Diana's Blog

On Writing

2012-02-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning musing about my past writing teachers. It probably has everything to do with my reading On Writing by Stephen King until my eyes drooped last night. Geoff's pal from work recommended it since he knows I like to write and already I'm in love with it and I've only read about 30 pages. Thanks, Randy! I remember my Dad reading Stephen King all the time and making me wait until I was older and then only letting me read his compilation of short stories. That book had a picture of a hand wrapped like a mummy with eyeballs all over the hand peeking out from underneath the wrappings. I remember my Dad telling me that if a story got too scary, to stop reading it and try another. As I type this, I've just realized I could read everything he's written if I wanted to. Do I want to? Some might say Stephen King is creepy, if he is, he's Brilliantly so! Anyway, this book about writing is awesome, but that isn't what I wanted to blog about.

Mrs. Thompson was my eighth grade English teacher. She must have loved to write because she assigned us to do it all the time. In my mind, there are two types of English teachers... those who make you read and those who make you write. I think both are fantastic and I could do either one for hours! I remember reading Great Expectations with Mrs. Thompson, or at least doing things related to that book. I honestly can't remember if we actually read it or if we read excerpts and she elaborated on them. I remember doing a project where I made a wedding cake with spiderwebs and bugs all over it because of the Benefactor's wedding cake that she still had in her house. (I need to read that book again, the details are getting hazy) I also remember Will (and probably Russ), sitting under the skylight reflecting light from his watch onto Mrs. Thompson's blouse. He got too close to her eyes, she saw it and he had to move seats.

I still have examples of my writing from that era. I didn't date everything I kept, unfortunately, so I'm not entirely sure what is from that period... although I can take a pretty good guess by the printer things were printed on. Daisy wheel mostly, at that time. I remember having a story that I'd started as a kid, probably when I was around 10 years old or so, that I pulled out and worked on again in Mrs. Thompson's class. It was about a girl who lived in a small town and her best friend had been kidnapped into a cave in the mountains. She goes in to save her and meets Medusa... snakes for hair and turning people into stone and all. I remember Mrs. Thompson thinking it was cool that I already liked to write adn being very encouraging.

The very next year when I was a Freshman in high school, I had Mrs. Peterson for English. She is one of those people who you can tell right away you're going to remember forever. She was very short (to me) and had short dark hair. She loved Gone With the Wind and had a big poster of it in her classroom. As I recall, she had also written a sequel screenplay. She also had a guillotine in her classroom, replica I'm sure. She gave us actual Turkish Delight when we talked about the Chronicles of Narnia and I also remember that she loved the Great Gatsby. Truthfully, I don't remember much about the actual English class other than what I've just told you, but she let me into her Creative Writing class.

My very first Creative Writing class. Where the bug bit and bit hard! Three students in that class still stand out to me. They were all older than me. She had given special permission for me to join the class. Two tall exceptionally gorgeous girls named Thressa (the infamous Will's sister) and Celeste and a kid with blond curly hair who wanted to be a mortician who was also the class clown. Mrs. Peterson loved to give him the stink eye, but you could tell that she had a soft spot for him. Thressa and Celeste were so motivating to me! I wanted to be just like them. I remember learning the word 'cacophony' which means a lot of loud, confusing noise. I remember passing around scents (as in little baggies with things in them that smelled), and we kept our eyes closed and wrote down what we thought we smelled. I thought coffee was bouillon!

When I knew I was moving, I hadn't seen Mrs. Peterson for a few months as a consequence of having a different English teacher the next year. She had had polio as a child and I remember recognizing her from the end of a long hallway by her gait. I still remember standing there wondering if I should go and tell her goodbye and thank her for how much she had inspired me. I have always wished I walked down that hallway.

I've had many other English teachers. The two I had in my Utah high school were readers. And I worked on the Literary Magazine for 2 years and got lots of writing in with Mr. Frank. It's funny who stands out and who doesn't. I really wish I could tell Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Peterson how much they have affected my life. I'm pretty sure they would enjoy knowing that. I'm sure they've heard it a thousand times from different people who are not me. I wish I could add my voice. At the risk of sounding like a missing person advertisement, if you know where either of them are, I would love a head's up.

I have a feeling that this Stephen King book is going to be a journey. As exploring a talent or a passion always is.

Love Remains

2011-11-04T00:18:00.000-06:00

I'm having a hard time putting tonight's experience into mere words. I have to try, though, so I can always remember.

Tonight our whole family got to meet Collin Raye.

Ever since getting to see him at the Desert Star a couple of years ago, we have been in contact by email here and there. He is always so positive and has a great perspective on life.

When it came time for him to do another stint at the Desert Star, Geoff prodded me into contacting him again and taking him up on his offer to come and see him. It's not that I didn't want to, you understand, but I am a big, fat chicken! I was too shy to actually ask. In the end, I am SO glad we did!

When we got to the theater, I don't think the guys at the ticket desk believed me when I told them that Collin Raye was expecting us. I asked for my friend Jenny that works there because I knew she'd know how to help me, but it turned out she was with her daughter at a rehearsal for a different show in a different part of the building. So, I whipped (not really, Geoff had to convince me again) out my phone and texted Collin and asked him where to go. He sent his assistant Jonathan out to rescue us. :)

Oh, Gracie! ;)

When we (all 7 of us) walked into the tiny backstage area, he just reached out and hugged us. He just exudes happiness and love. His heart is bigger than his whole home state of Texas. Almost as soon as we got there, I pulled Becca out of her chair and handed her to him.

I have never seen Becca take to someone who is not family so quickly before! We'll just have to make him honorary family. ;) She was smiling and even giggled. This from my girl who has struggled with adjusting to a new room so much that she has fallen asleep most nights in tears. I was really worried that meeting someone new would be too much for her. But there she was, leaning against that gigantic heart of his, just a-grinnin'. I could tell that he loved it. I told him that I thought it would be hard to hold her after suffering the loss of his Granddaughter because so much of Becca seemed to remind him of Hayley. He just said, "I crave it." He just kept stroking her hair and giving her kisses and talking just to her. It was truly the sweetest thing. He held her until the last possible second that he needed to get ready.

We talked about all kinds of things. He is very spiritually minded, like we are. He talked about how these children's bodies are more like protection from the world for a truly wonderful spirit. We also talked about how we need the Lord in our lives in order to know what to do and to help us through all the trials of caring for someone who can't tell you what's wrong. So much of Becca reminded him of Hayley. He messaged a picture to his daughter of he and Becca and he said it would make his daughter cry... in a good way. :) There is so much that connects about hearts like ours that have lived through loving someone who needs all your care and who you pour your heart and soul into caring for. I have thought so many times of his daughter and prayed for her to find peace. I know that will be me someday...

He had his trusty Jonathan find us a spot and even though we had to carry the wheelchair up some stairs, I'm so glad we were up there! We were right to the side of the stage and there was a room with some couches and a little bathroom, so we were set! I even got to text my back up drivers, my Mom and Brother, that we were doing alright and they didn't need to come and confiscate any unruly children. :D

Becca didn't want to be in her chair, so she sat on Mama's lap the whole show. She didn't even fuss! Do you know how big a deal that is?! Huge! When he would stop singing and talk to the audience, she would pause and perk right up. Getting to know his voice beforehand made such a difference for her. Although she wasn't as animated as she was sitting right on his lap, she enjoyed the show, the singing and the music.

Emily and Gracie liked watching the piano player and the girl that played the bongo drums. Emily said the piano player winked at her...she loved that! (I've gotta find a way to get that girl some piano lessons!) :D Collin gave Becca and I plenty of sideways grins and winks. Such a caring guy.

Gracie loved when he sang Amazing Grace.

Landon's Rockstar face!

Landon told me several times that he liked watching "the Rockstar." He asked when exactly he would become a grown-up when I told him that he could be a Rockstar when he grows up. :D

Ethan had fun with the pillows on the couch, tormenting his sisters and stealing the ipod away from them. Basically, he acted like the two year old he most definitely is.

When we went to leave, Collin watched us walk down the stairs as Geoff was manuevering the empty wheelchair and I was carrying Becca. I didn't know he was still there until, when I got to the bottom, I heard one last "Bye now!" He made sure we made it down safely before he really left us. And another super great thing about tonight:

Becca didn't cry at all while falling asleep tonight.

Big Step

2011-09-27T23:32:00.001-06:00

You may have noticed the brand new shiny link in the top right corner. Following the protocol of clicks to get it there was an emotional journey, I can tell you. I finally decided that a person who dreams of writing a book someday really ought to share her writing. And so, I present to you my writing blog, Cleverly Bleary.

Now, it represents only a teensy tiny amount of what I have actually written, but I am proud of these stories and I had fun writing them and I'm excited to see what others think.

I love to just let my imagination gush.

I love coming up with ways to describe in words what I see in my mind.

It's cathartic... creative... cleansing... and terrifying. I'm just as afraid that no one will like it as I am that someone will. If you've ever done anything creative and tried to share it with the world, you know exactly what I mean!

These short stories are assignments I gave myself to satisfy the itch to write in an immediate, succinct way. They don't have a ton of editing done on them. I just had an idea and ran with it. I love the idea of a modern fairy tale, but not the ones that have been done a hundred times.

I hope you will bookmark it and read them all sometime, even if it's not today. And just like you would like me to do if you showed me your quilt or your photo or your baby... something you have poured your heart and soul into and are proud of, please leave me an honest comment after the post. I need to know what to work on... and what to let go. What my strengths are, if I have any.

(Whew! I just shared the blog on Facebook. My heart is racing! Here goes nothin'!)

South Dakota Summer - Day 7

2011-07-26T23:10:00.005-06:00

Tuesday 26 July 2011

After breakfast, we left with Grandpa and Grandma to a nearby coal strip mine. The gigantic trucks honked at us like they were doing a show. :) Grandpa explained how much bigger this seam of coal is than any other in the US. He said if Campbell County, where the mine is, was its own country; it would be the 6th largest coal producer in the world! They have taken off the top layers and moved them and when they get all the coal out, they will put he dirt back and re-plant grass. We took pictures in the giant scoop and the huge tire. Even Grandpa got inside the tire, which the kids thought was very Awesome!

Note the regular size truck just behind the gigantic one.

Ethan and Becca were snoozing in the van. Can you see Landon in this pic? :D

Wyoming is some mighty monotonous driving – I’m sure the Pioneers would agree.

Independence Rock

VERY WINDY! Storm clouds were everywhere. Becca, Grandma and I stayed in a little shelter reading about the Pioneers. It started with Landon running from his sisters, but Grandpa, Dad and the rest of the kids ended up walking out further to see the preserved wagon tracks. They built a bridge over the top of them to keep them from getting ruined.

The "Rock" in Independence Rock

Independence Rock was so named because the Saints reached there around the 4th of July and celebrated our country’s independence there. The plaques talked about how they would write their name on the rock when they visited or passed it on their way. They used tar or grease mixed with gun powder at first. Eventually, they had professionals posted there that would chisel your name for a small fee.

Lots of the journal entries mention Devil’s Gate, too as they are in view of each other. Going West, they would often go 46 miles out of the way through Fort Bridger because there was more water and food for the livestock that way. Forty six miles is more or less three days’ travel! We clocked off about 15 miles with the girls to show how fast we can now travel the same distance they could only go in one day.

It has been really fun to travel with Grandpa and Grandma on our own. They are really patient about the Becca delays and don’t make me feel like I need to do an Indie 500 pit stop, if you know what I mean! ;) Speaking of Becca, I think her ‘horse sense’ has kicked in or something. Can she know we’re on our way home? She has been happier overall today and currently she is scream/laughing and kicking happily. :D Hallelujah! :)

I love the sun rays coming through on this one.

What a gorgeous sunset!! I took a bunch of sunset cloud pictures. The best sunsets happen on rainy days, dontcha think? J It took forever for the sun to go down because of the flat terrain and because we are driving West. J The words on our back windshield are the right way around when you look in the rear view mirror and they make really cool shadows on the ceiling when someone passes us in the dark with their headlights. :D

Famous last words about this trip:

Emily, age 9: I liked how well the dam actually worked in the creek. I thought it was kinda scary, but really cool how the buffalo were so close to the car. (She changed her favorite meal from hot dogs at the campground when she heard Gracie’s answer) :) My favorite was eating in the parking garage.

Gracie, age 7: I wanna remember that we had lots of fun and we got privileges and play with people we haven’t seen in a long time and just kinda talk. My favorite meal was the one we ate in the parking garage at Mt. Rushmore.

Landon, age 4 when asked what his favorite things to do were: Playing. Sleeping in a cabin.

Ethan, 22 months, what he always wanted to do: Ousside! Ousside! (Outside!)

Becca, 11: The cabin, mattress and white noise of the A/C therein were a ton better than sleeping on the ground… I even forgot to fuss some nights because I was so tired. I got to get out more this time because my chair rode on the back of the van.

Geoff, 35: Gas and food = several hundred dollars
Lodging = several hundred more
Entrance fees = around $100
Family togetherness = Priceless!

Diana, 34: It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I’d do it again. :D I love Dutch oven cooking, especially when Denise does it. :D Chicken and rice and the Navajo Tacos were my favorites. I love how we just stopped and visited monuments and historical places if we felt like it on the way to other places and things. The cabin was a big blessing and I wish we’d remembered to snap a picture of it!

Didja open up Geoff's blog in another tab? He has a few different pictures than I do, so be sure to check it out. He loves comments, too! ;)

South Dakota Summer - Day 6

2011-07-25T23:09:00.003-06:00

Monday 25 July 2011

Water Park with Splash Pad

Becca and Ethan stayed with Grandpa and Grandma so they could be out of the sun and Ethan was one less person to keep an eye out for in a crowded place. I really enjoyed being an Auntie and watching and playing with Landon and his cousins. :) I barely saw Emily and Gracie the whole time!

They had the obligatory kiddie pool and lazy river at this water park, but what made it stand out were the splash pad and the ‘Wipeout’ style obstacle course. The obstacle course had floating shapes to jump onto and you had to hold on and jump to the next one. The splash pad was like a playground with sprinklers on steroids. There were small water slides and water spraying everywhere and a giant bucket at the top that filled up with water. When it was almost full, it tipped a water wheel that started clanging against a metal bell, so the kids had time to run and stand underneath it and then it would dump all at once! It was pretty impressive to watch and the kids loved it! There were also 3 big water slides… one you went on in a tube, one you went down yourself and one that went really fast and dumped you into a deeper pool. Geoff talked (and bribed!) me into going on the tube one. I totally screamed when it first started and you’re inside a tube and can’t see out and I only sort of relaxed about halfway through. It was fun if you like your heart to stop beating for minutes at a time. I am just not a very exciting person, I guess.

Geoff had just about talked me into going one more time, but as we walked towards the slides, we saw adults and life guards huddled around a kid crying. It turned out to be Jake who had tripped on the stairs leading to the slides and cut his chin. He had diluted blood all down the front of him and when Matt saw us, he told us to go find Mowgli. I walk/ran around trying to find him, but couldn’t. I went to ask Stacey where he was without telling her what had happened, but when I looked all over and couldn’t find him, I had to go back and tell her. As it turns out, Jake cried harder about not being able to finish getting his turn on the slides. That and he wasn’t freaking out too much until Uncle Matt told him he was going to need stitches. ;)

We gathered up Jake’s little sisters and squeezed them into the other vans as the life guards had seen lightening and wouldn’t let us back into the pools. We went in search of the park that Grandpa and Grandma were at as it started to rain. We all made it under the park’s covered pavilion before the deluge started. It rained. Then it rained harder. Then it rained even harder with hail mixed in; pretty spectacular, really! It was so loud we could barely hear each other even while shouting. Stephen’s kids were still in swim suits with no extra clothes because they were in the van in the parking lot of the ER, consequently in an uncovered suitcase on top of the van getting wet. I pulled some shirts out of our girls’ luggage that hadn’t been worn yet and we passed Kristen and Elena around to keep them warm on our laps. Kristen had ridden over on Aunt Sharon’s really nice pillows and had fallen asleep. She was wrapped in her wet towel when I brought her a shirt and snuggled her in my lap to warm her up. Elena, of course, would only let Shannie touch her. ;)

After it was through dumping an ocean’s worth of water on us, the rain finally let up and we took a peek at the creek and packed up to go. By the way, we were coming from too much rain and swollen rivers in Utah that had been sweeping children away on a regular basis, so this Mama couldn’t let her kids stand by that creek too long. We didn’t get to see the cool Fish Hatchery that Grandpa had discovered, but by the time the rain let up, we had to get going. Becca and Ethan got to see, but characteristically haven’t said too much. ;D Geoff and Emily and Gracie dashed over for a very quick look just before we left. One of the tanks had a glass wall that you could see into. They had some Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout that were probably about 18 inches long.

Jake ended up needing a few inside stitches and then they glued the outside skin together. Stephen, Stacey and Jake will meet us in Gillette, WY after we stop at Devil’s Tower.

Geoff: “If I had a nickel for every time my ears have popped on this trip, I’d have a couple dollars.”

Devil’s Tower

This is an amazing tower of underground volcanic magma exposed by the land around it eroding away, but I like Grandma’s Indian story much better:

There once were seven sisters and one brother walking in the woods. The brother was mystically transformed into a bear and he began to chase the 7 sisters. They came upon a tree stump and he said to them, “Climb up on me and I will keep you safe.” They did and the tree stump began to grow taller and taller and the bear kept clawing and clawing as it grew. And the seven sisters became the stars in the big dipper.

Our family, Sharon, Heather, Kristen and Emma stayed behind while the rest hiked around the tower. Apparently, Adam fell into a 10 foot hole and Spencer came out of the baby pack. Adam caught him by the ankle, meanwhile scraping up his leg. Whew! The light was fantastic and we took some fun pictures with the tower in the background.

We drove to Gillette, WY and stayed in the Fairfield Inn. It had its own water park, but us mean parents didn’t let our kids go.

South Dakota Summer - Day 5

2011-07-24T00:23:00.001-06:00

Sunday 24 July 2011

I didn’t realize how big of a deal Pioneer Day is in Utah until I went somewhere that it is barely even thought of. We sing Pioneer hymns all through the month of July and they sang Come, Come Ye Saints once on this day. We talk about our ancestors and family stories and they read a sentence or two from journals of people they don’t know. We do fireworks and they joke in Sacrament Meeting about how the Bishop forgot it was Pioneer Day, but one family remembered and their children sang Pioneer Children at the pulpit. Just really different. I’m not saying they are any less devout, just not as focused on Pioneer history as we are in Utah. J Sacrament meeting, Sunday School and Relief Society were just wonderful! I felt my Spiritual cup fill right up and I was so glad we got to be there. We attended a ward in Rapid City, SD.

Coolidge Lookout Peak Tower (I’m not sure of the name, but it was all of these things) :)

If you look reeeeeal close, you can see a bunch of our group. :)

It was best for all if Diana drove on the curvaceous canyon roads because it kept her stomach settled. The hairpin turns on the way to this lookout were especially sharp and she was glad when we got to the top. But she was also glad to stay in the small parking lot rather than climb the tower that was even higher up! Becca needed someone to be by her, right? J Others offered to be the one to stand by her, but honestly, it was just high enough in the parking lot to get the view without feeling like I was going to plummet to my death. Dramatic much? :) It was Gorgeous!! Rolling hills covered in dark green pines as far as the eye could see. Beautiful.

Overheard in the parking lot upon viewing our artwork on the windows, “Every single one of them has a minivan!”

Mount Rushmore

We drove through the Needles to get there. There were several chiseled caves that could fit only one car wide at a time. One so narrow that Geoff and Diana could stick our hands out the windows and touch both walls at once! One was about 200 feet long and all one lane.

Three out of our five minivan, one car caravan.

The view as you walk up the flag lined path towards the carved heads is very grand. Each state is etched into a block on a pillar and each state’s flag flies above. We got there around 4:30 in the afternoon and the light was gorgeous.

The sculptor made a model sculpture and then they took the measurements from it and multiplied by 12 to carve into the mountain. I didn’t know that there were many other heads planned that were never carved. The sculptor died very near the end and his son saw them finished.

The 'rock waterfall' behind us is the rock that was blasted away as they carved the faces.

We ate cooler surprise for dinner in the parking garage. I just happened to have “Black Hills” by Doris Day on the iPod, so we blasted that while we ate. :) We danced around and the kids remembered it as one of their favorite meals. It was like a block party. :D

The evening program at Mount Rushmore was AWESOME! If you only go during the day, you are really missing out. Seriously. We guess there were 500 – 600 people there in bleachers and standing around the edges. All of them standing for the Pledge and later singing the National Anthem were inspirational. They played a movie about what each President accomplished and what he stood for. We sang the National Anthem as it ended and the faces on the mountain were illuminated very, very gradually. It made the heart swell.

We were at the top of the amphitheater with Becca's chair and the rest of the family sat down below.

We almost forgot Porkins’ picture, but got one when Emily had to go back to use the restroom. As we drove back to the campground, we could see the Presidents for a long while through the trees. Set in front of the expansive sky chuck full of stars.

Porkins Piggers is our family mascot. It was dark and so Geoff had to work some magic on the exposure, but there he is at Mt. Rushmore!

We met more buffalo crossing the road… we could hear them snorting in the dark right outside our windows. There was something very sinister about their angry sounding grunting and snorting when all you could see was a few trees eerily illuminated by our headlights. I’m pretty sure with a running start; one of the big ones could have tipped over our van if he’d really wanted to!

South Dakota Summer - Day 4

2011-07-23T23:07:00.004-06:00

Saturday 23 July 2011

In the morning, we hung out at the playground across from our second cabin. The grown-ups played games on a nearby picnic table. Then we met up at the parking lot of Grandpa and Grandma’s hotel where they stayed so that Grandpa could do his radio show over the phone. They had Alligator/Dinosaur sunglasses for the grandkids and we all painted our back windshields with white shoe polish to match Denise’s. I had wanted to write something on ours, but couldn’t think of anything. She had a big S and then Sagers, South Dakota and Summer coming off of that with a flower… so we all followed suit! I’m sure we looked way awesome traveling in a caravan with 5 minivans and a compact car all with the same writing on the back! :D

Jewel Caves

Amazing!!

Our family stayed together to go on the “Discovery Tour” with Stacey at the Jewel Caves. We went down in an elevator to a great, big room with tall ceilings. It felt much, much bigger than the Wind Caves and was much more comfortable to stand in. We could see some of the catwalks that the walking tours must use. The “jewels” are sparkly calcite deposits that the first explorers used to chip off and sell. Our guide shined his flashlight on them to catch the twinkle. J Our guide was VERY nice and we (Geoff ) asked all kinds of questions. Our tour was our family, two other families with kids and one older couple.

The discoverers of Jewel Cave were 2 young men who used dynamite to make the hole big enough to enter. At first, women had to change from dresses to coveralls and it was a big deal when they made it safe enough and discovered other, wider places that they could explore with their dresses on. :)

We drove the scenic wildlife loop back to camp without seeing any wildlife. Back at camp, we heard there was a herd of buffalo up the road just past the entrance to the campground. We jumped in the van and drove around the corner and there they were! There were hundreds! They were jogging on a trail right alongside the road. Lots of tan colored babies and some REALLY HUGE Daddy ones! They were hoofing it to a meadow that we could see through the trees. We drove around another corner and they were crossing the road! Right next to the van!! I rolled my window up quick!

South Dakota Summer - Day 3

2011-07-22T23:06:00.006-06:00

Friday 22 July 2011

Wind Caves

Waiting to go inside the caves.

The tours are only through a very small portion of the Wind Caves. On the map, they’re expansive! Stacey, Heather, Ethan, Becca and Diana went on a “Highlights” tour that took the elevator to the two main rooms. It only took about 15 minutes and the tour guide/Ranger wasn’t all that into it, but we asked a lot of questions and the natural A/C sure felt good! I’m not sure how much Ethan and Becca got out of it, but we were all glad to be included. Ethan especially liked a picture of a horse in the Visitor’s Center. He kept going back to it saying something that sounded like "shoshey" for 'horsey.' :) We were in there for a long time waiting for everyone else to get done.

Geoff and the rest of the family went on the “Natural Entrance” tour. It was a total of 300 steps down and they were often quite steep and narrow. At the maximum depth, we were down 200 feet under the ground. The ceilings were rather low in spots and Geoff hit his head several times in the course of the whole hike. Landon had a good time as did Emily, but Gracie kept complaining that it was creepy. It was about 1 ¼ hour hike total and was 53 degrees in the cave. Unique to the Wind Cave were Box Work and Popcorn. Box work is when the bedrock cracks and other minerals seep into the cracks and then the continuous water erodes away the bedrock and just leaves the mineral deposits. Popcorn comes out sideways instead of dripping down. It looks like round little balls of popcorn clinging to the side walls.

After the cave, we had lunch at the park in Hot Springs. The kids ran through the sprinklers that were on. Landon got soaked to the skin. A school group came in a short bus and it said Shannon County on the side. :)

We had yummy tinfoil dinners at the campground after the kids built a dam across the creek at Uncle Geoff’s prompting. All of the kids were soaked, but proud. And the slower water attracted some tiny little fish that the kids had fun spotting.

We had one cabin the first night and then moved to a different cabin to stay the rest of the nights in. It is the perfect size to snuggle up in; the double bed for Mom and Dad, the top bunk for the middle girls to share, the single bed for Becca with Landon at her feet and Ethan in the port-a-crib on the floor. The A/C is quite nice and provides some great white noise that seems to help Becca a lot. It is not right next to everyone else, which is a little bit hard walking back and forth to grab forgotten items, but the sleep value makes up for it! It has been worth every extra penny. We didn't take any actual pictures of it, so I'll include some from their website: Custer State Park.

The scenery really is this gorgeous! Our porch was a little smaller, but faced a pretty little creek.

Top bunk for Emily and Gracie, plus a little table right next to the door.

Twin bed on the other side for Becca and Landon with the port-a-crib up against it for a barrier. And there's that wonderful little A/C unit! Life saver for sure!

South Dakota Summer - Day 2

2011-07-21T22:57:00.006-06:00

Thursday 21 July 2011

Adam and Heather joined us at the hotel and Heather re-arranged children into the various vans. We were now up to 4. We have Becca, Ethan, Landon and Lydia with us. Stephen has all of his originals plus Gracie. Adam and Heather have (almost hit a prairie dog just now!! :D ) Jack, Emily and Spencer. Matt and Denise must just have Porter and Anna besides Richard and Shannon.

The day before we drove for a little more than 3 hours, little do these cheery kids know that today will be more like 8 hours in the car!

Willie Handcart Company Historical Site

Stephen’s GPS said 10 more miles and he was leading, so we missed the entrance at first. It was settled back away from the road and looks very authentic at first sight to its Pioneer roots. Although they thankfully had plenty of modern plumbing! We started at the handcart “parking lot” and picked out 3 handcarts to take turns pulling and riding in. Of course, Becca came in her own handcart and we got to try out her brand spankin’ new sunshade that I finished minutes before we left. It worked great! Her own personal surrey with the fringe on the top!

Aunt Denise and Becca in her surrey.

At the Blacksmith’s shop, we all got “Prairie Diamond” rings made out of nails. The Sun family, who is Catholic, donated the site and land to the Church because of its historical significance. They had preserved many artifacts and it was a very neat tribute to those Saints who literally dragged everything they owned across the plains by their own muscle power. Youth who go there to go on a Trek experience, start out at the visitor’s center and hike either 3 miles or 6 to the different camp sites. We saw a few ‘Trekkers’ from afar. I can imagine catching the pioneer spirit even more by doing some of the things the pioneers did and partaking of such hardship that begets spiritual strength.

The first little walk we did with the carts had plaques with journal excerpts. The sacrifice of the early Saints astounds me. One short excerpt in particular really spoke to me. A wife and mother was hauling her sick husband and a child in the cart and her other son that was walking collapsed. She slung him on her back and kept pulling. Finally, she put him in the cart with the others and just kept pulling. I feel that way sometimes! Maybe not to the physical extent that she did, but I do carry 50 lb. Becca around and emotionally I am constantly pulling other’s spirits up and trying to share the ‘we can do this together’ spirit that Heavenly Father sent me with. I definitely feel the weight of it all some days. But to be the only thing pulling your sick family through the snow step by step to safety is mind boggling. Humbling.

Sculpture accompanying the plaque with her story.

After eating lunch on the road, we got separated in Casper, WY. Stephen and Geoff stopped at Walmart (looking for the ever elusive pocket knife, chux pads and pop tarts) and Denise went to meet Heather. Somehow 3 of us went south and Stephen went north. Apparently the GPSs had a falling out and weren’t speaking to each other. :D

We crossed the border into South Dakota at 6:15 p.m… we were supposed to meet at the campground at 5:00. Glen and Sharon had some hot dogs and super yummy brats cooked up and waiting when we got there.

Some random sights on our way to South Dakota:

Looooooong trains full of coal.
Lots of prong horned Antelope/Deer
Lots and lots of really, really old abandoned cabins. (Geoff wishes he could get a grant to photograph them all!)
Country flattened out. Much lower, flatter mountains.
We’ve gone as much in one day as the pioneers took months to go.
They round bale the weeds on the side of the road.
Junkyards… one sprawled up the side of a hill.
Gracie saw a moose!
Milk = $4.69/gallon at the grocery store just before the campground!
2 ‘good ol’ boys’ dragging Main on four wheelers.

South Dakota Summer - Day 1

2011-07-20T19:14:00.005-06:00

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Don't forget to check out Geoff's version of our trip, too! Why don't you just open up another tab right now by clicking with your mouse wheel right HERE?!

Having packed the van the night before and then continued packing all the next day, we left around 5:40 to meet up with Stephen & Stacey and Matt & Denise and Richard & Shannon in Salt Lake. Our plan to meet at Matt's place of employment was revised to meeting at the mouth of Parley's Canyon. When we discovered we were ahead of the others, we pulled over into a scenic view spot where they promptly drove right by. Accident or devious plan to ditch us? We may never know! :D When Denise called and told Geoff which mile marker they were passing and asked which one we were near he said, "Let's see... it looks like it says, "We got ditched!'" :D

Mowgli led most of the way due to his inability to not lead. And even though I gave him a really hard time about the cruise control (I sure had to adjust mine A LOT while following him!) he knows how much I love him! We followed him all the way into Rock Springs, WY, not realizing that Stephen’s family was booked at a different hotel than the rest of us were. We pulled into the Outlaw Inn (Best Western) at about 9:45 and put the kids straight to bed... pretty much... Ratatouille was playing on TV. :D The girls lay crosswise on the second Queen, Landon slept in his new Lightening McQueen sleeping bag and Ethan slept in the port-a-crib on a raised platform in an open closet. :D Becca cried for probably about an hour, eventually slept, but only until about 6:30am. Hope she sleeps in the van today. (She never did) She’s already munching her fingers.


My beautiful rendtion of our awesome van. That's our new-to-us two tone (tan/brown) car top carrier full of bedding and the trailer hitch shelf on the back with Becca's chair wrapped up in a tarp. The shelf also held the cooler and our bags were all stacked up in the back-a-back where her chair usually goes. This way her chair wasn't buried and we could get it out when we stopped.

And yes, in case you're wondering, it did look like we had a person tied up and wrapped in a tarp on the back of our van! :D

National Ability Center

2011-06-30T23:21:00.005-06:00

I'm not going to try to resist the temptation to just post the link to Geoff's blog and call it a day. :D He did a great job telling about our adventures at the National Ability Center. Plus, he has all the great pictures up over there, too. :) I took most of them to be honest. Even when Becca is participating, I can't help being the standby support person, I guess. Old habits die hard! :D

It was incredibly awesome to do something that centered around Becca instead of circling around her, if you know what I mean. She got to try everything first and her siblings loved hanging out with her and trying things that she thought were fun. :D Plus, it is always so much fun to hang out with our Deafblind friends! :)

The thing that surprised me the most? How much she loved swinging 30 feet in the air! That was the activity that got the biggest smiles! And she even went to the effort of holding her head up and looking around. She really, really loved it! It did my mother's heart so much good to see her having so much fun!

I love my family!!

Technology: can't live with it, can't live without it

2011-06-12T12:08:00.005-06:00

The bad news is: the new ipod went kaput. The REALLY bad news is: it was my camera of choice for the past few months and it had A LOT of pictures on there that are now also kaput. :(

I'm not a good scrapbooker. I'm not a good journal-er. I'm not even a good blogger. But I am a good picture taker. We have folder upon folder of pics between hubby, his artistic eye and new camera and me and my point and shoot. The point and shoot went kaput long ago, but the same day we tried to figure out what happened to the ipod, we bought it a new battery and it's working again. Yay! But that still leaves the hole of the past few months. Some things I remember taking pictures of with the ipod:

My new mother's day sewing machine... that's still in the sewing room, I could take more pictures of that.

Ethan... who has probably changed the most, given his age. In snow boots from cousin Alex's baby days. Wearing silly hats. Crying his eyes out for Daddy to get home... there was a video of that one... very sweet.

I had a couple of tutorials I was going to blog about, like how to make a skirt longer so it's modest. And also a series of pictures of Emily sewing for the first time totally by herself.

Tons of hilarious mashed up face pictures that the kids made using an app that stretches and squishes your face in different ways. It seems like every time I picked the ipod up, there would be more of those. :D Mostly of Gracie. :D

Landon hiding. Landon sleeping. Landon making funny faces and wearing silly things.

My phone was in one pocket and the ipod in the other most days. I pulled it out and just snapped us... life... whatever was in front of me that I wanted to remember. I love technology and all the fun stuff that goes along with it, but when it goes wrong like this... it sucks.

Keto Krazy Weekend

2011-05-10T10:41:00.003-06:00

I was all ready to take to Facebook this morning and rant about our home health company. They really messed up this time and my precious daughter was going to pay for it. That is not okay with this Mama Bear. But then something amazing happened that deflated my anger-filled balloon.

Recently, our home health care company switched over to a different company. Becca gets her emergency oxygen supply (used to make sure she gets enough oxygen during a seizure) and her diapers from their office in Lindon. That's about 15 minutes down the road. She gets her food and supplies for tube feeding from their offices in Salt Lake, about 40 minutes the other direction. However, the food itself, KetoCal, the delicately balanced nutrition that has kept seizures at bay for so long, comes from Arizona first and then routes through Salt Lake to our house. We have been getting all of her orders on time or early for over a year now. Just when we start to run out, another order comes. Each can does about 2 1/3 days' worth of liquid formula.

Last week, long about Friday, we noticed that we were unusually low and that a new batch had not yet arrived. We had had calls from the new company double checking things and we thought we were set for the roll over. I made several phone calls and received several and they told me it would probably be here Monday, Tuesday at the latest. We had enough to get to Tuesday and so we kept on as usual.

Saturday we went to Taylorsville to visit my Mom for Mother's Day and Sunday we were preparing to go to Tooele to visit with Geoff's Mom. As we were getting kids in the car, the baby knocked over the pitcher of Becca's food for the day all over the garage floor. Okay, so now we didn't have enough for a whole day on Tuesday, but we would be fine if the formula showed up on Monday. As these things go, the formula of course did NOT show up on Monday. We used what we had and made more phone calls as now we had approximately 1 serving out of 5 for Tuesday. And that wouldn't be so bad, but her class was going on a field trip and it wasn't like I could just run stuff over to the school when it came. Everything that comes for her comes through UPS and they always deliver in the afternoon. Always.

So, here we were on Tuesday morning talking to people on the phone who were telling us they were doing the best they could. I wanted to scream, "NO! If you were doing the best you could, this would never have happened! We would not be the family that is out on a limb now with no food to feed their daughter!" Geoff made a mad dash to the nearest grocery store to buy heavy cream and egg substitute to make a "Ketogenic-friendly egg nog" that doesn't do the job quite as well as the formula, but is way better than nothing. She is given 2 of her feedings at school, so we put the last serving of KetoCal in one bottle and one serving of "egg nog" in the other bottle and sent her on her way.

Lo and behold, after everyone was gone for the day the doorbell rang! Either someone gave him a heads up or our knight in shining brown shirt and shorts decided to do his route backwards today, but there was that great big brown UPS truck in front of our house bringing Becca her food! I shouted Thank You and he had to stick his head back out of the truck and so I shouted it again, "Thank you SO much!!" I went back in and hit my knees and after many many 'Thank Thees,' I prayed for that delivery man to be blessed proportionately to how much he had blessed us! I know he was the face I saw at the end of the line of people who tried to help us over the past few days. I'm still a little miffed that it had to happen in the first place, I must say. But I guess all's well that ends well.

Becca went on a fishing field trip and brought back a real, used-to-be-alive fish in her bag! :D That was a new one! Her Intervener (Aide) wrote this in her journal:

Becca had a great time fishing today. She laughed all the way to Salem on the bus. She got to hold the fishing pole and reel her own real fish in. Her fish is in a plastic bag in her backpack. We ate in a big room there. Becca was looking around the whole time with a smile on her face. She smiled all the way home!

Indeed, all IS well that ends well! :)

The Psychology of Writing

2011-05-06T21:17:00.006-06:00

So, the writer trapped inside of me has been screaming and pounding on the other side of her door trying to get out. I usually tell her to get in line behind the dishes that need doing, the laundry that needs folding, the house that needs cleaning and if that doesn't work, the kids usually chase her right back in there and slam the door tight. This is a euphemistic way of saying that what I 'need' to do feels like it suppresses what I 'want' to do. I'm sure I am the ONLY person that feels this way in the whole wide world! ;) I mean, talk about my id, ego and super ego duking it out, right? I tell ya what!

In addition to continuing to work on my favorite 3 novel-length stories, I decided to challenge myself and do short bits of writing, too. For those days or moments when letting that creative writer out of her room to do a burst of writing would do me worlds of good. I actually created a blog for this very purpose. I laughed when I discovered that the first post was in 2006 and the next in 2008! It's not that that's all I have written in that amount of time, but that is all that I have written that is short enough to make sense sharing in a blog format. At the moment, I have decided to keep the blog private as my first baby step to maybe someday being published. As much as it is somewhat embarrassing and overwhelming to think of other people who are not me reading what I have written, I think it would be good for me to hear what other people think. Good or bad. Like it or not!

If you would like to be a part of my first readers outside of family, please find a way to get me your email address and I will send you a top secret invite. You can leave it in a comment or send me a message on Facebook.

Where'd you get that cool pic?

One of the catalysts for me being brave and diving in has been a very interesting BLOG that combines Psychology and writing. He uses his background in Psychology and Counseling to diagnose his characters and really get to know them. I do this in my own way, being fascinated by Psychology as I have been since my first class in college. His textbook approach has been very thought provoking for me as I try to understand these characters I create. It has led me to make sure the way my characters act and the decisions they make are congruent with the type of person they are... that they have an aligned psyche, so to speak. That they make sense.

Aligned psyche... what a cool phrase! :D

So, if you're interested in reading what I actually write instead of just hearing about how I want to write, but don't... gimme a jingle! And make this the day you dive in and try that thing you've always been wanting to devote more time to!

I finally got asked to Prom!

2011-04-24T22:10:00.011-06:00

Theme: I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton

I had my hair done at Stacey and Shannon's Chic Salon. Don't bother trying to get an appointment, they only work with the most exclusive, discerning clientele. I borrowed jewelry from the posh Heather's Haus of Jewelry. Pearl necklace and earrings that came with their own body guard. My blouse came from Denise's Tip Top Tailoring, which was way better than what I showed up in. (Don't blame me, I didn't know!) I did my own nails myself the night before, a completely happy accident.

Denise stayed up half the night trimming these leaves. Not to mention all of the other gorgeous decorations and yummy food! She rocks!

We went to this VERY exclusive restaurant. I'm pretty sure it was one of those things that disappears at midnight. Sorry you won't ever get to go there. They have the best lasagna and jello jigglers around. And the cheesecake? Fugeddaboudit!

I even got a goblet for my china cabinet... now if I only had a china cabinet. :D Geoff's and his siblings' Prom goblets are in his Mom's china cabinet and I freely admit my jealousy of such a trinket and what it represents. And now I have one!

All of this was a complete surprise to me. Geoff set it all up, including a babysitter. (Yep, I was THAT kind of Prom date) ;D So, as the dancing started, I asked if they had all learned a Promenade dance too, without telling me. I know, in Tooele, you have a date to Promenade that may or may not be your same date to the dance and you go to practices and everyone learns this choreographed dance that you all do together and parents stand on the balcony and take pictures and video. I almost got to go to Geoff's youngest sister's Promenade, but I was heavily pregnant (as in due any day) and had to miss it. We didn't do a Promenade... but there's always next year! ;D

Love these ladies!!!

It was fun to have a partner for every dance and never be left sitting there by myself. :D We were the goofy couple that couldn't stop laughing together. We also stole kisses, which is something high school me would never have even considered!

And so it was that after 12 years of marriage and even more than that since I DIDN'T get asked to Prom that I left my 5 children with a babysitter and went to the best Prom ever with my one and only true love and had the time of my life! Thanks, Hubby! You da Bomb!

Lemme tell you about Allie

2011-04-24T21:18:00.004-06:00

Every so often, but not very often, you happen upon friends that just click. Like the "exactly-right-size Lego that you didn't even know was missing" kind of click. When they first came down to meet the new neighbors, we learned that their youngest is about the same age as our oldest, they had just recently sent a son off on a mission and married off a daughter and they were totally cool about the Becca thing. Now, that last one was something I was obviously dreading. Moving to a new neighborhood and having to describe all that goes along with Becca is daunting. Not only is it daunting to say (it's a LOT of info!), but there are no guarantees about the recipients' reaction either. I remember being mildly surprised how they just took it all in and asked questions and were so nice about it. They didn't even run screaming down the street! :D

Fast forward to now and their missionary is home and married, their oldest daughter is expecting her first baby, their second daughter is getting ready to leave on her mission THIS WEEK, their second son still says Hi to me even though it probably isn't considered very cool and their youngest daughter is still about the same age as our oldest and is one of my funny, bright, smiley, beautiful Activity Days girls that I will get to see in about another year in Young Women!

Can I just tell you how much I enjoy time spent with this family? They have let me tie quilts and mend clothes and embroider fun things and hang out and eat and just have so much fun. And did I mention that even the Hubby loves them? We all love them! And getting Allie ready to serve her mission has been the awesomest thing ever. Granted, I haven't spent hours shopping with her and then hours returning things and getting the right things for the climate and truly, I've done very little. But to bask in her glow is amazing. She's been reading all kinds of uplifting books and praying and preparing. She is SO excited to go that I can't help being SO excited for her!

A couple of weeks ago, we had a Young Women's activity where I invited Allie and another cute girl in our Ward that has been back from her mission a couple of years and one of our YW leaders who has been back for quite a while to talk to the girls. It turned out better than I ever could have imagined! I hoped that we could put the idea in the girls' heads that missions were amazing opportunities and maybe give one or two of them an 'Aha!' moment. I was so impressed by the Spirit that was there and the wonderful teaching moments the pre- and returned- missionaries were able to share with us. Most importantly that missions are not just what you do if you're not doing anything else at the moment, but that they can be great preparations for everything you do in life... career, family, friendships, education... everything.

I am thrilled for the people in Panama to get to share my friend Allie. They are going to be blessed to be taught by a beautiful, very enthusiastic, Christ-like servant of the Lord that I love very much. Good luck, Allie! Have fun! And may the Lord bless you and keep you safe, happy and healthy.

Day 31 - A picture of yourself.

2011-04-06T21:38:00.002-06:00

This is the last day of the picture challenge, which must mean that tomorrow is my birthday! :)

"Challenge" doesn't cover it! This was very difficult. Not to mention a little soul bearing. I am so glad I did it and even more glad to be done. :)

I would have to say that all of these 31 posts have painted a very good picture of myself. Not that I'm trying to get out of posting yet one more picture of myself...

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

2011-04-05T21:38:00.004-06:00

I've decided to dedicate this one to my college roommates. We don't get to hang out NEARLY as much as we used to! ;D

There is just something cool about the bond formed with your first family away from home. We had SO much fun figuring out how to be grown-ups and still get our homework done. I hope it's okay with you guys if I use your actual first names... if it's not, let me know and I'll make up a nickname for you! :D

Ricks College Dorm 6
S.L.E.D.N. "Sleddin" on the snowy hills in Rexburg, ID. :) Sara, Lucie, Emily, Diana, Nancy. I need to dig further to find pics of when we were actually roommates. The one of Nancy and I on a particularly freezing night was taken then, but you can't see her face! Never fear! I will find more pics! ;D I don't have any pictures of Emily. She left part way through the term to have her own room.

Crazy answering machine messages... "Well, I ain't all that nARmal..." Playing Ghost in the Snow Building. Boys. :) Boys. :( Racing home on icy sidewalks to make curfew on time. Sleeping in the living room and waking up to Chicago on the CD player. Eating in the cafeteria. Dean, Steve and Jake. :D Jonas, Tory, and Bruce. :D The Jareds. :D All of our other homies. :D

Ricks College Riviera
Lucie, Cammie, Mindy, Holly and Mandy

Eating together. Roommate prayer every night at curfew. Group hugs with heads tilted to the right. Mandy's car Nelly. Hot tubs in the snow. Break ups. Bike wrecks. Carpet in the kitchen. Holly's dating and engagement to Shawn. Man, it was cold!

Mandy is one who will always be truly missed. She died in a car accident the year after we were roommates. She worked so hard the year we were roommates to be accepted into the Nursing program and she was! Mandy was authoritative and our favorite quote was, "How high, Mandy?" because she was always asking us to jump. ;D She was just over 5 feet tall and I had to bend at the waist to hear her when we went to Ricks Basketball games (half the team was in our ward). What she lacked in height, she made up in personality. Love that girl!

USU Moen Hall
Gaylynn, Christine, Meghan, Emily, Shannon and various other roomies that came and went.

Three flights of stairs. Hawaiian haystacks in the common room. Our own personal balcony that could be used up to one week a year when the weather was good. :D Stairs. Archaic microwaves. Getting locked out because my keys were inside drying because I had painted my keychain with nail polish. Calls in the middle of the night for the Asian guy who had lived there during the Summer. Did I mention the 3 flights of stairs? Numerous times a day. Three. Flights. Of Stairs.

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

2011-04-04T21:38:00.004-06:00

I LOVE BEING AN AUNT!

When my nieces and nephews are born, their first picture always stars on my computer's desktop. I get so excited to meet them! I love to love on them. I love hearing the first version of my name... Aunt Nana... Aunt Dinana... Anna (which happens to be the name of one of my treasured nieces). :)

It's fun when my kids have kids their same age to play with at family parties. It's also fun to snag them as they run by and snitch hugs and tickles and smiles from them.

My nieces and nephews can always make me smile!

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

2011-04-03T21:38:00.004-06:00

I couldn't decide if I was brave enough to post the above picture. Apparently I am. Are you really going to make me state what this means and why it is my deepest fear? There's probably some nueroses connected to the fear of drowning. All I know is, it scares me.

Which makes doing this feel a little impossible. I guess it's a little funny since a plane crashing in water probably has a softer landing than one crashing on land. But if you can't get out, what does it matter? You know that scene in The Abyss where they go to the nuclear submarine and they see the people still in there? I hate that part! And, somewhat ironically, I actually like that movie. I guess, for me, it is a thriller... as close to a horror movie as I'll ever get. Of course, my favorite part is how the characters relate to each other and the changes really deep true love can make in a person. But I digress.

Deep water and I are not friends.

Day 27 - A picture of yourself & a family member.

2011-04-02T21:38:00.004-06:00

This is Grandma Sagers. She is Geoff's Grandma. I call her Grandma, too.
I love her SO much!

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

2011-04-01T21:38:00.003-06:00

THE ABC'S OF FRIENDSHIP

A lways be honest, would you want THEM to lie to you?

B e there when they need you, or you may wind up alone.

C heer them on, we all need encouragement now and then.

D on't look for their faults, even if you have none.

E ncourage their dreams, what would life we be without them?

F orgive them, you just MAY do something wrong sometime.

G et together often, misery loves company, so does glee.

H ave faith in them, the human animal is remarkable.

I nclude them, you may need to be included sometime.

J ust be there when they need you.

K now when they need a hug, and couldn't you use one?

L ove them unconditionally, that is the ONLY condition.

M ake them feel special, because aren't we ALL special?

N ever forget them, who wants to feel forgotten?

O ffer to help, and know when "No thanks" is just politeness.

P raise them honestly and openly.

Q uietly disagree, noisy NO's make enemies.

R eally listen, a friendly ear is a soothing balm.

S ay you're sorry, don't let them assume it.

T alk frequently, communication is important.

U se good judgment.

V erbalize your feelings!

W ish them luck, hopefully good!

X amine your motives before you "help" out.

Y our words count, use them wisely.

Z ip your lips when told a secret.

Friendship means the world to me. From my family who were my very first friends and will be my very last, to every other person in between. I value good friends. They are what I missed the most after every big move I have made. Which, in turn, is probably why I love Facebook so much! Connecting and building lasting friendships means a lot to me. I try to be the friend I would like to have. :)

True blue through and through.

I apologize for not having an author for the above ditty. If you know who wrote it, please let me know!

Day 25 - A picture of your day.

2011-03-31T21:38:00.001-06:00

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.

2011-03-30T22:04:00.004-06:00

Negativity

More funny stuff here.

If I could give everybody a good shot in the arm of positive thinking, I would! It's not that I hate negativity. I mean, I do, but I also understand it. Nobody can be happy every second of every day. We have to have really bad terrible no good days to appreciate the really good days. I just struggle when someone is having a really hard time and I can't fix it. I just want to make everything better! I want to make the sun shine when it's rainy, so to speak.

My own personal way of dealing with dissappointment is, quite honestly, to find the best in it. Of course I have to first come to grips with it first and really have a chance to feel, well, dissappointed. But I can't stay there very long. It's dangerous to stay there. I know I have to pick myself up by the boot straps and get moving.

I am Pollyanna.

You know I am. I am my life's ultimate spin doctor. I can play the Glad Game like nobody's business! I want to find that silver lining.

I still have really rainy days, though. Days where the sun is behind so many layers of dark gray clouds, the silver is completely hidden. But I know it's there. The sun is ALWAYS on the other side of the clouds... no matter how many layers there are. That's just how the universe works. Heavenly Father never ever leaves us completely alone. He is always in the same place, beckoning for us to come to him, to kneel and ask for help.

With HIM on our side, how can we fail? :)

It's way more fun to spend life focusing on the good than to always find the bad. 'Nuff said!

She's so cute, isn't she? :D

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

2011-03-29T22:14:00.000-06:00

Multiple authors, one Source. History. Principles that strengthen my testimony. Will continue to read them over and over and over.

Beverly Cleary

My favorite childhood author.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Another favorite.

Jane Austen

Love her.

J.K. Rowling

Fantasy rooted in the real world. Love it!

C.S. Lewis (above) and J.R.R. Tolkein (below)

Fantasy at it's greatest and most epic.

Cornelia Funke

Imagination.

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

2011-03-28T21:15:00.003-06:00

Not just scrapbooking, but digital scrapbooking.

Playing the piano.

Quilting.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

2011-03-27T21:15:00.000-06:00

Let's be honest, I spend so much time and energy trying to remember stuff, it would be contradictory to try to forget something. :D

But really, even the bad stuff has made me who I am. Would I want to forget the first boy who broke my heart? No, because I learned from that and someday I might be holding my crying daughter and I can be understanding. Do I want to forget 9-11 and all other catastrophic tradgedies? How could I? They changed the world that I live in to be what it is today. I can't listen to Have You Forgotten? and not remember exactly where I was that day.

Everything... every little tiny thing... makes up who I am.

Live without regret, now there's a mantra I can get behind! :)

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

2011-03-26T21:15:00.001-06:00

IRELAND!

Day 19 - A picture and a letter.

2011-03-25T21:15:00.001-06:00

This post is brought to you by the letter D and also the letters that spell Ladybug. :D

This would be at the beginning of my name if I was a fairy.

This would be at the beginning of my name if I had looked into the Eye of Sauron.

This would be at the beginning of my name in the book wherein is written a sonnet about me.

Don't we ALL need a little more Vitamin D these days?!

A little tailoring and you KNOW I would wear this! :D

A painted rock! How many times have I painted rocks in my life? Not a few!

If I lived alone, I would totally own this! Maybe for a guest room someday! ;D

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

2011-03-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

And there's always this post.

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

2011-03-23T22:49:00.003-06:00

If it were even possible (not to mention privacy issues) I would put a picture up of all of the awesome girls I have the privilege of associating with these days. First, I was just in Activity Days. Then I was in Young Women AND Activity Days. And now, I am in Young Women. I remember thinking how much I would love to be in Young Women... and then I would remind myself of all of the DRAMA involved! :D I am learning to love the drama. And I pray all the time that I will be able to say the right thing at the right time to minimize some of the drama.

Girls Camp Sunday has ALWAYS been my favorite! You know, the first Fast Sunday after Girls Camp when they all go up and tell about how their testimonies were strengthened and how the bonded and what scary, gross or annoying thing brought them closer together. Be it rain, or bears, or what have you.

You may be thinking that your Ward has the best and brightest Young Women in the world. And you're probably right where YOU are concerned. But as far as I am concerned, we have the most capital A AWESOME girls! Their integrity and strength of spirit amazes me. Their testimonies are so strong! They are valiant and talented. They are so kind to each other! In a world where their age group is not widely known for such a trait, in fact.

I am excited and humbled and oh so happy to be working with the youth in my neck of the woods. And I am thrilled at the direction the Personal Progress goals take me and I can't wait to earn my medallion... again! :)

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.

2011-03-22T21:59:00.003-06:00

There are so many people that fit this category for me. I surround myself with people that uplift and inspire me. I am constantly amazed at the wonderful people that I get to communicate with every day.

Most recently, I have been profoundly touched by my cousin Bryce and his incredible wife Heidi. They are parents to two amazing boys. Their second son is such a special child that he only needed a few days in his earthly body before he completed his test.

With profound respect, I chose to share the rest of what I wrote directly with them and the picture I snitched from the blog is an oldie but goodie. :)

I sure love you guys... A LOT!

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

2011-03-21T22:00:00.003-06:00

Write a novel.

I've already got several ideas started. Something I could really pour my heart into.

Eat at a very fancy restaurant.

Where the food is pretty and there are lots of forks.

Travel with just Geoff.

On a plane. Somewhere really far away. Be an anonymous tourist. Take lots of pictures.

Take a really pretty picture of me that could be laid next to Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

2011-03-20T22:00:00.002-06:00

Ummm, that's like EVERYONE! I could never imagine my life without anyone who is already in it until it really is their time to go and I'm forced to.

My views on life and death are tied so closely to my religion and I believe that I will get to be with my loved ones forever and ever if we all do what's right while here on earth. I know where they're going when they leave and my dearest and only hope is that I will get to be with them there someday.

So, I guess I'm refusing to answer this question! I don't want to imagine my life without anyone and so I choose not to.

Instead, I choose to show you a picture of the place where families can be tied together forever. This is where we are Sealed together so tightly, not even death can break us apart.

The Bountiful Temple

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.

2011-03-19T22:00:00.002-06:00

Of all time: Collin Raye

You may remember when we got to go and see him at Desert Star. He is seriously the nicest guy. We exchanged a couple of emails before his granddaughter passed away. I haven't gotten up the guts since then to write to him again. He has this amazing Spirit about him. He has such strong core beliefs. His family means everything to him. He is just a really great person.

I like SO many different artists and songs! I struggled to narrow it down to even a handful of favorites. I couldn't do it! So, we'll just stick with the best and let the rest hold their own. :)

Day 12 - A picture of something you love.

2011-03-17T10:36:00.002-06:00

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

2011-03-17T10:16:00.006-06:00

I'm not even going to dignify it with an actual picture, plus I wouldn't be able to look at this post ever if I put a picture of a real one. I hate spiders. They make me feel all creepy crawly just to look at them. I once spent over an hour trying to build up the courage to smash a spider when I was 8 or 9 and I cried the entire time! And when my Mom, who had been encouraging me from out in the hallway, finally came in and saw how big it actually was, called my Dad to come and get it in the end! :D I'm slightly braver these days when it comes to protecting my kids from their obvious ill will and probably poisonous personalities. But I still detest them and will call anybody else, who is not me, to avenge my near death experience upon seeing one.

I made a special effort to find green spiders, which, not surprisingly brought up a lot of green goblin pics, considering I searched for "green cartoon spiders." :D

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the craziest things with.

2011-03-16T11:41:00.005-06:00

If you'd asked me 11 years ago if I'd be doing half the stuff I do, I'd have called you crazy! My partner in these crimes? Becca, of course! I have done more out-of-the-ordinary things with this girl than I ever thought possible!!

I remember taking my teensy, sqeaky 3 month old baby girl to get her very first hearing aid. At one year old, she got glasses and a second hearing aid. This picture was taken at 2 years old. Not very long after this, we gave up on the second hearing aid as we could never find any hearing in that ear and she hated the aid in her bad ear, but left the better one alone. That's how we knew it was working well for her. :) And when they tried to move up to a stronger prescription on the glasses, she refused to wear them ever again!

Several times a week I would let complete strangers in my house to manhandle my daughter and do all kinds of therapies on her. Of course, they didn't stay strangers for long! This is Donata doing PT. She also got OT, Speech, Vision and Hearing visitors... from a few weeks old to 3 years old, every week. Becca learned to love therapy and also what to do to get them to stop. She was the BEST at playing possum with her first PT Curt. She would fake sleep until he stopped and then she would be all alert again. :) I love Early Intervention and I am so grateful for their persistence and patience and friendship.

I sent someone who couldn't do anything for herself away on a bus every day to preschool. I put a lot of trust in her bus drivers and teachers to take care of her the way I would and send her back to me tired, but happy. This was from her first day of preschool which happened on her 3rd birthday.

When Becca first started losing teeth, I freaked out! First of all, I didn't know where it had gone! And second of all, the first thing I assumed was that something was terribly wrong. My Mom reminded me that she was the right age to be losing teeth and it was the first milestone she hit right on time!! :D Loose teeth still freak me out.

We do all kinds of other "crazy" things on a daily basis. I feed her with a tube directly into her stomach 5 times a day at 8, 11, 2, 5 and 8. She actually had a tiny seizure today, but she hasn't had a really big one in nearly a year and a half. Seizures are horrible and I wouldn't wish them on my greatest enemy. I do tons and tons of comfort caring and really just everything the rest of us do for ourselves... I do for Becca.

So if I use the definition of crazy that includes the words bizarre and fantastic... I do bizarre things for a fantastic girl every day. And if that makes me crazy... I love being crazy!!

Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

2011-03-15T11:41:00.002-06:00

I must say that the person I pour my heart out to while on my knees has gotten me through all kinds of tempests and trials. My Savior loves me. He never leaves me completely alone. He guides me and lifts me up when I can't walk another step on my own.

He also gave me an incredible husband to walk through life with. We drive each other completely crazy sometimes, but we know we can count on each other no matter what. We've been through a lot in our almost-13 years together! He takes care of me and usually says just the right thing at just the right moment. He still melts me. We laugh ALL THE TIME! I'm so glad he's mine!

Here he is being raised to be the funny, strong, helpful, supportive man I know him to be.

Baby Becca on oxygen.

Double birthday party for our January birthdays... Becca's 1st.

Becca and Emily

Emily

Emily building with Daddy.

Emily playing "pretendo."

Feeding baby Gracie.

Gracie playing pretendo.

Landon smiling at Daddy.

Geoff's mini-me.

Ethan

Da Boyz!

Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.

2011-03-14T11:39:00.002-06:00

My kids. Period.

Beautiful Becca

Emily the mouse hunter! We had a mouse come in our house due to nearby construction. Emily overheard us discussing if it had made its way into the couch and decided to check one day.

Gracie reading to Becca. Becca kept grabbing the book and grinning and Gracie kept moving, but never stopped reading.

Landon laughing throatily whilst eating chocolate pudding.

Toothless Ethan

And what laughing post would be complete without a little Rubberband Man?

Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.

2011-03-13T21:46:00.008-06:00

This question is A LOT harder than it looks!

I am a very sentimental person, so I think my best definition of "treasure" would be something of the highest intrinsic value... as opposed to monetary value. Of course, there could conceivably be something that fit both definitions, but I don't own my Great-Grandmother's favorite rocking chair or anything like that. :D

Yes, I think I treasure memories the most. Memories attached to objects and those stored away in my brain, more attached to a person than a thing. Pictures fall under this category and I do treasure pictures of people I love. There is nothing better on a lazy afternoon, than thumbing through an old photo album and regaling whomever will listen about the people on its pages.

I can't possibly share ALL of those kinds of memories, nor would you want to sit here that long. :) And so, I will open up my Rubbermaid Hope Chest and share a thing or two with you.

The oldest treasure belonging to me in my Hope Chest is all found in a brown paper bag with my name on it. I remember making this bag with my Mom. When it was time to give up my blankie, we put it in a very special place. I think I have already told this story before. There used to be a binkie with almost no nipple in there, to represent how long I held onto my binkie and the measures my parents had to resort to to get me to stop. I remember combing my fingers through the yarn fringe at the edge of the yellow and white afghan. I liked it to stroke the webs between my fingers.

I can't remember what this fabric is called. My Mom worked at a sewing factory when she was expecting me and she would bring home the scraps and make toys for me out of them. It has a sort of mesh in between layers of spongy fabric that is fuzzy. I remember laying my finger across the fuzz and moving the hairs back and forth. Not stroking it. It's incredibly hard to describe when you can't see my hand movements to explain what I mean! :) Anyway, if I'm remembering correctly, my Mom made the small brown bear and I think my Grandma H made the blue bear out of the same type of fabric. My Mom could have made both... hopefully she'll straighten me out in the comments. :) I love how the blue bear's nose is worn away by a thousand kisses! He never had a name... he should have had a name.

This is my blessing dress. It is white tricot with yellow lace. It has a little slip that goes under it. The story goes that I gave my very first smile to my Dad while I was wearing this dress on my blessing day. :) I just love the tradition of blessing dresses. Making a beautiful dress for a treasured daughter to wear. A father giving his baby girl a wonderful blessing to give her the very best start for her life. Remind me sometime to tell you about my childrens' blessing days. :)

The last picture came out blurry, so you'll have to take my word for it. My baby hair brush and comb are so cute! I love that they brushed my downy little hair. None of my kids has had as dark of hair as I had. It's unique to me in my now-family. I shared it with my sister in my then-family. :)

These are treasures that remind me how much I have been loved ALL MY LIFE. There has always been someone to wrap me in a blankie. To stroke my hair. To play and have fun with. I am a very, very lucky girl!

Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

2011-03-12T21:30:00.002-07:00

Okay, I hope this isn't too weird, but I've given this a lot of thought and if it were possible, I think this would be an unforgettable experience. If I could trade places with someone for a day, I would pick each of my Grandparents one at a time. Hear me out. I would get to go to Heaven's waiting room and see and give hugs to everyone I know that's there! Granted, Heavenly time is SO much faster than ours, so it would have to be really, really quick hugs, but Oh! they would feel SO good! AND then my kids could meet my incredibly awesome Grandparents. I can't tell you how many times I wish they could meet them and know them like I did. I tell them stories all the time! It would be awesome if they could bake really soft cookies with Grandma H. Feed the chickens with Grandpa H. Have their ribs counted by Grandpa L. Read a good book with Grandma L. Sweet, sweet, sweetness! :)

Seeing their faces helps me remember how their voices sound. And what their hugs feel like. And how much they really, really love me.

Day 5 - A picture of your night.

2011-03-11T21:46:00.003-07:00

What an interestingly worded challenge. I could take a picture of the night sky. I could take a picture of my sleeping children, they would surely thank me for that in years to come. I could take a picture of what I do at night, which is to sit here at the computer or at the sewing machine. I could take a picture of myself sleeping, but that wouldn't be pretty and very, very hard to do! I could wait and take a picture of what I'm actually doing tonight, on this, the 5th day. I think I'll go with more of a combo/timeline/mish mash of everything I do at night. See anything similar at your houses at night? ;D

Disclaimer: These are all ipod pics since the camera I'm allowed to touch has a mysterious debilitating illness.

Kids playing Wii fit.

Gobs and gobs of minty freshness... literally. :)

Becca's nighttime feed and meds. I turned this pic a couple of times, I don't know why it is still sideways. It looks like it's going to pour out all over your keyboard. Watch out!! :D

What a cute bunch of pajama-ed kids those are!

Dishes. What? You thought I would take a picture of the dirty ones? Ewww! They look just like these only way slimier. :P

Mutt and Jeff our washer and dryer.

And this is what is waiting for me right over there! See ya! :D

Day 4 - A picture of your favorite memory.

2011-03-10T21:43:00.002-07:00

Can anyone really pick just ONE favorite memory? There's like a billion of them rattling around in there! I decided I'd pick a favorite class of memories... Each time someone was added to my family. I was going for the earliest picture I could find with me in it as well as the new addition.

Geoffrey

I love this picture because we are laughing together and that is what drew me to him in the first place. He can always make me laugh. Even when I don't want to. Especially when I don't want to. :D We are best friends.

Rebecca

She is hooked up to so many wires under that blanket! Her birth was by far the most eventful and so were her first few months and even years. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about all kinds of diagnoses and disabilities. I'd like to say that she was a calm and peaceful baby, I really would! :) She came home to our first home, our tiny cinder block student housing 2 bedroom apartment in Logan. And we've loved her to bits and pieces ever since!

Emily

Such a sweet and delightfully uneventful birth. Although she didn't let us see beforehand, so we were a little surprised that she was a girl. :) The Dr. almost didn't let us leave with her on time because he wanted to test her for CMV. After explaining and giving him time to study it out in the hospital library, he let us go. I've always hoped that that experience made him more aware of CMV. She was born in the Old Tooele Hospital... I know, I am just that brave! :) It was literally the week they moved into the new hospital. The day before we went home was the open house of the new hospital and it was really quiet. :)

Grace

We were so excited to have 3 girls in a row! It had been a very big decision to have them all so close together with all of Becca's issues, but she must have been up there jumping up and down to come because it felt just right the whole time. She was such a peaceful baby! We always used to say that her name was perfect for her. We stopped saying that when she was a toddler. :D

Landon

Oh Boy! We were thrilled to be having a boy at last! We were going to wait, but we decided we just better go for it and get everyone here. We put our house on the market while I was expecting. What an adventure!! We moved an hour and a half away when he was crawling. He was such a mellow, smiley baby.

Ethan

They told me he was a boy and I just couldn't believe it! He is the most perfect caboose there ever was. He was just high maintenance enough as a newborn to remind us all that he will never get lost in the chaos. :) He is so happy and curious and loving. He's our Happily Ever After.

Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

2011-03-09T09:32:00.001-07:00

Because let's be honest, there was a different girl and her set of baggage whether it be her father the scientist, her brother the rock star or her mentor the inventor. (Ha! That just made me laugh right out loud... it's stayin'!) :D But in the end, it was always MacGyver walking away from the burning pile of rubble. And who was the first person he called from his apartment when he got back? Pete.

On one of the very first episodes he has a bag and he turns back to the person he's helping and says something to the effect of, "It's not what's in the bag, it's what I find along the way."

Day 2 - A picture of you & the person you have been closest to the longest.

2011-03-08T00:26:00.007-07:00

If I can only pick one person then it will be my Mom. After all, she carried me before anyone else even knew me as a person!

We are still the best of friends. I guess I should say we are now the best of friends. There were some times in there, when I was a stubborn teenager for example, when we had some rocky patches. But I have ALWAYS loved my Mom. We can (and do!) talk about anything and everything. I love late night chats on the instant messenger. I love phone calls. Most of all, I love being in the same place that she is so that our visits can begin and end with big hugs. There is nothing in the world like my Mom's hugs... warm, loving, comforting and she always smells SO good! :D

Day 1 - A picture of yourself & ten facts.

2011-03-07T23:52:00.007-07:00

I'll do my best not to repeat things you may have already read about me in this post. ;)

An eyepod pic

1. I love to sing in the car. With my kids. By myself. I also get my groove on at stoplights and dance like nobody's watching... which I hope they aren't, but if they are, I hope they smile. :)

2. Basketball is WAY fun! I'm actually pretty decent at it until you add a bunch of other people on the court, too, then I'm not so good. I lack the 'aggressive' gene needed for highly competitive sports.

3. I love animals, but I don't need them to survive. If I could have any amount of animals I wanted, I would have a dog and some chickens... behind a fence of course because the dog probably can't be trusted. I would also have a couple of small animals in the house for my kids to enjoy... a bird and maybe some pretty fish.

4. My most favorite fabric has got to be fleece. Stretchy. Fuzzy. Colorful. Love it.

5. Dance parties are a regular form of exercise for me. Woohoo for all those years of taking Social Dance instead of P.E. whenever I could get away with it!

6. If I could have a $100 and I had to spend it in just one store, I would head for a home dec store. My house is in DIRE need of embellishment. I've always wanted to visit Tai Pan Trading Co., but have never been brave enough.

7. I don't like to do my hair the same way twice in as many days. It's all pretty similar, but not usually exactly the same. Clips. Barrettes. Head band(s). Pony tail. Pig tails. Never all the way down... it falls in my eyes and I spend way too much time tucking it behind my ears.

8. Earrings are the new necklace for me lately. The baby (who is quickly outgrowing that moniker) doesn't pull on earrings like he pulls on necklaces. I've been wearing them almost every day... they make me feel pretty. :)

9. My job chart is a picture of Doris Day. I love her. I think we would have been good friends. I think she is cute and sassy and classy and funny. Of course, I really only know the movie-her, so there ya go!

10. I don't like lunch. I do if there are yummy leftovers from a yummy dinner I made, but I've been struggling lately with the growth of my children exceeding the amount of food I am used to cooking in order to have leftovers. I don't usually feel like eating mac & cheese or sandwiches like my boys do at that time of day, but I also don't like making a whole little meal just for little ole me. Sometimes I have to make me go back in the kitchen and make real food instead of snacking on whatever I can grab for the rest of the day until dinner. *rolling eyes*

Bottom of the Pile

2011-02-19T20:26:00.012-07:00

I'm a saver. I really need to work on organizing what I save, however. Take today's find. It was in a pile of "important" papers in my bedroom. It's a print out from the doctor's office of all of Ethan's stats for his first year! It should be in his special stuff book. However, my kids' special stuff books currently exist as special piles of stuff in a cupboard. I'll get there... eventually!

So, here's how my Ethan has grown in his first year (and a half).

September 26, 2009 -- 7 days old
Weight: 8.6 lbs. 62%

October 6, 2009 -- 17 days old
Weight: 9.3 lbs. 61%
Height: 23 in. 98%
Head Circ.: 15 in. 67%

November 18, 2009 -- 2 months old
Weight: 13.4 lbs. 88%
Height: 24 in. 87%
Head Circ.: 15 in. 14% (I'm thinking they forgot to measure this time and left last time's measurement in)

February 2, 2010 -- 4 months, 2 weeks old
Weight: 18 lbs. 90%
Height: 28 in. 99%
Head Circ.: 17 in. 66%

April 13, 2010 -- 6 months, 3 weeks old
Weight: 20.3 81%
Height: 28 in. 84%
Head Circ.: 17.5 in. 57%

July 14, 2010 -- 10 months old
Weight: 23 lbs. 77%
Height: 30 in. 88%
Head Circ.: 19 in. 98%

September 20, 2010 -- 1 year old
Weight: 25.3 lbs. 83%
Height: 32 in. 90%
Head Circ.: 19.5 98%

I can't believe it has already been a whole year and almost another half! You make a perfect caboose to our family and I hope you never feel like the bottom of the pile... more like the icing on the cake! We love you, Lil' Ethan Man!! :D

Blog Review - At Second Street

2011-02-17T09:55:00.001-07:00

I have become addicted to craft blogs. Notice I said craft BLOGS, not actual crafting! :D If it involves a sewing machine, sure! I'll try it! Unfortunately paper, glue and scissors are not really my friends. It takes me forever to think of something to do with them and it never turns out quite how I saw it in my head. But I do love to read about other people's fantastic ideas and see their cute pictures. I also get a kick out of all the fun, creative food ideas out there. It almost makes me want to bust out my cake decorating nozzles and my chocolate dipping... wait, nozzles? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not really a "fancy food" person. I'm more of a chocolate chip cookie person. :) There are SO many great ideas out there right now, though! Hence the craft blog surfing.

Super cute re-fashioned T-shirt dresses for her girls.

One of my frequently visited links is Sugardoodle. It is an LDS-run site that has ideas for activities, treats and inspiration for Activity Days, Young Women, Boy Scouts... you name it! I love to go there for ideas! I even have a little reminder that pops up in my Facebook feed from them that reminds me to go look at cool things if I want.

Adorable T-shirt hat that I really, really need to make for myself!

One day, one of those Facebook links took me to the cutest crafty blogs I had ever seen. I seriously loved all of her sewing projects and drooled over her food ideas and enjoyed her cute, upbeat writing style. Usually, I like some of the ideas in any one blog, but this one was just totally speaking my language. So, after clicking around for quite a while, I got curious who was writing this new favorite blog of mine. How shocked and excited was I to find out that we had lived on the same block as kids and she and her sisters were my sisters' best friends? (The one my age was a boy, or I'm sure I could include myself in there!) :D AND even better than that, the man I married has a family of cousins that are HER cousins, too! It was so fun to write her an email and give her props for a seriously awesome blog.

I love, love, love this unique craft! Seriously, how cool are these kid-inspired wall hangings?

So, if you want to join me in my all new crafty blog addiction, start with At Second Street and don't look back! The links and labels listed down the right side are a great place to start. I need to find someone with as cool of a donate pile as she has that she has made into so many re-fashioned projects. Say "Hi!" to Kalleen while you're there and tell her Diana sent you! ;D

The post that started it all... I really want to make some of these, too... for next year! ;)

Patches

2011-02-15T10:12:00.003-07:00

Just like my Mom and other countless women progenitors before us, I have a gigantic meding pile. :) I'm actually quite proud of it. It's a symbol of my resourcefulness, talent and thriftyness, but only if I actually mend the clothing languishing in there once in a while! :)

So, one day I decided to sort the mending pile. I made a "would take 2 seconds" pile, "would take quite a while, but is still worth it pile," "oops, they've grown out of it" pile and a "not worth saving" pile. Miraculously, there was only about 2 things in the "oops they've grown out of it pile." That has previously been know to be a large portion of the mending pile, unfortunately. The biggest pile (by far!) was the "would take 2 seconds" pile. Split seams mostly. I sat down that day and put a bunch of beloved clothes back into circulation... you know, the one that goes body, floor, laundry hamper, washer, dryer, laundry basket, drawer, floor, drawer, body, floor, etc. :)

Another very large portion of the mending pile pie chart were pants with torn knees. They mostly belonged to my girls, but I only expect that to last as long as the cold weather does. Once my boys are outside more often, so their jeans will also land in the mending pile with ripped knees. I've tried several different strategies to ripped knees. Cutting them off, those pre-glued iron-on patches you buy at the store that are the same color denim as the jeans were new which they most decidedly aren't any more, putting fabric behind the tear and zig zagging back and forth and back and forth. The ones that they always end up loving the most are when the patch shows and becomes part of the fashion statement of the pants.

So, this time I took a scrap of some really, really cute fabric that was already printed in blocks with cute animals on some and other patterns on others. Then I ironed the fabric, un-cut, to some scraps of wonder under I had tucked away. When I cut them apart, I had my own patches that were MUCH bigger than the puny ones at the store that are cute, but aren't made to cover a seam to seam tear in a pant leg. Before ironing my new patches to the pants, I performed some pre-surgery surgery by zig zagging the frayed edges of the holes together and trimming the really frayed stuff off.

Wonder under is not strong enough to be its own patch. At least not strong enough by my standards. To me, wonder under is a way to hold something in place until you can sew it down. So, I ironed my patches to cover the recent zig zagged scars on the pant legs and sewed them around the edges and with a big X from corner to corner. I decided to use filament thread that is transparent so that I didn't have to change thread a hundred times or have the thread distract from the cute fabric since I sewed right through the middle of them.

Now, I know that the cotton fabric on the denim fabric will not last as long and will probably get torn through again before the pants are outgrown. But then I will just add more cotton fabric patches over the top and they can be play pants until they are high waters. They like these better than if I spent the money on brand new ones anyway!

Be Mine!

2011-02-14T11:18:00.001-07:00

Twas the night before Valentines Day and all through the house....

The super cute Valentines wait to be taken to school to sweeten the teeth of our classmates and cousins.

Ethan's picture is ready to go, so he can share in the fun. His probably won't have suckers on them... he didn't really get the whole "pose for the camera" bit we were all trying to model for him at the time. That's okay, I'll take his cute mug over a sucker any day!! :D

Gracie's tooth was FINALLY extricated!! Can you see the other one already pushing up? Yeah, she wanted Grandma Lee to pull it out and was saving it for her. But when Grandma heard how dire the circumstances were, she promised Gracie a treat if she would let us do it. Geoff wrestled it out of her at a family party at Aunt Deana's house. Yay! :)

Nail Party!! Red-ish Pink-ish with sparkles on top! And yes, some of us had our showers at the END of today, instead of the beginning or the night before. Hey! At least they got them! :D

White hearts on the thumbs for both girls, too. Becca was in bed and eats nail polish anyway, so she didn't join us this time.

Proof that I participated, too! :) I actually really like this pic. Including the little yellow swatch of my pajama pants! :D

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Miracles Disguised as Trials

2011-02-13T21:08:00.007-07:00

There's a beautiful story in Mark 2: 3 - 12. It is about one of Jesus' many miracles that He performed while on the earth. In my own words, it is about a man who was sick with a palsy who was brought to Jesus in a crowded place by lowering him on his bed through a hole in the roof. The first thing Jesus did was to forgive him of his sins. Then the people standing around watching began to criticize Jesus saying that He did not have the authority to forgive sins. Jesus asks them if it is easier to forgive his sins or to heal his physical ailments. And then Jesus also heals him of his palsy and he gathers up his bed and leaves.

Putting myself in this man's place, I think he must have been begging to see Jesus. He, and his loved ones, must have desired this so much that they were willing to climb to the roof, remove the tiles and with ropes four of them lowered him into the building where Jesus was. If he was a true believer, and he must have been to have ultimately been healed, he would not have had an agenda to the visit. He would have HOPED for healing, but he would not have expected it. He would have left it to the Lord to decide what He would do with him. I imagine that when the Lord pronounced his sins forgiven, he must have felt the most warm, peaceful, forgiving feeling. His soul at that moment became as white as snow though his sins were as scarlet. The burden of all of his past wrongdoings were taken from him and he didn't have to bear them any more. Whatever he expected while being lowered in to see the Savior, the feeling of having his sins lifted from him must have been an incredible feeling! So liberating! So full of relief! And then to have his physical suffering suddenly relieved also must have been the icing on the cake, so to speak. I wish I could have seen him walk and dance out of the building. I wish I could have known what he did with his life after "his miracle."

So many times we are so focused on the minute details of a day to day trial that we don't view it as a miracle until it's over. The other people that witnessed this man's miracle were only focused on the outward appearance of a miracle... only what they could see. How could they possibly have understood this man's complete transformation, inside and out? How often do we forget where we were and how far we have come? How quickly we forget the baby steps we took to get to our own miracles. Do we pay attention to the small miracles that the Lord sends us every day?

When Becca was born, all we knew at first was that her head was very small. A day or two into life, she needed extra help to keep her oxygen levels up where they needed to be. Within the first week, we discovered that her brain and other assorted organs had been attacked by a virus while she was still growing within me. After a few more days and a bout with RSV, we were sent home with a baby with unknown potential (like every other baby) and also a damaged brain, oxygen tubes, monitors and behaviors that soon led to other diagnoses like Cerebral Palsy, Vision impairment, Hearing impairment, Nonverbal, Seizures, etc., etc., etc. (very unlike most other babies)

Looking back, I can remember a lot of hard days and nights... a lot of really hard news to hear... a LOT of prayers and fasting and pleading with my Heavenly Father to let me keep my child. The pervading sentiment I felt to my very core was that if she was supposed to stay, she would get to stay, but that I wasn't in charge, Heavenly Father was.

We got to keep her. She's still here. And she suffers ...sometimes a lot. She has limitations so numerous and varied that she is in a physical category with 4 - 6 month old babies. Mentally, who knows? I think she understands far more than she's able to communicate, but I can't prove it. :) Nowadays, she is comfortable and healthy and very, very happy MOST of the time. When she is not any of these things, it's a guessing game to discover the problem and fix it for her. I rely heavily on my Heavenly Father and the whisperings of comfort and inspiration that come... if I'm ready... if I can hear them... if I'm listening.

I would be an extremely ungrateful daughter of God if I forgot where I came from. If I whined about the things I go through now when I prayed so hard to keep her in the first place. If I forgot the miracles that got me here.

Do I forget? Yes, sometimes. Do I cry in the middle of changing a diaper because the weight of how many diapers I have changed in my life and the diapers that I have yet to change in my life seems never ending? Yes! Do I fret and worry about the looming dark lord of cerebral health, namely seizures? You bet I do! Do I ever have pity parties full of statements that all add up to "Poor me," not even "Poor Becca?" Yep!

Eventually, a loving Heavenly Father always reminds me about my own miracles. He lovingly gives me moments with my Becca that make ALL the other gobbledygook worthwhile. He doesn't take the hard stuff away from me and He doesn't stop my growth by stepping in and doing it for me, He just subtly strengthens me and hugs me when I'm down and sends me angels (both Heavenly and Earthly) to help me along my way.

What a wonderful, desirable blessing that man received by being able to walk out of that building. And what an even greater, more pervasive, loving, comforting feeling he must have had to know that he was clean and pure as well.

When it is Becca's turn, she will RUN into the waiting arms of loving family and friends that have gone before her. I have a LOT more work to do to be able to be with her. And by golly, I hope I have enough marks on the good side of the chalk board and that I've done a good enough job repenting for the marks on the bad side to be able to be with her for eternity.

Eleventween

2011-02-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Blessing dress by Mom. Blessing blanket by Great-Grandma Elkington. Blessed April 2000.

It's really hard or me to believe that I became a Mom 11 years ago! I mean, I remember a lot about being pregnant with my first baby and all of the drama we went through coupled with the miracle that all babies truly are. And here we are 11 years later and there is still a lot of drama and still a lot of miracles.

Becca age 2

This year of Becca's life was significantly toned down from the years directly previous. We went from seizures every day and at least one big one every week to no seizures at all. She has had mixed blessings come with being more aware of herself. She's more aware of the things that she likes (us, music, etc.), but also more aware of the things she doesn't like (chaos, physical discomfort). She used to just sort of exist in this state of placidness. Seizures were these rude little monsters giving her an unexpected re-boot that totally threw us all for a loop. We know how blessed we are to have the Ketogenic diet work for her.

She is quicker to smile these days. She is happier, like giddy, giggly, joyfully happier. Her happiness and her smiles last far longer than they ever did before, too.

Becca age 11 Great-Grandma Sagers age 92 :)

She's also been a lot warmer this winter! It kind of hit me one day that jeans are about the dumbest winter-wear for Becca there ever was. They don't hold out any of the cold nor do they hold in any of the warmth. Other than being trendy, there's really no use for them in Becca's winter wardrobe. She has a couple of fleece pants from Old Navy, etc. and I had the thought that I could make some more. In steps Grandma Lee with her fairy dust and made her several pairs of the cutest fleece pants ever! With matching hoodies to boot! And speaking of boots, another addition this year, are the Ugg knock offs that turned out to be the best investment I ever made for calf and ankle warmth. I was always worried about getting them on and off and having them stay on. Turns out, she has just enough flexibility to get them on and just enough ridgidness to hold them on! Win-win!

Becca after school January 2011, hair re-do by Gracie

We hope we made this year enjoyable for you, BeccaBug! We love you SO much and are blessed to have you in our family. Please forgive us for our shortcomings and we'll keep doing our best to help you enjoy your life and feel loved and be comfortable.

P.S. Next time I write a birthday post, I will post it, instead of saving it until I found more pictures and posting it a month late! :)

20 Things You May or May Not Know About Me

2011-02-07T22:09:00.001-07:00

Why 20? Because I tried to do one equal to how old I am and I ran out of things to say. I know what you're thinking, she was SO close! :D Ha!

Why make a list? Because I want to leave foot prints behind for my children to relate to later. Any more questions? Okay then, here we go!

1) I love going to Church. I like wearing a dress at least once a week and I love the feeling I get there and I love singing my self-taught alto. Plus, I have an incredible Ward with Incredible youth and I love rubbing shoulders with them all.

2) Instead of a class ring, my parents gave me a ASL CTR ring that I still wear.

3) My ring size is 6... at the knuckle. It's probably half a size smaller where the ring actually rests, but it must be a 6 to get it over my knobby knuckles.

4) I love to read! I mean, LOVE!

5) My thumb nails grow out wonky. I'm pretty self concious of both of my thumbs, but I can't afford to have acrylic nails all the time. I would if I could. :)

6) Hammon genes: freckled super pale skin, tall and thin, wonky thumb nails :), most people say I look just like my Mom (minus the wonky thumb nails). :) Why, thank you! ;)

7) Lee genes: the way my pointer fingers turn in like Grandma Lee, teensy pinky toes, tall, very dark hair, super ticklish feet, a penchant for black licorice, Chinese food and smoked fish like my Dad. :)

8) I love movies from the 50s and 60s... Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds.

9) I also love music from this era... Frank Sinatra, Doris, Bing, etc.

10) I love music from the 70s, too. It played at my house all growing up.

11) Not so much the 80s, though. I mean, some of it is meaningful for me, but mostly... meh.

12) The 80s were also not kind to style and hair! I don't think the inverted triangle is a nice shape for anyone's body... think about it... wide shoulders, tiny waist... wide hips, tiny ankles... and top it off with larger than life hair. What?!

13) I do find myself jamming to music of the day... Train, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Cobie Caillat... I'm pretty easy to please music-wise. :)

14) I love the Sims 2 PC game. I started playing the Sims in its first incarnation when I was pregnant with my first child and here it is 10+ years later! It's like playing House on the computer. :D

15) I hate feet. Everyones'. I even hate my own. Mostly I hate touching them, I'm okay walking around on them. :) I'm just glad they're so far away from my face. I wash my hands after I touch feet.

16) My husband and I don't have pet names for each other. We call each other "Geoff" and "Diana." True story.

17) I tell my family I love them every time I talk to them on the phone and in their blog comments and on facebook and in my thoughts. :)

18) I have the most amazing, beautiful, smart, wonderful, creative, sneaky, smiley, mysterious, cerebral, tall, big, loving, imaginative children there ever were!

19) If I could have a super power, it would be telekinesis... I would save myself miles and miles of walking if I could point to something, curl my finger and it would come flying at my head! :D

20) Since it's usually my idea to take a picture of someone, there are quite literally no pictures of me anywhere. I looked for one for this post and I only found me in family pics this summer. Note to self, face the front of the camera once in a while!

Giving credit where credit is due, I got this awesome idea from my awesome sister. If you don't know her, I feel bad for you because she is the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed! (BOTH of my sisters are!) Her blog is private, so I won't link to it, but I am glad for the insight I gain by stopping by there. :) This is what she said that inspired me:

"So when I was Visiting Teaching the other day, one sister told me to make sure that I have pictures of myself available to my children. She said that she always hated pictures of herself and didn't take many and didn't display any. She said now that she's a grandma, she wishes she had pictures of herself to show her grandkids and kids during different times in their lives. Like not just baby pictures of the kids, but of her holding the kids or playing with the kids."

So, here's me taken just the other day in a dark parking lot by my husband while wearing a D.I. skirt I altered longer just before we left so it would match my coat after he bought me a new hat on our date. :) Enjoy!

"Looks Like Someone's Got a Case of the S'posed'as!"

2011-01-26T23:54:00.006-07:00

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should,
Just because you should, doesn't mean you will,
Just because you will, doesn't mean you did,
Just because you did, doesn't mean you should have....

I can talk myself out of just about anything. For instance, I've talked myself out of sleep in order to finish typing this. :) I regularly talk myself out of blogging for all kinds of distracting reasons. They're very good reasons, but there are things that, since they can't argue their side of things, end up spending a lot of time on the 'back burner.' I'm sure you're wondering what some of those things could be...

Cleaning my own room. I regularly force my children to clean their rooms, meanwhile moving stacks around in my own room in order to sleep. Granted, I don't have clothes covering every inch of carpet like they do, but I could be WAY better at making my resting room a lot more restful.

Being creative. I have a creative soul which I regularly suppress with mundane household chores. "I'll sew once I catch up on the dishes," I think to myself, fully realizing that dishes are a job that is never all the way done. "I'll write on my blog once I've sewn that dress for myself I've been meaning to." I think it is safe to say that I will eventually sew my 50s inspired dress, but if I wait until then to blog at all, my writing abilities will leak out of my ear as a dark, sticky ooze.

Reading and doing extra spiritual things during the week. I shouldn't even admit to this one, but this is easily one of the things I feel the guiltiest about as I shift it to the ubiquitous back burner. I don't mean to... I really want to read my scriptures and work on my Personal Progress goals and read extra Conference talks and I do, but not nearly so often as I should!

Taking time for myself. It's no accident that all of the things I just listed fall under this category. I am the #1 thing I neglect in my own life.

I've just come through a dark couple of weeks. You may not have noticed even if you're close to me because I hide it pretty well. The strings on my little bag of marbles have slowly been loosening and I'm pretty sure I lost a couple of them. Luckily, I have an incredible support network that helped me find them and said just the right things to help me not to feel alone and to know that I can make it. The most important revelation I had, though, was during a very tearful prayer one night. As I poured out my heart and soaked the corner of my bed, it all felt very random and hopeless and chaotic until... until I had the thought that I needed to take more time for myself. The tears slowly calmed and peace sent from a loving Heavenly Father confirmed that I needed to do more for me and not just everyone else. I was sent here to have my own experiences, not just to facilitate others'. I need to have my own joy while making joy for others. I need to remember why my husband thought I would make a good wife and pay attention to the ways that he still tells me that every day. I need to put on my own oxygen mask before I can strap one to my kids.

I am incredibly grateful for a husband who really does value who I am and what I do for my family. For my Mom who is always there with a shoulder and a cheerful "You can do it!" For two unbelievably awesome sisters who each have a unique way of encouraging and commiserating and following promptings to call me. For my brother who only has to look at me with that "Oh, really?" look in his eye that tells me I'm not fooling anyone. For friends who totally GET the disability thing and not only don't judge me for the disparaging thoughts I have sometimes, but have had them, too and it's okay. For a new day every day in which I can try new things, attempt to accomplish my goals, hug lots of people (especially little ones) and eat lots of chocolate!

Here's to trying again tomorrow to talk myself INTO doing something that is just for me!

The Game of Life

2011-01-17T15:48:00.002-07:00

Miss Green drove her own car, until (at eight years old) she married her Prince Charming and let him drive. He has black hair, by the way, jet black hair and sparkly blue eyes. He likes to wear T-shirts and shorts and shades. Miss Green became a Travel Agent after college, but unfortunately many of her clients stiffed her and she didn't make very much. She was able to afford a nice Cottage in the country and lived a quiet, uneventful life with her husband and beautiful blond daughter with brown eyes who likes to wear purple polka dot dresses.

As an Accountant, Mrs. White made most of her money off of other people's taxes. She used this to buy a beautiful Dutch Colonial house in which she raised one boy and one girl with her husband who is blond, but doesn't have a beard or a mustache. Like most accountants, she spends a lot of time with her calculator counting her "monies" and is much more concerned with how many bills there are than what is written on them.

Handsome Rob was the last one to add children to his family car, which was red, but not Ute red, just red. His color-coordinated wife has long, red hair, blue eyes, red lips and always wants to wear... you guessed it! Red! At first, he saw the advantages of not having children right off when he declared, "It's okay that I don't have any kids, cuz then I don't have to go to the grocery store for them." All of his friends' families increasing caused visible pressure on him as he soon lamented, "I don't have a very good life cuz I don't have a child." He was overjoyed when all of a sudden his family size doubled with the arrival of twin boys! What a relief they were not girls! They must have been fraternal twins, however, because one has brown hair and blue eyes and the other has red hair and brown eyes. And not only that, but they defy all rules of time as by the end of the game, the red head was 7 years old and the one with brown hair was 16!

Bella Blue really liked to go on cruises and trips, which was just fine with Miss Green since, being the Travel Agent, she collected the money every time she did. Bella Blue amassed her fortune by being a police officer and playing the stock market. Who knew there was so much money in catching speeders and chasing after a bull market? Her husband shared her love of blue by matching his eyes to his pants, both blue, while his shirt was yellow. Oh, and his shoes were black, in case you were wondering. Their daughter, named Rosie likes to wear a pink dress with black polka dots. Not surprisingly, their son Philip likes to wear blue head to toe. They live in a gorgeous Victorian house with their white cat with black stripes named Rosabel.

I think this troupe must have met at college, not the Ute one, probably Utah State. Handsome Rob's salary of $100,000 per pay day was coveted by all other players at the table. The miraculous thing was that he was able to get it back twice before losing it the final time to his sister. His ultimate claim to fame, though was that, as the doctor, he removed tattoos from Miss Green and Mrs. White! They're keeping mum as to what the tattoos looked like exactly, though.

I think that we can all agree that, when you have cousins over to stay the weekend, Everyone can be a winner at the Game of Life!!

Winnah! Winnah! Winnah!

2010-12-07T10:25:00.006-07:00

Okay, WHAT?! I won something? For reals? I really never do. And although everyone says "I never win anything," I'm the only one who can truly say that. I mean, the last thing I probably won was a game of Chutes and Ladders with my kids in which I tried to win by the tiniest margin possible. :D So, it's no surprise that...

This apron makes me feel like a million bucks!!

It wasn't actually my first choice (she's become so awesome, they're flying off the shelves! :D) but THIS is the one that was meant to be mine. It has my nickname on it and it is even more fabulous due to the out-of-the-comfort-zone-ness that it represents. I super love it! I wore it all day on Sunday like it was part of my outfit. :D I'm wearing it to the Ward Christmas party while I go find something to stir to feed my friends on Saturday morning. I'm wearing it to the next family party whether there's something to stir or not! I'm the new...

Glamazon Mom!

I love it because I won it and it makes me feel lucky! I love it because it's aqua and has dots! I love it because it has the most wonderful shape and makes me feel perdy! I love it because I never ever get to sew for myself and someone made it just for me! It's like tying on a burst of self esteem!

And that, my Friends, is a very welcome feeling to me! ;)

Aprons by Amy

2010-11-17T00:28:00.003-07:00

I almost never take the time to sew for myself as I always have stacks and stacks of things planned to sew and tons of ideas that never even make it out of my head. When my good friend and fellow Special Needs Mom posted this on her blog, I decided to go for it! You should, too! Start out by going over to Positively Organic and see a pic of my beautiful friend in her awesome apron. The gal that sews the aprons is from Tooele... yet another Awesome person from Tooele... coincidence? I think not! :D Enjoy!

UPDATE! Wanna know if you're a winner or not? When the envelope looks like this!

Making a Mockery

2010-11-04T22:36:00.006-06:00

Mock
adjective

constituting a copy or imitation of something; boys in mock battle;

noun

the act of mocking or ridiculing; they made a mock of him;

Diana and Geoffrey used their green tomatoes to make fun of raspberry jam.

Actually, we used green tomatoes, sugar and Jell-O to make some mighty fine jam. The seals are up there popping as I type. So, here's what happened...

We cleaned and de-stemmed our green tomatoes. Ours were mostly romas.

Then we dumped them in the food processor.

Voila! Green tomatoe puree. Looks tasty, no? :D

Then we got it boiling with equal parts sugar for 15 minutes.

Added a 6 oz. package of Jell-O for every 4 cups of puree.

Then we gave them a hot water bath for 15 minutes.

It actually went very smoothly, aside from one of jars not being able to take the mocking. He blew up, took his soccer ball and went home. :D

We made raspberry, strawberry-cherry or as we like to call it "strawcherry", a purple batch with 1 raspberry and 1 berry flavor that was blue and a tiny batch of cherry. YUM!

I Never Knew I Needed You

2010-10-17T12:33:00.007-06:00

This is not the computer my Dad had, but I do remember having some like these at school. "You turned it off without typing the proper command?! It's going to explode now!"

I remember living with very little technology. I remember my Dad having a gigantic computer in his office in the basement of our house in Rose Park. Not very many of my friend's Dads had computers yet. We weren't allowed to touch it until years later with the advent of 'Sticky Bears Math' and 'Typing Tutor.' (Side note: I took bits and pieces of that computer to college with me, if I'm not mistaken. A certain monitor that said "Casper" on it sat on several desks in several of my college dorm rooms.)

Look, Laura and Angela!! I actually found a screenshot from Sticky Bears! Bring back memories?! :D

I remember when we got our first microwave. It was HUGE! It had an orange button on the brown woodgrain handle in order to unlock and open the door. We had to buy a little turn table to rotate the food around inside and things still always had really hot spots and really cold spots.

This is just like the phone we had in the hallway in Rose Park, only it was yellow or tan.

I remember when all phones were hooked to the wall and had varying lengths of curly cords that kept the part you talked into and listened out of connected to the wall. I never remember once losing the phone. Never did I hear my Mom call out for someone to call the phone so that she could find it. It was always where it was supposed to be. I even remember having an old rotary phone in the first house we rented when we moved to Pinetop, AZ. My Dad's friend (and my friend's Dad) Doc Flake called and my Dad wasn't there. I told him he was at the Roundhouse Resort, where he worked. After hanging up with Doc, I thought I'd call my Dad and tell him Doc had called. 3-tick-tick-tick, 6-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, 9 (oh geez! The LONGEST one!)-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, 4-tick-tick-tick-tick, 8-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, 4-tick-tick-tick-tick, 8-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick... busy signal. Oh, right, Doc Flake probably has a push button phone. When was the last time I heard a busy signal? That nice lady that answers everyone's voicemail for them, sure!.. but no more busy signals.

And so, welcome to my world new iPod touch. I didn't know I needed to update my Facebook upstairs before I went to bed until you came. I didn't know I needed Pandora to play me music in other rooms than the office. I didn't know I needed to watch Netflix movies away from home... Landon would probably tell you he knew that all along! And who knew I needed an app to make a game out of my neverending list of chores? You did, Epic Win and I welcome you! I'm sure you are not the last app that will find its way into my heart.

Now, has anyone seen my phone?

Book Review: Great Ideas For Primary Activity Days by Trina Boice

2010-09-02T17:08:00.001-06:00

This isn't so much a book with a plot as a book with an action plan! I am the Activity Days Leader for the 10 and 11 year old girls in my Church/Ward. Activity Days actually encompasses girls from age 8 to 11 and we do fun activities that teach and uplift and foster friendships and positive peer pressure. Through a series of events, I am currently alone in my calling. Whew! Deep breaths! I think I can! I think I can!

I remember being this age and the activities that we did when we were called the Merrie Miss. So, I feel a fair amount of pressure to get it right and teach good principles while having a lot of fun. I went to Seagull Book looking for one book and came out with this one! I thought I wanted the one that has lessons, handouts and games that you just copy right out of the book and use. Instead, I was inspired by this book by Trina Boice. It is FULL of all kinds of ideas for games, craft projects and service projects, but I also love the way that she presents the ideas. I feel so encouraged reading this book! I feel like I really can be a role model for these girls. She is so positive and uplifting and, dare I say, cute in the way that she presents ideas. And not only that, but she has organized her ideas into the categories of the goals that the girls are working towards to earn their Faith in God awards.

There, I fixed it!

2010-09-01T09:43:00.004-06:00

Landon has a favorite pair of sandals. They have Buzz Lightyear on them and he can put them on himself... they're my favorites, too! All they really are is flip flops with elastic around the back. When they started getting too small, we tried to replace them with actual flip flops that had Lightning McQueen on them. Let's just say that flip flops and three year olds, at least my three year old, don't really mesh very well. So, taking a cue from Buzz, I rigged up ol' Lightning with fair success. I was going to cover them with fabric and sew it with the elastic stretched and all that "fancy" stuff, but then I realized that he is 3, he doesn't care! And all I really care about is that his shoes stay on his feet. So, without further ado, here's my project in pictures.

Buzz is actually in very good condition considering he wears these just about every day. I should re-phrase that... he wears these for several minutes in a row several times a day.

The white's a little bright, but I'm sure he can take care of that in short order.

Here's his cute feet. His feet really are that blurry in real life, they're hardly ever still!

P.S. If you ever need to waste some time (who doesn't have WAY too much time?) here's a site from which I borrowed the name of this post that is very entertaining.

Reflections

2010-08-31T16:13:00.001-06:00

My sewing reflects my life. When I was younger (a lot younger) my Mom would buy me fabric so that I could make my own clothes that fit in the style of the day, but fit me and my gangliness. As I took classes in high school and college, I sewed things that fit into the assignments and time alotted for sewing during the years of cramming of information into my brain. When I got married, I tried to sew for my husband... boys are so hard to sew for! And when the kids came, thus ended the era of sewing anything for myself! As the mirror shows, my life is not all about me right now, it's about my kids. Keeping them bright, shiny and happy is my life's goal. :D When I have time to sew, I sew for them. Like I said, my sewing reflects my life.

So, when I gave myself the challenge of sewing myself a 50s inpsired dress, I got really excited. It's been a coon's age since I've sewn anything for myself. Do you know how long a coon lives? Me neither! :D But I know that in order to be concious to put the oxygen mask onto my children, I need to put my own mask on first. Knowaddimean? So in small and meaningful ways, I'm trying not to forget myself.

As in times of yore when life was all about ME and my Mom was the one with the check book at the fabric store, one of the reasons I have chosen to sew me a dress rather than to buy one is fit. Store bought dresses of this variety hit me in that weird place that looks too long to be short and too short to be long. It's called the 'awkward length' and I excel at it! :D

So, I fell in love with this pattern:

I actually really love the featured pink dress, but I'm not too crazy about the colloar, so I think I'll end up going for the yellow one. Cute, no? To me, this is what my Grandmothers would have worn as more of a work dress... the kind you change into after Church on Sunday to shell peas in or something. The dress that stays under an apron much of the day as she whirls from task to task. I see myself wearing this dress on a hot day instead of shorts, on a date with my hubby, to a meeting at the school... somewhere between dressy and casual.

I have yet to find the perfect fabric for this project, but I'm having an awful lot of fun looking! Tell me what you think of the pattern and I would LOVE to hear your fabric suggestions, but remember that if you're reading this on Facebook, to click the link and leave the comment on my blog, pretty please! ;D

She's With Me

2010-08-30T18:19:00.001-06:00

Love me some Collin Raye.

I heard him sing this song in person and I will NEVER forget the emotions I felt from him and the ones it creates in me every time I hear it.

I've been thinking of him (him the person, not the celebrity) since I heard that he lost his precious granddaughter. She had an undiagnosed neurologic condition that left her with deteriorating disabilities. No matter how many people know your name, you still feel pain and experience life even when the cameras aren't rolling. God bless Haley and may she be able to be her family's Guardian Angel.

I dare you to listen to this song and not cry. Double Dog Dare.

Charity

2010-08-29T17:25:00.007-06:00

I am in awe of the word "Charity." Sometimes when I think about it too much, I enter the dark realm of "I'll never do enough" and I have to drag myself back up from the depths and try to be satisfied with what I can do. I don't think that is how Charity is supposed to feel. It is synonymous with our Savior and I KNOW He doesn't want me to feel that way when I think about Him. I know that He didn't do the wonderful, selfless things He did for us while He was here on the earth in order to make me feel guilty.

In one of the many lessons and talks I have heard on this subject, someone (I wish I could remember who!) presented Charity as a way of life. ...As a character trait that we can cultivate to become second nature. ...As everyday things that we do for others that make us who we are.

I love to do things for others. I love thinking about whomever I happen to be sewing for at the moment and how they'll (hopefully) enjoy what I'm making for them. I love picturing the things I sew being tattered and worn, having literally been loved to death. I love thinking about someone resting comfortably with a full tummy of food I made for them. I love smiles and hugs and even tears when I'm able to pull off something nice that someone wasn't expecting. Those are all things I love about living Charity rather than giving it grudgingly.

In no way do I profess to be perfect (or even consistent) in my Charity. All I'm saying is that when I am able to accomplish the things my heart feels for people, it makes me happy. I love sharing in the glow that both the giver and receiver get to have when kindness is shared. I like that feeling enough to keep on trying!

1 Timothy 1:5
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Mosiah 18: 27 - 29
27 And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.
28 And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul.
29 And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants.

Make A Wish!

2010-08-16T11:33:00.002-06:00

During a (Hammon) Family Reunion this summer, we enjoyed a tour of the Make A Wish Foundation in Salt Lake (You should go!). I, like so many others, assumed that wishes are for children with terminal illnesses; Otherwise normal kids who have a disease that will shorten their life. The woman giving us the tour was adamant that they don't use the word "terminal" anymore to describe their Wishers. Instead, they say they have "life threatening medical conditions." Many of the kids they grant wishes for get better in the long run. She also said that some of them later get jobs at Make A Wish and make a difference helping other kids.

I have very, very, VERY mixed feelings about granting a wish for Becca. No matter which way you look at it, it makes me feel like I have to admit that Becca will die early. She doesn't have a 'treatable' condition really. I know that the things that CMV has done to her body will never let her be completely healthy or whole. Her medical conditions certainly threaten her life if I don't stay completely on top of them and do everything I can and everything doctors recommend and even those things I feel inspired to do for her. BUT having someone gather and spend money on her because of this fact is impossible for me to get my head around.

There is also the issue of her not being able to communicate. How do I know what her truest wish would be? I like to think she is happy and content with how we do things. She rarely complains anyway. :) Anything that we did for her would be what WE want for her and not necessarily what SHE would want for her. This wouldn't seem like such a big deal if I didn't walk slowly around and read all the pictures on the walls of wishes kids made that meant so much to them. They had heart's desires that were fulfilled. I'm fairly certain most of Becca's heart's desires are to sit quietly with her family and 'hang out.' :) Besides, I'd probably want something boring like a ramp on the house or someone to invent a fuel efficient wheelchair adapted van. Wishes are supposed to be to meet someone famous or to be a superhero for the day or to go somewhere amazing. And, depending on the day, NONE of those things would get a reaction out of Becca.

At one point in the tour, they took us out to a cute little fountain with statues of children in it and gave us each a token with which to make our own wish and throw into the fountain if we wanted. I still have my token. I couldn't bring myself to make a wish.

Sister Love

2010-08-15T23:13:00.005-06:00

Emily's asleep, so I can't really ask her permission, but since her co-author is sitting here next to me and he gave his okay, I'm going to share this. Emily, who is 8, gave a talk in Primary at Church today. The theme for her talk was Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is a God of Miracles. She held this picture back to back with her talk as she read so that it was visible as she talked. I should also mention that Becca LOVED hearing her sister's voice over the microphone and smiled and kicked throughout. :)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is a God of miracles. In our family we have been blessed with many miracles. One is named Rebecca. When she was born she had many problems and doctors weren't sure if she would even live. We are lucky to have her in our family. She is 10 years old now. She still has many disabilities, but has two important abilities. She has the ability to love those around her, and the ability to show that love in her own way. heavenly Father blesses our family with miracles to know what she wants, the miracle of a strong father and mother who can take care of her, brothers and sisters who love and help her, and the miracle of the little things she can do to show she loves us.

We all have many miracles happen to us every day, but most of the time, we don't pay attention. We have the miracle of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. We have the miracle of being able to talk to Heavenly Father whenever we want, through prayer. We have the miracle of being members of the true church of Jesus Christ. We have the miracle of a living prophet who guides us and tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

Because of these miracles, we can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus after we die. I am grateful for the many miracles we have and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Trifle

2010-08-14T19:38:00.003-06:00

Remember that Friends episode where Rachel is making English Trifle, which is a dessert, and the page in the cookbook flips and she ends up putting some weird stuff in the layers? :D You know you wanna watch it... Friends; Rachel's Trifle

Wikipedia defines trifle as: A trifle is a dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or gelatin, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top.

I define trifle as heavenly clouds with super yummy fruity creamy stuff in between. I'm a sucker for a really good trifle. Vanilla pudding... Cream cheese... cake- pound cake, angel food cake... strawberries, or even better- raspberries... YUM!

And so, Kelly, this post is for you! THANK YOU for the super yummy trifle! Have I told you you're my favorite Lee Sister-in-law? ;) You can make me trifle any ole time you want to!

Nifty 50s Style

2010-08-13T14:32:00.008-06:00

Remember the 50s? The 1950s? During WWII, women's style skimped on everything because everything was going to the war effort. Skirts were pencil thin with no extra fullness and little detail. Then came the 50s! After scrimping for so long, skirts got really, really full. Often full circles in fact. Fun details. Bright fabrics. I love it! Love it! Love it!

Donna Reed, June Cleaver, Mrs. Cunningham... they knew where it was at. They were always there for their kids, teaching them what was right. Always cooking and baking and looking fabulous doing it! Now, I fully realize that my perception of this era truly does come primarily from these TV shows. I did not actually live during the 1950s. In fact, even my parents were babies during this era. But right now, I am really digging that full skirted, pearls and an apron style. :) Where's the rule book that says that just because I'm a Mom with young kids, I MUST wear jeans and a t-shirt every day?

Donna Reed
(Don't you just LOVE this picture? I'm going to start doing this every time I serve my family dinner... "TaaDaa!")

Barbara Billingsley

Marion Ross

My next experiment in fashion will be to make myself a "50s Housewife dress." Stay tuned!

2010-08-11T23:18:00.004-06:00

My head is full. My heart is full. I have SO much to say that never every seems to get said. I literally compose blog posts as I clean my house, change diapers, wipe runny noses, fix dinner... but they never seem to make it into print.

I am an internal creative whirlwind. I have SO many ideas I want to create... with a sewing machine, with a computer, with scissors and glue, with hair elastics and ribbon. So, why do I get so clogged? Why don't I just do it? Well, not that I'm blaming her, but the most obvious reason is that as soon as I decide to do something, my cell phone alarm beeps reminding me to feed Becca so her special diet is perfectly spaced throughout the day. Or Buddy Boy needs to be fed and/or changed, Snaggletooth needs encouragement also known as a chill pill, Stinkerbell needs to be found and guided back to the right path or Lanny Man needs help in the bathroom even though he doesn't. I have to force myself to do the dishes and the laundry which explains why I always feel behind in those areas. *Sigh*

Welp, rather than whine and complain about never having time to do things I love, what is a good solution? I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I shouldn't feel guilty about doing those things I love. I should MAKE time for those 'mental health' things so I don't find myself on the other side of that line. You know how when our Grandmas were growing up, and maybe even our Moms, they had a day for baking and a day for laundry and things like that? I'm thinking that could work for me. Only I need to add blogging/journaling, digital scrapbooking, sewing and writing in there somewhere. :) Wish me luck!

Stop CMV!

2010-05-30T21:17:00.005-06:00

I was pregnant with my first child at graduation for my Bachelor's Degree, but I didn't know for sure yet. In fact, we waited for a little while after that to test because we were going to a friend's wedding and we figured if we didn't know, we couldn't spill the beans. Sometime between that new little life starting to grow and when she made her entrance into the world, a horrible thing happened. It could have been as innocent as me eating a cracker that a small child had discarded... we were poor college students, I couldn't let it go to waste! It may have been me waiting too long to wash my hands after changing a diaper. It's possible that Hubby contracted it and brought it home to me. However it happened, Cytomegalovirus entered my body and harmed my baby. CMV for short is a silent virus, or it was for me. The people that do show symptoms have "flu like" symptoms.

Every day for ten and a half years now, we've lived with the consequences of that virus. I don't blame anyone for giving me the virus or myself for getting it... anymore. I cried so many tears at first when I realized something I had done had caused this much damage. But ultimately, I didn't do anything on purpose. If I had known about CMV what I know now, I would have been so much more careful... especially if I had known my CMV status was negative, that I had never had the virus. I have been in love with Becca since I knew she was coming and now that she's here, I wouldn't change a thing about her. I know that comes off as contradictory, but walk a mile in my shoes and you will totally get it. :) One thing is for sure, though. If I could prevent this nasty virus from affecting even one precious baby, I WOULD!

Enter StopCMV.org.

I don't have time to crusade against CMV. We chose to get our family here quick since lifting Becca was part of every succeeding pregnancy. Becca is now the oldest of 5 children and I wouldn't give up the craziness we have at our house every day for the world! Don't get me wrong, if you are curious or I am given the least oppurtunity, I love to answer questions about CMV and encourage testing and preventative measures and all that sort of thing... but right now, I don't have the time or resources to do more than that, I just make friends that do! :) I joined an email listserve when Becca was about 18 months old of other parents of kids with CMV. We've been through A LOT together and we are still going strong! It has expanded to include a Facebook family of Moms (and Dads) who chat every day and offer those pats on the back and "you go, girl"s as neccessary. :) Now we have authors and public speakers and event organizers that are getting out there and spreading the word about this super common yet preventable virus.

StopCMV.org is an awesome new website that answers a lot of questions and enhances the network of parents and loved ones affected by this virus. They have started a new awareness campaign where people from all over the world send in pictures of their hands. My personal faves are the little Cerebral Palsy hands of those most devastatingly affected by CMV. Starting June 1st, you can go to this website and vote for the picture that you love best to be used as part of the Stop CMV campaign. Go and do it! And don't just vote for Becca's (hers looks an awful lot like the one at the top of this post), vote for the picture you love best. They are ALL great! Anything and everything that gets the word out and prevents this virus is awesome, dontcha think?

Be aware. Spread the word. Stop CMV!

This one didn't make the cut because of the different looks on each of our faces and the varied amounts of focus, but it was a great idea, right? Right?! :D

I Hate Shopping

2010-05-18T21:59:00.006-06:00

I am 6 feet tall. I weigh 154 pounds most days. Most people, especially seeing me for the first time, probably think of me as "tall and skinny." There is a lot of duplicity in the way I feel about myself and my self esteem has undulated between hating the way I look and liking it for as long as I can remember. I shouldn't say it like that, it's not that I hate the way that I look... how could I? I have incredible parents and it's their genes and the ones before them that make me, me. I actually love a lot of the things I see in my face that I can attribute to different relatives. It's kind of like seeing them every day. :) I don't know what it's like to be short, so how could I say that I'd like that any better? I have a bunch of stuff stored in the cupboards up by the ceiling that I'd never get to use! :D The trouble comes when I have to buy clothes for this "tall and skinny" body of mine, because no matter who is walking the runway, the normal everyday stores that I shop at do not make clothes that fit me. I take that back... they either fit me around OR lengthwise, but usually not both in the same outfit. It's a little like this gem of a movie, I'll be honest.

For instance, jeans. If it does not say "Long" in the size, they will look okay on me standing up, but as soon as I sit, you better run for high ground because there's a flood a comin'! I often have to buy non-jeans pants in a larger size to get them long enough and then either take a seam down the sides to cinch them in or use the ubiquitous drawstring. Skirts, dresses and shorts that are knee length on everyone else will be thigh high on me. I don't really "do" thigh high. And shoes? Fuggedaboutit! There are like 7 pairs and if I'm not in the store the day they put them on the shelves, the cute ones will be gone. Trust me, I worked at Payless long enough to know that they send 15 pairs of the cute style in the 7-9 size range and one in the size I wear. (Hey, I told you my height and weight, I don't need to tell you that I wear a size 11 shoe!) :D And yes, I totally used to hold back the cute pair before they went out on the shelf, because I am not kidding you, they would be gone that day. How do the shoemakers not notice this? Oh, right, because they only sent one pair, and after it's gone, they don't see the 30 vertically blessed women who came looking for the shoe, but didn't buy anything because there wasn't anything to buy!

And people wonder why I love to sew! ;)

Now, shirts... there's where I can shop in the 'normie' section. I am roughly the same height from rump to shoulder as the girl sitting on the next park bench over. I can usually find really cute shirts that fit and look nice. In fact, I know I'm average here because my size is often gone off the rack! :D I think this is where my non-t-shirt shirts come from. I love to wear something with just that little something extra, if only to draw attention away from the drawstring or the floods! :D I'm talking a little puff sleeve or a vintage Tinkerbell design or some little bling bling. It's not too much to ask, is it?

I really do hate shopping. It never fails to sink me into a depression. I mean, first of all, I had better need something really bad if I am going to take any of my kids with me because it is not a quick in and out for me. Geoff and I once went on a date, with someone else watching our kids and everything, and all I did was try on clothes at a store like a normal person. Of course, we still left without buying anything because that was the plan and the dresses all hit me in that weird length that is too long to be short, but too short to be long. It's no wonder I avoid shopping for myself at all costs... and speaking of costs, my husband doesn't hate this trait in me at all. :D Although, it should be mentioned that he is a saint when it comes to shopping for me. Not only is he patient about it, (he even went back into the store and bought the one thing, (a shirt, of course!) that I had seen, liked AND it fit me after I had said it was time to go), he also ends up finding me things that I like. We window shop online all the time and he buys me clothes, even as surprises, that I really, really like. :D

But on the plus side (no pun intended!) I have this year's Halloween costume in the bag! :D

Don Knotts, Leader of the Geeks

2010-04-30T14:38:00.003-06:00

When was the last time you've seen a Don Knotts movie? If you can't remember, I highly recommend you open up your Netfilx queue in another tab and add one right on in there. Make sure and add one that has Tim Conway in it, too, you will not be disappointed! The Apple Dumpling Gang

Last night we watched Private Eyes. Our kids didn't get some of the spoken humor, but they loved the prat falls and funny faces from both of the main characters. They're kind of yin and yang, Don and Tim. Tim Conway is the down pillow to Don Knotts' pins and needles. Don is always nervous and on edge and Tim just seems to accidentally fall into being funny. Of course, I mean their movie characters, I am not professing to know either one of them personally. :)

As I watched Don Knotts' face morph from "uh-oh!" to "oh brother!" to "yipes!" I mused that he is funny because he's not beauiful. If you took, Pierce Brosnan for instance and made him try for those same faces, it wouldn't be nearly as fall-on-the-floor funny as Don Knotts makes them. You would have to have a unique brand of self esteem to wake up every morning knowing people loved you for your humor and not your savoire-faire. And we do love them, don't we? On Geoff and I's first date, he made me laugh the entire time! Don't get me wrong, I lo-o-ove the way Geoff looks, but the way he made me laugh that night made him more memorable than other guys I'd been out with; they tried too hard. You could be the cutest guy in the world, but if you're boring, I'm going to have trouble remembering your name, if you know what I mean.

I also happen to love The Ghost and Mr. Chicken because he gets the pretty girl. It's so cute how he doesn't really believe that she likes him over the obnoxious hunk of man-meat that is always chasing her around. As for me, myself and I... we stand by our geek, uh, um, man.

Geoffrey- eoffrey- eoffrey

2010-01-11T11:21:00.003-07:00

Don't forget to go look at Landon's big boy bed on his Daddy's blog.

And while you're blog hopping, check out Geoff's new photography blog, too! He loves comments, even short and sweet ones, so make sure and let him know what you think! ;)

Growing UP

2010-01-10T21:20:00.002-07:00

Growing up as in Tall

We do a lot of this at our house! All of our kids are above-average in height, which isn't surprising given the height of their parents. I have noticed some hemlines raising lately and it's not due to haute couture, but rather because the occupant of the clothes has lengthened their legs. Those tags they put in clothes with the size on them are suggestions, really. If I want to cover my kids modestly, I usually have to get them a size ahead. I just moved Ethan up into 6 to 9 month clothes because the 3-6 were too tight and short. He just passed 3 months old a couple of weeks ago. Landon has been wearing 3T since he turned 2 and it's not limited to the boys... the girls all wear a size ahead, especially in dresses to get them the right length. I don't remember if it was this way for me when I was a kid, but I know now that if my pants do not say "long" in the size, they will not be anywhere near long enough!

Growing up as in Old

I have always said that it is not my birthdays that make me feel old. It used to be my siblings. My sister is 21 months younger than I am and, without fail, every time she has a birthday, I'm like, "Aren't I that age?" Nope, about to turn the age that is 2 years later.

Now, it is my kids. Becca is about to turn 10! WHAT?!! When did this happen? She's going to have double digits! Emily turns 8 this year and WOW! Talk about a wake up call! Being LDS, 8 years old is pretty special. When Becca turned 8 we did things differently and it was a difficult time to wrap our head's around. Now Emily is here and even though we won't miss the 'milestone' of Baptism this time, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I remember being 8! If I mess things up for her, she'll REMEMBER it!! Maybe that's a silly thing to worry about, but there it is! We went to a special little meeting yesterday that was focused on the kids getting Baptized this year and it was so neat! They listened to talks and went around to 3 different chats about different aspects of Baptism that they got to raise their hands and participate in. Emily really felt like a million bucks when it was all over! It will be really neat to invite family to our special event in June.

So, even though growing up doesn't actually mean gaining more height for me (thank goodness!!), I am constantly amazed at the rate in which time passes and my enduring hope is that I can keep up! I want to remember all of this! I don't want to miss important things because I was focused beyond them or even behind them. I want to be here... present... for all of the exciting things my family and I are going through. Especially in this year of double digits and Baptisms! :)

How goes Project Simplification?

2010-01-10T21:16:00.004-07:00

As a small update, my goal to simplify is going really well! Unlike so many resolutions that end in ashes in January, I'm determined to make this part of my personality and the way I do things. I have already cleaned several areas in my house with a mind towards getting rid of things I don't need. I have also simplified the way I spend my time and focus on those things that will make me happy and nourish my spirit. :) So far, so good!

Simplify

2010-01-03T15:09:00.004-07:00

This is the one and only resolution I am making for myself. Simplify. I am only going to do the things, keep the things and think about the things that will make me happy, keep me close to the Lord and make my family stronger. My mind has already been reeling with things I can do (or stop doing) in order to accomplish this and I figure the best way to be held accountable is to openly declare my attempts and hopefully results. :)

The first thing that came to mind was simplify the way my house looks. There are many ways to describe how it looks now... lived in... broken in... an obstacle course... sanitary clutter (my favorite). You see, it does get cleaned regularly and I even get down to the scrubbing, vacuuming and disinfecting stages of things. But the clutter, well, now the clutter just keeps on creeping in. No matter how many times I put it away, it ends up right back on the floor. I often say in exasperation that I wish we had less stuff, but I never actually do anything about it except to keep right on picking it up and putting it back away. My goal for this year is to get rid of unnecessary things if only to avoid the laps they make from the shelf to the floor and back again. I would love to be so magnanimous as to donate them to a specific cause, but in light of simplifying, I will just hope that the good people at D.I. will price them such that someone who really needs them will be able to afford them easily. :)

An interesting thing happened to me during this past Christmas season that has driven my perspective on simplifying my life. I love to sew a lot for Christmas. It does tend to save money, but it also gives me oodles of time to think about the people that I am sewing for. By the time I have finished their gifts, I have imagined their response to the gift and reminisced on our shared experiences and thought about how much they mean to me and why I am spending my time on them instead of my money. However, this year I decided that I wasn't going to panic if things weren't finished on time and sew until the wee hours of every night right up until Christmas Eve. I wanted to enjoy it and all of the other things I sometimes miss out on when I sew obsessively. Instead, I prioritized my list with the things that definitely mattered that they were done early, such as those to be sent far away, and the things we had decided would be the "big" gifts for our kids and so on. As a result, I didn't get everything done that was on my list in time for Christmas morning. *GASP!* And it was okay. *Gasp! Choke! Bug eyes!*

I stopped sewing during the day right before my kids' first day of Christmas break and only sewed at night after they were asleep, making sure I went to bed at a good time. And you know what happened? I was happy. I enjoyed my kids while they were home (for the most part... I'm not THAT patient). I baked and made dinners that had thought behind them instead of "freezer surprise" every night. And I didn't hear anyone complaining Christmas morning. I don't sew for people in order to stress myself out and this year I made sure that didn't happen.

I really want this to work and with 5 kids it's just got to work or they will grow up remembering a stressed out, disheveled, screaming Mommy and that is just not an option. They grow up way too fast and I don't want to miss it! Wish me luck! ;)

Two of my favorite recent pics of Ethan

2009-12-28T00:03:00.002-07:00

Things that have changed since Ethan arrived:

2009-12-27T22:41:00.007-07:00

I realize that my previous post gives me every reason in the world not to be blogging, but at the same time, I should be documenting all the cool stuff so someday my Mama mush brains can look back and remember. :D Let's call this entry... "Things that have changed since Ethan arrived:"

1) We can fit our whole family in the van, but ONLY our whole family. The only people not in car seats are Geoff and I! Yep, that's 5 car seats! Emily graduates out of her booster when she turns 8 this May, but everyone else is either under the age limit or doesn't have enough stability in her muscles to keep herself safe with just a seatbelt.

2) Sleep is apparently somewhat optional. To be fair, he sleeps really, really well these days, but in the beginning, I truly forgot what it felt like to be rested. That wonderful thing that makes you forget labor in order for you to want more kids later, also helps you forget the extreme fatigue that comes from feeding someone whose stomach is the size of a walnut! :D I really can't complain too much, though because we just barely passed the 3 month mark and he has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now. :D

3) Kids as young as 5 can carry babies around. :D Emily pretty much always helps me if I ask and I trust her to carry him around quite a bit. Gracie on the other hand doesn't always wait to be asked, but LOVES to carry her baby brother around! I decided from the beginning that it would probably do more harm to freak out at her and yell and scream when she's only trying to help, so I try to keep my voice calm and level and she really does quite well. I do say to her, though, "If you feel like he's falling- sit down quick! " :D

4) We now have 3 different sizes of diapers in our house. When Becca started the diet, her liquid intake apparently increased because her liquid output definitley increased! A little TMI maybe, but we have been resisiting going up a size in diapers for some time now because once you get out of the sizes they sell at the store, you really have to rely on that home health to be on time. And if you've ever had home health deliver you anything, you know you have to really stay on top of things or you run out!! And not only that, but Ethan grows into a new diaper size roughly every couple of weeks it seems like! :D We literally fill up a tall kitchen garbage sack with just diapers every few days. I really hope Landon takes to potty training this summer... for my sake! :D

4) Our washing machine runs every day. I thought I was doing a lot of laundry before Ethan was born, but it is amazing how someone so tiny can get so many things dirty in a day! :D I ran out of OxyClean which is my stain remover of choice and I thought the world was going to end! Not on my favorite outfit of his! Someone! Anyone! My kingdom for some OxyClean! :D

5) Baths take a lot longer! Not only is there one more person's surface area to keep clean, but he is so cute and smiley that everyone in the house wants to watch him get a bath which makes him much harder to reach while scrubbing. :D I love me a good, clean baby, though! Boy, do they smell GOOD! :D

6) My ears are much more sensitive or something because every sound made when he finally falls asleep sounds like a sonic boom to me! I'm grateful for school and the fact that he got a lot of noise in the womb because he seems to do okay most of the time... but ask me on a day when he was woken up by fighting siblings and I'll tell you what's what!! :D

7) Our house is nearing nuclear explosion messiness. Now, I know Ethan is not MAKING the mess, but he sure makes it a ton harder to clean up! I mean, seriously! Hold a baby or clean up a mess? Is there really a choice there? :D We're getting there as the rest of the kids start taking on more responsibility. They actually do a really great job with good motivation and some really great cleaning tunes. Our favorite CD is the Shrek soundtrack. :D

8) It's a good thing digital technology replaced film cameras or we'd be running to get film developed every day! We have taken a lot of pictures of the new little guy and especially the new little guy with is very proud siblings. I can't get enough of he and Becca especially. I love to put him in the crook of her arm with her arm under his armpit. She will just roll to him and snuggle him all up and he is happy because she is warm. Sometimes she drools on his head, but we do plenty of #5 and honestly, what's a little drool between friends? :)

9) The weather seems exponentially colder with a baby around. It's one thing to bundle myself up, but I really have to stop myself from bundling him up TOO much. Sometimes I get where I'm going and pull him out and he's all sweaty from too many clothes on and too many blankets on top! :D

10) My heart has just expanded and stretched so effortlessly to include our new little man. I love being a Mom second only to being Geoff's wife. I want no other job and no other calling in life as much. We have so much fun together and we love each other so much and I wouldn't trade this for anything. I feel so incredibly complete and full and like everyone who needed to make it here, made it here safely. :) If I had tried to plan it all out, I couldn't have planned such a perfect placement for every child that joined our family. It's juuUUuust right! ;)

Baby Poll Winners!

2009-09-23T19:14:00.002-06:00

It's the results show you've all been waiting for! Hopefully you all made it into the poll in time. If you'd like to peek at it again, just for fun, it will be HERE for at least a little while longer. We had fun reading everyone's answers and we hope you had fun guessing! And now, here are the long awaited results!

Date: Katherine F. picked the right day and was within an hour of the right time. Only three people picked the right date, Katherine, Craig and Sarah. He came early, the only one of our babies to do so, on September 19th. He was due on the 23rd and we were originally going to induce on the 22nd and then we changed our minds to the 24th. Obviously, he had his own plans! :D

Time: Emilee was only 2 minutes off. He was born at 9:11 am after a whopping hour of actual labor and 4 pushes! Apparently we are so awesome, he just couldn't wait any longer to get here! :D

Weight: Christie and James are tied and are only one ounce shy of the actual weight. He weighed a healthy 8 lb. 10 oz. and has way more hair than any of our other kids had... that's probably it, guys... you just didn't factor in for such luxurious hair! :D

Length: Craig, Leanna and Heather L. tied for being right on! He is 20 inches long... 21 1/2 with his basketball shoes on. :D

Hair color: About half of you said he'd have dark hair. What's surprising to us is just how dark it is! I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched, but maybe he will be the one and only kid I get that has hair like me... starts out dark and stays dark! Time will tell. :D

Name: Cheers to Grandpa Lee, Kelly, and James for picking our favorite name. We didn't know that's what we would name him until he got here and it just seems to fit! :) His middle name is Albert just like his Daddy and his Grandpa Sagers. We are aware that it makes him sound like a furniture company, but it's a really nice furniture company and we love his name! :D

Craig and James tied for most wins with 2 apiece! Way to go!

And for all the winners, you win a $10 Applebees gift card... just go on down to Applebees and give them $10 and they'll give you a gift card! Let us know how it turns out! :D

Pictures I Like

2009-09-06T22:27:00.003-06:00

Here I am bending chicken wire in all my pregnant glory. :) I am determined to keep the birds away from my precious berry patch! Geoff and Josh built me this awesome screened in cover, but here is proof that I helped. :D My Grandma Lee always had raspberries and they always bring back the best memories! I worked hard this spring to move all of our randomly placed strawberries over there, too, so I have a little corner of berry heaven. You'll notice that my head is a little ways over the top, so it's interesting trying to bend over that far without falling because of my center of gravity shift. :D It's all worth it, though! We have had lots of yummy raspberries this year and I'm sure the strawberries will be back next year.

This made me laugh when I walked into my bedroom one day. Some cute little brownies had made my bed for me and not only that, but laid out our pajamas, too! :D Even funnier is that the body pillow I've been using lately, makes my nightgown look pregnant even when I'm not in it! :D LOL (P.S. In case you're curious, I made that quilt for one of my Laurel projects when I redecorated my room as a teenager. Peach is no longer my favorite color, but come on! I worked hard on that!) :D

This is such an awesome, spontaneous pic! Emily asked if Becca could sit down by them and she set everything up and sat next to Becca holding her up while they watched a movie together. It was really sweet and I just love how much they all love being together. I mean, they don't always want to be, just like anybody else, but they really do like each other. What mother could ask for more? :D I sure love you guys!!!!

Amelia Lucille

2009-09-06T21:17:00.004-06:00

I may have mentioned before how much I love being an Aunt. It is one of my most favorite things in life to have extra wonderful nieces and nephews to cuddle and talk to and spoil. :) I love having built-in friends for my kids so when I am with my best friends, whom I also call my "siblings," our kids can play together while we hang out. So, all of my blog readin' buddies, I'd like to introduce you to Amelia Lucille...

Isn't she just the cutest?! This is my only brother's only daughter. :) She was born in June a little more than a year after Darrin married his "Miss Kelly," a Louisiana Southern Belle. (We all love her!) Unfortunately, Darrin's genes were a little bit bossy and Mia looks like his mini-me in a dress! :D Although, I think she has her Mama's mouth and lips. :)

This is kind of a weird picture of me holding her, but I like it because she's sitting up on top of my bump that will be her cousin soon. :D When Geoff takes my picture and I don't know it, he always catches me talking or about to talk. :D I know, shocking! :D lol

I think we overwhelm Mia just a bit when we're with her since she isn't used to so many adoring young fans, but we all love her SO much!! Landon loves her, but doesn't always want to touch her, which isn't a bad thing if you ask me! :D This was a rare thing to have him hold her, but you'll notice he's not really "holding" her as much as she is sitting in his lap. :D I couldn't find one in our files of Emily, even though she would hold her forever and never share if it were up to her! :) For more pictures, make sure you check out Darrin and Kelly's blogs about their beautiful girl!

I sure love you, Mia girl! I'm so glad you're here in our family. You may not always be bigger than your two boy cousins that are on their way this year, too, but I'm sure you'll be able to hold your own! ;) We all love you so much and we're so glad you're in our FamiLee!

Love,
Aunt Diana

Belly Shots

2009-08-30T21:14:00.003-06:00

If all goes according to plan, this will be the last baby to join our family. On one hand, 5 is a really good size, especially with one as awesome as Becca. On the other hand, Becca will not be getting any smaller and she's quite a lot to lift and carry. And on the other hand, what could be more perfect than 3 girls and 2 boys? Everyone has a someone! That's plenty of hands for me, not to mention the Lord's hand that guides us in everything we do and we really feel very peaceful and fulfilled and blessed beyond our capacity to receive it sometimes. :)

In light of this final adventure, I decided that rather than hiding from the camera all the time, I wanted to document this last foray into the unique experience of carrying another life for 9 months. And besides, hubby got a new camera and it's fun to play with new toys. :) So, without further ado, here are some fun shots of me and my nameless little fellow who is due to arrive in about 3 weeks.

Gracie's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-30T20:45:00.006-06:00

It was the day we had all been waiting for! Gracie's first day of real school! She had endured a whole week of big sisters going to school and it was finally her turn! Her way of showing her nervousness and excitement was to be a bit whiny during the first part of the day, but she ended up being the picture of confidence. We decided together to save the matching dresses for Gracie's first day instead of the older girls' first day. They are what we have decided to call 'casual dresses' and the leggings underneath make playground playing much easier and more modest. :)

By the time afternoon rolled around, Gracie was MORE than ready to go. She picked ravioli for lunch with grapes on the side. School is supposed to start at 12:40 and we were done eating at noon. I dawdled as much as I could and finally got ready to take her. We were WAY early to the school because she was standing ready at the door with her backpack dancing around. We walked down the hall and took her picture by her door and she was like, "Bye, Mom!" I had to call her back to get a hug! :D As soon as she was in the classroom and we started to walk away Landon was the one to burst into tears. He cried all the way back down the hallway and outside. I tried to get a picture, but he was looking back at the school. Don't mind my weird face in that one. :D

So, she's there and happy and I'm not sure what I feel. I mean, I'm okay because she was so okay with the whole thing. She's SO ready! I just know she's going to have a great time and I'm crossing fingers and toes that she obeys and is kind to those around her. But, I have a really good feeling that even though she has slip ups and says things she shouldn't sometimes and doesn't always follow directions, that she will learn to do everything and show everyone the sweet, wonderful girl she is inside. She will have fun satiating her curiosity by having another someone to ask Why? Why? Why? to and she will make great new friends. Kindergarten is going to be GREAT! :D

Snow Plows in August and the First Day of School 2009

2009-08-20T23:01:00.005-06:00

I looked out the window and what did I see?
A snow plow plowing up my road, Yippee. (NOT!)

The road in front of my house is a huge disastrous mess, but someday it will be nice and smooth again. I have to walk to the back of my block to meet Becca's bus and we haven't been able to park in the garage for a couple of weeks now. But the Jeff-Foxworthy-look-a-like construction manager man told me today that they are laying down the sub grade, which appears to be the layer of compressed gravel right before the pavement comes. Being the Murphy's Law abiders that we are, however, our house has "soft spots" in the dirt layer that's out there now that need to be reinforced first. So, they are laying big huge sheets of metal mesh and then the sub grade and spreading that around with the snow plow* and then compressing it down with the roller mill car. How's that for technical jargon?! :D Anyway, we're getting there and I couldn't resist walking down the street to take a picture of the snow plow* for you! You should be grateful... after the day I've had today I'm surprised I could even still walk! :D The urge to pry off my belly and stick it onto Geoff for a little while was very strong today.

*In case you have never lived in the White Mountains of Arizona, they often use road graders as snow plows. In fact, I never saw them use anything else. In addition, there were trucks that would drop crushed, warm, red cinders (sometimes called volcanic rock) onto the roads already made from red cinders to help melt the snow.

Becca and Emily had a super great first day... as far as I can tell. :D We walked to get Emily and she waited for us under a different tree than we were waiting under and I thought we had a replay of last year when she walked home by herself on the first day. :D She had corn dogs for lunch and was proud that her shoes were still white. :D They got to bring a favorite book and she brought a big wildlife book that we got her for her birthday and she said the other kids said that if they owned that book, it would be their favorite, too. :D We decided together that Becca and Emily would wear their second favorite outfits today and save the super cute dresses and leggings their Daddy bought for them until it was Gracie's first day, too. :D Emily's shirt was kind of Hannah Montana-esque and had a little vest sewn on the front with printed designs. Emily learned today that some of the designs were peace signs and she said that almost everyone in her class had peace signs on their clothes or on their backpacks. Hmmm, how 'bout that! :D

After collecting Emily from her school, we walked to the park to wait for the bus. I walked half way between the jungle gym and the sidewalk and sat in the grass. I didn't want to have to waddle-run the distance when the bus came. We waited and waited and waited. Emily ran home to go to the bathroom and came back. Gracie and Landon played and climbed and slid and played some more. I talked to a lady who lived on the Navajo Reservation near the New Mexican border, but in AZ. She knows where Show Low is. :D We waited and waited and waited. Last year, Becca used to get home around 4:30 some days, usually 4:15, so as it passed 4:30 and I knew she must have been on the bus for an hour already, I started calling. The school put her on the bus okay, so I called the bus garage and, again, being the Murphy's Law abiders that we are, the bus came down the street at that very moment. :D Apparently, she had had a couple of extra kids today and then a boy had thrown a very big fit and broken one of the bus windows with his head! Yikes! Becca was safe and extremely happy, though, so we trundled off home.

Geoff ordered us pizza and we have kind of been taking it easy since then. I'm toying with the idea of bringing along a camp chair to the park tomorrow. Sitting on the grass and leaning back on my arms was only fun for a few minutes, if you know what I mean! :D So, anyway, here are some fun pictures of Becca and Emily's first day! :D Enjoy!! ;)

Landon's pic is also on Geoff's blog, but in case you can't tell he is holding a "Tato bug." :D He is actually quite careful with them and they can usually still walk after he sits them down. :D lol

Hopefully you can kind of see Becca's cute outfit. The colors are SO bright! :D It's little pink leggings with an orange skirt/shorts thing and a really bright yellow shirt. I'm not sure I would have picked it out had I done the shopping, but it is really quite cute. :)

Yes, that's a Pop Tart in Emily's hand... Geoff's Mom assured me that they have about the same nutrition as cereal and they are portable. :D

Stay tuned for more "first day" pictures on Gracie's first day of Kindergarten next week! ;)

Five Star!

2009-08-03T23:33:00.005-06:00

Gracie has reached a QUINTessential milestone! She is 5 and will be going to Kindergarten in the Fall. Ready or not, here she comes! :D

How old is Gracie?!
(Btw, now that you've seen what I look like early in the morning, I'll have to shoot you!) :D

New shorts made by Mommy... she hasn't taken them off since! :D

Fun school supplies and candy from sisters, brother and Mommy and Daddy... there was also paper to practice letters on, pink pencils and more candy. :)

She was REALLY excited about the pretty hair decorations from Grandma and Grandpa Lee!

Grandma and Grandpa Lee know just what a new Kindergartener needs! A new back pack! And they packed it with fun things to do... stamps and ink and containers to organize everything in. I'm not sure how I'll feel watching the back of this back pack walking away from me, but for now it is super exciting! :D

This is Gracie the purple unicorn, perhaps you've met? :)

Baked by Mommy, iced by Daddy, blown out by Gracie, enjoyed by our nearest relatives...

Gracie, Bella, Daniel, Andrew and Landon.
Apparently, Andrew is super interesting. Your guess is as good as mine! :D

Karina, Emily, Becca and Gracie.

Happy Birthday, Gracie!
This next year is going to be full of so many new, fun things! We love you SO much and if you never forget that, you'll be alright. ;)

Landon's Two

2009-08-03T23:00:00.005-06:00

Okay, so he's been two for a month, now... does it really matter? HE didn't yell at me for not blogging about him on his birthday, so I'll have no judgements from you either! ;)

It's July and it's hot and Mama is the size of a small hot air balloon, so we didn't as much GO anywhere as spend time together at home. :) These pictures are from the great 'opening of the presents' event that happens on Mom and Dad's bed on Birthday morning. Rest assured however that every picture of him you see posted here until next year is of him being 2. :D

He got a bunch of matchbox cars... individually wrapped of course... from his sisters and Mommy and Daddy.

Here's the unwrapped version.

This book is from Grandpa and Grandma Lee... his favorite page to date is the one with a big gerber daisy on it. He calls it a "thlower" and will turn the pages back and forth to find it. :)

This is possibly the coolest puzzle ever... also from Grandma and Grandpa Lee. It has different metal locks on each little wooden door. He can now do all but one all by himself and he does them over and over! :)

Happy Birthday, Buddy Boy! We sure love having you in our family!

(In case you forgot or are wondering where the Sagers fit in, I only have to look out my back windows to remember this.) :)

See you in the funny papers!

2009-08-03T21:36:00.006-06:00

Tonight at dinner we were, once again, cajoling Emily into eating her food. Gracie seems to thrive on this and enjoys eating hers even if she doesn't like it that much, mostly for the bragging rights. One of our old standbys is to tell them that when they serve missions they will have to eat whatever is placed before them. After one such pontification directed towards Emily, Gracie piped up, "On my mission, you know what I'm going to eat? Cheetos, squid, ham-boogers and purple kool-aid!" I'm not sure where that is, but it sure sounds interesting!

Later on in the conversation, the girls and I were relating to Daddy our discussion from lunch. The topic was Wine vs. Water while taking the Sacrament. Of course, in Jesus' time they used wine as they did when the Church was first restored, or rather "grape juice." During lunch we had called Daddy and asked him, on speaker phone, when they had received revelation to use water instead of wine in order to avoid alchoholic beverages. Wanting to show off my smart, wonderful children and my smart, wonderful explanations I encouraged them to tell Daddy what we had learned about the whole thing. After a brief (and smart and wonderful) explanation mostly by Emily, Gracie said, "But where did they get the water?" To which our smart and wonderful Daddy replied, "They grew it in big fields... of water... some people called them lakes." I almost did a spit-take and was laughing so hard, it probably made the baby inside me feel like a milkshake. I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard! I mean, it was funny! And besides, the girls just looked at him like, "Hmmm, okay, that makes sense." :D

Top this all off with a very spirited rendition of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" complete with choreography of Irish step dancing caliber by Landon and you just experienced a Sagers Family Home Evening! :D

For Kimberly on her Birthday

2009-07-22T22:31:00.005-06:00

This entry is dedicated to my sweet little Kimberly who is not so little, but still very sweet! Happy Birthday!!!

I still remember the first time this family called me and asked me to babysit. I knew they had an adorable dark haired toddler, but as it turns out, they had just adopted a baby boy. He was 2 weeks old and they wanted ME to babysit! I was over the moon!! The first few times, they came to my house so my Mom could be there to help me if I needed it. Kimberly was so bright and happy and cute. My Mom was so good at leading me by example, but she let me do everything. The first time I got to watch them at their house was super exciting and super scary! :D I remember heating up the baby's bottle too hot and trying desperately to cool it down and comfort him at the same time. But, I'll save my Bryce stories for another entry. ;)

I loved playing with Kimberly! She had such an imagination! We would play all kinds of games and she would make up the story and tell me the part I was to play. When they added onto their house, she got to pick things out for her room and was SO proud of her "girl color" carpet! They added a family room downstairs and 2 kid bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. We were playing some game we made up on the stairs when Kimberly shrieked and pointed from the top of the stairs where she was standing down to the bottom of the stairs where she was sure she saw a spider! I didn't see any spiders and thought she was making it up until I went down to investigate and found a spider on the front of the stair almost at the bottom. She must have had spider-radar to see one from that far away on the other side of the stair!! :D We used to play Nintendo games, too. There was a Chip and Dale one in which she was always Chip and always carried Dale (which was me) around upside down on her head! :D LOL It was just as well because I don't think either of us had much of a clue how to actually play, we just had fun laughing together. :)

My badge of honor in their house was that I was dubbed DiNana. I can't tell you how much I loved hearing that Kimberly was excited to have Dinana come over. I loved hearing her call me that and never encouraged her otherwise. :D I remember riding the late bus home from school one day and sitting by Kimberly (who was probably in about first grade) on the bus and when she got off she said, "Bye, Diana!" When I asked her about it later she thought it was SOOOO funny that she had ever called me Dinana. Sad, sad day for me. :D

Another one of my very favorite memories are connected to a beautiful white dress Kimberly used to wear to Church on Sundays. I used to love asking her questions and having her tell me what she remembered about going to the Temple to be Sealed to her new baby brother. Families truly are forever and never have I been taught by example how wonderful and significant joining a family together can be than by this one.

I can't tell you how many times over the years I have wondered what happened to my friends that lived in that cute little house. I have so many, many great memories of watching them and playing with them and even traveling with them to Mesa on an overnight trip. I have never been so grateful for Facebook as when I found them significantly more grown up than last time I knew them! :D Kimberly's girls look SO much like that gorgeous angel girl that I had so much fun with!

I hope you had an awesome birthday, Kimberly! I thought about you all day and had I known how to work the scanner better, this post would have actually made it out ON your birthday! I hope you know how much you are loved by me and how I treasure the memories of you and your wonderful family! Wouldn't it be awesome to be in the same place at the same time someday and get a really real hug? :D Here's a virtual one for now! ;)

I got these pictures probably about a year after I'd been gone. I never got to meet Weston, though I knew he was coming when I left! :) Tell me these kids don't have the absolute cutest grins ever in the whole universe? :D I sure love you guys!!

Oh, and did I mention that we are now preggo at the same time both with boys?! How COOL is that? :D

Rollerskating Babies

2009-07-09T09:56:00.003-06:00

My kids cannot get enough of this video! So, as a way for them to watch it and I'll always know where it is AND so you can enjoy it, too, here it is for your viewing pleasure. :D If you go to YouTube to watch it, there is also a "making of" video that's pretty cool, too. :D Landon's favorite part is the one that walks on his elbows with his feet up in the air... he laughs every single time! :D