lucky charms..

Joseph likes to eat..I mean he REALLY likes to eat. Each Sunday we take snacks and a sippy cup for him. I never liked to do that with my other children, but with him, it seems like there is no other option for getting through church. Yesterday, his dad packed his snack..so he hit the jack pot with lucky charms and extra marshmallows! While I was anything but thrilled to be feeding him straight sugar, I realized really quick that this was a good thing for joey.

Normally, when he eats he tries to use utensils; he lacks the skills of course but he tries really hard for the first half. after a while he decided the effort is not worth it. throws the spoon and fork to the ground and double fists his food into his mouth..seriously, its amazing to all who have witnessed it. Since he has chosen this path to eating, his fine motor skils are....dare I say lacking? yes I dare.

BUT in a sudden twist of fate, he was fed Lucky charms yesterday. So he spent his three hours of church carefully digging through the bag of cereal with his two little fingers, insuring that he only had to eat the marshmallows. After a while this became pretty sticky, no fear, when the actual cereal got stuck to his hands he would just wave them as hard as he could until it all shook off, and reach his hand back into the bag. It was very funny and sweet. I was impressed with the amount of fine motor skill he actually had....thanks mike for being a great dad!

some many things..

This last week and a half I have been with out the internet. there were "so many things" that I wanted to blog about....and now I can't remember a single one. life changes so fast and things happen so quick if I don't write it down when it happens...I loose it. Jack has been hilarious as always, since I remember one story I will write it just to keep it. =)

the other day we were shopping at Marshalls and I had been looking for a new bra. ( I will keep this PG rated...just kidding. ) ANYWAY, I was walking down one of the Isles and Jack points to one and says " mom, I think you should get this one." (me, laughing on the inside that my son thinks he should help out here) " why?" (jack) "Because it's sexy!"
all I could do was laugh..where on earth did he hear that word? hes FOUR! the lady in the isle about fell over, she even bent down to look under the racks and see what kind of mom I was...lol. of course I told him he was a little to sweet and a little too young to use that word. It just didn't sound right coming out of his mouth- but it was funny.

little Livy told us all about tether ball last night. I have watched the kids on the play ground, it like being called out to a ring fight. they sand on the outside of the circle and wait to get picked, then when you do, yelling erruptes from all those watching, name calling, and betting. its INTESNSE. Livy has been braving the circle for about two months now. as always her few girl friends have long since given up, the sport being to harsh. But not livy. one of her very best friends ( a boy) is even making fun of her skill at this point. but she just refuses to give up. he determination is inspiring at times and worrisome in other times. We encouraged her to keep on fighting and show those boys she is not to be made fun of. its what she would have done anyway, hopefully we just gave her the courage to do her best. she is a fascinating little girl. so much like me and mike in different ways.

Joey...what to say. he climbs on everything..eats what ever he can, he taken a keen liking to pencil erasers and dice...just what every mom dreams of. He has the most amazing smile. and he can light up any room. he is cuddly and sweet and the only time he cryies is when you take away a tool in his hand and when he hungry. having the contractor here every day has been a dream to him. the other day I walked into our tv room to find him almost to the top of a 6 ft ladder....yeah, my heart skipped a few beats on that one. he thinks he is big, and has the look in his eyes of " this is just what big people do!" when he colors or eats with his utensil, and yet hes barley 1 so he lacks the skills to do big things.
I love being a mom now more then I ever have. Life is to wonderful, and my only complaints are so petty that when I say then I know I am not being to person I should be. Life is to wonderful to complain about dumb things, so please forgive me when I do..I just haven't mastered that perfect thing yet! =) I hope all is well with you all. I love you and have enjoyed catching up one everyones blogs.

SATURDAY!!

I am feeling good its Saturday! Time to gear up for my favorite day of the week, and reset my ways for the next crazy week! Saturday is wonderful because its the only day of the week when I actually get to decide my schedule! Nothing telling what I have to do or when. I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday too!

something in the air.

I don't know what it is about today, but it just needed to be a blogging day. This morning was uneventful, which to me these days is like a vacation, there was nothing on the "HAVE TO DO RIGHT NOW OR ELSE EVERYTHING BLOWS UP!" list....sweet Joey was sick, so I was forced to get some phone calls done, watch a little project runway and rock my baby. It was nice.

This afternoon I painted the crown molding in the family room, celebrated the tile getting done in the bathroom, received a phone call that stressed me out, made a random dinner, and here I am.
The house is finally getting where it feel good. I look around and see many future projects, new base bords in the bedrooms, new door in livy and jacks rooms, Jackson would love some shelves in his room and maybe a door handle =) But all in all each and every thing we do from next week out, will only make our home nicer then it already is, which we think is pretty nice! I will have to post some pictures when I get to our other computer..where they are stored.

so here I am just feeling odd and grateful for life all at once. we have been so abundantly blessed right now, I dont even know where to start to thank my Heavenly Father. I can not remember a time in our marriage when he has poured out so many blessings at one time for us. Of course In my mind I feel very confused and conflicted at this time..it seems like when there are blessings, its also the time when I don't deserve it the least, grateful for them, but confused as to why the Lord is so gracious to a unworthy soul sometimes..

I have had to make many changes to adapt to our new busy life of three kids, and law school. It often causes me to reflect on who I am and where I am going. I find my self looking back to where I have been, its almost like I am grasping desperately at that former me knowing she was pretty cool( in a few select areas), and yet I have changed, I am not the same and who I become is left for me to determined, I feel caught between past and future...is this a mid life crisis I am having?!? lol. It sounds more serious then I mean it. But it has been in the air for a while and I feel it pulling me in...and yet the "it" I describe is unidentifiable. I don't know where I am headed in the near future, and yet I feel "it" out there as if I am searching and "it" is waiting and at some point, I will know I have found what I am looking for. Oddly enough I found my self reading a similar statement in Sarah Pailin's new book. she describes the time between one of her endeavors and the run for Governor. I related to what she said, I don't think her path is mine, I just related to the feeling. So I know I am not crazy, just searching, I will find it.

I am not alone. In this grand journey I have many things( to clarify in saying "things" I mean the gospel, scriptures, ect.) and many people who love me and want to see me succeed even if the" it" I am searching for is just learning to love in greater lengths or in a deeper way, or reaching out to some one I had not thought of, or finding more peace in the reading of a book to my angels instead of letting lives many diversions capture my attention. It doesn't matter where I am headed for now, as long as I do what I know I should and have eternal goals (which I happen to have. =) ) it will all work out. Time to get on my knees...get up... and go to WORK! And In the mean time I just keep reminding my self of what Sis. Wilson taught me: To look behind and examine my past plowed rows, only make crooked one moving forward.
I must embrace to good of the past and use it to create a better straighter stronger row in the future!

Its the New year!

Well since its a new year I am determined to start blogging again. Its something I love and Its something I have not been doing, with life being so CRAZY! This move took everything out of me and more.
It was a much longer process then expected, with a short stay at the in-laws, then a quick move in, with out great friends it could not have ever happened. But that was only the start. we Painted Thursday and Friday, moved in Saturday, my mom came to town Sunday, we unpacked all we could Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday we rollin' out to southern Cali for thanksgiving. It was MAD. The great news is; we love our new home. It needs work still, I think we underestimated the amount of work it needed at first, BUT it feels good, and it fits us.

Jackson has had some blood work done, here is a crazy thing. The results told us he was allergic to Dairy and peanuts...NOT wheat or gluten . you know, the thing we have been avoding like the plauge for three years now. SO for the last several weeks we have had both our boys on a strict diet of No DAIRY-NO PEANUTS-NO WHEAT-NO SOY to get their bodies healthly and strong to figure out whats really going on. It has been interesting. It leaves us with rice, veggies, fruits and meats. the dairy is kicking my butt a little bit. Two days ago I decided to add wheat to jacks diet and see how it went.....we were at a buffet. He was SO excited, I think even more then on Christmas. He piled his plate with noodles and fried chicken, potatoes dusted in some wheat based topping. HE LOVED IT. By that night the coughing and wheezing told me that no matter what the blood work says, hes got some issue with wheat, maybe someday we will figure out what. Joeys is reacting the same.
Yaya is good. Bossy right now, she thinks she is the mommy of the house (seriously). the other day we took the kids for a "special" treat, we ate dinner at Sam's Club ( aren't we just crazy! lol), Joey knocked my drink over and before I could even move, Yaya was running to get napkins and rushing to get back but she didn't stop there, oh no, the little mommy of the house jumped down on the floor and cleaned the mess lickety split. we had to tell her it was " clean enough" before she would get up.
Anyway thats a weird and short update. I can't wait to tell you all about today, but hopefully with some pictures...just think this one word.."PORKAS" and then know it should be said orca's -my kids just refuse to believe me and grandma. I love the life I am living! =)

"stretch, reach, for that kind of disciple ship that can take you far beyond where you thought you could go." (Neal A. Maxwell, in a BYU Idaho devotional, feb 6th, 2000)

This morning I listened to the devotional on BYU T.V. , I am SO grateful to have this channel back in our home. It really does help me to feel so much more connected to our church and our leaders. As I listened to this beautiful devotional I found my heart yearning to be better, to reach higher. Elder Maxwell spoke of our life and the trials we have here, he taught that we must understand that this life should not be looked at in a negative light- but- with an attitude of learning; because this life is what will teach us the ways of the master, it is our class room.

I can not sit here in our new home with our three beatiful children and NOT acknowledge The Lords hand in our life. he has blessed us so abundantly, I can clearly see this right now, and I am grateful for the gift of seeing the blessings, sometimes I think that can be a hardest part of it all..just seeing and recognizing what he has given us instead of feeling overwhelmed and alone. when we see clearly our many blessings, life does not feel near as overwhelming. when I don't see my blessing I feel hurt, sad and lonley, right now I feel like a light has been turned on! before I sat scared and frustrated in the dark and when I light came on I could see I was in a beautiful safe place with so many people who love me. when my eyes are open and my heart is soft, I am always amazed at what he has done for me. I am looking forward to reaching a little farther and higher and seeing just where I can go!

to young, yet too old.

If you know my 6 year old you know that she is too old for her britches, but in o.k ways. she doesn't like boys or want a cell phone or any thing like that. But she understands things, and that changes her interests for example: she has become fascinated with facebook lately.

She will search my friends list and look up people she knows; Then, she checks out their pictures, and the last two days she has started writing little notes to some of them. My favorite thing she does is when she stands over my shoulder reading every ones status..that can get scary depending on the person...and then reads what I say to them.... out loud, it's lovley. ( not a hint of sarcasam AT all)

All this is cute, and maybe I will consider letting her have her own face book with a very few friends... we shall see. So today as she was writing Happy Halloween to some one I remembered a funny facebook/ olivia story:

the other day I was texting a friend back and forth who wanted to come over and see our new puppy- olivia asked what I was doing so I told her what we were talking about. I said to her " I told her the other day she could come over and see angie" she says back to me very authoritative like.." I KNOW, I read that on facebook"

ahh, I just love my 6 year/25 year old daughter, I have been laughing for weeks over that.