End of Summer

School has started -- for Max. He is in the 2nd grade now. I absolutely love Max's new teacher. She was a 1st grade teacher last year and told me that she was so excited to see Max on her class list -- she said that he was a smart and cute little blondie. I really wanted to cry. I'm sure that she is so positive with all of the parents, but Max's Kindergarten teacher was an ancient teacher who kind of forgot the art of making the kids feel "warm and fuzzy", and his 1st grade teacher was young and very organized, but I don't know if Max really bonded with her. Every mother needs to hear that her child is well-liked.

I took Max to the audiologist last week to check his ears before school started. We've noticed a few problems, so I was expecting something bad, but the audiologist came out of the test and told me that Max can basically hear at 1/2 the volume that we speak. He has to go back to the ENT for more tests, but we can't get in until the beginning of September; so, in the meantime, the audiologist said that we are treating his hearing as a chronic problem. He would like the teacher to talk into the microphone during class so that Max can hear, and they are going to closely follow his progress. As I was talking to the teacher about the problem, I just really wanted to emphasize the point that I did not want him to be treated differently -- in fact, I want him to be pushed harder academically. He has a focusing problem because he can't hear very well, but his little mind and abilities are grades ahead of 2nd grade. He is extremely intelligent. I really hope that we can figure out this problem and find a solution. I just feel so bad for him.

We went on one last family outing last week before school started. (I remembered my camera, but forgot to charge the battery.) We went with another family to the new Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. The kids had a good time. They were able to pet a sting ray, see the Nemo fish, and see shark. The aquarium is still expanding, but it was only 1/2 price on Monday night and worth it as it was something a little different to do. It only cost $11 to take our whole family. We were going to try the Mayan for dinner, but it was extremely crowded; so, we went to Eat at Joe's. We really don't venture to a lot of restaurants with the kids. Usually Carl's Jr. and Sonic are the safest bets if we go out. But, we thought that we would do something a little different for our outing -- and kids eat free on Monday night. Wow! We scored.


Today was Jake's 1/2 birthday. He's 5 1/2 today! Nate thinks that I'm crazy celebrating 1/2 birthdays, but I think that it's fun. Just another reason to celebrate! Yesterday, I took Jake and 2 of his friends to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch to celebrate (I forgot my camera); and today, he got to ride on my Uncle's motorcyle. That was present enough for him.

By the way, did I mention that I've started my nesting phase?!!? Woo-hoo! It started about 1 1/2 weeks ago after I went to my last OB appointment. I was asking the doctor if there was a magic pill because I was so tired. He asked if I was taking my iron pills. Yes -- as well as my prenatal vitamins, 1 baby aspirin, 800mg of folic acid, and my seizure medication. You would think that any one of those pills would jump start me a little bit. He told me that if I didn't start feeling better, that he would have to put me on a little bed rest everyday. I think that about did it. Mentally, I'm back. My 1st nesting project has been to scour, strip, and reseal all the travertine and granite in my house. It's quite a big project, but oh so satisfying to see the result.

Today was our babysitting night. One family couldn't make it, so we kind of got off easy. The kids had fun and were so good. We had our very healthy, but kid-friendly meal of chicken nuggets, watermelon, applesauce, carrots, popcorn, and cookies. The kids played so hard creating a Halloween haunted house in the basement (I didn't even think to use my camera), and then they watched "The Sandlot" and that was it. I even sat on the couch and read a book for about 1/2 hour while they played. It was fabulous.

Sincere Thank Yous

I am always impressed with those who are so thoughtful and very timely with thank yous. It's a quality that I admire -- and many of you possess it.

Tonight the door bell rang with a little boy holding a box from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a thank you note. He was one of my piano students who just wanted to thank me for teaching him. Inside the box were (3) scrumptious dipped apples. They were so good. Sometimes it's easy to give a thank you without realizing the impact that it has on the recipient. Let's just say that I needed that thank you today.

There are a few times in my life when a thank you is just what was needed. One thank you that I'm thinking of goes back to when I was teaching Jr. High. It was my first year teaching, and the school that I was placed at did not have a curriculum established. I was the only teacher who had to teach 8th & 9th grade, and I had to basically establish my own curriculum with minimal materials. As I was in the classroom before school started, a mother entered my classroom and asked to see my curriculum. I showed her what I was planning on teaching and the books that we would be reading in that English class. She was actually quite rude and told me that one of the books that I had chosen was not suitable for the English class that her child was in. I later found out that this lady was a member of the Eagle Forum -- a very conservative parent group who is extremely vocal. Needless to say, that made me a lot more nervous for the school year to start. Long story short, at the end of the year, this lady sent me the nicest thank you note telling me that my class was her child's favorite and she really liked my teaching style. That is the kind of thank you that you just want to frame.

I really need to be better at sending thank yous. Sometimes it is the only way that other people have to realize that their efforts are appreciated. It's a very admirable quality to have.

p.s. Totally off the subject...but I was thinking about my fast sprint up to the stand last Sunday. You're right, Amy, funny and embarrassing things tend to always happen to me. Many of you will remember when I was pregnant with Devin and I pulled my groin muscle. It was November and Devin was born in January, so I was about as far along as I am now. I decided to be stupid then and run on my treadmill at the speed of 7. I can't remember how long it took for me to be able to walk correctly, but I do remember that it was extremely painful -- and embarrassing. Someday I will post a list of all of the embarrassing moments that I can remember from my life.

Church Callings

One of my callings is that of ward music coordinator. Besides planning the Sacrament music, I also lead the music in Sacrament meeting. I usually like to sit with my family in between songs to be with the kids. However, by the time that Nate gets there with the 3 kids on his own, they are usually sitting at the very back of the cultural hall. So, it's a long walk back up to the stand.

As the meeting on Sunday was coming to a close, I walked out the door to the hallway so that I could walk around to the front of the chapel. I left in plenty of time before the last song. Somebody stopped me in the hallway right as I walked out the door and started talking to me. Unfortunately, the speakers were turned off in the foyer so I couldn't hear when the speaker was finished, but I thought that I had plenty of time. All of a sudden, I heard the organ start playing the closing song. I couldn't believe it! Remember that I was in the hallway at the very back of the cultural hall. I ran all the way down the hall and onto the stand, grabbed my hymn book and started leading just as the congregation started singing. Needless to say, most people were laughing too hard to sing. I'm glad that I can be some comic relief during Sacrament meeting! I ran so fast that I couldn't breathe very well to sing and lead -- how can you sing a high "E" when you can't breathe? If they don't release me after that, I don't know what will make them!

My other two callings are MiaMaid Advisor and I'm also over all the music for the Young Women. I just found out today that they are calling another advisor to help while I am having my baby. Let me see if I can explain. We only have about 7 Mia Maids. There is already a counselor and two advisors for the MiaMaid class. Calling this other person would mean 4 leaders for 7 girls! I'm a little in shock. To me, that is totally unneccessary. I had a long talk with the presidency member today who basically told me that after I have the baby that nobody is allowed to talk to me for 2-3 months. Everything will be taken care of. I've never heard anything like it. Not only that, but I've been told that several people have told the Bishop to release me from ward music coordinator because I have too many callings. I don't know what to say. Isn't it normal to have several callings? I can't believe that I am being taken care of so well.

I was called as Young Women's president when I was barely pregnant with Jake. I had that calling through my pregnancy and after he was born until we moved here when Jake was 1 1/2. Those were some of the hardest years of my life, but I just believe that you serve to the best of your ability.

It feels good, though, to serve with women who understand that we are there not only to serve the girls, but to help and serve each other. The group of women that I work with are absolutely amazing.

First Babysitter of the Summer

We have a babysitting swap with two families in the neighborhood with whom we switch kids every Friday. All the kids are pretty much the same age, so they really entertain each other. Every three weeks, we end up having 9 kids at our house. We feed them dinner and let them play hard, put a movie on for the last hour or so, don't worry about the mess because it will keep getting messier, and then look forward to the next week when it isn't our turn. Each couple goes out from about 5:30-9:00 and does whatever they want.

So...I really haven't had to get a babysitter, which is fabulous, because who can afford to go out these days? Some friends asked us to go to the Hale Center Theater to see a play on Wednesday, so it was necessary to get a babysitter. It is the end of the summer, and I just hired my first babysitter of the summer. Is that amazing, or what? The play was a comedy and very good. I think that it was called "You Can't Take It With You."

The babysitter, I think, did a good job. The kids were all asleep, and the house was at least picked up when we got home. I just remember when I babysat, though, I always scrubbed their houses. I mopped or vacuumed, did the dishes, cleaned up, bathed the kids. It was a tough job! And, the going rate for a babysitter was $1.75/hour -- regardless of the number of kids. I remember watching a houseful of 7 kids for a minimal amount of money.

My number one concern is that my children have fun. I have had some nightmare babysitters in the past. I have come home to some of the following:
1. A babysitter who brought a friend along without my knowing.
2. A babysitter who decided to just play with my expensive label maker and waste all of the labels. The weird part was that she didn't even bother cleaning up the labels that she wasted. The labels were all over the floor when we got home with I Love _______ on them.
3. A babysitter who was asleep on my couch with the pizza and fruit and hotdogs just sitting on the counter ruined.
4. A babysitter who said to the kids, even before we left so that we could hear: "You play by yourselves. I'll just watch." She didn't play with the kids at all, didn't clean up, and according to the kids, just sat on the couch. And this girl's mother had told me that when they lived in Michigan, parents wouldn't go out unless they had one of her girls babysit. They must have been the only girls available to babysit, because I was so disappointed that I never had her come back.

I pay between $5-$6/hour for a babysitter. There are some in the neighborhood who pay $7-$8. (How much do you all pay?)

Am I the only one who has a hard time spending money on a babysitter? And...when I spend money on a babysitter, I want it to be worth every penny. I want my children to have a really good time, I want them to feed and put my kids to bed, and I want my house to be cleaner than when I left it. Is that too much to ask?

Gratefully, I had a good experience with this last one. She is one of my Mia Maids, and I absolutely love her.

A Fun Birthday

We finally celebrated Max's 7th birthday a few weeks late. I've been so tired that the thought of 20 kids at the house seemed a bit overwhelming. And the idea of not having a party this year was just not an option. Max is my child who just loves birthday parties -- he dreams about them and talks about them several months in advance.

I've never done this before, but we kind of went the easy route this year for his party and went to a place called Backyard Adventures. I don't think that it was worth the amount of money that it cost me, but I really hope that the kids had a fun time.


Do you remember when I told you about the cake decorating that I "won" at a Relief Society Enrichment? Well...here it is. I had this lady make a Star Wars cake for Max. I don't know if this picture does it justice, but she really did such a cute job. She even used a little Spanish Moss for the twiggy hair. Max loved it.

Max is a really neat little boy. I can't believe that I have a 7-year-old. He grew up so fast. Max is:

1. a very good eater -- my only one!
2. very intelligent
   
3. a fantastic piano player (he has a little metronome in his head. His counting is unbelievable)
   
4. very imaginative. He has always had the ability to build and play by himself if needed.
   
5. a good artist. He loves to draw and color.
6. very quick at figuring out things like computer and XBox games (although these are not my favorite things so he doesn't get a lot of time with them)
7. a very good friend.
   

Happy 7th Birthday, Max! I love you!!!

Definitely not nesting

I am seriously wondering what is wrong with me right now. I am waiting for my pregnancy nesting phase to begin, and it just won't happen. I have so much to do, and I have no motivation whatsoever. I am just plain and simply tired. Those of you who know me well know that I am usually out-of-control and can't sit down. I guess that I still can't sit down, but I don't really have the desire to do anything.

Devin is still in the crib -- we need to buy him a bed and repaint and redo his room. I still have several framing projects that I have to finish in the next couple of weeks; I have not done any school shopping; I'm still finishing up with piano lessons; my "to do list" keeps growing everyday and I don't feel the desire to do any of it. Not only have I lost my desire to do anything, but I started to finally feel a little nausea.

A little side story about my nausea: I was teaching a cute little 7-year-old girl piano. Towards the end of the lesson, she sneezed and blood came spurting out of her nose. I took one look at her and started dry-heaving. It was so gross! I guess that she had a bloody nose before she came to the lesson, and it wasn't totally dried up. I tried really hard to be nice and positive, but I couldn't even help her clean it up. I felt so bad!

Anyway, our schedules are usually packed. But, last week after the kids' soccer games, we finally had a Saturday free to get things done, and I just couldn't move. I ended up lying down most of the day. It was so disappointing for me not to see things getting knocked off of my "to do list." I ended up reading and doing Sudoku number puzzles. Definitely not like me!

So my ultimate question is: How do I start this nesting phase?

A very thoughtful gift

Nate and I had our 10th anniversary on August 1st. We usually miss our anniversaries because we are on family vacations or I'm having babies, etc. This year was kind of no exception. I had just gotten back from San Diego the night before, and I was tired. We didn't have anything planned, but we did go out to dinner a couple of nights later.

Although we didn't go on a major vacation like some do for their 10th anniversary, Nate really put a lot of thought into my anniversary gift this year. I was so impressed with him that it made me cry.

I used to play the violin quite well. I started taking lessons when I was 4 and played throughout high school. Although I still played as I got into junior high and high school, piano was my greatest love, and so I concentrated on that talent. After high school, I never picked up my violin again. Nate has never heard me play. So, for my anniversary present, he took my violin to get it restrung and tuned up a bit. It still works after 13 years!!! I was surprised at how much I remember, yet still saddened by how much of a talent I lost.

Thank you, Nate, for being such a thoughtful and wonderful husband.

Oh...you mean they were serious?

It was the 24th of July. We really didn't have any plans because Nate's family was in St. George where we were supposed to be. So...being the kind mother that I sometimes am, I decided that I would make Hannah's delicious strawberry shortcake recipe that is on her blog. Now, this may seem normal to most of you to make desserts, but I rarely even make cookies. Cooking and baking are just not at the top of my priority list. (By the way, I have a friend whose husband has to have a salad, meat, main dish, and dessert with every meal. Dessert, too! Honestly. I'd have to subscribe to the Dessert of the Month club. I am so glad that Nate's OK with peanut butter sandwiches and a glass of milk if necessary.)

Anyway, I whipped up the angel food cake (from a mix, of course). It looked and tasted pretty good. I was doing great! Then, I started to get the pan ready. Not that I've ever used it before, but I do have an angel food cake pan that we got for a wedding present 10 years ago. It looked almost brand new (except that I had a friend borrow it once). So as I was preparing to pour it into the pan, I see in bold letters on the cake mix box: Do not bake in a pan smaller than a 10x4 because it will overflow. My pan, of course, was a 9x3. What to do?

1) I could not find my bundt pan.
2) I already had the stupid cake mix ready to go so I had to do something.
3) My pan was an angel food cake pan -- how could there possibly be different sizes? Isn't everything standard?
4) My friend who borrowed it didn't seem to have a problem.

So...I thought that I would be just fine and I poured the mix into the pan and popped it into the oven. As the picture above suggests, that was not a good idea. The bold letters were indeed correct. The box did not lie. It was serious.

Embarrassing, but we happened to have friends come over just to talk because they were in the neighborhood. They witnessed the spill over and the burnt smell as it hit the bottom of the oven. Needless to say, I did not offer to have them stay for dinner.

The cake still tasted OK, but I completely lost my desire to make the delicious recipe on Hannah's blog. I decided that if my family wanted strawberry shortcake, they could just do it the old fashioned way -- by themselves. I did not even want to help.

As it turned out, we had friends invite us over for smores that night and we ended up having a firework show in our cul-de-sac. So, the strawberry shortcake was forgotten. It did not even have to be made in the first place.

And, not only that...I have a self-clean oven, but I have no desire to even turn on the self-clean. The mess is still there over a week later. I have a double oven, so I have just been using the other one. What a stupid mistake! Next time, I guess that I could read the directions. Oh yeah...the directions also said to remove the other racks and use the lowest rack of the oven. I kind of skipped that direction as well seeing as how my oven was already preheated and the rack was too hot to remove. Woops!

Michelle...I couldn't help but think of you and talking about the multiple steps that you have to do to make your yummy chocolate cake. Knowing my personality, I would probably try to combine the steps to get done faster and then waste time because the cake would be ruined.

Just out of curiosity -- do any of you make multiple course meals for your family on a regular basis?

Devin making smores at the neighbors. (Much more fun than eating my strawberry shortcake.)

So much fun!

I just got back from my San Diego/Arizona trip where I spent 5 fabulous days without kids. I highly recommend this for every mother. It was a much needed break. Nate was incredibly sweet to me and was glad that I had the opportunity to go. My inlaws were so supportive and came up to help Nate take care of the kids so that he could work. To all of them I give my sincere thanks.

The initial purpose of the trip was to go with my mom and sister to see "Wicked" in San Diego. Ever since buying the CD, I have absolutely loved the music. Seeing the actually show, though, was amazing. It was so well done. I LOVED it!!!!!!!

All three of us took the: "Is your personality more Glinda or more Elphaba" test. My mom's and sister's personalities, according to the test, are both more Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). My personality, according to the test, is more Glinda (the Good Witch).
If I had to choose a role in the show to play, it would definitely be the role of Glinda. Her songs were so fun. I would love to get my voice back to where it used to be and play a role like that. Someday!

The initial plan was to fly home after the play, but Kelli was going to drive to Arizona to spend a week, so I decided to tag along for the drive and spend a day or two before flying back to Utah. I am very glad that I did.

I was able to meet my sister, Allison's, baby for the first time. He was born in May and she named him Barrett (our maiden name). He is absolutely adorable.
I was also able to visit with my brother, Kyle, who got into a horrible car accident a couple of weeks ago. After seeing his cute little bug that he was driving, I'm surprised that he is even alive. The car is totalled. When we got the call about the accident and were told that he was life flighted to the hospital, my mind automatically prepared for the worst. I am so glad that he is OK. He broke a few teeth, a little chunk came off of his nose, and he bit his tongue through and had to get stitches. He was in the hospital for about a week. The steering wheel is completely bent and twisted. I am surprised that he doesn't have chest trauma. He is still undergoing some tests, but I was so happy to see how well he is doing.

My trip was full, but successful. I even slept until 11 am one day. I think that it has been since college that I've had that opportunity!

I was excited to fly back and to see my kids. They are so cute. And they were so good while I was gone (or so I was told). I'm now putting my house back together and getting back into the swing of things. After being home for a full day, I think that I'm tired again and need another vacation!

A bad ending to a good day

Most of my Saturday was absolutely fabulous. The boys played football with the neighborhood kids for hours and Nate was playing in a golf tournament -- leaving me with some rare alone time. I got a lot of stuff done around the house, I played with Devin, I even got to read for about 1/2 hour. I can't remember the last time that I have had a day like this.

Miracle of miracles, I decided that I might as well cook something for dinner because I actually had time. So, I decided to make a big breakfast meal -- complete with the most scrumptious homemade syrup. I had several different pans going -- bacon, syrup, eggs, french toast. Right after I got all of the pans going, the power went out. Thinking the power would come back on, I left everything as is. After an hour with all of the food ruined and the kids starving, the power still was not back on. That left Sonic for dinner. And...it goes down hill from there. Sonic messed up our order several times, I ended up paying for things that I didn't order, but I was too tired to argue anymore. So, I just took all of the food home and fed the kids. I finally found a moment when I could eat -- and my order was wrong. This is really not like me, but I drove all the way back to Sonic to get my order right. I'm pregnant -- that's all I can say.

It was about 8:00 pm by this time, and the power was still out. Weirdly, there were only 5 houses in the neighborhood with the power outage. I left Nate with the kids while I ran to the Orem Seagull Book to pick up a hymn book for the Young Women that I was asked to purchase. I had already been to the Lindon store earlier that day, and they didn't have one hymn book in the store. (How could that be!) The Lindon store closes at 9:00, so I assumed the Orem store did as well. No. I drove all the way out to Orem only to find a dark store -- it closed at 8:00. I drove all the way out there for nothing.

The power was still out when I got home, and it was getting pretty dark in the house. The kids were filthy after playing football all day, so we took all of our stuff to the neighbor's house to bathe our kids. Our neighbors' house sits empty as they are on a mission. We have been given a key and free access to their house. But, we didn't warn the other neighbors that we would be over there. So, they thought that an intruder was in the house as they could only see lights flicking on and off. Luckily they didn't call the police.

The power was still out at 9:30 pm. The house was now hot, it was very dark, and our huge floodlight was losing power. We sat on the balcony with the kids to cool off and to watch the Cedar Hills fireworks show. It was a really good show and we had good seats on our balcony.

The kids had a hard time going to sleep with all the excitement and finally drifted off to sleep around midnight. (Keep in mind that we have church at 9:00 am). It was so hot in the house that Nate and I had a hard time going to sleep. The power finally came on at 2:00 am. We were without power for over 7 hours.

We were exhausted by our lack of sleep. I have no idea what time it was when we finally fell asleep, but I do know that it wasn't a lot of sleep. In the morning, I still had to iron and put together some music for the Young Women. Somehow I made it to church to lead the music in Sacrament, and Nate was able to get the boys there on time. Amazing!

Today turned out to be crazy -- I led the music in Sacrament, sang with the Relief Society choir in church, practiced the leader's camp song with them after church, accompanied the ward choir after that, had two groups of Young Women come over to my house to practice their singing trees songs for camp, and then went to our Home Teacher's house with the family for dessert. I was finally done with my day by 6:30 pm.

A few things that I have decided:
1. We are totally unprepared if something major happens. We don't own a generator, I could only find one flashlight, we don't have a lot of extra batteries, etc.
2. Why make dinner? Something always seems to happen when I go to the effort.
3. I don't know if I can keep my picture goal that I talked about in my last blog. I thought that I had charged my camera battery only to find out that I had put the battery in incorrectly. Thus, the reason for no pictures about our weird day. Jill will be so disappointed in my stupidity.
4. I'm tired. It's been a long day. I hope that yours has been better.

Oh...to be like Jill!

I know that this title can refer to several of Jill's fabulous qualities. Right now, what I'm referring to is her incredible photography skills and her ability to document accurately and beautifully any occasion.

(Family in Branson at the fountain show)

I'm in rather a sad slump as I am organizing pictures from our Nauvoo trip. Where was my camera for all the funny moments? I only took 42 pictures (not all of which even look fabulous) during our 10-day trip. Jill could take that many pictures at a Seven Peaks outing!

(Devin at Silver Dollar City Amusement Park in Branson. This is the only picture that I took there. Sad!)

Actually, I guess that I should be proud of myself that I did indeed go to the store before the trip and buy a charger. (If you will remember, I thought that I had left my camera charger in Arizona during our last trip.) Sadly, after I opened my charger and used it, we found our other charger in a box in the basement. There went an unneccesary $30!!!

(Jake with Grandpa Max. (Nate's grandpa who is on a mission in Nauvoo.) Grandpa Max is a true cowboy and one of Jake's heroes. After we got home from our trip, Jake used his allowance money to buy cowboy boots. Very cute!)

My new goal? To actually use my camera.

(Have you ever actually seen a lily pad? We were there at the perfect time -- the lily pads on the Mississippi River were absolutely beautiful with the biggest white flowers.)

(We allowed the boys to choose one souvenir. This is just another thing for Jake to add to his dress-up collection. He comes up with the best outfits.)


(Max and Jake at window in Carthage where Joseph Smith was martyred.)


(Max and Jake at Nauvoo Visitors' Center)



(Boys in Mark Twain cave. Part of our scenic 9 hour drive to Branson. Very cool -- but $50 to take my little family through? Honestly!)

Jill -- I can do it. I know that I will regret it if I don't use my camera. So, Jill you are my hero. I hope that I will become a little bit like you.

I'm Home!!!

We finally arrived home from our fun, but crazy traveling, family trip on Sunday. I feel like we traveled all over the country. Yes, we are exhausted. Wait until you hear how much we drove.

Fri (July 7th) -- drove 6 hours to Las Vegas -- we had to borrow Nate's sister's car at the last minute because ours conveniently decided to break down right when we were ready to pack up.

Saturday -- we flew from Las Vegas to Peoria, Illinois (~ 3 hours) -- we rented a car and drove straight to the motel

Sunday -- we woke up early and drove to Nauvoo (~ 2 hours) where we toured Carthage and unpacked at the houses where we were staying.

Monday -- we didn't travel -- yeah! -- just toured Nauvoo

Tuesday -- we drove to St. Louis via the scenic route, definitely unintentional (~ 4 1/2 hours) and stayed at the Hyatt hotel, which is inside a shopping mall. Needless to say, we had to hike with all of our bags and tired kids to our room. Along the way, we stopped at the Mark Twain cave -- very interesting, but it was $50 and Devin wanted to be carried the whole 1 hour tour by me only

Wednesday -- We drove to Branson, Missouri (~ 4 1/2 hours) and went to a horrible show that night (a high school play or a ward road show would have been better)

Thursday -- We went to the Silver Dollar City amusement park in Branson, where we got there late (2:30) and the park closed at 7:00. Luckily, we had an excellent time there. I wish that we could have stayed longer. The kids loved the roller coasters. I managed to turn my belly a little bit and sneak on a few rides myself. It's only a precaution not to allow pregnant women on rides, right?

Friday -- We drove 9 hours straight back to Nauvoo where we watched the Nauvoo pageant. After the pageant, we piled back into our cars and drove 2 hours to Peoria where we passed out for a few hours in our hotel room before we had to leave the next morning.

Saturday -- Our 3 hour plane ride back to Las Vegas left at 8:55 am. We were up bright and early @ 6:00 am to get to the airport on time.

Sunday -- We drove 5 hours back to Utah

It was so humid that my legs were so swollen after so much walking and driving. And, after eating out every day, it was very embarrassing that I had to weigh in at the doctor's office this morning for my check up. I think that I gained most of my 17 pound pregnancy weight on this trip.

I'm glad to be home. Most of you will be pleased that I just found a burst of energy and emptied all of the suitcases on Monday morning. Yeah for me!!!!!

Has it been a year?

On June 30th, it has been one year since the death of my sister-in-law, Trudy. It's kind of a surreal experience to realize that it has been a year and to relive some of the events of that day and to think of everything that has happened since.

My mind just naturally travels back to the horrific phone call from my little brother in Arizona saying that there had been a horrible accident with Trudy and her two little boys while they were on vacation in Utah. My brother, Trudy's husband, was out of reach as he was on an airplane flying to Utah to drive home with them. Trudy and her little boys were on their way to the airport to meet his plane when the accident occurred. My parents were out of reach as they were in the mountains of Arizona with no cell phone service. I didn't know the status of the injuries, but only that Adam (6) was at Primary Children's hospital and that Trudy was at McKay Dee (sp?) hospital. Tyler (2) was OK. With that information, Nate and I grabbed a neighbor to watch our kids, picked up Tresa, Trudy's sister, on the way and just started driving -- calling on our cell phones the whole way.

When we reached Primary Children's and saw Adam with his severe injuries, the impact of the severity of the accident was heart wrenching. We stayed with Adam for about an hour -- the hospital where Trudy was told us that she was in surgery and that a maternity specialist was with her as she was pregnant at the time. At that moment, we thought that she would be OK.

Aaron landed in Salt Lake to his name being paged over the loud speaker and several messages on his cell phone. He called me and told me to stay with Adam while he went to be with Trudy. After about an hour, a trauma counselor came to talk to us and told us that while Adam's injuries were severe, he was stable. She didn't know Trudy's condition, but she did know that she suffered head injuries, and she advised us to go be with Trudy. So, we left.

On our drive to the hospital, we were called and told that Trudy was brain-dead and on life support because the baby still had a heart beat. I don't know how we drove the rest of the way with all of the emotions that we were feeling.

When we got to the hospital, Trudy's family had been contacted and were in the waiting room. Aaron had asked for me to go back and to be with him. It was the saddest experience to be in the room with him and Trudy as he just talked and reminisced. I can't imagine the pain that he was feeling.

I stayed at Primary Children's that night to be with Adam. Aaron and his little boy, Tyler, stayed with Trudy. My parents and siblings all drove through the night to be with us. Aaron called me the next morning and asked me to beg the doctors to let Adam come with me because the baby's heart beat was gone and they were going to let Trudy off of life support. He wanted Adam to have the opportunity to say good-bye to his mom. I got off of the phone with Aaron and basically went into shock, crying and shaking uncontrollably. I had been somewhat composed until that time. And then everything just hit me. The doctors, naturally, would not let Adam go.

My family arrived. And my family and Trudy's family gathered in Trudy's room for a family prayer before they pulled the life support. It is truly amazing how life can change so quickly.

There was a funeral in Menden, Utah, a few days later, which her family planned; and then a funeral in Arizona the next week. The funerals were postponed as long as possible to see if Adam would be released from the hospital. He missed the funeral in Menden. He was released from the hospital on the day of the viewing in Arizona. He went straight from the hospital to the airport -- bruised and with a neck brace.

Little Tyler stayed with me the night before we flew to Arizona. I was truly amazed by how calm and happy he was. He didn't cry the entire week. As I was packing, he came up to me and said, "Jana, my mom's here." I asked Tyler if he would show me where she was. He took me into my boys' room and pointed to the middle of the floor. "She's right there. Hi mom!" I just knew that Trudy's spirit had been with him to help him through.

I stayed in Arizona for the next 6 weeks for a lot of reasons. One week after the funeral, my sister got married. We also had a family reunion after that. Life during those 6 weeks is another crazy story all together.

Although life has somewhat returned to normal for us, Aaron and his boys will have a continuous struggle as they try to find some sense of normality and as they try to seek some peace and understanding for the events that occurred. Trudy was a special person -- a great friend and a great mother. She is greatly missed and we love her.

Meet My Family

I was sorting through my pictures upstairs, and I totally forgot that Jill is so on top of things and made me a CD of our family pictures. I was so excited! So, I thought that I would introduce you to my family. Thanks, Jill!

Here is a picture of my cute family.


I absolutely love my boys. Aren't they cute? I hope they love me forever.


This is Max. He will be 7 at the end of July and is entering the 2nd grade. He is such a good boy and a big help to me. He is absolutely brilliant -- he won the Kindergarten Spelling Bee, he won a writing contest in 1st grade, and we constantly have to find ways to challenge his brain. He is my child prodigy on the piano. It's exciting to hear him play.




This is Jake. He turned 5 at the end of February. He has always acted older than his age, and I usually forget how young he is. He is going into Kindergarten this year. He is a sports fanatic and was born loving sports. At the age of 1, he had a perfect jump shot. He has an amazing ability of just watching and doing. He can watch a golf tournament, and then go out in the backyard and mimic the moves of the professionals. He is amazing. Jake has the cutest habit of wearing unique outfits. He will change his outfit based on what he is playing. He is the reason why my laundry room is always out of control. He can go from being a football player, to playing a cowboy, to becoming a hunter -- all in the matter of a couple of hours.


This is Devin. He is almost 2 1/2. He just makes me smile. He was born with the cutest curls. His hair has since turned wavy, but he has the coolest hair. He does have a mind of his own and thinks that he is as old as the other two. He also just loves me to hold him. He can melt my heart.


This is Nate. We have been married for 10 years in August. That's crazy! How did I get to be so old? Nate has amazing qualities. He is a little of everything. He is a computer programmer and is absolutely brilliant. He is also an amazing athlete. He flips off the mountain while skiing, he has a great basketball dunk, he is a fabulous football player, a great golf player, and loves to play any and all sports. He is the only boy in his family, so you can imagine how ecstatic he is with our 4 boys. (We have a 4th boy due in October). He loves to read and watch movies. We are really good friends and get along so well.

Why?

Here is my list of "why's" that I just keep thinking about:

1. Why did I refuse the help of a bagger who wanted to help me unload my groceries today at the grocery store?

The consequence of my refusal was the following:

a. I had to hold Devin in my arms because the cart was too full

b. I was steering the cart with my hips because my arms were full

c. My other two boys were desperately trying to help, but they kept turning the cart in the wrong direction from the car, which caused two things to happen: 1) The cart hit the back of Jake's heels and hurt him 2) The milk flew out from the bottom of the cart, hit the road, and started spurting milk.

This could all have been avoided had I accepted the help today.

2. Why do doctors tell you that if you are going to have a miscarriage that there is nothing they can do about it, so you might as well just resume your normal activities?

This just happened to a friend of mine. She went to the doctor because she started bleeding and she is about 16 weeks along. So, he sent her home with the above explanation. Do doctors not understand that women will by nature resume normal activity? Why can't they just tell you to lie down and take it easy for a couple of days?

I know that in my 2 horrible miscarriage incidents last year, that had the hospital told me to lie down and watch for any abnormal activity, that I might not have hemorrhaged on the floor.

3. Why can't parents look in their children's piano notebooks and make sure that they are practicing what they are supposed to practice? Why do they harp on them to practice for 20-30 minutes and don't even know if they are actually doing their lesson? I truly don't understand this. A lot of piano lesson time is spent in practicing what should have been practiced all week! This is extremely frustrating to me.

4. Why did I have a lady's huge $500 mirror sitting in my music room for 3 weeks -- paranoid that one of my piano students, or one of my children, etc. would come in and knock it down? All she wanted me to do was to put mirror hangers and wire on the back of the mirror so that she could hang it up. She brought it over and left. It took me about 10 minutes the next day. She lives around the corner and would never pick it up. Finally she picked it up yesterday with no apology and no offer to even pay for the wire -- not that it was an intense job or anything -- but, why are some people inconsiderate?

5. Why did Devin just color on my couch with a black permanent marker? Probably because Nate assumed that my 6-year-old would watch him while I was at the doctor's office and while he was working downstairs. This one just baffles me. Grateful for all parties involved in this mishap, I was able to get the marker out -- the couch must have good scotch guard, and the couch came with some great cleaners. Can you imagine if I had to make another claim on my furniture!

My list of "why's", I'm sure, will continue to grow everyday. I guess that is what makes life so interesting.

"I Just Want to Play With My Kids"

I went to a Relief Society luncheon today. We sat at the home of our Relief Society president -- a mom with 9 kids -- and talked while all of our kids played. I just find her to be the most fascinating -- yet exhausting-- woman. Her kids are very knowledgeable in the scriptures, they bare their testimonies on Fast Sundays, very kind and helpful kids, very structured household.

Anyway, in the course of our discussion today, she told us that she had decided to home school her 3 grade school children (mind you, she also has 2 or 3 little ones under grade school age) because she just wants time to play with her kids. I was speechless. I know several people who have or who are home schooling their kids for different reasons, but I was just amazed by this woman. Her decision has nothing to do with the schools -- in fact she loves the school and the teachers -- she just wants to spend more time with her children.

I really have not formulated an opinion about her decision, but it has made me wonder how much quality time I am spending with my own children. I've decided that I'm trying and that I'm doing pretty well. So far we have had an OK summer. We haven't yet made it to the public pools or to 7 Peaks, but we have:

1. Played a lot with friends
2. Had a couple of neighborhood parties
3. Been to the park several times
4. Been to numerous baseball games
5. Been golfing
6. Gone to the library
7. Done "mommy and kids school" (that's what my kids call doing school work at home)
8. Done yard work
9. Bought a fun slip & slide
10. Played with cousins and the rest of Nate's family
11. Spent Father's Day in the canyon
12. Practiced a lot of piano
13. We try to go on one "field trip" each day

As she was talking, my mind was doing a few things.
1. I was wondering if she was crazy -- doesn't she need some alone time after all that she has on her plate?
2. I was trying to tell myself, as I've indicated above, that I am a fun mom and that my kids really do like me.
3. My mind was racing with how expensive it could be to home school and to play with your kids all the time.

Well...item number 3 was answered for me as we were leaving. This woman -- a very busy Relief Society President with 9 kids -- was gathering all of her children together so that they could start their 2-hour project. She said that her kids owe her 2-hours of work everyday before they can do fun things. And she's very strict about it. That made me feel a little better. She told me that a lot of her together time with her children was in teaching them how to work and different things like that -- not necessarily expensive field trips that cost money.

So, the coming year will tell. Will she survive with almost no alone time? I don't know. But I've decided that we are all different. I'm one who loves to work hard and to play hard at appropriate times. But I'm also one who enjoys a little alone time from everybody at some point in time everyday.

So...what kind of person are you? Do you need the alone time? Or, do you relish in the company of your children, spouse, etc. and can't get enough?

True Love

Have you ever asked yourself what you would be willing to do for the people that you love?

Nate and I have been talking about this question for several reasons. Nate's aunt recently found out that after 30 years of marriage, her husband has been having an affair for 5 years without her knowing. In this instance, the divorce was inevitable. Of course we don't know everything that went on in those years, but it appears that this husband was finding fault and justifying his actions based on faults.

In contrast, Nate's mother has been caring for his father who is a diabetic for years. She has cared for him through several major operations and major diabetic episodes. She's simply a saint. Her recent act of love is above and beyond the call of duty.

Because of Steve's diabetes, his weight has been fluctuating drastically. He has found in the past that the Jenny Craig program really works well for him. He recently tried to sign up again for this program, but was denied because of his increased health problems. He was so disappointed that he was denied access to the program, that Diane said she would sign up for the program and just give him the food.

It all sounds well and good, but the humiliation starts with the one requirement for the Jenny Craig program -- you have to weigh in weekly. Sadly, Diane's weight -- while being on "normal" food -- is increasing, while Steve's weight is decreasing. Diane is definitely not overweight; but nonetheless, her counselors are baffled with her lack of success and have taken to calling her at home regularly to boost her confidence -- and she must still weigh in weekly. Talk about humiliation!

Of course, this is now the family joke when we see them and we all analyze what Diane's eating because we know the counselors will be calling. But in all seriousness, what a better relationship to be in where you would be willing to suffer humiliation and sacrifice for the one you love rather than the above example where one just dwells on faults and is not willing to sacrifice.

We were just watching the LDS movie "Pride and Prejudice." One of the quotes in that movie says, "Happiness in marriage is just a matter of chance." I don't know about that. I think that happiness takes a lot of work and sacrifice. What do you think?

I won!

As many of you know, I have a very active 2-year-old. In March, I came into the Family Room after finishing getting ready and noticed a black substance all over my new chair and ottoman. Devin had taken the syrup from the breakfast dishes that were not yet cleared and dumped almost an entire bottle of syrup all over the furniture. My furniture is under warranty, so I wasn't really freaking out about it. I called, made a claim, and the upholestry cleaners came out soon after. The next day, after the upholestry had dried, we noticed that the syrup still had not come completely out. So, I called and explained the situation. They said that they would have an appraiser come out within the next 30 days to check it out. Nobody came and nobody called within that time frame. In the meantime, the syrup obviously is imbedded in the furniture. After calling and explaining yet again, they said that my original claim did not include the chair, just the ottoman. Frustration!!!!!!!!!!!! I asked them if I had signed anything that indicated that I approved the claim, I asked why I would only say the ottoman if the chair was the most damaged, I asked why the cleaners cleaned both pieces if the claim only said the ottoman, etc. etc. They said they would get back to me. As of last week and several phone calls, they were still only willing to pay for the ottoman. Meaning, that I was out about $800 for the chair. Earlier this week, I decided to try one more time. I talked to the same person who didn't relent at all, and then I finally just told them that I wanted to make a new claim then. Long story short, I was simply sent to the claims department where they simply said that I couldn't make a new claim because there was a discrepancy with my old claim. She said that someone would call me back the next day. Moral of the story: without any explanation, the same person with whom I have spoken since March called the next day and said that they had made the adjustment to the claim and I now have $1200 worth of store credit at Bassett. I have no idea what changed their mind, but I guess it was just my badgering (is that the right word Jessie & Amie?) that ultimately they were sick of.

Why is it so hard to work with companies -- especially claims adjustors and insurance companies?

I'm sorry that that was a long story, and probably did not make sense, but I feel so relieved and accomplished. (Plus, Nate took the boys golfing, so I have time to write. Yeah!!!)

Am I Deserving?

Amy came over yesterday and absolutely made my day. She not only brought me some scrapbooking magazines, but two absolutely adorable/soft/fuzzy baby blankets in really cute boy colors. I really wanted to cry by such thoughtfulness. Thank you so much, Amy, for being so sweet to me. I don't know if I am deserving of such wonderful friends. I am in awe of how thoughtful so many people are.

Random side note because it happened a couple of hours ago. I was designing some pictures for some friends -- which took about 3 hours. (Frustrating, but necessary for a good design.) Anyway, they brought their kids with them. Their oldest boy is the same age as Max, but about 3 times as big. He could pass for a 4th grader. Anyway, after a couple of hours, Max came inside holding his tooth in his hand. They were playing on the tramp and somehow when they were playing crack the egg, this larger child's knee hit Max's mouth hard enough to knock out a tooth that wasn't even loose. Max didn't seem, too hurt, which is good. I'm just looking at the clock, however, and wondering what the tooth fairy is going to do. We were definitely not prepared for a random tooth loss. Do you think Max will take a check or credit card?

Another random side note -- I have got to find the battery charger for my digital camera, so I can take pictures of all of these funny things that keep happening. Hopefully I will find it soon. I get so jealous of all of your cute pictures that go with your blogs. Cross your fingers that I will find it. I've missed out on documenting the last 3 months of my life. So frustrating.

Music

Yesterday (Sunday), I was given the fabulous opportunity of speaking in church, organizing musical numbers, leading the music, and teaching the Young Women. I definitely felt like people saw a little too much of me yesterday.

My topic for Sacrament meeting was simply, "music". I think that it went well. I incorporated the music that I had chosen for Sacrament meeting and musical numbers and talked about stories relating to these songs, etc. Unfortunately, I chose a lot of songs that really mean a lot to me, which always bring forth a flood emotions, so the tears were inevitable. Have you ever given a talk in church without crying?

Some of the songs that I was talking about were songs that we as a family had sung at funerals -- I Wonder When He Comes Again (sung in Spanish at my Grandpa Willis's funeral), and Oh That I Were an Angel (sung at my Grandpa Barrett's funeral). Believe it or not, but I actually can sing at funerals and other special occassions under the following conditions: I have to totally tune out the speakers before the musical number, I have to look at the clock while singing, those that I'm singing with are absolutely not allowed to touch me or to look at me during the song. Everybody knows my rules by now, so if someone violates these rules, it is serious.

And Renegade girls -- I also had the congregation sing Did You Think to Pray? where it talks about the Balm of Gilead. I was thinking about the book Gilead a lot of the time. :)

How was your Sunday?