Hello Kitty!

Nathan LOVES cats. Any cat. This picture was taken in Utah. The cats were very patient with him. He pets them, tugs on their tails, pokes their eyes, and calls them "pettie titty tats." He never actually hurts them, but the cats sure do need patience. Our cat, Regi, is really great with him. She will voluntarily come and lay in front of him so he can "love" on her. It's very sweet!

Our Prophet

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved President Hinckley. He was an amazing example of what we all should strive to be. I am sure it was a joyous day in heaven when he was reunited with his wonderful wife. Nevertheless, he will be missed.

Pres. Hinckley has touched millions with his gentle words. One of my all time favorite talks from him was given in 1996. It is called Women of the Church. I have read this talk several times over the last few years. It speaks to women of all ages and in all walks of life. I would like to share a few excerpts from it with you.

"First let me say to you sisters that you do not hold a second place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. You are an absolutely essential part of that plan.

Without you the plan could not function. Without you the entire program would be frustrated. As I have said before from this pulpit, when the process of creation occurred, Jehovah, the Creator, under instruction from His Father, first divided the light from the darkness and then separated the land from the waters. There followed the creation of plant life, followed by the creation of animal life. Then came the creation of man, and culminating that act of divinity came the crowning act, the creation of woman.

Each of you is a daughter of God, endowed with a divine birthright. You need no defense of that position."

"Many of you are here today who were in that meeting. Today you are seated with your husbands, men whom you love and honor and respect, and who in turn love and honor and respect you. You know how fortunate you are to be married to a good man who is your companion in life and who will be your companion throughout eternity. Together, as you have served in many capacities and reared your families and provided for them, you have faced a variety of storms and come through them all with your heads held high. Most of you are mothers, and very many of you are grandmothers and even great-grandmothers. You have walked the sometimes painful, sometimes joyous path of parenthood. You have walked hand in hand with God in the great process of bringing children into the world that they might experience this estate along the road of immortality and eternal life. It has not been easy rearing a family. Most of you have had to sacrifice and skimp and labor night and day. As I think of you and your circumstances, I think of the words of Anne Campbell, who wrote as she looked upon her children:

You are the trip I did not take;
You are the pearls I cannot buy;
You are my blue Italian lake;
You are my piece of foreign sky.
(“To My Child,” quoted in Charles L. Wallis, ed., The Treasure Chest [1965], 54)

You sisters are the real builders of the nation wherever you live, for you have created homes of strength and peace and security. These become the very sinew of any nation."

"Some years ago President Benson delivered a message to the women of the Church. He encouraged them to leave their employment and give their individual time to their children. I sustain the position which he took.

Nevertheless, I recognize, as he recognized, that there are some women (it has become very many in fact) who have to work to provide for the needs of their families. To you I say, do the very best you can. I hope that if you are employed full-time you are doing it to ensure that basic needs are met and not simply to indulge a taste for an elaborate home, fancy cars, and other luxuries. The greatest job that any mother will ever do will be in nurturing, teaching, lifting, encouraging, and rearing her children in righteousness and truth. None other can adequately take her place.

It is well-nigh impossible to be a full-time homemaker and a full-time employee. I know how some of you struggle with decisions concerning this matter. I repeat, do the very best you can. You know your circumstances, and I know that you are deeply concerned for the welfare of your children."

"With all that you have to do, you are also asked to serve in the Church. Your bishop will not ask you to do anything that is beyond your capacity. And as you so serve, a new dimension will be added to your life. You will find new and stimulating associations. You will find friendship and sociality. You will grow in knowledge and understanding and wisdom, and in your capacity to do. You will become a better mother because of the service you give in the work of the Lord.

"And so, my beloved sisters, please know how much we appreciate you. You bring a measure of wholeness to us. You have great strength. With dignity and tremendous ability, you carry forward the remarkable programs of the Relief Society, the Young Women, and the Primary. You teach Sunday School. We walk at your side as your companions and your brethren with respect and love, with honor and great admiration. It was the Lord who designated that men in His Church should hold the priesthood. It was He who has given you your capabilities to round out this great and marvelous organization, which is the Church and kingdom of God. I bear testimony before the entire world of your worth, of your grace and goodness, of your remarkable abilities and tremendous contributions, and invoke the blessings of heaven upon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

Amarillo Visit

On our way back from Utah we stopped in Amarillo to see my friend Sue. I know I'm a little behind the time table, but at least I am writing about it now. Sue and I are friends from high school. Some of the best memories I have are from high school and times with Sue and my friends.

She made us dinner, which was heaven after road food. She is an awesome cook as well. Then we got a backstage tour of the Amarillo concert hall. Sue works for the symphony there and she has an awesome job. The building was amazing. Everything in it had a story and a reason. Ken and I loved hearing all about it. The boys loved running wild-great news as being held captive in a car for two days.


This picture is one of my favorite features. It's the ceiling of the lobby. It is made out of the grates on cattle trucks. How Texan is that! Everything about the building pays some kind of homage to it's Texas panhandle roots. The auditorium was very geometric with vibrant shades of orange and purple. It had a modern look to it that was memorizing. I would post a picture of the hall, but none of them turned out. We toured the backstage area, the side rooms, and the stage. Kenny played a little on the beautiful Steinway piano while the boys pretended to play cello and piano.

Thank you Sue for showing us a great time. We always love visiting with you.

When we were in Utah, Grandad took the family to REI. While at the store Kenny was climbing precariously on a railing. Aunt Margaret saw him and siad she didn't think his parents would like him doing that. He responded, "That's okay." Margaret asked what he meant to which he said,

"What they don't know won't hurt them."

The Rain Has Stopped!

We took the boys out front to play. The ground is a saturated mess, so we had to stay on concrete. Here's a video of our fun.

Please note how Kenny skates. It cracks me up!! He scoots along with the tiniest movements. It reminds me of how he eats- tiny little consecutive bites that inevitably end up getting his fingers bitten.

Nathan had a grand time getting pushed around on his little trike. He also learned how to pedal all by himself! We are very proud of him.

Bacon

Nathan loves breakfast!

CTR Ring

So, Kenny got in trouble at school today. I know that is incredibly hard to believe. Please feel free to take a few moments if you need to...

Now that you are over the shock. I can continue with the story.

He got in the car and I asked him what happened.
Kenny: "Nothing happened. Everything's just great!"
Mom: "You got your apple moved to blue. What did you do? And don't lie to me."
Kenny: (with a look of total shock on his face): "How did you know I got on blue?"
Mom: "Because I am a super power mom and I know everything."
Kenny: "Wow, that is not good for me."

It did not escape me that he had cleverly dodged my original question (smart little punk), so I asked again.

Mom: "What did you do at school?"
Kenny: "Well, I don't remember. Probably just being crazy. But I did it because I lost my CTR ring and it broke. I can't remember to make good choices without it."

**For those that are confused, CTR stands for Choose The Right**

If all it takes is a CTR ring to make him behave, I'm going to permanently attach one to his hand.

It's a good thing he's so darn cute!

Attitude

You hear parents complain about their teenagers and their "attitudes." Well I am hear to complain about my 5 and 2 year olds and their "attitudes."

Where do they learn this?!? I know it is just a phase. Kenny is trying to assert his independence. It is a natural part of growing up. But does it have to be so difficult. When he is asked to do anything, the first thing he says is "But Mama, I want..." I've tried using every type of voice, explain the reason for every request, and give multiple options for him to choose from. It doesn't matter. The first thing he says is "but Mama, I want..."

And the worst part...his little brother mimics his every move and phrase.

And dinner time. There is complaining about the menu even before they know what is on the menu.

But do not fear. I have a solution. As of tomorrow my name is now Of Course . Now when he says is set to argue the phrase will be "But Of Course I want..."

Kenny comes waddling into the bedroom.

Mom: Kenny, you put your pants on wrong. Both legs are in one hole."
Kenny: "No Mama. I am being C-3PO."

Kenny in the Snow

As I have previously stated, Kenny loved snow. He said, "It's my favorite-est type of weather of all the weathers." He would stay out until his little face was bright red from face planting. He asked us on the way home if we could please move our blue house to Utah. I told him we can't move our house. He said that it would be okay if we just got a new house. I told him to get a job to pay for a new house.

One of his favorite things to do outside was eat the icicles and snow. We taught him about "yellow snow" and told him to stay clear. He got it into his head that snow and ice are one of the food pyramids main food groups. He was adamant that he did not need to eat dinner because he had snow for dinner. And this argument happened every night. However, Grandad, also known as The-Great-Bringer-of-Ice-Cream, did help entice him to eat some so his Mommy would let him have the ice cream.



This is Kenny's snowman. He made it all by himself. Grandmama did help him add a nose and face later, but the pictures didn't turn out. He worked on this snowman a little everyday.

His cousin, Spencer, came over one day to play and the boys had a blast! They got along so great. This is a video of them having a snowball fight. Cute!!

Guitar Heros

Our Christmas was filled with lots of guitar. Nathan got the most awesome little guitar. It is just like an adult guitar, only smaller. He didn't play with it too much on Christmas Day (he was a bit distracted), but he has had lots of fun with it since we got home.

Aunt Kathryn was really into the guitar.

And for your viewing pleasure, I have included a new music video exclusive, featuring Kathryn on guitar, Elisabeth (my niece) on piano, and the whole family on vocals.

Now don't you feel uplifted?!?

Uncle Spencer got the game Guitar Hero for his Playstation. In case you have not seen this game, you use electronic guitars with buttons for notes and a bar to strum. You have to "play" songs by hitting the write button shown on the screen and strumming at the exact right time. We spent so much time listening to rock songs on the t.v. Almost everyone played, from kids to adults. I am personally not very good at this game because it requires coordination and quick thinking- two skills I am not particularly gifted at. But I had fun the few times I tried.

Rock On!!!

Boys and their games...gotta love 'em!

Can anything else go wrong?!?

So, we've had an eventful week. As if last week was not enough.

I didn't end up having a D&C. I passed the baby naturally at home 10 hours before the surgery (not a course of action I recommend). I spent the weekend recovering and went to the doctor on Monday. Turns out I was bleeding too much and had become anemic. It looked like I was still going to have to have a D&C. Well, I never made it to that point, but I did have to come rushing home from work midday on Tuesday.

The good news is this whole thing is now behind us. My red blood count is much better and I physically feel much better. Our family is finally ready to start a new year and we have decided that this is going to be OUR YEAR! Everything is going to be great and wonderful. Just wait and see!

The Abominable Snowmonsters

(This is the only good picture I could get of Nathan in his snow gear. He was always moving and wouldn't hold still for a picture.)

This is Nathan sledding at Mountain Dell Golf Course in Parley's Canyon. Even though he was not a huge fan of the snow he really loved sledding.



Kenny was a HUGE fan of the snow. He spent at least a hour a day outside playing. I have video of him sledding on the big hill at the golf course, but I really like this video of him. On Christmas Day we went to Grandad's house to sled in his yard while the guys shoveled. I sat in the car with a sleeping Nathan, but it allowed me to get some great up close footage.



I'll post some of Kenny's snow pictures because they are just plain adorable!

Christmas Photos 1

I have a lot of pictures from Christmas and out trip, so be prepared over this week to hear all about our trip out West.

This is Nathan playing with his I-Penguin and MP3 player. We pre-loaded songs on the player and the penguin acts as a speaker. It has lights on its' tummy that flash to the beat of the music and it dances around and flaps its' wings. He likes it a lot and loves to dance to the music.


Kenny got his own camera and which he uses to take pictures of EVERYTHING!
Santa brought Nathan a Little Einsteins rocket. t sings and has sounds for each of the little characters. This was his favorite present.
Santa loot. Kenny got his yellow Star Wars star fighter.
These are my adorable nieces and nephew (minus Rebecca the baby). The kids had a wonderful time together. Kenny and Spencer are a year apart and they became fast friends. I wish we lived closer so the boys could spend more time together. Elisabeth and Anna are the sweetest girls. Very polite, smart, and helpful. They were awesome with Nathan and he adored them.


Grandmama checked into our hotel for us so we could go straight to her house when we got in town. She put a little Christmas tree in our room. Kenny decorated it all by himself. He took great care to place each and every ball. Nathan didn't help because he was more interested in eating cereal. The boys loved that tree. The hotel was an extended stay. It had two queen sized beds, a little kitchenette, and the bathroom. It was the perfect fit for us. The boys slept on their nap mats on the bed, and we took the other. We were able to get to bed and dressed in the morning without getting in others way. After getting dressed everyday we went to Grandmama's house for the day. We were always greeted by a great breakfast. My mother-in-law makes these cottage cheese pancakes that are amazing. I can't make them like she can. And my boys (and their parents) love them! Every time we take about Grandmama coming or us visiting he asks about her pancakes.

Nana got Kenny a 252 piece floor puzzle of the world. Grandad helped Kenny work on it while Ken, Spencer, Margaret, and I went to see National Treasure (which I throughly enjoyed). The puzzle was about 1/3 done when we got back. Ken and the girls helped to finish the puzzle.

Okay, that's enough for today. I'll post more tomorrow.

Thank You!

I got this in the mail today from Mike, Ashlyn, and Avery.

It made me laugh, then cry, then laugh again. Thank you from brightening my day. We love you all!!!
Thank you, Tara, for the beautiful flowers. I appreciate you and your friendship.

And thank you to my visiting teacher and my dear friends Jean and Kim from bringing us dinner. And to all my other family and friends who have been so loving and supportive of our family. Thank you!

Angel Baby

I had my regular 12 week appointment on Monday. We have had some warning signs that something could potentially be wrong, but nothing definite. We still had hope, though we were prepared to receive bad news. After an ultrasound, my doctor confirmed that the baby had passed away. You could see it on the screen- so still and quiet. I am scheduled to have a D&C on Friday. I will be exactly 3 months. I am having some indications that my body may do this on its own tonight or tomorrow. I think I would rather have the surgery because I will be under general anesthesia and I won't have to feel anything. But if we have learned anything from this it's that our way is not always the Lord's way. I have to have faith that He knows what is best for me and my family.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. This is more difficult than I ever imagined and I am so grateful from my family and friends. We love you all and appreciate you very much.

We are experiencing a bit of a family drama right now, but we will be back to normal programing shortly.

Hello Again!

After disappearing into the snow filled world of Utah, we have returned to the heat and humidity- much to my skin and hair's delight! I had planned to blog in Utah while on our trip, but I had to use the laptop and I hate typing on that thing. I have tons of pictures and stories which I will write about in the coming days.

We spent Christmas with Ken's family and had the GREATEST time! The cousins are so cute and Kenny and little Spencer were good frineds. I have some great pictures of them to share. It was snowy and cold the entire trip. Kenny loved the snow. He would spend an hour outside at a time. He loved to eat the snow and icicles. This didn't bother me except he seemed to be under the illusion that he didn't need to eat dinner because he had snow for dinner. Nathan was not quite so keen on the snow. We did get him out sledding, but I'll write about that later.

Our trip home was fun. Well, as fun as sitting in a car for 4 days can be. We took our time driving back home which was nice. I got to see a cotton field in person for the first time. We remembered how gross snow can get on the roads and parking lots. We learned that the smell from a beef slaughter house can be smelled throughout the enitre county. We saw wind mill farms and some trucks carrying new windmill blades. They are massive! Since we took different toutes going to and from we covered 6 different states. Our kids travel very well, thanks to the DVD player and food! They love to stay at hotels, but they are very happy to be home with their own toys.

More later-I have to finish unpacking. I go back to work tomorrow and vacation has officially ended.