A New Stage of Life Begins

School starts tomorrow. Our baby starts Kindergarten. Five and a half years ago, we sat in the NICU at UCSF, watching our baby, surrounded by other much sicker babies. I knew then, that Korbin would grow up and be a happy, blessed and healthy boy. And grow UP he has. He definitely got John's genes in height, just like Connor, while Aidan takes more after me. Korbin is tall and skinny, but cute as a button! He is, and always will be, our baby.
I know that there are mothers in this world who look forward to this day in their children's lives. I am not necessarily one of them. It is not that I don't want my children to grow up and experience life and all it has to offer them, because I most certainly want all life has in store for them to come to pass. It's just that there is this part of me who wants to keep my children little for awhile longer. I want to give them so much more to prepare them for the world. And yet, I know that we have done as much as we can and have taught them so much to prepare them for this stage of life, and we will continue to teach and prepare them for each stage of life.
Connor is off to 6th grade. Wow! Where did that time go? He is taller than me and his feet are only a size behind John's. He is ready for a new year of Science and History, and will even put up with Language Arts and Math.
Aidan is off to 4th grade. He is the cutest, freckle faced, blue eyed boy a mom could ask for! He looks a little small next to most of his classmates, but I am banking on a growth spurt to come along soon. He is excited for school to start and even more excited that Math is the first subject of the day.
I must confess, I cry on the first day of school every year. True story. Since I first took Connor to Kindergarten 6 years ago, I have cried when I say good-bye to each of them. I know and trust every teacher and staff member at our school. I love our kids teachers and I know my children are loved and cared for there. I know that we have taught our children and given them the necessary tools to make good and right choices. No matter all of those things, when I leave them at the door, I know that in the next 6-7 hours, I am not there to protect them from any evil or bad thing that may happen.
So, here we are, ready for school to start. Clothes are bought, folded and ready for wear. Everybody has a pair of shoes he likes and a backpack to match his personality; Cars for Korbin, orange for Aidan and black for Connor.
I have been doing some reflecting on the last part of our life and the next stage that begins tomorrow. I know our boys are prepared to take on the world. They have a sanctuary at home, to protect them from the woes of the world. They have parents who love them more than life itself. Not only that, they have grandparents and a great grandma who love them so much! They have aunts and uncles who love them and cousins too. And, they have an Oma, Nana, and Papa in heaven who are watching over them with love. So, while I may cry a lot tomorrow, I will remind myself of the privilege I have of raising these valiant spirits and the unimaginable love and trust that Heavenly Father has for and in John and I, to give us this undeniable blessing!


Never a truer quote have I heard than this:
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone~

Craziness abounds!!!

Life never slows down around here! With both adults in the house working at least a 40 hours a week and often more, plus Scouts for the older boys, School Board meetings for mom, Church callings and activities, and everyday family activities, it never stops! As I have said before, I do certain things to save some time...I make freezer meals, I prepare most necessary items for meal preparation on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. One thing that I rely heavily upon in my house is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have had my Kitchen Aid for about 8 years, it will go for at least another 8, but I have really wished for the means to buy a bigger one with a lifting bowl. So, imagine my excitement when my grandma said she needed a new mixer! I told her that I could give her mine if I could find a great deal on a new, bigger one. An even better blessing came when my grandma said that she would buy mine from me. So, off to look on E-Bay I went. I found just what I wanted, red and all, and I bid on it. Oh how exciting it was to be the winning bidder, and all for only $220 with tax and shipping included! I got my new mixer today and I am sooooo excited to use it! The only bad thing? It doesn't fit on my counter under my cupboards, so it needs a new home. I use my mixer so much, that it isn't really practical to have it put away where I have to lift it up to the counter all the time, so I am going to have to think about where to put it. Until then, I will just have to do lots of baking. I made these yummy Cowboy cookies the other day...I think I will make them again tomorrow. Here is the recipe I used, with the changes I made noted at the bottom. (because I often make changes to recipes, that's how I roll):
Cowboy Cookies

Makes about 26 2-inch cookies.
ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
1 1/2 cups Corn Flakes cereal
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in oats, Corn Flakes, raisins and chocolate chips until well mixed together.

Drop by generous 1 Tbsp. balls, about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (* For more attractive cookies, flatten the balls by half and roughly shape into round circles. These cookies do not spread much and doing this gives a nice round, flat cookie as opposed to an irregular shaped, higher cookie).

Bake at 350° F. until edges and tops begin to brown, about 12-14 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet set on a cooling rack. Once mostly cooled, remove from pan to the cooling rack to finish cooling.


I crushed the corn flakes. I used a full cup of raisins. I added 1 cup coconut. I added 1/2 cup peanut butter chips. I didn't do it, but I think that adding a little bit of wheat germ or a little bit of flax seed would be yummy too.

Enjoy! I will have to post some other recipes as I create with my new mixer.

8 YEARS HAVE PASSED

8 years ago today I sat in a hospital holding a hours old Aidan in my arms. He didn't have his cute freckles yet, or his cute tooth filled smile, or his sometimes not so desirable attitude. But, he did have my heart, completely and fully. Today he has an abundance of freckles across hi nose, the angel kisses we call them. He has an infectious smile and laugh, and beautiful blue eyes. He has an undying yearning for learning, which we try to encourage everyday in the hopes that he never loses it. He is a great big brother and an appreciative little brother. He is a true and wonderful blessing in our family!

We chose the name Aidan because we loved that it was such a strong Irish name, and the bonus was that it meant "fiery spirit," which is Aidan in a nutshell. His middle name is Bryant, his great grandfather's surname. Aidan has a lot to live up to if he wants to become like his great grandfather, and I know he does. He will certainly accomplish all he desires, he is stubborn enough to never quit and smart enough to do it all! There are already so many things about Aidan that remind us of Papa, almost as if they were kindred spirits. Amazing!!

Happy birthday to you Aidan Bryant Ireland!! We love you so much!!


Ready to start Scouts, very intently reading his Wolf book



Happy to open some presents before dinner


Aidan chose where he wanted to sit and Gaga made him a sign to mark the chair

I have survived....

I have survived several things in my 37 years...including earthquakes, floods and childbirth. As of today, I have survived 2 slumber parties in my house! I am fairly certain that is a huge accomplishment. The noise level during last night's balloon fight was something to be reckoned with. I survived it. Craft time and creating of one's own pizza? Survived it. Opening presents and treat bags? Survived it. Movies, popcorn, and sleeping? Survived it. Fun was had by all.

I made a pretty awesome camouflage cake with army tanks and guys on it. As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures off of my camera and on here, I will post.

One more day until Aidan turns 8, officially. Four more days until Aidan is baptized. Still have to find a pianist and decide on songs. Happy, happy days!!!

Crazy Fun Days.....

Through the last nearly 11 years of being a Mom, I have been a Stay at Home (working) Mom, a Work outside of the home, a part time stay at home/work outside the home mom, and a Full-time student/stay at home/work outside the home mom. I'm sure you see the trend there...I have been a Mom for nearly 11 years, and I have worked for many more than that! I am in a Work outside the home Mom stage now, and probably will be for the rest of my days. I am okay with it, probably because I have a job which allows me to have "Family Sick Leave" time, vacation time, and many holidays to be home with my boys. In fact, I took the whole week off this week, to be with the boys, and plan for Aidan's birthday and baptism. Let's just say that working outside the home is much easier than staying home! Don't get me wrong, I have great kids! It just takes much more energy to be home than it does to go to work each day.

Today's activities are a great example:

*Help Connor make breakfast for everybody, while doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen
*Clean the house, with help from boys (help=asking the boys to stay on task once every 5-10 minutes for 2 hours)
*Clean up the bathroom floor and part of the boy's room floor, using all but 2 towels in the house, after the toilet overflowed
*Make 2 different dishes for lunches for kids, while realizing that we were late getting Korbin to school
*Getting Korbin to school
*Errands in Eureka to get the remainder of birthday party supplies (I hope) and birthday presents (this included far more than I planned on spending at the Scout store!)
*Stop for Connor and Aidan to eat
*Picking up Korbin from Gaga and Pop's house
*Feeding 3 boys again, while they watch a movie

Still left on the list?
* Bake the cake and make the army colors frosting so that tomorrow I can make an "Army fighting" scenario come to life on the cake. (any idea how to make land mines?)
* Put together treat bags
* Clean the bathroom
* Fold mountains of laundry (including all those towels used to clean up the toilet water)
* maybe get some sleep

Being home takes much more out of me, but I am surely more rewarded by being with my children! I am grateful for each of them!

Trying Something New

I am going to try something new...my great friend, and former mission companion, Cathy, has a great blog that I follow. She manages to write on her blog pretty much everyday. I am going to try to do this...I am going to try to write more like she does...you can check her blog out over here: http://theoldsfamily.blogspot.com

I started something else new just about a month ago. I started making freezer meals for our family. I have always been good at budgeting and spending a small amount on groceries for our family size. Our average monthly grocery bill over the last few years has been $300 or less, including buying food storage food for our family. I noticed, however, that after I started working in our Garberville office, I was spending more than that. I noted that it was because I was getting home later and probably doing more "convenience" kind of foods than before. In order to get away from that, and get back on budget, I decided to try to use the crockpot more and to try freezer meals. Freeze meals have been great! I spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon cooking 6-10 meals and then I freeze them. I can take most from freezer to oven and have dinner within an hour to an hour and a half after coming in the door. It is the next best thing to having dinner in the crockpot!

I have found some great recipes on this website: http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com
One of the kid's favorites is this: http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-bake.html

I have spent less than $300 on groceries in the last month and I have added to our food storage. That, my friends, is awesome in my opinion!

Summer Stopper

So, summer should be full of fun and freedom, right? We are now, and always have been, parents who believe that children need to be children and have fun in doing so, while being provided with a safe environment in which to grow and learn how to make choices that lead to good consequences. We are blessed to live in a small town, and to be surrounded by small towns where our children can play safely and enjoy their childhood.
So, yesterday after Church, Connor and his friend, Tanner, went to my parent's house. They decided to go for a ride on their scooters, just like they had done the day before, only this time, they did not arrive home the same way they had the day before. I got the phone call from my mom at about 5 p.m., that Connor had taken a pretty good spill on the scooter and I better come take a look. I walked in and saw a swollen wrist and a clearly in pain Connor. I immediately knew we had to go to the ER. Off we went, with a banged up Connor. He had a pretty good scrape on his nose, his glasses had been destroyed, he had scraped his knee and both his arms, and he was not a happy boy. We were taken in immediately. When the doctor came in to do the exam, I thought that we would only have to X-Ray Connor's right arm, as it was pretty obvious that that arm was broken. The doctor said it would be best to take a picture of both. Connor asked me how he was going to eat with two broken arms. I assured him that only the right arm was going to be broken and he wouldn't have to worry about that. When the doctor came back, however, we quickly learned how wrong I was! Yep, they were both broken. And, the right arm was so badly broken that we would have to have it reset by an orthopedic doctor. How blessed we are to have so many people in our ward family who love us and sacrifice so much! Brother Harrison and Brother Anderson came to the hospital and Connor received a Priesthood blessing. And, the orthopedic doctor was also a member of our ward, who, though he was not on call, was willing to come in at the request of our regular Pediatrician. Doctor Jones came in and reset and casted both of Connor's arms. Connor was a trooper, with the good medication, he survived the resetting and the casting. We came home and finally crashed after just over 5 hours in the ER.
I have spent the day at home, with my Boo, giving him medication, feeding him, scratching his ears, nose and forehead, and providing for his every need. It is pretty difficult to do anything with two broken arms!!! We are sure hoping for a quick recovery and some creative fun for the remainder of the summer. If you have any good ideas for activities, send them our way!

Summer Fun...New Experiences

So, I haven't blogged in awhile. I really think I need to try to be more like my friend, Cathy, who seems to get something on her blog everyday, at least a short something. I will try to get better...today I will post two things, because the two cannot go together.

We have been enjoying summer, the boys especially. The sun could have come out to stay sooner than the beginning of July, but ni modo, fun is to be had! While John and I are at work, the boys and Gaga get to play. Although, we did go camping over 4th of July weekend...that was a lot of fun!! But, with Gaga, they have fun trips to the river for swimming, visits to Mimi, and every Friday they have Friday night feast at Gaga's house. Friday night feast includes not only our boys, but Aidan's friend, Olivia and Connor's friend, Tanner. Gaga rotates the menu choice through each one of them, and they enjoy a variety of dinners each week. Our boys have one awesome grandma, let me tell you! We much appreciate her and all she does for us and the boys. And, we appreciate Pop for putting up with all the craziness too!

Part of the fun this summer has been a theater class that Connor and Aidan both participated in. During the school year, one of Connor's teachers suggested Connor might want to participate in the theater class that Ferndale Reparatory Theater offers each summer. Connor was really excited to be in the class. Aidan, on the other hand, originally asked if he could take a math class while Connor did the theater class. That would be our Aidan-Bug, he loves math!!! We did not find a math class, and Aidan decided, on the second day of class, that he wanted to take the theater class. Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to do so. They spent 3 days a week, 3 hours each day, for 4 weeks, developing two short plays. We got to see the results on Saturday night, and we absolutely loved it!!! We will most definitely be participating in the class again next summer. Connor is going to audition for Oliver in a couple of months and is fairly certain to go on to do great things on the stage! Aidan did a great job as a wizard and is a shining star as well.

We still want to go do some other things for the remaining 6 or so weeks of summer...maybe to Six Flags, maybe some more camping, maybe just relaxing....no matter what we do, we are certain to have lots of fun doing it!

A visit to the State Capitol

I am the President of the Scotia Union School District Board of Trustee. I am a trustee. I, along with four trustees, am entrusted with making decisions that affect more than 25 staff members and 218 students from K through 8th grades. I don't broadcast this information. I honestly enjoy serving on the Board of trustees, almost all of the time. I feel like I can make a difference. During the month of March, however, I don't really enjoy serving on the board. March is the month when we, as a board, have to decide if we will have to approve the recommendation of the Superintendent to lay staff off. This is the month in which we have to make tough decisions which truly take the lives and livelihood of individuals in our hands. Our small school district has fared much better than others have, and yet we are still hurting more than we should have to. We were unable to avoid giving "pink slips" to some teachers and programs this year. I cried when we did so last year, and I cried again this year. Last year we were able to retract those pink slips, but this year is not looking good. Close to 23,000 teachers in the state of California received "pink slips" this year. How sad is that? The consequences of this number is obvious, our children will be the ones who truly suffer in the end.
So why am I suddenly broadcasting this? Check this out:

Today was the last day of Connor's birthday trip. Before leaving Sacramento we went to the State Capitol building. We were standing in the hallway in front of the Governor's office when several members of California Teacher's Association and the Teacher's Coalition were gathering to present the Governor with a representative "pink slip" in the form of a memo asking him to please restore the funding we have lost over the last three or so years. Connor asked me what a "pink slip" was. I tried to explain simply the concept of budgeting for the school, and told him that unfortunately our own School Board had been forced to approve the issuing of "pink slips" this last week. One of the women in the group heard me and Connor talking and she approached us, saying she had heard my explanation. Connor immediately said "my mom is on the School Board." The woman asked if Connor and I would like to join with the group in delivering the "pink slip" to the Governor. We immediately said yes. Unfortunately, the Governor was booked and unable to see us, but his Press Secretary did come out and speak with the group. As is typical of many Politicians, he insisted that we had it wrong and that all was well with education funding. That is a discussion for another day. Connor presented him with the "pink slip" to give to the Governor. A Bay Area Superintendent also presented two large manila envelopes of letters written by her students to voice their concern as 20 of their teachers received "pink slips" today.
While it may or may not have any affect on what our State Government will do, Connor got to have a great experience today. He learned that he could be a part of something, big or small.
What a great experience for a 10 year old. I can only hope and pray that schools will not continue to lose funding, because all of the children deserve so much better than this!

Good examples around us.

As I have said, our household is a crazy place to be. We are constantly busy, it seems. We have Church activities, Boys Scouts, mom's on the school board, homework...well, you get the picture. My mom gets to be just as busy with having the boys all day while John and I are at work and/or school, and we are grateful for all that she, my dad, and my Mimi do for our children and for us. While I do believe it is, first and foremost, the responsibility of John and I to teach our children and to raise them to be responsible adults, I also recognize the need for good examples all around. I am grateful to know many such people. Our kids are blessed with an extended family that many others do not have. They have wonderful teachers and support staff at both Scotia elementary and Prime Montessori. And, we have a great Church family. That is what I want to hit upon in this post.
Some of you, who read my blog, may not know that the LDS church is the largest group supporter of the Boy Scouts of America organization. Now you know. This year marks the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America. Our boys start Boy Scouts at the age of 8, when they begin Cub Scouts, and we hope that they continue all the way through to become Eagle Scouts. We hope that each of our boys will do so. In fact, in order to get a driver's license in our house, our boys have to first achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. (nothing wrong with a little incentive, right?) So, Tuesday is Scout night. Connor started scouting almost 2 years ago now. He loves it. He looks adorably handsome in his Scout uniform. This past Tuesday was a very special Boy Scout meeting, our ward had an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for a young man in our ward, Cooper. What an experience!
Becoming an Eagle Scout is not easy. It requires hard work, dedication, sacrifice, service, integrity and trust worthiness exemplified, plus much more. As I watched the celebration of 100 years of Scouting and of Cooper's accomplishment, I could visualize my future. We had several special visitors that evening. Our Stake President, our Bishop, our Scout leaders, Fortuna City Mayor and Humboldt County 2nd district Supervisor all attended this Court of Honor to recognize Cooper. What a wonderful outpouring of love and support! I looked around the room and looked to the row of Cub Scouts sitting reverently in a row along the back wall. At that moment, I could see how impressionable those boys are. And I thought, how beautiful it is that they are seeing this great accomplishment recognized. How awesome that they have such an example as Cooper, in their lives! I looked around again, at all who showed up to honor Cooper. And you know what? I saw so many great examples of the Lord's chosen followers that reminded me just how blessed my boys really are. If they but follow the great examples they have surrounding them, they will be successful. I know that John and I cannot do it alone. I know that Heavenly Father doesn't expect us to. I am grateful for so many great examples.
Thank you, Cooper, and good job!

We are going to miss Grandma and Grandpa!!

All of us with Grandma and Grandpa Annis
(can you believe how tall Connor is?)

Aidan with our newest family member, "Princess."

So, my dad and step-mother, Rhonda, came into town back in September. They have been living, along with their adorable dogs, Piper and Sophie, in their RV, in front of our garage. They were going to be here until after Connor's birthday in March, and we have loved having them here. Besides the fact that Rhonda has done almost 100% of the housecleaning and laundry since their arrival, the kids have just loved having their grandparents here that they don't see very often. After all, the last time we saw them was when Korbin was just a baby and now he's 3! Unfortunately, due to some issues back home, in Iowa, dad and Rhonda have to head back much sooner than expected. In fact, they will be heading out early Tuesday morning, and we are sad!!!!
Since grandma and grandpa are leaving we decided to go over to Mimi's house so that she could take some pictures of all of us. The last time they were here, we had pictures taken of the boys and grandma and grandpa Annis, so we wanted an updated version. The pictures turned out pretty good...thanks, Mimi!
We really will miss having grandma and grandpa Annis here and we hope they come back soon! Thanks for all the help while you have been here, we appreciate it! We hope you come back sooner rather than later, or that we can find a way to come to Iowa to visit. We will miss Piper and Sophie as well, but we are happy that we were able to enjoy this time with you!

Grandma and Grandpa Annis with the boys.

All of us again...what cute boys we have!

"My three sons!"
(goofy, as always.)

Happy birthday, Aidan Bryant Ireland!!!!!!

Aidan, our 2nd child, turned 7 today. He chose to have a "Wii bowling tournament" for his party last Saturday. We had the party at our church building because the gym is much more spacious than our living room. I made him a bowling lane cake, which was fun. We had a tournament that started with four competitions and went down to the final two competitors. The final two ended up being Aidan and his big brother, Connor. Connor won, but not by much. Tonight we had family party at my mom and step-father's house. My mom and my step-mom actually made lasagna together for the party and I made a 3 layer chocolate cake. Aidan wanted a new pocket knife, which he got from Mommy and Daddy. He also really wanted a Zhu-Zhu pet, which is apparently the most popular toy this season. My mom found him one on line. He as thrilled! If you don't know what a Zhu-Zhu pet is, look it up, they are cool. Aidan also got some cool marbles and a marble mat from Grandma and Grandpa Annis. He is a lucky little boy!

I still can't believe that it has been 7 years since Aidan came into this world. Aidan was supposed to enter this world, via planned c-section, on November 26, 2002. However, he felt the need to come the day before. I woke up at 5 a.m. that Monday morning, in labor, not liking it. I sat in the bath tub, I moved around, I tried everything I could think of to stop the pain. I finally called to doctor's office at about 9 a.m. and they told me to go to the hospital if the contractions continued or became closer together. About an hour later I took Connor to the Hamilton's house, next door, and left to the hospital. My mom had just started a new job that morning. John and I got to the hospital and checked in. The anesthesiologist came and checked my lungs, telling me he would see me the next morning. I told him I was having a baby that day, not waiting another day!! Dr. Anderson said that he wanted me to walk around a little bit and he would come over to see me at lunch and decide then if we would deliver that day. The contractions continued. My mom arrived. Mimi arrived with Connor. Papa arrived. Dr. Anderson came in and talked to me. He said there was no reason to wait a day. The nurse started prepping me for surgery. I was so excited to meet our little boy!! Dr. Anderson asked Dr. Cannady to assist him, and I remembered that he had assisted in my appendectomy when I was 6. Only in a small town would that irony take place. Aidan entered the world at 2:39 p.m., weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce, and measuring 19 inches. I had to go to ICU because recovery was packed. I had a nurse that I had had when I was recovering from my appendectomy, another irony.
I got to my room about an hour after Aidan was born and what a beautiful sight!! Connor and daddy had helped bathe him for the first time. He was wrapped up all snugly in a blanket with a cute blue hat on his head. I held him for a few minutes. It didn't take long for Papa to take him from me. That was the beginning of a special bond between Aidan and his great grandfather. They were almost inseparable most of the time. Aidan still lets us know, at least once a week, that he misses his Papa.
Aidan is still as sweet, kind and beautiful as the day he was born. He is funny! He is smart. He is active. He never really stays still, even when he is sleeping. He has more freckles on his nose and cheeks than his brothers. He has beautiful blue eyes. He is the smaller, in stature, of my boys, but what he lacks in height he makes up for in personality! Aidan makes me laugh everyday, and I am so thankful for him.
We had a few names chosen, but knew the moment we looked at him that Aidan was it. His name means "fiery spirit" and that he is! His middle name is my grandparents surname. We gave it to him because we had told Papa when Connor was born that if we ever had another boy, we would give him Bryant as part of his name. Bryant is a name to be proud of and one that Aidan will always live up to, I am sure. We have always called him "Bug," a fun nickname for a fun boy.
We am grateful to have Aidan as part of our family. We cherish each moment with him and look forward to continuing to watching him grow up to be a great man!!
Happy 7th birthday, Aidan! You are the best Aidan in the whole world, don't you ever forget it! We love you for always and forever, Aidan Bug!

Remembering.....

Somehow Memorial Day weekend always feels like the real ending of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Perhaps this is because it is so close to the end of the school year or perhaps because the weather seems to get a little nicer about this time. I don't know exactly why, but it feels that way every year. I love that I get a 3 day weekend and that my boys have one too. And, I love what Memorial Day really celebrates. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father created us with minds that hold memories and that we can thus recreate so much history.
One of my favorite memories of growing up in truly "small town" America is the Memorial Day parade that takes place every year in Ferndale. I still remember watching the parade each year of my childhood and placing flowers on the "grave of the unknown soldier" each year. And now my own children get to do the same. A very special part of my memories of the parade have everything to do with the fact that my grandpa was a part of the parade for as many years as I can remember. He proudly walked in the parade with the VFW for years, and then as he grew older, he rode on the VFW float. My grandpa was always proud to don his army hat and show his patriotism. He was truly Proud to be an American and I am grateful for his example. For years, my grandfather put his flag out every morning and then he would carefully bring it in at night. Aidan loved to be there to help Papa put the flag out or bring it in.
This year we will be going to watch the parade, having missed it last year since we lived in Utah. (Instead we went camping in Southern Utah, where it was much colder than expected.) My boys will all take flowers with them, probably from Mimi's yard. It will be hard not to see Papa sitting on the VFW float, and I will probably cry. But, I am so grateful to live in a place where I am free to watch a parade that truly honors and remembers those who have fought for me, and you, to have such freedoms.
So, in honor of all who have fought and all who continue to fight for our freedom....check out this cool video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0mm4u2VzDs

Enjoy your holiday and remember to enjoy your freedoms always!

Belated Birthday wishes....

So, the hard drive in our Macbook crashed and burned last weekend. Bummer for us on a few levels, but especially since it meant that birthday wishes for our Mimi would have to be belated. However, we did not forget Mimi's special day...........

Wednesday was my grandma's birthday. I won't tell you just which number birthday she celebrated, because that just isn't my place. Suffice to say, she became a grandma at a fairly young age, making her still young today, in my opinion. Mimi was 2nd born to her parents and the only girl. She grew up in Ferndale, married my grandpa, became mom to a daughter and two sons, later became grandma to me and one other granddaughter and even later became great-grandma to my sweet boys. She and Papa were married for 53 years, practically their whole adult life! She's my Mimi! Mimi is a great example of hard work, dedication and love. She really is wise and wonderful. She is truly our family's matriarch in every sense of the word. I truly believe that Mimi is a remarkable woman! I am grateful for her love and support always, and I am grateful for her strong example of being a wife and a mother.

Happy belated birthday to you, Mimi!

My Mimi

So I know I already posted today, but I have been wanting to do this post for more than a week. I just wanted everyone to know how great I think my grandma (Mimi) is. I have realized in the last few weeks and months, just how strong she is. My grandpa was 10 years her senior, and I am sure that in the back of her mind, she always knew that he would likely leave this earth before her. I am sure that somewhere, sometime, she realized that she would spend some time taking care of him, and I know that she made that commitment without reservation. She is truly one of the greatest examples of pure and unconditional love I have ever known and I am eternally grateful to have been sent to this family! John and I were married on my grandparent's 44th wedding anniversary. I asked John if we could choose that day because I sincerely admired the example of love and faithfulness I had seen in their marriage over the years. I only hope that I can be even half as successful in my own life as Mimi has been. My grandmother has sacrificed much over the past few months as she has cared for her lifetime companion, though I don't know that she would ever call it a sacrifice as much as she would call it love. I have been truly amazed by her strength and poise as she has said good-bye to her husband, and by her complete and total love for him. I have seen the twinkle in her eyes when we have talked about the wonderful memories of her true love and I have watched her gracefully cry her tears of grief. My Mimi truly amazes me! I hope that I can one day be even half as strong as she is, for then I will be truly blessed!

A Sad Day For Our Family

Today is a sad day for us. My grandpa passed away this morning. We have lost a wonderful man, the patriarch of our family, our greatest supporter and probably the best husband, dad, grandpa and great-grandpa ever!
My grandparents have been married for 53 years! John and I were married on their anniversary, almost 10 years ago. They had 3 beautiful children, one of them is my mom. They have two granddaughters, one is me. They have 3 great-grandsons, they are my boys. It is hard to believe that Papa won't be coming home anymore. We all love him very much and we will miss him dearly!
My grandpa was a great man! I don't think he ever met a person who did not become his friend and I am pretty sure that he never had an enemy! I want to be like him when I grow up. I have many memories of my Papa. We used to watch Gilligan's Island together when I was a kid. I used to go on trips with my grandparents a lot. Papa taught me how to swim. He went to Father/Daughter banquets for Girl Scouts with me. He taught me how to pitch a softball. He loved me and supported me in everything I ever did, even if he didn't agree with it. He loved my Mimi with all his heart, always and forever. He loved each of his children forever and for always, and he loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren the same way.
I am so very grateful that I had my Papa as part of my life for 35 years and that each of my children met him and were loved by him. I am truly blessed because I had him in my life. There will long be a void where he used to be....one that can not be filled by any other person on earth. I only hope that I made him proud, that he always knew how much I loved and admired him, and that one day I can be like him!

I have awesome kids!!!

I just have to say that I have awesome kids! I have the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, and just the best little boys ever. I am a boys mom. I wouldn't trade any one or all of my boys for one girl. I sometimes wonder why I was blessed by my Heavenly Father to have all boys and how it is that He has deemed me worthy to have these 3 beautiful boys. For you see, I truly am blessed by having boys. I get to see the world through the eyes of 3 different personalities and it gives me much to think about each day. I have one who is the most gentle and kind little boy I have ever known. I have one who is so passionate about learning and living that I am often worn out simply by watching him for a few minutes. And, I have one whose imagination is blooming bigger than I ever thought it could at such a young age.
Since my pregnancy with Korbin, John and I have made a "list" of sorts. It is a list that we keep, mentally for the most part, of why we are thankful to have boys. One of the top reasons is that I will one day have great daughters in law. So, you see, I will have the blessing of having daughters one day, but right now I am just so thankful to have boys....to hear their stomping feet running through the house, to see their joy in nature, to hear their laughter each day, and to feel their hugs each and every day.
Just for the record: I would never be disappointed if a girl were to come to our family.

An(other) Year in Review

Here it is, the end of the year, yet again!! For weeks I have been thinking that I should be sitting down to update our blog. I mean, really, I haven't been very diligent in updating since our move. And then of course, there is the fact that the end of another year has arrived. Now, if I could just fine more time in my life, I might actually get to everything that I want to do done. So, without further ado...

This year has certainly gone much faster than we wanted it too, and it has brought to our family, many blessings and new experiences. We are truly grateful and abundantly blessed.

We began this year living in Murray, Utah, surrounded by lots of white, powdery COLD snow. We end the year back in Humboldt County, CA surrounded by family, friends, and lots of cold, wet rain. This was not exactly how we thought the end of the year would find us, but we have been reminded yet again that we are not always in control of the whole of the plan!

We returned to Utah after spending last Christmas with Sarah's family, leaving Connor to spend another couple of weeks with his grandparents and great grandparents. He got to fly home alone....how is it that they grow so quickly? John went back to his job at Gold's Gym and Sarah continued staying home, watching the neighbor's kids and making scrapbooks. Life was carrying on.

In April, John was offered a job with a local college in Salt Lake, doing admissions recruiting for their Personal Fitness Trainer program. This gave us a higher income, better benefits, and a pretty normal schedule. Plus, he had the opportunity to take classes at a reduced rate as well. It was during his time with the college that John decided he really wants to complete his Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science or a related field and perhaps go on to teach. He is a trainer at heart, and since losing a fair amount of weight, getting in shape and becoming a trainer, he has never looked back. Since moving back to Humboldt County, John has gone to work in the furniture department at Gottschalks and he will return to school in January.
In July, Sarah began working a part time job, only on the weekends, at a Hilton hotel in Midvale, Utah. It was a good way to pay for the student loan payment that was incurred while she finished school in the previous years. And, it provided a little extra for some fun acitivities for the family. Plus, Sarah got to use her Spanish speaking abilities with co-workers on a regular basis. Since coming back home, Sarah has returned to her job with the Humboldt County Social Services Branch as an eligibility worker for Medi-Cal and Food Stamps. It is hard to be at work all day and not at home with the boys, but we are thankful that grandma cares for them and that Sarah was able to go back to her job within just a couple of weeks of our return. Sarah just applied for, and was appointed to a position on the Scotia Unified School District School board. At least that education degree can be used for volunteer work!
Connor is growing like crazy! He is now 8 and in the 3rd grade. Connor had an exciting year in 2008! Turning 8 is pretty special for us being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon) because at 8 we are ready for baptism. Connor was so excited for his 8th birthday since he was able to be baptized, his grandma was coming, and of course the presents involved in a birthday. Since we lived in Utah where there are lots more church members, we explained to Connor that he may have to wait until the month after his birthday to be baptized with all of the others turning 8 at the end of February and throughout the month of March. For Connor, the black and white in all aspects of life child that he is, this was seen as a major problem. Thankfully, our neighbor's children asked if they could learn about the Church and be baptized. They were taught in our home by the missionaries, and they decided to be baptized on Connor's birthday and our Bishop said that Connor could be baptized then too. What an awesome experience! Connor is still our very black and white child. He never seems to question what is right or wrong, he really just does good and seldom does anything wrong. Connor is doing well in school, enjoys Math and Science, and is probably going to be taller than his mother by next Christmas.
Aidan had an exicitng year this year, too! Since he was not able to transfer to school in Utah last school year, Aidan got to spend each day at home with his mom and Korbin. Not being in school also meant that Aidan got to come home with grandma for about a month after Connor's birthday. It also meant that Sarah was doing lots of stuff with the two little boys during the day, or trying too. By summer time, Aidan was reading pretty well thanks to Aunt Karen lending us her Hooked on Phonics program. Connor and Aidan went to spend 6 weeks with granparents again this summer and returned to Utah just in time for the new school year to begin. Aidan happily started Kindergarten with a great first year Kindergarten teacher named Ms. Miller. She told us several times that she was afraid she was not challening him enough and we worried that this could be very true. When we came back to visit Humboldt County prior to moving, we enrolled the boys in school at Scotia Elementary. Before doing so, we had Aidan tested to see if we could possibly put him in 1st grade. He passed the test with flying colors and began 1st grade after only having about 8 total weeks of Kindergarten. He is doing very well, and we are so grateful to have him as part of our family. Of course, there will probably come a day when we can no longer help him with his homework, but for now we are doing okay.
Korbin turned 2 and officially became a toddler in February! He is a great joy for us, and we are so glad that he is a part of our family. One would never know by looking at him, that he had such a rough start in life. Korbin has really developed his verbal skills this year and has really started using his imagination more than ever. He recently started to say his own name and somehow learned that he is "2 half" and not just 2.
So, as we have mentioned, we are back in Humboldt County. This year has brought us full circle. We made the decision to come back in October, when we realized how hard, health wise, the previous few months had been on Sarah's grandpa. Perhaps the biggest lesson (or reminder) of the year for us is simply that family is important, family ties cannot easily be untied, and in the end, family must support one another. In the end, we want nothing less than happiness and success for our children. We have really come to believe that for that to happen, we need to be near our family. We are truly grateful for the never ending love and support that we receive from our family and hope and pray that we can give them the same in return.
May all of you be blessed throughout the new year and always!

The power of prayer

Did you know that the power of prayer is a very real thing? I have and do know this to be true. There are times, however, that I need a reminder of this simple yet enormous power! I am so thankful that we are given the opportunity to talk to a loving Father in Heaven and to ask him for things that we need.
So most of you who know me, know that I come from a somewhat small but very close family. I have been so very blessed in this life to have my grandparents in my life since the day I was born and to have had a wonderful great grandmother in my life until I was 14. My children are blessed to have my parents and my grandparents in their lives and to have John's siblings in their lives. Connor is lucky enough to remember his "Oma" (John's mom) even though she is no longer here on earth. Can I just say again, for the record, how very GRATEFUL and BLESSED I am to have the family that I do? So, my grandfather, better known as Papa, has been having problems with circulation in his leg. About 15 years ago, he had some vein by pass work done on his legs to open up the circulation and he has been lucky enough to not have too many major problems with his legs since then. Unitl a month or so ago, that is. He started having some problems with pain and coldness, meaning no circulation. The doctors put him on meds, looked at the veins on an ultrasound, and kept watching. They told us that they could not open the blockage with a simple procedure but would have to take veins from his arms. The thought is scary enough, let alone actually having to go through the procedure. So, on Friday the doctor told my grandma that they would be doing the less invasive procedure but not until next month. Uh, no, not working for us since Papa can barely get out of bed due to the pain. So, off to the E.R. went my family yesterday. WOW!! Do you know that it is hard to know they are at the hospital and I am here, in Utah? So, my mom kept me updated and I prayed. The doctor decided to do the procedure yesterday. They basically insert a "balloon" in there and blow it up, trying to move the blockage. The procedure worked, and Papa had a warm foot almost free of pain, almost immediately. The doctor said that they really did not think that they would be able to do what they did, and that if it had not been successful, Papa would have lost his leg above the knee. How grateful we are for his not losing his leg!!! Prayers are answered and there is power in prayer! I am so grateful for that knowledge. I am grateful for my Papa. He has always been one of my greatest heros, and I am glad for that. I talked to him today and he is doing well. The hardest part for us is that we were not there. Thankfully we have technology like phones and cell phones. I love you, Papa! And, Mimi, Mom and Jay!

On another note, I work at a hotel. Just 3 days a week. There are several people who stay here because a family member is in the hospital here or just got out and needs to be close by the hospital during recovery. So, we have a really sweet guest who has been here with her companion of several years. He just had heart surgery and was recovering from having a new pacemaker and some other stuff. I spoke with her Friday evening, and he was doing well. Saturday morning at about 2 a.m., he had a heart attack and died. I cried with this woman that I barely know several times yesterday. She asked about Papa, as we had talked about him the night before. I told her that his procedure was successful. Do you know what she said to me? She told me she had had him in her prayers. Again, the power of prayer is awesome! She has enough of her own worries, but she prayed for a man she doesn't even know. How great is that?! She is in my prayers also, and I hope and pray that I can have even a portion of her strength when I inevitabley go through my next trial in life.

Let us all be grateful for what we have and remember who gives us everything! Let us all remember to pray, giving thanks always, and knowing that a great power comes along with that prayer of faith! Just remember to be careful what you pray for....because it just might happen! :>)

I am a slacker!!!!

Okay, I am a slacker! Did you see that? It has been over 6 months since I last posted anything. A lot can happen in 6 months...wait, a lot has happened. So, I will try to catch everyone up who does not know.

So, in March our baby turned 8. Okay, so Connor is the oldest and not exactly the "baby," but he will always be my baby! Connor turned 8 on March 15 and he was lucky enough to be baptized on that very day! Here in Utah, there are so many more children to be baptized than back home in Cali, that there is generally a stake primary baptism day. Well, the one that would have included Connor was on April 12 or something like that, and that made Connor a bit distraught. For those who know Connor, you know that he is very black and white and for those who don't know...well you know now. So, the thought of not being baptized on his birthday was just not very acceptable to him. Besides the fact that he just felt that not being baptized on his 8th birthday could possible be considered disobedient to the commandents, Sarah's mom was going to be here, and he wanted "Ga-ga" at his bapism. So, two of Connor's friends, who happened to be our neighbors, said that they wanted to be bapized and would do it on his birthday so he could be baptized then also. Not only was this a great opportunity for Connor to get his wish, it was a great opportunity for us to do missionary work and have the full-time missionaries in our home teaching for a couple of months. Connor chose to have his cousin, Kyle, baptize him and his uncle, Alan, confirm him a member of the Church. It was awesome! I get all teary just typing this, because I can still feel the Spirit that was there. I love all of my children very much and I am so proud of them! Connor has never once doubted that he would be baptized at 8 and he is determined to hold the Priesthood at 12 and serve a mission at 19. I love that he is so very black and white and almost never makes a bad choice. I hope and pray constantly that he will forever live his life in such a way! Connor had his birthday party the day before his birthday at NickelMania where we all enjoyed games, pizza and ColdStone Creamery ice cream cake. (because mommy's cake flopped, BIG time!) All in all, a great birthday, even though mommy cried some at the thought of that very first baby growing up so much already!

April brought John and Sarah's 9th wedding anniversary and Sarah's 35th birthday. Both were celebrated without Aidan who had gone home with "Ga-ga" after Connor's birthday. We did get to go to dinner and a movie thanks to Aunt Valerie watching the boys and taking them to Chuck E. Cheese. April also brought a slight change in occupation for John. John applied for a teaching position at Eagle Gate College and was offered the opportunity to be an admissions representative for their Personal Fitness Trainer program. The pay is a bit better, the hours are a TON better, and the benefits are TONS better! So, he has been working there and training some private clients as well. It is so nice to have him home in the evening to sit down with us for dinner as a family and help get boys to bed in the evening. Besides really enjoying the job, John has also been given the opportunity to finish his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration free of charge. They really want him to stay with the school and eventually teach there. John is staying busy and enjoying it.

May brought Aidan back home and our 1st and only trip to Lagoon for the year. Ga-ga went with us to Lagoon and enjoyed it a lot! (I think)

June brought the beginning of summer, with Connor finishing 2nd grade and mommy again realizing her babies are growing way too quickly! We had fun just doing stuff together. We went, as a family, to Cherry Hill water park for a full Saturday and loved it! We had one camping trip over Memorial Day weekend which was fun also. We went to the park, to the Gateway, and just hung out.

July brought fireworks, of course. It also brought Ga-ga here to get the boys and take them back to Cali. for 6 weeks. While she was here for like 3 days, we went to the zoo. That was a fun experience as we hadn't been since last summer and Ga-ga hadn't ever been there. We also went out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. We love that place! Plus, kids eat for $1.99 on Tuesdays. Ga-ga and the boys left for Cali on the 9th...Sarah had a harder time than she thought she would, but soon just got busy doing stuff. July brought a new part-time job for me. I am now working 3 days a week at Homewood Suites by Hilton. (great discounts for family and friends at any Hilton family hotel.) It is a little extra for things like karate and just fun activites.

Here we are in August! Ga-ga and the boys arrived this past Wednesday, and it was none to soon! We spent Thursday school shopping, and I continually told Connor to stop growing for awhile! Thankfully we have grandparents and great grandparents who love our children and spoil them rotten! Thanks to Mimi and Papa for summer sandals, school shoes, and hoodies!! Friday I had to start my 3 day work week, so we hit DI in the morning and then my mom and the boys dropped me off at work and she drove back to our place. She even picked John up at the Trax station. (big accomplishment when you don't know your way around too well) Yesterday we got a free lunch for up to 15 people at IHOP (John won some drawing) so we went there with some friends from Church and my mom and us. It was a nice little lunch. Tomorrow Connor will start 3rd grade and next week Aidan will start Kindergarten. Where does the time go? I just don't know how they get so big so fast.....I just keep trying to cherish every moment with each and every one of my boys!

on a side note, when my mom and the boys came in on Wednesday, there were missionaries coming and going like crazy....I realized that day, just a little, what it will be like to send each of my boys off to serve as missionaries for the Lord....happiness and sadness all wrapped up in one....kudos to all the moms who wave good-bye to their kids each day!

I will try to keep up on the blog posting more....at least weekly while I am enjoying the quiet at work.