Baby Steps

Memorial day was a great day! It stared with Sophia taking her first steps! After she tried, and fell, we would all clap. She thought we were clapping at her fall, because she kept throwing herself on the ground over and over, and would laugh! She finally got brave enough to "let go"! She is still so far from walking, but hey, "baby steps"! LOL

So back to the day! Ben let me sleep in till 9:00 and we started things off with waffles, topped with strawberry freezer jam, blueberries and whipped cream! YUM Then Aubrie and I played a few games of Battleship. We hit the pool for a little bit, while Sophia napped. When she woke up, headed to Castles and Coasters, again. Funny how we have lived in the Valley for 5 years and have never been there until last week, and then we go twice in one week. The kids had so much fun golfing before, it seemed like the best idea for the day. The kids had a blast, and were even better than last time. Boston was only 4 strokes behind me. Of course I wasn't on my game like before. Ben whooped me! We ran into some friends while we were there; guess it was the hot spot for the day. After goofy golf, we headed out to get some lunch.

Lunch time brought us the biggest laughs of the day. Just as we were approaching In & Out (the kids had no idea we were eating there), Aubrie said, "I'm so hungry. Let's eat at In & Out. I just can't stand it!" (referring to her hunger). I was laughing at how melodramatic she was, and Ben was sitting there astonished at how she can ruin every surprise, just like her Mother. Chick-fillet is right by In & Out and so Ben decided he would run there first, just in case anyone wanted Chicken. As we were getting in the drive thru line, I said ( to the kids), "raise your hand if you want In & Out". Ethan replied, " I want In!" Later, Aubrie brought it to our attention that he was probably thinking we were asking him if he wanted to go in and eat (it had a play place) or just get it through the drive thru! After we grabbed some nuggets for Ethan and Sophia, we headed to the In & Out drive thru. As we were about to order, Boston said, "Mom! Remember that I just want ketchup, a bun and 'the hot thing'" (AKA patty). Where does he come up with this stuff?

When we got home (we ate our lunch in the car:), we swam some more, and the neighbor kids joined us. I then took Aubrie to dance, and got to read some more of my book. One of the male dance instructors there (BTW he is on this season's "You Think You Can Dance"), was teaching Aubrie's class for the day. Aubrie always lights up when she See's him, and she came running to me during the break saying, "Mom! I think he likes me!" So funny how a 8 year old girls mind works, sometimes! He is nice to her, and so he likes her! LOL It's was just fun to watch her get all giddy!

After dance, we had dinner and FHE. Aubrie prepared it herself, for her Faith in God. She did it on Joseph's Smith first vision. She did very well! Her testimony is strong! Even though she gets a little flustered sometimes, just like her Mother!:)

After Family Home Evening, we sat around our half way finished fire pit (it's so nice to have a bench there now), and then the kids went to bed, while I read my book!

Tuesday was the first official "lazy summer day"! Sophia woke up at 7:00 and went back down at 8:30. The kids were still sleeping, so I went back to bed until 9:30, when Aubrie and Boston got up. Ethan slept in till 10:30! The kids then did their responsibilities, and then we spent the day outside. The neighbors came for a quick swim, before we headed to Rubios for dinner. Our neighbors had some certificates for free kids meals, and Ben was out of town, so that was a no brainer! The kids did well, except for one spilt drink and Sophia not wanting to eat anything! We came home and I put Harry Potter in (their choice), and I read my book! I stayed up until 3:00 am to finish it! I repeat! I am not good at putting books down!

Luckily the kids woke up late, again. Sophia didn't, of course, but I laid in her room while she played, and she went back down at 8:25! The kids slept until 9:30! Today we just hung out at home, until the kids had piano! They were a little resistant to go, at first, but the lesson went fine! I made a stop at Walmart during their lesson (it's conveniently across the street). They just started to carry the OP line of clothing. Man, does that sure bring back memories! OP was HUGE when I was a kid! Especially since I lived in California! Anyway, they had a cute OP Hawaiian type of shirt, that I picked up for Boston. When I got home and gave it to him he asked if he could put it on "right now". I told him to save it for our trip (we were going to go to California). Boston said, "What trip? Are we going to Hawaii?" Ha! He thought because I got him an Hawaiian shirt, we were going to Hawaii?! I said, "Sure, if you have four thousand dollars". He then said, "I don't, but Dad does!" He had a lot to learn!

Tonight I hurried to get the kids registration forms filled out for West Wing. I still haven't decided what to do yet, but I want a shot at the good teachers, just in case. So that made me a little late for Young Women's. They were doing the out door cooking classes, for camp. When I got home, we decided to put California off until July, when the cool weather would be much more appreciated! I'm relieved I don't have to pack! Here is to another full week in Arizona!! Can you tell I'm dreading the heat?!

Another school year gone!

Sophia's "cheese" face & and favorite outdoor pastime
Boston at his school music performance, behind his "girlfriend" Emma!
Aubrie at her music performance (Hawaiian shirt required!:)

Monday started a long week of wrapping things up! It included getting the house back in order, from the weekly "weekend tornado" that blow through our house. By the time I was done with that it was already time to pick up Ethan from school. Ben was here working in the office, so he did that for me while Sophia was still enjoying a long nap. Monday afternoon I took Aubrie to dance so I could get some more details for her recital. I'm sad we are going to miss it!:( She has been working hard, and this year she will be in two of the dances. She has been so grown up about it, not wanting us to miss our trip to Havasupia. I'm so proud of her!

Dinner didn't work out as expected, there only ended up being enough for the kids. We decided to do FHE and go get something after the kids were in bed. The FHE lesson was on Family. I told a story about "contention monsters" and "angels" and the kids had to run around and find them (the were colored pieces of paper). They had a good time. They taped them up on the wall to remind them of the lesson. After the kids were in bed, Ben and I went to Paradise Bakery for dinner, where we scored a free BLT and 4 free cookies. Guess it "pays" to go right before closing! When we got home we watched the season finale of House, and then I stared reading the "Host"....Stephanie Myers (writer of Twilight) new book. It started off really weird, but it getting really good now!

Tuesday Ben went to Tucson to train a new employee, so it was just me and the kiddo's! The morning started off with an early luncheon with friends to celebrate Erin and Cherice's birthday. We all brought the kids, so I was trying to squeeze a little socializing in between chasing Sophia around, saving her from all the sweet kids who couldn't resist "helping" her out, and trying to detach Ethan from my leg. He still sticks to me like glue when we are in a new environment. The food was yummy, and actually wish I had more time to eat a little more! It was nice to be able to celebrate the birthday's! What a fun group of friends!

After a few hours, I ran home to get Sophia home for a quick nap before school got out. After school we just hung out, which was so nice. The kids played and I read my book! I love the last week of school....NO HOMEWORK!!! NO STRESS!! For dinner I took the kids to their choice; Paradise Bakery. That made two days in a row, for me. I'm not complaining! I got the new summer salad, again! It's so yummy! The kids all did well; happy to have their "special" mac and cheese (I swear it's the Kraft) and their cookie! After dinner, I got a few Paradise gift certificates for teachers, and then we ran a few small errands. The kids went to bed easily. I got to read more of my book!

Wednesday had a crazy start. I had to get the kids going in the morning, and take them to school. Right after I dropped them off, I headed to Fry's with Sophia and Ethan to pick up two dozen donuts (in all my morning glory) for Ethan's class party! I then ran home and quickly got ready for Ethan's 9:00 presentation and party. Ethan was so shy the whole time. Luckily, once in awhile, he would forget that he was in front of everyone and start singing the songs out of habit. Half of the recording was him just standing there with his hands in his pockets. The song he picked as his favorite song was "I'm a Little Teapot" and he actually sang that one. He also said the thing he learned in preschool this year was "Lions Eat Wolves". Funny boy! He has done so well this year, though. He has grown up so much, and has learned so much! I'm very happy with his progress.

Ethan with his teacher, Ms. Sarah!

After Ethan's school party, we hung out at home until Aubrie and Boston got out of school. It was such a nice, cool day! Ethan played a little outside, and had fun watching the landscapers work on our fire pit! He loves building things and watching people build things. He was in Heaven! The kids didn't have piano lessons this Wednesday, so we had another relaxing day after school. I was LOVING it!! We hit Sonic for dinner, one of our spots when Dad is out of town. It's one with indoor seating, though outdoor would have been just as nice with the overcast weather. Ben got home later that evening, early enough to help get the kids in bed. I had some Walmart shopping to do, and after talking to Terri, we decided to go together. We ran into a few people for church, and here we are at 8:30 at night, shopping at Walmart together. Such exciting lives we have. LOL Actually, we had a great time!! Any excuse to get out, and catch up! When I got home, Ben and I watched American Idol. I was shocked by the outcome, but not disappointed. They were both great artists! Better than last year, for sure!

Wednesday night, Boston earned his 40 quarters , for the Disneyland jar, for reading all the Junie B. Books these last two months! He had to finish them before school got out to get the quarters. Talk about pushing it to the last day!

Thursday morning started with an early wake up call from Boston. I forgot what he needed, but I remember when I got up to help him my head was spinning. I figured I got up too fast...I was wrong. When I finally got up for the morning, my head was doing the same thing. It was the worst Vertigo I had ever experienced. It was awful! I was getting so frustrated because I was planning on going to the kids end of the year parties and assemblies. I couldn't even stand. Ben took Ethan and headed to their school, and I put Sophia down for her morning nap and I joined her. I woke up at 11:30 feeling 100 percent better. Weird! I was glad to be feeling better, and quickly got ready so we could have a fun family day. It was time to celebrate school being out. The kids did so well, and had such a great year. Aubrie got the Joyful award and Ben overheard her teacher telling her that she was so glad to have her in her class because she was always so happy and joyful! I gave Aubrie a hard time, asking her if she could be joyful in our house all of the time! LOL Boston got the "Trustworthy" award. I had to explain to him what that meant! Ha! Ok, I can't believe that Boston's first year of school has come and gone! He has come so far!

Aubrie and her teacher, Ms. Johnson
Boston with "Emma"....see how his personality changes!:)

We tried starting our fun filled day by going to see Indiana Jones (not my idea, b/c we had Sophia). The movie was practically sold out, so we decided that wouldn't be a good idea! (I wasn't disappointed!) Instead, we took the kids to Castle and Coasters. As soon as we got there it started raining, so we decided to let them go to the Arcade. They had a great time in the Arcade. The spent about an hour in there, and they walked out with some pretty cool prizes. (Comparing them to the awful trinkets they offer at Chuck E Cheese of course)

After the Arcade, the raining had stopped and so we were able to play some miniature golf. It was the first time we played miniature golf with the kids. They had so much fun, and so did Ben and I! (We had a little competition going!:) They kids kept getting better and better with each hole and were wanting to do a second round when we were done. Sophia did amazingly well, sitting in her stroller the whole time, and we weren't about to push it. She had been up for over 4 hours, and we had to get her down for a nap!! It was such a great family time, and I'm looking forward to taking them again. It's so fun that we are able to do these things now that they are getting older! The rest of the day we hung out at home; swimming, watching TV, etc... and then we went for Baskin Robins after dinner. What a great family day!

Friday Ben, Aubrie, Boston and I went to the Colyar funeral, while my Mom stayed home with Ethan and Sophia. The attendance at the funeral was huge. The overflow was all full, so they had other rooms set up with Closed Captioning. The funeral was wonderful. The musical numbers were amazing, and the Eulogy was so great! It was so well rounded. It had us laughing one moment and crying the next. The Spirit was so strong. What a wonderful way to honor him. The kids were a little antsy at the funeral, and they had to sit on our laps, so that made it a little hard. I was mainly frustrated because I thought they weren't listening, and I was wishing we hadn't brought them.

For dinner that night, we took the kids to the Outback. While we were eating dinner Ben and I started talking about some of the talks at the Funeral. The kids started to piping telling us their favorite parts about Ben's Colyars life. I couldn't believe that they were actually listening. It's amazing how kids have that art of seeming distracted and disinterested, but then remember what was being said, or taught. After hearing them go over everything they liked hearing about his life, I was so glad we brought them.

After dinner, we brought Sophia home and put her down for the night and then we took the rest of the kids to Indian Jones (BTW my Mom was home watching Sophia. LOL). The kids were so excited for the movie, as were Ben and I! The movie wasn't as good as we hoped it to be, but we still had a good time with the kids! The kids always like going to the theatre because they get the popcorn, soda and candy! Ha!

Saturday was another laid back day. Aubrie went out with my Mom for the day, and Ben and I took a trip to Walmart. I should start adding up how much time of my life I spend there in a year! LOL (That and Target!:) Aubrie worked my Mom, convincing her to take her to Justice. She scored a new skirt, and she used her own money for another Webkinz! I wasn't too happy about that, and threatened to not give her allowance anymore if she was going to spend it irresponsibly! Do I let her choose for herself and live with the consequences, when a year from now Webkinz is old news and she is stuck with tonz of them and no money...or force some responsibility on her?? Ugh! Parenting is so hard sometimes! Ok...most of the time! Anyway, Aubrie was happy with her new loot, and all the kids were happy that it was Mom and Dad's date night! They are always ready to kick us out of the house, because that means fun times with Grandma Beverly. Pizza, movies, hide and go seek...you name it!

Ben and I met with the Jarman's, Headricks and Wrights and headed over to an Italian restaurant called Alto. It's one of the Hyatt Resort restaurants at Gainey Ranch, in Scottsdale. Brian wanted to surprised Erin, with a little birthday celebration. They had gone there for Prom and when they got engaged, so Erin was a little suspicious of the venue!! But she had no idea we would be there. The dinner was nice and the company was even better. We had a great time! After dinner, they gave out free passes for the Gondola rides. We stuck around with the Headricks and Trimbles, for the ride. It was a great night for it! Saturday was another cool day!!

We got home around 11:00, and Ben headed off to the Jarmans for fight night. I did some research on the computer, fishing around for the possible location of the new Phoenix temple that was announced that day. (I'm so EXCITED) I couldn't find anything, and then ended up looking at hairstyles of all things! Ha! Yeah, I'm bored with my hair!! So ready for something COMPLETELY different! I hope I'm brave enough to try something! LOL Ben got home around 12:15. He finished reading The Peacegiver and I read some more of The Host. I finally got to bed a little past one!

Sunday was a busy day! Sacrament meeting went well. Ethan fell asleep, and Aubrie and Boston behaved themselves. Sophia was all over the place, but we only had to step out with her once when she fell off the pew and another time at the end of the meeting. Though the kids were doing well, I was having a hard time focusing on the talk. I was trying, but my mind kept wandering. Oh well, what can you do? In YW, we did a little tribute to some girls that just graduated. Erin did a mini slide show (very cute) and then we gave them a book on Temples and a temple envelope. We are really going to miss those girls!

After church, the day went fast. Ben had home teaching, then I had visiting teaching, then it was time for dinner. After dinner I quickly had the kids make Happy Birthday posters for Steve, and then we had a few moments on the teeter totter, before Ben's parents showed up. After they left, our Home Teachers came, and then the kids finally got to play Battleship. They set it up right before dinner, and had to wait to play. Aubrie and Boston had a great time playing that game. They finally pulled themselves away for some swimming, and then the boys watched Evan Almighty, while Aubrie and I played Battleship! I hoping that they will enjoy playing nice quiet games this summer! LOL

Well there it is...a week of our life! The entry sure seems long when you get so far behind. If you have gotten this far, sorry if I bored you! LOL

Fathers and Chunks?!

It has been far too long since I have contributed to the blog. I know that I am a slacker and need to make more time for this since it will be a journal for our family. Also, since Rachel was unable to attend the fathers and sons outing I need to fill in the spaces. The fathers and sons outing is one of my favorite things to do with the boys every year. I remember the times that I had with my own father and it brings back such great memories and I want to provide those same memories for my sons. This year we headed up a little early so that we could partake in the Turkey lunch that was provided at noon. One of the members goes up the night before and then preps and burries turkeys along with very hot rocks to help cook them. I think that this year the rocks were alot too hot and the turkey was similar to tree bark. We choked down the turkey along with some sweet rolls that we brought. We said hi to everyone at the site and then headed back to our familiar area where we make camp every year. It was fun to set up the camp site and have the boys help me with the tent. It took us about 10 mintues to get everything set up and in place. We then grabbed our fishing poles, worms and other bait and headed for a lake. We spoke with a local who told us about this awesome fishing hole that he goes to and pulls fish out of all the time. The city slickers that we are, we got all excited at the prospect of finding some elusive spot known only to the locals. Alas, there were several other vehicles when we got there. We got out of the truck and headed down the path tofind our dinner (I actually thought that I would not bring anything to eat and rely on our sweet fishing skills to provide dinner....I am not that dumb!). We got to the bank of the lake and got out the worms and started to go Vlad the implailer on the worms. The boys squealed upon holding the worms and I saw that it would be up to me to do the hooking. I didn't want them to hook themselves while trying to hook the worm. We cast the worms out there and waited. We waited some more. Nothing. Not even bubbles. The fish didn't even bother to tease us. We tried power bait and salmon eggs. Nothing! I could not let my boys be dissappointed in their father and be concerned about my ability to provide for them in the wild. I tried and no fish were to be had. I wanted to blame it on the time of day or the weather conditions, but whatever the reason we didn't get anything. I don't think the boys even noticed. They were having too much fun wander around and throw rocks into the water (this did not help with the fishing for sure). After an hour we climbed back up the hill and headed back to camp. Of course, many of my friends knew that we had taken off to go fishing and stopped by to see our haul. I got lots of grins when I informed them that we had not caught anything. Everyone is a comedian.

When we got back to camp we started a camp fire and I worked with Boston to shoot the bbgun. Boston became the lone ranger and spent an hour shooting at bottles that I had brought on the trip. He was really feeling important and had a great time. Ethan spent most of his time around the fire and finding wood with Uncle Craig. My dad and brother showed up a little later in the afternoon and we started to get dinner going. It was hot dogs and hamburgers and lots of other junk food. I always have a problem when it comes to camping and the type of food that I purchase. I love to buy lots of junk. Not just a little bit, but a lot! There were candy bars of all types and chips and soda. That is great and all, but I failed to watch the amount of junk that Boston was consuming. He was pounding some serious candy bars and soda. He also had a hot dog and one whole time of pringles. I thought that I had been watching him closely, but I was not. We finished dinner and then headed over to the main site where the majority of the members were. We had a meeting around the main fire and it was nice to hear testimony bore about the gospel, missionary work, etc. I really hope that my boys felt the spirit that was there. I did my best to help them identify that spirit. I am sure that they felt something, but they spent most of their time throwing things into the fire or at each other. After the meeting we headed back to camp. We spent the rest of the evening talking and telling stories. It is always nice to reminisce about the follies of our youth. The boys had a great time with the fire and I had to stay on top of Ethan. Ethan wanted to have a stick with fire as he put it. He wanted to walk around the camp ground with a stick on fire and fight bad guys. As much as I appreciated his efforts to protect us I did not want to be responsible for a large forrest fire. It was still pretty dry up there and fires were almost not allowed. Eventually things started to wind down and I got the boys ready for bed. Boston and Ethan were still pretty pumped and excited but soon they were drifting off to sleep. It got COLD! When you are from the valley you forget what cold is. We are talking 30 degrees. It is not easy to get and stay warm when it gets down that low. I could not really fall asleep because Ethan keep kicking out of his sleeping back and crying that he was cold. He finally stopped doing that around 2:00 a.m. Around 3:00 a.m. I was just drifting off to sleep when Boston wakes and calls my name. I look over at Boston and ask him what he needs. He just looks up and starts blowing chunks all over his sleeping bag and pajamas. Luckily it all stayed in his area. I was so tired I thought for a second that maybe he would go back to sleep and we could clean it up in the morning! I knew that wouldn't work so I got out of my finally warm sleeping bag and took Boston's shirt off and left his bag there and walked across the freezing camp site to the truck. I got Boston into the truck and got some blankets and made a little bed for him out of the back seat. I started the truck and got the hot air going as quickly as I could. We eventually warmed up and I spent the next three hours trying to sleep sitting up. Not a very restful night, but memories were made. In the morning as Boston is getting out of the truck he looks up at me and asks if he can have a reeses peanut butter cup! I told him no way. I wanted to strangle him for even asking! We picked up the camp site and packed everything away and headed over to the main camp to have some breakfast. It was breakfast burritos and we all ate and felt a little better. After breafast we headed back over the the camp and made sure the fire was out and that we had left it better than we found it. We then headed home. The trip went pretty quick and we made good time. We were home by 10:30 a.m. and were able to get a lot done. I hope that next year is a little less eventful and I will be sure to either bring less candy or watch Boston more closely (more than likely I will be wearing barf at 3:00 a.m.!)

A Testimony Builder

This weekend I have experienced such a huge range of emotions in such a short period of time! I hesitated writing about it, but in the end it has strengthened my testimony, and therefore I have to record it!
Friday evening started like any other for us; the kiddos staying home with Grandma and Ben and I grabbing some dinner to start off our date night. Usually, we indulge ourselves at a nice restaurant (keep in mind when i say "nice" that means someone with a server), but for some reason neither one of us wanted to do that. We both felt it would be best to have a quick dinner, and opted for In and Out! It was a good thing. As Ben and I were waiting for our food, I received a text from Erin asking me if I heard about the accident. As soon as I got that text I had this awful feeling that it wasn't going to be good. Erin texted me back letting me know that a group of teenage boys in our ward got in a 4 wheeling accident, and that she had heard that one of them may had died. As soon as I heard that, and told Ben, we packed up our food and headed to the hospital. Ben is good friends with the Dad, and he felt like he should go. I was very hesitant at first. Mainly because I didn't want to intrude on such a "raw" moment. Secondly, that literally has always been one of my biggest fears, losing a child. Every night in my prayers I always thank Heavenly Father for my kids, and beg him to never take them from me. So, with that said, I didn't think I could handle it.
When we got to the hospital, one of the nurses walked us to the room. I kind of fell behind, as I felt so inadequate, not knowing how it would be when we got there. When we got there, their son was lying in the table, and had already passed on. Family, friends, the Bishop and Stake President were gathered, in a circle, around the room. The most intense thing for me was to see his mother sitting at his bedside holding his hand, stroking his head, and taking in the last few hours that she would have with him. When I saw that, I instantly had to leave, as I imagined that being Boston on the table, and me at his bedside. After stepping about for a minute, to compose myself, I stepped back in and noticed something I hadn't the first time. Despite the circumstances, there was calming effect in the room that I couldn't describe. Even walking out of the room, which was basically a curtain, I could feel that calming effect leave, and then come again as I stepped back in. There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Ghost was very strong in that room, acting as his roll as "the comforter". After being there for about 20 minutes, the Bishop gave a prayer. The prayer was definitely inspired, and I left feeling a little better.
After we left, we headed to the Church bookstore to look for a book on grieving, for this boys sister who is in our YW. Nothing seemed good enough, but I finally bought one that was recommended to me. Ben and I tried to get some shopping done for Havasupai, but I wasn't in the mood to do that, and it just didn't' seem right to be doing anything, when I knew what our friends were going through. Ben had to be home early, so he could go help administer blessings to the family member's, so we cut our night short, which was fine with me, because all I wanted to do was to go home and hug my children. I didn't get much sleep that night; my heart was aching so much for them and the pain they had to be going through. I kept thinking about how I would never be able to handle Boston being taken away from us, and just thinking about that was too painful.
Saturday I was able to distract myself with the various things we had planned. We took the kids to see the new Narnia movie, which was a little long, but still had some great Gospel undertones. We then had Steve's birthday party, which I felt like I was a zombie at. I really wasn't in the partying mood. We had dinner at Ben's parent's house, and then took the party over to the resort. The kids had a fun time on the slide, and Sophia behaved sooooo well. She just chilled out in our arms or on our laps. I was grateful for that tender mercy, because I didn't have it in me to deal with much else. We came home and I finished preparing my lesson that I never ended up giving.
I know, so far, this all seem so depressing, but today's church meeting has made such a tragic event turn into such a strengthening, loving, testimony building day. The meeting started off like usual, with the song and sacrament. But then the Bishop dismissed all of the speakers and changed it to a testimony meeting. The testimonies were so wonderful, mainly testifying of the Savior and his great atoning sacrifice. Much was said on how he not only suffered for our sins, but how he also suffered our pains and sorrows, so that he could empathize and know what we went through so he could be there for us during those times. Many people also spoke on the plan of salvation, and how lucky we are to have the sealing powers in the church, that bind families not only on this earth but throughout the eternities. This isn't anything I didn't know, or haven't given lessons on several times over, but today it hit me really strong, how lucky I really am to have this knowledge, and how much more sorrow and pain people must feel when they lose someone not knowing this plan. I also came to the realization that when people pass on, and we are upset, it is because the natural man in us are sad, because we will miss them, while on the spiritual end of things they are far better off than if they were here. Again, nothing I didn't know, but it just sank in better.
After sacrament meeting, the youth all met together while the Bishop and President Wagner spoke. ( The reason I never gave my lesson). Such inspired words and council were given, leaving us with more peace and understanding. I felt as though God was speaking to us himself, the Spirit was so strong. How amazing it is that our leaders could listen to the quite promptings of the spirit, and act on them, making a day that started as one of mourning and sadness end up much differently. I was also amazed of understanding our youth had of the gospel. What a chosen generation they are. They are faithful, strong and steadfast! I always feel so honored to be a leader to them, because they teach me so much.
I am so grateful for the gospel and it's truths and knowledge that I have of why I am here in this world and where I am going! What comfort this gives me in my life. I can't imagine my life without it. I know today has strengthened my testimony! When I came home today, I also felt this peace I had never felt before as a mother. A peace of knowing that I didn't need to worry so much about whether my kids will be taken from me or not, because I just needed to trust that God loves me and the Savior would be there helping me through it, and my kids would be happier and better off! And that I needed to live in the moment, enjoying every minute of them. That each minute, each day I have with them is a gift from God, and I need to look it as such. I know that I'm not going to be living a fairy tale life with my kids from here on out, but I think it will help me let go of the little things that don't matter.
All I have to know is that God loves me, he has his plans, and they are always better than what I could plan myself. Complete faith in all things, can give peace to a worrying heart and mind. And knowing that because he loved us so much that he sent his Son, who willingly died for us, so we can live again, brings comfort to know that he always does whats best for us, whether we know it or not!

better!

Today I was feeling much better. I was able to move around, without my head feeling like it was going to explode. Good thing, too, since Ben was out of town. I actually don't mind it, sometimes it's easier when one rooster rules the roost, it's only the getting up early that kills me. Sophia didn't want to take her 2nd nap, so I didn't really have a chance to rest up before I picked the kids up from school. I knew the night would be crazy from that point on. The kids had piano right after school and their new teacher is far enough away, that coming home doesn't make sense. After picking up some extremely cute flip flops for Aubrie, at Walgreens of all places, I took Sophia and Ethan to Alta Vista Park ( the one by our old house) while we waited for their lessons to be over. My kids LOVE that park and are always excited to go there.
When we first got there I immediately put Sophia in the swing. She LOVED that. She laughed and laughed every time I gave her a push. In the mean time, Ethan kept asking me to come push him on the big swings. He finally gave up and gave himself a push, and he pumped himself on the swings for about 10 minutes! I kept making comments on how I couldn't believe how high he was going, and how good he was doing. As I watched him do this and see how he felt so big, I realized how big he was really getting. Then my mind flashed back to when he was a baby (Sophia's age) and I would bring him to this park. I quickly realized how fast time has gone, and at that instant a feeling of guilt swept over me. Guilt for wishing, lately, that Sophia would grow up a little faster and guilt from how I have let the days I have with Ethan slip away. I have a good couple of hours with him every day while Sophia naps, and I have wasted it away on other tasks that could probably be done later, or could go without being done at all. He is such a sweet boy who always tells me , randomly, that he loves me. One more year and he will be off to kindergarten! OK....I didn't mean for that to get so sappy. Anyway....time goes fast!
After the park, and picking the kids up, I came home and put Sophia down for a nap while I made dinner. Ben didn't' make it on time, and so we started without him. The kids actually didn't complain, I had fajitas! Is this a breakthrough for them? They have always hated Mexican food. I sure hope so, because it's one of my favorites! After dinner I went to YW. It was a joint activity, at the Mall. We played a "Where's Waldo" game. Different ward members disguised themselves and tried to blend into the atmosphere of the mall. Some people were brave enough to pretend to be mannequins in the store windows. After YW, we had a meeting for Havasupai. I'm getting excited to go, but now have to figure out all the babysitting, ugh!
When I got home, I noticed all these staples all over my butlers pantry (where I keep my purse). I couldn't figure out what happened. I then rounded the corner to find a book that Aubrie made me today, without me knowing, that had a bunch of family pictures cut out and on different color construction paper. She had decorated it with stickers and words. She then floated downstairs and had a huge grin on her face. It was such a sweet gesture. What a sweetheart!

Phantom, Girls Party, and 1700 pages!

What do these things have in common? They are all directly related to my neglect of this blog. After the whirlwind of Aubrie's baptism, I had to quickly gear up for a Ben and I's trip to Las Vegas. It was my anniversary gift, from him to me. It was a quick trip, up Tuesday morning and back Wednesday morning, with the main intent to see Phantom of the Opera. I have always wanted to see that play, and had a few failed attempts, which included a snowed in pass between Salt Lake and San Fransisco, over 14 years ago (is that how long it's been since I was a Sophomore in college?). Anyway, it finally became a reality, and in an amazing theatre, no less.
Luckily my Mom was able to get Tuesday off from work, and Nicole helped Wednesday morning. Nothing like having peace of mind when it comes to who's watching your kids! Our flight left early, 7:30, on Tuesday. We pushed it a little too much, and them sending my bag back to be checked, due to over sized "liquid" products (dang that Biosilk), didn't help things. Ben was great enough to go check it in, while I grabbed us seats on the plane (gotta love Southwest!). He had enough time, luckily, to grab me some Paradise Bakery, before the plane took off. Tuesday was a hot day in Vegas, which made walking the strip almost unbearable. We started off with getting a Taxi (we were staying at the Stratosphere) to the Bilogio. After sitting in traffic for 5 minutes and watching the meter hit 8 dollars and not going a mile, we asked him to let us off at Circus Circus. When we walked in, this lady at the front was so nice, overly, and asked us where we were from and why we were here. Ben told her we were here for our anniversary, and then she said she wanted to buy us dinner. Things seemed fishy to me, and as she brought her to one of her "helpers" I quickly realized this was for a timeshare. I stopped the girl mid-sentence and asked if this was a time share thing. She looked shocked that I caught on so fast and told me it was. I then told her that I only had one day vacation away from my kids (don't get me wrong I love them, but everyone needs a break) and I wasn't going to waste it listening to a time share presentation. We quickly got our Krispy Kreme doughnuts (our reason for the Circus Circus stop) and left for our journey down the strip.

I quickly was wishing that we had rented a car. The heat reflecting off the pavement, was almost smothering, and the fact that I didn't bring great shoes, left parts of my body aching. I felt like I had aged 20 years. We found reprieve from the heat, as we went in and out of Casino's that we liked. We walked the indoor mall of the Venetian (AMAZING!!). I felt as though I had stepped into a wormhole, and had left the casino. The had water going through the "mall" and gondola rides going back and forth on the waters. It really had a feel of Italy, except newer! We finally made our trek down to the New York Hotel, after avoiding a million people trying to get us to go to the Tahitian Village time share spill. Ben and I finally decided if someone asked us where we were from (their opening line), we would tell them we were from Tahiti to throw them off! Hee! Hee!

So we finally arrived at New York New York to ride the roller coaster, to find out that it was 14 bucks for one ride. We contemplated getting the 25 dollar pass, and riding it like 4 times, but we ended up playing Ms. Pacman in the arcade for about 45 minutes. Ben and I were laughing over how funny that was....flying to Vegas to play a video game. We then headed back, catching lunch at Panda Express (I wasn't in the mood for Casino food the whole trip) and the Roller Coaster at Circus Circus (only 7 dollars). When we first got to Circus Circus my head was spinning. It was so bad I had to sit down before I passed out. I think between the heat, smoke, and a cold that I didn't know was coming, really got me good! I probably shouldn't had gone on the roller coaster, but I am a roller coaster freak! When we got back to the hotel I took a 45 minute nap, and then we went to the pool for a few hours. It was nice to just lay their and relax. At first it was too hot, but once I got wet, the breeze cooled my skin and laying out was much more enjoyable. I could have stayed there another hour, but I had to get ready for the sow.
The show started at 7:00 and we hadn't eaten since lunch, so we got a quick snack at Johnny Rockets, at the Venetian (the same place Phantom was showing). I got a call from my Mom, and she said that there was a mix up at the school and Boston got left. One of the office ladies got him home, and everything was fine, but Ben got several calls from his Dad. I didn't quite understand why, because my Mom had already talked to him and he knew everything was alright. After dissolving that situation, we headed to the theatre. It was so beautiful, just like the one in the movie. The show was amazing! I was most amazed by the sets, and the costumes. Christine's voice was amazing, but the Phantoms was a little weak. He was also a little too dramatic for my taste, but it was still a very enjoyable show! I still am partial to Wicked, but I do admit that Phantom has them beat in all the special effects and the beautiful costumes!
After the show, we walked the strip to see if "O" was playing at the Bilogio. Unfortunately, it only played Wednesday's through Sunday's, a day too early! It was for the best. I was exhausted, and crashed when we got to the hotel. We had a 10:00 flight, which meant we had to be up by 7:30. We made it there in plenty of time, and that's when I started my 5 day (1,700 pages worth) addiction...."Twilight". If you haven't heard of the book series, I suggest you look into it! What a riveting, suspenseful series! Whew! The story of how the book was written is also amazing! The movie is also coming in out in December. You should check the trailer out!!! I started to really get into the book as we were landing, and couldn't wait to read it that night. Well, that didn't happen. When I got home, I got the worst headache and Ben had me lay down, it was so bad. I laid down at 5:30 and didn't wake up until 6:30 the following morning. I hadn't slept that much since college. I thought it must had been from the Casino smoke, and carried on like normal on Thursday. My head was throbbing a little, but I figured it was getting better. I managed going to Kayleen's dance recital, which had a few strobe light numbers, but luckily they warned us before hand, so Erin and I were able to close our eyes. I walked out of there feeling alright, and I dove into my book when I got home. I finished it around Midnight, and then started the next one, "New Moon", and read for about 1/2 an hour. The next day I read during naps, and when Sophia was up, I scramble around running errands to get ready for Aubrie's birthday party.
She invited 7 girls, and that was a perfect amount. The party was from 4 to 8, and the girls were still not wanting to leave when their parents came to pick them up. We started off with an hour of swimming, and then we ate pizza, opened presents and made ice cream cakes. I gave each of the girls their own ice cream sandwich, and then they decorated it with Redi Whip and sprinkles. They loved it! After they were done with their "cake" they played High School Musical Wii Sing Along, while I did the girls nails and toes, one at a time! I bought flower decals, so it looked like they went to the Nail Salon. They had fun picking their colors and their flowers. The Wii was not the best idea. Some girls got the idea, and others......well lets just say that their mouth was too close to the microphone and my head was pleading for mercy! After nails and Wii, I made popcorn and put in Hannah Montanna, while I quickly gave Sophia a bath and put her to bed. The girls then played outside a bit more, and then we handed out the party favors. I got a great deal on Webkinz (averaging about 6 dollars each), and I decided that would be way more cool than a bunch of plastic favors that would end up in the trash. I also HATE figuring out party favors...trying to get things I think they might like that don't cost a fortune in the end. My problem was quickly solved. Anyway, I made them draw numbers and then put them all in a bag. They had to close their eyes and I gave them 3 seconds to pull one out of the bag. That worked well....no complaining, no favorites...etc! After the "draw", we turned out the lights and they played hide and go seek! Most everyone was gone by 8:30, except Kate and Sarah, who I knew would be staying longer. They were all thrilled that they got to stay up "late" together. About 10:00 it happened! My head started to hurt. I figured it was due to the Wii Karoke, and I kept reading. Then around 11:00 I started to feel it, the sore throat, ugh! I finally went to bed at Midnight, leaving me with a quarter of the book left.
Saturday morning was a gift from Heaven! Usually, when Sophia wakes up she is ready to go, whether she gets a bottle or not! Well I got the normal 6:30 wake up call, and desperately tried the bottle trick. Miraculously she fell back asleep, and I woke up at 8:00, and her and Aubrie were still snoozing. I got a half an hour of reading my book before everyone woke up. I started my day feeling fine, the throat still a little sore, but nothing unbearable. I spent the day cleaning, and doing laundry, including the boys camping stuff...I hate that dirty campfire smell! So that meant I was washing blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, etc. That night we picked up some things for Mother's day, and that's when my cold took a serious turn for the worst! I still managed to finish "New Moon, and start "Eclipse", because I wasn't tired, but I still didn't feel so hot!

Instead of spending my Mothers day at Church, and with the kiddo's, I spent it in bed. I slept for the majority of the day, and spent the later part reading, just to try to keep me awake, so I wouldn't mess up my sleep schedule too horribly. Ben made me a wonderful Steak Dinner for Mothers Day, which included mashed potatoes, grilled mushrooms and onions, and Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. I felt horrible, because I didn't have much of an appetite. After we got the kids in bed, we watched our Thursday recorded shows, and then we went to bed.

Today I wasn't as tired, but my head felt like it was going to explode. Too much movement, and too much noise magnified the pain. All I could do was lay there, so that left me to finishing off my 3rd book. It felt so good to get that series finished! I can't wait till the 4th book! I guess me being sick and not being able to do much more than lay there was great timing for reading those books. I have a problem when it comes to reading....I can't stop! I get so into the books, if they are really good, that it's all I can think about. I'm sure Ben was wishing it would have drawn out over a few games on TV, that way he could watch them in peace. LOL! Tonight I made and easy dinner, used the great new FHE book based on the Strength of the Youth pamphlet, again. This week was on gratitude. The kids LOVE the lessons, and I do, too! I highly recommend it to anyone needing fresh ideas. It's called, "Before they are Twelve".

Aubrie's Baptism!

***Warning!!! This entry will have a lot of detail, since I'm journaling such an important event!

Aubrie's Baptism was beautiful. I can't imagine it being more perfect! It was a beautiful, sunny day. I know that sounds redundant living in Phoenix, but it has been very windy and cloudy, lately. It was also under 90, so that was good! The baptism wasn't until 2:00 pm, so it was kind of difficult waiting around all morning, and timing things just perfect, (showers, hair, picking up the house, etc) but it all turned out wonderfully. My Mom and I took Aubrie to the church an hour early to take some pictures and get things set up. No one arrived at the building until 1:40. Then it was a mad rush to get things ready. We were lucky enough to get the Relief Society room, where the baptismal font is. So I was able to set up stuff there. I had printed out some nice programs, and set out her blessing dress, and a nice picture and poem entitled "Dressed in White", which talks about the three white dresses that Aubrie will wear in her lifetime (blessing, baptism, and wedding). After I got that set up, I took Aubrie to get her baptism jumpsuit on . It finally hit me, as I was zipping up that jumpsuit, that she was about to go into the waters of baptism. I held back the tears, amazingly!

After taking pictures of her, with all family members, we headed to the chapel for the first part of the program. Before it started, Aubrie was going around finding everyone she knew, saying "hi" and thanking them for coming. She was so excited to see everyone, and I realized how much it really meant to her to have people there to support her. When the program was ready to start she said, "Mom there are so many people who came that I wasn't expecting", with a huge smile on her face.

Sister Linda Hill, her old Primary president, gave a great talk on baptism, and then we all headed to the Relief Society Room for the baptism. I had to go behind a door to help Aubrie down the baptism font stairs. As I was helping her down, she had this huge grin of excitement and anticipation, that seemed to go from her head to her toes! It made me wish I could bottle that emotion, and let her see it later!! As I waited at the top of the stairs, I caught my Dad looking at me. He was crying. At that instant I could read his thoughts! I knew he was thinking of the day I was baptized and how things had come full circle. Of course, his crying was contagious and I stared to cry. Luckily, where I was standing, only my Dad and Ben could see me crying. Good thing, too, because it wasn't a pretty cry! ( Between my Dad and my Mom I really don't have any chance of not being a crier!LOL) I couldn't believe how fast eight years had gone! I was so proud of Aubrie and the girl she has become and the choices she has made. She was so excited for this day, and her enthusiasm was noted by all! After I got her dressed and hair dried a little, we went back to the RS room for the rest of the program, which included a talk on the Holy Ghost from my Mom. She did a wonderful job, totally geared it to kids. She gave some stories about when the Holy Ghost confirmed truth, warned her of danger, and comforted her! After my Moms talk, her Voice teacher, Monica Fawson, sang "What Heaven Sees in You". If you have never heard it, I suggest you look it up! It's an amazing song! After the song, a member of the Bishopric (brother Nelson) welcomed her as the newest member of the church and then we sang all 4 verses of "I Am a Child of God" I said the closing prayer, and choked up a little in the beginning. Besides that, I kept it together. I honestly thought I would be a crying wreck from the moment the program started. I think Sophia kept me distracted! The whole program was only an hour, which was perfect, since there were so many little ones that were there. Aubrie had a lot of friends and family that came! Here is the list, for Aubrie's journal! Grandma Beverly, Grandpa Dawson, Grandma and Grandpa Pribyl, Nicole, Carson and Shea, Craig and Jodi, Krista, the Krelyings, the Elcocks, the Frandsens, and Trimbles, Kayleen and Mauriann Brazelton, the Fawson's, her Sunday School teacher (brother Thurber), her Primary President (Sister Thornock), Bryson King( he played the piano).

After the baptism, we all congregated at our house for a BBQ and swimming. It was a great time! Aubrie had fun with all her cousins and I kept busy with getting the food out, taking care of Sophia, and cleaning up. That is the one thing about hosting get together's, there isn't as much time to socialize. After all the food stuff wrapped up, I was able to chat a little with everyone. The last of our guests left a little after 6:00. After everyone was gone, Aubrie opened her gifts. Everyone was so thoughtful to bring something for her. She got a few baptism bracelet's, a journal, some girly things (purses, lip glosses, etc) and some churchy things (book marks, "I Am a Child of God" sign, etc). My Mom got her some scripture markers, scripture stickers, and a pocket hymn book (with her name engraved on it). My Dad got her her own set of leather-bound scriptures, with her name engraved on it. She was so excited to get them! We spent the end of our evening putting about 25 of the stickers in her scriptures....it's not as easy as it sounds. I'm so glad she had such a wonderful day!