H is for Hannah

Hannah is learning her letters and how to write her name. We are so proud of her, except for the fact that she is leaving the evidence all over the house. In the basement:
Garage:
Wow, she had lots of time on her hands for this artwork. I am pretty sure I was at work and this was on daddy's time.....
And best of all on our bathroom cupboard. Luckily this was a dry erase marker and it came right off. She has also drawn directly onto our front room walls. I was too mad at her to take a picture of that and Ron cleaned it up while I chilled out. The best thing about this is when you confront her about it she swears it wasn't her. Gee I wonder who else would be drawing H's????!!!!

Ouch!

Hannah took a golf club to the back of the end the other day from the neighbor boy. It was a total accident though. She cried when it happened but totally freaked when she actually saw the blood. I did too because there was a lot and it was hard to tell how bad the cut actually was. Ron took her to the clinic and they said they could staple it or glue it. Hum.......let me think twice about that one....I'm gonna go with GLUE! HELLO!!! These pictures were after the glue job. ICK

Life is good (REALLY!)

Over the last couple of weeks life has been REALLY crazy and stressful for me. I have complained (and cried) to family and friends about work, wanting another baby, never seeing Ron, thinking that my kids are missing out on activities and experiences because of our schedules, Our messy house, MONEY (lack of), being FAT!!! :) but mostly about the fact that I have to work for us to be able to pay the bills. This is by far my biggest stress. I am sad that I don't get to be a stay at home mom which really is all I wanted to be when I grew up! So after having a melt down last week I was scanning over Blogs that I read on a regular basis. A couple of months ago I found a story on Nikki's blog about a couple in a plane crash and how the girls sister has been updating her blog to give us all (total strangers!) the progress on the couple and how they are taking care of the couples kids. I cry almost every time I read it. They are LDS and they have such great outlooks on life and this horrible situation they are in. Check out these blogs: www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com and blog.cjanerun.com . So while reading those the other day I came across this one www.sccsdecker.blogspot.com and if you read it you will see why I spent that day crying. This poor lady went in for an emergency C-section, developed a life threatening infection and the medicine she was on to save her life ended up making her blind, she lost both legs below the knee and had her left arm amputated. Suddenly my life is not that bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine going through all that and hopefully I won't ever have to. So I thought I would list the good stuff in my life since I have been so focused on the bad for a while now. This is mostly therapy for myself to remind me how lucky I am!

1. I have a great, wonderful husband that I love and I know loves me. He spoils me as much as he can, which probably isn't a good thing but.....
2. I have 3 healthy, beautiful kids. I didn't have childbirth problems, they were all born big (Noah 9lbs 1oz!!!) and healthy, none of them have had major health issues besides stitches and bruises. Jonah does have a heart condition (Long QT Syndrome) but he is on the bottom of the scale and hasn't had a problem with it so far. Just don't try to give him anything with caffeine in it, he can't have it and won't take it!
3. I am healthy ( I think, I haven't been to the doc for a while!) I have the same heart condition as Jonah (sorry Jo I did give it to you!) but I have never had a problem with it either, which makes it easy to ignore it much to the stress of my family!
4. Family - Gosh what can I say. I am spoiled with Family! I have an awesome sister Jen, Loving parents, brothers and sisters and in-laws, grandma, aunts........... lots of love. It makes me sad when people don't get along with their family, I don't understand that because I have always been so blessed!!!!
5. I have lots of groups of friends that make me feel loved when I am stressed and forgive me when I am going off and complaining. Scrapbook Friends, Roy ward friends, Robo Posse, New York Nannies, Work friends. Brandi - you make work bearable, since I have to work I am glad I have someone to make a laugh while I am there! I need to make it a goal to make more friends in my ward.....so say hi to me in the hall. I am kind-of shy but I will work on that too.
6. I have a job. I have been here for 15 years so its a good job and I am not out there trying to find a job or currently have the fear that I will loose it. Its steady, so as long as I have to work I am grateful that I work there.
7. I have a nice house (even though its always a mess), we have a couple of vehicles that work and I don't have to worry about car problems, we have never had to pay for daycare for the kids because Ron and I have always work opposite schedules. So this is good and bad, but I am supposed to be looking at the good so.... at least we didn't have to pay for daycare or worry about our kids with strangers. Plus it gives Ron some great Daddy time. Most dads don't spend as much time with their kids as Ron has and I think that is a blessing for the kids and us.
8. I am really glad that I live where I live. I am not on the southern coast dealing with hurricanes and loosing everything, or in California with earthquakes and fires or dealing with tornado's in the mid west. Its silly but I think we have it made living in Utah. ( I may have just jinxed us and now we will get "THE BIG ONE".)
9. So....I am fat, but hey that means I am not starving right? That is something to be grateful for.
10. I have more scrapbook supplies then 1 person needs, just ask Holly. I am lucky that I can do something I love and also get to hang out with friends and do it. I can't wait until our getaway in November!!!!!!!!!

There are more things that I am grateful for but I am feeling better now and whoever is reading this is probably bored. I know I am not the only one with stresses and worries and that no one has it "made". I am grateful for what I do have and I know that I am blessed and loved and life is good, really!

Missionary Work

Check out this cool story from my cousins son who is serving a mission in Lousianna. He sent this email to my aunt, his grandma. He is the one of the left of Karl.

Hey grandma,
It was great to hear from you. Fortunatly enough we didn't suffer
much damage here. We lost power for about 10 hours yesterday and got
over a foot of rain causing some severe flooding. But overall the
storm wasn't as bad as they anticipated. I don't imagine we will be
doing much service. We still proselyted all week. I have an awesome
story to share with you about this week.

So Monday Elder Solie and I went to Ruston, LA to attend the Ruston
districts District meeting then went on exchanges with them
afterwards. This was the night that Gustav came through. We planned
on coming back to Monroe at dinner time since it's a 45 minute drive
back. But at dinner I said hey doesn't Karl Malone live in your area?
They knew where he lived so I asked them to lead us to his house. So
we drove up took a picture of his house and then dared each other to
knock on his door. His house is completely gated in, but we chickened
out and headed back. We got to the Chevron and were gonna say good
bye, when we again talked each other into trying to talk to Karl.

Well we all jumped in our car and we headed back to his house. I
pulled up to the gate and hit the button and a lady said How can I
help you. Without thinking I said Can we see Karl Malone? She said
well who is this, I said were some missionaries from Utah. It then
went quiet for about a minute and all of a sudden the gate opened!!
So we drove in and were greeted by Karl Malone's wife and daughters.

They let us right into his Cabella's looking house and told us to sit.
To make a long story short we spent the next 2 hours visting with
Karl Malone and his family and the Louisiana Tech coach today as well
as the coach that recruited Karl into Louisiana Tech 30 years ago. We
even had steak cooked by Karl himself, and he even took our dishes. I
couldn't believe it, and at the end we taught him about prayer and had
a prayer with him! It was the coolest thing, we taught and ate dinner
in Karl Malone's house!!! How many people can say that!?! haha I'll
send more information this week! I love being a missionary!
Just thought I would send you a picture of my good buddy Karl!!

Why?

Why do people find it necessary to bring their pets into the store with them???? Now before all you animal lovers lynch me let me explain my side of it. I went to Michaels on Saturday and followed in a lady and her dog, watched her put him in the shopping cart and then proceed to shop with him. REALLY? She couldn't have left him home long enough for a trip to Michaels to buy craft supplies? I am not a huge fan of the animals, I admit it. I had a dog when I was little, his name was Smokey and he ran away...and I cried. But as I have gotten older I have a developed allergies to animals among other things. My kids have allergies too. So going back to the Michaels thing say me and my kid are the next ones to use that very shopping cart. THANKS Lady for the allergy attack I will now be having because you had to bring your dog to the store. Animal lovers still mad at me? I totally get the seeing Eye dog thing, I think its great that they can train animals to help people. I know that pets become part of the family, (my aunts Daisy May) and I don't think it okay to hurt animals at all. In fact I really don't like to go to the zoo to see the poor things pacing back and forth in their glass and concrete cages (plus I can't breathe by the time its over). I think that's cruel. But do they really need to come shopping with you? They can't really give you an opinion on what to buy, do they need to be there? They can't tell you that your butt looks fat in that dress or that Orange really isn't your color. Bring a friend to the store with you!!! Think about the people around you that might not share the same love of animals as you do or think its kind of gross and unsanitary to have animals in a store, sorry that's how I feel. Take them to Pet-Co and you and your pet won't have to deal with ornery shoppers like me. It's like being at a public event outside, enjoying a parade or the fair or whatever and then getting a huge whiff of cigarette smoke (which surprise surprise I am allergic to also!!!) ....ugh don't even get me started on that.....

May the Force be with you.....

Saturday I took the kids to Pottery Barn in Salt Lake to meet some Star Wars Characters. My boys LOVE Star Wars thanks to Ron. Ron was a fan when he was younger but I think these boys love it more then he ever did. With the movies, toys, video games, Resturant toys (thanks McDonalds!!!) it has been a great thing for them all to bond together with. Pottery Barn has a line of Star Wars bedding and were using the characters to promote it. I was tempted to buy a sheet set for each of the boys but at $59 for a twin set I was like um.....no thanks. I could have bought them each a pillow case but they were $14 for one! If anyone knows me they know that I am not too cheap to buy what I want, but even those prices were too steep for me. I know what you are thinking - if it would have been princess sheets for Hannah I probably would have bought them.....okay you are right....!
Hannah wanted NOTHING to do with Darth Vader and the storm Trooper. She freaked out when she saw them and wouldn't go anywhere near them. She would get close to this Jedi though, long enough for a picture.


So after driving all the way to Salt Lake to see Darth Vader for about 10 minutes I didn't want to turn around and go back home, besides Ron was home sleeping since he worked all weekend. So we went to Hard Rock Cafe in Trolly Square by the Pottery Barn. That probably wasn't the smartest move. It was $50 for the 4 of us (and I wonder why I never have any money!!!). They probably would have been fine going back to McDonalds again and then they would have got another Star Wars toy!!!!

Hannah goes to Preschool....and Dance Class

Hannah started preschool on Sept 3. Remember back in May I think it was that me and my neighbor friends got up at like 4am to wait in line to get our kids into this preschool? Well its finally paying off. She got up early, picked out her clothes for the day and was really excited. I took the morning off from work so I could go with her and Ron on the first day.
Hannah and Miss Ann. I went to elementary school with her teacher. Its a small world. I moved after 6th grade but I still remember being friends with her. Noah's 1st grade teacher was also a girl I was friends with in elementary. Its somehow comforting to me to be in a community where you know or knew people. Does that make sense? Anyway I was excited to leave Hannah in the care of someone that I know will be great.
Putting her Princess school bag on the school bag bar....she had to have this special bag for school. I guess I wasted $15 on the Disney Princess Back Pack I bought before I found out they have to have the "special" bag. Oh well, we will save that for kindergarten.
With her New name tag (do you think I was a bit picture happy???)
Playing airplane with the teacher which actually turned out to be a lesson in folding your arms. They also say prayer here! I love it!!! ( look at the teacher looking at me like why are you taking a picture of this??!!!)
She waved goodbye and then ran in the school. I will say though that I didn't cry. I think because I leave her everyday to go to work, it wasn't hard for her to leave for school. I wish it was me taking her and dealing with kid things everyday instead of Ron. Have I told you lately that working SUCKS?????? My only fear now is getting that phone call from the school telling me that no one has picked her up yet because Ron has this duty but also needs to be sleeping during the day since he works graveyard. I'm sure he will sleep in at least once........
Hannah also started back to dance class on the same day. This year they have a blue costume. Of course something else for me to have to spend money on.......We are sad though because her 2 friends are not in her dance class this year. Mckenna moved up to another class and Lindsay is not dancing this year.

Girls (and some boys) Weekend in Park City

We went to our second annual Girls Weekend in Park City over Labor Day. My dad and step-mom have a condo there and for the last 2 years they have invited the girls up for Shopping, Swimming and relaxing fun. This year we went to the Olympic Park. This is something I have been wanting to see since we had the Olympics. There are some pretty cool things in the museum. Here is Hannah holding the torch.
My Silly Daddy skiing. He actually is an awesome skier and used to look like this for real! My dad taught me to ski when I was young but with kids and work and life I have not been back for a couple of years.
Hannah and Maile in the bobsled
Yadi, My brothers wife, LuWana my step-mom, Me and Jen
The tour guide called on my niece Selena to help him demonstrate how this sled worked. She thought she was really going to go down the hill.
This is the view from the top of the ski jump. Holy Crap its like straight down!!! I don't know if this picture does it justice. I don't know how or why anyone would want to do this sport. The guy said kids start this as early as 11 years old! UGH. Their mom's let them???
We sat and watched people ski jump into this pool of water which would feel great except that it was only about 60 degrees in Park City on Labor Day! Brrrrr
Haley, Selena and Carly. Teenage Drama Queens. They didn't want to do anything, but we made them and they had fun.
So we are walking around the museum and my sister and I see this picture of a "volunteer" with Anton Ohno (sp?) and we at that same time pointed and said "hey thats mom's cousin!" This lady is totally my mom's cousin. I don't know if she knows that this picture of her is in the museum but how totally cool is that?
Yes, I layed on the ground for this one and I still couldn't get the whole sign!
Sisters Haley and Maile
Selena and Hannah
Hannah and Maile
So we had fun, spent money on great shopping deals, had drama, slept on crappy matresses, ate, swam and then went back home. :)

Lucky #13

Ron and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary on Tuesday, August 26th. 13 Years!!!!! WOW. We went out to dinner at Tepanyaki in Layton. This was our attempt to take a picture of ourselves. I thought it was funny so we kept it. Ron is a good husband and father. We are very lucky to have him in our family. Honey, I love you! 459!!!