Tagged!

Ok. I have been tagged by Erica, so here goes!
1.Typically, what time do you wake up? If I had my druthers, 10 a.m. But, since life doesn't tend to wait that long, usually between 6 and 7 now.
2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed? 8:00pm (7:00 on a BAD day)
3. How long have you been a mommy? 20 years!
4. How old were you when you became a mom? 19
5. What is your favorite kids T.V show? Cailloo (spelling?) and Little Bill
6. What is your least favorite kids T.V. show? Just about anything shown on Cartoon Network! I can't stand some of the obnoxious stuff on that channel!
7. What is your favorite chore? Umm...Laundry
8. What is your favorite meal to cook? Do you mean what is my favorite meal my husband cooks? LOL Actually, I like to cook lasagna, (but don't tell my hubby)
9. What meal do you cook most often? Sandwiches (again my hubby is the cook in our home)
10. What is your kids favorite meal? Frankie's is Macaroni and Cheese with spam and pea salad. Jed's is BBQ ribs with potatoe salad. (I think)
11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids? Sometimes he surprises us with an old Disney movie and a big bowl of popcorn for a family movie night. I also like to watch him help the boys build/paint models
12. What are 5 things that make you smile when you’re being a mom?
A. Jed's smile
B. Jed's imagination
C. Frankie's use of big words
D. The way their eyes sparkle when they are happy
E. Frankie's kisses and hugs
F. Seeing them play together
G. Seeing them accomplish something that is hard for them to do.
Ok...I could go on forever, but I digress.
13. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be? Umm...I don't think I can answer this question. One time I was so frustrated with our life and the constant struggle with finances, that I prayed that I would like just once to be able to take my kids somewhere fun, like Disney World. Then my 3 year old was diagnosed with brain cancer and our family ended up getting to go to Disney World for his make a wish trip...lesson learned "Be carefull what you ask for...you just might get it."
14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? I don't remember.
15. What is your favorite pastime/activity to do with your kids? Camping and anything that has to do with Medival times, such as the Ren Faire, or SCA events.
16. Name one thing you said you would never say as a mother? "because I said so!"
17. Name something you do, that your own mom did? Say "because I said so!"
18. What is your favorite quality your mom has? The way she tells me she loves me.
19. What is your favorite kids book? I'll Love You Forever
20. What is your favorite advice for new moms? Cherish the time you spend with them alone in the wee hours of the morning. Hold them, look into their eyes, stroke their little faces with your finger and sing softly to them. They won't let you do that when they are 20.
21. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom? When my 4 year old sat down on the curb after a chemotherapy treatment and said he was too tired to go there anymore, and when my 19 year old got into the car with his Marine recruiter and left for boot camp.
22. What is your most joyful moment being a mom? When my 9 year old, who really struggles with school, made the honor roll, and when my 19 year old got into the car with his Marine recruiter and left for boot camp. (Funny how that works)
23. When was the last time you told one of your kids, “I Love You”? About half an hour ago.
24. When was the last time you were told, “I love you” by one of your kids? About 1/2 an hour ago!
Ok. Now I tag Zippy!

So Much Going On!

Hi everyone! Well, once more I had a call yesterday evening from Sister Nelson. She called because Jed approached her at church and asked her if she would call me for him, wish me a happy Mother's Day, and tell me that he loves me. She said he is the sweetest boy there and she just loves him. The other thing that she told me was that he is definately going to graduate on May 23. LOL...there had been some concerns about that because he had called last week and let me know that they were taking him to the Naval Hospital because they thought maybe he had hairline fractures in both of his heels and that if he did they would be dropping him from his plattoon to the Medical Rehab thing again and that he wouldn't be able to graduate with this class. However, from what Sister Nelson said, they decided not to drop him and he is still graduating as planned. So, YAY Jed! Way to go, Buddy! I am so happy for him. This is what he has wanted to do all of his life. It is so great to know that he can accomplish his dreams!
Well, as much as I love my house, we have to give it up. We were already paying over $1,000 a month for rent and the landlord needs to raise it. We just can't afford to pay anymore, so we have to go, sniff! But, Heavenly Father has answered our prayers once more, and we got a call from a Brother in our ward who is a realtor and he had a house that is owned by the mother of one of our other ward members. They decided to go ahead and list it for rent so he called me. I love the house and it is right in our neighborhood and is much more affordable. Not only is the rent less but it is a single story that doesn't have huge vaulted ceilings so the utilities are going to be much more affordable. YAY! They are also not going to charge us a deposit and are allowing us to move our stuff in now so that we don't have to do it all at once at the end of the month and we can start deep cleaning the old house. It all worked out very well for us. After a year then we have the option to buy as well.
As far as my business goes, I am no longer doing any in home child care, well almost. I have one little boy that comes from about 6 in the morning to 7:30 when he goes to school, but that's it. I am not taking on anymore new children because my Granny Nanny business is really taking off now. I love it! All I had to do was post about it on some of my blogs!
Well, I need to get off of here. I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

A Lovely Sister.

A lovely lady, named Sister Nelson, called me last night. She was so sweet. She said that she and her husband are now serving their mission at the MCRD in San Diego and that she was calling me to share an experience that she had at church on Sunday. She wanted to let me know that she had spoken with Jed and that she and her husband had gotten to witness him being ordained to the office of an Elder and that the spirit was very strong. She let Jed know that she was going to call me and talk to me and she said that he got a little choked up and that he asked her to please tell me that he misses us and that he loves us. I so wish that I could have been there to see it, but I am so grateful that this lovely sister took the time out of her day to call me and share that experience with me. Once again, I am so grateful for the blessings that we recieve being members of our church.

Where Did the Time Go?!

My son, Jed, just turned 20 yesterday! How did that happen? I just turned 20, didn't I? And last time I looked he was turning 1! Then I blinked and now he's 20? Where did the time go?
Jed has always been my sunshine! I can't remember what I had for dinner yesterday, but the memory of his birth is as clear as a beautiful AZ spring day! My mom and both of my sisters were there with me. My sister, Shannon, was supposed to be my labor coach, and my sister Erica, who was 9 and very curious, was there for the show. Mom was there to keep Erica calm. Well, we got to the hospital at about 11 p.m. on the 22nd. Shannon walked the halls with me all night. Sounds pretty typical of a birth right? Oh, it gets better. On the morning of the 23rd, there we were, in my room, my mom and both sisters, the doctor and the nurse, and a bunch of medical students. The anesthesiologist came in and I asked through gritted teeth who he was. The doctor, trying to be funny, said "That's the guy that made this all possible!" To which I replied, "No, that son of a gun (using cleaner language than I did at that point) isn't here!"
As things really got going, I could hear several things happening all at once. Erica started yelling "It's a boy! It's a boy!" The doctor was saying, "You can't tell her that yet! It's just the head!" Shannon was standing up by my head with her hands over her face saying, "Breathe! Oh my gosh! Oh gross! Oh my gosh!" And my mom was wrestling with Erica, saying, "Move out of the way so that doctor can catch that baby!" Had I not been trying so hard to remember how to breathe and not to push, I would have found it quite hysterical!
Then the doctor put this squirming little bundle up on my belly and he lifted his head up, looked around at the room and then looked up at my face and smiled! Yep, he actually smiled at me! He came into this world with a smile, and has always brightened the world for me ever since!
LOL! Later, some friends and cousins came to visit me at the hospital. They came into the hospital room with a boom box playing "You Pushed It" by Salt and Peppa, doing a dance, that they called the "Missy dance" where they walked to the beat of the music, with their bellies stuck out in front, hands on their hips and waddling like ducks (or big pregnant girls)!
After I got out of the labor room, into a regular room, a student nurse came in to see me. I asked her when I could have him casterated. She looked at me, perplexed, and said "They don't do that." I insisted that they did, that I had talked it over with my doctor and that we both agreed that if I was going to have it done, I should do it right away, because it would be better for him to go through it now, rather than later down the line. The student nurse was visibly upset and insisted that they didn't castrate boys here. A nurse came in at that point and asked what the problem was. I told her that I wanted to have my son castrated and that this girl kept telling me that they didn't do that. The nurse choked back a laugh and said "Honey, do you mean circumcised?" To which I replied, "That's what I said! Isn't it?"
All in all, Jed's birth was a pleasant experience for me, but now it may be easier to understand why he is so crazy! LOL

The Brilliance of Men...

This is a picture of my brilliant husband. I think he's handsome, but that's just me! Anyway, I thought I would write about how brilliant he is. Today, when he left work, he was hot, tired, and thirsty. He had a few groceries in the car and he grabbed the only thing that there was to drink, a bottle of sparkling apple cider. You know the type...the ones that people who don't drink alcohol get to open for celebrations such as New Years Eve, wedding receptions, etc. The kind that look just like bottles of wine! My husband, brilliant as he is, pops it open and tips the bottle up and takes a big ol' swig of it, while driving through the middle of town. Well, who do you think saw this? The police, of course! And what happens to guys who the police see driving down the street drinking out of what looks like a big ol' bottle of wine?...you got it! They get pulled over. Let's just say that, while I love my husband, I think my kids got their brains from me!

Surprise!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well! I got up this morning and when I checked my mail I had a big suprise. There were three emails from someone in Jed's ward at church that had scanned in letters from Jed and included a link to a page that had individal photos of the guys that are attending boot camp and are at Camp Pendleton right now. I thought that was so nice of them! They actually provide them a space to write letters home on the back of the ward bulletin that they hand out on Sundays. I am so grateful for the Church and the efforts that they make to keep families in touch with those that are in the military!

Anyway, Jed is doing well. In the first letter, dated March 30, he said that he was really excited to be at Camp Pendleton and that he was learning to "snap" (? Sorry, I am not really familiar with the terminology so I have no idea what that means. If anyone could enlighten me, please do!) In the 2nd letter, dated April13, He said they had just started field week. He just got done qualifying with his M16AZ and got "Marksman". He sounds so excited about this...'Yesterday, I got to paint my face, neck, ears, hands and anything else that was showing skin!...Well, I'm havin' fun and in pain! LOL So, I hope that all of you are doing well and can't wait to see you all, go home, and sleep without hearing "Lights! Lights! Lights!" (LOL that's how they wake us up!) So, love you all and I will keep pressing forward!"
I can just tell that he is sooo happy doing this! I can picture him crawling around with his gun and face paint and having a ball doing it! I can picture it because I have seen him do it, time after time in my mom's back yard armed with a stick! I miss him so bad!

Little Lords and Ladies

This past week has been one adventure after another! Mom and Shannon's family are here visiting from Indiana and we have been to see more of Arizona and it's tourist attractions than we have in the 10 months that we have lived here! Last Friday was Malachi's 6th birthday and we went to Erica's for cake and ice cream. Malachi helped Erica make his cake from scratch (he loves to cook) and it was very yummy!
Saturday we went to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. That was so fun! Ren festivals are my favorite places to go and this one was awesome!
While we were at the festival, Jabyn's honor was besmirched and Frankie came to her defense. When Frankie was brought before the king, who heard of Frankie's deed, the king decided to knight him. (Actually, they made all the kids knights and ladies of the court, but Frankie took it so seriously!) Then, the king and queen asked Frankie to come get me and bring me to meet with them. The king and queen had been very touched by Frankie and the king told Frankie that they knew that he had already overcome huge obstacles in his life and that he believed that Frankie was going to go on to do great things in life. It was very touching. The king and queen were very nice and amazingly kind people.
There were many things to see and do, but my very favorite thing was the music, especially the group called the Tartanics. They were amazing, and soooo much fun! I really missed Jed at the fair. He would have loved it and I am looking forward to sharing it with him in the future. I can't wait to see his face as he experiences it. A love of medieval times and Celtic music is one thing that we have always shared.
Sunday we drove up into the Tonto National Forest. I must say that my first impressions of the mountains here were so mistaken. They are more than just the piles of dirt that I first thought they looked like. They are majestic and filled with beauty when you drive up into them. Arizona is truly an amazing place to live.
While in the mountains the kids got to wade in a river, and then we went to a mountain lake with a beach. It was such a gorgeous day and, though the water was icy cold, the kids laughed and played in the water for quite a while. I enjoyed relaxing on the beach with Erica's baby.
This week started out with a couple of quiet days at home (which we needed to recuperate from the weekend), and then Thursday started a second busy weekend. We (Mom, Frankie, and I) spent the morning visiting the temple grounds in Mesa. It was beautiful! We went into the Mesa Temple Visitors Center and walked through the Reflections of Christ display. It was so touching and the spirit was so strong.
We went to the Deseret book store, which I could get lost in for weeks and be happy, and then we spent the afternoon relaxing with Erica, Shannon, and all the kids, by the pool in Erica's community. It was wonderful.
Friday, Jim and Bryan joined us all and we went to visit Rawhide, which is an old western town. The kids really enjoyed it too. They had a little petting zoo, with the cutest baby goats! Most of the kids got to ride burro's but Frankie was just a tad to big, so he got to ride a camel with Aunt Erica! Then we all went on a train ride together. We saw a gunslinger show and a couple of theatrical productions of old west tales, which the boys loved because they were full of fights and gunfire, and people falling off of buildings. Maggie wasn't so crazy about the gunfire. LOL
All and all, it has been an awesome time, but I am going to need a vacation after this vacation!

My Marine!

Here he is. Recruit Williams, Jedidiah D.
He has always, since the day he was born, been my sunshine, my reason for being, but now, he is my hero.
I miss him terribly but I am so very proud of him!
He got off to a rocky start, having pneumonia twice, and was moved to the MRP (Medical Rehabilitation Platoon) for a bit and then the PCP (Physical Conditioning Platoon) but has now been put into a new platoon and will be graduating on May 23rd. I can't wait to see him!

This is so scary!

I just joined an online moms group, LDS moms in Arizona, through Cafe moms. I love it so far. While on there today, I found this and watched it. It is so scary to see this, because I know that it is exactly what my kids would do. I hope that you will watch it and learn what I did from it. Maybe it will save someones life.
YouTube - WARNING KIDS DON'T HEAR FIRE ALARMS

Blogging

I have to say that I am new to this whole thing, but so far, I like it. I love being able to get things out of my head and heart and down on paper...well, out in space, I guess.
I have to get my sister to show me how she makes everything look so nice on her blog. And how to embed a video and put on pics, etc. Meanwhile, I am just trying to play around with it and see what I can do. You would think that having worked in graphic media for so long, I would be able to figure this out. Yeah, right! LOL

The Blessings of Being an Aunt

First, my little sister is an awesome blogger, and I love reading her blog. Makes me realize just how quiet and dull my life can be at times. I love to sit in both of my sister's homes and just listen to the sounds of laughter, mischief, kindness, and love. In my youngest sisters home, utter chaos seems to reign supreme at times. With 8 children, 9 and under, and a big chocolate lab pup that thinks that she is one of the kids and that she should sit on your lap too, how could it not?
But it is the most organized chaos that I have ever seen!
The other day, I had a rare opportunity to visit them and, as I sat and played with the kids I watched them. There were several times, while playing, that Hannah (2) would get iritated with Maggie (1) and move her away from what she was playing with, or move Maggie out of her way. Later, as I sat in their back doorway, watching them play in the yard, Maggie ran over to where there was a lot of cold icky mud. Since I had the baby in my arms and the 75 lb lab on my lap, I couldn't move very quickly and I asked Hannah to get her sister. Looking at me with a very serious expression on her face she said, "She is to heavy for me to move. I am too yittle". HA!
I have to say, that while the Lord has blessed me with the gift of being a mother, and having two wonderful boys of my own, he has also blessed me with the gift of being an aunt to 10 truly amazing little people, which are an unending source of pleasure, entertainment, and love, and I am so greatful that I have two sisters that allow me to enjoy their children.