MS Walk

Saturday I went to my hometown of Evanston, Wyoming to walk in the MS Walk. Our team was called "The Woodshoppers." My brother that has MS has his own custom cabinetry business called Wyoming Woodshop- thus the name. It was a beautiful morning. A little bit chilly. My face and hands got a bit cold. I walked three miles and realized how out of shape I was. My legs were itching like crazy from my lack of circulation. I told Spence that when I go on the pioneer trek this July, that I would be one of the pioneers that they will have to bury along the trail!

Our team raised a little over $1,000 and the Evanston walk raised $21,000! Yeah! Thank you to all of those who donated. Here are some pictures from the walk.

My sister-in-law, Jeni, niece Makayla, Mom and Dad behind them

Nathan and me after the walk

Nathan and his cousin, Makayla. They walked 5 miles (and ran most of it!)

After the walk I hung out at my mom's gift store. My brother made these cabinets/hutches for her. They turned out so beautiful. They are the kind of cabinets I want in my kitchen. Everything he makes is custom and top quality. He is so talented. So if anyone is interested in a piece of furniture, let me know.

Van Down by the River

I was sitting in the front room last week and Nathan and his friend, Garrett, were sitting outside on the front porch. They were laughing and making all kinds of noise so I started to pay attention to them to see what in the world they were up to. Garrett stands up and starts imitating Chris Farley from SNL doing his motiviational speech "Van down by the river." It cracked me up because I loved that skit. I thought it was before Nathan and Garrett's "time" so I don't know where they heard it. Anyway, found the video clip of it so thought I'd share the laugh. I loved Chris Farley and am sad he's gone. (Couldn't figure out how to put the video on here, so click on the link below to watch it.)


Get motivated or end up in a Van Down by the River!

Mommy's Best Helper

Yesterday Logan surprised me when he woke up. I didn't know he was awake yet. He came down the stairs all dressed for school and proudly announced that he had made his bed, Claire's bed and Nathan's! And they looked great! I gave him so much praise and attention over it that he did it again this morning. I told him it helped me out so much for him to do that. I love it when my kids help me with my chores!

T-Ball (aka Tackle Football)

Logan started another year of T-ball last Thursday. It is always wild and crazy at the fields. They need about 4 times the amount of parking, or have half the teams play on other nights. They have 24 teams this year, and only two separate game times. CRAZY! Anyhow, Logan has been practicing and is doing well on his hitting. His first round up he had to use the T, but second time up he hit an awesome ground ball on the first pitch. I love watching the kids. The coach starts out putting them in all of the outfield positions. After about two hits, they are all just lined up in a football defense line about 10 feet from the hitter. They all want a piece of that ball. When the ball is hit it's like a big amoeba. They all run for it, tackle each other, reach and grab and fight to come up with the ball. Hilarious.

The outfield defense line

Logan so proud of getting the ball. Has the "ha ha" look on his face.

Logan running to third base.

While in line waiting for his turn to bat, Logan likes to goof around with the other kids. They always pick grass and throw it at each other. At least it's not just my child that does it though.

Claire likes to go and watch the games to sit in the chair and just snack on chips and goof around. I should've signed her up to play, but of course didn't think about it in time!

Random "Childish" Thoughts

I was taking Logan to school today. He loves it when we're a little early because then he gets more time to play on the playground. It's so cute to see all the little kids run with so much excitement to the park. They always have a smile on their faces and are laughing and having so much fun with each other. And Logan gets so excited when he gets to be the "door holder" at school! It just got me to thinking of how simple life is when you're young and how easy it is to be entertained and have fun. When do we lose that? When do simple things like going down a slide or climbing the monkey bars become "not fun" anymore? Why don't we as adults run to the playground with our friends anymore? Maybe some of you do and it's just me that doesn't! I wonder how it would be if we found excitement in simpler things. I wonder what it would be like to be so innocent and not sit and worry about stuff like how your hair looks, what you're wearing, what you eat, etc. I wish I could be more care free about things. I guess I need to slow down and enjoy simple things with my kids before they grow up and don't like to go to the park anymore. I need to learn to enjoy things like that more. I need to be more CHILDISH! :-) Don't worry- I won't start to shirk my adult responsibilities...

Guess What! It's Spring!

NOT! The week started out nice. Monday was so beautiful. The kids were out playing in the sprinkler. I'm sure everyone was loving it and thinking "Wow! I am so ready for summer to be here!" Then......

WHAM! Tuesday it snows. Okay, not quite this much, but that's what it felt like after such a sunny day on Monday. I don't know about everyone else but I am ready for the snow, wind and rain to be done with. I'm tired of being so confused about what to put on in the mornings. Sweater, jacket, t-shirt, capris?Okay, enough weather talk. Claire had a field trip to the Taylorsville Fire Station on Tuesday. The kids had fun. The fireman put on his full gear to show the kids that he's not scary and that if they are in a house on fire they shouldn't hide and that they should be really loud and not be afraid when the fireman comes in to get them. I thought that was great! They were really cute with the kids.

After the field trip we went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Yummy! It was all girls to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday (a week late). Spence's sisters, Camille and Tara were there, along with his nephew's wife, Natalie. Claire was such an angel! She's never behaved that well in a restaurant. Here is a picture of her with Aunt Camille and Natalie's baby- Lily. Her daddy is in Iraq until November. Lily just turned three months old and is very spoiled; she is the first grandchild and great grandchild on all sides. LUCKY!

Aunt Camille, Baby Lily and Claire

Baby Lillian

Claire went to town when it came time to dessert. Yum Yum!

Sunshine, spring cleaning and ....Poodles?

What a great weekend! My family sure did enjoy the sunshine. We took advantage and did some outside spring cleaning in the yard. Gonna take awhile to repair some of Jasmine's damage though. Got all the weeds pulled and even planted some strawberry plants. Spence found his clippers and went to town. I think I should call him Edward Scissorhands instead of Nathan. Once Spence gets those clippers in his hands he can't control himself. I always get so upset when he starts cutting every branch off the trees and bushes. He just says he knows what he is doing and he is "the gardener." So I leave him be....

Yes- this is the neighbor's house.

So beware neighbors-don't let Spence near your house with some clippers!

The kids love to smash down the weeds and branches.

Logan and Claire had a picnic on the front porch. I made fruit smoothies for everyone. Claire came running up to me and said she wanted another "poodle." I said "What?" She handed me her cup and said it again. I laughed and said "You mean smoothie?" So another name for smoothis is now poodle.

Later in the night we took Claire's training wheels off of her bike and she learned to ride without them in about 2 seconds. She's a little daredevil and does everything that Logan can do. She can't ride her bike enough now.

We had Sunday dinner at Spence's parents' house. He still had an "itch" to do some tree trimming so took the liberty of cutting the bottom branches off of his mom's big pine tree. She was just thrilled about the mess he left around it. :-)

The kids brought their bikes and rode them at the UEA across the street from grandma's house. Claire was so daring she even rode her bike off of the step! They ended their fun by having a bubble bath in grandm's tub.

On the drive home Claire was being "naughty" and kicking and screaming. We told her she was grounded from her bike tomorrow. She threw a fit about that and apologized. She said she wanted one more chance. We said okay. Well, it lasted about one minute and she was back at it. So we told her that was her chance and no bike. She was crying. Logan then started in and begging "Please mom and dad! Just give her one, no two more chances! I loooove Claire! Please, just one more chance!" I gave in with her this morning and let her have her bike. (See, I have a problem with following through.)

I guess I didn't say anything about Nathan's weekend. He started out with a soccer game. He scored the first goal again. His team won 4-1. Then he came home, got in trouble and was grounded from friends and the computer. So he had a boring Saturday. All day Sunday he made up for it by being glued to the computer.

Should I be worried?

Now, usually this conversation takes place with your 2 or 3 year old. NOT your 12 year old son! This morning I am in the car taking Nathan to school. He really needs a haircut and I said I would take him today. I look over and notice this section of really short hair right in the front where his part is.

"Nathan, did you cut your hair?"

"No. Why?"

"Did someone else cut it then? Because there's a part here that is only about a centimeter long."

He looks in the mirror. I could tell he wasn't being truthful.

"Nathan, tell me the truth. Did you cut your hair?"

Smiling.... "Ok, I did. I just got bored."

Oh my gosh! "Don't you know that you don't cut your hair! Now you can't go in for a haircut. It's going to have to stay long to cover that up! Unless you want a buzz and look like a dork! Usually you take in your toddler to the beautician when they cut their hair and ask them if they can fix it- not your 12 year old! How embarrassing!"

I guess if this is the worst thing he does then I'm okay?? UGH!

Time to Clean the Car?

I just love it when I take my pants off at the end of the day and notice bright blue taffy smashed right in the middle of my butt. How many stores did I go into looking like that? Lovely, just lovely.

Confessions of a Looney Toony!

Do you ever feel like you are possessed and a mad woman? Like all of a sudden you are just overcome with craziness? I swear I was a screaming lunatic to my kids tonight. I had just reached my boiling point I guess and just exploded. I just ran out of patience. I hate it when I do that. A mom can only take so much bossing around from her kids. I get so tired of being told what to do. Whatever happened to the word "please?" Sometimes I feel like a slave that is being pulled a million directions. Everyone wants something and they want it now. Then when I ask them to do something- it's when they want to, or not at all. It gets so frustrating.

Claire has really been testing me lately. Some days I just want to lock her in her room and keep her there all day. She is so bull headed though that she won't stay. When she's in there for time out I have to literally hold the door shut. When she finally gives in, she'll lay down and look underneath the door to see if I'm still standing there. Sometimes when she throws a fit in the store I just look at her and walk away. Most kids would come running after their mom. Oh no- not Claire. She just stands there and won't follow me. Naturally I get worried and can't leave her standing there so what good does it do? She will hit or kick me when she's mad at me. I feel like I have no control over that child. I am praying this is just a stage and not a glimpse of what is to come.

After I yell and scream, the kids start yelling and screaming back. What a glorious sound that is. Everyone gets upset. Logan starts to cry because his feelings got hurt. He is so sensitive. I did however apologize to each of the kids individually and try to explain myself and what gets me to that point. I always feel so guilty afterwards and like I'm a failure. At times I just want to crawl in bed under the covers and just vegetate. I don't know what that would solve, but it might make me feel better....Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Thanks for letting me vent.

Just found this quote: “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

Temple

So this post is going to be a "churchy" one. As most of you know, I went to the temple for myself in January. I was very nervous, so missed a lot of the details and felt like I didn't really have a "spiritual" experience. Don't get me wrong, I felt the spirit there with me, but was too overwhelmed at trying to do everything right. Anyway, I returned to the temple this morning for the first time since January. As I was walking towards the temple from my car and looking at the beauty and sacredness of the building, tears came to my eyes. Already I was crying! I was so taken back by the fact that I was actually entering the temple. That I was worthy of it. After all that I have been through in my past- I was actually here. My goal as a young woman had finally been achieved. It took me longer than I had wanted, but I MADE IT. And I know that soon I will be kneeling across the altar with my dear husband and be sealed to him and my three beautiful children. I can't wait for that day. Then the goal will be complete.

I just wanted to share my testimony with my friends- some members of the LDS church, and some not. I never speak publicly about my religion or beliefs. It's something I need to work on. I am just not the outgoing type. And it is scary! But I want you all to know that I do have a testimony of the Savior and that He suffered for each of us. Through Him and His atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins. I know that He loves me as an individual and wants me to be happy. I am truly so much happier following His commandments. I know that His gospel was restored on the earth by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am so grateful that he had a strong testimony and had the strength to overcome so much to do the Lord's work. I know that the prophet today, President Monson, was called by God to lead our church. I was so thankful to be able to raise my hand during conference and sustain him. I am so grateful for all that I have. I am truly blessed.

Perfect Object Lesson

I was in 7-11 with Claire getting my slurpee and there were two policeman in there too. They were talking with a young teenager- maybe around 14 years old. Claire couldn't take her eyes off of them. They were writing out a report on him. I overheard the policeman talking to the store clerk. The clerk told him that he had stolen a pack of mint mentos. The clerk said he reported it because he wanted the kid to learn a lesson. The officer told the clerk that this isn't his first time- and that he got away with it the last time. As I was paying for my stuff Claire continued to watch the officers take the boy outside and put his hands behind his back and handcuff him. (For an 89cent pack of mentos! Stupid kids...) When we got in the car Claire was full of questions. I explained to her what the boy had done and how he is in big trouble now for taking something without paying for it and how wrong that is. Claire shared the story with the family at dinner that night. I think it has stuck with her because the next time we went to 7-11 she asked if the policeman were there. :-) Anyway, I couldn't have asked for a better teaching tool for not stealing!

"Whoville" and Pancakes!

Saturday afternoon I took Logan and Claire to the matinee of Horton Hears a Who while Spence and Nathan went to the priesthood session at the conference center. Claire is "movie challenged." She just can't sit through them. Even at a big theater. Right when the movie started she had to use the restroom. So I missed the beginning of the movie. Then about 20 minutes before the end of the movie we went to get a refill on popcorn. Naturally, as always, I pick the sloooowest line ever. I never know if I should switch lines because I'm afraid if I do that I'll just have to wait longer, so I remain in the same slow line. By the time we finished and returned to the theater we had missed the main ending action part of the movie. Just in time for the ending song. Great! So I'd have to say I only give this movie a C. It wasn't my favorite. Should have saved my money and just bought a video that the kids can watch over and over again at home.


On Sunday morning the kids and I made PINK and BLUE pancakes. They each added quite a few sprinkles to their pancakes. Yummy. It takes so little to please children. :-)



Don't they look like little rag muffins in the morning?

Bizzarro World

So did anyone watch yesterday's Oprah on the man who is pregnant? Okay, well the man who used to be a woman but had sex change- but chose to not remove sex organs because he knew he wanted a child someday. And we wonder what is wrong with the world today. Am I the only one that thinks that is absolutely crazy and ludicrous? (K- but I have to laugh because Claire just walked in the room with her Baby Alive doll that her grandma Debbie sent her. It is a boy doll but grandma sent a ballet outfit with it. So the doll has on a pink ballet outfit and a little penis hanging out. I couldn't have planned that better to go along with what I'm typing. LOL) Anyway, back to the pregnant man. I just sit and shake my head and wonder what will be next. Do any of these people think of the children that they are bringing into these relationships? I know I am going to offend some people out there, but it is just my opinion. I am against gays and lesbians adopting children and think sex changes just shouldn't be. I guess I just don't understand how you could think you are born into the wrong body.

It got me thinking about The Family: A Proclamation to the World and how inspired it was and the importance of it. The definition of a family unit is rapidly changing. Traditional families are somewhat a thing of the past. I just think it is sad because in a way the adults are the ones being selfish and not thinking about the children they bring into these relationships and the affects it will have on them. I am not saying that they can't love a child like a "normal" mom and a dad would, but I think the child will have some sort of emotional problems. Does anyone agree with that or am I just completely crazy?

The Birds and the Bees.....and the Cows

Logan saw some cows and calves in a field from the car window.
"Mom, how do the cows have babies?"
I said "The same way we do. They are in their tummies."
Logan: "Well, how do they come out?"
Me: "Ummmm, hmmmmm, ummmm.....from their vagina."
Logan: "What is that?"
Me as I turn up the radio: "Their girl part."

"I Told You So"

I am always telling Spence that he doesn't pay attention when he drives when he's talking on his cell phone. He always tells me that I am the bad driver and my response is "whatever." He called me last night and said he'd never talk on the phone while driving again. He changed lanes on the freeway without looking first because he was on his phone. He side swiped another car. (He did that once in Kansas City and dented in my car.) The driver in the other car was Hispanic and said he was in a hurry to get to Idaho so didn't want Spence to call the police. He said he could just fix his car by himself and only asked for $100 cash. (I won't make any comments about that, but it sounds kind of suspicious...) Spence agreed and gave him $100. He didn't want to put it on our insurance anyway. I guess he lucked out that way. But, I loved the opportunity to look at him and say "I told you so!"

Spence hated his car before....now he really hates it. He was able to get the blue paint off from the other car at least. :-) I love you sweetie! You keep life entertaining!

"Bored" Games

So Claire was really bored yesterday because Logan was at school and none of her friends could play. I was tired- just wanted to lay on the couch and take a little cat nap. Claire didn't want me to do that and begged me to play a bunch of board games with her. So I gave in. We played Hi-Ho CherryO, Candyland, Memory (which I STUNK at) and Chutes and Ladders. Claire won all but Chutes and Ladders. We had so much fun spending one on one time together. I'm so glad that I took the time to do it. I need to do that more often.

Give Me Candy!

Today Claire had a field trip with her preschool to Sweets Candy Factory. Logan got to come with us since it was in the morning before he goes to school. All of the kids were so well behaved and had fun. We got to see how taffy, jelly beans, cinnamon bears, etc were made. We even got to sample some of the candy. The factory is open Monday through Thursday and have open tours. It would be great to get the neighborhood kids and all go together some time!
Here are pictures of the kids with their "Candy Maker Hats" on as our tour guide called them. Claire refused to put hers on at first, but then finally gave in.

Life is a Journey

I had the opportunity to attend the General Young Womens Conference this past Saturday at the conference center. It was so good. The entire center was full- what is that- about 21,000? Everyone was still getting in their seats and talking when President Monson walked in. Everyone stood up and was quiet as he walked across to his seat. It was awesome. Imagine being able to silence a crowd that big- so quickly! The talks were good. President Eyring spoke and I especially liked his talk. He made some comments that have stuck with me.

He was talking about how for each of us life is a journey. In the pre existence the Savior told us the requirements in order to gain a physical body. It would be subject to sickness, pain, and death. We would not overcome our physical or spiritual death without the Savior and the atonement. But we are Brave, Faithful and True. We accepted the plan to "accept the journey." Some of us are privileged to have found the gospel. The light of Christ is given to every child born unto the earth to know good from evil. WE are walking in the light of Christ. We need to search diligently that we may know good from evil.

Walk confidently in whatever difficulties may come. Have faith. The way through difficulties has always been prepared for you and you will find it if you exercise faith. The Savior knows what journey we will have in our life and what decisions we have to make. He will surround us with people that can help us to make the right choices when faced by difficulties.

I also enjoyed Elaine Dalton's comments. (1st counselor in general young women presidency.) One comment she made was "You need to be strong when you are the last stand." We need to rely on Him and trust in Him. He knows us by name. He will help us accomplish our divine mission. Being steadfast and immovable means being obedient. Keep moving forward with steadfastness in Christ.

She also said something that I had never thought about before. Satan's attacks are all directed to your body- pornography, tattoos, drugs and alchohol, immorality, etc. He was denied a body so tempts us to hurt ours.


Anyway, I am so glad that I was able to attend this meeting. Thank you for allowing me to write down what I remembered from it. :-)