The Weekend/Mothers Day Recap/Happy B'day To Me!

Friday was a busy day with a couple of dr. appts...the dentist for me and the dr. for Emily. She complained of her ear hurting and I didn't want to head into the weekend without some medication. Emily preferred Todd to take her to the dr. so he did. That worked out great because I was then able to take Mitch to go get a jacket. Sure enough her ear was a bit red and so we got some medicine to clear it up. She has been just fine....phew!! After the dr. appts., we headed over to Costco to see about some shelves to hold our food storage in the garage and get that all organized. After an hour in there of chasing children, trying to look at what we went there for, chatting with a friend that we ran into and then checking out, I was truly done with Costco. We made it home, fed the kids, and then we must have gone to bed. I can't remember much more.

Saturday I worked out in the morning and then came home to get started on the garage. It was going to be a project for sure. I got everything moved out and started sweeping the floor. I threw out what was trash and what I was just sick of looking at. You know those items we never use but continue to look at on a shelf or are just plain in the way. I tossed it and felt good about it. I didn't give myself enough time for this project and so had to bring everything back into the garage in order to take the boys to their games. They overlapped a bit and so Todd and I went to different places and then met back up at Mitch's game. The boys played awesome and it was so fun to watch. The weather was perfect for a baseball game and I just enjoyed being outside on a blanket on the grass. Once we got back home, Todd got started on the shelves and started organizing. I love it when he organizes!! He knows just where to put stuff and it doesn't take him long to do it. Little did I know....it took us until 10:00pm to get everything put away and organized for the most part. I feel so much better now. All of our food and emergency supplies are in the same area. There is a reason to be organized. It feels so good! We'll see how long this lasts. Thanks Todd for all of your help :D!





Sunday, I was able to sleep in until 8:00. Todd took the baby and handled all of that detail of feeding her and getting her diaper changed. He is so good about all of that anytime. He wants to help out with the kids and will always help. I love that about him!!! I couldn't do it alone with a husband who didn't like to help. Anyway, he made me breakfast....egg white omelette with Loco salsa. I'm not a fun person to make food for. To most, I'm probably very boring. I loved it and that is what matters!! Then the whole family played a game of Yahtzee. I haven't played for a long time. We had lots of fun. For lunch/snack before church we busted out the George Foreman grill. Todd sliced up zuchini and grilled it on there for me. It was the best!! The grill is my new best friend. It is a permanent fixture on my counter. I picked out the menu for dinner which was chicken in this sesame/ginger marinade and Todd's veggie medley. I made some fried rice for the others and they loved it. Thanks Todd for cooking up the best food. We used the grill for the chicken and it was so good. We couldn't stop laughing over using this grill. I think we were really surprised that it turned out as good as it did. I reminded Todd that my day wasn't over yet and that I wanted him to help me in the kitchen. He sure did. he took over and washed up all of the dishes, the table and the counters. What a way to end the day....not having to clean the kitchen. :D0

The boys gave me their gifts that they made at school. Casey gave me a soy candle. He poured it himself into this little container and it's the best. It smells like a 50/50 bar (orange/cream). Thanks Casey! Mitch made me a little bowl made out of clay and he painted it different colors. He said that I could put my jewelery in it. Perfect! Todd told me I am getting a combo Mother's Day/b'day gift that will come on Friday. It's fun to a have a whole week of celebrating. Grammy does it right. :D I enjoyed my day and being with my family.




My dad sent me a hat for Mother's Day and even signed it. I love that it is such a gift that will remind me of him forever. For anyone who doesn't know my dad...he owns a construction company so the "CAT" is so fitting for him to give. I love it. Thanks dad for such a fun gift.




I was up at 5:10 this morning and working out at 5:30. I'm very proud of myself for sticking to this new goal. It has now been one week and I went everyday last week. It feels good and I start my day off with some quiet time around the house, scriptures and personal prayer and some blogging. Does it get any better???

Mitch said that he is going to make me a dessert all by himself for my b'day today. This should be fun. I better go and get showered up before the kids start getting up. I hope all of you mother's had a wonderful day! I can't believe I didn't take one picture yesterday. That is bad. Oh well, today will be fine to snap some and call it Mother's day pics.

Happy Mother's Day

This day really is always a special day. I love to think about how special my mom is to me. I am so grateful to have a mother who cares about me and loves me. And I love her. I am so thankful for her example in all of my 32 years that has helped me to be a good mom to my children. I really love that my mom has always put her family first. She would let the house go any day of the week to spend a few more minutes or hours with her kids. She played countless games of Chuttes and Ladders with me when I was in kindergarten. We had a few trips to Disneyland just she and I that I will never forget. Now that I am a mother myself, I can appreciate even more what she really did and sacrificed for her children. It isn't an easy job. And she had 6 kids. Mom, you win the medal!

I feel blessed to be a mother myself to my 4 children. It is the hardest job that I have ever had in all of my short 32 years. Yet, it is the best job and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I sure hope that I can follow my own mothers example of enduring through hard times/situations that I may go through with my own children. Thanks mom for all of the time you spend and have spent with me and my family. I enjoy thinking about all of the special memories that we have thus far and the ones we continue to make together....ie Women's Conference :D. Thank you for playing an active role in my children's lives. They love you and have many memories already of time spent with you.

I wish all of you mother's a happy day! Know that your role as a mother is divine. You aren't "just" a mother! It is a big job and one of the most important/rewarding jobs any woman could have. I love my job! :D

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!! I love you.

A New Book and I love it!!

This book is so awesome! My sister April gave it to me while we were up at Women's Conference. I have been reading it each night and am totally loving it. I took it with me this morning to read while I worked out and was able to read so much. I just love it and recommend it to all of you mother's. There is a quote in it that I thought was really fun. I am setting it up with what she said first and then the quote.....She said that while I am in the process of building a firm foundation of love and righteousness for my children, the Lord is in the process of building me, his daughter. And knowing that God has a hand in my life makes everything I go through here- as a mother, a wife, and a woman - worthwhile. Ok, now here is the quote that she uses from C.S. Lewis. I had to set it up...

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house than the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace." She then goes on to say...Maybe the next time someone asks, "What do you do?" you can say, with a twinkle in your eye, that you're a subcontractor, currently working on a palace or two.

Since I have been back from Women's Conference, I have thought so much about what I can do with the kids to ensure that they feel that they have the whole armor of God on each day as they leave the house. I know my kids are young but this is the time to start. I see little bits of attitude from Mitch, my 7 year old and just don't really want to imagine what the next 5+ years are going to bring. I'm sure most of you already do this but I was a little more organized about it this morning and actually followed through with it. We had 10 minutes before we had to leave to take Mitch to school and so I gathered all of the kids together on the floor for some scriptures and a family prayer minus dad. I read through a few and explained what they meant in kids terms, had a prayer and then we were off. It felt so much better than hurrying through a prayer in the car on the way to school. Has anyone been there?? Instead we were able to talk about what we read and about temptation. I can thank Amie for her example of holding a devotional with her kids in the morning. I love that! I love the room with the couches and no tv in it. That is great! I want a room like that just to myself :D hahaha! I'm reminded of what a good job she does with her family. Way to go Amie! I am trying to follow your example.

My children are really needing me now. I knew I only had a couple of minutes to write down some thoughts from this morning.

I'm Pretty Beat :D

Today was a productive day for me. I was up at 5am, working out and reading some wonderful Conference talks. I encourage all to re-read them over and over. Once I got back, I read my scriptures and had a quiet moment for my personal prayer. I know this is sounding too good to be true but it is for real. That hour of the day is becoming more and more precious to me. It's amazing how alert my mind is early in the morning. I am actually understanding some of what I'm reading. I am always so happy to at least have done scriptures and a prayer to start the day.

Casey had a field trip to Cal Poly so he went to school at 8:30 along with Mitch. Casey was so cute carrying up a big bouquet of flowers for his teacher. He really loves his teacher. It is teacher appreciation week and so the boys wanted to do flowers. After taking the boys to school, I came back and decided to wash the Suburban since it was overcast this morning. This may sound ridiculous to some but I really enjoyed working on the truck myself and not paying $20.00. It isn't that hard. It took me a good 40 minutes from start to finish. As I was washing it, I was thinking to myself how important it is to teach young people to work and to work hard. Not always for money but just for the reward of doing it yourself and getting a job done. It really felt good! After washing the car, I came inside to play a game of memory with Emily. One game turned into 3 games. It was great time well spent with her. I am trying to get in more quality time with each child. She loved it!

By noon, I was very sleepy. My eyes were getting very heavy as I was driving home from picking up Casey. Tonight I'm going to be in bed much earlier than the past couple nights.

I did laundry, washed sheets, cleaned kitchen/dishes, straightened the house and now am falling asleep at the computer.

The kids were able to find some fun activities with their bikes and scooters in the backyard this afternoon after school. Ellie took a nap and so I was able to run through the house and get a bunch done while the kids were involved outside. It worked out so well.

I am happy to see this day come to a close. My eyes are feeling the need to shut. I hope I will feel much more refreshed tomorrow morning.

2nd day of getting up at 5am/SPT-Cinco de Mayo

I'm on a role...I know it's only been 2 days but I plan on keeping it this way. I feel so accomplished already and it's only 9am. I just love that I can have my personal prayer and my own scripture study while no one is awake. I feel so much better doing those things that haunt me throughout the day when I don't make the time to do them. I hit the gym at 5:30 for an hour and feel so good exercising first thing. I decided to take the Ensign with me and read the conference talks. The time just flew by and I felt that I was fed with such wonderful words of council to help my family achieve our goals and to be on our toes in a world where there is so much temptation. It felt good to start my day out that way. I love to play over in my mind the words that Elder Holland spoke of when he said that we are in a glorious time, we should be grateful to live in this dispensation. He said that President Hinckley always says, "It's just going to get better and better and better." What hope that gives all of us who are striving to do what is right. I just love that and know that as we do better and better, everything around us will feel better.

I better get back to the house and kids. My list isn't too bad today:

-vacuum
-finish unpacking suitcase
-fold more laundry
-tidy up
-do something with the kids

Today is another beautiful day on the Central Coast. I sure hope it lasts! I will have to find something to do outside for sure. I'm sure the kids won't mind :D. Good day to you all!

SPT Challenge....Cinco de Mayo

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Here are two pictures taken on Cinco de Mayo...does that count??hahaha :D I was driving home and tried to capture how nice it was with the beautiful scenery. I never thought to snap one from the side so I would be in it. Oh well. Here is some nice scenerey through a dirty windshield and window.

I wish I had a picture of that night with me in it but I don't. I was traveling home from the airport that night after my trip to Utah. Todd did hold out and wait for me so that we could have Taco Loco together. We brought it in and had a nice relaxing dinner. He had all of the kids asleep and in bed by the time I got home (8:30pm). Good job Todd!! :D

I'm Back....It's Been A Wonderful Week

Me, my sister Barbie and my sister April in one of our dorms. The dorms this year were a brutal experience. I loved it last year but am considering new accomodations for the future....a hotel :D.


Me and my mom. I'm so glad we were all there together!


Me and my sisters again in the parking lot of the Provo temple. We were so ice cold that we were snapping pics in a hurry. I enjoyed being able to attend the temple while I was child free and literally 2 minutes from a temple. It's even better being there with mom and my sisters. We all missed Marilyn not being with us this year. Hopefully, next year for sure.

It's been busy around here getting back into the groove after being away at Women's Conference. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the speakers and the classes so much. I really learn so much and mainly am spiritually fed and uplifted. I love it. It rejuvenates me and encourages me to be better, do better and to continually be in a state of progression. I loved the time off from the daily grind at home. Mothers need time outs for sure.

We had a great time eating out at Spaghetti Factory, CPK, Panda and Subway. Friday night we went out to CPK and met up with Amie and her mom. We enjoyed all of the time spent together talking about old times and fun times. We loved your house Amie!! What a peaceful place to live. Except for the mooing :D. Just teasing! I am commending you on your food storage. You guys are awesome. You have motivated me to really get mine finished. Thank you! You are doing such a great job with your family. James and Jessica are so polite and well mannered. They were fun to be around. Jessica is 9 going on 29. :D I think it is so funny. She is such a grown up. It was fun to catch up.

My kids did great here at home with dad and Aunt Nancy. She spoiled them by taking them to Doc Burnstein's (the ice cream store) everyday after school. They loved it!! She said Ellie's favorite ice cream seems to be strawberry. Emily has a cold and has been somewhat under the weather so I stayed home with she, Casey and Ellie yesterday and Nancy took Mitch with her to church. It was nice having a day of rest before the week started again. I so appreciate all that Nancy did to make it possible for me to leave. She did a great job and I am so thankful for her.

I have recommitted myself to some goals that I make over and over. After hearing so many wonderful words of advice at Women's conference, I would be dumb not to make it a priority each day to follow the council. I am going to spend more quality time with my children. Some things around the house can wait and maybe I just need to manage that a little bit better so that there is more time for me to spend with them. I started this morning by getting up at 5:00 to workout at 5:30 and then get my personal scripture reading in before the kids wake up. That is so essential for me to do it that early. It works out great for me. I was able to do more of my chores earlier in the morning so that I freed up time in the afternoon to spend with Emily. I sat out in the backyard, getting some color, and watched her ride her bike. She absolutely loved it. It was 85 degrees today and just beautiful. It made me feel so good to see how excited she was when I told her that I was going to come out and watch her. Anyway, I am happy to make some changes that I feel will benefit my family now and in the years to come.

I ended the day with a trip to Costco to exchange some items and build up our food storage. Todd met me there to help with the kids. It was an experience as it always is. We had family home evening and used some new books that I got at the book store to teach the scripture stories to the kids. The kids liked it and so did I. I am feeling good about the day. I really made a big effort to be conscious of how I spoke to the kids, how I reacted to certain situations that came up, and how I spent time with them. I am beat tonight but can go to bed feeling like I tried my best and made progress. Off to fold and then bed. 5am comes around very quickly :D.

Taking a short break...:D

I have been busy getting myself and my family ready for me to leave for Women's Conference tomorrow night. I am so excited for this trip that I am giddy about all of the fun I will have with my mom, sisters and friends. I stayed up too late last night typing out everything that anyone may need to know to run our house while I'm gone. I know I wrote out too much but better too much than too little. Todd will be working during the day while his aunt is watching the kids and keeping our busy schedule going. They will be fine and will have lots of fun I know.

Today I have done laundry,gone grocery shopping, cleaned the kitchen, went by Wal-Mart, vacuumed, straightened and really shouldn't be on the computer until more laundry and more cleaning are done. I had to take a short break and check in. I'm trying to stay on task so that I'm not up until 2am tonight finalizing everything. I hate that but am likely to be doing it.

As for the weekend, it was fun with warm weather, in laws here, baseball games, and church. We had fun and the kids love grandparents to come and visit. Well, I'm off to keep up the pace to getting the house and myself in shape to leave.

I Made It Through the Day

I'm still awake after being up for 16 hours. That really sounds awful! The day wasn't as bad as I was anticipating it to be. I even went out for another 2 1/2 mile walk this afternoon with the girls. I honestly believe age has caught up with me and I have to do double duty on working out to lose weight or just to stay the same. It feels good to get out and exercise. I really do love it. I'm probably freaky to some but I really do enjoy exercising. I know the positive effects it has on me and I can't live without those.

Today was gorgeous and about 76 degrees. When the weather is nice and sunny, I have to do something outside. I never know if tomorrow it's going to be raining. It rained on Sunday and was cold here and then overnight it was nice and sunny.

To answer Christina's question on what time I go to bed ~ It isn't early. Are you kidding. I have to be awake in my house with children asleep for a period of time every night. Last night I fell asleep watching AI on tivo. I still don't know who got booted off. I have to go catch up tonight. It was around 11 or a little later that I went to sleep. I'm good with 6-7 hours of sleep. I can't sleep in so since I was awake this morning I took advantage and got my workout out of the way. Todd has tomorrow off so I don't have to go that early...whew!!

Jim and Carol (Todd's parents) came to Mitch's game tonight and that was fun. He had a great game and ended up getting the "game ball". Todd started that in the beginning with the team and thought it would be fun for the kids. The kids really do love it. I was in charge of snack tonight so Casey and Emily were so happy to pass the bags out to everyone. They really helped out and did a good job of making sure siblings had a snack bag too. It was pretty cute to see them at work.

I'm off to enjoy a skinny cow and AI. The computer screen is now putting me to sleep. I probably won't make it through the 2nd time of watching AI.

An Early Morning...a good start!

It was an early morning today. I was up at 5:00 just by chance and decided to go wake Casey to have him go to the bathroom in the right place instead of his bed and he did. He is doing a great job!! He went back to bed and I decided to go to the gym since I was up. I was there at 5:30 and it felt so good to get that done early. I got back home, put in a load of laundry, read scriptures for a half hour, said my prayers and now am even getting in a post for today. It was strange to be able to do all of that and not have anyone bothering me, asking questions, finding me, calling for me, etc. I feel like I have really accomplished what is most important and wish I could say that everyday. The mornings start so early around here with the kids getting up that the day slips away quickly from me and then I'm trying to read scriptures at night and end up falling asleep. I have decided after this morning that this is what I need at the beginning of my day and not when I am dead to the world at night. I feel good and hope that I can keep this going. No telling what I'm going to feel like at 3:00 today or even at 10:00 this morning.

Todd's parents came up to visit on Tuesday night. They will be here until Saturday. They wanted to get up here and watch the boys games before the season is over. The kids love it!!

The weather has just been beautiful here the last couple of days. In the 70's and sunny. I love to take my walks when it's like that. I love how clean the air feels here and how crisp the colors of the sky with the trees are. I really am thankful to live in a beautiful area. To see the ocean everyday as I drive on the freeway is just gorgeous. I'm ready for it to stay warm for awhile so we can enjoy the beach!

I better get back to folding some laundry before I start to hear signs of children waking up :D.

SPT Challenge.....Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

This was a challenge for me...

I must say that I am not good at recycling all that I should. My kids keep me in line in that area. The kids have been talking a lot about this in their classes at school lately. I guess because it was Earth Day on Sunday. They come home to tell me what can and can't be recycled. I'm glad that they know so much about it. They actually do some of it for me. I never discourage it if they are excited about it. I guess I'm just lazy when it comes to recycling. I would much rather toss it in the trash to get it off of my counter right then than to walk out to the side of the house and put it in the recycling bin 20 x's a day. I definitely did my share yesterday when I collected up all that I had set aside for this challenge. I'm not Earth friendly in the car department either...I drive a big SUV but need something big enough to carry my family in. I love my Suburban and wouldn't trade it for anything.

I live in an area that the bins are provided so there really is no excuse for me. I definitely admire those who are good about recycling. I do know that every effort to do so can make a difference. I will do better....I promise!! :D

Monday...a good start

I am beginning to love Mondays more and more. I love that it gives me the feeling of a brand new start...of anything. Right now I love that I was able to start over on my points after the past few days. I made Chocolate Yogurt covered raisin cookies. They are so good. Isn't that a better choice than chocolate chips?? I thought so too. :D I just ate too many of them. Oh well, I threw the last one out this morning and promised myself that I would stay within my points today. I accomplished that and will finish the night off with a skinny cow. I did my walk and felt so good after that too. I'm realizing how much I need to get out in the fresh air daily. I love it. I think it clears my head and gives me a chance to listen to some music (ipod)...maybe it is just diversion from in the house. Whatever it is I love!

Of course I had the bad "Sunday headache" last night so I went to bed early and woke up feeling good. I was able to get up at 6:50 and do the dishes from last night and get the kitchen all cleaned up before the kids were getting up. I try to make my Monday's very productive to start my week out right. I feel like I did just that and even talked to my mom and sister on the phone. I started the laundry and still have to finish that tonight, cleaned out the refrigerator and wiped it all down, wiped down the kids bathroom, vacuumed the entire house, cleaned up Emily's room, changed sheets, went to the grocery store, put clothes away, read a story from the Ensign to the kids while they cleaned their room, sang Hymns together as a family tonight, read some scriptures together, and had a family prayer. And what was so great was that they were all in bed and asleep by 8:15. I am feeling accomplished at the end of this day.



This morning I told Casey to put his clothes away that were on his bedroom floor and pick up his portion of the room. He wasn't so thrilled to do that and so I told him I was going to set the timer and see if he could get it all done. I heard him crying in there once I set the timer. I want my kids use to working against the clock....that is the real world. Am I brutal or what?? Anyway, I didn't say too much to him and just let him work it out with himself. After a few minutes had passed, I walked by and he was doing a great job of putting his stuff away. Just as he called me to come see what he had done, the timer went off. He did such a great job. He made his bed look so perfect and put up the Raggedy Andy doll grandma made him on his bed with a book in front of it like the doll was reading. So cute. Mitch had done that the other day and I just loved it. It looked so darling. I told him he is such a good worker and knows just how to clean so well. I thanked him for doing his work. I noticed he stayed in there and was doing some other stuff and pretty soon he called me back in to show me that he had put all of Mitty's clothes away for him, and made Mitty's bed. The room looked excellent!! I try to make them aware of that nice feeling that they exude when things are picked up and cleaned. They love to run around when everything is cleaned up. I feel like doing that too. Mitty was pleasantly surprised when he got home to see what Casey had done. He ran over to Casey and gave him a big hug and telling him thank you. I love moments like that!! I want to capture those moments in a bottle and never let them go. Mother's need to see that often. I love that they are close. They had fun together the rest of the afternoon being as wild as boys can be!!


We had a nice surprise this evening when the counselor in our bishopric and his wife stopped by to bring us salsa that they jar (all from their garden) and honey that he does himself. He has about 30,000 bees. This guy does everything. I thought he was kidding when he said he does the honey himself. That was so nice of them since he knows we love salsa. I can't wait to try it. They are going to show us how they jar it in August when she makes a ton of it. Todd makes a mean salsa so I'm anxious to see how this compares.

Weekend Activities/Good Mail/Ellie's 9 Month Check

Blogger went on the fritz for me again....it's bugging!! I will start off with a cute good mail letter that I got from Kristi on Saturday. How fun to get a cute note and some Pop Rocks Bubble Gum...just for me! :D Thank you Kristi! I've been so bad about sending Good Mail that I've decided to try and send some things this week. I always feel like it's got to be the perfect package for someone. I'm throwing that thought out the window and just sending something. If anyone doesn't care for what I send...pass it on to someone else :D.

I wasn't feeling so hot on Thursday when I woke up but by the afternoon I was ready to take my walk and went ahead and did it. Thanks for all of your kind comments. I did feel better as the day went on.

Friday....was a day packed with activities. It started early by the whole family taking Todd to work since his car was getting work done on it. I dropped Mitch off at school on the way back and then we were home for a couple of hours. Does anyone else have a child who is extremely picky about what he wears. Mitch is exhausting me on his pickiness. I guess i was the same way about many things that I wore. I just don't remember it being as early as first grade. He wants sweatshirts with hoods "Hoodie". How come that is the hardest item to find around here without spending $40.00 for it. Frustrating! I'm hoping when I'm in Utah in a couple of weeks I will be able to find one. Anyway, we then took Casey to school and then went up to meet Todd for lunch. I was headed that way for Ellie's Dr. appt. so we took advantage of spending some time with dad.


Ellie is now 9 months old as of April 12th.

Ellie's 9 month well check visit went really well. I was happy for her that she only had to have one shot. Yeah!! She weighed 18-2 and is 28" long. She gained 2 1/2 pounds and grew 3 inches in 3 months. Pretty good. Mitch weighed 18-2 when he turned 1 years old. She is doing really well. Last week she officially got up on her hands and knees and crawled across the room. Todd and I were so excited. She is our only baby who has crawled hands/knees before they walked. They have all done the army crawl. She is a pro at the army crawl. It gets her where she wants to go :D. She really enjoys table food. She is so good at picking up pieces one at a time so acurately that it literally makes me laugh to watch her eat. She is so precise. She is such a good baby. She is having a little more anxiety with strangers and even with the dr. She was doing fine for a minute until he came closer with his hands and she just broke out into a big cry. Poor sweetness. That is what I call her...fweetness to be exact. I love that she sucks on her thumb...it is so cute. She will just start giggling for no reason to us but apparently something has struck her funny, she loves to play with her siblings. Casey loves to take care of her. He really does do a good job. He takes her and sets up some toys and then gets down with her to entertain and play with her when she starts to get fussy. I love to see how the older ones play/interact with the baby. I hadn't realized how fast the time has gone by when the dr. said I will see you back when she is a year old. That is only in 3 months. Where has all of the time gone? The school year is almost over too. These next few months will be monumental with her. Crawling more, pulling herself up which she does a little right now, walking, switching to regular milk, more use of sippy cups, and much more I'm sure. She is getting her top two teeth also. She does say da-da and babbles. She mimics noises and gestures with her hands. It is so much fun. So much starts to happen from here on out. I have really enjoyed her and look forward to more fun times with Ellie Jayne girl.



Here is Ellie showing what she can do now....now that she is a big girl :D. She will hold the bottle on her own. I love to see her grow and do new things.

After the appt., I dropped Todd off at the dealer to pick up his car and then I was off to pick up the boys from school. We came home, picked up, I got dinner ready so that the kids could eat before Mitch's practice at 5:30 and then we were off to practice. It was stinkin cold out there on the field. The wind was blowing and the sun just wasn't warm enough. Anyway, the kids had fun playing on the playground and Mitch enjoyed his practice. We picked up ice cream cones at McDonalds for them on the way home. I had promised them a cone since they were so good the night before going to bed. Showers and bed for them, the gym for me and then Todd picked up Panda for us. You can't beat 4.5 points for dinner....Mushroom chicken and 2 veggie spring rolls. It's always so nice when the day comes to an end and I can just lay down on the couch with a warm quilt.

Saturday was a baseball game for Casey. He is so cute to watch. He had some good plays. I walked about 2.6 miles before his game and then jogged home from the field..another 1.5 miles. The way I ended up eating last night I needed to walk about 10 miles. I OD'd on chips and salsa. I hadn't had Loco for a long time and the chips and salsa totally hit the spot.

Today it is raining. It's fun to hear rain. It has been low key around here...It helps that I was ready for church by 10:30. I'm hoping for a nice day at church.

This post is soooooo long. Sorry for the book. That is what happens when this darn blogger doesn't let me log in and post. I haven't been able to leave comments either. So frustrating.

Busy Days Lately

I feel wiped this morning. I woke up with a headache and then proceeded to wash the truck myself after I took Mitch to school. I hate paying almost $20.00 for a car wash...it was so overdue on a wash. My head is still hurting and I don't feel like doing one thing around here today. I have been constantly going for a few days now and I feel like I have to take the day off.

Tuesday morning I had to make cinnamon rolls to take to the park for a girl in my ward who is moving on Friday. It is always so much harder than it sounds to get kids ready and all of the things we needed for the park. We had a nice time at the park. I hate to see her go. I really like her and her husband. They are awesome!! It's so sad to lose a good family in the ward. Anyway, I took Casey on to school, did my 3 mile walk with the girls, fed the girls and myself, picked up the boys, fed the boys, helped with homework, got the car packed to head over to the baseball field, watched Mitty's game, and then from the game took Emily and the boys to the School Play which was Jungle Book. It was fun and the kids really liked it. Toward the end of the play, Emily was getting a bit restless. It was only an hour. By the time we got home, it was jammie time and bed time.

Wednesday was busy with chores and laundry, a friend & her husband came over with their little boy for a bit in the morning, 3 mile walk with the girls, and then had the same routine but for Casey's game. We sat at the field in the cold wind for an hour to watch Casey play. He is doing so well. He has the cutest run. I guess it's only cute in T-ball. The coach would probably be irritated with it if he does it when he is older. Thank goodness I was able to get the girls bathed before we went so there wasn't so much to do later after the game. Ellie slept during that hour which helped. Todd met us at home and then I went to work out while the boys showered and got ready for bed. That works out perfectly. Todd then has the time to play with the girls by himself.

I didn't end up eating dinner until 9:00. After bed time routines and reading, etc. it ended up that late. For some reason working out causes me to lose my appetite right after. I don't feel hungry at all right after. I made the best black bean slaw. The recipe is from the show Guy's BIg BIte on Food Network. You put in a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), a can of corn, red bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, pineapple, some honey, salt, pepper, sherry vinegar (I only had red wine vinegar), cumin and jalapeno. I put in some red cayenne pepper because I didn't have a jalapeno. It is so good!! You then let it chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so. I couldn't wait that long. I am thinking that it would be good on fish tacos as a salsa/slaw. Had to share that new find!

Writing all of this is kind of making me sick....I feel very tired this morning eventhough I went to bed at a decent hour last night. It is exhausting me to relive the last couple of busy days. I hate that there has been something constantly on the schedule to do. And I'm constantly trying to fit everything into my schedule in my head. I do have to say no to some things.

On a side note for some good health news.....the dr. called me yesterday to give me my results from some blood tests and said everything looked great and that my cholesterol was really good at 137. I can't complain about that. Todd was like WOW..that is good. This post was kind of mess but that is what I feel like right now. My head is clouded and hurting from this darn headache. I hope this burning feel in my eyes will go soon.

SPT...& "Three's"

SPT Challenge.......$100.00 Virtual Tax Refund...How would I spend it??

Where do I begin. I feel like my list for things that we truly need gets longer & longer as each day passes. If I didn't have a list of things that I "need" and could just spend the $100.00 how I wanted here is what I would consider.....

-cute capri's, shirts, accessories to match (last year at this time I was 7 months pregnant and 30 pounds heavier)
-more workout clothes
-new sandals
-good pair of sunglasses
-put nails on
-shop my heart away at Target
-new digital camera (I guess it would buy a part of it :D)

THREE'S

I LOVE.....

-my family
-being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
-to buy new clothes

I MISS......

-living close to stores...Old Navy, Target, Kohl's, and a mall
-living closer to my parents & siblings
-being able to go to Disneyland for an afternoon


I HATE......

-a dirty kitchen
-to get up and speak in front of people
-a Sunday headache

PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH........

-Todd
-my kids
-Dr. House and many more.

SCARE ME..............

-the ocean
-something happening to one of my children
-a health issue with anyone in my family or extended family


ON MY DESK............

-phone
-computer
-many papers to file...ugh!

I WANT TO DO IN THIS LIFE..........

-raise well adjusted children
-be a grandma
-go on a vacation to the islands (just Todd and I)

THINGS I CAN DO.........

-have babies :D
-cook/bake
-clean house

THINGS I CAN'T DO.........

-dance
-never turn a church calling down
-act on stage or anywhere

THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN.........

-salsa dancing
-quilting (obviously at another time in life)
-snow ski

I REGRET..........

-not reading the scriptures on a daily basis through my younger years
-not saving money while I was single and working.
-my mind is so blank right now...oh well. Maybe it's a good thing that I can't come up with too many regrets :D.

FAVORITE FOOD........

-Mexican/tostadas
-Black bean salad mixes
-Salads at CPK

FAVORITE TV SHOWS AS A KID

-Cosby Show
-Facts of Life
-I really can't remember much about what shows I watched. I'm either old, bad memory about certain things or it wasn't that good so no need to remember. I think the kids have warped me :D. Some days I can hardly think straight. The kids provide me with too much stimulation at times!!

Anyone who reads and hasn't done the "THREE'S" is tagged to do it. Have fun. It took me too long to think of all of those. Who said it took 5 minutes??? I guess it's just me. I have Emily whining next to me...maybe that has something to do with how long this took me to do.

The weather is beautiful today!!! I love that about here.

MASSIVE FRUSTRATIONS with Blogger...Ugh!!/Busy Days

OH MY GOSH!!!!!! I am screaming right now at this darn blogger. I have tried to comment and post at many different times since last night and haven't been able to. I have changed passwords a thousand times and nothing. Very frustrating to comment on others blogs and spend the time and then to not be able to leave the comment. I was about out of patience. I decided to finally restart the computer and wow....it worked. So here I am.

Sunday was a nice day. Todd didn't have to be at meetings until 12:30. I love that. I know he does too. We had a nice Sacrament meeting/high council Sunday. The talks were great. I couldn't tell you too much of what it was but at the time I really enjoyed them. Kind of a problem if I can't remember what was so good about them. It's the darn computer that has put me into a mental shutdown. I taught Mitch's class and it was really a good group of kids. I only had 4 kids...3 were out of town. Ellie did ok for a bit but was fussy because she was tired and wouldn't go to sleep. Anyway, it all turned out just fine. We got home, did dinner and bedtime and then the headache set in. It was bad. Sunday stress is the cause of it for sure. There was too much juggling Ellie while trying to help my class in Sharing time and then teach a class and then round up my kids to get them packed in the car...and then to have to wait 40 minutes for Todd while he counted tithing because we had one car at the bldg. and then take him to the bank to deposit all of the checks. We didn't get home until 7:00. I didn't know this but he said that they have to make a deposit every Sunday. That wasn't the case in our old ward. My tithing check wouldn't clear for weeks. I hated that. Back to the headache. I ended up only being able to curl up on the couch and close my eyes. I went to bed early and Emily woke me up at 7:10 this morning. I felt good!! The headache was gone and I was able to clean up the kitchen before I took the kids to school. I love that. I put myself on a schedule today and it was great. I was able to cross everything off.

I went to Target and picked up some items. I am looking for plain hooded sweatshirts for the boys. Why is that so hard to find?? It was a bit of a challenge in Target with the 3 kids but we did it. Once I got back there was just enough time to feed Casey some lunch and then take him to school. He was happy to be going to school today. I love that my kids love school. It really makes it so much easier for me. Since I had done all of the laundry over the weekend I didn't have so much to do today. Here is my list of what I accomplished today. It makes me feel good when I can see it on paper....

Target
Washed sheets and put them back on beds
Vacuumed
Put laundry away
Cleaned kitchen/2 loads of dishes today
3 mile walk with the girls
Added workout at the gym this evening
Grocery store for a few items
helped show Mitch how to clean the bathroom
Did FHE lesson
Read scriptures with kids/sang songs together during FHE
Read books with Emily

I had the boys each pick a chore outside of their regular responsibilities and do today after school. I never thought my son would pick clean toilets out of all of the choices I gave him. Hey, if he wants to...I'll let him. It was fun showing him how to clean the bathroom. I keep Clorox wipes under all of the sinks and so he used them to wipe down the entire toilet. He cleaned the mirrors and washed the counters/sink. He did a great job cleaning the bathroom and asked if he could do that everyday. Did i really hear that right???? It was so nice to know that I didn't have to do that too. I was feeling the relief of some help with the housework. He is hired! Casey also washed windows with Windex and emptied all of the trash cans in the house. I love my little helpers. They did such a great job!! I can't wait for it to get done tomorrow too. I love their enthusiasm to clean. Mitch was so excited to see the faucets shine as he wiped them. So cute.

I have a couple of loads of towels to fold so I better do that before it gets to late.


**Happy B'day to Joey and Melody!!** Joey is my nephew who turned 17 today and his sister shares the same b'day and she turned 6. I hope they had a fun day. Thinking about Joey turning 17 brings back so many memories of myself at 17. Has it really been almost 15 years ago..Yikes. That sounds scary. I can remember 17 like it was yesterday. I can say I'm glad it is in the past and happy I don't ever have to relive being a teenager again. :D

This post was too long...so sorry but wanted to get in so many thoughts.

Weekend Activities

Todd had the day off Friday which is always nice. I had to be out the door to a dr.'s appt at 7:30 so now sleeping in for this girl. I loved that I was out the door early and worked out all by 9:00am. I then came home to hear Casey telling me, "Mom, don't forget that we are going somewhere today just me and you." I had promised him that I would take him somewhere by himself. I said get dressed and we'll go wherever you would like. He was dressed in 2 minutes and we were off. He picked for us to go to Wal-Mart to get a shovel for him. Of all the places....he picked Wal-Mart. That was easy. They had toy shovels all packaged together (garden toys). He picked out 3 sets...one for him, one for Mitty and one for Emily. He is so cute. We had to get one of each of everything he picked out. I love that he wanted to be fair and get some stuff for his brother and sister. He picked out coloring books for the 3 of them as well. How can you beat $.25 for a Giant coloring book. I think we scored big time on that. He then of course had to have gum at the check out and then we were done. He wanted to get home to show the others what we got for them. It was fun and I know that Casey enjoyed being alone with mom at the store of his choice. Later in the day, I talked the entire family into going on my 3 mile walk. The boys rode their bikes, Emily and Ellie were in the double stroller and Todd and I walked. I did feel it was a bit far for the boys round trip so I dropped Todd, Emily, Mitty and Casey off at the park to practice baseball and play on the playground while I walked back to finish my walk and then go pick them up in the truck. It worked out perfectly! I think the boys were really tired out because bedtime was not an issue. They were asleep by 8:10. Todd then went out to get our Friday dinner. We chose Panda Express. The mushroom chicken is only 2.5 points per individual serving. It's totally good. Since the kids were in bed early we were able to catch up on some shows last night.

Today we had 2 baseball games to watch....very fun. The boys are doing so well! The teams are really good and exciting to watch. The t-ballers are great to watch. They just started to count the "outs"...I guess it helps to get the kids ready for the next level. Mitch's team is doing really well too. There is a girl on the team that had no idea how to swing a bat when she started. I was so happy for her today. She has come a long way and is doing great. She is hitting the ball now. I find myself cheering for her and almost squealing for her because she is doing so well. She needs "most improved" award. We had the fam at the games this morning at 9:00 and then another one at 12:00. After the games, we went to Subway...the kids are in love with that place. Casey is so much like Todd in what he likes to eat it is almost scary. Casey has to have the Parmesean/Oregano bread with Turkey, salami and now he loves pepperoncini's on it. What 5 year old eats that way? I think it is cute. I love to see him so open to trying new things. While they finished up eating, I ran across the street to pick up some groceries with Emily. We flew through the store and are now loaded with veggies galore. Marilyn got me hooked on a new vegetable medley to fill in the gaps during the day when you are hungry. It is so tasty!! It really does fill me up. I decided to run all of our major errands on one trip out so we ran by Office Max also to get Turbo tax to finish our taxes. I can now say we are done. Phew!! I hate all of that looming over me. I busted it out in an hour and then was ready to hit the gym. I hustled over before they closed and got in a decent workout. I stopped running as much..substituted with the 3 mile walks and the scale has gone down. I even dropped sizes in my clothes. I love that feeling :D. I just wonder what that is. I do my 3 mile walk and then do some weights and crunches. I am walking pretty fast on the walk and am sweating just as much as when I am running. Whatever works!!

Tonight, I have been doing more dishes, rotating laundry and picking up. I love the house to be clean for a Sunday morning. I love to wake up and know that I am not doing anything/going anywhere except to church. The primary pres. called today and asked if I would teach Mitch's class tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I hope Ellie cooperates for me. I better look at the lesson....it's getting late. Yikes.

A Great Spring Break!!!!

These pics are in no particular order...I'm just documenting the good time we had together this week with my mom, sister and our 8 kids together.

This week has been so much fun. I have so much to write but don't feel I can spend the time to write it all down. Here are a bunch of pictures that tell about this week. My mom, my sister Marilyn and her 4 kids got here on Monday afternoon to see where I moved and to spend some time together. My sister and her kids had never been here so it was fun for them to see where I live. The kids hadn't seen there cousins in 6 months. I had a great time!! I just love to spend time with family. I know the kids had a blast. Mitty was so sad tonight after they left. He has been in a somber mood. I feel so badly for him. I was the same way as a kid. I could barely keep the tears in when my mom and dad went out to dinner. I was very sensitive and he has that same trait. He is full of emotions. The boys shared their beds so it was 2 in one and 2 in the other. Very cute and it worked out great. Not a problem with going to bed at all. Mitty missed everyone so much tonight he said he was going to sleep just where Mark was sleeping. Mark is 13 months older than Mitty. He came out a few times tonight to get more kleenex to wipe his tears. Poor little guy. I felt so bad for him.

The kids played on skateboards, painted with Grandma, played Bingo with Grandma, we took them all on walks, climbed trees, chased roosters (boys will be boys), made sundaes, cookies, played at the park, went to the beach, watched movies, played gameboy, and enjoyed one anothers company. The babies were so cute together. They are 2 months apart and were fun to have around. I thought the week was fun. Megan gave the best back rubs and was so fun to have around. I need her to come up on the train and stay with me for a week. She is a big help and was fun to talk with. I loved to hear about the boy she likes. I can remember just how it was in 5th grade. How fun!! I loved having my mom and sister here to watch American Idol with, paint nails, talk, go on walks with, help clean the house, make food together and ultimately just to be with each other. It will seem a bit quiet here tomorrow :(. I loved it and can't wait to be together again. Thanks mom and Marilyn for all that you did and just for coming up to see me.

SPT- Easter 2007

Here are pictures of my family on Easter. I remembered to get a picture as Casey was undressing that night after church....whew!! It has been a busy Easter weekend. Todd's aunt came down on Friday and left Monday morning as my mom, sister and her 4 kids came Monday afternoon. I love to have family around. It makes the holidays more meaningful. We visited the zoo on Saturday and made it a nice kids day. Made a Costco trip on our way home and was set for a yummy Easter dinner. Sunday was busy but nice since Todd didn't have bishopric meetings. The morning started off with kids getting up at 6:50am like it was Christmas morning. They were looking for their baskets....of course. The 60 eggs filled with candy were hidden all over the house. Very fun for the kids to find them. They have so much fun together. What was I thinking having so much candy???? Todd's aunt supplied us with enough See's candy to last a year....no joke. Thank goodness there is family around to share the treats! After the hunt, the kids dyed eggs and had a good time mixing colors and getting their eggs just the perfect shade. I really love Easter festivities! Of course we didn't leave out talking to them about what the true meaning of Easter is. We had a nice Sacrament Meeting and enjoyed all of the music. Mitty, Casey and Emily got up and sang with the primary. This is a first....they are usually too shy to get up there. It was cute Emily led them up and was right in front...so cute. Casey stood up and covered his mouth the whole time and Mitty held the words a bit high to cover his face. Too funny. I was just happy that they were all up there. I loved it :D!!

The day ended with a tasty dinner....pork tenderloin, baked potatoes, salad, and the best veggie medley made by Todd. He makes the best mix of veggies. Dessert was a new recipe...Boston Cream Pie/Cake and any choice of See's candy. :D We had a nice day together as a family. I hope my children will remember all of these memories.

SPT - Play well with others??

SPT CHALLENGE.........

Remember when you were 'graded' on things like stacking blocks, tying your shoes, sharing your crayons? you might have gotten supportive comments, like, "always has a smile," or the dreaded, "runs with scissors!" [i remember, in about the second grade, getting my first "U" for unsatisfactory. i don't remember what it was for, but i remember exactly how i felt .]
one of my favorite comments has to be "plays well with others." elementary school social skills speak volumes for the people we will become. were you a shy child? were you the class clown? the social butterfly? do you still identify with that inner child? what are you doing for "play" this weekend?
i would love to see how we play with our friends, our neighbors, our siblings. are you having a game night? a date night? a girls morning out for coffee and target? will you go to a party? or a picnic? are you on vacation? do you find yourself intimidated by these gatherings, or do you jump right in and organize them yourself? do you play well with others?



I really love the Self-Portrait Tuesday challenge. As I thought about this week's challenge, many things came to mind. The one that stood out and who I spend most of my time with was my family. WIth 4 little ones, many of my outings have to do with my children. I love to go and "play" with my family. Not always do I feel like I can really do that with so many responsibilities tugging on me. Anyway, I love outings with Todd and the kids. I love that as a family we love to be together and look forward to a trip, a lunch out, day at the park, baseball games, or just taking a drive in the car. We love to go out and try a new restaurant. Todd decided for his b'day dinner last night to try this new Mexican restaurant. It was very good and here are some pics of us enjoying our dinner....or should I say enjoying juggling Ellie Jayne girl. She was good but oh so wiggly. You know how it goes when the baby is approaching 9 months. Wiggle worm city!!


Emily, Casey and Mitch loving the chips and salsa. :D We have trained them well. They love salsa.


Me and Ellie girl. She was pushing off of my face to lean outward and get into anything that was in front of her....my plate of food. :D It was just fine and we enjoyed our dinner together.



I just love this picture of Todd and Ellie. It turned out so cute and has so much love in it. She is so precious and that is what Todd calls her. He's in love with his girls. :D

Do I play well with others???? I guess so. I'm always up for something fun!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!!

Happy b'day Todd... I can't believe he is 39 today. Todd is so not affected by age so I can write that. I remember like it was yesterday throwing Todd a surprise b'day for his 30th. Now, 9 years later, married for almost 9 and 4 kids....where does the time go. Wow, time really does fly!
I love b'days! I think because it means we celebrate and go out. Who doesn't love that?!

Here are some things about Todd ..........

-He loves me and the kids.
-He loves baseball and college football.
-He loves anything USC.
-Graduated from USC 13 years ago....that sounds really old :D
-Some of the shows he likes are Food Network, O'Reily Factor, Law & Order SVU, House, Smallville, The Apprentice(because of me), American Idol(I got him watching), any college sports and baseball.
-He is patient....very. I'm so glad my kids have one parent to show them patience :D. I'm not too bad.
-He loves to cook. Makes good food.
-He makes a mean batch of salsa.
-He loves chocolate chip cookies and eats them every night before bed with a tall glass of milk.
-He is a guilt free eater. I wish I could be.
-He is very non-judgemental. I love that about him.
-He is a great teacher.
-He is honest.
-He can speak in front of people and do a great job.
-He is dedicated to his family.
-Has a testimony.
-Is a people person.
-He won first place in the hula contest at work.
-Has respect for others.
-He can keep a secret. That's big to me.
-He has great taste in clothes/shoes.
-Loves dress ties.
-He is very supportive of me.
-He has more white shirts/dress shirts than anyone I know.
-He likes to have fun.
-He loves anything chocolate.
-He is a faithful, priesthood holder in our home.
-Served a mission in Montana.
-He is a good example of many things for me, his children, and others.
-He likes to tease his mother in law.....badly :D Mom, you know that.
-Loves pizza!!
-How could I forget....he loves Coke. That is the only soda he will drink out(fountain or restaurant). We get on our kick of finding the best Root Beer, Black Cherry, or Cream Soda. We have tried so many. It's all fun. I love that about him too.
-Loves Haagen Dazs ice cream.
-I love that he is willing to spend so much of his time with his family(kids). He is awesome about that!! Never complains about doing anything for them or with them. He even wanted to take the baby on his weekend trip down south. I compromised with him taking Emily.

He is a good dad, husband, friend, son, and brother. I hope he enjoys his last year of being in his 30's. Am I rubbing it in that he is almost 40??? :D

I love and appreciate who he is. I look forward to many more b'days with him!! I love you Todd.




I wish I could say that I made this quilt for him...yeah right. His mom made him a quilt for his b'day. I love that the colors are perfect for in our house. He has wanted a quilt from his mom for awhile now. He loves to lay on the couch with a good blanket to watch TV or just get cozy. His mom was dying that she labeled the quilt wrong with "merry Halloween"...it is called something else but she didn't want to cross it off and have it be a mess on her cute label. No big deal to us. The quilt is beautiful and it's so nice to have handmade items from mom.

Happy Birthday April!!

My oldest sister turns 41 today. I guess it is tonight now. It was a busy day and now the house is quiet. She is actually in Florida at Walt Disney World with her family this week. How fun! So glad you were able to make a trip with the whole fam.

Here are some things about April........

She has such a great sense of humor.
She can turn almost any disaster into a hilarious experience.
She is the world's best geneologist (if that is even a word....if not, it sounded good)
She takes pride in her heritage.
She is an accounting wiz!!
She can figure just about anything out. Wish I had that talent.
She is a great detective.
She plays the piano beautifully.
She has a great voice...very musically inclined.
She would do anything for you....literally drop anything to come and help you out.
She loves to be with family.
She is very smart.
She has a cute size 7 shoe. (Don't you?) I say that because I wear a 9 in most shoes. 7's are cute.
She does a great job of raising her 4 children.
She likes to have a good time.
She can make anybody laugh...just get her talking for someone else.
She has a red sports car (She had to have it when she turned 40) pretty cute.
Very easy to be around.
She loves her family.
She loves to watch Sponge Bob. :D
She has been through more trials than anyone else I know.
Is the ring leader behind Women's Conference...thanks for getting us all on the band wagon :D. We love it....wouldn't miss it.
Is very competitive!!
Makes a "mean" cheese ball.
Loves roller coasters.....I'm not sure after this trip that she is on. What d'ya say April?

I am so lucky to have her as my sister. It is so much fun to be around her. like I mentioned in the list...she will have a group cracking up in tears from hearing her "talk" for other people. Kind of like turning the volume down on the tv and she will talk for the people. She will be dead on with what they are saying. It is great entertainment. That is what she is....an entertainer. I hope you have had a great b'day! I wish you 41+ more years of happiness. Love you and am so glad that you are my sister.
HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYY BBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHDDDDDAAAAYYYYYY!

SPT-Spring.....2 days late/Catch up

Well, I had the post and picture all ready to go and the kids started playing on the computer and off it went. I lost my post and haven't had time to redo it. Life has been very busy this week.

Spring is such a fun time for me. I love Easter and Spring Break. Spring for me is more about the excitement and anticipation for warm sunny days, the beach, able to be outdoors to exercise, picnics, park days, skirts, flip flops, icee's, frozen yogurt, trips, school is almost out(not the same feeling as a child...as a mom I don't look forward to school being out), Todd's b'day, Casey's b'day, my b'day.....and the list goes on. I sometimes feel like a kid with the excitement of doing all of those things that I listed. I remember as a kid or even teenager in high school looking forward to school being out, the long vacation, beach days with friends, etc. It brings back such fun memories.

I definitely enjoy looking at beautiful flowers but Spring for me is about what we can finally do outside without being too cold and uncomfortable.

***Do you love the token, slightly wilted flower I am holding for this "Spring" post?***

This week has been crazy.....Christina to answer your question about the baseball committment....yes with two boys we have 4 games a week and Mitch will have a practice in addition to the two games. It is big and we spend many afternoon/evenings at the ball field. The boys love it and look forward to each game. It's pretty cute. I have to say that T-ball is so fun to watch. Casey's team is really good and so it isn't as slow as I thought it would be. Good times. I remember being at the field a lot when my brothers were in Little League....enjoying many "chili billie's". Those are the best. Too bad there isn't a snack bar at all of the fields the kids play at. We had a game on Monday and Tuesday night, then the school ice cream night at Doc Burnstein's (the best), Mitch's award assembly yesterday and a church meeting last night for me. I am glad that there is nothing on the calendar for today. YEAH!!! I love empty days on the calendar.

I have been walking/pushing the double stroller every day this week on my 3 mile walk. I am getting used to my route and actually look forward to it. I have to document my feelings that I felt on Tuesday as I pushed the girls....I felt like a pioneer. It really made me think of the pioneers and what they did for their families. To preface this, I live in an area where there are micro climates(i think that is what it's called). There are pockets of different weather just 2 miles away from me. It can be sunny at my house and then 2 miles away at the park there is massive fog clouds. Same with the winds. Anyway, I started on my walk and it was beautiful and sunny and then as I got into the walk the wind picked up so strongly that I didn't feel us moving even though I was pushing the stroller so hard. It was painful. I immediately felt an ounce of what the pioneers may have felt and thought there is no giving up. I am going to make it to the finish. The kids were ok because they pulled the shades down and it blocked all the wind for them. I even made it up the small hill that feels like a mountain when you are pushing two kids. I am so thankful for the pioneers and there sacrifice. What an example they are to me. What an example of faith and enduring to the end they are for all. I love little moments that really make me appreicate what others have done that have gone on before me. Maybe this 3 mile walk everyday is what has helped the scale to go down. It excites me to see the numbers go down....especially after trying so hard and working my tail off.

Time to go set the timer and get to work around the house.

Baseball Season has officially begun.......

Baseball season is in motion around here. Saturday was the first day of games. We had Casey's game at 10:30 and Mitty's game at 2:00. Each game was about an hour and 15 minutes. Not bad at all. It was fun watching the kids play. Too bad that is where Ellie had to take both of her naps. I feel bad for babies when they don't get at least one nap in their own bed. They both got in some good hits which is always fun for them. I'm glad that they are both excited to play and enjoying their teams. Mitch has another game tomorrow at 5:00 and then Casey has one on Tuesday at 5:00. I'm not looking forward to next Saturday...picture day and a game for the boys and Todd will be gone. He may take Emily with him and so I would be less one child which helps in a big crowd of parents/kids at a park waiting to have their pictures taken. I'll make it through alright but just dread all of that hubub on my own.

I was able to work out on Saturday morning first thing before the games which is always nice to get out of the way. I said I was determined to add more activity to my days and so I walked home from the park on Saturday..2.2 miles. I don't think it is helping my any. But how can it really be bad for me to walk more. It can't. Oh well, I think my problem is that I worry too much about losing the weight. I want to lose it so badly that I think I'm stressing too much over it. Oh well, I can't help it. I guess just keep it up and see what happens.

Today, Todd wasn't feeling well...sore throat, sinus issues and just drained. He didn't go to church and so he kept Ellie home with him. It was so nice being able to hear the testimonies given during Sacrament (because I wasn't juggling Ellie). I actually went to Sunday School and was able to hear the lesson and then enjoyed Relief Society. It was strange not carrying the baby, purse, and the church bag full of stuff. I only had a purse to carry and it was nice!! Even better was that we were out of there at 5:35 and home by 5:55(usually the time we are finally able to get into the car to come home). I enjoyed our RS lesson....the topic was 2Nephi 31:20. We did our own cooking show with the kids tonight. They love to pretend that we are doing a show. Dad and Emily were the audience. The kids made cookies and had lots of fun doing it. Now it is time to wash the uniforms for tomorrow and get a head start on the laundry before I go to bed. I feel very tired tonight. I look forward to tomorrow.....a fresh start for a new week.

Obsessed?? Maybe

I decided to embrace the route I ran last night and walk it today pushing the girls in the stroller. Today was so gorgeous that I figured I could use some sun on my white arms/legs. It was like 75 degrees and just perfect! I enjoyed every minute of being outside. I walked the 3 mile route and it took me 45 minutes. Those girls are heavy to push. I don't have the lightweight double jogger so I had to push them in the front/back stroller. It was feeling a bit brutal as I went up the slight incline. I felt like I looked completely hunched over pushing this gigantic stroller up a hill. Anyway, I did it and I'm going to make this a routine route to walk with the girls during the day.

My sister Marilyn has me really pumped up to shed these last pounds quickly. She is incredible. She is my motivation right now. I just talked with her today and she has lost 20 lbs. since December...of course doing WW. She has been working out and lately walking her son to school and then trucking back up the hill pushing her baby in the stroller. She just reported today that for the week she lost 2.6 lbs. I'm so happy for her. I know she is so happy about it. We now have about our last 8 lbs. to lose. She just pushed me to a new level of motivation. She and the kids are coming up to my house during our spring break...2 1/2 weeks until she is here. We are both determined to be in bathing suit shape. After I hung up with her I got my running shoes on and did the 3 mile walk this afternoon and then went to the gym tonight and ran 2.6 miles along with doing some weights. I want to see if added activity will drop the pounds any faster. I'm probably totally nuts but I can get freaky about losing weight.

**This is to answer Christina's question on my last post**.....I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes which gets me to the 3 mile mark. I walk for 7...2 minutes before I run and 5 minutes to cool down. My speed is between 6.0-6.3. Depends on how I'm feeling that day. I think body type makes the difference in what speed each person can run/walk comfortably. Longer legs, short legs, wide hips, no hips, etc. I think that all plays a factor.