SCHOOL IS OUT......AHHH FOR 3 WEEKS!

Well, today was the last day of school before Christmas break. I did get a bunch done while Todd kept the girls at home. Oh boy, what do I do with the kids for 3 weeks. Thank goodness for our little trip that will help in entertaining them.

Casey enjoyed wearing his pajamas for Pajama day today. Mitch was a bit too worried and embarrassed to wear his pajamas. He said, how will I do PE in pajamas. He worries about things not being right. Casey, on the other hand, had his pajamas set out last night next to his bed to put on this morning. They both had fun at their holiday parties and came home with a bunch of loot. They made such cute ornaments for the tree. I love that each one made an ornament with their picture on it. These are the ornaments I will love to look at 20 years down the road when I am still putting them up on our tree. The kids are ready for Christmas, that's for sure. I think we will do the gingerbread house this evening or tomorrow.

I have a few more items to get but for the most part, I am done. It's nice to be done and know that I will not have to hit the post office another time before Christmas.

I better go and fold the mass amounts of laundry that have been screaming at me since earlier this week. UGH!!

Busy Week, Busy Month. Good Mail,December Activities

I am still alive.......barely. This month has been a whirlwind for sure and it's not over yet. Here are a few photos to document life around here.


Here is the gift I came away with at our annual ward Christmas ornament exchange party. It is so fun and I just love the plate. It was so fitting for me and my house. I love to bake the cookies and the family loves to eat them :D.


Thanks Becca!! Here is some good mail that I got yesterday. How sweet of Becca to send me such cute surprises. It was so fun to open up a package before Christmas.


Here is our Christmas tree. I think Casey took this shot. We have many pictures of our tree this year :D. The kids love to take photos of it. It is still alive. I am happy about that. I love having a Christmas tree. There is just something about the soft glow of the lights on a tree at night that is just magical. I love Christmas time and all that goes with it. The hot chocolate, the music 24/7, the shopping, the secrets, the food, the treats and the anticipation that the kids all have.


Here is a picture of what we did on Sunday night. The bishop invited our family over to join in their annual Christmas sing along/ egg nog taste testing party. It was so much fun and such a nice party. Their tradition is to go around the room starting with youngest to oldest and pick a favorite Christmas song. We all sing the song and then the person gets to go light a candle. They told me this is a Scandanavian tradition. The bishop started by reading out of Luke which was nice and then the singing began. We had a great time and found a new tradition that we will do in our family. The kids enjoyed and sang right along with everyone. There was another family from our ward there as well so it was a good group. The egg nog taste testing was serious. They mean business. Very fun idea/tradition.


Here is what we did on Monday evening....went to see Santa at his house. I love it up here. There was no wait in line and all I had to spend was $5.00 to get a 5x7 picture of me and the kids with Santa. There are many bonuses to living in a smaller city.

Life has been extremely busy this month with so much going on and so much to get done that I feel I haven't been able to document my feelings of each activity the way I would have liked. Oh well, there will be a day when I have too much time on my hands I'm sure. Some of the activities this month that have kept me busy.......

-Relief Society Christmas Dinner - very nice. Todd joined me since the Bishopric was invited. It was really nice.
-Ward Christmas Dinner - made treats for.
-Emily's Preschool Singing Program
-Emily's Christmas party - made Sugar cookies
-Scouts
-Tithing Settlement
-Casey's party-Friday - bringing Orange Juice
-Christmas cards/Addressing and mailing
-Shopping, shopping and more shopping
-Making toffee and distributing to friends/teachers
-Trying to keep up on laundry. It's the folding/putting away that is killing me.
-Keeping Ellie from pulling down the ornaments that I thought she wouldn't reach.
-Helped a friend clean her house. It was an answer to my prayer. It was a really neat experience. I had asked in my morning prayer that if there was anyone that I could be of service to that I would know who and what I could do. My friend tried calling that day but wasn't able to get through to me. She called the following day and asked if I would come over and give her support and help her out in her house. I was so happy that she would call and ask and was more than happy to go and help her. In return, I was able to wash a huge blanket in her new front loading washer/dryer while I cleaned. It felt good to help another sister. :D
-Cleaning
-Working Out

I forgot to mention that our other addition to the house is a piano...not another baby. I have so enjoyed sitting down and playing. It is so fun to practice and practice and hear yourself get a little bit better each time.

THINGS I STILL HAVE TO DO IN DECEMBER:

-shopping - just a few more things. Does it ever end?? :D I love buying gifts.
-One more batch of toffee
-Dr.'s appt. tomorrow
-tons of wrapping
-clean house again and again and again
-pack up my family for our trip
-travel down South after Christmas to be with family for Mom's 60th b'day, New Years Eve and go to the USC game at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. I am looking forward to the little vacation.

I better post this since I started it a few days ago. I will try and post as I go so there isn't so much to catch up on. I have just refused to stay up way late to blog since I get up so early in the morning.

Christmas Tree Outing

Why do I have the hardest time coming up with a cute title?? I hate that. Saturday night we put the kids in the car and were off to get a tree. Our drive to Home Depot is about 15 miles on the freeway and so naturally, Emily was out cold. It was nice for Todd and the boys to get out and pick out our tree. I think this is the first year since we have been married that I haven't walked on the tree lot and helped to pick out our tree. I was ok with it since the temp was reading 45 degrees. Em stayed asleep and the guys picked one out pretty quickly. We were off to run a couple of other errands and then stopped by Del Taco for dinner. It's great to feed a family of 6 for only $10.00. By the time we got home, the kids hit the sack and Todd brought in the tree. I love how much the kids get into picking out the tree and having to watch dad tie it on the top of the truck.

There was just enough time for Todd to go get YC (frozen yogurt) before they closed. :D I got on the treadmill while he made the run. It is so nice to have a treadmill right in the house. I will post about our newest additions to the home tomorrow....

This evening, once Todd got home from Sunday meetings, we had dinner and then decorated the tree. The kids just have a ball. I let them do it all. This year I didn't care how they were situated on the tree if it was even with one side or another. We all put ornaments on where we thought looked good and everyone was happy. They just love to put the ornaments on. I read the boys a Christmas story and then Mitch thanked me for such a fun night decorating the tree. I love that he is that way. He thanks us for things like that all of the time. I'm glad I am creating memories for them to remember forever. The ornaments are pretty much on the upper part of the tree. Miss Ellie Jayne girl loves to touch but has been pretty good about just looking and not pulling them off. I know it's coming. I'm sure tomorrow will be a different story. My eyes are tired and it's way passed my bedtime.

MY EMAIL :D

Here is my email address....stephiesmith@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for responding!! We are planning on getting out in the morning to attempt another photo shoot with the kids. Hopefully, while they are happy first thing in the morning. Emily and Ellie were in bed asleep by 7pm tonight so I can only hope Emily will be in good spirits for a picture.

I NEED ADDRESSES!!/Attempted pictures for our Christmas card...

PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS FOR CHRISTMAS CARD PURPOSES!! THANK YOU!

I attempted to take pictures this afternoon for our Christmas card. Why do I even try?? It was awful as usual. I always walk away from the scene so frustrated and angry inside. I'm not sure I can attempt another day at it. I may have to make one of the 40 shots work. Ellie was so grumpy, Casey and Emily kept looking to the side or away from the camera, and Mitty was great. Oh, it was frustrating. Now, I have a blistering headache and I still have a pack meeting with these kids to endure this evening. Wish me luck. I'm off to start dinner and get the boys under control.

Recap of Times Gone By/ Good Times :D

I'm so behind in posting my pics. There is so much going on and I have really kept busy pretty much for the last month. I will start with the most current and work my way back. My mom and dad came up last Thursday night to stay with us for a few days. They came to watch our kids while we attended a commemoration day for the temple on Saturday, Dec. 1st. Todd and I both went. Our Stake had been planning this day for a year. The temple extended the invitation to our stake since the 50th anniversary of the LA Temple was last year. It was about a 12 hour trip all said and done once we got back. It makes for a long day but worth every minute of being in the temple together. Thanks mom and dad for making it possible!!! Two of the wards in our stake did an endowment session together and then our entire Stake met together in the Solemn Assembly room for an hour. The temple president and his wife spoke and our Stake President. It was incredible to hear that many people singing The Spirit of God together in the temple. If your testimony was wavering at all, it sure wasn't after that. The stories the Temple President spoke of about the temple were so neat. Many facts about the dedication of the temple 51 years ago were spoke of. Many interesting bits of information that the different prophets of that time spoke of and prophesied. That temple is for us today in so many ways. The prophets knew that the LA temple had to be that big. It is the largest one of this dispensation. I wish I could get there more often. One of my 2008 goals will definitely be going to the temple more often. It is where I want to be as often as I can. The blessings that come from being there and doing the work of the Lord are tremendous. I don't want to miss out on any blessings. I know there are so many people on the other side just waiting for their work to be done. I don't want to make them wait any longer. It was a wonderful experience! I enjoyed being there with so many friends. It was so neat to see so many people that we knew in there with us. It was a little glimpse of heaven that really made me feel happy.

My mom and dad came up on Thursday night and so Friday we were able to do some work out in the yard. I had done a bunch of work prior to them getting there but my mom helped me plant the rest of the flowers that were waiting and some camilias trees/bushes that look so pretty. My dad broke up all of the nasty roots of some really ugly plants that were in our yard. It was so nice to get all of that bagged up and in the back of his truck. Our green waste bin is way too small for what all we had to put in. My dad hauled back the bags to his dumpster. Thanks Dad!! I sure hope your back isn't killing you. We made it look so much better and that makes me so happy when I look out the back windows.






I love this picture of Emily and Grandpa. She had to be right there with him helping with her shovel, rake and especially had to be wearing her gloves. That's my girl. She just loves Grandpa :D


My mom really did a number on the front but I haven't taken a picture yet. She did a wonderful job and I appreciate that so much!! It looks good. I sure hope I don't kill everything off.

We took a break from out in the yard with a good lunch at Taco Loco and a little ice cream from Doc Burnsteins. Emily was in heaven with it just being her and Ellie with me, grandma and grandpa.




Ellie was loving the ice cream and couldn't get enough.

While my mom was busy planting some tree/bushes, Emily and I did some housework. Well, more like laundry. I came out to the washer and dryer and found this little worker. She can do everything. She had the washer emptied and the clothes put into the dryer by the time I brought out another sorted load. Thanks Em for doing so much to help. There isn't anything that you can't do. She is so able. I love it!!


Here are some random pictures of Ellie in the refrigerator and the kids being goofy with Grandpa. Note: Emily's pajama's. She loves to wear her brothers jammies. I find it cute that she wants to do so much of what she sees them doing. When my dad comes to visit, Emily usually finds her perch right on his lap and can sit there for hours telling him stuff and playing games on his cell phone.


My parents went to leave on Sunday afternoon and there truck wouldn't start. Oh darn, they have to stay another night. That made Mitty's year. He was so excited. He kept saying, "this is the best day of my life" or this is the most awesome-ist day of my life." He was jumping up onto my dad hugging him. It was pretty cute. Mitty doesn't like good-byes and asks me all of the time why we have to live so far away from our family and cousins. It's sad since we lived so close at one time. The kids were happy and so was I. I love having family here. My brothers called later that night and said that they would come up and help my dad put in a new fuel pump since that is what they thought it was. They left right away and were up here by 10:00. It was so fun to have us all together again. The kids just love my brothers and were making sure they got their autographs before they left. Too funny!! Danny entertained us with the guitar. He is good. At one point, he had the kids sitting on the couch quietly, listening to him play some chords. Danny, I need you around more often. We had a great time with everyone. I had to bust out a batch of molasses cookies per their request before they left. I enjoyed having everyone here. Let's do it again soon!!

I better finish this post up in another post....it is getting too long. I need to get the kids ready for today. Emily is going on a fieldtrip to the tree farm today. She is so excited to ride the bus. How cute is that! Good day to all.

It's Good To Be Back In the Swing of Things

It's been very busy around the house for the last week or so. I honestly had no time to sit down and write. It's good to be back in the swing of things and have Thanksgiving and all of the food behind me. I was literally out of control with the food. I did make sure that I worked out every day through the holidays and for longer time. I don't think it helped. I have a few pounds to lose but am not getting on that scale until next week. I wouldn't torture myself like that. It felt good to throw away all leftovers yesterday. I don't want any sign of junk in the frige. I have this feeling of cleaning out this morning. I am going to hit the fridge and finish organizing some of the cupboards in the kitchen. We seemed to start too many projects this weekend and not finish all of them. UGH!! I hate that. On top of the holidays, Todd and I both had to speak in church yesterday so we were busy with writing talks last week.

Thanksgiving was great. The food was good, the kids loved being home and we had Nancy here to eat with us. I was trying to be so prepared and have things made ahead of time to alleviate any chaos for Thursday. So I made 2 pies and a pretzel/jello dessert the day before...a pumpkin pie and a creamy chocolate pie. They were very good! I have been trying to perfect a pie crust these last couple of months. They turned out good but needed to be rolled out a little bit thinner. I will try again for Christmas. Thursday was literally spent in the kitchen making homemade rolls, dressing, turkey, chips/dip, sandwiches for kids, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams. orange rolls, and a yummy salad(romaine lettuce, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, craisins and candied almonds with Girards champagne dressing). I had to ask myself if the 10 minutes of eating is worth 8 hours in the kitchen...it is!! I barely ate the dinner. I felt that since I had smelled it all day it was as if I had already eaten it many times. Am I strange or does anyone else feel that way too?

Friday morning I was up at 4:20 and felt awake so I got up and dressed to go work out and hit some stores. The line at Wal-Mart was ridiculous at 4:50 so I decided to work out first. I was back at Wal-Mart at 6:30 and the crowds had died down and it wasn't bad at all. I got a bunch of shopping done and was out of there by 8:30. It really feels good to have so much done this early. This was the first Black Friday that I have gone out early and shopped. It all depends on what you are getting to really say it is worth fighting a mass of people. We ended up hanging around the house, doing laundry and working out in the yard. Todd and Nancy hit the hardware store with some of the kids and bought some tools for tearing out some plants that have been driving me crazy for almost 2 years now. The kids were in heaven working in the yard and helping to put plants and other yard clippings in bags.

Saturday was more of the same...working in the yard and cleaning out cupboards in the kitchen. Todd put up our Christmas lights and it looks so good. I love Christmas lights and decorations! I will have to get a picture of them on tonight and post. I took a sawzall and cut away at a bunch of nasty plants. I love power tools!! It made life easy! I have many winter flowers to plant and hopefully some roses here in the next few weeks. I know it will be pretty come the spring when the roses will start to bloom.

Sunday was church and our talks. It all went really well. I don't get nervous anymore to speak. It used to be bad! I said that I would speak more often because it didn't seem to bother me at all. That is music to any bishopric members ears. I spoke on strengthening the family. I recommend Elder Hales article in the May 2004 Ensign. It is excellent. It was nice to have Todd come home with us right after church. He didn't have meetings yesterday. :D

Today is the start of a new week and the Christmas season for me. I want to get out all of my Christmas decorations and work on that this week. Todd busted out the Christmas cd's and so I'm sure it'll be decorating with hot choc. for Family Home Evening tonight. It is dang cold here today. The chill hit yesterday. It was 38 degrees when I left this morning at 5:20. It's good to have the sunshine out now. I better get going on my day. The boys are just getting up. It was a nice quiet morning...I'm ready for a nap :D. Pictures will be coming.

The Weather Has Been Gorgeous/Random thoughts around the house

Random title...I know but I couldn't help but post a beautiful picture of where I live. The water was just gorgeous yesterday. The weather has been in the 80's and it's just so clear. I love it up here!! I took this picture out front of where Emily takes dance. The house up the street is asking $2 million. The view is worth every dime. It is so nice to come out and not have any obstructions to the view. I always feel like I am right there in the ocean when we go to dance.

It has been strange to still be wearing flip flops and skirts here in the middle of November. I am not complaining. I haved loved the weather this past week. It is sure to start cooling down....darn it!

I am happy to report that I have made myself at least read a chapter in my scriptures before I do anything else for the last 3 days. I will read on my own and then not for a time and then I think why am I not reading before I start my day. I have told myself to read before I start getting ready for the day and I have done it. I do notice a different feeling throughout the day when I have read. I think that I recognize more of the good things that are going on in my life rather than the negative. What a blessing that is. I can't stop reading!!! I am really trying to do better in that area of personal scripture reading/study. I am so grateful for the scriptures and the messages in them. So I better make this a habit that sticks!!

I am so dang tired tonight. Todd has meetings tonight. I should be changing laundry and such but I had to sit down and take a break. The job of keeping house and tending children never ends at my house. It feels like only minutes before my eyes close does the house shut down.

I have to report how cute it was to see how Emily sneaked off tonight into the bathroom to apparently wipe the entire bathroom down with clorox wipes. She is too much. The girl knows how to do everything. It is so cute to watch her clean. She doesn't miss a thing. I heard her telling the boys to get out because she was wiping the WHOLE bathroom down. I peeked in and she said, "Look mom, I cleaned the whole bathroom with clorox wipes." While she was telling me she was literally wiping the entire toilet from top to bottom and around the base of it on the tile. I love it! I have no worries about her being dirty. I love that she knows just how to clean up. Thanks Em for all of your help!

Ellie is just cruising around all over. I can't believe she is now 16 months old. She is very cute and knows how to do so much. She got out the plastic bowls and was playing with them but once she was done I asked her to put them away and she did. That is the best! She knows where to go to get her drink (walks me to the fridge and stands and waits), she will pick up things on the floor and bring them to me (coins), and she helps to put any toys away. She knows just where to put them. She is a very good baby and so fun to be with. We all love little precious Ellie Jayne girl. My head is nodding off. Time to go!

It's Been 3 Days of Car Issues

This week has been spent at the dealership. Long story short, the ABS module went out on Sunday which caused the battery to die so no car on Monday. Good thing the kids had no school. A friend came and jumped the truck so that I could take it to the dealer. The damage at the dealer was $2100.00....OUCH!!!! It's been a fiasco and 3 days of going back and forth and changing out car seats and luggage that goes along with having a few kids in the car. The dealer just called to tell me that the last problem was fixed (rear air wasn't working)and that I can pick it up anytime. The computer in the car needed to be reset. He told me there would be no charge. AHHHH! Is that possible to ever hear that from the dealer? I guess we do get a break every once in awhile. I am just happy to have the truck running smoothly.

Mitty starts scouts today. He is so excited and just can't wait. We were reading through his book last night together. He was doing all of these things in the book. I'm happy for him and hope that he will have a positive experience. We will be meeting with the other wards scouts since Mitch is the only 8 year old in our ward. It is nice because it will be with the other boys that he goes to school with. We don't have any other kids in our ward going to the same school as ours. Of course the store where I get his scout stuff is waiting for his size shirt to come in. He will be so disappointed that he doesn't have a shirt.

I'm off to get kids from school. Am I really ready for the 3:00 hour to approach? I feel very sluggish this afternoon sitting here. I am fine as long as I don't ever sit down. Once I sit down then I am asleep. I guess that's what getting up at 4:45am does. I love working out at that hour though. I am very proud of myself that I have been getting up at 5:00am to work out since Feb./March. That is 5-6 days a week. I'm off!

More Halloween Pics..Emily's preschool/Todd's Halloween Office Lunch

Here is Todd showing off his "wanna be on stageness" for his work Halloween lunch. He was in his element for sure.


Emily and her teacher on Halloween...

Ellie was Mickey Mouse in the morning for Emily's parade and the Halloween lunch at Todd's office..

Halloween Pictures....just a little behind :D

These were cut outs from peanut butter/choc.chip sandwiches for the kids lunches on Halloween. I was feeling festive.

Pictures of Mitty's 8th B'day

It's the Weekend Again :D/Catch Up

I'm happy to say that the sore throat was gone after a day. Totally amazing to me. It hurt so badly I thought for sure this was the start of a long week. It is gone and nobody else seems to have been bothered by it either. Phew!!

Last night Todd and I had the opportunity to go to a fundraiser dinner for our Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee. It was at a ranch just north of here. It was really nice. The food was great if you enjoy 2 lbs. of beef on a plate. :D Everything else was spectacular...asian slaw with tempura shrimp, a fabulous salad with gorgonzola cheese and toasted pine nuts, and a literal side of beef with potatoes. It was so nice to enjoy dinner out together by ourselves. The kids were home with a babysitter that they love. I love that they love her.

Today was a somewhat busy day. Todd was off today so we hung out at home for a bit this morning while Ellie napped and then Todd hit the dentist and I went and picked up Emily's new glasses. They look great. Sorry no pictures while we are trying to figure out this mess on the computer. We had our standard Loco lunch with the girls. They love to be out places. I then had a dr.'s appt. with the urologist. It was good news to me that my urine didn't show any blood in it today. I couldn't believe it. For the past 6 months it has shown blood in it. Nothing that I can detect but at the dr.'s office in the "spinner". The Urologist now wants me to take another x-ray of my kidneys and see if he can tell if I have passed any of the stones that showed on my scan back in June. And for the worst part of it....he wants me to collect my urine in a bottle for 24 hours. The bottle looks like a tall laundry detergent bottle. Big and orange just like Tide. I'm sure it will be interesting trying to collect it. :D That is where I am at with that and hopefully he will find out what is causing the stones and the blood.

My eyes are starting to close. It's my sign to get off and go lay down to watch The Office. :D It's just been stop and go around here. After my appt., I spent 2 hours in Target and then met the clan over at Trader Joes. I really do love that place. We were getting tasty pizza dough for our pizza tonight. It all turned out great. Kids are in bed and I'm off. Tomorrow should be a fun, mellow day. No big plans. I love that.

Feeling Sick Today...:(/Mitty's Baptism Weekend

I'm back but not in full swing today. I have a raging sore throat (that is exactly how it feels). My neck physically hurts and hurts to move/turn it around. My head is a little full with my ears not feeling great. Darn!! I hate this. I haven't been sick for awhile.
I sure hope it doesn't last long.

There was a lot of family here and something going on every minute. The last of our guests left Monday afternoon. It was a great weekend. My mom and dad came, my 3 sisters, 2 brothers, Grandma Carol, Aunt Nancy, Jeanne, and 7 cousins. It was a full house but so much fun. I enjoyed every minute being together with everyone. All of the kids got along just great! Most of our guests arrived Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. Friday night was spent getting last minute food items prepared and the house ready for Saturday. My mom was on potato salad detail late Friday night. Thanks mom, it was wonderful! I was up until 3 am....not good.

Saturday: It was a busy day but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The kids played with their cousins and I ran last minute errands with my sisters, mom and Megan. It was a mad house trying to get everyone ready for the baptism. We managed with every one's help and were able to leave. Mitch was so excited to be wearing his new coat/slacks and being able to tie his own "real" tie. We caravaned down to the church...5 car loads worth and set up for the baptism. It was really nice. The program ran smoothly. Todd conducted the meeting which was neat. It was a special day for all of us. It was nice to have so many kids from our primary attend. Casey backed out of giving the talk literally at the last second. I knew that was a possibility. I ended up giving the talk. Todd had written it up so I had never even glanced at it. Oh well, it went well. The cousins sang and I think everyone enjoyed it. We had refreshments and it was so cute to see all of the kids belly up to the cookie table and not back away until the cookies were just about gone. I don't mind because I didn't want to have to carry anything back home.

Once we were done, we took some pictures outside of the church (sister's camera so I don't have the pictures yet). I can't believe my camera had died right after I took 2 pictures of Todd and Mitty in their white clothes. That is so how it works for me. I guess I couldn't remember everything. I thought the camera had charged, guess not. I will post pics later. I'm getting behind on my posting pictures, darn it.

We all came back to my house for a Mo's BBQ feast. I opted not to cook the food myself last minute. That really would have been too much for me and especially with how many people we had here. It worked out just great. Thanks Melinda for your pulled pork recipe. I made it the week before and we loved it. Easy recipe which I love!! We had a 7 layer mexican dip with tortilla chips/ Que Bueno nacho cheese heated in the crock pot and carrots/celery with ranch dip for appetizers. It was a crowd pleaser. That Que Bueno is so good. It comes in the big can from Costco. I stuck it in the crock pot at 2:00 before the baptism and it was hot and waiting once we got home 5:30-5:45. Christina, if you have a big group coming for your baptism that Queso was great and super easy. No prep for a tasty appetizer. Our dinner was shredded pork, shredded chicken and BBQ beef sandwiches with tasty BBQ sauce, coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad and rolls. We were pretty well covered with our spread. We had a really good punch too. The mix was Smuckers Strawberry Lemonade mix with 7-up and Rainbow Sherbet (Pineapple, Orange and Raspberry) in it. That was a knock out too. The big can of lemonade mix was from Costco. Dessert consisted of pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, chocolate chip cookies, the corn flake/butterscotch chips/choc.chips and peanut butter bars. We weren't short on food by any means. It all turned out great and I was really happy with all of the food. Thanks everyone for all of your help. I couldn't have done it without you.

I really enjoyed having everyone come to church with us on Sunday morning. Thanks to all of you for making Mitty's baptism a special event in his life. I know that he felt all of your support and appreciates it.

We gave Mitty his own set of scriptures for his baptism with his name on them. Oh, how he loves them. It has really been sweet to watch him read his scriptures every day and have such a strong desire to come home from school and read. His enthusiasm is so fun to watch. He told me the other night that he was reading his scriptures by himself and that when dad came in to read to both of them Mitty got a tingle in his nose and a funny feeling in his stomach when dad read the same ones that he had just read by himself. How sweet that is for him to have such a nice experience of feeling the spirit. I thought it was so cute of him to share that with me. I am proud of him and the right choices that he makes. It has really sparked a fire in the rest of the kids. They all grab their scriptures and want to read. I can't turn them down on that. I am very grateful for the example that Mitty has been to his entire family. I can only hope to keep the fire burning in him to keep reading his scriptures and to keep that desire to read them always. I have no idea if that sentence made any sense but am not going back to change it. I am too tired and not feeling good.

It was a wonderful weekend and I would love to go back and keep my family close by for a while longer. :D You guys are welcome back anytime!!

I will have to post pics once I get them. I am so behind on pics it's bad. Our photo program is having an issue so that is why I haven't posted any. I can't find where the pictures are. Long story, not good. Time to get Emily ready for dance.

Happy Halloween.....crazy days

So much has happened I feel like I don't have the time to write it all out. I hate that.

Sunday~

We drove down to Rancho Cucamonga to attend Ressa's baptism (my niece). She and Mitty are two days apart so we have double duty when it comes to these special occassions. We had a great time being with everyone. She wanted me to speak on the Holy Ghost so that is what I did. I had fun. We congregated back at April's house for a few hours with some good food....grinders and lots of fun. Grinders are always a hit with our family. For those of you out in the Riverside area... have you ever tried D'Elia's Grinders? It's a must. My dad has been going there since he was a kid and he kept the tradition going with all of us so we love it. Casey tried the grinders and said it was the best. I love to see it continue on. We had to be back for Monday so it was a day trip for me. We got home around 11:30 and we all went straight to bed. My head was pounding from a total migraine. It was pretty bad. I had to hold my mouth a couple of times on the drive because I thought I would throw up. That's just how those bad headaches affect me. It wasn't pretty. Thank goodness the pounding was gone the next morning. What a night of sleep will do. :D

Monday and Tuesday seem to be blurring together. I have just been busy baking treats for kids parties, cleaning house, washing clothes, attending Casey's performance at the Principal's Tea (very cute!!), attending Emily's Halloween party and parade, Todd's work Halloween lunch, hunting down items at stores for kids halloween costumes, and trying to remember everything I need to for Mitty's baptism this Saturday. It has been a bit crazy for my mind. I feel like it is on overdrive mode. It is pretty much! I was able to find the kids items at the Goodwill for their costumes. It was so great to pay $7.00 for mine, Casey's and Mitty's costumes. You can't beat that. Casey is a pirate, Mitty is a mummy (the sheet cost me $1.00), Emily is a black cat and Ellie is a USC cheerleader. I will have pictures to post tomorrow of them in their costumes. Last night I ripped strips out of the sheet, I cut around the bottoms of Casey's pants and shirt to make it more pirate like while Todd oversaw the kids carving their pumpkins. They pretty much did it themselves which was really nice. They did a great job!!!

Emily's party at school was really cute. Ellie was able to walk around in the parade in her costume. She loved it. Ellie was laughing at the kids and pretty much running to keep up with some of the boys that were playing. It was pretty cute. Emily held her hand around in the parade. I love that they have each other.

Today is finishing up Emily's costume, Emily's dance class, attend Casey's party, attend Mitty's party, order the food for the weekend, trick or treating through the village, and trunk or treating at church. The village here reminds me somewhat of Old Towne Orange and every year they put on this trick or treating event where about 2,000 kids come to trick or treat to all of the stores, restaurants and City Hall. It's mayhem but I'm sure we will attempt. It was really hard with the stroller last year. There are so many people you can't help but hit the persons feet in front of you. I hate that. Oh well, we will have a good time!

It looks like it is tiime to go get started for the day. I love Halloween but it will sure be nice to wake up tomorrow and say it's all good until next year. :D

Happy 8th Birthday Mitty!!

I have to get a post in before the day ends but don't have time to write much or load the pictures from today.

It was a success. We played games and I had prizes for the winners. Todd had today off so he participated in the fun. I will post more about the games later with pictures. Mitty told me and Todd tonight that it was the best day for him. That was music to my ears after he was a bit disappointed this morning that I didn't have his card laid out on the table. He said his class at school sang happy birthday and he liked that. He picked to go to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). He was dying to go to a restaurant where they would sing to him. Our waitress said they don't sing but would get him a sundae. When she came back the sundae was huge and we all sang to him. He was happy! He came to me tonight and thanked me for such a fun day and said it was the best birthday. He gave me a hug and it was sweet. Ahhh, I felt so good! After dinner Casey said, "Mom, I just love when our family goes places all together." So sweet! I felt like I am doing something right :D.

I am so blessed to have MItty in our family. He is such a sweet boy and cares for his family. He loves his siblings and really wants to do good. I love him so much and am so happy to have him as my son. Thanks Mitty for loving us so much to come and be with our family forever! Happy Birthday Mit Mit!!

One Busy Day After Another

This week has been full of events so far. Some weeks it just doesn't seem to let up. A part of me feels exhausted from keeping up with the latest news on the horrible wildfires burning in So. Cal. I can't believe how bad it is and how many people have lost their homes. How devastating! I would much rather lose my home than a loved one. I just couldn't understand some of the people who weren't going to evacuate. Wouldn't you much rather know that your house burned than melt with it? I don't mean that to sound insensitive. I just don't know how anything else would matter more than a person's own life. I have never been in there shoes and don't know what crazy thing I may come up with in a moment of panic.
When I saw that it was starting to burn in Live Oak Canyon, I felt like it was hitting home. That was an area that was in our old Stake in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Yesterday was the ugliest "sky" day I have seen up here in nearly 2 years. It was so dingy and just blah. It is from all of the fires. I can't imagine being right in the thick of it. So scary!

Monday:
I took Em to go have her eyes checked. Yep, her pediatrician recommended that she have her eyes checked from an eye dr. since her little vision test came back 20/40. Since we have a history on both sides of people wearing glasses at a somewhat early age (the dr. claimed anything before high school is early), I had no problem having her checked. It was such a long visit but she was a trooper. She had to have her eyes dilated. She was so tough. She wasn't going to cry yet it was all over face. She did great until we had to wait in the room with all of the equipment. She just wasn't so sure of it and kept telling me that she just wanted to be home. It was so cute yet so sad because I could understand how all of that would look to a little 4 year old. We were there for an hour and a half and the consensus is.....she has to wear glasses. She was in heaven to wear the flimsy dark glasses the rest of the day because her pupils were dilated. She is really into this! I can only hope she thinks so once her real pair get here. She is farsighted and has an ever so slight astigmatism (I have astigmatism as do some of my sisters). I heard the girl say that one of her eyes was 20/60. I had no idea. The dr. said that kids don't usually tell you because they don't know any different. He said that she may just have to wear them for a time to correct her eyes. He was really pushing that it is important to get these things corrected by the time your child is 7. We go back in 4 months to see where she is at. In the meantime, I have been on a hunt to find her some glasses that are right for her little face.

TUESDAY:

Emily had preschool in the morning and so I went and had an oil change in the truck. That was overdue. I tell you...too many things to do and not enough time. I think we have all said that. After school, I ran Emily up to a few places to look at glasses. She was in heaven trying on such cutsie glasses. Her little face is so precious with glasses. I just have to giggle when she tries a pair on. We made it back just in time to pick up the boys from school. I hate not spending time at home with just the two girls while the boys are in school. I do need to enjoy the house with a little less noise and fuss each day. We were on homework duty...the boys have been great with their homework. I can't imagine if they were really needing much help. I would be stretched too thin. Todd had a late meeting in Bakersield yesterday afternoon and so didn't get home until 8:30... the night before it was after 7:30 and tonight he has Bishopric meetings. When he isn't around in the evenings that many days in a row it really wears on me. It is a grind for sure.

WEDNESDAY (Today): We ran to another eye shop this morning after I dropped off the boys at school. We had to be ready for her dance class so it was a bit of a race this morning having everyone dressed and ready to go so early. We stopped in Wal-Mart for a few items and then off to dance. Emily is doing so well in her class. She has the timing down with the steps. It is so cute to watch. She is really learning the steps and the terms for all of her moves. It's fun to hear her talk about the different ones here at home. She loves her class and I'm happy that she is having fun and learning a new thing. Her teacher is opening a new studio right by our house in January sometime....YEAH!! I will be so happy. The drive will be just a couple of minutes instead of 10-12 up the freeway. Todd met us at another eye shop to look at glasses during lunch. It is so hard taking Ellie to all of these shops. She is fussing and wanting out of the stroller, Emily is pulling every pair of kids glasses down and trying them on and I'm supposed to be making sure they fit and look right on her. We were able to make a decision on a pair. They are cute and Emily loves them and can't wait to wear them. That is what matters! We then took her to McDonalds and she and Todd had lunch. I grazed on some french fries and Franks red hot sauce. Ellie was pretty much exhausted by this point. She had had no nap and was fussy a bit. She was asleep the minute I hit the freeway.

On top of all of this they all have a runny nose and that tires me out. I have a stash of kleenex every where I go.

It is so nice to have the glasses finally picked out and off of my chest....now onto the next many items of business in the next 6 days...
~planning Mitty's baptism which is stressing me,
~getting Mitty's slacks tailored,
~preparing the house for many guests next week,
~trying to write out a talk for Ressa's baptism on Sunday in Rancho Cucamonga,
~trying to have something fun for Mitty on his b'day (Friday). I told him I just couldn't plan 2 big parties this close to each ~other.
~Make and package 22 cookies for Casey's class party
~Attend Casey's class performance for the Principal's Tea
~Provide drinks for Emily's class party and attend
~Ward Family Service Project in our town Saturday morning
~Decorate my trunk and provide candy for our wards Trunk or Treat
~Figure out costumes for my kids

And I can't forget the laundry that is always a chore. There is so many items of clothing it kills me.

I am so dang sleepy tonight and I'm staring at 3 loads of laundry to fold and a dishwasher that is full, ready to be put away and dirty dishes from dinner tonight. Oh, I am praying for a miracle to have the energy to finish it all in the next hour before it's my bedtime. I better go set the timer and get busy.

Our Little Gardening Project/ Week at a Glance/Pictures From Avila Barn

This is what me and my little helper did this morning. I have had an empty container sitting in my garage for 2 years begging to have some flowers put in. I don't know much about gardening but love to look at pretty colorful flowers. I took matters into my own hands and decided this would be fun for Emily to help me with while the boys were at school. Yesterday, I bought the flowers not knowing anything other than I liked the colors and I've seen Pansies in many containers such as the one that I have. I have to say it was very relaxing to sit out front in the warm sun with Emily and plant these flowers. Her little fingers just know what to do with all of the soil. She just copies and I love it. She is so capable of doing so many things. It amazes me sometimes. (While I'm thinking of her I have to document her abilities...the other day she came to me and told me that she had transferred all of the clothes from the washer into the dryer and needed the "sheet" to put in the dryer. The dryer sheets :D. She has only watched me a thousand times do the washing routine. She really had put all of the clothes into the dryer. Wow! She then had emptied my entire hamper and had brought all of the clothes out to the washer and said she wanted to put these in. So cute. The pile was bigger than she is. I started the water, she put in the soap and wanted to put all of the clothes in and did. She is quite a helper around here.

I am wanting to go get another container and plant some more. This could be my new thing. While Ellie takes a nap Em and I can plant and make things pretty. Who doesn't love to see a pot of some pretty flowers on the porch. I wish I had my own house to do what I wanted in the yard. That is the bummer about renting. I'm sure our landlords would let me change some stuff. They are very nice and laid back.

I sure hope our flowers don't die on me. I hate when I kill plants/flowers. I am not really good with keeping things alive. We had fun doing it and I can't wait for another gardening project.

I can't belive the week is over. Where does the time go?? I have been busy with many different appointments....it seems crazy how they all landed in one week. Thank goodness for the receptionists that call and remind of us our appointements. I would have never remembered Emily's first dentist appt. I made it months ago and it never made it to the newest calendar. She did great and was such a big girl. My kids love the dentist. It's wonderful. We have had such great experiences with doctors and dentists that I feel blessed! She was so happy to get her own toothbrush, dental floss and toy. The things that make kids happy :D.

Emily and Ellie both had their routine visits with our pediatricain this week. Both are doing really well. Emily had a vision/hearing test and did well. The dr. wants her to go see an opthomologist to have a full eye exam. Her eyes were 20/40. He said that for children 20/30 is normal and 20/50-60 he would recommend them out to an eye dr. Since she is on the border he wants her to be checked further. We just happen to have an opthamologist in our ward who saw Todd this week for an exam. That is another story. Emily is set for Monday morning to have a full eye exam. We'll see what he tells us.

My dr. called and is referring me out to a urologist to be checked further. The soonest I can get in is the middle of Nov., ugh. I can't wait for some explanation or answers as to why.

Todd went in to have his eyes checked this week because they have really been bothering him. He sees purple when he blinks, has blurry areas and just can't read that well. He is fast approaching 40 or is it 60? haha I can say that because he would be laughing along with me. The dr. found he has blistering on his retina and now something else that I can't remember. The dr. said he sees that most often in people with Type A personality. Todd isn't Type A...his dad is. The funniest thing was the dr. told him to go to the drug store and buy a pair of +1 reading glasses. This is classic for Todd. I can't see him going to the store and buying the little reading glasses. I'm sure I will have to surprise him with a pair.

I'm happy it's Friday and look forward to a nice weekend. The weather has been warm (86 degrees yesterday). It is beautiful outside. I can't complain..it just means less heating for us to pay for. I looked at the weather forecast and it shows it to be 80 degrees at least 3 days next week. That is strange for up here. By now, we are normally wearing warmer clothes. It's nice to still be in skirts and flip flops.

I'm off to check off more items on the list....Costco, lunch, wash clothes, tidy up and entertain the girls. That can be a workout.

Pictures from Avila Barn last weekend...

Recap of the Weekend..........

It turned out that Todd had to work most of Friday. The nice thing was that he took Emily to work with him until lunch time. She had her backpack all loaded up with snacks, crayons, coloring books,etc. She was ready to go and so excited to be going to dad's work.

I was then able to go to my dr. appt with just Ellie. That's another story that is frustrating....not to be graphic or give too much info. but for my own record it was a 3 month check up on the whole "blood in the urine" ordeal I went through back in July. My sample came back with large amounts of blood again. Ugh!! I do have very small kidney stones (I learned of those when I had the CT scan) that I could be passing causing the blood to be there but she isn't messing around. She even said that blood can show up just having stones in my kidney's. Anyway, she will call me today or Wednesday to let me know what the results of the microscopic test were. Once she knows the results she will be sending me on to a urologist. It is so frustrating not knowing why the blood is there. Oh well, I can't do anything about it so on to the next item on the checklist.

I did meet Todd at Loco for lunch with the girls and a friend. It's become our standard every other friday for lunch to go to Loco. Todd then had to go back and finish up more work but was done early. Our Friday night was low key. Todd made the kids dinner while I worked out.

Saturday was a beautiful day. It rained on Friday so the sky and hills were just gorgeous. It was very warm and so we decided it was a great day to take dad to the Barn. The kids have wanted to take him to go through the maze with. Todd had never been during this time of year when all of the pumpkins and hay are set up. We kept saying it was like Disneyland. There were so many people and lines for all of the produce, ice cream, hay rides etc. It was packed. I had packed the kids lunch so we sat at a table and ate. The kids were dying to get to the maze. We did the maze and it was awful. The space was so narrow and there were so many dead ends I was feeling trapped. It was hot and damp under this tarp that covered the entire maze. Todd tried it once but couldn't make it back in. The kids were begging to go back in to figure out the maze. How could I leave them hanging and not figure it out. I took them back in and we managed to figure it out. I was so dang hot and so happy to see the end. We ended up getting a bunch of veggies/fruit and the kids got ice cream. It was quite a day at the Barn. I think we all left there happy. It was a fun day together.

Todd and I watched the SC game on Tivo later that night. It was fun and even more fun to watch them win.

Sunday was a full day. We went to church and the kids did pretty well for me. Ellie is doing better. I didn't even have to go out once. It's during SS and RS that I pretty much camp out in the foyer area. It's too stressful for me to be in class trying to keep her busy and quiet. It's not worth it. I will leave church with a migraine every time when I try too hard. I made up the kids lunch and got it all cleaned up to pretty much go back in and start dinner. I knew Todd would be home around 4:00 and would be starving! He has to be there at 7:00am so it's a long day at the bldg. for him. We ate together once he got home and then he had to continue working on his talk for the fireside he was speaking at last night for the youth. He said it went just fine. I know he did a great job. He has no problem getting up and talking.

This week is going to be busy again. Todd has 4 nights of church meetings including last night. I have cookies to take for a funeral, bills to do, kids dr.'s appts., Todd's eye appt., and a birthday party for MItty to go to. I have Mitty's baptism to finish up in my head. I want to get the program done and food decided on. Once that is finalized in my head I think I can relax some. If any of you have any ideas for food or some tips that have worked please tell me.

I have photos of the weekend but the camera isn't close so those will follow.

Pumpkin Pancakes and more...

I have been in such a pumpkin mood this month...it's great. I seem to be on a quest to use pumpkin in anything that sounds good. I had some left over pumpkin that I used to make bread the other day and so last night I made pumpkin pancakes. It sounded so dang good and turned out to be so good. The kids were loving them. It was pretty much pumpkin pie pancakes. I did the regular pancake recipe using bisquick but added a little more milk and used one egg white. The pumpkin mixture was just about 1/2 c. of pumpkin with about 2 tbsp. of sugar and then some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Of course not too much of the cloves and nutmeg. Just make it taste good. I put that mixture in with the other and mixed it up. I made real whipped cream and topped the pancakes with that and some syrup. It was very "fall" around here. I love the smell, taste and everything about it.

I couldn't stop there and decided to use the rest of the pumpkin in a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. I found a good one. They turned out really tasty! Todd is so funny....he doesn't like pumpkin pie but loves pumpkin bread and then wasn't real big on pumpkin with the cookies. It's been quite the pumpkin fest around here. We'll see what's next....

I'm happy it's the end of the week again. Oh, the weekend..... Todd has tomorrow off which is always nice and no big plans for the weekend. He is in charge of the seminary breakfast tomorrow morning so he has to be up at the crack o' dawn with me.

The last couple of mornings once I get back from working out I have opened up the Ensign to read some good articles. It is so nice to sit and read such uplifting material first thing in the morning. What better way to start my day than with wonderful promises and words of encouragement. Ellie is crying and this mom needs to sit with her. :D