Melly's life

Far too long... New Start 2012

2012-01-10T23:11:00.004-07:00

WOW Almost a year since I have blogged here. Facebook has seemed to take the blog place, where I could put a small comment and not feel like I had to write a paragraph. Although it doesn't tell the full story, sometimes just a quick comment here or there can tell a huge amount to those who know you.

But new year, let's try again. VERY quick ( I hope) update.

Kids in school, Liz is 8th grade, almost 14 now, uuggghhh some days.. teenagers... Sorry mom and dad!!! Loves her foods, com tech and art classes. Not loving her math so much as the school messed up and she missed the first quarter of it, and is playing catch up. : (

Tanner, just turned 12, recieved the priesthood last Sunday and was called as deacons second counselor, in 6th grade and has great grades. Made it into Alice in Wonderland, as a cast member playing a card, which is the part he wanted, : )

Lars, will be 7 on Fri and is SOOOO excited I am not sure he will sleep come Thursday night without some sleep meds or something. Maybe we should have turkey for dinner. ; ) He is in 1st and has amazing teachers that I am so very grateful for! He loves school.
Torben is almost 4. He started preschool in Oct and loves it! He gets to ride the bus, even though it's right across the street because he is going because he qualifies for special needs. We had him tested because of his speech but he qualified under cognitive. Hey, we are happy we caught it early and that he is so happy he loves to go to school!

Luke is almost out of the military! We just found out this morning that the military is giving him permanent disability instead of temporary. We were going to go to a formal board but things worked out just today that we don't have to now! So in the next couple months he will be out officially!!

It has been ....... an interesting 15 year ride in the military! It has had it's ups and downs and I really wish that it could have ended on an up part of the ride instead of the down leave a bad taste in your mouth part of the ride. But I know the Lord has His hand in this and I have a big feeling that it is so others don't land in the same situation we were/are in, so I will take this trial so others don't have to.

As for me... I am still the "Senior Executive Administrator/Personal Assistant/Limo (ok really a van) Driver/......" for the Nielsen household and Luke Nielsen and that keeps me quite busy. However I still do my Mary Kay and I am now an Executive on the Board of Directors for Nord Experience (check us out on Facebook!). So I am not busy at all!!! ROFL

2012 will be an interesting year of changes! A fun year for new beginnings! I am going to be thankful and positive! After all, look where I live! Look at my family!!!

What a day.

2011-02-01T22:34:00.004-07:00

Well after getting older kids off to sleep, my sweetheart let me head back to bed for a couple hours. I have been so tired and we haven't figured out why yet, it's frustrating, but it's nice at times like this that hubby is home. I need to get back to the dr but I hate going and them not being able to figure it out. And I really hate it when I figure it out before them, like my gallbladder, which should have been taken out 18 months before it did. Then it wouldn't have had to be taken out while pregnant if he had listened when I told him. Or if he had followed up like he should have. Stupid dr! Anyway, need to go back in, just don't want to deal with more appts and stress. But pain and tiredness is getting to me, and getting in the way of life.
Anyway Hubby headed up to lunch with his friend late this morning and I worked on cleaning house. I moved the couches and vacuumed under them and moved them back to where they were before Christmas. Now I can get to my piano a lot easier. The boys had a blast playing under the couches as I cleaned, as I tipped them upside down. They thought the fort was great. I should have gotten pictures. Oh well.
Then I did some laundry, which seems to be an ever greater never ending chore lately. I really can't seem to keep up anymore. Maybe because I am in the middle of changing out clothes that are too small, wrong season, need to be tossed due to too much wear, etc. Maybe we have too many clothes! LOL For the boys that is probably the truest. I keep getting hand me downs from a neighbor, which I will not turn away because I can always use them. As some of the ones from Tanner are too worn out by the time they get to Torben.
Lizzy is needing some new clothes. I don't really get hand me downs for her. I used to when she was little from my cousins kids but haven't in quite some time. And she keeps growing like a weed! Her jeans that I got at the first of the school year, big on purpose, of course are getting too tight. SIGH. So are Tanners, the ones that aren't too short or have huge holes in the knees. LOL And Lars... his are still too big. LOL
Back to today. This afternoon I took Tanner to band and then ran to the store to get some things we needed. First I had to get gas and then I ran to get a hot chocolate from the coffee shop. It's freezing today! Snow and then the wind chill made it bitter cold!! I thought it would be great to drink some yummy hot chocolate while I shopped. Then I get out of the car and start going into the store. And I trip on a stick next to the tree in the parking lot landscaping, that has rocks.... yeah, let's just say, it hurts! I will spare those who can't handle blood, a picture of my knee, which took the worse of it. I went down rolling on the rocks and into the roadway in front of the store, spilled my yummy hot chocolate that I had only had 2 sips of, which spilled in my hair (that I had just washed before leaving, ughh) scrapped my knees, hand, and getting my new coat, that I had only worn 1 other, time all dirty! : ( Not happy! At least no cars were going past right then and ran me over. OUCH! Some nice woman helped me up and I brushed myself off and limped into store, washed off in bathroom and checked out my injuries, and figured I would live. Did my quick shopping. The girl at the checkout is such a sweety, asks me how I am. I tell her, "Don't ask." But she looks at me so, then tell her about falling. I tell her the part I am most upset about is my hot chocolate. LOL She was ready to pull out money for me. I told her not to worry about it. I was pretty sure that when I went back to coffee shop and explained my sad story, they would give me another for free. The owner had been the one to do up my first one. Sure enough when I pulled up and told her I needed a replacement, she asked what was wrong, but after explaining what happened, sure enough, another one on the house. They are so good there!
Sloppy joes for dinner tonight. I just now realize how funny it is for me to come home after this accident and then make sloppy joes for dinner. Although that dinner was picked before the fall. LOL I toasted the buns to try something a little different, and yum! Some just with butter and some with garlic butter.
Tonight when I was reading to Lars for bed, he brought me "Cook a Doodle Doo". It's a book that's a twist on "The Little Red Hen". I wasn't paying 100% attention until I read the first page and then I had to call Krystal and laugh. She didn't answer so I had to text her, "Rooster for the day!" LOL I have talked to a friend about making a rooster apron for her. I can't wait! Rusty says it's old already. hehehe No it's not! I love it!
Tonight seems like it's going to be a long night with Torben. He hasn't been eating very well if at all, and been poking at his ear a little. That may not be anything. But he is just being extra fussy tonight, so I think I am going to take him in to the dr tomorrow. Can't hurt. He started sounding stuffy today, and tonight he is really gassy, although I am not sure what from since he hasn't been eating.
Lizzy has audition for Music Man jr. after school tomorrow. I am excited for her. I really hope she gets a part. Getting into Beauty and the Beast helped her self esteem so much last year, to see that she could do something like that. And I so want her to experience things that I didn't do, that I wish I had. Not huge things, and I won't push her to do things that she doesn't want to, but I know she enjoys this. Last year right before she said she didn't want to do it, but it was because she was scared of auditioning. I am glad that I made her follow through and that she had that experience so that this time she will know what to expect.
Ah the things we do for our children to learn and grow. What it must be like for Heavenly Father. I hadn't thought of it like that before. There have been times where we have pushed kids, Lizzy especially, to do things that we know they need to do or should experience for their good. .... I remember going to Carl's Jr with Lizzy one day and grabbing and dragging her up and through the play structure to the top so she could see how much fun it was. To make her experience that so that she would understand that she would enjoy it. Luke and I just shook our heads as she fought me, knowing full well that when it was over, we would have to drag her away. And then in the end, having to drag her away because she was having too much fun. And the next time there was no need to drag her up, she now knew. LOL
How often does Heavenly Father shake His head at us? Trying to lead us to experiences that are for our good, but we fight Him. And then when we finally get through it and realize how it was for our good, He smiles. But sometimes we don't realize in our limited understanding how important it probably really was for us. Sometimes we get a glimpse of that later with 20/20 hindsight. But I am sure that there are millions of experiences everyday that we don't even realize have significance, and won't until we are on the other side again. There's my AHA thinking moment for the day. : )

2011-01-31T22:45:00.003-07:00

So while cooking dinner Lizzy decided that she didn't want I was making so she went to make a peanut butter and honey sandwich. She grabbed the peanut butter and turned, seriously 5 seconds later, if that, and the honey was missing. Guess who had it?!! And what he was doing?

OH seeing how it looks on the floor! Pretty huh?! AARRGGG!!!!

And this is just a few minutes before Bishop Bill Ackley and Elders quorum president, Garrett show up at the door for a visit! LOL Yeah, they sat and visited while Liz and I scooped up honey. SIGH. Well Garrett, who used to be our home teacher, had a carpet cleaner he offered to loan us. Which is good, because ours wasn't working right and I knew that I needed to clean the carpet, as if it's not bad enough, at least where the honey was. Because where the honey would just grab every little particle of dirt!

The honey bear was nearly full before..... And after.... Needless to say, I need to buy more honey.

It's a good thing that they look so cute sleeping. And it's a good thing that he is #4 and I am starting to realize, I wish I would have with #1 more, that these little things are but a passing moment and they grow up so fast! And as I told Liz to get the camera and she said, really? I said yes because we'll laugh later. Really I was half laughing then, just not at having to clean up the honey. And as Garrett said, and he couldn't do it in the kitchen, where it would be easy to clean up.
Well, no.. that would be easy. LOL Oh well. It won't matter in another month. Really, it doesn't matter now.

It's stuff. Just stuff. And he's growing up so fast!! They all are! Lizzy will be 13 in a few months!
Where does it go? I knew it would fly by, but not this fast! And even now that I know it goes so fast, it almost seems to go faster. I knew I wanted them to grow up and experience life and do all that they were sent to earth to do, but I did also know I didn't want it. I want them to stay kids as long as possible. I really do. I have a hard time sometimes pushing them to do some things because of it I think. It's a fault. Not the important things, but those little things that they probably should do, but I don't make them. I'll regret later probably.
Liz has said she just wants to grow up. Luke and I have told her we don't' want her to. We want her to enjoy being a kid as long as possible. She doesn't understand this. I guess we don't as kids. We just see that there are so many things that we can't do as a kid and we want to do them, so we want to grow up. And then we are there and we wish we could go back and take it slower. There's that song that talks about a little girl growing up and they parents tell her she'll want this back, the childhood, the being a newlywed, the little kid stage, when she says she wants to grow up.
I'm trying to enjoy and to remember to take the days like they are the last. Make the things that matter most, be more important and show that they are more important. And not worry so much about the little things and the things that won't matter in the long run. I still have a lot of improvement I can make. But I am trying to make the memories count more. I just keep trying, and that's all I can do.
On that note.. LOL Here's one of those good memories... Got to love technology by the way!

I am such a slave driver!! It was so hard to sound stern and I couldn't keep sounding like it at the end. It's too bad that my kids know me too well. Slave driver, LOL. He was having fun with the vacuum though. Then he saw me with the camera and the vacuum was all forgotten. He loves the camera!

Boys birthdays

2011-01-16T19:43:00.004-07:00

January always is the start of a new year but it's always the start of birthdays for us! It is always a time for me to remember how time flies and how big my children are getting. Reflect on how grateful I am to have these beautiful children. Tanner who was 3 weeks early. Lars who was my Iraq baby. My distraction, who I never would have gotten pregnant had I known Luke was going to Iraq. But was, as much as it was hard to have a new little one with two other small children, a huge blessing as a distraction to keep me busy.

Tanner turned 11 this year. Amazing that the world was wondering what would happen when the count down to 2000 would hit and I was just wanting a baby to come! LOL And although 3 weeks early, you would never know it now! He is growing so fast and is so smart!

He asked for a Build a Bear this year, along with a couple other things. Camo, with a camo outfit, that did the Star Wars theme song. Lizzy and I went to Nutcracker on New Year's Eve and stopped at Build a Bear after and made it for him. It was so much fun! We put it in a jedi outfit that we were going to tease him with but he saw the box before I got it up to my room to hide it.

This is the cake he picked this year. This was a project and it didn't turn out quite as nice as I would have hoped but good enough for him. And it tasted great! Bottom was chocolate and the middle was white and the tower although may look like it might be cake, is plastic. But the spiderman swings around the tower.

Here is his bear in the Jedi outfit. The bear's name is Jackson Ewok Nielsen. Lizzy picked the first name, I picked the middle name, which when we were dressing him and the ears stuck through the outfit I said he looks like an ewok, so the middle name! ; )

Lars, of course, wanted a Build a Bear for his birthday. LOL I took him to build his own bear. We talked on the way and he had said that maybe he would do a cat. However when he saw the camo bear, well you can see, we couldn't change his mind as much as we tried! (My friend Joie is the manager.) He even wanted to put the same sound in. We did convince him that he can't do that. So his has a roar instead and in the nose. Tanner's is in the arm and I won't do that again!

He picked out the Darth Vader outfit and said his and Tanner's bear could fight. LOL

Then for the bear's name, he went to go for Darth Vader, of course. I told him that the bear wouldn't always be in that outfit. We did get another one. He said, "Well then his name is Taggy." "Taggy?" "Yes. Taggy." as he points to a spot on the Darth Vader outfit belt. LOL

For his cake, he chose a Hoe to Train Your Dragon cake. It was MUCH simpler than Tanner's! It turned out awesome, if I do say so myself.

Here is the link to the website to the catalog where I get the supplies and ideas for the kids. http://www.decopac.com/resources/merch/31877.pdf

But I have learned that I think I am going to have to start investing a little in the good frosting to make them look really good if it's anymore than this. For the mountain in the back corner I had to stiffen the frosting with powdered sugar, and then freeze it again.

My cupboard is already full of cake decorating stuff that I think I need to get a container to put it all in. LOL The kids love picking out their cake and I love doing them. Joies' girls were looking at the book to find their cakes. LOL I think Joie's birthday is actually next.

WOW time flies!

2010-12-30T14:32:00.002-07:00

Torben with his camera he got for Christmas. He loves to take pictures. This one he can drop and not worry about him braking it. Doesn't take the greatest pictures but until I get a new camera this needs to be his so he doesn't brake the one camera that does work.

Lizzy with her porcelin doll she got from Grandma and Grandpa Runyon for Christmas. She named her Olivia and loves her!

Lars and Torben watching the train go around the tree at Aunt Adrienne's house. We went for dinner and to see the lights at Temple square.

SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW. Ok we have had years with more, but this was a good dumping. And the kids loved it!

For family home evening we made gingerbread house. They had a blast. And aren't they cute?

Family night to the pumpkin patch

2010-10-18T20:43:00.005-06:00

Our Pumpkin Patch Haul! Tonight for family night we had some friends over for dinner and then we went to a new pumpkin patch in the area and picked pumpkins! This is the crew with what they came home with. They had to carry their own pumpkin. And the kids picked out one for Dad too. They picked out some HUGE ones too. Now we are going to have to carve them! What fun!!

Today's black eye look.

2010-10-13T00:11:00.002-06:00

Today's black eye look. Oh yeah and a baby who loves to be naked... that and he had a diaper blow out. LOL

Torben's awesome black eye to be

2010-10-11T09:06:00.003-06:00

So at the VERY, and I mean as we were saying closing prayer, end of church yesterday. The ladies in charge of nursery come get me because Torben has gotten hurt. I go in to get him and they are holding him, crying, with a napkin to his eye which is bleeding and when they take it down he also has a big scrap under his eye. Yes an awesome black eye in the making! Two cuts above his eye. One in the eyebrow and the other closer to the bridge of his nose. LOL

Now these poor ladies think I am going to be so upset at them, when in fact I am shaking my head and I am wondering what he did to get it. Knowing that from the looks of it that it was something he did and not that someone hurt him. Apparently he was playing in the toy cupboard which they kept pulling him out of and telling him he was going to get hurt. And he kept climbing back into and the last time he slipped and fell and scrapped his face and hit his head. I don't know if he bit his tongue then or later. (as I see his tongue has been bit in this picture) Boys! I let them know I am not going to sue them or anything as he is still alive. I wouldn't anyway. It was an accident and he is my 4th child, 4rd boy. Besides even with my 1st I wouldn't have been upset. lol Too many years of day care and preschool under my belt for that.

When I brought him home from church Luke asked what happened and I told him that Torben got into a fight. Luke asked if he won. I had to start laughing and tell him what really happened. LOL We tried to get Torben to put some ice on it so it wouldn't swell too bad but he wouldn't. So today it's swollen a little and by the end of today I'm sure it will look worse. And I will try to remember to take pictures (now that I found the camera - YEA!) over the next few days. Anyway, its one of those Napolean Dynamite "YESSS" moments. LOL

He's just too cute!

Today's chores, fun and funnies

2010-10-09T23:35:00.006-06:00

We got family passes to Trafalga and Seven Peaks. (Seven Peaks water park is closed until next summer.) I took the kids Tues for family night. Mon didn't work out, long story. And since then they have been dying to go back. I told them last night they would have a ton of chores to do today because they have not been doing them and they were behind. I told them I would take them if they would hurry and do them.
Well they lucked out some. I ended up going to a funeral for a friend who passed away after a long fight from breast cancer. So it was afternoon before they really had to be done. When I got home Tanner and Liz were working hard, but Lars was not doing anything. Tanner and Liz still had a bunch to do, but they got done what needed to be done and were ready to go.
I kept telling Lars that if he wanted to go, he needed to work. Really, he didn't have that much to do. I was having him start by picking up the garbage on the floor of his room. Just small pieces of stuff and a few pieces of paper. Nothing that 2 mins wouldn't cover, and that's taking one piece at a time. Then he was going to have to fold his clothes. He just wouldn't do it. After 1 1/2 hrs, I told him he wasn't going. He threw a fit and cried. But I explained that he wasn't doing what he was suppose to. So then he got in gear and cleaned it all up. So then he had to fold clothes. sigh... Again he messed around and wouldn't. Needless to say, he didn't get to go, he cried and cried when he left (poor daddy had to listen). Bet next time he works fast! ; )

Trafalga.
Liz and Tanner had so much fun. They went on the carousel 3 or 4 times, the airplane ride twice I think. They went on the water boats and thankfully Tanner was big enough to go by himself because I really didn't want to go and get wet. It was a little chilly out and I didn't bring a jacket. They got wet and Tanner ended up soaked! Poor kid. His butt was still cold when he went to bed tonight he said. lol
Then the roller coaster.... They wanted to sit in the very front car. I sat in the second car right behind them. It's not a big one, but it does go pretty fast and has a couple good tight loops. They tell you at the beginning that there is a contest to see which car can scream the loudest. We get going and the first turn Liz starts to scream just to scream for the contest. And then I look at her face and it turns to part this is great fun and part pure terror! I was laughing SO hard the rest of the ride. My sides hurt when we were done. I think the only reason I wasn't crying was because the wind, from the ride, dried them. Tanner gets off and wants to get right back on. Liz goes over off to the side and says she is never going on it again. I told her that if she goes in the middle car she will probably like it better. We got her to go again and I think she liked it better being in the middle car with me, the second time. Tanner was in the very front of the first car, by himself and loved it! He said "When we went around corners mom, I almost slid to the other seat!" It was great fun!

Torben drive
We have been having a hard time getting Torben to sleep good. I am planning on taking him to the dr and get him in to the ENT. Pretty sure his tonsils need to come out so he can breath at night and then he will do better. But the other night he was so tired but fighting it so bad that I finally decided I would take him for a car ride and see if that would work. Sure enough, turn on classical music, drive down the road and about 6 mins later (maybe earlier and I just notice) he was out!
So tonight he was doing the same thing. Partly I think because he took a really late afternoon nap, but it was 1030 and still not asleep. So I get him in the car and I figure I might as well take library books back while I am at it. Two birds with one stone, as it were. We get to unity pass on way to city center and a short 2 min or so organ classical piece plays. When it's done, Torben starts to clap and say, "Yea!" LOL My mom will love that! It was so cute.
Then we get to the library, and I pull up to book drop, dump in books, and see some stray kittens across the parking lot. One is sooo cute. (pretty sure if I could have caught it, I would have been in trouble for bring it home. It looked a little siamese.) When we drove off without one, boy was I in trouble with Torben! He cried and threw a fit. "Wan Cat!" Poor kid.
So I start heading back towards home. We get to the gas station down from out house. Torben has been hanging out with Daddy and going with him, so Torben now recognizes this gas station. .... He also recognizes that Daddy got him treats here the last couple times. ... Can you see where this is going? Yep, another fit. "I wan! I wan!" he says. Poor kid.
Then he realizes we are headed the direction of home. Does not want to go home, which is fine with me, since he is still awake. lol We keep going past home. Now we get down the road a little more and he now recognizes that this is the way to grandma and umpas house. (which we were just there for dinner.) So he says, "grandma, umpa house?" "No Torben".... poor kid. He's having a rough night.
I can tell from his yawning, that is becoming more frequent, that he is getting to that point of no return. Thank goodness, because so am I! So I head the route to do a big circle and head home. I get down one road and hear snoring but it sounds fake (sometimes you don't know with his snoring) so I turn on a light and look in the mirror.. sure enough, fake. Silly kid. But I get another 2 maybe 3 miles, and LO and Behold... he's out!!! I get home and open the door and he starts to wake up. Luckily he stays asleep as I put him to bed.
Now this process tonight took 30 min drive (round trip). Far cry from the 10 min round trip from the other night. But some really cute stuff from him tonight.
And now I can go to bed. AAhh soft, warm, comfy bed.

Cheer, band, the letter P and dog mess.

2010-09-28T22:00:00.002-06:00

The title of today's blog goes in order of kids oldest to youngest, but I am going to to write in order of what happened, which happens to be in the youngest to oldest order.

Torben - Today I was reading to Torben while everyone was gone and it was quiet. He pulled out a book that is a find the puppy book. You read short little poem a line at a time on each page and find the puppy hidden, not hard, on the page. He loves these books. (We have a find the kitten, pig and a couple others too.) Anyway, there is one page where the puppy was hungry and he has gotten into the garbage can and made a mess. Torben says, "Bad puppy." and then he closes his eyes, bows his head and then hits his head a little with the palm of his hand, like he is exasperated and says "Oh no." It was so funny, and so cute! I wish I had that on video!

Lars- Today he comes home from school and I ask him what he learned today. He says we learned the letter P. Then at dinner we were talking and I asked if he had told daddy what he learned today. I had taken the older kids to their activities so dad had them by himself and I didn't know if he had talked to dad. He said "no" and I said "well are you going to tell him?" He says, "OK I will start at the very beginning." I was a little worried for a min. But then he just said, "We learned the letter P, that makes the pa sound" Then we all started
naming things that start with P. It was a lot of fun and good for Lars too.

Tanner - Today was his first day of band where he got to play! Last week it was just a short meeting that basically was, we meet here and you need this, I guess. I wasn't there. lol I was at the school walking around trying to see Lizzy's teachers for parent teacher conferences. (oh what a pain! Good thing I had a book.) Anyway, he was way excited. He learned the fingering for E and F and some of the rules, like if you don't laugh at Mr Lemen's jokes then you have to bring him a plate full of brownies. LOL

Lizzy - (and Tanner once we got there) Today was her first day of a mini cheer camp. The high school has cheer and drill mini camps for the younger kids to try it out and see if they like it. They get to learn this week Tues thru Thurs and then perform at the football game on Fri. She decided that she just wanted to do cheer. Which turned out good because she seemed to have skipped out on it, while I was with Tanner in his. But she will be going back tomorrow and trying again. I think she got a little frustrated and just quit and walked out.
Tanner started to get really frustrated and I had to calm him down and get him to stick it out too. Part of his was that he is the only boy in his age group, probably in the whole thing, and he felt like he was doing just girl stuff. Poor kiddo. I talked to the cheerleaders after and they are going to talk to the cheer guys and have them make something up for Tanner for tomorrow. He was happy about that.

It was a long afternoon and we will see how tomorrow goes. Hopefully Lizzy will do better. I told her I would go and watch her so I could help her with her routine. And now finally all the kids are asleep and I can go finishing eating my ice cream! And then off to bed... ZZZzzzzzzz

Busy day!

2010-09-23T21:39:00.002-06:00

One of those non stop days that I am glad are over. Up early and getting kids off to school. Then enough time to get myself ready and hurry to get older two kids from school.
Off to dentist for them. No cavities so good to go for another 6 months. A stop to pick something up in town. Since they weren't going to make it back to school in time for lunch, we stopped for it. The big red M for them. We don't go there very often. They were happy.
Back home, drop Lizzy off to wash her hair quick. She was too tired last night to take her shower and I am not sure what happened this morning. Probably too tired to get up in time. She hasn't been sleeping in time. Then take Tanner back to school and sign him in. Home again, to help do Lizzy's hair, today was her picture day, and her picture will be on her school ID for the rest of the year not just the yearbook.
Then take her back to school, sign her in. Then the PTA was setting up food for the teachers because tonight was parent/teacher conferences for middle school. I helped pull a couple things out for that, because they were short a couple people.
Then back to elementary to print off and put in teacher boxes, notes about "meet the candidates" next week. That would be 1200 copies, mind you! That took an hour, with 2 fast machines. WOW. Then home for about 30 mins....... breath....
Then off to take Tanner to his first band class! I took a book to read while he had his class. Well we get to the school and I realize that the parent/teacher conferences have started and that I could get some done while he is having band! Score! However, it is not that easy. You have to stand in line and wait... and wait... and wait... and sometimes...... wait some more! But I did get half her classes done.
Then off to meet a friend in town to give her some pregnancy and baby stuff, that she needed. They thought they were done, she gave everything away and then... oh wait, one more ; ) God does have a sense of humor, but also of love. He knew I and some of her other friends had NOT gotten rid of our stuff yet.
Then back to school to finish conferences..... Had Tanner wait in van because I figured he would get bored and he could practice his trumpet. And I didn't think it would take that long.... yeah.... 45 mins waiting for the English teacher. LOL Then hurried and barely got in math teacher and that was because she kind of called in all the parents that were in the hall and talked to us as a group. We can get ahold of her as needed later. I was good. I got her email and the one question I had answered.
Then sneak down to band to see if I can grab band teacher quick, last teacher. Sitting waiting for the parents ahead of me and Tanner comes in the door, eyes all red and full of tears. A woman with him, saying they were in the car next to ours and that he was upset. Poor kiddo. He said he felt scared. So he finally came in and waited, he told me later, by the office until he saw me in the hall and came down to me.
Then by this time it's 8:30. Now it's off to Artic Circle for dinner for Tanner and I and dad because we haven't eaten. WOW long day!!!
Yes I am serious when I say, this day is non stop. For about the 30 mins at home, 20 mins while giving stuff to friend and sitting for the about 30 mins at dentist, it was a go, go, go day. I am tired!!! And now I am ready for bed., just waiting for Torben to fall asleep so we can. Although he is just about there and snuggling with daddy, so I may sneak upstairs and get all ready so when he's done snuggling with Torben, he can snuggle with me. ; )
Let's hope tomorrow is a little less busy!

Service quote I like and tonight

2010-09-16T01:34:00.003-06:00

Service is the virtue that has distinguished the great of all times and which they will be remembered by. It places a mark of nobility upon its disciples. It is the dividing line which separates the two great groups of the world—those who help and those who hinder, those who lift and those who lean, those who contribute and those who only consume. How much better it is to give than to receive. Service in any form is comely and beautiful. To give encouragement, to impart sympathy, to show interest, to banish fear, to build self-confidence and awaken hope in the hearts of others, in short to love them and to show it is to render the most precious service.” ~Pres. Hinckley's Father

Because I grew up outside of UT, I try very hard to make sure that those who are non LDS members feel welcome. As I have heard numerous times since I moved here, that they have felt left out, over looked, or shunned because they are not of our faith. I was the minority where I lived and so I try very hard to ask and not assume, if those around me are LDS and help them feel included regardless of whether they are or not. I have some great neighbors and friends who are not LDS, but are very good people and faithful in their own religion.
So we had some new neighbors move in a couple weeks ago. Cute little family, 3 small children under the age of 5. I introduced myself, gave them our numbers in case they needed something and let them know if they did, to let us know. Tonight they needed us. She came to the door, in tears, asking if we had seen her little girl. She had found her the night before on the front porch looking at the stars because where they just moved from you couldn't really see them, and her we can. (That's one of the reasons I LOVE where I live by the way.)
Needless to say, we got the word out, had probably 1/4 the ward out looking and calling for this little girl. Sheriff at their door. In the end, although they had looked through the house a couple times, they found her safe and sound in one of the bedrooms, under the bed asleep. Thank goodness. This family is so grateful! And as much as we told them not to feel bad about bugging any of us for a child, they still of course were feeling kind of bad. But she said, If there is anything anyone ever needs, I am there! However, I am grateful that they felt welcome enough that she could come over and ask for help, and take the help. And that now they know if they need it again, the neighborhood is here to help!
Did I mention, I LOVE where I live??!! (And I do kind of have a thing for doing service. Ask my husband, I think it drives him crazy sometimes. Good thing he loves me and he already said yes for eternity ; )

Lars's first day of kindergarten!!!

2010-09-01T23:57:00.006-06:00

So Lars's first day of school!!! He said he got to play games, sing songs that his teacher made up, play outside, color, have snack, and have lots of fun!

He has been so excited and ready. I had to get out the calendar that you can wipe off, so he could count down the days, after we went school shopping Monday last week. He came home and wanted to wear his new backpack and go to school that night and all the next day. The tough thing was that Liz went to her first day on Tues, Tanner on Wed and then both of them on Thurs. (Liz is in middle school and they have the 7th graders go one day and 8th graders go one day and then all go the 3rd day). Poor kid! He had to watch them go and come home happy nad excited about their day and he didn't.
So Monday this week, he again wants to go to school when Tanner and Lizzy leave. So I take him to the calendar so he can cross off the day. He crosses it off and we count how many days. Then he says,"I have school tomorrow!" (happy face.) "No honey, you have school on Wednesday, not Tuesday" "But this is tomorrow." (pointing to Wednesday) "No here is today, we have 2 more sleeps, THEN you have school." (i smile) "But Tanner, Liz and I stayed up and watched a movie, and so this (pointing to Tues, since Mon was now marked off) today, so one more sleep and I have school tomorrow." ROFL It was very hard not to laugh too hard and loud. "No honey, just because you mark the day off doesn't mean it's not there. You still have 2 more sleeps and then school." LOL Well... he is officially in school and happy! However he is still NOT happy about having to go to bed at bedtime, even if it does mean going to school tomorrow.

Yeah Lars!! You're growing up so fast!!

New hiding spot

2010-08-29T23:25:00.004-06:00

So The DVD remote has been missing for a couple of days. We had looked high and low. In and under couches. Upstairs, downstairs. In bedrooms, bathrooms even. Praying it was not thrown away by 2 yr old. It went missing a couple months ago and took awhile to find it then too. Then it was just buried deep in couch last time.

Well I caught Torben putting a bottle IN, yes IN the speaker. I go to take it out and find that I see more stuff. So I move the speaker so I can better retrieve what else is in there. And lo and behold, what do I see.... the DVD remote and...... well the picture better explains it!! Yes, ALLLLL of that was in there! Those orange balls have been missing for probably 8 months at least. I had figured the dog got to them or something. I even went to try and find balls that would week in place of them fort he toy they went to. (Which I couldn't' find the right size. Tennis balls seem the right size but are just barely too big) The orange balls are perfectly fine, and were one of the hardest to get out.

Tanner was very helpful in getting the stuff out. Those he had to grab and then I tipped the box and he pulled his hand out so the ball would fall out of the hole. And the seal toy in the background, that was the other hardest thing! So he had stuck the things that were just small enough to fit in the hole and some of which were just barely big enough to be a pain in the behind to get out! LOL
We LOVE our children don't we??!! ROFL

God does have a great sense of humor! He has to, I think when I see stuff like this! ; )

Start of school 2010

2010-08-28T12:51:00.005-06:00

The last few months, my attention has been brought to the fact that the time we have with our children is so short and that I need to soak it up! I am trying to do that. And I am trying to let them soak up being a kid too. It's hard to let them do that AND still teach them that they are big enough to do the responsible things they are suppose to do.

This year has brought some BIG changes as far as school goes for our family. Lizzy is in middle school and Lars is going to kindergarten! I can't believe how fast they grow up!

My big girl started middle school this year!! A brand new school too. She is so excited and loving it! She loves that she gets to ride the "batman" bus to school. Loves her teachers (so far no real homework) and classes. She loves that at lunch there are lots of choices. LOL It's great to see her so happy. I hope it lasts with next week.

Tanner is loving school this year too! We are grateful for the teacher he has. I know his teacher will work with him and help him if he has attention issues or some of the other problems we have had in the past. This teacher was the vice principal for awhile and worked with him before when Tanner first started going to school. (And by funny trivia, we

are related to him too. He is cousin to Tanner's grandma.)

Lars, crazy kid, is soooo excited for school! He was NOT so excited to get his shots so he could go to school though. lol He has his backpack and was wearing it around the house the next day ready to go. I had to get the calendar out to show him when he starts. He has started marking out the days so he can count down. He has met his teacher and done some activities in his classroom on open house night. They have a medieval theme room, and its pretty cool! Hard to believe he is old enough to go to school. That 5 yrs ago he was a baby and his daddy was in Iraq. Crazy!!

Torben is..... well.... a tornado out of a trailer park, and into our house!! He has been into so much trouble lately. (although not nearly as much as my girl friends mind you - see angelsinzion.blogspot.com/2010/08/todays-adventures.html) LOL His latest gig is to, when we don't have eyes on him for 5 secs (and I mean 5 secs), pull as many keys off our laptops as possible. He has ruined Luke's so bad we have to buy a new key board for it. He has been keeping us on our toes and reminding us one of the reasons why he is the last one. But he has been fun to watch grow and remember that he is our last chance to see this change up close, day to day.

I am trying to remember that and cherish these moments and remember to laugh along the way too! Because after all, laughing is better than crying, and what matters in the end is that our children know we love them!!! (Oh and that we have blackmail for when they are dating!! MMUUHHAAAAAA) : )

MUUHHHAAA DONE!!!!

2010-08-11T18:47:00.007-06:00

Wedding ceremony. Look how happy they are! And full shot of the front of her dress.

See..HAPPY!!!!

Afterwards! Waiting for everyone to get on the hill for the big group shot.

Thank you everyone for coming! Took some chanting to get Dorothy (who's yard it is that we were so blessed to be able to use) into the picture! She's hiding on the left side. Thank you Dorothy!!!

Isn't she a beautiful bride?! She really liked this red bench too.

I had to make sure I got a couple of pictures with her. I didn't get any real pictures with Rachel and her wedding and I am sad about that. Was not going to make that mistake this time! Especially with making the dress, veil and her flowers!

Our shoes! It was fun! Funny that I found my shoes the first day we went to do wedding shopping and I had worn my sandals and knew my feet would hate me by the end of the day. Stopped in to get some new shoes and found these! The lighter color on the tongue of the shoe is the color we were looking at for the blue to begin with and the darker outside is what we ended up going with. Didn't know until after though. How funny is that?! They were meant to be! Perfect!

I am awesome at finding deals, but she takes the cake for this one!!!

Jen's shoes, we went looking for them and I told her it would be fun to have blue shoes, but didn't go for that. Decided that comfortable shoes would be good, I wish I had thought of that! (My little sis did!) Anyway, went to Foot locker to find some, she had a $25 coupon. Found these, they have little sparkles on the sides. They were on sale and after the coupon they would only be $10. We could put blue ribbon in for the laces. (Which we did as you can see. Thank you Aunt Adrienne!) I told her if it was a deal breaker I would pay the $10. lol We get up to the counter to pay and she looks for the coupon and finds a birthday card for $10! :) I tell her we might have to pay a little for taxes. The girl behind the counter says, nope they don't make you. AWESOME!! So... her wedding shoes were FREE!!!!

This is the cake, by Alaina Wardle.

thecakegirlalaina.blogspot.com

Wedding dress

2010-07-29T04:50:00.005-06:00

So here are some pictures along the way and here it is, almost done at 5:16 am on Thursday.

Why am I not in bed??!!! 2 days!!!

Here's Jen's dress so far.

This is the dress with the veil so you can see it with the blue around the edge.

OK so there is one that shows the end of the belt that will go around Jen's waist. It shows one end before and one after. I had to cut around the netting after I sewed it down.

Head piece of veil, detail matches

End of belt after it was all done, way close up.

Train when it was all pinned for sewing

Full train after

This is the middle of the belt with detail. When I made the belt I wasn't thinking (or it was just too dang late, or a storm, or I will think of some excuse, like I have never made a wedding dress before) and so I didn't cut the material on the diagonal, or do the thing in 3 pieces so the seams would be on the sides. The things you learn for next time... yeah ... no next time. Anyway I had to make this to cover that seam, and I think it turned out beautifully!

Well I am pretty proud of myself, which is probably why I have been having so many issues with the dang thing! LOL After redoing the top, taking it apart for a 4th time, redoing the darts in the front like 5 times, I finally just made it work! I will not be winning any perfect awards, but it will do the job. I am bummed that the top had to be redone and now one seam is fully enclosed while the one I had to take apart is not. : ( Oh well. At this point I am just glad the dang thing is together enough that it looks like a dress!!
So I have to put in the zipper. I HAAAATTTEE invisible zippers, but I am thinking that after all the mess with the top that it will be a breeze. ROFL knock on wood!! I have to add the blue bottom and then put on the hook and eyes for the train.

Anniversary and birthday fun!

2010-05-26T10:10:00.005-06:00

So this is what I woke up to Monday on our anniversary! Yes folks that really is snow! Cold, white, yucky since it's suppose to be spring, SNOW! Thank goodness it was gone by mid morning. We had a good anniversary. We went to dinner at Applebee's and the salad I got I ended up not liking. It had too much lemon juice om it or some reason and the shrimp wasn't tasting good either. Luke grabbed the manager while I was in the ladies room and they comped my meal and the one that I got to replace the salad. Then we came home and watched a movie.

My birthday! Yeah!! I woke up with a migraine but took meds and went back to sleep while Luke got kids off to school and took care of little ones. Woke up when my phone alarm went off, to go to lunch with my friend, at one of my favorite places, Won Won Wok. YUMM!!! Sushi!
I came home and played with kiddos for a while, while Luke went to store to get my birthday cake, and brought me home Mums to plant later too! He came home and gave me my flowers and showed me the cake. He was so proud of it. He had them write "Happy Birthday Melly" on it for me and everything. I was still a little tired because of the migraine and meds, so he said, "Then go lay back down, it's your birthday."

I read for a little and then slept for 2 hours. I was really tired. I felt much better and no migraine!
Then he took me to dinner. We left the kids home and went to Texas Road House. YUM!! It was yummy and we even had some entertainment. The table busers were lighting fast when it came to clearing off the tables. There were a couple of big groups and when they left we watched the busers go to work. And they were fast!! It was fun to count, with the table next to us and watch how fast they could go. LOL

Then we went to Best Buy and bought my Mother's day/Birthday present. A dyson vacuum! And yes I did ask for it! I even did the research to find the one I wanted. I love a great deal. I love trying to get the best price for what I want. So the best part? It was on sale!! : ) We had looked just after Mother's day but last night it was on sale for $100 less! WHOO!
We came home and had yummy cake. The flower candle was kind of fun. You light in the middle and it does this fireworks thing and it lights the candles on the pedals, which open up, and it plays happy birthday song. We ate some cake and then it was time to open my present!

We all took turns playing with it after we got it together. Which was not a lot of work. (My chessy face!)

The kids were fighting over who got to vacuum next. LOL Lars this morning wanted to and was fighting with Torben over it. Ahhh To have kids fight over who is going to clean. Maybe I will use it as a reward if they ar the first to finish their other chores. LOL

My girl is 12!!!

2010-05-17T22:27:00.015-06:00

Happy Birthday
Lizzy!!!

My little girl isn't so little anymore! WOW! Times flies when you are having fun!

On her birthday I scrubbed the "art" from Torben off her walls (he is in with the boys now), organized her dresser top and did her bed with clean sheets and her quilt. One of the girls that is home schooled came over on Thursday with their young womens leader to decorate her room. They did streamers in front of her door and cute sayings and bees on it. Then bees, streamers and balloons in her room. When she got home from school I told her she had to go up and clean her room, there was stuff everywhere. She started to pout, thinking that the boys had made a mess while she was gone. She had her room pretty well clean. I told her I didn't want to hear it, that she needed to go clean it. She went to put down her back pack and I took the opportunity to grab the camera and get in front of her to take pictures when she saw it. She loved it!

Then she got to go to her first official young women's activity! Because they were going to a museum at BYU that is only open on Thursdays, she got to go! She loved it and was so excited when she came home.

Friday we had her friends party. She wanted to go to the legacy center in Lehi and go swimming. So I packed up a gaggle of giggling girls, 5 of her friends, and we had more meet us there, and they had a blast. I sat on the side and read my book. It was a win win I think. Then after we all went to Artic Circle of ice cream and open presents!

Saturday was more birthday fun at Grandma and Umpas annual garden party. The family gets together and we are used as slave labor (not really lol ) to weed and plant new flowers in their garden. And then we had a BBQ and Lizzy's cake!

Sunday brought the young women coming into primary to sing and "kidnap" her out and welcome her to young women's. She had been waiting for months for this! LOL

I have never really freaked out or thought that I am getting old. I really don't pay attention to my age. People ask how old I am and I have to think about it before I can tell them. 10 with her kind of gave me a start.I can't believe she is so grown up! Time sure flies. I have only had a little bit of tearing up when I realized she would get to go to the temple for baptisms this last weekend. (I will have to get a picture of the whole temple later. ) We went to the new Oquirrh temple. We did some family names and the group as a whole did over a 100. It was very special to be able to go with her. I won't ever forget.

Happy Birthday my big girl!!

I love surprising my kids!!!

2010-05-17T21:31:00.002-06:00

Luke and Lars went fishing to Lake Powell with Luke's dad. The kids and I got to stay home and go to school and clean house and all that fun stuff. LOL
I did get to surprise my kids! I love to surprise them!!! Luke and Lars left on Wed. I went and got a red box movie that I thought the kids would enjoy and figured we could watch it and have popcorn. Well ... the kids came home from school wanting to go to the Legacy Center and go swimming. They have a water area that has a bucket drop, lazy river, big water slide, an area for playing around that is not that deep, and a lap pool. It's indoor with an extension of the Lazy river that opens in the summer, an outside area in the summer too. One of the neighbors has gotten a pass for the summer and they have been going. So now all the kids in the neighborhood want to go. I am sure I am not the only parent getting asked by their kids 10 times a day after school. lol
So they were upset when I said no that I already had something planned. Tanner especially was upset. But in the end they ended up liking the movie. But wanted to go swimming on Thurs.
Well I wanted to take them to the $1 movie and see Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I didn't know if it was going to be out of the theater on Friday or not. SO I decided to take them. Again they were upset. Tanner started to throwing a big fit. I told Tanner that if he threw a fit and kept asking to go swimming that we wouldn't go. But in the end, they liked the movie.
Friday I took them bowling. Jack and Jill's bowling lanes opened a new place in Lehi. They were having their grand opening, and had games for $2 a game with free shoes, even in their VIP room which is usually a $1 more! What a deal!! I had my girl friend bring her kiddos and we played a game. It was fun! Torben even played a little with the ball ramp.
Sat I took them swimming and boy were they happy! Torben didn't like it so much so I sat most of the time just on the side holding him while he watched the kids all play and the water bucket dump. Maybe next time he will be a little more into it. That night we went to a friends house and had dinner and hung out too.
I think the next time the kids might just let things well enough alone when I tell them to just wait and see.

Where to begin??

2010-05-03T08:54:00.005-06:00

So I know it's been since the end of March since I posted but I have been, as my profile thing says, insanely busy!!

Jen, my girl friend, her daughter got engaged and she didn't know how to plan a wedding. Said she didn't really plan hers so she needed help in a big way. I did mine and did a lot for my sisters, so... I have been doing a wedding for the last 7 of 8 weeks. The wedding was April 23rd. It was a blast and learned a bunch about where the deals are and sometimes it's about who you know! Luke is happy to have his wife back! And I am still exhausted. My mom says, "yeah now you know why I slept for 3 days after yours." Hey what did I know about what she did after my wedding! I was enjoying the 2 days I had before he went back to CA without me! And then trying to figure out how to get down there with him! LOL

OK so for some highlights of our monkey family!

Lizzy went to a space learning center in Pleasant Grove and had a blast learning team work while in a Star Trekish world. She has been bugging me like crazy asking when does she get to babysit other people's kids. So Luke and I decided that we would let her practice with her siblings and let her Sat after the wedding while we went on our "wedding is over" date! : ) She did great and we let her do it again this last Friday and Saturday while we went on dates. The kids kept calling but we survived but we will have to sit down and work on them NOT calling. LOL

Lizzy and Tanner were both in Beauty and the Beast at school and it was amazing! They had a blast and Tanner at the end came up to me and was crying a little. I asked what was wrong, expecting it to be, it's over, but instead it was "I'm so glad it payed off mom!" I guess their teachers had told them if they worked hard it would pay off. What a great lesson! What awesome teachers!

Tanner is doing great in school and scouts (he has some awesome leaders too). He got a ton of awards at pack meeting last week. One was bowling and his leaders said he talked about how good he was and they figured it was just him being a kid. Until he bowl the first throw and he got a strike. And then he got over a 100. They kind of figured out he was good. LOL I told them it's ok to be shocked but he was in bowling league. hehehe (I would have won that bet.) He had his 4th grade program last week and he was all excited that he got to be a cowboy and be part of the dancers during one of the songs. It was a cool program about Utah state history. He can say all the counties in alphabetical order, and name some important early explorers.

Lars is growing and is so dang smart! He knows how to get on my computer and open some picture/video program and take pictures and make videos. I caught him one day taking a ton of pictures and adding fun borders to them. I didn't even know I had that program. (By the way, Luke's computer has an updated version that is way better!) He knows how to get on and play the online websites we have approved. He has started learning his letters and numbers. He has started to write his name. It's so cute. He is way funny at singing his ABC's. He likes to take showers now as much as a bath. (As I type he is in the shower, that started as a bath.)

Torben is getting so big, he's not a baby anymore. : ( He has turned 2 and is definitely 2! He is talking like crazy, saying sentences and repeating all the time. Last night on the way home the kids said something and right after he repeated it. I roll my eyes at some of the stuff. We moved him into the boys room on Sat (to which Lizzy was SO happy for!! She had been sleeping in the basement because he kept waking her up.) He seems to be taking to his bed in there pretty good. He loves going outside and playing and gets upset when the kids go out and he doesn't get to. It's been nice to have a fenced backyard where we can let him out to play. He is at that age where he gets into all kind of trouble when he is not watched close enough. Last week I had book club and he was got out of his room somehow (when he was in Lizzy's room) and was being so quiet getting into trouble. I went upstairs to get a book for one of the girls and found him playing with all the card games he got out and opened. 4 different card games cards all over. The little turkey. He wasn't happy when I put him back in his room.

Baby growing up!

2010-03-29T23:20:00.002-06:00

So the new things for this last weekend and today are...
Sunday
1Torben taking a VERY full poopy diaper and getting it all over the floor, curtains, walls, clothes, pillow, sheet, blankets, pulling up the sheets and finger painting all over the mattress... not to mention all over him,.......and this right before walking out the door to church. Guess who was late to church?? And I thought I was going to make it on time this week! HAHAHA

2 Torben in a big boy car seat! (pictures to come later)

Monday

3 Torben watching video in big boy car seat on way to....

4 Torben's first dentist appt!

5Made it through first dentist appt WAY better than 5 yr old brother did!! UHHHGGGG Even got x-rays! (Which big brother only got done for the first time today at age 5 and that was after fighting for the whole time of his appt time! Oh and he had a great big smile on his face when we were all done!! Why couldn't he have been nice like that to begin with!!??)

6 Torben eating dirt. (OK maybe not the first time but gesssshhhh) I am going to have to go to my next WIC appt and when they ask does your child eat non food items such as, chalk, crayons, dirt.... and dishwasher soap tablets.... I am going to have to say yes to all four!

And he will be 2 on Wednesday! How does time fly by so fast?? He is so cute and I am so grateful I get to be his mom!!

gulp aaahhhh

2010-03-26T09:17:00.004-06:00

Torben wanted a drink this morning and I told him he needed to ask. He's pointing and grunting and again I tell him "What do you say?" Then he points to the glass and then in his mouth. So again I let him know, again, words need to be used. So this time he does that sound that you know you do after you take that first drink of pop, or whatever when you are really thirsty. Gulp aaaahhhh. and then he does say drink and then does the sign for please and actually said it very quietly too. (We have been trying to get him to say it out loud when he signs it too.)
But the sound thing was not what I expected at all. It was pretty funny. He does do it after he drinks but to do it as a way to get a drink, that's great!

Happy St Patricks Day! 2010

2010-03-17T23:28:00.005-06:00

Well a year ago I was recovering from appendix surgery! Good thing I had my nails done with green, so they couldn't pinch me, since they didn't hand out green scrubs. LOL

Today I went to the orthopedic surgeon to check back results from Monday's MRI. Yes there is torn stuff in hip and in my shoulder there is tearing but also a spur that when I use my shoulder it aggravates the tear. My left knee has been swollen so I have to watch that and if it's not getting better, go back to doctor. So I get to take ibuprofen for a couple weeks 3 times a day and more personal torture (ie physical therapy) and see if that helps. I go back in 6 weeks to see how it is going.

We gave Baldr a hair cut today too. He looks much more like a mini schnauzer. It was a nice warm day today so Lars and Torben played in the back yard. They had fun playing with the wagon and each other. Lars found an old play camera and had me take a picture while he "took a picture".

EWWWW, Gross...LOL

2010-03-03T09:24:00.003-07:00

The vacuum cleaner needs the filter washed yesterday. I took it out and left it on the counter to dry. Torben loves vacuuming, and I thought it would be ok to still run it without the filter. But it doesn't suck like it should. So Torben knocked over the vacuum when I wouldn't let him do it anymore, it left a pile of dirt. This morning I pulled out the container for the filter and had to pull out stuff from inside before replacing it with the filter in it, to make it work again.
As I am pulling out the gunk Torben says "gross" and then "ewww" LOL So cute and funny to hear him say that.
Love some of the things kids say!

movies, musicals and more!

2010-02-26T15:26:00.003-07:00

So you know, if you have kids, that they get about 2 and they finally will sit through a video so you can actually get something done. They seem to pick one movie that they will watch 12 times a day and not get sick of it.
Lizzy's was Pooh's Grand Adventure. When I could get up in the morning, put it in, say the lines along with the movie on the way back to bed, and get up saying the lines along with the movie, without missing a beat.... it was time for the movie to disappear for awhile. LOL
Tanner's was Dumbo (not my favorite), although after talking with my mom today I think it's just the pink elephant song that drives me batty.
Lars i can't remember for the life of me today.
And Torben has found his. Curious George. It's so cute when he says George. He was making monkey sounds because we did to see if he wanted that one. He loves monkeys. My girl friend took him to the zoo during the summer and he just pointed and pointed at the monkeys.

Tanner and Lizzy are in the school musical, Beauty and the Beast, this year. We are so excited!! Just a little over a month now. If you want to buy tickets, they will be on sale starting March 8th and will be $5 for adults and $2.50 for kids. Performances will be April 1-3rd at 6:30 pm. Let us know how many you want!!

Tonight is the Blue and Gold dinner for scouting. It's 100 yrs of scouting! Boys get to makea cake and bring it for judging. Tanner loves doing this, and picked a chocolate cake with white frosting and then in blue frosting it was suppose to say, "100 yrs of scouting in the the year of the tiger" He wanting a tiger on it too. So since I would not be very good at drawing a tiger, I talked him into putting a toy tiger on it. Then HE wanted to do the frosting writing. I let him try and then scraped most of it off and I wrote. But then I had to do "Yr of tiger & 100 yrs of scouting." to fix up the cake. LOL Then he thought it would be cool to put green sprinkles on the bottom and put the toy tiger there. I will have to get pictures and put them up in a bit. Right now we have to get ready to go!
At least I don't have to worry about dinner tonight. Oh wait I do for Daddy and little ones. Oh well. He knows how to cook....

Smart kids!

2010-02-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

So this will tell you just how smart kids are! Lars was playing on Luke's computer, which dad said was ok, and then he was telling me he wanted to take his picture on dad's computer. I asked what he was talking about and he takes me over to dad's computer and shows me. He has up as program that you can use a built in webcam (no idea that we had that on our computers. I have the same as dad's but a different color.) So I look at it and help him figure it out. You can add background and take a picture or do video. So then I come over to my computer to check it out on my computer. Sure enough I find it and sure enough.... Lars has been playing with it on my computer too! ROFL Here's a few pictures. I'll see if I can get one of the videos from Luke's computer.

My Valentine's present.

2010-02-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

So here is what my wonderful honey got me!!

100 Blooms of love!

They came in the mail, even with the vase! They have lasted a week already.

I got him 13th Warrior, a movie that he has been wanting. Our Holloywood is going out of busniess so I bought it. It was pretty funny when he tried to buy it a few days later. I had to sneek over to the front counter and tell the girl not to say anything to him. We were in to return and rent 2 movies. He picked out one and then he wanted 13th Warrior so he said," Let's find out if we could buy it and rent another movie." I told him to go get something and I would ask. hehehe I told the girl that I was going to say that we couldn't rent it because it was the last copy and maybe next week. (After that weekend it would matter ; )

Needless to say he was happy with his present. I got him 2 of his favorite candy bars, Almond Joy. And then a chocolate frog with a gummy bug inside (which Torben ate) and told him he was my prince since I kissed him. : ) Little silly but fun.

AHH the memories! And Valentine's Day!

2010-02-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

So I woke up Sunday to get kids ready for church and this is what I found......

This was AWESOME!!! Now they have made them in the past but this was amazing!! They really have been thinking about this. It had to evolve a little over the day but I have to say that I was really impressed!

I remember making forts as a kid but I am pretty sure mine weren't as big as this. Room to sleep 3. LOL Or more if you count bed space. They had a blast playing in it.

Even Torben had fun playing in the fort!

This is Lars in the fort before church.

One of my new favorite pictures!

And it was Valentine's weekend! Friday at school the kids had their parties. Because I was sick all week and we all forgot until the last min, that being Thursday night, when you KNOW all the valentine's are gone. SIGH... so dollar store and some fun and cheesey thinking (Thank you Mary Kay meetings) we had valentine's to give away! And no candy, just fun!

Then Lizzy's party was actually a dance! The 6th graders have been learning dancing for at least a couple months. I don't rmember how long Lizzy has been saying, "Mom I need a dress for the Valentine's Dance!" Yeah well I fixed a seam in an old skirt of mine and gave it to her. She was thrilled!

Lars after playing in fort all day yesterday (monday). Lots of work to bad cowboy and shoot the bad guys and his brother. LOL Sat to watch movie with dad and I don't think it took very long for him to conk out.

This just made me laugh. He had taken a cell phone box and put it on his hands like a muff. And he was so happy. (He was in the middle of saying cheese, when I took the picture.)

This was tonight. LOL He wanted to lay downstairs although it was bedtime. Can't hurt, then he can't keep Tanner up, who has school. He didn't last very long though. He was out in about 5 mins if that. I look over a little while later and find him like this. It seems like he was trying to hold himself up so his face wasn't in the couch. LOL I turned him so he was on his back after pictures.

And this is where I leave for the night. To join in the ranks of those sleeping in the house.

Good Night!

AAHH Got to love kids....

2010-02-11T09:42:00.011-07:00

I have been not feeling well all week, and Luke has been helping me rest. Yesterday he came up and was doing that breath in, breath out technique. I asked him what was wrong, and he said," In 15 seconds, Torben pushed a chair up to the counter and got a hold of his formula and
dumped it again!" Now Sunday Torben somehow got a hold of a can and dumped it all over and Tanner had to clean it up. Then as he was sweeping up more to put in garbage can, Torben tipped over and s... (as I was writing that... I'll finish that in a min) ... spilled the garbage can. Now please understand first this formula is one of the most expensive you can buy at the store. Torben is allergic to milk. Not lactose intolerant, but allergic, as in blood in his stool, etc. So for him to spill it again... well Luke wasn't happy. I just start to laugh. He is a little upset at me laughing and asks why I am. I tell him, "We just need to let the little things go, and not stress over them. In a few days you will laugh at it. What about blue smurf Tanner, red strawberry syrup all over the floor Lars, or spaghetti all over the floor Tanner and Lars (which, by the way, was only like a year ago!)?? So let's just laugh." He started to grin and I'm sure laugh inside. My feeling is, if I don't laugh I will cry so I would rather laugh.

On Sunday Torben was so tired! We now have church 11-2 and that has been his nap time. He was wide awake and ready to go this week. He loves playing with his friends during nursery, so I decided to take him. After church when we were eating lunch he started to fall asleep.

Needless to say.... he didn't make it very long.

And then for this morning. I went to "save him from the awful clenches of his room" and change his diaper. Well first I found him with Lizzzy's Velocity face wash (good thing I sell the Mary Kay to replace it no problem). He had squeezed it all over her desk, her bed, the floor and his head. Good thing I like the smell, it's yummy. ; )

Then I went to change his diaper and he has had diarrhea so his bum has a little bit of a rash. I grabbed the stuff we use and went to change him. Now he was NOT in the mood to be changed and yet he wanted to because it was full and yucky. So I had to lay him down and put the leg over the tummy.. well if you have kids you know. (roll the eyes) I wipe him down and open the rash cream and find that it looks like it has been tampered with or gone bad or something?? Then I look closer and realize, it's just that he has gotten a hold of it and put a crayon in the opening. ROFL This is the before and after I finally got the crayon out. Which took a lot of hard squeezing!

This is what he did while typing earlier. I saw him reach hand into the box and by the time I got across the room, which is not that far across, he dumped it! LOL It's going to be one of those, "I've got my eye on you and not going to let you out of my sight." days!!

Lars sharing.

2010-02-04T09:48:00.003-07:00

I got this morning and Tanner tattled on Lars.

Lars picked his own pop out at store yesterday. And today he said he was opening some for everyone to have some. I guess we have more kids than I thought! And I don't think Luke is going to be excited about that! LOL ; ) I think it's going to be one of those days. A lot of deep breaths, holding back laughs and trying to let the little things go. Because is it really going to matter in a week? I can put the pop in a pitcher. (Is it really pop of there is no fiz?)

Science Project done!!!

2010-01-31T23:30:00.004-07:00

After having to redo experiment and pictures, and the tri-fold itself..... It's done!! Now to see if "she" gets an A!!
Really she did do the work. She came up with the idea. "What will happen when baking powder is mixed with different liquids?" Researched and planned things out.
She wanted to know what would happen when it was mixed with water, soap (which we turned to soapy water) salt water and milk. Her hypothesis was : water - nothing, salt water - change color (I have no idea where she thought that one up) soapy water - heat up (again no idea and originally it was just soap) and milk - nothing.
After she tried the water and then the salt water, we talked and I asked her if she thought it would make a difference if the water was hot or cold. She thought that was a good idea to try. She said she had noticed the salt water one the water seemed to get colder. I don't know if that was a true observation but she thought it was. We did not test temperature, and we are not doing it again tonight so that will have to wait to be verified at a later date.
It was fun to do it with her. Although next time I will keep the date in mind a little better (I keep saying this on projects that Tanner and her have had. - roll the eyes) and work on it a little sooner so that we are not scrabbling the night before to get it done. In my defence I did try to get it done earlier but she didn't quite listen on a few things so they were having to be done again, and ... again. LOL
We just had to redo a bunch so you could see the pictures (first ones the lighting was bad) which this turned out good since she needed to do the experiment more than once to help with verification. And do more typing. And do a chart. Then make sure it was put on nice with the pictures and all.
And it is finally done! Now to wait for the grade...

New year- 2010!

2010-01-29T16:54:00.017-07:00

So this year has been a quiet one so far, THANK GOODNESS!!! Not going to hold my breath though.
I have starting the year with, "I don't care if my house is messy (at least not too messy). I would rather my kids know I love them, spend time with them, know I still take care of what they need, rather than a spotless house." I have, since Tanner was born, realized that with each child the house just gets a little bit messier. But I hope that my children will grow up knowing that I cared about them and what they were interested in rather than a house that is spotless. That being said, I don't want a disaster of a house, but some untidiness will not kill me or anyone else.

Now for the year's beginning.
Liz and Tanner have started rehearsal for Beauty and the Beast. Lizzy is the candle woman in the villagers. Tanner is a tea cup and a wolf. Which is what he wanted to be from the second he heard of it. So he's one happy camper! Both did great at their try outs. They have been keeping busy with that 2 times a week and one sat a month for now. The show is April 1-3. Anyone that wants to go let me know and I will let you know when tickets go on sale. I am planning on helping where I can. Already went to a costume meeting, and we are so excited.

Both are in choir this year. The kids got to go to a hockey game last month and sing in the stands during the game. I had never been to a hockey game so that was fun! But only 1 or 2 fights. Apparently it's ok cause the ref just stood there and let them go at it!

Liz has been taking band and playing the clarinet. This is her opening it. She chose to have a white one. I think it's very elegant looking. And she loves it.
She had her first concert in Dec for Christmas and did great. I thought all the elementary schools were doing band. I found out, at the concert, that our school is a pilot school.
It has been fun to watch her learn. Although we do need to work on her practicing more.

Tanner turned 10 this year!! He picked out a cake but I told him I couldn't get the parts for it. (Yu-Gi-O cake) So then he decided he wanted a Pokemon ball cake. And I got the greatest OH DUH idea this year. Have it at the church!! It's so hard to have lots of kids and have them all bunched inside because it's winter. Lizzy's we can send them outside. So this year I reserved the church and the kids ran all the heck and had a blast! Came home tired and I wasn't stressed. (Or a house to clean all up) (That's one of the neighbor kids)

Lars just turned 5. The last couple weeks he has been so much better at listening and behaving. He has grown up so much. He loved is cake. He went back and forth on what he wanted and at one point said for me to pick and surprise him. Then he said he wanted a bumble bee cake. I think he was thinking from transformers but this is what he got. He helped make it and that might have helped with him being happy with it. The stripes didn't turn out great because my frosting tip fell out of the bag. But I made do. And he loved it!

Torben is getting so big. He has learned how to open the doors now. Standing on tip toes, or overturning the dirty laundry basket in his and Lizzy's room. We have had to put a child proof door knob thing so he can't get out of bedroom instead of sleeping.
He is starting to talk all kinds of words too. It is way cute to hear him say his siblings names. He loves them like crazy.
This movie clip of him is a couple mins but it's so funny. I love to listen to his laugh. It's very infectious. He wanted a washcloth, I had to get a clean one, and it had to be wet and he wouldn't give it back. But it sure was fun! And it's amazing how they can fall and get right back up, unless it's really bad. You'll know what I mean when you watch it. (Excuse the messy house, it was one of those days. LOL And I will have to put up some other videos another day.) Enjoy!

Snow.. then again... and again... when will it end??!

2009-12-14T20:14:00.005-07:00

The beginning of last week was cold. I mean bitter cold! So I thought Lord can it please snow just to warm it up?
So we have had some, wait, guess.... yes snow! Just when I think I have finished shoveling and go to sleep then I wake up to find more snow. At first it was that nice fluffy snow that is light and easy to shovel. By this weekend it had turned to the wet heavy snow. I had to laugh in my head and tell myself that, I asked for snow. I just didn't tell God what kind I wanted. LOL I am sure He has a great sense of humor. As I am breaking my back, shoveling.
Our neighbor was out at the same time and I let her know she would want to move her car, that was on the street in front of her house soon. As the snow plow comes down the street I tell her, that is reason # 1, reason #2? the city ticket you can get. Anyway we had to dig out her wheels so she could get it out and park across the street, at the church parking lot that is cleared quite a bit. Then we both head back to shoveling. As we turn and look behind us and think, "Didn't I just do that part?" Because it was still snowing. Oh joy!
By the end of the weekend we had had about 6 inches. I am determined to get a snow blower this year. Hopefully they aren't all gone yet. Knowing my luck this year, they are. Or I will fall and break a leg before I can get to one. (see my Dec 2008 posting with snow pictures and tell me "DUH should have gotten one last year!" Would have paid for itself that night alone.)
The city came through and decided to "help" by plowing our little round about thing in front of our house. But instead of keeping close to the homes and pushing snow to the island they stayed close to the island and pushed the snow to our driveways. So we (I started and finally asked a couple neighbors to help) had to shovel the ends of the driveways that now had 2 feet of snow in front of them and the entrances to the round about. It took 1 1/2 hr to get it cleared so we could get our cars in and out of the round about and the driveway! So glad we did it last night though when it was still slushy. It froze last night after we were done. It all would have been hard as rock! Thank you neighbors!!!
The kids enjoyed the fact that I did not shovel the one side of the driveway the other night because the snow was so heavy and we have loaned our car to a friend so don't have one parked on that side.The kids realized that they could slide down the driveway and end up at that small hill of snow at the end to stop. Tanner got a Star Wars sled thing for his birthday last year and they use that. Going down, at first, on their stomach. To which Tanner exclaimed, "I feel like a penguin!" LOL Then they thought they would try standing on it like a snow board. Thank goodness they didn't break anything! They have been going over to the church across the street that has a couple small hills and sledding there. Although they went to the one on the far side of the church where they couldn't hear me call them home. So this driveway idea was great!
So for now the driveway (on the one side) is clear. The sidewalks are clear. And as far as I know, no snow for a small while anyway. ; ) It's only the beginning of the winter season though.

20/20 Hindsight Blessings

2009-10-26T12:00:00.004-06:00

The Lord in all His greatness, always knows! He will give us what we need, when and where we need it.

Luke put off signing paperwork for his VA benefits for quite some time. He was a little scared about what that might mean with his military career. Things are finally done and gone through, with 80%. We are working on finishing and getting 100%.
However, with this came a huge check that was backdated to Feb when he did turn in the paperwork. We paid for a few things and then put the rest into the bank.
At the beginning of the month weather went from nice warm to cold in just a day. I turned on the heat that night. It did that smell that it does the first couple times you turn it on (or at least for mine.) That night... the smoke detectors went off... at midnight! We looked through the house, nothing. The basement detector is a carbon monoxide detector too. It talks and tells you which one. Which it was saying fire. Walked and looked around the house outside and still finding nothing.We tried to turn them off, tried to reset them, but it wouldn't work. The kids even woke up! (which is another story) So a call to 911 and out to the van with kids to watch a movie, and keep them warm. Fire department came, walked through the house, and found nothing. The smoke detectors reset themselves while they were in there. They ask when I had changed them last. Thought it hadn't been that long, but I was planning on changing the batteries that weekend (conference weekend). Needless to say we changed them the next day! LOL
So the next morning the heat is not kicking on. I turn it on and it sounds like it starts to turn on and then it cuts right back off. Time to call the furnace-air conditioning-plumber guys. (Who evidently fixed my air conditioning this summer, at about 11 pm- no joke, thank goodness!) Anyway, they come and we found a screw in the fan -computer part that tells it to turn on. It had bent a piece and it was going to have to be replaced. Now for you out there that don't know, this little fan-computer, maybe about the size of a cantaloupe, cost $1100!!! And the big fan that pumps your air through needed to be cleaned too. So not a cheap fix but thank goodness we have the money. Then they start talking and explain that we are half way to a full new and better (because our home builder of course put in the cheapest they could, even in yes, the model home.) So we have the money and opt to go full new with 5 year warranty, rather than spend more and more money later to keep fixing it.
Then last week (yes it just keeps coming as my last post talks about- LOL) I went down to the basement into food storage, to get some tuna for lunch. I found water flooding my food storage area. I called some wonderful girlfriends and neighbors came and help me clean it out. (It hasn't happened in awhile.) And time to call the guys again. They can't come out until the next day, but asked questions and had me try a couple things. Sprinklers get turned off and drained and turn off water into the house. I call the city to see if I have the water turned off, if it will cost me. For those who want to know, no cost to turn off or back on, but they say it usually takes 3-4 days. I tell her my basement is trying to flood. She calls the city workers as an emergency and they came out a little while later. They check their end, no such luck it being the city's side, dang it! They tell me to call first thing in the morning if I want them to turn it off.
Coming into the house is the main water line and the sprinkler line. Around the holes where those are coming in, is where the water is coming into the house. So I turn off the water connection inside the house. At the same time I know I have a leaking hose faucet. We left the hose on last winter, don't recommend doing that. By that night a few hours later the water coming into the basement had gone down to a small trickle on the sprinkler side. So pretty sure its the sprinklers.
I called the furnace-air conditioning-plumber guys, I tell them I still need them to come fix the hose faucet, but that I am pretty sure the other is just the sprinklers. No problem right... wrong! Later that night I am in the basement working on pillows for Tanner's class. He says, "Mom it's leaking here." "No it's not." "Yes, I felt it on my shoulder right here." So I look and sure enough... water leaking down. Not a lot but UUUGGG! It seems to be coming from the kitchen water line. So I head upstairs and look under the sink. There's no water under sink, so in the 6 inches between the floor of sink and the basement floor is where it's at.
So the guy comes out and checks out the hose faucet, fixes that. (Got the lifetime warranty one. Cost more but as long as we take off hose in winter...) The leak under the sink for right now is an easy one, as he just tightened the connectors. (Had someone fix it with Home depot plastic parts, while Luke was in Iraq.) They will need to be replaced at some point.
OK, so leakage taken care of for now. Will have to do sprinklers in spring before we turn them back on.
Then comes the blessings, other than we had the money to do all this. When I called to let them know I needed plumbing help, the guy tells me it was a good thing that we got a new furnace. It had 3 holes in it (somewhere I don't remember) and something else wrong with it. He told me, "You all would have been dead by spring." I said, "Dead as in furnace dead or dead as in blow my house up?" He says, "No as in carbon monoxide poisoning. The silent killer."

... WOW. Thank you Lord! So many blessings from little ones to big ones. Who says God isn't working miracles today? Everyday from my little babies who give me hugs and tell me they love me, to making me hungry for tuna so I would walk down to the basement, to having the money to get a new furnace that we otherwise would most likely have killed us.
He KNOWS what we need and will give it to us when and where we need it. Even when we don't think it is what or when we need it.

Blessed

2009-09-15T22:53:00.003-06:00

I know that we hear "God won't give you more than you can handle" Some times I think I don't agree with Him, but since He gets the last word.. I have been trying to roll with the punches. (Some times screaming.)
I have been looking at this year. A lot of rough times. I thought near the first of the year (see previous entry) that I had had my big 3 things and was done. Boy was I wrong!! It just keeps going. As my sister says "Who says it can't be multiplies of 3's" Thanks a lot Margo! LOL

But at the same time I have been so very blessed. I have found strength in my parents, the sister, my wonderful neighbors, my dear friends, and extended family. I will firmly stay in my little world that says that my Great Aunt Adrienne (and she is great too) lives here in Utah for the sole purpose of helping me in my crazy life right now.

I have found that although I have been in 3 accidents, (Car, motorcyle, and fall down full flight of stairs) that I have not broken anything, and that although I get the joy of doing PT (some call it Physical Therapy, I call it Personal Torture and yet we keep going back!) I am not seriously injured.
My children have been healthy. Torben had a nasty virus last week that scared me a little with fevers over 104, but he's fine now. But with it, I received a blessing that blessed me with patience. I think the Lord knew I was on that breaking point and that for my kids sake as well as my sanity, I needed some help in the patience department. Not get trials to build it, but just given to me for awhile. I would love it if it would stay forever, but I am betting it's only for a short time period. LOL

I still have a roof over my head, food on the table, health insurance because heaven knows we have needed it this year! LOL (Heck just the last 2 major things for me has been more than $35,000. And I had the sun in my eyes and a horrible view on that life flight ride! OOHHH BUT I was in the news!! LOL) And a pay check coming in regardless that Luke has only worked about 2 hrs since June 1st. Thank you military! (There are some benefits even though we qualify for that WIC I am so ever grateful for.)
I have found that I may have more health issues with my heart than we knew before, but it is something that can be easily taken care of with medicine if we caught it in time before it did damage.

I have tried to find the humor in each. If you can't tell. Because if you don't laugh you will just cry, and I firmly believe that I would much rather laugh than cry. Crying just messes up the makeup and laughter is better for your health!

And I have found I have a strong strength that I thought I had. Got to love the 20/20 hindsight and see that God was so right all along! The refiners fire isn't fun while in the middle of it but afterwards, you are stronger and shine so much more!

3rd major thing this year, I'm done!

2009-03-25T00:45:00.003-06:00

So I had my car accident in Jan, and then my cousin just a couple weeks ago. That was 1 and 2. So a week ago Sat I woke up in pain that was awful!! My upper left side of my abdomen. My friend Helen took me to the ER.
I have been having this pain on and off since after my gall bladder surgery when I was pregnant with Torben. I had it out right after Thanksgiving. I went back to surgeon and told him about it. He said if I still had pain after Torben to come back. He figured it was the baby crowding stuff. I just never went back. Silly me.
So at the ER I am thinking maybe I have something kinked or twisted and blocked. They did blood, urine, and CT scan. All normal. But the surgeon was on call and told the ER dr to have me call his office on Monday and make appt. I go with lortab. My friend that weekend! (And this weekend and week too) I am not one to usually go through all my pain meds for things like this. I have left over that I am saving for when we are all using our food storage in the dark ages and I need meds! MINE ALL MINE!!! Unless you want to trade for something that I want or need more. : )
By Sun night it has moved from upper left to lower left to all over to lower right. Luke says, I think it's your appendix. I say, it's probably just a cyst that has burst or leaked. I've had that before.
He says do you want to go in? (which means, he knew I was in a lot of pain and offered to take me in. BIG deal if you know he HATES to go to ER- partly the reason my friend took me sat am.)
I don't want to go and just get sent home because it's a cyst rupture that they can't do anything but give me lortab, which I already have. So I don't go in.
Monday I call wanting an appt that day, I am still in a lot of pain,not happening, dr not in on Mon. So Tues morning I go. Luke drives, as I am on Lortab still.
He says well where does it hurt.
me: All over
him: Point with one finger
me; (point to all over)
him:no just one finger, one spot.
me; well toss up between upper left and lower right.
He pushes and prods and makes it hurt worse. Then says he thinks it's my appendix. On the CT it looks on the bigger side of normal but normal. So it's off the the hospital (next door) for another CT. Luke takes boys to eat lunch. Asks if I want him to bring me anything. Nope, not feeling well and if it's my appendix, they don't want me to eat anything anyway, surgery and all.
Well it was my appendix. So a phone call to Luke to figure out kids and I am off to surgery. Nurse asks if I have any more questions or concerns after doing all the presurgery stuff. Yeah can I go home and not do this? She says sure but you will just be back her ein more pain later. Great! (Or dead) Now I am a week after and not hurting on the lower right but still hurting upper left.
I am thinking that is 3 HUGE things and things tend to come in 3's. So maybe I am done with big things for awhile. I hope! We'll see what dr says nexxt week.

sad day

2009-03-04T20:21:00.005-07:00

So I know it's been awhile. Last night was a great night and an awful one! I had a great night at my Mary Kay meeting. I am on target for my first free car!! (For Kristal, thank you for your persistent calling of me all those years ago! )

And then the awful part! My mom has a way of hating the phone so she only talks on it when someone calls her or she has to call someone, usually with bad news. So when I saw it was her I knew it was bad. Then she asked if I was sitting down. I told her I just had a really good night. She asked if I wanted her to call back tomorrow, umm... no, then I would be wondering all night and all day until she called back who and what. Last year it was my grandmother, although she was having a hard time before she passed and we knew it was a matter of time.

So if you live in Utah you will have heard about the plane that wreaked on Antelope Island yesterday. I was my cousin. He loved to fly so he was doing something he loved. But he leaves behind a wonderful wife and twin girls that are 3 ( the picture with the baby is one of them when they were only a few weeks old) and a baby boy that is just or about 1 yrs old. They tried for so many years to have them and now he's gone. My heart aches for his wife. His 2 sisters and him already had to go through so much already. They lost both their parents and now his sisters have to go without him too. He was the guy that always had a sense of humor and could make you laugh! Always the one to be there and help when you needed. We will miss you Kirk! Until we meet again!!

Almost forgot!!

2009-02-09T11:38:00.002-07:00

This is how close we were. I know it kind of looks far, but it wasn't!! Row 10!!!! It was awesome!!!
It was the best Thursday night Jen said she ever had!! We went to dinner at Zupa's, the show, met a friends of mine and one of hers there, and went to Applebee's for late dinner shared and a desert!! It was great!

Here's our shirts we got!

Life with migraines! - catch up time

2009-02-09T10:15:00.003-07:00

So I know it's been forever since I wrote on my blog! Life just seems to happen and sometimes it's all I can do to check my email and sometimes that doesn't even happen everyday! I got my hair cut again! When I can pull it in a ponytail it's too long! These are the best pictures but oh well.

My migraines have been out of control. Working with the dr on that! Van should be out of the shop tomorrow hopefully! Kids doing good. Luke doing good. Took older kids to Draper Temple open house! Loved it! It was so special to be able to take my kids and talk to them about the temple and how important it is. (not sure why Tanner is saluting, LOL)

Luke had drill this weekend, poor guy. It always makes him feel like he has been working for like 2 weeks straight when that happens. I went to Mary Kay training on Sat with a international make up artist, Robert Jones! This is a little about him!

"Robert has traveled the world working on magazine shoots and with numerous
celebrities, from rock stars to actresses, including the likes of Sheryl Crow,
Bridget Moynahan, Leanne Rimes, Dianne Carroll, and the Dixie Chicks.
Robert’s work has graced the pages of national publications such as Marie
Claire, Allure, In Style, Jane, Elle, Shape, Glamour, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride,
Life & Style, and many other fashion catalogs and magazines. Robert’s
commercial clients include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth
Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Olay, Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Nexxus among many
others." (Of all he says Mary Kay is the best and best deal by the way! )

So he knows his stuff! He was amazing and it was fun! I had a horrendous migraine so it was not as much fun as I would have liked, but I learned some new fun stuff! I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures, darn it! Oh well.

Today I am needing to get stuff done around the house and catch up on things before kids get home!

Update on van...

2009-01-22T13:40:00.002-07:00

So it's not totaled but it's going to cost $4058 to fix. Thank goodness for insurance!!! I am grateful that we also have the deductible in savings so we don't have to stress about getting that money together. So I am taking it in next Thursday, they have to wait for parts, and then it will take about a week to fix. Part of me wished it wasn't drivable. It's torture driving it around and seeing the ouch on my poor van and at night not being able to see as well since the headlight is missing. Oh well. I'll live!
And I will have to blog tomorrow all about the Jeff Dunham show tonight that I am going to!!! I am soo excited. Not as excited if Luke was going with me but still way excited!

Tanner's box car!

2009-01-22T13:35:00.004-07:00

Tanner's pack meeting this month he is supose to bring a box car. So last night with Daddy they made this!!!

It's pretty cool looking and big! I am hoping it will fit through the front door. I had to take it upstairs so Lars wouldn't play with it today and ruin it. It won't fit through our bedroom door. The laundry room door is a little wider apparently and I hid it in there last night.

This was the start of MY day...

2009-01-20T12:25:00.002-07:00

No one was hurt!
At least it's drivable!
And the other guys' van was hardly hurt.
Traffic just stopped faster than I thought and I swerved but still hit.
Now we wonder if it will be better to have it totaled (no deductable and we have full pay-off coverage! ALWAYS worth it!!!)
Or if $500 deductable is worth it???
Brother in law, who knows cars, thinks the frame is damaged, therefore the van will be totaled.

Totally AWESOME cakes!!!! Yes I made them!!!!

2009-01-17T12:04:00.006-07:00

So this is the picture I did Lars' cake after!

This is the end result! AWESOME HUH?!!!! I am sooooo excited!!! Tons of frosting though! LOL Luke says it's just all sugar and he is kind of right but it looks way cool!!!

The dinosaur pops up and roars too! Motion sensor in it.

One side.

Other side.
Lava coming!! RUN for your lives!!!! LOL Oh and there is that huge dinosaur too!

Back of cake. Lava coming down the mountain and volcanic rock with bones in it!

You think he's happy????? LOL
He helped put on the trees and bones!
He wants the dinosaur on all the time. He can't wait for the party to start so he can turn it back on.

Tanner's cake!!!

This was Tanner's cake! He picked out the picture that I worked from, the colors, and the cars! We didn't realize until after it was done what numver the "race track" made.... 9 his age this year!!!!!

It turned out way AWESOME too!!!! I can't wait until Torben and Lizzy's birthdays to do theirs!!!!

What do you think???

Festival tree from 2007...

2009-01-04T22:24:00.005-07:00

I talked to my friend Andrea tonight and I told her I thought pictures from my festival tree of 2007 were online here but they aren't so I am putting them on.
I made angels with names for friends and family that had babies or children that have gone to heaven and are waiting for us there. It was called Motherhood Waiting in Heaven. There were about 45 angels and I still forgot some! There are a few friends that have more than one angel on here too. My friends April and Jamie, being two of them.
I am grateful that I have the faith and knowledge that those special spirits are waiting for us in heaven and that we will be able to hold them and raise them!
(I never was able to find out how much money it was bought for. This was my favorite one to do, this years' being the second, but it was all done by me and a lot of work!)

I am just a blogging away today! LOL

2008-12-24T11:54:00.003-07:00

Things I have done I've done 47!
What Have You Done? To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (Mt Ellinor in WA)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (not 100% sure)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (?? Not 100% sure)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (but not for long)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (twice just this year!LOL)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (lived in WA!)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (from my first Christmas)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (new to me)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (times 4)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument (times 4)

Something random from childhood.....

2008-12-24T11:20:00.002-07:00

So my friend Avalie's birthday is today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVALIE!! And we had her party last night! We got talking and somehow starting talking about random things from our childhood and decided that we needed to do a blog post of it. SO.... I can't really think of much, that's weird like theirs...
1. Christmas the year I was 9, our house flooded from the pipes in the ceiling braking and we had Christmas in a hotel that year. Got to go swimming in Dec!!
2. I was tone deaf until I was about 2 when I got ear tubes.
3. The scar on my head is from stitches from jumping on the bed. I guess this little monkey didn't do what the doctor said! LOL

I can't really think of anything that random. Maybe tomorrow I will :)

Fun today! Christmas Eve!!!

2008-12-24T11:15:00.002-07:00

Torben hanging out, happy before his nap!

Tanner and Lars twisting away! Lars was just trying to copy what Tanner was doing since he doesn't know his left from right.

Lizzy spinning and telling what to do.

Twist and twist!! Maybe we should do the hokey pokey next!!

Later it's to Grandma and Umpa's from Christmas Eve dinner and presents!

SNOW!!!!!! Do you miss it??

2008-12-24T11:09:00.004-07:00

Luke had to shovel part of the round about in front of our house to get the car in and out.

Our friend Mark helped shovel the driveway.

This is on top of the van. About 8 inches!!! This is from the storm that hit Monday morning!

Santa pictures and gingerbread houses

2008-12-24T10:55:00.006-07:00

Torben is not too sure about Santa.

AHHH But then he sees the offering that Santa has...... LOL.....

And that's all it takes! He was content to sit there.

Lars wasn't too sure about Santa this year. I had to be right next to him and slowly move away while someone took the picture! LOL

Liz just said she just wanted at least one present. Easy for Santa this year!

Tanner had a large expensive list this year that we told him we talked to Santa and he wasn't going to be bringing the laptop, cell phone, electric guitar, and a couple other things.

Friends came over and we did gingerbread houses. The kids had a blast and made a mess!

And Lars has eaten most of the candy and marshmellows off them already!

Torben operation on Tanner

2008-12-20T23:09:00.003-07:00

Tanner was playing with Torben while I was getting some stuff done. Tanner was laughing and talking funny, and Torben was giggling, so I go back in the living room to see what's going on.

Torben holding his eyebrow and finger in mouth.

Finger going in and out.

Pulling Tanner's hair!

And look at that smile!! He is so happy to be playing operation with his big brother! Or maybe it was playing dentist, but I think the finger went in Tanner's nose at some point! LOL And then Lizzy was happy to take Tanner's place a little while later!

Pictures of this week!!

2008-12-20T22:44:00.004-07:00

Cute puppy being so good and getting so big! And yet, he has this thing with toilet paper!!! ARR!!! He is seriously worse than a cat!!

Star on top of our tree and a wonderful bow that I made!! All the bows on our tree this year I made!

Our tree. Not the greatest picture because the batteries were dying. Will have to take another one later.

Our friends came over tonight for dinner and brought gingerbread house kits to make. The kids had a blast!!

I finally have this quilt top done!! I thought I was done awhile ago but Mom (in law) thought it needed a wide border around it. I had tried to do a rainbow border but it wasn't working out the way I thought and it didn't look good. It took away from the original rainbow part. (It took some thought to get it to turn out how it did.) So I found this blue material and it looks great!! It's a charity quilt but I think that I am going to have to make another one just for me. I love how it turned out!!
And thank you Luke for holding it up so I could get a good picture instead of just laying it on the steps like before!

This is what it looked like before the blue border.

Last couple weeks condensed

2008-12-11T21:39:00.008-07:00

So, right after Thanksgiving I got to work on my festival tree. A HUGE thank you goes to those who donated shoes, other supplies, time and effort in helping me get it done!! It turned out awesome!! And we raised $500!!!

Then I earned a trip to St George with my National Sales Director Julianne Hackett!! It was so much fun!! There were 24 of us that earned the trip. We stayed at the Green Gate Village Bed and Breakfast. We had the whole place to ourselves!! We took a back stage tour of Tuacahn Theater, went to the Christmas concert, that featured Peter Breinholt, Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband and folksinger Sam Payne. It was amazing!! Peter even did a special number for the military, which yes made me cry! Then 2 of my friends and I got left there!! (This is after I almost got left at Burger King on the way down!!)LOL It was an accident and we did finally get back to the B&B. At least it adds another story to the trip! Then Sat morning we went to the spa where I got a massage and foot reflexology done, which got rid of the migraine I woke up with thank goodness! Then we went to the Charles Dickens Festival and shopped! Then to the outlets and shopped more. I got to ride part of the way home with Julianne in her Cadillac XLR! On the way, we got a racing award (ie: speeding ticket) LOL We were talking and her car is so new, she isn't used to it and didn't realize until we saw the lights how fast she was going! Long story short, we got a ticket just for speeding, not for the "invalid license due to medical reasons" (which shouldn't be there,) and a great story to tell our Mary Kay friends! Oh AND pictures because one of the other cars drove past, saw us pulled over (kind of hard to know it was us when the car is pink! Another color, you might think it could be someone else, but not when it's pink!) they turned around at next exit, came back, pulled over on the other side and took pictures and video! LOL It was a great trip!!

I came back from the trip and got sick from playing too much and not sleeping enough, which took my voice too! (SOOOO worth it though!!! : )

Then Tues night, after my Mary Kay meeting, I went to Phoenix, AZ with my friend Meagan to move her back up here to Utah. We drove all night and about 6 am slept for about 3 hrs, then finishing driving, packing, and drove all night again until about 5, slept about 3 hrs and finishing driving, to unloaded and finally get home to bed about 1:30 this afternoon!!! Long, fast, hard trip!! But, helping her get it taken care of,worth it! So now I think I am going to head to bed and collapse again until morning! Then it's off to get nails shorter to play piano and organ on Sunday for Christmas program, make a dress for a friends daughter I said I would make, and then go to Mary Kay class tomorrow night! Then get ready for a full day on Sat.

Maybe next week life will slow down???? Probably not!!! LOL

My week so far....

2008-11-26T23:00:00.002-07:00

It's only Wednesday and already I feel like it should be Saturday! Monday was just one of those days where I tried to get things done but really nothing got done due to taking care of boys. But I did take Lizzy to see Beauty and the Beast at Lehi High School! It was amazing!! That's all I can say. It was .... AMAZING! The sets, costumes, talent, the size of the cast! I found out that the only way to be in their musical productions is to be in one of the classes, drama, music, dance, etc.. And then they have to try out too! Even the sound and lighting crew has to be in a class. That way they can work on practice during school most of the time and then after school the last month or so. Smart! Lizzy loved Belle of course and the feather duster, Babette. She was incredible! I will try to get the pictures off my phone, but it's having problems so it may be awhile.
Then I got to stay up until 11 pm (that's my usual bedtime) and then get up at 3 am (NOT my usual time to get up!!!) I had to have another EEG, to check my brain. I guess my doctor thought normal results weren't what she was looking for and wanted to try and get different ones, LOL. I was so tired this time! I came home and try to sleep until about 430.
I thought I had done so good for the night. I put dinner in the crock pot so it would be ready when Luke came home and I went to my Mary Kay meeting. Then..... the crock pot burned dinner!!! Good thing I am getting a new soon! (see previous blog - "let people know") Luke figured out dinner, what a great hubby!
Today I worked on my Festival of Trees, tree. It looks awesome! Shoes all over it, going to work on it this weekend, putting ribbons and names on it. Monday I have to take it up to the South Expo Center and set it up. I am so excited!
I already have a couple ideas for next year. Either a red, white, blue and yellow ribbon tree, to which I have pretty much everything for. Or a hair tree. Thinking of fake hair braided like Rapunzel as the garland and then hair bows and ties all over it. Not sure which one will win out yet. Maybe I should do a vote thing!
Anyway I am beat and ready for bed! Get to make Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, yum!! I don't think we have had a Thanksgiving by ourselves our whole marriage, so this will be new. We have always gone to family or when Luke was in Iraq I had my sisters (Melody, we've adopted her unofficially as a sister) over. I am hoping it will be a quiet day just hanging out and playing and eating.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!!

A KISS for great cause!

2008-11-19T17:57:00.002-07:00

Check it out! One of the things I love about my Mary Kay business is what the company supports! http://www.ubid.com/promo/marykay/

You can help too! Even if you can't help with a bid, Get a Apple berry lipstick and the proceeds to go the Mary Kay Ash Foundation too! Let me know if you want to help!

Now to make some money so I can make a bid, maybe get a piece of history and help a great cause in the process!

Let people know!

2008-11-19T09:50:00.002-07:00

So I have found over the years that sometimes it's good to let companies know how you feel (ie: complain about their products) They need to know when something isn't right with their stuff and you most likely will get something free out of it. Or at least get it fixed.
So I bought a crock pot a few months ago. My old one the cord got in between the stoneware and the base and burnt through the cord. Thank goodness it didn't start a fire. So I needed a new one. So I found a nice one that had a few more settings on it than my old one, and a lid that locks down so when you move it, the lid won't slip off and fall and break.
Then the lid broke. It had a hinge on the back and it broke off the lid part. No big deal it still locked in place and I was used to taking off the lid anyway and the lock part on the back hinge part kind of bugged me anyway because it was hard to unlock. So then the front lock part broke off a couple days ago. There isn't a handle on the top. Ummmm.. Hard to take off the lid with no handle without burning yourself. So I used my old stone and lid (I was smart and kept those parts of my old one.)
I could take it back to Wal Mart, but what a hassle when I don't have the receipt or box anymore and so because it's broken I wasn't sure if they would take it anyway.
So instead I called the company today and told them the lid broke. I was looking to just get a new lid. They are sending me a while new crock pot! And a mini one for dipping stuff on top of that! It's a different model but I am ok with that. How cool!
I learned when Tanner was in diapers to call and let companies know how you feel. Pampers changed their diapers, from the plastic cover they used to do to the now so popular cloth-like cover. Tanner was allergic to the cloth-like stuff. So I called to complain. They sent me coupons to try Luvs. Proctor and Gamble make both, (same company, Luvs is cheaper, don't get that one!) So I get free diapers. Then Pampers changed their wipes to the pop up kind. I called again. I hated them. They weren't as moist, and now I had to buy a new travel container. So the sent me coupons for wipes! Then the Luvs diapers leaked, and Luvs has that leak guard guarantee, so.... you bet, I called again! And more free diapers via coupons! I think out of it I must have gotten about $50 worth of free stuff, just for telling them I wasn't happy with their new products!
I have called on crib parts that have been broken or lost, and I was willing to buy those, and got new ones for free. I know with my Mary Kay business that my customers never have to worry about if it doesn't work for them or if they don't like something cause it's 100% guaranteed.
So let them know!! You never know what YOU might get. Companies, if they are smart, want the customer to be happy. They want your future business and that of your friends. And they want to know if their product is bad, so they can fix it. So let them know!!

WOW, Patriotic Week!!

2008-11-18T11:24:00.008-07:00

This is all the kids watching as our wonderful Utah National Guard Honor Guard members put up the flag for our Flag Ceremony on Monday! (No I wasn't on the roof, I asked our wonderful Mr. Bruno to take them for us!)

This is after the flag is up. The kids sang the National Anthem, recited the pledge. It is amazing to me even after 3 years of doing this, how reverent the kids are after it starts. I think I am not going to cry but how can you not when you have over 1000 kids singing and saying the pledge while the flag is being saluted by 2 military members in dress uniform??! I am crying all over again just remembering!... ok maybe I am a softy and it touched me so much more with my husband in the military.

Some of the balloons I did for the assembly on Tuesday.

This is Marvin Hardy, a dear friend and retired Major in the army. He was our guest speaker for our assembly. He talked about making good choices, being responsible for those choices, being a patriot, and even recited the Gettysburg address. He did a couple balloon figures, which he is known all around the world for, and some magic. This soldier was helping him with a magic trick. The soldier was suppose to cut the rope but somehow (magic) it didn't! LOL

This is Friday, our Shake a Soldier's Hand Day. The kids LOVE this day and so do the soldiers!! They get asked for their autographs. Some of them signed a basketball and some signed many hands and arms.

Invisible mother

2008-11-10T12:25:00.003-07:00

Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!? One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it t o me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Today I will be grateful to be an invisible mother. I would rather have those cathedrals than be noticed or the laundry, dishes, picking up after them ot doing their chores!

Halloween

2008-11-03T16:07:00.003-07:00

This is before trick or treating. He had so much fun playing in his costume it wore him out!

Tanner as Ronald Weasly. (Funny that his first name really IS Ronald and he does have red hair!
Torben as a bumble bee. Luke called him our TorBEE. LOL I love this smile!!!

Lizzy the forest elf holding TorBEE. The picture does NOT do the makeup justice!!

Forest Elf in the trees!

Like this one. Would be better if she was smiling better, oh well.

This is her hair for Halloween. I did it different than Tuesday. The picture doesn't do full justice for it either.

All and all we had fun! Kids had fun at their school parties. Then we went to my friends neighborhood Haunted Train. Then to grandma and umpa's to show off and then home to trick or treat the area until like 930pm. Lots of candy and VERY tired mommy!

Halloween test run!

2008-10-30T13:52:00.007-06:00

Lizzy wanted to be a Forest Elf for Halloween this year.

This is the very beginning of her hair. The braids weren't what I was thinking originally but I changed it and love it!

This is the beginning before the ribbon and leaves. I was originally going to braid the ribbon into her hair, but forgot until I was halfway done.

This is the side view with the ribbon and leaves.

This is the back view.

This is her all done up with her makeup and ears! I wasn't a 100% sure what I was going to do all the way. I knew that I wanted curls and ponytails that I changed to have the braids in between in the end. I love how it all turned out and now I have had a test run and know how to do it for tomorrow!

After spending an hour on her it was a good thing I didn't have to do anything for the boys. Tanner was Ron Weasely, borrowed a robe from a friend and Lars was Tigger, had costume for that. Torebn will be a bumble bee as, each of the kids have been for their first Halloween. I can't find my orginal costume my mom made for Liz, so sad! But I found one at Wal Mart the other day.

And after spending that much time on Liz I didn't have time to figure out something for me to go as. So, I grabbed a pillow off the couch and pushed it under my shirt. LOL Luke said, that's not funny! I said, yes it is! And it was!! I had so many people who looked at me and then did double takes because they knew I wasn't pregnant but it looked so real! And since I was just pregnant a few months ago at first many didn't think anything of it, until they remembered I shouldn't be! LOL It was great! There are a few ladies in my neighborhood who are and 3 of us were wearing brown shirts at the party. Should have gotten our picture taken together, darn it! Anyway the kids had a good time. LOts of activities to do.

We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Dr update, shopping, and weekend wedding!

2008-10-27T12:17:00.007-06:00

So my appt was Friday. The results from my EEG were normal, SO, now I have to do another one! And an MRI. Still no driving, uhmp! It's no fun but I am trying to see the good in it, like I get to see the scenery all around while someone else drives.

After my dr appt. Luke and I went shopping. And boy did we!! We came home with a flat screen tv, new stereo (cause the old one the cd player broke and it's drivin me nuts!) a wall mount for the tv that can turn so Lizzy won't get distracted watching it while doing dishes. Aren't we the thoughtful parents?! LOL And a few other little things. Talk about a van full! Thank goodness for Jen who was watching the boys for us!

My friend Meagen spent the night and then we went to Rock Springs, WY for Sat. She drove and I kept her awake, it's a 3 to 3 1/2 hr drive!
The wedding was wonderful and we got to see our friends! My BFF Krystal, it was her sister Misty who got married. It was wonderful and hard at the same time as their dad Charle just passed away from cancer a couple weeks ago. But Misty is so happy! And Brian, her husband, just keep staring at her! It was so sweet! I took a bunch of pictures. Some turned out and some didn't. Dumb camera! But it was great!

Krystal and Misty.

Misty

Brian and Misty

I love this picture of them!

Then Sun was the primary program. The kids sang so well! Tanner had a talk and did great!

Well time to go get Lars to eat lunch and take a nap since he is screaming at me!

Calling SHOES!!

2008-10-23T23:25:00.004-06:00

OK I am calling for any old but nice looking shoes for my Festical of Trees, tree this year!! The theme I have chosen is Christmas Shoes, from that song at Christmas time by the same name. It's about a guy that goes into a store looking for a last min present and sees a young boy who is trying to buy a pair of shoes for him mom that is dying. Anyway, it's a tear jerker. So my thought is to have shoes all over the tree and robbons that go with all the cancers. I have had many friends and family that have been affected by this, some just in the last couple weeks! SOOOOO If you have some old shoes that look nice that you aren't wearing anymore, I would LOVE to use them for a GREAT cause!!

In case you don't know anything about it, basic info...

For 38 years, the Festival of Trees has been a “Gift of Love” from Utah to children. The Festival is organized by a volunteer board of 84 women who enlist time and talents from thousands of individuals, organizations, businesses, and families throughout Utah. Over $22 million has been raised for needy children at Primary Children’s Medical Center through the Festival since 1971, with $1,604,021.64 raised last year.

Here's a link for more info. http://www.festivaloftreesutah.com/content/?page=27

Here's my tree from last year. It was Angels Waiting in Heaven. Each handmade angel was for a child that has passed away. Each one from a friend of family member I know. There were 45 angels and there were a couple I forgot until it was over. It was a lot of work but a wonderful experience. I gave pictures to those who I did angels for, for Christmas presents last year.

A close up of one of the angels.
Some had names and dates on them.

Crazy life..

2008-10-23T23:06:00.006-06:00

So life without driving just stinks!Poor wonderful honey drove me around today to get somethings done. Library to return books, store to get meds and a few other things, another store to get something for Lizzy's Halloween costume. He took me out to lunch too! Won Won Wok, YUM!

Check out this cute picture. Luke playing around with Torben today! This is right before we left for our errands. I was putting on my shoes and turned and Torben was looking at me and just smiled. I am glad I got it before he started to roll off Luke. LOL

My Aunt Adrienne, really my great aunt, came tonight to spend the night on the way down to Vegas, my cousin is having her baby. She helped me get a few things done around the house that has been driving me crazy. I hate it when things get behind when you are down recovering from something. Then she drove Lizzy and me to the store to finish getting her costume and some stuff for my Festival of Trees, tree. Then home so I could catch a ride with my friend, Jen to go play volleyball. I have missed the last two weeks and we just kept playing after our games were done. We lost tonight. : (

Kind of a busy day.
Anyway, tomorrow is my dr appt to see about my EEG I had last week. Hoping that she will say I can drive again. This weekend I am going to WY to a friend's wedding, and see my best friend!(It's her sister getting married.) She lives in TX and we don't get to see each other very often anymore since she moved from UT. I can't wait to see them!! And another friend is going to drive me and I haven't seen her in awhile either. It's going to be a great weekend!

Here's Lizzys hair that I did Sat, for her to go with Grandma down to the deer hunt over the weekend.

Well off to bed to get some sleep so I don't have a migraine tomorrow. Wish me good luck and pray for good news for me!!

So Cute!

2008-10-16T22:41:00.006-06:00

I took pictures off my camera today and looked at them and found this!

Love the tongue!

He is getting so big now! About 15 lbs. Yesterday he rolled over a couple times but today he was doing all over the place. He saw a toy that he wanted and rolled over to reach it and a couple times rolled back after he had it! WOW! No more leaving him on the couch by himself for a second!

I have been doing Lizzy's hair lately. I found a few blogs about that people have put up with hair ideas. It's been fun to do some new things with her hair. Here's what I did today. Little hard to tell but it looks so cute. Originally the bottom ones were just pony tails that would be really cute with ribbons or bows in them. But I turned the bottom ones into topsy turvy pony tails like the top ones, since I didn't have ribbons or bows.

And yesterday's was this. If I had had more time before school I would have been a little more but I only had a couple mins. And this picture was after school.

Anyway, not sure what I am going to try tomorrow, but it will be fun.
Not really liking the kids being out of school. Mainly because it's so hard right now with being so dizzy and such. And the kids are always more wild when they are out of their routine and such. More of the, "Mom, he did such and such" or "Mom she did such and such!" And whinning because they can't play at a friend's house that has chicken pox for at least a couple weeks until it's not contaicous because I really don't want Torben to get it. And wanting to go places when I can't drive. Lars wanted to go to the store to get batteries for a toy that they had died in. Those tiny batteries that I don't keep in stock. Poor guy. Tuesday he wanted to go to the Dinosaur Museum. His favorite place. I guess I need to find a friend to take us next week.
Today they all were real pains today. But they live to be pains yet another day! Which is rapidly approaching so I think I better hit the sack before I don't get any sleep and end up with another migraine or am just a plain old grouchy mommy tomorrow.

EEG Test

2008-10-15T20:18:00.003-06:00

So last night I stayed up until midnight reading. Then it took me ,what seemed like, forever to get to sleep. It was 1230-1245 am. I woke up a number of times during the night looked at the clock and groaned because it will not time to get up yet. Of course I had the alarm clock set to turn on at 4 am, when I was suppose to get up. I also had three people who I talked to that should be up about that time that were going to call and make sure. At 4:45 I called my dad and asked why he didn't. I had to tease him. Since he gets up at 3 am my time. Anyway he just got too busy doing paper route and forgot.
So up and out of bed. Checked email and took care of a couple other things online. Then watch Knight Rider online. Torben woke up about 6:15 am. So I got him up and ready for the day and fed him. I then woke the kids up at 6:30 am and had them start to get ready to go to the neighbors. While they were getting ready for school, I went and took my quick shower and washed my hair clean so the stuff would stick in my hair when I got there.
I dropped kids off at neighbors and my sister took me to get breakfast and then to the hospital to get the EEG.
So they stick about 24 little wires with, what looked like, copper suction cups on it. They use this gel stuff that gets stiff and holds them on your head. Wish I had brought my camera to take pictures! Then I laid on the bed and close my eyes and lay there for 30 mins. She had me breath fast for about 3 mins at one point. And there was a strobe light that went off. Then I had a migraine!
When I got home I took meds to help with the migraine and I tried to sleep for a few hours until the older kids got home from school and the younger ones came home. I did finally get some sleep but not as much as I would have liked. So I think I am going to go to bed a little early tonight.
Then tomorrow the kids are off from school until Tues. I can't wait until Luke gets home! Hopefully Sunday I can sleep in, AHHHH to sleep in!

The last week....

2008-10-15T05:12:00.005-06:00

SO... Last Thursday I woke up and got kids started on the day. I started to walk downstairs with Torben in my arms and missed a step or slipped or something and fell down the full flight of steps! To start, Yes Torben is fine. I kept him in my arms and pulled him close and his little diapered butt hit a few stairs and he was scared because I screamed but other than that he was just fine. Luckily it turns out that the kids were not gone to school yet. Tanner took Torben and got him fed. (Good thing he is on bottle fulltime now) Liz called Luke at work and told him and he headed home in a hurry. I didn't move and was out by the time Luke got home 15 mins later. He got me awake and I was tingly and some numb on my left side. He called 911 and I took a ride in the ambulance to ER. (WOW this sounds sooooo familiar! HEHE I fell down half the flight in April just after I had Torben, and luckily I didn't have him in my arms that time.)
So they checked me all out, nothing broken, CT looked fine, just a concussion and bruises and sore. Sent me home, told me to check with regular dr on Friday and gave me some meds. Oh yeah, and I am not allowed to drive for 6 months or until my nuerologist says I can. I think I can handle that I already have an appt in 2 weeks. (Hummm ... well that turned out a little more frustrating than I thought already this week. Had to have friend drive me to take Torben in to see if he had an ear infection. Only a cold making his throat sore making both our lives miserable while Luke is gone.)
Go to dr on Fri. They haven't seen results so say I will have to wait until they see them. Which they can't ask for until Monday because the silly hospital didn't auto send them to dr and the silly hospital's records dept is only open from 730 am until ..... 11 am. WHAT??!! That is DUMB! My dr appt was at 1130 am. OH well.
So I stay in bed resting like I was told. No heavy lifting, which is no more than about Torben. Sat was a little rough because Luke had to go to drill and I was still sore but we made it through until he got home, thanks to some wonderful neighbors who helped with kids!! Sunday I was still too sore to go to church and didn't even go to play piano for my calling. Which turned out to be a good thing.
Luke was snuggling with me and he says I go all crazy laying there. He first thinks maybe it was a bad dream or something since I was sleeping. But then a little while later I do it again and he realizes it's a seizure. So he wakes me up and tells me he is taking me to the ER again. He calls my friend Helen and asks if her daughter Liz (yes her other child's name is Tanner. Funny huh?! What are the odds of that??) will watch the kids while he takes me. Helen is my friend that takes me to get my migraines shots at the hospital now. Luke HATES going to the hospital with me. So now we know he is really scared.
ER does CT scan, normal. Blood and urine, normal. Decide to give me a scrip to get an EEG done. Luke had to leave Monday for DC for work trip. For those who don't know, he's in the military and works full time for them doing computer stuff. He travels all over the country helping work with other centers (for better lack of a term) working on their systems.
My EEG is scheduled for today (Wed) at 8 am. They tell me on Mon when I call to schedule it, I have to stay up the might before until midnight, not usually a problem, especially when Luke is gone. I just read a book. Then wake up at 4 am and stay awake. Oh and NO caffeine (I'm suppose to stay awake???), no chocolate (that's just WRONG!!) no smoking (no problem there) and no alcohol (again no problem). But no CHOCOLATE??!!! It's always when you can't have it that you want it! And then... can you say MIGRAINE attack coming on, due to lack of sleep!
So here I am it's now 530 am and I am hanging out waiting until 630 to wake up kids and get them ready to go to my wonderful neighbor, who I really need to take to dinner or something! And then afterwards I will have something else to blog about! Hope you all are sleeping well! Lucky you! LOL

Potty dinosaurs and Corn Belly's

2008-10-06T21:10:00.005-06:00

So today was a busy day, and all with a migraine! WIC appointment in the morning, which luckily I didn't need paperwork that I thought I needed and forgot due to the migraine. Can't say enough how much I appreciate WIC. $26 a can for formula for Torben is more than we can afford on a military budget.
Then I met a friend to exchange a car seat she had of mine, and a book I borrowed from her. Then to get a doughnut for Lars since he was so good at WIC. Then I tried to get chore charts laminated, but Kinko's wanted $3 a square foot. Are they kidding me?!!! I could drive to Orem to the teacher store there and get my stuff done for cheaper and that's including the gas!!!
Then I went to Smiths and got some groceries. Lars saw those pill things that you put in water and they grow into whatever. He wanted them, BAD. So... I thought "why not use them for potty incentive?" He goes potty and he can pick one and watch it grow into a dinosaur! Needless to say he earned the first one by going poo and the second cause he was trying to hard and was upset that he only peed a tiny bit Luke said.
Anyway, then over to my in laws to drop off the quilt top I finally finished! My mother in law had a couple sewing parties to make charity quilts with her scrap material. Great fun and we got four, counting mine, done. Even Lizzy came and helped sew. Although they did 9 patch tops and I did a strip quilt that takes more time. I will try to post pics later if I remember. (I still do have a migraine!) But they finished a few weeks ago and I brought mine home and would work on it here and there. Finally got it done on Sat!
Then back to Smith's corner to meet Luke for lunch at Won Won Wok, YUM!!! Then home to put away groceries and try to get Lars and my cousin's little one, Kaylee, that I was watching, to take a nap. No such luck!
When Lance came to get Kaylee, he said he could get me free tickets to Corn Belly's if I would help watch Kaylee while he did balloon animals. DEAL!
So, dinner in kids and I left Torben home with Luke and took older kids,off to Corn Belly's. They had a blast. There were not a lot of people there so the older kids just ran around doing their thing and between Lance and I we kept eyes on them. The place isn't that big besides the mazes.
http://www.cornbellys.com/images/cartoonMap2008_final.jpg
There are plenty of fun things for the little ones to do too. The older kids loved the car racetrack where they rode pedal cars. Lars loved the jumping things. Kaylee liked the slides and the houses to climb around in. And they thought the pig race was fun too. They all had a good time. Lance got to make some money and wore the kids out. I even saw a friend of mine.
Now I am ready for bed! (And now you know why the orange. Can't wait for Halloween.)

Socks, where DO they go??!!

2008-10-02T10:03:00.004-06:00

So I my laundry is still in the works this week due to other things happening and throwing my schedule off. So I am getting Lars dressed for the day and go for the socks in the basket. I pull one after another after another trying to find a pair that match. I don't care what color they are by about sock 7, just as long as I can find a match!!! It takes until sock 14 to be a match, no kidding I counted! Those allusive socks, where do they go?? I think at times the dryer eats them and then there are days I think the washer eats some just for good measure. "Why should the dryer get all the good stuff. I mean after all I do all the work and eat all the dirt, why not a good clean sock once in awhile?" LOL Some day the mystery will be solved, either my science or the Mystery Gang!!
Well back to laundry and all the other stuff that hasn't been able to get done due to everything else this week!

A couple hours later.......

So we are working on Lars potty training. So I asked him to come try. He says he can go pee but not poop. I ask him to just try and I will give him a treat. So I help him get off his diaper (I am not wasting money on pullups until he is doing a whole lot better!) and set him up on the toilet. I ask, are you trying. He says, I getting with all my might, mom! It takes me twice before I realize what he is saying. LOL

Sad day.

2008-10-01T21:23:00.002-06:00

So I have a family that I am very close with. They are like a second family to me, and they have pretty much taken me in as one of the kids. They are a his/hers family, and there were 12 kids all together. Last week one of the sisters, Lesli, lost her battle with breast cancer. Today was the funeral. We knew it was coming, for quite awhile, but it still doesn't make it easier. I know that she is in a better place, with her brother and sister and others that have passed on, but I will miss her! She was too young, only 42. Has 3 kids, the youngest will be 16 in just a few more weeks. A grand baby that she did get to spend some time with, thank goodness.
She is one of those people that will do anything for you. Will be a shoulder to lean on, cry on, vent on. Always had a smile for you. Loves her family and loves to get together with them. She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. Worked hard at her job and worked until she just couldn't anymore. Just one of those who you hate to see them have to go through this kind of trial and then leave us when she brought so much into our lives.
It was strange today to be around the family and look around for her and realize she's gone. It will be hard at Christmas when we have the family party and she's not there. I am grateful that everyone was there last year. (There are 9 other siblings and their families, so that is a great feat to get them all together, when they don't all live in Utah.)
I am grateful that I was privileged to know this wonderful woman! And I can't wait to see her again on the other side, where she is probably getting into mischief now that she isn't sick! LOL
Love you Lesli!!!

Somedays part 2...

2008-09-29T16:25:00.002-06:00

So I am looking back and the day still isn't over with and what have I done. Not a whole lot.
I did take Torben to the doctor for his 6 month check up. He's growing big. He's a little over 14 lbs now and 26 1/4 inches long. Far from the 5 lbs 13 oz and 18 inches when he was born.
I got a video from the video store since we were right there. I made a couple phone calls while waiting to see if Luke would call back about doing lunch together.
Came home and feed Torben and hung out for about 30 mins until Luke called and we went and met him for lunch at Won Won Wok. I love that place! YUM!
Then came home and got both boys down for naps and dog out for a bit. I did a tiny bit of sewing on a quilt that I started with my mother in law and realized that I had done a couple pieces wrong and had to unpick them, UGGG. So I watched a movie while I did that. That will teach me to lat it all out and pin it or something next time. It's just the way I want the blocks to go and I have to go back and forth working on it, and well... I will just have to remember to double check over and over when I am working on it. I can't wait till it's done though.
So now Liz and Tanner are home form school and I am trying to help them get their book reports done. Making sure that spelling, punctuation and capitalization is correct and all that! Tanner is better about not whining than Liz but oh well.
And nothing else is done. SIGH.... well... there is always tomorrow.... after all, tomorrow is another day!!!

somedays.....

2008-09-29T09:54:00.004-06:00

Do you ever have those days where you think I have a TON of things to get done??!! And that it probably won't get done. Or at the end of the day you think, what did I get done?? What did I do all day??
Today is one of those days where I just want to hide away somewhere far. No kids, no chores to do, no nothing but me and whatever I want to do. Read, sew, scrapbook, read some more, take a bubble bath and read, play piano by myself, play computer without feeling like I am ditching everything else - even if it is to just check email, eat whatever by just asking and it appears ( I know, not a reality but I am still going to wish for it today) and just relax, maybe get through a day without a migraine or even a headache!!
Well I will have to add more later. Time to take Torben to dr and see just how big he has gotten!

oh but really quick, someone got me onto this site, www.urbandictionary.com put in your name and see what it comes up with. Mine says...

1. Melanie

A name for a girl. french, means "dark". like dark hair, olive skin. people named melanie are always really pretty and super nice. just sexy, if you will. used to say it when seeing a pretty girl, but they obviously will never match up to her standards.

DAMN!!!!! That girl is definatly a Melanie.

Air hockey... sorta

2008-09-24T12:24:00.003-06:00

So yesterday Luke and I took his car in to get fixed from his accident that happened the middle of August. We went and picked up a rental, a Durango, and then went to lunch at Burger King. Lars gota kids meal that had mac and chesse, apple fries and chocolate milk. Mac and cheese! How cool is that!

Anyway the toy was a little air hockey set that has a paddle, puck and a goal box. Luke held the goal box on the table and Lars had fun hitting the puck into it. Well I thought, I wonder if they would give me another and we got a table and made it into a air hockey table for the kids! So they gave me another set, we went to DI and got a $15 coffee table and then to Home Depot and got molding. Luke put the molding around the edge and screwed down the goal boxes and the kids have a air hockey table, but without the air. LOL

They love it. I had to get the kids to stop playing to go to school this morning. Lars hits the puck in and yells. "I win!!" or when Luke hits it in his, he says, "Dad you cheated." It's pretty funny. And for now at least, the kids aren't bugging us about playing pool on our pool table.

Love to laugh

2008-09-21T20:52:00.011-06:00

So I love to laugh. I think its good for you and it always makes me feel better when I am grumpy or down or not in the mood for life. I like to watch funny movies, love a good joke and a great prank. So I happened upon a link today from yahoo that made me laugh. http://startwearingpurple.yahoo.com/?home#/home It's great if you read the story behind the purple thing first, but basically it was the guys who started yahoo got paint to paint their office, thought it was grey but it was light purple and they thought hey we are starting something crazy with this "yahoo" thing so let's go with it. So it's kind of their thing now I guess. So this guy in New York who does improv comedy did thing prank in an elevator. Got some actors together, made up a "wear purple" song and on 6 floors of this building each actor got on and just started up singing the song with those already on. Some of the reactions from people are so funny. Need a silly laugh, check it out.
And tomorrow.. I think I'll wear purple!

Life the last few days...

2008-09-19T21:29:00.004-06:00

So the last few days have been a little busy. Luke took this week off from Wednesday on and all next week too! So I have tried to sleep in a little. Wednesday was school pictures. I spent 45 mins Tuesday night, after doing freezer meals at Avalie's, doing Lizzy's hair in sponge curlers. Then Wed when I thought I would get to sleep in, I remembered and jumped out of bed to take them out and spend another 30 mins fixing those that didn't dry all the way because I did too much hair in the roller. Oh well, she looked good when she walked out the door and still looked pretty good when she came home, at least in the front where the picture would show. And she didn't add anything cause she "thought it would look nice, mommy" this year.
Last year when I went to take the Lars to get his done in the afternoon, I saw her and she had a tiny lime-green checked handkerchief in her hair. Not bad until you realize ...... she was wearing a coral colored shirt!!! Needless to say I did very very seriously think about doing retakes last year!! BUT my mom helped me see that you need to have at least one of those "I can't believe I looked like that" or "I wore what??!!!"" or a "What the HECK was I thinking!!" pictures for when you are older. My fourth grade picture has a bad frizzy hair perm and a pink turtle neck with this big bead necklace, that was the thing in the 80's! At least Lizzy's just had a hair thing that doesn't match what she is wearing. And I had done her hair all in a great french braid too!
Anyway, back to Wednesday. So I took Lars and Torben in the afternoon to get their pictures. Torben in the outfit that both Tanner and Lars had baby pictures in. And I took a picture of Tanner and Lars when Lars was a baby to see if the picture people would try and do one like it of Torben and Lars. Lars was laying on his side facing one way and Tanner's head on top of his with his head pointing the opposite way. Very cute.
Well the guy wasn't so sure when I showed him what I wanted him to do after he started to put them together on the little platform they have. But I helped him figure out if we lay Torben on the platform and had Lars stand on the stool next to him, we could get it to work. It turned out great!! They are just opposite of the Tanner Lars picture.
Now I have to figure out how to redo the pictures on the wall in the boys room. I have had Lars on one side and Tanner on the other end of the wall with a Cowboy picture in the middle. Got to figure out with the three boys now.
Yesterday, Thursday, I feel like I didn't do much looking back. Ummm.. I did sleep in. I did go over to my friend Jen's house and help her move a few things around and take care of some other things. And after dinner went to Volleyball. LOVE volleyball! I am grateful that the floor is wood and not carpet like it used to be at our church building back home. But that's another story for another time.
Today I got to sleep in until 945! It was great! Then Luke and his friend Adam took Lars and his son Nate, and went to the Miller Motor Sports Raceway to see race cars and get autographs. He even got to sit in one and get his picture taken!! It was the race car that races for wounded soldiers. When they found out Luke was military they let the kids get in. They even got their picture taken with 2 really beautiful girls that Luke found out after were Hugh's Bunny's! (if you know what I mean.) LOL You should see the look on Luke's face! (Lars wouldn't get his picture by himself) By the time it was time to leave the boys were worn out!
I folded laundry while watching a movie. My sister came over for a surprise lunch with me. She brought the dogs and they all played in the backyard and had a blast and I had a good hang out with my little sister! And she had a better lunch than she thought she would. She brought over corn dogs and I pulled out left over bulgogi! (for those that don't know, it's a Korean beef dish sort of like teriyaki.) Then after she got back home she called to ask if I could bring over a phone to check her phone line. They are in the middle of moving and phone stopped working but city says it should be so she thought it might be the phone. Nope, its the phone service apparently. Then back home to fold more clothes and finish watching movie until Luke got home. Then off to run errands and pick up friend Helen's daughter Lizzie. Now that's a whole nuther story too.
Then we had Adam and his family come over for dinner tonight. Our kids play together and us adults love to get together. Adam and Luke met at school and finally decided that all of us should get together and they were praying that Erica and I would get along. LOL We get along great! We hardly have a month go by that we all don't get together! We start all calling each other after a week or two of not seeing each other. Adam and Luke calling each other or Erica and I calling each other. It's nice to have friends that are couples that Luke likes to get together with too.
So now here I am ready to go to bed, read my book until I fall asleep and get to sleep in tomorrow!! To get up and get ready for my Mary Kay Spa Class! Love those! Night!

Here we go!!

2008-09-16T13:37:00.001-06:00

OK so it seems like so many people are blogging these days and I have so many friends on here, that I figure if you can't beat them, join them! I also figure it's a great way to stay in touch, kind of scrapbook and journal all in one.

I am taking a break from my busy day. I have already gotten kids off to school, after making sure they have their homework folders, reminding Liz to ask her teacher for her make up homework that somehow she has missed, and making sure they have eaten breakfast. We know that's the most important meal of the day!

Then getting Lars and Torben ready, I head over to school myself to do some laminating for Tanner's teacher. Lars was such a big helper, a couple times more than I would have liked. But it was cute! He pushed the button to start and stop the laminator as I was doing little items, and I hate wasting school supplies.

Then back home, feed Torben, because he thought he was starving appartently! Then as Lars was watching cartoon DVD, (old cartoons, Betty Boop, Popeye, all black and white ones), I started doing up freezer meals. I passion I have picked up from my friend Avalie. (She is the one in my profile picture with me!) Cooking up about 7 1/2 lbs of hamburger in about 2 2 1/2 lb batches. Mixing up meatloaf to freeze. Grating cheese and putting in bags ( love grated cheese but WIC won't let you get it already grated) And doing up a Mexican Chicken for the freezer. I sat at dinner last night and asked family what they wanted for dinners over the next couple weeks. My kids jumped all over the Mexican Chicken, again my friend Avalie's reciepe! My brother in law Mike loved it when I made it and they had dinner with us! But we came up with enough dinner ideas for about 2 1/2 weeks and I went shopping last night for 2 hours. Great get away after the day with the kids yesterday, which was long and tiring.

So now I am ready for a break and a nap. I only got 5 hours sleep last night. Just couldn't seem to get to sleep until 2 am. By the time I realized it was going to be one of those nights, it was too late to take sleeping meds. I hate that!! So I just listened to Luke and lay there waiting to fall asleep. Then to be awoken at 7 from a 3 1/2 yr old screaming! Oh goodness. But it was good because Luke was late for work. Anyway I am hoping that I will get more sleep tonight and that I will get to sleep in tomorrow since Luke took the rest of the week off and next week too! YEAH!!!

Well, I guess that's a start. Hope to keep it up!!!