Better Late Than Never!

We have had a great month since the end of school. I have a lot of things to write about, but I have been really busy, so I haven't posted anything for a while. I thought today (Sunday afternoon) would be a great time to update my journal (aka: blog). So, I got out my camera to download all of my pictures and to my dismay, the battery is dead. And, wouldn't you know it... we are out of AA batteries! So, my post today will be short and sorry... no pictures.

I just wanted to write about something fun that we did recently. Last month, on a Saturday, we had a busy day and we were all tired. The kids were showered and in their pajamas, but I wanted really wanted to go somewhere (I get that way sometimes :) Todd was exhausted and wanted to stay home, and so did Eathan. So, Chansey, Bella and I decided to go hang out for a little while. We were all wearing our pajamas, but decided not to change and get all dolled up, we just left... the way we were. We didn't do anything exciting, we just ended up going to Someburros for a late dinner and then we grabbed some groceries at the store on our way home. we had a great time together. Bella was happy and fun and Chansey and I got a chance to talk and laugh together (while Bella was eating of course). I didn't care that I didn't have makeup on and that I was wearing a t-shirt with my favorite sweatpants, we just had a fun time hangin' out!

Chansey and I had another chance to hang out a couple weeks later. Todd ended up getting free tickets, so he took Eathan to a Diamondbacks game during the day. Since Eathan got to leave school early, I thought Chansey should too! So, we dropped Bella off at her little friends house (thanks Shauna :) and went and played! This time we were dressed!! :) We went to lunch and went shopping to get Chansey some new church shoes... who doesn't love shoe shopping?!Anyway, we got a chance again to hang out and talk and just have mom/daughter time. Chansey is old enough now that we can have fun conversations and I can get to know all about her little eight year old life and thoughts. I love that! We really need to do it more often!

Well, I have a lot more to write about, but I have to get my pictures downloaded, so keep checking back... more to come soon!!

Stages of Defiance

Bella has been learning some choice phrases from her older brother and sister lately. Even though I don't think it is funny now, it might be someday.
Believe it or not, my kids don't mind all of the time (shocking,... I know) But, even though this is probably normal, Bella watches and thinks she can do the same thing. So, when I ask her to do something, she has started to say some of the things she has heard them say...
First it was "I don't want to" then she started saying "Don't have to". Those were bad enough, but then the other day she pulled this one... "You boss me" That means "you are not the boss of me" which is something that my kids say to each other when one tells the other what to do. They don't say that to me because they know I am the boss of them... :)... at least until they are old enough to be the boss of themselves.
So, I know this stage will pass eventually, and I hope I react appropriately in order to teach Bella quickly that talking back is not a good idea. Then again, I think I talked back until I was about 17 or 18, so what do I expect?!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

All I can say is WOW! This was seriously the best birthday I have ever had. I turned 30 on May 17th and Todd really outdid himself with the grand party he threw for me. It all started with him talking about my birthday for a couple of weeks before it came. He tricked me into thinking that we were going shopping to buy me some new clothes the night before my birthday so we could go out on my birthday to a "fancy place". Well, the babysitter came and we went to leave and low and behold... there was a huge limo outside of our house!!! It was more like a party bus than a limo. And inside of it were all of my close friends, my family, and some of Todd's family. I was shocked!!!!! ... I even cried a little (I know you are all surprised)
After the surpise was over, the party wagon took us all to Ichi Ban (one of my favorite places) to eat dinner. It was delicious and so much fun. Ichi Ban is a place where your table is a cook-top and you choose your meal and then they cook it and do a big show in front of you. I even got to take a picture as a Sumo wrestler. (see below) After dinner, we all went to Coldstone Creamery. On the way there, we partied like we were teenagers. Dancing around and having a ball in the limo. We played some old songs to reminisce about when we were young! :)You should have seen the look on the employees' faces when all 35 of us walked in to Coldstone. It was yummy though, and fun to hang around and chat.
Next, Todd had planned for us to go back to my parents' house and he had a pinata and party bags and there were gifts for me to open. (how embarassing! :) But, first we went home and picked up our kids to let them ride in the limo for a few minutes... the limo driver was so nice to do this for us. We rode around with them for a few minutes and they had the time of their lives. We danced with them and let them jump around to some fun Disney songs that they love.
Then we finally went back to my parents' house. All the friends left becuase it was pretty late. So, I got to spend some time with just my family. That was so nice! I really appreciate them all and they are all awesome! And the gifts they gave were so creative and cute. (see below)
I can never say thank you enough to all of the people that came and celebrated with me. And thank you especially to my ever so wonderful husband who planned it all!!! He thought of it and did all of the inviting and planning. I was amazed at how creative he got... and thanks to those who gave him ideas :) I will never forget this amazing night.
Can anyone tell me how I can possibly beat this for Todd's 30th birthday?! LOL I think that it's impossible!

My brothers and sisters and parents all gave me '30' of something... like 30 candy bars, 30 roses, 30 cookies, 30 cans of soda, 30 ear plugs (with pajamas to get a "peaceful night's rest") and my personal favorite was the "30 reasons why we love Marianne" wall hanging. I love you all too!

Did I eat too much?

Eathan and Bella playing in the limo with Kristie, Jono, and Dillin.

My best friend Kirsten and my family... Scott, Heidi, Julianne, Russell, Emily, Deanne, and Lance at Ichi Ban.



More family... Robert, Kristie, Larry, Rosanne, Mom, Dad, and Leanne at Ichi Ban.

Todd's family... Brian, Allison, Carson, Jason, Deb, Lisa and Me at Ichi Ban.

My peeps... Aften, Nate, Sarah, Jared, Kelly, Melissa, Tami, and Jennifer at Ichi Ban.

The last four gals husbands couldn't make it, they were all at our ward scout outing. Bummer!

Todd and I at Ichi Ban.
My girlfriends and I in the limo.

Chansey and I in the limo.

Todd and I in the limo. Man, I love that guy! I am soooooo lucky to have him.

When We're Helping We're Happy!

For these first two pictures, Chansey didn't know I was taking them.

Then for that last one, she was on to me, so she had to smile for the camera!

My post today is about my 8 1/2 year old daughter, Chansey. I haven't talked about Chansey much on my blog, I'm not sure why. She does plenty of things that are noteworthy, I guess I am just now learning to be good at documenting those things. Well, I took these pictures of her on Saturday. We came home from Eathan's baseball game and the kids needed something to do. Todd graciously tended to Spencer (which ended up that they both fell asleep :) while I figured out how to keep the other three kids entertained. So, I decided we were going to clean the house!!! (Exciting,... I know) We started by cleaning bedrooms (including de-junking the closets) then moved on to the playroom, living room, and family room. When I say clean, I mean CLEAN! And my kids know it. So, they worked really hard. They are good at organizing everything and putting things where they belong. They are usually pretty thorough too, not leaving things half-done.

So, when all of that was complete, it was time to eat lunch and finish the kitchen which I had been working on here and there most of the morning. Eathan was pretty sick of cleaning, which was understandable. So, he kept Bella occupied while Chansey and I finished up in the kitchen after lunch. Chansey excitedly offered to do the dishes, so I let her. She was standing at the sink and said "Mom, this is so much fun, I love doing the dishes!" So, this is the reason why she is the subject of my post today...

This situation was just another reminder to me of how lucky I am to have Chansey around. She is so helpful and I really would lose my mind if it weren't for her sometimes. She changes diapers, cleans (with a smile), plays with the kids so I can get things done, packs the diaper bag when we are going somewhere, helps with dinner, puts laundry away, feeds Spencer, and puts Bella to sleep most nights. And, she usually does any and all of these things as soon as she is asked and with a smile on her face. She is also very loving and tender and she shows me that love at just the right moments when I really need it. She still likes to hold my hand and hug me and cuddle with me at night. Chansey is also at the age where we have to talk about some complicated issues. She is very understanding and mature when it comes to things like how to make the best choice all the time and how to choose friends that make you feel good about yourself. I really appreciate Chansey's desire to do things that other kids her age think they are too "grown-up" for like watching shows that Bella likes, singing kid-songs in the car, and wearing bows in her hair. Kids grow up too fast, I am not anxious for her to grow out of these endearing traits. She also loves to play. She'll play with her little brother and sister just as well as she plays with her friends at school.

Now, I realize that Chansey is not perfect... there are moments of difficulty with her just like with any other child. But, I take comfort in knowing that, with her, these difficult moments are short-lived. We usually get past them very easily and she forgets and goes back to being her happy self.

I hope someday Chansey reads this and knows that I love her very much. I am sure she knows that she helps me a lot and that is why she is always so happy. I know I am happy when I am serving others. I am sure Heavenly Father knew that I would need help to get through this time in my life and that is why he has blessed my with a wonderful daughter like Chansey. I really wouldn't be able to get through most days without her.

A Post A Day Keeps the Crazies Away!

I took this picture when we were at Eathan's baseball practice a couple of weeks ago. It was really windy, so I covered up Spencer's carseat with a blanket and I could hear him cooing and laughing, so I lifted up the blanket and this is what I found.

This picture was of Spencer playing on our bed. He was being so cute, I couldn't resist. Both pictures were taken with my cell phone, so the quality isn't great, but the face is!!

Sometimes,... between whining, disobedient children, constant housecleaning and laundry, and several weeks of sleepless nights... I do feel like I am going a little bit crazy. I can think of a lot of ways to find a repreive from this madness, but most of them either cost a lot of money or require me leave my children and waste time doing something that is not important. So, I decided that blogging will be my outlet this week. I am going to try to make an entry every day and record my thoughts and the things that have been going on in our lives. It makes me feel like I am talking to an adult and I can use my creative energy towards something that I will enjoy in the future.

So, today, my post is about Spencer. He is five months old now and cuter than a button! (see the pictures above :) When he was four months old, he only weighed 10 pounds. (I know, some of you have newborns that weight that much!) But, he had only gained two pounds since birth so the doctor was worried about him. He was diagnosed with "Failure to thrive" and since I had only nursed him up until that point, I was told to start supplementing high calorie formula to see if he could start gaining more weight. I was to visit the doctor again in 1 month to have his weight checked and if he hadn't gained enough, they would start trying to figure out why (YIKES!!) So, he had his 5 month appointment the other day and he gained a whopping 2 pounds!! Thus doubling his weight gain since birth... in one month!! So, the doctor was pleased and told me to keep doing whatever I was doing becuase apparently it was working. So, we'll keep getting his weight checked every month until he is back on a normal growth curve, but hopefully he will keep gaining and all will be well.

Along with that, the doctor said it was ok to start him on cereal. So, yesterday, he had rice cereal for the first time. I remember giving it to my other kids at this age and they spit and gagged for the first few times until they figured out how to gum it. Not Spencer,... he made a funny face with the first bite, but swallowed it right down and ate it all in no time!! I was so proud!! :) This should help him be more satisfied and hopefully start sleeping through the night.

I love this little guy! Even with their constant demands, babies really are a blessing and bring a peaceful spirit into our home. At the end of my rotten day yesterday, Spencer fell asleep cuddling with me on my bed... that moment made it all better! I could forget about the cares of the day and just enjoy the tender moment. We all need those.

Terrible Twos,... or Terrible Tyrant?!

I just wanted to record some of my thoughts that I have had lately regarding my sweet daughter Bella. She has officially been two for about two and half months. She really is sweet and cute most of the time, but lately has been throwing some serious tantrums. I don't remember this happening with my other kids until they were closer to three. The old cliche is "terrible twos" but I had always experienced the phenomenon of "terrible threes" so Bella's recent tyrades threw me for a loop.

Anyway, after struggling with her during these undesirable moments I realized that the problem really usually begins with me. I tend to be somewhat of a control freak sometimes... if she doesn't want to do things my way, I get strong-willed and try to impose my will. Though this is a good plan when it comes to matters of importance, I have come to realize that with Bella, this isn't always a good plan. If I exercise more patience and let her learn and grow her way, the fights do not usually occur. Don't misunderstand... no means no, so if I say it I have to stick by it or she will never understand. But the key is... saying "no" less often. I have to slow down and let her be independent even if it is not convenient for me. Now, this doesn't mean that she can play in my makeup anytime she wants, or drink out of the toilet,... there are things that are obviously fobidden. However, putting her shoes on the wrong feet, sleeping on the floor with my pillow, buckling her own seatbelt, or wearing a pink bow with a green shirt are things that I will one day wish were my biggest worries!!

I am Proud to be an American!

On Thursday night we had the great pleasure of attending our kids' school music programs. Chansey and Eathan were in seperate programs because they are in different grades, so we got to watch both. At first, we wondered how we were going to sit through two, fourty minute programs with both of our little ones, but it ended up turning out great (thanks in no small part to my mom and dad :) We were so glad we went because the message was wonderful! They were patriotic themed programs where the kids learned various patriotic songs and poems and learned how to play various musical instruments. Some of the songs they sang were America the Beautiful, Yankee Doodle, The Star Spangled Banner, I am Proud to be an American, and God Bless the USA. The older kids even dressed up like some famous people from U.S history with amazing costumes and then read poems that they wrote. The first graders memorized a song with all of the states and their capitals, and the third grade memorized a song called "Fifty, Nifty United States" where they had to learn all fifty states in alphabetical order. I remember learning that song when I was little, so it was fun to hear Chansey sing it. The most touching part of the program though was when the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders paid tribute to all of the people who have served or do serve in the armed forces. They learned a song for each... the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, and U.S. Airforce. Then they sang them and asked the members of the audience to stand if they had served or were serving in the branch of the military for which they were singing. It was very touching as a lot of people stood and sang right along with the kids. I really lost it though when my own dad stood up... I had forgotten that he served in the army, so when I looked over and he was standing and singing along, I couldn't hold back the tears!

Anyway, suffice it to say that I am so thankful that my children (and I) were able to participate in this! I am thankful that they go to a school that is not afraid to salute our flag and honor our country and proudly sing... I am Proud to be an American!! Children need to be proud of their country and the people who have risked their lives to help protect it!! And, I am proud to live in "...the land of the free and the home of the brave...!!"