Christmas Party at the Montage

A couple of weeks ago, Joseph and I flew to Southern California for his company's Christmas Party held at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. We had such a great time and we are very grateful for their kindness and generosity. We flew my mom to watch the kids while we were gone and they eagerly looked forward to some great quality time with Grandma. Joseph and I have been married for 8 1/2 years, 6 of those years with children. We have NEVER in all 6 years been overnight without atleast one of our children. Any chance we have had to get away, I have always been nursing, and when I wasn't, we either had no money or no time to go anywhere. It was soooo nice to have my mom with them...it made our trip worry free. We were able to enjoy being just the two of us again...in a very beautiful place. I love my children immensely, but a couple days with no diaper changing, cooking, cleaning, tantrums, homework, work for Joe .......I'll take it!

We went with James and Traci, and Frank and Tracy after landing in Orange County. Our first stop was the pier in Newport Beach. We then headed for lunch at The Crab Cooker. We both love seafood, so of course we totally enjoyed it! On a side note....just before we took these pictures we realized that I had left Joseph's camera on the plane! ARRRRGGGHHH! he told me to leave mine home....so absolutely beautiful place + no camera = totally bummed us! We got over the disappointment quickly and thanks to James and Traci we were able to still get some shots....and we did get the camera back the next day.



After lunch we rode the ferry to Balboa Island, visited a few shops there and enjoyed a yummy Balboa Bar ice cream bar. We then headed to our hotel in Laguna Beach. The hotel was amazing! The room was beautiful and the hotel is designed so that every room has a view of the ocean with a private balcony. Absolutely gorgeous!

We headed down to the beach and walked along the shore and climbed through some of the rugged rocky cliffs (everything with Joseph has to include atleast a little adventure), and then we sat on the shore and talked as we watched waves roll in.....Joseph played football on the beach with a bunch of other administrators and then we spent some time in the pool and hot tub!

James, Traci and us. James is Joseph's regional director and they are also in our ward in Woodland.


It was really lots of fun to meet all the people that I have heard so much about. There were about 300+ people there from all areas of California, parts of Seattle, Utah, and Arizona. We enjoyed a yummy buffet and then for the next few hours we danced....and danced.....and danced. We really had lots of fun!

The next morning we slept in (our feet were tired) enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, visited with other administrators and their wives, and just enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. We did a little shopping at Fashion Island before before heading back to reality!

We were very excited to get Joseph's camera back at the airport...and even more excited to give our sweet little ones lots of hugs, kisses and surprises when we arrived home! They were extremely happy thanks to Grandma!

The next day, Joseph headed back to work and I jumped right back into the swing of things, with the joys of little hugs and smooches, pictures and paintings by my sweet little ones, making sugar cookies, and listening to Christmas songs as well as the cleaning, stinky diapers, wiping behinds and noses, and scraping up food remnants stuck to the floor, while I did my daily work I thought of the Montage..."Yes, Mrs. Lee, we would be happy to......" There is a time and a season......every time and every season are beautiful and rewarding in their very own way! A photo from the night of the party from the hotel lobby balcony.

Happy 4th Birthday to Abby!

Today my second born is four years old! Abby is a wonderful daughter and we are so happy to have her in our family! She is imaginative, determined, often the first to express gratitude, strong-willed, funny, usually hungry, adventurous, bright, verbal, full of memory, creative, hard to reason with, independent, loving, sensitive, friendly, helpful, full of praise, musical, encouraging, a kind and thoughtful sister, confident, happy, full of joy and laughter, quick in wit, inquisitive, thoughtful, beautiful.....

Many of my prayers have been for guidance in raising this sweet and strong spirited daughter. She can out-reason me on most occasions......still, she fills each day with sweetness and plenty of silliness. I love this little girl to pieces. I'm so happy to spend my days with her.

Happy Birthday Abby!

Humbly Grateful....

Last night after our date, we stopped by Joseph's facility so he could fax a document. In the 6 months he has worked there, I have never been into his office. (I have visited his building, just not the office). After he finished taking care of business we walked through the first floor. It was late on a Saturday night, so things were pretty calm. There were a few patients walking the floor (a couple who were my age) and a few nurses at the nurses station. As we walked through the floor, I felt humbly grateful for the health and the blessings I enjoy. It also made me feel gratitude for my husband and all others who work in healthcare related fields. They are definitely professions of compassion. I felt so grateful and appreciative for the hard work he puts forth each day so that our family can live comfortably....... There was a time when I thought I might like to pursue a degree in nursing. To be honest, I don't think that I could be a nurse, doctor, or even work in a hospital for that matter. It's not a repulsive feeling that I feel, it's a feeling that hurts. It hurts my heart and physically it hurts to see people suffer. I remember helping my aged grandfather put on his diabetic stockings in the last year of his life, as I pulled them up, and saw his sores, bruises, and swollen legs, I had a rush of slight pain go throughout my whole body...... As we left the building I explained to Joseph what I was feeling...he explained that you eventually get used to it. How do people get used to it? Does it take a certain type of person to do that work, is there a theraputic feeling that comes from helping to relieve someone's suffering whether emotional or physical? I don't know, but I am grateful. ... As I saw the way he treated the patients, and the way they responded to him, it made me love him even more.

Sweet and Funny Moments.....

I am committed to documenting those special and funny things that my children say......before I forget here is the latest.

Abby - Today we attended Brynn's short singing program at school. It was an early day for her so I decided since I was out of the house at 8:10 AM with everyone dressed and ready (a miracle!) I would take the chance to run a couple of errands with just two littles. On the way to Target this is the conversation between Abby and me.

Abby: Mom, am I just going to be thwee forebber?

Me: No, next week you will be four years old!

Abby: After I turn four I don't want to be any more numbers.

Me: Why? (I thought she would give her usual answer, "I want to live with you and dad forebber!" Today she had a new reason.......)

Abby: Because when you get older, you have to shabe and I don't want blood all ober my legs. (I shave every day, and hurry so fast that there is often blood involved.)

____________________________________________________

Today after dance..........

Me: Abby, how was dance today?

Abby: It was great!

Me: I'm so glad!

Abby: I cried a little bit though.

Me: Why were you crying?

Abby: Because I just love it so much!

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We flew Mom down on Monday night to watch the kids while we went to the NAHC Christmas Party in Laguna Beach (I'll write more about this later). Mom related the following story. When she took Brynn to school on Tuesday, Brynn turned to her and said in a somewhat teary tone, "Grandma, will you kiss the middle of my hand? My mom kisses my hand everyday and then I put it on my cheek when I miss her at school and I can think about her and remember that she loves me." Mom kissed her hand and sent her into the classroom.

On the first day of school we read the book, "The Kissing Hand," I've kissed her hand every day since. It's fun to realize that she treasures those little things as much as I do. Sweet, sweet moments.

A Season for Love

I love Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday mornings. Today's was exceptionally good and the "word" summed up alot of what I've been thinking about the past couple of weeks. This is the message he shared.......

The greatest story ever told needs no embellishment. It occupies little more than a page of holy writ. It begins with the mundane duty of paying taxes, it continues with a journey that was not unusual for the time. The plot thickens when no room can be found in the inn, and it ends with some of the most glorious pronouncements ever heard, "Good tidings of great joy, peace on earth and good will toward men."

How could something so wonderful happen with such little adornment? No decorations were necessary. No one needed to wear fancy clothing or prepare special foods. No glittering tinsel lit up the manger. One bright star in the heavens was more than enough.

Perhaps the reason the simple story of the first Christmas inspires us, is because everyone acted out of love. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wisemen, and especially the newborn babe. No imitations, no substitutions, nothing less than real love came to earth that night.

Ever since we've remembered and retold the Christmas story countless times each in our own way. We try to recreate the wonder of it all. Sometimes our efforts seem to fall short of the feeling we had hoped for. At such moments, perhaps we need to ask ourselves why we do the things we do. If love, real authentic love, is the force that makes us deck the halls, bake the cookies, or give the gifts, then Christmas will feel like a blessing, not a burden. The Christmas story will enlighten our efforts or maybe inspire us to simplify them. We will feel the majesty of that holy night because we know that "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God."

Entering a new decade......

A year ago, on my birthday, when I turned 29, I wrote in my journal about how happy I was to be living my life. Challenges, joys, speedbumps, blessings and all! I also wrote about how I wanted to spend the next year improving myself in many ways to enter my thirties feeling great and being my best self! I specifically wanted to be establish more consistent routines to strengthen my spiritual self. I also wanted to strenghten my self-discipline to improve my physical health (it's an ever-present desire of mine to give up sugar....but for some reason parting with this vice is hard)! There have been times when I have been in much better "health" in both areas so I knew the sacrifice it would take to strive for these goals. Somehow having three small children and a very busy hard working husband, the stresses of moving to a new state, and then moving again to a new city within that state, took most of my focus and my goal turned into more of survival than a quest for excellence. But because of this, I learned different things about myself and about my personal happiness that I didn't know were possible. I also felt more balanced in my heart and my mind than I have found myself to be in the past. So I welcome my thirties, I will embrace them, enjoy them and hey, if I can't get myself all together in one year, why not go for a decade?

I arrived home from Utah the day before my birthday. Joseph was still away for his work retreat, I unpacked quickly so that the house would be in order when Joseph arrived home and so that I could enjoy my birthday with a clean house. (Is that possible?) The day was wonderful! I woke up to sunshine and mid 70 degree weather. It was just one of those days where I felt happy to be alive. Occasionally I have days that really drag, but my birthday day was exceptional. I felt happy, free, bright, wonderful feelings. I love days like that! Joe arrived home at 4:30 and surprised us at Brynn's ballet class. We then headed to one of our favorite restaurants, "BJ's" and had a yummy dinner. Afterward we shared a yummy Pizookie! One of our favorite treats! YUM!

Joe had fun hooking me up with lots of fun, new running gear.

The little ones were so cute. They started opening every present even before they finished singing "Happy Birthday!" They were so excited about it all!

This is one of the cards Joseph gave me. It explains so well the way we feel right now. We have ongoing dialogue about what we want for our family, discussing where we want to settle down and establish roots. This card really represents the way we both feel.


The best present of all was being all together with my little family again. They bring me great joy!

Tuesday Tell All - O Christmas Tree

Better late than never....and with far too many details than are necessary, but it's mostly for me and our little family, so pardon the indulgence. :)
This is the first year we've had what you would probably consider a real (yet fake) Christmas Tree. Our first Christmas we were living above the garage of Truman and Ann Madsen in a little studio apartment. We didn't have much space for a Christmas tree and we didn't have any money either, so we enjoyed the Christmas trees of our parents and also the Madsen's beautiful Christmas tree, when we would occasionally go to visit them. (They invited us to help them address their Christmas cards for some extra money, but we declined... I think because we were too busy with finals). One day when we went to give them our rent check Brother Madsen asked us if we would like to stay and chat and help him complete the Christmas puzzle he was working on. We had our swimming suits on and were out the door to take a dip in the pool, so again we declined the offer. Now, when we see either of them giving a lecture of some kind on tv, we wonder, "Why we didn't take advantage of great learning opportunities like those." My dad use to tease that we were gaining knowledge through osmosis by living with them. I wish!

The second year we were married, we lived in a home that Joe's parents owned off of Canyon Road on 2120 N. in Provo. It was a nice home they updated for us and we loved living in it. I had graduated and was teaching school and Joe was working at the MTC part-time and going to BYU full-time. We saved most of my paycheck because we wanted to start our family soon, and we wanted to have enough saved so that when a baby did come, we would be prepared to have me stay at home and live on Joseph's wages from his part-time job at the MTC. We visited a few Christmas tree lots and after seeing that the kind of tree we wanted would cost us about $70.00, we decided to forego getting a tree. Until.....I attended a craft fair with my mom at Timpview High School and I found a 7 foot skinny Alpine tree for a steal of a deal. My mom talked me into the purchase and we took the tree home.

We didn't have any decorations, so Joseph and I went to Robert's Craft and picked up some wooden shapes of stars, hearts and pine trees, craft wire, paint and spray glitter. One Saturday night we sat at the table and talked and talked as we painted the shapes. It was so much fun! I am craft-challenged, but I love to create so these types of simple projects always give me a sense of satisfaction. When we had finished painting, we let them dry and then wrote the words "faith" on the pine trees, "hope" on the stars, and "charity" on the hearts. We then sprayed them with gold glitter, drilled a whole in the top, wrapped craft wire around and pencil, and looped the wire through the shapes, to finish them up we tied them with raffia and hung them on our tree. We had read Elder Nelson's conference talk about Charity and felt that his talk was the theme for our tree. It was really fun! (I'll post pictures of those ornaments when I can get to them.)

We kept that tree for 6 Christmases. It was our tree all through law school and it worked great in our tiny apartments. This year I think we may still put it in the girls bedroom, we chose not to hang the ornaments on our big tree, but maybe after a new paint job we will hang a few on it.

Joseph always grew up with a giant real tree and I had a real tree for a few years and then we started using an artificial tree. We briefly talked about what we should do, and decided that we would do an artificial tree. We went to Costco to pick up a 7 foot tree and when we got there, we realized that it may look shrimpish with 10 foot ceilings, so we ended up getting the 9 foot tree. We bought the tree on November 17th, and I thought we would wait until after Thanksgiving to put it up, but while I was at the grocery store later that afternoon, Joseph and the kids put it up in the living room. I must admit that when I saw it I thought it was way too big! He had it in the middle of the floor to begin with and it is 5-6 feet in diameter. Once he pushed it against the wall it started to look better. The best part is that it's pre-lit! Yeah! (Hopefully it will stay lit)!

We went with simple bulbs this year. (Aaron throws them around the house like a baseball). I have no eye for decorating and it was so hard to decide what to do with the tree. At first I bought gold bulbs and then realized that the new tree skirt and stockings we purchased would possibly look better with silver. Oh, what do I know? I asked those in my family who are more gifted in the area of decorating and they said it was okay to mix my metals! So I did! We have gold, silver, and red bulbs and some green sparkly things as well. I plan to do some more with blue, since our tree skirt has lots of blue in it. I think we did okay. We'll add more of a special touch each year.

Joe and Brynn admiring their work.

Joe loves to turn on the lights and then lay under the tree with the kids and look up at all the lit up branches.

This is an ornament Joseph mom sent him when we was on his mission. If you can't tell it's a lighthouse.
This ornament was one she included in a Christmas gift for me while Joseph was on his mission and I was at BYU.
We've started a tradition of giving the kids a new ornament each year. This year we let them choose. This is what Brynn and Abby chose for Aaron.

Abby chose a group of sparkly green snowflakes for her ornament.
Brynn chose the reindeer.
This is an ornament that Amber, a girl I cheered with at Ricks made for everyone on the Spirit Team. I've always thought it was cute and it reminds me of my fun memories of Ricks and cheering up there. .

And our stocking story is long, but I'll include it here as well. I have a funny story to tell about these. Joseph and I have coordintaed stockings we received before we were married. When Brynn was born we purchased her a stocking but when we got home we realized it was going in the opposite direction than our stockings. We put it up for that year and then when Abby was born we let both girls use our stockings and we didn't have any. The Christmas after Aaron was born we were living with my parents and so we didn't pull our stockings out. This year we decided that we needed to get some stockings. I labored over the thought because being the all-or-nothing that I can be sometimes, I wanted to wait until we knew that our family was complete so that we could all have matching stockings. Joe didn't want to wait, stockings were a big deal at his house, I guess :) So I found some stockings I liked at Pottery Barn Kids and I let the kids pick out which one they wanted. Again I debated about how many I should buy, the clerk told me that their stockings are different each year, but generally they are similar colors and so they would probably go well together if I bought some at a later date. I bought three. I took them home and showed them to Joe and he said, "I love them, but where are our's?" So while I was in Utah for Thanksgiving he called me from PBKids to ask me which other stockings he should buy and that he was going to buy extras for any more children we might have. He asked, "How many more do you think I should buy?" I replied, "I don't know, how many more children do you think we will have, just buy that many." I was anxious to go home to see how many extra he bought...... We hung the stockings for each of us and we are saving the extras until we need them. We had to laugh, if only deciding when to take on another life were as easy as picking stockings. I have to admit, I think I am going to go buy one more stocking when they go on sale....just in case! :)

We hung the stockings from our bookshelf instead of the fireplace for fear that Aaron would pull on them and the stocking holders would crack the tile. Our star stocking holders (on the end) we bought our first year of marriage and we haven't been able to find anything exactly like them that we liked. When I first found this PEACE, I saw it in silver and thought it would have to do. I was thrilled to see that they had it in bronze because it totally works with the stars! Now we just need to work on dressing up the backdrop a little. I totally need help in this department.

We've been in small apartments so long, we're realizing it takes alot to make the house feel like it's filled with Christmas.....decoration wise, atleast. Isn't it great that even with a simple tree you can still feel the sweet magical spirit of Christmas. Sometimes the simplicity helps me to focus more on the true spirit of the season. But, I'm stil looking forward to adding a little here and there each year.

Emily

Happy 24th Birthday Emily!

Today is the birthday of my sister. She is my favorite sister in the whole wide world! I am so grateful my mom decided that she could handle more chaos because by choosing to have a 5th child she gave me the most wonderul gift ever....a sister!

I still remember the day Emily was born. I had just turned 6 years old and I was in kindergarten. My mom had been up late the night before sewing of a new robe to wear in the hospital after she had Emily. (I think she did this with each baby... crazy, ambitious woman!) I even remember the robe, it was a teal color with soft velvety fabric.

I was so excited to have a sister. I was the only girl among 3 boys. Imagine that! I remember sitting in my kindergarten class wondering if my sister had been born yet. My parent's had made arrangements for me to go to my best friend Whitney's house after school. I remember my dad calling me on the phone to tell me that I had a new little sister. I asked what time she was born and what she looked like. I told my dad that I wanted to come and see her right at that moment. He told me I had to wait and I remember feeling so disappointed and anxious, but it gave me something to look forward to.

Later that evening my dad came home and we sat around the kitchen table and had a family council about what we would name this newest member of our family. We tried a few different names. Two of the names that I distinctly remember were Allison and Emily. I don't quite remember what ultimately made us decide, but we chose Emily Ann.

I remember going to see her for the first time in the hospital. I was so excited to finally have a sister. My brother Chad brought a baby picture of himself to see if they resembled each other. It was really cute to see him hold it up to the window and compare. We all sat and peered throught the glass window, longing to love her and hold her.

What a wonderful, talented and accomplished person Emily has become! We have had our quibbles through the years, but we're both growing up :) and I enjoy our relationship so much! There are so many reasons why I love Emily and so many memories we share.....she loves my children... she sings and dances with them in the kitchen...she plays the piano beautifully...she has a heart of gold.... she is a classy dresser.... she is a hard worker....she is beautiful inside and out.... I can be silly or serious with her and she gets me...she shares her bed when we come to visit.... she is kind....she calls to tell me she doesn't need advice, but she would like my opinion on things :)....I can tell her anything and even though she is at a totally different place in life, she still listens and laughs at all the right moments....she has a very warm personality....she has beautiful dark eyes I've always wanted....she is gracious....she's not afraid to tell me like it is....she always looks for opportunities to serve those around her....I have been filled with unexplainable joy at her accomplishments....I have been filled with unexplainable sorrow at her disappointments....She is such a bright spot in my life and I am so happy to have her in it!

Emily deserves all that is good. She is wonderful and I am so happy she's my sister! Happy birthday Emily!

(It's a watermelon rind and I think it really made my mom mad. She was worried Emily's cheeks would never be the same. They are just as beautiful as ever!)

Where's my book?

My sister, Emily, started reading the Twilight Series books during her Thanksgiving break. After dinner we went to sit on the big chair together and she asked where her book was, we both looked across and saw Grandpa Vest on the couch, eyebrows raised, enjoying a little R and R. We looked at each other and started to laugh. I haven't read the series, but every female in my family has and I am sure I will sooner or later. Amidst all of the yummy food, folks, and fun I'm glad Grandpa found something to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day.

I always wonder what his generation thinks of this crazy world we live in. My Grandpa is my only living grandparent and he spends a good deal of time with my family, whether at family meals, family activities, or holidays. We are always deep into some discussion about some aspect of life, it usually involves technology, tv shows, or other interesting things about our day. Sometimes I wonder if he literally feels like he is in a different world. I always look over at him as he he quietly listens and takes it all in. What is this nearly 85 year old man thinking?

Annette and I were having a conversation about youth, standards, our expectations and so forth. Grandpa was in the family room listening to me speak of all my worries for the youth of our day and for my children. After, Annete asked him if it was crazy to hear about all of the mischeif kids now days are getting into. He smiled and said, "No, it sounds alot like someone I know who lived here in Spanish Fork about 70 years ago, and we turned out okay." We all laughed. He has such a funny sense of humor.

There's something growing in the oven .....

I asked Brynn what she wanted for dinner last night. When she replied, "German Pancakes!" I was relieved. I love it when my children have simple requests, especially when I'm not feeling well.

I mixed everything up and put them in the oven when I realized I had put a whole cube of butter to melt in the pan instead of the half a cube the recipe called for. I quickly whipped up more batter and poured everything into a bigger dripper. When the timer went off, I opened up the oven, started laughing and told the girls to come over quick! Brynn yelled, "Holy moly!" Abby exclaimed, "Holy crap!" I immediately said, "Abby, we don't use that word!" She replied, "You say 'holy crapamole', mom!" to which I replied, "I'm working on saying holy guacomole!" Anyway I only say it when I'm really frustrated or mad, but now I'm more determined to stop so that I won't be imitated.

Now I know why they are sometimes called "Mountain Eggs."

This and That

Disclaimer: As I went to write in my personal journal last night, I realized that I hadn't written in it for a few weeks. I usually like to jot down a few things about what we are doing, things I am feeling and learning as I raise my children, things I am grateful for, the things I believe in, and lots of other tidbits about life. As I started to write I thought about the events I had posted on our blog about and decided to try to record a bit about them in my journal. I realized about one paragraph into it that it was going to be too much backtracking and that I actually liked having the pictures that represented some of the experiences we have had as a family that were posted on our blog. What to do? There's a part of me that feels I should just write in my journal and forget the whole blog thing, and there's the part that loves that I can post pictures with the experiences, and I can share them with family and friends. So hopefully between the blog and the journal the gaps will be filled. Well anyway, in an effort to make sure there is some kind of record, I'll be posting more of the everyday hum-drum of our lives.

After our eventful Friday night (see previous post) we played musical beds with the kids. We had a couple of people on the couch, and a couple in bed with me. At 3 a.m. Aaron woke up with a fever and wasn't able to go to sleep because of that awful cough he's had. My mind and heart were still racing because of everything that happened with the neighbors. I was afraid someone would try to confront us for calling the police. (I am still alarmed that with that many people in a house, not one of them called the police). I was supposed to wake up at 6 AM to run with Karen. I texted her at 3:00 AM (thank heaven her phone was turned off) to tell her that I wouldn't be going, we had scaled down to 8 miles, but I didn't think I would be able to do even that many without my sleep. I need my sleep!

We all slept in, until 7:30 and then hit the ground running. The Priest/Laurel date was scheduled to be at our house that evening and we wanted to make sure we had everything ready. We were still in the process of getting all of our Christmas stuff out, so it was a good excuse to finish things up. Joseph LOVES decorating for Christmas and I think each year he pulls things out earlier and earlier. We bought our tree on November 17th and I thought we would wait a couple of weeks to put it up and decorate it, but Joe had other plans and he started pulling things out of the 18th of November.

He was quite the sport on Saturday. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done that day and he was supposed to go biking with Bishop Brooks that afternoon. He was really looking forward to it and I told him I would support him going, and I really felt supportive (you'll know what I mean as you read on). A couple of hours into projects he realized that the ride probably wouldn't fit into our busy day. He called Bishop and told him that he wouldn't be able to go. It made me so happy! I try to be supportive to all of his recreational activities but sometimes my mouth is encouraging and my mind and my heart want him to stay. Usually he goes (because he can't read my mind, and he's learning to read my heart) and some of the time I am left feeling frustrated. I know, it's my own fault. :) He followed his own intuition and realized that he didn't want me to feel alone in getting ready for the activity. He told the bishop that he could see in his wife' s eyes that it would make her happier if he stayed to help. It did make me happier. I think the thing that made me feel the happiest was that he made the decision to stay all on his own. I thought his response about seeing it in my eyes was really cute, and it was a bonus that I didn't ask him not to go, so I didn't feel guilty, just loved. He felt I had gifted him by telling him to go, I felt gifted that he chose to stay. Victory!

Joseph made lots of runs to Home Depot that day for this and that. Invariably, every time I would send him on an errand he would get sidetracked and come home with what I sent him for and a few other things. For the most part, it made me smile, even though time was of the essence on a day like that. On his Target run he took Brynn and Abby, he came home with a few gifts for the kids-from the kids. I tried not to ask how long that diversion took. At Home Depot, looking for halogen light bulbs he came home with Christmas lights for the girls bedroom and outdoor lights (which we still haven't put up yet :) ) And on another errand, I'm not sure how this one happened, but he remembered that I wanted a Willow Tree Nativity, so he stopped by a department store and picked one up. That diversion turned into another errand because he had to take the stand back,there was a tiny chip on the front of it. It was the last one they had so they refunded him for it and gave him 10% off the rest of the set. Bonus! He brings such an element of fun into our daily living. I've realized, I think we both have adult ADD! :)

So the Priest/Laurel party went really well! The youth were very well behaved and we enjoyed a yummy dinner of homemade Chicken Fettucine Alfredo that the YW helped prepare. The youth entertained themselves for a few hours with games and talking and Joe and I enjoyed visiting with the other leaders. Our kids were supposed to be babysat by some friends, but because of their coughs I decided to keep them at home. After everyone left, I think exhaustion hit and that's when everything sort of went downhill for everyone (except Joe)...healthwise.

Joe went to 6:00 bishoprics meeting and at 7:00 I made the final decision to keep the rest of us at home so we didn't spread any of our lovely germs to everyone in the ward. I hate staying home from church.... spiritual renewal aside, it's not fun trying to keep your kids occupied, entertained, and keeping the sabbath day holy, all alone when you aren't feeling well either. We did our best. I was overwhelmed when Joe called to tell me that he wouldn't be able to watch the kids for the YW meeting that night. Usually when we have a conflict with church callings where we can't bring the kids, one calling trumps the other or we are able to call upon friends (when no one is sick of course) and we're able to work things out, but these were meetings we both had to be to. I got everyone ready and he took the girls to his meeting and I took Aaron to mine. We survived.

Brynn woke up that night with an earache so I kept her home from school. On Tuesday things were still bad and she was complaining of more ear pain. Abby's cough started to sound super wet and rattly and Aaron was miserable and sleepless so I decided to call the doctor. Going to the doctor with colds is always a gamblet. I go with the expectation every time that they will send us away with "it's just a virus, nothing we can do." But because Joe and I are going out of town I wanted to do everything I could to get them healthy for my mom. The 3 co-pays were worth the gamble. The doctor informed me that Thing 1 had an ear infection in one ear and lots of fluid and redness in the other, Thing 2 had fluid in her lungs and an ear infection, and Thing 3 had an ear infection. As much as I hate being told that my children have a virus, I think I hate being told they have an infection and need antibiotics even more Their tummies never do well and they end up with 2 weeks of the runs. The potty trained bottoms handle things fine, but the child in diapers always suffers the most. With all of that good flora being killed, the yeast start to party! I asked the doctor to prescribe some Nystatin right then because I knew Aaron would be needing it. She declined telling me to use the OTC clotrimazole. In the past, I've felt the Nystain works better, but I wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to argue with her. Sure enough here I am 2 days later feeling frustrated that I didn't get the prescription for the Nystatin. Do doctors get frustrated/annoyed when patients make suggestions about what prescription has worked in the past? Is it a control thing? There are a few of you who are married to residents...what do you think? I need to become a better advocate for my children. So in the meantime, we're filling him full of plain yogurt and pasting him with oodles of clotrimazole hoping those probiotics will get to work. Is there a liquid probiotic you can give them to drink? Acidophilus milk I guess? Anything else?

I went and had a walk-in appt. with a family practice doctor for myself. I have to get myself better before next week too! We left the doctor's office and headed to the pharmacy for the prescriptions. After fixing a few problems with the Rx we finally got the goods and headed home. I made a schedule to remember who needs what when. Brynn and Aaron don't mind the meds, but Abby spends half the day telling me how much she dislikes the pink medicine and how she is not taking it anymore. I hate trying to reason with her. Luckily her's is more powerful and she only has to take it once a day for a few days.

So, despite feeling crummy I left feeling very grateful for good health insurance and called Joe to tell him thank you for working hard for it. Joe brought home dinner that night from Bel-Air. He brought some of their Nob-Hill gourmet soups and some crusty European bread, yummy! We tried the pumpkin bisque, corn chowder and chicken noodle. My favorite was the pumpkin bisque. How can something not be good when cream is the first on the list of ingredients. (So much for whipping myself into my best shape before our trip. :)) Unfortunately the nutrition label had to be pasted on the side. We won't be eating that one too often :) So with a little TLC and some help from the pharmacy we should be back on track in no time. Being sick sure helps me more grateful for the abundance of health we usually enjoy. Here's to hoping that Christmas will arrive with healthy bodies and spirits at our house!

Getting to Know the Neighbors.....

We're all sick today...except for Joe. He's at work. But, since we're confined to these walls until we get better, I thought I would write about an experience we had on Friday night....and also one we had this past June. I am posting a picture of our current neighborhood, so that you can get an idea of where we live. As you can see, it's not the ghetto, but you might think we live in the ghetto after what happened on Friday night.

Friday night Joseph and I were doing some online Christmas shopping after we put the little ones to bed. I'm not sure the exact time, but I think it was after 10 p.m. We heard some commotion coming from somewhere. Joseph excused it as some teenagers in the area just goofing around. I thought I could hear children screaming so I asked him to go check on our girls (our current house isn't that big, but because of where the girl's bedroom is, sounds get muffled and I wanted to make sure it wasn't them). It wasn't Brynn or Abby, so he went and looked outside the door. I knew something was wrong when he came back in quickly for his shoes, phone and coat. At that moment I heard a child's voice screaming hysterically. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 and Joe walked across the street to see what was going on.

As I talked to the dispatcher, I asked Joe what he thought was going on. He told me to tell the dispatcher to send police fast. He thought it was major domestic violence. The children were in tears yelling uncontrollably, "Don't hurt my mom!....No!...Please don't hurt her!" The dispatcher proceeded to ask me questions about the neighbors. I felt very unhelpful that I was unable to answer any of them. I know nothing about these neighbors. I wouldn't even be able to recognize them if I saw them in the grocery store or somewhere.

As I was talking to the dispatcher, things inside the home got worse, so Joseph rang the doorbell. I was scared because I thought something might happen to him. He was worried that if he didn't do something, the children might end up in trouble. That's when the fight came outside. When they opened the door, a man in his early 20's, clearly under the influence, had been beating up the father of his girlfriend. The father had gashes all over his face and blood running all through his face and hair. I was still on the phone trying to give whatever details I could to dispatch in case the man got away. I couldn't hear what he was saying at the moment, the slurs in his speech made him inaudible. I thought he was speaking in an Asian language because of what he was saying and how loose his tongue was, later Joe said that it was just the MF bomb said so many times over and over that is started to sound like a different language. (Hey, that is a foreign language to me!)

Surprisingly he didn't get in his car and drive off like we thought he would. He stood in front of his car telling them how he was going to sue them for everything they owned...and this and that. Then he started coming in my direction. I ran in the house and locked the door, peeking out of the peep hole. He walked passed our house and down the street, so I went outside again, and then the police finally arrived. Joe spoke with them for a minute, and then he came home. The police, paramedics, fire engine, and this lame drunk and probably high guy (still kicking and screaming threatening to sue) were outside our house for a few hours. I took these pictures on Saturday and as you can see, it looks pretty calm now.

I felt bad for the dad because of his injuries, but I was really disturbed by the fact that there were children close to the ages of my children who had to live through that and then sleep in that house that same night probably in terror. I don't know if they were the children of the girlfriend or if they were half siblings of her's but I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. It's so sad that innocent children suffer because of the poor choices of adults. Things like this make me feel so grateful for gospel standards for in this truly there is safety and peace.

On to the story that happened this summer. This is the house where we lived in Rancho Cordova. Again, I think you'll agree, this is suburbia, not the ghetto. Well, on Father's Day, which also happened to be Stake Conference for our stake, I had Aaron in his high chair and I was feeding him some breakfast. The blinds to the sliding glass door were opened slightly, but they were on an angle where I couldn't really see out very well. I heard in the neighbors yard that the lawn care people were mowing their lawn. As I was moving back and forth getting things ready for dinner later that afternoon, I noticed some flesh outside the sliding glass door. At first my mind thought of the lawn care people and how I had seen them look for shade next to people's houses to sit in while they took a littel break from working. Then I said to myself, "Wait, we don't have grass in our backyard yet..." I peeked out of the blinds and just about fainted. I saw someone on the groudn next to our sliding glass door. I wasn't sure what he was doing or if he was even alive. Joseph was upstairs getting ready for church and so I ran to the stairs and whisper yelled for him to come quick! He came down and called the police. They came and woke the boy up. Apparently he had gotten wasted, thought this was his house and walked into the backyard to get in. Luckily we always lock our doors, so he wasn't able to get in (reminded me of my cousin Kory's experience in Spanish Fork).

We lived a good 10 minutes or so from the city, so we shut the blinds so we didn't have to look at him while we waited for the police. The funniest part is that the boy left his bike on the side of our house inside our gate. We took it and left it outside the gate next to our driveway for about 2 weeks, thinking he might come back to get it. He never did, so when we moved, I called the police to come and take it away.

Anyway so there are some of the crazy things that have happened to us while living in California....and so it begs the question....Do you know your neighbor?

Thanksgiving 2007

We had plans to stay in California for Thanksgiving this year and then sort of last minute, Joseph told me he thought it would be great for me to fly home to be with my family since I hadn't spent Thanksgiving with them for the last 4 years. Isn't he a great husband! I was very hesitant to go because I wanted to spend the holiday with him ( I felt like a bad wife leaving), but we purchased tickets and I flew out with the kids very early on Thanksgiving morning. We tried to work it out for Joe to fly in for a couple of days, but we couldn't quite get the timing figured to work, so he stayed and had Thanksgiving with the Ellis Family.

My dad picked us up from the airport in their new Pilot. It was a fun ride, and made me wish we had chosen a Pilot...for a few minutes, but then my practical self kicked in and I remembered how much cargo space the Odyssey has....but I am happy they have such a cute and sporty car to drive around.

One of my favorite parts was the way my kids went running to my dad the moment they saw him in SLC. It made my heart melt! Aaron ran to him and buried his head in my dad's shoulder for about 5 minutes. It was so cute! I know it made my dad so happy! He was grinning from ear to ear!

Because we arrive in SLC at 8:30 a.m. most of the meal was already prepared by the time we arrived in Spanish Fork. I made a salad and enjoyed catching up with all of my siblings and their spouses and children....and of course the little ones played and played and played!
After the meal I went to check out the after Thanksgiving ads and Aaron climbed on my back for a post meal cuddlle. He loves to nustle right up! He's my little bear cub! When he's not busy running here and there, he loves to be held and so I spend a good part of my day holding him. I don't mind, children are only babies for a brief moment, I love to enjoy every minute of it! Aaron was fascinated with my parent's shutters. There were many times during the week that he would walk over and open and shut them over and over. I think he loved seeing that he could manipulate something and see the cause and effect all because of his efforts.

Here's my bear cub again, taking a little rest on Grandpa's belly.The night of Thanksgiving was crazy! We had a full house. I think we figured that we had 16 people sleeping in the house. I slept with Aaron and Emily. Aaron had a very rough night! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a deep sleeper. I need my sleep, I don't function well without it. Joseph functions very well on little sleep and so he is the one who gets up with our children when they wake in the middle of the night. None of them have ever taken a bottle, so when they were nursing he would bring them to me and I would feed them, but I think I even did that in my sleep. So, Aaron was having a rough night and I think everyone in the house knew it before me and I was sleeping right next to him. I tucked him under my arm and let him cry and went back to sleep. Emily couldn't stand the screaming so she picked him up and took him to the other room, only to have him scream hysterically and throw himself to the floor over and over again. I started feeling bad so I went and took him to the family room for a few minutes. He still kept screaming and wouldn't settle down. Emily, being the President of the Utah Student Nurses Association that she is :), went to Macey's at 3 a.m. to get some Infant Ibuprofen. They were closed and she still talked them into letting her in to buy it. Now don't you wish you could have a personal nurse like that. But, here's the catch, when she arrived home, I had tucked Aaron under my arm and let him cry it out until he fell asleep. I really can sleep through alot! Sorry Emily! My mom woke us up at 8:00 a.m. with "Wake up! We're going shopping in 15 minutes!" We both groaned and rolled out of bed.

We went to a Christmas store first and then to University Mall. I headed straight to Gymboree to get my early bird discount and to use my 20% off mailer. It was a mad house in there. The line was sooooo long because their computers went down. There were some really mad women. I dropped my 20% off coupon somewhere in the store but the clerk gave me the discount anyway so I ended up getting about 70% off the original price for the items. That's what I LOVE about Gymboree - eventually most things make it to sale price and you can get some great quality stuff for a reasonable price. Gymboree is one of those places where I would consider you CRAZY if you pay full price for anything. We didn't last too long shopping and headed to Zupas in Provo after for some lunch. I definitely recommed it, it was yummy! Thanks for treating us Mom!

While I did minimal shopping in Utah, Joe was in California going to town. My husband is a shopper! He will tell you himself. He LOVES a good deal and so of course he LOVES to shop on black Friday. When Aaron was crying at 6 a.m. I decided to call him even though it was 5 a.m. in California because I knew he would be at some early bird sale. Sure enough he was in Vacaville at the Nike Outlet among other stores. He did get some great deals. I am glad he is willing to brave the storm. Because I love my sleep, I have never gone to an early bird sale and I probably never will. When I called him later in the evening he was on his way to Roseville to do some more shopping at the Galleria. He was on a roll!

On Saturday part of the family went to the BYU vs. Utah game (and yes all is right in the world now) and part of us took the kids to the movie "Enchanted." It was a cute movie. The girls loved it, but we all agreed that the Susan Serandon was a little over the top as the witch and the dragon at the end. Abby has been up for 4 nights this week having nightmares about it. Why do they have to make the evil villain that evil, I mean, really it doesn't take that much! Now she is afraid of every witch and last night even started talking about being scared of Elpheba.

We ended the evening together again with dinner at Bajio. YUM! Green Chile Chicken Salad with Mango Salsa is divine!



After the movie, we stopped at the park near Mom and Dad's house for the kids to play.

My brother Scott always walks to church. Whenever we have stayed with them in St. George or whenever he visits he always walks to church. Abby LOVES my brother Scott. Last year when we stayed at the Pine Valley cabin Abby and Scott were walking to church and we tried to pick them up so they would be on time. Abby refused! They eventually got there. So whenever we are with them, this is a common sight you will see, Scott walking to church with the kids. On her way out the door Abby fell and tore a hole in her tights, so we had to go put socks on and drive her in tears to where Scott was so she could walk with him. She was determined to walk with Scott and when she reached him all was well!
On Sunday we went to Grandma Shawny's house to spend some time with the Lee family. Everyone was there except for Eliza and Casey and Melissa and Joseph of course. I think there were 44 people there that night. Grandma has 3 playrooms and many areas around the house dedicated to toys and games so there is always room for playing and fun. The girls had lots of fun playing with their cousins.

Thanks to Shawny for hosting everyone. It's quite the task when we all get together and she always provides the most delicious food and has such a welcome spirit in her home. We never want to leave. I know it takes alot or work to put all the pieces back together throughout the whole house when we do leave, so we appreciate it so much!

On Monday we got things ready to go home and Chad and Jenn came over for Family Home Evening. They taught the lesson and then after we all piled illegally (oops!) into the Pilot and went to see the Festival of Lights. I love experiencing the sights and sounds of Christmas with my children, I feel like a child again and it brings back so many wonderful memories!

On Saturday we did the Nativity at Mom and Dad's since we won't be together with everyone for Christmas. We decided to dress Aaron as a sheep and he loved it! This is the bunny costume that mom bought at Gap when Brynn was a baby. It makes for a great sheep costume when the ears are pinned up. On Tuesday morning Dad drove us to the airport to fly home. Joe was out of town in Calistoga for a work retreat, so we were sad to miss him when we arrived home, but we had fun reconnecting the next day when he arrived home! I love visiting with family. We feel really blessed to get to see them so much this month. Mom is going to stay with our kids while Joe and I go to Laguna Beach next week, and then Mom and Dad and Emily are coming to spend Christmas with us! Hooray for family!