2010-01-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

Most of the time I like to think I'm invincible. I guess that's not the best word. But for most of my life I have really felt that I can accomplish or do anything I set out to do. With hard work, determination and faith, there isn't anything unattainable. I've always been more of an optimist than a pessimist. I like to look on the bright side of things and try hard not to let anything get me down.

However, these past couple of weeks have made me question myself. I'm starting to wonder how I can accomplish and do everything I want to do if my body isn't cooperating. Since my MS diagnosis over two years ago, things have been pretty good for me. I don't talk about it much, because it really hasn't affected me much. When people ask how I'm doing, I tell them I'm fine. Because I am.

But over the past couple of weeks, things have gotten a little worse. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's because I haven't been running much. Maybe it's because of my sub-par holiday diet. I don't know. My legs just don't want to work very well. They feel heavy, like they're attached to me, but not really a part of me. They feel like they're half-way asleep. Kind of like right after childbirth when the epidural starts to wear off, but you don't have all your sensation back. Like you're living in a constant state of pins and needles. It kinda sucks.

And honestly, I can handle these symptoms right now. They're fine. I'm sure in a few weeks they'll go away. But for the first time since my diagnosis, I've started to realize that this MS stuff could really affect my life- and maybe not in a good way. It's a kind of wake-up call. In a way, I guess I've been in a bit of denial. Kind of like when you're pregnant and you really can't believe you'll be a parent until the little one arrives. Then reality kicks in. I guess that's what I'm experiencing right now: a little bit of a kick in the pants from our friend Reality. And it sucks.

But you know what? I'm just gonna keep on kicking right back. MS or no, I'm going to keep on fighting. I'm going to keep on trying until I can't anymore. Because that's what life is all about, isn't it? It's not easy or fun most of the time. And sometimes all we can do is try and keep trying, and kick and keep kicking until we get through it. That's just life. And right now it's teaching me something. I may be down, but I'm not out. Eye of the tiger, baby. Eye of the tiger. And I swear that's the last boxing metaphor. Honest. Oh, and go, fight, win!

Thursday Thought

2010-01-21T08:24:00.004-07:00

So this Sunday I get to teach Relief Society. Ha ha. I'm sure it will be loads of fun (sarcasm intended). But at least preparing for it has given me some great material for this Thursday Thought. I'm teaching Elder Uchtdorf's talk from the past October Conference "The Love of God". Here's one of the parts I've really liked:

"My dear brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."

Isn't that the way it is with the gospel? We just have to try, even if it's difficult. And then keep trying until it becomes a part of us. Such great advice.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 21–24

Thursday Thought

2010-01-07T10:25:00.010-07:00

These past couple of weeks we've spent a lot of time together as a family. A lot. Did I mention a lot? It was nice for awhile, but I think we're starting to get a bit snippity and unfriendly toward one another. It's not really how I imagined my glorious life as a stay-at-home-mom would be. I'm not the perfect mom or wife. Sometimes it's all I can do to make it through the day. But I do love my kids and hopefully as they grow up, they'll come to understand that a little more.

Anyway, a couple days ago I bought Cherie Call's latest CD, "Grace". I'm usually not a fan of Mormon music artists. In fact they kind of bug me. It seems like they're either trying to show off their amazingly gifted voices, or they totally butcher hymns. But I really genuinely like Cherie Call. She's able to put a voice to some of the same thoughts and feelings I've had.

One of the songs on her new CD just spoke to me. Deep down it's how I really feel about my children and my family. I tried to embed the song to this post but couldn't make it work. So below the lyrics, there's a link where you can listen to a sample or purchase the song.

The song is called "Walk You Through the Night":

I don't have eyes in the back of my head
I don't wear bright red knee high boots or a leotard with an "S"
And I only have five senses, the sixth one's never there
When I don't know why you're crying and I have to guess
I see you're having trouble sleeping, so am I
I've been hoping I know how to raise you right
I can't cast a magic spell, but I can take you for a trip around the block
Rest your head now while I hold you tight
And I will walk you through the night

As we walk beneath the sparkling stars
Your body's getting heavier, you're finally giving in
And my mind slips through the future, to the troubles you could have
And I don't know how to fix them, I just have to guess
You are bound to have some nightmares, so am I
But you can count on me to hold you when you cry
I can't take it all away
But I can tell you I've been down this road before
I can't promise that I'll always get it right
But I will walk you through the night

And if it's raining, I will drive you
And if it's late at night, I don't care what time you call
I may not be the best at very many things
But I believe I love you perfectly

Times go by so relentlessly
I hope that you outlive me, that's how it's meant to be
And I believe in Heaven, but there are still some things
That I just can't fully fathom, I just have to guess
If God will grant my wish, I will wait for you
Beyond the veil just before you slip through
And as you softly close your eyes
I will sing my lullabies to you
And before you make your way into the light
I will walk you through the night
-------------------------------------------
Go here to listen to a sample of this song. And here if you'd like to purchase it. It's song #6, although the whole album is worth purchasing.

What Shall We Give?

2009-12-24T17:38:00.002-07:00

Growing up, one of our family's greatest Christmas traditions took place on Christmas Eve. We'd gather around, read the Christmas story from the Bible, and then think about what we could give to Jesus as a gift of service on Christmas Day. We were taught that giving of ourselves was much more important than giving presents.

I really like this latest Mormon Message that talks about the same thing. I hope that my children will one day come to understand and embody this truth as well. Merry Christmas.

A new meaning to an old song

2009-12-23T20:27:00.007-07:00

Today Parks and I went out for a bit of last minute shopping. We stopped for lunch and during a familiar Christmas song, Parks said this:

"Hey mom. Santa and Jesus were born on the same day!"

Me:"Uh, no they weren't. Santa just comes on the day we celebrate Jesus' birth."

Parks:"Well, they have the same birthday."

Me: "Nope."

Parks: "Well Santa was a baby on Christmas."

Me: "What?"

Parks: "It said that in the song."

I stopped to listen and "Santa Baby" was playing over the speakers. I guess that makes sense to a 5-year-old.

Dear Elves,

2009-12-21T12:15:00.005-07:00

I intercepted Parks' letter to Santa's elves before sending it on its way to the North Pole. I sure love this boy.

And if you need a translation: "To Santa's Elves, Elves, my sis has been nice. I have too but you should be so happy of us"

Random Maddie

2009-12-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Things Maddie has said recently:

"Mom, we need to go to a parade."

"Can you see my eyeballs?"

"Uh, Grandpa, a little help here."

"Mom can you put my blanket it my jammies so it can be my booty?"

I asked her what I should say about her in our Christmas letter. She responded, "I have to clean my room." Guess she hears that a lot.

Oreo Truffles

2009-12-18T15:21:00.004-07:00

Mmmm. One of the only true holiday candies I know how to make is Oreo Truffles. And they're easy-peasy. Here's how:

Take 1 bag of Oreos. Crush them up by hand or in a blender or food processor.
Add 1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)
Mix together.

Roll into small balls and refrigerate.

Dip into melted chocolate and drizzle an alternate color of chocolate on top. That's it! They are so good. Another option is to add about 4 crushed candy canes to the Oreo mixture for a chocolate-mint flavor.

And if you prefer, here's a link to the "official" recipe.

Thursday Thought

2009-12-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about why we're here on earth and even placed into the particular circumstances we're living in. I believe one of the most important reasons we're here is to help one another.

As I've been thinking back over my life, I realize there are many times I felt prompted to call or check on someone. Sometimes I followed through on those promptings, other times I have not. So I wonder if whether or not I followed through had an impact (good or bad) on someone else's life. I don't know, but I do know that one of the greatest things we can do on this earth is strengthen, uplift, and support one another. President Monson said this in the October general conference:

"My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us."

Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 84–87

Year-end letter

2009-12-16T08:47:00.003-07:00

Have you written your year-end letter yet? Me neither. I'm working on it though- if only in my head. However, I saw this Year-End Letter Song on Jay Leno a couple nights ago and thought it was too true not to share. Hope you don't get any letters like this this year:

Wnter Weekend

2009-12-15T08:53:00.006-07:00

This past weekend was a lot of fun. We played in the snow:

We got to see BOTH sets of grandparents:

And we had fun at Hardware Ranch:

What a fun wintry weekend!

Random News at the W's

2009-12-11T08:40:00.013-07:00

Alright, are you sick of reading about how much I hate Martha Stewart? Me too. And just to clarify, I don't actually hate her. I just hate that she's so good at what she does and I'm not. Now that we've got that out of the way, here are some random goings-on at our house lately.

-The Christmas Tree is finally up! Usually we get it done the day after Thanksgiving, but not this year. This year I was in charge of a ward party that took place last Friday. Until that was over, everything else got put on hold. Thankfully Dustin and Monica got us off to a good start by putting the tree up for us last Saturday, then we decorated it this week.

-We have snow and a lot of cold! We've been on the negative side of the temperature chart these last few days. Aaron keeps asking why we don't live in Arizona this time of year. That is a good question.

-Maddie's preschool ended the first week of December. Now we're wandering around wondering what to do with her. She sure has a lot of energy and no where to put it. Guess I better get working on that.

-Parks has started reading simple books in Kindergarten. I'm glad he's learning how to read, but there's only so much "I am Sam. See Sam. See Nan." I can take before I want to poke my eyeballs (or eardrums) out.

-Speaking of Parks, he is one little arteest. He wakes up in the morning (usually at 6) and immediately starts creating or drawing something. My mom said I should just take pictures of some of his art, then I don't have to keep it all around the house. Well you asked for it mom. Here's what Parks has created in just the last couple of days:

The whole dang herd of reindeer and Santa's sleigh:
Stuffed animal portraits (there is a whole series of these):

And more Christmas cheer:

If this trend keeps up, I'll have to buy a bigger memory card.

So there ya have it, some random news from the W's.

Just for the record

2009-11-20T14:57:00.013-07:00

I hate Martha Stewart. Haaaaate her. Seriously, where does that chic find the time to do all her creating? And how does she have so many exotic things on hand in her kitchen. Stinkin' ridiculous I tell ya. I just got done leafing through the latest edition of her magazine (I got a subscription for free) and there is not one thing in there that I am capable of completing. Seriously. Take this recipe, for example, from page 237 of December's Martha Stewart Living:

Roasted Pears and Quinces with Tangerine Zest
10 small pears, preferably Forelle, peeled, halved, and seeded
(wth is Forelle? Is it some sort of grading system? Like AAA? LLLL?)
5 quinces, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 8 to 10 wedges
(Quince? Really? That's a food? Not the 5 baby thing? Really?)
1 lemon, halved
(OK, OK, I can't complain about this one)
2 ounces unsalted butter
(You mean they make it without salt? That's a shame.)
1 cup sugar
6 tangerines, zest cut into strips, and juiced (about 1 cup)
(So you cut the tangerine into strips? and juice the zest? What?!)
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, pods reserved
(Hmmm. Wait just a minute while I saunter out to my vanilla bean tree and harvest a couple of pods.)
2 cups dry white wine
(Don't you know I'm Mormon, lady?)
Vanilla-Bean Creme Anglaise (recipe above)
(You mean you want me to actually make something else, after all this hoo-haw? Besides the fact I can't even pronounce that A word.)

I won't reveal the rest of the steps required to actually make this wondrous fruity delight, because the ingredient list is enough to make me throw the whole dang magazine at the wall. Is she for real?

Maybe I get so mad because I think maybe, just maybe, I should be capable of creating these types of splendid things. My home should be filled with Kumquat-Braised Short Ribs, Celery Root and Apple Slaw, and hand-constructed, black-and-white-roving felted penguins. (For the record, I am not making those things up. Check page 206 for the roving penguins).

But those things are so far out of my league that I just laugh and then curse and then cry. Sure it would be nice to have a perfectly decorated home and delectable foods with which to entertain my entourage of guests. But I don't. It's just me, and my 5 buck Little Caesar's pizza, and 2 kids wearing mismatched clothes, and a husband that puts up with it all.

So next time the 5-pound issue of Martha Stewart Living arrives at my door, I'm chucking it at the nearest feral cat. I don't need that magazine staring up at me from the coffee table, making me feel guilty for not being a crafting, cooking, creating goddess. Because, really, I don't think even Martha Stewart is capable of all that. Oh, and did I mention I hate her?

Thankful Thursday Thought

2009-11-19T15:10:00.006-07:00

This week for FHE, we made this Thankful Tree. I stole the idea from here.
Her tree looks much better than mine. Mine's made of an old paper sack and the leaves are mostly hand tracings.

Each of us wrote on the leaves the things we're thankful for. Apparently we're thankful for those things that could be seen within the 10 foot radius of where we were making the tree (scissors, couch, blankets, etc.) We have extra leaves so when we think of something else we're thankful for, we'll add it to the tree. I hope we start being more thankful, because our tree is looking a little sad.

Deal of the Day

2009-11-13T12:30:00.003-07:00

The movie "Up" was released on DVD this week. If you go here you can print a coupon for $10 off the 4-disc edition. And rumor has it, that "Up" is on sale at Wal-Mart for $19.96, making it $9.96 for the 4-disc set. If you liked the movie, I'd say it's a pretty good deal. But hurry! The coupon expires November 17.

Thursday Thought

2009-11-12T09:10:00.004-07:00

I would like to believe that I'm the perfect spouse. But the truth is, I fall short. Among other things, I tend to be selfish and I always like to think I'm right. So just like anything good in this life, marriage requires a lot of work and concerted effort. I like what Elder Nelson says here:

“Meanwhile, mortal misunderstandings can make mischief in a marriage. In fact, each marriage starts with two built-in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people. Happiness can come to them only through their earnest effort. Just as harmony comes from an orchestra only when its members make a concerted effort, so harmony in marriage also requires a concerted effort. That effort will succeed if each partner will minimize personal demands and maximize actions of loving selflessness.”

I also like this part from the same talk:

"(The) proclamation on the family helps us realize that celestial marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship."

Russell M. Nelson, “Celestial Marriage,” Liahona, Nov 2008, 92–95

Truth from a 3-year-old

2009-11-09T07:54:00.003-07:00

This morning Maddie found my watch on the floor, brought it to me, and said,

"Mom, here's your watch so you can waste time."

Does she really know me that well?

Halloween

2009-11-06T08:33:00.004-07:00

Alright, I know I'm a week behind the game, but here are our little monsters dressed up for Halloween this year:And here's Maddie's real costume. She only wore it for a few minutes.

And the jack-o-lanterns.

Happy Halloween!

Thursday Thought

2009-10-29T12:17:00.001-06:00

“Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. As we do so, we should remember that our family relationships—even more than our Church callings—are the setting in which the most important part of that development can occur. The conversion we must achieve requires us to be a good husband and father or a good wife and mother. Being a successful Church leader is not enough. Exaltation is an eternal family experience, and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it.”

Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Liahona, Jan 2001, 40–43

Motivation to be a mom

2009-10-26T12:09:00.003-06:00

This morning Maddie was a little incensed that I was eating cookies for breakfast, but she couldn't. She replied, "I'm going to be a mom so I can reach the cookies on the fridge." Motivation enough, I guess.

10 years and counting

2009-10-22T08:16:00.010-06:00

Ten years ago today Aaron and I got married. Crazy! I was twenty years old (twenty!). That seems so young now, but at the time there wasn't even any question in my mind. We were so in love. It took awhile to get to that point though. Our first date was to the Glen Miller Band dinner and dance. Here we are looking oh so cute:
We were in the same student ward in college, but didn't even notice each other for the first 6 months or so. I was seriously enamored with him after our first date. He was such a gentleman and I had a great time. We continued dating on and off for several months. I'm sure Aaron was sick of me after awhile. I kept breaking up with him because I wasn't sure I was ready for a "serious" relationship. And I was waiting for a missionary. Anyway, I'm pretty sure we went through about 3 or 4 cycles of dating/breaking up/getting back together. It's a wonder Aaron put up with me that long.

Finally I got a talking to from a number of people telling me I needed to decide one way or the other. I couldn't just string Aaron along like that any longer. So I got serious about asking and praying and I got my answer- very clearly. Aaron was the one for me. From then on out, there was never any question in my mind. We were engaged about 5 months after our first date and we were married 3 months after that. It still seems crazy to think that everything happened so fast, but we couldn't have been happier. Here we are in some of our engagement photos:

And finally, the big day. We were really lucky to have such nice weather for a late October day :

Don't you just love the serious poses:
The last ten years haven't been the easiest or the most dreamy, they've just been filled with life and its ups and downs. There have been good times and bad times, but I'm so glad Aaron's been there with me through it all. Happy Anniversary Aaron. I love you!

The new 'do

2009-10-02T07:49:00.002-06:00

This one is about 20 years in the making. Literally. Aaron has had his same haircut since the 8th grade. He finally decided it was time for a change. So, without further adieu:

Before: (lots of hair)
After: (not so much hair. We affectionately call him spike)

Thursday Thought

2009-10-01T13:38:00.002-06:00

“Let us . . . honor the special place of the family. As James Q. Wilson wrote:“ ‘We learn to cope with the people of this world because we learn to cope with the members of our family. Those who flee the family flee the world; bereft of the [family’s] affection, tutelage, and challenges, they are unprepared for the [world’s] tests, judgments, and demands’ (The Moral Sense [1993], 163).”

Neal A. Maxwell, “The Tugs and Pulls of the World,” Liahona, Jan 2001, 43–46

So I'm hoping that because Parks and Maddie are (hopefully) learning how to deal with each other, that they'll be better prepared to deal with others in the world. Unless those others make them mad. Then watch out.

An update

2009-09-26T07:00:00.002-06:00

Because you know the world revolves around me and you're dying to know... :)

I had my annual MRI and checkup last week. The MRI results were good. They did see a few smaller lesions that hadn't shown up on previous MRI's, but they blamed that on the MRI technology and acquisition techniques getting better. They believed these smaller lesions had been there all along but they just couldn't see them until now. So everything's good. And they said I didn't need to come in for another year, when before I had to come in every 6 months. So go, fight, win!

Thursday Thought

2009-09-24T22:27:00.006-06:00

Just a disclaimer, this thought is coming straight from the book of Megan, so take it for what it's worth. ;)

I visited with an incredible friend this past week. She has been through a lot in her life and has managed to come out of it stronger, wiser, and with a truly remarkable attitude. As she was telling me some of the incredibly good things that have happened to her lately, I couldn't help but think that she was being watched over, protected and strengthened from a place beyond this world. As she spoke, I could feel how much love our Heavenly Father had for her. I could sense how amazing her spirit was and I knew without a doubt that she is one of our Heavenly Father's chosen daughters. I felt honored to know her and be her friend. And I knew she was being cared for and protected in her life because she was trying her hardest to do what was right.

And as I sat there just feeling how much love I felt for her, and that our Heavenly Father also felt for her, I knew that He holds the same love for each of us. He knows us. He knows our trials and our tribulations. He knows what we've been through. He wants us to make the right decisions, but even if we don't, He loves each and every one of us unconditionally. Sometimes because of where we're at in life, or because of some decisions we've made, we don't understand how He can love us that much and we often feel unworthy of His love.

But looking at this friend, I felt how strongly she was loved and I started to believe that He might possibly love me just as much too. This is something I still struggle with, but this week I came a little closer to comprehending it.

Elder Anthony D. Perkins said this:

"...see yourself as a precious child of a loving Father in Heaven. Our children with confidence sing, “I am a child of God, and he has sent me here.” Little children feel and know what perhaps you have forgotten. You are the beloved son or daughter of Heavenly Father, created “in his own image,” and of immense value—so much so that Jesus Christ gave His life for you.
God the Father is merciful and has infinite love for you despite your faults. "

Anthony D. Perkins, “‘The Great and Wonderful Love’,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 76–78

Not only is it official...

2009-09-20T21:03:00.003-06:00

...now it's forever. We are so happy for Trent, Lori, and Nathan! What a wonderful weekend.

Blog Shout Out

2009-09-18T10:43:00.001-06:00

OK, I don't normally do this, but awhile ago I found this blog. It is an amazing resource for food storage, preparedness, and all good things like that. And by "that" I mean things that make you feel guilty because if you're LDS you know you should be doing food storage, and 72-hour kits, and canning up the wazoo, but you aren't so you feel guilty. But hey, at least if you're looking at ideas for those things on a blog, you're doing something. Right? Right???!

Thursday Thought

2009-09-17T14:13:00.004-06:00

As members of the Church, we know that missionary work is important. But for me it's so hard! I hate to feel like I'm forcing my beliefs on someone else. I'm afraid of what might happen if I choose to bring the subject of religion up. But I think if I can get past my fears, amazing things, even miracles might happen. Speaking of the miracle of missionary work, Elder Eyring said this:

"To be part of that miracle, you must not wait until you feel closer to Heavenly Father or until you are sure that you have been purified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Pray for the chance to encounter people who sense there could be something better in their lives. Pray to know what you should do to help them. Your prayers will be answered. You will meet people prepared by the Lord. You will find yourself feeling and saying things beyond your past experience. And then in time you will feel yourself drawing closer to your Heavenly Father, and you will feel the cleansing and the forgiveness the Savior promises His faithful witnesses. And you will feel His approval, knowing you have done what He asked of you, because He loves you and trusts you."

Henry B. Eyring, “A Child and a Disciple,” Ensign, May 2003, 29

Maddie's Future Plans

2009-09-11T07:36:00.000-06:00

Maddie recently learned that her Nursery Music Leader is a Bus Driver. She actually has a bus parked at her house every day. This is perhaps the coolest thing for any three-year-old to realize. Today we walked past said Nursery Leader's house and had this conversation:

Maddie: "Mom, I want to be a drive busser when I grow up."

Me: "Really?"

Maddie: "Yeah. When will I be growed up?"

Me: "I don't know. Probably in a lot of years."

Maddie: "Maybe when I'm fifteen... But then I have to do chores. I don't want to be growed up."

Ya know what? Some times I don't want to be growed up either.

Thursday Thought

2009-09-10T07:11:00.005-06:00

I read this thought from President Eyring in last month's Visiting Teaching message. It definitely puts things into perspective. I think all too often I put "entertaining myself" at the top of my to do list. Maybe now I'll think twice before I plunk myself down in front of a computer or television. But at the same time, I don't think he means we have to spend every minute of every day learning. Just that we need to be wise in what we do with our time. Anyway, here's what he has to say:

“We will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time. … But remember, you are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly with spiritual sight, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular learning. …

“… And since what we will need to know is hard to discern, we need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad things we could study we would most wisely learn. It also means that we cannot waste time entertaining ourselves when we have the chance to read or to listen to whatever will help us learn what is true and useful. Insatiable curiosity will be our hallmark.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct 2002, 14

Maddie's First Day

2009-09-06T17:31:00.003-06:00

Maddie got in on a bit of the first-day-of-school action too. Last week she started her first day of preschool ever. She was so so so excited. She started asking me 2 weeks beforehand if her preschool was tomorrow. It took a long time until the day finally came and then she could hardly contain herself. She had a great time and can't wait to go back.

It's officially official!

2009-09-06T17:25:00.002-06:00

This past week Trent, Lori, and Nathan became an official family giving them full parental rights. Yay! We are so happy for them to be able to call Nathan their own and we are so glad they're a part of our family. Love you guys!
Here are some pictures from the big day. (Pretend they're not stolen from their blog).