The Gym

Since today is President's Day and school is out the Lukes invited us to go with them to a Gym where on Fridays and Mondays kids can come and play for $5. I thougth it would be fun to get the boys out of the house and get some physical activity. When we got in they were gone before I could even pay for them. I really didn't see them the whole hour we were there. Yes, only one hour. After that hour both of my boys were sweating to death, very tired, really hungry and ready for a nap. We probably went the wrong time of day but we wanted to do something fun. Andrew had a hard time playing nicely with one boy. Although this boy was twice his age he was giving Andrew a hard time in the Astro jump, so I took Andrew out and that mad him even more upset. So it ws time to go home and have naps. I was ready to get out too. Here are a few pictures that we took of our morning out. We will have to go back another time, just not mornings. Later afternoon works better for us I think.

Thanks to the Lukes for a fun time!

Dear Andrew,

Today I substituted in your Sunbeam class. Sister Perterson was out of town and she asked me to be the teach this Sunday. I said yes because who really turns down a call like that? Ok some people do but this momma doesn't. I didn't think it would be a problem and that you would love having me in there. I guess I wsa dead wrong.
So my sweet Andrew, while I was sitting in singing time trying to keep all the kids in their seats, with their hands to themselves and to keep them from bugging each other, you sneaked behind me to sit with your good friend Caleb. Now I ususally wouldn't mind it if you were going to sit still and be reverent. But were you? NO! You were one of the worst ones, sad to say. You were talking out of turn, hiting the girls behind you and laying all over the floor. I felt kind of embarrased because I thought we were doing well, but being in there with you has opened my eyes and there are a few things we need to work on. I do not know if I am overreacting, or this is how the typical 3 yr. old acts, but I was saddened watching you behave so badly. Its a good thing you can't read because you would think ill of me for saying all of this, I am sorry. I still love you more than you know.
Then we finally headed for class. You were the first one out the door and then when we reached our classroom you were no where to be found. I finally found you tryign to go outside. It is a good thing I caught you because you would have been outside and no one would have known it.
Since it was Valentines Day I decided to bring some fruit snacks to share with those who were being reverant and you wanted all of them to yourselves and didn't want to share. This was just the begining. Then you hit Carter because he hit you and you started screaming. So that is when dad stepped in and took you to Young Men's because I had 7 other children I had to teach and you just weren't helping me at all.
Is this just the typical boy at age 3? Or does my boy have something that needs to be looked at?
You never really had the terrible two stage, maybe 3 is the new terrible two?
Now I know what we need to work on. It may take us quite awhile but we will get there. Thanks for being patient. I am trying to too. If you are willing to work with me then we can do this! I love you! I know that being the middle child must be hard. I am starting to notice that you are doing more and more for attention. Maybe I need to focus more on you.

I love you,
Momma

Where would you go?

Church was alittle crazy today. Our ward is from 10:30 - 1:30 p.m.. It runs right in the middle of Owen's morning nap. He will usually go down pretty easy if I can sneak into the mother's lounge to feed him and rock him. But today he fought me bad, but he finally gave in and finally fell asleep only to be awoken 35 minutes later, not good. Made for a really cranky boy. It was hard to sit in Relief Society so most of the 3rd hour we spent roaming the halls trying to keep him occupied. I was able to sit in on the last 25 minutes of Relief Society. I couldn't really tell you what lesson they were presenting or what the topic was but when I came in there were quite a few woman talking about loved ones lost or hard/ good times that they had in their lifetimes. The teacher presented this question : "Where would you go?" If you could go back to one time in your life that you felt happy, inspired, loved, frustrated, or whatever, where would you go? I was kind of confused by the question, so she put it much simpler this time. "If you could relive any moment from the past, what would it be, when you felt one of these emotions that meant something to you. Mabye an ah ha moment, a moment where you were on cloud 9 or some even that jsut really stuck out?" How did you feel?
So it got me thinking today.  There have been many moments in my life that I wouldn't mind re-living and there are many, many that I wouldn't want to revisit ever.
Where would I go? That is the question. Would I go back to those good old college days, where I felt carefree, giddy and where the world revolved, or so it seemed around me? Would I go back to the day when I  realized my purpose in life? Or how about sitting in a cold chair, in a chapel in Chile, during an interview with someone in La Granja, feeling like my companionship was just the most frustrating thing in the world, wanting to quit and then realizing it wasn't about that at all. It was this individual that helped me realize that I could do it! This missionary made me want to work harder then I ever had before and because of that interview, my mission changed. It changed me as a missionary, and me a person. To that person, if you are ever reading this thank you! Or would it be the time when I met Lance for the first time? Endless nights staying up until 1-2 in the morning talking about whatever? Or how about the day I was married? Or how about the day when my first baby was born and 58 minutes later losing the one thing I  wanted more than anything? Would it be the day I buried  her in that hot Arizona sun? Pink sunsets in the cemetary, crying and wondering "Why me?" Or would it be hearing my three boys cry after each one was born, knowing that they weren't going anywhere and you would be leaving the hospital with them? I can't tell you! There are too many one moments I could pick.
I have had a good life! In fact, I have had a  GREAT life! I owe it to so many people.
Each experience has brought with it different emotions and feelings that I can still close my eyes or see a picture and remember it all.
I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me. For my boys and for us as a familiy. Even though we might be as poor as church mice, we have each other and we have the church. What more will matter in the end? Together we have it all!
So my question to you is - Where would you go if you could relive one moment from the past? What would you remember the most? What emotions and feelings do remember?

HE CRAWLS!

I can't believe it but my baby is crawling! I didn't think it would ever happen becaues he can be such a little stinker about it but he will get up and crawl. It is so cute to watch my boys have fun with him.
Por Fin is all I have to say!
ch

Dear John

On Friday night we went out to the movies. My mom, sister, and yes, we dragged my brother into it, and I went to the movies. We went out to eat before to Applebee's and then to the movie. I was excited to see it. Prior to seeing it, I read the book. I wasn't too thrilled with the book. I don't like stories with a bad ending and unfortunatly it did. So I was hoping that the movie would twist it just a little and to my suprise it did! The story was a lot better with the happy ending.

I love a good love story and that is what this movie presented. We laughed and cried.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. I enjoyed it. Thanks guys for a fun night!

Just Crawl!

Meet Bella

Why am I writing about a cat, when I don't even like them? Well it is because I have nothing else to write about right now and this got me thinking today. I hate cats, always have and probably always will. Growing up there was always a cat or two around the house. It didn't bother me then, like it does now.

My mother has always had a cat. Not just one but sometimes a few. Now her stash of cats is getting fewer and fewer. They are all getting old and dying. Sasha, a silly old grandma cat is almost to the point of dying and the other day she took it into the vet to hopefully get good news that something was terribly wrong with the cat and that they would have to put her under to end her misery. But no, everything came back clean and she looks pretty healthy for a grandma cat. Not the news they were wanting. When my mom came back home with Sasha, my dad just looked at her and was disappointed that she came back home with the cat. My dad is not a fan of cats by all means. My mom has this love for pets that I don't understand, maybe it is because I can't stand animals, oh well.

Anyways, this is not about Sasha, this is about Bella, the other cat. Bella was adopted about a year ago from my brother who decided to buy a cat to keep him company, seeing as he lives alone, but he had a huge problem with this cat ~ she kept getting ring worm and coulddn't stand paying for all the medication and plus it is contagious and who wants to be told they have ring worm? Definetly not me! So he was about to give her up and sell her on craigslist and my mom heard about it and so she took this cat under her wing, cleaned her up, cared for her and gave her all the TLC any cat would die for. Now she is ring worm free, and has been for quite some time. Now this cat, lives in their garage when it is cold outside and during the day she curls up in front of her "fire", which is a electric heater they plug in for her to keep her warm. It is ridiculous. Sometimes we will poke our heads out of the garage door and she will be laying on her mat in front of the "fire" asleep.

I love persians! They are beautiful, but would I own one? Heck no! I can't stand the smell and the animal hair that comes with them. Too bad for my kids because they will probably never own a pet as long as they live with mom and dad. So we go to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see them. My older kids pay no attention to them, but my Owen has become obsessed with them. We usually follow them around the house and he could watch them for hours and just laugh. So I got this picture of my mother's little cotton ball. Doesn't she look like on? Or maybe it is a lion, either way, you can't really see her eyes in all that mess of hair. Everytime I see her I start thinking about the cowardly lion off of the Wizard of Oz and start singing to myself, "If I were king of the forest!"

Oh well, I just have to laugh, because well, look at her, she is quite amuzing. Thanks Bella for making my Owen laugh!