18 Years!

18 years of ups and downs, joy and sadness, tears and laughter, blessings and sacrifices and more importantly a patient, resilient love that knows no boundaries.

Under Construction

For the past 3 weeks our gingerbread house has been sitting in a state of neglect and disrepair. Will construction on this house ever be finalized? Or will it closely resemble our housing market? The truth is it smells so yummy I'd rather just eat it and all the little candy it comes with! Now there's an idea!
Also under construction is our family Christmas card. The picture is taken, now let's see if these things can be sent off in time!

Older...

...maybe a little wiser. But just a little bit. Definitely older though. And it is with a grateful heart that I recognize how greatly blessed I am to have such a full and wonderful life. I love being a stay-at home mom. It is so rewarding and challenging at the same time and I just couldn't picture myself doing anything else in this stage in life.

When I am overcome by the deep pondering of life...I revert to goofiness. And then I ponder over chocolate. Here's one of those moments. And since it's my birthday, there will be a lot of chocolate to ponder over.

Sometimes...

Sometimes I wish my days went smoother, as planned, no chaos, no accidents. But that is never the case. Ever. Many times I find myself overwhelmed, frustrated and in tears. On days like this I often will say out loud, "Why Heavenly Father, why?" It is also in those tough moments where I am grateful for my Heavenly Father's love for me. Comfort and help usually comes in a friend's phone call, or a letter. I recently had the opportunity to go out to dinner with a dear friend, and it turned out we had both been having rotten weeks and needed some uplifting. I also found comfort in this scripture from Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I guess you could say it's the answer to my question...

Have you been to the DMV lately?

Shock and awe. Whoa. I was in and out of there within 30 minutes. I could not even believe my good fortune. I even brought coloring books, crayons and toys for Elijah thinking I was going to be there for a while. I had to renew my license there instead of by mail or online since they sent my renewal to my old address. A small blunder on their part, but I'm willing to overlook it considering how well my experience was today. Still shocked that everything went so smoothly. Things at the DMV rarely go that well for me. Not that I go there often, but the last time was horrible. And today I even got to take a new picture! I've had the same picture on my license for 13 years!
I know it seems silly to blog about it, I'm thinking that even as I type this. But if you've had the lousy experiences I've had at the DMV, you'd be jumping for joy too. At last, a government agency that worked for someone today. Like I said, shock and awe.
And for kicks and giggles, here's my old picture. Taken back in 1995. I hope my new picture is better looking.

Quiet Time/Mommy and me Time

Ever since Sophia started pre-school, I've been able to have some quiet time in the mornings while Elijah naps. I have cherished those quiet moments since they almost don't happen when all the kids are home. I've been able to catch up on unfinished projects and I've even been able to blog! But I've also been able to enjoy one-on-one time with Elijah. I feel like I don't get to spend enough time with just him. It sometimes gets a little confusing with all 4. Dote has Algebra II homework (I oversee, I can't really help him beyond Quadratic equations) and papers I proofread, Sebastian every week has a homework packet with at least 12 pages and Sophia is learning the ABC's and needs constant attention (especially when she's modeling her princess dresses). I feel like I have little time to dedicate to my little guy and it makes me feel sad and guilty. So I cherish these quiet mornings with just him. So far today we've cuddled on the couch and watched Yo Gabba Gabba and Little Bill, unloaded the dryer and loaded the washer-which he loves! And I love that when it's just the two of us, he'll even sit patiently on my lap while I'm reading or at the computer. He knows he doesn't have to vie for my attention. Just the two of us. For another hour at least, until I pick up Sophia...then Sebastian...then big brother gets home...then Daddy...then dinner...
Here's Elijah with his crazy, after-nap hair.

These Crazy Boys of Mine

So I did promise a quick update on what the big boys in the house have been up to, so here it is. Dote has been busy with school and cross country. He survived the cross country season injury-free and won almost all of his races. He came in 5th at leagues and makes me wish I could run that fast. He had the crazy idea of doing Volkslauf (the mud run hosted by the Marines) with his buddies and that was way more fun to watch than to actually do. I almost signed up for the mud run, but chickened out at the last minute. I'm glad I didn't because they were swimming in mud at the end, which was 6 feet deep, and I probably would have drowned. Or one of those brave Marines may have rescued me. I will think about it for next year.
Anyway, he made honor roll for the first quarter, but hit a snag with a deficiency notice a few weeks ago. It was for Algebra II, my worst subject ever, so I went easy on the kid. He was just missing some assignments and needed to make up a test. Let's see...what else? He's a busy kid so it's hard to keep up. He got to march in the Veteran's Day parade with the HHS band and even made it on the news. We have a few veterans in our family so we thought that was pretty cool. He goes to Seminary in the mornings and went with the youth to the temple last week. He's way busier than I remember being when I was his age and I am thankful that he is a responsible, hard-working guy, like his dad...
...who in the last few months has worked full-time and gone to school in the evenings 3 times a week. He is officially on winter break from school but starts back in January. The nurse practitioner program has proven to be quite interesting and I'm glad he has what it takes. I think it takes a special kind of person to be a nurse. And he's definitely it. And life brings him lots of situations to practice that. I've never met anyone who came upon so many car accidents, or sick people, everywhere! He manages to find them though! One recent endeavor has been the purchase of his scooter. He purchased it online and it arrived in a huge box. Some assembly required, and now he needs his license, helmet, jacket...Uhhh, these crazy boys of mine!

Lighting up the Night

Tuesday night we headed out to CALM to see the holiday lights. I felt like a kid as I "ooohed" and "aaahhed" at all the dazzling lights. It really doesn't take much to dazzle and amuse me. But it really was a wonderful Christmas display. The kids loved the train ride, the carousel ride and Santa. My favorite light display was the pirate ship over by the ducks. The kids had fun with the animated dinosaur lights.
We ended the night with some kettle corn, hot chocolate (and leave it to me to burn my tongue!) and an apple dumpling. Before leaving they had a dancing light display set to some Christmas music. The kids had fun watching all the lights "move" to the music, and all the trees lighting up. It really was dazzling and just a wonderful outing.

Thanksgiving Tidbit

Yes this is way late, but in an attitude of gratitude I just wanted to list things I am thankful for:

• My family- They are my everything and they even love me for who I am!
• The freedoms we enjoy in this country. Imagine being imprisoned just because you have your own opinion, no thank you.
• My home-Even if it is messy half the time, it is our home and my little piece of heaven on earth!
• Wonderful friends who lift me up and are wonderful and thoughtful.
• My Heavenly Father- Without him I would not know how greatly blessed I am.

Just a day late

Happy 30th Birthday Jon Mark! Yesterday my younger brother turned the big 3-0. I wish we could have celebrated with him, but the east coast is a tad bit of a drive, so a phone call and a way off-tune happy birthday song was the order of the day. I really miss my brother. Believe me when I say I miss him, I do. When I got married and moved away from home he was only 14 years old. We've always been really close, since I can remember. To this day we talk on the phone almost everyday. So even though we live on opposite ends of the country we are always a big part of each others lives. We loved his visit back in October and wish he could come back already. Happy Birthday and come back soon!