This years Christmas Card...

Yes, I am a slacker. I believe I have officially procrastinated long enough that I'm going to forego the tradition this year and not send out my cards. (believe it or not, this is very painful for me! - there is nothing that I love more than getting and sending Christmas cards) So, in lieu of the hard copy, here's the card ... blog style! In fact, I think I'll make it my header for the rest of the month. Enjoy - next year they will go out!

BTW - I have LOVED getting all of yours....please don't take me off your list:)

It's December 17th...

Happy Birthday Ava!

We played beauty shop (hence the "painted-doll" look in the close up),

decorated her cake, opened presents, went to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner, and, of course, ate cake. It's good to be 4!

Surgery

This is Todd before...And this is Todd after....(after the haircut, that is).

And this is Todd after surgery... These are Todd's lovely stitches...affectionately known as his "spiders".

Todd has become a sort of "regular" in the 'head and neck surgery department'.

Ok, not really. This is only his second time but somehow we doubt it will be the last. Back in the day, Todd spent a fair amount of time out at the river, at the beach, and just working construction all day in the sun. He is now paying for it via a few cancerous moles found on his head. Really, he's ok. The lack of hair is really a blessing in disguise - we find 'em and catch 'em early!

A quick recap...

I have not written for awhile. I guess I haven't felt inspired nor inspiring. Maybe I just haven't taken enough time to reflect and just think. So while I consider the deeper moments of my life, here are a few pictures to recap the most recent of events around our household.

Castle Park - not a baby friendly destination. This is just about the only thing Andrew could participate in. Needless to say - we won't be going back anytime soon...at least not as the only parent!

We made a quick and impromptu trip out to see Grandma and Grandpa. Ava demonstrated her mad skills in the kitchen. I am training her up to be the perfect "Betty Crocker" housewife! She's got the look, right?

We thought about riding the ATV's...didn't quite happen but sitting in the garage was still pretty exciting.

Oh, the tempting 50 degree pool (ok - maybe not that cold but it's close)! If only we could just go for a little dip!

My parents and my sister Rachel made the trek out to visit us for Thanksgiving.

We celebrated my Dad's birthday though it was a few days early. Happy Birthday Grandpa!

The kids worked hard to decorate the tree. Andrew focused his energy on ornament removal...

Tis the season for goodies of all kinds...but who can resist the allure of chocolate?

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Fixed!

Yes...it is fixed and beautiful. But even better news is the fact that I have the greatest car insurance ever. It was decided that I was only 50% at fault for this fender-bender (a blessing in itself) and so AAA waived my $1000 deductible. That's right - I didn't have to pay a dime out of pocket to have my car (or the other party's car) fixed. The shop repaired the car in under 4 days and we were ready to go - new car seats and all. I'm sure somehow my rates will increase - don't they always? But for now, we are quite pleased!

A Crumpled Car...

This is my sad car. Sunday afternoon he was hit in a small, but disappointing miscommunication. I know we'll get him fixed...someday...when we're ready to pony up the unfortunate $1000 deductible.

Prop 8

This is my prop 8 sign. It has been up for 2 weeks now. No one has taken it...even through Halloween night (though we have lost 2 others previously). I am grateful that my freedom of speech was not violated this time. I feel akin to others who proudly display their beliefs, either for or against, in appropriate ways. This is the beauty of living in a country where the laws we uphold come from the voice of the majority...or should come from this majority.

Much has been said on this subject, much has been written. The lines are drawn in the sand and to spend much time writing my convictions here would be to endlessly quote others who have said it so much better. So here is my favorite opinion piece. It pains me to see things like this, meant to air on TV today. This has never been about hate. It was never meant to segregate a group of people or to demean them in any way. Those that cannot or will not see beyond the fallacies presented will never understand my view.

I believe wholeheartedly in the family. I have a very strong testimony of this cause, of why we are fighting as a people for this amendment. I do not have all the answers and I do not know all the repercussions but I know that we have a prophet today who speaks to us the will of the Lord. I have chosen my side. I will stand united with God. I have felt His peace as I have prayed for guidance on these issues. This is no small thing and sometimes it is very difficult to stand for truth and righteousness but I know I am here in this state for this purpose, today. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to grow and to be strengthened by my God. I have participated recently in a scripture study group with some other women from my ward. We have studied the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and I know that it was no small coincidence that we began and finished when we did. The Lord prepares his people for the trials they will face. He has prepared me. I know of his love and his willingness to guide me. I am hopeful when I read Mosiah 24:14-15:

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

I know that if move forward, work, pray and pour my heart out to the Lord, that through my faith I will be strengthened and my burdens lightened in such a way that I can feel happiness, peace, and be cheerful amidst these struggles. This may be the greatest blessing I could seek for.

Today this country will cast their votes. It is a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity to do so. Make your voice heard!

Student of the Month...

This one earned the "student of the month" award for his class! Good job Ethan!

Halloween

Yes, it was Halloween. We carved a pumpkin the night before. Ok, Todd carved the pumpkin. The kids don't like to touch the guts.

Halloween night the kids hit the streets with a hoard of children from the neighborhood. We live in a great place for trick-or-treating! Ethan was a Star Wars Clone Trooper (this was the only time all night he wore his mask) and Ava was a pumpkin.

Andrew doesn't look too thrilled about this excursion but don't let the expression fool you. We've discovered that he LOVES to ride around in the stroller as of late. I think I might finally have a new running partner! He was dressed up as a giraffe though he just looks like he's wearing pj's. The hat (which makes the outfit) was lost at the last minute...not that he'd wear it anyway!

Once Ava and Andrew had reached their max, we headed back to the house and Ava began passing out the candy to all the other kids. She took this job very seriously and really wanted to do nothing else. Andrew spent the rest of the evening dancing around in front of our house, at first in his "birthday suit" and then with the addition of a diaper. I finally got him dressed in some pj's before everyone labeled us as a bit "trashy".

Now after only 2 days of candy eating, Ethan and Ava have relinquished their candy to the "Candy Fairy" in exchange for potential toys, prizes and/or cash. I wonder what the "Candy Fairy" does with all that candy?? Hmmm...

Just as a note...our kids are not forced to give up their candy. It is a choice they make all on their own. In fact, Ethan told us boldly this morning that he doesn't care about the candy. It's not good for his body or his teeth...he just likes to eat it sometimes. Yes, and that's exactly how I feel about it too...but you couldn't convince me to give it all up so easily!

"Lost" Tooth

This rather nasty looking specimen is Ethan's first "lost" tooth. Though a prized possession and very exciting to him now...I don't think the time spent at the dentist was anything to brag about. About a week ago we noticed a swollen bump on his gums next to a tooth that had a lot of work done on it when he was four (hence the rather large silver filling). We doubted this tooth would hold out until the end of it's supposed life...but we hoped. After a dental consultation and a prescribed antibiotic, he was scheduled to have the tooth extracted. The day before his birthday I took him to a new dentist (long story...but I hated my current one) and they checked him out and pulled the tooth. This was torture for all of us! Ethan fears needles...and surprisingly, the numbing gel they put on your gums before the shot of Novocaine. It's not really the pain...but the anticipation that bothers him most which makes for some pretty stressful situations. He just about loses his mind and all control over his body! Once we were able to calm him down and convince him of the magic of squeezing your intertwined hands together tightly while closing your eyes...they were able to get him all numbed up and very shortly after, extract the tooth. Turns out the infection had eaten away one of his two roots. Yuck! Poor kid inherited the worst teeth and there's not much we can do about it. I just hope we get through the younger years with at least something besides black holes in his mouth.

Andrew is Healthy!

What? You didn't know he was sick? Well, neither did I but his doctors had decided that he needed to have EVERYTHING tested...just to be sure his health wasn't an illusion. Ok?? I've never been one to turn down thorough health care, so sure, you can take some blood. And, I guess you can have some more... Oh, you want everything he eats documented in detail and all of his poop collected for 3 days plus a couple of one time samples? A sweat test for cystic fibrosis?? But we had Todd tested an he wasn't a carrier. Oh, that test isn't thorough enough for you - why did we do it at all then? Ok, this was getting to be too much!

After much deliberation, we decided to go with the flow and let them run ALL of their crazy tests. Why? Because Andrew is a light weight. Yes, just like my other two kids, skinny. I guess this is something rather scary, in case he got the flu or something. But what can you do? Our genetics combine to make skinny kids - the heaviest of the three was a mere 18 lbs. at her year mark. Andrew is no exception. But turns out, after all the testing, the GI specialist could find nothing wrong. In fact, of all his "small" children, Andrew's labs were the best.

I could be annoyed at all the over-attention, and complain about the numerous $10 and $20 co-pays for multiple visits, not to mention the gas and time involved...but in reality, I'm grateful. Grateful that Andrew is, in fact, healthy and strong. Grateful for doctors who care enough to "make sure" everything is well. And grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting the care of His spirit children to me, an inexperienced, yet heavily opinionated mortal.

It's October 11th!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Nicknames

There has been a lot of talk of nicknames around my house lately. Probably because of the introduction of a certain neighborhood boy named (or should I say, nicknamed) "Spanky". I guess Ethan and Ava now feel they should also be known by a new alias...and tonight they have chosen. Drum roll please....I now introduce, "Marshmallow" and "Bonk Head". (surprisingly..."marshmallow" would be Ethan...not the other way around)

Ava and Prayer...

A couple of weeks ago, Ava gave her first talk in primary. The topic was "I can pray to Heavenly Father and He will answer my prayers." When I asked her what she wanted to say, she thought about it for a moment and then responded, "Remember when we lost my shoe and Heavenly Father helped us find it? That's what I want to say."

Yes, this was a memorable experience. We went camping at the beach back in August. I took the kids on a bit of a hike along the bluffs and down a very steep trail leading to the beach. When we arrived at the waters edge, the waves were crashing hard on an entirely rocky coast. When the water came up, so did the kids' feet and inevitably their flip-flops would slide right off and drift into the sea. This happened a few times and I was always able to retrieve them...until the last time. Ava's shoe was just gone. No trace left behind. We searched, we scanned the incoming waves, the outgoing waves, the rocks from here to there, and nothing. The ocean had claimed for itself a blue and white striped sandal. I was a little panicked. The walk home would be nothing short of torture for me. Ava was already crying. She would have to ride on my back up the steep incline and the half mile back to the campsite. And then, though it was time to cook dinner, we'd be off to the store to find some kind of replacement (we brought no other shoes). I know, I know. I sound like a bit of a pansy but any extra work added to the amount of energy needed to keep 3 kids happy while camping was just not something I was up for. The dread was setting in and in my last ditch effort to save us from this dilemma, I offered a quiet, yet earnest prayer. And then we looked one last time. Shining in the distance, resting on a large flat rock, quite far up on the shoreline and a bit removed from the tossing waves, there shown Ava's shoe. It was as if it had been plucked out of the thieving sea and brought to rest serenely on this ordinary rock. My heart leapt, tears came to my eyes. My prayer had been answered! In my moment of doom and gloom I had forgotten to include my children in my original prayer...but there was no way I was going to completely miss this life lesson. I quickly gathered my children and together we voiced a heartfelt prayer of gratitude and relief. They have not forgotten this and I doubt they will. As for me, I think I need reminders like this every once in a while and hopefully I too will not soon forget!

Climbing...

First he climbed up on the stairs,

Then it was onto some chairs,

then hoisting himself on the table

"The Monkey" became his new label.

Too Much Energy...

My kids really need something to do...even with all-day school and 2 day a week preschool, they have way too much energy and still, I need to be home sometimes. "Being home" as defined in the children's dictionary just means BORING! So, we enrolled the kids in a gymnastics class. They love it!

Cruising...

We went on a weekend vacation, and yes, it was a vacation as we were without children! It was so nice! We, and a few of our friends, headed out on the Monarch of the Seas for a 3 day cruise to Ensenada.

It was wild! We rode the on-board roller coaster...Oh wait...that was just the mandatory emergency drill:)

We ate wonderful meals...Now, I know people complain about the food on cruises but eating in the dining room - well, really anywhere for me, was a treat. I did not have to cook it, I did not have to decide what would be cooked, I just ate whatever I felt like! It was bliss!

We saw some cheesy shows and some pretty dang funny ones. We got our groove on - well, we did the best we know how in our old age! Ensenada was...well, we didn't go on the cruise just to see this Mexican city - it was merely a side-light! Kim & AJ opted for a ride on a couple of mopeds while the rest of us took the much more subdued (can we say s-l-o-w) ride on a golf cart. It was great... for an hour!

Street tacos were the next order of the day - of course! The fish were the best but I may have been the only one brave enough to try them.

We took in some of the culture...

And the local parade... What was that! Some kind of scary circus in town - maybe it was just the women's costumes that frightened me but we did see a few tigers riding down the street.

Then massages for all 6 of us, some junk shopping for the kids at home, ice cream cones, and we were back aboard our Royal Caribbean floating hotel. Back on board we played "Family Feud", "Finish the Lyrics" and saw a couple more shows. Sunday we were at sea all day so we took advantage of the sun and just relaxed.

We even put on our "special hats" and climbed the rock wall.Now we are back to reality and I feel like I haven't slept for weeks! Perhaps we should do this every year!