A Few Things

I have joined the ranks of the seeing! Tuesday I went through Laser Eye Surgery...a little scary, a lot of pressure (on the eye), and amazing vision! It's so weird to take a shower, wake up, see what time it is in the middle of the night when one of the kids come into bed with us; all being able to see just fine. My eyes are very dry and I have a lot of glare still, but that will go away soon. I went to my post-op appointment yesterday and my vision was 20/20 in my right eye and 25/20 in my left...this from starting at worse than 2500/20 (they can't tell how bad it is after you can't see the big "E" on the chart at all) in both eyes. I am ecstatic about it! I woke up yesterday when Tyler came in and I exclaimed, "I can see you!!!" I can't wait until my sight is 100% and I can wear make-up again, but I am soooooooooo happy with what I have right now! I think I am getting a headache because my vision is so much clearer than I am used to. I'm not complaining, I think it's awesome!

A subject I'd like to broach is Autism. I have a few friends that are currently learning about autism because their daughters have it. If I remember right 10 years ago it was normally boys who had autism...not so much the case anymore. One of my friends, Corinne, has known for a while about her oldest daughter having ASD, and is now concerned about her third daughter exhibiting the same signs. She has some great information on her web site about vaccinations and diet, with more information to come. You can visit http://www.ckcclan.blogspot.com/ to see what she has posted about her sweet little girls and what she has been able to find out.

Another friend some of you may know is Ashleigh Bayard. She has found out her children have very severe asthma and is learning a lot about how to help their environment become safer, not only for children with asthma but for all families with children. She's learned a lot about lead and what may contain lead, what toy companies are staying lead free, and other great information. If anyone would like to receive emails from her about her research post a comment with your email address and I'll pass it on to her. Or you could email me to let me know.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. The sun sure is helping me to feel more energized and enthusiastic. May you all find sunshine in your day!

Happy Easter!

I'm without pictures for now, but still wanted to post a blog on this glorious Easter day. It was my privilege to help put on an Easter Activity for the older children in Primary. We had four "booths" that related to what people did in Jesus' time. One was fishing, one was food sampling, another was "carpentry", and the last was basket weaving. The carpentry was the one I was in charge of and it went quite well. Each child had a plaque that had a picture of the Tomb taped to it. With a screw and hammer they were able to punch holes to make the picture become one with the plaque. :) It was fun to watch the children have such a great time. What a great beginning to a beautiful and crazy weekend.

That same day we also had a baptism to attend at 3, Tyler had a birthday party from 4-6 in Arroyo Grande, and an Elders quorum activity at the church at 5. All of this occured with Logan being sick, the poor dear! He was a trooper and with the help of one of my friends (and Tyler's friends' mom) we were able to be to all the events since we divided and conquered.

Today was a great day at church, other than the older boys having a rough time in Sacrament meeting. I was teaching the lesson in Singing/Sharing time. It went well and felt like new information was given to the Sr Primary that they either forgot or hadn't heard before. I love being in Primary. It's extremely exhausting, but totally worth it!

We had a wonderful family day. We weren't able to spend it with Brennan, Tracie, Garen, and Emree due to sick children, but it was a great day with our sweet little family. The boys loved eating their candy. Logan and I had a great nap (his second). And we all enjoyed watching movies and "America's Funniest Home Videos" (one of our favorites).

I am so thankful for the sacrifice of my brother and Savior so many years ago. How glorious to be able to be resurrected when the day comes. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be forgiven of my sins and to return to live with my Heavenly Father again some day. Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to have the gospel in my life. I love sharing teachings and beliefs to my children along with all the other wonderful children in the ward. I hope I can live my life in a way that is pleasing unto my Father in Heaven. May you all have the peace and joy that comes with righteous living and joyful attitudes.

Thankful for my Blessings!

This really touched my heart. It helps me know I can face my difficulties with a better attitude and just be thankful for my life. It's a reminder as to why you don't let a friend, or even yourself, drive after having just a few drinks.

Ode to Sarah

William kept saying that when my Sister in law lost her hair from her Chemo treatment that he would shave his head. Well, here it is. He came out of the shower without hair, and said that he thought it would be nice to let Sarah know how much we love her and think about her. Here's a post just for her, so she knows how loved she is.

An update for all who knew she was diagnosed with Leukemia...she is back at home after 4, or so, weeks in the hospital. Her body did not like the Chemo at all, but after a few weeks was fit enough to be away from her hospital bed at Utah Valley Hospital. She's going in this next week to have her bone marrow tested to see how things are looking before they determine this next treatment set. She is gaining energy back more and more every day and finds that she is energized by her sweet nieces that live so close (I wish we still did!).

Sarah is an amazing woman! She's had such a great attitude throughout this trial. She sets such a great example for her family and friends. I call myself lucky to call her Sister!

Happy Anniversary

It's my Mom and Dad's 40th Anniversary today!!! I'm so glad they got married 40 years ago, or I wouldn't be here. So, thanks Mom and Dad for getting married 40 years ago so I could be here (and Brennan and K.C. and Carrie and all the family that's with them now, and my cute little family).

We love you, Mom and Dad! We are so glad we get to see you so much. We are grateful for your friendship and love. The boys (and Will and I) would love to see you every single day (and I guess we come pretty darn close to it).

It's awe-inspiring to see you both staying strong and making it through all the years you've been together. Another ten and you'll be setting records. :)

WE LOVE YOU!

President Monson

Ok, so you can all be jealous (except mom and dad because they were there, too). Tonight we were able to learn more about our new and beloved Prophet, President Monson. His nephew, Craig Dearden, lives in our Stake, he is the Bishop of the Morro Bay ward. A fireside was put together where he talked about his memories of his "Uncle Thom" and what kind of man he is. It was fun to see President Monson as a real person. Loving, giving, thoughtful, kind, Christ-like. Bishop Dearen said that "Uncle Thom" always says he will do what is asked of him, whether it be to give a blessing, seal someone to their spouse, visit somewhere, etc, he's more than willing. I'm sure that now he's the Prophet he'll be quite busy and may have to limit some of his "yes' ". What a great date to go on with my hubby!

Things that I love

Things that I love...

Long lost friends being found

A friend that can read me like a book and know exactly when I am done

Children finishing homework for the weekend

Sunny days

Parks

The smell of rain

Friends I love so much I can't stand going 3 days without talking to them

Sitting in a quiet house with my beloved children and husband sleeping (it's quiet)

The joy of serving others, especially children

A trip to the store

Today was a pretty good day. Actually I'd say even better than pretty good! Logan slept in until 8 (luckily woke up right before we had leave to get the boys to school). We all rode our bikes (Logan was in the bike trailer) to school. The wind was blowing so my ear started to ache a bit, but was good soon after arriving home. We got ready to go to Mother's Group at the park (ok, I got ready while Logan watched "Mickey Mouse Club House" and "Little Einsteins"). It was a beautiful day at the park! 5 moms/grandmoms came and we all had a great time. Logan got to ride his bike. I told a friend a while ago that I could spend all day at a park if it were possible. The kids are off on their own and I get to sit and enjoy watching, playing, and soaking up the rays. Not many things can top that in my book when it comes to the kids.

We left the park to visit with one of the wonderful women I'm lucky enough to visit teach who has undergone Chemo and now is going through Radiation for Breast Cancer. She's been inactive, but seems to really long to come back and be part of the Gospel again. It's so fun to visit with her. I always walk away feeling much happier and appreciative of all my blessings. We were off to pick up all the boys from school at 12:20 (early out all week for P/T conferences). Came home, ate lunch, left to take Christmas lights to the church for a RS Birthday Dinner tonight, went to the store....stop...went to the store with ALL the boys! And you'll never guess what comment I got at the check stand from the cashier..."Are they all yours?" and then to top it off..."No girls, hu?" I looked at Kaleb and said, "No, he's a girl" and laughed really hard. She corrected herself and said that she meant that I didn't have any girls at home. I'm sitting here cracking up about it...I mean really...why would I be at a store with 4 BOYS if I also had a girl at home...wouldn't it make more sense to leave the boys at home, too? Here's your sign!!!!

But anyway, things actually went really well at the store, minus the occasional scream of delight or hitting someone's heals with the cart. I had Kaleb and Tyler each push a cart with Derek in one and Logan in the other. Logan kept kicking Kaleb, so I ended up pushing that one. Tyler kept running into Kaleb's heals, then once I had the cart I was constantly checking behind me to see if Tyler was about ready to hit mine. But there were no tantrums, no running around, no hitting or being mean to eachother (other than Logan whom I've begun to expect it from). It really was a pretty good trip to the store.

Upon getting home I had the boys help get the groceries into the house (yes even Logan) and I put them all away. I was able to come into the room and vegg for a little bit (even take a 1/2 hour nap which was desperately needed). When I finally woke up I helped Logan get a snack, or at least said he could have the apple he'd already bitten into. Then I started getting dinner ready. Even though I wasn't here for dinner I made my famous Chicken Enchiladas for the family. I did make sure to make enough for leftovers (just asked Will how they turned out and he said they were "good" with that amazing undertone of "FREAKIN INCREDIBLE!").

At 6:10 I left for the RS Birthday Dinner. What a great time! I was able to sit by some awesome people. Krissy made it impossible to stop laughing though. I'm sure that Lindy, who was sitting on the other side of me than Krissy, probably thinks we are crazy! I love it when I'm able to just laugh and not stop. I looked at her at the end of the meeting and said, "Could you imagine if Becky had been sitting by us? We would have been in big trouble." The laughter would have had me in tears and rolling on the floor! After the dinner was over Becky, Krissy, and I spent an hour at Starbucks drinking hot chocolate (not Becky, she just chatted) and telling all kinds of stories where bad things have happened with scary people...once we were all freaked out enough we decided to get home. :)

So now I'm home still laughing about all that when on tonight. Being with Becky and Krissy really made my night. I'd have to say that contributing to the great night was seeing all the wonderful women that I love in the ward; family, new friends, and constant friends. There's nothing like friends!

I've had better days!

Oh my goodness! Today was not the best day I've ever had, not necessarily the worst, but definately not the best! I don't know exactly where it came from but Logan decided he was going to have a very grumpy day. I was running errands this morning (the only time I run errands since I only have one with me at that time) and he was not happy and let everyone around us know it. The crying and the hitting and the screaming...I'm not sure how I made it through without losing it, but I did it!! Yay me! There were a few time outs (the one in the car he chose to not make it to the bathroom to take care of business), lots of times I just ignored him and people looked at me like I was crazy. He's definately my most vocal of all the boys, and knows exactly what he wants. I can usually talk him through it, but he was not having it today. Once we were able to make it home he took a nap.

During that nap I went to all three Parent/Teacher Conferences while my wonderful friend Jenn watched the boys and had her girls here, too. What a Saint! What a life saver. She's one of those friends that you can turn to in any circumstance and she'll be there for you. I love her to pieces! The P/T's went very well. All the boys are doing great, of course have some improving here and there, but over all are doing excellent. Derek's teacher just loves having him in class, Tyler's teacher said he is the "silent leader" in his class and that all the kids look up to him, and Kaleb's teacher is impressed with his penmanship (hard for a boy in most cases) and his Social Studies and Science skills. I like to focus on the possitive with them, because then they know they are doing good and want to continue to do better. So I'll leave out the "needs to improve on" areas, for their benefit.

Ya know, thinking about Jenn and what a wonderful friend she is makes me think about all the wonderful friends I have. I count myself lucky to have such an abundance of friends. Many are here in SLO (most of these are my most recent friendships), but also so many distant friendships with so many people that I love. A lot of those friends are ones that I rarely actually talk to but when I do get to talk to them or see them it's as if no time has passed at all. I love all my friends (this includes family, since they are all my friends too!) so much! I would not be where I am today if it weren't for all the wonderful friends I have in my life. So, thank you, because if you are reading this blog, then you are one of these friends I am talking about!!!

OUR BABY IS 3!!!

Logan turned 3 today, and boy did he know it. It was so cute last night as he was going to bed I asked, "How old are you tonight?" He held up 2 fingers and said, "'Night I 2." The next question from me was, "How old will you be when you wake up?" His response with 3 fingers held up was, "'Morrow I be 3." It was so cute! He really is growing up! His little personality catches everybodies heart! His pouty lip when upset and huffy breathing make me laugh (inside or he'd get more upset). He sure knows what he wants and will let whoever needs to know what he wants.

William got home tonight! YAY! We went out to dinner for Logan's special day. He chose "Cool Cats" instead of "Franks" or "Pepe Delgados", and he really did choose! Dinner was yummy. We came home and had a "Cars" or "Lightning McQueen" cake, whichever you prefer. He got 3 small "Cars" cars, Sheriff, Dinoco Helicopter, and Tow Mater, "Cars" and "Mickey Mouse" shirts, and toddler roller skates. They start out with one wheel in front and 2 in back and can switch to 3 inline wheels. He was actually getting the hang of them after a few minutes. I'll have to get some video of him on them and post it soon. From all the things involved with his birthday, I'm sure you have no idea what his favorite movie and/or characters are. Haha! We totally cater to this love, because everything is so cute. My guess is that some day he's really going to be into Nascar!

I think that's all for tonight. Till next time...

60 words

Speed test

Here's how I did, how well can you do?

Another good day! Woohoo!

Yes, another good day! I was able to go to Avila Barn with Logan and one other mother from the ward Mother's Group.
It was a beautiful day, until about 3 o'clock then the sun decided to stay behind the clouds the rest of the day.
The boys, Kaleb and Tyler, were out of school early today (teacher play, I mean prep day). A mother of one of Derek's friends, Lauren, and I had arranged to meet at a park right after school so she could spend some time with Mater and Derek. I also had arranged with another mother to meet at the same park an hour later for the kids to play. So we had a great time at the park for a couple hours (until the sun went away). The boys rode their bikes and played in the sand and on the swings, and all the other fun places you can play at a park. Speaking of bikes, you should see the back of the van with all their bikes loaded up. There's a 24", 20", 16", and 12" (with training wheels) bike all back there. I'm sure it's a very funny sight to everyone behind us. In fact, our friends Krissy and John pointed us out and left a note on the van one night downtown because of the bikes on the back. I thought that was pretty funny!
Another great thing that happened tonight was, get this, my Primary Presidency Meeting (at my house) was done in 2 hours!!! That's a huge leap from our 3 1/2 hour meetings. It's nice to be settling in and knowing more what to expect and what is needed.
So, now I'm off to watch "Survivor" and enjoy a little R and R. The house is clean (at least the main part of it) and the kids are asleep...time for "me" time! YAY! Good night!

Sun, Glorious Sun, Makes for Glorious Day!

Ok, so William is out of town and I am busy trying to not pull my hair out most nights. He left Sunday and will be back Saturday (on Logan's 3rd birthday), but really had checked out of the parenting thing Saturday night because he was so busy trying to get stuff put together for his trip. He went on a business trip to New York City for TurnItUp Media. He's had great success so far, and that is all I can hope for him. He is having a bit of fun on the side, but most of it is work. He's there with our friend, and associate, Clayton. They are having a blast together. I miss him. It's so much easier to divide and conquer with the kids in the evening.

I do have to say that today was a GLORIOUS day! Logan and I went to Avila Beach and enjoyed the 60 degree weather there for a couple hours, then did a little shopping. After picking up Derek at 12:20 we came home and ate, then the boys played in the little wading pool I picked up today (it was a beautiful day and I thought it would be nice to have for all these beautiful days we will start to have more often). We picked Kaleb and Tyler up at 2:25, came back home, they played for a while. From about 3:30 until about 5 I helped each boy individually with his homework. Only one at a time, with a break in between for each of them (not for me), and it worked out great! It was so nice! Then they helped get the house picked up a bit before we headed out to Carl's Jr for dinner with Mom, Brennan, Tracie, and their 4 kids. Once home, they got into bed pretty well, good enough for me to not feel too frustrated.

It really was a great day! I don't have a lot of those, so I'm reveling in the moment, and writing it down so I can come back and read it on one of my bad days. It will help me remember there are good days that come with the bad. :)