Livin' The Dream

This is for my sister KIM

2011-12-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Kim - We saw your picture with the star wars nerds and so here is ours.

Fishing

2011-11-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

The kids have been dying to go fishing and even though it was pretty cold we went anyways. It rained on us a little bit but the kids had a blast. We had to throw a couple of pine cones to scare away the geese. I am just glad that as kids practiced casting they didn't throw their fishing pole into the lake.

Sorry, kinda windy...

More Geese

2011-11-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Geese on Thanksgiving . We go out one day and most of the gees are gone and then a few hours later a buch of new ones come in.

Geese today. There are a bunch on the shore on the bottom left that are hard to see.

Geese

2011-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well it is Lisa's favorite time of year. For those of you that don't know lisa is scared of geese. Something about their bulging eyes. Lubbock happens to be on the flight path for their migration.

A few birds...........The beginning of this week

A few more

And today

Happy Halloween

2011-11-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

We had a great October. Moses wanted to make a robot so this is what he created.

We carved some amazing jack-o-lanterns.

I am a BYU Fan clearly it is easy to see and yes, Lisa is wearing some leather pants that she bought pre children for my birthday.

The kidos loved their costumes.

Moses loved his mustache. You should see him lick the ranch off of it because he won't take it off. Here are the kids at the truck or treat.

Here is a great shot of Lisa and the childrens.

Albuquerque NM

2011-10-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

We went to Albuquerque NM for the weekend to meet Moses birth brother (Marcus on right) and birth cousin (Tyler in the middle). It was awesome and a ton of fun. The boys seemed to get along very well. Tyler and Moses seemed to be a little shy at first but that was for only 3 minutes. So this is when they met.

The morning they met.

We didn't do much except swim so the kids were super happy.

Mose and Tyler

Marcus on left, Moses and Tyler on right

Ava thought that it was awesome to do cannon ballz

Ava and Tatey

Marcus

They are all about the same height.

I loved Marcus' face that kid is hilarious.

So Marcus and Tyler have 2 big sisters Bella on the Left and Emma on the right. Bella took care of Tate in the pool which was awesome and Moses has a new girlie friend named Emma.

Whoop Whoop

Marcus and Moses with their hot chocolates.

Backyard

2011-10-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Lisa and I were talking about how it is super nice to look out and see the lake out back. We both thought that it was quite soothing to look out and see the glistening water.

Playset

2011-10-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well I decided the kids needed a playset. So I ordered this playset off of Lowes website.Then I had to customize the bottom for a sand box. It turned out great and the kids love it.

Carlsbad NM

2011-10-02T19:26:00.001-07:00

We went to Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico with some friends. It was a lot of fun and we went swimming a lot.

Stalagtites

Stalagmites (Lisa insisted on taking this picture).

Moses and his new found joy

2011-09-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

The back

yard and a sign we found driving by a church.

The trip to Utah

2011-08-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in Utah. It basically consisted of barbeques, hiking, fishing and swimming.

We saw some meese on our hike in Big Cotton Wood Canyon.

Moses and Ava with some homemade fisshing poles.

The Garden

2011-07-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the garden that I have been working on. I have never done this before but It seems to be growing pretty good not to many tomatoes. I think it has been too hot we got a few early on. BLT's were the only way to eat them.

I was running out of space for my cucumber plant so I clipped all of the runners.

As soon as I did that the cucumbers started to come.

Here are my peppers.

Ava and Moses are Dog deprived

2011-05-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well Ava and Moses always pretend to be dogs. So they found some boxes and decided to make dog

houses-OF course they had to sleep in them.

We bought a house

2011-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the house that we closed on last friday. We are excited to move in. It is 4 bedroom and 3 full bath. The 2 kids in the 4th bedroom come with the house.

healthy habits

2011-04-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Makin' her Daddy proud.

Finger Monster

2011-04-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I got her. Sometimes people just get lucky.

(And no, I don't need the birds and the bees talk.)

Enjoy the cuteness.

2011-03-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

(Look, the lighting can only work for black people or white people. You can't have it all, folks.)

We are having a ward activity tonight where there is going to be some sort of "Family Feud" game. So a survey was sent out for eveyone to answer and there was a part for the kids as well. These are my kids' answers. If ya try real hard you can probably tell whose answers are first, and whose are second.

Questions for children:

1. Name an animal mentioned in the scriptures.
Lion, dog

2. Name a prophet from the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith, Moroni

3. Name a good Sunday activity.
Go to church, play with my friends

4. Name an animal Noah took on the Ark.
Sheep, cow

5. Name something against the Word of Wisdom.
Alcohol, not eat food

6. Name your favorite Primary song.
Scripture power, Once there was a snowman

7. Name something you do in Primary.
Learn about Jesus, be good

8. Name something in the Bishop’s office.
Temple cards, candy canes

9. Name a book in the Book of Mormon.
Moroni,

10. Name one of the 10 Commandments.
Don't hit, don't eat Tate's food

11. Name a snack eaten in nursery.
Popcorn, strawberries

12. Name something the pioneers took to Utah.
Wagon, a toy

13. Name something in the Garden of Eden.
Flowers, Chuck E. Cheese's

14. Name a miracle performed by the Savior.
The loaves and fishes, chocolate

15. Name a class in Primary.
CTR 5, sunbeams

16. Name a Primary color.
Blue, red

Yup, I do believe we are teaching those kids well. Call me if you need any parenting tips.

Mose'o

2011-03-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

A little bit nerdy. Like his Daddy.

lovey

2011-01-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

She makes life bright.

2 months from today she will be having a birthday.

I can't really wrap my head around it.

I got extra lucky with this one, my little lovey.

9...OK, almost 10...months

2011-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Sadly, Tatey baby keeps growing.

At her 9 month appointment (that was really at 9 mos and 3 weeks) she weighed 17.5 lbs.

She has 0 teeth.

She is standing pretty well on her own.

She is deep into the get-into-ev.e.rything stage. Which of course includes the make-a-million-messes-a-day stage.

She is walking with her toy and all around the furniture. This is the same walking toy that Ava and Mos used. Interestingly, all my babies have walked at around 10 and 1/2 months.

These things take a lot of concentration.

Tate is my first one to say "mama" before she said "dada". She likes to wave and clap. She laughs at Ava and Mos a lot and likes to sneak into their rooms to play. I hate (but sometimes love) the growing up, but I am happy to say that as of now she still growls.

Ava's first time snow skiing

2011-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

Ava and Matt went skiing in December. It was Ava's first time skiing. She really enjoyed it and did really well.

2010-12-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Lisa caught Moses on video dancing with Grover. Don't mind the mess we are all recovering from Strep. This is probably one of the best videos you will ever see.

2010-12-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

paradox

2010-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Not long after we brought newborn Moses home from the hospital Matt left to drive out to Florida where we were going to live for the summer. I stayed at my parents' house with Ava and Moses until we would fly out there to be with Matt. That never ended up happening and Matthew came back to work in Utah. During those long days and longer nights without Matt I struggled. Sleep deprivation is never easy and my body was still recovering from my very recent miscarriage. More than that I struggled with a mother's grief--not mine, hers; which, in one of the many ways two strangers connected, became mine also. I wrestled with my son's loss and wondered if I could ever be enough to patch up that gaping hole. Every time he cried, I cried with him. I held him in my bed throughout the night, just as she had not long before. I whispered through tears, words about two mothers and a love it would take him a long time to understand.

Those days were incredibly happy too. I was in love and it was new and joyful. Moses was the snuggliest baby ever and when I held him, he held on back. I was overcome with the enormity of the ways I had been blessed. I was a proud mama of that beautiful boy.

I still tell him about those two mothers, and many times it is still with tears in my eyes. I often think about those same mothers sitting outside a hospital in the sunshine, crying together, right before one got on an airplane alone and one drove home with a baby. Life is never one or the other, it is joy and pain together. Moses experienced loss earlier than most, but he has also known a wholly selfless love. Everyday I hope to be the mother she did so much to give to him.

three

2010-11-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

November 23 celebration.

three years since little buzz was sealed to us.

i remember everything about that day.

love love love our babies.

we've worked hard for every one of them.

and we would do it all over again.

monster baby

2010-11-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

So lady-like, this little one.

Adoptive Mamas' Club

2010-11-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

If you have adopted a child--voila--you are automatically a lifetime member. I entered the club officially on May 12, 2007 when guardianship of a certain brown-eyed boy was signed into my name. And even though the law didn't recognize me as his parent until November 21, to say that he was not "mine" until then--well, them's just fightin' words.

There are all kinds in the AMC. All kinds of hows and whys. All kinds of whens and wheres. Sometimes we are united by our shared experiences, and sometimes even the common ground is not enough to forge a real bond. So we choose those who lift us up and we keep them close.

I have not struggled with infertility like the vast majority of adoptive mamas. There was no grieving process for me to wade through before I considered adoption. So I cannot fully relate to most of them on that level. I made the decision to adopt long before I was married and trying to become pregnant. However, I gained some understanding of that grief when I experienced my first miscarriage 8 days before the birth of my son. My grieving over the loss and my joy in adopting happened simultaneously; somewhat seperate, yet inevitably intertwined.

Just like in the general population, there are varying opinions of birthmothers/fathers in the adoptive community. It is nice to think that there are other people in the world who just might really know what it is to love the woman who gave you a miracle. It is nice to have someone else who understands the battle we fight to protect the birthmother's/father's name and our child's right to their own story. It is nice to stand beside others to declare to the world that birthmothers are not the sixteen-year-old druggies that you think they are. They are mothers, in every sense of that word.
On the other hand, it is disheartening to see an adoptive mom not fulfill the contact agreement-letters, pictures, phone calls, visits, etc.-because she can't be bothered, because "other" moms don't have to do that for their kids, or because contact somehow threatens her own motherhood. It is sickening to have to walk out of a room because you just heard an adoptive mom tell somebody that they don't send pictures anymore because, "It's been a year and we are just over that. We've moved on with our lives."

Before you adopt you think you know a lot more about adoption than you do after the fact. One day you wake up to find your sweet little baby is three and can understand when a stranger asks a probably-innocent-but-completely-inappropriate-not-to-mention-stupid question in front of them. Or a family member makes a comment about your "real kids". Or someone at church tells you how noble you are for adopting. It's then you realize that all those responses you thought you had prepared fly right out the window. And it's then that the only people you can hash it all out with are the AMC (after your husband of course). They are the ones that really get that yes, the little remarks matter, yes, our children notice and learn from how well and how quick we respond, and yes, what we really wanted to do was blow up in their face but that was not in the best interest of our child--you know, the one that we want to hide from the ignorance of the world because we've never loved anything like we love them. Yeah, that one.

The AMC is where you go to discuss birthparent gifts and lifebooks. It's where you go to talk lawyers and birth certificates. It's where people know just what a big deal finalization is and the relief of not having to officially document all that is parenting anymore. It's where we find inspiration and where we learn from those that have gone before so we can pass it on down the line. It's where we learn from others' mistakes and where it's okay to admit our own as we cry buckets of tears. It's where we ask questions that might sound bizarre to others and where we go to freak out because sometimes we need to do that. The AMC is all of these things and more. We're just a bunch of mothers trying to get it right, change the bad and the ugly, and love our babies like there's no tomorrow.

*A special thank you to the few people in my life who, having never lived it, get it anyway. I have dubbed you honorary members of my AMC.

The turtle tradition---who's who

2010-11-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

little lovey

2010-11-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Oh, you need to see some more pictures of my baby love?
Well, here ya go.

yes, she gets sweeter everday.

about me.

2010-11-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

...life has been a little teensy-tiny bit hard as of late. Claire and her family are constantly on my mind. I find myself struggling with the worry, and the not knowing, and the questions that can't be answered. My mind swirls with questions of faith, and healing, and plans that are not ours. I feel the need to enjoy my children more and more often, and the guilt of continuing life normally when it seems nothing is normal at all.

...lately I've been feeling the pull towards things beyond this everyday of mine. Things I need to do. Things besides get on the treadmill more and have my hair done. You see, I'm kind of in charge of these three little people and they are going to do big things, or maybe small things that really matter. And I've got to show them how.

...it's November. National Adoption Month. You remembered, didn't you? I'm not going to say that I will post everyday about adoption because.. I won't. Obviously I have many strong feelings/opinions about adoption and everything that goes with it, but you are not going to get it all on blogger. That being said, November is a month dear to our hearts around here, in which we have much to celebrate, and I think I can come up with a post (or two) having to do with this crazy little thing called adoption in the next 30 days.

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

We had gorgeous 85 degree weather for our Halloween weekend. There were pumpkins, and trunk-or-treats, and trick-or-treating, and dinner with friends, and caramel apples.

It's fun when the kids are old enough to really get into all the festivities of the holiday, but sad when they pick out their own costumes. Funny, it's just never what I would have picked out. Alas, we have Jesse and Woody, and in the name of ~~cheapness~~ tradition, our little turtle.

Ava wanted to make sure her hair was braided just like Jesse's and for the first time was interested in getting as much candy as possible. Mosey's costume barely made it to Halloween in one piece and he was scared of the "Frankenlion". Tate enjoyed riding on Daddy's shoulders and hanging onto his hair and ears (and may have been the cutest turtle yet--sshhh).

time flying by

2010-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that in spite of my best efforts, Tate keeps on growing. This mothering business is all so bittersweet.

crawling-so cute.

lowering the crib mattress-so sad.

sleeping through the night sometimes-heaven.

teething-awful.

wrestling with Daddy (really? already?)-adorable

growling-funny

fit throwing-eye rolling

the laughing-magical e.v.e.r.y time

Insecta--- what!!!!

2010-10-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

It is called a Telephone

2010-10-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

When we were at Sea World we checked into our hotel and Ava ran around to check out the room and saw the telephone and said, "Daddy I know how to use this. There is one in my teacher's classroom. You pick it up and just push the buttons like this."

My Boy

2010-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

A few things you should know about Moses:

his favorite color is red

his favorite food is ramen noodles

his favorite treat is cookies

his favorite thing to do outside is hit the ball

his favorite sister is Ava

his favorite baby is Tate

his favorite friend is Ava

his favorite toy is Woody

his favorite super hero is Dash

Moses has gotten really good lately at building train tracks (bigger and much more elaborate than in this picture). Obviously a good train track must consist of bridges and tunnels and lots of curves. Mommy is NO GOOD at track building.

Mos loves ROBOTS. He likes to build robots, draw robots, and act like a robot. At Sea World he said this submarine was a robot and he wanted to take a picture by it.

This kid would hit the ball all day long if he could just get his mommy to stand out there and throw it to him.

Matt has also reported that Moses can throw a football straighter and further than the five-year-old next door who is actually on a football team. And this was after the first time Mos had thrown one.

That's my boy. I'm a lucky girl, ain't I?

Sea World

2010-09-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Well we went to Sea world with the Kidos. It was a lot of fun, exhausting and there were a few times when Lisa and I looked at each other and wonder why did we do this to ourselves.

Believe it or not, Shampoo (as Moses calls him) kept Moses' attention.
We loved feeding the dolphins until Mos threw one of Ava's fish. Then the world almost ended. It was very close but some how there was a small light at the end of the tunnel and she was able to recover.
The dolphins still feel like wet rubber -just in case you were wondering. They are not warm and fuzzy like a puppy.

The after math of a fun trip and a long car ride.

Mose'n hose

2010-08-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well I asked Mose if he wanted a hair cut--he responded with a definite yes. Later that day Mose and I picked up Ava and all she said was, "Did Mosey get a hair cut? He looks funny." I think that he is like total BA now.

Before

After

Kind of gross but Moses requires snacks while he gets his hair cut. I was looking at the box of ritz crackers and the nutrional facts said nothing about added protein from his black curlies on his crackers.

The Good Shepherd

2010-08-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

I overheard Ava talking to Tate:

"Tate, Jesus is a shepherd and you are his littlest lamb.

And Mommy is a sheep."

Thank you, Primary.

Ava's first day of School

2010-08-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ava got a full-time job, I mean, started kindergarten. It's pretty much the same thing since kindergarten is from 7:45am-3:00pm. However, she loves it. She almost went crazy waiting for August 23rd, but she made it and here she is on the big day.

That little boy at her table looks SUPER excited too!

And Mos loves Ava going to kindergarten too because he got some free waffles so all is right with the world.

*As a side note, Ava did not tell us one new thing that she learned in her first entire week. Kindergarten sounds amazing.

Kim and family came to visit

2010-08-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Kim, Stuart and family stopped by for a day on their move to Reno. It was a lot of fun. We did not do much because it was Sunday but we went to the park and just hung out. We tried to get a Sunday afternoon nap in but this house is too small to try to escape the noise. Kim was happy to do Ava's hair and Ava loves getting her hair done.

Bath time

Feeding the ducks- it was super hot so we did not stay long.
The kids were all sad to say good bye.

Apparently it is really hard for some kids.

Utah post 2

2010-07-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Good times in Utah....

Matty blessed our little beauty. Luckily she was crying in the pictures, just like Ava did in hers.

Uncle Brandon was helping Mos be Buzz Lightyear off the diving board.

The girls swimming with their Daddy. See that? I can say "the girls" now. Wow! I have a lot of children.

Moses loves to be launched. And yes, I will apologize again to everyone for Matthew's swimwear.

On a hike.

Moses and his cousin Claire.

Grandma's "scooter cycle" was a big hit.

A Little Bit of Honey

2010-07-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Even though I am a complete slacker, I don't want you all missing out on this cuteness.

She makes me happy.

My Tatey is sweetness.

Like sugar.

Cannot get enough.

My Office

2010-07-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

I stopped by my office yesterday -it seems to be on time in fact they called me and told me that they might be able to open on 26 of July. So this is what it looks like. Right when we left they were about to paint the front and start putting up the sign.

Reception area
This is part of the waiting room. There is an ajoining room where there will be some play things for the kidos.

This one of the operatories.

They have built 14 operatories in this building.

UTAH post 1

2010-07-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

Well we have been out of town for the last 4 weeks. We spent a lot of time with family and friends. The drive almost broke us (A short 16 hours driving) but it was a lot of fun. Ava got a few swimming lessons from her grandma. She did great and watching her swim is super cute she is like a little fish. We will try to post some more pics soon enough.

Temper Temper

2010-06-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

We all have our moments....

What We've Been Up To...

2010-04-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

...spending time outside and wearing girls sunglasses

...going on lots and lots of bike rides

...using up excessive energy

...learning to ride without training wheels

...graduating from preschool

...makin' Mommy proud

...showin' off

...stopping to smell the flowers

...being cute

...and sleeping.

Yep, life is pretty good.

2010-04-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today, April 17, 2010, is my due date.

Instead of spending my day in the hospital in labor--

I am enjoying my beautiful 3 week old.

I just can't believe my luck.

And tonight we're gettin' dolled up and going to Matt's senior banquet--

and I'm not pregnant!!!

Who is who

2010-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

So I thought it would be interesting to compare a coulpe of pictures. Don't look at the dates but I will give you a hint -- they are all different people (LISA, AVA,TATE and MOSES). I will give you another hint-- Moses is the darker one and has the curly hair. Good Luck.

2010-04-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

I adore.

2010-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Falling in love again.

Tate part 2

2010-03-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tate Honey debut

2010-03-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here she is. 2 days old and a lot of pictures. We would write about the pics, but we are too exhausted. Ava and Mos really like her. Mos always says he wants to hold her because Ava does, but then he refuses to really hold her. He likes to look at her and call her "baby sister" though. Ava says, "Tate is perfect." We are very thankful that she is so healthy and so big too! We are grateful for the many, many people who helped us so much. And we can't get enough of her...

Our latest Gurly

2010-03-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

We got to the hospital on 3-26-10 at 6am. Lisa got an amnio and the results were 69 they needed to be 55 (it measurs lung cells to see if the lungs are developed enough). They were short staff so they couldn't start the induction right away. The induction started at 4:45 pm. It was a long day. She arrived at 1:15 am 3-27-10. She weighed 6 lbs and 13 oz and 20 inches long. She is beautiful. Mommy and the baby are doing great and so is daddy. She is currently nameless. Any ideas????????

Moses

2010-03-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

We got this video from a friend that recorded the act while she was watching Moses. Her kids have never gotten into the flour until Mos came along. A little while later when he was over there, he did it again. I called her and asked if it was as bad as the first time and her response was that it was quite a bit worse. I think a few people can relate to this incident. The material changes but that is about it. At our house we have caught him spreading a strawberry jello packet (most damaging), brown suger, frosting, water, cereal/rice crispies, crackers/gold fish, gogurt, crisco(at another friends house), and these are just a few of things he likes to get into off the the top of my head. We love our Moses.

PICC line again

2010-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post this about Lisa's Picc line. Here was her Picc in her arm. There were 2 ports one for saline and one for the Zofran pump(Anti Nausea medicine). Nurses came in weekly to change the dressing and the ports. We had to change the longer lines and flush the ports daily. When she was taking both the saline and the zofran at the same time it was about $5,000/week. Later she she was just on the zofran so it was about $4,000/week. She is still taking Zofran for the nausea but just orally.
The line started in her biceps brachi and ran into her heart. She is holding it about where it started in her arm. The purple line that you see is how much line ran from her arm to her heart.

The purple button is about where it started in her arm.

Here is the after math when the nurses removed the line from her arm.

2010-01-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

The PICC line is coming out today! I have now graduated to just oral medication. I am excited to take showers again and scratch my arm.

Hello third trimester, you blessed, wretched thing!!!

Lucky 7

2010-01-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Matt and I hit 7 years on January 4th. Not the greatest anniversary ever, but ya can't win 'em all. We got home from Utah at 1:30 am on Friday. I mostly didn't function that day so Matt unpacked the car and put away Christmas decorations. Finally that evening I pulled myself out of bed, threw on some clothes. and went and got a pizza and a gallon of milk so my family wouldn't starve. By the time we got the kids in bed Matt was sick. Food poisoning appparantly, though none of the rest of us had any problems. So we were up all night and the next day I went to the grocery store in the below zero temperatures. On Sunday we thought we should pull our act together and make it to church. Of course we got in a car accident on the way to church. It had snowed the night before and a lady backed out in front of us and it was too slick to stop in time. No one was hurt and we eventually made it to church. Monday was our anniversary and the day Matt went back to school. I tried to make him a nice dinner, but I was exhausted and sick all day. He still said the dinner was good. Whatever. We lived through it and that's about the best we could do.

So happy seven years to us. I still like him.

Girly

2009-12-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the precious.

Really, have you ever seen anything so cute???

2009-12-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

It's a Girl!!!
I can't believe it. We made the lady check three times. We were certain it was a boy. Crazy.
Oh, and she is perfect.
And we are thrilled.

Ava Cuteness

2009-11-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

Just two little stories:

Matt told Ava and Moses to go clean up the playroom. She asked if he would help them and he told her no, he was going to do the dishes and they needed to do it by themselves. Then she said, "But in church we learn that we should help each other."

Ava told Mos a story before he went down for his nap. It went something like this:
Once upon a time, a long time ago, Jesus was born. When Jesus was born his mommy and his daddy needed a new place to live, but they couldn't find anywhere to live. Then the shepherds and the wise men came to see Jesus and they brought presents. But the wise men didn't bring any presents so Jesus' mommy said, "Why didn't you bring any presents?" And that's when Jesus was born. The End.

Thankful...

2009-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

I love that Moses was sealed to us at Thanksgiving time. It always gives us more to celebrate and reason to be thankful for our little family. This year we marked 2 years on November 23.

Mos enjoying his treat. He wouldn't want to get his hands dirty, ya know. When we lit the candles Moses started singing 'Happy Birthday' over and over. I love that boy.

And a little something to satisfy your morbid curiosity. This is me at 20 weeks. Just remember your mama told you if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Happy Halloween...

2009-11-01T19:08:00.001-08:00

...yes it was. We had 3 days of trick-or-treating this year. First was daddy's school, next we had the ward trunk-or-treat, and finally we did our neighborhood. By some kind of miracle I made it to all three. The darlings were adorable and happy and it was all worth it.

Yes, their costumes fit them perfectly. I love those kids.

On a side note--I did not fit into my leather pants this year. OK, I didn't even try.

Pancakes

2009-11-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Every weekend Matt makes either pancakes or waffles for the kids' breakfast. It used to be mostly waffles, but lately it has been all pancakes because they can ask for different shapes. The funny thing is--Matt never eats any pancakes. He spends all this time making their breakfast and then he eats cereal or nothing at all. And I just sleep through it all.

Some recent creations. You can guess what they are.

Yes, he is an amazing father.

Keeping Life Interesting...

2009-10-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Matt and Ava were at the store and she was looking at a guitar in the toy section. She played with it for a little while and then she said to Matt, "I need this guitar so I can rock! If Mosey is taking a nap I can just turn it down and rock quietly." Sometimes a girl needs to rock.

Ava and Moses love to pretend to be dogs. Apparantly this is something that runs in my family since my oldest sister's kids like to be dogs too. One day I was telling Mos to go upstairs for his nap and he was not listening to me. Ava jumped in and volunteered to help me. She said, "C'mon doggy. C'mere puppy. C'mon follow me." And he did. She scratched and petted him all the way up the stairs and into his bed. At least I have an obedient dog.

I heard Moses puching buttons on the microwave and I ran into the kitchen to find that he had dumped sprinkles all over the inside of the microwave and was about to turn it on. I firmly said, "MOSES!". He looked at me and said, "Good boy!" and kissed my cheek.

2009-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Life continues to be interesting with the two year old male child. He seems to have no shortage of good ideas when he thinks he is alone. This is how Matt found the angel boy right after he woke up from his nap.
A few days earlier I was upstairs when I heard a noise and figured it was running water. However, I quickly realized it was the microwave and I booked it downstairs to find the syrup bottle about to explode with 45 seconds to go. Such a good boy.

In further news, Matt had 3 days off for "Fall Break" because that is about how long Fall lasts around here. He got a few things done in his time off.

1. He gave Moses a haircut which he had my permission to do.

What he did not have my permission to do was make my kid bald. Everyone says it's cute, but it makes him look so old!!

2. He organized some closets and put up some shelves while the kids entertained themselves.

3. He built a snowman with the kids facing into our next door neighbors front window. That kid is always messin'.

Yes, it snowed here on Saturday which we were not thrilled about, but the kids were.

As for me--I made it to 13 weeks and one thing keeps running through my head:

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here....."

Name that movie.

The Pumpkin destroyer

2009-10-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well last week we decided to get a pumpkin early so that we could bring in the Halloween season right. Well someone was grateful for the pumpkin. Thankfully Ava wasn't devastated that her pumpkin got shredded. -But we figured out exactly who was wreaking all the havoc on our front porch.

The pumpkin was by our front door but we wanted to see what was going on so we moved it in front of the sliding door and found the pumpkin destroyer.
Ava and her old friend. Last year we put nuts right out the sliding door and the squirells would eat them during the winter. Ava and Moses loved watching them up close.

Moses has been really enjoying the vacuum lately. Can't say that I blame him. I always want to bust that thing out and go crazy.

We were teaching Ava how to tie a bow and this is her first bow she was so excited. Today I was cleaning out behind the fridge and Ava said "You have a really big hockey stick, it is so long."

More Ava...

2009-08-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ava came up to me and said "Daddy you did a good job cleaning up the whole house. But there are still toys back there."

More Ava...

2009-07-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today we were sitting in Wendy's and an air conditioning vent was blowing on Ava. She said she was getting cold and she needed to wear long sleeves. She told Matt he needed a long sleeve shirt too, but he said he wasn't cold. She commented, "Oh yeah, because you have long fur. You're like an animal. I just have little short fur."

Then we were in WalMart and Ava made a comment to Matt about a woman who was standing right next to them. It was something like this, "Look at those big, fat legs Daddy."

She keeps life interesting....

Ava at her best

2009-07-19T15:09:00.001-07:00

Lisa told me a funny story about Ava

Lisa and Ava went to a store I am not sure which one. I could guess Buckle, Dillards, Target, some other random store that is in the mall. Either way she was in a busy dressing room with Ava trying on some sort full body jump suit I am sure-- and Ava says "mommy you wearing your pajamma underwear again."

Ava told me after she watched sleeping beauty "If you have a green face you sleep for ever and that is how you sleep forever."

This is Ava's story in her words on how she caught her butterflies.

"I went outside to catch a butterfly. I found 2 butterflies on a bush and I went swoosh (with the net) and I caught 2 butterflies before they frew (flew) away. Caterpilers they turn into butterflies. Caterpilers they want people to find them so they can find tree. Then they curl up on a little tree in a cacoon and then they come out flap their wings and fly around. Lots of caterpilers turn into butterflies huh daddy. I want to catch Butterflies forever and ever."ava

How was Ava able to really catch 2 butterflies at once? (2 butterflies and yet they are one?)

6-25-09

2009-06-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Farrah Fawcett and MJ died and Moses was admitted to the hospital. Rough day all around I guess.

On the 24th of June Mos had surgery to have tubes put in his ears and also to have his adenoids removed to see if that would help clear up his constant runny nose and cough. 45 minutes after the nurses took him away from me the surgeon came in to tell me it all went well. He said Mos has the smallest ear canals he has ever seen. See! There is something little about that boy. Anyway, he said he would probably feel like he had a head cold for a few days and he might need some Tylenol with codiene to sleep at night but he should be fine during the day. That evening he was fine, but he started getting up a couple hours after we put him to bed and sometime in the night he started getting a fever. In the morning his fever was 101 and I called the doctor when they opened. Mos was miserable. He wasn't moving at all, he was just laying on me and couldn't even sit on the couch. The nurse wasn't calling me back and so I kept calling. Finally Matt walked over to their office and told them they really needed to see Mos. He hadn't eaten or drank anything the whole day. I took him in and the Dr. said he didn't know what was going on and Mos needed to be admitted to the hospital. By the time we made it to the hospital his fever was 104 and his eyes were glazed over. They did a chest x-ray and some blood work on him and their "best guess" is that he somehow got pneumonia from being intubated. We spent 3 days in the hospital and are now home working on getting our energy back and devising ways to sneak Mosey's medicine into him.

We are glad to have our boy back.

2009-05-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

This little boy wanted to know if the President's hair felt like his own.

Yeah, it matters that there is a black man in the White House.

Nav-whoo

2009-05-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

The family in Nauvoo with two lips all around us.

Ava, Moses and their cousins surrounded by the lips.

Arriving at Carthage jail the twins were being so nice to each other and holding hands.

My big sister and husband and my parental UNITS and Lisa and Muscle man just outside carthage jail.

The Kidos and the life size statues of Joseph and Hyrum.

The kiddinkers and a Statue of Christ at the visitor center.

Moses and I are giving the stink eye!!!

Moses is heavy. Sometimes it is the only way to carry the little dude.

HOT MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The gurlies on the carriage ride. I think the little blondy on the right lost a tooth.

Moses telling grandma about it.

Funny faces. Moses has to go to the bathroom.

Last day and grandma and grandpa hanging with duddy squats.

Does Lisa really have curly hair? Nice thongs

Mama and the Mosen hosen

Nice picture

AND DON'T FORGET

Loves you.

Here are some of our pics we have been keeping to ourselves

2009-05-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since we just put some pictures up of our kids and what we have been up to. So here are a bunch of pictures starting from the oldest to the newest.

Ava took this picture. I think she did a good job of capturing my bride and I.

One time when we went outside Ava wanted to do some snow angels so she did about 15 in a row. You can see another one she did just to her left.

That same day we made this snowman in front of our window. I wouldn't recommend doing this because the next few days everytime we walked into the front room it was kind of startling.

One day when it was rainy and cold Ava and I made this sweet hopscotch in our frontroom. No one can do hopscotch quite like Lisa though.

We went to Cocokeys an indoor water park for Ava's birthday. This slide she only went down about 50,000 times.

If Moses were in any bigger he would be hurtin for certain.

This little dude is lucky I wasn't the one who found him up on the table.

Lately Ava has been wanting ring pancakes for breakfast. So here they are.

Lisa told me one day that Moses had been walking around with a plate on his head all morning and when it fell off he just put it back on like it was normal.

Ava was sick and couldn't make it to a Handy Manny birthday party so they brought over her little take home treasures. I personally like the little bit of tummy hanging out of her new handy manny outfit. She later tells Lisa and I that she wants to be a unicorn handy manny

Moses' latest punishment is putting his head in the corner. Lisa and I think it is kind of funny because once when Lisa put him in there he was tired of being there so he reached his hand behind him and started waving Lisa over because he was done being there.

Lisa ran a 5K in 28 minutes. She told me that her main motivation was that she read a blog that some 8 month, pregnant girl wrote that she ran a 5K in 35 minutes. So Lisa felt that it was her mission to beat this time.

Moses was really tired one day. So I got to hold that little dude for like 45 minutes while he slept.

Here is Ava and Moses' latest and greatest toy/bed. If you look toward the end of the bed it has a slide. They have spent hours going up and down that thing.

Ava had a dance recital this past week. I personally liked her added spins that she did.

Dear Mosey,

2009-04-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

If I have to spend another day putting you back in your crib for 2 and a half hours I am going to lose my mind. You're tired, I'm tired--just take a nap already. It is not my fault that you are as big as a three year old when you are not yet two. My best guess is that it is your father's fault, yeah, the other one, but who knows? I understand that you may be too young to reason with, you are just too tall and too coordinated for your own good right now. I'll admit, it makes me smile when you fake sleep and then come out of your room clapping and telling yourself, "Good job." Yes, I laughed when I caught you climbing over the side and you jumped back in and pulled a blanket over your head, but only because it was in the first hour of trying to get you to stay. Did you have to pull this nonsense when Daddy is in finals and I am alone? You planned it that way, didn't you? You know I cave when you laugh and crinkle up your nose, and when you snuggle into me and pat my back with your little hand I know I am the luckiest girl there ever was; but if it continues to take 2 hours to get you to sleep, one of us is going to have to go. It's either you or me, buddy.

Love, Mama

25 Things Lisa Round 2 by Emma

2009-03-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

1. Lisa’s “real” name is Elisa. At least that is what it was when she was “bornded”. This is a direct quote from her. I bet she is glad I remember these things.

2. (E)Lisa wanted to be a zoologist when she grew up. Then, later, she was going to be an ASL interpreter. Personally, I think she should have been one of those scientists who teach sign language to monkeys—you know, cause that would be a mixture of both careers. Maybe she can at least teach Matt to sign; that’s about the same.

3. Lisa likes to make everyone happy. When we were little kids, she was always pulled in two or three (or four or five) directions trying to be on everybody’s “side” when the rest of us were fighting. She understood every one’s reasons for being mad, but really she just wanted to make everyone feel better and be nice to everyone else. She thinks of other people before she thinks of herself. She is always willing to go along and help you do your thing, support you, etc. before she thinks about what she needs, and she doesn’t complain about it either. I have never heard her say, “I would be there for you, ...” If she can be, she’s there.

4. Lisa tells (and is willing to listen to, and pretend to laugh at) the LAMEST jokes. Next time you speak to her, ask to hear the “Donkey” one. It’s horrible.

5. Lisa is spunky…and by spunky I mean too dumb to be scared of stuff you really should be scared of. For example:
When she was a toddler, she and her brother and sisters used to line up by the pool to get floaties on and then WAIT till it was time to go in. Not Lisa. Soon as no one was restraining her, it was time to go in. It made her mother scream in horror like every time. That kid had to be fished out of the pool more than once.

Also, when she was a bit older, she was at a filling station pre-paying for her gas when a BIG guy, who was obviously a criminal, pulled up by the pump she was paying for and started to pump her gas into his car. Now anyone else would have stayed in the filling station, called the police, given a description… Not Lis, she marched out and yelled at that guy, and if I had to guess, I would bet she yelled in “ebonics.” Did you Lisa? Did you yell in ebonics?

6. She loves her husband passionately. Everyone loves their spouse, but those two are still sickening passionate about it. She still thinks he’s hot. He feels the same way too, but then look at her, how could he not? But seriously—I have seen few couples so in love with each other, so easy going and happy about it, and so secure with each other. It’s nice to see that is possible to be that happy. I hope they are that happy forever.

7. She missed school often because of a terrible illness she had as a child…in her tummy? Head? Nose? Something like that…on the upside, she got lots of rest, popsicles, and acting practice when she stayed home.

8. If you throw a rock that hits her in the forehead, she bleeds a lot! But she forgives you.

9. She also forgives you if you bury her in a hole in the desert, tie her up and leave her in the closet, lock her in a bathroom for three hours, leave her on the road to fend for herself with a snake while you run home screaming, forget to bring her the lunch you totally promised to bring to her…. She’s just an understanding and forgiving girl. Good thing, cause she takes lots of abuse.
10. Lisa can make food. I know this, because when he was a teenager, her brother Robert used to walk up to her after school when his mom was not around and say, “Lisa, make food.” And she did.

11. Lisa is really good at being a Mommy. You can tell because her kids smile a lot. I was explaining to Elsa the other day what adoption was. I was trying to give her a definition of how and why people give babies up. I told her that when a mommy has a baby she doesn’t have enough time and money to take care of, she sometimes thinks the baby will be better off if she picks another lady to take care of the baby and be the baby’s mommy. I told her that is how Lisa got to be Moses’ mommy. His birth mommy needed a good mommy to take him, and she picked Lisa. Elsa and I decided we think Mosey’s birth mom was a very smart lady for picking Lisa

12. Lisa respects people. Not in the “yes ma’am” “yes sir” kind of way (cause she is actually kinda nonchalant about respecting authority types) but in the real way people should all respect each other. She doesn’t “judge” people because they are funny lookin’, poor, or have made mistakes (unless they are wearing a bright white jump suit, pink panties on the outside, and a feather boa—and happen to be male—then she does judge). She just hopes the best for everyone.

13. Lisa makes me proud when she talks about Mosey’s other mother. I know a lot of adoptive mothers who feel threatened by their kids’ birth mothers, or feel superior to them, etc. Lisa speaks so kindly about his birth mother and frequently thinks of her and how she must feel. When Lisa talks about Mosey’s birth mother, you would think she is talking about an old dear friend or sister—she speaks of her tenderly and admiringly. Once (in her post about her dad) Lisa said the best thing a man could do for his children is love their mother. I think one of the greatest gifts Lisa is giving her son, is that she openly and sincerely loves his birth mother. Imagine how much easier life will be for him because she is making sure he knows how special the place he came from is.

14. Lisa has a fainting couch she does not take full advantage of. It’s sad really, she could be doing so much more with it.

15. When Lisa is really sick, she gets sheet white. The flu, a headache, nearly bleeding to death in child birth, doesn’t matter---she turns ghost white.

16. Lisa’s favorite cousin is the only child of Lisa’s mother’s older sister. Sometimes she pretends she loves all her cousins the same, but she’s just being a good diplomat.

17. Lisa went through this weird phase where she liked stuff to be black that normally wouldn’t be. She liked black pearls, black roses and stuff like that.

18. Lisa can laugh at herself, which is good, because she gives herself lots and lots and lots of opportunities.

19. She cleans up nice. I have seen her go from scrawny, scraggly, ponytailed, greasy teenager-looking thing to a flashy hot young diva ready for a night on the town in a few short hours, and all it takes is a bottle of shampoo, a pair of jeans, a trendy jacket, and some lip gloss.

20. Despite the “hours” comment in #19, Lisa can be dressed and ready to hit the town a good two hours sooner than her sisters can be, even if they all start at the same time. If you ever get the chance to bet on a race between the three of them, pick Lisa, hands down.

21. Lisa did not have a TV during her childhood and teenage life. So she is oblivious to many TV spawned pop-culture references of the 80’s and 90’s. I bet she doesn’t even know what the “Carlton” is, or who Screech Powers from ‘Saved by the Bell’ was in love with for like 8 years. (oh, Lisa darling, her name was “Lisa.”)

22. Despite not having a TV, Lisa loves commercials. A good video tape of good commercials makes her happy.

23. Lisa said the Donkey all shaggy and brown. And she was heck of cute when she did too!

24. At one point in her life, Lisa had 18 warts on her body all at the same time. She will be glad I included that information. They are gone now. The biggest one was on her hand.

25. Lisa gets pulled over by cops so the cop can flirt with her. Notice I did not say it happened, but I said that it happens. As in, iIt’s been more the once, and I am sure it will continue to occur for as long as she is so stinking pretty. And since she’s in her mid twenties and insists upon remaining as youthful looking as she did ten years ago, I don’t think she will stop getting pulled over for being too cute for a LONG time.

Lisa 25 Things round 1

2009-03-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

1. Lisa loves to eat alfalfa sprouts, which is good, since a lot of the time she looks like she’s putting on a little weight. (Actually, she never changes. Even when she was pregnant she only gained like 4 pounds)

2. Lisa is one of the world’s great listeners. I always felt like I could tell her my wacky ideas that I would be embarrassed to tell anyone else. Like the snowboard video w/ the Smashing Pumpkins song.

3. One of the best things about Lisa is that she has no reservations about smacking Matt (hard!) when he needs it, which is quite often.

4. Lisa drove some poor teenage boys crazy back in the day. There are a few who are still mentally unstable. Like the freak at Costco that I almost mangled when he tried to pick up on her right in front of me.

5. Lisa does one heck of a monkey impression

6. Lisa has a talent for writing and expressing simple, common emotions and
feelings about life that go straight to the heart of the reader.

7. As a teenager, Lisa never seemed to need the approval of the ‘cool’ group
at school; she was quite comfortable with herself, who she was, and what she believed.

8. Lisa has a special love for those who speak with their hands. She has been
mistaken for a person who is deaf because of her talent with sign language.

9. When 14 years old, Lisa was a volunteer assigned to the NICU. She stocked
supplies and rocked the preemies. She especially loved a tiny black baby
named Moses. She sang him songs and asked him about his girlfriends. She
told me one evening that someday she would have her own little Moses. She
never let go of her dream.

10. Lisa and Natalie did a marvelous ‘video’ and karaoke of ‘Earl’s Gotta Die.’

11. As a child, Lisa liked to sleep on the couch quite often.

12. Ask Matt about how well Lisa responds to practical jokes at McDonalds after she
drove all night on a long trip back from a pest control summer. “Here’s your sign!”

13. I have never seen Lisa do a lick of yard work.

14. We are a much better family because Lisa came along. She has made each
of us better and happier.

15. Lisa married the exact right guy, and made it look easy.

16. I think it is possible that Lisa picked Moses long before this life.

17. The YW were singing, reading poetry, etc. at a YW in Excellence program.
When it was Lisa’s turn she walked to the front, kicked off her shoes and
launched into a drum solo. She received a standing ovation and livened
that meeting up a bit.

18. Lisa is a lefty, but she doesn’t hold her pen right.

19. Lisa is an early riser…early afternoon.

20. You could say that Lisa is quite social; she doesn’t like being alone.

21. Lisa loves ice cream (even in Omaha in the winter) and dark chocolate.

22. When picking Lisa up from Junior High, she would jump in the car, turn the
radio up very loud, then begin telling me about her day in a very, very loud
voice so I could hear her over the radio. I would drive home very fast.

23. The way Lisa loves that Moses makes you think he’s her favorite. It’s the
same with Ava, too. Guess she plays favorites. She is an amazing mother
with happy children who already have their own opinions, and keep us laughing.

24. Lisa talked us into getting her 2 baby ducks thinking they would follow her around.
She named them both Jim. They always ran away as fast as possible whenever she
came near.

25. Lisa would not leave the Saturn dealership when I had to leave for an appointment
before we completed the purchase. She was there for about 5 1/2 hours – but she got
the keys! And I got the car (Thanks Ron--- Matt).

Natalie 25 Things

2009-03-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

1. Natalie makes the most delicious chocolate chip pancakes ever. Oh, how we love fattening food.

2. Natalie once got 100 red roses from a boy. Roses were everywhere, covering everything. It was impressive. Too bad the guy was an idiot.

3. Natalie has a Master's degree in English. She taught a class at BYU and I told her she should make the students call her "Master Baxter". If not her students, she should at least make her kids do it, don't ya think?

4. Natalie once worked at a summer camp for disabled people in Malibu. She loved it, even when she had to a get a tetanus shot because a camper bit her.

5. Natalie served a mission in Brazil. She worked hard and loved the people. And now she can talk trash in Portuguese with all the boys of the family. Lucky her.

6. Natalie is a compulsive returner. I believe she single-handedly brought down the Mervyn's empire. They thought they were doing fine when she bought so much--until 30 days later when she returned it all. It's not her fault--she just can't help it.

7. Natalie learned how to swim from my mother-in-law a couple summers ago. You know, "real" swimming, not that doggy paddling stuff. I learned too. Natalie would make up all these crazy contests so that we would have to practice a lot. All I know is she looks way better in a swimsuit than I do.

8. Natalie is really good at skating. Yeah, roller skating. When we were little my parents took us to the skating rink pretty often. Natalie always participated in the "speed skate". There would be all these boys out there trying to show off and then this little girl just blowin' 'em away. If you would like to check out her skills head on over to the next disco skate night, she'll be there (as long as Emma Lee makes her go).

9. Natalie is the most athletic girl in our family. Uh, maybe I should say the only athletic girl. She played volleyball and softball in highschool. I think she attempted to play basketball but was too short to get the ball up to the net. She also likes fishing with my dad and Robert.

10. Natalie is terrified of scary movies. Her husband won't even let her watch them anymore because he doesn't want to have to stay up all night when she is too scared to sleep. And if the girl sees X-Files she won't be sleeping for weeks. Once she told me that she is "not afraid of scary men, just aliens". That still makes me laugh.

11. Natalie is a great boy mom. She does lots of active things with those little towheads and somehow she keeps up with them. She has also become a master of train track building. Only time will tell if she can handle a girl.

12. Natalie is none too good at climbing fences to sneak into drum corp concerts. She ripped her pants (that were actually MY pants of course) and she took so long that the security truck came and turned their brights on us. And we don't even want to talk about what happened after the concert, but girl, you know I'd do it all again with you.

13. Natalie loves the beach. Natalie craves the beach. Natalie is her most peaceful self when she is on the beach. Natalie comes back into herself when she is on the beach. You gettin' this, Jonny?

14. Natalie loves to run. Yeah, I don't get it either, but she does. She has completed a half-marathon and if I could remember her time I would tell you, but I know it was good. Real, real good. She says it gets easier after the first 3 miles. She lies.

15. Natalie mentored a little boy named David before she had kids. She would take him to do fun things and make him feel important. I went with her a couple times, and man, it is hard to teach a kid to skate. I think she will never know all that she did for little David.

16. Natalie likes to perform crazy things to songs and drag me into it with her. The girl can dance AND sing, but that doesn't mean I can. We've made fools of ourselves to all kinds of songs, usually only in front of family, but we did do one at her wedding. Jonathan loved it, I'm sure.

17. Natalie is really good at sharing. She always wants everyone else to have what she has and she is more than willing to give you hers. It doesn't matter who you are, Natalie will give up whatever to make someone else happy.

18. Natalie is very organized and very clean. She's cleaned my house more than once for me. She makes lists, sets goals, and is very productive. And she vacuums every Friday.

19. Natalie has been in several choirs. She sang in a session of General Conference with a Rick's College choir. She's good, but once I fell asleep in her choir concert and woke to some guy screaming a song about stuffing slaves in a ship. I'm still a little shaken.

20. Natalie looks small and sweet, but if you are unfortunate enough to have to wake her up, you will never forget the wrath that will rain down upon you.

21. Natalie can read hieroglyphics. She is one of the few people in the world with this ability. Not really, but once a lady asked her what she was writing her thesis about. When Natalie replied, "Ancient rhetoric," the woman said, "Oh, so you can read hieroglyphics?". That story cracks me up every time.

22. Natalie is going to write a book with me someday. She is going to do all the writing. The idea for the book was born one dark, hot night in the ghetto of Las Vegas as we sat on a wooden bench, watching transvestites, and wondering what to do about our broken down car. So far we have the title. It's going to be amazing, as soon as it gets written.

23. Natalie likes to wear maternity clothes--when she's not pregnant. You all know how tiny she is. So if you have any lying around that you're not using, send 'em on over.

24. Natalie will win any 'most embarrassing moment' contest--hands down. I won't go into it all here, but it has something to do with a boyfriend's dad that likes to vacuum naked. Oh mercy. If you are in need of a really good belly laugh, you need this story. But you've got to hear it from Natalie. She is such a winner.

25. Natalie is an amazing freestyler. That girl can rap like nobody's bidness. She's just putting that degree to good use.

I DON'T HATE NATALIE

2009-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been wondering when Natalie's post will be up, well, I don't know. I actually got it all done a while ago and hit 'publish', but some error occurred and it was erased in it's entirety. Then, Matt dropped the computer. So maybe someday Natalie's post will be displayed here for all to enjoy--but I make no promises.

*And yes, I feel completely cut off from the world without a computer. Sometimes I am even tempted to watch the news.

Robert 25 Things

2009-02-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

1. Robert has only four senses--he cannot smell.

2. Robert's older sister has tried to hit him with a shovel.

3. Robert is a very good salesman. When he talks people listen, and he has a way of making what he wants you to do sound so darn reasonable. But if you are feeling a little unreasonable that day, he may leave approximately 500 pest control fliers on your lawn.

4. Robert will come very, very close to punching you in the face if you jump out from behind a wall to scare him. It is not recommended, but very funny.

5. Robert is a natural leader under pressure. He usually stays very calm and is good at directing others. Again, people just listen to him. In an emergency I would want to be with my brother.

6. Robert has owned/caught many snakes, lizards, and turtles. I have been on many a snake hunting excursion with him and loved every one, except perhaps the one where we almost drove off a small cliff.

7. Robert likes to eat in the middle of the night. He used to take me to 7-11 at midnight on Sunday night (technically Monday morning) to get Slurpees. Another favorite late night meal was party pizzas and raspberry sticks.

8. Robert sometimes gets migraines. Like if he gets pulled over for speeding in my car and the officer keeps the spotlight shining right in his eyes the whole time because he doesn't like this arrogant young man--he might get a migraine then.

9. Robert saved his youngest sister's life twice (yeah, that's me). Once he jumped into a pool to pull me out when I was 2 or 3, and the other time he jumped into a river when the current had me stuck under a rock and yanked me out. Those two times were the physical, but there have been countless other ways he saved that girl.

10. Robert had a dog named Teddy. Teddy could not run straight, he could only run sideways. Robert has vowed to never have another dog.

11. Robert was the captain of his highschool basketball team. This may or may not have contributed to girls befriending me in the hopes of getting closer to my bro.

12. Robert is a good cook. He is very particular about his food, so instead of having someone screw up his meal he just learned to cook for himself. And he puts Lawrey's Seasoning Salt on everything.

13. Robert used to work as a snowboarding instructor. He tried to teach me how to snowboard once. He must have not been a very good instructor because I ended up taking off the board, sitting on it, and sledding down the mountain. He was definitely good at snowboarding however. At least I was impressed with his crazy tricks.

14. Robert is not someone you want to get into an arguement with--at least not if you want to win. Robert loves to argue (something all of us kids inherited from the Beeson side) and he will argue anything just for the sake of driving you crazy, and he doesn't necessarily have to agree with or believe in what he is arguing. Matthew always says Robby would be a great lawyer.

15. Robert is good at anything he decides he wants to be good at. This includes basketball, paintball, fishing, shooting, buying and selling on ebay, fixing Matt's paintball guns, etc. If he decides he wants to do it, it is not too long before he is an expert.

16. Robert has had the song "Insensitive" dedicated to him at a dance. We'll just leave it at that.

17. Robert has a fondness for setting alarm clocks for 2 or 3 am and hiding them in people's rooms.

18. Robert was shot by his uncle. With a shotgun. We come from a slightly violent background. Nah, it was an accident. I believe he still has some of the pellets in his body. I think Robert felt a whole lot better about the incident a few years later when he shot that same uncle four times with a paintball gun in the junk. Cup check.

19. Robert gives thoughtful FHE lessons or "spiritual thoughts". He always makes me feel inspired and humbled at the same time. He shares his wisdom well.

20. Robert served a mission in Brazil. I've heard that he was a very hard worker and a very fast walker. He and Matthew were companions twice, for a total of six months together. Robert cried when he was released and took off his tag.

21. Robert knows all of the words to "My Perogative" by Bobby Brown. He also calls me whenever he hears a great old school song on the radio.

22. Robert has never done anything really mean to a girl he didn't even know. Except for maybe the one time he had his friend tell a girl that she should go ask him how far his dad could kick a football. When she did, Robert told the poor sap, "Is that supposed to be funny? My dad doesn't have any legs."

23. Robert is adored by his kids. He really is an amazing father. He must have learned from the best.

24. Robert officiated at his best friend's wedding. His friend now calls him "The Reverend". Robert also named his first born after this friend.

25. Robert held Moses at the alter when he was sealed to us. I will always remember the way he cradled my son that day.

Chrissy 25 Things

2009-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

1. Chrissy's idea of a fun girls' night is to cut up a bunch of magazines and make collages. Really.

2. Chrissy is the most fearless and creative cook I know. She makes amazing food and she uses whatever she feels like and is never scared how it will turn out. All of us girls cook like our mother--we don't follow recipes--but Chrissy just takes it to another level.

3. Chrissy referenced the country song "Livin' On Love" in her mission farewell talk.

4. Chrissy used to tell us stories using the ingredients as she mixed up cookie dough. The butter was sunshine, the sugar was snow, etc.

5. Chrissy loves to eat butter. Straight butter.

6. Chrissy once sang karoke to ABBA's "Waterloo" at the fair and brought the house down.

7. Chrissy named her dog Rusty Sundance Barrett. He was the best dog ever.

8. Chrissy is prone to severe laughing attacks. They tend to hit when she is in the kitchen. She usually ends up on the floor for 20 minutes or so.

9. Chrissy served a mission in France. She is the only member of our family (of those who served missions) that did not go to Brazil.

10. Chrissy has moves. Always has. She thinks she can no longer dance, but I know that girl could still bust it if the opportunity arose.

11. Chrissy loves to sing like a man when she is sick. Her favorite is "Broken Heartsville". If you haven't heard her do it, make it a priority to catch her next time she has a cold.

12. Chrissy made me love the rain.

13. Chrissy is the only member of our family that still lives in California. She lets me know when there are available houses near her though.

14. Chrissy always washes her eyebrows when she is finished doing her makeup.

15. Chrissy has very creative ways of getting her children to eat. The girl works hard at it. It is exhausting to watch.

16. Chrissy once said that when she got married she and her husband were going to hold hands all night while they slept. How's that workin' out for ya, Brandon?

17. Chrissy plays the piano and the flute.

18. Chrissy has been known to wear tight, very bright, green pants. And she rocked 'em.

19. Chrissy thinks she is the only one in the family that is not funny. Oh, she is so wrong. Robert is not funny either.

20. Chrissy makes up her own lyrics to well-known songs. It never ceases to amaze me how well she can do this at the spur of the moment.

21. Chrissy can hold her own in any arguement. And if you happen to be a doctor, you really should not mess with her.

22. Chrissy got a light blue Mazda 626 with a sunroof for her 16th birthday. She loved that car. And she loves her current vehicle, a light blue Toyota Sienna, named Cloudia.

23. Chrissy is Wonder Woman.

24. Chrissy cannot finish a meal in one sitting. She leaves her food on the table and comes back 20 minutes later to finish. She also has to eat right before she goes to bed or she will starve in the night.

25. Chrissy proved me wrong. I thought that Chrissy was fragile. When she was dating her now-husband I told him that she has a fragile soul. Then I saw her become a mother and I knew I had been wrong all along. She is most likely the strongest person I will ever know. I also told her husband that she is too good for this world--but I was right about that.

Mama 25 Things

2009-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

1. My Mom HATES to cook, which is weird because she is really good at it. When she was in college she lived with her sister and she made a deal with her that she would do all the cleaning if her sister would do all the cooking.

2. My Mom sews really well. She made her own wedding dress and used to make my two sisters and I matching dresses every Easter. She, however, did not pass the sewing ability on to me.

3. My Mom was very good about making sure we had Family Home Evening every week while we were growing up. And like all children, we were so appreciative.

4. My Mom likes her some Neil Diamond, the Bee Gees, and Aaron Neville.

5. My Mom thinks Tom Selleck is hot. Oh wait, no, she thinks my Dad is hot.

6. My Mom LOVES frogs. She liked 'em when she was little and she liked 'em when she was grown. She's had a couple frogs, but the one I remember is, Barnaby, the frog who she would let crawl around in the dirty laundry piles. I also remember one time for sure that my brother totally got off the hook when he came home way too late, but he brought a frog he had caught to my mom.

7. My Mom likes the donuts with the pink or orange frosting and the Apple Fritters.

8. My Mom likes to read a good book while eating a good apple.

9. My Mom has to take a bath every night right before she goes to bed so she can get her feet warm enough, or else she can't fall asleep.

10. My Mom likes men's legs. That's all I'm going to say about that.

11. My Mom sang us primary songs at bedtime.

12. My Mom taught me to be a "high endurance shopper". She started me young, and there was a time I could make her proud. Then I had children and it all changed.

13. My Mom is the slowest decision maker in the world. Seriously. She looks at something, then she thinks about it, then she goes back and looks at it again, then she looks elsewhere for something better, then she takes another look, and on and on.

14. My Mom has always been my friend. When I was little she would take me out of school to take me to the movies or get an Icee. When I was a little older she would take me shopping and drop by my school with lunch for my friends and I. There has never been a time when I couldn't talk to my mom. I still call her everyday--usually more than once. And she still answers.

15. My Mom crashed on a motorcycle with her cousin, Cindy. She told us the story once in the car and she was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her cheeks. We thought she might crash then too.

16. My Mom is one of the most hard-working and selfless people I know.

17. My Mom started working at the City Library when I was in highschool. She had highly entertaining stories to tell about that.

18. My Mom gave birth in an ambulance. She's never seemed too happy about that.

19. My Mom cries every time she reads "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". It was her Dad's favorite book.

20. My Mom wanted to name me Thalia.

21. My Mom loves the smell of new baby dolls. I think she named one of them Thalia.

22. My Mom was the Young Women's president in our ward for a long time. I think she will never know how many lives she changed.

23. My Mom stayed with me in my apartment the night before I got married. She laid in my bed and listened to me talk all night because I was too excited to sleep. I will never forget that.

24. My Mom always made us homemade cards.

25. My Mom lets my Dad think he wears the pants. She's sweet like that.

Daddy 25 Things

2009-02-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

1. My Dad is left-handed, as am I, but he writes the classic left-hand bent over way and I just hold my pen wrong, but my hand is upright.

2. My Dad listens to baseball games on the radio. He would often sit in his car out in the drive way after he got home from work and we knew he was listening to a game.

3. My Dad is the scariest person ever to find in a game of hide-and-seek. He always hides in a dark place and makes scary noises. My mom would have to go with us to find Daddy because we weren't going in there alone.

4. My Dad started out as a highschool teacher before going into Real Estate.

5. My Dad taught me to drive a stick by handing me the keys to my sister's car and saying, "Give it a go." Then he went to work.

6. My Dad majored in psychology, I believe.

7. My Dad makes a mean breakfast.

8. My Dad always takes his naps on the floor. Well, sometimes he falls asleep in a chair and then moves to the floor.

9. My Dad named his car "Clifford" because it is "a big red dog". It is quite fast, Robert and Matt can vouch for that.

10. My Dad is a good dancer and makes it his mission to teach young men how to really dance instead of just shuffle their feet.

11. My Dad is a scary man if you want to ask him to marry his youngest daughter. All I know is Matt came out of that room sweating like crazy. He still has nightmares about it.

12. My Dad cheats at most games. That is the only way to make it fun, of course. Spoons is the worst, and if you've never played with my Dad you are missin' out.

13. My Dad suffers from the disease Chocolate Donutitis. It is genetic and all his kids got it.

14. My Dad often talks about my Mom's "sparkling blue eyes". I've never heard him say a negative thing about her. I believe it--"The best thing a father can do for his children is love their mother." He loves that woman.

15. My Dad had an afro. Mos wants to be just like him.

16. My Dad bought me a car and told me not to let some boy marry me for my car. Matt crashed his car, bought a scooter, and married me.

17. My Dad sings well. He sang at my sister's wedding and at my other sister's farewell.

18. My Dad used to play baseball and basketball. Now he plays basketball and tennis.

19. My Dad joined the church in 1972.

20. My Dad has a scar on his arm from cutting himself with a chainsaw.

21. My Dad is "as handsome as the devil". Just ask him. I have had several friends tell me they thought my dad was good-looking, so he must be right.

22. My Dad knows A LOT of people. When we lived in California we could never go out in public with him without having to stop to chat with someone he knew. Handsome and popular...

23. My Dad drinks caffiene free Pepsi/Coke once in a while (we are not big soda people). We call it devil juice and I think it is nasty.

24. My Dad has really long, weird looking toes. I think all his kids got that too.

25. My Dad can give some really good advice on LIFE. He's a good person to talk to if you are ever in need.

Things You Never Wanted To Know....

2009-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be on this "25 Random Things About Me" kick. I guess it's going around on Facebook (I wouldn't know I never log onto my Facebook account, that's just what I heard). So I thought I would challenge myself--I am going to write one for each member of my family. That is my husband, my kids, my siblings, and my parents. However, I am only going to do my side because the Stephenson side is a place I just don't want to go. So that's the goal--don't expect one every day, ya'll know I am not that dedicated, but I'll try my best. Hmmm, where shall we start? I'll think I'll go parents first. Read at your own risk.

Seriously, People

2009-01-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have come to the realization that I entitled my Christmas post "Christmas 2009" and no one called me on it. C'mon, folks, help a girl out once in a while.

Happy Martin Luther King Day

2009-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

I couldn't let this day pass without saying a little something. You all knew I would. Today I watched the "Dream Speech" on YouTube. I would highly recommend doing that to all of you. I know you think you know it, but I always hear something new in it and reading it is not the same as hearing the words from the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and seeing the people in the crowd that day. Today what struck me the most were these words, "Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Yes, there has been progress, as evidenced by the event this nation will witness tomorrow. Yes, there are still difficulties ahead.

I tried to find some sort of MLK Day celebration near me that I could take my kids to today. I couldn't find anything. I sat down to watch the speech alone while the kids played in the back room. About 15 seconds into it Moses came out and climbed up next to me on the couch. He laid his head down on my shoulder and watched with me. Everytime the crowd would clap, Moses would clap too. Thank you, Dr. King.

How Awesome Am I

2009-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

So during finals just before Christmas on a not so warm sunday night. Lisa and I heard just a small scatching throughout the evening night. We followed the sound quiet and still we moved through the house. Just to find a creature sturring--- it was even a mouse. So I sat still and I sat long and I caught that tail of that tiny little mouse.

Christmas 2009

2009-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

What did we do on our break? Well, we...

Mos gettin' in the spirit while we packed up to leave to drive to Utah.

Ava and Matt made this little work of art after a good snowfall.

Grandpa and Moses are tight. Really tight.

The kids performed the nativity. I am pretty certain you will never in your life see a cuter shepeard...

...nor a cuter wiseman. Trust me.

Mosey helped daddy with his shoveling duties. (Please ignore the pink boots--you all know why he is wearing them--his father would not spring for some new ones so he got the hand-me-downs.)

My lovely sis-in-law made these little houses out of rice krispies and then the kids decorated them (aka ate loads of frosting). They turned out really cute.

Christmas Eve we decorated cookies with the kids. Matt is really proud of his frog in the top right corner.

Matt also made this "Lisa cookie". Looks just like me, eh?

My dad busted out this beauty. That must be where I get my artistic abilities from.

Christmas came and we opened presents to the delight and merriment of all.

Checkin' out the new goods.

This little girl loves this sweet backpack/sleeping bag. She sleeps on the floor every night now.

We got to see Grandpa Scott.

We also got to see Uncle Brian and Aunt Erin (not pictured).

Yes, things get quite affectionate at the Stephenson household.

Ava perfected her mad winking skills.

Daddy and Ava took the buggy for a spin in the snow.

Mos showed his sister some love.

We had an early birthday party for Ava because she wanted her cousins there.

She must have made a really good wish.

Almost all the grandkids fit on my dad's back for a horsey ride. I think he made it about 3 steps. The horsey is gettin' old. In fact, I think that horsey was pretty old back when I was getting rides on him.

I pulled out one of my drums to entertain the kids while we packed to leave. Couldn't find the sticks, but they were happy with wooden spoons. Someday I'll bust out the whole set for them.

We arrived home safely and jumped right back into real life. Unfortunately.

The Boy

2008-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Not exactly sure where I went wrong...

Celebration

2008-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

November 23, 2008 is the one year anniversary of Mosey's sealing to our family. Ava and I worked on a little project to represent how we are feeling this time of year.

For the celebration we looked at pictures, talked about what we remember from the sealing day, and had a little treat with one candle for each of us--since all our lives changed that day.

Moses was just interested in getting to the food.

My girls lookin' fan-frickin'-tastic. --Matt

Ava really likes taking pictures these days.
We are so glad these kids are ours!

My Boys Are Back In Town

2008-11-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Matt and Moses went to Utah over the weekend for Uncle Mike's funeral. We are all glad to be back together. Mos is spending today sleeping off all the excitement. I will admit that it was more difficult for me to have Mosey gone than Matt. I'm pretty used to not seeing Matt much, but it was hard to not have my Mosey. However, Ava and I took advantage of the girl time and watched some movies, went shopping, went to the toy store, ate whatever we wanted, and yes, she slept in my bed.

And since I haven't been keeping up with the blog too much lately I thought I would take this opportunity to throw up a few pictures.

I guess it's about time I get to Halloween (thanks for the subtle hint, Mom). Moses was a pirate. The very same costume I bought for Ava a couple years ago because I couldn't pass it up in the store when I saw a little black boy wearing it in the picture on the front of the package. Even though I only had a little white girl I made her wear it and she looked darling. Now it has been passed to Mos and he is way cuter than the boy in the picture that made me buy it.

We had no say in Ava's costume. Kinda like most things when it comes to Ava. The girl knows what she wants and always has. Not what I would have picked out, but she was cute because she always is. Trick-or-treating she went up to everyone and said, "My name is Ava and I'm a unicorn." Of course all these people already know her, but she just had to set the record straight.

Matt pointed out that he and Ava have the same smile in this picture. What did I get myself into?

Apparently this is how Moses likes to eat his potatoes--raw, through a bag. He also tried out a raw onion last week when I was making dinner. He didn't think it was too bad.

A little show of manliness. These things happen.....quite regularly.

Ava's most recent tea party guests.

Mosey's new favorite thing to do. I'm quite certain he gets this from his Grandpa Scott.

And lastly I would like to leave you with the words I jotted down from Ava's song she was singing in the bathroom Saturday night while the boys were gone.

I miss my daddy
He went on a airplane to see his family
Grandpa Scott and Grandma Kay and Sadie--
that's Grandpa Scott and Grandma Kay's doggy.
My daddy went away and took my Mosey.
I so sad cuz I miss them.
What will I do?
Help me go get my Daddy and Mosey.

Dear Moses,

2008-11-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last night, while you were sleeping, a black man was elected president of the United States. You do not know what this means for you now, and truthfully, neither do I. But what I feel is an overwhelming sense of hope. Hope that this means a better world for you. Hope that you really can be judged for the content of your charater. Hope that when you see your face reflected in that of a powerful man, you will know that it's true--you can be anything.
All the world will know Barack Obama's story. You, son, are just starting to write yours. I have always, and will always, believe in your greatness. Now everyone else knows too--a little black boy with a white mama can change the world.

Love, Mom

The funny things at our place

2008-10-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

So I told Ava to put her sucker away b/c it was bed time. Lisa found it right where it was supposed to go.

Lisa taught Moses how to give the stink eye. However, he is having a more difficult time keeping a straight face now.

Ava the other day decided that she want a pet caterpilar and made Lisa search for all sorts of things for the caterpilar. The ball is a toy to play with. The ice cream cone is the bath tub. The mega block is the potty. The chip under the potty is a leaf and the green lid is a plate with a tiny bit of brownie (that is covered up). When I got home we tried to find a caterpiler but we were unsuccessful.

Moses threw a tantrum and threw his milk on the floor and flicked milk all over himself and he started to cry. Lisa told me the story and I started to laugh.

Through the eyes of Ava.

Moses rubbing his cheeks all over my shower. I was putting him in the bath tub today and I turned on the water and he turned on his hose all over the floor where I was standing.

Ava created this little contraption on her own or maybe Lisa plays this when I am not around. I think it is awesome though.

How Do You Know...

2008-10-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

...she's the daughter of a dentist (well, kind of a dentist)? Tonight Matt brings home a Cinderella toothbrush from school for Ava. When he gives it to her she exclaims, "This is the best suprise ever!". Really?!?! How do I top that?

Mormons storm'in the Good'ol Punkin Patch

2008-10-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here I am covering for Lisa because she has a long 9 months ahead of her. So I will be in and out.

I was showing Moses how to sleep in his room since he would not.

My lady looking hot and dead sexy with her witchy friends (no offense Lisa).

Our dinks helping us get a nice shot on the Pumpkins.

This goat climbed up on the roof of this barn and was just hanging out. Moses is in the picture he is just harder to see.

My favorite pig and cow. I like frenching the cow.

The kids on the bikes at the pumpkin patch.

Incubators in the front and men in the back. So which mormon lady has 2 husbands?

PS Lisa is not pregnant it was a joke.

For Grandpa Ron

2008-09-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

I got Ava some new monkey scissors to do art projects with. She was really excited and kept saying, "Thanks Mama, these make me so happy. I like my own scissors." After she cut her paper pictures out she asked to go out on the porch.

This is what happened:

My dad would be so proud. She got his natural pruning skills.

Now every time she gets hold of those scissors she's out there hacking away at the bush.

Bite The Bullet

2008-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

We cut Mosey's hair. No, I'm not happy--but I think I'll be okay. You all know about his hair issues. Some people call it a "ring" around his head, some people think he has been wearing a hat, some people think we shaved just the sides of his head, but I prefer to call it his "halo". Whatever you call it, the fact is he had some hair all the way around his head that started growing later than the rest and the longer his hair got the more noticeable it was. So we knew we had to cut it all down to the same length if we were to ever hope for a nice, even fro. So Matt had been saying we should do it for a few days, and finally, when we had some friends over for my moral support, I gave him the go ahead.

BEFORE

Mos didn't really enjoy the experience. Ava freaked out and thought we were going to strap her in the chair next. I tried to not cry. Adam came up with lots of unique 'do suggestions. Lisa tried to make me feel optimistic. And Matt just shaved all that beautiful hair away.

DURING

All I have to say at this point is it's a good thing he is so dang cute he can pull off anything.

AFTER

Make It Better, Mama

2008-08-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest fears going into motherhood was that someday my child would get hurt, I would kiss it better, and my child would look at me and say that it still hurt. They would know that mommy's kiss really didn't make anything better. I would lie awake at night wondering what I would do then. My mama always made everything better and I just knew I wouldn't be able to do the same. I just didn't have the magical mommy kiss, and it terrified me. Well, the dreaded day eventually came, as we all knew it would, and when I gave the kiss--it worked. She stopped crying, she snuggled into me instead of turning to announce my failure, she thought that I made it better.
When I was becoming a mother for the second time I was terrified all over again. Petrified, really. This time my baby would experience a profound, irreversible loss when he was just 2 days old. This time when my baby cried, I wondered if he was crying for someone else--someone that I could never be. So I held him and cried with him, whispering words I thought she would want him to hear. And he slept curled tightly into my side, and we hung on for dear life.
The fears have not left me. We battle it out most days. I still feel my heart speed up when that little girl gets hurt or scared and comes running to me. I am still surprised and relieved everytime she runs off happy again after my kiss. When she tells me, "Thanks Mama, I all better now," I feel like maybe giving her to me wasn't a mistake after all. Sometimes when I hold my crying son I still find my own cheeks wet for the mother that's not holding him. But he still holds onto me tighter than anyone ever has and my voice stops his cries and my hands wipe his tears. And when his arms are around my neck and his head on my heart I think that maybe I can make it just a little better.

2008-08-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the very subtle reminder, Emma Lee. You always did have a great memory.

Our summer was lovely (all two weeks of it). Unfortunately, we are idiots and therefore did not take too many pictures. We spent time at both Matt's and my parents houses, lots of time with cousins, and even had a bit of time to ourselves. Ava got to sleep on a trampoline for the first time with her daddy and she got to camp in the backyard in a tent with her Grandpa and cousins. We did a lot of swimming. Matt and I went to Raging Waters without children. We had BBQs and parties and get-togethers and ate all the food we miss when we are in Nebraska. I got a pedicure with my sister and Matt finally got a haircut. Moses drove a tractor and seemed to forget all about the fact that he was 14 months old. Ava got waffles or pancakes most everyday for breakfast--a tradition that will not continue back in the real world. Moses experienced his first ice cream cone. All in all I wouldn't have changed a thing.

I didn't get any good picutres of Ava during the trip so I'll share this little gem with you.

Memories...

2008-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

I got this from Kelsi's blog. I'm interested to know what ya'll have to say.

Directions: Leave a comment on my blog about a memory of you and I together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, just whatever you remember.

Then repost this on your blog to see who leaves comments for you.

Good times.

No More Hiding

2008-07-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Quite the absence, I know. I think we have finally recovered from our vacation--just in time to get ready for the next one. In a couple weeks we are driving back to Utah. To be honest, I think the drive with two parents will be easier than the flight with one parent. We shall see....

Yesterday to I took my kids to play at the mall so that I didn't have to suffer in the heat. At one point Ava layed down under a giant mushroom. Moses just can't let anyone on the ground escape his attacks. He went over and climbed on her back and they both laughed and laughed. I hardly notice all the stares we get anymore, but they were getting quite a few. Oh well, to me they look just like a big sister and her little brother.