Cute Kid

So this morning I recieved a great compliment! James was sitting at the table and he tells me "Mom you're a cool lady"
I think that I must be doing something right to have a two year old compliment me.

Let it SNOW ...BABY

So we are supposed to have nearly 2 feet of SNOW! YAY! Ok so many may think why are you cheering for snow...in March? Well we have really not had any snow or winter here in Denver and with Ryan traveling so much I have really wanted a snow day for him to be with us more than just on the weekend. So hopefully- fingers crossed- we will get said 2 feet of snow, be able to sleeep in, get the basement better organized and thank God that we still don't have to water the grass just yet. Plus we can bake up a storm and since Michael is on Spring break I don't have to wake up to see if he has a snow day from school.
So pray for snow and enjoy the first and probably last snow of 2009 thus far.

Brilliant

So my sister is BRILLIANT. I was reading her blog and I was in awe of the most wonderful observation that she made:
STRESSED is DESSERTS backwards...
so therefore I am going to adopt the Marie Antoinette attitude to life,"let them eat cake" or cookies or copius ammounts of chocolate or any other dessert like item to do away with the stressed-out nature that I seem to be so prone to.
Do you think it will work? Hey whatever works but isn't it interesting how there is always oposition in all things?

Take Part @ your own risk

(So I have seen this on several blogs and I thought- what the heck? So take a chance and give me a challenge by taking part in this GIVE AWAY. WHo knows maybe I'll get it done sooner than a year from now.)

Well, all you have to do is be one of the first five people to comment on this post and offer the same thing on your blog! Easy, right? Well, of course there are rules.

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- Don't expect a miracle here, people - this challenge will be waking up my creative side.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

So there you go! Hop to it!

Goodbye Childhood and Grandma

This past week has been so up and down. After accepting that I am now a professional vomit cleaner- 3 seperate incidents- I thought that I was prepared to see my son be baptized.
Unfortunately I wasn't. I was only able to pay partial attention with a 13 month old wanting all of my attention. Then of course James had issues too. Not to mention I can't accept that Michael is 8 and now so grown up. He has matured so much in the past few months. He tries so hard to manage the cards that he's been dealt all the while being a great example to his siblings.
Michael is such a great boy/young man and I am so blessed to be his mom. He makes us all so proud. He makes wise choices and asks great questions. His mind is beautiful and inspiring while being scary too.

Now on to Grandma. Saturday morning right after Michael was actually babptized and while he was changing we got word that Ryan's Grandmother passed away. Although sad it was sweet to know that she was able to be with her sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
Inez LaVee Davidson Norris was an amazing example to her entire family. It is now 10 1/2 years since I first met Grandma & Grandpa Norris and it seems strange that they are no longer here. Grandma Norris was always so pleasant to talk to and to learn new things from. I will never forget feeling like she instantly loved me when I first met her. She just smiled at me like she knew I would be her grandson's wife. Boy did she know.
We will all miss her so much but we are all so grateful to have known her.
Thank you Grandma, we love you.

Salute to the octopus

So I attended church today alone with four children. Not that the children misbehaved but after a while kids get wiggly- church doesn't start until 2pm UGH! Then one needs a diaper change. (I needed 3 more pairs of arms.) Then the older ones have bodily function issues- 2 bathroom trips from one and a nose bleed from another. And of course I can't leave 3 children unattened so I have to nurse the unwilling to wean baby right there- at least I had the presence of mind to grab a blanket.
Due to the lack of a sherpa I am carrying too much weight between bags and babies and begin to feel pain- again. Ah the joys of motherhood! There goes all that physical therapy out the window.
Finally, the relief of hours #2 & 3. As I wrestle just one squirmy child a false sense of I can do this begins to settle in. Alas as hour 3 nears the halfway mark a crying child is brought to me. So there I sat with one crying two year old & and a 13 month old who won't let anyone else hold him. (The two year old began crying uncontrollably while singing primary songs & begged for his father to no avail!) So the meeting- which was wonderful, what I heard anyway- begins to creep along. All I can think is "you better not die on me Ryan or I'll kill you!"
Being a married single parent at least makes me appreciate the presence of the other parent when they can be around.

So here is to the octopus who was blessed with enough arms to do the multi-tasking that is expected from mothers. (Boy is Life Exhasusting.)

One more almost ready...

So I registered Christi for Kindergarten last Thursday. It is bittersweet to think that my only XX-chromosomed comrade will soon abandon me and I will never again be the person she spends the bulk of her time with.
SAD :(
Although sad it will be nice to spend more time with the two little guys and maybe even focus on me for a second. Like bathing I could take that up as a hobby now, right? Oh no that would be entirely to presumptive of me. Like two little boys will remain motionless long enough for me to enjoy a well-earned shower- oh well. Two more years until James starts Kindergarten then maybe?
I kid you know but these benchmarks are so taumatic and schitzo. One minute you're excited the next not so much. Well I knew I had lost my mind but I guess this blog just verifies that. Oh well!
Good luck to all those registering kids for Kindergarten- let the stress/relief begin!

Family History in 2009

So for those of you who didn't know I see dead people. All kidding aside I love family history and genealogy. I love looking for people that are lost and learning who they are/were.
Since I was about 12, maybe even younger, I have been obsessed with finding out who made up me. I still love the work although I am more focused on my kids. Family History is my thing. Like some people enjoy exercising or doing yard work I get consumed with searching for my family's information. I could spend days in the Family History Library in Salt Lake and still not be satisfied that I had found it all.
So to the point. In 2009 I am redoubling my family history efforts. I am going to quiz my grandmothers while I still have them. I am going to help my mother-in-law find those she is missing. I am going to take a trip to SLC just to find dead people. I am going to involve my kids in this so that they know why it is important to me. They may not get the bug but I think that if they understand that this is important to me that they may be just a little more patient with me being on the computer day and night. More importantly I am going to post things I find on my blog until we have the time and money to set up our Family History webpage.
So family if you have questions, ask them. I will post answers, pics and even some brief histories to this site for all to read.

COUGARS

So back in Novemeber Ryan took Michael to the BYU vs. Air Force game in Colorado Springs. What a great Dad & Son bonding experience.
My sister Jeane took this great picture of Michael with Cosmo.
Hard to believe Michael turns eight just next month. It is insane to think that he is growing up so fast and yet him being a baby seems like a lifetime ago. I guess that's the plauge of parenthood, never enough time to plan for tomorrow but a life time to miss yesterday.
Oh well, hopefully I can enjoy and appreciate the next ten years a little more than I have the previous eight.

Inspired

So a dear friend has once again inspired me. She presented the idea that if you are grateful for A then you do B.
It goes something like this: I am grateful for my health so I will eat right, exercise and take care of myself.
Make sense?
I am now looking at every aspect of my life in this way. I am so abundantly blessed and I need to show that gratitude in my actions. I have to show my family- especially my spouse- daily gratitude. I have to exude gratitude in everything that I do and say. I couldn't imagine a better life for myself. Even the stinky things make my life unique to ME. ALL my experiences make me who I am and I need to be grateful for that.
Sure it's not going to be easy to always show gratitude BUT I will try.

Earn your keep

So on Thanksgiving when we had a full house William decided to help. Hey teach em young, eh? Oh and yes he's only 11 months and walking. He's been walking for about 2 months now. Crazy, huh?
So child labor laws DO NOT apply here.

Do you see what I see??

So we went to Winter Park a few weeks ago and I looked out the window as we were driving down this mountain road and this is what I saw... Pretty cool huh? So tell me I am not crazy and that this tree has a face?

Change...I'll have mine in small unmarked bills.

Ok, so I have tried to keep my mouth shut on politics for a while. However, I now see that we are a society of sheep and I cannot keep quiet. We do not honor our eternal gift of AGENCY. We want it easier. We want someone else to choose for us. We want to be taken care of instead of taking pride in taking care of ourselves. Whatever happened to "ask not what your country can do for you???" It isn't just the president( I wasn't thrilled about either candidate- we need Margaret Thatcher), but the congress & soon the court will be moving further towards a plan we once all rejected. Oh well...all I can do is teach my children correct principles and let them govern themselves.
Well what is done is done. Thankfully my hope is in no mere mortal man. And I do at least have some modicum of happiness to see that in all likelihood Prop. 8 in California looks to pass. PLEASE don't get me wrong- homosexuals are not bad people BUT marriage is NOT a right. If it were then at puberty, or birth even, we'd get a card with our chosen spouse on it. There ya go SS card and spouse card. Way easier than dating and such, right? Then everyone would have a spouse. Nowhere are we promised happiness- remember it says "pursuit of happiness" NOT "guaranteed happiness".
I just keep thinking about how the Plan of Salvation is also called the Plan of HAPPINESS. (I guess the other plan was the plan of MISERY.) That happiness would not come without struggle- even the author and finisher knew that. He lived that. He experienced the awful bitterness that can accompany a plan where agency is the linchpin. HOWEVER He still went through with it.
I guess that is what I need to focus on is that the ATONEMENT still applies to our frustration and fear. With that we can focus and move on, RIGHT?

Some thoughts

So we are still unpacking. Nine years of marriage, 4 kids & stuff oh my. I am sure that the garbage men HATE me but oh well. Every Tuesday I madly go through the house and try to get as many boxes emptied as possible. Luckily Ryan will be home for the entire week- YAY!- and he has been a great help unpacking. He unpacked all the food storage, unloaded a bunch of boxes from the garage & wait for it...he even made enough room for my van to fit in the said garage. Just in time for the first snow! What an awesome husband!

On that subject-awesome husband- i must give props to my spouse. Ryan is awesome! He has continually been there for me and I am so unbelievably grateful to have him in my life. He is so great...I am at a complete loss of words but trust me he's awesome!

Next...I am so grateful to have so many awesome women in my life. I am so grateful for their influence in my life. I am so grateful for their confidence. No matter what shape or size, what educatiional background or marital status these women astound me. They are strong and know how to focus on what is important. Not what the world thinks is important but what is truly important. You know what I mean??? Like they are focused on being "healthy" NOT "skinny". They are focused on "learning" not on being "learned". They are focused on being happy where they are and not waiting for something to make them happy. Sure there are days when they want to be "skinny" or really smart or wish that just one thing would go well BUT they endure with GRACE. Unfortunately I don't always deal with things as gracefully as I'd like but I try. I encourage all of us to do the same. Making everyone as miserable as we are isn't they key. It is rising above and sometimes "fake it til ya make it"

Anyway that's enough for now I guess. I will get some pics up of the house soon, I hope. Thanks for your patience & love.

At then end of my rope & there's a noose

So did you ever think about the "end of a rope"? So since I have been sick for nearly 4 weeks I have thought about it alot. There are times when I am just done...You know when you have changed 10 diapers in 2 1/2 hours and feel like that will never end. Or when you have a to do list a mile long and you know you won't get even a third of it done. Or when you are sick and have NO help.

Well even during this I have experienced some "tender mercies". The best example is when I was coming down with this lovely bout of bronchitis and I just couldn't function. James and Will went to bed before 8pm and now that Christi and Michael have their own rooms they were in bed and I was able to go to bed at 8pm. MIRACLE!

Although I feel DONE from time to time I do get a respite and then realize that I am so blessed- even when stressed.

Growing...UP!

Ryan took this picture during a recent family fair that the church sponsors for the community. Michael is quite the little monkey. It makes it even funnier that he is so monkey-like since James called him Monkey when he first started saying Michael.
I can hardly believe how big he is! In just a few months Michael will be 8- how did that happen?

It seems like a dream. How did he grow so fast? Michael is so smart, loving & conscientious. The kid knows something about EVERYTHING and he wants everyone to know what he knows. He reads like crazy & is going to break the bank with the number of books he wants. He loves his siblings and parents and plays so well with James & even Christi.
But best of all is his ability to do what is right when it really counts! What an awesome kid! I hope that we can always appreciate and love each other even when we drive each other NUTS.

My Hero...Michael

So in case you didn't know I have been diagnosed with a hip condition (sacro-illiac joint dysfunction) and more recently the family plague of MIGRAINES. Dealing with both of these is no walk in the park but now the migraines are the icing on the cake. They aren't occurring everyday but just enough for me to remember that in no way can I EVER have another baby. ( I was recently told that having babies was like eating chocolates. You either stop, while always wanting one more OR you keep going until you make yourself sick.)
So today I woke up with a migraine. It was AWFUL. I wasn't even sure if I could get Michael to school. Luckily/unfortunately Michael has learned that his mom is a boob and gets debilitated from time to time and he just steps up and gets the job done. Michael fetched my medicine, got James out of bed, helped with breakfast, kept everyone calm and just didn't even complain in the least. MY HERO! What a great boy he is. Poor thing has been taking care of me since he was 2 1/2. But he is such a wonderful helper I could have never made it without his help this morning.

One last thing...after I dropped Michael off at school I noticed that the missionaries were at the church. I knew I needed a blessing if I was going to be able to take care of the remaining three kids by myself all day long. Luckily I was able to get the blessing I needed and boy did it help. No the pain didn't miraculously subside but the comfort was great. I will never cease to be amazed at how the Lord speaks through these men who know little if anything of my thoughts and concerns & gives me peace. I am a VERY lucky woman for many reasons but right now because I have many avenues to persue for help in every aspect of my life. How liberating!

Awesome friends

So I have some of the best friends in the world.

First, Ryan, what an awesome guy! He puts up with me so well and works so hard to keep me sane. He is gone this entire week but he helped so much before he left- Painted, assembled furniture, cleaned bathroom, took the kids, dishes & on & on. Because of him we may actually get unpacked before Thanksgiving- I hope?

Then my sister! What a babe! She was my escort to Home depot with the galloping hoard. She and her roommate helped start the painting process- amazing! And when I started to lose my mind AGAIN she rescued me and got me sane again. Thanks Jeane!

And not to be outdone my friends of no relation- at least not yet ;) Julie, Aimee, Riley & Marsha. Ladies of the highest caliber! WOW! Thanks to these hot mamas my livingroom is just the right shade of green, and thanks to Julie we didn't have to buy a new disposal- THANKS a TON Julie! We celebrated my B-day just a little late but that's OK. (Riley brought yummy lettuce wraps, marsha had just the right amount of chocolate covered strawberries & Aimee brough this awesome german chocolate cake YUM!)I just wanted to get this done for my B-day. I think that it should be our new tradition. Let's just finish something BIG that we may never get to on our own. Sounds like a plan to me.

There were also other friends that I know wanted to be there but couldn't. Thanks for the good vibes you sent my way. Seriously I feel as though this home was meant to be ours and I am becoming a firm believer in there not being "accidents". Sure it stinks that it took so long but we're here now. Who knows why but it all worked out in the end and that's all that really matters!

Hopefully I'll locate a camera soon and post some pics of the livingroom at least. It's 95.5% done. Just need a nice chair to sit by the fire and read to the kids during the next blizard. Maybe in a year or so- we'll see. And some Pictures on the wall and one over the fireplace...Besides that it's great!

The kitchen is just about there too. Hopefully by this weekend the downstairs will be done! Clean and put together. Books on shelves, furniture assembled, dishes in china cabinet, walls painted, pictures hung or ordered at least, clocks & mirrors up & best of all NO MORE BOXES! YAY!

Well just 4 more days until Ryan gets home. Wish us luck.

Finally

Well we're finally in the house! Almost a week later it still seems like a dream. I will post more later but just thought that you'd all like to know. I might even get some pictures up too.
Thanks for the prayers!

Could it be?

Ok we've all heard this before, "we're moving". But is this really happening? Back on Feb 18th we put a bid on a house that I just LOVED. Little did I know that it would be 6 1/2 months later before we would be able to move in- I hope, cross your fingers, keep your eyes partially closed as we wait.

Of course Ryan would be out of town when it all goes down BUT so what! We will have a house. We will be able to unload tons of boxes and see the Christmas presents from LAST year (Kitchenaid here I come). I will actually be able to have a place to hang a new wardrobe when I can afford it. (Desperately needed since I am down to 145lbs- first time since before MICHAEL!) I will have room to have friends over and family dinners at my house.

My numero uno goal- a place for everything & everything in it's place! Wish us luck! We need it. We are so excited but soooo cautious. We just can't take to many more highs and lows. As soon as we move and get internet up I will post pics. We will be doing some redecorating and remodeling over the next few months but that's the fun of having your own place, right?
So pray that the move goes smoothly, that Ryan will be able to get out of Florida and South Carolina before the next hurricane & pray that Will gets back to normal- he has low grade pneumonia (more on that later).

So I guess that is it. We are so glad that you have been there for us through this roller coaster that we affectionately call life :)