You Are My Sunshine

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T21:22:00.005-05:00

We had a lot of fun this Halloween season. Here's some pictures from our Halloween adventures.

Our Pumpkins

Karena's Cat

Hannah's Ghost

Tyler's Monster

Our Costumes

Tyler the Pirate

Tyler sporting a chocolate pirate's beard and mustache

Karena the Plain Green M&M

Hannah the Orange Peanut M&M

Our Family in Costume at our church Trunk or Treat
John the Hunter
Me the Good Witch

Our Halloween Dinner

Hannah modeling my witch hat

Dinner in a Pumpkin
aka Brains!

Bones

Goblin Eyeballs

11 years ago!

2011-10-31T08:41:00.002-05:00

11 years ago today John and I met. I looked like this:

Just thought you'd like to know.

Five Things Friday

2011-10-07T08:32:00.000-05:00

1. Tuesday night we went out for ice cream. It was the kids reward for being quiet during conference and letting John and I listen. This is our second time doing this and I love watching a new tradition start.

Everyone but Tyler was done with ice cream. He was having a hard time eating his frozen skittles. So I took the girls and headed down a few stores to this new store that's opened up, Altar'd State. I love this store!!!! The girls and I had fun browsing the jewelry, belts, scarves and fluffy coats as Hannah called them. It was so much fun to watch them get so excited over truly girly stuff. They both found some hats they liked, but there was no mirror close by. So they would try on a hat, look at each other and then switch. I guess they figured they could tell what they each looked like in the hats by looking at the other one wearing it. Oh, to have an identical twin!

Then the boys showed up. Tyler tried to sneak in. He's a bad sneak but it makes watching him try to be a good one so funny. I ended up scaring the living day lights out of him instead! I showed John these overly expensive and amazingly gorgeous coats I will never buy but just dream about daily. We found the $300 boots I tried on the last time I was there. Still love them! The girls and I decided that if we have a few hours that we will have to have a girl outing at Christmas to that store.

2. For awhile now the kids have been giving John and I math problems to solve in our heads. Most of the time they are pretty easy. "What's 1,000 + 300?" Well, on the way home from ice cream they decided to up the difficulty. "What's 1,000 x 200 (so far I'm thinking I can do this) + 27 x 2, 097 (now I'm not so sure) x 400 + 84 (now they've officially stumped me)?" I start to get out the calculator on my phone. Then I realize they don't know the answer anymore than I do. "4,623,479," I lie. "WOW!!" "How'd you do that?" "You figured it out?!"

One day I'll let them in on my secret, but for a while I'm content being the math genius. (By the way, the real answer is 22,847,684.)

3. Karena slipped coming down the stairs yesterday. She's fine. Just a little bump on the head. She was supposed to be upstairs doing her schoolwork, so as I rocked her to calm her down I asked her why she was coming down stairs. "Because I don't know any other way to get down here," was her reply.

4. Have you ever read the blog, Diapers and Divinity. Stephanie runs a fantastic blog that I've been following for a while now. I'm not sure how I stumbled on to it but do know it was for her General Conference book club! You ought to try it sometime. Anyway, she's been running a series called, Find a Friend Friday, and today I'm that friend! Go check it out. Maybe you'll learn something new about me.

5. Tyler and I were working on his reading earlier in the week. He informed me that he didn't like to read. It was boring. I started to tell him about all the adventure stories he could read one day, the ones about pirates and cowboys. I went on and on about all the fun reading could bring.

Tyler: But Mommy, I like it better when you read it.
Me: What about when you go to college?
Tyler: You can come with me.
Me: What about when you are married and have a baby and your baby wants you to read her a story?
Tyler: I'll call you and you can read it.

I hope his wife doesn't mind.

The Remarkable Women of God

2011-10-07T07:20:00.002-05:00

This is a powerful video from Seth Adam Smith's Blog. I hope you take the time to watch it.

Conference Meme

2011-10-03T06:24:00.004-05:00

I've been reading the blog, Diapers and Divinity, for a while now. Her love of General Conference is contagious. She is hosting a Conference Meme. Quoting her, "A meme is a questionnaire of sorts that is a little bit “viral”– it gets passed around among several people online." If you want to link up with this click here. So here are my answers to this October General Conference Meme.

1. Who were your three favorite speakers? Which talk spoke to you the most?

I loved Elder Uchtdorf’s RS talk – especially the part about not being forgotten. Elder Christofferson’s talk on repentance was very insightful. I need to study that one more in depth. Elder Arden’s talk on time management hit me as something I need to work on more.

2. What was your favorite Hymn and why did it move you? Did the music enhance your General Conference experience? How?

I love the music of General Conference. I love it when they sing songs my kids know and hearing them sing along. “I Believe in Christ” and “Consider the Lilies” were two of my favorites. I also loved listening to the Primary Choir.

3. Which speaker was the best dressed? (Come on, we can have a little fun.)

I’m not sure. I did notice some hairstyles I liked from the different choir members.

4. Were there any topics that you felt like were repeated often? Any conference “themes”?

Scriptures – read them, use them, make them your friend.

Missionary Work – be prepared, don’t be afraid to be one

Being charitable

Families

5. Share a few of your favorite quotes from any of the talks (paraphrasing is fine).

“Scripture can calm an agitated soul” – Elder Scott

“It is the caring that counts.” – Sister Beck

“Before immortality there must be mortality.” – Elder Anderson

“It’s better to look up.” – Pres. Monson, quoted by Elder Cook of the Seventy

Speaking of the Book of Mormon, “Drink deeply and often.” – Elder Eyring

6. Name something(s) that made you smile or laugh during conference.

Pres. Monson’s stories, the 5 dollar bill and the temple speaker, his facial expressions this time were fantastic and his welcoming, “Hello!”

The fried chicken story

7. Was there any evidence that your children paid attention?

Amazingly yes! Karena has just soaked in conference this weekend. I knew she listened to Elder Bednar’s talk on family history but I didn’t know how much until Sunday morning. The kids love the games and stories on lds.org. Karena had asked to get on there before conference started back up again. The next thing I know she is hollering through the house, “Mom, how do you spell history?” She was trying to get to the website Elder Bednar mentioned in his talk. www.lds.org/familyhistoryyouth. She, John and eventually all the kids got on and spent another hour on that part of the website. She was a little disappointed to learn she couldn’t log in herself for another few months. (You have to be 8 first.)

8. What are some of your post-conference goals?

Read my scriptures with more purpose and diligence. Watch, read, or listen to a conference talk daily. Work on memorizing scriptures with my family. Be a better visiting teacher. Be more charitable to those around me.

Cheekwood

2011-10-02T18:53:00.004-05:00

Why is it that a person will travel hundreds of miles and spend lots of money to see other parts of the country but fails to visit what's available in their own town? I've lived in this area since 1995 minus 4 years for college and have experienced very little of the historical and interesting sights it has to offer. I hope over the next few years to fix that. As of last week I am now one step closer to that goal.

We went on a family field trip to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Mansion. John took the day off and we all went. It was coordinated by our local homeschool group. We started with a garden tour, had a picnic lunch and then toured the mansion and some more of the grounds. I wasn't too thrilled with the mansion. It was a big house with a lot of big rooms. The art they had displayed though was beautiful. I wish I could have taken some pictures to remember. There was a lot of nature scenes. John was captivated by a few of them.

The gardens were spectacular. I'd like to go back in the spring and see more of what they have. We walked through these amazing herb gardens. Everything smelled delicious. I was very jealous. They even had a lime balm plant that smelled like fresh limes.

One of the displays they have up now is a small collection of model trains. There is probably only about 5 trains but their tracks pass by models of different historical buildings throughout Tennessee. All of the model buildings are made of found, natural substances. Acorns, sticks, leaves, bark, etc. It was very remarkable to see them all.

It was a fantastic day. The grounds are very large and we didn't get to see all that we wanted. I'm excited to go again and see more of what they have to offer.

The sun was shining just right there and the weather was gorgeous. I was able to get some great shots off there.

Water Lily

Morning Glory seed pods

Japanese Dogwood

The Model Train Exhibit

Family Pictures

Tyler is reading!

2011-09-26T11:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a video of Tyler reading. He just picked up the book and started to read. Its been a long and slow process but he is finally getting it and enjoying the process. For some reason when I uploaded the video it turned it sideways. Sorry about that.

Five Things Friday

2011-09-23T08:04:00.003-05:00

I didn't get any posts out last week. It was exceptionally busy. The end of last week was CRAZY!! Here's what we did:

1. Two doctors appointments for Granddad. The first I knew about well in advance. The second was sprung on me less than 24 hours before. BUT, it was for a good cause. We met with his orthopedic specialist and an orthopedic surgeon. The end of November he will have his first knee replaced.

If you know anything about my father-in-law then you know he's struggled with his knees for a while but its become critical in the past year. The man can withstand more pain than anyone I know so when he says his knees hurt I know he's not lying. After looking at the x-rays this week I'm amazed he's not confined himself to bed. His knees are rubbing bone on bone. Add in bone spurs and you have a recipe for pain. The miracle of all this is he still walks 2-4 miles a day. The surgery should take away most of the pain. He will most likely not get rid of his cane or walker but if he doesn't have his knees done he can expect to eventually become completely crippled.

November 28 is the big day!

2. Tyler had a Spar-wars tournament for Taekwondo. He did very well. He ended up placing 3rd and winning a medal. It was unknown territory for all of us. Even with a few nerves he stayed calm. He competed with kids his same belt class and age. There were 3 other boys in his group. It was double elimination, so he had to lose twice. He won his first match and lost his next two. To win a match they had to either get 5 points or have the most points when the time ran out. Tyler lost one match 1-0. He was disappointed that he didn't win a trophy but perked up when his coach told him he could bring his medal to class. He tried his best and did very well. We are all very proud of him.

Here's a video of his matches. Tyler is in the blue sparring gear and usually on the right. Ignore the clicking noises and the crazy woman you can hear cheering in the background.

3. We attended a picnic for a local homeschool association. I was amazed at how many people were there. I knew a lot of people and recognized even more. I love homeschooling!

4. Tuesday I taught my Relief Society scripture class. We've been studying Alma and this class was on Alma 34-35. Chapter 34 is all about the Atonement. We discussed the Fall, how the Atonement is infinite and eternal, mercy and justice and how the ultimate expression of the atonement is charity for others. Here are some awesome quotes I found:

"We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. The Savior’s grace blesses both parts—if we do our part. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin and bad choices. It isn’t enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the roots, repenting fully to satisfy the conditions of mercy. But being forgiven is only part of our growth. We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become celestial beings. So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our sweat and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, “the flow’rs of grace appear,” like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens “through the joy of his Son.” And when the flower of charity blooms here, we will love others with the power of Christ’s own love." Bruce C. Hafen, "The Atonement: All for All"

"The final and most important doctrinal fallacy in the concept of checklist repentance is that by concentrating on our outward actions we tend to emphasize our efforts and ignore the cleansing power of Christ. This approach to repentance makes it appear as though a remission of sins is something obtained primarily by mortal effort. Such a view minimizes the miraculous Atonement of Jesus Christ and the grace of God that makes a remission of sins possible. If we focus all of our attention and efforts on the steps we must take to repent, we tend to overlook what He did to make repentance possible. A humanistic or mechanical approach to repentance promotes “pseudo self-reliance.” Relying only upon our own efforts robs us of the repentance-enabling power of Christ. Thus the worst danger of this superficial view of repentance is that it causes an unwitting but crucial oversight of the most important “R” of repentance—Redeemer." Brent L. Top, “Faith Unto Repentance” in A Book of Mormon Treasury: Gospel Insights from General Authorities and Religious Educators

"You must choose between being at one with God or with mammon; you cannot be one with both (see Matt. 6:24); the one promises everything in this world for money, the other a place in the kingdom after you have “endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it,” for only so can you “inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world,” where your “joy shall be full forever” (2 Ne. 9:18).

"The key to keeping this commandment is, of course, faith, and faith is never without hope (anticipating and envisioning the results), and neither of these is of the slightest avail without charity. (See Moro. 7:41–44.) So we pray with energy for charity, which seeks not its own self-interest. (See 1 Cor. 13:4–5.) For “this love which [God has] for the children of men is charity”; without it, there is no “place … prepared in the mansions of [the] Father” (Ether 12:34, 37)—that is to say, there is no atonement." Hugh Nibley

5. Wednesday night we had the missionaries over for dinner. We asked them what they wanted for dinner and they requested chicken fettuccine alfredo. I know it sounds less than humble but I made an awesome dinner!!! I ended up making Chicken, Bacon, Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo and Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad. For those coming to Christmas dinner at my house we'll be having the salad. It looked very festive!

Four Things Friday

2011-09-09T10:35:00.002-05:00

1. Last Saturday, John went scouting for a good hunting spot. He came home covered in ticks too many to count and barely too small to see. That night he started getting itchy. After counting he discovered over 100 chigger bites. Needless to say he's been extremely uncomfortable all week.

2. Tonight John and Tyler are going to a Father-Son camp out. The girls and I are having our annual girls night. We plan on doing some shopping, eating out, and then coming home to paint our nails and drink Shirley Temples.

3. I read this awesome blog post yesterday that somewhat followed up on my last blog post.

4. I have a new calling in church now. I'm the new Primary Music Leader. I'm a little overwhelmed because my job right now is to prepare all the kids for the primary program. I still have one more song to teach them.

Thoughtful Tuesday (Since I missed Monday Musings)

2011-09-06T19:13:00.001-05:00

For the past week or so I’ve been contemplating the word compare. In a recent Relief Society class we were having a lively discussion about this very topic. Many suggested that we should not compare ourselves to others at all. As I sat there and thought I realized that in some ways though we should compare ourselves. It isn’t wrong to look up to someone and want to emulate some of their qualities. I know, being a woman, that one of the ways Satan tries to get at me is by comparing my faults to others strengths. He tricks us into thinking that we can’t ever be that good, or that nice, or that whatever. I believe that where we can benefit from comparing is by believing that we CAN be that good, or that nice, or that whatever. It takes faith to bust through Satan’s powerful lies. We are commanded to be like Christ and to do that we need to constantly compare our lives to His. “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” (3 Nephi 12:48) Perfection is a seemingly impossible goal. When we look at others lives it sometimes seems easy to claim their lives are perfect. I would caution that we not put the label of perfection on anyone other than Christ. It puts an incredibly heavy burden for them to live up to. Who are they supposed to look up to if they are already perfect? I know I have become a better person by looking to those around me and wanting to be more like them.

Five Things Friday: 2nd Edition

2011-09-02T15:48:00.003-05:00

1. Tyler received his green belt black stripe today. He tested last Friday and did very well. He's also been invited to participate in a Spar-Wars tournament on Sept 17th.

2. Hannah was sick this week with a strange stomach virus. She was nauseous and had a fever that would come and go throughout the day. After a day and a half she was fine. Thankfully no one else got sick.

3. We had a tea party yesterday for lunch. We served triangle sandwiches, cucumber slices, pickles, grapes, grape juice and cake. The kids declared it the best lunch ever.

4. I canned 6 pints of homemade tomato sauce yesterday. I hope its good.

5. This is my 4 post since last Friday. I am on a ROLL!!

Summer Slide

2011-09-01T12:02:00.003-05:00

Here's a slideshow of some of our summer adventures. I know its rather late but I wanted to get them included.

This slideshow design made with Smilebox

Monday Musings

2011-08-29T15:41:00.003-05:00

I read this blog post this morning. It was about preparing our daughters for real life. How to teach them courage and not shelter them from the reality that life is hard. She quoted Joshua 1:9 and how they use that scripture in their family as a courage bolster. I remembered it from last year's Mutual theme. Here's the scripture in case you're not familiar with it.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

This prompted some serious thought for me this morning. Life has been hard for me lately. Many things are piled on my plate - some from my own choice and some have been put there by others. I've found myself complaining and lamenting how unfair it is for me. I've cried that I feel so alone. Wo, wo is me. On and on I go.

I'm amazed at the power one scripture can have. I've had my eyes opened in a way. I've been afraid and lacking faith. I haven't seen the amazing things that the Lord is doing in my life. "...Mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst...." (D&C 38:7) I need to remember this more as I go about my life. Most of what feels hard are things that the Lord has asked me or prompted me to do. I know He wouldn't leave me alone to accomplish them. I need to do more drawing near and seeking rather just asking and asking and asking. (D&C 88:63)

Today was a better day. I felt more peaceful and less anxious. I fussed less and said yes more. I enjoyed my day more and was more deliberate about the choices I made. I am grateful for today!

Five Things Friday

2011-08-26T08:17:00.005-05:00

So here are five random things that have been going on here lately:

1. We were all talking one day at dinner about being pretty. So I decided to tease Tyler and called him pretty. He objected by saying, "I'm not pretty. I'm awesome!"

2. Karena and Hannah have both started new activities this past month. Karena has started guitar lessons. She loves it and is doing quite well. She is now learning that she has to practice and practicing is not as fun as lessons. Hannah is doing gymnastics. I think she actually likes it better than dance. We've been working on not saying I can't. For a few days I annoyed her by calling her "Cannah" to encourage more of a "I can" attitude. I told her I'd quit calling her Cannah when she quit saying "I can't" all the time. So far it seems to be working.

3. We have discovered that certain TV shows in our home make my children argue and fight. Since eliminating those shows they get along much better.

4. The kids and I are all learning to crochet. Some are taking to it more than others.

5. This is the month of field trips. So far we've gone to the zoo to learn about Rainforests and visited the Tennessee State Museum to see an ancient Egypt exhibit. Next week we're going to the Purity Dairy to learn how they make ice cream. In a few weeks we get to go to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

Things Overheard

2011-08-01T20:49:00.002-05:00

1. While discussing a past visit from Santa at the library - Tyler: Was that the real Santa or one of his dorks?

2. While listening to talk radio about the budget crisis - Tyler: Next year I'm voting for President Monson because he's always good.

3. Karena: You can't tell if someone is Mormon just by looking at them. You have to see how they act first.

What we're learning

2011-06-06T19:24:00.005-05:00

Well we successfully made it through our first year of homeschooling. I learned a lot about what does and doesn't work for us, myself and the kids. The past few weeks and months I have spent lots of time researching different curriculum choices for us for next year.

Tyler doesn't like to write and it is affecting his reading. I found a curriculum for him that separates out the reading from the writing. He'll still be doing writing but not as he works on his reading skills.

The girls did really well this year but need to be challenged more. They can read really well but need more practice in reading comprehension.

So with those things and others in mind here are the curriculum choices I finally settled on:

Tyler (First Grade):
Phonics: Primary Arts and Language: Reading
**This includes a sticker page (the Phonetic Farm) that reinforces the sounds being taught. For example the sheep sticker goes on when we learn about the "squealy ee's." It also has a whole series of file folder games that again reinforce the sounds being taught. For Tyler this should be a lot of fun and I'm excited to start this up with him.

Writing & Spelling: Primary Arts and Language: Writing
**This is a precursor to the writing program I'll be starting with the girls this year. It not only teaches handwriting and spelling but also the basics of composition. It should go slow enough that by the end of the year when he's a little more academically mature he'll be able to sit and write several sentences at a time. Right now its just pure torture for him

Math: I have several places I'm drawing our math material from. We'll be mainly focusing on improving his addition and subtraction.

Karena & Hannah (Second Grade):
Writing: Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
**I'm truly excited for this curriculum. I remember in our last phonics book the girls were asked to write a short story. Karena narrated this fantastic story out loud to me. When it came to putting it down on paper it was pitiful and turned into a huge ordeal. When I was introduced to this curriculum at a recent Homeschool conference the lady presenting compared writing to learning to play an instrument. She said just as it is ridiculous to expect a child to sit down at a piano and play an original composition with little to no instruction than it is to expect them to write an original composition after little to no instruction. This will be a curriculum we will use through high school.

Spelling: All About Spelling
**I love this spelling program. It teaches them why words are spelled the way they are. No more memorizing long lists for the test on Friday only to forget them by that afternoon. We're almost done with Level 1 and will be starting on Level 2 shortly. The girls really enjoy it so far.

Latin: Prima Latina
**Yes, we are going to learn Latin. We are beginning to start following a more classical education model of homeschooling. For a good definition of classical education click here.

Math: Same as Tyler
**Still focusing on Addition and Subtraction and adding in fractions and beginning geometry and multiplication

Literature: Reading and discussing several chapter books such as Winnie the Pooh, Boxcar Children, Little House in the Big Woods, and Little House on the Prairie.

Music: Piano and possibly guitar for Karena

Everybody:
History (Old Testament/Ancient Egypt): Veritas Press
Bible (Gensis - Joshua): Veritas Press
**Both of these we will be studying together. They are a series of cards that have specific information to memorize and then resources to add to it. We'll be doing different projects and worksheets along with these cards.

Geography: Basic geography (maps, continents, oceans)

Science: God's Design for Heaven and Earth
**We'll be studying The Universe, Planet Earth and Weather and Water. I tried to do Astronomy this past year but I couldn't get into our science book. It read too much like a textbook and every time I brought it out the kids eyes would glaze over. (Mine did too, actually.) These books seem to be much better. They have a good balance of activities and reading. There's only a page of reading per topic for their age group. The books we tried before had pages and pages of material per topic.

I believe that's everything. We'll be starting back to school in July. I've been trying to get everything planned and ready so we can just jump in with both feet.

Something I never thought I'd hear

2011-06-04T22:35:00.002-05:00

So after a long and crazy week John and I got to have a fantastic and relaxing date night. After dinner we wandered towards Barnes and Noble. We got a phone call from our realtor (that's another topic for later) so we stopped at some tables outside the store to talk. John finished the phone call and we went inside. We made it to the back of the store and started flipping through some books. Suddenly John says, "I have a cicada in my pants." I laugh, thinking he's kidding. As I look up he's grabbing a small handful of his pants on his thigh and I realize he's actually not kidding. He really did have a cicada in his pants! I can't wait for those stupid bugs to go back underground.

Easter Activities

2011-04-25T18:20:00.004-05:00

Friday began our Easter activities. We had our annual egg dyeing celebration. I always wish we had more eggs to color but one family can only have so many hard boiled eggs. The kids always have fun participating and I'm impressed with how creative they try to be. Even Tyler who is so hard to get to sit still through a whole craft project is often the last one done when it comes to coloring eggs.

Friday night the Easter bunny came to pay us a visit. (By the way - if anyone can tell me the significance of a bunny bringing eggs at Easter I'd really appreciate it. None of my kids nor myself get it. Santa I get, but not the Easter bunny.) Anywho - a friend of mine (Thanks, Maren!) introduced me to the Saturday morning Easter bunny. It leaves Sunday free for what and Who we are truly celebrating. (See this post for my feelings about Easter.) The kids were just fine with it. Karena actually had a whole conversation with a neighbor friend about it that afternoon.

We started with the Easter baskets. The kids had taken it upon themselves to write the Easter bunny letters. Tyler asked for a blue egg with a train in it. The Easter bunny was quite fortunate to stumble upon that very thing when it was hopping through Target the very next day!

Hannah was quite impressed with her new package of underpants. She proudly announced Sunday morning at lunch that she was so excited to be wearing her new flip flop underpants. "They feel great!" I quickly asked her to try and not mention underpants at church that day.

After breakfast we had our egg hunt. John swears he say a huge bunny hopping off into the forest. "Wink. Wink." Tyler kept asking him if he REALLY saw a bunny, what he looked liked, what color he was, and even what he sounded like. I think he's had one too many people try and hoodwink him.

Tyler and Hannah were like speeding trains through the whole hunt. (I've finally realized why almost all of my pictures of Tyler are blurry. He won't be still. It's like trying to take a picture of a hummingbird.)

Hannah managed to collect every egg sitting in last years garden.

Karena was methodical and a lot slower than the others but she managed to find all the tricky ones. The other two were going so fast they missed a lot.

When Karena found one she certainly kicked it into high gear.

Sunday was a nice day! We had some friends over for dinner and got to enjoy some yummy food! Unfortunately the only thing I took a picture of Sunday was the dessert! But it is a delicious picture.

That's a homemade turtle cheescake. Oreo & pecan crust, a layer of homemade caramel, cheesecake, and pecans with caramel and chocolate drizzles on top. My friend convinced me to take a picture. It tasted as good as it looks!

My Reflections of the Savior

2011-04-17T20:24:00.003-05:00

I had to speak in church today. The topic the Bishop assigned me was "My Personal Reflections of the Savior." It was an emotional week for me as I prepared this talk. I was struggling with some other things as well as having to prepare this. But it did give me a lot of time to reflect on the Savior which I am grateful for especially during this Easter season. So for anyone interested this was my talk:

Bishop asked me to speak of my personal reflections of the Savior. To be quite honest this has not been an easy topic for me. Speaking about my feelings is not a skill I’ve learned well over the years. So this week has been quite the struggle for me to put into words my thoughts of the Savior and how He has affected my life.

I’ve also never before worried about not having mighty spiritual moments. But I did this week. I worried about giving a talk when I don’t have anything impressive to share? My concerns were eased after listening to Elder Ballard’s conference talk again. If you remember he spoke of a gold miner that was frustrated with the lack of gold nuggets he was finding. A wise old prospector taught him and me an important lesson. “Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, ‘Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.’ He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.

“Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, ‘I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.’

“The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.

“The old prospector said, ‘Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.’”

So my goal today is to share with you three of the little flecks of gold that have brought me great spiritual wealth and brought me closer to my Savior.

Fleck #1: His example of service: Christ was always serving those around him. We have many of the great and miraculous ways he served recorded in the scriptures. He healed the sick. He blessed the children. He fed the 5000. Sometimes we focus on these miraculous ways and miss the small seemingly insignificant acts he also performed. Many times after he performed a mighty miracle he stopped and spent some time with that person – teaching them, comforting them and bringing them peace.

I know I can’t accomplish the miracles that Christ did but I can follow His example as I reach out to comfort a troubled heart or bring peace to a worried mind. I most likely won’t have an experience like in 3 Nephi where I see heavenly angels and fire coming from heaven to encircle my children. But I know there are earthly angels that encircle them here every Sunday in Primary and teach them that their Savior loves them and cares for them. I may not be able to take some loaves and fishes and feed the 5000 but by paying my tithing and fast offering to the Lord, He will take my few pennies and dollars and do miracles in the lives of those that need it.

Fleck #2: When I was in college I purchased a little statue carved from olive wood. I was so captivated by this simple piece. The man I bought the statue from told me its inspiration came from a scripture. The statue is an upright hand with a little boy resting in it. The hand and the boy are not carved to look like two pieces but instead it has been carved to look as if the boy is part of the hand. I went home and found that scripture. It has since become my favorite. The reference the merchant was referring to is found in Isaiah 49. But I prefer the similar one found in the Book of Mormon - 1 Nephi 21: 13-16.

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me – but he will show that he hath not.

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

When times get difficult I know on many occasions I have been as faithless as Zion and asked the Savior if He had forgotten me. I have been assured each time that he cannot and will not forget me. He has “graven [me] upon the palms of [His] hands.” His atonement, death and resurrection weren’t done for all of us as a collective whole. They were done just for me. They were done just for you. Not only did he do those amazing, miraculous works just for us he is continually helping each of us.

Elder Richards said in his talk, “The Atonement Covers All Pain”, “The Savior is not a silent observer. . . . Perhaps His most significant work is in the ongoing labor with each of us individually to lift, to bless, to strengthen, to sustain, to guide, and to forgive us.”

How does he know how to help us? How does he know exactly how to help us? I came to understand just a small bit of this as I was reading Alma 7:12.

“And he will take upon him death, that he my loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

I have always concentrated on what the atonement can do for me. Until this verse I had never considered how the atonement affected Christ. This verse taught me that the Savior chose to experience all our infirmities so he could know the perfect way to help me.

President Henry B. Eyring taught: “It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the Savior’s promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal and help us. … And faith in that power will give us patience as we pray and work and wait for help. He could have known how to succor us simply by revelation, but He chose to learn by His own personal experience.” When experiencing anything difficult many of us gravitate to those who understand and have experienced what we are going through. What better person to turn to than the Savior, the one who truly knows, the only one who can perfectly understand what we are going through.

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When, with a wounded heart, anger, or malice
I draw myself apart searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows?
Where, when I languish?
Where, in my need to know?
Where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately.
Reaches my reaching.
In my Gethsemane, Savior, and friend.
Gentle, the peace He finds
For my beseeching.
Constant He is, and kind.
Love without end.

As we truly realize that it was “my Gethsemane” we can sing and be joyful “for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; . . . for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”

Fleck #3: Let me tell you about my grandmother. She was an extraordinary person. First let me describe her. She was very petite – 4’11” to be exact. She had this perfect head of white hair. Her clothing was always very nice. I remember she even wore her nice blouses and slacks camping with us. And she did actually go camping with us – tent and all. She was a convert to the church. I will always be grateful that she and her children joined the church. Through many of her life experiences I have learned perseverance in the face of trials. I have learned from her to have a good attitude and to have fun with life. I look forward to following her example and serving a mission with my husband.

During my freshman year of college she got sick. Her funeral was the first I remember attending. I remember walking into the viewing and seeing her lying there. My only thought was it wasn’t her. She still had the beautiful clothing on. Her hair was still perfectly styled. But something was missing. Her spirit was gone and her body remained. It was the first time I was truly grateful for the resurrection. I will one day get to see her again. I will get to see her extraordinary spirit reunited with her petite body.

President Monson said in a talk in last April’s General Conference: “No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel:

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen.”¹²

Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed.

The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”¹³

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice.

He has burst his three days’ prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered; man is free.

Christ has won the victory!

Jesus Christ stood up in the Premortal Council and volunteered to come to Earth and become our - become my Savior. I know he didn’t volunteer in ignorance. He understood his role in the plan. Jesus was the cornerstone of the plan. Without him there would have been no resurrection. Without him there would have been no repentance. Without him there would have been no salvation.

Tyler-isms

2011-04-09T21:42:00.003-05:00

Ism #1: (This is NOT an announcement, by the way.)

Tyler: Mommy, I think you should have another baby. I want a brother or sister.

Me: Well, Tyler, why don't you pray and ask Heavenly Father about that?

Tyler: No, Mommy! That's your job!

Ism #2: Walking through Sam's

Tyler: Mommy, you need to get some new pants.

Me: Why? (Suddenly realizing what he means.) Oh because they're too short?

Tyler: Yeah!!

Me: They're called capris. They're supposed to be short.

(He's been growing so fast that he's been hearing his pants are too short a lot lately.)

Ism #3: Sitting at lunch - A very profound one!

Karena: Mommy, I feel like I don't have anything special.

Me: Like what?

Karena: Well, I don't know. Just something special.

Tyler: The thing about things you get that are special is that the first day they are special. The next day they are about half special and the day after that they aren't very special.

Bring On the Luck!

2011-04-04T12:53:00.003-05:00

Taekwondo

2011-04-04T12:37:00.003-05:00

Since September the kids have been participating in a morning taekwondo class a couple days a week. The owner of the studio was extremely generous to offer it to the homeschool community for free this year. It took the kids a while to warm up to it and really get into it. Last month they finally were prepared enough for their yellow belts. Tyler was the most prepared but ended up being the most nervous. They all did extremely well. (When I figure out how to make movies from the videos from my ipod I'll post them.) Since then Tyler has been practicing all the time. He's really getting quite good and almost has his 2nd pattern memorized for his next test.

Here are my new yellow belts:

Tyler

Hannah

Karena
(The wind was pretty strong and no one wanted to stay out anymore for a retake.)

Just Before Church

2011-03-20T12:02:00.002-05:00

What do you do with the 30 minutes before church? You read a book...

He fought the wall...

2011-02-26T20:38:00.003-06:00

....And the wall won.

We were walking out of a store this afternoon that had a completely glass front. There were two sets of doors with a glass wall separating them in the middle. I guess Tyler didn't realize that the middle wasn't a door and tried to open the wall with his face. He hit the glass so hard he even got a bloody nose.

While we were in the bathroom patching him up he had two questions for me.

1 - "Mom, what happened?"
2 - "Can we still go out to eat?

Why I don't post

2011-02-26T20:06:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted in a while. No one's noticed I'm sure. Its the pictures. I don't like dealing with the pictures. To be quite honest I think I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Or I'm just easily distracted with other things on the internet.

So I'm going to try something new. I'm going to try and put up a post a week and I'm not going to worry whether I have pictures or not. Maybe you'll get lucky and get to see nicely edited photos or maybe you'll just get to read my ramblings.

So with all that I hope you enjoy some random pictures from the past few weeks.

Funny things we heard today

2010-12-12T19:03:00.002-06:00

You know you're a redneck when...

Your daughter yells, "Daddy, your neck is RED!"

You know you need to reteach a topic when you hear...

Counting for hide-and-seek, "3 and 2 fourths, 3 and 3 fourths, 3 and 4 fourths, 3 and 5 fourths, 3 and 6 fourths, 3 and 7 fourths, 3 and 8 fourths, 3 and 9 fourths, 3 and 10 fourths. Ready or not here I come!"

My Halloween Creatures

2010-11-14T17:23:00.000-06:00

Cannonsburgh Village

2010-11-14T15:04:00.005-06:00

I've been pretty bad about chronicling our first year of homeschool. Honestly, its been kind of rocky. Great at times. Bad at other times. I'm finding it hard to develop and stick to a routine that gets only just some of the "it" done that I need to get done.

But even with all that, I'm still really enjoying teaching my own children. Its so exciting to see them understand something or get a concept that has been difficult for them.

Friday we had a field trip to Cannonsburgh Village. A little history: The original name of Murfreesboro was Cannonsburgh. It is a southern-style village, circa 1800-1925.

We first stopped by the blacksmith's shop.

We were able to see Blacksmith Alan make a hook that could be nailed into the wall. The kids were astounded to see him break, twist and pound metal. Tyler even said it looked like a glow stick.

We then were given a tour of the rest of the village.

The Chapel with its amazing stained glass windows.

The one room school house. The blackboard was wood slates in a frame.

The mill. It is still a workable mill. They use it during festival days. We learned a interesting fact. If there were any widows that brought their corn or grain to be milled they were not charged to mill it.

We ended the tour with a hayride. Our guide, Vera, was fantastic. She was so kind. She spent the hayride talking to Karena and Tyler. She was genuinely interested in what they had to say and enjoyed seeing how Karena and Hannah were unique. So many people just notice their similarities.

After the tour was over we took a break for a cool snack. The kids all said they wanted to go back again.

What's wrong with this picture? Take 2

2010-11-09T07:12:00.003-06:00

Can you guess what this is?

Does this give you a hint?

What about now?

Yes! That is a perfectly round egg. We got it at Sam's. Not quite sure how it passed inspection and ended up in my carton. Thought it was blog worthy though.

What's wrong with this picture?

2010-11-09T06:57:00.005-06:00

This came in the mail yesterday. First off, this is NOT an announcement. Just making sure no one gets the wrong idea.

So as I was saying, this came in the mail yesterday. Apparently Similac thinks someone is having a baby.

Its not me though.

Congratulations, John! You're going to be a mother!

Random Updates

2010-08-01T19:50:00.002-05:00

1. The Bug - The bug was a house centipede and not a silverfish. Thanks Dad and Brady for the info! Click on the links to see pics of both. I'm not exactly sure which one is most creepy.

2. Canning - Friday, the kids and I went to a local farmer's market. We got around 90 ears of corn, 3 lbs of green beans, a watermelon, a quart of raw (yummy!) honey, and 2 loaves of Great Harvest bread. Yesterday, we canned the corn, beans and some homemade spaghetti sauce and got 10 quarts of corn, 2 quarts of spaghetti sauce and 6 pints of beans. I was exhausted by the end of the day to say the least. But I was quite pleased with myself.

3. Shoes - Tyler can now tie his own shoes! The day he figured it out he told everyone we met. The grocery produce guy, the cashier at CVS, everyone.

4. Primary - Karena gave a talk today in primary and Hannah read the scripture. Both needed no help from me. I'm amazed at how well they are reading.

5. Scrapbooking - Finished two scrapbook pages about our trip to Utah this summer. Head on over here and check them out.

6. Bike - John got me a bike yesterday. Haven't been able to try it out yet. Hopefully tomorrow. The kids are always wanting to go out on bike rides. Can't wait to go but I think I might hold off until the weather cools down a bit. In the paper today the weather forecast for the next 3 days was "Very Hot."

The Bug

2010-07-25T18:31:00.002-05:00

We had just arrived home from church. John and I were changing in our room when suddenly all three children started screaming from the living room. My first thought was, "Okay, who did it this time?" I began to head out to check when they burst into my room and slammed the door. Hannah informed us there was a scary, creepy bug on the floor in the living room. She then explained how she found it. She said, "I thought it was a hair ball. Then I got closer and the hair ball had legs and it MOVED!"

We went out to find and capture the bug. Sure enough it was a pretty creepy bug. I have never seen anything quite like it. If anyone can identify this bug I would appreciate it.

Why we are doing it

2010-07-22T15:17:00.003-05:00

In less than two weeks all my kids will be starting school. They will wake up every morning when they are ready to wake up. They will not have to have their lunch packed at 6 a.m. They will not have to worry about whether their clothes are "in" or their hair is done "right." They will not rush to get out to the bus stop.

They will not have to walk through the halls in a straight line with a bubble in their mouth. There will no longer be discussions of why we they have drills about bad people coming into their school or why there is always a police officer at the school. They will not have to eat their lunch in less than 15 minutes.

They will get to have recess for hours instead of minutes. They will get to read books that are exciting and stretch their minds. We will get to go on field trips as often as we want to. They will get to learn about a subject they love until their growing minds are satisfied they understand it. They will get to fly through subjects they understand right away. They will not be pushed through subjects they do not understand just to meet a schedule or a deadline.

We will daily study the scriptures. We will learn that history and science are empty without learning that God has His hand and love in everything.

We will learn more about each other. We will annoy each other more. We will have more fun together. We will cry together more. We will play together. We will be together more. We will love each other more.

We will homeschool.

Loving This is Easy

2010-06-24T15:34:00.002-05:00

I recently received a copy of Sarah McLachlan's newest album "Laws of Illusion" to review. I've loved Sarah McLachlan for a long time but I also don't usually like albums by one artists. I get a little bored listening to the same style of music over and over. So even after listening to a few tracks off the album I was a little skeptical about liking a whole album. This album did not disappoint me at all! I love the feel of the music and the flow of the lyrics. "Loving You is Easy" has a catchy tune and lyrics that I enjoy singing to myself. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Haircuts

2010-06-19T21:01:00.005-05:00

Just before our trip to Utah we all went out for haircuts. Hannah and myself just got a trim but for Tyler and Karena it was a little more drastic.

Before:

After:

(Tyler is sucking on the last of his lollipop. Hence the face.)

Tyler has been asking for this cut for awhile but I just didn't want to let go of the last bit of curls he had. He gets so hot playing outside that he needed a haircut for his own safety. He actually got a little case of heat exhaustion on Memorial Day.

Karena donated her hair to Locks of Love. We are very proud of her choice. Now with her hair short we are constantly getting her and Hannah mixed up. I'm back to having to remember what they got dressed in that morning. If they are close to us and can see their faces we don't have any problems. But from far away or from the back we often get confused.

Karena Rides!

2010-06-19T20:57:00.002-05:00

John has been working with the girls on riding a 2-wheeler. Karena has figured it out and loves to show off her new skills. While we were in Utah, John bought himself a bike and has now gone on 2 bike rides with Tyler and Karena. He took this video of Karena enjoying her bike ride.

First Word

2010-05-22T15:40:00.002-05:00

Tyler sorta read his first word yesterday. After ball practice we went out to dinner. He started sounding out the letters of the restaurant that were printed on the stool next to him. At first he read, "ttt - ah - ah - ttt - sss." Then after a little prompting he read, "ttt - ew - ttt - sss. TOOTS!!" He was so excited. How lucky we are that the first word my little boy trys to read is "Toots!"

Lake Front Property

2010-05-02T16:13:00.004-05:00

Early Saturday morning Karena, Hannah and I headed to a Girl Scout Day Camp. It started raining as we walked out the door around 7:20. We had to drive north of Nashville for the camp and it poured the whole day. The girls had a good day despite the rain. We played games, made picture frames, tye-dyed t-shirts and enjoyed each others company.

We were supposed to leave around 4:30 but opted to leave early due to the reports of flooding we were hearing from family over the phone. In our group were 3 parents and 6 kindergarten and first graders. We left around 3:30 and drove about 20 minutes when we heard we weren't allowed into or out of our county. We made a decision to head to a friend of mine. She was a life saver. She had felt the need to make a batch of spaghetti and had arrived home just in time to get my call. I truly felt blessed that she had listened to the Spirit. She accepted all 9 of us with open arms. She not only let us invade her home but she fed the girls and let us take over her TV. Many of the girls said that they never wanted to leave. After several hours of her hospitality we had to make another decision. Whether to try to head home or to find a place to stay the night. We opted for the later and headed to a hotel down the street. Most of us had nothing but a purse and the clothes on our backs. The man checking us in was nice enough to give us toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, shampoo, conditioner, deoderant, and razors. I was very grateful for the toothbrushes, toothpaste and deoderant.

All the girls were wonderful. They were on a grand adventure and loving every minute of it. We watched "Ice Age," got them some more food, and then all retreated to our rooms. We did our normal nightly routine. We read scriptures (Thanks, Gideons!), prayed, and heard a story. As I was flipping pages through the Bible trying to decide what to read, Hannah suggested the Noah's Ark story. (Quite fitting actually. If it rains much more we might need an ark.) I believe all the girls slept just fine. I can't say that for the parents. I know I tossed and turned all night long.

Everyone woke before 7:00 the next morning and headed down to breakfast. I considered taking Karena and Hannah to church for Primary mainly just for something to do. At breakfast one of the ladies husband walked in. He had made it through Nashville taking a lot of back and side roads. I don't believe she had ever been so excited to see her husband before. The other mom and I discussed our options. We decided to try and make it home. If worse came to worse we could just stop at another hotel.

How we should have gone home

View Larger Map

How we actually made it home - The Long Way

View Larger Map

Driving home was tedious and hopefully an experience I never have to repeat. Imagine driving through a car wash for 45 minutes. Once we finally made it to I-40 the rain slowed down and it was a fairly good drive the rest of way. The wind was strong but we managed to stay ahead of another storm that was coming in behind us.

We made it home around 9:30. I walked in the door and yelled, "We're home!" It was neat to see John and Tyler both come running from upstairs. Everyone was so excited to see each other. I hugged Tyler and sat down in a chair and burst into tears. I had held it in for 2 days. I couldn't keep it in anymore. I cried even more when I walked out onto the back deck to see the flooding in the backyard.

Here is a video of our backyard. John took the ones from last night. I took the ones today.

Since the video has been made the water has risen even more. But we are safe and we are together. We are praying for the safety of those around us and that the waters will recede quickly. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.

Better late than never .... Easter 2010

2010-04-25T14:24:00.007-05:00

The kids had fun with several egg hunts this year. All of them had a hunt at school. Although at two different locations they all happened in exactly the same way. Teachers and parents spent 20 minutes throwing eggs out onto the grass. The kids enter the field and all eggs are found in about 2 minutes. But the kids enjoyed it.

Tyler running to find his first egg.

Counting out his loot. They were only allowed 12 eggs.
Tyler's class
Karena and Hannah collecting Easter eggs.

The girls new class (I'll fill you all in another post.)

On Good Friday we dyed Easter Eggs. I was impressed with the thought all three put into their eggs. Usually during craft projects Tyler gets bored rather quickly but he actually put some time into this project.

We had a nice Easter weekend. It was General Conference weekend so we were able to stay at home and just spend time together as a family. The Easter bunny came to our house on Saturday. The kids had fun collecting the eggs he had hid.

My Easter Shriners

This is his hunting face.

She found this same egg at school, too! The Easter Bunny is certainly resourceful.

This is one of the Easter Bunny's favorite spots to hide an egg.

Soccer Boy

2010-04-11T15:37:00.004-05:00

Friday was Tyler's first day of soccer. The boy was made for soccer. He's fast and not afraid to get right in there. Once he learns the rules and different techniques he'll be really good.

It was a little cool so he warmed up by running with his hands in his pockets. Helped remind him not to touch the ball with his hands, too!

During their practice game.

Saturday was his first game. It was quite comical. Kids running in swarms around the ball. The ref was constantly having to restart because the ball would go out of bounds. Tyler's defense strategy to keep the ball from going into the goal was to kick it out of bounds. Unfortunately our team only scored 1 goal compared to the other team's a lot of goals. 1 - a lot. And yes, that was the official score because I lost count and they don't technically keep score. Tyler had to throw it in once and actually bopped one of his teammates right on the head. This little boy is somewhat of a crier so I held my breath and prayed he wouldn't burst into tears. But he looked just fine - a little perplexed - but fine. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

And finally a short video of practice and then the game.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T08:37:00.004-05:00

Our Square Foot Garden

2010-03-31T17:49:00.004-05:00

For Christmas I asked for "Square Foot Gardening." (Thanks Mom and Dad!) Since then I have been pouring over the pages, making charts and notes, and convincing John that this was THE garden plan. Thankfully he decided to try it for me. Truthfully I think he did it just so he might have some help in the garden.

Square foot gardening (SFG) is a method that uses less space to grow more. John built us three 4x4 boxes. About two weeks ago we filled them with Mel's mix - a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and compost.

John also built us some mini greenhouses. Its great to have a handy husband!!

The next week we started planting with broccoli (the little bitty plants), carrots (what John's planting),

onions (This sprouted in just a week!!!),

lettuce, spinach and peas.

My lettuce seedlings.

Today I planted flowers (zinnia, freesia and blue bonnets) and some herbs (oregano, cilantro, and basil). John planted some potatoes. We still have to add tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (bell and jalapeno) and corn.

I can't wait to start eating all the fresh vine ripened produce and the amazing fresh salsa I plan on making. If this works we plan on expanding for next year.

Ice Dancing and Patriotism

2010-02-25T08:13:00.009-06:00

I finished watching the ice dancing competition last night. It was amazing. Team USA and Team Canada were phenomenal. (As a side note for all you who think ice dancing is hokey, lame, wimpy, etc: Try tossing and successfully catching your best friend up into the air while she is twisting and turning and all the while you are speeding along on two skinny blades.)

As I watched the Canadians skate I could see and feel the emotion involved not just from being at the Olympics but from skating for their country in their country. Scott Moir said it was like all of Canada was on the ice with them. I can't imagine what it must be like to know your whole country is rooting for you and cheering you on.

I believe in Patriotism - in being so in love and devoted to my country that I would give my all for it. I love the United States of America. I believe this country was formed by the Hands of God who lead good and righteous men here. They had a belief that something greater could be accomplished.

What could our country accomplish if we would all stand together and be united? If we were rooting for one cause and cheering each other on? I imagine greatness and miracles would take place. Unfortunately I see division and contention quickly creeping into all aspects of our country. I am truly scared of the direction we are headed. We need change. We need a mighty and purposeful change. I believe in what this country could be and in some ways what it once was. There are good people all over this country quietly living their lives praying that things will be okay for them and their families. There are a handful of righteous and God-fearing people trying to make changes. But a handful won't accomplish much alone. We need to be united and stand together, devoted to a country that can be great.

More random

2010-02-15T22:25:00.002-06:00

I was trying to get Tyler to make a decision tonight about what he wanted to make for his treat for Family Night. As he was supposed to be thinking I heard him turning pages in a book. I asked him, "Tyler, how can you decide while you're reading a book?" He quickly told me, "Mommy, because I have a big brain!"

*******************************

Recently I've been hearing of different superstitious things the elementary kids try to do to make it snow. Apparently one of those is wearing your pjs inside out. I had forgotten that when Karena came downstairs last night wearing her pjs inside out. This morning we woke up to snow on the ground. She informed me that it was because she wore her pjs inside out. I smiled and didn't think much of it.

We had plans for that day that got canceled because of the snow. When I told all the kids we wouldn't be going, Hannah and Tyler were disappointed but Karena looked devastated. "Mommy, its all my fault." I was shocked and my heart sunk. I didn't want to crush her little girl dream that she created the snow but I also didn't want her to feel responsible for ruining our plans for the day. We had a conversation about how Heavenly Father is really the only one that can make snow. She was okay but still upset. Trying to keep things light I told her, "Karena, it doesn't matter whether you wear your pjs right side out, inside out or upside down." All three kids stopped what they were doing and in unison laughing, screamed, "UPSIDE DOWN!!!" All was well after that.

Random Randomness

2010-02-14T13:06:00.002-06:00

Tyler: Mommy, I'll get prickly someday.
Mommy (quickly realizing he was talking about growing facial hair): Yep, one day you will.
Tyler: And someday you'll get prickly, too, Mommy.
Mommy (hoping and praying that won't actually happen): No, Mommy won't get prickly.

***************************************

On the way home from school on Thursday Tyler started repeating over and over, "Guten Tag, Guten Tag, Guten Tag." I asked him what that word meant. He told me, "Guten Tag is a great word to use in baseball."

He also learned konnichi wa, hola, and bonjour. It was cute to hear him all afternoon saying those words to himself.

***************************************

John gave Hannah a bath Saturday night. He finished and left for a minute to get a towel. When he returned Hannah was about in tears. He asked her what was wrong.

Hannah (said in a very concerned tone): My arm tooted.
John: Oh that's okay. They do that sometimes.
Hannah (said in a even more concerned and tearful tone): No its not okay. MY. ARM. TOOTED!!!

John went on to explain that he used to make his arm do that on purpose to make people think he'd really tooted. She apparently thought that was pretty funny and cheered up pretty quickly.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-31T10:20:00.005-06:00

Friday the snow started falling around 9:30 in the morning and fell all day until around 8:30. It must have rained and frozen during the night because when we woke up there was a layer of ice on everything. It was beautiful.

Saturday morning we bundled the kids up and went outside. The kids would barely break the surface of the ice unless they stomped or jumped.

They played around in the front yard while my abominable snowman (aka John) shoveled the steps and front walk.

Since we don't own a sled I found a storage container lid in the garage to use as a makeshift sled. We had a great time sledding down the hill in our backyard.

When sickness invades, sets up camp and refuses to leave

2010-01-28T11:02:00.002-06:00

Since Thanksgiving someone in my house has been sick each week. I don't know if there's been one week when someone hasn't missed at least one day of school. We've had stomach bugs with and without puking (the new word Karena learned at school this week), the flu, 2 cases of strep, bronchitis, colds and various other illnesses that I couldn't quite figure out. We've also been to the doctor on 3 different other occasions. I'm almost embarrassed to call or go to the pediatricians office anymore.

Today Hannah's home from school with strep and I have to say I'm weary of it all. I've started questioning my mothering. What if I'm doing something wrong? Are they eating the wrong things? Am I not cleaning enough? I've been trying to remind myself that this is a phase and it will pass but it seems never ending. This blog post has helped and I find myself chanting in my head, "Be not weary, be not weary, be not weary." Mornings are better than night times. I find I have a fresh outlook after some sleep. Not usually good or a lot of it but at least I'm getting some.

I'm trying to remember to count my blessings. My kids get a long well with each other. They even pray for each other to get better. We don't have any life threatening medical problems. They are generally happy sick kids.

Just to entertain my stressed out mind I've come up with three unreasonable solutions to all the sickness and germs:
1- Burn the whole place down - germs and all
2-Lysol bomb my home. They have bug bombs why not germ bombs.
3-Lysol my kids.

Actually I think someone should invent #2. I think they could make a lot of money.

So in the meantime I will wait, pray and Lysol the heck out of my home. Anyone know a good way to disinfect a computer and piano?

What do you do when your Mom won't sign you up for sports?

2010-01-27T16:53:00.000-06:00

Tyler has been complaining about his leg hurting off and on for about 2 weeks. I attributed it to growing pains, until Sunday night when he and I were up a lot of the night because his leg hurt so bad. I took him into the doctor Monday morning. After examining him she was worried he either had a hip issue (I guess those usually present themselves in the leg) or a hair line fracture. They sent us downstairs to get some x-rays. He had about 12 or 13 pictures taken. He was extremely good and didn't move at all once he was told to be still. I was amazed to say the least. Then we rushed back upstairs to the pediatrician's office. (It was their lunch time.) There were no skeletal issues. So she determined he has inflamed the muscle band that runs from his hip to his knee. Apparently its most commonly found in runners that frequently practice.

So to answer my title - You run your little heart out through the house and then go ahead and get a sports injury anyway.

It clicked!

2010-01-24T12:00:00.002-06:00

Hannah finally mastered tying her shoes. She didn't even know she'd done it until she was finished.

I'll never learn.

2010-01-23T18:53:00.000-06:00

A week or so ago Hannah came running into the kitchen screaming, "There's something poking me in my mouth!" We looked inside and she had two teeth growing behind her two bottom baby teeth. I called the dentist the next day and they had us come in to get the baby teeth pulled. I guess if the baby teeth stay there too long the permanent teeth don't develop a good root structure.

Well Wednesday after school I picked up the kids and we headed to the dentist. Hannah threw up in the car just as we were about to get out to go inside. I cleaned her up the best I could and in we went. On a side note: I thought she was just nervous but after several more "incidents" at home I realized she had a stomach virus. She acted just fine the rest of the visit. They hooked her up to the snoopy nose/laughing gas. She promptly got very giggly. It was pretty funny. They got the two teeth out without any problems.

The following Saturday Karena came into the kitchen complaining something was poking her mouth, too. Inwardly I groaned because sure enough she had a tooth coming in behind her baby tooth. After 6 years, you think I would have thought to look in Karena's mouth before taking Hannah to the dentist, but no, no I didn't. So Monday morning I called the dentist and made yet another appointment. Thankfully hers came out with just some numbing gel. I am quite grateful because it was a free visit, unlike Hannah's. Although, Karena was disappointed because she didn't get a snoopy nose.

Both girls were excited to receive visits from the Tooth Fairy. Karena had to remind Hannah to look for her Tooth Fairy money and Hannah had to remind Karena. Sometimes they are so completely different and other times I think they share a brain. Maybe one day I'll remember that.

From the back seat

2010-01-18T07:29:00.000-06:00

Recently we were headed back from another doctor's appointment when the kids began talking about God. Tyler informed all of us that we were driving over God's hands because they were so big. They were invisible so we couldn't see them. I realized he was referring to the song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." I tried to explain the meaning behind the song and that it didn't really mean he was literally holding the world. I told him that God looked like a grown-up. That He was our Heavenly Father and He looked like a daddy.

This discussion of daddy's led to them discussing how many kids they wanted to have when they were married.

Hannah: "After you're married you get pregnant."

Tyler: "I'm going to wait a while after I get married to be pregnant."

Karena: "After you're married you have to go on a honeymoon. But I don't know why?"

Mommy: "Well, the two people getting married just want to take a special trip together."

Hannah: "To make new friends?"

Mommy: "No. They don't usually make new friends. They just want to spend time with each other."

Karena: "I want to get married in the summer so then I can go on a honeymoon to a carnival."

New Look

2010-01-17T16:14:00.003-06:00

Check out my new blog look. I designed it myself. I got the instructions from here. Very simple and easy to follow.

Nutcracker

2010-01-17T15:32:00.003-06:00

For Karena and Hannah's birthday their Great-Grandparents got them tickets to see the Nutcracker Ballet. A local dance studio was using it as their winter recital. The girls and I got dressed up and headed out to TPAC in downtown Nashville. We found our seats and waited about 10 minutes for the curtains to go up. During that time I got to answer the "When will it start question?" at least 2 dozen times. They were so anxious to see the play. I wish I could have taken pictures or video of the ballet. The younger kids were hilar-i-ous! Some had no clue what to do on stage. The russian dancers were probably the youngest group. There were at least 15 of them on stage. Each one of them had a little taped X on the floor they needed to find. At least half spent the first quarter of the dance wandering around the stage looking for their X. Some waved. Some twirled around in the typical little girl ballerina style. Once their dance was over they were supposed to back up about 5 feet and sit in a nice long row. They remembered in little groups of 2 or 3 to go sit down. My favorite though was the little girl that remembered to sit down just not where. She plopped herself right down on her X - content to stay there the rest of the show. An older dancer had to run out, scoop her up and plop her down at the end of the row. Just then a very experienced dancer came running out doing flips and cartwheels and all sorts of fantastic acrobatics. The little russian girl surely would have been squashed if she had remained in her previous position.

The dancing was okay but I enjoyed it. The girls were in awe the entire show. With each new dancer coming out they would ask, "Is that the Sugar Plum Fairy?"

Karena's favorite part were the Gumdrop dancers because their costume's made their bums wiggle. Hannah's favorite part were the Russian girls as well.

Because Karena and Hannah are girl scouts we got to go backstage and meet some of the dancers. The girls wanted to get autographs. They each had their own book and pen. They were sort of brave enough to ask for autographs. It did help that most of the dancers we met were in their early teens and loved giving out their autograph.

After we went to dinner and enjoyed talking about our favorite parts.

Thank you Great-Grandma and Grandpa for a spectacular evening!

Mouse Cooties

2010-01-16T21:29:00.003-06:00

We have this cat, Rock Star. He's mostly an outdoor cat. His food and cat condo are in the garage, but we leave the door cracked a few inches for him to squeeze through and enjoy the outdoors. Since we live next door to acres of open field he has quite the playground. He's always out prowling and scouting for his next victim. He is an exceptional mouse hunter. I've even had occasion to watch him "play with his food." Watching a half dead mouse try to run away from its predator is like watching a car wreck and not being able to turn away. It was strangely fascinating yet gruesome at the same time since I knew the ultimate fate of that poor mouse.

Thursday was no different. We'd had him locked in the garage for a while since it had been so cold. The weather warmed up and we let him loose. A friend of mine brought Tyler home from preschool since Hannah was home sick - again. We were standing outside talking on the front porch when Rock Star appeared carrying a dead mouse in his mouth. This was not a new occurrence and it didn't bother me. As we talked I had to block him from bringing his "gift" into the house. There are some things that should never be in one's home. Mice, especially dead mice, are in that category.

As we continued talking Rock Star must have gotten bored trying to bring it in the house so he started playing with it. He would grab it in his mouth and toss it into the air. Not just a little toss but at times several feet into the air. For a while I worried if it would land in one of John's boots sitting on the front porch. Imagine putting your foot into that one morning. Bllleech!! He continued doing this all around the porch. He would toss it in the air, wait for it to land, push it around with his nose and then repeat the process all over again. It was kind of interesting to watch. Until....until out of the corner of my eye I watched the mouse fly several feet in the air, over Rock Star's head, and towards me. It brushed my backside and landed right inside my front door. My immediate thought was, "EEEEWWWW!!!! A mouse just touched me!!!!!" I was shuddering and dancing around in hopes of shaking the mouse cooties off of me.

But not only did I have mouse cooties, I had a mouse, a dead mouse, sitting inside my living room. Nothing in heaven or this green earth would have convinced me to use any part of me to get it outside. So I did the next best thing. I grabbed the cat. At first I held him over top of the mouse. "Get the mouse, Rock Star. Get the mouse." Nothing. Next I tried to use his feet to sweep out the mouse. Cat's are not good brooms. His feet didn't touch the dead rodent once. Finally I stuck his nose in front of the mouse and used it to push the mouse towards the door. I guess after a few times of the nose pushing he realized I did not appreciate the gift and grabbed it. I tossed him outside and then continued my dancing and shuddering.

So along with my germ infested home I now have mouse cooties.

Christmas at School

2009-12-18T14:00:00.004-06:00

All of the kids had programs this week at school.

The girls sang some songs with the rest of the kindergartners. It was cute to see them all dressed up in their pjs singing about Santa. Thankfully the word "Christmas" has not been changed to "Holiday" in the their school. The next day I came to help them "make" fudge. We actually filled in the blanks in a simple recipe book and pretended to measure out ingredients. At the end they were given a kit to make the real thing at home. Friday was a short 2 hour day. The teacher provided breakfast and they exchanged puzzles during their Christmas party.

Tyler's preschool does a more elaborate Christmas pageant. We've participated in the last three. Unfortunately this was the last year any of my kids will be in it. Tyler was given a speaking part as one of the shepherds. He did an excellent job. We had a potluck lunch afterward. Then we went to visit Santa. Tyler decided to change his mind on his gift and asked Santa for a skateboard with elbow and knee pads. (I believe he just wanted to copy Karena.) At least he's trying to be safe. There was no reasoning with him that it was a little late in the season to be changing his mind on what he wanted from Santa. We did a few crafts and headed home.

No more school for 2 more weeks. Let's see if I survive the next week as the kids impatiently await Christmas and I try yet again and again to explain to Karena and Tyler that they will not be getting skateboards for Christmas.

If you can't make fun of yourself...

2009-12-16T16:03:00.002-06:00

Another blog I read posted this. If you're offended, I'm sorry. I hope you're not because I found it freakin' funny. (Just had to through the freakin' in there to add to the Mormon humor.)

Enjoy!

6th Birthday

2009-12-08T15:31:00.007-06:00

In the past six years Karena and Hannah have gone from this,

and this,

to this!

Happy Birthday Karena and Hannah! We love you so much!

Christmas reflections

2009-12-01T11:13:00.009-06:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Its not just the decorations and the giving. To me Christmas brings with it a sense of peaceful reflection. I find my self reflecting on the past year. Remembering memories my family has shared together. Remembering people and friends that have come or gone from my life. I think to the future and ways I can improve myself as a mom, a wife, a daughter of God. I hope for a better year than the last no matter what happened in the past year. I think of the memories I may be a part of. A child entering school or a new grade. An upcoming vacation.

But mostly I reflect on a quiet night over two thousand years ago. I like to think of Mary and her thoughts and feelings as she made her choice to be a humble servant of God. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." I want to be more like Mary. To say to the Lord, "I am willing to do whatever Thou asks of me because I am Thy handmaid." Unfortunately I am more likely to put conditions on my service. "I'll do it but can it wait until..." What must it have been like to feel the Savior of the world growing inside of her? Did she know to what extent His life would effect hers? Do I know to what extent His life can effect mine?

As I start this Christmas month I hope I can keep these feelings in my heart always. I want my children to love this time of year for more than presents and Santa Clause. I want them to love it because of the Savior.

Turkey Day

2009-11-27T10:27:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving day was a nice relaxing day here at our house. We had some friends come over for the afternoon.

The pre-dinner entertainment. The kids introduced Mel and Sunshine to the Wii.

I had made most of the food a day or two before. We had:

1. Sweet potato casserole with a pecan, butter, brown sugar and Honey Bunches of Oats topping.
2. Mashed potatoes made with sour cream and cream cheese. I made them the day before and baked them before the dinner. They tasted like twice baked potatoes!
3. Carrots in a brown sugar/butter glaze
4. Corn
5. Rolls, Pickles, Olives, and Cranberry Sauce. The four favorite kid foods on the table.
6. Dressing. This is from my hero The Pioneer Woman. Her website/blog has quickly become one of my favorites. (She recently came out with her first cookbook. I would love to own it. Hint, hint.) Its made with cornbread and french bread. I even made both of those myself. Lots of herbs and stock. It reminded me of the bread at Macaroni Grill. I liked it so much I had it for breakfast this morning.

7. And the highlight of the meal:

It looks a little charred. Okay, a lot charred. But underneath that rough exterior was a moist, tender and oh so delicious bird. It was one of my favorite turkey's I've ever eaten.

8. For dessert we had PIE! Apple, Mincemeat, and Pecan. Our friends brought the apple and mincemeat. I made the pecan. Again it was from The Pioneer Woman. John declared it delicious!!! It was incredibly easy to make. The kids enjoyed the mincemeat and the apple. The rest of us enjoyed, well, all of them.

We were able to talk to Mom, Dad, Amy and Justin and many of my cousins over skype. We all enjoyed talking and seeing everyone.

Fashionistas

2009-11-27T10:14:00.003-06:00

My kiddos are on the cutting edge of fashion and are trying to start a new trend.

Actually Tyler has been doing this almost daily. The girls decided to join in and came downstairs with their pj shirts backwards.

The Chronicles of Halloween

2009-11-16T20:42:00.010-06:00

Halloween is a year long event in our home. The next years Halloween costumes begin the design process as we are traipsing around collecting candy from strangers we would otherwise never let our children talk to.

This year the kids had all decided they would be a member of the Imagination Movers. Tyler wanted to be Smitty because he had a guitar. Karena was going to be Nina because their names rhymed. Hannah was going to be Warehouse Mouse. I figured Karena's and Hannah's costumes would be easy. I finally bought a pattern and fabric for Tyler's costume and cut it all out. After 3 mistakes and 3 sessions of seam ripping I set it aside for a breather.

During that breather Hannah and Tyler changed their mind. Never mind that they had discussed these costumes for exactly 49 weeks of the past year. I also convinced Karena to change her costume, too. (Truthfully I was very nervous no one would know who she was and it would hurt her feelings.) After several trips to the store to determine that yes, indeed, Halloween costumes are extremely over-priced I decided to make the costumes.

Hannah wanted to be a Disney princess. After several of her choices were nixed by me we settled on Snow White. I really enjoyed making her dress. It was nice to see her wearing it and know I made it. I also liked knowing it might actually last more than 2 or 3 wearings before seams start coming apart as so many other of our previously store bought costumes.

Karena's second choice was a My Little Pony. Unfortunately her very uncool Mommy does not pay attention to the different colors of the ponies. Which began an hour long battle over what I was willing to spend on her costume to make her look like the BLUE one. After a trip to Wal-mart (my least favorite place to take kids or myself) we finally settled on a $5 cat costume.

Tyler wanted to be Batman. It didn't matter that he had no idea who or what Batman was. He had a Batman toy and wanted to be Batman. After consulting with my sewing guru (Thanks Mom!) I decided to make/buy his costume. I luckily found a Batman t-shirt at Old Navy that he can wear for a while. I got an adult vampire cape from CVS for free!!! (My love affair with CVS is a story for another post.) I bought a black toboggan for the hat. After resizing the cape I took the leftover material and made ears for the hat.

Now that you have heard the complicated and long winded story of the costumes please enjoy some pictures of the many Halloween parties and events we attended.

Ward Trunk or Treat

Collecting candy after playing the games

A few good action shots

Tyler didn't know the games were over. He saw his favorite game unmanned and decided he was going to be in charge!

Tyler and his friend held hands the entire time they went "Hallway treating." It was raining too hard to go trunk-or-treating.

Enjoying the fruits of their labors!

Girl Scout activity

Trick or Treating

It was 40 degrees outside. Bundling up was required.
(Tyler has on his warm clothes under his costume. It added a few "muscles" for Batman.)

I have really no idea what he's doing here. Actually I rarely know what the boy is doing.

I have lipstick on my nose!

My past few days

2009-11-15T07:57:00.002-06:00

I've struggled for various reasons with the past few days. I've wanted to post about Halloween and our new floors. But to be quite honest I was too tired and worn out to do much of anything. So I thought I would just leave you with this:

I may be wrong but I think this is from her visit to Nashville's Time Out for Women.

Crazy Love

2009-11-02T11:34:00.002-06:00

I'm getting this CD today! I can't wait to hear it.

A New Word for Webster

2009-11-01T16:26:00.002-06:00

The background: A friend of ours gave the kids a goody box of fun stuff for Halloween. Some of it included a toy brush and mirror.

Tyler and Karena are playing barbershop.

Tyler to Karena: Come over here and I will barble you.

Pay It Forward

2009-10-28T07:42:00.002-05:00

My first roommate from college participated in a pay it forward project. It sounded like so much fun and since I've been trying my hand at more homemade things here recently I decided to join in. I was lucky enough to write one of the first comments so sometime in the next year I'll be getting something exciting in the mail.

Would you like to join me in the anticipation? Here are the rules:

I promise to send the first 3 persons who comment in this post something hand made within a years time. (Thank you to whoever came up with that rule!). Maybe something edible, maybe something sewn, or who knows? But definitely hand made! And received before this time next year. Oh the mystery! What will it be?

Here’s the rub: If you sign up to receive a hand made gift you need to “pay it forward” on your own blog. That is, you’ll make a post similar to this and then promise and hand make a gift for three other bloggers. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember it’s the spirit and the thought that count! C’mon, an-y-thing home made by you within the year! You can do this! How fun!

So o.k. comment away!

I'm smarter than you

2009-10-21T09:55:00.002-05:00

Apparently Tyler and Hannah were arguing yesterday about who was smarter. During her bath, Hannah was complaining to John that Tyler thought he was smarter but she knew she was because she was in school. John tried to explain to her that just because she was in school didn't mean she was smarter. He tried to explain that people are smarter in different ways and used several examples but everything kept falling on deaf ears. Finally he said, "You know Tyler's smarter than you in riding bikes because he can ride without training wheels." She thought for a minute and said, "Daddy, tomorrow can you take the training wheels off my bike?"

Here's a little video of Tyler riding without training wheels.

Tyler the Clown

2009-09-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

A Month of Firsts - Part 3

2009-09-20T20:00:00.002-05:00

Part 3 - Tyler's First Day of School

Tyler started back to preschool again this year. We've been really pleased with the school the past 2 years and we were excited to send Tyler back again this year. Tyler was a little hesitant to go as usual. He even told us he didn't want to go to school. He tends to get nervous when anything changes or is different. But he went. John and I both took him and walked him into school.

Outside the school looking a little shaggy. He was looking forward to his haircut after school.

Sitting in his chair at school.

So far we've had Ms. Julie, Ms. Brandi, Ms. Darlene, and now Ms. Lori. Every single teacher has been perfect for our children in the year they were with them. I'm excited to see how much Tyler will grow in Ms. Lori's class. He's already brought home school work that I've been amazed at. He's working on writing his name and not just his "T." He's got T's down pat. This last week the class worked on writing I's. He even remembered how to write upper and lower case at home. (My kids tend to forget what they learned in school that day by the time they walk out of the school doors.) Those I's are now prominently displayed on the fridge.

Oh, by the way, Tyler whispered to me in the car on the way home that first day, "Mommy, I had fun."

A Month of Firsts - Part 2

2009-09-20T19:47:00.003-05:00

Part 2 - The First School Project

The first project was to make a poster all about their family. I sat down with both of the girls and picked out and printed pictures of our family. John bought poster board. After cutting out all the
pictures and the mats I gave the girls each a glue stick and set them to work.

Is this really where I wanted everything?

They eagerly glued all the pictures to the mats and then after arranging them on the poster board themselves they glued those.

I wrote the names of everyone on post-its and had them copy them onto their posters.

Hannah's ready to work with her pencil behind her ear!

Even Tyler had to have a project to do.

Karena tracing over her pencil lines with crayon.

I was so proud of them for sticking with it and finishing the whole thing. Karena was actually sick while we made the posters.

Later when I came to visit the girls in their classroom I had a chance to look at the other kids posters. The other ones were great and I enjoyed seeing everyone's families. I noticed though that Karena's and Hannah's posters were the only ones that actually had their own handwriting on it. All the others had the parent's "help." I was even more proud of the girls for putting so much effort into their posters.

A Month of Firsts - Part 1

2009-09-20T19:26:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start another series called "A Month of Firsts." I promise I will get back to my previous series. As usual I like to tackle as many things as I possibly can at the same time.

Part One: Kindergarten

Karena and Hannah finally started kindergarten. They were so excited! They'd been talking about kindergarten for about a year now. Every time we'd drive by there school they'd make a comment about how that was their school and they were going to be going there someday.

Well the big day finally came.

Tyler is just as excited as his sisters!

Amazingly enough we got out the door in time. School starts here at 7:30. Thankfully the school is less than a mile from our house so we don't have to go far. John took the day off and we all drove to school.

We walked them into their classroom

and showed them their seats.

We introduced them to their teacher.

Showed them their playground that is only for kindergartners and then it was time to say goodbye.

Karena was a little nervous.

Hannah's ready to start school!

We left and ran some errands. Their first day was only a half day so we picked them up after lunch. They were ready to go back the next day.

Karena quote

2009-09-03T18:26:00.001-05:00

Karena, my kindergartner of two weeks, just said to me, "Mom, I wish it was the last day of college and it was all over forever."

Its broken

2009-08-30T16:51:00.001-05:00

Hannah told me the other day and then said it again at dinner today: "My rememberer is broken and my forgetter is fixed."

Our Three Week Adventure - Part 2

2009-08-30T15:03:00.006-05:00

Pioneer Day is a big holiday in Utah. It celebrates the day that Brigham Young and the first pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. Before I start the travelouge I just have to say how much I love hearing stories about the pioneers and how much courage and strength they have. It makes me so grateful for the things I take for granted every day. I am amazed at the number of women who bore children along the trail, buried children and husbands along the trail and still kept on walking. They knew the blessings of heaven far out weighed the trials they were facing right then. I wish I could be more like them.

Pioneer Day is held on the 24th of July and in some parts of Utah is as big a celebration as the 4th of July. But in Washington, UT (where my parents live) its not but it was still a lot of fun. The morning started off with a parade. The kids had never been to a parade before and were so excited to see their first one. Their excitement grew as they learned people would be throwing CANDY to them. Hannah was the first one to get any - at the envy of her brother and sister.

Tyler loved the tractors. The girls loved the cheerleaders and other dancers. I took this picture for John since he couldn't be there with us. After the parade we went to the park behind us for a carnival. They had games, food and music. We all stood in line for 20 minutes to buy shaved ice. The kids each ran a foot race. They did really well and all won a participation prize. They got their faces painted.

Tyler usually doesn't go for stuff like face painting but decided that since his sister's were getting in on the action that he would too. I thought Hannah would go for the lizard since she's the "Lizard queen." (She got that name from Uncle Brady after chasing a lizard around at the Clark County museum for 30 minutes.) She went for the rainbow instead. Karena and Tyler decided a lizard would be cool.

In one corner of the park was a dunking booth. You could pay to be dunked or do the dunking. The kids chose the dunking and did quite well. They enjoyed it so much that we went back a second time.

If you heard the guy in the video say "I thought they were trying to rip me off" let me explain. Karena and Hannah were both in line. Karena was first. She completed her turn and then came to stand by me. The guy working the dunking line was looking around for the next person when I said,"She's next," and pointed at Hannah. He looked at Hannah and said, "Didn't you just go?" I called out to him, "They're twins!" He looked back at me and with a look of incredulity he saw Karena and then looked back at Hannah. I have had people mix them up before but I have never had someone mistake them for the same person before. It was a very funny moment that even the girls found very funny.

After lunch and naps we went to a local splash pad.

We had the place to ourselves for most of the time we were there. Another family showed up at the end. We decided it was time to leave when two teenage boys showed up to cool off in the water. One of them had stripped down to his tighty whiteys and borrowing his friend's shirt put it on like some huge orange diaper. I knew that this was going a bad idea because as every mom knows the wetter a diaper gets the saggier and droupier it gets. Sure enough he got it wet and it started to slip. Dad and I promptly rounded up the kids and home we went. Thankfully we were looking for a good excuse to leave anyway.

This concludes the end of Part 2. Stay tuned for Part 3 - The Taxidermy Capital of the WORLD!

Our 3 Week Adventure - Part 1

2009-08-20T19:53:00.007-05:00

July 15 started our three week adventure to Utah and Nevada. We had a direct flight from Nashville to Las Vegas. Traipsing three kids through an airport is not John and I's favorite activity. The kids did great and were very well behaved. Tyler talked to anyone who was around him. The unsuspecting passengers who sat near us certainly got an earful. He told the lady sitting next to him to buckle her seat belt. He growled at the man behind him. Then when the man decided he was done with the growling he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Tyler turned to me and said, "Mommy, that man's eyes are closed." To which I responded, "Ok, well then he's asleep. Leave him alone." And as is Tyler's custom he had to test the waters just to make sure I really meant what I said. He turns around and in a loud voice says, "Hello!" Then turns to me and says, "He's not asleep."

My dad picked us up from the airport looking much tanner then the last time we had seen him. It was good to see him. On a side note: For those of you who may not know, my parents moved from here to St. George, UT back in May. My grandparents had graciously lent Dad their van to pick us up. We made the 2 hour drive up to St. George. It was neat to see the differences in the scenery.

The Joshua tree forest. Yes, that is considered a forest in the deserts of Nevada.

I-15 goes through a small corner of Arizona as you're driving from Nevada to Utah. The Virgin River cut this huge gorge through the rock. Its quite an impressive drive. This picture doesn't do it justice.

We arrived and were able to spend the evening with my sister, Amy, my brother Brady and his wife, Solveig. It was nice to see them and visit with all of them. Friday morning we left for Las Vegas again. We had a nice time at the Clark County Museum where we got to meet my brother-in-law's family. Such a nice family!! That evening we had a pizza party at my Uncle Brent's house. Tyler was terrified of their dogs but eventually Cody won him over. I wish I'd taken more pictures there but we were having too much fun talking and socializing. Tyler did make a new friend and began to call him his "Big Friend."

Saturday was the wedding. Amy was gorgeous! The ceremony was nice and very special to be part of. The reception was fun and the food was delicious.

Four Generations of Atwoods

Amy and Justin outside the Las Vegas temple

Tyler and his "Big Friend" Uncle Brent

Hannah and Karena outside the temple

The kids with Aunt Solveig

Dancing with Daddy and Aunt Solveig (Grandma made the girls' dresses and Tyler's vest! Thanks Grandma!!!!)

Amy's cake

My birthday: Part 1 (Mom always said I could stretch my birthday out for a week.)

2009-07-12T20:58:00.007-05:00

Thursday was my birthday. I was looking forward to the day. The kids went to VBS in the morning and so I spent a quiet morning watching a movie and sewing. I talked to several friends and family members that day wishing me happy birthday. Thanks everyone! That evening after John got home from work we all went out to eat. I wavered back and forth between Mimi's and Macaroni Grill. Thankfully they are located right next to each other. I didn't have to decide until we got there. All day the kids were making suggestions as to where they thought I would like to eat. Tyler wanted me to go to Red Robin. Hannah wanted me to go to Dairy Queen. Karena told me I could go anywhere I wanted. Thank you, Karena. I finally decided on Mimi's Cafe to eat.
Its one of my favorite places. I ordered a grilled shrimp and asparagus dish with a strawberry and lettuce salad. It was excellent!

After eating they brought me my birthday cake/pie.

John and the kids sang me Happy Birthday and Tyler ended it with "Cha, cha, cha." That has now become their ending to any birthday song. I think its something they learned in pre-school.

John got me a new Wii remote and some peanut butter. (If you want to know why the pb ask me later but I assure you its one of those you had to be there things. But it was still really funny.)

Oh and for all you Wii afficienados that is an after market remote and is cheaper and works just fine. He got it at Wal-mart. After we got home and got the kiddos to bed we had fun beating each other on the Wii.

Part 2 later. I'm really tired and have got to go to bed.

4th of July

2009-07-12T20:31:00.003-05:00

For the 4th we didn't make any huge plans. The day started off with John preparing some ribs and then putting them into the smoker. They were supposed to take all day but were done around noon. They were amazing!!!!!

He cooked country style ribs and spare ribs. They were both good but my favorite was definitely the country style. They just had so much more meat to them.

John's sister, Sarah and her husband, Jeff came over for dinner. Thanks John for a great dinner!

In the past, Tyler has always been terrified of the fireworks. Someone had to sit inside with him while he shook with fear from all the noise. But he always wanted to watch them, too. This year John and I expected the same thing. The kids went with John to buy some early in the afternoon. Tyler kept asking when it was time to go do fireworks. He was so excited! It finally got dark enough and stopped raining long enough to go outside and have some fun.

We threw some little poppers on the ground that made a loud popping noise and a little spark. At first I thought that was going to do Tyler in but he stuck with it. Then John did some small close to the ground fireworks. Tyler was still being so brave. He wanted to stay on the front porch but there was no shaking this time. Then John started in on the big high fireworks. I wanted to be with the girls. They LOVE the fireworks!!! They were out on the driveway oohhing and aahhing all the lights and sounds. I watched Tyler slowly make his way down the stairs and dance back and forth along the sidewalk. I could just see his nerve getting stronger as he went further down the walk. I was so proud of him. He finally made it to me on the driveway. He stayed there the whole time and watched the rest of the fireworks. He liked them so much that he bugged me for days to buy him more.

Swimming lessons

2009-06-26T09:48:00.005-05:00

The kids have been in swimming lessons for the past two weeks at Ms. Sue's Swimming. They have loved it! Parents were not allowed to watch during the lessons. I enjoyed the time chatting with the other moms (I actually got a new piano student from one of the other families there) but I did not enjoy melting in the heat waiting for them.

The last day the parents were allowed to watch the kids show off all their new skills. I was amazed at how good the kids did. To all you that may watch my kids and think they aren't that amazing compared to the other ones let me give you a picture of how it was two weeks ago. Hannah has always been a little fish but didn't like to float on her back. Tyler would freak out if he got water in his face at all and would never (I mean never) try to lay on his back in the water. Karena wouldn't lay on her back in the water either. As you'll see they really overcame their fears and may actually be on their way to floating by themselves. John assures me that Addison's can't float. I'm determined to prove him wrong.

Tyler's Birthday

2009-06-26T07:04:00.008-05:00

Tyler is 4! I am having a hard time believing it. My little boy is getting so big. We started the day around 6 am with him jumping in my bed, "Mommy, its my birthday!" I made him heart pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast. We just hung out in the morning. After lunch we went to swimming lessons.

Before we could get to the real partying Tyler just had to open one present. He chose his present from Uncle Brady and Aunt Solveig. He'd been kicking it around before he even opened it. It was funny to watch him kick around a wrapped present. If you can't figure it out its a soccer ball!

Then we headed out to Chuck E Cheese's. It was Tyler's first time and he had a ball. He wasn't thrilled with his first ride. It was a bike you peddled and it went in circles and up in the air. Besides that first little glitch he loved the rest of his visit. The girls had an equally good time. They really enjoyed the air hockey table at the end.

After the tokens were exhausted we went to Red Robin for dinner. Tyler fell in love with the Red Robin himself. Apparently he comes out on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Tyler kept looking for him. At the end the staff sang "Happy Birthday" and gave him a sundae with a balloon tied to his spoon.

Then it was home for present time!!!

Batman car from Grandma and Grandpa

Batman helicopter that shoots yellow discs from Grandma and Grandpa.

A new Wii game from Grandma and Grandpa

A bat and ball set from Great Grandma and Grandpa.

A new basketball hoop from Mommy and Daddy. (Although if you ask Tyler Daddy just got it for him.) He also got the movie Bolt from his sisters.

Then it was time for cake and the blowing of candles. Tyler wanted a white cake with white and blue frosting. That's what he got.

It was a long and good day.

Happy Birthday Tyler! We love you so much!

Kids Preschool Program

2009-05-22T11:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the kids final preschool program. Tyler had a program first followed by a cookie reception. Then the girls had their graduation program. Hannah was extremely shy and would barely come out in front of everyone. The girls got to ring a bell outside to mark the end of their preschool time. They all look forward to it. Then the staff put together a very nice lunch for us. The weather was warm but very nice. It was a great day.

The video is long but has some cute stuff in it. Enjoy! (If you want a high quality copy let me know and I can mail you one on CD.)

Update on Tyler

2009-05-18T14:19:00.002-05:00

Tyler does have pink eye and a minor ear infection. The dr. started him on antibiotics. We had a good night last night. After Tyler's blessing he slept all night and woke up happy. His fever was gone and the gunk in his eye was gone. I'm very grateful for the priesthood.

On a side note. When I told the kids we were going to see Dr. Pirkle, they all started screaming "I LOVE Dr. Pirkle!" I'm not sure why they've developed this fascination with this particular doctor but she is nice and good at what she does.

Oh and ALL the kids are taking a nap today!!!! Hallelujah for peace and quiet.

Tyler is sick again

2009-05-17T20:18:00.003-05:00

Tyler just got over strep and now I think he has an ear infection and pink eye. We'll get it confirmed tomorrow at the doctor. He just tears me up when he's sick.

Here's why:

The girls do pretty good when they're sick. They're whiny but not too bad. They enjoy laying around and watching movies, reading books and taking naps in mommy's bed (a treat they enjoy only when they're sick).

On the other hand, Tyler is so usually full of non-stop, full-force energy that when he gets sick it stops him in his tracks and he just crashes. Its overly pitiful. It just breaks my heart. Tonight I was putting him to bed for the third time. He'd woken up twice crying and holding his ear. He was so sweet and sad. "Mommy, can I have one more kiss and hug? Mommy, can you scratch my back? Mommy, I love you. Mommy, good night." John and Grandad gave him a blessing the last time he woke up. I got him some ibuprofen and a drink of water.

I hate having sick kids, not because of the illness, but because I feel completely helpless. I do not like not being able to fix it with just a kiss and a hug.

So to conclude with words from one of Tyler's favorite books, "Firefighters to the Rescue", (I've got it memorized) I "will watch and wait and pray and then. . ."

My babies are going to Kindergarten

2009-05-14T15:24:00.002-05:00

I registered Hannah and Karena for Kindergarten today. Its hard to believe this was only taken 5 short years ago. My babies are getting so big.

Today's Shopping Trip

2009-05-05T16:24:00.002-05:00

I did pretty good shopping today and thought I'd share with you guys all that I bought.

Publix
Ziploc Bags (2)
Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs (2)
Danimals Yogurt Drinks 6-pack (4)
Kellogg's Raisin Bran (5)
Special K (2)
Smart Balance Butter (2)
Smart Balance Butter sticks (2) Free
Mitchum Deoderant (4)
Chinet plates (2) Free
Electrasol tabs (2)
Brown Rice
Bags of Apples (2)
Pace Salsa (2) Free
Tomatoes
Bananas

Total OOP (out of pocket): 32.47
Total Saved: $86.00

Target
Kashi Waffles (2)
Quattro Razors (5) Two were free
Quattro Electric Razor
Kraft Mayo (4)
Fiber One Cereal (2)
Fiber One Muffin Mix (2)

Total OOP: $28.30
Total Saved: $51.48

So for a grand total OOP: $60.77
Total Saved: $137.48

Pics from today

2009-04-24T21:36:00.011-05:00

Karena tied her shoes today all by herself today!

She was so excited!

And then, after the kids went to bed John went out to the garage to get ice cream from the freezer. This was waiting for him on the landing on the top of the stairs into the garage.

Apparently he just waddled down the stairs and went and hid in a corner in the garage. John had thought the cat had been getting into the garbage but now we think its this opossum. Isn't he just the creepiest of critters?

Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap

2009-04-17T11:56:00.003-05:00

I've never done something like this but I'm excited to try it out. I send a box of my favorite things to someone and they send one back to me of their favorite things. How great does that sound! Come see what its all about here.

Typeless Thursday - I missed Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-02T12:30:00.007-05:00

I wanna be like you-ou-ou

2009-04-02T12:15:00.003-05:00

I told Karena this morning I was going to get my haircut. She almost started crying and said, "Mommy I want you to have hair like me." It was just precious and sweet and if I didn't hate the way my hair has been acting lately I might have decided not to cut it. BUT ... cut it I did.

Before I get to the pictures that I'm sure you're all dying to see let me just tell you that I found my hair heroine!!! Beth Bell at The Hair Doctor in Smyrna is amazing. She not only cut my hair really well but took lots of time showing me different tricks and tips to making it style right. I will definitely be going back to her.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. Pictures of ME!!! (taken by me so don't make fun of the pitiful quality)

untucked

tucked

Day Two in Indiana

2009-03-28T17:14:00.012-05:00

Today was fun. We went to the park with Uncle Brady while Solveig was at work. We parked at another park that had a short path that led to Olcott park where we were headed. Karena started bawling as we were getting out of the car. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "This park is dirty!!"

I reassured her that this was NOT the park we were going to play at. We went on a nice walk up to the park. There was a pretty bridge over the stream and a interesting looking tree. See if you can find the face.

The park was lots of fun. The kids slid and played on the see-saw. They had a jungle gym with sliding poles. Hannah was the pro at that. She even proclaimed that she was going to be a firegirl because she slid down the pole so well.

Everyone was also excited to see the speaker pipes. They all announced that "We have these where we live."

The see-saw and the little airplane were fun. Especially when the grown-ups got on.

Then we had pizza at this little place called Mother Bear's pizza. It had the best pizzas!!! The kids had pepperoni. The adults had this loaded meat pizza and one called Spinoccoli. It had Spinach and broccoli and this amazing alfredo sauce. It was also reasonably priced. We definitely need one of these back in TN.

Day One in Indiana

2009-03-28T15:18:00.005-05:00

We left for Indiana on Thursday morning. We stopped and picked up Mom and were headed on our way. The kids were pretty good the whole way. Thank goodness for portable DVD players.

We got to Brady and Solveig's around 6pm. The kids had to see the whole house and were quite excited to finally see a basement! After a great dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread (no sauce for Tyler) it was bed time for the kids. Let's just say if I ever repeat that night it will be too soon. Everyone was too tired, wound up, and excited to be here that they couldn't settle down. It was too dark for Tyler, too light for Hannah and too uncomfortable for Karena.

Here are some of the days highlights:

Listening to Tyler sing songs like a broken record - over and over and over again
Being amazed at the damage the ice storm did in KY and how far north the damage went
Talking to Mom on the way up
Not hitting any rain the entire drive
The kids freaking out when we drove through Nashville, Indiana (30 minutes from Uncle Brady's) and we told them we were back in Nashville
Hearing the beginning to Barbie Mariposa 3 times because it kept getting restarted
Having the kids talk to Daddy before bed on the cell phone

Seeing Uncle Brady and Aunt Solveig!

Shopping Show-off

2009-03-02T12:54:00.002-06:00

I was featured in The Obsessive Shopper blog for a recent shopping trip to Publix! Click here to see the post.