Mother's Day

Seriously...where did April go?? Time is flying by faster than I can keep up with!!

I've had the most wonderful Mother's Day yet! I was able to attend the Temple yesterday with Mom and Dad while Will stayed home with the boys so I could go. I had a fabulous dinner of Dungeness Crab with M&D that was the best I've ever had. When I got home the boys and Will had scrubbed the Van (it was sooooo dirty it took them over 1 1/2 hours), fun gifts were awaiting me, and there were lots of hugs, smiles, and loves. This morning I woke up to waffles, eggs, bacon and hot chocolate, tons more hugs and loves, and lots of "Happy Mother's Day" wishes. This afternoon I got lunch made for me and soon I'll be heading over to Mom and Dad's house for family dinner. I feel so blessed to be the mother of 4 amazing boys. They make me so proud to be their mom! I am so grateful for my amazing husband, who did all those fabulous things all the while feeling pretty lousy and is now sleeping peacefully next to me, at least for a little while.

A little catching up needs to happen, but I think I'll save that for another day...I want to go spend some time with those amazing boys that give me a reason to wake up every morning!

Happy Mother's Day to all my amazing friends, sisters, and moms!! I love you all!! I love that we all can be mothers, because we all make a difference in children's lives, whether they are ours by birth or not.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

K ind
A mazing
L oving
E nergetic
B rave



T errific
Y earns for
L aughter
E xcellent
R ighteous



D arling
E nthusiastic
R adical
E ccentric
K isses



L oveable
O utgoing
G iant hugs
A nimated
N aturally sweet



D etermined
A miable
D riven
&
M eticulous
O utstanding
M usical




This has been a crazy year, to say the least. There have been a few life changing events occur in our lives since moving to Nashville. TurnItUp Media took a turn for the worse, so the Lord provided us many opportunities to learn and grow through trial and faith. Will is now working at a great company and seems to be pretty happy there. He's still working on his own thing on the side, keeping busy. He's also found a new love in playing the guitar and writing songs.
Another life changing event was deciding to homeschool the boys. The school district here is lacking, to say the least, and we felt we should teach them here at home. So, not only do I take on a full time teaching career, but I'm also trying to keep up with every day life. It's been a big adjustment. Yet my love for the boys has grown exponentially this past year, it's been a great change in our family!
Kaleb turned 10 this year and is really stepping up in his duties around the house. It amazes me at how mature he is and how much he feels needed when he is given more housework. His reading is really starting to take off and he's finding a new love for books and the stories they hold.
Tyler turned 8 in January and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That day I saw his life flash before my eyes and I realized how fast he's going to grow up and he'll be off on his own way too soon. Tyler's reading comprehension is really starting to take off and he's enjoying homeschool very much.
Derek is 7 1/2 now and very excited to be baptized next year. He's becoming a little business man here in the neighborhood, selling mints he purchases from his dad for great prices. He's following in his Father's footsteps, that's for sure!
Logan turned 4 in March. His hugs, smiles, and kisses still melt the heart of whoever he is doling his love to. He is enjoying Pre-K and gearing up to learn how to read very soon. He learns very quickly and loves to color.
During this season of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we hope that you find peace, love, and faith to be abundant in your life! Merry Christmas!!

May Christ bring more into your life
during this season and the whole year through

We're still alive

The saying goes, "no news is good news" right? Well, that's the way it is here. The boys are done with school, we're on our second week off and Kaleb and Tyler have Cub Scout Day Camp this week. They are loving it! I helped out all day Monday and will do so again tomorrow. It's fun to be with the boys (I'm with Kaleb's group) and to watch them learn all the new things they are experiencing. This camp is well organized and is helping them pass off LOTS of requirements.

Other things going on: Logan is trying to learn how to ride his bike without training wheels...a bit more practice is necessary, but he'll get it soon. Derek is about ready to lose his 3rd tooth - top right, and is very trepidatious about having it pulled. Tyler is learning how to swim on his own...a few more "lessons" and he will be on his way to pool freedom. Kaleb is also learning how to swim, he may be ready a bit before Tyler to have some pool freedom. Only those two have had true lessons before and that was when we were in Utah...many years ago in accordance to their lives. I am enjoying the summer so far...I love taking the boys out on adventures and activities. I'm hoping to get some good educational things in to broaden their horizons. William is ever so close to seeing a huge success with TurnItUp Media...we are keeping the faith and praying hard every day for someone to come along and act upon their initial reaction of, "Holy Cow! This site is AMAZING!" and not just say that and then say, "Well, good luck and good work." Ugh. It will come, when the Lord wants it to come.

Enough talky, talky, now time for a few pics...
The boys painted these at a Park and Rec painting class in April. From left to right: Logan's, Derek's, Tyler's, Kaleb's



We loved decorating







Easter eggs this year.







Only Derek and Daddy







like to eat them, though.







Logan needed a pic for Mommy's day for preschool...this is what we came up with.

Happy Valentine's Day!

So I'm a few minutes behind, but to me it is still Valentine's Day. We had a great day! The boys were up at 6:45 am or so. With only a few mild outbursts of, "He's gonna hurt me" between all the boys, William and I were aware of our surroundings at about 9 am. I then asked him, William, if he'd like to go to the Zoo with us today...he said he'd love to. Jaw Drop! He's got free time? He's been so busy with TurnItUp Media that we've been missing him so extraordinarily. So I get out of bed rather quickly so I can have the boys start to help me clean the house. An hour of everyone in the family cleaning got a good portion of the house clean, and we decided to eat breakfast (yes, at 11). We had eggs, bacon and pink pancakes in the shape of a heart. Kaleb asked after taking a few bites of his pancake, "Mom, is it ok if the inside of the pancake is pink?" Haha! It's not like meat! I reassured him it was how it was supposed to be, and he was as happy as a clam.

After a quick clean up of the kitchen, final touches on house jobs that should have been done right the first time, showers for the momma and dadda, and we were off on our adventure. No sooner than we pulled out of the driveway did we get a call from our friends Sean and Julie that they were on their way to the Zoo, too. We met up at the entrance and enjoyed our time together. It was Will's very first time to the Nashville Zoo and we were able to see nearly everything within the 2 hours we had before it closed. It was a bit windy, but not too shabby for Tennessee in February!

We got home, had clam chowder for dinner, enjoyed a little down time, Tyler talked to his friend Olivia in California, and we all played Rock Band for a few hours before bed. William and I then enjoyed a little quiet time as we watched TV, folded clothes, and I packed to leave for SLO on Monday. He's feeling a bit nervous about me being gone for 8 whole days. I am taking Logan, but he's got the other 3 with homework to worry about. The longest I've ever been away was 2 days...I hope I come home to my boys/man that are still happy to be together. :) I know he'll be fine and so will the boys. I wish I could take them all with me to see everyone in San Luis! My eyes can wait no longer, I must have them touched up before the middle of March, so now is the time. Maybe we can make a summer trip with everyone together...we'll see.

All in all, today was a fabulous day. We enjoyed being together the whole day with out interruption! I look forward to many more days just like this!

Last post of 2008

Here's to my last post of 2008! What a great year it has been. It has brought some unexpected turns that have totally changed our lives. We have left amazing friends in a wonderful place and made awesome new friends in another wonderful place. We have all grown older and maybe a bit wiser. We have been able to reconnect with family we haven't seen in years. We were able to visit all members of our families throughout the year. What a blessing that has been!

A quick note on Christmas...it was WONDERFUL! The boys had a blast and loved everything they were given and had fun giving gifts to each other, too. We are currently in Maryland visiting Will's family and loving every moment we have here. His mom continues to look better and better and seems to be in pretty darn good spirits seeing as she's stuck in bed all day long. She's an amazing woman and has more strength than most of us thought possible. We are ready to ring in the New Year in about 15 minutes, so I'd better be done.

Here's to a new year of many new and wonderful adventures. Here's to TurnItUp Media taking off so our purpose in moving is complete. Here's to new pastures we haven't explored and wonderful people we haven't met quite yet. Here's to family, love, and as much peace as possible in this troubled world. We love you all and wish you all a very prosperous and joyful 2009!

You have got to visit this site. It is the sweetest song I've ever heard!!It will pull at your heartstrings! To some of you it will be very much what your heart is saying already. Merry Christmas!

Old Visits

I was looking through old photos and came across these...we still need to make a visit to Santa with all the boys this year. The boys know that the Santa you visit is not the real Santa, they are Santa's helpers and give Santa the message of what you want. Last year the boys knew instantly that Santa was the Bishop...it was funny.
Logan got to visit Santa already this year, but Julie has the picture of it...I'll get it up here hopefully later! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Bells, oh Christmas Bells, Sing your happy tune!

Oh how I love Christmas! The first thing I did Monday after we returned home from Maryland was pull out our Christmas bins. I have gathered more and more decorations throughout the years...I now have 4 bins full of fun Christmas goodies to put around our house! This year I am so excited because we have a mantel to decorate, and it looks beautiful!
We also have a stairwell this year that I get to put greenery on, that's the first thing I decorated this year!I love our little village collection and we finally have somewhere to showcase it, in the front entryway.
I have been able to find somewhere to put our manger with Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus. It fits perfectly on our side table in our livingroom.
Last, but not least, we have our beautiful Christmas tree. The boys had a blast decorating it. Will and I pulled it out of the box, set it up, fluffed it, and the kids did the decorating. They had so much fun! They did a really good job, too! We only had to coach a little and rearrange even less. I'm very happy with it and love looking at it. I love that it doesn't take up all our walking and sitting space (like it did in California).

An overall look of our living room from the dining room. I feel so happy just sitting in there doing nothing.
Here's what Logan thought was important...over and over and over again. He does love Mickey!!

Thanksgiving in Maryland

We had the privilege of visiting Will's family in Maryland for Thanksgiving. It was so great being there! I love only being 10 hours away! It's a little hop, skip, and jump to get there. His mom is looking so much better and is in pretty good spirits. She's at home, in bed, but at least at home! Michelle (Will's younger sister) is able to help take care of mom and does an excellent job at it, I might add! She is so patient and learns everything so quickly. I'm so grateful she is able to be there with mom during this difficult time. I do have to say that it's great how close almost all of Will's family is to his parents. His youngest sister, Kim, lives really close and is there most days, too. She's there with her beautiful baby girl, Baelee, which helps mom feel even happier. I love Will's family so much. I feel so lucky to have such loving and kind in-laws.

While we were there Rhonda, Will's older sister, had three children baptized...Maddie (8), Colby (9), and Heather (10). Maddie asked Will to baptize her, and he was thrilled for the opportunity. It was nice to see Mom up and around (in her wheelchair). I was able to give a little talk about the Holy Ghost, I think it went well. It was short and to the point, I do believe they listened through the whole thing. I was grateful to be included in the affair! I am so proud of those three amazing children for choosing to become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know they have made a very important first step to making it to the Celestial Kingdom to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.

Better late than never Halloween pictures

So, I'm running a little late on posting these photos, but couldn't go on without them.


















I got to go to all the "Harvest" parties on the school "Character" day. Isn't it funny how they change names to make it more politically correct?


These pictures are from the ward Trunk or Treat. It was fun, but I wish our ward would do it on Halloween night so the kids didn't have to Trick or Treat, too. The transformer is a guy in our ward...pretty awesome. That is a homemade "costume"!
Here's all my Ninja's (notice Logan is a blue haired "Minja" like he'd wanted to be for nearly a year). We're all ready to go Trick or Treating around the neighborhood. The weather was nice and only got cold as we were finishing up.Pumpkin carving happened Halloween night before Trick or Treating. It was so nice having no homework and no church or school the next day.
We went over to Julie and Sean's and did a bit more Trick or Treating in their neighborhood, then watched "The Game Plan" together. It was a lot of fun!
Will and I even got into the spirit and dressed up for the Trunk or Treat, and Will for the Trick or Treating. It was a good Holiday! We can't wait for the next one. Also, I'll be posting our Thanksgiving trip to Maryland in the next couple days.

Christmas Memories

My friend Ashley is a graphic designer and made a Christmas Advent Calendar. I was responding to her request for favorite Christmas memories and I came out with a novel. Instead of making her post my lifetime Christmas story on her blog, I decided I should just make it a post on my blog. So here's what I wrote:

Christmas is my favorite, so I have a lot of great memories! One thing my family did growing up was always be "Santa's Elves" by taking food (lots of meat because we were dairy farmers) to a family that was in need (most farmers were). We'd put the food on the door step, ring the bell, run like crazy and hide so we could see them open the door and thus see their reactions! I always felt like we were rich because we could share with others, when in reality we weren't rich with money, we were rich with love and it helped me learn the meaning of Christmas from a very young age.

There was the year my Brothers and Sister told me the red flashing light in the sky was Rudolph and I'd better get to bed or Santa wouldn't leave any presents (it was an airplane), but I believed them and fell asleep right away. I am the youngest and they all knew about Santa already.

When I was 3 we were driving up our street on Christmas Eve and we saw Santa going into someone's house! We looked for his Reindeer (they told me they must be on the water tower, haha). The little kids ran inside, threw on our PJ's and jumped into bed, so excited that we had see Santa and that he was on his way to our house.

I think it was the year before that my Gramma and Grampa were with us for Christmas. I remember all the presents were open and my Gramma asked me if I saw anything else that hadn't been given to who it belonged to. She pointed up into the tree, and there was a grey stuffed mouse waiting for me to find, I still have it and will never get rid of that wonderful memory.

Looking at all my memories I see that family and giving is the recurring thing that stays in my memory. I don't remember every gift I got, or every gift I gave. But I do remember being with family and feeling joy and happiness because I was with them. My parents did a wonderful job helping me know from a very young age that Christmas was not about getting, is was about giving.

The thing I love to say to my children when they ask if Santa is real is: "The Spirit of Santa Claus is very real!" He is such a wonderful example of being Christ-like. I feel that I can say that, they then feel happy that Santa is "real" and I haven't had to tell a lie. I know the day is coming soon when Kaleb will know about Santa and maybe even Tyler. I hope they will know that the Spirit of Santa is real and that they can keep their new found knowledge to themselves. :) They know some people don't believe in Santa ("Polar Express" and "Miracle on 39th Street" made that very obvious) and that some do believe in Santa. I love the magic "Santa" brings into every Christmas morning.
Our Family Tradition we have continued in our family from when I was growing up is giving a gift to Jesus. On Christmas Eve we get a small box (usually a check box), wrap it up in tinfoil, write a letter to Jesus telling Him the things we will do better the coming year (New Year's Resolutions, of sorts), close up the box with the letter in it and put it under the Christmas Tree. It stays closed until the following Christmas (or you can open it to refresh yourself on what you promised) and see how well you did at the things you wrote down. It helps us, and the children, remember why we celebrate Christmas and brings things into perspective for at least a little while.

As Thanksgiving approaches and Christmas draws near I hope all my beautiful family and friends know how much I love them. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I have in my life, especially for our Savior and Redeemer. I hope you all have a safe and grateful Thanksgiving. We get to be with Will's family for Thanksgiving. I can hardly wait to leave Saturday morning. We will definitely be Thankful this year, as we have been every year!

*The picture is of the boys at the end of the Christmas season last year...we'll see how much they've grown in a month or so. :)

Some of the fun things...AKA "Guilt Trip"

Some of the fun things we did this summer...

The kids and I took off for Utah after the last day of school (yes I am crazy). We stopped in Primm that night and made it to Provo the next day. We were able to visit Uncle K.C. and Aunt Sarah a lot while we were there. Sarah was on the tail end of recooperation from her Leukemia, so we wheeled her around in a wheelchair and the kids loved every minute of it. The day we arrived in Provo, Will flew into SLC airport (surprising all family but me). I kept the news from the boys and K.C. and Sarah. It was great seeing their reaction when Will showed up at the park we took the kids to play before we parted ways that evening. :)



The day after we arrived we went to the Natural History Museum in Lehi, Utah. We had fun looking at all the artifacts and learning so much about so many things. The dinosaurs were a big hit!


Sunday took us to the Knighton's home since it was one of the few days Will would be there and we wanted to make sure we could all be together for at least a little while. We had a blast playing, talking, and especially singing! We had a battle between the men and the women. The women won with a huge lead! :) It was a great way to spend Father's Day!
Monday we went to Hogle Zoo. Will had never been and the kids hadn't gone in a long time, so it was the perfect time to go. K.C. and Sarah joined us on this outing, too, thank heavens. Sarah was a great tour guide! It was great being able to spend so much time with them. We were able to see the White Crocodile. Not to be confused with an Albino Crocodile...this one had a genetic defect that caused it to not have any pigment.








Tuesday we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. It worked out to have the Knighton's join us there, but K.C. and Sarah weren't able to make it...Sarah had to get a blood transfusion to help her "numbers" go up. They were missed. :( Tammy has all the pictures from that day, so hopefully I'll have some soon.
Will took off, back to Tennessee, after our visit to Temple Square. He was greatly missed the rest of the vacation, but we didn't stop partying. More vacation and summer fun to come soon...maybe tomorrow.

10 Years!

WOW! We've made it 10 years so far. After all the years of happiness, tears, joy, stress, love, and eternal bliss it feels good to say we've made it this far. I love being married to William!! I wouldn't trade it for anything. He is the only one for me!!! I look forward to the rest of our years with joyful anticipation and excitement. It's good to feel safe and secure with the one I love. Thanks babe for all the years so far and for all the years to come! I love you with every beat of my heart!

(don't miss the previous posts, there's pictures of our home)

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.

How fast does time fly?

I can not believe how much time has gone by since our last blog! Where do the days go? I guess all the basketball games and holidays have been keeping us on the go. I hope that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were all wonderful times for you all. Ours were amazing! We stayed in SLO Town for all holidays and had family come to us. That's what we get for living near my mom and dad and for living in paradise! No point in traveling to a colder climate! Maybe in a few years we'll be ready to visit the snow, but it's so fresh in Will and my memories that we don't have much desire to return to it for a little while. Playing is fun, but it's hard to forget the cold that comes with it!

I guess I'll throw on a few pictures from the holidays that are worthy of sharing. Here goes:



Here's one of Derek and Logan before we went to Gramma and Grampa's house for Thanksgiving. Derek made all the get up at Kindergarten and was willing to share with Logan for the picture. Just too adorable not to share!




Cute little Mater near the end of November. Still small and relaxed...


And here he is with Logan a few days after Christmas...not so small and not so relaxed. He loved the bounce house as much as the boys did.
It has a great obstacle course that they all loved running around, along with the bounce house in the middle of it all. It made for many hours of fun, Will and I were able to watch "Spiderman 3" while they were outside playing. It was GREAT!


Here's all the boys after all the present melee infront of the (not so put together) tree (since it had been up for a month). I thought it would be fun to try to make it a tradition to get a shot of them infront of the tree each year to see how tall they grow throughout the year...we'll see if I remember to do it again next year!

For those of you who didn't receive a Christmas card from us this year, let me first say I'm sorry I didn't get one to you, but I'm going to make it up to you and share the picture collage that came with the card.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Fantastic New Years! We appreciate and love all the wonderful people that have been a part of our lives, and still are. We love you guys!!!