Adventures With Shadow: My 4 1/2 Month Old Puppy

Shadow does not like the car very much.  At best she tolerates it.  I am trying to get her used to it so I took her with me today to pick up the girls from school.  When she and I got to Lily's school, she barked like the crazy dingo she is and the hair on her back stood up in a Mohawk all the way down to her tail.  On our way to get Rebekah, she roamed the van and ate all the flotsam and jetsam she could find.  Who needs their car vacuumed?

After getting Rebekah, Shadow decided she wanted to sit in my lap.  She isn't the tiny thing she used to be.  She is 30 pounds of lean muscle, hair, and sharp nails.  As I maneuvered  my arms around her to accommodate her on my lap, she got scared and much like a mountain goat going up a steep cliff, Shadow tried to climb up me.  Except instead of a goat, it was Shadow, and instead of a steep cliff, it was my boobs.  She even was able to wedge one of her back paws INTO my bra, THROUGH my shirt.  That is talent, folks!

Her paw pushed so far down my bra as she tried to climb higher that when I finally pulled her foot out, I felt something snap.  Shadow tested the limits of my bra's cup-size and the under-wire in my bra lost. 

Shadow: 1         My Bra: 0

Now I gotta go buy a new bra.  Yes, I have other bras, but they are for working out.  I only had one good bra... well, I used to.  So, if you see me tomorrow before I get a new bra, don't laugh at my uneven lopsidedness.

Reminiscing is Reminixcent of Rambling

While I was brushing my teeth tonight, all I wanted to do was take a nice long walk outside.  Yes, it is almost midnight but I really love the crisp in the air and the darkness.  It would be nice and relaxing and something I would have done almost 20 years ago.  (Yikes, just because able to say that makes me feel old.)

I remember the couple times I would sneak out of my house in Lake Elsinore to go to my friend's house down the street.  There were not many street lights so I could see the stars clearly.  I would breathe in the cool air and it filled my lungs with rejuvenation.  I can still smell the pepper trees and feel their tiny leaves and pepper pods between my two fingers.

Even though I only snuck out a handful of times, I would do a lot of walking from one house to the next on the property where I lived.  We were on 2 1/2 acres and there were three houses on it.  For the most of my time there, the front house was my grandparents, the small studio type house was where my Great-great Aunt lived, and we lived in the mobile home in the back.  The next best thing to walking in the nice blanket of nighttime, was walking the driveway in my bare feet.  The driveway was all dirt but I really liked the feeling of the cool, soft, fine dirt between my toes.  The occasional stray rock or twig hurt but that didn't stop me.

Sometimes, I would let the darkness scare me.  One time we had a homeless man living in our tree house.  But for the most part, I wasn't scared.  My favorite was when it was a full moon. I loved how well I could see.

I really miss that right now.  If it weren't for the fact that things have changed since I was younger, I would go for a walk all by myself right now - just like when I was a teen - NO cell phone, NO ipod, NO mp3 player - just me, my thoughts, and nature's cold blanket of night.

Life is a Dance

I have been trying to climb out from under the stuff in my life.  Stuff that I kept or let my daughters keep - as a security.  I don't know how or when my life became so overwhelmed with stuff, but I know it didn't happen overnight like I want to believe.

Yesterday started a huge, long process of gutting out my house - in hopes to simply my life more.  I started in the girls' room.  It will take me more than just a few days.  They had stuff in there they had as babies! Seriously, their room had almost no room to move around in.  It was like an episode off of Hoarders.

I filled up my van with bag after bag of stuff.  I crammed it full and took it down to the DI.  It felt so wonderful to let that stuff go.  I feel freer.  I feel better.  I feel carpet under my feet... That is an accomplishment if you know what that room looked like.

I keep thinking of why I kept so much stuff and why it became like a security blanket.  I still don't know fully why I have kept all that I have.  I have too many emotional attachments with stuff.  Every time I saw something that the girls played with when they were babies, my heart would start to ache - missing that brief moment in motherhood.  Plus, that was a time when their daddy was still alive.  That doesn't mean I am not happy with my life now, because I am.  But the stuff was a reminder of simpler times - times before heart-shattering moments.  Times when my girls were tiny, when they still looked up to me with their big eyes and open hearts.  That isn't to say they don't look up to me or have open hearts anymore - but back then I was Supermom and knew everything!

I am not saying I am baby hungry (ok, maybe a little) but I just really miss my little girlies.  They are growing up WAY too fast.  Rebekah is 12 and Lily is almost 11.  I am entering a whole new chapter in life - the teenage years!!  I have been in that for a few years now with Nate and Justin, but I have heard from many moms that teenage boys are WAY easier than teenage girls.  Which scares me because my mom cursed me with girls just like me.  So I want to say this to Karma - STAY AWAY! :)

Ok, I have lots more to do today.

Family Star of the Day!!

This morning, I awoke to the alarm, turned it off and promptly fell back asleep.  Every Sunday, I am the first person up, I get the rest of the family up and we all get ready for church.  Well, we have the 9 AM slot this year and since I tend to stay up late on Saturdays, I have a hard time getting up Sunday mornings - which explains why I didn't stay awake after my alarm went off.

That brings me to 9:30.... I get a knock on my bedroom door.  I can always tell which kid it is by their knock.  It was family star of the day!!

Which was.............Lily.  She asked me why we weren't going to church.... and she was already all dressed and had been waiting on the couch since 8:40.  She must have been watching TV and got distracted (she is *my* daughter, after all) before she realized I wasn't up.

The cute little thing was sad we were going to miss church because it was Fast Sunday and she was looking forward to bearing her testimony (she is our only kid who LOVES to bear her testimony).  I told her that I was going to also and now we wouldn't get that chance.  So I had her climb into bed with Bill and I while I decided to snuggle her and I bore her my testimony.

So even though we missed church today, it ended up being a great day.  Yes, it was fast Sunday, but I made the family a huge breakfast.  We all sat around the TV, ate breakfast, and watched the TV show "Bones."  We never let the kids play video games on Sundays but we decided to forgo that rule just for today but on one condition: they had to play a game together.  They had a lot of fun.

Later we played "Don't Eat Pete" and then watched some more TV.  It was a very lazy day but very needed.  And before bedtime, we sat the kids down and had a great discussion about how we can be a stronger family.  I told the kids that Lily was the family star of the day.  She smiled.  She has been going through so much stuff lately and needed that recognition. :)

Family Star of the Day!

Today the award is going to someone so adorable, I just want to squish their cheeks!

*~*~*~*drum roll*~*~*~*

Justin!!!  He had to go to the dermatologist today to have a couple moles checked out.  Mainly the ones he tried to PICK off and caused some scarring.  Plus he had something on his chest that looked like, well, uh, he will kill me for posting this here, but it looked like a third nipple!  But it was just a skin toned mole - nothing to worry about..... except we are going to tease him. :)

The dermatologist looked at the area on his neck where he picked off a mole - that area was fine.  It was the one on his right forearm/wrist area.  The doctor gave us the option of getting it lopped off right then and have it run under some tests, or waiting until the scabbing healed and then having the doctor take a look at it again.  I didn't need to think twice:  it was mole lopping time.  Justin was NOT happy with me; he gave me the dirtiest look when I told the doctor just to cut it off.

However, Justin was brave, they put the needle in his wrist area to numb it, and he watched the ENTIRE time.  I had to close my eyes!  (Yes, I am a wuss!)  Then he watched as the lopped off the mole.  He was cracking me up, as he watched intently, he said, "It looks like it should hurt but it doesn't."

For being brave and getting a small chunk of skin removed (and for being so cool about it and watching the whole thing) today's award goes to Justin.  You rock, Justin!! Love you!!

Family Star of the Day!

Today, the award for Family Star of the Day is......................

*~*~*~drum roll*~*~*~*

My wonderful husband, Bill!!!

The tub faucet in our bathroom has been leaking forever!  The water flow started out as a trickle and as time has passed, it slowly became a constant stream.  We drove to a couple different places looking for the right parts (I don't know what they are called - I should have paid more attention to my childhood of growing up with a plumber father).  We found something that has worked - at least temporarily.  But Bill walked ALL the way to the end of our property to the water shut off valve.... doesn't sound bad, right?  Well, we have some scary weedy areas.... which would be bad enough.  To make matters worse, it was snowing.... SIDEWAYS!

I would have just scrapped the idea and waited until another day, but he was hellbent on getting that thing fixed.  When he turned off the water, it was just flurries.  It was sideways when he turned it back on.

So today's Family Star award goes to Bill for trudging through our wilderness of a backyard, in windy sideways snow, and working on plumbing stuff!!

Love you, Bill!!

Whirlwind

I got lost somewhere in the last few weeks!!  I found myself today, exhausted and lying in bed - forced to rest to let my body catch up with the time that spun by.

I mentioned a while ago that Lily had an appointment time set up for March 18.  We had to reschedule. :(  I will get to that in a bit....

Tuesday, I got my brakes check out, they are ok for now.  I also got the oil changed while I was at Rolling Rubber.  I was trying to get my van ready for my trip to SLC.  At 3 that day, Rebekah had her 12 year old check up.  After talking to her doctor about Lily's ANA test results, the doctor ordered some blood work for Rebekah - just to be safe.  Also, she had some other blood work to be done as well - stuff to check out her cholesterol, etc (she is kinda fluffy).  We ended the appointment with her getting a tetanus and meningitis shot.  Since the lab work required her to be fasting, I got her in bed early enough so I could take her to the lab in the morning.....

Wednesday morning, I wake up to Lily complaining that one of her eyes were goopy and it was hard to open..... Sigh.... Not only did I have to take Rebekah first thing that morning to get her blood drawn, I was going to have to take Lily to Instacare.  But I also had an appointment at Jones Paint and Glass to FINALLY get a windshield for my van - the appointment was at 9:30.  That was not going to happen because Instacare doesn't open until 9.  I called and rescheduled my appointment for 12:30.

The doctor at Instacare told me that Lily has pink eye and the adnovirus.  Plus, since Lily has been coughing for the past 1 1/2 weeks, she gave her some antibiotics for a possible sinus infection as well....  Lily is supposed to stay home the rest of the week. 

I did get the windshield in, so that is good.

Now today, I feel like crap.  I have spent most of today just laying in bed. I am trying to fight off anything I may be getting.  Lily and I have to get well because her new appointment for the Rheumatologist is NEXT Thursday and if we don't feel well, we have to reschedule again..... I understand it is to protect the other patients there, especially any other auto-immune patients, but it is just frustrating.  I keep telling myself that there is a reason behind it all - a higher reason.  I know the Lord knows that we have been waiting so long and so I know there is a reason, and that helps my frustration.

Orchestra Field Trip

Yesterday was Rebekah's Orchestra field trip. They went to Canyon View to hear the Utah Symphony perform.  I volunteered to be a parent helper.  I am grateful Rebekah still likes having me around. :)

The conductor that was there was David Cho.  It was fascinating to watch him conduct.  I really enjoyed watching how his conducting actions and jerky movements made his straight, shoulder length hair bounce.  My inner child wanted to walk up onto the stage and touch his hair.  Thankfully, my outer adult was there to stop her.

David Cho did well at explaining to the children the different parts of the pieces they were going to listen to so the kids would learn how to listen to this type of music; to also help them become better in their aspirations.  Each song they played was wonderful and healing to my soul.  One of my favorite parts of all the pieces was during the last piece: the mere tintinnabulation of the triangle.

While the strings and woodwind instruments were playing their parts, it felt like a delicious hunk of cheesecake - so sweet and delicious to my ears.  And when it felt as though my heart was full of contentment, the triangle made its simple tinkling noise.  That tiny triangle, so seemingly insignificant, and only played a handful of times throughout the piece, was like water - so refreshing; lightening up the substantial beauty that was the rest of the piece.  The triangle cleansed the palate of my ears. I walked away from the field trip with a spiritually fed heart and mind.

My Girlies

Over the past two years, both my girls have suffered from weird symptoms.  We have visited the doctor so many times, I have lost count.

After many different tests, and my insisting to the doctors that something *IS* wrong with Rebekah, they ruled out all sorts of stuff.  It wasn't until last week that her gastroenterologist was finally able to diagnose Rebekah with something called Abdominal Migraines.  For the next two months, we are treating it with Extra Strength Tylenol and Phenergan, as needed.  If after that time, she is still suffering, then her gastro will decide on a daily pill for Rebekah to take.

Lily's pain started in her ankles.  After enough of a specific doctor pacifying me but not helping find the reason for Lily's pain, I took her to a different doctor.  We finally got some answers.  Lily had some blood work done, and it came back that she does have something going on.  She has some sort of joint problem (possibly Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus) and has an appointment with a rheumatologist on March 18.... which can't come fast enough!

I will update more as I find out more information.
Prayers are appreciated!! Thanks!!

Some Say

Some say the unknown is worse than the known
I know this to be true
Waiting to find out...

Some also say that knowledge is power
This is also true
Knowledge will help me cope

Some say life is short
I have seen this first hand
I do not want to go through it again

So I sit
and wait
Conjuring up wild things
Of what can be wrong
Searching the internet for answers
Does little to alleviate my fears
Instead it exasperates them

I just want to know
Know what is wrong
So I can go in the right direction

Some say to live each day like it's your last
Others say to live for tomorrow
I just want her to live

To live a healthy life
I would take her pain
If it were possible

Hello, Blog! Long time, no see!!

I have taken a hiatus from blogging.  Even my cooking blog (Monday Menu) has been put on the back burner.  My life has been crazy.  I am not really going to even try to play catch up.  If I get the opportunity to do a little catching up, that will be ok.... I am just not going to stress myself out too much about a complete catch up. :)

There are a couple things that I want to share with everyone.  I have started writing in my personal journal at least 5 times a week.  Teen years excluded - I have always found it difficult to write in a journal.  So when I stumbled across this website, Graceisoverrated.com, I fell in love with the blogger's journal creations. Go here to check out her awesome journal pages.  You simple download the pages into your Adobe program then print out and fill out.  They are just simple things to fill out each day and I find it more enjoyable to print them out without color and color them myself.

I am trying to fall in love again with blogging.  I hope to "see" you all again soon. 

XXXV

Today would be Adam's 35th birthday.  I wonder what we would have done for him if he were still alive.  I probably would have made him one of his favorite dinners and a German Chocolate cake.  I know we would have some friends over for games.  The girls probably would have bought him "Toy Story 3" for his present.  He was a big kid at heart.  I would have probably bought him some cool Star Wars toy or something.

He has been dead for 7 1/2 years, but I bet he would still be as skinny as a rail.  He probably would have had some gray hairs that I know I would have teased him about.

In memory of their daddy, the girls wore their cowboy necklaces with his birthstone in it.  I hope today will be easy for them.  We usually go buy balloons, write notes for him and tie them to the balloons, then release them into the sky.  This year we don't have any money so we can't do that.  I don't know what we will do instead.  Maybe I will just sit with the girls and talk to them about their daddy and tell them funny stories about his life. They love hearing about him.  I know they don't remember much because they were so young when he died and I think they feel a bit guilty even though it is not their fault.

I kind of numbed myself for today.  I was planning on sleeping all day, but I know he wouldn't want me to do that.  So instead, I am going to go to the gym so I can try to stay healthy so I can live a long, full life and be here for the girls and my family.

My Baby is Ten!

I cannot believe that my little Lily is ten years old today!  It is funny because when she was a toddler, she seemed so grown up that when I look back on her life, I realize how young she really was when things happened in her life.  She was around 18 months old when she was correctly naming letters of the alphabet.  I remember being at the park with her and we were spinning the squares of the tic-tac-toe game most parks have.  She spun it to "X" and said, "X!"  It actually sounded like "KS" which is how an X sounds.  I looked at her and thought maybe it was some fluke. So I spun it to an "O" and she said, "O."  I was shocked.  Over the next following days, she would grab the alphabet refrigerator magnets and show me the letters and name them.  I got so excited over this that poor Rebekah (who was only 3) would run to the fridge, pull off a magnet and name the letters.  However, Rebekah didn't know her letters and named them wrong.  I couldn't break her heart so I just smiled and said, "Yeah. Good job."  (Thankfully, that never hindered Rebekah when she really learned her letters.)

Lily just seemed so grown up from such a young age.  Even when she as born she seemed older because she had so much hair.  I am not kidding, she was half monkey.

She was a very happy baby.  As she got older, when she was tired, it was bedtime.  She wanted to go to bed early (usually around 7) and would sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning.  I joke she gets this from my dad who is a morning person.  She loved sleeping in her crib and as she got older and could talk, when she wanted to be put down, she would grab her silky (soft piece of fabric she loved) and say, "nite nite."  

Her vocabulary was quite large for such a young thing.  Around the same time she was correctly naming letters, around 18 months old, I was potty training her sister.  Lily didn't want to be left out, so she asked to be put on the toilet.  I was amazed that she actually pooped in the toilet! I thought I was going to be lucky and have two kids potty trained at the same time.  Well, Lily wanted none of it.  After she pooped, she got off the toilet, looked in and saw what she did, looked up and me and said, "Ew! That's disgusting!"  And wanted nothing to do with the toilet.

Lily was a daddy's girl through and through.  I used to joke that she only wanted me for nursing and just waited until daddy got home.  As soon as Adam was home, Lily was connected to him at the hip.  She went everywhere with him.  I truly believed her little spirit was aware that she was not going to have him for very long.  Lily was only 2 1/2 years old when Adam died.  I remember trying to figure out how I was going to explain to a toddler that she couldn't see her daddy anymore.  I don't know how either one of us got through that difficult time in life, but I know prayers got us through most of it.  And I really believe that his spirit was around her to help comfort her in the transition.

When she was 3 1/2 we moved to Cedar City.  She still wasn't potty trained all the way.  I noticed that after Adam's death, she reverted a ton.  Her knowledge of letters, her vocabulary, and just everything went backwards.  I know moving didn't help either.  Thankfully, she adjusted pretty well and was soon potty trained.  What a relief! ☺

I got remarried just before she turned 4.  She immediately fell in love with Bill.  She still loves to sit in his lap and cuddle.  I am so grateful to have found another wonderful man and one who loves children.  

And now, today, Lily turns ten. I watched her and she ran off to catch the school bus this morning and smiled as I thought back through the last ten years and am overjoyed to be her mother.  She has taught me so much.  I never thought I would learn so much from having children. 

Happy Birthday, Lily!!

My Poem Submission!!!

I submitted this poem a while back and today is the day for it to shine!!  It got published on an online site.  Go check it out, and comment on there!! Pretty please?? With a cherry homemade goody on top!!

http://www.dailylove.net/2010/11/11110.html

Thanks for going to check it out!!

Reminiscing One Year Ago

Wow, I can't believe one year has gone by since Bonnie's accident.  Yesterday it was a year exactly.  If you want to read about what happened, you can go to the Bonnie's Accident webpage.

I remember a year ago, I was so afraid that one of my best friends would die.  I do not cope well with death.  Over the next several days, I would look forward to ANY updates about Bonnie.  It was a horrible day the day I found out that Bonnie had no brain activity.  Everything kind of happened in a surreal way.  I went from sobbing one moment, to numbing myself the next.  The idea of not hearing Bonnie talk to me or laugh was heart wrenching.  I knew that I would see her in the next life, but that didn't help my mortal self.  Larry was given the option from the doctor to give Bonnie some dignity and pull the plug so she could move on to the next life.

I don't care who you are, the decision to pull the plug is one of the most difficult choices to make.  So when I heard that Larry had a very spiritual experience and then opted not to pull the plug, I was overjoyed.  Not because I wanted to see her suffer longer, but because I knew Larry made the right choice.  Through miraculous intervention, Bonnie soon regained some brain waves.  The doctors were amazed but still weren't sure what to make of it because Bonnie was still in a coma and weren't sure of the depths of her brain damage.  After scans, they found that Bonnie suffered from shearing.  I still don't quite understand what that means.

I don't remember how long she was in her coma, but it was about 5-6 weeks.  Those were some long weeks.  It was hard not knowing what state she would be in when she woke.  The webpage I put a link to in the first paragraph, has a much more detailed account of everything.

After many prayers, fasting, and inspired doctors, she has gone from a possible vegetable (or as Bonnie now so lovingly puts it: "A tard starting at the wall drooling") to a walking (with some help) and talking person!  She has most of the same personality traits as before and the SAME Bonnie sense of humor.  I think that is what makes me the happiest.  In fact, yesterday for our ward's Halloween trunk-or-treating, she dressed up and titled her costume, "I got hit by a car."  Which was perfect because it was her year anniversary since being hit.  Even before the accident, she had such a warped sense of humor. I am so glad she still has the same sick sense of humor!!

 This is Bonnie all dressed up for Halloween! ☺ I told you she has a sick sense of humor - and I LOVE it!

She had to relearn to talk, walk, read, and write again.  Bonnie is relearning how to do a lot of things that were her talents before the accident.  She can paint and we all "oooo" and "ahhh" over her creations but she insists we are being too nice and they aren't that good.  Well, let me tell all of you, the things she has painted since the accident are REALLY well done!  I don't think she gives herself enough credit.

Throughout all the trials she has gone through, she is nothing short of amazing.  She has inspired me to be a better person.  She looks at the positives of that night.  She was struck by the vehicle on her right side and hit her head on the left side.  So the whole right side of her body is still struggling to keep up with the left.  However, she counts her blessing that she is left handed.  Having to relearn everything AND on a the non-dominant side would have been more difficult.

She still struggles with memory loss; which can make for some really funny conversations.  Every time she speaks though, I am reminded of what a miracle it is that she is alive.  I am beyond words of gratitude to our Lord and Savior for answering our prayers and helping to heal one of my bestest ever friends.  I love you, Bonnie!!! Forever and ever.

Ugly Houses

I know that my house is not that pretty.  I am hoping to be able to have siding put on the side of my house in the next two years.  The weather (and kids' accidental moments from last winter) has not been kind to the exterior.

That being said, when people purposely choose ugly exteriors, it is a whole different thing.  I really wish I had a picture of this one house I drive by every time I take the kids to middle school.  It is located in a really nice neighborhood but has some barf-inducing pillars in the front.  I am not one to hate pillars; the ones of the White House are quite lovely.  This house though, it is one story with pillars.  Not nice pillars; short squatty pillars that practically hug the white stucco front walls. They were not even thin pillars; oh no, they are quite girthy.  Squatty and girthy - not what you want when it comes to pillars (among other things...).

These "pillar" community members who owned the house lost it to the bank.  I am guessing they spent too much on the home building loan to get those grandiose and pretentious (not to mention beastly) pillars that they went bankrupt.  Only someone with such magniloquent ambitions could even contemplate such atrocities.  I should know all about people like that; my dad used to be a construction worker in southern California for rich people.

A few weeks ago, as I was driving the middle school carpool, I noticed one of the pillars had fallen over.  It was a miracle! I told all the kids (there are four of them) that I had actual magical powers because I happened to be mulling over in my head illegal thoughts of doing that neighborhood a favor and knocking one of those pillars down.  Then I saw one of the pillars on the ground seemingly crying out for someone to break it to dust; to put it out of its shameful existence.  I am 100% certain that this pillar tried to commit suicide but I told the kids it was my mind that made it fall over.  At first, the kids (remember, we are talking middle school age kids) believed me.  I had to break it to them that I really wasn't magical, but by being a mother, I still have mommy magic powers and that one day they will become adults and have children of their own and then they will receive their own mommy or daddy magic powers.

Oddly enough, a couple of days later, by some random act, the vacant house's fallen pillar was up again; sort of jammed back into the small slot made for it.  I could tell it was ashamed because a few days later, it was on the ground again.  To make things even weirder, the next time I drove by, by golly the pillar was back up!  Who keeps trying to revive this pillar? Let it die in peace!

Well, up until a few days ago, this house was still vacant and a sad "For Sale" sign begged people for attention.  Someone saw this ugly duckling and decided this was the house for them.  As I drove the kids to school today, I saw construction workers graciously taking down the rest of those pillars.  I could hear the sighs of relief from the downed pillars.  They are finally at peace.

"Hunter" Holiday

I remember this time 6 years ago.... It was my first October living in southern Utah and I was wracking my mind to figure out why there was a 5-day weekend in this month called "Harvest Holiday." It didn't take long before I was told it was not so much a harvest holiday as it was one for hunters. There are so many hunters in Utah that I guess they figured it would be easier to make it a vacation so kids wouldn't miss school because this weekend deer hunting is open to the youth as well.  Yes, some families go hunting together.

As much as I wish I could go hunting, I am just grateful for the nice break in the regular schedule of waking up early.  Plus it is the end of the first quarter of school and they need the break as much as I do.  Although, I don't think that the kids really get more rest since we all stay up late playing games, watching TV, or hang out with friends.


Yesterday the 5-day weekend is going to be long!  Lily listened to the same song over and over and over and over and over while Rebekah was listening to a different song over and over and over, as well. Lily had her headphones on so she was singing rather loudly.  As I sat on the couch, one ear was hearing Lily singing, “My, my, this here Anakin Guy, maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry...” And the other ear hears, “Everybody was kung-fu fighting…”

I tried tuning them out but on about the 20th go around with the same song, Lily was singing rather loudly and sang, "...because Queen Amadonna wanted to..." We all started giggling. We tried to help he pronounce it right but she just embarrassed.

This is going to be an interesting 5-day weekend. :)

Monday Menus Have Moved

I decided to move my Monday Menus to their own separate blog.  My first entry is here. 

Orchestra Recital

On Wednesday, October 13, Rebekah had her orchestra recital.  She is in the beginner class and a lot of the kids in her class had never even touched an instrument.  Rebekah takes piano so she knew some basics but never touched a cello before.  I was so proud of her.  She did a great job!

 Rebekah and Lily

Rebekah practicing.

She is not playing here (note the bow is not in her hand).  She just posed. 

Silly Lily.

 Serious Lily.

Pawgers and Mawgers.

 Justin waiting for the recital to start.

Justin looking at the program.  The cool design on the front was designed by one of the students.  It is a guitar tree. :)

Nate just waiting out the whole thing.

Lily was playing with Nate's hair.

 My beautiful Bekah.

This is Rebekah's class.  Her teacher is the person two people behind her.  She is a fantastic teacher and I am very grateful for her.

Rebekah amazes me with her budding musical ability.

My 33rd Birthday

Last Friday I turned 33.  I am older than the age I still picture my Aunt Marianne being from when I was a child.  Why is it that when you get older, people you know that you don't see day-to-day stay the same age?  Aunt Marianne is now in her 50's but she will always be in her 30's to me. :)

Aunt Marianne's daughter, Sarah, one of my most favorite people on the planet, brought her family down here to Cedar to spend time with my family.  She made me this adorable cake:

Why yes, it is on Tupperware.  :)  I love me some Tupperware.  This is actually a relatively small cake.  Except the height.  It was 3 layers!  Last month when I was visiting family in SLC, Sarah and I talked about possibly making a smaller cake for me to eat like I was turning one but I couldn't use my hands to eat it.  Thus, the cake you see here.

She is finding enough spots for 33 candles.  Yup, she is awesome.

Flaming birthday cake!  Seriously, this thing was HOT!  Just check out my face in the next picture!!

I really should have put my hair back before this point, but luckily, no hairs were harmed in the extinguishing of this cake.

 That flame ball cake was so warm that it started to melt the frosting.  I am just testing it out first; no use in burning my taste buds!

 After my tongue gave me the all clear, I tackled that cake!

 Mmmmm, yummy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and what appears to look like a snotsicle.  Rest assured, it is only frosting!

 I am having a hard time eating that cake.... I think I bit of more than I can chew! (pun intended!)

Working on the side.... I LOVE cream cheese frosting!!

 I wish I would have had a picture of the moment my head was SHOVED into the cake by Gabe and Nate, but Gabe was the photographer as well, and he knows how my camera is like my 5th child, so he opted to just shove my head and forgo the picture.  But who cares? Check out my face! AH!  If you really want to see the video of my head getting shoved:

 I could seriously not breath!  After all was said and done, I was cleaning out my EYES as well!!  Bet you didn't know that eyes can eat cake, too!

This is my only revenge: SEE FOOD!!

 

 This is the cake for everyone else.  Sarah did a GREAT job getting all those sprinkles on only the sides of the cake.  It was DELISH!  (so was my cake, considering my nose and eyes were eating it, too.)

We spent Saturday watching General Conference together. We had a huge breakfast of french toast (two different kinds, cuz I am awesome that way), chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, homemade hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and orange juice.

 

During conference, we played conference bingo, doodled, ate, and pretty much had a blast.  Can I just say how much I LOVE having an HDTV??  It was like the Prophet and General Authorities were IN my house talking just to our family!!

While the boys men went to the Priesthood session, Sarah and I played the Wii together.  After every Priesthood session, the guys go out for ice cream after. Every family must have the same ritual because Bill says that all the ice cream joints in town are packed like a fat kid in a pair of stretchy pants three sizes too small.  Ok, Bill never described it that way, but that is how I imagine it.  So they went Cedar Nut and Candy because they have milkshakes there as well.  They also sell Anderson Dairy ice cream by the half-gallon.  It only cost $3.50 a half gallon!  They brought us some so us ladies (and little Christian) didn't feel left out.  They got us two kinds:  Pistachio Almond and Cookies & Cream.  Ohhhhh, it is sooooo creamy.  So creamy and tasty that right now as I type, I started to salivate.  Makailah (who is 5) wanted some green ice cream (the Pistachio kind) and so we gave her some.  A few moments after tasting it, she tells her mom, "I don't like this ice cream.  It tastes like, um..... butt."  It is a good thing I used the bathroom earlier or I surely would have had an accident!

That night, before we ate the ice cream, Gabe, with the help of Nate and Justin, made some hot wings! They were killer!  I don't have any pictures of it because no one wants to see ANY of us chowing down on chicken wings.  You may think you do, but trust me, you don't.  It was like a murder scene with a side of bleu cheese.

 

We watched X-Files whilst licking our Frank Red's Hot fingers.  Then us adults busted out our awesome Wii Bowling moves.  I am proud to say that I dominated and annihilated the whole bunch.  I feel it is God's way of making me feel better about the fact that it is always the opposite when we bowl at the bowling alley; it is a good day when I bowl in real life anything over 99 - even with bumpers!

Sunday morning, I made Cream of Wheat and banana muffins.  Conference was extremely good.  Both sessions were very filling to my soul.  Between the sessions, we played "Don't Eat Pete!" that Bill's mom made for Nate when he was a little boy.  

 

 "Hmmmm, which one should I choose?"

 The look on Makailah's face makes me giggle.  She just picked up Pete and we all loudly whispered (didn't want to make her cry by the yelling), "Don't eat Pete!!"  And she wasn't sure what to do, so in a panic, she ate Pete!!  Our hearts go out the the surviving members of Pete's family.

 Gabe deciding which one to eat, hoping it isn't Pete.

 After a few choices, he just picked up the whole sheet and dumped them in to his mouth.

 However, the Pete in this game was not going to give up, so it stuck behind.  (Look close at the pumpkin face - click on picture if you need to - you will see a yellow Pete.)

 While I was waiting in the other room for them to reset the board and choose a new Pete, I decided to go all out.  I am one sexy mama!

 Before I decided to take on the game, I thought Justin was just looking like he really needed a kiss from my REALLY DARK lipstick.  His eyes said yes, but his arms said no.

 

 I got his forehead, after much wrestling, then went in for the kill: his stomach!

 He wiped most of the kiss left over his right eyebrow, but this time, his eyes are not saying anything nice at all!!  Also, I would just like to apologize to all you who are checking out my messy house.  What do you expect when you have one room emptied into other rooms in the house (I am painting a room) and then you add two younger kids into the mix??  Not to mention the older kids that I truly think were messier than normal because they were hoping I wouldn't notice and blame it on the younger ones..... who knows. But, like I mentioned earlier, I love Tupperware, thus the cool Thatsa Bowl!!  Then you have a smattering of papers, a cup, a box to mail my cousin Summer a care package, play dishes, white board markers, and many other fun items.... I know, you are totally jealous, you wish your house was this messy right now.

 I am not sure if this is Pete or one of his many loved ones.  But it sure was tasty!!

 Christian wanted a turn.

 I think his face says it all.

 

 

 

Now time for some male bonding.....

 

 Dontcha just feel the love between Gabe and Justin??

 What do you get when you mix two supposedly grown up men and a fifteen year old pubescent boy??  An atomic wedgie!!!

 They really went in for the kill!!

You know the phrase, "there are no words"?  Well, that doesn't apply here, I get, "there are SO many words."  The first word that comes to mind is effeminate.  Not only does it look like Gabe is whispering sweet nothings into Bill's ear, Bill is wearing his oh-so-"manly" Strawberry Shortcake band-aid.  All the while, you can see poor Nate writhing in the background from that fallout after that atomic wedgie.

 

During this wartime of atomic wedgies and gender confusion, Makailah and Lily played dress up.  (I am so glad Gabe and Bill did not play dress up.)

 She wanted to wear the same thing I was earlier.  I think she looks a million times better than me.

 Here we have Lily in a costume from 2 or 3 Halloweens ago!  And we explained that just because she can still fit it, it doesn't mean she should wear it.  Now if only some people out there in the world would just learn that lesson, all of our eyes could be spared... but then again, there wouldn't be much on that website: People of Walmart. 

 There we go, this is what it is supposed to look like on a little girl.  Plus Makailah had to add the pom poms.  No matter how some people like it or not, some little girls are just going to be extra girly.

 And I shall call her, "Lilliana Jones!"

Lily wanted to show off her weird feet!

Aw, for cute!  Christian really likes Bill.

After we put the kids to bed on Sunday night, we did something that the kids would freak out if they knew what we did..... we played the Wii on Sunday!! We NEVER play video games on Sunday, but we did anyway.  We played Raving Rabbids TV Party.  I LOVE any Raving Rabbid's game and I was laughing so hard that I started coughing.  And as I mentioned before in this entry (and here) I have a problem when it comes to the dangerous mixture of laughing and bladder control.  When you throw coughing (or throwing up or sneezing) into the mix, you better run for cover or at least for some galoshes.  Thankfully, disaster was averted since I run fast.

The next day, we all went out to eat while the kids were in school.  Being an adult has many drawbacks, but there are some fun perks!

I had a fantastic birthday weekend.  Thank you Sarah and Gabe for coming to visit!!