Some Semblance of Order

Blessing Day

2011-07-05T02:20:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was our sweet baby's blessing. We grabbed the camera right after we got home and snapped a few pictures before everyone changed out of their church clothes.

This is my mom with her 11th grandchild. She's a wonderful support to me in every situation I encounter.

Yes, I was slightly stressed. This helped just a little bit.

I love this picture of my wonderful mother-in-law.
This is only the 3rd time she's seen our littlest. What a joy.

Arrival

2011-05-26T09:33:00.001-06:00

She's here! :)

Picture taken @ 2 weeks

(And a month old already!)
Our little Flower made her appearance on April 21st, at 1:16pm.
How grateful I am for her, and her birth.

I was blessed to have the chance to have monthly ultrasounds with this pregnancy.
This was due to "chronic high blood pressure" concerns that were identified at the very beginning of this pregnancy.
While it was another appointment in my busy schedule, it was always fun to see her, her heartbeat, and have her measured for size and appropriate growth.
It was also reassuring to be told time and time again that it really was a girl this time.
(We were told Lucky was "most likely" a girl and/or "We don't see any boy parts" on 4 different occasions before he was born. Needless to say, we were shocked when HE was born!)

About a month ago, my doctor did an ultrasound that measured our "little" one at 9 lbs, 1oz. (plus or minus a pound).
I was quite concerned about giving birth to such a large baby, as I still had 3 weeks still to go.
Lucky weighed in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. at birth, and his labor/delivery was very difficult for me.
Due to the high blood pressure concerns I had, my doctor talked to me about delivering my daughter early...and I spent 2 days seriously considering how I felt about making that choice for my little girl.
I feel very strongly that babies need to "cook" as long as possible, and that we shouldn't choose convenience for us as the parent over their personal health and development.
That being said, as I considered the choice my doctor had presented, I felt very much that our little girl needed to come to earth sooner rather than later, and that we should progress with the induction on the 21st.

My nerves up to that point were fairly raw.
I truly believed Lucky was my last child, and mentally, I shut a lot of doors the day he was born.
Stepping day by day toward delivery had me facing my fears and concerns head on, and sometimes I handled them well, other times with not so much courage.

I borrowed two books on "Childbirth Without Fear" by Grantly Dick-Read and Michel Odent and "Hypnobirthing: A Celebration of Life" by Marie Morgan to read in the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy.
I loved the concepts they presented, and mentally, I believe they helped me get to a realistic, healthy perspective on what I would be allowing my body to do...hopefully without a lot of pain.

When the morning of the 21st arrived, I headed to the hospital (just a few minutes from my home!) to check in by 6am.
By the time all of the check-in processes were finished and I was taken up to a room, it was nearing 7am.
Pat walked in just after they finished placing the IV.
I'm always relived to have him present...he has always been a very calming influence on me throughout the births of my children.

We spent the next hour and half just resting...I was dozing off, knowing that the next few days would be physically tiring, and Pat was reading...enjoying the peace and calm of the hospital room.
My doctor came in about 8:30am and made 2 decisions: 1) She would break my water, and 2) I needed to use a birthing ball.

I have never had the opportunity to use a birthing ball before, and so I was curious if it would make any difference at all.
The first one the nurse brought in was for in the bed, and was shaped somewhat like a large peanut.
I used that for a while, and when my body was weary from being in that position, I moved to the birthing ball on the floor.
It was amazing to feel an immediate relief of pressure and a shift of gravity while I was on the birthing ball...I truly thought it was great even initially.

I got back into the bed for a while, and remember making the comment to Pat that it looked and felt like it was going to be quite a while before we moved into transitional labor.
While the contractions were regular, the pain was minimal...more of a pressure than pain.
I've always marked the progression of my labor by the intensity of pain, and so when I once again moved down to the birthing ball, I could feel the intensity of the pressure increase, but I found the pain was still not "intolerable".
It really helped that Pat could wheel a chair up right behind me and put counter-pressure on my back.
Every time I had a contraction, he would apply that counter-pressure, and I found it really felt almost good to know my body was doing what it needed to do to get my little girl here.

I hit a point where I was shaky, sweaty, and having a hard time reasoning through things (about 12:15pm).
I was still on the birthing ball, and not in a huge amount of pain, so in my mind, I thought we had a good hour or two still to go before our little "Flower" would make her appearance.
At that point, I became overwhelmed at the thought of enduring labor at this level for another couple of hours...and asked to be checked to see where I was in the dilation process.
My nurse actually told me she couldn't check me unless I was getting an epidural...and I looked at Pat and said, "Fine, I'm getting the epidural!"

I had felt repeatedly that if I got the epidural, I'd have my baby within 5 or 10 minutes, but at that point, I had no physical signs that I associated with transitional labor, and so I thought I was far from the point she would actually be born.
(Pat later told me that he KNEW I was in transitional labor, but also knew I would have a hard time hearing ANYTHING at that point!)
During this procedure, my doctor walked in.
No nurse had called her (last check I had only been dilated to a 4), but she, in her words, "just thought I should come check on you".

As they were placing the epidural, I kept feeling contractions and movement...downward.
I was still sitting on the side of the bed when our little girl decided to move the process forward more quickly.
I guess I said, "Ladies, we're having a baby!" to get everyone's attention. (I don't remember that!)
My doctor came over to check to see how far I had dilated.
I was at a 9+ and 100% effaced...and with the pain I was in at that point, the doctor said, "Just push, and we'll get this baby here."

I started pushing, and within a minute and just a couple of pushes, our "little" girl was born.
She weighed in at 10 lbs. 3oz. and measured 22 inches long.

My doctor was wonderful...I truly couldn't have asked for a better experience.

I've joked that if I had have known that birth could have been that wonderful, I would have had 8 more children.

I'm so glad our little girl is here.

She is a true sweetheart...and has been a joy to have in our home.

She is officially "our princess"...and called that mostly by Bam-Bam.

All of her siblings love her and willingly hold her and help with her as much as they can.

Musings on Eight

2011-04-18T22:42:00.000-06:00

I'm going to admit something here...something that might shock you a little bit.

I purposefully throw out the fact that I'm about to give birth to my 8th child

to random people sometimes

just to see what their reaction is.

I have to be totally honest though, quickly during any conversation, I usually turn part of the credit back to this guy...right here...

(and not just the physical responsibility for helping this child have the opportunity to come to our family).

My husband is a loving, dedicated father who delights in being a part of each of our children's lives.

He can tell when my fuse is short, when I need support or a break, and he doesn't treat being with us as a chore or a difficulty.

I truly believe that if he were of a different mindset or temperament,

we, as a couple would not have the family we do today.

Our children love each other,

and while they have their normal sibling quarrels, disagreements and fights,

I believe they love each other fiercely and would defend each other if the need ever arose.

They find ways to hang out together and include everyone...some of the time.

And some of the time they crave independence and freedom from each other.
No matter what, they are all excited about the arrival of our newest little one...set to arrive by May 3rd.
Wish us luck, an extra dose of patience, and lots of health, ok? We need it!

{Not Always} Simple

2011-03-20T23:32:00.000-06:00

If honesty is the best policy, I have to say that today has been hard.
I feel...let's see...unsure, sad, worried, forgotten.
There is still underlying peace about the job situation, but along with it, the natural part of me wants to KNOW, to SEE, to have SOMETHING accessible to hang onto.
There isn't any of that...and so, I feel like I'm stumbling, walking forward blindly with loads of insecurity.

This too shall pass, I am sure...as I was reminded tonight,
"Ye shall receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."--Ether 12:6
Now to trust God...and give this burden, these feelings to him.
Unfortunately, that's not always a simple choice...
but I'm working on it.

Trials

2011-02-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Pat called me from work.
I responded with a cheery, "Good morning!", to which he responded, "Not really."
As that response was NOT at all typical, I was surprised, but not shocked when he followed those words up with the news that his job had just been officially downsized and he was no longer employed.
(His actual words? "I was canned this morning.")

Immediately, my heart started pounding, with fear, shock, and concern.
As quickly as those emotions started, I felt a profound peace in my heart.
I knew of a surety at that moment that we are in God's hands.
There is a plan for us.
There is NO question in my mind about the reality of those two statements.
They are reality.

I have no idea what the path ahead will hold for us.
I do know, IF we can and will listen to the voice of the Lord, He will guide us onto the path that He needs us on.

I, literally, have given thanks to God multiple times over the past week for the choice we made about 5 years ago to get our finances in order.
Dave Ramsey, and his Total Money Makeover has literally put us in a place where we can weather this storm without having to dramatically alter our life.
I give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the inspiration and guidance to implement those budgeting strategies then, and not NOW.
Because we chose to listen and consistently work at it, our debt is almost entirely under control.
We have resources that we can pull from.
We have food in our pantry.
And, most importantly, we have each other.

As trials go, this one is temporal for the most part.
We will count our blessings as we endure this.
Pray for us.
We need clarity and understanding of what God's plan is for us...and we will know.
Of that I have no doubt.

Sunday Thoughts

2011-02-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have taken the challenge given by our Sunday School President to come prepared to our Sunday meetings.
That doesn't just mean getting my heart ready, but it also means that I do the physical and mental preparation of reading the lesson material that will be discussed during the 2nd two hours of church.
I have been breaking my Gospel Doctrine reading down across the weeknights, and adding in the Relief Society material when my scripture reading is minimal or finished for the night.
It definitely makes my thoughts focus on the concept or principle being taught, and has made for more insightful thoughts on my part as I consider what will be discussed.
It seems like a simple thing to do, but in reality, I have not been diligent about being prepared in this particular aspect of my spiritual life.

Today, as I contemplated getting ready and going to church, I was very excited.
Excited for the spiritual uplift I would be able to partake in...and for the opportunity I had to share the thoughts of my heart and learning with others, and more importantly, learning from the things that others would be able to teach me.

I am grateful...for continual progress.
I am grateful...for the ability to change.
I am grateful...for peace, and joy, and strength that comes from believing in and trying to live in the way that my Savior, Jesus Christ would want me to live.

What are the changes you want to make, or have made that have blessed your spirit and your life?

Goals and Catching Up

2011-01-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

My goal for this year is to blog at least once a month.
It seems like a very attainable goal, and since tomorrow is the last day of January, I thought I'd spend a little time catching up.

For those of you who don't know, I'm now 27 weeks pregnant with our 8th child.
We have been told we will be having a baby girl, which all of us are VERY excited about.
The problem however, is deciding on a name.
We've narrowed the list, but may end up taking it to the hospital in the end and deciding on a name after we see this little one in person.

We went out the 2nd weekend in December and took our annual family pictures.
My sister, Rebecca was kind enough to come out and help us take our pictures and get some really fun shots.
Here are some of my favorites:

We've spent the last month (since the week before Christmas) fighting pneumonia in our home.
Four of us ended up with it....Pat, myself, Bug and Lucky...with Pat and Bug having it the worst.
Just this last week, we also had a health scare with Pat's mom, who started bleeding internally and was air-evaced out of her small town to a hospital near us.
She was in the hospital for almost a week, and so Pat's dad stayed here due to his need for companionship due to his memory loss.
He was able to go to the hospital some of the time, but spent a good deal of time here as well.

Christmas was wonderful.
I truly tried to simplify, and felt like in the end, I was able to focus on family and traditions.
My favorite activity of the holiday season was decorating the tree and house as a family.
It brought me a lot of joy to see the younger kids play with the nativity set and enjoy "Baby Jesus".
Pat also decided to take the kids to the dollar store to get gifts for each other.
It was sweet, and sometimes a little comical to see what each child chose for his/her siblings.
(Bug only got about 4 cans of silly string!)
My mom and my sister were able to be here for the days surrounding Christmas, and Mom and Dad John came up from Kearny for Christmas dinner.

Our New Year's Eve was very low key as Bug had been diagnosed with pneumonia and still hadn't started feeling truly better.
We played games, did a puzzle, and watched a movie...and then went out and lit sparklers at midnight.
Everyone was up for the New Year except Bug.

On the weekend of January 8th, we took our kids to see Wicked, the Musical (in Tucson).
We had given the kids (minus Lucky) tickets to the show for Christmas.
It was 2 days after I had been diagnosed with pneumonia, but I had started an antibiotic, and was actually pretty functional that day.
We have been singing the songs all month long...and enjoyed making the memory together.
We realize that time together is the best gift of all...and the more we can do to build lasting, fun memories, the richer our children will be in life experiences.

Our year ahead looks full and promising!
New baby in late April or early May,
Miss M graduating from 8th grade,
Pat and I celebrating year 18 of our marriage,
Angel Face turning 12 and receiving the priesthood,
Pat graduating with his Master's degree (hopefully by August),
Bug turning 16(!!) and getting his learner's permit (and hopefully receiving his Eagle scout so he can get his driver's license)...
And those are just the big milestones!!

Wish us luck getting everything accomplished!

Baptism Day

2010-09-24T14:59:00.002-06:00

Lucy's baptism was in July...almost a full month after her birthday. She chose to sing a song as her musical number and did a fabulous job.

She loved every part of the day.

With her siblings.

And her parents.

Alone, and a close-up of her special pearls. She had a matching necklace.

Auntie, Grandma and Grandma and Grandpa were all able to be there.

She was baptized with 3 other children from our ward. Here's a picture of the 4 of them.

As we left, she and her Auntie traded shoes. They wore them like this for the rest of the afternoon.

I love you, my dear sweet girl!

Thank you for choosing to be baptized.

Back to School 2010

2010-08-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

A couple of things strike me about these pictures.
1) My kids have grown so much over the past year.
2) Breaking out of the summertime routine of sleeping in/taking it easy is rough. I can see the tiredness in my kids faces.
3) Bug needs to pose for a back to school photo! He started way back at the end of July and I didn't take his picture then. I'll plan on doing it in the morning.

Miss M--8th grade

Angel Face--5th grade

Tiny--4th grade (and not so tiny any more)

Lucy--3rd grade

The first time for him getting a picture on the first day of school. I don't remember what he was mad about!

Bam-Bam--First day of Kindergarten!

Sweet Freedom's Song

2010-07-04T14:26:00.002-06:00

Independence Day.

It is a day that fills my heart and soul with joy and pride, honor and respect, and remembrance.

I desire to open my heart and pour the feelings I harbor within myself into my children...and yet, I know that it is only through the things I do, and the things I say, and the things that I teach them that they can begin to experience the feelings that I treasure each year as this day arrives.

I remember the Fourth of July celebrations of my youth.

The parade, viewed annually from my great-aunt's home situated conveniently on the main street (West Cleveland in St. Johns, AZ) was one of the highlights of the day.

I distinctly remember my grandmother, and my mother gently teaching me, and then reminding me in years to follow, to honor the flag and those who bore it as it passed.

My hand rested over my heart, and I stood, straight and attentive, as the breeze played the cloth from the flag forward, creating images that are still vivid in my memory today.

I did not know at such a young age that my great-uncle had died in World War II, or that my great-aunt, whose steps and curb I frequented each Fourth, had served as a cook in the United States Navy.

I did not know that my family had given their service and their lives in defense of my very freedom.

That knowledge, even today, swells my heart and brings a lump to my throat.

I am grateful for the sacrifices, large and small that countless numbers of men and women have made, and continue to make, EVEN TODAY, to ensure our freedom.

I love the words to this song:

God Bless The U.S.A.
by Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

The knowledge we impart to our children, our friends and our neighbors must be strengthened by the assurance that we have been given this land of freedom by a gracious God, who desires that we defend this land of beauty and liberty, not only with righteousness, but also with courage and strength...even in the face of controversy.

I had a hard time singing the final verse to our national anthem on Sunday, simply because I know there are men and women that stand today between their loved homes and war's desolation.

Star Spangled Banner
By Francis Scott Key

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

May our trust truly be in God, and may we wave our flag proudly o'er our homes, o'er our hearts, and o'er our families, today and every day.

HAVE A BLESSED AND BEAUTIFUL INDEPENDENCE DAY!

(Written originally in July 2008 for the ANWA blog. Today I wanted to share these feelings of my heart with you...my readers here on my personal blog.)

July Stamp-A-Stack Cards

2010-07-01T23:31:00.000-06:00

I laughed...

2010-06-22T23:51:00.000-06:00

Not when my husband looked at me and said, "I didn't get you anything for our anniversary tomorrow." But when I replied, "I didn't get anything for you either."

The good part about that whole conversation...I really don't need or want anything from Pat for my 17th anniversary tomorrow.
A date, like we have planned, will suffice quite nicely.
Being with him is the best gift I've been given.
Being with him eternally...even better.

Year 17

2010-06-13T19:18:00.004-06:00

In 1993, I made one of the best decisions of my life.
I chose to marry my best friend.

This year, this month, we celebrate 17 years of ~~wedded bliss~~ life together.

It wasn't until last year that we discovered how wonderful it was to spend an extended amount of time together.
The only time we had spent away from our children overnight, together, was in the hospital as I was giving birth to another sweet child.
As wonderful as those times were, they weren't romantic by any stretch...and our minds were very much preoccupied with the event of that day.

Last year, for numerous reasons, we made the critical decision that in order to repair, preserve and strengthen our marriage, we needed to spend time together...alone, as a couple.
Truly, it was probably one of the best decisions we have made as a married couple.

This spring, we knew that going on a "couples retreat" was imperative.
It wasn't a question of IF we would go, but simply WHEN we would go.
We set our budget, discussed places we'd like to go, and discussed which dates would work best.

It was at the end of April that my sister sent me an e-mail stating that tickets to Hawaii were at rock-bottom prices.
We have wonderful friends who live on Kauai, and although we had often talked about visiting them while they lived there (over the course of the past 3 years), we knew that it was outside of our budgeted realm, and we'd just have to wait.

It only took one phone call to Pat to tell him that tickets were within our budget to start planning for our get-away to Kauai.

We were blessed to go over Memorial Day weekend, and suffice it to say, it was FABULOUS.

We both have Kauai fever...we would go back in a heartbeat if we had the finances to take our family. Our friends were AMAZING tour guides and hosts. THANK YOU PETERSONS!!!

Here are a few pictures of our trip:

Dear friends, Dawn and Holly...at Smith's luau (where we were serenaded by a Love Boat like singer... :-/ ). Na Pali Coastline...only accessible via hiking. It's GORGEOUS! A close up of me and the top part of the sand castle Pat and Jeff built at Hanalei Bay.

And the full castle...along with a little kissing. :) A Hawaiian sunrise...over the ocean. The second sand castle of the trip. The greenery and growth on Kauai was amazing. I snapped this shot after we had boogie-boarded through a long, dark irrigation tunnel that came out at a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole.

Blogger's Aside

2010-05-04T19:17:00.001-06:00

It used to be that I thought of my experiences in blogging terms and phrases.
I viewed my life through the "bloggers lens".
Many conversations and situations were either deemed blog-worthy or not, and respectively, either found their way to my blog or were abandoned and forgotten.

In the year since I have moved, I have found that my blog is oft forgotten.
I can contribute it to a number of things:
The ease and instant gratification of having a facebook account,
The acquisition of a new laptop and consequently a loss of my numerous pictures (because it's just SO much harder to sit down at the desktop with all of my pictures on it, AND there is no easy way to download my pictures to my current laptop, and I have the opinion that you can only blog for so long before you NEED a picture or two to brighten the entries),
The loss of my anonymity amongst my readers (living in a place where so many more people blog, most of my readers now actually know me, and for some reason that intimidates me),
And finally,
I've lost my original motivation to blog.

I am a comment lover.
I am grateful to know that what I write has an impact on someone else, on YOU.

I read a few blogs,
And yet, I don't comment often on the blogs I read.
Call me a hypocrite then...I know I sow what I reap, especially on the comment front.

And so, as an aside, I have some decisions to make regarding my blog.
I can step it up, and put a little more time and energy into it.
That would mean changing my original focus from feeling like I have an impact on others and turning my focus inwardly toward my family and myself.
I can abandon it altogether.
(Ok--I don't like that option...forget I mentioned it).
Or, I can leave it as it is...sporadically posting here and there...when I feel like it.
Or...maybe there's a thought I haven't encountered yet...do you have a different thought that could influence me?
I'd love to hear it.

Disneyland/Huntington Beach

2010-04-17T16:50:00.001-06:00

After 5 years of dreaming of the day that we would be able to take our children to Disneyland, we finally were able to make it happen!

In January of this year, my good friend, Rachelle Allen told me about the

Disney sponsored "Give a day, Get a day!" program that had just begun. The program required that as volunteers, we sign up for an activity that benefitted the community in some way, complete that service, and then, in return, anyone 6 and older who helped would receive a FREE day at Disneyland or California Adventure or Walt Disney World.

I was ESTATIC to have such an opportunity. Every time I had worked up the cost of going to Disneyland for our large family, I would end up shaking my head and thinking, "I don't know how we are ever going to make that happen!"

In February of this year, we went to glean citrus fruit to be donated to a food bank.

We worked for 4 hours as a family, picking every fruit we could reach (and then some), and filling a huge food bank box (about 3 ft tall and 4 ft wide) 2/3 of the way full.

We had the 5 oldest children with us and got a babysitter for the 2 youngest (which was odd, I haven't had to call for a sitter for a very long time!)

The excitement of helping others, AND knowing that we would benefit with a day in Disneyland made the day extremely memorable.

Once the tickets were in hand, we debated about when the best time for our family was to go.

It didn't take long to settle on April...and we started looking for the specific dates we could go.

Then...we waited...excitement mounting...for the day we could leave for DISNEYLAND!

It felt surreal walking onto Main Street, USA in Disneyland the morning we arrived.

To say that it was a dream come true is not an exaggeration, and it was was heartwarming for me to know that my children would be able to build lasting memories with their siblings at Disneyland. (We also got to see the Halliday family one night while we were there! Talk about the ultimate play date.) :)

The pictures we took were minimal.

Even when I wore the camera around my neck, my thoughts were on keeping track of my children, not on capturing the moments on camera.

Our family did wear the same color of shirts while we were there, so keeping track of the kids was easier than if everyone had worn random colors...but still, ensuring the kids were all safe and accounted for was a job that took all of my time and energy.

I was with Lucky and Bam-Bam while the others went to Space Mountain. We waited in line to get on It's A Small World. The boys LOVED it...and Bam-Bam was singing the song for most of the morning. It was very much as I remembered it, although I didn't have a high tolerance for the repetitive nature of the music.

I loved this "postcard" at the end of the ride.

It's a great reminder for all of us.

We quickly learned that any means of saving our feet was not only recommended, but also necessary. My kids were very excited to climb up to the top of the double decker bus and save themselves a few steps down Main Street. We also discovered the train that goes around the entire park, and loved riding that. (Did you know that there are mini-shows along that track? I actually didn't remember that, but I do believe that I rode that same track and saw those shows as a young girl...funny, huh?)

Bug caught this picture of me and Angel Face coming down Splash Mountain. I'm at the very back and my hair is flying out straight behind me. Angel Face is right in front of me...and the rest of the family was...

eating ice cream.

They had already ridden Splash Mountain and were hanging out with Lucky.

They even got some for us, and kept it in the cooler until we got back.

For my Lucy, seeing the princesses was a must. The line was LONG (1 hour, 15 minutes) line...but she was insistent that it was something that was very important to her. The rest of the family went on Small World, (making Lucy the only one who didn't get to go on that ride), and then went to ToonTown. Miss M was told that they were heading to the Dumbo ride, so she opted to stay with us, saying, "I guess princesses are better than Dumbo." (I know that neither of them were on HER list of things to do.)

Princess Jasmine was the kindest and most sincere of the princesses that Lucy met. She really made "Princess Lucy" feel very important.

As we were leaving, Lucy looked up at me and said, "Is that all?" She had expected that all the princesses would be together and she would get to choose which 3 she got to meet. (It was a lesson on expectations being different than reality.) She did choose NOT to stand in a 45 minute line to see the fairies in Pixie Hollow later that afternoon. (Whew!) We walked up and peeked through the leaves around Pixie Hollow and she saw the fairies that were inside...she was very happy when Silvermist waved at her.

In ToonTown, the girls and I were looking for the rest of the family and decided to do a quick tour of Mickey's house.

We had a chance to meet Mickey Mouse in the back of his house.

I talked a lot to the older kids that while they thought the characters were silly, that they had to "respect the Mouse". No disrespecting Mickey was allowed. Although the girls didn't want this picture with Mickey, they stepped in when I did.

I personally think it's amazing that all of so much has come from the initial cartoons that Walt Disney created of Mickey Mouse and I need to teach my children of the contributions that Disney made to the world of entertainment. Their exposure to Disney is only animated movie related...and they don't ever remember a time when they had to wait to see a movie only in the theatre or on The Wonderful World of Disney.

PART TWO

We knew when we planned the trip to CA that we needed to take the kids to see the ocean.

None of them had ever been to the beach, so we took them on Saturday morning.

Their joy and excitement is so apparent to me in this picture.

My favorite man.

Lucky didn't want to get his feet wet for a very long time.

The whole kid crew, lined up for the "family" photo.

Pat realized it was our first trip to the beach EVER as a couple.

When we first arrived, the tide was coming in and the waves were a quite choppy and high.

By the time we left, the ocean had calmed dramatically and was beautiful to see.

Lucky finally got his feet wet.

Everyone except Lucky and I played extensively in the water.

It was truly amazing to see my children experience one of God's amazing creations for the very first time. I love the ocean and how I sense the reality of God and His hand in creation every time I see it.

As trite as it may sound, I know that the Lord has a hand in our lives.

I view this entire trip as a blessing, a miracle, and a dream come true.

To be able to share it all with Pat and the kids...even better.

I will treasure this vacation for a lifetime.

First Timers

2010-04-11T16:54:00.002-06:00

We did THIS so we are headed HERE.

I'll tell you how it goes when we return.
Any tips or hints?
Send them QUICK!

Clearance Rack

2010-04-02T09:27:00.000-06:00

If you like scrapbooking, cardmaking, or any other type of papercrafting, I've got a link for you!
Seriously, some of the best deals on fantastic product that I have seen in a LONG time!
Click here to get designer paper, ribbons, buttons or rub-ons for amazing prices.
(Hit the shop now button in the top RH corner of the page. Then choose the "clearance rack" option from the menu).

On Responsibility

2010-03-30T11:44:00.002-06:00

Two lunches sitting on the counter at home this morning.
PLUS
One homework folder on the coffee table in the living room.
EQUALS
Three kids that will remember next time because Mom is teaching them there are consequences to their (lack of) actions.

**As a note: (It is quite odd that it happened to be all 3 of them this morning too...it is so seldom that any one of them in a day leaves anything behind! It wasn't even a chaotic morning. And yes, I made the decision a LONG time ago not to fix every issue that came up because a child left something at home.)

Family Pictures 2009

2010-03-15T12:07:00.000-06:00

Between October and December of every year, we make the effort to take our new family pictures.

This year we decided we would go to two spots: The Mesa Arts Center and the Mesa Arizona Temple.

As we drove past the MAC, we discovered a local festival going on, with large numbers of people scattered throughout the area. While we were sad that we wouldn't have some fun backgrounds for our family pictures, we were excited to go the temple and feel the peace that permeates the grounds.

These are some of the fun pictures that we captured while we were there!

There were over 1000 shots when we finished...with more than 200 of our little 2 year old Lucky! (Any tips on how to get a 2 year old to look at the camera? I just kept taking multiple shots of him...a ton at a time, and finally ended up with some really fun ones.)

By the time we got to our family shots, we were all worn...and it was more difficult to get a great family shot.

I loved that my sister came to help us and be part of our family pictures!

Daddy teaching juggling to Angel Face.

Wishing

2010-03-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Let's face it.

Most of the time I want to be at home.

Not that I utilize my time in amazingly productive ways, but I have routines that overall work and help me to feel like I have accomplished something in the name of housework or in the betterment of my family.

This week I've been out of my home the past three mornings...and been gone into the sweet hours that constitute naptime at our house.

I consider myself to be extremely strict when it comes to naptime, simply because I am a beast without it my boys need it so badly.

I don't like it (the being gone so much part...).

On the other hand, I find today, a day where I have had "extra" time on my hands, I've not known how to direct myself.

I keep expecting something to crop up, distract me from what I am doing, and be, you know, IMPORTANT.

Oh, what I would give for the perspective to see the things that are critical in the eternal scheme of things and the DESIRE to do them.

How do you gain that in your life?

Wondering

2010-02-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I go to my first writer's conference.
It conflicts with our Stake Relief Society conference, which, had I known before I paid for the writer's conference, I would have attended.
I don't particularly like those good, better, best decisions when they involve personal choice and accountability.

Tonight,
I don't wonder if I'm attending the right conference.
I am at peace with my decision to go be with my writing sisters...
but I wonder...
what is my purpose in attending a writing conference when I struggle to find time to write?
What do I need to do to continue to find my story?
What would the Lord have me do with this talent that I feel so strongly about, but do so little with?
Is my job simply to be a vocal voice and strength to other writers around me?
am i, am I, AM I, truly to contribute something to the world through this writing, this passion, this calling, I feel compelled to (if nothing else) acknowledge?

I have no doubt the answers will come.
I just have to put myself in places where they will come without so much of a struggle.
Which is precisely why I will be at the ANWA conference all day tomorrow.

(Is burying this talent still optional?)

On Being the {Gracious?} Receiver

2010-02-19T09:16:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week when I got a call that I needed to "help" with Enrichment night, it was easy for me to say yes.
That is, until my friend on the other end of the phone explained how they wanted me to help this month.
She very kindly explained that she needed me to open my home to sisters who could come and serve me for about 2 hours on Thursday night (last night).

Sheesh.
That's not an easy way to help.
I admitted that to Karolee, and she and I chatted for a few minutes about how it IS hard to be served...and then she started throwing ideas out for me to consider.
It only took about 3 suggestions before my mind started jumping from project to project, thinking about how great this opportunity was!

The 2 hardest things for me were 1) settling on the project to get done, and 2) choosing not to clean up excessively because *gasp* sisters were coming over. (I did make the kids do their chores before scouts, but that's pretty normal.)

Time and budget constraints made our final decision on what service would be rendered...we've had things purchased for a garden with a dripper system since last Nov. or so, and although I debated more shelving for the pantry, or painting a room, or even hanging noise-reducing curtains in the dining room, the ultimate decision was made because we had the gardening items in hand and unused out in the backyard. All of the other projects would require a run to the hardware store and at least some out of pocket expense. (I literally had no clue about what to do with the garden though...that's always been Pat's forte...and I knew I'd be busy for the first little while with the scouts).

So, last night, I had 3 sisters come to my home and loaned us a circular saw to cut the wood for the garden boxes, helped dig a small trench for the dripper hose, and filled our 2 garden boxes with the soil we had on hand. We have 2 more garden boxes to put together, and we will need to buy more dirt and SEEDS to plant...but I'm looking out at a backyard with a space that WILL BE our garden. Seriously, so cool. (And as an added side note, I got some walls washed in the process too!)

Now, I just need to figure out what I want to plant. :)

Refreshments came in hand...my kids loved those this morning!
Awesome idea...and I am SUPER excited, because next time Sister Swaps happen, I WILL get to help someone else...and not have to be {gracious} about being the recipient.

My Current Motto

2010-02-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever desired that things were different for you than they currently are?
Yes, you don't really have to answer that, for I know that EVERY one of you feel that way or have felt that way at some point in your life.

I find that I struggle with shyness.
For those of you who know me here in Arizona, you may find that a bit shocking.
Even those of you who knew me in New Mexico may be surprised by that revelation.
However, it was a defining characteristic that influenced many of my growing up years.
I regret some of the limits I placed on myself, and find myself striving to push my children to try things outside of their comfort zone.
That being said, I am also pushing myself to do things and creating opportunities for myself that are beyond my "safe place".

To say that I am a hermit would be overstating the situation a little, but I find it VERY easy to justify the need I have to be in my home...which will never be as clean as my perfectionistic nature desires...especially in light of the fact that I have 7 children to help keep on track with their chores and laundry.
There are always errands to run, groceries to be purchased, spills to be wiped up, dusting to look at and put on my "I'll get to that tomorrow list".
Meals not only need to be cooked, but the dishwasher consistently needs loaded or reloaded, and while the kids are quite thorough at taking care of that, often there is a second or even third load that needs to be run while they are at school.

I could go on...but I know any woman reading this will understand the ongoing list I keep in my head and strive to accomplish on a regular basis.

Essentially, any socializing that I do comes down to making a conscious choice to ensure it happens.
I have mulled over the idea of knocking on a neighbors door multiple times, desiring to build that friendship.
Every time, I have found a reason why I shouldn't extend myself.
And you know what?
Last week I found out she was moving, and I was selfishly sad.
Sad at the missed opportunity to learn and grow from her.
Sad that I had chosen, repeatedly, not to step out of my comfort zone and make an effort to be more open.
Sad that I had not strengthened a friendship when I had the chance.

I can't change what is past, but as I have dwelt on what I could have/should have/would have done differently, the thought that repeatedly comes to my mind is this,
"BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE."

And so, that has become my current motto.
Even when it's not easy, I'm working to have people over to my home, even when it's not perfectly clean (which it never truly is...that's why doors are shut and I don't invite people upstairs too often).
I'm pushing my boundaries by inviting friends here to stamp with me...create cards and enjoy others company.
I'm calling and setting times for get-togethers that I've always pushed off in the past for whatever reason.
I'm making the effort to create and send out "good mail"...trusting that more than just me wants to receive something other than a bill in the mail.

I know this motto, this mantra, this new way of living my life is not just random happenstance.
It is a prompting...a gift from God.
And I thank Him for the change it is creating in me.

Do you have a current personal motto?
If not, will you find one?

Do You or Don't You?

2010-02-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

*Get frustrated with yourself when you make mistakes about money? I do.
*Enjoy planning dinner? I don't.
*Wish you had a way to communicate how much you miss certain people instantaneously? I do.
*Debate with yourself (and change your mind) about what you should do during any given day? I do.
*Get excited about gathering tax information together so that you can submit your taxes? I do.
*Wish you understood the Lord's plan for your life? I do.
*Get your laundry done in one day? I don't.
*Look for positives amid the struggles? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
*Want to sleep, uninterrupted for at least 8 hours one night? I do.

What do you, or don't you?

Valentine Projects

2010-01-22T23:03:00.006-07:00

I have had so much fun creating new projects for Valentine's Day!

If you live nearby and want to come make the first three of these, call me and tell me you're coming to my Stampin' Up! party on Wednesday, January 27th at 6:30pm.

(Don't worry Kearny gals...I'm bringing these same projects there!)

Can you see the glittered Designer Series Paper (DSP) on this? I can't get enough of it.

I got the idea for this from my dear friend Wendie Waldman who did a "GIVE thanks" decoration like this when I still lived in Silver City. The card above reminds me of conversation hearts!

That candy in the card below is inside of a Stampin' Up! "Heart Treat Cup".
Seriously, an incredibly smart idea, and SOO fun to work with!

The following cards are some others that I have made, just playing with the new things. This pink and purple on is my favorite out of all of them. I did a variation on a shaker card...filling the treat cup with silver microbeads.

I also used the glittered DSP again and the new scallop edge punch...too fun.

This card also has the glittered DSP (6 patterns with glitter/6 without), but this time I put punched hearts in the treat cup. I'll put more hearts in if I make another one like this.

This card was a direct CASE (Copy And Share Everything) from the Stampin' Success magazine I get every month. In other words, I didn't design it. I copied someone else's idea. Tessa Wise was the original creator of this beautiful card. I love the non-traditional colors. :)

This bag can hold treats of any kind and shows our new felt pieces in the current mini-catalog.

Are you ready for Valentine's Day yet?

Now is the time to start thinking about it!

I hope you have as much fun as I have had getting ready!

Chatter

2010-01-16T23:00:00.001-07:00

*Updated family pictures make me incredibly happy. I love replacing the older 8x10's on the shelf with the current pictures. I also like that I can really capture my kids and their personality when I take the pictures myself.

*That being said, it was an INCREDIBLE amount of work to get 7 kids photographed individually this year. I found everyone was pretty much done/frustrated/bugging each other like crazy by the time we tried to do a family shot, and so I don't have a family photo I love...but I do have one that will suffice.

*Creative funks are not fun. I must be carded-out from Stampin' Up! overload last week. That and I cleaned my house this week instead of crafting. That and napping. If I didn't have to sleep, I think I'd get a lot done.

*I need to make some cute things for my upcoming parties. Valentines day, pink and red and white and brown things with sparkles. (I've got the color scheme...now I just need the ideas!) I thought one idea I got last weekend would work, but it just didn't quite work the way I thought it would. It was a little too complicated to replicate in a short amount of time. Back to the drawing board.

*A laptop computer makes it WAY easier to use the computer more than ever. I feel the need for intervention of some sort. Not that it will happen, but I do feel that need every now and again.

*IKEA is a blessing. In every way. I LOVED going in with a plan tonight and getting everything I needed to execute that plan shopping in one small area. No overwhelming window-shopping on the upper level this time...straight to the laundry section...load up the cart and head for the checkout lanes. Organized laundry room/system...here I come!!

*I hope my well-planned laundry system works. I'm so utterly frustrated with the current system, that I can't imagine anything being WORSE. We'll see how effective it is. I should know within a week or two.

*I am subbing in Sunbeams tomorrow. I should go to bed so I don't nod off on the other teacher as she tries to corral a roomful of 3 year olds. (Church is at 8...I was not insinuating that the teacher would be boring!)

*I LOVE ANWA (American Night Writers Association). We had a meeting here on Thursday night, and I feel very blessed to have a group of LDS sisters that love writing too. I feel like I'm doing more than just burying my talent when I attend these meetings...even if it's just recognizing that God-given talent and choosing to help others acknowledge it as well. (Anyone want to join?)

*Maybe my next post won't just be random ramblings. Maybe. Don't hold your breath. Hey, at least I'm blogging. :)

Stampin' Up! Phoenix Regionals

2010-01-11T22:11:00.003-07:00

Please forgive the pictures being in totally random order. I've now figured out how to download multiple pictures onto the blog, but I can't get them to move like they used to, so I'll work on that next.

I arrived over at the Phx. Convention Center around 7:30am and went down to shop in the "Memento Mall". It's a Stampin' Up! store with exclusive SU clothing and business supplies. I met up with some friends (see below) and we headed up to register for Regionals. As we walked in, we were given a stamp set from the new Occasions Mini-catalog, and 5 projects to make with that set all cut and shrink wrapped for us.

It's not very often I get someone prepping things for me, so I was very happy!

These are just some of the card fronts that I swapped my cupcake card for. They will be on display at my next events: January 27th (Wed.), here in QC and January 29th (Fri.) in Kearny.

Nancy Whatley and Wendie Waldman both came over from Silver City, NM, and we met up and spent the day together. This picture and the rest in this blog post are courtesy of Wendie. (Thanks!!) It is so fun to have good friends to stamp with and spend time with. The amazing thing is that stamping creates a bond that last with others...it's just incredible.

You can see my "Simply Adorned" Stampin' Up! necklace on me. (Close ups below.)

At the back of the convention room, SU placed a number of boards where displays were set up. If anything was presented to us, it was later in the back of the room so that we could take pictures and look at things up close. :) Do you see my card front in the lower LH corner? I was SOOO excited. It seriously made my whole day to see my card front displayed. They may have posted all of the card fronts that were placed in the basket for Stampin' Up! to use, but it still was thrilling for me to see my very own creation up for everyone to see.

Here's their creation for the inside of the Simply Adorned necklace. They also have 2 smaller charms on each side of the big charm.

And, finally, documentation that I was actually going to be stamping. We had to mount our new "Vintage Vouge" set. I love it, by the way. You can see it here:

http://204.228.150.61/catalogs/NovCatalogs/OccasionsMini10_US.pdf

Regionals was an AMAZING experience. I learned so many fun and new techniques that I am super excited to show some of them to you soon. Seriously, I've been smiling for 2 days with the excitement of the day.

Random Bits of Today's Musings

2010-01-08T10:47:00.001-07:00

This week's news:

*I've completed 40 card front swaps in preparation for the Stampin' Up! Phoenix Regional meeting on Saturday. They were not simple either...multiple steps including watercoloring and hand coloring numerous images on each individual card, glittering the "cupcake sprinkles", and color spritzing the card base. I am incredibly happy with the end result however.

*I just received my order of new Stampin' Up! goodies from their newest mini-catalog. *grin* I know why I LOVE their product...especially when I get lots of fun new stamps and papers to play with. SU just released a jewelry line...you can create the interior of a charm to wear on a chain. I plan on designing that today and wearing it tomorrow. I am VERY excited about the clear-mount stamps too, but may not get to play with them until after Saturday. *heehee*

*I have resigned from a two year stint of blogging for ANWA. I am sad to move on, but I have felt the need to recommit to my blog here, and felt that it was of great importance to continue recording information for myself and my family. I am looking forward to attending a writing conference in February for ANWA (American Night Writers Association).

*I'm noting interesting words for an ANWA assignment for our upcoming meeting. So far, my favorites are bamboozle and ennui. Do you have any words you love? (Others I've discovered are tremulous, purveyor and unique.)

*I feel incredibly blessed in so many ways. I really don't even know how to start explaining that to anyone. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Their love and sacrifice for me, for us, makes my spirit sing and my heart overflow with gratitude.

*The weather here is BEAUTIFUL. I keep reminding myself that this is the time of year to enjoy. I always get caught up in getting my jobs done and trying to catch up on all of the housework instead of taking the time to enjoy the outdoors. I need to take advantage of it before the heat returns in earnest.

*We have now been in Queen Creek for a full year. It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. I miss many of my dear friends who are in Silver City still, and many who have moved on from there as well. There will always be a very special place in my heart for everyone we love there. It is amazing to see the Lord bring people into our lives, no matter where we live, to help us grow and become better people. I am so grateful for the friendships that I have here in QC...and the way I see others developing. It is amazing to me how much seemingly simple acts impact my life and touch my heart. :) I am so grateful for that.

*Without officially committing, I want it to be known that I feel the desire to blog again. :) Yippee!!

Runners (Hi)!

2009-12-07T21:47:00.002-07:00

Dad and Angel Face ran the Cactus Cha-Cha in early November.

This is my favorite picture of that day.

I've tried to download a number of pictures twice now, and only ended up with the last one. I've got to find more time to spend on my blog.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

I'm sharing just the treats here honestly though.

Steve and Blue

A "Happy Monkey" (you can't see the costume though)

A clock. Totally his idea, and he's known this is what he wanted to be for a month and a half. Now, ask me when I actually MADE the clock. Yep. It was finished 30 minutes before we needed it.

Tigger and a little lion.

(These costumes have been worn by the majority of our kids.

I'm glad we have these cute faces in them this year!)

A Vampire.

Night one: Princess Guinivere

Night two: Ballerina

It made me laugh that she just NEEDED to change her outfit for night 2.

Come to think about it, Miss M changed hers too...we just didn't capture it in picture form.

AND, for the first time in years, P and I dressed up.

Any ideas for next year?

I think the only trick involved in the Halloween celebrations this year was the sheer amount of candy that came into our house.

I've got to find a nice way to get rid of a whole lot of it next year before it's all consumed by my munchkins (oh, and by me too!)

9

2009-10-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

Today is the day this boy turned 9.

We realized, on the day that he was born, our family was "big".

Little did we know he'd be in the middle instead of the caboose.

Thanks for all of the joy and happiness you bring our family, Tiny!

Hey!

2009-09-24T14:12:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note...

I'm still here.

Prepping for another SU party up in Kearny!
I'm loving the hostess club...everyone up there is excited too.
This month's theme is Christmas themed with chipboard as our focus.

We're making this card:

And this mini-album:

And Christmas tags too:

Finally, for all of you locally, I'm planning an Stampin' Up! Open House (with Make and Take cards) event for all my friends on October 7th (Wed.) It will be my first big event in QC...so any of you local readers, consider this a formal invitation, and plan on coming over at 6:30pm that night!

Did you know I love papercrafting?

I do.

Pity Party

2009-09-15T21:25:00.001-06:00

This afternoon, I hit the garage door as I was backing into the garage.
(In my defense, it was only about an inch from all the way up, we just don't have much clearance over the van right at the door. Once the van is inside the garage, there is lots of overhead room.)
It was knocked clear off the track...and all of my McGyvering didn't fix it.
I made the call to Precision Garage Door (great customer service, by the way!) and waited for the garage door man to show up and hand me a nasty bill after 5 minutes of work.

I have a category for things like this in my budget--titled "stupid tax". And yes, I'm 100% serious--that's what we call it.
We got the term from Dave Ramsey when we started our own "Total Money Makeover".
The Precision service guy quoted us a couple of prices and cushioned the OUCH prices with "we take credit cards".
Our reply?
Sorry, we don't use credit cards.
The nicest part was that the service guy didn't either.
Times, they are a changing...it used to be that very few people wanted to be debt free...or they didn't care if they slapped something on their credit card.

So, just so you know, even on days like today, I love Dave Ramsey.
On top of paying off tons of debt in the past few years ($30,000+ on one income, coupled with a house sale), we actually had a teeny tiny part of an emergency fund to draw from!
Yea!
(Never mind the fact that I reduced it by a large chunk in one afternoon...$200 is WAY too much to spend on stupid tax.)

P did stay out and watch what the service guy did so that he could fix it if there is a next time.
Hopefully there won't be another time...but if any of you are struggling financially and would love some ideas or pointers or even just to swap been there, done that stories, I would love to give you a copy of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and see if it can make a difference in your life.
Even if it's just so you put a little money in an emergency fund for a day when you incur a stupid tax of your own...trust me, I'll be there at your pity party too.

Haunted Canyon

2009-09-06T11:27:00.012-06:00

Saturday afternoon, P needed to head into work due to heavy rainfall.
(He has to monitor how the rain affects the mine, etc. within a certain number of hours of the actual rainfall).
Since we knew the drive up and back was an hour each way, and the monitoring of the job site would be another hour or two, we decided to head up to a family, making it feel less like an afternoon that Daddy had to go to work, and more like a famiy outing.
We planned a family picnic, and while P was on the job site, I drove into town to pick up the rest of the essentials for our cookout.
Right after we had loaded the groceries into the car, P called and said he was finishing up at his work and to head back to pick him up.
We did just that, and headed into Haunted Canyon below both mines in that area.
After driving down into Haunted Canyon, we pulled off and found a peaceful area, perfect for a cookout and fun.
The first order of business was to build a fire.
Twigs were gathered for the fire, and then the kids lined up to spend time on the swing.

Give a boy a stick (or two) and it becomes any number of imaginary items.

Angel Face quickly had two sticks on his person and used them in many different ways. Oh, yes...give a boy a lighter, and he has a toy forever as well.

As long as it's not treated as a toy, I can understand the fascination it holds.

I love staring into a fire...it looks like Bug does too. Again, just fire and sticks...entertainment for the whole evening!

Tiny thinks this picture looks like there is a ghost (the smoke)..."because it's Haunted Canyon!"

This boy LOVED running around and getting dirty. I couldn't resist a couple of nature shots.

I love the outdoors.

I did find that I need to keep my short lens on when taking the nature shots though...the telephoto lens did not focus up close...

Our hike/walk took us down the creekbed.

We were hoping for a little water, but didn't see any at all. Another nature shot...I was surprised to see the leaves starting to change.

It doesn't feel like fall here yet.

Miss M was so excited to climb this tree!

She'd live in one if I let her.

It was rather disappointing to find this trunk covered with ants.

She quickly headed down and told her siblings not to climb up.

Bam-Bam actually posed and didn't make funny faces for a couple of minutes...I was happy to catch a shot of him outside. The swing quickly became our focus after returning to the picnic site.

Tiny took the log seat off and used the ropes as individual foot holders.

All of the kids ended up in this position after their spin/swing. Lucy's fingers got pinched in the ropes as she was swinging.

Once the seat was replaced we had a few less tears.
These pictures make my heart happy.

There is nothing quite like a swing in a secluded, shade-covered valley.

I had to have P take at least one picture to document that I was there too.

Bam-Bam is loving sitting on our laps again, and I'm working very hard to be patient and enjoy that rather than get frustrated because I have other expectations of what I want to get done.

I just remind myself that holding him when he wants held is one of the most important jobs I have, hands down (and sometimes it is just as important to hold him even when he doesn't want held).

And finally, our "silly" family picture.

We have another one that turned out a little nicer, but this one was fun...

Happy Labor Day!

Enjoy your family...

Growing Up

2009-08-25T07:32:00.007-06:00

As time passes, I'm amazed at how much these kids are changing.
Bug's first day of high school was July 29th.
Seriously? School starting in July? Crazy.

Miss M started middle school here on the 3rd of August.And the younger 3 started school on the 10th.
I actually enjoyed the staggered start dates.
It was nice to ease into the schedule.

Angel Face is in 4th grade, and not really sad at all. I think he just wanted an expression that was different for this picture.

Whew...that's the least cheesy/fake of his expressions. Is 8 the hardest stage to photograph? I think it ranks right up there with 5 year old cheeser grins.

This girl loves school. She has been asking to have her hair cut since we moved here...it only took me 8 months to get that done!
This is after school their first day...along with some friends that they have known their entire lives!My first son to start preschool. He's loving it!

And, how can you resist that smile? He's got all of us wrapped around his little finger.

For Holly

2009-07-16T16:51:00.005-06:00

Just so you won't scream.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to the zoo and had the chance to play on the splash pad before heading home.
It definitely made for some happy children.

These two chose not to get wet.

Funny

2009-06-08T10:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we had 5 baby blessings at church.
It took up a good half hour...when the kids were supposed to be quiet and reverent.
So, a few minutes later, as I was passing the sacrament to my 4 year old (Bam-Bam), and prompting him yet again to be quiet, he said,
"Mom, is the baby show over?"
Hehe.
I had to work so hard not to laugh out loud!

The Good

2009-05-05T10:45:00.004-06:00

I been counting my blessings the past few days and thought I would share them here:

1) The weather has been surprisingly beautiful for the Valley of the Sun in May. I expected it to be much hotter already...and have been pleasantly surprised that there is still a slight chill in the air in the evenings.
2) I love being closer to my sister and my parents in-law. I see my children benefitting from those strengthened relationships already.
3) I cherish the fact that we live only 45 minutes from the temple. That is a blessing I hope I will never take for granted again. Living 5 hours from the temple really helped me understand what a blessing it is to live closer to "The House of the Lord".
4) Although I only go once a month, I now can take advantage of Costco and all of it's goodness.
5) I love my calling. I'm the Wolf Den Leader for Cub Scouts (my first time as a Den mother), and I love that when I see the Wolf scouts their faces light up and they are happy to see me. My co-leader is awesome too, and I still get to attend Relief Society!
6) I was asked to be the hostess for the May/June book club night. While I'm nervous a little to have people come to my home (the first big event is always the hardest for me), book club is a great way to do it because I LOVE book club and I'm very comfortable hostessing that portion of the night....now the food, etc...I'll just stress about that later.
7)We have a new little neighbor in our tree right out front. We'll be watching this sweet hummingbird and her nest to see what happens. What a FUN discovery.
8) My little boys who are home all day with me make me SMILE. Lucky has learned to jump and hop. It is very cute to watch him grow and change. Bam-Bam is slowly (with my consistent prodding) becoming less "wired" to the TV and/or video games, and is delightful to have a conversation with. (I'm sad he's spent so much time with "something in front of his eyes"...as he says. I know I needed to get things accomplished without having to worry about what he was getting into, but I definitely saw the effects of the excess televison on him.)

So, are you surprised at what the Lord has done for you?
Have you counted your blessings lately?

Whirlwind Weekend

2009-04-19T22:36:00.003-06:00

I've had a wonderful weekend, full of laughter, joy, tears, and a lot of fun.
I was blessed to be able to attend a scrapbooking convention in Mesa on both Friday and Saturday, and definitely enjoyed every minute of that.
My friend and paper-crafting mentor came over from Silver City, so we were able to scrap and papercraft together.
She brought her good friend Lois along, and I had a wonderful time getting to know her.
It's amazing how a common hobby can bond you together differently than just spending time together.

Friday evening P and I had our date night, and we went to the temple.
It had been a month and a half and we felt that we needed to get back and enjoy the blessings of peace and an increase of the spirit that we always receive after attending the temple.
Our late dinner at Cafe Rio was delicious...and I finished those leftovers for lunch today.
We're getting a Costa Vida out here...and I am THRILLED!
It's not quite the same, but better than any other Mexican restuarants out here right now.

Saturday, between my scrapbooking classes, I squeezed in a session at my sister's stake women's conference.
I was so excited to get to be with her for a couple of hours, but to get spiritual food on top of that, I felt very blessed.
We listened to Clyde Bawden play the piano and give an inspirational message.
It was moving, and even life-changing to hear him.
If you ever get the chance to hear him in person, make the time, and feel the truth of what he teaches.
It's AWESOME!
(He gave out CD's of his music at the end of the talk, so I listened to it today...LOVE IT!)

After a late night crop, and getting home about 11:30pm, I had a talk to refine and get ready for Sacrament Meeting today.
I'm always glad when my responsibility is ended...but I don't mind public speaking.
I'm grateful for the Holy Ghost and the direction I am given by following that "still, small voice".
I was sad P didn't get to share his prepared talk...he spent a lot of time and energy and worked to prepare what the Lord wanted him to share with our ward as well.
By the time it was his turn, we had run out of time...
The bishopric promised him he wasn't off the hook yet...we'll have to see what happens.

My in-laws are staying over for appointments in the morning, and I've got a quick follow-up visit to the doctor in the morning to talk about my anemia and low-functioning thyroid.
Our plan is to make loads of fresh strawberry jam after that and then have a wonderful FHE with our family.

Oh, and just for the record, I had an odd a-ha moment this week.
It hit me that any time I comment on anyone else's blog, you can click on that link and follow it here to read my blog.
I know that, but I really thought about it this week, and realized that there are probably a lot of you out there that have "found me", but chosen not to comment.
I totally get that, but I would love to know you're here, and read your blog too! (If you have one!)
So, here's an open invitation to all of you "lurkers" to come comment on my blog and let me know you're reading!
I'm glad you're here...

Have a wonderful, productive week!
See you soon!

Memorial pictures

2009-04-02T12:21:00.003-06:00

In honor of Susan, the school where we taught together had a memorial in her honor last Thursday.

We snapped a few pictures to remember the day.

This bench and the plaque behind it were placed in the school courtyard for "Our Friend and Teacher, Susan Ludwig".

Lucky was a mess the entire program (chalked up to an ear infection and a shortened, interrupted nap, and a little boy approaching 2!) When I took this picture, he was strapped in the stroller...he was screaming regardless of where he was, and I couldn't quite get the stroller up near the bench. Miss M and I both read original poems for the ceremony, and felt that it was very much an honor and a privilege to be part of that service. I loved that Miss M could get up in front of an entire school (full of people she didn't know!) and read her poem with no major nervousness. I miss my dear friend, and yet I am grateful she is no longer suffering from the cancer that had come back 3 times. I often feel she is watching us, laughing at the scenarios that she can see from every perspective now.

How grateful I am for the knowledge of eternity.

Reality

2009-03-30T00:02:00.002-06:00

Moving is hard.
It's not just the physical element of rearranging and finding places for everything, it's the new EVERYTHING.
I know it will get easier as time passes, but tonight I'm feeling a little extra displaced and out of my element.
Sigh.

(How's that for reality?)

Cards Galore

2009-03-22T23:40:00.005-06:00

In the midst of my move, I've found minutes here and there to squeeze cardmaking in.
It's been a great outlet for my frustrations and stress levels in the midst of this move.
Here are some of my creations over the past few months:

This card is much more sparkly in person. Crystal effects+glitter=shiny, sparkly effects. The stamp set and paper set match...I love that!

This shows a little more of the "matching paper" to the stamp set above.
Stampin' Up! just got the full heart punch too...and I wanted to play with that.

This was the card I gave my girls on Valentine's Day.

I had a friend ask if we could make cards for our kids that week, and I was happy to oblige.

I really needed a day "off" just to decompress.

This was the card that my boys got on Valentine's Day.

This card shows a "texturz plate" run through the Big Shot die-cutting machine.

The roses are raised...not stamped, and then run through ink.

It's very cool to see in person, and even looks really good without ink on it.

I LOVE these little corduroy buttons.

There is a faint pink stamped all over the white...even when you see it in person it's a subtle effect.

I opened a "Simply Sent" card kit that come with everything you need to make 9 cards...it was fun to pump out a lot of cards all in one sitting.

I finished making the cards I had left from this "Simply Sent" card kit I had opened and used part of before.
This little brad in the corner is what I wanted to show on this card.

I love this quote too.

It reminds me of my dear friend Susan who always said, "Life too short. Don't wait to...."

Now that she's passed away, I work hard to make sure I'm enjoying the present.

This card uses the new eyelet border punch...which I love.

P got a card like this on Valentine's day.

I'll be back again soon with a non-card blog, and in the future, I'll put my cards on my stamping blog.

See you around!

Sigh...

2009-03-07T09:14:00.003-07:00

We've fought the flu...and WON!

All 9 of us ended up with the coughing, aching, stuffy head crud.
It was a relatively short, but intense sickness as far as running through the whole family.
There have been times it has taken us 9 weeks to run throught the flu cycle with one person in the family getting sick each week.
This time we had multiple kids sick at the same time, and Pat and I sick the majority of the time together.
It's not exciting, and I haven't unpacked a box for over a week, but we're on the mend, and I'll head back to my regularly scheduled unpacking and settling.

Purging

2009-02-13T14:31:00.002-07:00

I made the decision early on in the moving process that I would carefully purge everything that we were moving.
I further vowed that not only would I purge as I packed, but also I would purge as I unpacked.

I've now been in my home for two weeks (hallelujah!), and there are still a myriad of boxes to be unpacked.
Yesterday, as I was moving the boxes in my bedroom for the 3rd time (once to organize them after the movers, once for painting, and again to the outer walls so we could walk easily into the room), I had the thought, "Why don't I rip all of these boxes open, dump everything into a pile and just be done "unpacking"?"
The thought was tempting.
It would be a great feeling to have every box unpacked.
However, I know that I would shuffle portions of that huge pile off into recessed corners, closet tops and hidden areas of my home, and I don't want to live in disorder again.

I have without hesitating, thrown away (or marked for give-away) 2 trash bags (and sometimes more) from each room that I have unpacked.
It feels so good to keep only what I love and what is special to me and my family.
It has already been a positive enough experience, that despite the fleeting thoughts, I am still committed to unpacking in a way that is orderly and measured, in a way that will result in the end result that I truly desire.

When I am finished, I want to be able to say, "I have 'organized myself; prepared every needful thing; and established a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God' (reference to D&C 88:119)"
It is a grand goal, and much of that goal will not be apparent today or tomorrow, or even in months to come.
However, without the goal, there will be no striving to better myself, and truly, I need to be bettered (as do we all).

Here's to unpacking...and here's to purging!

Hiking and Painting

2009-02-04T21:25:00.002-07:00

On MLK day (Civil Rights Day), we all went on a hike into the San Tan Mountains near our new home in Queen Creek.
It was a beautiful for January, and even though the kids complained a good part of the way up, they were all glad we hiked on the way down.I snapped this picture as we were walking back to the car.
I thought it was beautiful.

Last Saturday, we spent the day painting 4 of the 7 rooms we want to get painted.

We had LOTS of help from my sister's friends (Thanks to ALL of you who came), and a sister from our ward came and helped out too.

I was VERY touched that so many people were willing to come and help out people they have just met.

What a blessing to get so much done.

This picture captures how I spent a lot of my day (multi-tasking). And...what happened when I sat down in a soft chair upstairs late that afternoon.

We're In!

2009-01-30T08:07:00.002-07:00

Finally.

We slept in our new home Wednesday night, thanks to a wonderful group of men from our ward who helped us move our temporary items from our rental house.
Yesterday, the movers delivered all of our things from the Silver City house.
It is putting it mildly to say that I am up to my armpits in boxes.
The process of unpacking starts early next week after we have painted a portion of our home.
Thank goodness we have the vital items we need already unpacked due to the fact we brought them with us when we made our initial trip to AZ.

We're sleeping in our own beds...and making this house our new home.

Moving Limbo

2009-01-14T21:20:00.002-07:00

We're in AZ, the kids are in school but we are in a short term rental house in Queen Creek while we wait for our home to close.
We are to sign papers tomorrow...but will still be waiting to close for about another week.
Any prayers on our behalf would be welcome.

The kids are settling in, getting used to a new routine.
We're all ready to be really settled.

Moving limbo is a challenge.
But we're here.

Adventure: Here We Come!

2009-01-01T22:02:00.002-07:00

We'll be headed from New Mexico on Saturday to a temporary home in AZ while we wait for our new home to close.
I'm not sure how long it will be before we have internet again...so posts will continue to be random.
We're ticking off items on the to do list...
Saying last goodbyes (and see you laters)...
and getting ready for what we think lies ahead.
Ready or not, here we go!

Peace

2008-12-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I feel peace.
Although my life has been more chaotic this week than most weeks, I feel more peace and serenity than I have in a long time.

It's not the circumstances of my life.
In just this past week, we finally got a signed contract on our new house in AZ, I fulfilled my calling (RSP) to the best of my ability, one of my best friends (Susan) passed away, and I withdrew my children from our wonderful schools.
Add to that a mild stomach flu that is going the rounds through our family, and it should be a week when I've created at least a couple of bald spots on my head from pulling my hair out.

However, along with the extra responsibility my calling has added, I have also received a measure of clarity and understanding of God's awareness of each of us.
He knows us.He knows our names, our fears, our struggles, and He desires to bless us.
We just need to turn to Him...daily, hourly, each minute if needed, and He will help carry the burdens we have been given.
How I love my Savior, and our Heavenly Father.
They carry me when the burdens are full and heavy...and they truly make the burdens light.
They give peace.
Peace.
What more do we need?

It's Official!

2008-12-03T21:10:00.002-07:00

(As if I haven't thrown enough surprises your way lately!)

Pat resigned from his job today here in New Mexico.
As of January 5th, he will be working for another mine in Arizona.
We'll be moving to Queen Creek the last week of 2008 or the first week of 2009.
We're still working out final details.
Sharing is half of the fun.

Merry Christmas!

Halloween...2 weeks late.

2008-11-17T07:23:00.006-07:00

Here's our Halloween lineup.

I love the fact that our kids can raid the dress up trunk, and with a few added items from the day after Halloween clearance come up with a bunch of costumes.

I try to hit Wal-Mart within the week after Halloween to scope out the best deals.

That's how we ended up with a cute little horse costume for just a few dollars.

Second hand stores are also really a good place to check for costumes (that's where we found Tigger...and that costume has been worn by at least 2 other kids in our family too.)

Angel Face's choice from the time we started talking costumes was "Cub Scout". He said "Do your best!" to everyone as he passed out candy.

RSP

2008-11-09T21:54:00.002-07:00

Today I was called as the Relief Society President for our ward here in New Mexico.
I'm not sure what that means for my blog just yet.
I just thought you would like to know.

More Pictures

2008-10-20T14:22:00.002-06:00

It's fun to look back at these pictures.

This boy will turn 8 tomorrow!

This girl is growing up too fast.
Looking at something Auntie Becca is showing them.

A really fun series of shots of little Lucky.

My sistah.

I love her.

Varied Randomness

2008-10-07T08:49:00.005-06:00

A: General Conference was wonderful. I loved the talks from our leaders, and the inspiration that always fills my heart and my home when I listen, watch and then try to not only hear what was said, but put it into action also. My favorite talk was Elder Holland's. He bore witness that they are angels still. I KNOW that it true doctrine, and even more importantly, it makes me want to follow those promptings I receive so that I can bless the lives of others.

B: If last week encompassed the avoidance of housework, this week would have to be an example of fully embracing and desiring to make a difference in my home. I've been digging out my craft room for a few days, moving furniture around, and feeling quite efficient...even if it's not all the way finished.

C: Does anyone have any tricks for keeping kids shoes from disappearing? We do pretty well most of the time (the kids only have 1 pair of tennis shoes for school though), but when a pair comes up missing, it's a bit of a problem. We have some random pairs of hiking boots and/or "girly" shoes, but when 3 of the 5 school kids have had to wear those other options in the past week, it speaks of the need for a new system. Maybe I'll just have them line them up by the door the night before. We've done that in the past, and it worked ok...I just need to get back on top of it!

D: I LOVE cardmaking. I've gone to bed and dreamed about it the past couple of nights. I've also woken up thinking about it. I'll be posting a slew of creations at my card blog soon, so check it out if you'd like inspiration, or even just to see what I've been up to.

E: P and I have been taking a ballroom dancing class on Friday nights. We've learned the foxtrot, the eastern swing, the "slow" dance, and the cha-cha. This Friday will be our last class and we'll be learning the waltz. We've wanted to take a ballroom dancing class since we were newlyweds, so this has been wonderful.

F: Even if Lucky has mastered climbing the table, he's still winning my heart with that smile. (And the introduction to watermelon went REALLY well).

G: It definitely is fall here in Silver City. The morning and evening air has a chill to it, and it just doesn't get quite as warm during the day. I'll be watching for the leaves to change soon. We'll also be starting the pellet stove soon...and that means all of the kids will huddle around it every morning, squeezing into the spaces that the heat reaches the most effectively. I really and truly love the sound and feel of a fire (even if it is a pellet stove!) in our home.

H: I'm signing off for now from this random post. Have a great day!

Anyone interested in a chance for free Stampin' Up! product?

2008-10-02T19:06:00.003-06:00

Go here: **Creations by Kristine**

Update

2008-09-30T11:25:00.002-06:00

It's so nice to know I'm not alone when it comes to needing motivation to get and keep my home clean.
I was able to score a couple of "quick wins"...things that helped me feel successful and therefore more motivated.

I did get the following things done (even with 2 sick little boys begging to be held most of the day).
Laundry sorted (yep, it's still piled up, but at least there is some order to the laundry room now)
Dining Room floor swept into the kitchen (It made a nice pile to sort through and have the kids pick up)
P came home and worked on the dishes until they were done...and that helped SOOO much!!

Today I plan to fold laundry, do the dishes, and vacuum.
I have 4 little ones who ran fevers yesterday afternoon and through the night, so my level of accomplishments will depend on their needs, but I definitely feel like I CAN do it today rather than not even knowing where to start.

Thanks for all of you words of encouragement and support.
It really does make a difference.

Neglecting the Mess

2008-09-29T08:45:00.003-06:00

It's Monday morning...and usually I attack the weekend clutter and dishes with a vengeance and "tame the beast" before the week gets totally out of control.

Today, I just flat out don't want to.
I mean I do, but I don't know where to start.

That's a frustrating feeling...and I know it won't get any better until do something about it.
Any motivating thoughts?
Do you feel this way too sometimes?

City of Rocks

2008-09-22T21:53:00.003-06:00

About 30 minutes from our little town there is a state park known as "City of Rocks". If we ever want a fun place for a picnic, or are looking for a quick day trip, this is often our destination.

On Saturday evening, we headed out there with Uncle Oliver and Auntie Laura for an evening picnic. These pictures capture just a little of the size of the rocks.

The kids climb EVERYTHING...and I've never seen one of them hesitate.

I become a nervous wreck once it starts to get dark though...I have visions of the kids misstepping off of a boulder and us having to rush to the hospital.
I love this photo of Lucky's feet and P's hands.
I'm trying to make sure I get pictures taken of myself whenever we are taking pictures.

This one is of Laura and Lucky and me.

This picture of Oliver is one of my favorite pictures of the evening.

It was absolutely wonderful to get away with P's brother and his wife!
The kids have already asked when we're headed back.
Anyone up for a visit? (We'll throw in a trip out to the City of Rocks too!)

Good for the Heart

2008-09-16T09:25:00.004-06:00

It's always good to have time with extended family.

This past weekend, we headed to Arizona...P and the kids stayed with his parents in Kearny while I headed into Mesa to visit with my dear friend Susan who is battling cancer.

These are some of the pictures I took before we headed home Sunday afternoon.

Grandma and Lucy

Bug and Granddad

P and his parents

P and his mom

Quick snapshot of me taken by P after I took all of the other pictures

My First Blog Award!

2008-09-09T12:15:00.002-06:00

I am so honored! I was nominated by my friend Candace (her blog, The Evans Experience, is private).
It seriously made my day and my week.
It has made me smile every time I have seen it on her blog...and I just had to find a couple of minutes to figure out how to post it here.

As part of the award, I am supposed to nominate 7 blogs that I love and pass on this award:
So....without further ado, here are my nominations:
Jill at Creativity, Musings, and Such
Kristi at Everything Pink
Andrya at Beautopotamus
Gabriela at Living La Vida Loca
Susan at Martin Moments
Shanell at Happiness Is (it's a private blog)
Jamie at Stop the Insanity

I'll be visiting you soon and letting you know you've received this prestigious award!
When you find out, it's your turn to nominate 7 other people (and make their day)!
Thanks for making my days a little brighter!

Interested in what I did last night?

2008-09-04T10:23:00.003-06:00

Click here.

Today's Work

2008-09-01T21:16:00.004-06:00

I spent the day refinishing a dresser and bookshelf that were given to us.
(Thanks, Sandy!)
They started out bright red, yellow and blue, had a short period where they were primer white and then spray paint brown.
They ended up being a brown/cherry mottled color.

I am quite happy with the end result.
I had a few doubts along the way, and had to make a trip to the hardware store to pick up a few supplies mid-project (that's always a little frustrating), but at the end of this holiday, I'm happy that this job turned out the way that it did.
P spent the day hanging siding on the shed...and is exhausted tonight.
We definitely made the most of this day off!

My Heart is Full

2008-08-27T10:41:00.003-06:00

I found Stephanie Nielson's blog for a couple of years now, and she was consistently an inspiration to me. She always found joy in life and her family, and she did an excellent job sharing that joy with her blog readers.

A couple of weeks ago, she and her husband were in a plane crash and critically burned.

(It actually happened in my hometown, St. Johns, AZ.)

Stephanie and Christian have been in the hospital (Maricopa County Hosptal burn unit) and will remain there for many months, trying to recover from their burns and injuries.

Their four children are with extended family, and I cry every time I read about the transitions that are happening because of the joy and love that are being shown by and to the entire extended family.

If you read my blog, and haven't yet done so, you can donate to the Stephanie and Christian Nielson Recovery fund. (Their care is expected to cost well into the millions, with their insurance being maxed out soon).

If you'd like to follow their story, see C Jane Enjoy it.
On Courtney's blog there is a donate to NieNie button that allows you to donate directly through paypal. (I couldn't get it posted on here...I am sorry, I did try.)

Two other ways to donate are:
***Donate to the "Stephanie Nielson Fund" at any Wells Fargo.
***Donate at any Bank of America under the "Christian and Stephanie Nielson Rehab Fund."

Also, if you'd like to read about Stephanie and her family before the accident, click here.

Random

2008-08-21T09:08:00.002-06:00

I want to write something inspiring.
I've been waiting for over a week, hoping to come up with something that is fun and insightful.

It's not happening.
But we're here, well into our second week of school, mucking out the house...trying to get it really clean (does that EVER happen with 9 people in one house?).

How are your back to school plans/adventures going?

Vacation Days 4-10

2008-08-13T09:38:00.007-06:00

We met up with P's brother Keith, and his family on Saturday at Thanksgiving Point.

It was so hot (the whole time we were in Utah!) that we decided to go through the dinosaur museum first.

It was a fantastic, kid-oriented museum!

The kids had a fantastic time and really enjoyed all of the dinosaurs and prehistoric life exhibits.Lucy and Bella playing in the water/sand room.

There was a whole area that was devoted to sand/water play.

The idea is to replicate flooding/river flow/etc that covered the dinosaurs and allowed the fossils to be made. Bam-Bam was so excited to climb on this lizard.

I actually have a picture of all of the kids around/on this lizard...it's like he was begging to be climbed on.

Oh, no! A shark!
Later that afternoon, we headed on a hike with Lorin.
He took us up toward Silver Lake.
This was the view on the way to our hiking place.
Isn't it breathtaking?

The hike was along the side of a creek...and the kids had to stop multiple times to play in the ice cold water. The next day was Sunday, and after attending church with my mom, we headed up to a "cabin" over by Kamas to spend a couple of days with Coleen and her boys. It was a beautiful cabin...plently of space for all of us to spread out...and lots of beautiful views. The kids and their cousins enjoyed breakfast on the balcony.That afternoon, Coleen and I headed into Park City to hit the outlet mall there to do some very focused back-to-school shopping for Bug. All of the kids and P went on a walk near the cabin. This is one of the photos they snapped along the way. Miss M was in charge of the camera most of the way on this hike and we have about 20 botanical shots of the beautiful foilage along the way. Interesting to see what your kids think is "picture material". The next day, we headed up to one of P's family's favorite camping spots: Trial Lake. P was determined that we would make the hike to Star Lake, so we headed up that way after lunch. While the scenery was beautiful...the flies were awful! I've never been so bothered by bugs in my life. At least they weren't highly inclined to bite...(horse and deer flies, ugh!)This is one view of Star Lake. There are so many beautiful lakes in Utah...and beautiful areas surrounding them. Count your blessings my Utah friends.I snapped this shot as we were hiking out. P was teaching the family how to skip rocks, so they were searching for the right kind of skipping rocks.The next morning was our last at the cabin. I came out from getting ready to this sight: Yogamaster in the house (thanks to WiiFit). All of the kids saw him doing the yoga and joined in. It was priceless.
After an entire day of packing and cleaning the cabin, we headed down the hill, toward SLC, for a family picnic at Liberty Park...in honor of Diana and Lucky's birthdays. My little Lucky turned 1...and Diana's birthday was the next day. It was wonderful to see so much of our family...thank you so much for making the effort to be there!

Thursday we split up and both left the camera at home (I should have taken it with me!). P and the older kids went to Lagoon for the day, and my mom and I took the younger 3 on many adventures...including Chuck E. Cheese and Build-A-Bear. Both of those places were a new experience for Lucy and Bam-Bam...and they loved every minute of it. We were all exhausted at the end of the day, though.

Friday, we spent the day helping my mom clear room in her garage and put storage items in her "basement". It took a lot of time and energy, but the end result was well worth.

Our final item to finish up Friday afternoon was school shoe shopping. It was relatively painless...thanks to Famous Footwear and their buy one get one half off sale. It would nice to have more options here in NM...but we took advantage of the chance we had to shop somewhere other than Wal-Mart.

When we got back from shoe shopping, we started loading the Suburban for the drive home. We left pretty much on schedule, (4:30am) and hit Arches National Park on the way home. It is a beautiful park...lots to see from the road, and plenty of places to hike. We wanted another 5 or 6 hours to explore, but didn't have it in our schedule. Arches "cheese". Our final major stop of the day was at Four Corners National Monument. Here is our Four Corners "cheese" picture.

Just after this, the wind kicked up the dust so badly that the vendors started packing up their wares and heading home. It was an amazing dust/rain storm.

We finally pulled into our home about midnight on Saturday. 20 hours of traveling/sightseeing in one day was a little insane...but very worth it to be home. There really is no place like home.

Vacation (Days 1,2,3)

2008-08-10T18:09:00.004-06:00

We recently had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Utah.

It was wonderful to reconnect as a family...and spend time with our family members up there.

P has 4 siblings up there (some of them with some health concerns), and my mom is up there as well.

We have lots of friends in the Utah area as well (and we LOVE you!), but knew that we needed to focus on our family this trip.

We left here about 5am on Tuesday morning, with 2 trips scheduled for the day.
Pat's mom, (who recently broke her arm quite severely), and our dear friend, Susan.
We enjoyed a nice visit with both of them, and then made our way to our first stop.

We spent our first night in a KOA campground just outside of Williams, AZ.

This particular campground made us wish we had an extra afternoon and evening just to relax...there were all sorts of activities available to the campers.

We'll definitely do KOA again (and I would highly suggest this one if anyone is in the area).

We did the KOA cabins so that we didn't have to haul our tent along.
This picture is of the kids playing ball the morning before our long drive to Utah.

We really encouraged them to run and play as much as possible, knowing they would be cooped up in the car for HOURS.

Our next stop: Waiting in line to pay our entrance fee into Grand Canyon National Park. The first glimpse, right off the side of the road where we parked.
The kids, getting a better look.
Bam-Bam was enthralled by the Grand Canyon. (Thanks to the Little Einsteins episode with the little red train falling into the GC, he knew all about it.) Yup, it's straight down.

That is enough to freak any mother out.

Grand Canyon "cheese". (Our photographer really had us say that! It became our joke of the trip anytime anyone had to snap a photo.)

The next morning, we were up bright and early (after a midnight arrival), to catch the Pioneer Days parade.
We opted to go to Spanish Fork for a little "smaller" celebration.
My kids have never had any celebration for Pioneer Days except a Stake potluck at the church field and ramadas...so it was nice to have them experience a little more intense celebration.
Here we are getting settled for the parade.
We watched an amazing fireworks show the night of the 24th down in Spanish Fork.

We sat just off of the field where they were fired from and it felt like we had the entire field to ourselves.

The kids ran to their heart's content and then crashed to watch the beautiful show.

My sister surprised us and came up for the weekend. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with her. She is a joy to be around, and it's been way too long since the kids really got to spend time with her.

Friday, we had a nice BBQ with Uncle Lorin, Aunt Julie and Chantal (and Wrinkles the dog). Uncle Lorin had just gotten out of the hospital the day before, so we were grateful that he was able to spend time with us. Chantal had watched the kids earlier in the day so that we could attend the Mt. Timponogas temple together...so P, Mom Lunt, Rebecca and I all got to go together, so the kids loved seeing her again. We lit sparklers that night, and the kids had a wonderful time just running and playing.

Tagged

2008-07-20T23:01:00.002-06:00

I always think the tags are fun ways to learn about people that we blogstalk.

How to play this game.
Post these rules on your blog;
List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.
Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names....

JOYS:
1. I love taking walks with my husband on a moonlit night. It's a great time to reconnect (especially when there are 7 little/biggish kids underfoot).
2. I find incredible joy in striving to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and grow my testimony. Along with that, my heart rejoices when I receive promptings, and I love the feeling I get when I follow those promptings.
3. A daily joy I find is in my children and the fun/funny things they do or the kind ways they teach each other.

FEARS:
1. My children not living an honorable life.
2. Losing my health and/or not being able to fulfill my calling/capacity as a mother.
3. One of my children getting lice. (I know, it's silly on some levels, but I can't imagine the level of care and cleanliness it would take to get rid of them, and I am sure we would all pass it around...and I have incredibly THICK hair.)

GOALS:
1. I want to have a piece of my writing published.
2. I want to become healthier, stronger, and have more stamina.
3. I want to fill a full-time mission with my husband.

COLLECTIONS/OBSESSIONS:
1. I LOVE stamping and cardmaking. I love looking at what other people create and love to create my own cards. I have a lot of supplies to make things with. I'm passing on that love to my daughters too...my Miss M just had a "stamping" birthday party.
2. I am constantly trying to find a better way to teach myself to clean and keep things in order. I wasn't taught those skills, and I am very concerned about making sure my children know these skills before they leave my home.
3. I really like the Willow Tree figurines. I have(had) one for each child. Unfortunately, they break rather easily.

RANDOM FACTS:
1. I was hit by a car when I was in college. In fact, that is what made P fall in love with me. That is a fun story to tell.
2. I have been pregnant and/or nursing for 149 of the 181 months I have been married. (That's a LONG time!)
3. I consider myself a shy person by nature. It is hard for me to initiate conversations and make small-talk.

I tag: Jamie, Andrya, Kari, Sally, and Susan Martin.

Catching Up

2008-07-20T09:05:00.004-06:00

Things have been chaotic lately around here...
Between birthdays (coming up on the 4th one in the past 5 weeks), bandwidth issues on the computer and prepping for family vacation, there has been little time to blog.
Here's a few catch-up photos from the past couple of weeks.

The first of 2 teeth lost in 2 days time. P is always the tooth puller in our family, so these are the first 2 teeth that I have helped pull. Eeewwww. (That smile on Tiny is cute though, huh?)
We were near a little park (now called "Parade Park" by my children) for the 4th of July parade. It made for a really nice diversion from the LONG parade (and the HOT sun).
One of my favorite photos of the day. Little Lucky was a charmer all day long.

My monkey, Angel Face. Standing, waiting as the flag was approaching. (Not quite close enough for hands on hearts yet.)
I was so glad I remembered to get someone to snap a family picture (Dad and Bug were still at Scout Camp). We loved our Fourth of July...and I felt like we really focused on the meaning of the day.

Memory

2008-07-04T00:08:00.003-06:00

From Andrya who got it from someone else, to YOU!

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Ode to a Summer Evening

2008-07-02T15:35:00.004-06:00

Bare feet skip, reveling as wet, moist earth kisses each toe.
Senses revive, strengthened by sweet, fresh air, recently cleansed by a summer thunderstorm.

Wonder ensues as a beloved pet chases a tarantula out of it's home.

There is jumping, flipping, dancing happiness to be found on the trampoline.

Splashes and giggles can be heard at every puddle in the yard as rocks are thrown into the fresh-formed water holes.

Swing-set "monkey bars" prove to be enticing, even at age 9.

Webkinz find new adventures in the fading light...watched over by careful owners, "aunts" and "uncles". Sunset is met with a pleasant, cool breeze, making the hour outside a joyously refreshing one.

Summer...stay...stretch your reach and linger with us for just a little longer.

You are full of memories already.

15

2008-06-24T09:43:00.004-06:00

Dear PapaJJJ,

It was 15 years ago (yesterday) that you and I arrived at the temple, ready to start our life together.
Our wedding day.
While we were optimistic, we didn't know what joys and triumphs we would create in our new life together.
Neither of us knew of the trials, the disappointments and struggles that we would encounter as we forged our own path.

Looking backward, it seems almost dreamlike...everything blurs...amid the chaos that 7 children have brought into our lives.
I remember each struggle, each loss, each surgery I endured to make it possible to bring the children that we have into the world.
I (of course) remember each birth, and I am sure you do too.
How grateful I am that you were there next to me with a loving hand to hold, and strong arms to hold me up through the hours and days that we were told we would never have children (or that we would just have one, or just two).
I am grateful for the photos, the snapshots of our hearts, and the digital downloads that have captured moments, both poignant and mudane.
These are the moments that define our lives...our life.

We are not rich in the things of the world, but when it comes to having loving arms to hug and hold us, we have more than most.
We have learned, together, so many things...and we are still learning, daily, hourly...and sharing with each other.

I am ever grateful for the choice I made to spend my life with you...and for the choice you and I both make on a daily basis to make our relationship grow and become stronger, rather than wilt and fade away.
It's not the big things that make that difference, it's the little things, like overlooking a late dinner, forgetting about the socks on the floor, and all of the other oddities and inconsistencies we both have, that, if we allowed them to, would drive wedges into our hearts and our relationship.
It's the finding time for walks late at night, the phone calls in the middle of the day just to talk, and the iPods and the stamping that make our love live and grow.

Thank you for loving God first and living your life in a way that allows others to come to know Him.
Thank you for providing for our family, and enjoying the journey with me.
Thank you for being my best friend.

Love,

Kristine

Trash, Anyone?

2008-06-17T22:41:00.004-06:00

ANNOUNCING...

2008-06-16T10:52:00.002-06:00

My new stamping website!!

Kristine's Creations

It will have card samples, and information on the current specials that Stampin' Up! is running, as well as any other details I need to share with my customer base.

Head on over, and give me any suggestions on what it needs to be more user friendly.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

2008-06-13T00:56:00.002-06:00

We actually took our entire family to this musical at the local college tonight.

Tickets were just 5 dollars for people 12 and older...making it just 3 tickets we had to buy to get all 9 of us in to see the show.

This is by far one of our favorite musicals, and at this price...and in 2nd row seats, it was wonderful.

My bet is that all of the kids will be singing it tomorrow.

Here's to college productions and cheap ticket prices!

200 Have and Have nots

2008-06-08T00:47:00.002-06:00

This came from Neighbor Jane Payne's blog. It's been a long time since I did anything like this...it's actually quite interesting to see what I have done (or not done). I read a suggestion that this would be a great list for kids to ask their grandparents about. It would certainly start lively discussions and stories in my home. Let me know if you fill this out too...or you can e-mail me the results if you don't have a blog.

200 Have and Have nots!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

2008-06-02T13:25:00.004-06:00

It is shocking to me that it is June already.

I started May with a very clear head...thinking that THIS May...things would stay sane and that I would end the month with my head still attached.

I even snuck in a few lunches out with my favorite men...P included.

I actually did make it through the last day of school and the parent-teacher conferences without incident. Miss M's 5th grade sock hop. Lucy's kindergarten celebration...making a face at Bug as he took her picture.

It wasn't until I was destressing at my bi-monthly scrapbooking party (that I am not in charge of) that I started feeling a bit odd.

I was quite nauseous and dizzy, and actually started worrying about being able to drive home safely.

After I botched a project (fixable, but still...teaching papercrafting is what I do to make extra money!), I knew I was sick...and I grabbed my stuff and headed home.

I went straight to bed...and ended up there or flat on the couch for 5 (yes, FIVE) days.

It was miserable to say the least.

Needless to say, I was VERY grateful to finally receive a priesthood blessing on Monday evening and wake up well on Tuesday morning.
I truly consider it a miracle...and felt truly blessed to have been healed.

Tuesday morning I had a tooth extracted.

(Did you know root canals can fail? They can.)

The rest of the week sped by...and today we're already into June.

Here are a few pictures recapping some events this month!Lucky wanting to be outside with all of the other kids.P and the kids on the Memorial Day hike. (I was still sick at home...so the little boys stayed home and napped while everyone else hiked the ridge behind our house.)

These "jumping" pictures showed up when we downloaded the most current pictures. I'm guessing the kids entertained themselves by jumping from the furniture (GROWL) while I was sick. It's really funny to me that they took pictures of themselves...

Anyway...enjoy!
I'll be back soon.

Pictures!

2008-05-07T09:53:00.002-06:00

We downloaded our pictures last night, and we found a series of trampoline shots taken by Bug, our oldest son. It was really fun to see the shots that he captured! I love our new camera...and the fact that it can capture action shots.

This shot was taken by P, inside a slide at Penny Park. Totally cool effect.

And...just for laughs, here's the wig that Bug wore on Crazy Hair day...on his baby brother. If only his hair were that lovely!

Netflix, Anyone?

2008-05-01T16:43:00.002-06:00

We love Netflix.
Besides the movies you can rent and get delivered to your doorstep, you can also watch movies instantly on your computer.
We never have late fees on our movies.
We can keep them as long as we want.
There are literally thousands to choose from.
I'll e-mail you a free month link if you leave a comment below stating that you'd like to try it.
(If you join, we get a "bonus" rental!)
Otherwise...consider your options next time you're running to the video store 10 minutes before closing time.

1 Layout, 5 Cards

2008-04-29T10:31:00.003-06:00

One of the fundamental elements in cardmaking (or scrapbooking) is the layout.
I have often said that creating the layout is the hardest part of the papercrafting process.
I wanted to show off a few of my most recent/favorite cards, and pinpoint the fact that they all use the same basic layout:

Basic cardstock (layer 1)
2nd strip of cardstock or designer paper
Embellishments (Bling, flowers, ribbon, etc)
Some use more layers of cardstock or designer paper...and all but one have minimal stamping (the one with the glittered heart only uses rub-ons...no actual stamping on it)

This bottom one is my favorite. This satin ribbon makes everything look good!!

I've submitted it to Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #7! If you haven't ever seen her blog...go there NOW! She ROCKS!! (http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/)

Happy stamping (and browsing)!

P.S. Perry, this was especially for you... :)...'cause you are man enough to admit you don't mind looking at my cards! What a brother-in-law! If only Jamie were closer to stamp with.

A Short Update

2008-04-27T09:13:00.004-06:00

Our baby is now 9 months old.

He loves to wave to us, both hello and goodbye.

He has started crawling, army style and on all fours.

When he is on all fours, he does a little bunny hop type of moment to move forward.

It is truly adorable and unique.

Just this week, he started pulling up on anything he can reach.

He's so proud of himself...and awfully cute too.

These pictures were taken at the zoo last month...enjoy!

Also, while I had the camera in hand on the zoo trip, I tried a couple of artistic/nature shots.

We just got a new camera that makes it very easy to take a variety of shots.

I really appreciate your feedback on my blog...

I will work to get back in the blogging mindset and be a more regular poster.

Thanks for being loyal...and for letting me know how you feel.

Have a beautiful day!

Hello? (Hello...Hello!)

2008-04-23T09:18:00.001-06:00

Just testing to see if there is an echo.
It's so quiet here.

Does anyone still read my blog?
Should I even try to blog more?
Seriously.

Learning

2008-03-28T16:40:00.003-06:00

This life is full of new experiences and adventures.

Last Friday, we took our children to Albuquerque so that our 4th child, Tiny, could have an Electroretinogram (ERG) performed on his eyes.

This meant his eyes were dialated for most of the afternoon following the test, hence the styling sunglasses!

A little history for you: We have known since he was 2(ish) that he had difficulty seeing, but it wasn't until he started school and his kindergarten teacher started asking multiple questions that we realized that his glasses did not correct his vision to 20/20.

Over the course of his life, he has seen numerous specialists, and had his eyes dialated more times than I can remember.

In the past year, we have made 2 or 3 trips specifically to find more detailed answers in regards to his vision.

This last trip was one that we hoped would bring results, but I hardly dared to hope we would receive a really helpful answer.

Yesterday, however, I received a phone call from the pediatric opthamologist and he discussed the findings from Tiny's ERG...(can I just say thank you to a doctor who discussed the findings with me over the phone rather than expecting me to make the 5 hour drive back to Albuquerque for a 5 minutes discussion of the findings?!!).

The ERG showed that Tiny's cones in his eyes do not work appropriately.

In fact, Tiny has was is called "Cone Dystrophy"

Here's a little information that I found on the internet:

Cone dystrophy is a term used to describe a group of disorders that affect cone cells in the retina. This decreased function of cone cells can lead to decreased central vision, reduced color vision, and often sensitivity to bright lights.

People with cone dystrophy typically have trouble with color vision, or in some cases..., do not see color at all. A person who does not see color maynot even have a concept of what color is, as everything is seen in shades of gray.

Although patients are concerned about going completely blind from the condition, this is actually uncommon for people with cone dystrophy. It is more likely that a patient may be considered “legally blind.” This is defined as having best corrected vision equal to or worse than 20/200 in both eyes (which cannot be corrected with glasses).(from: Understanding Cone Dystrophy, University of Michigan, Kellogg Eye Center Brochure)

So, in trying to wrap my mind around what this really means, I've come to a few conclusions:

The only sadness and loss I feel at this point is the realization that Tiny's eyes can't be "fixed".

I know part of my heart wanted to feel that I had done all I could to make sure my son could see as well as possible.

I now know that there is no surgery, no "better" doctor, and no different pair of glasses that will "fix" Tiny's vision.

I can pray for a miracle, but I fully realize that a miracle does not necessarily mean perfect vision for my son in this life.

A miracle may simply be that the right people are brought into his life in order that he may learn to function as well as possible with the limitations the Lord has allowed him to have.

We are here on this earth to learn...about ourselves, and how willing we are to follow the Lord and His plan.

Despite the road bumps, and new subjects that are thrown our way for us to learn, ultimately, the Lord wants us to show our faithfulness by continuing to turn to Him.

As I start down a more clearly defined path in regards to my son, I pray that I may be a willing student and turn to the Lord when I am the one who cannot see.

(Also posted at www.anwafounder.blogspot.com)

Read Me Here...

2008-03-14T14:54:00.001-06:00

I just thought I would share my thoughts with you...I posted here today.

http://anwafounder.blogspot.com/

MIA

2008-02-22T09:21:00.005-07:00

Too much to do...

Too little time....

I've been

Traveling (1 expected and 1 unexpected trip in the past 2 weeks)

Stamping (for two parties), Reading (for a book club) Pride and Prejudice,

Cleaning (for sanity and health reasons),

Enjoying my 3! year old boy and 6 month! old baby.

Enjoying the snow (and not getting stuck!),

What have you been up to?

Book Exchange, Anyone?

2008-02-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I just got a book exchange in the mail.
I need 6 families/friends that would be willing to send one book out to a 4th grade boy in Utah. In return, you send 6 letters out and eventually get a few books back in return.
I'm excited to try it.
Would any of you like to try it?
Let me know.

With Love

2008-01-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night (01-27-08), the leader and prophet of our church, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away.
I have been very torn on whether or not to post anything about it because after the initial shock, I was so happy when I heard he had died.
That may sound odd...but I was thrilled that he had the opportunity to be reunited with his wife who passed away in 2004.
He lived a full and honorable life and left a huge impact on the world around him.
The only sorrow that I would have at his passing is simply in selfishness...of not being able to hear his optimistic viewpoint and excitement for life.

I think telling our children that he had passed away is what I will remember the most about this time.
They obviously were in shock and a little unsure about what would happen next.
President Hinckley is the only prophet they have ever known.
We took the opportunity to teach them about how the next prophet will be called and sustained...unanimously by the Quorum of the Twelve.
It is a reminder and testimony that revelation still does occur today.
How grateful I am for that knowledge.

I will miss our prophet dear...President Hinckley.
May the Lord truly bless your family and keep you in His arms.

Stuck!!

2008-01-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

The bravado is gone.
Remember this post? Just Call Me...Fed-Ex
I can no longer claim that I have never gotten stuck in the mud on our road!
After 4 1/2 years of driving our road, I had the humiliation and embarassment of actually getting the van stuck in the mud (in the end, up to my back axle) this morning.
I so wanted to take a picture...just to share the visual image with all of you...but alas...I decided that it truly wasn't a priority.

I had already headed out once to the bus stop to take my oldest to the early bus for middle school, and knew that one particular portion of the road was nastier than usual.
(We have had ongoing road work that has changed the dynamics of our road.)
On the way to take the elementary school kids to the bus, I decided to hug the inside of a curve...not thinking that it had been recently "built up" by the people working on our road.
I sunk in pretty deep...and knew I was stuck, but held out some hope that I might be able to get out by rocking the van or backing it up.
I made it about 8 feet back on my own, and then I actually had a man stop to help me, and was able to back up about 10 more feet with his guidance.
At that point though, we were both certain I was stuck for good.
The back driver's side tire was dug in so far that the bumper was on the ground.
Lovely.

We weren't too far from home, so I got all the kids out...Lucy on my back (she was in nice school pants that would have been ruined by the mud), Bam-bam in my arms (no shoes on that boy)...Tiny and Angel Face walking, and Miss M holding Lucky.
I got the two I had home and went back up the road to get Lucky.
Once everyone was situated here, I headed back up the road to wait at the van until P could come pull the van out with the trusty 'Burban.

It was a quick job to pull the van out once it was hooked up.
It still a slippery road...but I know now which part of the curve to stay away from!
Thanks to my husband who truly rescued me today!
Here's to adventure!

Vacation Visit

2008-01-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

The last day of Christmas vacation, we headed out to P's work to have lunch with him.
I decided to document the visit with pictures.
I feel that too many times we bypass the pictures when things are important for "event pictures".
I've been trying to document more of our everyday going-ons...just so that we'll remember some of the things that we have done.

I love that man. A rare portrait of the two of us.
Bug and Miss M leaving their mark on Dad's white board. Everyone had to have a turn drawing on this board.

There was a work vehicle seat stashed in the back corner of P's office. It made the perfect seat for the kids to eat their lunch on. Lucky's tongue is hanging out quite often now. I think he likes how it feels.

Visitors Come and Gone

2008-01-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

We had Grandma and Grandpa John, Grandpa Lunt, Grandma Jennie, and Auntie Becca here for Christmas Eve day and evening. Grandpa Lunt headed up to Albuquerque that night, and Uncle Oliver and Auntie Laura came over for Christmas dinner. (We didn't snap any pictures of them...we were too busy with our Wii and the delicious desserts they brought!) We had a ball and are so glad you were all able to be here!

Grandma John and Grandma Jennie Grandpa John watching the kids open presents

Grandpa Lunt with Lucy and Bam-Bam in an honest to goodness nap Auntie Becca...

We've had a wonderful holiday season...and wanted to let everyone who visited know how much we loved the time they spent here with us.

Our regrouping after the holidays is just about finished...so you'll be seeing a little more of me.

Happy New Year!

Saving Trees This Year

2007-12-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

To view our Christmas Newsletter, click here:

2007
Our Family News & Pictures

Sunday, Sunday!

2007-12-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

On any given Sunday, we try to find meaningful ways to spend the hours before our 1pm church.

Here's what was happening this past Sunday morning:

P and Lucy prepping vegetables for a most delectable dinner in the crockpot.

Bug helped with that too! (Thanks so much guys...dinner was delicious!)
Miss M reading one of our Christmas books. We put them away at the end of every Christmas season so they are new every year. Tiny...with another of the Christmas books. Bam-bam, partially dressed and playing with Little People by the light of a little lighted Christmas tree. He played like this for about 45 minutes. Lucky swinging away in the swing the Bakers gave us when we were visiting over Thanksgiving! He loves it!Angel Face and I...just hanging out before the last hour before we leave. That's a self-portrait too...
Here's hoping your Sunday was a good one!

Making a list...

2007-12-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

Checking it twice...
Anyone else doing the same thing?

Sneak Peeks

2007-11-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

We took family pictures on Friday...

Just for the record, it's a lot of work.
9 people, smiling at the same time and looking in the same direction...almost impossible to capture in picture form.

Even just the kids alone was hard...

But the most difficult of all was Bam-Bam...2 years old, and non-stop for the entire hour and a half.

35+ pictures later, I still don't have one of his smile that I can enlarge for our wall.

That last one was the best of all...but with a chain link fence in the background, it just isn't quite enlargement material.
I'll be working on my photoshop skills.
I think that may be the only way to get a good family picture in the future!

Christmas Gifts

2007-11-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful thing to turn on the radio and have Christmas music continually.
It's one of the "gifts of the season" that I love.
This morning, singing along to "The Little Drummer Boy", I started to cry.
Why?
It's simple really.
Christ accepts whatever we have to give...no matter how big or small it is.
We don't have to give large gifts in excess to try and please the Savior...in fact, just giving Him our heart and our best effort is enough.
Our Christmas this year is purposely small (a movie each, a sibling gift and a family gift)...we want to give our efforts to paying down our debt and not to overloading our home and children with more *things*.
I'm hoping the lack of *things* will be made up for in an abundance of the spirit of Christ.
After all, that spirit is what Christmas is all about!

A Season of Thanks

2007-11-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

It's easy this time of year to be thankful for all we have.
We are reminded daily that "Thanksgiving" is just around the corner and that we have much to be grateful for.
It's when this season passes that our level of gratitude is tested.
There are many times I think of how I should express my gratitude to someone, and yet I don't move forward past that thought.
I'm setting a goal this Thanksgiving though...
I will maintain the season of thanks throughout the next year.
Here is what I plan to do:
I will put a box of thank you cards in my van and at the computer desk.
When I have the thought that I need to tell someone thank you, I will take the time to put their name on a list and then write them a note.
I will mail those notes on a regular basis.
Also, I will add 3 things to be grateful for to my prayers, both in the morning and at night...thus turning my heart to look for things for which I am grateful.
Those are two small things I can do.

I want to be the one that takes the time to express my gratitude.
Remember that parable?

Luke 17:12-19
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Make your year ahead a season of thanks too.
The world will be a happier, better place if you take the time to show your thanks to others.

Coaster Project

2007-11-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

I finished this project last week.

I used 3 4x4 coasters (2 were cut in half with my hobby blade).

I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch all of the holes...and love that tool even more now.

The only thing that I'm unsure of is the white ribbon.

It seems a little too feminine for the paper I chose.

I think there are too many patterns of papers on this project too...so I will narrow it down to just 2 if I make another one.

A good first attempt...now to cut the note paper to go inside!

Tagged Twice (and Three Times)

2007-11-12T22:42:00.001-07:00

I was tagged twice by Joanna (she has a very cute blog people...she's a Crafty Kid!)
I'm combining the two tags though...into one.

Tag #1.
A) List your middle name.
B) For each letter, name something unique about yourself (it does NOT have to start with the letter of your middle name it is near).
C) Tag as many people as there are letters in your name.

Tag #2:
A) Link to the person that tagged you
B) Post 7 random/weird facts about yourself on your blog (cause we all want to know how weird you are!)
C) Tag 7 people at the end and link to their blog
D) Leave comments on each blog that you tag so that they know!

(1) * I am a perfectionist by nature.
(2) M I love road trips by myself...but seldom get a chance to get away all alone.
(3) A I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for all but 22 mon. of my 14 year marriage.
(4) R I am a writer, looking for my story that needs to be written.
(5) I I am also a paper-crafter who loves to create things (cards, and more)
(6) E I used to teach school and still volunteer in my children's classrooms.
(7) * I love musicals and sing along to more than a few.

I tag: Jamie, Corki-Ann, Shanell, Candace, Kaitlyn, Perry, and Amy J. (from my hometown)...oh, and Karina...just for fun...('cause I think you need to start your own blog!)

Tagged Once

2007-11-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Six is the number
The rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I am a night owl. Staying up late is no problem for me...seriously, midnight is still early. I work very hard not only to be in bed, but also to stop reading (or poring over my Stampin' Up catalog for new ideas) around 10pm. (It usually ends up being closer to 11pm...see...it's 10:17pm as I am writing this).
2. Not surprisingly, it's hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. Even with a good night's rest (8 hours), I have to be prodded out of bed most mornings.
3. I love to send (and receive) real mail and am trying very hard to be the local poster girl for good mail. (Need to know more about good mail? Go here to read more about it!
4. I was actually hit by a car (as a pedestrian) in college. I was in a crosswalk, and suffered no broken bones and lost no blood. This incident made my husband fall (deeply, madly) in love with me.
5. I met, fell in love with, and then wrote my husband for the 2 years he served his mission (in Italy), but never officially told him "I will wait for you". We married 8 weeks after he got home from his mission (for our church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
6. I finished my Master's degree in education 1 month before I delivered our 3rd child.

I tag Andrya, Jill, Kristi, Kari, Sally, and Julianne.

Overheard

2007-11-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Bam-bam: "I love you Lucky-pie".

Feet tucked under the bouncer on the table and all.

Precious.

November

2007-11-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dear November,
Do you feel overlooked...unloved?
You are often sandwiched in the minds of many between Halloween and Christmas.

To me, however, you are beautiful.
True fall colors emerge during your hours,
the air chills enough that hot chocolate is *just right*,
and warms you inside and out.
Jackets are adequate, coats not quite necessary yet.
A sweater is the perfect wear on most of your days,
and if you listen closely, the crunch and crackle of the leaf-strewn earth indicates winter's upcoming grasp.

Do not despair November...
You are a month for which I give thanks.

Love your fall-loving friend,
Kristine