Our Family

Pillows I made

2010-12-18T19:23:00.001-08:00

These are some of the pillows I made for the craft fair this year. They sold out and I wish I would have had time to make more.

Vacation

2009-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

We took a wonderful vacation to Albuquerque, New Mexico this past weekend. Jeff's brother and his family live there and we wanted to go visit them.

Back Yard

2009-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were working/playing in the back yard and the kids had a great time.

Emma loved running up and down the patio.

Ethan found some little friends to play with.

Emma wanted to check out the snails too.

2009-05-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

My {ahem}older{ahem} brother got married last Friday. I don't think he could have found a sweeter girl to be his bride. Congrats Mark and Lacey!!!!

Photos

2009-05-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I pretend to be photographer. I don't have any special equipment or anything but I love to take pictures. I love to try different angles and lighting. Here are a few of Emma. Ethan won't pose for me at all anymore. I have to get him doing something and then maybe I can get a good shot of him.

Tagged

2009-04-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

8 Things

8 Favorite TV Shows

1. Law and Order
2. Law and Order SVU
3. Law and Order: Criminal Intent
4. Chuck
5. Hell's Kitchen
6. Medium
7. American Idol
8. Super Nanny

8 Things I did yesterday

1. Watched Conference
2. Went to Costco
3. Got my coupons in the mail that I had been waiting for.
4. Went to Albertson's and bought soap for 65 cents.
5. Helped Emma learn to walk (she is doing really good)
6. Laundry
7. Talked to my mom
8. Slept

8 Things I look forward to

1. Going to Oregon in July
2. Basketball on thursdays
3. Band practice on Thursdays
4. Buying a house
5. Warm weather
6. Gardening in the summer
7. Emma walking with no help
8. My mom coming to see me Wednesday

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Zupas
2. Cafe Rio
3. San Pan
4. Olive Garden
5. Texas Roadhouse
6. Panda Express
7. Mimi's Cafe
8. The Bluebird in Logan

8 Things on my Wish-List

1. a Large family
2. To buy a house that won't make me house poor my whole life.
3. uninterrupted sleep
4. That my kids will grow up healthy and happy
5. to go to Albuquerque in May
6. More time as a family
7. harsher punishment for parole violators
8. and World Peace

8 People I Tag

I don't normally tag people...so you are all tagged if you read this.

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

2009-03-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

We have been working hard on trying to promote "Sunday type" activities to try to set this day apart from all the rest. We have a tote that we have deemed as the "Sunday Box". There are all types of things in this box from puzzles to dot-to-dots. I am not really that picky as to what is in the box as long as it keeps my children busy and not begging to watch a show all day. We also allow any type of Church Movie to be in the box too. So, a few weeks ago we went to the library and got "My Turn on Earth" and "Saturday's Warrior" and a bunch of others. Ethan LOVES My Turn on Earth and he asks to watch it every week. Too bad we already took it back.

Oh, my friend Rachel blogged today about her Sunday Activities and she introduced me to the Church's new "Friend" website. Click Here. This will also be on the list of thing to do on Sunday's.

If you know of any church movies that a 5 and 1 year old might like (we even watched the old movie "The Worth of Souls" which has The mailbox, the gift, Johnny Lingo and such...My kids loved it) So if you have any ideas of what else can go in my Sunday Box please leave me a comment. My rules are that if it is on Tv or the computer than it has to be church related...but otherwise just anything to keep them happy.

Oh, also General Conference is coming up...if you have any activities or tricks for helping them sit still better please let me know.

Emma

2009-03-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took Emma to the temple to be sealed for Time and All Eternity. What a wonderful opportunity. I know this has been a very long road but all worth it. She is so worth it. I would do anything for my children.

While sitting in Sunday School today I was looking up the scripture that the teacher asked us to look up and I stumbled across a passage that hit home so strongly. I would like to share this with you. For anyone who has been through any kind of trial or heartache. This is for you.

I know it is long, but read the whole thing ...it's worth it.

Doctrine and Covenants 122

5If thou art called to pass through ^atribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in ^bperils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

6 If thou art ^aaccused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to ^bprison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like ^cwolves for the blood of the lamb;

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the ^apit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the ^bdeep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to ^chedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of ^dhell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee ^eexperience, and shall be for thy good.

I know that sometimes when you are right in the middle of your trial...it's hard. It sucks. It still hasn't hit me that we don't have to worry about Emma anymore. Worrying just became part of my life. She is mine forever and ever and no one can take her from me ever again. I am so grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. Without him there would be no hope. There would be no reason to try to better tomorrow than we did today. There would be no eternal families. I know that without my faith I would not know the joys of motherhood. I would have given up years ago. I hope that all of my friends can find that same peace that I have found. The hope that gets me through my most darkest hour.

Blog Game

2009-03-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! (Though I hope you will!)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I don't even have a clue what it's going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a homemade gift! It may not be great, but it will be fun!!* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *

Oh, Happy Day!!!!

2009-03-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got to adopt Emma today!!!!!!!!!!

Wow what a long road. But very well worth it. I don't know what else to say other than I am soo excited.

My Project

2009-03-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

I have been busily working on a project. I totally stole the idea and all the pages are ones that I have found off of random sites on the internet but I am still very excited. I am making a quiet book for my kids. I got the idea from my friend Lacey's blog. Click here. Her's is much cuter than mine but it isn't a competition right?

I knew that if I went to all the effort to make the cover then I would be burnt out on making pages...but I LOVE Lacey's cover. I chose to buy a cute binder and I am putting my pages in there.

Doing it this way allows me to make it one page at a time. I don't feel rushed to get it all done and I can go at my own pace. Also, I have two children so I am going to make two binders and then we can mix and mach the pages each time.

I just finished cutting this one out. It isn't as cute as the original that I copied it from but I think my kids will really like it. It's wing will lift up so the chicks can hide under there.

This addition one the kids use the beads at the top to learn how to add. Ethan was using it today and he loved it. My plan is to get something to put the answers on and they can Velcro them in the right places. The white piece with the numbers on is a separate piece that is also held on with Velcro. I am going to make a subtraction one that can be interchangeable.

This is a clothes line. I need to get/make two more pieces of clothing to be pinned on the line.

I am not finished with this one either but I will make little cards that have like 5:00 on them and then the kids can turn the hands to the right time. Ethan wants me to hurry and finish this one too.

And last but not least the flowers that button on the page.

Each page has a very plain pocket on the back to hold all of the pieces. They are put in the binders with eyelets. Like I said before this has been a very fun project. I am using scraps of fabric that I already had.

Uncle Al

2009-03-01T16:07:00.001-08:00

My great Uncle turned 102 this week. 102 It seems crazy to me that someone can live that long. Up until now he has been in perfect health and we thought he might just live forever. We went out to see him for his 100th birthday party. It was such a wonderful trip. He is still very sharp. He won us at cards and was getting around just fine. Last week he fell and was in the hospital. He is doing ok now and is back home but he was really bummed that he couldn't get out of bed for his birthday. 102!! Sorry i am still just in shock. So some of my most cherished memories involve my Uncle Al. He and his wife use to have a motor home and go on long trips and sometimes he would stop and pick up Mark and me and we would go with them. HA...even back then they seemed really old. They would go swimming with us and play games. They were just fun to be with.

He has a lemon tree in his back yard and every time my parents go there they bring me back a ton of lemons. My parents made an impromptu trip out to see him (He lives in California) on Thursday and my mom came back today and guess what she brought me!! Yup...Lemons. So I don't even like lemons. Not lemonade, not lemon pie, nothing. I will eat it...but I really don't like it.

Today I made lemon bars. We had these a lot growing up. They aren't too bad I guess. (still not my favorite) I feel like I am in a hard spot. I want Uncle Al to get better and healthy again but did I mention he is 102?? Everyone has to die eventually. We all know this. It is a part of life. He could go any day and we would be happy for him. But I just don't want him to suffer. I don't want him to have a long drug out illness. I think it would be awesome if he made it to be 105. He was joking with us at his 100th birthday that he would see us all in 5 years for his 105th. But my mom said he was still playing cards and laughing with them and doing great!! SO I hope he gets better soon.

For Sara

2009-02-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend Sara about kids and eating and nutrition the messes they make. So I am posting this to show her that it is possible to let your child feed themselves a healthy meal without having them make an unbearable mess.

This is at the beginning of the meal.

And this is the end. Not too much damage tonight.

This meal I made is called "Cabbage and Straw". I got it off of Rachel Ray. It has potatoes, cabbage and spaghetti noodles. The sauce is butter, sage and garlic. My kids like it.

Emma

2009-02-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I had stopped writing about Emma because I am sick of the drama as I am sure all of my readers are. Anyway, we were scheduled to go to court to adopt her on Jan 26. They called and said we had issues and had to move it to Feb 11. They called and said we have more issues and so now we are scheduled for March 4. I have no clue what else could possibly come up but it better happen this time. I never knew that one little child could cause so much grief while still being such a perfect Angel.

February

2009-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

Ethan is learning how to write his name. He got to fill out Valentines for his preschool class.

We went to Jeff's parents house last weekend. It is a three hour drive and to keep Emma quiet and happy we kept giving her Red Vines and Oreos. YUm!!!

New Family Picture.

Just Cute.

And one of Ethan just to not leave him out.

This is not a pity party

2009-02-04T14:09:00.001-08:00

I really just want to know how everyone does it. How do you keep your house clean, teach you kids everything that they need to learn in life, cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, keep up on laundry, take kids to scouts, band, soccer, gymnastics, Dance, visitation, story time at the library, go grocery shopping, wipe noses, tame temper tantrums, change diapers............................

I wanna know how all of you out there do it all??

Boring

2009-01-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well life has been boring so I feel like I have nothing to post. This is so not a complaint though. I am very grateful for a break from the drama.

"I surrender"
Emma was too quiet one day and this is where I found her.

I have NEVER been able to make good looking cookies before. Mine are always flat and lumpy looking. But my 15 year old niece has been living with us for the last few weeks and she wanted to make cookies and they turned out very beautiful!!!

We went sledding with my family over new years. It was a blast!!

Catching Up!!

2008-12-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ethan's preschool had a wonderful Christmas program. They sang songs and got to see Santa. Ethan thought it was great fun!!

Emma took her rightful place under the tree as our most cherished present. She thought is was a fun place to hide.

Emma on Christmas eve sporting her new jammies from Grandma!

Ethan on Christmas eve in his new jammies playing with his race track from Uncle Doug. So far I think this is his most played with toy.

Emma giving me the "stop taking pictures of me" look. This was after about 20 pictures and none really turned out.

Christmas morning.

Emma loves her new riding toy.

We went bowling the day after Christmas. Jeff won!! He got like 4 strikes and surprised us all with his hidden talent.

My niece got a wii for Christmas and Ethan and Isaac were playing the bowling game on it. They loved it. I thought it was silly that they were pretend bowling when they could be real bowling. It was a fun time!!

Tag

2008-12-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

Change all the answers so that they apply to you.
Then tag 5 friends...Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. But if I can't find a box that will make
it fit nicely then I use a bag...but not very often.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Fake. I fought and fought for a real tree after I got married
but Jeff won...we have a fake one.

3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving. Jeff won't let me do it
any sooner.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually as soon as I get home after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? MMMMmmmmm...I Love it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know. But I remember my brother always
made me hunt for my gifts....that was always fun.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Jeff's Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? Emma...she doesn't care yet.9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have a few of them. I even have the Fisher Price little people one for the kids to play with.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I am all about snail mail. It is more personal.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Socks. JK Mom they are great!!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? There are just soo many that I like. I love the Muppets
Christmas. The one where they all end up at Fozy Bears' mom's house. And the
Swedish Chef is trying to cook Big Bird. It's a great one!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Well, I have bought everything for my
ones I am making by hand...but I haven't bought the big ones yet.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No I don't think so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Things that remind me of home...Banana Cream Pie,
Egg Nog, Banana Bread, And this candy mix that my mom use to always buy.

16. Lights on the tree? Ya, I agree with Mary...Why doesn't put lights on their tree?

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have so many. I really like Breath of Heaven sung by Amy Grant.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I think Jeff and I have stayed home once cuz we had to work...
the rest of the times we are at our Parent's homes.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixon, comet, cupid, doner,
blitzen, roudolph...I dunno if that is all but it sounds good.

20.Angel on the tree-top or a star? A star this year. Both are great!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Driving in the snow. (but I LOVE playing in it.)

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? This year I like red and gold.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Anything that I didn't have to cook.

I tag Everyone again cuz there aren't that many people that read my blog.
But you ALL better do it this time or I might single you out next time.

A different kind of court

2008-12-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

In order from Left to right: Our lawyer, Jeff, Me, Ethan, the Judge, our case worker.

Four years ago today we went to court to adopt Ethan. Ethan was 6 months old. Wow time flies. He is growing up way too fast. I need to make time stand still. When he was a newborn I use to wish he was a little older so that he could smile and giggle. Then I use to wish he was a little older so he could communicate a little...and I couldn't wait until he could crawl...and walk...and ...and...and. Never again. These moments of childhood end all too soon and now I try to take it one day at a time and just enjoy it. His adoption was much easier than what we have been going through this time. We got our papers in at LDS family services...well, the exact date that we got them in is a little sketchy. It was sometime at the beginning of the year. We had taken the adoption classes the year before but I was procrastinating getting our file done. I was having a hard time with all of it. Not a hard time with adoption...that was never the issue. Just a hard time with not being able to have kids. I remember that Christmas...it must have been 2003...Greg and Summer just had their first son Isaac and I sat in my in-laws basement and cried. A lot. I felt like everyone was passing us by. So, anyways...after that I decided to get our papers in and just see where it took us. Some people are on the list FOR EVER. I have heard of people waiting 7 or 10 YEARS to get a baby. I feel so blessed that it happened at all...and even more blessed that it happened so fast. At the end of May 2004 we got a call that said a birth mother had chosen us and that she was due June 9th. (it is kind of funny because the first thought in my head was of this year or next...because June 9th was only like 2 weeks away.) Then I realized that it had to be this year or she wouldn't be pregnant yet. Then he came early. Only three days early but still not very much notice. My mom says that Ethan came to us so easy so that we could go through all of this with Emma. Either way I am very glad that Ethan came into our home. We thank Heavenly Father every day for him. Ethan makes me smile. He is such a joker. Even when he is being naughty he makes me smile. Like tonight he was playing a game with Jeff and got mad because Jeff won and he said "Dad, you're a liar." We just busted up laughing.

Court again.

2008-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Today we went to court AGAIN. This time for Emma's dad. He didn't show up and he hasn't been involved for over six months so they terminated his rights due to abandonment. We have been in contact with a lawyer and it is all in the works to make Emma a permanent part of our family. Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers and concerns. I know Heavenly Father hears us. He loves each of us very much. He has been looking out for this sweet little baby girl from the beginning.

Slacker

2008-12-09T11:56:00.001-08:00

I would like to start by saying that I am sorry there is so much Drama in my life. I didn't really choose it but I feel like everything I post is like way too Dramatic.

I am such a slacker at posting lately. I am sorry. I hate boring blogs when no one posts anything and now I am falling into the trap also. My life has been crazy busy though. So two years ago I taught band...and this last year I joined a band. It is a concert/marching band and I am playing the flute. So I practice a lot. which hasn't been helping...I still mess up a lot. Oh, well. I love it and it gets me out of the house once a week. This last week we have had a family crisis involving my sister. Tomorrow is Emma's Dad's trial which I found out this morning might just be like her mom's which I wasn't expecting.

I think I have mentioned before that everything for Christmas this year will be homemade. So, here are the puppets that I made for Ethan and Emma. They aren't quite done yet but done enough that if I didn't finish I could still give them to them and finish later. I think I just have a few tails to sew on and the buttons on the bunny.

Aunt Summer had the most wonderful idea for a family home evening. So, here is our picture of the stuff Ethan gathered for the scavenger hunt. Ethan loved finding out what Isaac's favorite toys and movies were too!!

Today I was on the phone a lot with more drama. (what else is new) Emma was fussing so I put her in her high chair while I was cooking lunch and one the phone with Jeff's mom. Poor thing was so tired she just up and fell asleep.

Insomnia

2008-11-25T03:16:00.001-08:00

Well, it is 4 in the morning and I can't sleep. I have been awake for almost an hour now. I haven't been this bad since High School. I think I have a bad habit of getting too much sleep and then it catches up with me. I went to bed early the night before last and then again last night and maybe my body is telling me that I really don't need this much sleep.

So, I have been contemplating the events of yesterday and of the last year. The judges words keep running through my mind. I feel really sorry for Emma's mom. All she wants is to be a mom. All I have ever wanted is to be a mom too. I know there are way too many safety risks to even think about sending Emma back with her but I still feel sorry for her. Every Holiday that comes I goes my heart aches for her. She doesn't really have a lot of family. It is just her and her mother. My thoughts have then turned to this week. Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I wonder if they celebrate Thanksgiving. Do they cook a big meal just for the two of them? Is it just another day for them? I can't even imagine being raised that way. Thanksgiving in my family has always been a time of a huge family gathering. There are 5 kids in my family. Toni, Kristy, Brad, Mark and Me. The oldest three all have six kids of their own now. So that make 18 grandkids plus my two makes 20. Toni's oldest three children are starting families of their own too. Zach I hear is engaged. Breanna is married with a baby and two step children, and Steph has two boys. So depending on the Holiday we could have anywhere from 3-5 great granchildren there too. So, 25 grandkids plus 7 Adults = 32. It is complete and utter chaos and we don't always get along ALL the time(but we do most of the time). There are 19 so far when we all get together at Jeff's parents house.

I have so much to be Thankful for this season!! 51 reasons to be exact. My family is more important to me that any monetary thing. There are too many people in the world today that think that "things" are more important than people. Yesterday I was looking around at all the things Jeff and I own. And then I was thinking of how we are going to pay for this adoption. I decided that if it came down to it we could always try to sell everything. I pictured us sitting on the floor in our living room spending time as a family. Ethan would think it was an adventure as he does with everything. Eventually we could buy some stuff back. But we would have Emma. Jeff and I LOVE music. A song comes to mind...I think by Bread "I would give everything I own". I think the way families are set up are very divinely inspired. It is where we first learn to interact with people that we might not always get along with. It is where we feel safe to be ourselves. Where we are loved unconditionaly.

Well, it is now 4:44 am...thanks for listening to my rants.

Wow...what a long road.

2008-11-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

So, this morning at 11 we went back to court to hear the Judge's verdict. It was the State vs. Emma's mom (He used her name but I am still bound to confidentiality.) The first thing he said was that he had approved the state's petition. At this point Jeff reached over and grabbed my hand. I knew that had meant something important but I was confused as to what that meant. SOoo...much legal jargon that I didn't really understand what he was saying. But Jeff looked happy. Then the judge continued to read the rest of his findings and it was all in our favor. For many many reasons he found her an unfit parent and he was terminating her parental rights. I think this would be a very hard job. So, they are no longer associated at all, the judge said, except in the case of inheritance. So, I guess if Emma's birth mom somehow inherits a fortune then Emma is entitled to that. (ya...like that is going to happen) SOOOooo...YAY!!! We are looking at mid January for an adoption. I need to call the lawyer soon and get that ball rolling.

Court

2008-11-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today the Judge gave his verdict. He terminated Emma's moms rights. I have no time to write more about this but I will later!!!! We should be finalizing the adoption mid-january.

Ok

2008-11-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

I never read the books. I don't really have all that much time to read lately. It takes too much brain power. But my friend Laura rented a theater and my friend Jen (Laura's sister-in-law) invited to me watch it with them and 519 other screaming women. And Men. I was actually surprised at how many men were there. BUT...my point is that I absolutely LOVED this movie. I can't wait until the next one comes out because I am sure I won't get around to reading the other books either.

Great Family Fun

2008-11-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Utah adoption council had a party today at Boondocks so we went.

The arcade games were great!

Ski Ball was my favorite as a kid. I remember going to the mall with my parents and my brother (I think mostly in Colorado) But my dad was a sucker for the arcade. He would give us quarters until my mom would get mad and we would play ski ball all day.

This was us waiting in line for Lazer Tag. Ethan really likes this game. Probably because of the guns. I don't allow toy guns or anything in my home so when he gets a chance to play with them he loves it.

Horton hears a musical.

2008-11-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the library to a Youth theater production of Sussical the Musical. These kids did an AWESOME job. Ethan and Emma both thought it was great. Ethan couldn't take his eyes off of them and Emma clapped and danced the whole time.

Before the play started they invited all of the kids up to sing and dance with them. It was a hoot. It was a younger kid acting exercise. It was really cute to watch the teenagers and little kids all acting like different things.

Ethan and the Grinch. This guy was a really good actor.

Traditions!

2008-11-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ethan's birthmom had a tradition to bake cookies on the day of the first snow! We have carried this tradition over to our family. (I know this technically isn't the first snow...but October doesn't count...right? and that last snow fall didn't even last for a whole day.) So Ethan and I made cookies today. He is getting really good at dumping and stirring ingredients. He loves helping me in the kitchen. Maybe he needs an apron. (hhmm...as I sit and ponder yet one more homemade Christmas present/project that I may or may not have time for. Everything my children are getting from me this year will be homemade.)

I don't pretend to be a chef. Usually I am more ashamed at what I make and this is why I never make stuff to take to the neighbors. My stuff usually tastes fine but looks all flat or lumpy. But I love this recipe that I used today. I had never made them before...and I made mistakes I am sure...but since I am not one to share my actual cookies with you I will share the recipe:

This is from my new favorite Book "Wonderful Wheat"

Applesauce Cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 - 1 cup thick applesauce
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 350 on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 mins

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-05T11:48:00.001-08:00

It wasn't a snow day that called off school or anything...but there sure is a lot of snow!!

We had a little snowball fight for awhile. He thought it was great.

And every kids favorite past time of eating snow!!

Emma Smiles (have you ever seen the show Savannah Smiles?? I used to watch it all the time as a kid)

2008-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

I absolutely melt when it comes to Emma's smile. Her happiness is so important to me and if we can get her to giggle or smile it just makes my day. She does smile a lot but as soon as I pull my camera out she gets distracted and stops smiling. I know I have said it before but when I do capture it I have to share. I wish the judge could see how happy she is. I know this is "Foster Care" that we signed up for and not adoption. So don't get me wrong. If I thought there was any chance of her being safe going home I would cry a lot, but I would let her go. I want what is best for her. If that meant not being with us so be it. BUT...for now...in our defense...I think she is a very happy little girl.

2008-11-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when Ethan steals my camera.

Candy

2008-10-31T20:53:00.001-07:00

Tonight after Ethan, Jeff and Emma got back from trick-or-treating I went into the kitchen to get me a piece of candy. There was some candy on the counter but I knew we had a lot more than that. So, I went in Ethan's toy room and there was the very large bowl mostly full of candy. He doesn't even really like candy normally...so I thought it was funny that he took it in there.

Halloween Carnival

2008-10-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

We went to a Halloween carnival on Tuesday and I forgot to blog it. (I was a little busy...I wonder why.) The kids had so much fun. When Ethan put his costume on I was worried about what Emma would do. She thought it was a hoot. She was grinning from ear to ear looking at him. When we got to the carnival she was the same way. She loved all of the kids dressed up. Ethan had so much fun doing all of the games and seeing all the other little spidermans.

I dedicate this song to Emma!

2008-10-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Court

2008-10-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe someday I will talk about it. But today is not that day. But Yesterday was Emma's Mom's trial. After a very long day in court and a lot of damaging testimonies the judge has decided that this is a case that he needs time to think about. So, he gave us a future date at the end of November by which he will make his decision. I have no freaking clue what on EARTH he would need to think over. To all of us in the court room it seemed pretty cut and dry. But anyway, my request of all of my friends on here...will you please put Judge Michie's name on the prayer roll at all of the many temples that you attend. And more importantly put Emma's name on there, and PRAY FOR EMMA!

Surgery....If you can even call it that.

2008-10-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

My dear little Emma had to get tubes put in her ears on Monday. I really have a beef with the way the hospital schedules surgeries. They tell you what day you are to come in but won't tell you what time. So they called me the day before the surgery to tell me what time I needed to come in but I wasn't home. (I was at Topaz) They left a message that I needed to call them but STILL didn't tell me what time I needed to bring her in. So, Monday morning I called them at about 7:30 am and asked what time we needed to come in and they told me that I was supposed to be there an hour ago. HELLO...If you want someone there at 6:30 in the morning then YOU NEED TO TELL THEM. I thought I was doing pretty good by calling in at 7:30. That seemed really early to me. So, we scrambled to get ready and Jeff called his work and asked if he could get the day off to help me with Ethan. Cuz how many of you would like to be called on to babysit at 7:30 in the morning. (I am usually not even awake that early) While we were getting ready Emma crawled over to a bottle of milk from the night before and started drinking it. She was not supposed to have anything to eat or drink prior to surgery. I quickly took it away from her and wasn't even sure if she had really drank any. Soooo...we finally get to the hospital and we got her all checked in and got her in her little hospital clothes. Every child her size was wearing the same clothes it was kinda cute. They took us down to pre-op. This was about 10:00am. Then they inform us that because she MIGHT have had a sip of milk this morning that the earliest they could perform the surgery was 2:00...and that she STILL couldn't have anything to eat. My poor baby hadn't had anything to eat since 5:30 the night before. They did give us some apple juice and that helped a little. We decided to drive around downtown in hopes that she might fall asleep and not cry the whole time. Jeff and Ethan were with me this whole time and I am sure glad they were. Finally at 2:00 pm they did the surgery. Everything went just fine. When they took me in to the recovery room Emma was crying pretty hard. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. But I held her close and they got her some glucose water and she quieted right down. She seemed really out of it for a bit but after about 15 mins she was ready to go home.

Topaz Mountain!!!

2008-10-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

Over the long weekend we went to Topaz Mountain with my family. We had a wonderful time. I was afraid that it would be too cold because the weather has been crazy here lately, but it was wonderful. My family loves to camp, travel, hike, and just be together. I am so lucky to have such a close family.

Emma was so not a happy camper. She is usually a very pleasant girl, but she cried a lot down there. The scratch on her head happened the first day we were there. She fell out of a chair and hit her head on a rock. : ( It was very sad. She thinks she can do a lot more than she really can. She wanted to get down and crawl and eat dirt and do way more than she is capable of. We got into a groove, finally, and she did a lot better. She loved sitting in the little chairs all by herself. We just had to sit real close to her so she didn't fall out again.

Us digging for Topaz. You shovel the dirt onto screens and sift through it. You can just walk around the mountain and find them sitting on top of the dirt but if you sift through it you can find bigger ones. It is a great family activity. Every age group can participate. My family tends to be competitive. So when one person was having a lot of luck digging in one place then the others would shift there too. I wasn't really doing much sifting. I shoveled the dirt onto my parents screen for them. Overall my mom and dad ended up finding the biggest Topaz. After that it made everyone else want to keep digging. But this was the last morning we were there and we needed to get on the road.

This was one of the biggest ones we found. This one is a little smaller than the one my parents found but the picture of it wasn't as clear. I find it amazing how a mountain can grow these naturally. I am in awe of the process of how precious stones are formed.

These are four of my nieces. A very favorite past time of ours is me doing their hair. So, each morning I had them pick a different hairstyle and I would do it. They like it and it keeps their hair out of their eyes while they are playing.

This is all of us. Well, ok...this isn't ALL of us but this is all that were at Topaz. This is only about half of my family. This is Jeff and I with our two kids; My oldest brother with his six kids; my mom and dad and my Brother and his girlfriend. My two sister's and each of their six kids couldn't make it.

Looking Heaven ward. This rocky cliff was the favorite place to play.

5 of my nieces and Ethan sitting on the favorite rock.

Us playing games. We played "I've Never" and "The Animal Game". I need to look up more games next time cuz we had a blast.

This guy was walking down the road. YES he is as big as he looks. I hate spiders. I hate big spiders in my camp. He was cool to watch but creepy. After we were done taking pictures of him and messing with him my brother caught him and took him WAY down the road.

We hiked up really high to find a geocache. (if you don't know what a geocache is google it.)

Ethan and Sam resting in the shade.

Ethan looking down from the peak we hiked to. It had a beautiful view.

Us on top of a different mountain finding another geocache. This one also had one heck of a view.
The geocache was in the box that my niece is looking in. It is like a worldwide treasure hunt. People hide these boxes all over the country and then they pose the GPS location on a website and then others can find them. It gives you something fun to do while hiking. It also takes you to places you would have never gone. We loved the view when we got to the top of this one. You could see for miles.

One Year Ago...

2008-10-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Emma!

One year ago tomorrow, October 16, 2007, I got a phone call. It was a DCFS case worker. She said that they had a little baby girl that needed a place to stay for a while until her parents worked things out. She was 7 weeks old, had a problem with her kidney, her head didn't grow normally (which they had diagnosed as microcephally), she was a very picky eater, she was born 6 weeks premature, and they wanted to know if I would take her. I had been praying very hard up until this point that I would just know which children needed to come into my home. I was so scared that I wouldn't know what to do and I knew I needed to rely on my Heavenly Father for help. The original plan was that when we got a phone call like this that I would tell them that I needed to call my husband and that I would get right back to them. After they had told me all about her all I could say was "Yes!!! She sounds perfect...YES!!!" There was no doubt in my mind that this little girl needed to be here. Then they asked if they could bring her over the next day. Ok, with Ethan we got two weeks notice and we thought that was fast. But less than 24 hours...wow. I got off the phone and realized that I hadn't asked Jeff. So, I called him. I got in big trouble for not consulting him first. I asked him if he would have said no, and he said no, but that I still needed to call him first. So they brought her over the next day.
When the case worker brought her in our house she was crying. The case worker said that she cried a lot and was hard to calm down at times. I took her from the case worker and she snuggled right up into my neck and fell asleep. I felt that she just longed for someone to hold her tight. When she came to us she had the pajamas she was wearing and a small pale pink blanket. That was it. Back then she rarely ever made a peep. She was so quiet. She also had a hard time looking people right in the eyes. We called her floppy. She was two months old and she couldn't even hold her own head up. AT ALL. We attributed this to the fact that she was never held, except to eat, prior to coming to our house.
She has come a long way. She is a very happy, easy going little girl. She is still too quiet at times. Like when she is in her crib and has woken up I just have to go check on her to see if she is awake because she doesn't make any sounds. I feel like her and I have been through a lot together. Mostly to do with visitation with her parents and court hearings and all. But I feel even more bonded with her having had to go through this process with her. Kids look to their parents to see if different situations are ok. She is starting to look for my aproval when we go to the visits. It is hard becasue I feel that I have to be strong for her and even though I am in an uncomfortable situation. I just have to smile and tell her that everything is going to be alright. I also feel that she has figured out that I am coming back. She has built up a trust in me.

Why I do Foster Care:

"Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide."

"The man was struck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf."

"As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

I know that I alone cannot change the world, but maybe I can make a difference to just one.

Emma, I hope you know that I would do anything for you. You have been a wonderful addition to our little family. I thank Heavenly Father every night for sending you into our home. You complete us. I hope I can be the mom you need. I hope you can forgive me of my shortcomings and understand that this is all new to me too. I hope that I can teach you that you are loved. That you matter. And that you can do anything you want in the world if you put your mind to it. I hope I can teach you who you really are and where you came from. And in my mind you will always be a Princess, the Daughter of a Heavenly King.

Preschool Orientation

2008-10-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today was Preschool orientation for Ethan. He was so very excited. He loves going to school. He loves learning new things. When he gets nervous/excited he talks a lot. So, on the way he was a motor mouth. It was very cute. This preschool starts later in the year than most which I wasn't too sure that I liked. But after going to check it out today I am excited for him. They do a lot of things that I don't have the means to do or that I would have never thought of teaching him.

Hair Cut!

2008-10-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Before

After

Ethan was in desperate need of a haircut today. Ethan has never had his hair cut from anyone but me. (and I don't intend to change that anytime soon.) I never intended to be my son's barber. I have never been to beauty school. The only hair cutting lessons I have had was from my sister. She is a hairdresser. She once made me cut her hair. Which scared me to death. (At the time I was like 18 and she was like...let's see she is 12 years older than me...quick math...30.) I was so very intimidated because she was an adult. And she would go outside...and someone might actually see her. But she said just make it the same just shorter than it was. So, I did it...and I never got a complaint from her...but she also never asked me to do it again.

I am cheap and don't really want to pay anyone to cut Ethan's hair. So, when he needed his first haircut I decided that I would do it myself. It was a nightmare. He wouldn't hold still. Jeff had to hold him down. I use to try to bribe Ethan with anything to get him to sit still. But nope. So up until last year this was routine. I would put it off as long as I possibly could and then when I couldn't stand his mop anymore I would ask Jeff to hold him down and I would hurry as fast as I could. HA! Once we cut his hair at my mom's house. He screams and carries on like we are torturing him. After I was done I told my mom I didn't do a very good job. She said it looked wonderful considering my subject wasn't very cooperative. I never dared take him to a hair salon because I don't want him throwing a tantrum for anyone else. So I just did what I could.

I mentioned that up until last year this was the routine. Last year we ran into a slight problem. We got all ready and Jeff was ready to hold Ethan down...and I started cutting. Ethan was too strong and Jeff couldn't hold him still. I knew this day would come. Once again I tried every kind of bribe I could think of. But nope. This brings us to today. We started with a little complaining and whimpering. But I sit him in a chair in front of a show and say if you want to go to preschool you better sit still. There were only two "are we done yet"'s. He did a really good job and with him sitting still that means I can do a better job. I know I am not the best barber. But hey...at least be doesn't have a mop anymore.

It's beginning to look a lot like OCTOBER.

2008-10-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

More Hats!!!!

2008-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

I made Emma a hat today and Ethan another hat yesterday. We are all ready to be nice and cozy for the winter. Today is a COoOLd day. So I am glad that we now have hats to keep us warm.

I also made Emma some mittens. Yesterday I was feeling pretty dumb about these mittens and wasn't going to share my mitten story...but today I am feeling more confident. (most of the time I don't care if people make fun of me...but yesterday I didn't want any comments about how silly I was...today I don't care so much.)

Ok, so I made these mittens and I was doing really good. I was following the instructions to the T. I don't have a surger (I usually use my mother-in-laws) so after I would sew the seams I even went back and zig-zagged the edges. Which I never do because I HATE zig-zagging. I got all the way done with the mittens and turned them right side out ......................and ........The thumbs were on the same side. I had made two left mittens. Do you know what I hate worse than zig-zagging???????? UNPICKING!!! I especially hate unpicking after I have zig-zagged.
I tried to get enough scraps of fabric together to just cut out more mittens so that I wouldn't have to unpick but there wasn't enough left. You should be proud of me though. Way back when I was younger and I was sewing and made a mistake, especially a big, unpicking type of mistake, I would just scrap the project and do something else. But this time I was very determined to make these mittens for Emma and I unpicked the WHOLE thing and started over and put the thumb on the correct side.

Hat

2008-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have been cold ever since last Friday and it is just going to get worse. It is pose to snow this weekend. :( IT'S ONLY OCTOBER. So, since I have had this overwhelming urge to buy fabric and create something...or in my case many somethings...I am going to make hats for my kids. This is my second attempt. The first one I followed the pattern exactly how it was written and it was funky. It was not the right fit. So, I had enough fabric left over to make another one. Ethan was really excited and stayed by the sewing machine the whole time. He had this "are you done yet?" look on his face. Ha! I one point he was doing the "potty dance"...and had to go to the bathroom really bad. So I told him to go and he said "no, I'm ok" as he still continued to dance around. I finally convinced him that if he went to the bathroom I wouldn't sew while he was gone so that he wouldn't miss anything.

Free Food

2008-10-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you know I use "pinchingyourpennies.com" regularly. So for the past few weeks people have been posting on there that Western Family is giving out free food. You can go to their website and print off a coupon. I have tried a few different times but I never seem to figure out how these people are getting these coupons to pop up. IT IS NOT Rocket Science, I just want free food. So far I have missed getting free Duo cookies (the are like oreos), Yogurt, string cheese, popcorn, and jerky. This time I finally figured it out. (mostly dumbness on my part as to why I never found it) But YAY I found it...and the free item is....drum roll please...olives. WHAT?? I DON"T EVEN LIKE Olives. ok, I don't hate them. I will eat them when people have them...but it is not like I ever buy them and think ooo I could go for some olives today.

So, if you want free western family food...or like olives more than I do...go to www.mywesternfamily.com. Choose Hi speed or low speed. Then on this screen click the scrolling words "watch our webisodes and get your free item of the week". That is where I was going wrong. I was clicking at the top. There is a link that says webisodes. Ya that one never took me to the right place. Hope you all enjoy!!

Tag

2008-10-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.

The questions are as follows:
1. Where is your cell phone? pants
2. Where is your significant other? meeting
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? teacher
5. Your father? cars
6. Your favorite thing? kids
7. Your dream last night? dunno
8. Your dream/goal? exaltation
9. The room you're in? livingroom
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? kids
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? sleeping
14. What you're not? well
15. One of your wish-list items? serger
16. Where you grew up? Vernal
17. The last thing you did? ate
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? livingroom (I know it's not one word...but I can't just type "living")
20. Your pet? fish
21. Your computer? dying
22. Your mood? sick
23. Missing someone? Jeff
24. Your car? gone
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? Fabric
27. Your summer? gone :(
28. Love someone? Lots
29. Your favorite color? one?
30. When is the last time you laughed? phone
31. Last time you cried? afewmonthsagowheniwasbacking
outofthegarageandJeffwasrightbehindmeandhewentthump
andIthoughtIhithimitwasnotfunny

I don't even think 7 people read my blog. So I tag everyone who reads this. (and you know who you are)

Halloween Crafts

2008-10-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to be crafty mom and we made spiders and jack-o-lanterns. It was a blast. I loved being able to sit by my son and just talk. It also made it a no TV day. He didn't even ask to watch tv he was having too much fun.

You don't have to make me feel bad...I feel bad enough as it is.

2008-09-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

So, this is my poor husband's nose. The cut on the bottom right was from Emma. The other day she grabbed his nose really hard and left a huge gouge. The cut right in the middle. Ya, that was from me. It looks worse in person. I was trying to save him time/and trips to the garage by consolidating his trips. He was taking Ethan's scooter out there and I wanted him to take the printer cord with him. But he was already most of the way out the door. So, I threw it at him. I didn't mean for it to hit him in the FACE. I was just tossing it to him to catch it. When it hit him in the face he winced in pain and I was very apologetic...and then he finished putting the things in the garage. We didn't even notice he was bleeding until we were sitting watching TV and I looked up at him and said OH MY HECK.

FHE

2008-09-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Ethan's BFF/cousin Isaac came to stay the day with us until his mom passes through town on her way back to New Mexico. : ( We miss having them so close. But Isaac stayed with us last night and will stay tonight. For FHE tonight we went to the park. It was a great time. I don't think I am ready for my little boy to grow up. When they go to school and get friends or just go to the park...they are exposed to things that I am not sure if I am ready for. For instance I guess on the way from New Mexico Isaac was exposed to the famous "I see London, I see France, I see so and so's underpants." No, Isaac wasn't exposing Ethan to things that I wasn't ready for but there was this girl at the park that I found very annoying. In the past Ethan tends to ignore the other kids that I find annoying but this time he sat and argued with this girl. It all started when Isaac climbed through these bar things instead of over and she said "Back when I was 5 I use to do stuff like that...but now I am 6." Twenty minutes later she was STILL AT IT. "My mom has more grey hair than YOUR mom." Wow...I am so not use to this behavior. I felt like an Idiot after I said it but I finally said Listen here girl...you don't have to prove yourself to these two...so stop with the comparisons already. OK...those weren't my exact words...but it was something like that. I know I should have just kept quiet...but she was getting on my nerves and I didn't want Ethan comming home acting like that. I am SOOO not ready for him to go to kindergarten.

Ok, I pulled up to the park and was like...everyone out we are here. Complete Silence. HA...they were both asleep...I must have worn them out.

Anyway, everyone had a BLAST on the swings.

I am not sure if you can tell but this is a HUGE smile on her face. She was giggling really loud.

Grandma's House

2008-09-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

We took an impromptu trip to see Grandma and Grandpa this weekend. Ethan's very best friend cousin Isaac was up from New Mexico and he just HAD to see him. That and he really needed someone to play with. Tonight we went to the park (yes in the dark) It wasn't really dark when we got there. But we really just needed to get out of the house and do something fun. So in the pictures is my niece Evie and Ethan and my Nephew Isaac. I also like coming up here to use my Mother-in-laws serger. Now I have two partially made jackets for Emma. Hopefully, eventually I will finish one of them. I am trying to get a lot of practice sewing so that I can make a sealing dress for Emma. I know the judge hasn't made his final decision yet...but I still need to practice just in case. I haven't really made anything that fancy or important before.

So, yesterday when we got here the boys were out jumping on the tramp and I took Emma out there. She completely flipped out with excitement. She loved watching them. I got on there with her and she wanted to jump by herself so bad. She didn't want me to hold her. So, she laid on the tramp kicking her legs so fast with utter joy. The boys ran around us and she laid there and kicked. Other than when I put her in the bath I have never seen her that excited about anything.

Visitation.

2008-09-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

I need to start out by saying that when I write in a journal or on a blog it is kind of censored. I try to write things that are ok in case someone reads it. Well, on a blog duh people are going to read it. But even in my journal I write so that it is ok if later on my children read it. I mean come on, what is a journal for if no one is going to read it, right? My point is sometimes I don't feel that I can share my true feelings because someone might read it. In High School I never wrote about the really bad things I did...because I knew that later on I wouldn't want my children reading it. So I would just skim the surface of my life. Psychologists say that sometimes people have fears or insecurities from things that happened in their childhood. I am blaming my brother for me not being truthful in my writings. He use to find my journal/diary when I was little and read it and then make fun of me for it. We laugh about it now but it is still a sensitive subject. Ok, one entry was funny. I wrote "My neighbor's hose burned down today"...so now it is an inside joke whenever one of us spells something wrong. But the rest were not funny.

My point in all of this is that I took Emma to visitation today. Keeping all of what I just said in mind I will sum it all up. (this might get confusing using her mom and grandma but try to keep up) Her birth mom and birth grandma were there to see her today. When I went to pick her up after it was over her mom was saying her good-byes and asking the grandma to come over and hug and kiss her to tell her good-bye also. The grandma said oh, no....no. To me it seemed that she wanted nothing to do with Emma. I was very bugged by this. But maybe this is where her mom gets it from in the first place.

I probably have more to say about that but because my blog is open and I want to keep it that way and for fear that Emma's parents might one day stumble across it I will stop there. How many other children are out there with parents or grandparents that don't want to have anything to do with them? It breaks my heart. How many babies are out there whose own parents refuse to hold them? I know that DCFS finds some of them. But not all of them. There is a recent story on the news here about a mother who bent her son in half, broke his back, and killed it him. Are there warning signs or this kind of behavior? I am learning with the situation that I am in that sometimes it is not directly the parent's faults. Sometimes they were raised so poorly that they don't know what to do. I have pondered this often. If I was raised to basically take care of myself. If I didn't have the church. Would I be in the same situation? Some of us have no clue. If we had no family or church support...back when Jeff lost his job and had a lot of medical bills...and we had just gotten Ethan...could we have pulled ourselves out of it...or would we be bankrupt, homeless, and gotten our child taken away. Emma's mom is doing awesome, all things considering. She struggles at just taking care of herself which is why in my opinion she is not ready to be a mom...but she is doing so much better than her previous generation.

Fish

2008-09-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I are NOT pet people. I am glad we agree on this because I feel that a pet is just another person to clean up after. I feel like a maid most of the time anyway and in no way need one more person making messes around here. BUT fish don't seem to need all that much cleaning up after so we got Ethan some fish. The excitement lasted for about a day and now they are pretty much ignored. Emma really likes watching them but she can't pull herself up to the table to see them yet.

On another note I am working on another sewing project for Emma. I have no idea if it will even fit her when I am done but I am determined to finish it. It is one of the harder things I have made but it doesn't seem to be too bad. I am making a jacket. It is from the same pattern that the skirt was on. If you scroll down a ways you should see it. The problem I am running in to is that it is more of a shrug jacket. Like a half of a jacket...it ends too high above the waist. That and to add to it Emma as an incredibly long torso. It is a good thing that those shrug things have been in recently otherwise it would just look silly. So I have most of it done I just need to put the zipper and the finishers on it.

FHE Daniel and the Lions Den.

2008-09-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight for FHE our lesson was about Daniel and the lions den. Ethan LOVED IT. We started out by watching a little video on Daniel. It is the Illustrated scriptures that the church makes but put on a DVD and narrated. After the movie we talked about it to make sure he got the gist of it. Then we dressed Ethan up as Daniel, and Emma up as the angel. Jeff played the part of the King and put Daniel in the den of lions. (note: our very ferocious looking lions consist of a stuffed lion from Valentine's day; and Scar, little Simba, and grown up Simba from the Lion King.) So, then we put Emma the Angel in there to make sure the lions didn't eat Daniel. Ethan got a kick out of it. Then I played the flute while Ethan and Jeff sang the verse from "Follow the Prophet" that talks about Daniel. I found out tonight that Ethan is kind of picky about which Primary songs we sing. He only likes "the book one" aka "Book of Mormon Stories", "Called to Serve" and "Follow the Prophet". I tried to get him to sing "I am a Child of God" but he wouldn't have it. Funny kid. His music leaders in Primary say he is a real intense singer. When it is singing time he tries so hard to sing the words and if he doesn't know them then he kind of sings the tune. It is funny. So, after we sang primary songs we put a puzzle together. Saturday I found a little kid "Daniel and the Lion's Den" puzzle at a yard sale for like 25 cents. It was great fun. (Jeff and I LOVE puzzles and Ethan did awesome)

New Skirt!!

2008-09-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the skirt I was working on for Emma. I love sewing...I made two skirts for her and i am going to start on a jacket soon.

Her getting ready for church yesterday.

My finds from Yard Sales today!

2008-09-20T18:01:00.001-07:00

Fish Tank $3

Printer/copier/faxer $5

Girl Clothes $1 a pair

Girl clothes 50 cents each

Duck Halloween Costume $3

Which Witch is Whitch?

2008-09-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

We went to see the witches.

This one has a place to sit on the bench next to the witch and Ethan did NOT want to sit there. He was fine to just take a picture and hurry to get away from her.

Good Times!

2008-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Every day Ethan asks me to play with him. And though I don't get to EVERY single day, I do try to make time for them as often as I can. One of our favorite things to do together is play little people. Even Emma likes it.

The other day Ethan was lining all of his books up along his wall in his bedroom. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was making a library. I am really glad that he likes the library. We go there a lot lately for story time and the wonderful puppet theater that they do.

New Project!!

2008-09-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have gotten an itch to sew something and it isn't going away. So, I went to the fabric store and I am going to make a few skirts for Emma.

"Let them be little"

2008-09-16T10:11:00.001-07:00

I read this on my friends blog and I hope she doesn't care if I steal it:

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

This is one of those things that just made me stop and think. Most days I am just trying to get to the next item on the list or the next part of the schedule. I think every now and then I need little reminders to stop and smell the roses. Or just soak in the stages that my kids are in. I don't think life is slowing down any time soon so I need to make it stand still as long as possible.

If my blog turns in to a more boring day to day Journal type thing then forgive me.

This morning Emma's early intervention teacher came over. She comes a couple times a month to teach me how to help Emma catch up. Two ladies came today because now that Emma is one they are transitioning her to a new teacher. The former teacher and I were reminiscing a little on how far Emma has come since we got her. She couldn't hold her head up, she had a very misshapened head, she had such low muscle tone that she seemed very floppy. She had to start far lower than most newborns and work her way up. I am so very proud of her for working so hard. On the days her teacher come we have her doing a lot of things all crammed into an hour and I know it makes her very tired...but she had a wonderful attitude this morning. She had a rough start in life but she is catching up very quickly.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!!

2008-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Bless his heart. If you are going to say something negative about someone if you say bless their heart then it makes it ok, right???

So, the other day I was sick of having a messy house so I cleaned my whole house...It was shining by the time I was finished...Jeff came home from work...we ate dinner, got the kids in bed and when i came back down stairs it looked like a tornado had hit my living room...AGAIN. As I looked around I saw a pattern...So I decided to SPELL IT OUT FOR HIM:

It was all from Jeff. ALL OF IT. Needless to say by the next morning he had cleaned it all up. I think he got my hint.

Jeff

2008-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you meet?
"In the library." At least that is what he likes me to say. We were both going to Utah State University and we were in the Merrill Library in the computer lab. If you don't know the rest of the story then too bad. no, jk.
2. How long did you date before you were married?
We started "dating" in January 1999 and we got married July 16, 1999. So I guess that is 6 1/2 months. When I actually met him is a little shady...I don't think either of us really know...but it was sometime at the end of 1997 or the beginning of 1998. We went to the institute's ice cream social with a mutual friend. But when I first met him I didn't want to date him. He was my best friend.
3. How long have you been married?
9 wonderful years. We need to figure out something cool to do for the big 10 year anniversary next year.
4. What does he do that surprises you?
He loves something that most guys either pretend not to like or just don't like. He loves plays and musicals. He likes Shakespeare. Sometimes I think he likes them more than me. Actually, our first date was to "Cyrano De Bergerac". I fell asleep. But in my defense I had a job where I had to wake up really early and I was tired.
5. What's your favorite feature about him?
I love his laugh. I like doing things sometimes just to hear him laugh. I remember when we were in college (ok we spent a lot of time in computer labs together) but we would be sitting across the computer lab from each other and I would type something to him just to hear him laugh.
6. What's your favorite quality about him?
He is very patient. I doubt any of you have ever seen him upset. It is because I have rarely seen him mad either.
7. Does he have a nickname for you? What is it?
Cuzita. It started out as CuZ or JusCuZ...but he changed it to CuZita. He doesn't call me that anymore. More of an internet nickname than anything. Now he calls me Mama or Melissa.
8. What's his favorite color?
Ok...first of all Jeff doesn't have "favorite" anythings. He has a hard time making decisions like that. Silly question. Favorite color of what? Car, shirt, shoes??? I am sure it depends on what it is. BLUE is an overall favorite. He looks really good in blue.
9. What's his favorite food?
Is Dr. Pepper a food?
10. What's his favorite sport?
I asked him...he said "Sport??....the laying on the couch sport." HA...he said it not me. But I think he likes to watch the Olympics...and that is about it. Winter, Summer, doesn't matter.
11. Who said "I love you" first?
I have NO clue. But he tends to be on the shy side so I bet it was me. That and he was probably sick of me being mean to him that he didn't want me to react bad.
12. When and where was your first kiss?
In his apartment. At Cambridge Court. Oh crud...or was it my apartment?? We were upstairs...in the hall..or maybe his bedroom...and he never saw it coming.
13. What are your favorite things to do as a couple?
Watch movies, go hiking, play board/card games, that unmentionable thing that every married couple likes to do(wink, wink), play with our children. Anything that involves us being together.
14. Do you have kids? How many?
We have one for sure and one we are praying that we get to keep. Ethan is 4 and Emma is 1.
15. What's a hidden talent that he has?
He has two...
1-he knows an amazing amount of useless knowledge. It is awesome when playing trivia games. Except when we play Jeopardy with my mom, he is usually banned.
2-(on the same lines of the useless knowledge but a little more precise.) He knows the title and singer of like every old song ever written. Him and I like to play types of "name that tune". I can usually give him the title or sing the chorus just after one note...but he can tell me who sings it.
16. How old is he?
31...or 32....I don't know anymore. I lost track.
17. What's his favorite type of music?
Old.... and New. hhmmm...he likes any music that moves him. And anything that he can sing really loudly to in the car.
18. What do you admire most about him?
His faith. He has been through a lot in his life. He had cancer twice when he was way young. He was in and out of the hospital for four years...he had to relearn how to walk at one point...Chemo and radiation treatments have had lasting side effects...but he knows he is a son of God. He knows Heavenly Father loves him.
19. What's his favorite past time?
Besides that unmentionable thing that married people do....anything on a computer. HE LOVES to argue/debate with people. They didn't warn me of this before I married him but his family says he has always felt the need to get his point across. Now that the internet has all sorts of forums and bulletin boards it has brought our arguments as a couple down to a bare minimum.

20. Do you think he's going to read this?
Yes..he is wondering what the heck I have been doing for the last hour.

Fabulously Frugal

2008-09-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

So, those who know me well, know how cheap...I mean Frugal...I am...and also know that I LOVE to go to Garage Sales.

I go through withdrawals during the winter. Here are some of my awesome finds from this summer-

Exersaucer $5

Girls Bedding $8

Curtain Rod $3

Shelf and Mirror $1 each

Baby girl clothes 25 cents each
(I got a lot more than this but these were some of my favorites)

Baby girl boots $2
(I know, I know...$2 is way more than I usually like to pay at a garage sale but I had to)

Kelty Hiking Backpack $10

My best find this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dodge Caravan Sport Minivan $Priceless
(Yes I bought this at a garage Sale)

The season isn't over yet. I go until there is either snow on the ground or until people stop having them. I remember last year we had like an Indian summer or something and it was warm until December. Emma had just come to our home and in the middle of November I went to a garage sale that had baby girl stuff.
That is where I bought my big nice double stroller for $12.

FHE

2008-08-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to temple square for Family Home Evening.
The kids loved it.

Ethan always asks if we are going there to make Emma a part of our family. He can't wait.

We sat on the grass and just looked at the temple. I would love to give a penny for her thoughts.

The Sunset was so beautiful tonight. There was a wildfire down south and the smoke helped make an awesome show in the sky.

Wild Flowers

2008-08-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

My favorite primary song growing up was "I often go walking" and while we were up hiking this summer I found myself in a meadow of the most beautiful blue flowers. I started singing that song to myself and had this vision of what to make my mom for her birthday. So I took pictures of all of the different wild flowers that we found and I made this for my mom. The center says "Dear Mother, all Flowers Remind Me of You". When I was younger and we were out camping or fishing or just driving my mom would name as many of the flowers as she could. So, I look forward to having her help me find names for all of them.

2008-08-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!!!!
Emma turned ONE on Monday!!!

mmmm...Ice Cream. She loved the Ice Cream!!!!!!!

That is until it froze her hands off. Poor girl. Mean mommy.

She recovered quickly from the Ice Cream incident and moved on to opening gifts.

2008-08-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Day Four

We hiked out on Sunday. The hike out was a breeze. It only took a couple of hours.

I can't wait to do it again next year.

2008-08-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Day Three

We were very rudely awakened, at all hours of the morning, by a mob of horses. They had surrounded our tent and it sounded like they were breathing in my ear.

Lori and Summer and I joined together to create our own photography class to try to get good pictures of wild flowers.

Filtering Water.

2008-08-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Day Two

Our campsite. and our ity bity living space also known as a tent.

We spent a lot of time fishing.

Cindy painting the beautiful scenery.

Summer and Lori...must be good.

Mike eating grub.

This is the water hole where we washed out dishes.

Wind Rivers

2008-08-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

We went backpacking last week. It kicked my trash. I am in a lot of pain today. But it was beautiful and very fun.

Day One

Alta(the dog), Alan, Cindy, Summer, Greg, Me, Mike, Jeff, and Lori. This was at the trailhead...we are all still smiling because we had no clue what we were in for.

Lori, Summer, and Greg. For some reason Greg was making that face in every picture I took of him.

This is Big Sandy. Part of the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

Be Nice!

2008-07-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Another attempt of Ethan.

2008-07-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

My Quest!

2008-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, my sister-in-law has been taking awesome pictures of her kids. She poses them or catches a candid shot of them doing something, edits them a little and bingo...timeless treasures. So, I have now been inspired to capture just the right shot. Not as simple as it sounds. It is hard trying to get kids to cooperate sometimes. Ethan was not so cooperative today. His poses were like moves from a Jackie Chan movie.

Emma on the other hand did a great job.

The second try with Ethan was a lot better:

4th of July

2008-07-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

For Isaac and Evie!!

2008-07-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ethan was very sad that his best friend/cousin wasn't able to come to Grandma and Grandpa's for the 4th of July. So I made this for them.

Better late than never.

2008-07-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

YAY!!!!!! She can sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has had low muscle tone from the time she came to us, probably because no one held her for the first five weeks. We have been working on this very hard and for a very long time. I am so excited for her. She isn't 100% yet but she will get there.

Arts Festival

2008-06-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

This guy is playing an Earth Harp. The strings started where he is and ran all the way to the roof of the Library.

Beat the Heat!!

2008-06-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

We were invited over to swim with some friends. The kids had a blast.

2008-06-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Storey passed away on Saturday. It was time for her to go. She had been in the Care Center for a number of years and her health wasn't good. We will miss her.

Some memories I have of her:
For all of us that lived by her it seemed like every Sunday we had a party. If there was a birthday that week or a graduation or sometimes just cuz it was Sunday.

I remember my cousins and I eating ice cream on her front lawn at these parties and I would stir it and stir it until it was a little melted. Like ice cream soup.

She collected frogs. Not live frogs...we once tried to give her a real frog and she wouldn't have it. But she had a house full of fake frogs. I swear she had like a million. They were everywhere. And when we were little we would count them. I am not sure if this is something that our parents came up with so that we would quit bugging them but I remember counting them all the time. The number changed every time. so I don't remember how many there really were.

She had the most amazing dress up clothes in the attic. They weren't like the ones you buy in the store now days. They were like old prom dresses and big ol red high heels. I remember spending many days up in the attic just putting dress ups on and taking them off again.

Also up in the attic there were two forbidden rooms. I don't think I had ever been in either of them until she moved out of her house. One of them had a curtain for a door and one had a white door with a red hand print on it. Kinda looked bloody. Kinda scary. It didn't help the scare factor that she lived in the oldest house in Vernal. Well, I don't know if it really was the OLDEST....but it sure was old.

One time my parents were out of town and I was staying with my grandma. I was out pretty late with my friends. Like 11:30pm. When I got back to her house she was still awake in her room. I told her that she didn't have to wait up for me and she said she wasn't...she was reading her book.

She had a wall full of books. A lot of them were children's books because she use to teach 1st grade. It was like a library. She had a little notebook that we would write on if we wanted to borrow a book or "check out" a book. When she moved out of her house and into a care center I got to go through some of the books and take a few. I hope to read them to my children a lot.

Birthday Party

2008-06-07T17:55:00.001-07:00

Big Day!

2008-06-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the big court date that decides Makala's future. And I am very excited to say that she will be placed for adoption...so we will keep her. Our journey isn't over yet but at least I don't have to worry so much about her. I know this isn't the right path for every child in the foster care system. The best thing for a lot of children is to be back with their parents. If their parents show signs of changing that is. I am very pleased with the outcome and I feel the judge made the right decision in this case. So, yay!!!!!

I think Ethan is cramping her style.

Fun Saturday Activities

2008-05-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

In two months we are going to go backpacking in Wyoming. We are very excited but very out of shape. So in order to better prepare ourselves we are going to start hiking on the weekends and walking during the week. Today we went up the canyon looking for Donut falls. Well the road into Donut falls was closed. You could still park at the road and walk in to the trail head. But this would have made it a three mile hike instead of a 1.6 mile hike. So we decided to go further up the canyon to a one mile hike around a lake.

When we got there this is what we got:

Two feet of snow!!

Anyway...we finally found a few places to hike at the bottom of the canyon.

Wild Strawberries???

We hiked to three waterfalls.

Ethan threw rocks in every chance he got.

Makala was very done!

This is called Lisa Falls. We went here last summer and it was a trickle of water now it is huge.

Silly Goose

2008-05-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

I know she doesn't have a whole lot of hair yet and I know I am jumping the gun but yesterday I tried putting her hair in little pigtails. I thought it was cute!!

So on the way home from the store yesterday pointing to Makala Ethan said this is not our baby. And I thought he was talking about the fact that she isn't ours and he was finally getting that, but then he said something about how our baby doesn't have hair like that. HA!! He didn't really like how I had changed her hair.

Cheese!!!!!

2008-05-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

I rarely capture her smile and when I do I just have to show it off. I absolutely love her smile. It makes me weak. It makes me want to just hold her and snuggle her all day and not clean or cook or anything else I am pose to get done.

Ethan was making random faces at the camera and this one was an accident but I thought it was funny that it looks like Makala is trying to mimic him.

Mother's Day

2008-05-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

Ethan brought this home from church for me. I thought it was so cute.

I will type what it says just in case you can't read it.

How old is your mom?
-20 yrs old

What is your mom's favorite color?
-Pink

What is your most favorite meal that your mom cooks?
-Cheese Sandwich

What do you like to do with your mom?
-Play Basketball

What is your mom's favorite thing to do?
-Play games

What color of eyes does your mom have?
-Green

What is your favorite thing about your mom?
-That she plays with me

Our sweet baby.

2008-05-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

Is it better to have loved and lost or never loved at all?? If anyone has an answer to this please let me know. Our sweet little foster baby's case has taken some new turns the last few days. I am not as confident as I use to be that we will get to keep her. Actually I am very sad that we might not get to keep her. I guess I will answer my own question. I wouldn't trade the last 6 months for anything. There has been a sweet angel in my home and our memories will be irreplaceable. Unless they change it again (which wouldn't surprise me...nothing surprises me anymore) her court hearing, to decide her future, is only a few weeks away. The thought of her not being in our home makes me very sad. She is such a sweet girl and has come out of her shell so much over the past few months. She use to be so shy and wouldn't look people in the eye or smile at them. Now she is very social. I love her laugh. She mostly laughs at Ethan, but I love it when he can get that cute little giggle out of her. She has become a part of our family. She completes us. I could have chosen to be distant with her as to not get my own heart broken but I am very glad that I have opened my heart and bonded with her. As I was gazing into her eyes over the weekend my mom said she has never seen a baby look at someone with such love and admiration as she saw Makala looking at me.

If you had three weeks left with someone how would you spend your time?? I want to spend every moment with her. Thanks for listening to the rants of a crazy foster mom.

2008-05-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ethan went on his first field trip today.

They went to the Wheeler Historical Farm.
This is him and some of his classmates on a big wagon that was pulled by a tractor.

Makala was very content. I didn't even know she had fallen asleep.

It started raining so we had to eat our lunch inside.
It was overcast and a little cold...but a really fun day.

2008-05-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is me when I was a baby.

and this is our sweet little Makala. We were trying to find the right pictures but this is all we came up with. My mom thinks there is a resemblance there. (go figure) Other than her piercing blue eyes that is. Strangers stop me everywhere and tell me what amazing eyes she has and I totally agree. Another amazing thing is that Ethan has really deep blue eyes also. They have very similar eyes.

Why I love my Husband.

2008-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

I am the luckiest woman ever. I am married to the sweetest man. He is such a patient father. He changes diapers. Wakes up with the baby in the night when I am too tired. Helps me peel and cut a million carrots with out complaining once. When I am 'PMS'ing he doesn't get mad when I get upset for dumb reasons. My love for him grew so much today. He left work for 2 hours so that I wouldn't have to get a babysitter. He sat through my band concert with two fidgety kids. Now he has to stay way late because of me. and He didn't complain once. He puts the kids to bed and reads them stories, and plays hide-and-seek, and does dishes, and goes to church, and respects me, and prays with his family, and he goes to work every day at what I know can be a stressful job and never brings his problems home. and when I ask him to help me because I had a hard day he never tells me that his day was harder. He loves to spend time with us. If he's not at work he is always with us.
He has had a rough life. He was almost taken from the earth twice. Doctors that hear his story are amazed that he is still alive. He got cancer for the first time when he was 6. The second time was when he was 10. He spent much of his childhood either in a Hospital or at home sick in bed. At one point he even had to relearn how to walk. Two bouts with cancer have left a few side effects. One of the more obvious to our friends and families is our inability to conceive children. He has helped me through this trial. I wouldn't want to walk this road with anyone else. He is exactly what I need. His life is a gift. I love that he is who he is. He is not fake. He doesn't have to keep up with the Joneses or anyone else for that matter. It is more important to him what we (his family) think than what anyone else thinks. I love his laugh. I love his soul. I love how much he loves the gospel. I love his dedication to our church. I love how smart he is yet he doesn't have to show it off to anyone.

The last couple of days have been a bit rocky...but today after my band concert as I was running to the car in the rain, in high heels, I noticed he had carried all my bags, and the baby, and buckled both kids in the car. He loves me. Plain and simply...he loves me.

2008-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

I went out to my garden this morning and got a wonderful surprise. I still had carrots growing out there from last fall. They were always too bitter to harvest and frost sweetens them up. They taste wonderful!!

2008-04-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Day Four

2008-04-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ethan said that Peter Pan was his favorite out of all the rides. The line for it was always very long.

This was VERY exciting for Ethan.

The witch from Snow White was very scary.

Behind hem was a ride kind of like Rattlesnake Rapids. Ethan and I got very wet.

We ate lunch at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. It is the one in the middle of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Here's Brucie

It was a very long day...but we weren't done yet.

These birds are just outside of the Finding Nemo ride...the they say "Mine...Mine"

This is the new Nemo ride. They turned the submarine into Nemo and it is much more entertaining now.

Teacups.

Gas at an outrageous price. The highest we found it on this trip was $3.91.

2008-04-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Us in our hotel room. I figured this would be the only picture of all of us together because I don't want to ask someone to take our picture.

Us on Splash Mountain. Yes, Ethan was really on the ride. No we did not crop him into the picture. I think Jeff and I knew what was coming and were bracing ourselves and Ethan was still just looking around at all the scenery. Yesterday we took him on all the little kiddie rides. Today we took him on anything that he met the height requirement for. Which included the Matterhorn and Splash Mountain. Ethan didn't care for these but he didn't protest. He just very solemnly said he didn't want to go on them again. These kind of rides do not scare him one bit...the scary things so far have been like Snow White and Buzz Lightyear because of the bad guys. So far, his favorites are Whinnie the Pooh, Peter Pan (which he keeps asking if we will please go on again but the line takes about 40 mins to get through and it isn't worth it to us to wait that long again), and Soaring Over California which we probably wouldn't have gone on if it weren't for my mom. She really liked it and said we had to go on it and it is pretty cool.

Day Three

2008-04-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

The view from our hotel room overlooks Downtown Disney.

2008-04-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

We had to start out the day seeing Buzz Lightyear. Ethan really liked this ride. You sit in cars and shoot targets. It reminds me of lazer tag but you are aiming for Zurg and not each other.

Ethan is apparently not the next King. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

We walked through Mickey's house and then got to see the real Mickey. Ethan was so very excited.

Goofy was so funny. He is a good sport.

This is in California Adventure. It reminds me of "The Truman Show". The road ends but the set keeps going. Just behind Jeff it turns into a painted backdrop.

Day Two

2008-04-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

We didn't take many pictures today because most of the day we were in the car. When we arrived in Anaheim we checked in to our hotel and then walked to Downtown Disney. We walked up and down the strip mall type place looking for something to entertain us for the night. I wanted to get our tickets tonight so that we won't have to wait in line tomorrow so we tried to find our way into the Disney's Grand Hotel from Downtown Disney. We passed a few places that looked like they might go in but there was always something blocking it or it was locked. We ended up walking almost all the way around the park. It was ok because we found where we need to park tomorrow and where to take our luggage and things like this. After we got the tickets and found an ATM we found the shortcut back to Downtown Disney. We were going to do something more fun but because of my exhaustion we got something to eat and went back to the hotel.

Day One of Our Trip

2008-04-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

We left for the "Happiest place on earth" yesterday. We drove for a few hours and then stayed in a hotel. Ethan was awesome. He played legos and drew with his dry erase markers and was happy the whole way. (Thank you Aunt Summer for the idea of a lap tray.)

The hotel we stayed in the first night had an indoor pool. We got there at about dark and it was cold so I am glad that it was inside. Ethan had a blast jumping off of the side of the pool and watching us jump in. I didn't get much sleep in this hotel. I don't really know the cause of my insomnia but I didn't fall asleep until about 3:00am and then we got up at 7:00 to head out. Maybe I was like that kid in the commercial that is too excited to sleep because they are going to Disneyland.

2008-04-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

We have been out flying kites twice this year. The first time we went there wasn't the right amount of wind but we got one kite to stay in the air. Ethan then stated that this was his "favorite game". This last time we went we got all the kites up but they kept breaking. We started with four kites...three brand new ones and one with Diego on it from the previous time. By the time we were finished the only one still able to fly was the Diego kite. I need to go look at the brand on it and make sure that the next time I get the same ones.

2008-04-03T15:32:00.001-07:00

These are the angels that mean everything to me. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for guiding them to my home.