The Hamilton Family

Time to Love

2010-05-27T09:29:00.008-06:00

I read a blog post the other day on ADHD that has gotten me thinking. One thing she said was that because she choose to medicate her child, people didn't resent her or her son for his behavior. I started thinking back over the years of raising Jesse and people reactions to him.So many times he has been treated poorly by others because of his actions. This is by both adults and children. It hasn't been just when he was on his medication or off, it hasn't really matter. He has been treated the same. He has kids call him names, adults roll their eyes at him when he wants to sit by him, adults who refuse or resent working with him, children who make fun of his siblings because of him, adults and children talk bad about him to others, and the list goes on and on.

My son is not a bad child. He is not a kid who will act out just to make you mad. He does not ignore you just because. He is not rude to you because he doesn't like you. He IS a boy with disabilities! He IS a boy who is struggling to make it in a world where he is looked down upon. He IS a boy with a heart of gold if you are willing to take the time to see it. He IS an amazing person with a sweet testimony of life and the gospel.Jesse has ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome. This means that his brain is wired differently than yours and mine resulting in him processing information differently. For example he does not connect the fact that he can't just say whatever is on his mind, especially if it is a rude thought. To him it doesn't seem wrong. For him he struggles greatly with impulse control, understanding consequences, hyperactivity, knowing how to appropriately interact with others, and many other facets of daily life. So often because it is not a readily visible disability, people think he is just a bad kid. Would you tell a child with a physical handicap the same thing? Of course not. People sympathize with them and love them despite the disability. The same should be true with children with mental disabilities.

I know more than anyone what Jesse is like. 95% of the time Jesse is with me or another member of the family. Many times we are asked to be present where ever Jesse is to take care of him. This is a double edged sword for me. I love my son and will always be there for him. But it also bothers me that when people don't take the time it takes to get to know Jesse to the point that they know how to best deal with him. It seems easier to just look at his problems and resent him for it than to take the extra time to get to know him. I can guarantee you that no one has seen his worst or his best other than me and yes that includes Robert and the other kids.

I am so very grateful for those who have taken the time to love and care for my son. There are some great friends who without question willing let Jesse come play or stay at their house for a few hours. That time means more to him than you can ever know. He truly loves and cherishes these people who let him into their heart, even if he is unable to tell them. These bright rays of sunshine light my sons life as well as my own.

It is my ever present hope that people will take the time to get to know my son. Yes it will be a rocky road, full of unpleasant times. But in the end it will be a tremendous blessing to him and others. He is growing and improving constantly. Having him home from school has been one of the best things we have ever done for him. He works a couple of times a week with an amazing PSR worker is strives to help him survive socially. He continues with counseling monthly to help us all find what is best for him. He tries to incorporate all he learns to be better and has come a long way. However he will most likely always have problems anytime there are changes, struggle with controlling his impulses, and get overstimulated easily in social situations causing him to act out. Thank you to everyone who helps Jesse to become the best person he can. Thank you for the dedication you have shown our son and your patience and love toward him. It is a blessing to us to have the privilege to raise him, and we are grateful for all the help you give to us.

Some Things To Think About

2010-03-23T15:21:00.005-06:00

I met a friend of my mothers this past weekend and in the course of a very interesting conversation, she brought up a point that I wanted to share. We were talking about our thoughts, how they impact us, and where negative thoughts come from.

She said how she pictured a certain number of Satan's warriors assigned to each of us and that they can call in reinforcements when needed. These warriors lined up to tempt us and try us. the first in line comes forward and prompts us with thoughts such as "You are dumb." If we give in to that then they stay and continue to torment our thoughts. However if we tell those thought to shut up and go away, that warrior loses his power over us and has to move to the end of the line. That puts a little more space between us and the next warrior. He, however, learns from his predecessor and will tweak the thoughts such as "You are dumb and lazy." We must also then tell those thoughts to shut up and go away without giving in to them. If we continually cast out these negative thoughts then we are able to overcome Satan's grasp on us.

We are not alone in this battle though. Heavenly Fathers angels are ready and waiting to come to our aid. This difference though is that we must ask for their help. If they automatically step in whenever we have trouble, then we have no agency and are following Satan's plan. We must ask for their guidance to maintain our agency and to overcome our trials.

We also talked about trials. In school when you are given a test, you were first prepared for that test by being taught all you needed to know ahead of time. The same is true with our mortal existence. Heavenly Father prepared us for all things before we came to earth. He gave us every tool for every experience we will have. We were then sent us to earth with the veil lowered so we could have a true test of our knowledge. The knowledge to overcome every circumstance in our lives in within us, we just have to listen with our spiritual ears to remember what we were taught. That is why I could not have been a pioneer or handled someone elses trials, I was not prepared for them or given the tools to make it through their experiences. But I was given the one I needed for my life. What comfort that is to know that I can make it through all things given me because my Heavenly Father prepared me for them!

Promptings

2010-03-13T22:52:00.005-07:00

So I wanted to get this story down before I forgot it. This past December I took Tyler and Britain to the temple to do some family baptisms. While we were waiting to get started Tyler said how she wanted to do this every year as a Christmas tradition and how she wanted to do the work for my biological fathers family. I was shocked because I didn't think I had ever told them I was adopted by my father and about my birth father. I put it out of my mind and went on with the day.

A few weeks later I was giving a lesson in Relief Society. I don't remember the lesson, but I was reading a part that said we needed to honor our parents even if they were not the best parents and have hurt us. They gave us life and for that reason alone we should honor them. As I was reading it I had the very distinct feeling that I needed to do the work for my birth father and to forgive him. I had a hard time putting it into words as it happened and dealing with what was happening at that moment. I have hated my birth father for so long. I have never wanted anything to do with him, even when he was married to my mother. Why was I suddenly getting this impression?

I went home feeling very unsettled in my heart. I called my mom and she was very upset by it all. I prayed that night asking if there was someone who was ready to accept the gospel in that line and waiting for their work to be done and was given that answer that there was. My biological father was not a member of the church nor was anyone in his family. Of my sisters who are his biological daughters one of the has made lifestyle choices that won't allow her to do the temple work needed, and one struggles more than I do with what he did. I guess that left me as the only person to do this work. It has not been easy though.

For the longest time I struggled with the idea of adding his name as a father in family search. I do not consider him a father to me and it took me quite a while to add him. I made sure that it still should my dad as my father and my biological father as an additional parent (my dad adopted us and we are sealed to him so in the eyes of the law and the church he is my father not my biological father. in fact our birth certificates were even changed to reflect that).

I then decided to try to do and Internet search for his parents so I didn't have to keep bothering my mother and digging up old ghosts for her. What I found came as another major shock. I found out that my birth father passed away about 16 months ago from being electrocuted in a work related accident. I was the one who had to inform my mother and sisters that he had passed. Finding this out brought on a whole new set of emotions that I struggled dealing with and I had a hard time getting him out of my mind. I put his death information into Family Search and it came up with his ordinances being ready to be done. It was so hard to see his name linked with those ordinances. I am still trying accept it and print the cards to begin his work. My children, who have not been tarnished with the past, are eager and willing to do the work for his family. I am struggling each step of the way. Britain in all his wisdom told me that maybe this was how I was going to be able to forgive him.

This next weekend I will be getting the genealogical records my mother has to try again to start some of this work. I am not sure if it is my birth father or one of his ancestors that is ready to receive this work. Tyler (the first to be prompted) and I (the second one to be prompted) received the promptings about a year and a month after his death. Maybe in that time he has changed and is anxiously awaiting for the ordinances of the gospel. Whoever is ready, I am sorry for my personal struggles and will try to overcome.

Mom and Dad

2010-03-13T22:16:00.002-07:00

The last few months for my parents have been laced with medical problems and stress. My dad fell and broke both knee caps and after surgery was in a rehab facility for several weeks. During that time my mother ended up in the hospital with some heart problems. once my dad came home from rehab, he started having major problems with his blood sugar and ended up back in the hospital for a day.

Almost losing both of my parents in a month wasn't easy. I wanted to take the time to write down some of the things about my parents. First of all my dad. My dad may not have my biological father, but he chose to love my sisters and I and he has loved us as his one. He gave up so much to raise us after he had already raised his family. He lovingly took in and cared for us, giving us all he could. I got the opportunity to live alone with my dad for awhile while our family had to be geographically separated because of work while I was in elementary school. I remember laying on his bed with him watching tv at night and him playing his old country records like Patsy Cline. My dad has always loved what he calls "shoot 'em up westerns" and especially John Wayne. He did a great job caring for me (and for part of the time my sister) until our family could be reunited again. Most weekends we would drive the 4 hours to St. George where my mom and sister lived. Even then my dad liked to drive slow!

While we lived on the reservation I remember piling in the back of the pickup and driving around, sometimes with the camper shell on and sometimes without. My dad loved to take us out to a cafe (I think at 3rd Mesa) that served monstrous Navajo tacos that were amazing. Since he was a high school teacher, he would often get invited to some of the different celebrations on his students. I remember going to some of the different Navajo/Hopi villages so see the different dances.

My dad has such a love for science and would often take us out rock hunting through out Arizona. We would go look at petrified wood and go on picnics in the desert. My dad also built us several radios, in fact I think I was in high school before I had a radio that wasn't built by my dad. My dad loves to tease as well. He constantly has a joke to tell. My kids have come to rely on his suckers that he always has on hand to give them when we visit. My dad now loves to build things with rocks. He has his little rock shop in back of their house and he is always giving us little gifts he has made.

When Robert was in Korea and Colorado with the Army, we bought a house that was across the alley from my parents. My dad was always helping me out, fixing up the house and the yard when I needed it. If he couldn't physically handle the work, he would walk me through what I needed to do. He has always been there for us and I love you so much dad!!

My mom is an amazing woman. She divorced my birth father when I was very little and raised my sisters and I until she married my dad. She was never one to sit around, but was always working to better our lives. She went back to school a few years after marrying my dad to get a degree in accounting. At the time she worked for a law firm. We lived in a beautiful home my father built for us in St. George. After we all had reunited and were living in Arizona she again went back to school to finish her education. At that time she changed her major to education and had to work hard to get her degree as my dad's health was failing. We once again had to live apart while she went to school and my dad worked to support us. this time we were only and hour and a half away though and my dad came home each weekend. My mom graduated from college when I was a sophomore with a 4.0 GPA (this while raising 5 kids). She never gave up and went above and beyond what was necessary to get her degree. We then moved to where my mom got a teaching job which allowed my dad to retire. My mom continues to work hard teaching and supporting her family and has touching many hundreds of students lives.

My mom is also a wonderful musician. She plays the piano and organ. She tried to get us girls to play, although we didn't cooperate. There were many times when my mother accompanied me singing for different music festivals, in church, and for my auditions in college. She has also accompanied my sister in all her music. Even with all her skill, she decided a few years ago to go back to taking piano and organ lessons to improve her talents she was blessed with. In all she does she tries to be an example to her children of how to overcome trials and be better. She was the one who encouraged me to go back to school when Robert went overseas and to get my masters (she even found the program that was perfect for my situation)

One of the things that has been the most special for me has been the relationship we have had as adults. My mom is one of my very dear friends. We talk often on the phone and can share our deepest frustrations and successes. She has also raised a child with special needs and understands what I am going through. So many times we have comforted each other in our trials as mothers. I could not make it through all that I do with out my mother! I love you mom!!!

Excitement!!

2010-03-13T21:47:00.002-07:00

We are trying an experiment with Jesse and church tomorrow. After a particularly stressful Sunday last week Robert and I asked out Bishop for a blessing this week to help feel less overwhelmed. We never did get around to the blessings, but had a good talk and he came up a possible solution to help Jesse feel more comfortable in church.

Most Sundays, Jesse hates going to church it is a fight each week to get him dressed and ready. Then Sacrament meeting is another battle of trying to keep him sitting quietly for 70 minutes. It ends up being a torture session for him and me. So bishop suggested having him go to sacrament meeting at Annabelle House (a care facility) and then coming to primary when it is time. This will make it so that he only has to sit quietly for about 20-30 minutes, there is less people to overwhelm him, and he can potentially help out as needed with the meeting (Bishop suggested having him pass the mic for testimony meetings). He will be able to take the sacrament like he needs to without having to sit so long when he isn't getting anything out of the meeting.

Yesterday I talked with Jesse about it and he was so excited. He was talking about it today even. This is the first time ever that I have seen him excited to go to church. Brother Lowder (he is in charge of the meetings there) even told him he could help pass out hymn books if he was there a few minutes early which thrilled Jesse. It is so wonderful to see Jesse excited to go to church and hopefully it will be a great solution for this sweet boy!

Heavenly Fathers Blessings

2010-02-19T08:27:00.002-07:00

So it is no secret that life around our house can be a struggle, financially, emotionally,etc. Robert works two jobs just so we can stay mostly afloat and I do what I can to supplement while still being home with the children. This year for the preschool has been rough. At the beginning of the year I had a lot of interested and registered students and things look good. I ordered my curriculum to cover all the students and then all but a few pulled out for various reasons. I was left with a lot of expense with not a lot of money coming in to cover it. A few months ago we were blessed with a few opportunities that came to us that have helped to make up the difference and set us more ahead of where we would be with just the preschool.

I am so grateful for the promise I felt when we made the decision 3 1/2 years ago when I quit teaching that if we went to the temple each week we would be ok financially. That has truly happened for us. With each major financial situation since then, we have been blessed to come through it relatively quickly and with help from above.

The Ups and Downs of Life

2010-01-15T21:58:00.002-07:00

So this last week has been very challenging with Jesse. In many ways it isn't unexpected because he always struggled with school around the middle of the year, but it makes for some challenging days dealing with it all day, every day.

For example our day on Monday was horrid school wise. It took him 3 hours in the morning to do math, his best subject. He just was so unfocused and distracted. After that I got him through a few short lessons like spelling before lunch. He then left for a few hours with his PSR worker. When he came back it took him 7 hours to complete a reading test mainly because it had several short answer questions and a short essay and he HATES writing. We finally finished the test around 10 at night. I had had it and was very frustrated, but the rule is if he is being defiant he has to finish his school work that day no matter how late. We finally finished all his work at 11:45 at night, close to 15 hours after we first started in the morning. The good part about it was that in the past he would usually be belligerent in his defiance with school work, while that he he just sat and didn't work. I guess you take the good however small.

Several others days have been like that this week, just not the that extreme. Last week however, he did amazing every day in school. I guess so many days we could just find and even playing field so that I could know what to expect. I hate guessing what kind of a day it will be. I know this will never happen, but it is nice to dream I guess.

Teaching Life Lessons

2010-01-15T21:39:00.002-07:00

In our home education is very important (as you probably guessed with me being a teacher and having teachers as parents). The expectation in our home has always been A's or B's as acceptable grades. C's are very rarely allowed (when the child is working their but off but is just struggling with content). D's and F's are completely unacceptable!

So with that as background you can imagine the uproar in our home when one of our children came home days before Christmas break with the report of 3 D's!!! I was furious! This child is extremely smart but can be dare I say lazy at times. He wasn't turning in his work. So he got a list of all missing assignments from his teachers and spent all of Christmas break doing the work, regardless of whether it would be accepted or not. He has also been grounded until I have written proof that grades are acceptable again. Has my little angel been happy with mom. No not at all. Especially when additional consequences are added for breaking the grounding rules. However he needs to learn now to be responsible for his work and understand that things are to be completed in the best manner possible (yeah he wasn't happy when I made him redo some work at 10:00 at night so it was done right).

This is new territory for this child as he usually passes all classes without even trying. I guess he just had to test the waters to find out what he could get away with and found out he couldn't. So now the real trial for him will be that if the grades aren't OK at report card time he will lose spring sports (track which he loves). Education will always come ahead of sports. I hope my son has learned his lesson this past month and chooses to work hard to excel instead of fail.

Way To Long!!

2010-01-06T21:24:00.005-07:00

So I have not written in a really long time. Mainly because the time I used to blog during is now spent teaching Jesse so it easier to spend two seconds updating Facebook then the time needed to blog. I don't remember if I have written on here yet but we decided to teach Jesse at home through the Idaho Virtual Academy this year. He is doing great with it and we are seeing some great progress with many of his behaviors as a result.

Anyways, in the last few months we had a great but crazy Thanksgiving. The week prior Robert was in a car accident that totalled his car and sent the world upside down with doctors appointment, insurance companies, searching for a cheap car, etc. Well my mom finally found us a car in Pocatello just before Thanksgiving. So we decided to meet in Twin Falls to pick it up from them, sign all the paper work, pay for it etc. So as soon as our Thanksgiving meal was over we got in the car and headed to Twin. We sat in the Subway in Walmart to fill out everything, spent a little time together, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed back home. So as Jesse puts it we spent Thanksgiving driving a long time to go to a store. He wasn't happy about it!

Robert has been recovering and is now down to one chiropractic visit a week. In the beginning it was 3 a week and that really impacted us financially (all the loss of pay to go). I just look forward to getting reimbursed for it in the end.

Christmas was great as well. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with our traditional Shepherd's dinner. This is such a wonderful way to focus on the real meaning of Christmas and brings such a sweet spirit into our home. After all the activities centered around that we headed out looking at lights, put cookies out for Santa and headed to bed. Christmas day was a nice relaxed day spent opening presents and hanging out with our family.

The shepherds making their way to Bethlehem.Faith giving Jesse the family's gifts for him.

Writing the letter to Santa.The search for the green ornament to see who gets to open the first gift.Opening stockings. We are all back in school again now. Tyler is preparing for finals next week and just selected her songs for festival in the spring. Britain, who has been heavily into sports all year, is finally done with sports for a little while and is focusing on his school work. Jesse and Faith keep mom busy each day with school and play for them. Robert is busy as ever always striving to provide for the family. Hopefully it won't take me this long to write again. I will try to be more vigilant!

Faith's New Love!

2009-10-15T14:53:00.002-06:00

We found this pink unicorn stick horse and the dollar store and Faith is in love! Her passion for unicorns at full height with this.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-15T13:11:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I took the preschoolers and Jesse to the pumpkin patch. A couple of kids couldn't make it, so there was only a few of us but it was still a lot of fun. We started out with the kids going through the hay bale maze. After the initial traffic jam from the kids on all the groups, they all raced through and had a lot of fun. Then we went and picked pumpkins. I think Jesse and Faith both felt they could only get a pumpkin from the very back of the patch because they both just kept walking without getting a pumpkin. Faith was very choosy about hers as well. Every one I suggested just wasn't quite right. Finally we had to just pick one or go with out so we could head back to where everyone else was.
We ended the adventure with a hay ride around the pumpkin patch. Jesse enjoyed taking pictures on the different colored pumpkins on the way. We had a great time finished the morning with a little shopping before heading home for school.

Gratitude

2009-09-28T13:43:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful for the life I have been blessed to lead. It is by no means easy, but it is very fulfilling. I love my wonderful family with all there differences and quirks. It is amazing to watch them grow and become such amazing people.

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is such a blessing to be able to know my Heavenly Fathers plan for us and to be able to have an eternal family. I love the joy I find in the gospel. I am so grateful for the temple and the opportunity I have to go weekly to partake of the peace and joy there. It truly sustains me through the week.

I am so grateful for the wonderful friends I have. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to turn to them when needed, laugh with them, cry with them, or just hang out instead of working out.

We have been very blessed to find the employment that allows our family to grow and develop through difficult times. It is far from glamorous, but it pays the bills and allows for all our needs.

I am grateful to have the medical assistance that is helping Jesse and Faith with their different medical needs. It is such a joy to see Jesse begin to improve lately and hope that it continues. While I don't know if they will ever be "cured" it is amazing to have only had one ER trip with Faith in the last 2 years instead of 3-4 times a year and to see Jesse improve from hour long (+) meltdowns that were extremely violent to ones lasting minutes instead.

I am so very blessed to have a husband that works so hard and does so much for our family. I love him so much. He is always concerned about taking care of us and is an amazing person.

I am so thankful for the many things I have in my life and for all that the Lord has blessed us with.

Briatin's Birthday or WHAT ANOTHER TEENAGER!!!!!!

2009-09-14T13:29:00.003-06:00

Ok so there is nothing that makes you feel old like having multiple teenagers in the house!! On September 3rd Britain turned 13. That evening was crazy with his cross country meet, a baby shower for a friend, and a pack meeting that thankfully was cancelled shortly before it was supposed to start, so we decided to have his birthday celebration the following Saturday. We enjoyed Britain's birthday meal picks that included pancakes, pizza, and shepherds pie. For his activity he decided to go shooting, so we all headed to the shooting range and Robert helped everyone shoot for a few hours before heading back for presents, cake, and ice cream.

Britain was ecstatic to get an mp3 player and some wii games that he played the rest of the evening with Jesse. It was a great day celebrating a wonderful kid. I am amazed how hast they grow up. We love you Brit!!

Pictures will come in the future if I can ever get them off my phone! =P

Time, What's That?!

2009-09-14T13:20:00.003-06:00

I have gotten so bad about blogging lately, since summer started and I can't use my camera, I am at a loss. School so far is going good for all the kids. Tyler is loving high school and really enjoys her French class. Britain has had some struggles again so far socially, but is excelling academically like always. Jesse is enjoying the virtual academy, but for mom it depends on the minute how her feelings are about it. Faith is loving preschool still and can never get enough of learning. She most likely will start reading soon as she is ready for it, mom just has to find the time to teach her.

Robert continues to remain busy with work and is working on adding some fun time in as well (it is so hard when you work the amount of hours he does). I am busy with preschool, teaching Jesse, and life. I love my exercise group as they help me maintain my sanity right now in life. Some days I feel like I am hanging off the edge. I am glad I have the knowledge that Heavenly Father know what I can handle, because I think we may differ some days on that issue but knowing he is there gives me some much needed comfort.

Summers End

2009-08-27T09:11:00.002-06:00

So the end of summer is here and the older kids are all back to school today. Jesse and Faith will start on Monday. It has been a long and busy summer. We started off with scout day camp, girls camp, and later scout camp. We had a great 4th of July weekend with my family being here. It was a great weekend to remember our great nation. We also kept busy with summer camp for preschool which lasted all but the first week and last week and a half of summer break.

We enjoyed a fun weekend camping with friends. The kids enjoyed riding the four wheelers which was a new experience for them. Britain and Tyler also enjoyed going out on a bunny hunt at night and watching all the guys having fun. Robert was able to join us about 1 in the morning and then went out on a hunt with a few of our friends to end the night.

Lately we have been busy sewing and canning. Tyler made seven dresses for humanitarian aid as a value project and I made four for Faith. We have also been canning alot lately. We canned 26 quarts of apricots, 51 quarts of green beans, 77 quarts of peaches, 8 quarts of tomatoes, and about 40 bags each of frozen corn and zucchini.

It has been a great summer and we are glad to be back at school.

Women's Fitness Celebration

2009-08-05T14:11:00.002-06:00

The past few years Tyler and I have participated in the Women's Fitness Celebration. It is so much fun and such a great way to bond as family and friends. Our Healthy Living Enrichment Group has set up a team for the event this year and would like everyone to join us! If you are interested visit www.celebrateall.org to learn more about it and to register. Out team is the CIII Divas. I can't wait to have a great time this year!

15 Years Down, Eternity To Go!

2009-07-23T14:10:00.005-06:00

So this past weekend was Roberts and my 15th wedding anniversary. And how did we celebrate it? At the hospital with Faith and home with sick kids. Isn't real life wonderful. What a better way to spend an anniversary though doing the things you do all throughout your marriage! So with all the sleep deprivation and sickness we totally forgot to even celebrate it at all! This was the first time in 15 years that has happened and I have been thinking for months of things to do for this day. How pathetic! I plan to take him out tonight to make up for it though.

So in order to celebrate here are 15 things I love about Robert:
1. He is always very loving to me.
2. He works extremely hard to provide for our family.
3. He is always willing to help anyone out that needs it.
4. He is always willing to help out with the cleaning or anything I need at home.
5. He is always concerned about how I am feeling.
6. He loves being with me.
7. He listens to all my complains.
8. He likes to have fun.
9. He is very tuned into my feelings.
10. He puts up with all my moods.
11. He gives up his plans to go along with what I want.
12. He wants to teach our children strong values.
13. He supports me in my goals and aspirations.
14. He always knows when I just need to have an ice cream break.
15. He loves me and isn't afraid to show it.

Robert I love you so much and am so glad I get to spend my life and eternity with you. Thank you for all you do dor us!
Robert and I while we were dating (1993) Robert and I on our wedding day (1994)

Robert and I in 2006

Robert and I 2009

What a Weekend

2009-07-19T09:11:00.002-06:00

So what a weekend we have had. Britain went on Thursday to a three day backpacking/campout with his scout troop. We had several full days in a row where it was nothing but running from one thing to the next. Then the big problems started on Friday afternoon. Robert and I went to the orchard to pick some apricots. Shortly after we got home my throat started to hurt and Jesse and Faith were complaining of the same thing and coughing.

The kids went to bed early, but Faith started having a hard time with her asthma. I started her on her inhaler but as the night went on she was still struggling and couldn't sleep. She climbed in bed with us and could just toss and turn and moan all night. Around 3:30 we decided to take her into the ER since we couldn't get her breathing under control. As we were getting ready she threw up (this is common when Jesse and Faith are really struggling with their asthma) so we hurried and got her a bath before leaving.

Tyler got up before we left and soon after that Jesse was up having a hard time with coughing. Neither of them went back to sleep that night. We ended up being in the ER until about 6:30. Faith received a couple of breathing treatments, had some chest x-rays done, and had a lot of observation time to make sure her oxygen levels were up and stabilized. After her second breathing treatment the respiratory therapist and I were getting nervous as her heart rate jumped to 199. Albuterol raised the heart rate but that is higher than any of us would have liked. After awhile it went back down and she stabilized.

The chest x-rays showed that she had pneumonia which would have caused this asthma attack. Around 6:30 we were released and after no sleep all night we were ready to go home and crash. Robert had church cleaning to go do (he was going to call and say he couldn't make it but when he found out Brother Pack was called in to work he ended up going) so he picked up Tyler and left while I stayed home with Faith and Jesse. We took it easy for most of the day trying to allow the kids to rest.

Tyler went with two of her nonmember friends to the ward party and the stake dance. I was worried about getting her there and since she had invited her friends I didn't think we should cancel. Luckily one of her friends mom volunteered to take the girls to both events.

When Britain got home I found out that he got sick while he was camping also so now we have four of us home sick while Robert and Tyler are still doing fine. Hopefully we can kick this soon and be back to health.

IDVA for Jesse

2009-07-14T14:59:00.003-06:00

Well after much thought and struggling I have decided to enroll Jesse in the Idaho Virtual Academy. There are so many pros and cons to this decision, that it has been hard to make. My main reasons for making the change are for social. As he gets older the teasing that he faces will become more aggressive and mean spirited. This teasing them sends him into tantrums where he becomes violent to those around him. Having him at home for school will eliminate the majority of this teasing and help us to control his social situations.

Also Jesse struggles so much with change. By having him home he will no longer have to feel out of control when there is a substitute, a class party, etc. We will be able to structure his day so that his work is broken up throughout the day and interspersed with down time to help motivate him in his work. This has worked well this summer and we plan to continue a similar schedule for the school year.

When I asked Jesse about it he first said it sounded silly, but as I explained it he became excited and said it would be perfect. I am hoping that I will be able to handle this change and that things will go well with it. I figure if it doesn't work out we can also put him back at Wilson. In the very least I will not have to be called to school to help with him, since he will be with me already. That alone will relieve some stress since those calls and subsequent trips to the school are very emotionally draining. However, they will be replaced other stresses of working with Jesse at home.

Jesse has also finally qualified for a PSR (psycho-social rehab) worker who is starting this week with him. She will spend five hours a week helping Jesse to deal with social situations. I am hoping that we will begin to see some great results for him!

Healthy Living Blog

2009-07-01T12:12:00.002-06:00

The Healthy Living Enrichment Group has started a blog to keep members undated on workout schedules, announcements, and motivation. Any members please stop by often and any other ward members we would love to have you join us and have a lot of fun with us!

http://caldwell3healthyliving.blogspot.com/

What We Have Been Doing!

2009-06-24T21:38:00.002-06:00

So life has been going on crazy as usual. I think I have figured out part of the reason for my lack of blogging. My camera battery died over a month ago and I can't find the charger. I have missed many great picture opportunities, but such is life.

Our garden is going great right now. We have been harvesting radishes and leaf lettuce. Many peas are almost ready. It is great to see everything growing and changing each day.

Tyler has been away at girls camp all week and will get home tomorrow. She has been babysitting for some friends each day through the summer and plans on using the money to help pay for her cello and school funds for next year. She is looking forward to going to an EFY type of conference next month and staying at the BSU dorms for it. The only draw back is that none of her friends are going.

Britain is staying busy by mowing the lawn for a friend each week. He is working on saving money for his mission. He also loves playing of the slip and slide and is looking forward to campouts and going to scout camp.

Jesse finished up with day camp last week and had a lot of fun. He is also enjoying summer camp that I do each day. We try to keep him on a tight schedule each day which helps him to deal with life better. He functions so much better when changes are minimized and he knows what to expect out of each day.

Faith is enjoying summer camp as well and has been showing off her new tooth ring that she got today. She lost a tooth about 6 months ago even though she was way to young to. The permanent tooth (if it comes in) will not come in for several more years and so she had to have a spacer put in to keep the teeth from growing together.

Robert has been working 80 hour weeks lately between his two jobs and we see him very rarely except as he is going from one job to the next. We are grateful for the added income, but sure miss him being around.

I have kept busy teaching summer camp each day, taking kids to all the various appointments, lessons, and activities. I have also enjoyed working out with friends each week in our enrichment group. It has been a great way to work on something for me and helping to accomplish some of my goals for myself.

Right now our family is also very concerned about my nephew Sean. He has been hospitalized for almost two weeks now. He lives in Arizona and was life flighted to Las Vegas twice within a week. They are finding out that he has a thyroid disease where his immune system attacks the thyroid. So his thyroid has been sending toxins into his body. His adrenals are also having problems that are making some of his hormone levels be too high. He is also dealing with heart murmurs as a result of everything. we are hoping he will be able to come home soon, although he will be on medications for a long time to come. The medication also has some major side effects that could cause some life altering problems. It is so much for a 12 year old to bear.

So we have been keeping busy and are looking forward to some time this summer where we can enjoy some relaxation!

Kindness Monday- Time To Get Back To Health

2009-06-08T13:08:00.003-06:00

Apparently I am still struggling to get back to blogging regularly with the kids being home. But I will keep trying. So this week the Healthy Living Enrichment Group is kicking off and I am so looking forward to it. I have really struggled with eating right and exercising lately. Being put in charge of this group is just what I needed to focus on my health again. So this week I am being kind to me by spending the time I need to be healthy for my family. Why don't you join me!

Kindness Monday- Free For All

2009-06-01T15:44:00.003-06:00

O.K. so life has been majorly hectic lately so I am sorry I have not posted regularly. I am hoping that with school now over I will be able to get back on schedule.

So for the challenge this week I am calling it a Kindness Free For All. In essence do as much kindness as possible. In home evening last night we talked about how we fill each others jars with either rocks (mean words) or marbles (kind words) and the challenge was to fill each others jars all week with marbles. So join me in filling others jars positively this week.

WOW Wednesday- Gutter Garden

2009-05-13T08:12:00.003-06:00

So how cool is this! Be Different Act Normal featured this gutter garden from Apartment Therapy. I love how it looks beautiful, but is very functional. It would work great for growing herbs, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and other shallow rooted veggies. It would also look great with some pansies and other flowers. Just drill some drainage holes, add your soil, and plant! Since I already planted my garden for this year, I may have to wait a year to try this, put I love the idea!

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- And Baby Made 3

2009-05-12T13:56:00.006-06:00

Since I shared Faith's birth story the other day, I figured I would share our other children's as well. Fourteen years ago, Robert's and my lives were forever changed when Tyler joined our family. I had a very normal pregnancy with her, I only got sick when I didn't get enough sleep. I remember days when I worked late and had an early morning class having to pull over on the way to school and try to find a bathroom FAST!
I was in the middle of my undergrad work and worked at Taco Bell during my pregnancy. I quit work a few days before Tyler was born. The day before my due date I stayed home from my classes and rested. Robert and I planned on heading down to my parents house that night to watch movies if everything was still OK. My parents lived about 40 miles away. Robert got off from work around 4. All was looking good until shortly before Robert got off work. I called my mom to ask her the unforgettable question "When your water breaks can it be a trickle or is it a gush?" My mom said she was on her way. So I sat around waiting for my mom and Robert to get home. I was not having any contractions, in fact I was laughing at the whole situation.

So when my mom and Robert got there, my mom took us to get some food knowing once I was admitted to the hospital it would only be ice chips and since I still wasn't having contractions she was afraid it would be a while. So we got some ice cream and walked around the neighborhood trying to start contractions. After about an hour we went to the hospital. I was admitted and they had to check to make sure it was my water that broke (since it was just a trickle I guess they thought I might just be having an accident). They recommended walking to try to start contractions. So we again started walking. For those of you who know my husband though, he doesn't do things half way. So to him if walking was good, so were aerobics and any other exercise. So here we were walking the hospital (multiple floors worth) doing any exercise we could think of to try and start labor. NOTHING WORKED! So finally the doctor said we needed to induce before the baby started having problems.

So we started the Pitosin (sp?) and again began the waiting game. I was getting pretty scared by this point because I didn't want any medical interventions to have the baby. So it was traumatic having to be induced. However when the doctor started talking about a c-section because it had been almost 10 hours since my water broke and they were at 1/2 of the maximum dosage of Pit., I almost started freaking out.

Once the doctor left we started praying. For those who don't know Robert and I married when I was 18 and I had Tyler at 19. So for a young girl this was all getting pretty scary. My mom soon remembered a reflexology chart in her purse and she told Robert where to start rubbing my feet to stimulate the female organs. They took turns and this seriously hurt worse than labor! However 10 minutes later I was finally in labor! I took a few minutes of fighting the contractions, before I finally listened to my mother and started breathing with the contractions. After that I found that it was something I could handle. Three hours and twenty minutes later Tyler was born. Robert was so excited he promptly fell asleep in the Lazy Boy! It was 3 in the morning, but still! We had a beautiful baby girl who was healthy and finally here.

For some reason I can not find any pictures of Tyler before 3 months old. Don't know what that is about! Boy has she grownup to be an amazing and accomplished young woman (she came home yesterday with forms to fill out for clubs to help get into college!). I love her so much for all she is and all she does for us. Very rarely does she complain when asked to help and is always willing to help shoulder the load when I need it. I love you Ty!

Kindness Monday- Sending Love

2009-05-12T13:52:00.002-06:00

Well I didn't do very well last week, but it is a new week and a new challenge! So for this week it is my goal to send a e-mail or letter to some family members who don't live close. I am awful about keeping in touch with people, so I am going to work on this this week. How about you, is there someone out there you want to reconnect with this week?

Month of Giveaways!

2009-05-11T07:54:00.003-06:00

MomDot is having a month long blog party in celebration of her birthday. Each day she will feature a different blog that will be having a giveaway in honor of her birthday. Head on over to check out all the sites.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T18:46:00.002-06:00

Happy Mothers Day to Mom, Ellie, and all my friends out there. I hope you all have had the perfect day for you. Thank you to Robert and my kids for the wonderful gifts and service. I love you all!

Thoughtful Thursday, Family Friday, All on a Sunday!

2009-05-10T17:23:00.007-06:00

O.K. So I am so behind. I have a hard time getting out my usual Thursday and Friday posts on time because they are usually busy days where I don't always get the down time to write. I really need to just write them ahead and schedule them, but I usually forget. So I will do a combined post today.

Thoughtful Thursday

I started reading Asperger's Syndrome A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Tony Attwood this week. The first chapter deals with the diagnostic process. The second chapter has been very enlightening so far. It is all on Social behaviors. I am still working on this chapter, but wanted to share some of my insights.

First was on playing with others. Jesse wants to be friends with people many times, but struggles knowing how. Other times he wants to play by himself and this describes him perfectly: "The child appears to play in a 'bubble' and can resent other children intruding into their activity. When the child intends to play on their own and other children are inquisitive or want to be sociable, they can be quite abrupt or even aggressive in ensuring their solitude. They often prefer to be left alone to continue their activity uninterrupted." This happens almost daily between Jesse and Faith. He can get very upset when she tries to play with him or sometimes even sit by him.

Another thing that stuck put was the lack of social codes of conduct. This situation is so familiar to me, "On occasions the person may appear ill-mannered; for example, one young man with Asperger's Syndrome wanted to attract his mother's attention while she was talking to a group of her friends, and loudly said, "Hey, you!" , apparently unaware of more appropriate means of addressing his mother in public. The child, being impulsive and not aware of the consequences, says the first thing that comes into their mind. Strangers may consider the child to be rude, inconsiderate or spoilt, giving the parents a withering look and assuming the unusual social behavior is a result of parental incompetence. . . It is essential that other people understand that the child is not being rude, but did not know a more tactful alternative or appreciate the effect on other people."

Mr. Attwood describes the use of social stories to help teach proper social conduct. Once children with AS understand the proper conduct, they will almost become police in enforcing it. For example a few weeks ago we were playing tag at the end of scouts. Faith ran into the person who was "it" but everyone else continued to play as if she hadn't. Jesse became upset and stopped the game saying that Faith had touch the person and now was it no matter what. The social stories are very descriptive, showing what the situation should look and sound like for the child.

I wanted to share a few poems found in the book as well:

One foot in and one foot out

Is what Aspergers is all about.

Sometimes I think why me;

other times it's the best way to be.

A little different from the rest

makes you think you're second best.

Nobody quite understanding

a hard life which is very demanding.

I look like any other child

but little things just make me wild. (Vanessa Royal)

People everywhere,

Talking, wearing bright colours.

The talking is like the pounding of horses' hooves,

The bright colours are blinding,

The talking hurts my ears,

The bright colours hurts the eyes,

Oh why can't people be quiet and wear dull colours. (Dianne Mear)

The second one really describes Jesse feeling towards loud noises. Every time we try to have music on, he tells us it hurts him to listen to it. He sits through music class in school with his hands over his ears. Even as a little kid he would run out of sharing time because it was to noisy and he couldn't handle the others kids talking.

Family Friday

This week has been another busy week. Tyler had district for track on Friday where she ran the 200 meter hurdles. It was her first time running the race since she was injured a few weeks ago. She did a great job and I was nervously watching hoping she wouldn't fall again and reinjure herself.

We also finally got the lawn mowed and flower beds weeded after all the rain. Our yard was really looking bad! I also got the rest of the garden planted. Some stuff is still a little early, but I figured I would cover them if they came up before the last frost.

This morning I found I had an e-mail from 5 minutes for moms saying that I won an Elliot Lucca Ellene satchel. I was shock to win such a big giveaway. My one question is where do you wear a bag like this? I am sure I can find some place though!

WOW Wednesday- Doors

2009-05-06T16:27:00.003-06:00

I love this look I found on Joys of Home! It is amazing how just adding some molding around the door adds so much to the room. The only problem is that where my front door is I couldn't do this =(.

Holy Moly! Do You Want This?!

2009-05-05T20:55:00.003-06:00

Skip to my Lou and MomDot are working together to have an amazing giveaway! Check out the details here or here. You want to see what you can win? Check this out:

This is a Mountain Range Swingset from HomePlace Structures. Wouldn't that look great in my yard. My kids and the preschool kids would L-O-V-E it! Here is what HomePlace says about their products:

"Experience outdoor living at its finest with HomePlace Structures custom Amish crafted outdoor products. Enhance your property with a stylish yet functional garden building, garage, or gazebo. For the kids, HomePlace Structures also offers exciting playhouses and playsets. Its line of play structures from Pinnacle Play Systems include the best, most innovative ways to have fun: towers and lofts, playhouse lofts, ships/castles, and combination units.

HomePlace Structures exists to provide a variety of structures that add comfort, enjoyment and function to properties nationwide -- accenting homes, parks, businesses, and gardens. We customize playhouses, garden buildings, gazebos, garages and Pinnacle Play Systems for discriminating buyers across the United States, shipping from our base among the Amish of Lancaster County, PA."

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Senior Prom

2009-05-05T14:07:00.004-06:00

My senior year of high school my family moved from Arizona to Idaho. Now we didn't just move to Idaho, but to Downey, Idaho and for a girl used to living in large towns and cities it was a shock! I was used to big high schools, lots of places to go around town, and lots of people. Now I lived in a town of 600 where the high school took in people from 4 towns and the surrounding country. Moving into a place like this is always difficult since people have been friends their entire lives.

Luckily I found some great friends and one of them asked me to prom that year. His name was John. We doubled with our good friends Chris and Katee. Our date started out at Chris's house where we made cookies and shot some archery. That was my first time shooting a bow, so it was pretty funny (I found out what a wimp I am!) For some reason I can't remember what we did for dinner, it was either at Chris's house or at the local Flying J restaurant. Then us girls went home to get ready.

The one thing that I hated about our date is that our dates signed us up for the promenade. This is where at the beginning of the dance they announce you as a couple and you walk into the dance in front of everyone. That was not my idea of fun. I really don't remember the rest of the night (I have a REALLY hard time remembering details of my life) but I know we had a good time at the dance with our friends.

When I got home that night I found out that my biological father had tried to call me that night and my dad fielded the call for me. It amazed me and maddened me that he would try to contact me when he hadn't the majority of my life. It was shortly after this when he tried again that I told him emphatically that I did not want anything to do with him. It was definitely a down point to a great night.

Can you tell what year this was fromthe picture? Take a guess.

A Whole New Girl!

2009-05-04T20:22:00.004-06:00

See what was on the chopping block tonight!

Ty has needed a haircut for a long time, but I never got her into a salon. Finally it was just driving me crazy! Every time I looked at it all I saw was the split ends! So I asked her if she wanted me to trim it for her. At first she didn't, but soon she came and said she wanted it cut. I decided to experiment a little on her and attempted to give her some layers. Her hair is so THICK that having a straight cut just wouldn't have looked good. I have never done layers. I mainly only cut the boys hair and us girls have the pros do it! However I think it turned out pretty good and she was happy. (In the pictures she was really worried thinking I totally ruined her hair.)

I forgot to take a before picture to show you how much we cut off, but here are some pieces. Her hair was to her waist. I wasn't thinking at first otherwise we would have put it in a ponytail to donate to Locks of Love. She has done this in the past and really enjoyed it. We will have to try again in a few years.

Kindness Monday- Be Kind To Me

2009-05-04T15:50:00.003-06:00

So this week I have decided to take a different take on Kindness Monday. As mothers we so often put ourselves last. Over the past year I have lost 70 pounds. Since Christmas I have been at a stand still though and have gained back a few pounds. The month of April was the worst on me food wise where I just kind of gave up eating right. My goal for this week is to get back to taking care of myself and taking the time I need each day to exercise, eat right, destress, etc. so that I can be healthy. How about you, what ways can you be kind to yourself this week?

Creative Keepsakes- National Scrapbook Day

2009-05-02T17:51:00.002-06:00

Creative keepsakes is having a party for National Scrapbook Day. Head over there TODAY for a chance to win some great prizes. The layout on this cover is one of the first ones I learned to do digital. Head over and create your own cover page!

Thanks Rachel!

2009-05-02T15:52:00.002-06:00

Family Friday- Festivals, Gardens, and Floods Oh My!

2009-05-02T09:06:00.006-06:00

So It has been another busy week. Last Saturday I worked on getting part of my garden planted. My peas, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and broccoli are in. I planned on planting my potatoes and carrots today, but the rain ruined my plans. My tomatoes are also planted in containers. In between gardening I took Tyler and Britain to their festivals. Tyler participated in cello and piano while Britain did piano. For Tyler she had a memory lapse on her cello in the morning and I think she then freaked a little on her piano because she just couldn't do it with out her music. So she will not receive a score this year (if you use music you can't get a score). Britain hit a brick wall hard with one of his pieces and couldn't get past it the month leading up to festival. Instead of saying anything he just refused to play it and do to conflicts he went several weeks without lessons. About a week and a half before festival we changed that piece of music so he could at least participate. He worked hard and memorized it, but it wasn't up to performance level yet so he received a Very Good rating this year.

Two weeks ago Britain also went on another cam pout to Givens Hot Springs. He had a great time, but did come home with a nasty burn from picking up a hot poker from the fire. He was very proud because despite his fear of heights, he climbed Devil's Ladder (I think that was the name of it).

Sorry for that brief interlude, now back to last Saturday. That evening we went to a ward party of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I got the time wrong so we were late, but the kids had a great time playing all the games. Tyler went home with her friend Katie and went with her to her first stake dance!! There is no way she should be old enough to do that!! Very scary. She had a great time and danced with a few boys. She has decided that she is going to every dance. SHE SHOULD NOT BE OLD ENOUGH FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday night my friend Jill told us about a cello and bass concert. It was in a ladies home to support Caldwell Fine Arts. I decided to take Tyler and Britain because it is such a rare opportunity to see a cello and bass duet. It was AMAZING! The group is called The Bottom Line Duo and they are extraordinary. The kids were so excited that it rejuvenated their love for their instruments. We spent quite a long time talking with Spencer the bass player. I am hoping to order some music from them so Tyler and Britain can do some duets together.

Tyler and Britain had their last track meet on Monday. Tyler then made it to district in the 200 meter hurdles so she will have another week of track. She was injured two weeks ago on the hurdles so I am hoping mentally she will be ready to jump again.

On Thursday we also found out our sprinkler system has sprung a leak somewhere. The crawl space ended up with quite a bit of water in it. We will be pulling up the vapor barrier today to help with the drying process. Our sprinkler people where supposed to be coming out today to work on it, but with the rain I don't know if they will make it.

Yesterday I was able to go with my good friend Carmen to the temple on our monthly trip. It was great to spend some time together. Since she moved this is the only time we see each other. I then went to a Money Matters class for Elder's Quorum which was informative and motivational. Overall it has been a busy time, but what else is new.

Thoughtful Thursday- Changing It up

2009-05-02T07:51:00.002-06:00

I have decided to put a hold on The Holy Temple series for a little while. This past month has been a really trying time with our son Jesse. Yesterday at his counseling appointment his psychologist let us know that he is coming up for his diagnostic review and that he will be adding the asperger's syndrome diagnosis to the ADHD at that time.

I have taught many students with ADHD in the past. However I have only taught one student with aspergers and he moved just as we were getting him diagnosed so I didn't get a lot of experience learning how to work with him. So I have decided to spend some time researching AS so that I can better help my son. So starting next week I will be discussing the book Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Atwood.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

2009-04-29T18:25:00.007-06:00

So here is our finished bathroom. For before picture go to this post.

Bye bye yellow toilet! Hello sweet new one!

Oil rubbed bronze is so cool!

These are the shelves the Lyle Cole built for me. See the candles that I decorated!

Derek worked his magic to give us our great new shelves and mirror!

The hook board towel rack that started the whole color scheme!

My beautiful tile!

The refinished vanity with the black paint and oil rubbed bronze knobs.

My awesome sink and faucet! I love it all! To really appreciate it you should come over and see it.

WOW Wednesday- Be Blocks

2009-04-29T13:06:00.004-06:00

I found the very cute blocks at Not So Idle Hands. When Tyler saw them she loved them so I figure they may be something I may end up making for her one day. They would look great sitting on her desk.

Little Learners Preschool

2009-04-28T17:52:00.004-06:00

For those of you local (Caldwell, Idaho), I am offering a summer camp program.
Ages 3-10 years old
Mon-Thurs. 10:00-12:00 a.m.
$60 per 5 week session or $15 a week
Session 1- June 8- July 9
Session 2- July 13-August 13

I am also taking applications for preschool next year. There are two classes:

Discovery Kids
Ages 2-3 Years Old
Mon./Wed. 10:00-11:30 a.m.
$40/month

Great Explorers
Ages 4-5 Years Old
Tues./Thurs. 10:00-12:00 a.m.
$50/month

$10 registration/materials fee due at time of first class

If you are intersted let me know. If it is not for you, could you please help me spread the word and let people you know about my program. I really appreciate your help!

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Remodeling Woes

2009-04-28T13:43:00.005-06:00

So the big bathroom reveal is almost here. Derek should be finishing today! YIPPEE! So I thought I would share with you some of the little problems that have showed up along the way. The first problem happened when Robert started the demo process on the floor. This is what he found around the toilet.

It turns out that the inlet valve to the toilet had been leaking for who knows how long. Now we knew why the linoleum was lifting. So he ended up staying up until about 1 in the morning ripping out the subfloor in addition to everything else.

We then decided we could save some money by refinishing the vanity instead of buying a new one. I thought a lot about how I wanted it to look and then remembered this hook board that I had bought for the bathroom whenever it was finally painted. I loved the colors on it so I decided to match the finishes to it. So I took the board to different paint stores hoping to match the color. Well apparently none of the computers could match it.

It is hard to tell from the picture, but the wood is a very dark brown (the color name is espresso) with some burgundy undertones. The stores kept thinking it was a black color. We finally ended up going with a high gloss black paint since that was the closest we could find.

So I then went and painted the vanity and medicine cabinet in the black. Then we went to go find a counter top and sink for the vanity. We found out that all the counter tops were either too big or too little, none fit! The day before Derek had joked about making a tile counter top and now we figured we would have him make it and we would buy only the sink. We started looking for a sink and none of them fit the hole in the counter top for the sink and the hole couldn't be enlarged since it was up against the side of the vanity already. We were then left with the option of buying a new vanity or a vessel sink. We went the cheap route and bought the vessel sink and had Derek tile the counter.When Derek put the medicine cabinet back in we found the next problem. It no longer fit! With new lights and the sink issue we had problems. The lights rested right on top of the medicine cabinet. So we ended up going with just a mirror and some great shelves Derek then had to build. (By the way in anyone needs a medicine cabinet we have one).

When Derek was going to replace the toilet, he was going to replace the inlet valve to make sure we no longer had any leaks, but he couldn't find the shut off for the cold water anywhere. We then called a plumber who had replaced our water heater and found out our cold water has to be shut off at the water main. Our valve ended up being fixed instead of being replace.

When we bought the faucet for the sink we worked with the sales clerk to make sure it would fit the vessel sink. When Derek went to install the sink we found a different problem with the faucet, the drain. Most sinks have an overflow so they have an overflow valve on the drain. Vessel sinks don't. So we tried to find a drain in the finish of our faucet and couldn't find one. We found that we would have to special order either the drain or a new faucet with a minimum cost of $80 for just the drain! I came home and decided to look online for an alternative. We ended up finding a drain and a faucet for about $60 cheaper than the faucet we bought in town. Score! They arrived, fit the sink, looked great, but the base didn't have a strong connection. Derek first tried to fix it with silicone and when that didn't work he was able to fix it with Gorilla Glue.

So it has been fun and crazy redoing the bathroom, but it looks great!

Kindness Monday- Dinner on Me

2009-04-27T13:49:00.007-06:00

So I finally got something made for Jesse's teacher (didn't come up with anything for jr. high teachers yet). Remember this idea that I found for making a picture for a teacher, well I decided to make it. I had an extra box of crayons in our school supply box. SO I grabbed them, some cardstock, stickers, and started cutting and gluing. It turned out pretty cute and I will be making sure she gets it this week. I can't decide if I want to trust sending it to school or if I need to drop by to make sure it arrives intact.

This week's challenge is to take a meal to someone that needs it. Maybe it is a new mom, a friend in need, a neighbor, a visiting/home teaching family, etc. I will figure it out today so that I can try to help someone this week. I will get better at completing my own challenges! Why don't you join me!

Joy

2009-04-24T19:22:00.003-06:00

"Joy"

Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. 3 Nephi 17:20

"This is one of my favorite moments in the Book of Mormon. After stating this, Jesus simply spends some time blessing and interacting with the children, while angels descend out of heaven. In this piece, I wanted to depict our Savior in that moment of "full joy". I see Him smiling and laughing spontaneously, filled with so much love for those young people, to the point of weeping for joy (as it mentions in the record He did). If its human nature to manifest feelings of joy and love in that way... then I have to believe that would especially be the case for the One who is the embodiment of every good and righteous instinct of human nature."~Dave Bowman~

This amazing print by David Bowman is being given away over at Trying to Stay Calm. She always has amazing giveaways so check out her site while you are there.

WOW Wednesday- Sunday Box

2009-04-22T09:10:00.002-06:00

I came across this wonderful idea at Homemaking Fun for a Sunday Box. I wish I had come across this years ago when my children were younger. It is a great idea and I am sure I can find a way to modify it for my different ages of kids.

Since they don't watch TV on Sunday (except church movies) she created a box with different activities that her children could do on Sunday. We have tried to have the same rule in our family (although we haven't been as good about it lately). Every once in a while she changes up what is in the box to keep it interesting and says that it has really make Sunday a special day in her home. What a great way to keep the spirit in our homes on Sunday!

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Our Little Miracle Arrived

2009-04-21T08:40:00.004-06:00

Five years ago this summer I started working on getting my masters degree. I had finally found a program that would work for me as a working mother of three. It was an on-line reading program through NNU. It was great because we only had to be on campus one week out of the year. A few months into my program I found out I was pregnant. I was really upset. Having a baby in the middle of a masters degree wouldn't be the easiest thing to do and the program I was in had everything planned out for the 2 1/2 years it would take to complete. You completed the program with a cohort group so I couldn't just quit and pick it up again later. We had also made the decision to not have anymore children a few months prior and sold all of our baby things. Our decision was based mainly on the fact that I didn't feel like I could handle another child with the struggles Jesse was already exhibiting at the age of three. However I shouldn't have been surprised because with each pregnancy I had a dream telling me how many children I had left to be born.

So after much tears, worrying, and prayers I finally felt that things would be OK and that Faith would actually be a blessing to Jesse (not sure of that yet, but maybe in the future). So I went through the pregnancy pretty well. It was an advantage for some things such as when the heater became a problem as it did every year in the school I taught in, it was taken care of much quicker than usual, especially when I started having class outside because it was making me sick. I also got out of a few field trips and jury duty because they were in my last month of pregnancy. Something about being on a bus for a few hours each way didn't make the administration very comfortable with me going.

Well we found out with our earlier children that I have to be induced with my children otherwise I would be pregnant forever. So we scheduled the date with my doctor to have Faith in the Nampa birthing center. Since he was moving offices at the time of my delivery, his wife was going to be the one delivering Faith.

It ended up being a very easy delivery. I think we arrived around 8 or 9 in the morning. They broke my water and induced me. I took many walks had some contractions, but none that were regular enough to say that I was in labor. Then all of the sudden I transitioned without really anything going on (my mood changed slightly was the only reason we knew). I had about three hard contractions and Faith was born 15 minutes later. The doctor had stepped out to see a patient who was heading into labor in her office across the parking lot. The nurse told her not to leave because I have fast labors, but since she wasn't my doctor she didn't realize how fast I go. So the nurse, my mom, and Robert ended up delivering Faith.

When she was born the nurse was amazing. I didn't even realize something was wrong but Robert and my mom watched her as she unwrapped the umbilical cord from Faith neck TWICE. Then the real problem was seen when they saw a true knot in Faith's cord. She was a little blue so they got her on oxygen immediately and she perked up and was OK. We were told that it was a miracle she survived the pregnancy. The nurse told us that often times when there are problems like this then the labor are fairly easy to help protect the baby. It is amazing how our bodies know.

I am so thankful that our little angel was safe and survived to be the little stinker she is today. I really love her and all my children and thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings they are in my life.

Kindness Monday- Take 2

2009-04-20T15:29:00.002-06:00

OK so I am a slacker and didn't even attempt anything last week. I will be better! So this week is a do over week. The challenge will remain the same as last in an attempt to allow myself the opportunity to actually do it. I hope you all were better than I was last week. If you didn't get a chance do do anything, try it again with me this week and appreciate a teacher in your life.

And The Winner is. . .

2009-04-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1 Max: 15
Result: 2
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So Kristi you won. Congratulations! I will get with you for your new tile!

Easter Dinner

2009-04-18T22:14:00.005-06:00

Don't forget Sunday is the last day to enter my giveaway!

As I was searching my camera disk I found these pics that I forgot to include in Family Friday. On Easter we have a very different family dinner. We eat food that was available at the time of Christ and eat on the floor to remember the style of eating in the time of Christ. The kids love this and look forward to eat each year.

Remodel Update #1

2009-04-18T21:58:00.004-06:00

So last weekend Derek finished the front entryway. The tile looks great and I am so excited about it. Here are a few pictures of the transformation!

Family Friday- Busy as Usual

2009-04-17T09:32:00.003-06:00

So another week has come and gone. Some of the things that have happened around here are continuing of the remodeling (hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel with that), cello lessons, another track meet, temple service, YM/YW, Dr. appointments, the brakes went out on my car, etc.

This weekend I am hoping to get my garden beds finished and maybe planted (I need to figure out if the water has been turned on yet). We still need to get the peat moss and dirt to fill the beds and then we can plant.

I have been feeling a little down the last few weeks. I think a lot of it is due to just the stress going on right now between the remodeling and other financial worries that keep popping up. A big factor to it all to is that Jesse has really been struggling lately and it is continuous battles with him daily. I think I am just so emotional exhausted that it has led to just being down and feeling like I am ready to fall apart at any minute. I need to go reread some of the conference addresses about hope in times of trial. Hopefully this next week will bring some good news of some kind and some happier days.

Thoughtful Thursday- The Holy Temple, chapter 2-3

2009-04-16T07:40:00.004-06:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

It has been awhile, but I was finally able to get a few minutes to read again. One of the points that I really enjoyed was that preparation for getting to the temple. President Packer likened it to a college class where you have to take fundamental chemistry before you can take advanced chemistry. The same is true of the temple, we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity to enter the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances there.

This preparation also includes what we take with us each visit. "If you will go to the temple and remember that the teaching is symbolic you will never go in the proper spirit without coming away with your vision extended, feeling a little more exalted, with your knowledge increased as to the things that are spiritual. . . What we gain from the temple will depend to a large degree on what we take to the temple in the way of humility and reverence and a desire to learn. If we are teachable we will be taught by the Spirit in the temple." I know one of my problems is looking past the literal interpretations and looking at the symbolic meanings. I think that is where the preparation for me needs to come in. Instead of the hurried rush to the temple with my mind still racing once I arrive, I need to take the time to unwind before enter the temple so that I can have my mind open to the revelatory powers of the Spirit.

Welcome to Holland

2009-04-15T11:50:00.005-06:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

A friend of mine sent this to me last week. The first time I read it I bawled because it is so true. As I read it again this morning, I again cried as today has already been a trying day with Jesse. I wanted to share this with all of you as it really touched me. I definately have my days where I still long for Italy and other days where I am able to enjoy being in Holland. Thank you so much Nina for helping to find the words for the many feelings I have.

Welcome To Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

WOW Wednesday- YUMMY!

2009-04-15T09:36:00.005-06:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

So I am feeling totally uninspired today!!! I know I found things this last week, but now I can't find them and nothing is really catching my eye this morning. =(
So I thought I would post the recipe for Hawaiian Meatballs from the American Homemaker. I have made it several times and the family totally loves it. It is a quick, easy dinner. The only change I made is to use crushed pineapple instead of chunk and I include it in the sauce. Enjoy!

Kids are Cheap, Right?!

2009-04-15T08:27:00.006-06:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

We all know how babies cost a lot of money. The hope is that once you get out of diapers, outgrowing outfits every month, and all the special baby products, there will be some reprieve in the cost right? However then you get into all the sports equipment (thankfully the kids have decided to switch from soccer to running the last few years!), more expensive clothes, etc. Well now we are seeing how expensive they can be!

Tyler is a cellist as many of you know. She loves it and dreams of being a professional one day. She has played for about 4 years and has private lessons. That alone is not cheap. This is her cello. It is a school issued cello that we rent each year. This is so much cheaper than renting from a store, however the cellos can be beat up. So far she has done well these.

Last night Tyler had lessons. While she was there I ran to Lowes again to look for a part we need for our bathroom (more problems and the 4th store of the day for the part). While there I found out the only way they can help us is to special order the part at about $75 for a drain!!! Then I pull up to lessons and Ty calls asking me to come in. I was then met with the information that her current cello is no longer working for her. AGHHHHHHHHHH! Due to the construction of the bridge, she is unable to get the tone she needs to for her level of playing. If we continue to use her current cello, it will hold her back in her playing.

Her teacher has a cello that she could rent for $30 a month or that she is selling for $1200. With festival coming up in a week and a half, we decided to rent the cello for a least the month to give us time to find a solution. Especially with her entering high school soon and needing to advance so she can get scholarships I knew we would need to find a high quality cello soon, but I don't think I am ready to pay for that. Then on the way home Tyler was telling me how she needed to save money for high school registration because it can be about $100! I guess the idea of kids costing less as they get older is out the window, along with all my money!

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Dr. Seuss Day Disaster

2009-04-14T13:49:00.004-06:00

Don't forget about my giveaway!

So Piggy backing on my last post I thought I would relate to you one of the many adventures of my first year of teaching. Now remember this was not your ordinary teaching job. I was warned and so were all of my references (to see if they thought I could handle it) that this class was the class from you know where. Well within my first two weeks of teaching was Dr. Seuss Day. At our school, Dr. Seuss Day was really celebrated with week long activities and a family reading event in the evening. It culminates on Friday with some sort of classroom event.

Karen, a fellow 4th grade teacher and the teacher who let us live with her, and I decided to have a fun read in with our two classes and make green eggs and ham with them. We started by pushing all the desks in my classroom out of the way, gathering in my room, letting the kids socialize a little and then settle into reading. We divided the class into groups so Karen could take them to the teachers lounge to cook with them.

Well when she took her first group down I soon discovered we had a major problem on our hands. Unknown to me (heck I was still learning the kids at all), we had two rival girl gangs in our classes. It was my girls versus hers, and the two ring leaders and their main backers were all left in the room together with me. So shortly after Karen left, we almost had a big fight break out in my room. I can't remember how I kept it under control until Karen got back, but we learned that we couldn't do activities together without a lot of planning to keep these groups separate.

A Little Surprise!

2009-04-13T13:37:00.007-06:00

Well this week marks my 1 year blogging anniversary as well as my 200th post. In order to celebrate I decide to have a little giveaway. So here is the deal, I will be giving away a vinyl lettering tile from Treasured Thoughts with this saying on it:

So for the nitty gritty details:

1. Post a comment.

2. Receive extra entries for blogging about the giveaway and being a follower (leave a separate comment for each).

3. This giveaway will close Sunday April 19th at midnight MST.

Good luck and have fun!

Also as a way to let you know some of the giveaways I find our in blogland, I have added a giveaway section to by sidebar. Check it out because there are some good giveaways going on right now!

Kindness Monday- Teacher Appreciation

2009-04-13T11:46:00.002-06:00

Well I accomplished my goals for last week. It feels like it has been awhile since I have been able to fully complete one of these challenges.

This week I decided to do a teacher appreciation for the challenge. I know Teacher Appreciation Day is in the spring, but I don't remember the day. So I figured now is as good as any. It is pretty easy to acknowledge teachers in elementary school since there is only one main teacher. However in junior high with multiple teachers it is more difficult. So I will try to figure out something for the different teachers of my kids. What about you, do you have someone you want to appreciate this week?

Family Friday- Can We Say Chaos?

2009-04-11T22:53:00.003-06:00

So life around our house has been crazy lately. At the top of the list is the our house remodeling. The bathroom is almost done and the hallway just needs to be sealed and caulked and it is done! I will write more of this later.

On Tuesday Jesse had his 2nd/3rd grade music program. I was really worried about this as he is highly sensitive to noise and music. Usually when music is playing in the car he begs for it to be off because it hurts him. He spends all of music class with his hands over his ears, but he wanted to go to his concert. In the evening he also struggles because his medication wears off. HE DID SO GOOD!! I was near tears the entire concert because he was able to stand up there and sing (although not joyfully- I think he smiled once) and did great.

On Thursday Tyler and Britain had a track meet in Mountain Home. It was crazy because they didn't get home until 11:45 pm. I was glad they didn't have school the next day. They both felt they did good in their events. Faith also had a fun time dressing up in Jesse's shoes and running up and down the ramp of our friend's trailer.On Friday I had a great evening at my friend Tanya's house for her baby shower. It was great to be able to go sit and talk with friends and relax.

Today Robert and I were able to attend the temple. Jesse and I had a great night going to Clayson's baptism. He then went to Clayson's house while I took Tyler to a concert for the Boise Baroque Orchestra and Choir. We had a great time listening to the Passion according to St. John by Bach. Our friends the Belnaps gave us the tickets when they weren't able to use them and it was a great night out.

Throughout the week we also worked on our Easter activities. We weren't as good as the past because of the craziness going on, but some of the things we did was talk about the events of the last week of Jesus' life and create a picture wall of it, have our LOA wall, carried a beam across the yard, touched thorns, dyed eggs, made Resurrection rolls, and are excited our Easter activities tomorrow.

Thoughtful Thursday- Temples

2009-04-09T09:06:00.001-06:00

Well I have been slacking with everything else going on and haven't gotten my reading done. So I thought I would post this wonderful video on temples to go along with what I should be reading. Enjoy!

WOW Wednesday- Candles

2009-04-08T12:47:00.003-06:00

Since we are redoing some areas of our house right now I am on the hunt for nice, cheap decorating ideas. It's a Girl Thing had these great candles that she decorated using scrapbook paper. How easy and fun. A friend is making me some cute little mini shelves for my bathroom that I was thinking of putting either candles or nick-knacks on. These combine the two into great little works of art.

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday-An Unexpected Hiring

2009-04-07T13:59:00.003-06:00

So I thought for today I would share how I got my first year teaching. I graduated from ISU in December 2000 and was substitute teaching in eastern Idaho until the new school year when I could look for a job. Robert was getting ready to get out of the Army. He had saved up a months leave to help look for employment and it was a situation of whoever gets hired first will determine where we live. On the day Robert was coming home from the Army (we were geographically separated because of work and school) I came home from subbing to have an message on the machine about an interview in Caldwell. I had never heard of Caldwell so I called my dad to find out where it was. Then I called the school and they scheduled a phone interview for a few days later (Valentine's Day). I found out that they had gotten my name from the college and since I hadn't even applied for the job, I had to hurry and get an application and fax it into the school before the interview.

On the day of the interview I finished subbing, got home, and shooed Robert out of the house with the kids so things would be quiet. Then I sat and waited for the phone to ring. This was my first real job interview (other than for fast food and retail in high school and college) and I was nervous. The interview went o.k. and then it was time for more waiting. Later that evening I received a call from the principal that they had narrowed it down to me and one other person so they wanted us both to come in and teach a lesson. The only day I could do it because of subbing commitments was the next day. The principal was worried about me getting to Caldwell and I assured her that if I left my home by around 6:00 I could be there by lunch time. So I then had to quickly come up with a lesson (on using adverbs and adjectives) before the next day. I called my mom (a teacher) for help and we came up with a lesson.

The next day we left Tyler, Britain, and Jesse with my parents and drove to Caldwell. I met the principal and the interview committee, taught the lesson for another 4th grade class, met with the committee and then went out to meet Robert in the car. As Robert and I were talking about the lesson, someone knocked on the window to the car.. She introduced herself as Karen the teacher of the class I just taught and a member of the interview committee. She had missed my lesson because her husband had been in surgery. She told me that she had an apartment above her garage that if I got the job I could live in until we got settled. Wow what charity and trusting to offer your home to someone you just met.

Well this entire time I was praying that I would not get this job. I was told upfront that this class was a nightmare. The teacher had been sick most of the year and had been in and out. This class would go through multiple subs in one day because they would leave and refuse to come back. However with my limited experience of teaching in Eastern Idaho in schools with high levels of LDS people in it I had no clue what this class would be like. So I prayed that unless Heavenly Father really wanted me there that I would not get the job.

I had to wait for the other candidate to teach her lesson the following day to hear the results. So the following afternoon I received a call that I got the job. There was a substitute hired for the following week and I could start after that. However I felt it would be better for me to just get in there and start rather than have to deal with them after more subs. So I packed up some essentials for me and Jesse (he was 1). Robert would stay behind with Tyler and Britain since they were in school until we could get things settled. I moved to Caldwell the next day (Friday). I had the weekend to get things ready to start teaching on Tuesday. The principal agreed that the first little while should focus on me building a relationship with the class and working on discipline since they had none. This gave me a few more days to learn the curriculum and get settled.

This was a very crazy year and a whirlwind of an adventure. From getting the first call to starting the job was about a week. However Heavenly Father must have really wanted me there because he provided the housing for me at Karen's, the school found me a babysitter for Jesse, and everything fell into place from the beginning. Amazing how things happen!

ADHD or Aspergers

2009-04-06T09:11:00.004-06:00

Well the last month with Jesse's psychologist has involved some difficult information. A few weeks ago we talked about the possibility of later down the road of facing some early onset bi-polar because of his extreme mood swings. There is a family history of bi-polar on my side of the family (my sister, uncle, and cousins) so it is not a surprise, but still very scary.

On Friday at his session Jesse was exhibiting some classic symptoms of Aspergers syndrome. AS is a disorder that falls on the autism spectrum. This has always been a condition that we have suspected. His counselor believes that he does have AS although we are keeping his ADHD diagnosis for now. This is because his treatment will remain the same as we are addressing his current needs. Part of the problem is that Jesse exhibits many symptoms of various behavioral/psychological disorders. Now it is time to research AS to see how we can further help Jesse.

Kindness Monday- Easter Sweets

2009-04-06T09:05:00.003-06:00

Well I didn't do so good last week with giving Robert extra attention. I started out good, but as the week went on and we kept having things pile up on us, it got pushed to the back burner. It is amazing how that happens.

This week is a two fold challenge. First as part of Easter week our family has a challenge to pray daily asking who they can serve that day. I will be working on this as well as our family LOA (love one another) board that we also do Easter week. The second part of the challenge is to make a gift for a few special ladies I know. What is something you can do special for Easter time?

WOW Wednesday- More Easter Crafts

2009-04-01T13:42:00.004-06:00

Hostesss with the Mostess has some great Easter crafts on her site right now. First are some cute Eater pails. I love how quick, easy, and inexpensive this one is.

Next are the adorable Terra Cotta Easter baskets. I have a lot of scrapbook paper that I could use for this project. I am sure Tyler would love to make these for her friends for Easter.Finally are these lovely centerpieces. I love the butterflies and the flowers combined. It just shouts spring and new life.

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Christ Centered Easters

2009-03-31T08:46:00.004-06:00

About 5 or 6 years ago I found a great book that changed the way our family celebrates Easter. It is called A Christ-Centered Easter. This book sets out a week long Easter celebration focused on the last week of Christs life. We have used the majority of the activities in the book each year and the children love it! They now ask for these activities over the traditional commercialized ones. We still dye eggs, but even that is connected to Christ as we talk about the new life he has given us through the atonement.

We start off on Palm Sunday with a special home evening celebrating the Triumphal Entry of Christ. We make palm fronds, have a pictorial representation on the wall, and start a Love One Another wall. Throughout the week we read parables, do resurrection eggs, learn Easter hymns, try new foods, try carrying a heavy beam, have a night without light, go on a treasure hunt, make Eater morning rolls for Easter breakfast (they are hollow to represent the empty tomb), etc.

Easter morning the family is awoken with the Hallelujah chorus and we have a special Easter devotional followed by eating our Easter rolls. We then enjoy church and complete the day with a very special dinner where we sit on the floor as in the time of Christ and eat only food that was available to Christ. We read all the comments from the Love One Another wall and focus on the Savior. It is a wonderful, special time in our home. I have really come to become closer the the Savior each year during this time as we focus on Him. My book is now falling apart and I need to put it in a binder before I loose the pages. I am really looking forward to starting on Sunday and having another memorable year focused on Christ.

You can get this great book at Deseret Books.

Sneak Peeks and Before Pictures

2009-03-30T12:49:00.015-06:00

So all the sudden we have some major projects in the works. It will be nice to get them done, but I hate paying for them!

So the first thing to be done will be finishing our master bathroom. Last year we had our shower remodeled, but knew we needed to get more done. When we moved in we had the linoleum in the bathroom replaced but the person doing it did a bad job and just 4 years later (and only about a years worth of shower use) the flooring around the shower is coming up. In order to prevent the floor getting totally ruined we knew it was time to re do it. We had some tile left over from the shower so that will be our new floor. We were waiting to do the floor because we want to replace the toilet and vanity. Well now it will all get done. So long golden yellow!

The next thing to be done is the front hallway. As you can see in the following pictures the linoleum is falling apart. All the seams are lifting and breaking. So we will be getting all of this done in the same tile as the bathroom. We were going to put it in hardwood, but after thinking about all the wet traffic in the winter, wet clothes, and possible washer accidents we decided to have tile so as not to ruin the wood. Our friend Derek will be doing both of these jobs for us.

Another project we are working on is finally fixing the fence. Three years after it first started falling apart we are hoping to rip out the old fence and replace it with chain link. I think my dream fence would be wrought iron, but oh well. We are doing chain link because I want a no hassle fence. No paining, no staining, no cracking with vinyl. This project Robert will be doing in his spare time since he used to install fences for a living.To go along with the fence we will be making some raised garden beds to be put along the fence. This will allow us to garden at our home while minimizing the impact on the yard. Our big dilemma right now is whether or not to do the fence first (which makes sense but costs a lot of money) or put in the garden beds and replace the fence later. Who knows what we will do. Either way there is a lot of work to be done around here!Boards for the garden beds.

Tile for the floors.

Twilight Party

2009-03-30T12:25:00.013-06:00

So on Friday we threw a Twilight party for Tyler and her friends. First we decorated the house in red and black vampire decor. We had red tablecloths and draping, pictures from the movie, the books, chess pieces, and flowers set out. Most of it was stuff we had on hand or got really cheap from the dollar store.

For refreshments we served blood popcorn (red food coloring in the butter), fruit punch out of blood dripping cups (cups dipped in corn syrup dyed red), pizza, and vampire cookies.

The girls came dressed either as their favorite character or in red and black. When they arrived they picked one of the pictures around the room to create a t-shirt after the movie. Then the watch the movie. Although I don't know how they could have seen the movie since the talk (loudly) through the entire thing. Every once in a while you would hear "shhh, this is my favorite part" and the noise would die down a little and then was right back up. After the movie was over the girls all made t-shirts using iron on transfers. Then they played a trivia game in which Team Edward won. In the end of the night they wanted to watch the Twilight spoof in YouTube. Each girl then was able to take home one of the framed pictures from the movie as their party favor (I love double duty things!). It was funny because then they all wanted to take the other pictures as well so I had less clean up since every picture found a home. It was a great night with lots of fun.

Tyler as Esme (at first she was Rosalie and then decided she looked more like Esme). Isn't she gorgeous.

Kindness Monday- Hubby Love

2009-03-30T12:17:00.002-06:00

Well in my Family Friday post I shared how we worked at creating memories for the family over spring break so I won't dwell on that. This weeks challenge is to give extra attention to Robert. Our time together is so limited and it really bothers him when he can't be home. So I want to show him how much he is appreciated by doing extra things for him throughout the week. I am not sure what all I'll do, but here goes! What can you do for your hubby this week?

Family Friday

2009-03-27T19:15:00.003-06:00

This has been a very good week, I just forgot to get pictures of it. Each day this week we tried to have some fun after chores were done. So on Monday we went to Settler Park in Meridian. We love this park because it is big enough for all the kids and had a wide variety of things to do. We then went home and rented a movie from the Redbox for the night.

On Tuesday we waited until Robert got home and then headed to Boondocks, I mean Wahooz, to have some fun. The kids decided they wanted to play video games so it ended up being cheaper than usual there. After we had our fill of video games we went back and played at Settlers Park for awhile.

On Wednesday, Tyler went to her friend Katie's house to help her take off wall paper and for a sleepover. The boys and Faith had an afternoon of Wii. In our house this is rare since they only get a limited amount of time each day on it and only if all chores are done first. They had a lot of fun playing.

On Thursday we weren't able to do anything because of me going to the temple. Today we spent the day cleaning and preparing for Tyler to have a Twilight party with her friends while the boys and Faith had movie night. We had a lot of fun this week, we hope everyone had a great spring break!

Thoughtful Thursday- The Holy Temple, chapter 1

2009-03-26T11:06:00.003-06:00

I finally picked a new book to read and started The Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer yesterday. I remember reading the short pamphlet based on this book years before, but even though we have had the book for a long time I haven't read it.

The first chapter was a very basic chapter for those familiar with the temple, but there were some great insights that I loved. First is this quote, "Central to the message about temples is the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father; that He lives; that He directs His servants upon the earth." I love how the Savior is so essential to the teachings in the temple. The temple organizes families according the our Heavenly Fathers plan and allows us to be together eternally thanks to the Savior.

President Packer also tells a wonderful story of a family in Guatemala that was transformed by attending the temple. A trip that would have taken them many days and hardships to achieve. He ends the chapter with this, "Firmly resolve now that you will do everything you can do to aid temple work and the genealogical work that supports it and to assist every living soul and every soul beyond the veil in every way you can with every resource at your disposal. Come to the temple!" I know following this counsel has helped us so much, but we still need to strive to improve our genealogical work. I look forward each week to attending the temple and feeling my Savior's love for me there.

WOW Wednesday- Easter Ideas

2009-03-25T10:58:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of Easter ideas that would be really fun to try. First is a chocolate bowl from Stephanies Kitchen. She uses a balloon to made the bowl. What a great idea to get the perfect shape. This could be a fun spring treat, a great birthday idea, an amazing party food, or just a fun thing to make with the kids.
The second idea is this cute Easter basket from Stamping up North. Such a cute idea! You could use it for so many great things. They would make a perfect gift for Visiting Teaching, neighbor gifts, and for friends.

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Mountain Adventures

2009-03-24T14:19:00.003-06:00

My freshman and sophomore years I lived in Flagstaff, AZ. I loved it there and had many great friends. Over spring break my sophomore year my parents were out of town and it was just my sisters and I at home. We lived in a subdivision at the base of the San Fransisco Peaks. One day some friends (Catherine and Elizabeth) and I wanted to go for a walk. My oldest sister told us to stay off the mountain and we could go. So we went walking in the woods. After a while we stopped on a small hill and started talking. Soon Catherine saw what looked like a cave just a little bit up the mountain and we thought we would check it out.

We started walking up to the cave and soon lost track of where it was. We were only in our tennis shoes and light jackets with no equipment, food, or water. We were soon climbing over logs and rocks taller than us and things were pretty treacherous. We couldn't find a way back down and figured the only thing to do was to head farther up to try to find a way down. The snow soon got very deep and several times one of us lost a shoe in the knee to thigh high deep snow and had to try to find it. After climbing almost to the top of the mountain, we decided to try and head down.

At times we sat on our bottom and slid down until one of us almost went over a ledge. We finally came to a point where we could either go over the rocks or under them to try to keep going. Liz and I wanted to go over and Catherine wanted to go under. She decided to go under and would come back and tell us if it was OK or not. After waiting awhile we decided to check out going over the rocks. We soon came to a ledge and could either stay on the ledge or jump off of it about 20 feet to another ledge that looked like we could keep going from.

After while of being stuck on the ledge, we saw Catherine and she was down the mountain. we tried to get her to tell us how she got down, but she told us to stay put and she would get help. She said the way she got down was to dangerous. We later found out that she ended up climbing down massive rocks, trees, and even fell down the mountain at one point and was stopped by a rock. She followed some tracks to find her way back home to get us help.

While she was gone we decided it would be safer on the other ledge. We would climb down as much as we could and then jump. Liz went first and then went. I ended up falling and landed on her. If she would not have been there I would have fallen down the ledge. When we finally got to the ledge we found out it was smaller and we could not go anywhere. So we sat there frozen and waited.

It was starting to get dark. At some point I had the thought that we really blended into the rocks since Liz had on a jean jacket and I had on a brown jacket. My coat had a red lining so I turned it inside out. This is how we were finally saved since when Catherine brought the rescuers we were not in the same place as when she last saw us.

When Catherine got home her parents called search and rescue to find us. They had to climb up the mountain to get to us. It was then that we found out we were stuck on a 100 foot cliff. The rescue was lit by a helicopter, but they could only use it for lighting because of where we were on the mountain. We had to rappel off the cliff (my first rappelling experience) which was very scary to do in the dark and not knowing what we were doing. We then had to hike the rest of the way down. I ended up going to the hospital for mild frost bite and our escapade was all over the newspaper and TV news. Not the way you really want to go back to school after spring break. we ended up getting a lot of teasing over it and needless to say my parents weren't to happy with me when they got home. Somewhere I have the newspaper article, but I couldn't find it to post.

Kindness Monday- The Gift of Fun!

2009-03-23T09:20:00.002-06:00

This week is spring break for the kids. When I was teaching we took a vacation over spring break and would head to one of the Worldmark resorts. It was always great fun, but without me working we haven't been able to do this. So my goal this week is to provide the kids with a memorable week at home. I hope to be able to help everyone get their chores done in the morning and then go somewhere for the afternoon. I am not sure where some free/inexpensive places to go so if you have any suggestions, let me know. So what fun thing are you up to doing this week?

WOW Wednesday- A MIx and Match Week

2009-03-18T12:43:00.003-06:00

Here are a few things I found this past week on U Create that I loved! She found these from some great sites and the links are included in her posts.

First is this cute toddler dress made from an old button up shirt. What a great way to recycle shirts that are no longer needed.

Next is this great vinyl lettering wordle on canvas. There are so many possibilities with this idea such as family member names, holiday versions, President Hinckley's B's, etc. So Fun!Last is revamping an old lamp shade with a SHARPIE! I have so many Sharpies lying around and this is such a great but cheap way to spruce up your home.

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Oops, Almost Caught!

2009-03-17T08:58:00.002-06:00

When I was a junior in high school I lived in Bullhead City, AZ. I only lived there one year but had a lot of fun there. I had my first official boyfriend, had some good friends, and other adventures. One day two of my friends and I decided to take the afternoon off from school and go swimming. We headed over to my friends house since they had a pool and no one was home. We hung out for a while and then we heard someone coming. We had to hurry and sneak around the side of the house so we didn't get caught ditching. We made it and I can't remember if we headed back to school or went somewhere else, but either way it was a fun afternoon.

Kindness Monday- Peacemaker

2009-03-16T08:38:00.002-06:00

Well it was chaotic, but I got lunch to Robert last week. I was late leaving home, didn't get a lunch prepare ahead of time so ended up picking up something, and it seemed all traffic was working against me, but we made it just a few minutes late. It was great to sit with Robert and enjoy a little extra time together. Faith loved taking lunch to dad and was sad when he had to go back to work.

After yesterday's Relief Society lesson and Robert's followup FHE on living in peace and harmony, I decided this week s challenge was going to be about being a peacemaker. I plan of focusing my efforts on speaking in a soft voice with my children, staying calm in the face of frustration, using kind words, and helping to resolve conflict in ways that are respectful to all. I know this will be a challenging challenge, but a very important one. How about you, can you be a peacemaker this week?

Family Friday- Always Going

2009-03-14T11:14:00.007-06:00

This was a very busy week, so I will try to remember some of the things we did. My sister was visiting from Pocatello and spent the weekend with us. She got the great joy of helping us do some yard work Saturday morning. We finished pruning the roses, took out some plants, and started moving some rock before it was time to get ready for Tyler's school festival.Jesse and Faith found some of my costume pieces from the plays I used to do each year at school. They kept switching the different masks they wore throughout the morning.Tyler tipped over the wheelbarrow and ended up having to clean it up. OOPS =)!Kassie and I went to watch Tyler's festival. Robert was going to stay home with Faith and Jesse, but he got a call that morning asking for help moving a family at about the same time as festival. So while Kassie, Tyler and I went to the school for Ty's warm-up, Rob let Faith take a nap with the plan to bring them when he had to leave which should have been just after Tyler's solo piece. However the Tyler's judge was running about a half hour late, so Rob waited in the hall until we were done. Then we took the kids with us so Robert could go. We waited around for Tyler's ensemble piece which was with the same judge so it was also a half hour late. I was going to wait in the hall with Faith and Jesse so Kassie could watch Tyler, but in the end Kassie volunteered to take them outside so I could hear Tyler. What a great sis. In the end Tyler did very well and got a superior with both pieces.Tyler and McKenzie warming up before their solos.Tyler's solo.Tyler's ensemble group.Jesse hanging out in the hall.Hannah and Faith hanging out while waiting.

Britain was gone for the weekend with the youth at the Bishop's cabin. He had a lot of fun going tubing and hanging out at the cabin. However he froze during the night since the girls where in the cabin and the boys were out in the shed to sleep.

Tyler had Standards Night on Wednesday. It was a great program all on the importance of temple marriages. This is such a wonderful, eternal message that is so essential for kids to understand. I am grateful for every chance they have to hear it again.

On Thursday Tyler and Britain had an orchestra concert. I ended up not going to the temple and because of the concert Robert and I didn't go to class either. We all were going to go to the concert, however Jesse and Faith were really struggling before the concert started. Robert decided to take them home instead of fight them for the next two hours. The concert was great (even if Tyler had an impromptu solo during a rest, oops) and the kids did a great job.

On Friday I was able to spend the morning with my good friend Carmen. We went and did some of her families names at the temple and then went out to lunch. It was great to get away and relax with her. All in all it was a great, but busy week.

Thoughtful Thursday-Create

2009-03-12T08:46:00.000-06:00

This week I didn't get a new book picked out to read so I wanted to share this great video instead. I saw this on TJ Hirst and thought it was great. The video really puts President Uchtdorf's message in a very inspiring way. This got me thinking about what I have created lately, and I am quite disappointed in myself. Since receiving this counsel, I haven't made the changes I should in my life to make sure I am using Heavenly Father's gifts to me to create in my home and personal life. I think often we as women belittle our talents because we think it is prideful to acknowledge them (or at least I do this often). So I decided that I want to make some creative goals to improve the talents I have been given. Here are some of my goals:

1. Select a room in my home to spruce up while staying within a budget. I think I will try the front bathroom since a coat of paint would go along way there.

2. Find a challenging song to learn. Whether I ever sing it somewhere I don't really care, I just need to start singing again (more than just ward choir). I know I have lost a lot of the range I had when I was a music major in college and I need to start working on my music again.

3. Go through each room of the house and deep clean it. The kids help out a lot with cleaning since they all have their chores around the house, but kids just don't clean quite well enough.

4. Use the ribbon I have to make bows for Faith instead of buying them.

5. Prepare my Relief Society lesson.

6. Create ways to have one on one time daily with each member of my family. So often my time gets eaten up with getting Jesse's homework done (it can take hours and you have to stay right with him or he will get of track and it doesn't get done), cooking dinner, and getting everyone done with chores before bed. I want to work on creating daily memories with the kids.

7. Create ways to be more successful with daily gospel study.

8. Get scrapbooking again so I can get caught up!

I know there are a lot more, but this will get me started. What about you, what are you creating in your life?

WOW Wednesday- Mirrors

2009-03-11T13:51:00.001-06:00

This is such a fun way to spruce up your bathroom mirrors. It wouldn't work for our house since our mirrors are part of cabinets, but I still love this idea. Maybe I can find a way to use it else where. Anyways to find out how to accomplish this great look go here!

A Couple of Hair Related Giveaways

2009-03-10T15:51:00.001-06:00

So you all know how much I enjoy doing Faith's hair. So a few of my favorite hair blogs are having giveaways. First, Adopt a Do is giving away a great beanie in which you review one of her hairstyles. One of my favorites is the Ponytail of Twists. I have used this several times of Faith before I cut her hair. It is a quick and easy style that always looks really good. It is one of those styles that looks like a bunch of effort when it isn't! Second, The Story of a Princess and her Hair is giving a $20 gift certificate away to Flowerz in Her Hair. Wow does she have some amazing hair accessories. So go check them out and see what you can win!

Third, All Things Ribbon is having another amazing giveaway where you can win a wonderful dress and matcihng bow. I wich I would have known yesterday since I just bought Faith's Easter dress, but hey maybe we will get lucky and she can have two new spring dresses!

Next, Ribbon Blossoms Chic Boutique is having a great bow package giveaway. They even have something for moms! So head on over and check them out!

Tell Me the Stories Tuesday- Trouble at Daycare

2009-03-10T08:43:00.000-06:00

I don't remember how old I was, but when we lived in Hyde Park, Utah we went to a babysitter named Grandma Johnson. One thing I remember was nap time. We all had to lay down on nap mats to take a nap, well except for the big kids. One day when I finished my nap I went outside to play with the other kids. I can't really remember how it happened, either I hit this boy or I was jumping on the trampoline and hurt him, but somehow I hurt this boy and he ran in to tell Grandma Johnson. I got so scared that I ran and hid in the playhouse so I wouldn't get in trouble. The thing I remember most about that day was being so scared and hiding. Eventually I was found and had to go to time out. Then it was the dread of her telling my mom what happened. I'm not sure if my mom did anything or not, it was just the dread of being in trouble that was the biggest consequence that day.

Kindness Monday- Lunch

2009-03-09T09:21:00.000-06:00

So this week my goal is to take lunch to Robert at work one day this week. This will be a challenge since his lunch is at noon. I will have to prepare something before preschool and then leave as soon as possible after preschool one day. I know how much he appreciates it though since I used to do it every once in a while. Go ahead and try this with me and give someone you love a little lunch break.

Also don't forget my giveaway. There are still four more people who could win something fun!

Family Friday- What We Are Up To

2009-03-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

This week I bought a sensory box for preschool and filled it with water. Faith loved the box! She played with it for hours playing with all the toys in the water. She would play with it, take a break and do something else for a while, and then be right back at it. Even Britain and Jesse wanted a turn playing in it.

Faith is also a very independent girl. This is her wanting a drink and taking it upon herself to climb up on the counter, get a cup, and then fill it with water. I think her favorite saying is "I want to do it myself!" What a crazy girl!

This week also brought a return to the temple after it being closed for winter cleaning. On Thursday I worked my early shift again because I forgot to let them know that I could work my usual shift because my class was canceled. So I figured I would work and then do some initatories and come home early. Fat chance! The evening volunteers didn't show up. After Irene (the sister I work with) called the Bishop and tried to get volunteers there for an hour and a half, they finally sent one person. That meant that I needed to stay until closing to help out. I was just glad it was on a week I could stay otherwise I would have felt really bad for Irene.

We have also been experimenting with Jesse's diet in hopes of some improvement. We tried this before we put him on medications with little success, but decided to try it again. It has been going good until this evening when he had some major problems. Hopefully we can continue to success through.

Britain is off this afternoon on a YM/YW campout and tubing trip to our Bishop's cabin. He has been very excited all week to go. He had a lot of fun a few months ago when the scouts stayed at the cabin. Britain had to choose between participating in an orchestra festival and the trip, I don't think it was a hard choice for him.

Tyler was pretty upset that she wasn't able to go. She had school orchestra festival tomorrow and 8th graders are required to participate. She will be performing a solo as well as an ensemble with some friends.

The good part about her staying home is that she will be able to spend more time with my sister who should be here in a few hours. I hope you all had a great week. Ours has been busy aw always, but good.

Thoughtful Thursday- The Peacegiver, Part IV

2009-03-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, Thoughtful Thursday repeatedly is late. Thursdays are crazy for me, so please bear with me.

This week I read part IV of the Peacegiver. It amazes me how beautifully written this book is. It captures the message so perfectly while still telling a wonderful story that I think all can relate to. We may not be on the brink of divorce as the couple in the book are, but we all have struggles in our relationships and sins that we need to repent of. How often do we judge others while still having major issues ourself.

Something that really struck me this time dealt with Christ's suffering in Gethsemane. When I think of this amazing time, I think of him suffering through all the sins, illnesses, loneliness, and heartache that all of earth have suffered. However the following is something that I never considered. "With all this sinfulness heaped upon him, he then had to withstand the unimaginable onslaught of the entire power and fury of the forces of hell, and do so, as Paul describes further "yet [remaining] without sin.' For Satan knew that if he could wield the power of his captivity - the chains of our sinfulness that lay ready to bind the Savior - and entice the Savior to sin, he would bring the Savior into his captivity as well. Then the destruction of agency would be complete, and mankind would be left without a way for their hearts to be purified and cleansed. There would therefore be no way for any of us to return to the Father, where only the clean and pure can dwell. . . On this night in Gethsemane, Satan is only one sin away from holding all creation in his hand."

WOW! I never thought of this. I never picture Satan working to tempt the Savior during his battle in Gethsemane. To imagine Christ suffering for us with having to withstand Satan is incredible. It brings a whole new light on the saying "taking our sins upon Him." I am truly grateful for the power of the atonement and all that the Savior has done for my family.

WOW Wednesday- Chalkboard Fun

2009-03-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I love this idea for chalkboard mats from Little Birdie Secrets. I have seen these elsewhere with pretty complicated directions. These gals have created a quick and easy way to make this fun mat. It would be perfect for car trips and learning to write.

They also had this great post on how to make fun chalkboard wall art. I like how they found an inexpensive way to decorate with these. If I ever get my preschool room addition I will definitely be putting these on the walls.

Pass it on!

2009-03-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

I got this off of one of my friends blogs and I love free stuff so if you do...... I thought it would be kind of fun to do. The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice, for you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations.
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll will be done this year (might take a while)
4. You have no clue what it is going to be. It maybe a story. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows. Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the tight to do something extremely strange.

The catch? You must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first five people who do the same. The first five people who do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! I know that you all want to join so hurry fast, remember it is only the first five people to respond and then put it on your blog, if you dont' put it on your blog then you don't count!! :) Oh and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it! Good Luck!

Tell Me The Stories Tuesday-Playing in the Cemetery

2009-03-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well when I was little (can't remember what age) we lived in Hyde Park, Utah. Right across the street from our apartment was a cemetery. My sisters, friends, and I would go play in the cemetery. I don't think we thought it was creepy, we would just play by the nice trees and grass. Sometimes we would play tag and often we would play Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.

I think this was one of our favorite games growing up because I can remember playing it in several towns we lived in. We always thought it was freaky. If you never played the game the basic of it are that one person lies down and everyone tries to lift them (which is hard). Then one person sits by their head and while rubbing the temples tells some scary story. Then everyone chants light as a feather, stiff as a board. Then you lift the person again and this time they are really light. Playing it in the cemetery added to the experience. I don't remember a whole lot from this time, and the little I remember is hazy, but this is one thing that has stuck in my mind.

Kindness Monday- Prayer

2009-03-02T09:34:00.001-07:00

Well last week I did OK, I did someones chores most day but I did miss a few. I plan on continuing to work on this so I can get better at it. I completely deep cleaned the boys room (although you couldn't tell now) and will try to do the girls room soon.

This weeks challenge is to pray for someone of my choice to see how Heavenly Father can use me to influence their life. I haven't decided if this will be a friend, neighbor, or family member yet, but I want to work to help in the way Heavenly Father needs me to. Go ahead and join with in this one.

Family Friday- A New Dress and Some Trees

2009-02-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

This was an exciting week at our home. On top of Tyler's birthday, Faith received a fun package from Grandma Hamilton. It was a cute bunny dress with some accompanying dolls. Faith fell in love with it the second I opened the box. She had to wear it right then and as you can see Ellie it fit perfectly. She loved the dress so much that she wouldn't take it off. Each time she has seen it come out of the laundry since, she has to immediately wear it. Thanks Ellie, the dress was a huge success! We also had the usual scouts, Young Women, piano, etc. Tyler had an additional cello group lesson where she got to practice her recital piece for next week. Tyler's friend convinced her to wear her new makeup and she is doing really good at applying it so that it enhances her natural beauty instead of distracts from it.Friday I went visiting teaching, we had fun having some of Faith's friends over, and Tyler had a fun afternoon with her friends over doing a science project (doesn't she look like she is studying), and I went to a Elders Quorum social (minus Robert) that dealt with surviving the coming crisis period financially. It was an excellent class that gave me some new insights.

Today was a great day. It started off with the stake women's conference (more in a later post). Then I was wanting to do something as a family, but couldn't figure out what. Everything we thought of involved money. Finally we started talking about the garden and how we wanted to do it. We decided last year that we wanted to do raised beds in our yard, but with so little space it will be difficult. So I suggested we take out the four trees on the side of the house and we can do some of the garden there (Rob has been wanting to take out the trees for a long time and I didn't want to =P). So we all headed outside. First we had to move a wood pile so we could get to the trees. Then the fun began.Jesse and Faith had fun playing with the turtle while we got the chainsaw started. I had Jesse empty out the little bit of sand left in it so we could refill it. Tyler must like being in jail since she decided to hide behind bars.Britain just had to play it cool.

After all the trees were cleared, Tyler and Britain raked the ground to clean it up some.

Jesse tried to wrangle a piece of wood sticking up off the stump.Britain used the stumps to go exploring.Then we worked at moving another wood pile. Jesse wanted to move some of the boards himself with his own creative method.In the end I even got some of the rose bushes trimmed before it got to cold to stay outside. What a fun and busy day!

14 Years Old- No Way!

2009-02-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Tyler's 14th birthday. Holy cow, when did she get that old! Well we celebrated her birthday on Saturday.Tyler choose crepes for breakfast and salad for lunch (no pic.). It has been a long time since we had and the kids were really excited about it. As the kids get older, it gets harder to find birthday gifts for them (unless you want to pay a fortune for them). Tyler is an avid reader though so she received two new books, a new shirt, a finger bowling game (a joke on her constantly wanting to play Wii bowling), and her first set of make-up for when she was ready to learn how to use it. They also enjoy strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream. For dinner Tyler choose homemade pizza. Later that night Tyler choose the activity of watching movies so we watched High School Musical 3 and the beginning of another movie based on a book the kids heard of that we ended up stopping because of the amount of swear words in the first ten minutes. I hate it how some movies just ruin it for kids! All in all though it was a great day celebrating Tyler.

Thoughtful Thursday- The Peacegiver, Part III (A Few Days Late)

2009-02-28T19:09:00.001-07:00

This weeks reading was very interesting and enlightening. It was on the chains of sin and how Satan entangles us in his web of flaxen cords. As this book has often done, things were put in a new light for me. I think I generally feel that I am on the right track in life, with some things that I need to work on and improve on.

One of the things that hit me hardest with this section was that Satan has a hold on us from the first sin. "One transgression, one choice away from the Lord, and what happens? The transgressor becomes blinded to his responsibility for sin, and he begins to fall into the captivity of the devil, which are the chains- the chains of sin- that keep him from feeling the need or desire to return to the Savior. This is how we become subject to the will of the devil when we yield to temptation." Wow! How much do we need to be vigilant in our efforts to avoid even the first sin and to repent in the face of sin. It is when we feel that we least need Christ that we must redouble our efforts to come unto Him and seek his guidance and counsel.

WOW Wednesday, #2 of the week

2009-02-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you guys know about a great site that is out there for married couples. It is called Simply Sweet Marriage. The goal of this site is to provide couples with intimate products without having to wade through the sleaze and pornography to get it. They offer a wide variety of products from relationship books to more intimate things so there is something there for all comfort levels. The best part is that it is all offered in a very clean environment.

WOW Wednesday- Bread Box

2009-02-25T08:57:00.001-07:00

I was over at Stamping Up North and saw this great idea. She got the idea from Scor-Pal. They have the complete directions on how to made this cut bread box. What a cute idea to dress up a gift to a friend. I like the idea of making a bunch ahead of time to have on hand for when you need them. I wonder if there is a way to do the same thing for our Christmas cinnamon rolls. Hmmmm, I will have to work on that one.

Tell Me The Stories Tuesday-Make-up

2009-02-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

In honor of Tyler getting her first make-up, I decided to right about when I first started wearing make-up. The summer between my 8th and 9th grade year, we moved from Tuba City, Arizona to Flagstaff, Arizona. At first I was so excited to finally be out of junior high in into high school. However we had heard that 9th grade in Flagstaff was still part of junior high and I was so upset. I would not be with my sister and I would be pushed back into junior high. I was so glad when we found out that that year a new high school was opening in Flagstaff and all the 9th graders were being moved to the high school.

So it was the night before the first day of school. I had pictured in my mind starting the school year off wearing make-up, but my mother had never mentioned it. We always knew that it was no use asking to wear make-up, it would happen when my mom felt we were old enough. So when she still had not said anything I was getting upset and worried. I really didn't want to start the school year off in a new place without make-up and then all of the sudden start wearing it a few months later. I finally decided to ask my mom if I could start the year off wearing make-up. She totally forgot about it with moving and raising the five of us living at home. So she went out bought me some make-up and had my two older sister teach me how to wear it that night. I had Sarah on one side of me and Jessica on the other giving me all the tips and advice on what to do. I was then able to start the school year off wearing make-up. It sounds so silly now, but I remember I was really worried about it back then.

Kindness Monday-Joyous Chores

2009-02-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

This has been such a crazy week that I did not get around to forgiveness, but I am not giving up. I will continue to work on forgiving the family member that I need to. I know it is going to be a long road on this one, but it will be well worth it.

For this weeks challenge, I plan to do a family members chore each day of the week. I will probably do a different persons each day so that they can get equal help from mom. I hope this will bring some encouragement to our home and set the example of helping each other out just because instead of when we are asked to.

Family Friday-What Did Happen This Week?

2009-02-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty busy and seems to have flown right by. However as I sit down to write this, I can't think of what actually happened. Some of the highlights I guess are that on Monday the kids didn't have any school and my cafeteria supervisor needed extra volunteers to help with cleaning the cafeteria for the temple shut down. So I spent several hours helping to clean on Monday. Tyler also had cello lessons that night. Tuesday I finally got bread made like I have been planning to. Wednesday Faith and Jesse had an asthma appointment and Jesse is off of his steroids and Faith will hopefully be at the end of winter. Yeah for remission! Thursday Tyler was very excited to go with me to Ann Mannings baby shower for her twins. Today Robert gathered some wood for a friend and we then headed to Boise for Jesse's psychology appointment.

Of course there were a ton of other things happening, but at this point who knows. All is now quiet in the house after Friday Night Movie Night where we watched Madagascar 2 and I worked on my lesson for Sunday. I am nervous for Faith as she has been trying to get sick all week and she isn't sounding to good tonight. I am hoping it doesn't trigger her asthma since she struggles so much when it does. Tomorrow we will celebrate Tyler's 14th birthday (wow so scary!) that is on Wednesday. She wants to watch movies for her family activity and picked out a couple of movies tonight. I know I am just rambling right now and I am sorry for that. I feel as if my brain is fried and gone at this point. Hope everyone had a great week and hopefully next week I can be better at remembering things.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- Life with ADHD

2009-02-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

So today was another trying day with Jesse. We have had more of these lately and it is very discouraging. He had a major melt down at school and I had to go pick him up. I tried to get him under control so he could stay in school and let him know that he would lose going to the Pinewood Derby if he couldn't get it together. Well after multiple choices and looking like he had it together he started right back downhill and ended up being carrying out of the school (twice). It was not good. After it took forever. However, when he finally deescalated and we were able to get him in the car and go home he was a completely different person. Gone was the yelling, kicking, screaming, defiant person and here was the sweet., calm, ready to please person in his place.

Such is life with ADHD. It seems like you can go from being calm and happy to violent and angry and back to calm within hours or minutes of each other. Not to mention the impulsively, hyperactivity, lack of focus, and defiance. Some days are easy going with no problems while others are a roller coaster of ups and downs and everything in between. It amazes me that there are still people who believe that ADHD is not a real disorder and that it is just a badly behaved child. It is hard for some to understand that mental disorders can be just as trying as physical ones, but often aren't as accepted. I wish they could come and see my son when he is struggling. To see him as if he has no control over his actions and is just responding at the very root instinct. To see him wanting so much to be good, but just not able to bring things under control. To see him struggle with relationships because he can't figure out the social situations and how to react in them.

I love my son so much and worry so much for him. Here soon we will most likely be getting a PSR (psycho-social rehab) worker for Jesse who will work with him a couple times a week in our home and community to try to help him some more. I hope we can find what Jesse needs to be successful in life. As it is, he seems to struggle more and more the older he gets. I am thankful for the strength that Heavenly Father gives us when we are at our whit's end in things. I am thankful for the chance we have to raise Jesse and help guide him through his life.

Thoughtful Thursday- The Peacegiver, Part II

2009-02-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Part II of The Peacegiver deals with the story of Jonah and the Ninevites. It was really great to be able to see this story in a different light. Usually when I think of the story of Jonah I think of obedience instead of justice and mercy.

One of the very humbling insights from this section dealt with what we "deserve" or are "entitled" to. So often I have caught myself saying things like "I deserve happiness" or "I deserve to feel . . . " However ponder these insights "But what's false is this idea that you or I deserve that love and devotion-that we are somehow entitled to it . . . Love and salvation are gifts. How grateful we should be to receive them in any Measure! . . . Hell is all we could ever hope for, Ricky, if it weren't for the redeeming power of the Savior's atonement. It is only his love, offered not because we deserve it but even though we do not, that saves us." Wow how true and to the point is that. It is so easy to get in the self pitying mode (I have already been there today) instead of focusing of the amazing love that we have been giving.

The other insight that really hit home for me was remembering our own sins instead of focusing on what the offender has done to us. Jonah felt that even though the Ninevites had repented they still deserved punishment because of their past wickedness. He did not think of his own sins and repent of them though. How often are we Jonah and feel that the person who has offended us deserves punishment while we forget our own faults in the matter. Was our heart and mind in the right place or are we needed to seek forgiveness ourselves. So many times I know that I have focused oh what someone has done to upset me, but I don't look at my part in it and what I could do to make the situation better. I really need to focus on remembering my sins and work on correcting them instead of blaming others.

WOW Wednesday- Cardboard Furniture

2009-02-18T12:35:00.001-07:00

I was watching the Martha show during lunch today and saw this great idea. They made an oven out of a cardboard file box. How cool is that! They also had other furniture that would be so great for the kids to make. They even showed how to make some felt food for the oven. I know Faith would love these and so would my preschoolers. I only wonder how long it would hold up with my children. Go here to get directions on making your own cardboard furniture.