Do you think I over-feed my children?

Hey Mom, what's for dinner?

MMMM! Yummy bread, just for me?

Too bad you didn't get enough bread for the whole family.....see ya!

Happy Birthday Melani!

Today is my beautiful little niece's birthday! She is 20! (I really can't believe it) Melbel, you are such an accomplished young lady, I am so very proud of you. It is such a thrill to see how smart, talented, and beautiful you have become. I know your mom is just beaming over you! And now you are going to have your own little precious bundle of joy. You are one of the best people I know, and it is such a privilege to have you in our family.

We all love you so very much, and wish you the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GoldenHair and the Three Bikes

"This bike is TOO TALL!"

"This bike is TOO LONG!"

"AHHH, John Deer...this bike is JUST RIGHT!!!!"

BUSTED!!!

Oh, to be outsmarted by a 7 year old. I guess us moms all have to face it sooner or later. This morning I was driving the kids to school, and I had to let Austin sit in the front because I had both back seats folded down and a bunch of stuff in the back that I didn't have time to unload. So there he is, looking around, picking up a bunch of random papers and receipts that had been on the seat (tells you how often I clean out my car), and I am just driving along oblivious to what he was doing. Then right when we pull up to the school I hear
Austin: "Ah-ha, I knew it, this proves it!"
Me: "What are you talking about"
Austin: "This Walmart receipt, it proves that there is no Easter Bunny"
Me: (laughing) "What?"
Austin: "It says right here, girls socks, boys socks, t-ball, egg candy..." ( I knew the socks would bust me...see previous Easter post!)
BUSTED!
Me: "Austin, you are so much like me it is scary!"
Just for the record, I could care less about the rouse of any holiday figure, I would do Easter baskets and eggs anyway, and still love it, but the figures are meaningless to me. So I have never worked hard to convince them of an Easter bunny, so it is funny to me that he busted me on something that I don't even care about. Funny.
Let me explain what I mean when I said Austin was just like me. We are both investigators. When I was about 4 or 5, my mom gave me a "brand-new" coat for my birthday. I opened it up, and I still remember recognizing this blue coat with white trim. Here was the conversation:
Me: "This is Lori's coat" (Lori is my older sister by 2 years)
Mom: "No, this is a brand new coat just for you"
Me: "No it isn't, this is Lori's!"
Mom: "No, it is yours, it is new, it is wrapped up in a brand new box"
Me: "If this is new....then where are the tags?"
Mom : BUSTED! She never tried that again.
Sorry for all of the trouble mom.....I guess the mom's curse works!

My Knight In Shining Armor!

I know that the phrase "my knight in shining armor" means different things to different women. For me, this phrase refers to my hubby yesterday. I seriously don't know what I would have done without him. In the middle of Monday night, I woke up in severe pain in the right side of my neck, shoulder, and back. I could barely turn my head. It felt like my whole spine had been shoved to the right. My sweet husband, got up in the middle of the night to give me and adjustment, and set me up with an ice pack. On Tuesday morning, he was so sweet, and adjusted me again, and ran to the office and got me a portable stim unit to wear throughout the day. He called to check on me, he came home, and I had not been able to do a dish, or laundry, or pick anything up most of the day because I was hurting so bad, and he didn't complain one bit, in fact, he stayed up late to do the dishes last night. So, I just wanted to say "I love you honey, and don't know what I would do without you!" I am so lucky to be married to a chiropractor that can work on me at anytime of day, and what could have been a two week ordeal of pain, was able to be two days of pain. I am like 85% better today, and will probably be fully recovered by tomorrow. Amazing. I am so grateful for you honey. "You are my knight in shining armor, and the best chiropractor I've ever known!"

Easter Weekend!

We went to Safford for the Easter weekend for two reasons. One because Jeff's Aunt Eva Gene Shiflet passed away, and they were having the graveside in Central, and we wanted to be there; and two, because the kids haven't gotten to spend very much time with their Grandma lately, and this was a perfect weekend to go. So off we went.

I have to say every trip whether big or small, has its ups and downs. We got up early Friday morning, and dropped my kids off at my mom's house, and then Jeff and I went to his aunts funeral in Mesa. After the funeral, we had an hour and a half to get home, pack up all of our stuff, pick up the kids from my moms, and get to Central for the graveside. We were running about 30 minutes later than we should have, and I ended up having to change all of the kids into their church clothes in the car, while Jeff is driving 90 (don't worry, we said a prayer before we left). Well, I took off Katelyn's glasses to change her clothes, and set them on the center console, and somehow, they got knocked off and stepped on, and extremely bent! Not good. Well, we ended up taking them to the Walmart the next morning, and the lady tried to fix them, but they would break if she did anymore, so they were still crooked the rest of the time.

Anyway, the weekend was lots of fun at Grandma's house. The kids had so much fun taking over all of Grandma's toys, without sharing any of them, and running around all over her house. They got to play with her kitty, they got to get Grandma's mail (which is a big deal to them to have the mailbox right at the end of the driveway!), and Grandma bought them each a toy while visiting which was very sweet. Jeff enjoyed eating at the Casa twice, and scorpion hunting at night, and helping his mom complete projects around the house.

Austin and Katie getting Grandma's mail

Grandma teaching Katie how to get rid of hiccups

(Put some water in your mouth, plug your ears, close your eyes, and swallow!)

Katie and Austin petting Grandma's kitty

Tyler enjoying a corn dog with his dad!

We colored eggs Saturday night, followed by a new tradition of making resurrection cookies. It is a cool recipe that each ingredient represents something about the atonement, and you read a scripture while you add each ingredient. Then you put them in the oven, and put tape on it (to seal the tomb), and go to bed, and then in the morning you open the oven, and there are these cracked, hollow tombs in the oven. It is really cool, and even though the scriptures are over my kids head right now, I know the more I do this tradition, the more they will remember what the "real meaning" of Easter.

Tyler exploring the wonderful world of "dunking the Easter egg!"

Austin, "the old pro"

Grandma helping Katie out

The only reason I put this picture on is to show you how long Tyler's eyelashes are! I wish!

The kids posing with their cousin Tathra

Easter morning, the kids followed their chocolate trails to their Easter baskets. After playing with their toys for a while, we checked on our cookies, and ate breakfast. My kids LOVE Easter egg hunting. They could do it all day long. It was a little cold and windy in the morning, so we hid Easter eggs in the living room before church. We got ready for church in such a hurry, I didn't get any pictures done. We went to only Sacrament (quite frankly, we were all so tired), and came home and I took a nap with Tyler, so again, no pictures. (Some Mormon mom I am, I don't even take my family pictures on Easter!) After my nap, Tammy and Dave, Jacob and Lindsay, Chad and Megan, and their two kids Gavin and Mallory came over and we had a yummy dinner with ham and chicken, potatoes, corn, green beans, salad, rolls, and pineapple cake! After we ate, the adults hid Easter eggs for the little ones about 5 or 6 times in a row. But it was so fun, and we were having such a good time that we didn't want to leave. Thanks Grandma for making this Easter so special for us!

Katie's Easter basket!

Austin's Easter basket! (I think the socks made him doubt it was from the Easter Bunny!)

Tyler's Easter basket!

And, of course, Tyler destroying all of the Easter Baskets with his vacuum!

Austin and Katie opening the tomb on Easter morning

"The empty tombs"
Tyler wanted to help hide the eggs for the kids!

Tyler finding eggs!

Put it in the basket Boo-Boo!

Austin showing off his hard work!

Katie is ready to count how many she found!

Katie and Gavin climb the tree to search for more eggs!

Katie and her "Grandma, Grandma"

Katie and her Daddy!

Tyler had a ball walking back and forth on this planter box!

I did luck out a little on the drive home. I thought that I better drive, since I am the slower driver, and I knew that there would be cops all over the roads on a holiday. I ended up getting pulled over in Bylas. The last sign I saw said 65, and I was going 60, and the cop said I was 10 over, and that the speed limit was 50. I didn't even have my license, it was really embarrassing, and Austin was saying, "mom, you got pulled over by the police!" Anyway, he was nice, and let me off with a warning (whew!) After that was smooth sailing!

Easter Pageant Fun!

First off, before I say anything else, I have to say Happy Birthday to my sweet little (actually big) nephew Colby J! We love you so much, and miss you, and hope that you have a wonderful birthday, and I can't believe you are 13! Look out Lolo, "hello teenager!"

After a crazy filled day, we went to see the Easter Pageant, which is one of my favorite things to do at Easter time. I love sitting outside in the cool air, listening to the beautiful music, and watching the story of our Savior come to life. I have to admit, every time I go, I see something new, and think, "I don't remember that part", so for me, I get something new out of it every time. I think last night one of my favorite parts was the parable of the 10 virgins, which brings more and more meaning into my life every year. But I have to say my very favorite every year is watching the angels singing and dancing for joy, especially at the end when Jesus is ascending into heaven behind them. I love that part. I love to picture my loved ones, and myself, as our spirits, being overjoyed, and how we must have felt to watch the Savior go through the atonement process, and then be risen again. How glorious! "Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me, enough to die for me, oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

I finally got Austin and Katie to be brave enough to pose with some of the cast members walking around! This Roman soldier let Austin hold his whip, Austin thought that was pretty cool!

Don't laugh Utahans that we are bundled up without any snow on the ground!

Tyler had the best time, he loves being in his strolly outside! He pointed out everything that he recognized in the show, like every time he saw fire he said "hot", and when he saw the horse he said "neeiigghhh"

My picture did not come out very well, but I wanted to try to capture how high up and cool this scene is. If you see the green blob on the right, that is a full grown palm tree just to see how high up this really is. If you haven't seen this show, GO SEE IT! It only plays for about another week!

The Results Are In!

Thank you to my 2 "true friends" that voted (yours doesn't count Bird!) I now know how many people really love me....wait a minute, no one voted for mine, so I guess I have no real friends. (haha) I would like to submit that my coloring technique is subtle and accurate, and the only reason no one voted for it is because they did not see it in person! So without further ado, here are the artists revealed:

Birthday Boy colored #1 (received 1 vote)

Yours truly colored #2 (NO VOTES, don't I even get a pity vote for having bad hair!)

Zac, my nephew, colored #3 (No votes either buddy, sorry!)

Nicole, aka "Bird", colored #4 (1 vote!)

She didn't want to be photographed, and FYI Bird, teeth are supposed to be white, not yellow!

Still love you though!

You Be The Judge!

Well, after a wonderful morning and afternoon of watching General Conference (I really love those men!), we went to my mom's for a birthday celebration for my brother. I know this probably is cheesy and juvenile to most of you, but I got my brother coloring books and crayons for his birthday. You see, in our family, we are all very competitive at pretty much everything. So, after cake and ice cream, we all had a coloring contest. My mom was the judge, and picked my brother's but I think it was only because it was his birthday. So you can judge, and then in a few days, I will reveal who's was who's. Ready?

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4

So, now you know the truth about our family. We are all just a bunch of kids trapped in adult bodies. Judge if you so desire. Hope everyone enjoyed their Conference weekend.

Happy Birthday Bubby!

Today is my brother Adam's (aka Lukas) birthday. I love my brother very much, and feel lucky that he is close by at the moment. He is a DJ, and moves around from time to time, and I'm not sure how long he'll be here, but I enjoy getting to wake up and listen to him every morning (Lukas and Nina on 97.5fm).

Adam is very good looking, fun, and he is a great dad, and the best uncle to have around. He has always been a supportive brother, and I admire who he is. He has always had a knack for making up his own words and nicknaming everyone. For example, he nick-named me Shish, which has stuck in my family, and he has made up words such as "nuch" (meaning no such), and vulgatory (not sure of that translation). He also has gotten all of the children to call him "Nuntle", instead of Uncle. Happy Birthday to my Bubby and the best Nuntle in the world!!!!

Adam & Tyler (cutest dimples ever!)

Adam & KT & AJ at "Walking with the Dinosaurs" show

A moment of Clarity...

The past several years, I have found myself "just getting through the days" of parenting. I'm not sure how often I have fully embraced, and cherished being a parent. I'm easily irritated and annoyed, so far too often I have ended up letting dumb little things ruin my day. I feel as though I've wasted a lot of time feeling this way.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my children, and I do enjoy them every day, but I also feel as though I'm living with regrets....let me explain.
Last Night I finally had the courage to look at the Baby Sage (The Riedheads grandson's) website, and was reading their account of losing their sweet baby (My prayers are still with you). This was very difficult for me because it brought back a surge of emotions for me. I have thankfully never lost a child, but my mom has buried 2 children. One of them at 6 weeks old (a beautiful little girl with a heart problem), before I was born, and one 11 years ago. I grew up in a house knowing that babies can die, and that has always made me be an over sheltering mother. But with my sister that died 11 years ago, Stacey Lynn, I knew her, and loved her, and shared a very strong bond with her. She was my oldest sister, and she was like my second mother, and endured more trials than anyone else I've ever known. I watched her suffer for years, and then finally leave this earth. When she died, I had such a strong feeling of regret for all of the things I never said or did, and I had regret for things that a selfish teenage sister would say to another. I know that my sister knew and still knows how much I adore her, but when you are young, you are dumb (at least I was), and I said mean things sometimes. I never thought she would actually die, even though she was on the verge of death many times. So when she actually passed away, I wanted to make sure that I lived regret-free in the sense that I wanted to treat each person I loved in a way that made sure that they knew that I absolutely loved them every day, in case that was the last time I talked to them. I feel like I have done that with my parents and brothers and sisters since then.
When I had my children, that feeling was magnified, yet somehow over the years, that feeling has somewhat dwindled. I have found myself going to bed taking for granted that there would always be tomorrow to apologize and make things right. Not to mention, I am extremely stubborn, and when I'm right, I'm right, and whoever "wronged" me needs to be the one to apologize. So from a parental perspective, I have been trying very hard to change that, since I am the adult, I am in control of what kind of relationship I have with my children. I am the one that needs to make things right.
Well, after reading baby Sage's blog, I got a rekindled feeling of living with no regrets, and not to take for granted that anyone will live through the day or night. I want to make sure that I am more gentle, and more thoughtful about my relationships with my precious celestial spirits, and also my sweet husband, who too many times has taken a back seat to children, home, and other responsibilities. If for some reason I have to face another major loss, I want to feel as though I treated that person in such a way, that they I knew I held them in the highest esteem, and enjoyed all of their personality so that I could share their funny stories, and that I loved them unconditionally.
We are all human, we all make mistakes, we all are unworthy to some extent. I hope that we can all reach out as human beings with kind intent and warm regards for each other, and appreciate the good things that are in those around us. Life is precious and life is short!
TODAY, I WILL ENJOY! TODAY, I WILL HAVE NO REGRETS!