Two Graduates from Preschool!

Preschool class of 2010...What a cute bunch!

That's TWO in the purple dress and glasses...Singing at the top of her lungs!!

Miss Melissa giving her, her diploma...

Two proudly watching her other friends receive their diploma.  I am so glad she had the experience of attending preschool and enjoying it.  However I wasn't preprared for some pomp and circumstance (is that how you spell it?? and say it?) I think if I had know I would have invited grandparents, aunts and uncles, and DAD, because I was the only "single" person there!  :)  Congratulations TWO off to Kindergarten you go!!!

If I've told you once...

Eat all your lunch......wait is this a picture of your unfinished lunch......Do not open the oven door while something is baking!....wait you opened the door to get this picture didn't you??

And um well don't look directly in the sun or at least try to take your portrait outside.....

I have told you before....don't play with mom's camera! 

especially when your hands are covered in chocolate pudding and you are aiming the camera at your mom when she is telling you to put the camera down, not such a pretty face!

(as I was posting this Two said..."oh I took that, you should see the other one I took of the spaghetti Os...too cute! love my budding photographer!)

Its Potty Time My Little Peeping Toms

Walking down the aisle, reaching for the last few items, I tried to talk my body into "waiting" until we get home. "I can hold it...I live five minutes away. I only have a few more items to get....I can wait" I kept telling myself as I pushed my shopping cart with Two running, rather being dragged by me through the store.

"No I can not wait." I said to no one in particular. "Lets go Two!" I make her run.

I shoved the cart by the door, grabbed T- Rex from the seat and headed for the handicap stall. Holding T-Rex in one hand and trying to unbutton my pants, and getting Two to come in the stall with me was a little challenging.

I sat down still holding T-Rex. I was just glad to have made it to the bathroom. Then Two plops on the floor and peers under the stall.

"Mommy there's a lady in there."

"I know. Get up off the floor. Stop looking under the stall"

I reached over to pull her back, trying to keep my bare bum on the seat and balanced with T-Rex still in hand. She stands up. Then loud and proud said, "Mom why are you pooping.Its stinky. Why does pooh stink so much?"

And before I can answer she pops back down, with T-rex with her.

"Mom she is pulling up her pants."

"Two get up!...T-Rex...stop...get...over here" I ordered as he slipped further under the stall...

"I am sorry."....to which I got no response. I sat and was hoping she was done, considering the update Two gave me.

"Flush" ..... Flush, Flush.... Two found the little black button on the back of the toilet. Now that my back side is sufficiently wet, I hold both of my kids by their waist bands.

Two and T-Rex are under my control for a few seconds...plop! Back on the ground they went.

"She is still sitting!"



"Two!!! I am so sorry!!!!"

I hurriedly finish up thinking "I will beat her out of the stalls to the sink!"

Hoping to not have to face our poor bathroom victim, off we go to wash our hands. We were almost in the clear, drying our hands when out she came. I quickly dry their hands and apologize again, when the bathroom door opens, and in walks a mullet haired, baggy red U of U shirt, over stuffed jeaned woman.

"Mom, Mom....why is there a man in here?"

Oh my goodness can I just ignore that comment??

"No Sweetie that's a woman."

I grabbed my kids and headed out of the bathroom as I left the words..."I am sorry."

Relationships

As I was in the bathroom doing my morning business of showering, my kids were off doing who knows what. Rinsing my hair, I startled to a little hand opening up the curtain. Standing behind the beige plastic was T-Rex all covered from head to toe in water colors. It appeared he ate more than he painted.

He held up a paper with small markings and drawings at the very bottom, pointed to his work and said "Temple."

"Did you paint a temple?"

"yeshhh!" Pointing at his picture again he said "Temple."

"It is beautiful T, I love it." I do love it and am amazed that one of his favorite and new words is temple.

For those of you unfamiliar with my faith, we attend church meeting houses on Sunday, for our regular meetings and Sunday School and such. All are welcome to come and participate. Our temples are the more stunning and beautiful buildings you will see around. These buildings are sacred, and many wonderful ordinances are performed one of which is sealings, marriages that are sealed here on earth and extend through the eternities. Our marriage doesn't end at death. I am grateful for my eternal family and they truly are a blessing in my life.

I truly have been blessed not only with great parents and siblings but wonderful children. They make me laugh.

I normally don't use my children's names but my youngest daughter gets called all the time by her big sisters name. Always. I know this because when I call her by the wrong name she quickly looks at me and says "you mean Emily?"

"Yes I mean Emily" At least she knows her name.

Today at church I sat and pondered my life. And how lately I have been under a great deal of stress and depression. I get sad. I am happy. I laugh. I cry. I laugh some more. Those who know me in person, you could probably say my laugh is like a period at the end of all my statements. I'd like to consider myself a happy person.

I don't know why I am going through this depression, it has been hard. I truly know that all that is going on is for a reason, and sometime, hopefully soon, it will end like all life's trials, that are replaced by another one, hopefully one that I can handle better, and soon.

I use the word hope because I do have hope and Faith in my Heavenly Father, that this time in my life will be one I will look back on, and know I learned and grew a lot.

Days may be long but years are short. Life goes to0 fast. And I don't want to look back on this stage in my life as one where I spent too much time worrying. Kind of like how I spent my teen and young adult years worrying to0 much that I was fat, when in all reality I was not! What wasted years, because now its just killing me to get back to my "fat" days of youth. But I don't focus on it anymore, (well not as much) because it is a waste of time and energy.

Looking back on that, it sure has taught me to be happy with the moment. Enjoy life. It really is short. We are here to experience and learn and grow and to have joy.

I take the bitter to enjoy the sweet. I will take the tears to really enjoy the laughter.

My oldest daughter and I recently were sitting on the kitchen floor, I think it was ten o'clock at night, and we took out a gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream and two spoons and sat and talked. We laughed. We ate. She looked up at me and said "Mom, when I am a mom like you, I am going to tell my daughter, how we sat on the floor at night and just talked and ate ice cream. She will think that is really great." I do hope she remembers that...and I think I need to do that more often.

And it is moments like that, that we live for. The quiet moments when we can sit with our loved ones, and not really worry about anything else and just enjoy life. Because what it all boils down to, is our relationships and those around us. I don't think they will remember how clean the house was growing up, though they remember more me yelling and getting frustrated when it wasn't clean. They aren't going to remember the outfits they wore (well other than looking in pictures) but will remember the trips to the lake, the zoo, or visiting family.

In the end, its people that matter the most. It is the relationships that we develop that help us become better people.

So in the mist of my struggles, who am I going to help? Because it boils down to that, who around us can we help?

April Showers bring May Flowers...

At least that is how the saying goes right? I really feel like that is true for my life, though it would have to go more like January and February storms and March and Aprils showers bring forth May Flowers...or something like that.

The last few months have been busy, hectic and a little tumultuous to say the least, with moving several times, several hospital incidents, job insecurity, financial instability, emotional down turns, yeah I'd say it was pretty stormy in my life lately. I know some have had it and have it worse than I do, and I am grateful for all that I have, but it still doesn't make the last few months easy on me.



However during these past few months, where I think I lay hidden in shelter from the storms, not even venturing out much to check email or blog, many wonderful flowers have sprung from my experiences, or rather during my experiences.


And because it is almost two in the morning I won't write much but will share some fun pictures that showcase the flowers of my new season of life....does that make sense?? I am tired so with out further adieu....ok not sure that is a correct phrase either......man I am tired...so my few months in photos!! About time!!
G-Man turned 8! What a major mile stone for him. He was baptized, and we are so proud of the boy he has become. He also started scouting and took second place in his first pinewood derby, and he made his car all by himself. Such a great kid!!!

Two, who I think just really needs a new nickname turned four!! I can't believe she is four years old. We love having her and she has the biggest smile that warms up any room she is in. She also today had a bad accident, milk that had been in the microwave for 2.37 minutes spilled all down the front of her. She has a few blisters and a red streak from chin to bottom of naval but is doing well for the most part, thank HEAVENS!!!



Bee our little Beauty has graduated from Kindergarten!!! It is so hard to believe that she will be going into first grade. Where does the time go?!!!


We moved!!! After living in,what has it been, four places since December, we are finally settled in a cute little bungalow close to the restaurant. It was like Christmas opening all our boxes and such that have been in storage for over a year!

T-Rex despite several hopsital stays and what turns out to be not so great lungs has lived to turn Two on Friday, I find that to just be an amazing blessing and miracle considering how active the little guy is...isn't he just the cutest?!


Eric and his Best Friend Greg are realizing their dream and opening up their own BBQ restaurant in Huntsville, Utah, come out and visit us! Starting tomorrow...umm today they will be open! We are so excited and nervous all at the same time.

Chinese Food Anyone?

Yesterday I went to the doctor...and in case you are wondering I had the lump checked about a month ago, and was scheduled for a sonogram to check it, however in the mean time I was able to pop it....guess it was a large cyst...good thing :) anyway so I went for a follow up and after which called home to see if we needed anything from the store while we I was out.

Eric said that Bee wanted Chinese food, and giggled.

I wasn't sure what was so funny about Chinese food so I asked him what the story was behind that.

While Eric, Bee and Two were sitting on the couch Bee told him "I want Chinese food for dinner."

Two looking extremely shocked, reached down, touched her bottom and said "Food for my china??"

And speaking of food, looks like we are going ahead with the restaurant, in Huntsville, Ut. Eric is up there testing the kitchen today, among other things. So if you are in Utah, either visiting or living, head up our way for some tasty Texas Style BBQ!!

We need to find a place to live, and well not sure how we are going to do it seeing we have only a few dollars to our name....oh well it will all work out!

Last night with our Chinese food we had fortune cookies and all our fortunes lead me to believe that the rocky road we have been traveling on will smooth out!

And T-Rex is doing much better thanks for asking, I mean according to his fortune he has a romantic encounter to soon happen :)

Picking My Brain

Picking my brain and getting information about my personal feelings and thoughts can be very painful and as easy as turning a piece of coal into a diamond by squeezing it in my fist.

Life has been crazy and so many things have been floating around in my brain, and begun getting clogged up there....so much so that I haven't even been able to write much, which is usually my mental laxative.

so this entry may be long, it may be short and it may remind you of a terrible stomach ache after eating a seven day old hot dog from the convenient store...but none the less I am sitting here picking my brain, hoping to not make it bleed, like when picking a scab because I think most of my thoughts and brain activity have scabbed over the past little while.

----I totally didn't post and didn't mean to not post, but my little baby, my first born just turned 8!! G-Man is such a wonderful, sweet, caring, active, funny, social guy. He surely has blessed my life, keeps me on my toes and always willing to challenge my ability to parent. The poor kid has moved quite a bit in the last little while, and has fared fairly well and made some great friends. He had a wonderful Lego birthday party with eight of his eight year old friends. He even spent the weekend with his eight year old "twin" cousin (born a few days a part) and they had a blast building Lego projects one after the other.

AND the two of them will be baptized this Saturday...I can't believe my little G-Man is going to get baptized. He is so excited and ready for it. I wish all our family and friends could be there to share this special day with him.

----Maybe I haven't mentioned it but Eric and his best friend Greg are opening up a restaurant in Huntsville, UTAH...they found an awesome BBQ restaurant, with all the fixings that they pretty much can just open and run. They both have wanted to do this since forever and well things just keep falling into that direction. I AM SCARED and EXCITED all rolled up in one.

I think it is going to be a huge stress but will for sure be something that at least Eric really enjoys. And I am always up for party planning and stuff. But am not sure how it is going to work. We are on our last few dollars and well it SCARES me....I have no idea where we are going to live, and how we are going to live. I do know that the Lord seems to keep blessing us, and well I figure as long as we are doing what is right he will continue to bless us...and it just feels so right but yet I just can't see the whole picture....and worry if I am emotionally stable right now to handle the challenge a head of us....I have to be right?

----We need a car so bad....our car right now is wonderful and so glad that we have it, but every time I drive it and see a cop I pray he won't pull us over, besides the fact that it is still registered in Hawaii, I don't think we have our kids legally buckled....they all have a seat belt but one has to sit squeezed in the front and well anyway, its cramped and I know it can't be the safest thing for a family of six. But what can I do, we don't have any money to buy one...Anyone have a cheap reliable family van of sorts?

---I am tired....I am happy...I have hope....and I know things will work out. I just am not sure how well I will fair on the ride right now...

Anyone know of anyone renting in the Ogden area??? We need to find a place to live soon....Argh...sorry about this post you probably are glad I haven't written for awhile.....


Oh ok one last thing today while we were driving in the car, Two after coughing said "Coughing and farting is funny." followed by a cough and toot at the same time.

"Did you toot and cough at the same time?"

"yeah it is funny." followed by her trying to force the combination again.

It just made me laugh...I laughed really hard, I think I am tired, or maybe it was the way she said it...but anyway.......

Beeisms!

Sweet Sweet Bee....

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Utah Valley but there used to be a factory called Geneva Steel. Anyway in its old place is still some kind of factory. My mom and Bee were driving to the store and she said "Look Nanny, there is one of those cloud making buildings."

Nanny says "Oh really?!"

"Yeah well that might not be an actual cloud making building and that could just be steam but there are cloud making buildings around."

Then the other morning before my dad had heart surgery, I began to fix her some lunch.

"How about some sausages (polish sausages/hot dogs) for lunch?" I asked.

Bee replied "are those the SAME sausages that made Papa sick?"

"Well yes but eat them."

Before Papa went to the hospital she asked him if she could see his scar after, he said no since it was going to be an upper thigh scar, originally. So later in the day she came up to me and asked "Well can I at least see Papa after he gets his clothes on?"

Now he is going to have a really cool scar to show her. She can't wait to see him back home. Neither can we.

And yesterday morning as I was getting the kids fed and ready for the day, I looked over and T-Rex was sitting in his high chair.

Puzzled I asked "Now how did you get in your high chair?"

Two looked over and said "It's Magic."

On the Fourth Day Of Christmas....

So, I am just on day four and I am having a hard time finding something of four that I am grateful for....my first thought was...

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
FOUR hours of sleep!...Yeah not a lot and yes it was a miserable night.

You know one of those nights, you get everyone in bed, you straighten up a bit. Then you check some email, catch up with your DVR and then think I need to get to bed, kind of night. And then the second you log off your computer, turn off the TV the baby starts screaming.

So I think to myself, I will just brush my teeth and he will stop. And he doesn't. So instead of waking up the whole house at 10:45 I decided to go for a walk. After about an hour I decided to come back home, actually ran into some neighbors and talked for a bit, I came back inside with a screaming child.

I did what I could to try to get him to go back to sleep. Then I passed him off to the hubby. Who T-Rex wanted nothing to do with. After a few tosses back and forth he finally left with his dad to watch the Lifetime Movie Network! Things got a little quiet. I snoozed a little. Then the little guy came running in screaming!! Anyway at some point I fell asleep. At some point he fell asleep.

And all said and done, I got four hours asleep. Better than none! (I took T-Rex to the doctor, no ear infections, but a sinus infection, so poor baby.)

And then I thought what kind of Gift is just four hours of sleep.


Then the thought occurred to me:

On the Fourth Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me
Four healthy beautiful babies!

Yes that is it! Four Beautiful Healthy Babes!

I love my kids. I have my moments of frustration, some days more than others. But I am so grateful I have these wonderful little kids.

G-Man: He is so compassionate and sensitive to others feelings. Sad, funny and true story. Today Two went to work with her dad. After school, the three other kids and I were in the elevator.

I looked around and said "Oh my goodness, we are missing one."

G-Man "Missing one..what?...TWO??? Where is she?"

Me: "Oh my goodness, I must have left her at the store."

G-Man with tears in his eyes and true sadness in his voice "Oh Mom we have to go back! Quick."

I was getting all teared up and sad even though I knew where she was...and then I apologized to him for teasing him. I had know idea how upset he would become.

He is also very smart and has developed a keen ability for art.


Bee: oh she is quite the observer. Often she will just sit and stare and watch people. She notices things and on top of it she remembers it. She when she wants to can be very helpful and sweet. And some how she always gets me to take her on my girls night out. She is a fun little buddy for me. She is imaginative and loves to just talk on her phone....to no one.

Two: She is so happy and friendly. It is hard for her not to have a smile on her face. She is three and has developed that ever so contrary personality of typical three year olds, but she sure is fun. We have a great time hanging out during the day. She loves to get away with things by say "but mom me love you!"

Then there is T-Rex, he is so busy and active and so gosh darn cute. He is a climber! I spend most of the day getting him off of counters. He is easy going but has learned the great trick of squatting on the floor when someone tries to pick him up. Though he is slow on his speech, he understands so much. Like if someone in the next room says "let's go swimming," he will show up with swim suit in hand.

So there you have it.

Four Beautiful Healthy Kids! I am so lucky.

When is When Enough?

My sweet little Two, who is pretty much potty trained, loves to take showers. And I am not talking its time to go to bed lets get in the shower and she says "yeah" and gets in. I am talking every time she uses the potty she takes all her clothes off and just gets in the shower. Today after her third, shower and a trip to the potty we had a conversation like this:

"Two get off the potty we have to run to school to pick up the kids."

"Me go potty. Me stinky. Me need to take a shower and wash off my smellies."

"No you don't sweety we have to run to get the kids."

"Me not have my clothes on. Me take one real quick."

"Fine hurry up."

She did take a fast one but my goodness the child is obsessed with showering and not smelling. Not sure what to do with her.

When Aly was here she even asked, "how many showers a day does she take?" Yeah she takes a lot!

You're Fired Friday!

If I was working a paid job, I'd be fired today! That's right "You're Fired"! I really stink at my job. I guess totally isn't true but yeah I stink at this mothering/housewife job, I decided to take seven plus years ago. I have done my time. I wish I could file for unemployment, too bad the USA doesn't see this as a "real" job.

So as I was trying to pack away some stuff in our kitchen, actually the 20 lbs of ceramic items I made at my Wednesday night class, the kids, just Two and T-rex, decided to clean out cupboards and drawers because as Two said "Me go back to Exas today." Thus resulting in this.

Before I had a chance to mention we still have a month left. She went on to sort shoes and T-Rex decided some of them needed to be washed. Ok so not failing too bad right now, at least they are trying to help me here as my personal assistants. Though as a house cleaner, I have been fired.

Did I mention that my house was clean on Wednesday night, and somehow I woke up to it looking like this? I am so fired as a maid.

And then while I was looking through something, I think the cupboards I found this homework sheet of Bee's--Can't read it? It says "3rd copy, No progress! Please work with her AND return this paper daily!" I don't think I ever saw this paper, and luckily this morning I sent the "second" copy to school with her and we practiced it, and she got them all right. So I fail at encouraging studying at home, I mean my goodness 8 hours of kindergarten isn't enough? So I am fired as after school tutor.

And as if my kids haven't gotten into enough this morning, I failed to feed them. Oh yeah my job as a chef...I'm fired. At least T-rex is resourceful enough to feed himself. Not to mention make sure the table and chairs and floor are fed as well.

Anyone looking to hire, a not so clean, unorganized, uneducating, non culinary Lady?

Plastic Addiction Over

Our little Two has been addicted to sucking her Binky for three years now and for the last two weeks she hasn't used one. YEAHH, now our orthodontist bill won't be so outrageous. However we have a minor problem on our hands. No she hasn't started sucking her thumb. She found something else.

I was sleeping nice snug in my bed, when I woke up to someone stuck to my head.
Little sleeping Two was sucking my nose, I guess with out a Binky that is the way life goes.
I wiggled her off, tempting to do so in a quicky, luckily I didn't wake up with a nose hickie.
A one night mishap? No not a chance. For a few days later she tried it again.


And while you are laughing I think some did miss, the comment that Bee made about my chest.
She looked up at me and started to say, "Mom your boobies are sagging and baggy and look like mashed potatoes." Oh that was such a nice day! Now all I have running through my head is the wiggles singing a song about me. "Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed potatoes, potatoes potatoes potatoes potatoes...ewww lalala ewww lalala...."

Pictures of me and kids??

One of my friends from Austin came into town to help her grandmother in a singing competition. And yesterday she had some free time, and so the kids and I "kidnapped" her all day, taking her around the north shore, passing by BYU and the temple grounds (so beautiful there), we hit the Dole Plantation for some really yummy Dole Whip and then we headed to Teddy's Bigger Burger for yes some of the best gosh darn big burgers. After the older kids got home we hit the beach. Jennifer was so wonderful and took pictures of me and the kids, something that rarely happens, since I am always behind the camera. And after seeing me in the photos I know why I hide. But besides my dislike of seeing me the pictures turned out really cute, if I do say so myself.

Jennifer thanks for taking these and thanks for hanging out with us. It was a lot of fun to get reacquainted after so many years. We made her go back to our house and have dinner and go swimming in the pool, well more like sitting in the hot tub and saving little T-Rex from jumping into the dark cold well not that cold pool.

There was an old lady

There was an old (well not really old) who lived in a shoe (more like a shoe box of a condo),
she had so many kids, she didn't know what to do.

She fed them some food, oh my how much they'd pooh!
Filling the house with laughter and stinky smells of doo doo.

Potty training with the others seemed to go so much faster,
with little Two, oh she, is so not the master.

While sitting in the sink, combing her short golden hair
she crapped in her last,oh her very last, clean pair.

So into the shower, the little clothed gal flew
with water hose in hand, to rinse the pooh.

Not done yet, not done yet, she complained
so left all alone this little un potty trained.

For some unknown reason she opened the shower glass door,
water, water everywhere went, she flooded the floor.

Oh this poor little old lady who lived in a shoe,
so much laundry she really does have to do.

Wordless Wednesday: Sea Princess

My friend took Two and her daughter to the beach for a little photo shoot. Here are Two's cute pics:

Go back to Texas

yesterday as i was walking with two and t-rex (who tore off the left shift key on my lap top), two was picking on t-rex. after getting after two a couple of times, she looked up at me from the stroller and said "You not my mommy anymore. you go back to texas."

" but i love you and you will always be my baby."

"i not a baby and you not my mommy."

so we walked home, as i tried to explain to her that i love her and no matter what she will be my daughter and i will be her mom.

once we arrived home she came up to me and said "mommy me not mad at you no more. you are my mommy. me sorry. give me a hug."

it was such a sweet and tender moment.

but i don't get where she got the idea to say to me that i am not her mom anymore and that i should go back to texas. none of the other kids have ever told me that.

got to love them! and i am not going back to texas anytime soon, well probably sooner than later.

Hula Bee!

Eric took the two the girls down town to Waikiki with her Hula Class. They rented a bus so no one had to worry about parking. She enjoyed another night of performing.

Two got to sit down with the gold man (there are men-street performers who paint themselves either gold or silver even one is in all newspapers and when you pay them they do a little performance and pose for a picture.)

While the girls were dancing the night away with their dad, the boys and I took a walk to get some ice cream and G-Man worked on writing a story.

My Personal Joker!

Today while "Two" was enjoying her play date with her new little friend Addie, she decided to terrorize her. Seriously, out of no where she'd come running up, grab a toy and run away laughing, leaving her little friend crying. And it didn't just happen once. I am not sure what she was thinking, other than she really enjoyed making her friend cry. Should I be worried about the smile on her face at the other's tear streaked cheeks? Really?? She reminded me a little of the Batman villain the joker, with her big ol' grin and her "evil" doings.