Graduation

"Theres quite a lot of pomp, under the circumstances." Hooray for the moo! She graduated!

Last day

"My baby's all grown up and saving China." (movie trivia?) Kylie went off to Kindergarten for the last time today. Last August she seemed too little to be leaving me all day, and her first day I was so worried about how she would do. But she has done exceptional. Partly because she is just so bright, and the other part is due to her wonderful teacher Mrs. Morris. We couldnt have asked for a more perfect teacher for our little moo. She has been so loving and so kind. I do believe this world is a little mixed up in the fact that people who pretend to be someone else get paid millions, as do people who can throw, or whack balls around, while those who help teach our kids get such meager paychecks. Anyway- we are proud of our baby girl and are extremely thankful to her sweet teacher for loving her this past year.

Princess

How did this pick up on my OCD for cleaning but not my extreme fear/dislike for rodents?


You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Friends

Last night we had a BBQ and FHE with some friends. We just love their family and the kids have so much fun together. For FHE we dressed the kids up in the "armour of God," then the rest of us threw the fiery darts(puff balls). Allison decided the best way to protect herself from evil was to face it head on and charge! The result- her foe fled in exceeding haste! It was great! Unfortunately for us, they are moving in a month. We are so sad they are leaving. Seeing as how we have never lived around my immediate family, our friends become our adopted family. This is especially true with Brie. She has been like a sister to me. I greatly admire her. One cant help but feel a little more joy after spending even a minute with her. She is just great, and we will miss them like crazy.

2 months

Ben hit the two month mark yesterday! He's growing like a weed. He is generally a very happy baby and smiles so easily. And he coos all the time now which is one of my favorite things. When Kylie and Tyler were babies, time seemed to go by very slowly, but with James and Ben it is going by too fast. It feels like it was only 2 weeks ago that he was born, not 2 months. Anyway I just love my Ben.

Grandma Wheeler

Today we took a little drive to see Daniels grandma, his favorite aunt & uncle and their awesome family. They treated us to lunch and then we spent a few hours visiting before heading home. They have 9 kids who are all incredible individuals. Since we have been married I have never felt anything but love, kindness and acceptance from them. I totally understand why they are Daniels favorites. For the past few years they have been taking care of Grandma Wheeler. She is definitely slowing down and that has been a bit sad for Daniel as he has always felt a special bond with her. In fact one of the first things that I loved about Daniel was the way he cared for her. She had such an adorable sometimes feisty, always loving personality. Now her hearing is going, as is her memory, and we cant help but wonder how much longer she will be here. Its kind of bitter sweet to think about cuz on the one hand you know she will be reunited with her husband and her family, but on the other its never easy to say goodbye to those we love. Anyway, it was nice to see her and chat for a minute, and it was so nice to be with the Hathcocks.

Park day

Toast has been begging me for a week to have his friend come play, so today was the lucky day. We headed over to the park and they wore themselves right out. I love that park, but with the temp starting to skyrocket we probably wont head there again until October when we get out of the 100's. Ahhhh... Yuma summers....theres nothing else like it except fire and brimstone.

Thoughts

Since last October I ask myself on a daily basis "have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” (-from Elder Eyrings conference talk)- and even though I ask myself that question and can always see numerous ways in which I have seen His blessings in our life,I never write them down. So seeing as how I blog for my journal purposes in the hopes that someday my kids will look back and see I didnt purposely mess them up, I did want to write down my thoughts from last night, and this morning.
Last night Daniel and I got the 3 oldest to bed, and then I ran to the store. On my drive over the sun was setting and I tried to take in its beauty without causing an accident. That proved difficult, so once I got to the store, I sat in the car for a few minutes just to notice the brilliant colors before it got dark. Later on I said my prayers before getting into bed, I asked myself my little question and the first thing I thought was about the sunset. How can anyone deny the existence of a God with masterpieces like sunsets? -so I added that into my "thankful" part of my prayers, and climbed into bed.
Moving along to this morning, after the usual rush of getting myself showered and dressed, kids fed, diapers changed, getting everyone else dressed, hair done, homework checked, lunch made, prayers, driving kids to school, coming home and getting the house cleaned, laundry changed, baby fed, and a few minutes of reading to James it was time to pick Ty up from preschool. Its just down the street, so I got Ben in the Bjorn, and James in the stroller, and we were off. As I am pointing things out to James like the trees and trying to get him to repeat the words I say, I took notice of some birds chirping,the clear blue sky, the light breeze, and as we walked past some beautiful flowers the song "He is" popped into my head.(Hillary Weeks-if you havent heard it I highly recommend you get her CD Day of Praise) The lyrics-
"He is the first ray of sun to reach above the mountain.
He's a gentle ocean breeze on my face.
He is raindrops moving slowly down my window.
He's a long deep breath at the end of the day.
He is a warm afternoon at the end of September.
He's a brilliant sunset sky.
He is a silent snowfall and the deafening crash of thunder.
He is endless stars on a cloudless night.
He is the laughter of children and the wonder in their eyes.
On a distant rocky shore He's a clear and steady light.
He is wrinkled hands and tiny newborn fingers.
He's the beckon that calls you home.
He is the sturdy staff that leads you to drink beside still waters.
He's the reason why the lilies grow.
He is a sermon on a mount.
He is a widow and her mite.
He is the blind man's first glimpse of light
He is the garden and a prayer
He is two strangers on a hill
He is an empty tomb
And the price that heaven paid
He's our chance to try again
He is open arms
He is a quite invitation
He is hope when hope is gone
He is lasting peace and the answer we are seeking
He is the pathway home
He is
Yes, He is."
-(the music is amazing- again if you havent heard this song you should totally get the CD-)
As that song plays in my head and I am thinking about all the simple yet marvelous things all around us, I got a bit emotional. I am just so grateful for my loving Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for His Son. The evidence of their wisdom, glory, divinity, knowledge, presence, and love abound in the world. I just need to continue to pay attention.

Economic stimulation

Two things I love about living here- one is the friends we have made and the people in our ward- second is we are only a short drive away from San Diego.(short in comparison to a 14 hour drive to Utah, the only other place we visit from time to time)- Yesterday we jumped in the car and went on a little day trip. We hit the stores first, as to stimulate the economy(thanks for the encouragement Sabra!), grabbed some lunch and hit the beach-(after driving around for a flippin hour trying to find parking- the beaches were packed!)My favorite part of the day- Daniel, holding Kylie, was standing out in the ocean, and turned for a minute to look back to the beach. a giant wave came from behind and took him and Kylie down. Unfortunately the little surprise attack also knocked his sunglasses off and for the rest of the day he didnt have any retina protection from the blazing sun. It was great! James had a blast eating and throwing the sand. Toast was anxiously engaged in building sand castles. Kylie was in awe of the grandeur of the ocean, and Ben napped away. Oh it was a fun day!

Tax Rebate

"Praise the Lord and pass the tax rebate!" (Friar Tuck)
Yahoo! San Diego here we come! Of course the responsible part of me says we should probably pay off the medical bills incurred from having Ben and having good for nothing insurance, but whats the fun in that?

Sumo Wrestling

The nights when Daniel gets home before bedtime, the kids go crazy with excitement. They start jumping on him and wrestling with him, and line up to be thrown into the love sacs. Tonight Daniel stuffed himself with a blanket, and stuffed Kylie and Toast with pillows and they wrestled sumo style. I needed to record it for future posterity. On a different note, a friend of mine has been out of town for a few weeks, and when I saw her today asked how it was being back- she replied, "ITS SO UGLY HERE!" I couldnt agree more. Here in the desert wasteland we dont see much color, and seasons are a joke. Oh its nice when someone else feels the way I do! Misery loves company!

Earthquake

Yesterday. Basically just living life in my bubble- aware of myself, my kids, and a few people I associate with.
Today- I get a newsflash about the earthquake in China. I am almost in tears reading these stories of people who have lost loved ones, people who dont know where their loved ones are, people who have no home to go to today, people who are feeling lost, and people in mourning and shock. I have never had to deal with something even close to that magnitude. I have no idea what I would do if Kylie was buried under her collapsed school, Daniel was found dead in his destroyed office, and our home was complete rubble. How do you deal with something like that?
As in opposition to my day yesterday, I am receiving a slight awareness of the millions of people suffering in this world. So I ask a question-- whats my responsibility in regards to mourning with those who mourn? I personally dont know them, and I am thousands of miles away, nor is $100 bucks really gonna help anyone. It just seems a bit shallow when millions of people are suffering and all I do is donate to some charity and go about living my life thinking I have done my good deed for the day. Obviously we pray for them, as the greatest source of comfort, hope and healing comes through/in/from our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. but what about the quote "it is usually through another person that He takes care of our needs."? What can I do? Can someone spell it out for me? We are here on this earth to serve and to help each other, so I really need to know what I am suppose to do in this situation. Reading a few news stories and feeling sorry for people doesnt help anyone, so what does help? Honestly, what is the best way to help in this kind of situation? Any ideas?

soap box

Me on my soap box!
Let me just say that I am not a huge fan of mothers day. Why? Cuz I think one day a year to say "you're appreciated" is kind of retarded. It should be once a month at least. There is really nobody else who sacrifices so much in comparison to mothers. Its a thankless job, and the most time consuming one there is. And the most important one out there in my opinion. So why is it that its once a year that we pause to say- "wow- moms sure do a lot. thanks--"? it really should be a monthly holiday. And it should be on a week day so that the men in the world have to take the day off and take over the responsibilities so they get a more realistic glimpse of the effort moms put into the day to day responsibilities, so that the "thanks" is sincere. Its like getting flowers for valentines day. Who wants flowers on valentines day? Its nice, but its so much more appreciated when you give flowers on an ordinary day. It says that its not just on days where its expected that you pause to think of the one you love- its the ordinary days- the ones that life is made up of. Ok- so thats my little tangent and I am stepping off my soap box-
But let me just quote Elder Ballard from his last conference talk--
"We need to remember that the full commitment of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult. Through my own four-generation experience in our family, and through discussions with mothers of young children throughout the Church, I know something of a mother’s emotions that accompany her commitment to be at home with young children. There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands upon their wives.
What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children?

First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.

Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child’s needs and what you can do to help.

Third, give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. You may do a lot of lifting, twisting, and bending!

Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don’t put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children."

Thats what I am talking about! This guy "gets it!"

On a personal note-
Mom I love you! And I am such a hypocrite cuz I dont take time on the ordinary days to give you the thanks you deserve for all you do. I really do appreciate the mother you are. You are so amazing to me- your wisdom and your faith and your charity are all incredible gifts you have in abundance, and you have blessed my life with each of those and many more. I adore you mom!

And to the mothers who read my little blog- I admire you! You have such amazing talents and are incredible teachers and examples to your children. The world is a better place because of you! So enjoy the one day a year that the world sends a little acknowledgement your way!

-And just so nobody gets the wrong idea- I am not saying Daniel is a bum- and my whole venting soap box isnt about or because of him--- he is, as you might know, amazing. And I know I am so lucky that I have him!- I am just venting in good fun. kinda--ok -- I mean seriously- ONE DAY A YEAR? Thats all we get for a lifetime of love and commitment and sacrifice? sheesh! What a rip off! Just kiddding-- kinda!

Midnight thought

So its late Friday night, I am up with my baby, and Daniel is gone camping for the father and sons campout. And I am just thinking - I am a wimp. I absolutely hate being alone. Especially at night. And I am totally afraid of the dark. And any noise I hear just makes me freak. So I figured out that besides being married cuz I want to spend every day and every thing with Daniel cuz he is the love of my life- I also enjoy being married to him cuz its nice to have someone protect me in case one of the weird noises is a scary monster. Next year I will have to fly my mom down here to spend the night cuz being alone even for one lousy night is just not cool!

The devil!

All I can say is Keamy is the devil!

Kiddie Kandids

Our little town is a great little town, but it is lacking in a few areas. Restaurants and shopping are among the things I miss most. (The lack of those things does help us stick to our budget though!) Fortunately there is a little town west of here that has a few stores that we dont, Kiddie Kandids and Costco. so we went on a little road trip yesterday. We went to Kiddie Kandids and took Bens baby picture. I chose this shot cuz it cracks me up. Ben is so cute, but not incredibly photogenic. I feel like I am being mean in saying that- but we really havent gotten any good shots of Ben, and I thought for sure we could get a good one there. This was the best out of the ones they did, and like I said it cracks me up. Not the best baby picture, but years from now hopefully he will get a kick out of it too.

SMURFIN-

Saturday mornings, when I was a kid, we would wake up early and have about an hour or so of cartoon bliss before having to do the Saturday routine of scrubbing the house clean. The smurfs were among my favorites. The whole la la la la la la la la la la la would just send my cares away as I eagerly waited to see what kind of evil plan Gargamel would come up with, only to be thwarted by Papa smurfs brilliance. A few months ago, some of Daniels employees nicknamed him papa smurf and that got me reminiscing about that wonderful little show from my childhood. I was curious if there was any smurf memorabilia floating around from yester-year, and was brought to the knowledge that the smurfs now are on DVD. Oh the joy! SO today I have been smurfing around and found it at the smurfing store, and am just smurfin excited to smurf the smurfs with my little smurfin kids and share in the smurfin adventures! YEAH FOR SMURFS!!!!!

HALLELUAH!!!

There are lots of things that I absolutely love! one of my all time favorites --RAIN! I love love love love the rain. I love the way the rain sounds. I love the way it feels. I love the way it smells. I love the way it looks. I love to play in the rain. I love to sing in the rain. I love to dance in the rain. I just love rain. I would gladly move to Seattle just for the sake of rain. Unfortunately, we live in the blasted desert, which of course means we dont see much rain. Its terrible. It hasnt rained down here in several long extremely dry months. But to add a little bit of sunshine in my soul today-- it RAINED! RAIN GLORIOUS RAIN! Sure it only lasted a whopping total of 3.5 minutes- but that 3.5 minutes was pure bliss! The kids and I ran outside and danced in the rain, and for those few precious moments it was heaven! In the words of Emperor Kuzco- "I'm so happy!"

Kids

Just wanted to jot down a few things the kids have said recently-
Toast -"Its a red piggy day!"
-"My teachers name is sisto stwong"-(its actually tuffly-he just translated it to strong)
-"Mommy is the mean witch!"
-"I'm always gonna be nice, but not when my sisto is mean."
-"I didnt do it- it was my feet!"
-"Is Ashley in your tummy?"-(Ashley is the name we want to call our baby girl, assuming we have another kid)
-"Jacob is my bestest fwend."
-"Did daddy put swiper locks on the doors so he (swiper) cant get me?"
-"Move outta the way Betsy!"-(said to the car in front of us one morning while driving Kylie to school)
-"your following the devil!"-(said to me when i put him in time out)
-"daddy and I are the only ones who know how to fix stuff!"
-"come see my mommys sequoia!"-(said to his teacher while pointing to the mini van)
-"you did it on poh-puss!"-(said in response to anyone who does something accidentally"

Kylie -"I'm not gonna kiss boys cuz I'm allergic."
-"you're ruining my life!"-(said during a rare temper tantrum a few days after watching freaky friday)
-"do you have to feed him with those? its kinda weird!"-(said while I was nursing Ben)
-"I am never gonna get married! I am gonna live with you and daddy forever!"
-"why do you and daddy kiss each other. Its gross!"
-She passes gas and very casually says "oops. Sorry about that."
-James loves me so much, and I just dont know what to do about it."
-I pick her up from school and ask her how her day was and she says "well, i'm gonna have a hard time telling you cuz its a long story."
"I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE sugar!"

Christmas in May

Another video that made me smile. Again- it would be smart to pause the playlist.

Thankful Thursday

I am such a grouch lately, and am feeling really bad about it, so I decided I need to change my outlook and have an attitude of gratitude and do a thankful thursday post. So 10 things I am thankful for today-
1- I am thankful that James is taking a nap
2-I am thankful Ty is feeling a little better
3- I am thankful Ben is growing and is healthy
4-I am thankful for the sunshine-(even though it burns my sleep deprived red eyes!)And I am thankful for air conditioning that makes the intense sunshine bearable.
5-I am thankful for my sweet visiting teacher who called just to say she loves me-(I am adopting her as my grandma as my grandmas have both passed on)(She is the most adorable lady ever!)(The world would be a much better place if everyone had a Glenna in their lives.)
6-I am thankful that Daniel helped me fold and hang up the monsterous pile of laundry yesterday.
7-I am thankful for color. How depressing would life be without color to brighten things up.
8-I am thankful for my parents. Talking to them makes me happy.And along those lines-I am thankful for my siblings, their spouses and their children.
9-I am thankful for my kids. Even though they drive me bonkers from time to time, I just love them like crazy!
10-I am thankful to have Daniel in my life. I am thankful he still loves me even though I am a grouch. I am thankful that he works hard to provide for us so that i can be at home taking care of our kids. I am thankful for his hugs at the end of the day. I am especially thankful for his friendship.
11-I am thankful for my testimony. I am extremely thankful for my Savior.( I know I said 10 things- but this one is the one I am most thankful for!)
Gee I fell a little less grouchy now! Amazing what a little gratitude can do.

BOOM DE ADDA

This put a smile on my face today which is quite an accomplishment as all 4 kiddos have spent the past 2 days sick and thus extremely grouchy, and Ben decided he doesnt believe in sleeping at night, so I got less than 5 hours of sleep in 20 minute intervals. But boom de adda- I love the world anyway! Stoping my playlist before watching would be a good idea.