Yowanda

The Boxer

2011-05-13T15:10:00.003-06:00

The other day I was having a little bit of a down day, not a lot, just a little bit! So I decided to put on some comfort music and calm my soul. I decided to play Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits. Love that music. One song on the album has stuck with me for days now. The Boxer. Great song to begin with, but one part especially has resonated in my soul and has taught me a few insights about myself! Here is the part:

In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that layed him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains

I have empathy for the boxer. I "carry the reminders of ev'ry glove" that has layed me down in recent years. I feel worn and beat. Often I feel anger. Often in my heart I declare also that "I am leaving" or maybe just giving up. It is too much for little old me to handle.

But I also am a fighter. For that reason I remain - strong, capable and ready for the next match I will have to face. No matter how many times I have been called to fight, I haven't given up, I have stood strong till the end and I am conquering.

I really think these lines are heaven sent. They remind me who the Lord knows that I am. He has always known that I was strong enough to conquer. He has always known that I have a fighter spirit and won't be easily beaten. He has always known I am up to the tasks at hand. It always strengthens so much to remember what the Lord knows about me - all the things I forget.

Second, my grandpa passed away a couple of weeks ago. I have thought a lot about him and his life. It was not a perfect life. My grandpa fought many demons in this life. He fought addictions also. Many of my decisions to stay away from addictive substances stems from not wanting to ever be in his shoes. I am so grateful he does not have to fight those addictions in his mortal body any more. It must be a relief.

On the other hand, I will miss my grandpa's laugh so much. Even as I type this I can hear in my mind his laugh. He always thought everything we did was so funny. He loved us all so much - that is not in doubt. I want to be as happy as he was. I really want to find the funny side of what is happening in life. I don't think he was always this way, but somehow learned. It gives me hope I can learn to find joy in all things too!

March and April

2011-04-09T16:48:00.003-06:00

So the big news around here is that we put our house up for sale. It is very bitter sweet. Chris' work moved a lot farther south and he is tired of commuting almost 3 hours a day. But on the other hand, we love South Weber and all the friends we have made here. We love our neighbors and ward. They have taken such good care of us! If you hear of anyone moving this direction, we have a lovely house with lovely neighbors in a lovely city! We will miss our friends but are excited to be closer to family! Think happy thoughts about our house selling!!

Here are a few of the fun things going down at the Kapp house! Love my girls!

Seriously these girls absolutely love each other. They have so much fun playing together - so cute!

Forgot to post our Happy St. Patrick's day! Last year this holiday and the theme color was completely forgotten. A lot of pinching ensued. Luckily Auntie Heather was good to the girls this year and helped them be ultra prepared for the holiday!

This is the happiest girl around. Always smiling! So lucky to have her as part of our bunch.

So I thought it was April, but maybe I am wrong. For the last day of spring break Elise and I went out into the snowy day (third in a row) and made a new friend! We had a lot of fun playing in our awesome spring weather. I think I might have even gotten sun burned!!

Baby girl photo shoot

2011-03-07T09:33:00.002-07:00

Here is a link to see Simone's cute pictures we had taken on Saturday. She was really cute! We only got a few in her dress as she decided she was done with picture taking and wanted to leave, NOW! Cute over all though!

Click here to view!

Elise's baptism!

2011-02-18T16:11:00.003-07:00

What a wonderful day it was! I loved all of the preparations to be ready for this day. The discussions have been wonderful! Elise was so very excited. She started counting down months ago. The week before her baptism was counted down in hours (my math skills were tested)! Here are wonderful pictures of the sweet day!

Updated!

2010-12-02T13:14:00.003-07:00

So I have had the Big Blah post up there for a month now. It is time to let you know how the adjustment has gone. In one word: GREAT! I know, I am surprised too! Really Tessa getting diabetes has been a huge blessing. She has gained weight (which was desperately needed), she is eating so much better, she sleeps through the night, she loves school again, and more. This has been a great blessing to getting Tessa happy again. It still is work, but it is controllable. So many things about Tessa I have no control over and no way to "fix" them. But this is something I have some control over and there are steps to take when she is having a problem. I like knowing there is something I can do!

As I have thought on this, it is not too often that I get to see the blessings so fast in a trial. Usually it is years later that I look back and see growth and how I was led and blessed. But this was a fast burn. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed our family with diabetes. It solved a lot of the problems we were facing lately. So blessed!! I am trying really hard to learn from this also. Some of the reason that I have seen the blessings is that I was looking for them. Instead of dwelling on what was wrong, I was trying really hard to see what was right. Every time I started feeling overwhelmed, I tried really hard to shift my attention. This has helped in many places in my life. It isn't always easy, but it is possible. I have always felt I don't have a lot of options on what is happening to me, but I always have the option of how I react to life. I want to feel happy - I mean I really want to feel happy. That has been my focus as I try to change how I am feeling towards life. Heavenly Father wants me to be happy - "Men are that are that they might have joy." JOY! Now I just have to move forward trusting that Heavenly Father will lead me so that I will and can feel that joy in my heart.

I love that conference had a lot of focus on gratitude and on focusing on our blessings. I love Bishop Edgely's talk on faith. He talked about that having faith is an action word. A verb. I think this is what joy is also. It is an action word. It requires movement of body and soul. It requires trying to feel happy and not just waiting for happiness to begin. I love how in the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" it says that happiness is not given, it is something we must pursue. It is something to be found, cultivated, nourished.

So - moving forward - this is my goal. To pursue Joy. To pursue Happiness. To pursue the constant ability to look for my blessings. (I feel like I should have a little amen from the choir here!)

The big blah!!

2010-10-08T18:24:00.003-06:00

The Kapp house has been pretty crazy for a while now. It started a few weeks ago. Tessa out of nowhere came down with an ear infection. She wasn't sleeping and crying constantly so I took her to the doctor. They gave her an antibiotic and we were on our way. She got a little better, but by 5 days later she was miserable again. So we took her back to the doctors. She still had the ear infection. The doctor put her on a different antibiotic and we were on our way again. This time she only had 1 good day and was miserable again. We waited a couple of days to see if the antibiotic would kick in, with no luck!! So we went back to the doctors. This time he gave her an antibiotic shot in both legs and told us to come back the next day. We went back and one ear was better, but there was still infection in the other ear. So she got two more shots and told to come back the next day. Went back the next day and her ears were declared well again.

Part two. She felt a little better for a day and then seemed to come down with the flu. She was very miserable. She cried day and night and only wanted to drink. So, that's right, we went back to the doctor!!!! He said she didn't have an ear infection but it probably was the flu and to try and keep her hydrated. So we did for 3 days. After 3 days I was beside myself. She was getting super skinny (which you know is crazy skinny), she cried if she was awake and was sleeping 90% of the day. So I called the doctor and said I just didn't know what to do and asked what he thought. He said to come in the next day. We did (yes we are up to 7 visits in 3 weeks by this point). He said let's run blood work and see what she is deficient in that is making it so she is not healing as she should be. We went and got the blood work done.

Part three. After the blood work, I am not kidding, the doctor called within the hour. He said that all the blood work was normal except the blood glucose. It was 400 (100-200 is normal). He said he was calling Primary Children's Medical Center and we would probably be sent right down. He called 5 minutes later and said go directly there without passing go or collecting $100. So off we went. My parents met us there and took Simone and then came up and got Elise and took them to their house in Provo. They re-checked all of Tessa's blood work and it became official that Tessa has Type 1 Diabetes!

Part four. We stayed at the hospital for 3 days and learned how to give shots, prick fingers, calculate carbohydrate amounts in food and so much more. I did like the part when I got to give Chris a shot. He was being a punk and I goofed up so he got 2 shots. That will teach him to he such a smarty pants!! Really it was days stuffed with a lot of learning how to take care of Tessa. We learned so much. There were a lot of highs and a lot of low (both with her blood sugar and our sanity)! But overall we saw drastic changes in Tessa. She is happy again, looks good and doing so much better. We had been so worried about her health for so long not knowing what was going on.

Conclusion. The questions remain how are we really going to be able to do this? How will this work with school? Will we really be able to keep it all straight in our heads? Are we going insane??? And a lot more. I have always thought that we really don't get a choice in what we go through, just how we go through it all. So most of the time a good attitude is in order and all is well. I am sure I will feel very overwhelmed at times (especially because I don't think it is possible to be underwhelmed!)!

Blessings. There are so many huge blessings in all of this. First and foremost my parents. I called them panicked and they dropped everything and just took care of us. I am so grateful they have always done this for me (now I don't have to someday in general conference feel guilty I didn't tell them). Second, we really have amazing doctors and nurses, etc in this area. We were so taken care of and helped. What a blessing to have a top notch children's hospital in the area. Third, Chris is amazing. He just jumps into everything with an amazing attitude and carries the load until I can muster the courage to jump on board as well. An example was after learning how to give shots he was disappointed that Tessa didn't need a shot that night for him to give to her. Poor thing had to wait until the next morning. There are so many other blessings as well!!

So...how are we doing? Better. I am so glad to have my sweet Tessa back and being happy! Now don't go saying to yourself or to me that I handle things so well and that I am amazing (yes people say that from time to time to me). I am not handling this well, I'm just handling it like all of you would too. If I had the choice I would give this challenge back!!! Oh well, I don't get the choice! I guess I will just move forward!!

The 5 senses!

2010-08-23T10:39:00.003-06:00

Oh how I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils lined up neatly on the desks. I love seeing the excitement of all the kids entering the classroom for the first day and scanning for their desks and who they will sit next to. I love hearing the laughter of kids laughing with nervousness of meeting their new teacher. I love the feel of new clothes, a little rough, but so fun to wear. I love taste of the peanut butter on the knife that I get to lick after making sandwiches for school lunch.

I also love the smell of a clean house that no one followed me around making dirty the instant I got it clean. I love seeing my sweet girl going to school so grown up through the tears in my eyes! I love hearing not a sound when I went outside, the neighborhood was empty. I love the feel of new clothes, yes, I got a new back to school outfit too! I love the taste of Dr. Pepper as I sit with my feet up relaxing at 10 in the morning.

I can't wait to smell the cookies cooking for an after to school snack. I can't wait to see the smile my little school lover will have as she returns home from school. I can't wait to hear my little one as she comes home and describes all that happened today at school. I can't wait to feel the giant hug I will surely get when my little one runs in the door after the first day of school. I can't wait to taste the cookies that we will eat together while listening to all the fun adventures today held.

(I also can't wait for Wednesday when I get to experience all of this again as I send Tessa off to her first day of school. She is so excited too!)

I LOVE SCHOOL!!

A miracle happened!

2010-08-11T13:27:00.003-06:00

We have wanted Tessa to go to an intensive therapy called Now I Can for a while now. It is a therapy that you do for 3 weeks for 4 hours a day for 5 days a week. It is intensive and uses a lot of techniques that are not usually used to help kids like Tessa. We looked into it a while ago, but it is very expensive. I went to a consultation last week just to see what they thought they could accomplish with Tessa. They have scholarships they give out also and we were hoping to get a scholarship to help pay for the costs. Well guess what? Our insurance company will cover 100% of the cost. This is truly a miracle!! I am so excited for Tessa to do this therapy and hope that it will help her tremendously!

If you want to help this therapy, you can without giving a cent out of your pocket. The Now I Can Foundation is entered in a contest right now. On Facebook you can vote daily for a charity to receive $30,000 through APX company. Go to www.nowican.org you will see the APX gives back button. Click on start voting, go to the mountain region (green) then click to vote for Now I Can. You can vote once daily until the 21st of August. This money will help many kids like Tessa to be able to attend this amazing therapy even if their parents can't pay for it. Please help!

Downloading the camera

2010-04-19T21:55:00.005-06:00

I finally hooked the camera up to the computer and look at all the fun stuff that I found!!

Simone smiling so pretty in her blessing gown. It was such a wonderful day - loved that so much of the family was able to attend!

This week Simone has started eating rice cereal. She likes it!

Simone and Tessa are really good at sharing toys - at least until Tessa tries to steal Simone's hair bow, then the sister fights begin!

Look at me pushing up during tummy time!

Tessa girl turned 5! I cannot believe she has gotten so old!

We went on a tour of the Jelly Belly bean factory. It was a snore, but they did give free jelly beans to everyone! And really cool hats!

Another picture in her blessing gown!

Asleep in the swing - so sweet!

Smile!

Lions and Dragons

2010-01-25T10:44:00.002-07:00

I was reading in the Book of Mormon this week in Mosiah. King Noah's wicked priests steal away the Lamanite daughters and the Lamanites go to war against the people of Limhi. The scriptures read that the Lamanites were really mad that their daughters were stolen and go fighting like "lions for their prey." Then it says of the people of Limhi, "But they fought for their lives, for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight" (Mosiah 20:10-11).

This had circled through my brain over and over this last week. Am I fighting like a lion for prey or like a dragon?

My biggest challenge that I repeatedly face is discouragement. I am easily beset by discouragement. I find it hard to stay positive often in the face of my trials. Also, the more tired I am, the harder it is even more (which having a newborn means I am tired always). So back to the lions and dragons, am I fighting discouragement like a lion for my prey? Do I fight it like a dragon? Those are strong, big animals that fight very ferociously.

The next chapter holds a huge key to how the people of Limhi were able to fight like a dragon. It reads, "And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions" (Mosiah 21:14).

So there is the goal and the way to achieve the goal. I really want to fight like a lion and a dragon = so I need to be humble and pray often to the Lord. Really it is simple if I can just remember to do it. Hence this post. For me to read and reread when I need that reminder!

One month? Plus Christmas

2010-01-08T11:29:00.006-07:00

I can't believe that it has already been a month since Simone was born! She is such a sweet baby! Three words to describe how life has been...tiring, overwhelming and blissful!! Enjoy the picture show of my little one!!

First day home in bed!

Tessa finally deciding having a new sister is ok!

Simone's Christmas dress

Sleeping so sweetly!

Picture with Gramps!

Loving this red bow!

This is what I look like today!

Christmas came with lots of cheer! We loved spending it with the family. Here are a few of the pictures that came with the celebration!!

Elise and her cousin Brookelyn eating giant doughnuts!

Elise in her dress she got for Christmas! I love this dress!

Look Mom, I got pants for Christmas!

The family opening gifts - mass chaos of wrapping paper!

Tessa sitting in the rocking chair with her new doggy!!

Say goodbye Tessa!! Bye Bye!

Sweet girl

2009-12-12T18:19:00.003-07:00

If you haven't heard...a baby was born! I would like to introduce you to our new addition, Simone Ruth Kapp. She was 6 lbs and 19 inches. Her sisters are so in love! Her parents love her too to say the least! We have loved having her home. She has added so much to our family!

The Project

2009-11-19T15:18:00.003-07:00

Before: a very nice, boy looking car seat! Thank you Aleesha!

After: a very cute, GIRL car seat!

Was it worth all of the work? Not sure! It was a lot of sewing. But I do like a lot how it turned out and I am sure I will love it when there is someone to fill the space!!

Next project: Fill the space! Oh - find a name!

October fun!

2009-11-02T11:57:00.005-07:00

We had a lot of fun adventures this October! First the girls and I went to the Hogel Zoo. It was great! There were baby animals everywhere - so cute!!

There was a tiger that was pacing back and forth in front of the glass. Tessa was in hysterics. She loved it!!

Baby Giraffe!

The Baby elephant was darling!

The girls in front of the elephants. We could have stayed there all day!

Then on to Halloween! Tessa was a cowgirl. This picture was after trick or treating and she had no desire to sit up. So a side ways laying down picture will have to do!!

Elise has been telling me for months she wanted to be a cupcake for Halloween! This was my best attempt!

She loved that we sprayed her hair red. I think we will have to make it permanent!!

This was Chris and I going to our Halloween party. I know - no one 34 weeks pregnant should be in that much spandex! I plea temporary insanity!

I was an 80's aerobics instructor!

Chris was suppose to be an 80's work out dude - but he decided he was more an 80's porn star!

The super busy week!

2009-10-09T16:43:00.002-06:00

This week has been crazy crazy! I have been so busy! But from it came a lot of good!

1. First I learned if you lock your child and the keys in the car, cry a lot and ask construction workers for help, they might just have a slim jim and can unlock your door for you! (Also, you can call 911 and they will unlock your doors if you don't have construction workers nearby to help).

2. Remember last January Tessa had surgery to put her hips back in place and loosen her muscles? Well yesterday was the true test of whether or not it all worked. The result is: (doot doot doo doo) her hips looked fabulous! They were both back in socket and she has full range in her muscles. This was great news for our family! The alternative was more very complicated surgery. We feel very blessed that she has healed so wonderfully!

3. I went to the doctor and everything is looking great for the baby! She is growing great and looks wonderful! I do have to start going to the doctor weekly, but I would rather be going more often and know that the baby is alright!

Lots of blessings this week for our family! I just feel so blessed!

The better me!

2009-09-25T13:59:00.002-06:00

So being pregnant always brings out the crazy feelings that I am huge and getting bigger by the day. It is true, but it is ok also. As I have had these feelings this pregnancy, I have been trying really hard not to let those feelings take over and let my self worth slip. I came across this article from Chris' cousin Lynne today. It really put a few things into perspective. I hope it helps you on your quest to feel good about yourself too!

http://www.meridianmagazine.com/lineuponline/090925over.html

First day of School!

2009-08-24T14:31:00.006-06:00

Elise and Tessa started school today! Hooray! Elise was very excited to say the least! She was also fiercely independent about going into the school all by herself. I was fiercely stubborn and went in with her (which was the right decision!)! They had all the kids meet in the gym where the teachers were to pick the kids up and walk over to their new school. To say the least, the gym was total madness and chaos! About the time we walked into the gym Elise shimmied over to me and took my hand. Her teacher was heading toward the door and we followed! She did say I could leave when we got to the classroom though! After school Tessa and I went and picked her up. She was more than happy then to give us a tour of her new classroom! She had a wonderful day and is so excited for tomorrow!!

Tessa was not so excited to be awaken 2 hours earlier than usual. She did not open her eyes the entire time I dressed her. I kept telling her she got to go to school, but it didn't sink in until her bus showed up. Then she got very excited!!! After I dropped Elise off, I headed to Tessa's school for the morning. She was so excited and laughed the entire morning! Her eyes were constantly moving trying to take in all that was happening in her class. I am so glad that she loves her school and has such a wonderful program to attend!! She had pictures after school as my batteries had died on the camera - so not as fresh looking. She is also down for a nap - school can wear a girl out!

Elise's first race!

2009-08-07T21:47:00.003-06:00

We signed Elise up for the South Weber days Kid K race. It is a 1 mile race just for kids. She had never ran in a race before, so we talked about running fast and to keep running all the time! She was very excited and did very well - especially for a 6 year old! Here are some pictures of her!

This was at the start of the race sprinting. Elise is in the pink shorts. A great action shot!

Here she is sprinting again to the finish line. I told her when she could see the finish line to run as fast as she could until the very end. She did not slow down until she crossed the finish line! Good job!

Here she is smiling right after the race was over!

To our great surprise, Elise took 1st place in her age category. We knew she had done well, but had no idea she did that good! She was so excited that she got a metal! Elise got a jump rope in the raffle too!

On a side note, Chris ran a 10K in South Weber days. He did not win a metal though! Elise could not understand why Chris just didn't run faster so he could win a metal too! Duh! He did win a wrench in the raffle though! That was so awesome!

Banff Canada

2009-08-04T15:20:00.005-06:00

We just got home from one of the best vacations that I have ever been on. We went to the canadian rockies to Banff National Park in Alberta. Beautiful doesn't even begin to explain the scenery. I will let some pictures do the talking!

Johnston Falls. Beautiful hike that was easy and fun!

Lake Louise

Elise in front of Lake Louise.

This was from the top of the mountain, literally! The hotel below was enormous and beautiful. Notice the color of the river behind it. The water all comes from glaciers melting and is all that green, blue color. All the lakes and rivers were that amazing color.

This was Elise's first time riding a horse. She was in heaven!

This is where Tessa was happiest. She loved being in the backpack hiking.

Loved this vacation!

Summer cuteness!

2009-07-15T15:10:00.003-06:00

Tessa has taken to loving my sunglasses! Every time we get in the car she complains until my sunglasses are put on her. I guess it is time to get her her own pair! Too cute!

Just in case...

2009-07-10T12:03:00.002-06:00

Just in case you haven't heard, baby Kapp is a girl! We love having sweet, adorable little girls in our family! Chris was hoping for a boy, to even out the hormone levels, but is just as excited for a girl. We couldn't think of any boy names anyways! We are having a hard time with girl names too though! Hopefully something will come to us by December!!! If you have any good ones, send them our way!

Update - I am now only light green. I am keeping food down, but still feel green most of the time. Within the next month or so it should all dissipate! Cross all of our fingers!!

Elise was at Grandma's camp for a couple of weeks and had a blast! My mom is great to take her and the other older grandkids and give them fun together! We are glad she is back though!! Love that girl!

A few of the events!

2009-06-02T13:54:00.009-06:00

Here are a few of the highlights of the last couple of weeks!

First, Elise had her first dance recital. Doesn't she make the cutest little cowgirl! She loved the performing and can't wait for the next performance!

Next, I love this picture. Elise with her friends Kailey and Megan. They wanted to watch a movie but couldn't bear not to sit together. This is friendship! Yes, they watched the entire movie sitting like this together! And yes, the entire couch was open to sit on together also!

On Friday, Tessa finished another year of preschool. She loved her teacher Lynell this year and we are sad she won't have her again next year! Tessa wouldn't look at the camera! Stinker pot!

Lastly, Elise had her kindergarten Hawaiian program. It was really cute. Elise loved the singing and dancing to the music. Honestly, if I hear the Hukilau again I may go crazy! It was fun to watch. Elise was so excited that her and Olivia got to sit together as they are good friends too!

Elise will be sad to end school this week! She is growing up so quickly! Such an amazing girl!

Hiatus

2009-05-12T12:35:00.002-06:00

So I guess you can say I have been on a blogging hiatus. Not that I am back again for any amount of time, but I thought I would write a little post.

If you haven't heard, I'm pregnant! Yeah - kind of! I get pretty sick to say the least. So if you don't see me for a couple of months, just know I am praying to the porcelain gods and trying to stay hydrated at least. Hopefully this will pass quicker than with the last two and I will soon be back a part of the world. I am due 10,000 years from now (that's how long it seems anyways). Baby Kapp will come sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas but not on either of those days! I know, that is next winter - didn't winter just end??? We are excited though!

Elise is ecstatic as you can imagine! She rubs my belly and kisses it good night. She is constantly asking questions. Like: What time and day exactly will the baby come out? Why is the baby naked in my tummy? How big is the baby today (everyday this is asked)? And many more that are a bit personal! She can't wait especially for my tummy to be HUGE!! Won't that be so fun!

Chris has been the mom and the dad for a few weeks now. He is doing everything! He is looking tired for it too! I am so blessed that he is willing to do so much for our little family!

Most important is trying to stay happy and positive through all of this. I am tired and feel green all the time. Then comes all the other sick problems. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!!

Happy Birthday Tessa!

2009-04-15T14:32:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my baby is 4 years old!

Just a little post!

2009-04-07T14:54:00.003-06:00

So I am just loving this weather! Don't tell me it is going away, I know that and I am decidedly ignoring it! Sat at the park for a couple of hours enjoying every minute too! Yummy!

Does anyone know of a good allergist? I am in need! If you like your, or know a good one, let me know! Thanks!

Random updates!

2009-03-31T14:04:00.002-06:00

Elise has started to speak and sing in spanish. No, she does not know how to really speak spanish! But she just loves other languages and wants to speak them all the time. She has started to have me only play the spanish music station on the radio in the car, then she sings and loudly. The girl makes me laugh!! Also, if anyone knows how to count to ten in chinese, we really need to learn!

Tessa is doing wonderful! I am asked how she is doing all the time. Her muscles were really sore and tight after the casts came off, but after a little therapy, she is moving along nicely! That girl is so cute and I love that she is so happy! Bless her heart, she would love to run and follow Elise around until I heard the normal older sister plea for reprieve!

I have found out recently that I love spin/cycling classes. Could it be that I should let my husband buy me that road bike and start being a biker chic?? I don't think I am "sporty" enough! It just feels so good! I have always wanted to do a triathlon (that info has been really hidden deep in the dark places of my brain). Now I just need to learn to swim and not just doggy paddle!

Purse Party!

2009-03-21T12:49:00.002-06:00

You're invited to a Spring Purse Party!

When: Next Saturday the 28th of March
Time: 7-9 pm
Where: My house - if you need the address, let me know!
Who is invited: You are and anyone you know!

Designer Inspired Purses similar to:
· Prada
· Coach
· Kate Spade
· Brighton
· Dooney & Bourke
· Louis Vuitton & More
· Wallets & Key Finders too!

Purses range from $2 - $48! Great prices and great styles with The Purse Lady! Come and have fun and find a new purse for the new season! Also there is a bargain box where everything is under $26.

Do you love purses? Then come check out a selection of over 100 purses—plus, wallets and key finders! With such a large selection, you’re bound to find your favorite! Purses will be available at the open house; if you plan to buy, please bring checks or cash as The Purse Lady cannot accept credit cards at this time!

If you blog stock me, now is a great time to come and see me in person! Invite all your family and friends too!

My many memories of....

2009-03-16T12:56:00.002-06:00

When I finished my mission, my mom and 2 older sisters came to pick me up. I remember exactly where we were when they said to me that there were two things that they didn't write to me while I was on my mission because they knew they would upset me. The first was a funny thing - the second did make me sad. It was the day I was told that John Denver had died in a plane crash! I still feel sad! He was an amazing song writer and singer. My biggest regret is that I never had the opportunity to see him in concert. It would have been so amazing. I love how happy all of his songs are and the messages are so beautiful. The other night on KUED they had a tribute to John and I recorded it and have watched it a few times. I just love his music. At my wedding lunch we had a little music time. Chris sang and played on his guitar "The Power of Two" from the Indigo Girls (love, love that song and the Indigo Girls). My dad and I sang together the duet "Perhaps Love" by John and Luciano Pavarotti. My dad has always thought he was Pavarotti and I have always been John Denver. So we sang the duet that way! Chris had no idea of my love of John! Over the last 10 years he has started to understand! Don't ask me my favorite song because there would be no way of narrowing it down to less than 20 songs! I sure am missing John Denver today!Music beats to the rhythm of my soul! It fills me!

Cast off!

2009-03-08T18:40:00.005-06:00

Ahoy matey's! Well the day came for the cast off! Tessa had her casts removed on Thursday! Here are some pictures showing the big event!
Yeah they are coming off today!!
Here we go!
Cutting, cutting...
More cutting, the vibration sure tickles!
One leg down, one to go! Sure is a skinny leg with lots of extra skin!
All free!

Tessa is happy that the casts have come off. She has been very cold though! With everything in life, when one door slams in your face, another door opens! Meaning, our sleepless nights have continued and have gotten worse. Tessa's poor little legs are stiff and the muscles are very sore. She cramps a lot and is not too happy. She does seem to be getting better every day, but slowly! I do dream that one day I will start dreaming again! Till then, we will continue to endure like always! Sorry - sometimes it is hard to have a great attitude - especially with no sleep! Only can go up from here!

Pay it forward!

2009-03-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet (but Heaven knows it will most likely be totally fabulous and creative... :). I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Kinda scary I know!!

Check!

2009-02-23T15:15:00.004-07:00

A few random things!

1. After not sleeping yet again because Tess is too uncomfortable, I needed a reminder of how much I love that little girl! I got a new camera this week - see, Chris does love me! It has taken some great pictures! Here are a few, including I think the best picture I have ever taken of Tessa. My old camera had the double flash and so she was always squinting by the time the picture actually took. This new camera, click and instantly the picture takes! Love it!! There is included a picture of how uncomfortable Tessa looks in bed and of Elise smiling as cute as ever!

2. I rearranged my family room today. I sigh in relief at how much better this makes me feel. I need change in my life! Even if it is just rearranging a room, it helps me feel better and relaxed! Amazing! If you would like to see the new room, come on over! I can always use a visitor!

3. A couple of nights ago Chris was telling Elise a bed time story like every night. Then I could hear Elise just crying. I went in and she is so worried we are going to have a hurricane, volcano eruption, an earthquake or a tormado (tornado) come by any second! The girl is obsessed with natural disasters! She was too tired for her own curiosity that night! She makes me laugh with all of her questions about disasters! I think she is a little crazy - I know, not new news!! Love that girl~!

Where did we go wrong?

2009-02-17T18:26:00.001-07:00

We were watching a movie the other night when a boy and girl give each other a long kiss. Here is the conversation that followed:

Elise: Ew, why would they kiss?
Me: Because they are in love.
Elise: It is still gross.
Me: Well daddy and I kiss because we love each other.

At this point every thing looks good.

A few minutes later...

Elise: Well, I love my cousins!!

Have we not taught this child anything?? Where did we fail???

The Orange Whale

2009-02-06T16:59:00.003-07:00

I had a dream the other night. I was on a beach and all these people were yelling for help. There were whales stranded on the beach and they wanted help pushing the whales back to sea so they didn't die. They were just little whales so they were easy to push. I started pushing the whales out to sea. I came upon this bright orange whale and started pushing it. Then, our eyes met. We had a moment and I realized that we were totally in love with each other. I loved that orange whale with all my heart. People kept coming and trying to push it back to sea, but I kept stopping them. Couldn't they understand how in love we were??

Every time I think of this dream, I start to laugh, pretty hard. I was heart throbbing, drooling in love with a bright orange whale. I love that dreams can be so funny. This one was great! It has kept me happy for a week now!

So...what are some of your funniest dreams that you have had??

P.S. Chris says in now way should he be compared to a huge orange whale!!

2 Tag

2009-01-30T13:18:00.002-07:00

2 favorite names: Josie so cute and Jonas like the bros. Perfect twin names! Ha HA!

2 favorite months: Anytime there is no snow and anytime there is no snow!

2 favorite foods (and you can't say Pizza): homemade chicken noodle soup and Bajios!

2 favorite nuts: allergic!

2 favorite stores: Kohl's and Walmart?

2 favorite activities: exercising is so relaxing and being with the fam

2 favorite huggers: I love my snuggle bugs. Both my girls are so snuggly! Kristie is an amazing hugger and she holds on too!

2 favorite conversationalists (besides spouse): Aleesha I love how honest and candid we can be together. Any of my sisters. They are all really great to talk to anytime!

2 people to tag: Kristie you seem to need a boost. Lisa have you ever been tagged before??

A little funny money!

2009-01-28T13:26:00.002-07:00

I think this is so funny! Elise spent last week with my parents while Tessa had her surgery. One day my mom's credit card went missing. They looked and looked for it! When they were about to cancel it, they asked Elise if she had seen it. She responded by asking if it was blue? She indeed had it and had put it in her suitcase. Her reasoning was that she wanted a credit card too!

After my mom told me this story, I was cleaning Elise's room and what should I find? Chris' credit card! He had a new one come in the mail. I put it on the counter for him to find and activate, etc. He never saw it though! Once again Elise decided she wanted a credit card too and helped herself!

A couple days later Elise was bragging to Chris that she was so rich! She asked if he wanted to see how rich she was, he said yes! She pulled out her piggy bank and on top was 3 $20's. When asked, she couldn't remember where she had gotten them. Later after thinking about it, she remembered they came out of my purse. She just likes money!

We then had a long talk!!! Explaining that all of those times were stealing! If she wants money she can earn it. She said it wasn't stealing, just borrowing and that she really doesn't want money if it means she has to earn it! Also, she acknowledged maybe her way of getting money wasn't the right way! So we are now all richer again and she is poor! Cute little Elise!!!

The long and winding post!

2009-01-23T15:07:00.009-07:00

Oh has the past week been way too busy! Here are a few of the highlights!

To start, it was Elise's birthday! My baby has turned 6 if you can believe it! How has she gotten so old so quickly! I just love Elise and her enthusiasm for life! Nothing is dull with Elise around. She had a great party and chose Old McDonald's for dinner (Mandy - we got lucky and there was only us and one other small family there, seemed less old sock smelly!). So cute! So sweet!

Next was Tessa's surgery. For those who don't know about it, I will explain. Tessa's inner thigh muscles were too tight because of her Cerebral Palsy. Because of this her legs pulled together and even crossed. The pulling was causing her hips to be out of socket. So we went and they loosened the muscles in her inner thighs by cutting the muscles and then stretching them. She is in casts from the thighs down to the toes with a bar in the middle to hold everything stretched open. This will stretch the muscles and help the hips to then be in place. She came through the surgery great! They really stretched the muscles which is a bit painful. She is thoroughly doped up and higher than a kite and happy because of it. We are happy to be home and not sleeping at the hospital!! I do have to say Shriner's hospital is amazing. They took care of Tessa with such gentleness and love. It is an amazing place. Thanks to the wonderful people who cared for Tessa!

In the middle of Tessa's 4 day hospital stay was Chris' birthday. Not his best to say the least! He did get to enjoy the day with me and a sad little Tessa! What more could you want for a birthday! He may be a day older, but that only makes him a day greater! Here he is as the birthday boy!

One nice thing was we were able to watch the inauguration from start to finish and everything in between. It was very interesting to say the least. It was also a little fun to watch. There was a lot of things that I didn't know about, the presents for example. It is good at least to see so many people united again. Maybe the president bashing can be stopped for a little while. Let's try on giving the president a little support at least! Interesting!

An amazing family experience!

2009-01-16T10:53:00.002-07:00

If you are looking for an amazing family experience to share with your family, I have one for you (at least if you live in Utah). Last night we took the girls to the open house for the Draper temple. It was so amazing. The temple was beautiful. We went in and were waiting in a room before we started and I leaned into Elise and told her to pay special attention to how her heart felt while she was in the temple. I told her if she did she would feel the Holy Ghost and know that the temple is a special place. We sat there for just a minute and then she leaned into me and said she could already feel it in her heart. The temple does have an amazing feeling about it. All ages can attend and it is well worth the drive. You can get tickets by following this link. You will not regret the decision to share this with your children. It was a great way to help Elise and Tessa understand where we go when we go to the temple. Elise said the sealing room was her favorite part. Seeing the mirrors reflect eternity was amazing and beautiful. I loved the discussion on temple marriage we had after. Also she was so excited to see the baptismal font with the oxen below. Now she can't wait until she is 12 and can do baptism. I am so glad we took the time and the opportunity to teach our children about the temple!!

Let's be clear!

2009-01-07T17:00:00.003-07:00

I will NOT be following Elise's advice for the new year! We are not opposed to more kids, but I am not ready to go through 6 months of anorexia and bulimia! Plus - Tessa is still way too much stress and work. Thank you for all the support we would have received if we were to follow Elise's advice! If you feel really strong about us needing a new baby, start praying to the Lord for less stress in our lives! Thanks! We will keep you posted on if we happen to receive a kick in the head by the Lord. Until then, sorry, no babies!

Resolutions???

2009-01-05T13:13:00.002-07:00

So, a few things - Christmas was great!! We played and played and didn't come home for 2 weeks! That is how it should be - no sleep and lots of pretending we are young and can go, go, go!

Next, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a goal oriented person. I don't even understand how to make a goal. Instead, just do the stuff. If I make it a goal, I can unmake it a goal too easily. So I will stick with doing things at the fly of my silly head. Having said that - I would like to do some things this year! Maybe that is a goal, I am so confused! So here I go, shouting from my roof top everything I want or don't want to be accountable for this year (don't worry Aleesha, that's just me yelling outside)!!

1. Got to get all those "family" things going better and more consistent. I make time for my personal "church" stuff, but we are hit, hit, miss, miss, hit in the family department. My kids need to know how important this all is in their lives. They learn from me, I better do better!

2. I have started on the exercise thing and have loved it! Just wanting to keep going. But, I need to stop criticizing my less than perfect spots and concentrate on what is looking good! I don't want my girls to grow up with my insecurities!

3. Breathe deeper. Enjoy more. Worry less. I can't change where I am, only how I react to it.

Side note: I asked Elise what I should accomplish this year. She lectured me for about 5 minutes how I needed to get busy and have another baby. How we really need one since we don't have any and she really wants a bigger family!!!! I don't think in the future I will ask Elise what I should be doing, nor am I completely willing to follow her orders this year!!

Also, I am looking for skirts for a little girl size 3T. Tessa is having surgery on the 20th and will be in casts from waist to ankle. I think the best clothing option would be long, flowing skirts. If you have any you would be willing to loan, or know somewhere I can buy some for cheap, I am taking suggestions!!

Second day of Christmas!

2008-12-23T15:56:00.002-07:00

On the second day of Christmas I am feeling a little tired and grumpy. So, I am thankful that President Monson gave a talk in the 2008 October conference on gratitude. This way even though I wasn't feeling it, I was able to read his talk and think of things, though small, that I am grateful for having. We are ok - Elise just has the stomach flu again. Poor girl!! So sleep was scarce combined with Tessa's normal non-sleeping patterns! I am thankful my sister and family came to stay for a few days. I am thankful my girls are so sweet. I do love them so much! I am thankful for all the reminders to have an "attitude of gratitude."

Third day of Christmas!

2008-12-22T20:57:00.002-07:00

On the third day of Christmas I am thankful for the three wise men. Theirs was such a powerful yet simple testimony of the Saviors birth. An angel appears and they believed the message. Then with such powerful faith they went seeking the birth of Jesus. I wonder how they must have felt as the angel appeared. Then when they found Christ, what strength of confirmation they must have felt. Then the scriptures record they went and told others. What a great example to follow. Go wisemen!!

Forth day of Christmas!

2008-12-21T19:12:00.002-07:00

On the forth day of Christmas I am thankful for the opportunity I have to teach Relief Society each month. Oh I have loved this calling. Especially that I get to teach from the General Conference talks from the Prophet and Apostles. I have learned so much from each of the talks I have taught from. I loved my last calling also. I loved playing the piano for the primary. I am amazed at how much I have grown from each calling I am called to. I love learning principles that help me grow. The gospel is amazing that way. I can learn daily from the lessons taught as I reflect on what was taught.

Fifth day of Christmas!

2008-12-20T21:20:00.002-07:00

On the fifth day of Christmas I am most thankful for my sweet family! I am married to a wonderful man who is very kind and loving. He cares for all of us girls with such care. He really supports me and keeps me sane. Elise is very fun loving and keeps us laughing. She is very creative. She loves to sing, dance and draw. She definitely got her grandpa's art skills (my father-in-law is an artist by trade). Tessa is our little sweet heart. She is loving and keeps us smiling. She can be stressful, but by far she has been a blessing to our family. We have all learned so much by going with her through her journey. I am very blessed to have a great family. In our trials it is so great to have such loving support. I love them all!!

Sixth day of Christmas!

2008-12-19T16:43:00.003-07:00

Well, for those of you in Utah, the sixth day of Christmas I am thankful for snow! Yeah! It has snowed all day long. This brings me to something I really love about living in Utah. I love having 4 seasons. Winter is beautiful and white. Springs is rainy and starts to green. Summer is hot and fun. Fall is colorful and cools down. I just love how beautiful the world is and all of the seasons in it. There are days I wish for a different season than the one I am in, but overall I love the seasons and the beauty therein! What a great creation!

Eighth and Seventh Days of Christmas!

2008-12-18T16:57:00.004-07:00

So, I kind of missed yesterday! Some days are just like that! So I will write two today!

Eighth day of Christmas I asked Elise what she was thankful for - which was fun. First she is thankful for our house because it is awfully cold outside and would not want to be out there. Second she is thankful for clothes because otherwise we would have to go naked and that would not be modest. To be sure! Third she is thankful for her daddy because he is weird, but is so great! Fourth she is thankful for Tessa because she is so cuddly wuddly snuggly! From here she named everything in sight. That girl is super grateful! Yes, those are direct quotes!

Seventh day of Christmas I have to say would have been different than what I would have thought earlier today. Isn't it amazing how sometimes the Lord really prepares you for what you are going to have to endure next! Tessa went to the doctor today and is going to have to have surgery on her hips. From there we are lucky enough to then get 6 weeks of her wearing a cast from hip to ankles. Now - last week I would have been stressed and upset. But the Lord has really prepared me this week for this news. I was able to work through some feelings this week so that I am in a place where I can see this surgery as a blessing. So, I am thankful the Lord prepares us for life and it's challenges. I am really blessed!!

Ninth day of Christmas!

2008-12-16T15:09:00.002-07:00

On the ninth day of Christmas I am thankful for a time of year when we can give presents. I think that gift giving has gotten a bad rap lately (and I am not talking about rapping paper!). Sure, it is not the only reason for the season, but it is an honorable reason too. It is a time when we can be charitable to those we love. There is nothing wrong with that. Should we over spend and stress about it - no. We should enjoy shopping and choosing gifts our love one's will enjoy. The gift should say "I love you" not you are worth $47.95 to me. So go and buy those gifts and enjoy the happiness it will bring!

Tenth day of Christmas!

2008-12-15T21:11:00.002-07:00

So I had a hard time coming up with something to do with the number 10. Maybe the number thing is not going to work as well as I would have liked it to. Thanks to Diana for helping me think of something to do with the number 10. I am thankful that I served a mission 10 years ago. I was blessed to be able to serve in Portugal. It was a hard mission, but great blessings come from hard trials. I am so grateful that I was able to learn so much while serving that has helped me throughout my life since. I learned to recognize the Holy Spirit's promptings. I learned patience and compassion for others. I learned how to turn to the Lord when I need help. I can't say that it was the "best 2 years of my life," but I can say that it had a greater influence of righteousness on my life than anything else I have done. Do you have to go on a mission to learn all of that? No! But I did. I needed to have a fiery conversion so that when life became hard, I knew I was fully converted. I would not, nor could I turn away from the Lord and not know that it is wrong. I guess there has to come to a point in your life where you can say that no matter what, it is true and I will live by the principles of the gospel. That is what I gained from serving a mission.

Eleventh day of Christmas!

2008-12-14T13:56:00.002-07:00

On the eleventh day of Christmas I am most thankful for 11 siblings who I love so much! The eleven is a combination between my family and Chris'. We also have many amazing in-laws who I consider as good as born-in. We love to get together with all of our family and just be together. Almost every summer we go on vacation with all or some of my family. The locations are always fun and being with the family is the best part. My family has started calling me the vacation planner. I love getting to travel with them and have fun. This last fall we went to Disneyland. It was a week of bliss. No, everyone isn't happy at all times, but the memories we make are amazing. All I have to say is Tower of Terror to start laughter in the family. Chris' family is also a lot of fun. We always have these amazing dinners together. Then we congregate into two groups, the cute gals and the geeky boys! The laughter is great!! I can't imagine my life without all of our family! I know I can turn to any of them any time for any support. What could be better?? I love you all!!

The twelfth day of Christmas!

2008-12-13T18:00:00.003-07:00

On the twelfth day of Christmas I am most thankful for 12 (or more) friends! When we moved here 5 1/2 years ago our neighborhood was quite empty. I soon found myself rather lonely! It has been so much fun to meet so many great friends over the years. I now can walk anywhere in my neighborhood and farther out of my neighborhood and find many friends. I love that I have also been able through blogging to re-connect with other friends that I have made throughout my life. Friendship makes all of life's hiccups tolerable. I know countless people I can call on who will help at a moments notice. I love getting to go out with the girls here and there and laugh the night away. I love all the memories we make year to year. I love having people around who like me as I am. I love learning new ways of doing things and being more creative. So thank you to all my friends close and far away! You are a great blessing in my life!

12 days of Christmas!

2008-12-11T12:56:00.004-07:00

I decided that to focus a little more on the good of life I want to do the 12 days of Christmas posts. Every day I hope to find something that I am truly grateful for and write a post on it. If you would like to join in on the celebration, please do. Reading why other people are happy makes me happy too! It will start on Saturday and go through Christmas. I plan on making this a family affair too. Hopefully this will help teach my girls one of the meanings of Christmas. Gratitude. I also want them to feel the strength that enters our lives when we give as Christ gave. What a great gift!!

I am the greatest cookie maker ever!!

2008-12-10T14:27:00.003-07:00

I made Snickerdoodles last night for a cookie exchange I went to at a friends house. We all made cookies and then exchanged one with each other. I received a lot of yummy cookies. So this morning Elise wanted a cookie. She went to the plate of cookies and looked them all over. Then she proceeded to choose one of the cookies that I made. She chose my cookies! She said she just loves my cookies. I am the greatest cookie maker ever!! Who knew!

Fall first

2008-12-01T13:02:00.003-07:00

Remember the first time you jumped into a big pile of leaves? So do my girls!!

Sneak peak of family photo's

2008-11-25T10:29:00.004-07:00

This weekend we took some family pictures. Here is a sneak peak that the photographer posted for us to see. I can't wait to see them all. It was stressful and took 2 days to get pictures! Kids never smile on cue. My kids do cry on cue though, every time I say smile for a picture, they cry! I am just glad to have some pictures!

My secret

2008-11-20T09:51:00.004-07:00

So I have had a secret for a while now that I am ready to share with everyone. I have had a huge crush on this really cute guy. I have had this crush for 9 years now. He is just so cute!! He is so kind and makes me laugh. I don't think he realizes how big of a crush I have on him!! Recently I have taken my crush to a new level. I have started stalking him. When he isn't home I lay on his side of the bed. Also, I sneak into his side of the bathroom cabinet and smell his cologne. Oh, he smells so good! I am so nervous that he is going find out. I would be so embarrassed! But I am ready to reveal who my secret crush is on...sshhh...it's my husband Chris. Don't tell him ok? I just love being married to him. It is so awesome!

Today we have been married for 9 years. It has been a fun and wild ride full of surprises and laughs. Here are some of my favorite things about Chris that I love.

1. Chris is the best dad. He reads stories to the girls every night. They get laughing at the stories so hard that I can hear them from the other side of the house. The girls are so hyper by the time the stories end. He doesn't tell short stories either. He is in there for about an hour most nights.

2. Chris is very kind. He is always doing things for me that are so thoughtful. In the evenings when he knows I am tired, he will do chores around the house so that I have less to do the next day. He often cleans the kitchen in the evenings. That is after he has made dinner too. He is always looking for ways to lighten my load.

3. Chris is very supportive. He looks for things that I do well and then encourages me to do better. He always gives excellent compliments that are very thought out and complicated. If it is important to me, Chris makes it a priority.

4. Chris is hot!

5. Chris has a really cute "I am in trouble" smile. I can always tell when he is trying to bluff. He gets the funniest smile on his face that blows his cover. I love being able to know what he is up to all of the time.

So now that you all know my secret crush, you have to keep my secret! I am soooo in love with Chris.

Sharpest tool in the shed!

2008-11-13T13:51:00.004-07:00

It is official, Elise is the sharpest tool in the shed. We had Parent Teacher conference and she is the best. She received highest marks on every possible topic. She is bright and cute! It is good because of all the other things we are enduring with her. I am glad that at least at school she is perfect. So here are a few of her not so sharp items!

1. You can't get this girl to eat. I do not know how she didn't starve to death years ago. She can't possibly get enough calories to sustain life in the little she eats. We fight daily about meals until Chris and I feel like we are going to have aneurisms!

2. She thinks that she should be able to be naked all of the time. When she bathes it is for hours. The water is freezing when she is forced out of the tub. Then the real fight begins. She sees no need to get dressed, even if we have somewhere to go. The worst part is she thinks we are totally unreasonable in thinking she should get dressed. The flip side is that she has become aware that people shouldn't see her naked. So she uses her hands to cover whichever part she thinks is the most embarrassing for the day. Her poses can get pretty funny.

She does make up for the daily struggles with cute things too! I love Elise and all of her dancing. She dances to all commercials and music. Here she is with her handsome dance partner! Too cute! I love the girl to pieces, even without food or clothing!!

Elections!

2008-11-05T13:06:00.002-07:00

We had a lot of fun for election day this year. Elise has been very interested in who will be our next president. She wanted to know who we were voting for and why. It was fun to discuss all of this with her and see her enthusiasm. So this morning she excitedly asked who was our new president, McCain or as she calls him, AllObama? We let her know it was AllObama. She was glad and said that is who she would have voted for. Then very seriously she asked a very good question. To preface the question, I would like to thank Nick Jensen for his influence on this question since Elise said it was Nikyla who told her this little bit of information. So, she asked if AllObama stole babies and then killed them? We let her know the truth that yes he did!! Ha Ha, we actually told her no he didn't. This brought relief to her and she was happy with the election results!!

On another note - very happy that California said yes to Prop 8 and made marriage between man and woman. I am glad people went to vote on this important decision. Chris says it is lucky because now California won't sink into the sea!!

Happy Halloween- Like a few days ago!

2008-11-02T13:08:00.006-07:00

We had a great time this year trick or treating! We went to our neighborhood trunk or treat and scored big as usual. After Elise and I went to 3 houses and then the rain began and we went home! I think Elise would have kept on in the rain, but I wimped out! It was still a lot of fun! Here are our pictures of the day! Elise was a good witch - she emphasized the good part over and over. Tessa as normal was an angel. She looked sweet as always - maybe some day we will get a picture of her with her eyes open! Chris dressed normal, as a flasher. Don't worry folks, no cops were called as he kept everything behind the coat! Whew! I decided to be a skier in honor of the quickly coming snow this year!

Pumpkin night!

2008-10-28T17:26:00.006-06:00

We had a great time last night carving our pumpkins. The girls really thought it was great - so did Chris. I enjoyed as well. The girls were so funny about scraping the guts out of the pumpkins. Elise could hardly stand the guts on her hands. While Tessa loved the feel of the guts on her hands. It was fun to see the designs that Elise drew on the pumpkins too.
As you can see we did have one mishap during the night. Evidently this guy got a little sick after seeing so many of his friends cut open and scooped clean!!

Quirks

2008-10-23T21:36:00.002-06:00

Yes, I fully realize I should be blogging about my vacation, but I haven't got there yet!! Instead I got tagged to do a 7 quirks about me tag! So here are just a few!!

1. I have a problem, a big problem with public bathrooms. I will go far out of my way to hold it until I can reach a home bathroom. You may ask what I do on road trips? Hold it until it hurts and then hang high!!

2. I do not under any circumstance share milk. I can share any other drink (as long as I don't think about the back wash issues) except for milk. There is no reason to share milk, not even bites from cold cereal! Think of the phlem!!

3. I will not scrape the toothpaste to the last drop. If you can't just squeeze and have it come out, throw it away! Luckily for all of you conservers, Chris will scrape it to the last drop. I just open a new tube and let him scrape to his delight!

4. I have a really hard time letting anyone fold my laundry. I do it just right with all of the seams aligning and the clothes then are perfect to put in drawers. Elise has started wanting to fold the clothes with me. I simply let her, then re-fold it when she isn't looking!

5. Immediately when I awaken, I must, must, must go straight to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I can not stand night mouth. I fully realize that I will very quickly eat breakfast after that and need to re-brush my teeth, but it is worth it for the non night mouth issue. Maybe that is why our toothpaste runs low!

6. I hate to be late. I am sometimes late, especially in the morning, but I hate it. I would rather be 10 minutes early than 1 minute late. I don't care if you arrive late to things though!! The one time I can be late is if I have to get up early. I guess sleep trumps being on time.

7. I seriously can't handle ants. I hate them. I hate to even see them. Most people don't like spiders, I agree. But think about it - if you see a spider, it is one spider. If you see ants, it is 10 hundred thousand of them. Never does one ant crawl on you but, again, 10 hundred thousand crawl all over you. They are horrible!!! Horrible!! They really provide little use and could have been left out of the creation!!

So if you would like to list your quirks, please do! I hope this is to your reading delight and you don't think I am too crazy. I realize most of you are just as quirky, but maybe not as willing to list them!!

Easy and Yummy Cookies!

2008-09-30T16:43:00.002-06:00

You all know my inability and desire to cook - so here it goes! I found and made and rather enjoyed a cookie recipe I found in one of Elise's story books. Here is the recipe!

Snickerdoodles

1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mash butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture, and stir until well combined.
3. Mix cinnamon and sugar on plate. Roll pieces of the dough into one-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about 30 cookies.

Very easy and very tasty to the taste buds!

Also, I saw a blog that I thought some of you would maybe want to do with me. It is a blog where you let a lot of people post ideas on. It is solely dedicated to good, fun, easy, or yummy recipes. I could set it up and then anyone can join and start adding recipes. If you are interested in joining, let me know and I will get it going and let you in on the password and stuff to start posting recipes.

Tessa's haircut!

2008-09-25T14:27:00.005-06:00

Tessa got her first official haircut today. I know, she is 3 and should have had one sooner, but it just didn't happen! I think she looks darling now. Her hair has just enough wave that it just folds under nicely! We also cut in some bangs for something new! Thanks Erin for doing such a great job! Here are some pictures of the process and after. Do you like how her eyes are shut in almost every picture? I have got to get a camera with only one flash instead of two.

Now and Then

2008-09-23T12:16:00.006-06:00

My sister posted a question and answer that got me thinking of now and then. Here is the question, How is your life different now than you thought it would be when you pictured it 10 years ago?

It is a lot the same, the biggest difference is Tessa. She sure has thrown my life for a fun and interesting loop! I have learned so much from my little pumpkin. She keeps me busy - which is really a good thing for me. I thought I would have more than 2 children - not many more though. I didn't foresee that I would be home without any children this early in life. I have to say also that though I really was in love with Chris, I didn't know how great of a husband that he would turn out to be. He really takes care of our family. I know most people feel the mom is the glue that holds the family together, but Chris is our glue. He just really takes care of us. I love him more now than I thought I could. I am very lucky I snagged him in my hot days! I always tell him I married him for his potential money worth, but I got more than money could buy with him!

So how is your life the same or different than you imagined it 10 years ago?

Times are a changing!

2008-09-19T16:08:00.003-06:00

You may have noticed I changed my background. Well, my other one was my spring background and if you hadn't noticed, spring is officially over! In fact, if you haven't noticed, summer is almost over! Elise has been watching excitedly for all of the signs and colors of fall. I think fall may be her favorite season of the year. It is pretty I have to admit. My only problem with it is that it leads to winter. The dreaded winter!! So - here is my new fall background. I would say I will let you know when winter comes, but most likely I will tell you when spring arrives again!!

Poor sick kids!

2008-09-15T14:03:00.002-06:00

My poor little babes are sick! They have both had a cold all weekend. It would be ok except neither are "good" sick kids. They are both extremely grumpy! Elise doesn't realize that if she would just sit down and rest a little she would feel a little better. They seem to be on the up, so hopefully they will be better and make it to school tomorrow.

Elise and I have had the funniest conversations today. For example:

Elise: When is Santa Claus going to die?

Me: I don't know.

Elise: Well, is he really real, or is he fake and never going to die? Cause you know he has a grey beard now and that means he's really, really old.

Me: I don't know.

Elise: Just tell me (exasperated with me at this point)!

Me: I DON'T KNOW!!!

I could go on and on with her new and profound questioning. I had to go talk to her kindergarten teacher on Friday. She came home last week every day and complained that some boys were picking on her. They would spit and put their elbows in her at circle time. We would brain storm daily how to solve this problem and send her on her way again. It did not get better and by Friday she said she didn't want to go to school with those boys anymore. I decided to nip it in the bud and talk with her teacher. She knew of the problem and has been trying to stop it. She also said she would move Elise's desk. I probably overreacted a tad - but no one picks on my girl. Next time - I will advise her to fight it out - get sent to the principal's office - make those boys cry!!! Or not!

Am I being unreasonable??

2008-09-10T13:04:00.003-06:00

To start this post, I just want to say that I think minivans are just fine if it is something you are happy to be driving. I hold no personal grudges against them or people who drive them. Now I will start!

We are needing to get a new car that will hold Tessa's wheelchair better. We have been to every type of car dealership there is with few car choices. We want a car/SUV/whatever that will hold the chair standing up so that it is easier for me to lift it into the car. The chair weighs a ton! I realize that it would fit great in a minivan, but I don't want a minivan. I have never wanted a minivan and will probably never want one either. Am I being so unreasonable? Can't I decide like everyone else what kind of car I like and want to drive? Then how come all of the car dealers look at me with shock and doubt when I say I don't want a minivan? Is it so hard to believe that someone would not like to drive a minivan?

I will not buy a minivan Sam I am!!

By the way - I liked the piano this guy makes! The song is pretty cool!

Sudden burst of Freedom!

2008-09-03T13:18:00.002-06:00

This week has been so much fun! I feel so relaxed! After playing all weekend - and extended at that - school starting for good feels great. I was so stressed last week sending Tessa to school. It just made me nervous all of the time. I was trying to be there and at home for Elise and my schedule was way too busy. Over the weekend I realized I needed to not be Nemo's dad - I just needed to let go! As scary as it is sometimes to let go and fall into the whale's stomach, it was the right thing to do. Tessa is absolutely loving school and thriving by being there. She comes home so happy and excited each day. I get to spend all morning playing with Elise too. She told me that I am a lot nicer mom this week than I was last week. After I send Elise to school, I get time to myself each day. I am now seeing how much I really needed some time to just be by myself and think and feel. I am a lot more relaxed and happier too. I am also excited to see my kids return from school each day and spend time with them instead of counting down the minutes until Chris gets home from work because I am tired of my kids. I know all days won't feel this way and that soon I need to start helping in both classrooms, but I will enjoy this week and these feelings for now! I am glad to feel like me again!! Welcome back Yowanda!!!

First day of school

2008-08-26T13:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for Elise and Tessa. It was good, bad and very ugly! I know, what a day. Let's start with the good. I took Tessa to school first. I have been very anxious and scared of her starting. I think it is because she is so little and defenseless and gone for so long each day. Of course she adapted just fine and enjoyed her day. Elise had just a one hour preview of Kindergarten. She was very excited before and after. She can't wait until next week when she gets to go every day. She says already her teacher is the greatest.

The bad. Tessa is riding the bus home this year to save me 40 minutes of driving each day. She gets out of school at 2:30, she got home at 4:00. That was way too long of a bus ride home! They are going to change what route she is on to see if that will help her get home faster. It was cute, they said she was so excited to get on the bus. When they put her wheelchair on the lift of the bus she had a smile from ear to ear. They also said she laughed out loud all the way home! That is good! Also bad - Elise's hair the first day of school. The ugly will explain that situation!~

The ugly. I left Tessa's school with plenty of time to get home, eat lunch, do Elise's hair and get to Kindergarten. Instead, the guy in front of me on the way home slammed his brakes in the middle of an intersection because he could see down the street an ambulance coming. I however did not see the ambulance and slammed into the guy in front of me. Can we say fender bender?? We waited for the police to come and waited and waited. Finally I called and Chris combed Elise's hair with her rooster tail from cutting her own hair sticking straight up and took her to school. I really was sad. I wanted to take her. I arrived late and a bit frazzled to say the least. I got there - that is what matters most.

The Answers

2008-08-22T21:04:00.003-06:00

You how know sometimes you get just what you need when you needed it? Here is what I needed in response to my first blog today. My Aunt Davetta sent this to me unknowingly that I needed it. It is pretty good!!

Lost and Found
by Hilary Weeks

Our Sunday School teacher’s son, Steven, lost his hamster recently. The family prayed and looked for the hamster all day until finally at eleven o’clock at night, they offered one more prayer. With flashlight in hand, Steven’s dad went downstairs for one more hopeful attempt at locating the beloved hamster. There it was - hiding under the stairs! Steven told his dad that now he knew Heavenly Father answers prayers. And at that moment Steven’s uncle called to see if the hamster had been found. The relieved uncle shared his testimony with Steven – Heavenly Father hears us when we pray and is anxious to send answers and bless us. He then recalled a story from his own boyhood when he prayed and Heavenly Father helped him find his baseball mitt.

As our Sunday School teacher shared this lost and found experience, I remembered when my younger brother lost his retainer. He must have taken it out while eating or brushing his teeth and forgot to put it back in. We couldn’t afford a new one. Finding it was crucial. So my mom knelt in prayer, pleading for Heaven’s help. Concluding her prayer, as she began to stand, she felt something under her knee. You know what happened next…she looked and it was my brother’s retainer. I bet you and everyone you know has had an experience like Steven, his uncle or my mom. Everyone has lost something – their car keys, a shoe, an earring. It is amazing what a high success rate there is in finding what has been lost when Heavenly Father is invited to get involved. Steven gained a testimony that Heavenly Father helps us find the things we lose. As a boy, Steven’s uncle received that same testimony. Now they both know they can ask God for help and God will care enough to respond. I know it too.

In His wisdom, Heavenly Father starts with helping us find the small things – car keys, hamsters, wedding rings, baseball gloves – so that we will believe and trust that He will help us find the big things we sometimes lose – faith, confidence, hope, peace, our way… We don’t mean to. We don’t intend to lose hope or start the day thinking, “I am going to lose a little faith today.” But sometimes it happens. A difficult trial, a heart-breaking experience, hurt, anger, exhaustion – any number of things can shake our faith or even cause us to lose it.

But Heavenly Father knows how to help us find those things. He knows how much we want and need them back. He knows how long we search and where we should go. Somehow it seemed perfectly natural to ask for His help when we have lost our proverbial hamsters. In fact, it was probably our first response. We looked for a minute or two, but knew the best thing we could do was ask God. Get his help. He would know where it was hiding and how to find it again.
I can’t see much difference when we lose something a little bigger – a little more important to us. Asking for God’s help should be our first response. Get His help. He knows how to restore what has been lost. And sure enough, what once was lost is always found.

School starting!

2008-08-22T16:48:00.001-06:00

I think that school starting is way too stressful! I might just hide under the covers and keep my kids home - they wouldn't mind right??? I know once it starts and we get on a schedule I won't be stressed. I think I have no ability to cope with life events anymore. Maybe a box of ice-cream would help? No ice-cream in the house! I guess I will have to do something healthy like take a walk. Bummer!!

A few things...

2008-08-11T14:53:00.004-06:00

First, I actually felt like AND enjoyed cooking dinner last night. I think that may have been the first time ever!!! I made yummy lasagna. Maybe I enjoyed it because after church I wanted to be comfy so I put on Chris' gym shorts and t-shirt. I think they just duped me into thinking I felt like cooking. Chris told me I was welcome to wear his clothes any time if it meant I did more of the cooking!! When you get over the shock you just received, move on to number two!

Second, I have watched a lot of the Olympics so far and have really enjoyed it. It always reminds me of the good old days when Kristen, Melinda and I trained together for the winter Olympics. We trained in ice-skating, so it is a little different. I think it is safe to say we have all retired now. But those were fun times. Here's to you Ploppy!!

Third, Elise went to school last week for registration and found out her teacher will be Mrs. Peters. She is very excited but maybe a little nervous. After registration we had a little tiff going to the car. As we got in the car she said, "I don't want to go to school, it will just be boring." Now, if you know Elise at all, you know she is not only going to like school, but she will love it! So I asked her what she wanted to do instead and she said she just wanted to go back to pre-school. She is once again very excited to go and is counting down the days, but now I know the nerves are there and can address them before school starts. My baby is growing up!!

Forth, I hate it that every time I mop my kitchen floor that juice immediately gets spilled. Drives me crazy. No matter what there are always sticky spots that linger! Crazy I tell you!! (In a pirate voice) Arrggh it drives me nuts!

I fell better, don't you!

South Weber Days fun

2008-08-06T17:12:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we had the Little Miss Pageant for South Weber Days. Elise loved learning the dance and walking on the promenade. I had a lot of fun being the MC for the event. I loved how cute all the girls looked. My favorite part was my fake pony tail. It was so pretty!!

Yesterday was the Rodeo. Elise rode the sheep again this year. He sheep jumped out of the stall and very quickly went the length of the arena. Elise held on and screamed the entire ride. I think it really scared her this year. She did great though. It gave us a really good laugh. She is brave!!

More pictures!

2008-07-30T19:02:00.006-06:00

Here are the other boxes my sister and I made last week.

Kapp family circus routine. No questions will be answered regarding this picture!!

Boxes

2008-07-28T15:21:00.005-06:00

Last year I bought the cutest box to keep my daughters hair barrettes. I loved the clasp on the front and how clean and tidy it kept everything. Last month I flew to my sisters house and my box was sadfully destroyed in the journey. The box became dented in and the lid would no longer shut. It was a sad day! So while my sister was out last week we made new boxes. She decided she needed one too. We also made 3 others for sisters. I wish I had taken pictures of them all - they were all really cute!! I am very happy with the results and once again everything is put away and looking so cute in the bathroom! Here is a picture of the results. Loving it! If interested, we could have a girls night and make them...just a thought! I know you are all thinking, "Isn't this a little too crafty for Jenny?"

T-birds new wheels!

2008-07-21T14:57:00.006-06:00

The day has finally come. We only ordered the wheelchair in February, but what do you know, July is here and so is the chair. Tessa was very excited when the guy brought the wheelchair in and she got to sit in it for the first time. To Tessa's defense in the pictures, we went swimming with her therapist who really worked her all morning and she was so tired. So the picture of her with her hands up is her signing "all done" and ready for a nap. She did enjoy being in it and it was nice to wheel her around in. Most importantly, it does fit easily in our trunk and we can keep our car. Fun new adventures to say the least! We will take it to Costco this afternoon for the real test of easy accessibility!

Fun little memory tag!

2008-07-16T15:34:00.003-06:00

I thought this was a fun tag. Anyone who wants to do it is welcome and it would be fun to both read your comments and comment on your blog or by e-mail. Have fun!!

Here are the rules.
1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable. If you don't have a blog and don't know how to sign in, please comment as anonymous.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you... either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!
3. If the memory happens to involve my husband, please include him!
4. If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ☺Okay, let's see what you've got!

Vacuums

2008-07-14T11:16:00.005-06:00

My vacuum is quickly coming to the end of its short life. I have looked online, but don't know which vacuum is actually good. So...how do you like your vacuum? Now I am an avid vacuumer (is that a word?), so I need a good vacuum that can live a good hard working life. Let me know if you like yours and would suggest buying it. Don't worry, if you recommend your vacuum and I buy it and I think it is a dud, I'll only hold it against your for forever!!! No pressure!!!

I was searching for a picture of a vacuum and came across a blog that entranced me. She compared vacuuming to forgiveness. I like the comparison. Taking a room and vacumming all of the scraps and bits of dust makes the room feel so much cleaner. Just as when we forgive we clean the little pieces of resentment and pain and let them leave our souls. Then our hearts feel so much cleaner and brighter. Awesome thought, not always easy to apply. Life would be so much easier if I did let the pain leave my heart quicker. Sometimes I like to hold my little grudges of self pity and justice. For my heart to really feel happy though I must learn to quickly let them go. Todays goal: Let it go.

To sleep or not

2008-07-10T09:42:00.002-06:00

So my sweet little Tessa has quit sleeping at night. We were doing great for a while, but things have come to a halt. She has always gotten up about 3:30 to eat, which is ok because she is so skinny and needs the extra calories. She would eat and then go straight back to bed and sleep. Lately though she is getting up a few times a night. I don't even know what to do to stop this. How do you get a 3 year old to start sleeping through the night again?? I would take any suggestions you have. Feel free to discuss this with friends and see if they have any suggestions. I'm tired!!!

Pure love

2008-07-03T14:37:00.003-06:00

Elise helping Tessa run through the sprinklers!!

Sweet baby comes home...

2008-07-02T18:08:00.001-06:00

So last night Elise came back to us. We were so excited as she was also! She has been quite the snuggle bug today. I am glad she is back, at least for a few days. Next Monday starts Grandma camp for a week. Tessa and I will head to California for the week to visit my sister Kristie. But after all of that, the summer is all ours together!!! We played in the pool today - Tessa was in heaven to have Elise splashing her so much. Fun in the sun!!

As for the word verification...had online gambling spamming me A LOT on my blog. So my hand was forced to reinstate the word verification. I hope they are easy as I struggle with them. Good luck my commenting friends!

Missing my baby!

2008-06-27T14:22:00.005-06:00

This post is dedicated to Elise! I am really missing that girl! I left her at my sisters house last week in Colorado and she will come home next week. This is the longest (by far) separation of our lives. My house is ghostly quiet all of the time. There is no one to entertain Tessa. Everything is staying clean. I am quickly running out of things to do with myself. I am glad she is having so much fun with her cousins and that my sister was so generous in letting her stay with them. I sure miss my snuggle bug though!! Love you Elise!!!!

Summer

2008-06-11T17:40:00.002-06:00

So I thought once school was out I would have all of this time on my hands to sit and eat bon bon's. To be honest though, I haven't even had time to buy the bon bon's so I can sit on the couch and eat them! I guess I just need to start being realistic and get used to being busy!

Elise is now officially a kindergartner. If you ask her, she will promptly tell you also! She is so excited. My mom gave her a book to do to keep her skills up for the summer. She loves it. It is the first thing she asks about every morning. "Mom should we go and do my school work now?" I usually reply we should eat breakfast first! I love that she loves to learn.

Tessa went to therapy today and they are going to order her a tricycle that she can ride herself. She loves to ride the tricycles at therapy. I am totally amazed that she can ride herself. We even got to pick out the color - red. She will love riding with all the kids in the cul-de-sac. So fun for the summer!!

Family side note: I loved having you in town Kristie - Brookelyn is getting cuter by the day! I wish we could visit more. I also loved seeing you Melissa and Chloe. I have the cutest nieces! Can't wait to go to Colorado for my niece Courtney's baptism. Elise has been practicing daily so she can sing at the baptism!

Giddy-up!!

2008-05-23T20:46:00.006-06:00

So I am happy to report that Tessa loves to ride horses. This was her second week and she loved it. She gets so excited when we walk into the arena and can see the horses. The volunteers are so great with her also. They help her stretch while riding and have little games for her to play also. By the end of her session her legs are very relaxed and spread farther apart. Her entire body is a lot more relaxed also. The directors keep saying by the end of the summer we are going to be amazed at her increased strength and how more relaxed her muscles will be. They also were surprised at how easily Tessa has adapted to riding the horses. I guess a lot of kids don't really like the horses and the stretching it requires of them at first. Tessa has been very excited and loves the horses.

Also, I am happy to report that Elise is doing pretty good with it all too. She would love to ride the horses of course, but thinks it is just as fun to pet the horses. They are really kind and friendly horses. I still am going to have to give her something fun just for her, but things are going smooth enough!

For all who were wondering if I am getting the mother of the year award or not, the answer is not. These pictures are not of the first week of horse riding because I am such a good mother that I DIDN'T EVEN BRING THE CAMERA THE FIRST WEEK!!!

Reflections of a rainy day!

2008-05-21T13:28:00.002-06:00

Remember when...

1. Rainy days meant playing in the water in the gutters. It was always so warm. We always got a lot of water on our corner and would call it "Lake Peterson" (Peterson is my maiden name). I'm surprised we weren't electrocuted!!

2. Riding bikes was an all day attraction. Now we ride bikes for exercise. Elise can just ride her bike around and around the cult de sac. I love to see her smile as the wind rushes through her hair. It reminds me of that feeling of going so so so fast.

3. I loved windy days as a kid. We had poplar trees in our back yard that were really tall. On a windy day it was so fun to lay on the trampoline and watch the trees blow. It seemed like they would bend down so far I could touch them. Funny thing, we did have micro burst winds one day and I did see those trees touch the ground!

I'll end there for today. I love rainy days knowing that the sun won't be gone for a few months, only a couple of days. Everything gets so green in May - love it!!

The up and up!

2008-05-15T11:25:00.005-06:00

First, thanks for all the words of encouragement and advice to relaxing just a little more! I was having one of those days where life is just a little too overwhelming. For me the sweetest advice was an e-mail from my dad telling me where I could go on TV and DVR some yoga shows. I did record one and do the yoga and it really did give me a nice feeling of relaxation. A plus was the show is only 20 minutes, that is doable for my schedule.

Second, thanks to those who took me exercising and those who told me of great, safe places to go exercising outside. I love finding little trails where you can be outside and breathing deeply. I can't wait to really use all of those trails to get my hiney to quit jiggling! Always the goal!!

Third, I love that Whitney won America's next top model! She has been my favorite for the entire show. She is beautiful, not a size 0, and has a fun personality. I am excited to see her out there working it. That show just makes me want to model. Maybe I just want someone to do my makeup and hair so I look stunning all the time. That would be cool!! I loved this picture of her. I think the best picture was the ad they did for the finally. I couldn't find it online though. She is stunning!!

Time?

2008-05-12T11:59:00.003-06:00

I am seriously asking this question. Is life going to ever slow down enough that I don't feel like I am constantly going crazy or should I just get used to feeling half crazy??

If you have any ideas on how to relax, I'll take them. I think I need to start doing yoga so that I can breath a little more each day. Anybody with a good DVD you would recommend?

I think I am just tired and need to do a little venting, but I am so tired of being tired. I am also tired of never feeling like I get to relax. I run from one thing to another. I know in the future I will get to do the things I want to do and that I need to make good things my priorities - I know all the churchy advice! I just get tired of feeling like I can't get anything done. Kids require so much time!!!!! Blahhhh!!!

I'm done venting, life goes on fast paced as usual!!

American Idol

2008-05-07T21:56:00.003-06:00

As we watched the result show for American Idol, Elise began to tell us how nice of a voice she thought David Archuleta has. She then said she thought he was so cute that she could marry him. She got so embarrassed that she had said that out loud that she had to cover her face. We got a pretty good chuckle out of that one. So cute that she has a little crush! I remember as a child thinking that Matt Dillon and Ralph Macchio were so handsome! It was funny to see who she thought was so cute!!

Things I learned at women's conference!

2008-05-05T15:59:00.002-06:00

1. President Monson rocks! His spirit is amazingly penetrating!
2. Being a mom is great. There are ups and downs, but really I am in the best calling ever!
3. Mean people suck and have a bad spirit that doesn't leave them!
4. Listen to the spirit. I can be led and guided in all situations!
5. I need to care more about how the Lord sees me and act accordingly.
6. The Lord sent me here now because he knew I would work until the job was done.
7. Don't wallow in imperfections. Choose peace, choose joy.
8. Prayer - Just do it! Practice!!! Pray everywhere - should be my first reaction.
9. Daily do things that demonstrate who I really am. Challenges=Opportunities.
10. Kids under 8 years can't sin - the Lord has given me a head start, use it!!
11. Friends can really make my day!!

This was my first year and I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot that only Heavenly Father knew that I needed. I am so very blessed! I loved that I got to sit and watch Pres. Monson's talk being signed. I don't remember the talk I was concentrating so hard on the signing. But better than the talk was the overwhelming presence of the spirit. I couldn't drink it in fast enough!! I loved also the time spent with friends outside of classes. We had a great time and laughed a ton! Who knew so much hair could be shed in one night!!

Naughty words?

2008-04-30T13:43:00.003-06:00

Elise thinks the word "butler" is a naughty word. She has started use it as an adjective. I am not sure what she thinks it means. It really isn't a bad word though. So do I get after her for using the word butler or just ignore it all together. She uses it in the funniest places. Example: "Oh, she is such a funny butler!" or "Where in the butler did I put my shoes?" I hold the laughter, but am not sure if by ignoring it I am doing right. Like I said, it isn't really a bad word, but she thinks she is getting away with something! What do you think? Any other weird words out there??

Sunday's and Sundae's

2008-04-28T15:31:00.004-06:00

Here is a funny that has happened to us in the past few weeks. We had fast sunday early because of general conference, and then had general conference sunday. The next week we went to my sisters and had fast sunday. We had another sunday off and then last week we had fast sunday again. So that is 3 fast sundays in 5 weeks. Our stake has stake conference this sunday, we thought it would be funny to attend another ward so we could have another fast sunday - 4 in 6 weeks! On the bright side it is really a great diet plan! Actually, we didn't know it was fast sunday for most of the unexpected fast sundays!!

Took Amy N.'s ice-cream quiz! Here is my results that I am really liking!

You're Mint Chocolate Chip.
Mint chocolate chip ice cream wakes up people's taste buds, and you do the same thing when you walk into a room. The chocolatey bits represent your sweet, flirtatious side, and the minty flavor represents your high energy level. You are smart, witty, and you make a great first impression. Your friends value your advice, because you tend to see things from a fresh new perspective.

Kind of saucy, in the good way!

Sunny days!

2008-04-26T14:59:00.001-06:00

I can't believe what a great day it is outside! Maybe, just maybe I am going to officially make it through this winter/spring mess we have been stuck with outside. I feel a little hopeful. It makes me scared as I am sure my happiness is going to be crushed once again in the snow! Warmth....please!

Yosemite

2008-04-23T14:56:00.005-06:00

We went on an amazing vacation last week to California. I especially loved the 85 degree weather. I was warm, without socks and a sweater. My favorite two days were spent at Yosemite National Park. It was amazing to see all of the beauty. I loved hiking around and seeing beauty. It was nice just to feel so relaxed without any stress. I think I need to get a job as a forest ranger. That would be so nice. It was so hard to come home and face reality again. I think I already need another vacation, they are addictive. While on one of our hikes there were tons of Mayflies flying all around. I think in my next life I want to be a Mayfly, for a few different lives. They live for 24 hours. Their only objective is to mate, lay eggs and die. Sounds simply, non-stressful and probably fun!

Whoohoo!!

2008-04-11T20:24:00.003-06:00

This is a great excitement for me right now. This story takes a little in the explanation of how it came to pass, but you have to have the entire story to understand how great the blessing. So, here it goes! Last year about this time I was going to my sisters house out of state and she asked me to pick up some Utah favorite treats that she wanted. She told me I could find them at Macey's grocery store. I had never been to the Macey's in Ogden and have never been there since. I have no bad feelings towards Macey's, it is just farther away. So I went and got the items she wanted and then went to the check out stand. The teller at the next stand over yelled across to me that she really needed to talk with me and to wait until she was checking the persons stuff so she could talk to me. As weird as the request was, I waited. She told me her name and that she also had a daughter with Cerebral Palsy. Her daughter is 17 years old. She said one of the greatest therapies that helped her daughter was hippo-therapy. It has nothing to do with hippos and everything to do with horses. They have horseback riding lessons for children with disabilities. Riding horses really strengthens muscles and helps the kids a ton. Anyway, she said her daughter was graduating from the program and since she was such good friends with the person who runs the organization, she was given permission to find the person who would fill the spot her daughter would vacate. She also said she had been praying that she would find the person who could really use this opportunity. She said the minute she saw Tessa, she knew she was the person she had been praying to find. She gave me the phone number of the group called Freedom Riders and said to tell them she had given their name to me. So last year I called and was put on a waiting list. The program didn't start until the child was 3, so this was a good time to sign up!

Fast forward to today! I got a call from the Program Director letting me know that Tessa has been accepted and she wanted to meet Tessa. We went to her house and met her today. She was very kind and excited for Tessa. She will start her horseback riding in May and ride until August. We are very excited. This is an amazing opportunity for Tessa. She will benefit so much from this therapy! She will absolutely love it also! The amazing part is it is only $5.00 per lesson. That is so great! I know we were led to Macey's that day and that this will be a wonderful experience for Tessa. Boy is the Lord watching out for my little Tessa and all of us!!! It also goes to show how others can really be led to help us be blessed. I really think my sister was inspired to have me go to Macey's. She just thought her tummy was in need!

My only heartache is that Elise will be so very, very jealous that she doesn't get to ride the horses also. I am going to have to find something extra special and exciting for her also! She is so good about all of Tessa's appointments and therapies. She is a great little trooper. Even though they are doctor appointments and therapies, they are attention that Tessa gets extra. I don't know what I am going to do, but it needs to be extra good! Maybe I need to find horseback riding lessons for Elise to take. I doubt I will be able to find something so cheap though!!! Just the same, I am super excited for Tessa!!!!!

Tagged!

2008-04-10T14:23:00.002-06:00

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Read the 5th sentence.
4. Post this sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

The nearest book to me is the one I am currently reading to Elise, one of my favorites "Bridge to Terabithia." The 5th sentence reads "I had to do some things." This sentence is very apropos for my past week! I have been busy! We had Tessa's IEP which is what changes her from home visits to the pre-school program for the state. It just meant a lot of paper work and testing. She did excellent in the testing, better in some areas than I thought! Second, we started therapy at Shriner's Hospital. That place is truly amazing. I really think they pump funny gas into the air vents, everyone is so happy and kind to work with.

A Solemn Assembly

2008-04-05T22:09:00.002-06:00

Wasn't that amazing to stand and sustain President Thomas S. Monson as prophet, seer, and revelator today? Elise was so excited for her turn to stand and raise her arm in a sustaining vote. It was amazing to me to feel such a strong conformation. Loved it!

Here is an amazing link of Christ and his ministry put to music. Amazing!

I hope you are enjoying conference as much as I am. It always is so great! What a wonderful time we live in. I did feel slightly sad not to see Pres. Hinckley there. He was such a constant.

Good morning South Weber

2008-04-04T13:36:00.002-06:00

We are watching "Hairspray" for the umteenth time and loving it still. Tessa and I are finally feeling better today. I knew I was feeling better when I felt like cleaning. Oh it felt sooo good to scrub down my house again. I go crazy when my house isn't shining! Bliss!! I knew Tessa was feeling better when I looked in on her this morning to see if she was awake and she was smiling, big!

I read a book that really taught me a great lesson this week. It was an unexpected teaching moment too. I love when you are reading for fun and learn something in the mean time! The book talked a lot about choices and being placed in life and not having/having choice whether or not you could change. The boy in the book said it didn't matter where we are placed in life, it only mattered how we decided to feel about where we are in life. It is all in our attitude as we go through our lives. I sometimes feel stuck in my situations of life. Like I have no choice about where I am stuck. But I do have a choice. I can choose how I feel about where I am stuck. Great lesson. Always needing that reminder!!

This month Tessa will stop having home visits for therapy and will start pre-school instead. I am excited as I will have 10 less appointments a month. Freedom! It will mean taking Tessa to pre-school, but only until the end of May. Then we are out and free for the summer. We will also be having therapy sessions at Shriner's hospital, which does increase some traveling time, but yeah as their therapy is great. It is a great blessing too, especially because it is totally and completely free! Got to love that word, FREE!

My favorite part of "Hairspray" is Michelle Pfeiffer and singing Miss Baltimore crown! Love it! She is pure evil!

Random thoughts from a random mind!

2008-04-02T13:02:00.002-06:00

1. Elise came over to me and wanted to snuggle. I stopped and snuggled to which she replied, "I haven't had a single drop of lovin' today!" So cute! I am glad I stopped so she could get a drop or two!

2. I went shopping and bought fabric softener. It has stayed on my kitchen counter for days (that tells you a lot about the shape of my laundry). But the nice thing is every time I walk into the kitchen, I am greeted by the loveliest of smells. MMMM!

3. Word verification. I hate them while leaving comments on blogs. Maybe I am part retarded, but I have to type more than one more often than I would like to admit because I type it wrong. Qvptsx ... they kill me!!! You'll notice no word verification on my blog!

4. Sickness. Last week Chris had a slight cold but mostly felt super tired. I was in Provo with the kids so he stayed home and slept the better part of the day. I now have whatever he had. I am super tired. Do I get to sleep all day with no kids to bother me??? You already know the answer, no rest for the wicked (see Aleesha's blog for my evil side)!!! I'm tired. The only bright spot is so is Tessa. Poor thing!

5. Mother Nature is not allowed to do April Fools Day jokes!!!!! I am sure it is somewhere in the rule books!

Cleaning step two

2008-03-28T09:43:00.002-06:00

I decided that the way I was doing my spring cleaning just isn't they way I want to be doing it. I can't go into a room and only do one chore in that room. I wanted to just clean the entire room and be done with it. So I have been doing a room at a time. But I still do have some ideas for more places to clean that maybe you hadn't thought of doing. I have also had a few people asking for their next list, so here it goes!!

1. Light fixtures - don't forget to take down your light fixtures and wash them in warm soapy water. They really do get quite dusty up there.
2. The kitchen - Clean out cupboards and wipe them out. This to me is the most daunting room as it has so many places to clean. Even the cupboards with only dishes seem to need a wiping out. So, take a few days to clean it.
3. Windows - Clean inside and outside. If you need to, come borrow a ladder and get those pesky up high windows! It will really brighten a room to have the windows cleaned. Remember to take off the screens to clean the outside windows.
4. Remember to keep cleaning blinds until they are all done.

Good luck and I hope that you are feeling like your houses are getting a little brighter! We have our first Kindergarten round-up today! Elise is so so soooo so excited! ME tooo!!!!!!!!

Word!

2008-03-24T16:58:00.003-06:00

you're feeling: nice
to your left: pillow
on your mind: candy
last meal included: hotdogs
you sometimes find it hard to: controltheworld
the weather: warm
something you have a collection of: dustbunnies
a smell that cheers you up: babylotion
a smell that ruins your mood: throwup
how long since you last shaved: yesterday
the current state of your hair: cute
the largest item on your desk right now (not computer): deskless
your skill with chopsticks: moderate
which section you head to first in the bookstore: books
... and after that? mocha
something you're craving: Bajio's
your general thoughts on the presidential race: interesting
how many times have you been in the hospital this year: none
a favorite place to go for quiet time: bathtub
you've always secretly thought you'd be good: modeling
something that freaks you out a little: spiders
something you've eaten too much of lately: candy
you have never: skydived
you never want to: smoke

Does it count as one word if I didn't put spaces between the words? And yes, I would be an awesome model. Chubby modeling that is!!! Watch out Tyra, here is your next top model!

Teacher or student?

2008-03-22T18:10:00.002-06:00

I was talking to Elise during lunch and she was talking about how excited she was about Easter and the fun easter egg hunt this morning we went to. I decided to be the good parent and talk with her during this opportunity about the true reason for Easter. So I asked her if she knew the real reason we celebrate Easter. She said, and I quote, "of course, to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior." She then went on to tell me about how Jesus died on the cross and the only way we can return to live with Heavenly Father was through Jesus being resurrected. She told me how much she loved Jesus and was so excited we can all live together for eternity. I have to say I was floored and speechless. She continually amazes me with her strong testimony and knowledge of our Savior. I wish I had taught her all of that, but I am so thankful she taught me all of that. I felt the Holy Ghost testify as she told me all of that and I too know it is true. What gratitude I have that she teaches me so much each day! Truly I am grateful for her testimony!