How Firm a Foundation

Dance recital

2011-05-27T00:06:00.001-04:00

Lydia's airplane ride

2009-06-13T11:47:00.004-04:00

Lydia and I flew out to Utah last week. She was so excited! Here's two clips from our first plane ride in a year. She seemed to remember her last one where she was only just 1 1/4.

This four year old is growing up!

2009-05-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

CA Adventure

2009-05-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's time to play catch up. I'm going back in time to post some pictures from our trip down to Orange County the last week of March. We had a great time!

Cooper riding California Screamin. He loved it!
In Bug's Land. Lydia loved the "Chew Chew Train". She said "Watermellon, wet, my shirt." You go through a watermellon rind and it spritzes you.

Sacramento Tax Day Tea Party

2009-04-17T14:10:00.009-04:00

National Tea Party April 15

2009-04-11T00:34:00.001-04:00

My baby is 2!

2009-04-09T15:42:00.010-04:00

Sigh. My baby Lydia is now two years old. The day after we drove down to Orange County, was Lydia's second Birthday. Given the fact that there is not an over-the-top bone in my body, we had a family and friends BBQ at the Newport Beach Villas where we were staying for the week. We actually had Cooper's 5th Birthday party here as well, and it is just an amazing location. Set on the hill overlooking Crystal Cove State Beach, it's basically idyllic for a beautiful Spring day.

Early in the day Cooper and Catelyn were able to feed the Koi fish near the Piazza.

At the "park" location on the property there is a mini putting green, a sand box, a basketball hoop and a nice hill for flying kites. The kids tried to fit it all in.

We had some family and friends who we hadn't seen in a long time come out. It was great to see everyone to celebrate Lydia's Birthday. Thanks to all those who came. Here are a few pics of the birthday cake fun. (We had a few cupcakes for the kids and a cheesecake for the adults)

More pictures of kites and messy kids to follow.

The Holiday Clan

2009-04-08T20:24:00.008-04:00

I'm going to divide our week long trip to Orange County into a few different posts. In fact, I don't even think I'm going to go in chronological order. I'll start with the reason we went down there.

The Holidays! My mom's cousins on her mom's side are all Holidays, and there's a lot of them. Last week the youngest cousin got married and everyone (just about) traveled down to Newport Beach for the wedding. Nate is the youngest of the Holiday cousins and my mom is the oldest. Mom grew up with the older cousins and I grew up with the younger ones. There is now a SLEW of second cousins and first cousins once removed.

We were at the Condo (Newport Coast Villas timeshare that I'll blog about later) the weekend before the wedding and my mom's Uncle Bob and Aunt Janice stopped by. A little while later he got a call saying that two of his sons and their families were coming over to visit also. We hadn't seen these cousins in years and were excited to see everyone.

Cooper said the funniest thing when they all got there. He had been in the bathroom getting ready for bed and comes out to a scene very similar to this:
and says "What just happend?!" So many cousins he didn't know what to do! One family of all girls and one family of all boys.

The youngest Holiday is baby Gage. My kids and I were smitten with him, as well as all the other cousins that we'd never even met.

Fabulous week in OC

2009-04-07T19:08:00.002-04:00

We got back from our week long vacation in Orange County and have lots to talk about. I'm hoping I've figured out the photo uploading issue on this computer. I'm going to motivate myself to get those blogs written and updated. Lots to come in the near future.

Parental Pride

2009-03-23T12:59:00.003-04:00

It seems like it's been a while since I posted and I didn't really have much to say, but I just had to sit down and get my latest news out there as soon as I could because I'm just bursting with Parental Pride.

I went to get the mail this morning from Saturday because it was raining that day and we never went out to get it. In the stack of bills was a letter addressed to "The Parents/Guardians of Cooper Johnson" from our school district. I opened it up and my eyes started brimming with tears as I read:

GIFTED & TALENTED EDUCATION (GATE)

IDENTIFICATION PACKAGE - GRADE ONE

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your child is eligible for formal identification in the ___ Unified School District Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program....

On the enclosed identification permission form the test name and Cooper's score were written in.

Test: Nagliari

Test Score: 99%

I don't know how many of you recall Cooper's other great achievement but I'm telling you that my Parental Pride is just overflowing. This is one special kid and I feel so blessed to be his Mother. He hasn't even heard the news yet. He's still at school.

Creative Catelyn

2009-03-08T23:42:00.007-04:00

Catelyn has turned into quite the little artist lately. She's always been one to play by herself and make up stories and now she is using her imagination to make some very creative pieces of art. Here she's used some pipe cleaners (which I have discovered are a great cheap art supply) to craft her name.

As an aside, I really like the nickname Cat for her. Going into school I know there will be a lot of Katie's, Caitlin's, Kate's,but she can be my spunky Cat.
Aunt Mimi came to visit the week after Valentines weekend and cut some spirals out of the craft paper for the kids to play with. After Mimi left Catelyn spent hours perfecting the skill. No one ever sat down with her to show her, she just figured out how it works by herself.

We now have probably one hundred of these spirals in different colors cut from these note papers.

All while she sings or hums real and made up songs.

A little interview with the little ones.

2009-03-05T22:05:00.006-05:00

This survey has been going around Facebook lately and I thought it was a great idea. I asked Cooper who just turned 7 and Catelyn who is 4 3/4 to answer these questions.

What is something mom always says to you? Cooper- Don't do this unless you ask. You're not the boss. Catelyn- Obey.
What makes mom happy? Cooper- Do what you ask me to do. Catelyn- Making jokes and silly faces.
What makes mom sad? Cooper- Unobey. What's the word? Catelyn- Scratching and pulling and climbing and tying.
How does your mom make you laugh? Cooper- Funny jokes that we haven't heard before. Catelyn- Silly faces and dancing and fun at the park.
What was your mom like as a child? Cooper- A beautiful girl. Catelyn- Like folding your arms.
How old is your mom? Cooper- 30 Catelyn- 30
How tall is your mom? Cooper- I don't know. Do you know? Catelyn- Get up. It looks like that long (spreads her arms out)
What is her favorite thing to do? Cooper- Uh, be with me. Catelyn- Play the piano and organ.
What does your mom do when you're not around? Cooper- I don't know. Catelyn- Do computers.
If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Cooper- I don't know. Catelyn- Go to the party.
What is your mom really good at? Cooper- The piano or the organ. Catelyn- Sweeping and eating tortillas.
What is your mom not very good at? Cooper- Climbing a tree. Catelyn- Climbing up the tree.
What does your mom do for her job? Cooper- Take care of us. Catelyn- At her room.
What is your mom's favorite food? Cooper- Meatloaf (we had it last night) Catelyn- Dinner!
What makes you proud of your mom? Cooper- That she takes care of us. Catelyn- When she puts on Dora.
If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Cooper- Word Girl (its a show on PBS) Catelyn- A Rabbit and a rock star.
What do you and your mom do together? Cooper- Play Wii together sometimes. Catelyn- Work and clean up.
How are you and your mom the same? Cooper- Our eyebrows. Catelyn- Brown hairs and brown eyes.
How are you and your mom different? Cooper- I'm a boy and she's a girl. Catelyn- You play the computer and I play with toys.
How do you know your mom loves you? Cooper- We tell each other. Catelyn- Tell me a story.
Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Cooper- To the temple. Catelyn- To go to a party.

Just another day

2009-02-25T14:43:00.004-05:00

Every day that Cooper comes home off the bus I ask him "How was your day? What happened at school?" and the like. Most days the answer is "Fine." sometime I get a bit more, such as "We worked on greater than and less than in math." Last Tuesday I got the same "Fine." answer to my "How was school today?" question.

Later on I noticed one of those plastic bracelets that have the words printed in them lying on the floor. You know, the "Live Strong", "Courage" ones. I hadn't seen it before, it was a maroon marbled color. I asked Cooper where it came from and he said "Oh, I got that when I got my award yesterday." "You got an award? Yesterday? Remember how I asked you when you get home what happened at school? That's a good time to tell me that you received an award at school."

Cooper received the Fairness Award for "Being a Person of Character" from his teacher. On the back of the certificate his teacher wrote "Always kind and friendly to others. He shares and takes turns. He is honest." Later on that evening when he called his dad to tell him about his award Cooper said "My teacher wrote that I'm honest, and that's what I'm proudest about."

I cannot express how proud I am of this boy. He is such a young man of character who truly desires to do what is right. I am so blessed to have him in my life, to be his mother, to learn from his great example and bask in his love for all those around him. I love you Cooper and I thank God every day that you are in my life.

Upcoming posts

2009-02-24T14:44:00.002-05:00

I have a couple posts that I'm working on that I will be posting shortly but in the mean time I want to share with you my SIL Mimi's post about our family's trip down to see her family.
Please click here to see all the fun we had over Valentine weekend.

Inspirational and motivating videos

2009-02-22T01:06:00.004-05:00

I came across these videos recently. These issues have been pressing on my mind recently.

Lydia's antics

2009-02-21T19:16:00.006-05:00

The other day Lydia picked up a guitar pick that she found. "Whassat?"
Papa: "That is a pick"
Lydia proceeds to put it up to her nose and says "pick" while nodding her head.

While at the dinner table I ask Lydia "What's their name?" pointing to everyone in turn.
"Cupper, Cayen, Papa."
Cooper pipes up "No, his name is George."
Lydia "Monkey!"
Cooper then starts to choke on his food because he's laughing so hard. He couldn't stop laughing and ended up throwing up. At least nothing came out his nose...

Papa to Lydia: "Are you a Silly Goose or a Pumpkin Head?"
Lydia: "Ina Puckin Head" while nodding her head.

Lydia's new phrase is "Commeer" while running up to you to give you a hug

Cooper and I are playing Wii bowling:

Cooper asks "Can I play the Wii?" I answer, "Yes you may." Catelyn asks "Can I play too?" "Sure." Lydia says "Wii too!"

The Survivors Club widget

2009-02-21T02:41:00.003-05:00

It turns out I'm a Connector. I thought for sure answering the questions that I was going to be a Believer.
Take the Quiz in my side bar and see what type of survivor you are.

Patriotic perfomance

2009-02-18T20:37:00.008-05:00

Two weeks ago, Cooper's class, along with the other K/1 classes put on a patriotic performance for their parents. Mostly it was patriotic songs but there were also parts for the kids to recite, some dressed up as George Washington, some as the statue of Liberty, some as a box of Cracker Jacks. Cooper's part was to open the show. Here he is.

He took a moment to gain his composure which I was very proud of him for.
Here is the last song that they performed. By the end the kids were really belting out "God Bless America".

Afterward, Cooper's teacher commented on how well she thought everyone did and that the teachers wanted to do this performance because they didn't know how much longer these patriotic songs would be allowed in school. I thought it was wonderful that there are still teachers out there that care so much about our country and God's role in it.

Photo Tag

2009-02-13T01:53:00.002-05:00

I've been photo-tagged. The rules are...

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on the computer

2. Select the 4th picture in the folder

3. Explain the picture

4. Tag 4 people to do the same

5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc)

So this is from Christmas day, or the day after. Mom (Grammy) and Dad (Papa) in the background in their kitchen, my SIL Sarah smiling for the camera with her cute belly and my brother Jared fixing himself some leftovers.

I tag:

Kim McEvoy

Lydia Ellis

Rebecca Anderson

Jyl Holiday

If you've already done it let me know.

Walk to the park

2009-02-09T01:15:00.005-05:00

Saturday was a glorious day here in the Sacramento area. We all spent some time outside during the day and then towards dusk Cooper convinced me to take a walk down to the park at the far end of our subdivision.

Here some pictures from our adventure.

Note here how high Cooper's pants are hiked. He kind of got a bit stuck. I warned him first though...

Catelyn didn't want her picture taken...

Sweet baby

2009-02-09T01:09:00.002-05:00

Come What May, & Love It!

2009-02-09T00:24:00.003-05:00

The lesson last week in Relief Society was "Come What May, And Love It" by Elder Wirthlin. It was Fast Sunday and I had already been up to bear my testimony in Sacrament meeting. When I walked into Relief Society I saw the title of the lesson and thought "Oh boy, I hope I am able to make it through this one without breaking down." I was asked to give the prayer and opted to give the opening one in case I was just a blubbering mess by the end. It was a very personal lesson for me since I have just recently been through a very tough trial and been able to stay close to the Lord and learn and grow because of it.

Here is a video of Elder Wirthlin when he gave the talk that the lesson is based on. It touched my heart and I want to bear my testimony that all the things he says are true.

We determine our happiness. Sometimes trials come our way that we have no control over. What we do have control over is how we respond to those trials. Do we turn to the Lord for strength and support? If we seek for the eternal as he states, we will have the opportunity to stretch our understanding, build our character and increase our compassion. I bear testimony of the truthfulness of these things. In the name of my Lord, Savior, Redeemer and friend, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

More things about me

2009-02-03T22:16:00.003-05:00

Perhaps this will appear as a "wall of text" to most people but I found that the last "25 random things about me" post was rather therapeutic to me. I found myself thinking of more random things I wish I had added so I have decided to fill out a brand new one.
Here we go:

I cut Catelyn's hair myself. This past one was the hardest for me and I am leaning towards her getting it professionally done next time.
I really don't like to be ignored. I would much rather be rejected than have people not respond.
I follow a lot of blogs of people I know (and some I don't) but rarely comment. I just went and counted all of the ones on my reader account and it's over 75!
I once had a friend in college dub me "Senora Muchas Smoochas"
I am very proud of my children and tell them so often
I applied to 5 colleges and got scholarships to all but the one I chose to go to. BYU
My older kids are playing the Wii in the other room and I'm on the computer. I really need to kick this bad habit.
At least the baby is in bed and I can hear Cooper and Catelyn giggling uncontrollably. No one is screaming yet.
I'm ready for a night out.
I just ate a gluten free wafer cookie and the aftertaste is like I ate perfume...
I love earrings. I could possibly have close to 100 pairs.
I like buckles on my shoes.
I wish I didn't have to tweeze my eyebrows. It's a constant chore.
I had fun in high school. I think it's pretty safe to say I was friends with just about everyone.
I am a VERY bad organizer and planner. Luckily I'm living with my mom again. She created my handicap, she can be my crutch.
I'm going to take a break now and put the kids to bed.
I believe these are the last days and I'm living my life accordingly.
I don't like to by tickled but all 3 of my kids are like their dad and LOVE to be lightly tickled. Lydia calls it "aGuh" She pulls her thumb out of her mouth and says "aGuh, aGuh!"
I really like cheesecake.
I foresee some serious and troubled times ahead for our country. Seriously troubled.
I miss kissing. Lately I've been getting my fix by watching the Bachelor o.O
I used to be a gamer. I played WoW every day.
It seems that I have an addiction problem. First it was Myspace, then World of Warcraft, now Facebook.
I don't like fruit in my chocolate. Separate they are great.
I started going to therapy 9 months ago when my world imploded, and it helped me get to the other side of this trial. One last session is all I have left.

Pictures with a story

2009-02-02T23:49:00.007-05:00

So Lydia had already taken her bath and was all dressed for bed. It was Catelyn's turn next and she's old enough now that I don't have to stay in there with her the whole time. I guess I wasn't paying attention because I hear Lydia crying in the bathroom and yelling "Help Momma!" I run in to find this:This is the first time we have experienced the fully clothed bathtub experience. I really don't think that Lydia meant to get in the water. Catelyn said that Lydia had been leaning over the edge, putting her hands in the water when, whoopsy daisy, she fell all the way in. I said "Oh man." and ran to get the camera, even though Lydia was not happy to be in the tub.

Next up, Cooper discovered that one of the coffee tables in the house had hidden storage underneath. He laid pillows in it and he and Catelyn had a ball.

Here, Catelyn is modeling her handmade fashion dress. Good thing she wasn't using ductape because it eventually was used as necklace and blindfold...

Here's Lydia in the tent that Catelyn and our neighbor Tyler made in the family room. I love the pic because you can see Lydia's hair curling a bit. Yes, that's right, her hair is getting long enough to curl!

Here is a video from that same tent.. The girls were still sick at this point so you can hear Catelyn sniffling along with her very loud voice.

Flight of the Conchords

2009-02-02T22:13:00.002-05:00

I don't know how many of you know who Flight of the Conchords are, or how many share my same sense of humor but I just had to share:

I just bought two tickets to their live tour coming in May!!!

It was sort of a "do something nice for myself since my Birthday last year sucked" purchase. I'm hoping by the time May 25th rolls around I'll have someone I would like to take with me since I bought two tickets. I'm pretty excited to be doing something special for me.

Here's a song from their TV show on HBO. Warning, there are one or two curse words so don't play it till the kids are out of the room. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArZxLj6DLk

80's Rollerskating Party (again)

2009-01-31T16:01:00.004-05:00

Our Ward is awesome. We have a semi-annual 80's Rollerskating party (adults only) that is just a blast. I posted about the last one I went to back in Sept. Here are some highlights.

Jody and I. Of course I am talking in the only picture of me at the party...

Heather, Jen and Liz

Brad, Tiffany and Jeremy. Note the purple in Jeremy's hair.

Some pretty hot ladies.

Nice Prom dresses ladies!

25 Random things about me

2009-01-31T15:56:00.002-05:00

I filled this out on Facebook (my new addiction) and thought I should probably share it here as well.
1. I am not shy
2. I would rather sing in front of people than give a prepared speech
3. I'm not a good speller and Spell Check is my friend.
4. I went to 8 Proms in High School
5. I played the French Horn in High School and College but was never very good because I didn't really practice.
6. I love people and want to help others
7. I have been to 4 foreign countries on World Harmony Tours with the choir I was in in High School
8. While on one of those trips, I went off with a boy I had met in Stockholm without telling anyone where I was going. Probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done. Luckily nothing bad happened.
9. I have never drank alcohol or smoked anything.
10. I have 3 children but have never gone into labor by myself. All 3 were induced.
11. I was in Northern California Honor Band and Choir twice and All State Choir once
12. I have not sat down to watch a televised sporting event since I have been separated from my husband. May of last year.
13. I would love to get a dog for my kids someday.
14. I am a positive, easy going person
15. I shaved the bottom of my hair in 8th grade.
16. I pretty much only watch reality TV. But I only watch it if it is recorded and I can skip commercials.
17. I love Flight of the Conchords and wish I had HBO for that reason.
18. I enjoy reading. Everything from Jane Austen to Isaac Asimov.
19. I just recently started getting in shape after letting things take their course for 10 years.
20. I was home schooled for 4 years and was able to skip the awkward middle school years.
21. I am so grateful for my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I couldn't have survived this past year without Him.
22. There are a lot of private things I could put on here that would shock and concern everyone who reads this, but I'm not going to share those publicly.
23. I have an amazing family whom I thank God every day for.
24. I burp a lot.
25. Despite the unexpected and challenging circumstances I find myself in, I love my life and am thankful for all of my blessings.

After having thought of 25 things about me, I find that there are more things I want to add. I think I will start a new list.

Posting Blitz

2009-01-31T14:57:00.004-05:00

After neglecting this blog for so long I'm about to go on a posting blitz. Here is a glimpse at what is to come.

And 25 random things about me:

And some Christmas videos

2009-01-13T03:21:00.004-05:00

Lydia makes the sign for "doll" (brushing her finger down her nose) and also says that the baby has a watch on. Cooper was falling on the floor he was so excited.

Lydia discovered that her bouncy balls had pictures of Dora and Boots on them. You can hear her squeal!

Catelyn had just gotten up and was going through her stocking. Lydia is still overjoyed with her bouncy ball.

Christmas day pics

2009-01-13T02:45:00.006-05:00

Join us!

2009-01-08T16:42:00.003-05:00

My SIL is hosting a Healthy Habits challenge and all are invited. It will help us stay motivated and inspire us to new heights! Please click on over and join us!

My mom and I have already started exercising this week. In hopes that you might be inspired to click and join us, I'll let you know that in 3 days (we started Monday) I have lost 3 inches in my upper back, and half and inch in my waist, thigh, calf and ankle. When my friend Jill told me to measure my ankle after our first day of working out (Monday) I scoffed. "My ankle? How much can I lose in my ankles?" She said, "You'd be surprised." And I am!

Let's do this! 2009 is going to be a year of no regrets. Let's start off right.

A little Christmas and New Year

2009-01-01T19:27:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year! I'm so happy that 2008 is gone and behind us. Welcome 2009, may you be good to us all.

Here's a few uploaded pictures from the day before New Year.

This video is just a quick snippet of what was happening at our house the day after Christmas.

The New Years Eve party started at Aunt Michal's and moved to her in-law's.

A passel of cousins

Bronwen wrapped up reading a book

Nana scratching Cooper's back in front of the fire

Lydia carrying Bronwen's purseAunt Alli (who has announced she is expecting a new baby in June) reading the girls a story
Cooper was entertaining the young girls with a jack-in-the-box

Lydia enjoying the festivities,

Which included a chocolate fountain that was dubbed the "chocolate waterfall". The kids were granted free reign.

Happy New Year! More Christmas Day pics coming soon.

Track Santa today!

2008-12-24T19:31:00.002-05:00

Cooper's school has some fun links on their home page. This one is especially cool. It's NORAD tracks Santa on Christmas Eve. Grab the kids and see where Santa is right now! Hurry!

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-24T13:17:00.001-05:00

Papa found my camera!!!
Pictures to be uploaded at a less hectic time.

December

2008-12-20T23:13:00.023-05:00

I've kind of fallen off the blogging wagon ever since I "misplaced" my camera over Thanksgiving vacation in Tahoe. I'm not ready to say that it's "lost", but at this point in time I don't know where it is. Luckily we still have Cooper's camera and now Uncle Jon is here and we've started also using his.

We've been doing some fun things these first few weeks of December.

Cooper had a dance "show" at school called "Turn the beat around" where he was part of the first grade number dressed as "Cat in the Hat". The kids did a great job for how few practices they actually had. The first rehearsal was on Halloween day, with all the students dressed up in their costumes. Cooper would come home and practice his dance moves, the whole time chanting to himself "group one, group two, group three, heel toe, heel toe, clap clap clap, hip hip, kick a chair" etc, etc. So cute! Here he is all dress up, ready to go onstage.

Ward Adult Christmas party at the church

Relief Society Progressive Dinner

Enrichment craft night that turned into hours upon hours of hard work and dedication. You scrap booking mommies are no lightweights.

"(name removed for anonymity) Academy" Christmas party where the kids decorated sugar cookies, played on the trampoline and made an art project with Aunt Alli. When Grammy saw the cute poinsettia decoupage that Cooper and Catelyn brought home she said they needed to be framed they were so cute. Here's a picture of Catelyn decorating her cookies.

Helping out in Cooper's classroom once a week. I go in on Thursday mornings to help Cooper's teacher Mrs. B. Sometimes it's copying in the office and sometimes it's helping the kids finish an assignment, and sometimes it's preparing art projects for the kids to make. I am so grateful that my mom is available and willing to watch the girls while I go in to help Cooper's class. It's something I'm so glad I have the opportunity to do. Here's a picture from November at their Thanksgiving party. They were holding hands and saying what they were thankful for before their feast.

Singing time with Catelyn and Lydia. Once a week there is a "Mommy and me" type of singing class that a couple of ladies in the ward teach for the preschool and toddler age kids. Catelyn and Lydia love it. I tell you, Catelyn is so musically talented. She can pick up a tune like no body's business! Lydia really gets into it too and claps and sings along.

"Night of Nativity" at the Lincoln ward building. There are hundreds of Nativity sets on display and they have special musical numbers all night long. Catelyn walked around the room with me asking "Does this one break?" at every single nativity set. With the exception of maybe three, the answer was "Yes, don't touch."

Breakfast with Santa. We invited our neighbors to join us and all the kids had a great time. The cub scouts had crafts for the kids and there was a fun singing time while the kids waited for Santa. As soon as Santa came in the room Catelyn made a bee line straight for him and was the first one to sit on his lap. When he asked what she wanted for Christmas she said "A candy cane!" Lucky girl. Cooper was less enthusiastic about sitting on Santa's lap but was very willing to write Santa a letter and give it to him. Santa was very good and asked Cooper to tell him about the letter and before he knew it, Cooper was sitting on Santa's lap.

Lydia, not so happy with Santa. She was fine until we put her on his lap...

Decorating for Christmas! The kids helped put ornaments on the tree and Cooper even got to go up on the roof with Papa to put the house lights on.

Helping out in the yard and kitchen. All of the kids are great helpers. Cooper loves to help Papa in the garage or yard and Catelyn loves to help cook in the kitchen.

I think that is a pretty good update of our happenings. The last thing I will add is that Lydia has started potty training. It went very well for about 3 days and now she's lost a bit of interest, but here she is with her first "pee pee in the potty" reward. A "pop-pop".

I forgot to mention the Ugly Christmas sweater party that I went to last week. It was a white elephant gift exchange and there were some rowdy presents under that tree I tell you. My friend Jody blogs about it here.

Catelyn's surgery

2008-12-04T22:54:00.007-05:00

Quick version in case you don't want to read this whole post: Catelyn is doing very well and says "I love my new tongue."

Long version:

Papa, Catelyn and I left at 5 AM Wednesday morning to drive to Sacramento for the surgery at Sutter Memorial Hospital. She was scheduled to be the first surgery of the day at 7:30 so things went smoothly. The hospital was a little hard to find, down some pretty narrow streets in a nice neighborhood.

We checked in, signed paperwork, Catelyn was weighed and measured. She was a little concerned that she was at the hospital. She'd had some trauma at the doctor's office recently so she's been pretty scared of being seen by doctors. I told her that Dr Evans (she asked if he was Uncle Evan) was going to help her tongue not be stuck anymore and we were at the hospital so the nurses could help him.

We were walked over to the patient room where Catelyn had a bed w/ a child's gown and pajama bottoms waiting. She also had a brand new Diego tree house play set w/ Boots, Dora, Diego and horse figures to play with. There was a wonderful lady named Monique there who was a child specific counselor to help the children feel calm and safe. She explained about the tools the nurses were using to check Catelyn's heartbeat, look in her ear, etc. She was so nice and it helped Catelyn feel calm. They also brought Catelyn over a little DVD player to hold on to and watch while nurses came in and out to talk to me.

The nurses, anaesthesiologists and I decided to give Catelyn a medicine before the surgery that basically makes her forgetful so that she won't be scared and won't remember having been away from me during the surgery. After she had taken it the anaesthesiologist came over and asked Catelyn what her name was. She started to spell it but got confused after "C". I told her she didn't have to spell it, but what was her name? She said "Catelyn" and the doctor was impressed that she could remember that after taking that medicine. Just before it was time for her surgery Monique let Catelyn choose a toy to take home from a huge box that she brought over. Catelyn chose a flower shaped bug catcher w/ tweezers and a magnifying glass. Here is a picture of her w/ it, taken from my phone.

Dr Evans came over and said everything was ready to go so they wheeled Catelyn over to the operating room. We were told that it should be a very short procedure, probably around 20 minutes and then we would go over to the recovery room where it would be around 45 minutes for her to wake up. Dad and I hopped over to the cafeteria for a quick bite and then went to the waiting room.

Dr Evans came in at 8:10 to say that she was done and everything had gone well. I asked a few questions about if she would be in much pain, diet restrictions, tongue exercises, etc. Basically she should eat mostly soft food the first day, nothing crunchy like Doritos, take Tylenol when needed and let her rest and take it easy the rest of the day. He told us to sit tight until the anesthesiologist got her settled in the recovery room and they called us back there.

About 8:20 the anesthesiologist (who was pediatric specific btw) came to walk us over to the recovery room. He told us that the procedure had been a bit more substantial than he had anticipated so they had put Catelyn "further down" (asleep). She was fully asleep and had an IV as well as a tube to keep her mouth open and her tongue down. I wasn't prepared for the way she looked.

She was perfectly fine, I just had never seen any of my kids w/ an oxygen mask after a surgery. Lydia's surgery they let her wake up quickly and brought her to me afterwards. Catelyn stayed deep asleep like this until 9:00 when the nurse tried to gently stimulate her awake. She raised the bed, took her mask off, removed the tube in her mouth, stroked her forehead. Catelyn wasn't stirring. 10 minutes later the nurse decided to take her IV out, which forced Catelyn to rouse. She was really groggy and it took another good 10 minutes to get her dressed and sitting up.

When it was time to go, the recovery nurse brought Catelyn (Papa was carrying her) into a room w/ shelves full of stuffed toys and had her chose one to take home for herself, and also one for her baby sister. She chose a large pink flamingo and the nurse gave her a little pink bunny for Lydia. We had to get a bag to carry all of the toys and presents that Catelyn got while at the hospital.

On the drive home Catelyn was playing w/ her "new tongue" and learning to do new things with it. She said "The hospital helped me. My tongue's not stuck anymore." Since then she has started to learn how to "click" with it but is still learning that the tip can be lifted up to touch her top teeth. She's feeling good and doing well. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Lydia's letters

2008-12-02T09:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was talking to Mom about our grocery list while mom was sitting down at the computer, when Lydia climbed up on her lap. Lydia leans over to peer at the keyboard, points at the "D" key and says "D!". She then proceeds to name about 20 letters on the keyboard, all in random order. Mom says "Do you see what she is doing?!" Yeah, she's letting her brilliance shine. If Catelyn can read at 4 I'm wondering what Lydia will be capable of! PS Lydia just turned 20 months this past week.

If you want to see how our week was

2008-12-01T14:54:00.003-05:00

Troop on over to my SIL Sarah's blog. She already posted pictures and updates on our week in Tahoe. (Seriously, click the link and go see) I'll have to see about uploading pictures in between unpacking, decorating for Christmas and Catelyn's surgery on Wednesday.
Catelyn is getting her tongue tie snipped. It's an outpatient surgery with dissolvable stitches. It probably won't help her fear of doctors but should improve her speech. Her fraenum is so short and thick that it's causing her teeth to be spaced on the bottom. You can see it a little in this picture from the day before Halloween. We noticed how tied her tongue was when she was born but doctors said that she would most likely outgrow it. Now that she is four and her teeth are being affected I decided that it was time to solve the problem.
Other than that it's time to get this house organized and ready for Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-20T00:24:00.008-05:00

Small update

2008-11-16T01:11:00.005-05:00

I'm sorry that I've not updated this blog for a while. It turns out that my laptop (which I upload all my pictures to) is on the fritz and I have been using my parent's laptop for my Internet fix. We have been busy, taking a trip to Tahoe, completing soccer season, canning tuna (ok so I didn't help with that project) and more so I have not attempted to upload pictures to this new laptop yet. I'll work on that soon though.

Meanwhile, I have been quite interested in the backlash and eruption of emotions from the opponents of Prop 8. I understand that emotions run high on this issue but it has been very interesting to see the hatred directed at one particular group of people subsequent to the No on 8's loss at the polls last week.

I find the "tolerance movement" to be completely lacking of any tolerance toward the Mormon churches differing viewpoint on the issue. People disagree on this, and many other points. People, through the democratic process get to voice their opinions and, thanks to this great country, their voices get counted. How can this so called "tolerance movement" pretend to be anything of the kind when they are throwing a tizzy that more than half of the people who voted, disagree with them?

The Mormon church is being decried as bigoted. It's being protested against, blacklisted, defaced, vandalized, and so on and so forth, even to the point of having "unkown white powdery substances" delivered to the temples. (Granted, we don't know who sent those powders, never the less, it was an act of terorrism directed at the church)

I wanted to post the official press release given by the Church in response to this past weeks "activities". Please read.

God bless America and all those who fight to give us the freedoms we enjoy (and often take for granted).

PS, I will be changing the name of this blog in the near future.

We did it!

2008-11-06T01:31:00.002-05:00

I am very thankful and proud that the people of California passed Proposition 8 yesterday and stood up for traditional marriage and their moral values. It was a hard battle and there were strong emotions on both sides of the issue. For me Prop 8 was never about ill feelings or hatred toward a group of people, but was a defense of the Divine institution of marriage and keeping it sacred. I encourage all who read this blog to go here and read the Church's response on Prop 8 passing (as well as the initiatives in Arizona and Florida.)

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T19:20:00.001-04:00

We had quite a fun Halloween! We had many things to look forward to and many things to enjoy. First on the list was Cooper wearing his costume to school and the girls having a Harvest Festival at the gym that they also dressed up for.

Here is Cooper in class, dressed like Captain Hook.

Next, we were anticipating Papa coming home for the whole weekend! Papa has been working hard down in Fresno since August and we were excited to have him back with us for a while.

In preparation for both Papa's return and Aunt Michal and Uncle Jared's Halloween party, that afternoon my mom made homemade buttermilk donuts with maple glaze. We got the recipe from Michal's good friend and amazing cook, Prudence Pennywise. First I'll show you a picture of the donuts, then I'll give you link straight to the recipe.

Oh Mama, are these the best thing ever! Here's Catelyn w/ her apron ready to help in any way we will let her.

Papa came home just as we were finishing up with these. He was happy to be there I'm sure. Next it was time to get dressed (again) and head over to the party.

Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

Captain Hook and Tinkerbell.

Papa the Pioneer with a Mermaid, Ballerina, and Tinkerbell.

80's Jared and Becky.

All the youngest cousins, minus Scotty.

Then we went home and went trick or treating until it started to really rain and it was time for bed. I hope everyone's Halloween was as fun and enjoyable as ours was!

Waving in the rain

2008-11-01T18:54:00.006-04:00

This morning I went out to help wave Yes on 8 signs in our neighborhood. It's been raining this weekend but we were all determined to make our voices heard, come rain or snow. To be honest the rain probably strengthened our cause because we had about 35 people at one intersection and it was wet! Only one young man came out with a homemade sign for No on 8 and he left after about an hour and a half.
We got a lot of waves, and thumbs up and horn honks. Only a few dozen shakes of the head no, and thumbs down and only around 10 middle fingers, mostly from young women (note, I didn't say young ladies.)
I stayed out there for 4 hours, 2 hours past my shift because it felt so good to be doing something proactive for the cause.
Here's a little shot of our corner. It was raining pretty good by this time.

I came home pretty wet, but not too cold. I was glad to have had the gloves. My fingers were water logged after I pulled them off.

Help support our efforts here in California to pass prop 8 by donating whatever you can here.

Anticipation

2008-10-31T12:20:00.001-04:00

I'm a political activist!

2008-10-29T01:29:00.001-04:00

I never thought there would be a time when I would feel the need to become a political activist. 4 judges have forced me to become one. Proposition 8 is the most important issue that our generation will face. The time is now, we are the people to face this challenge and California is the place where the battle lines are being drawn. I've been to two Yes on 8 rallies in the past 8 days. My first ever political rallies. They were both inspiring but the most important thing I took away with me is that we all need to be more than cheerleaders. We need to get up and make a difference! Here are some highlight pictures.

Last Monday, at the start of the Yes on 8 bus tour in Sacramento. I traveled there with my sisters in law and their kids.

This morning, on the steps of the Capital in Sacramento. (if you look closely you can see a homemade sign saying "who stole my yes on 8 sign?" I thought it was great!

This is the couple who filed a suit against the state of California over the removal of the terms "Bride" and "Groom" from the marriage licence forms and refused to get married as "Party A and Party B".

The ladies from the ward in front of the Capital this morning.

Hurray for Freedom of Speech and the right to assemble peacefully! God bless America.

Tagged

2008-10-25T10:48:00.002-04:00

I was tagged by my friend Heather, so here goes:

8 TV shows that I love to watch
1. Dancing with the Stars
2. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
3. The Amazing Race
4. Antiques Road Show
5. So You Think You Can Dance
6. Flight of the Conchords
7. Gossip Girl (although I don't watch it anymore)
8. Saturday Night Live

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Cheesecake Factory
2. Chipotle
3. Claim Jumper
4. El Torito
5. In N Out
6. Carmel's of Asheville
7. Macaroni Grill
8. Cheesecake Factory (it gets two votes)

8 Things happening this weekend
1. Ward Trunk or Treat Halloween Party
2. Church
3. Taking Tutu to the airport
4. Upload pictures from all cameras
5. Help finish costumes
6. Decorate House
7. Decorate trunk for Trunk or Treat
8. Snuggle some cute kids

8 Things that I am looking forward to..
1. Papa coming back in 2 weeks
2. Tahoe (with all the fam)
3. Michal's Halloween Party
4. Thanksgiving (in Tahoe with all the fam)
5. Catelyn sleeping through the night w/o pull ups
6. Cooking w/ pumpkin
7. Christmas
8. Prop 8 passing with flying colors!!

8 Things I love about this fall..
1. Cool air
2. Trees changing colors
3. Being at Grammy and Papa's
4. Back to School
5. Tutu here cooking great meals
6. Bishop's Pumpkin Farm (bought the cookbooks!)
7. General Conference
8. Cooper learning to play soccer

8 Things on my wish list.
1. iPod nano - it would help a lot at the gym
2. drop 2 sizes from going to the gym
3. Prop 8 passing on Nov 4 (keep up the good work everyone!)
4. Lydia growing more hair
5. Cooper scoring a goal to boost his confidence
6. Martin getting a good job
7. Get organized
8. Get off Welfare

People I am tagging: Cousin Marie, Cousin Jen, Cousin Ellen, Malia, My Three Amigos (I almost posted your name!), Sister Sarah, Mimi, Cousin Steven.

Teaching about gay marriage in schools

2008-10-24T20:30:00.003-04:00

It's started already, despite what the State Board of Education president and Superintendent of Public Instruction have said. They claim that there is nothing to compel California schools to teach about the subject of marriage, failing to note that 96% of schools do so voluntarily and therefore must comply by state standards. Here is the letter that "Yes on 8" campaign found necessary to sent to each of these gentlemen, reminding them of reality.
And here we have the real live reality of having gay marriage legal in this state. San Diego school holds surprise "Gay" day for Kindergartners. This was posted Oct 22, 2008! We also have the incident in San Francisco where 1st graders were bussed to City Hall to witness the gay marriage of their teacher.
How anyone can say with a straight face that Prop 8 has nothing to do with teaching school children about gay marriage is beyond me. It's already happened!
Help us pass prop 8 any way you can. If you are out of state, donating even $10 will make a difference if everyone who cares about this issue decides to do so. Spread the word!

Vote yes on 8 this Nov 4!

2008-10-19T21:21:00.001-04:00

Fun filled Saturday

2008-10-19T16:06:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was action packed and fun filled for our family. Cooper had a soccer game at 11:00. Tutu and Catelyn went with us. The team he played was a team that 3 of Cooper's friends from church were on. I got some fun shots of him playing. He's in the white shirt, #6.

We then headed straight over to Uncle Jared's office for his Patient Appreciation day. Aunt Michal had made lots of yummy food and we even got to see Aunt Alli and cousin Isaac. (Sorry no pics)

After that we went right to Cooper's school Fall Carnival. It was surprisingly warm for the afternoon but the kids had lots of fun going to all the little games, climbing in the fire truck and eating snow cones and cotton candy.

This picture was so funny because someone was announcing over the speaker about a winner and Catelyn says "We're the lucky winner!" with her finger pointed up like that. And yes, her chin is blue.

Prop 8

2008-10-17T22:37:00.005-04:00

Proposition 8 has been on my mind a lot lately. With the election just around the corner I feel it is important to make my beliefs heard (even if only maybe 15 people read this blog and all are friends and family).

I don't know if there has been an issue for which I feel as strongly, as I do about the 4 judges overturning the people's voice to legalize same sex marriages in California. I find it appalling that despite the people having voted 61% in favor of keeping marriage between a man and a woman, these 4 judges felt it right to overturn that and legalize same sex marriages, effectively redefining what marriage is.

For me this issue is so concerning because of the likely ramifications for my children in the years to come. The idea that my children will be taught in school that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage and there would be nothing I could do to request an "opt out" as has already happened in Mass where same sex marriage has been legal since 2003.

I hope everyone will research this issue and find where they stand on it. This is more than a "let and let live" issue that the opponents to Prop 8 would have us believe. There will be huge consequences if this initiative fails and marriage is redefined as anything other than "one man and one woman" as God ordained it to be with our first parents, Adam and Eve.

I believe that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children." as stated in A Proclamation to the World by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints. I can't imagine the consequences to my freedom of religion and speech if Proposition 8 fails. Please, get the word out that this is an issue that really matters, for all of our futures.

Yosemite 10/08

2008-10-15T22:18:00.000-04:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Playing catch up

2008-10-14T16:52:00.001-04:00

We've had some fun time here lately and it's about time for me to catch everyone up.

First, the weekend before this last one, Cooper's team won their first game. The boys were so excited, all their hard work practicing twice a week paid off. The score, 1-0.

Then on Monday, Mom, Tutu, and I took Catelyn and Lydia to the same pumpkin patch that Cooper's class had visited on their field trip.

We all had lots of fun visiting the animals, eating yummy pumpkin muffins, riding the train, buying cookbooks and apple cider, seeing friends from church on a field trip and eating lunch. Catelyn and I took the hay ride way out to find her "perfect pumpkin" and a beautiful fall day was had by all.

This past Columbus Day weekend we all headed down to Fresno to visit Papa (or Popa, as Catelyn spells it) and go to Yosemite with Uncle Jared, Aunt Mimi, and cousins Ben and Lucy. The last time I had been was when Martin and I took Cooper when he was just a few months old, toting him around in his car seat. We sure had a great time. I'm still uploading pictures but Aunt Mimi has already got a great blog up with picture and video montages so please head over there to see some of our fun.

I'm going to try and upload pictures today so check back later.

Bishop's Pumkin Farm!

2008-10-04T12:44:00.007-04:00

I was able to go with Cooper on his first field trip this year. All the Kindergarten and K/1 classes went and I'm betting that everyone had a great time.
Firstly, it was great weather. Our first storm of the season was moving in so it was cool and cloudy but not cold or windy.
Secondly, we were going to a pumpkin farm in Wheatland, maybe 15 miles away, that has a miniature train for the kids to ride, a hay wagon to take them out to the pumpkin patch to choose their own pumpkin (no restriction on size), barnyard animals to observe and interact with, a great play area, including a real railroad car, and the most delicious smelling bake store! Here are some of the highlights!

Getting ready to get on the field trip bus with his friend David. Being a chaperone I was in charge of 4 kids. Cooper, David and two of the kindergarten girls, Victoria and Vanessa. (You'll see pictures of them coming up)

The Bear class. I thought this picture was so cute!Cooper is in front, third from the left. Victoria and Vanessa are just right of him.

Here's Cooper inside the real train car. It was dark and dirty and scary in there but some of the kids spent 30 min straight inside that car.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I remember many years ago when we came here with Cooper and taking this same picture. I wish I had it on hand to compare but we'll just have to compare future pictures with this one.

First graders on the train. It took us on a trip around part of the pumpkin patch, some horses' fields, a walnut grove, and many scarecrows and old farm machinery.

Pumpkin picking! I'm so glad that I was able to spend this time with Cooper. He's such a sweet boy and I'm just thrilled that he's growing up to be such a fine young man.

Catelyn can read!

2008-10-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

Well, it looks like this barely 4 year old knows how to read! Catelyn loves for me to read to her and we usually compromise on how many books I will read before she has to go to sleep each night. She loves to sit and listen while Cooper reads his homework books as well. Well, we have all sorts of early reader books on hand for Cooper, now that he's in 1st grade, and just the other day, Catelyn sat down with one.

To be continued on this next video...

I'm so proud of all my bookworms!
Here is Lydia joining in the mix.

Backyard fun

2008-10-03T23:14:00.001-04:00

Yesterday the girls were playing in the back yard and Grammy caught them on camera.

Wordle

2008-09-30T16:40:00.002-04:00

I've seen a couple of people do a wordle over at wordle.net so I thought that I would make my owns. The first one is my choice of fall words, and the next is the random one that came up when I entered my blog address.

18 months!

2008-09-29T23:46:00.007-04:00

My baby turned 18 months old yesterday!

She's getting so much more independent, having fun in Nursery and playing with her siblings.
She enjoys sitting down with a book and reading to herself. She says "E, E, A, O"
She's climbing up on all sorts of things these days and saying so many words.
I've even been able to get some bows in her wispy hair.
She loves the water and loves to be on the receiving end of the hose.

She enjoys singing with her sister and now "exercises" as well as does yoga with the our new "Yoga Kids" video. (Thanks again Michal!)
She's still enamored with Signing Time and pretty much will only eat if the video is on.
She still is a habitual left-thumb-sucker.
She's loved abundantly!

Update

2008-09-29T09:37:00.005-04:00

Here's a quick update on the kids. Catelyn has been coming to the gym w/ me and simply loves it. She usually complains when I come to pick her up after my workout "But Mom, I need more fun!"
We went through all the kids clothes last week and took out the outgrown things to hand down to cousins. We found this ballerina costume for Catelyn that Nana had given her. She's had it for a while but we hadn't been able to get it on her yet. (Catelyn is very particular about what clothes she will wear) Here she is in an action pose. ;)

Cooper has been having lots of fun with soccer. The team has not won a game yet but they are getting much better and it can probably be said that they are "playing the game of soccer" now. Here I caught Cooper in a couple of nice action shots.

Cooper is doing great in school. He really enjoys reading and math and I noticed on his last spelling test that he got 13/9 having spelled the 4 bonus words correctly.
We are both excited for the field trip on Friday. The K/1 classes are going to the Pumpkin Farm out towards Lincoln. I anticipate a great time to be had by all!

Watch what you say

2008-09-22T16:53:00.004-04:00

Lydia has been seeming to add words to her vocabulary daily.
Yesterday at church she dropped something and said "Oh shoot!" It's really funny coming out of an 18 month old mouth. Especially when her mouth is on a still virtually bald head.

Soccer

2008-09-21T20:19:00.004-04:00

Cooper going to his first day of soccer practice. We found out that morning that he had made it onto a team.
Before his first soccer game.

For only having been to one practice beforehand Cooper did a great job!
He really did a great job at goalie. He saved around 8 goals and really went after the ball. He had a great time (despite the heat soaring to 104 degrees!)

80's night

2008-09-08T01:43:00.006-04:00

Friday night a whole bunch of people from the ward got together for dinner and roller skating... 80's style! It was adults only and it was a blast! I tried to get my hair as high as it would go. The only sad thing about it all was that most of us could find things at stores NOW that were hideous enough for an 80's party.

I stole some of these photos from my friend Heather (who by the way, was my roommate in college)

My friend Heather and her husband Jeremy

"I love to pick flowers"

2008-09-06T19:34:00.003-04:00

Montage

2008-09-03T00:10:00.002-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gold Rush Days

2008-09-02T01:22:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday was the annual Gold Rush Days in downtown Sacramento. Papa and I decided to dress the older kids up and go have some fun. I was a little apprehensive because all through the week the temperatures had been soaring in the 105 range. Luckily the forecast for Saturday was only mid 90's so we decided to brave it.

In past years Papa has been involved in the local Mormon Battalion reenactors so he had all the gear to get dressed up. He let Cooper borrow a cowboy hat and I threw on a dress that Jonathan brought home from his mission to Paraguay and my hat from Williamsburg, VA as my pioneer garb. Catelyn on the other hand was able to wear a dress that my mom had made me when I was 4. She loved it and has been wearing it almost nonstop since. She calls it her "cowgirl dress". She also threw on her straw hat and we were ready to go.

Cowpoke Cooper

Serious faces!

Cowgirl Catelyn

I tell you, she didn't take that dress off for days!

I'll make an update soon with pictures of our adventures while at the Gold Rush Days. Stay tuned!

1st Grade

2008-08-20T02:03:00.004-04:00

Cooper started 1st grade this morning at his new school. I think it will turn out to be a great school with a great teacher. He's actually in a combined K/1 class which I was initially apprehensive about but the school has 3 or 4 of these classes so they must have a good routine down. Tuesday - Friday he goes from 8:50-2:20 and Monday goes in at 7:50 and gets out an hour early.

Cooper says that he had "a lot of recess today!" I asked how many and he said 3 or 4. He also said that Tuesdays and Thursdays are "recess days" and that he needs to have tie shoes. I'm guessing those are their PE days.

His classroom is nicknamed "the bears" and the kindergarteners are called "cubs". His teacher seems to be a hands on, caring teacher that wants to help each student learn to the best of their ability. (she gave Cooper a hug when I came to pick him up)

Poor Catelyn was ready to go to preschool today as well but I've been unable to get her in one so far. She went around half the day wearing her backpack w/ her snacks in it saying she was ready for school. I told her that her school hadn't started yet and "her friends" weren't there either. Poor girl.

Cute kids

2008-08-18T00:43:00.004-04:00

This evening Papa was lying on the floor and Lydia came over to play with him. He soon turns to me and says "What is she saying?" because Lydia was signing something. I look over and she has her fingers on her cheek. I say "Maybe bird, or peach?" She then signs something else. "That's either cheese or clean." I look over at Papa and think for a second. "Oh! She's saying that you shaved your face Papa!" Lydia throws her hands up and laughs with joy. I had got it right! We all burst into laughter. She really was so thrilled that I had guessed it right.

Later this evening after her bath and it was getting to be bed time I ask her "Do you want to eat or go to sleep?" She signs "Sleep please sleep." She's the cutest thing ever.

Meanwhile during the bustle of trying to get dinner on the table after church Catelyn announces "I'm trying not to work! I'm trying to be a princess!"

Visit to Nana's

2008-08-09T14:59:00.016-04:00

This week we went down to visit Nana. It is probably our last visit down there because she is selling her house. On our way down we stopped in Fresno for Papa's work and were able to visit with Aunt Mimi and Ben and Lucy!

Tuesday morning they came up from their house (45 min away) to eat breakfast w/ us and swim in the hotel pool.
Continuing on our trip, Grammy caught this cute moment on video while driving in the car.

We also took the opportunity while down there to visit Aunt Erika and cousin Scotty at the beach!
Erika's sister Jenny has been staying with them for the summer and she turned out to be so great with the kids. We are very glad she was there.

She even took the time to take Cooper out on her surfboard! He had a blast.We love you Nana and are glad we were able to visit with you this week. Come see us next time!

I cut Catey's hair!

2008-08-09T14:22:00.004-04:00

You can refer back to Catelyn's birthday post to see how long her hair used to be. I've been wanting to cut it to thicken it up a bit for a month now but she never was in the mood. Today Uncle Josh stopped by on his way to the airport and Alaska and Papa gave him a haircut. After he was done Catelyn exclaims "My turn for a hair cut!" so I got right on it! Therefore no before or during pictures are available because of the spur of the moment decision. But here's the AFTER shots!

Becky Home-Ecky

2008-08-04T16:09:00.008-04:00

We have been busy here this week being very domestic. As you can see from my post last Sunday we had a lot of zucchini on our hands, plus the tomatoes I mentioned. Since then we went to Sarah's parent's house and picked blackberries, which added to the raspberries, tomatillos, and peppers we have been picking here.

So, like I said, we had to put them to work and get them off of the island counter!

Bushels of roma tomatoes went from this (sun drying on window screens w/ cheese cloth over top) to this.

Great space saver! Plus, I'll eat sun dried tomatoes!

Those huge zucchinis were put to good use. I peeled them (which turned into a crazy slime on my fingers that was excruciating to get off) and put them through the grater to make zucchini bread (which we disguised as "cinnamon bread" so the kids would eat it). 8 loaves of zucchini bread plus zucchini brownies (which turned out delish!)

Add to that, 7 1/2 pints of blackberry jam, 4 pints blackberry/raspberry freezer jam, raspberry/mango freezer jam, raspberry lemonade concentrate, canned tomato juice and two delish blackberry/nectarine cobblers and you will see why I am now to be called "Becky Home-Ecky".

Grapes and Raspberries

2008-08-04T15:56:00.008-04:00

Super squash

2008-07-27T00:54:00.003-04:00

Papa came home from Uncle Jared's house this evening and brought some surprises with him. 3 gigantic zucchinis that I just had to get a picture of.

He also brought about 20 lbs of tomatoes. And considering we were just there last weekend and canned about 50 lbs, that's a lot! The fridge is full of produce and so is the kitchen island!

Tea set and Lydia's signs

2008-07-25T21:34:00.008-04:00

Martin gave Catelyn this adorable tea set that comes in a wicker basket. It really is so cute and she's loving it.

Meanwhile, Lydia has been watching the Signing Time videos with her siblings and soaking it up like a fish. She signs so much that I am amazed every day with what she comes up with. Just tonight we were in the backyard with the kids, playing in sprinklers and picking raspberries. Our neighbor came by with some peaches that she had picked at a friend's house. We handed Lydia one and said "here's a peach" and Lydia puts her hand to her cheek and signs "peach". I'm sure she hasn't watched the video that teaches the word "peach" for at least a week! I know I shouldn't be so surprised by how smart she is but she really amazes me.
By the way, whenever the theme song comes on Lydia lights up and starts throwing her hands around for "Signing time with Alex and Leah."
I'll try and get a video of her tomorrow but here's a picture of her yesterday signing "water".

PS, I just sat down and wrote all the signs that I can remember that she knows and it's over 50. That's not including the words she actually says.

PS, here she is Saturday morning.

Catelyn's 4th Birthday Party

2008-07-25T02:39:00.003-04:00

Aunt Michal and Aunt Alli joined us for Catelyn's Birthday party. I took too many pictures to upload so please enjoy the slide show! PS, YES, Alli made the cake!

Stupid America

2008-07-25T02:23:00.002-04:00

Sorry, I just have to let my frustration out right now. Will got voted off on So You Think You Can Dance. I've never voted but watch every week. Now I'm going to have to start voting so the best dancers don't get left behind. Will was the best dancer the show ever had and now he's gone. Stupid America.
PS, Cooper thinks "stupid" is a bad word so don't tell him I said it.

4th of July and Catelyn turns 4

2008-07-23T19:30:00.003-04:00

I didn't get any pictures from the 4th of July since we were flying across the country on that day so I put the kids in their outfits today. Today also happens to be Catelyn's 4th birthday. I took over 20 pictures, none of which I thought were perfect but here are a few anyway.

SYTYCD

2008-07-22T02:51:00.003-04:00

I was gone this weekend so I didn't get to see most of "my shows". Our TV programing tapes our favorite shows so I've been playing catch up. I just now saw Katie and Will's Pas de Deux and I was floored! It was breathtaking. Here, see for yourself.

PS, David Archuleta is singing.

Dancing

2008-07-21T19:51:00.002-04:00

We visited Uncle Jared's house this weekend and Lydia saw the Wiggles for the first time. She's started this cute dance move w/ her shoulders and I thought I'd get it on tape.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-16T18:23:00.003-04:00

Our thunderstorm smores

2008-07-16T01:11:00.009-04:00

Before we moved out from our beloved Meadowsong, my dad and brother Jonathan came out to help us pack up and move. The first night Jon was there we told the kids we could go build a fire outside and make smores if they finished all their dinner quickly enough. I could tell that a summer thunderstorm was on it's way in by the humidity in the air and the way the wind was blowing but figured we could get in some roasted marshmallows before it hit.

This is what happened in pictures.Papa built a bonfire.Jon pointed out that the wind was not good for the tinder pile nearby.

It started to rain. (Jon has Cooper's little umbrella)The rain put the fire out, Jon handed the umbrella to Papa and headed for the tree under which I was standing. (PS, click on the picture to see Jon's face, it's classic)

The rain starts coming down in torrents, blown by the wind and people are still trying to roast marshmallows. At this point everyone except Papa is under a big umbrella and the marshmallows are melting in the rain instead of the fire.

We all run to safety. I get in first and turn around to capture a picture of everyone else running inside.Grammy and Catelyn are coming up the stairs under the umbrella.Catelyn is clutching the only smore made that night.Note Jon's soaked back.
PS. minutes after we got inside there was a huge "Crack" and a lightning bolt hit just outside where we had been standing under the trees.

What a crazy North Carolina adventure that Jon got to experience on his short trip out there.

Cooper learns to "Lawn the Mow"

2008-07-15T23:29:00.006-04:00

Cooper has been begging Papa to take him out and "lawn the mow" for days now. Tonight, after Papa loaded the piano into his truck to take down to Jared and Mimi's (mine will be brought up from storage this weekend) Papa took Cooper out to the front yard and taught Cooper to mow the lawn.
He's growing into such a helpful and wonderful boy. I am so proud of him.

Country music

2008-07-13T01:29:00.004-04:00

Soon after Cooper's end of the year celebration at his school, Cooper asks me "Mom, do you know what my favorite kind of music is?"
"No, what kind?"
"Country music."
I think to myself, when has he ever even heard Country music as I've never had it on the radio?
"Really? When did you hear country music?"
"You know, the country music I sing. 'My Country Tis of Thee', 'I'm proud to be an American', 'This is my Country', those ones."
"Ohhhhhh, you mean Patriotic music."
"Yeah!"

Back in California, my home sweet home

2008-07-08T17:33:00.014-04:00

On Friday, the 4th of July, the kids, my mom and I all returned to California after a very long day flying across the country. Considering that we went through 4 airports and were traveling for 12 1/2 hours the kids were fantastic.

I cannot express how relieved I am to be back in California and close to family and friends. We all enjoyed our North Carolina adventure but the past 2 1/2 months have been rough and I was anxious to get back to California as soon as we were able.

The kids and I have moved in with my parents and have already been welcomed with open arms by the ward family and the neighborhood. Every day has been filled with friendly new faces, and in the 4 days we have been here we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and friendship toward us.

Prior to moving, my dad and brother Jonathan came out to help us pack up my van and move everything across the country. Here's a picture of Uncle Jon w/ the girls. (I'll make a separate post on one of our adventures we had while Jon was there in a bit)
When we got to Grammy and Papa's house Uncle Jared and Aunt Mimi were visiting with Ben and Lucy.
Later, Uncle Josh came to visit as well. We were able to go swimming with all of them on Saturday. Again, I can't tell you how nice it is to have family close (and a fast internet).

Grammy and Papa's garden in the back yard is amazing and everyone has been out to pick from the bountiful harvest. The kids are actually turning into good eaters thanks to the excitement of eating a good dinner that they helped pick themselves. (It may look like Catelyn is picking flowers but there is actually a cherry tomato plant back in there.)

To sum things up, we are very glad to be back in California and are very grateful to everyone, most especially my parents, who have made it such a wonderful, joyful and pleasant experience.

Which Disney Princess am I?

2008-07-01T17:45:00.000-04:00

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Cooper's 1st bike ride

2008-06-27T08:46:00.012-04:00

Papa took Cooper out with his poor neglected bike the other evening and taught him how to ride within 5 tries. This is Cooper's 3rd try ever.

I had been trying for 3 DAYS now to upload a later video but it wasn't working so I hope this one will suffice.
Grrr, I'm not happy with that video, I'm going to try and add the later one again. This next video was his very next try.

Phew! That took moving back to Cali and cable internet to upload. I hope it's worth it.

Williamsburg, VA

2008-06-22T18:39:00.008-04:00

We had the great opportunity to visit Williamsburg, VA this weekend. It is really quite close to where we have been staying this past year, only 2 1/2 hours north-east. My dad is in town for a couple of weeks so we decided to take advantage of his extra help and go enjoy ourselves in Colonial Williamsburg.

The only bad part of our visit was that the kids were going through some sort of sickness, each in turn while we were there. Fevers, chills, red spots but luckily no vomiting. We were able to work through it and I think everyone was able to enjoy themselves.

Cooper's favorite part was the Blacksmith shop. He would have stayed there all day if we had let him. Catelyn really enjoyed the hands on tour we had where she learned to curtsy and wrote on a slate.
They also got to pull water up from a well which was 40 feet deep.

Lydia loved all the people she could charm.

My favorite parts were the speech by Thomas Jefferson and the drum and fife boys (seen at the top) and this cute pair playing their flute and whistle. The elderly man on the left put his flute down and it was his cane!

Thanks to both my mom and dad for making this trip possible.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:14:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day Daddy! You are an amazing man who has led by example and I couldn't have asked for a better Dad (0r a better Papa for my children).

Happy Father's Day Martin. You have 3 amazing children that you should be very proud of. They are all wonderful and bright and they love you very much. I'm so glad we brought them into this world together.

Matching dresses

2008-06-15T18:57:00.003-04:00

The girls wore matching dresses to church today. They have about half a dozen matching dresses that I try to get them into every so often.
BTW, you don't know how hard it is to get these girls both to look at the camera at the same time. I think Grammy did an amazing job! :)
PS, when you are around Lydia, you tend to forget how bald she is. Seeing her in these pictures is so funny.

Lydia's luxurious locks

2008-06-13T16:47:00.006-04:00

I took a few clips of Lydia walking around with my brush. This was the shortest but w/ my slow dial up I thought something was better than nothing. If this doesn't take 35 min to upload I may add another.

Here's an update w/ one more video.

Super Duper Cooper

2008-06-11T22:16:00.008-04:00

Cooper has had a busy last couple of weeks. School has ended which means that he is now a 1st grader. I am so proud of the young man that he is becoming. He has really stepped up with helping around the house and now takes out the garbage and unloads the dishwasher every day. He is such a sweet boy that wants so much to do what is right.
Last week his school had an end of the year patriotic celebration where all the children sang patriotic songs. Cooper practiced every day, standing up on the fireplace hearth, going through each song, making sure each beat and note were right.

Tuesday was the last day of school and the last of the awards days. Every 90 days the children are honored for their great achievements, both academic and social. The school gives out these great awards that are dog-tag style, with wonderful graphics and colors on them. All the kids have necklaces that they wear them on and by the time they are in 5th grade some have quite the crowded necklace. Every awards day Cooper earned at least one award (Math Wizard) and sometimes three. Here is Cooper wearing his dog-tag during the last awards day.
And now today Cooper lost his 6th tooth. (speaking of which I know a tooth fairy who still needs to do her job tonight). He's growing up so fast and I am so proud of the wonderful boy he is.

Lydia's 2nd and last surgery

2008-06-08T12:44:00.008-04:00

On Friday the 30th of May, Lydia had her second and final surgery on her tear ducts. This time the Dr was removing the tubes that he had placed there the first operation. The procedure was super quick, they just gave her some gas, she went to "sleep" and the Dr sniped the tube and pulled them out through the nasal cavity. She didn't have to have an IV this time and she was back out to my arms within half an hour. (They kept her in the recovery room for a couple minutes)Before her surgery the nurse came by to take her vital signs and Lydia managed to coax the stethoscope from her. In typical Lydia fashion she kept asking "Whassat?" She sure is going to be one bright kid, with her second words being "What's that?" And I promise, it's not just something we think we are hearing, she really is asking "What's that?".
This picture reminds me of Curious George.
After surgery she is starving because you can't eat or drink after 12:00 the night before. We had a sippy cup and crackers on hand.
I'm so glad that we found this doctor that had a solution for Lydia's perpetually clogged eyes. The difference has been remarkable. Here is a pic of her back in Dec.

and one just before this last surgery.

(oh and that nasty green bruise on her forehead is from her throwing herself down on the brick hearth earlier that week.)
PS, note the non existent hair growth.

Picture update

2008-06-05T14:48:00.004-04:00

I uploaded some pics from one of the cameras this morning. As a result, you are now going to see a new picture of each of my children, and a baby turtle. Enjoy.

I took this picture of Lydia mostly to show the Great Blue heron in the background (he's standing on the dock). This was the same day we were outside and Lydia found the baby turtle. She just about picked it up before I saw it.

Cooper and Catelyn were obviously taking a bubble bath. I started laughing so hard at Cooper and ran to get the camera.
Catelyn tried to make a bubble beard too.

I love my family and am so glad we have been able to enjoy this great adventure we have had in North Carolina.

It's our Party!

2008-05-25T23:40:00.005-04:00

Catelyn had been talking about having a party for a while, so on Friday we celebrated my belated birthday/being together.
I bought balloons and gave the kids a few presents and my mom made a cake. (which Catelyn helped make by adding her chocolate pudding to the mix)
We had party hats and candles we never lit, the whole shebang.
Opening presents.

I love this picture. Catelyn's got the whole piece of cake on her fork and Cooper looks like a monkey.
Happy party everyone!

4 Things

2008-05-25T21:23:00.003-04:00

I'm assuming that my cousin Lo tagged me in her post, so here goes:

4 Things you may not know about me:
1. I had my dad shave the bottom of my head my 8th grade year. My hair was long and covered it except when I would pull it up in a pony tail. He volunteered to do it, not wanting my friends to get carried away and shave too much.
2. At 16 I once walked off with a boy I didn't know in Stockholm, Sweden. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, or who I was with. Looking back it was one of the stupidest things I have ever done. Luckily no harm was done but don't try that at home kids.
3. In college a friend dubbed me "Señora Muchas Smooches" because of all the boys I was kissing.
4. I received music scholarships to all of the colleges I applied to except for BYU. I went to BYU anyway.

4 Places I go over and over:
1. The end of the driveway to pick Cooper up from the bus
2. All the way in to Rocky Mount (25 miles) to go to the nice grocery store, Harris Teeter
3. Google Reader, to check all my friend's blogs
4. To God in prayer.

4 People who email me: (these are most common emails)
1. My mom
2. Michal
3. Erika
4. Vonage, telling me I have a new voicemail

4 Of my favorite foods:
1. Cheesecake
2. Heathbar Ice Cream
3. Gourmet Ravioli
4. Loaded Bake Potato

4 Places I would rather be right now:
1. Curled up in bed, watching a movie I haven't seen
2. On a cruise ship
3. Getting a facial
4. California

4 Movies I watch over and over again:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou
3. Ocean's 11
4. Narnia

4 People I am tagging:
1. Alli
2. Kim
3. Malia
4. Mimi

My pretty Princess

2008-05-25T17:59:00.003-04:00

Grammy bought Catelyn a new 18" doll and many dresses that Catelyn and her new friend can wear together.
If you ask Catelyn to act like a princess she will twirl around in her dress (since that is all she ever wears).

More photo's from today

2008-05-24T20:05:00.001-04:00

Lydia and Mommy.
This grass stuff is a bit yuckie.

Picnic in the yard

2008-05-24T19:28:00.006-04:00

Weekend update:
Lydia is walking full time now. It rained last night and a little this morning. Cooper wanted to go outside and have a picnic but the grass was too wet so I brought the kid's picnic table outside under a tree.

This was Lydia's first experience walking outside. I still can't believe what a big girl she has become all of a sudden. It has been a beautiful day to spend at home with the kids.

Spring showers

2008-05-16T18:53:00.009-04:00

Today was a typical Southern Spring day. Highs in the lower 80's with scattered showers throughout the day and humidity at 58%. It sprinkled this morning and then the sun came out for most of the afternoon. This was our visitor earlier in the morning.
Right about 5:00 pm a downpour came our way and was gone in 1/2 an hour.

After the storm I was looking out my kitchen window and saw something crawling through the grass on it's way to the pond. This is who we found.

The grass was still very wet so I hiked my pants up to get closer to him.
He had beautiful colors on his shell. He pulled his legs in but was keeping his head out to keep an eye on me.
Evan picked him up to take him to the pond and Mr. Turtle was hissing at him.
Evan took him to the end of the dock and put him down. Mr. Turtle scampered off the edge into the pond.

Gorgeous evening out tonight!

My Mamma

2008-05-15T08:53:00.009-04:00

I've been a bit emotionally overwhelmed lately so the task of dedicating a post to my mom has been daunting. She is so amazing and wonderful that sitting down to try and encompass all of her greatness is intimidating. She deserves the praise though so I'll just have to try my best.

My mom is beautiful

My mom is selfless
My mom is service personified
My mom taught her children that can do anything they set their mind to
My mom is creative
My mom is a fantastic Grammy

My mom would give a stranger the shoes off her feet
My mom would give her life for her family and friends
My mom loves to laugh

My mom is an amazing seamstress
My mom is compassionate and forgiving
My mom is vulnerable and sensitive
My mom is a loving wife and doting mother
My mom is a great organizer and planner
My mom is very special to me

I love you Mom, thank you for all your help and support.

Recent pictures

2008-05-14T18:49:00.003-04:00

Uncle Evan came down for a visit this week.

Lydia's looking at Evan here. She's a coy little one.

Catelyn was not feeling well at all and laid on the couch most of the afternoon but climbed on Grammy's lap for a bit.
Evan was making faces at her so she said "Now look at this!"

Kid picture update

2008-05-13T10:07:00.006-04:00

It's been a long while since I've posted pictures of the kids, so I'm taking the time to do that now.

Cooper has lost his 5th tooth. At the rate he's going he's only going to be able to eat puddin'.
Catelyn was breaking some new sandals in by putting sand in them.

Lydia's surgery has done wonders for her eyes. She's scheduled to have them surgically removed May 30th.
I will take some pictures tomorrow and try to get them uploaded as soon as I can.