The Barry Bunch

Anderson Melts My Heart

2011-08-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

How is it that my sweet 4 year old son, Anderson, can melt my heart in a jiffy? He's really good at it. Watch out he might melt yours as well if you keep on reading...

On Sunday, shortly after church, he came up to me and said,"Mommy, I can say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.". I Said,"that's great!"

As he was walking away, I heard him say, "Heavenly Father" and then he preceded to practice saying a prayer, even the older kids noticed him practicing.

So last night, at dinner time, I asked him to say the prayer and he said, "sure, I can do it!!!".

This was the first time he said the prayer without any help, all on his own. When he was done, we all said,"great job, Anderson, you did it all by yourself!" He then clapped his hands together and said, "yep, I DID IT!"-- with the biggest smile on his face. Too cute.

Bella and I

2011-05-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to take our dog, Bella on a 5 mile walk today. I wasn't sure if she would make it since she is a fairly small dog.

She started out full of peppiness (is that even a word?), jumping from side to side on her leash. She wouldn't walk in a straight line, there was just too much to see and smell. We walked half-way with Morgan to school, and enjoyed his company. It's the strangest thing to look up at your son. He sure is growing! When it came time for us to part and go separate ways, Bella looked perplexed. Morgan and I joked about the possibility of him bringing her to school with him. He was sure his English teacher, Mrs. Mongielo, (who happens to be a dog lover) would gladly allow Bella to stay.

But Bella had a mission to accomplish, or rather I, to see how she would fare on such a long walk. We said our good-bye's and off we went.

When we reached the main road, Bella seemed to get even more excited when she saw the cars whizzing by and the high school girls walking to school. As a group of three girls approached us, they all said at once, "awe, she's so cute!" One of course wanted to pet her, and put her hand out for Bella to sniff. Bella took this jester quite seriously, and sniffed intently. Then all off a sudden, she let out a loud and slightly aggressive "ROOF!" The girl then looked at me with the most perplexed look, and I said, "sorry..."

We then proceeded past the new Walgreen's on our right, and over a bridge. This really intimidated Bella. The noise from the cars passing by was much louder and seemed to echo on the bridge. Then a huge truck drove by, which seemed to frighten her, and from that moment on she seemed very apprehensive of automobiles.

We had probably walked around 2 miles by then, and now we were walking uphill. She seemed to want to stop for a rest, so we did every so often. As I was walking, my mind started to wander on how I could seem to handle the walk with ease, and why she, a young dog might be getting tired? Anyways, the only thing that made sense to me was that she had to take more steps to keep up with my stride.

When we reached the top of the "mountain," we took a left toward the golf course. The sprinklers were on, so she and I walked closer to the course. I thought she might enjoy a sip of water from one of the puddles on the ground. Nope, she's too good to drink straight off the ground. She would not stoop to such a level!

As we wound our way around the course, she saw a bird. The type that run on the ground with a little plume on their head. I so can't remember the name for this bird. From that moment on, she was alert and re-energized! I learned something new about her today, that she loves chasing little birds! Every time she would hear a rustling sound in the bushes or the trees, she would get more pep in her step and pull forward on her leash. This slowed our walking pace quite a bit.

We turned around and then I decided to jog up the hill in hopes to keep her focused on the task at hand-- completing our walk. This seemed to work and before we knew it, we were back on the main road, heading home. She seemed to recognize that we had already been this way, and that we were headed home. She picked up her pace and we made it home an hour and a half later. We were both so thirsty! As Madison was filling up her bowl with fresh water, I was getting a glass of water for myself. Bella didn't see her bowl of water, so she kept jumping up to my glass of water, begging for her own. As we both settled down, and refreshed our thirst, I realized-- "hey, I have a new walking pal!" YAY

Lesson #5 Good News, All Trials End!

2011-04-28T18:27:00.003-07:00

I leave you with the last lesson, the one that brings hope to anyone who might be suffering and feeling that all might be lost.

It's a lesson taught to us by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Sunday Will Come

I will not attempt to summarize what he wrote, because it is beautiful.

He states:

"I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day those men stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest."

And here is where the hope comes:

"But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, in this life or the next, Sunday will come."

"Sunday will come!" Hang in there, things do get better. Never give up, put your trust in the Savior. The hymn "I know That My Redeemer Lives" comes to mind:

1. I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head.
He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above,
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to bless in time of need.

2. He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears,
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives, all blessings to impart.

3. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend,
He lives, and loves me to the end,
He lives, and while He lives I’ll sing,
He lives, my Prophet, Priest and King.
He lives, and grants me daily breath,
He lives, and I shall conquer death,
He lives, my mansion to prepare,
He lives, to bring me safely there.

4. He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
O the sweet joy this sentence gives,
“I know that my Redeemer lives.”
He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
O the sweet joy this sentence gives,

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

Lesson #4- Let People Serve You

2011-04-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

This is one I struggle with. Letting others serve me. I love to serve others, but when I need it, it's difficult for me to say yes. This is something I've been trying to work on, but I'm the type of gal that would clean before anyone came over to help me clean. I know it's my pride that gets in the way.

I have learned how important it is to accept help from those who offer it. There are many reasons why, but I'm going to focus on what I learned several months ago.

One day back in December, I was going through several difficult trials, and I felt very self focused. I was seriously going on a pity party, and I knew it. It had been months of hardness, and on top of that, a major disappointment came my way. I was hurting inside, and needed desperately to overcome the sadness I was feeling.

I knew that if I could find someone to serve, It would help me pull out of the rut I was in.
I had no idea who to serve that day, but I was hoping to find someone.

While visiting with a friend, I realized she was overwhelmed and could really use some help. Excitedly, I offered, but she declined. I could tell she was worried that she might burden me.

I left thinking, if only she knew how much I needed to serve her, surely she would have let me.

It was then that I realized, sometimes the person offering the service needs the blessing of service, more than we need to be served.

I hope I will always gladly allow others the opportunity to serve me in the future.

Lesson #3- You Can Face Any Hardship, if You Have a Close Relationship with God

2011-04-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

One night, about a month ago, I had a lot on my mind. I was thinking about the trials that completely blindside you, the REALLY hard trials. I have gone through very difficult trials, but I've not yet faced the ones I was thinking about.

I was thinking about death, and how hard it must be to loose a loved one, especially when it's premature and unexpected.

Or, what if it's you that must leave this life sooner than expected. How difficult would it be to leave your children before they've grown up?

At some point in our lives, we all will loose a loved one from time to time, how can we endure?

I was deeply troubled by the trials that just seem unfair. I have often seen someone suffering and in despair, and have thought, "why should they have to go through something that hard, it doesn't seem fair."

This was really weighing on my mind that night. I felt afraid, and prayed.

The thought came to me that there were many Conference talks on trials. So I decided to read one. As I was reading, my mind wandered to Joseph Smith and the trials he went through. It was then that I realized, that no matter how hard our life's journey is, if we have a real and close relationship with our Father in Heaven, we can get through anything! Anything!

I thought of the happiness I have felt in serving others, and I feel that we can find happiness, real happiness, even in our darkest hour through serving others.

What peace I found through prayer, scripture reading, and the Holy Ghost. My testimony was strengthen that night, as I felt of my Heavenly Father's love for me.

Lesson #2- Sometimes We Have to Figure Out the Answers to Our Problems, On Our Own

2011-04-23T22:38:00.004-07:00

Sometimes in life, we come across a problem that seems way too big to solve on our own. During times like these, we may turn to family, friends, and even clergy for guidance and direction.

I am learning that there are times in life when you must figure things out on your own, except your really not completely alone, because our Heavenly Father will help you.

I came across this article in the Ensign the other day, and loved it! Finding Answers by Joseph Fielding McConkie

There is a key phrase in this article that stood out to me, "It is not the design of heaven that we be rescued from all difficult situations, Rather, it is the Lord's will that we learn how to handle them."

Things I've Learned (maybe subject to change)

2011-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Isn't it strange how life has it's ups and downs? I love life when things, for the most part, are going well. You may be very busy hurrying your family from one place to another and running errands, and maybe you even have a trial or two that weighs on your mind, but for the most part-- you're happy and functioning like a normal person. Then, WHAM, your whole world goes into complete and utter chaos!

About a year and a half ago, I was a very busy, homeschooling Mom. I was serving as a Compassionate Service Leader in the Relief Society. I won't lie, I was feeling very burnt out, but happy, because I was constantly serving others.

Then our ward split. I was called to be a Visiting Teaching Supervisor, which is a very simple calling in some respects. My responsibilities are to call the Visiting Teachers assigned to me once a month, find out who they were able to visit during that month, and then submit what I have found to the Visiting Teacher Coordinator.

I'll confess, I wanted to be more involved. I missed knowing how to serve the Sisters, and I loved working hard and feeling like I was helping others. I felt that I had so much more energy to give, and wondered why I was called to such a simple calling.

Little did I know just how much my life was about to change! It seemed that everything that could go wrong did, one trial, after another! There were many times that I felt, that my calling as a Visiting Teaching Supervisor was hard. I know now, that our Heavenly Father truly knows what's best for us! I will never doubt a call again. My testimony of the work we are called to do was strengthened, we are serving where God wants us. He always knows what's best!

So, the other day I was pondering all that I have learned during this mega rough patch, and I realized I have so much to share! I thought it would be sad if I forgot any of these life's lessons, so I think I will blog about them. I hope one day my kids will read them, and will glean something from the lessons I've learned.

Lesson #1- Trials are Hard!!!

Stay tuned for:

Lesson #2- Sometimes We Have to Figure Out the Answers to our Problems, on our Own.

If God Brought You to it, He'll Bring You Through It

2011-04-14T23:29:00.004-07:00

I like this quote, because it gives me strength and courage to face the hard times in life. There is such a deep peace that comes when we're willing to believe that the Savior lives and that he's just waiting for us to draw near to him. He's ready to not only walk beside us, but to lift us and the burdens we carry.

It's been hard for me to want to leave Tucson. This has been a really good place for our family. The kids have grown so much here and have made friends with some really great kids! It seems like a perfect fit, living here. Sometimes I feel, if things are going well, why change something that is good? I even have a few favorite friends (I hope you know who you are) here, and I guess I'm feeling lazy, but I'm not looking forward to that long process of making friends again. It takes effort, time, and patience to find good friends.

Despite all of my complaining, which I'm trying not to do, I feel very strongly that this move to MN is what God wants for us. I am still working out the little details, like where we're going to live, and at times it can be a bit scary and very overwhelming. I know when I feel that way, I am lacking in faith and I try to remember the words to the song "Consider the Lilies":

Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sheep of His fold,
How they follow where He leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.

He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

I hope my Sister-in-law doesn't mind me sharing this, but I truly feel that God gave me a special gift through her. She had this dream about me, and she felt she should share it. I'm so glad she did, because ever since then, it's been enough to get me through those little patches of fear and doubt that tend to creep in from time to time. I truly believe that God works through others, to lift and sustain us throughout our lives. Living angels! Tori was my angel the other day, and what she said continues to bring me comfort. Here's what she wrote:

"Hi Trina,

When I saw your name on Dad's e-mail about Bishop Mitchell, it reminded me that I needed to write to you!! I totally meant to do it yesterday AND the day before... but, better late than never?

Anyway -- Tuesday night, I had a dream about you again. In my dream, we met up with you guys, but we were all in a strange town and none of us really knew our way around. We were trying to find a place to go and eat together before we split up and our families went on our separate ways again.

The part of the dream that struck me the most was your vehicle. (I climbed in and sat with you while Eric & Aaron were outside talking about where we wanted to go and eat.) There were not only plenty of seats for your family, but the seats were these big, white, cushiony-looking ones. From the outside, your vehicle looked the same, but once you got in there it was super-roomy, comfortable, warm, etc., and it just felt soooo safe. There was just this... "feeling" in there. I was so happy for you! It was hard saying goodbye after that, but I knew you all were going to be just fine.

Now, whenever I dream about people in my life, particularly those that I love but don't see very often, I take it as a cue from the Spirit to pray for that person specifically the next day (or in the middle of the night, if I wake up from the dream). So I started praying for you first thing Wednesday morning and have been ever since. At this point, I really feel like there is a message for you from my dream that I need to share with you, and the message is this:

You have a Big Move coming up. You're moving (again) to a place where you don't really know anyone, you don't have family, and you don't know what to expect in many ways. However, the "vehicle" taking you there is NOT just your automobile. Your Heavenly Father is taking you and your family there; He has a plan for you. I feel like the ultra-comfort of your van in my dream was a symbol of the Lord's comfort for you, through the Spirit, like a reminder to you that He is with you, he will shelter you, and no matter what it looks like from the outside, He has a place of refuge, safety, and comfort for you and your family, and He will get you safely where you need to be (and keep you safely once you're there). It's hard to put into words, but I hope you can feel from the Spirit as you read this what I am trying to convey.

Anyway ... I need to get back to work, but I wanted to share it with you and tell you -- I love you and am praying for you!! xoxoxoxo!!!

Love and hugs,
Tori"

Tori, thank you again for the tender mercy you sent my way.

Hmmm???

2010-11-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

I feel like writing! I have all this nervous energy that I want to release and I find writing to be a source of comfort at times like these. 2 things. That's all I can say. I have 2 things on my mind, but I can't share them with any of you. How sad, because I really can't, and they're ohhhh so juicy! But no, I HAVE TO behave myself and keep the details to myself . Life in limbo-- oh it's just the best, N-O-T!!! Ok, I feel a little bit better... just a little. I'm sure there will be a future post with all the ooey goey details, but for now, you'll just have to wonder just like me!

The Low Down

2010-10-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

What have I been up too? Here's the skinny:

I started a part-time job as a "mommy's helper." I basically go over to a sister's house in our ward and help her with cleaning, cooking, and babysitting. She's nice and I enjoy working for her. We have a symbiotic relationship-- I help her so she can spend more time focusing on her two adoptive son's whom have special needs and she helps me have some extra spending money. I've also found working for her to be a blessing. She is a great organizer and I've gleaned a few ideas off her. Working this job does have some challenges. I have less time to spend cleaning my own home, and the kids seem to miss me when I'm gone. Over all, it's worth it and a certainly a blessing.
I've found my old self! I bet you didn't know it, but I lost something very important to me. The past 7 years or so, I've found myself wanting to be creative, but I didn't have my spark. My creative self was gone! Everything just seemed too time consuming and I never could narrow down what I wanted to make. I don't know what changed these past few weeks, but I am thrilled to be creating! I've made wooden pillars, wooden candy corn, a FHEs board, spooky blocks, and another board that says, "I do believe in Spooks." I have so many new ideas running through my mind, I can hardly tackle them fast enough!
My latest obsession is with my new laminating machine. It was so cheap...somewhere around $25 and it's been so fun! I've been spending countless hours printing fun things for my kids and laminating them. They love it as much as I. If you're on my Christmas list, watch out!!! (JK, Dad Barry-- I'll make sure to get you a real present.) ;)
The kids are on break! We went camping which was ok. Not the best trip, not the worst. It was just too hot, we were tired, and the kids got plenty dirty. The 2 highlights of the trip were: no technology and the card game I picked up-- "WAR." The kids wore those cards out!
We're cleaning a lot, and organizing.
And lastly, our washer just died! I'm currently washing clothes in the tub for now, anyone have a washboard handly? Oh... and can one of you let Aaron know that I really need him to take a break (from work) so he can fix our lame-o washer!

Well, that's about all folks! Night y'all!

You've met Fuzzy Wuzzy and Noodle, now Introducing... Bella!

2010-09-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

We have all been smitten by Bella! She is so sweet and adorable! She's 3/4 Llaso Apso and 1/4 Cocker Spaniel. She and Noodle, our Shih Tzu, have really hit it off! We're thrilled to have found him a playmate just his size. Both she and Noodle are smaller than our cat!

She has been held ALL day, and fought over by all of us! She's only 7 weeks old.

Ruling Out

2010-09-06T21:14:00.002-07:00

Last Thursday I continued to feel palpitations in my chest and dizziness, so I felt impressed to go into the ER yet again. The thought came to me that I might have a pulmonary embolism.

The hospital decided to admit me due to my abnormal EKG. They wanted to perform a stress test on me. It was pretty scary when they rolled me down to nuclear medicine, and injected me with a radioactive contrast. The test came back negative, and the cardiologist saw nothing that he thought I should be concerned with.

I then had a CT scan. I didn't want to do it, but with my recent surgery and symptoms, I thought it would be best. That was really scary! They injected me with another contrast that goes throughout your lungs, and then took pics that are equal to about 100 chest x-rays. When they injected the medicine in me, I felt a warmth rush through my whole chest and even down to my bladder. Yikes!

That came back negative.

They performed an ultrasound on my legs, and found a small blood clot in my superficial veins. The doctor said it was probably a result from my surgery. I now have to take a baby aspirin every day, but he said I shouldn't worry about it.

They also found out my potassium level was low, which can cause your heart to have an irregular heart beat. Interesting. They gave me the biggest potassium horse pills ever, I'm talking big, like an inch and a half long! I could barely get them down. I've been feeling much better since I've been eating a banana a day! I sure hope that's all it is!

Needless to say, during my stay, my feelings of strong *dislike* for hospitals have increased exponentially and my love for my family grew to new heights! It's great to be home!

A Tender Mercy

2010-09-01T22:43:00.003-07:00

After a very busy day, I sat down to check my email and what do you know? Something beautiful was in there. Something that brought me to tears, not of sadness, but of joy. My cousin and his wife just brought home a beautiful little bundle of joy!

Hailey Nicole

They have waited a long time for this little one. Six years ago, they lost their dear, sweet baby at the end of her pregnancy. It broke all of our hearts.

All these years later, they decided to adopt. They received Hailey 6 years to the day they lost their son.

They recognize the Lord's hand in this, and have said without a doubt, the Lord has been with them throughout the whole experience. What a blessing she is, truly a "tender mercy." The Lord is wonderful, and he loves us all so much.

Thank you Jeremy and Jenny for sharing your special moment with me, my heart is full of happiness for you.

Morgan's Court of Honor

2010-08-27T22:40:00.002-07:00

Last Tuesday was a special night for Morgan. He earned:

Ranks:

Scout
Tenderfoot
2nd Class
1st Class

Merit Badges:

Citizenship in the Nation
Music

We were pretty proud of him. He's already half-way to earning his Star. Way 2 go, Morgan!!!

Two Marshmallow Roasting Sticks and a Wooden Spoon

2010-08-25T00:14:00.007-07:00

Wow, is it really 11:33 PM??? Why in the world am I still up? I have seminary in the morning people! I will be leaving my warm cozy bed at 5 AM, there is NO OTHER OPTION.

Yet, here I am drooling over my laptop as I write this blog entry. Today has been a crazy and stressful day, and so now, I'm trying to unload all of that stress. Breath in...exhale-- NOT WORKING!!!

Well, I guess I'll share with you the beginning moments of my day, it's all a blur, but I'll take it from here.

Kaitlyn has a cold. Do you know what that means? Asthma attack! She and Aaron spent the night @ the ER, yet again. We're really feeling quite at home there these days. I of course couldn't sleep. You know how it is, waiting for the phone to ring. All that anxiety of not knowing what's going on, it will have you waking up every hour, wondering. Still I shouldn't complain, Aaron's the one who had to sleep on that hard chair all night. Poor guy. It's times like these that make me realize what an awesome hubby he is. Thank you, honey-- I love you!

So when he came home, it was pretty much time for me to wake up for seminary. It seriously felt like I had a 5 minute nap! So painful.

Then I came home, sent the girls off to school, and woke Aaron up.

I had scheduled VT visits-- one for 9AM and one for 10AM. I realized that after I dropped Aaron off at work, I was going to be late, since he was late. So I contacted my sister, and she was fine with me arriving a few minutes late. Then it happened...

Aaron locked the keys inside our running vehicle. Yes, and our spare keys were also inside said vehicle! I was ready to call the locksmith, but my husband (being the engineer that he is), opened the rear windows of our van with two marshmallow roasting sticks! I supplied the wooden spoon, which unlocked the rear door. We gave each other a high five, and were quite amazed at our new found abilities. We determined, yet again, that we make a pretty good team-- this new discovery, bringing things to a whole new level!

Needless to say, I had to cancel my VT visit.

I would end there, but I can't resist telling you that our:

Front door's knob on our house broke. Now we have to go through the garage until we have it replaced. If you come for a visit, sorry, I won't be able to open the door.
There was this amazing storm that hit right at the time Morgan walks home from school. I'm talking downpour and dangerous lightning. I decided I'd be a good mom, and pick Morgan up. I see him walking with a girl, and my first thought was, "Is that Morgan, my son, walking home with a girl (a very pretty girl)?)" My next thought, "Is that my son, Morgan, putting his arm around a pretty girl?)" "NOOOOOO!!!!! I am not ready for this!" I think I had an anxiety attack at that moment. When Morgan saw me, let me tell you, he pulled his arm down so fast. They both looked like they had been caught in the act, which they were. I tried to be nice and offer the girl a ride home, she declined. I asked Morgan what was going on. He said, "she said she was cold mom." "Right..." I'm still running this whole situation through my mind, walking home might not be a good option.
I then went to vote in the pouring rain. I got all wet, AND the guy I was voting for didn't win!!!

The best thing that happened today was Morgan's Court of Honor, but I'm way to tired to add those details. I'll save that for tomorrow. Night y'all.

Lot's of Gifts

2010-08-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Anderson scored today! When the mail arrived he was one happy boy, presents from the Grandparents are always a special treat! I had fun making collages out of the pics we took...

From Grandparents Barry

From Grandma Garrison

Fun times, thanks Grandma/Grandpa Barry and Grandma Garrison-- he felt so loved!

Playground Fun

2010-08-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

After a weekend full of chores, our monkeys thoroughly enjoyed getting out doors and having fun.

Anderson and Abigail's Birthday Bash

2010-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Anderson turned three today. We celebrated his birthday and Abigail's together. They both were mesmerized by the candles. Abigail so much so, that she actually climbed on top off the table! Boy, she wanted that cake! We had fun watching them squeal with delight.

Here's a video of Abigail walking:

Determined

2010-08-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

I was seriously determined to be productive today, and it worked. I wrote down my goals last night, and I accomplished almost everything.

I ran 2.8 miles, read my scriptures, weeded the front yard, cleaned the boys room, organized their dresser, sorted through their clothes, lot's and lot's of laundry, organized part of the garage, cleaned the kitchen, paid bills, started organizing Sarah and Abigail's clothes, cleaned some of my room, made dinner, cleaned the kitchen again, helped the kids with their homework, journaled, read family scriptures, and now I'm going to bed!!! :)

I am so tired, I'll have no problem falling to sleep. Sweet Dreams.

Oh, and BTW, Abigail walks!!! More info on that to come.

Morgan's 1st Dance

2010-08-17T17:53:00.003-07:00

It's official, Morgan obtained the needed card to attend his first(and future) dance(s). His first dance was at a barn. The 2nd counselor in the Bishopric was chaperoning, and said, "Morgan was on F-I-R-E!!!"

Morgan asked 3 girls to dance, and 2 girls asked him. They announced the "newbies," and then proceeded to invite the other teens to ask them to dance. This didn't embarrass Morgan at all.

He said they had fun music. One of the songs he enjoyed was Replay by Sean Kingston. He couldn't believe they played Ini Mini by Justin Beaver, he said he strongly dislikes that song!

He said the girls were "cute"-- in a very casual way. ;)

My Special Plant Had Babies

2010-08-16T20:25:00.002-07:00

Let me introduce you to my most favorite plant-- OK, my only plant. This plant has been with me since Morgan was about 5 months old. When I bought her she was small and fragile. Now she's beautiful and full. In fact I had to trim her because she was growing so long. A month ago, I was able to start new plants with these trimmings.

She's been with me through every transition that I've gone through since 1997! Crazy, huh? I love this plant so much. We've lived a parallel life through the years. When I'm doing well emotionally, and life has a steady routine, my plant has flourished! When life has been hectic or when I'm physically and emotionally drained, my plant has suffered as well from my lack of care. Despite my many, many times of neglect, this plant has stayed by my side. She has loved me more than I have loved her. I sometimes wonder if she will out live me! She's beautiful, and we share many memories.

One of my most favorite memories of my plant, was when Aaron and I were both in college full-time with 3 young children. We both had part-time jobs and a paper route. Life was rough. We were really struggling financially. We were spent in so many ways, pretty much living day to day, trying to survive. My mom would come over on a weekly basis and help me with my laundry. She was the one that made sure to water my plant. She was the one to realize just how special this plant was to me. I still remember her asking me, "Trina do you realize how special this plant is? This plant has really been there for you, and I'm going to take care of it since you're so busy. We have to keep it alive, you've had it for so long." That meant the world to me-- my Mom, taking the time to water my little plant.

I think it's time to buy some new pots!

One Nice Sunday

2010-08-15T20:08:00.005-07:00

Church was absolutely delightful today! We had wonderful speakers. The family that spoke has 8 kids, and the mother had some terrific ideas on ways to help children recognize the Spirit. That concept was new to me, and I loved it. She told us that whenever you feel the Spirit during FHE or during your family scriptures, that you should ask the kids if they feel that special feeling. That way they can learn what the Spirit feels like and it also doubles as a way to strengthen their testimonies. I don't know why I haven't thought of doing that before, but I love her idea and plan implementing her fantastic example.

Aaron and I were asked to sing a duet about a month ago, and today was our lucky day. ;) The song we choose was Abide with Me and Sally DeFord(you can listen to it, we sang the duet version) composed the particular arrangement we performed. I fell in love with it the moment I heard it.

We were so nervous, but I think it sounded pretty good. I loved singing next to Aaron, and our pianist did a wonderful job!

When we came home, Aaron made waffles and shortly after that we enjoyed a thunderstorm! This just made the day feel extra special! What a treat, rain-- we haven't had much for the past couple of weeks. All of the kids get so excited. I just have to show you how they love looking out the window when the rain is coming down. It's so cute!

What's up with...Abigail?

2010-08-14T18:32:00.002-07:00

Abigail is the cutie pie of our home! I think she is adored and loved by all, and is spoiled beyond belief. She can be held as long as she wants, because there is always someone willing. However, since she is spoiled, and prefers to be on my lap, and I generally give in. We spend countless hours snuggling, cuddling, and playing together. She is such a sweet little girl, there is little I can do to resist.

She just turned one at the end of July.
She currently is sporting 6 teeth, 4 on top, and 2 on the bottom.
She says the words Mama, Dada, and eyes.
She can stand up without anyone supporting her, and loves to clap all the while. She does this because we always clap for her, and she loves the attention.
Her current choice of transportation is crawling.
She sleeps mostly through the night, except for the occasional nighttime feeding.
She has had about the same amount of hair since she was born. Her hair still isn't long enough to pull up in ponytails.
She loves all of the kids and they love her. Sometimes they can get her laugh so hard she can barely breath!
She likes to look out of our front room window when someone leaves the house.
She loves it when I sing to her, and will usually join in.
She babbles.
She's not a picky eater. In fact she'll eat almost anything edible, or not.
She's our only child that I've ever had to call 911 for. She swallowed/ choked on something, but was fine before the paramedics arrived.
She loves swimming.
She loves baths.
She's a climber. She loves to sit on top of boxes, and Anderson's little bike.
She really enjoys going on evening walks with her Dad and Mom.
And..., she really loves the gifts Grandma and Grandpa Barry sent for her birthday! Thank you!

She's one sweet girl, and I love her so much. Abigail, I'm glad you slipped in and surprised your Mom and Dad. Life just wouldn't be the same without you! Thanks for making our days bright. I love you!

Friday the 13th

2010-08-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn lost her shoes this morning.
Madison's frosting didn't turn out.
Aaron had a rough start at work.
I came down with the stomach flu.

Need I say more?

The Case of the Missing Key

2010-08-12T19:30:00.005-07:00

Last night I realized that I had lost a really important key. It's my friend's key, the key to her house. I'm currently feeding her fish, checking mail, watering plants, ect. while she's out of town.

So far things haven't gone well. Along with feeding her fish, she also gave me two small(actually tiny) tomato plants to tend to. I have kept them watered, and she told me to make sure to put them in the sun, so I did. I placed them outside to bask in the sun, and now they are... crispy. Oops, I guess that full-on Arizona sun was a bit harsh for those tiny, little seedlings.

I guess you can imagine how bad I felt when I realized her key was lost. Now I was even more concerned that her fish might die, that is, if I couldn't find her house key.

I remember thinking how awful it would be if I lost her key, so I deliberately put them in a box on top of the fridge, far away from little hands. Well, at some point last night, Anderson and Christian decided to push a chair up to the fridge so they could have access to all of mommy's precious belongings.

When I went to fetch the key, so I could go and feed the fish, it was GONE!!! I immediately started to fret-- more like panic! If there is anything I dislike, it would be looking for a lost item. It is such a waste of time! I have a huge to-do list, and looking for lost keys was not part of my agenda. I looked for at least 3 hours last night. I prayed(since I have a strong testimony of prayer, and that's exactly what one should do if they've lost something important). I went to bed with no key in sight( more like no peace in sight). I tossed and turned, and at one point I even woke up and resumed my search in the middle of the night.

I started searching again bright and early in the morning, and still no key. I looked, I prayed. I was beginning to loose hope. I called my Mom, and told her my plight. She asked me if I'd checked the garbage can, under the bathroom sink, and the linen closet. After we said good-bye, I said a fervent( more like pleading) prayer. Desperation was starting to set in. Within five minutes of hanging up with Mom, I felt an impression to look in the freezer. As I opened the door, I happened to notice this:

the black bracelet that the key was on, just behind the corn, which was placed on the top shelf. My heart jumped for joy! Madison and I immediately offered a prayer of gratitude. I called Mom, and told her the good news, and she said she had prayed for me as well. Thank you Heavenly Father for answering all of our prayers today. I know I couldn't have found that key without your help.

Morgan's 8th Grade Graduation

2010-08-11T20:58:00.001-07:00

Morgan had his 8th grade graduation ceremony at the Pima Air and Space Museum. Arizona Virtual Academy put on a pretty nice graduation! Way to go Morgan!!!

The Father/Son Campout I Never Blogged About

2010-08-10T23:03:00.001-07:00

For the Father/ Son campout, the guys went to Kartchner's Camp-- which happens to be the last name of the member family who owns the property. It's a small ranch with two man-made, stocked ponds. They camped in the dirt, not far from the parking lot, and had a great time.

Morgan was fascinated by the wash and how it had created intriguing sink hole caves, big enough to walk through. He also loved the canoe, and spent the majority of his time fishing on it.

The little boys liked to eat, hang out with Dad, and look for fish in the pond.

Aaron took pleasure in relaxing, and enjoyed watching all the boys explore.

Right before they left, Morgan tied a string to a stick, and a worm to the other end of the string. He actually caught a big fish that way. The pond was full of fish, and I heard that a lot of the fish were swimming around with hooks left on their mouths. I guess the boys weren't too good at removing the hooks, poor fish...

Aaron took some great pics:

While the boys were away, us gals watched The Princess Bride and enjoyed a Kirby vacuum sales demonstration, fun stuff!

Choices

2010-08-09T21:48:00.001-07:00

I am so happy right now! Have you ever had a prompting, or what you thought was a prompting from the Holy Spirit-- but you're just not sure? Then you take your chances and you follow that prompting, even though it feels awkward at the time.

Well that happened to Aaron and I today. Last night we were chatting in the living room, and Aaron happened to find out that a teenage boy, whom we have come to love, is having a hard time deciding whether or not to serve a mission. We both sat there last night, with our hearts full of concern for him. We felt like we should talk to him, and encourage him. We just didn't know how to go about it. Aaron emailed his Bishop, and found out that he thought it was a good idea.

The hard part was figuring out a way to approach him. This morning, while driving home from dropping Aaron off, I felt impressed to call him and invite him to dinner with Aaron, Morgan, and myself. I told him that we were very concerned about him, and that we wanted to share our thoughts on serving a mission. To our delight, he accepted.

It was a wonderful experience. I think we all felt the Spirit, and I hope it will help him. We all had so much fun, and he was very open with us, and we were open with him. I left there with a happiness that I cannot describe. Life is all about choices, I hope he makes the right one.

Madison's 1st Year at Girl's Camp

2010-08-08T17:17:00.001-07:00

Rincon Stake Girl's Camp 2010

I was really worried to send Madison away for four days, the length of Girl's Camp. There is no cell phone coverage on top of Mt. Lemmon where Zion's Camp is located. It's a church campground. We camped there a couple of summers ago for a ward campout.

Even though I was worried, I was lucky enough to have friends who were leaders, and they promised they would keep an eye on her. That was great, It gave me some peace of mind knowing they were aware of her. This was her first time away from home, with no way of letting me know how she was doing.

Well, you can probably tell from the pictures that she was having the time of her life, and I will not worry at all next year!

Here's what she liked from the whole experience:

She loved the food!
She liked practicing for skit night. The theme was "Stand Up, Lead Out." She was one of the "flip flop" girls that stood on stage holding letters that formed the word flip flop. Her favorite part of the skit was when some of the girls said some foul language, they washed their mouths out with soap. One of the girls was assigned as the "beeper," so the girls weren't really saying bad words-- there was just a "beep" sound.
She liked making new friends. She camped with three girls in a small tent. There names were Symony, Samantha, and Sarah-- which is weird that the all have "S" names, except for Madison.
The spirit was really strong there. When they arrived at camp, they had the song "I Will" playing throughout the camp.
She liked how they camped in small groups, in individual tents.
She liked being one of the camp designers. She decorated the tree's branches with pink flip flops. She also made a foam finger for the "Battle of the Bishops"-- to cheer them on!
She liked how they handed out camp uniforms. They handed out one flower for their hair, pink and black sashes to use as scarfs/belts, and they also gave them pink t-shirts that said, "Stand Up, Lead Out" on the back, and a little flip flop on the front.
She liked that they taught the girls how to make necklaces.

The only thing that she had mixed feelings about, was the Zip-line! She said it was kind of fun, but mostly scary. She said that she was scared the men that were holding the tires(which stop you), would let go-- and then she thought she might bump into a tree!!! Apparently our Bishop, Bishop Henderson, did the zip-line head first! He was trying to be SUPERBISHOP!!!

She said her hike was super tiring! She felt better about her hike after she found out the 3rd year girls had to hike for hours and hours, and they said it felt like the were climbing up endless stairs!

They had to wake up every morning at 6 a.m. -- but on the last day, they were able to sleep in, so she stayed up as late as she could.

And finally, she said that they would have to wait in long lines for a shower. Some of them decided to wash their hair in the sink, because they got tired of waiting in the long line.

and as Madison would say, "Stand Up, Lead Out!!!"

What's up with...Anderson?

2010-08-07T18:36:00.005-07:00

Anderson is a cute, lively, and an extremely active 2 year old. His birthday is fast approaching in August, and I can hardly believe he is almost 3! Anderson:

Aaron captured this great pic of him at the father/son outing, doing...uh, well you know... he's pretty good at it, don't you think? ;)

He is a "cuddle bug." Anytime we sit down, he'll try to weasel his way in our laps for some quality snuggling!
He loves watching any movies that involve cars or horses.
He is VERY active!!! I can not emphasis the word ACTIVE enough!!! He runs though the house full speed, he tries to go in the garage to fetch his bike so he can ride in circles on our kitchen floor, he colors on walls, doors, and floors-- you name it!
He's a climber! He loves to pull a chair up to the pantry, and then he places one of my big mixing bowls on top of the chair, and then proceeds to climb on top of the bowl so he can reach the top pantry shelf where I keep all the goodies. He climbs on the island in my kitchen while we're making pancakes or cookies. He climbs on the couch, and loves to jump off the half wall that divides our family room from our kitchen.
He loves playing in water! He makes a mess of the sink, and the toilets. He loves the ice cube dispenser and water found on the front of our fridge door. We usually have a permanant puddle on our floor in front of our fridge.
He spills his drinks, drops his food.
He turns his room upside-down, and shakes it so his clothes, toys and shoes are everywhere! There's not even a trail to get to his bed. I can clean it, and the next day it will be that bad!
He's a thick kid, with a strong physique.
He's also quite tall.
He loves to be tickled-- over, and over, and over again.
He loves to play outside.
He loves books, and loves for us to read to him.
He's potty trained!!! He was the fastest out of all my kids to figure that whole thing out.
He's got dimples, and brown eyes.
He is really into Popsicles. He even figured out how to open the lock I had to put on our freezer. He was getting one after another, until the whole box was gone. We can not keep Popsicles at our house, he will go bonkers!
He still takes one nap during the day.
He wants everything that Christian has.

He loves Abigail, she cracks him up!
He loves to give kisses, and giggles as he does it.
He's just plain adorable.

Anderson, I love you so much! You make my days bright, and even though your activeness and creativity is reaping havoc on our house, I can find it cute. One day I'll show you the pictures I've taken, and you'll see all the damage you've done, and we'll laugh! I just hope the landlord doesn't flip! ;) I love you Anderson, you are one sweet kid!

Nice Blessings

2010-08-06T16:37:00.001-07:00

Brought the boys to seminary(what a great way to start my day)-watched my dear friend's kids for her,while she went to her follow-up visit from surgery yesterday(doing service brings so much joy)- had a nice chat with the same friends(friends are such a blessing)- bonded with my beautiful daughter, Madison(she is one of my best friends)- Had a great nap(thank you Anderson and Abigail for taking a nap at the same time, this really made your mommy's day)- called the doctor and they had my lab results(they say I'm low on my vitamin D, so I have to start supplementing. My thyroid was fine, so I guess I was wrong)- I was able to schedule an appointment with the cardiologist on Monday(yes, this Monday), isn't that wonderful? I thought I would have to wait for months!!!- Aaron figured out why the check engine light has been on for months(leaky gas cap) and our van passed emissions- had a great chat with Mom(she's so worried about me, gotta love the fact that I still have a mother to mother me)- enjoyed the smiles my kids gave me when they found out I made them pudding(chocolate is a blessing, I could never get through the day without it)- looking forward to pizza and a movie night with the family(and sleeping in tomorrow). I love Fridays, Saturdays, and 3 day weekends!!!! Oh and Aaron's schedule is now M-F, life will feel normal. That Wednesday- Saturday schedule always made me feel out of kilter with the rest of the world! :)

When it Rains, it Pours

2010-08-05T15:01:00.002-07:00

I really wish I could stop blogging about trials! I would love to have a carefree day about now! I think I have about 7 or so hardships I'm working on right now. Some of which I may share, and others I can not. I found myself in the shower thinking, how can I handle any more? Today, I'm thinking...Heavenly Father, please help me through all of this.

We read about Joseph Smith last night during our family scriptures, and this really stood out, "As for the perils which I am called to pass through," Joseph reflected, "they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all."

I sure love his perspective! He had so much faith! I hope I can have faith like that and know that God will always deliver me out of my hardships.

Finally

2010-08-02T20:41:00.002-07:00

I finally went to the doctor. The ER advised me to go about a month ago, but I just couldn't schedule an appointment until now. I've been feeling palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness for over a month now. It's weird living with these symptoms on a daily basis. They just popped into my life. I've never even had a hint of these symptoms before now.

After the ER found nothing, I felt like an idiot, and that maybe I was imagining things-- after a month, day after day, I've realized some thing's not right.

I was worried that they wouldn't find anything today, so I was relieved that they picked up on something while performing the EKG.

The doctor thinks there's definitely something going on, but he doesn't feel it's major. Tomorrow I will have a bunch of lab work done, and then I'll go to the cardiologist as soon as the referral arrives in the mail.

If I were to make a guess, I would say it's Hypothyroidism. I know I'm not a doctor, but I have many symptoms of this disease, and I've suspected I may have it for quite some time now. I hope I'm right, because it's easily treated.

I am having a hard time accepting the fact that some thing's wrong with my heart, doesn't that sort of thing happen later in life?

A Great Day!

2010-07-30T21:23:00.003-07:00

I wrote this a few days ago, finally finished:

I first want to thank each of you that commented on my blog yesterday! All of you said words that validated my feelings, which made me feel better. There were also words of encouragement, which helped me tremendously, so thank you!

Morgan sent me a text message yesterday afternoon. It read, "Hey Mom, guess what? English went great today!" I was so happy to see those words! We still haven't heard back from the teacher, but tomorrow night there's an open house where we'll get the chance to meet all of his teachers. We'll probably try to get a feel from there, to see if we need to make an appointment to talk with her. She accepted Morgan's late paper, which is a good sign! He'll still need to use one of his coupons, but that's better than a zero.

You know the phrase, "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven" from the Hymn Praise to the Man. Well, that phrase came to my mind this morning. The definition of sacrifice is, "the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else more important or worthy." That definition describes exactly how I've felt this week as I've woken up at 4:45 AM to feed the baby, get dressed, and drive Morgan and his two friends to seminary. Even though this has been a hard transition for me, many blessings have come my way.

1. I now have a great start on my day! I'm up before my kids, and ready to face each day bright and early.
2. I have an hour of alone time, which you know is very precious for a mother of seven.
3. During this alone time, I have decided to read my scriptures or jog. I usually alternate the two.

On Wednesday, I went jogging and managed to read a little from my scriptures as well. It was great! As I was jogging, I thought about the different struggles I have in my life. I prayed, trying to make sense of things. When I got back to the car, and opened my scriptures, I felt the spirit. I felt so refreshed, like I could tackle anything that came my way.

Then it was time to drive them to school. The two boys that ride with Morgan in the morning, just moved here from New York. The are very well mannered and seem like great kids. I asked them if they had early morning seminary back East, and I don't remember their response, but something from our conversation did stand out. One of the boys asked me if I had noticed that there seemed to be less passion for the gospel here in Tucson, than back East. He said that the members hardly sing the Hymns here, and barely voice "amen" at the end of the prayers. He said he was embarrassed at first, because he felt so loud compared to everyone else. I told him, "whatever you do, don't you ever loose your passion for the gospel!"

I can't begin to describe the effect this question had on me. I started contemplating, wondering just how passionate was I for the gospel of Jesus Christ? I thought of the many passionate leaders I had as a youth, and their strong testimonies. Those leaders were filled with passion when they bore their testimonies, which had a great impact on me. Their passion-filled testimonies were catalysts for me gaining a strong desire to find my own testimony. I have since yearned to be just as passionate about the gospel.

I came home and typed the words "zeal for the gospel" in the search field on lds.org. I found another great talk Preserving A Heart's Mighty Change by Elder Dale G. Renlund. From that talk I gained insight for my life, things just started making sense. All of the confusion that I had previously spent time trying to sort out, was gone, and I saw the big picture. What a blessing! That phrase in the song, Praise to the Man, had new meaning for me. "Sacrifice," truly does "bring forth the blessings of heaven!"

Uplifting vs. Belittling

2010-07-27T06:39:00.006-07:00

All of the kids transitioned smoothly last week, which was a great sigh of relief for me. Yesterday things changed, for Morgan that is.

Apparently he was late to his honors English class on the first day of school, and the teacher made him an "example" of what an honor student is not, in front of the whole class. He was tardy because another teacher at the front of the school, was telling the kids that they needed to pick up a new, revised schedule. Morgan eventually realized that he already had the schedule they were talking about, and headed off to class. While belittling him in front of the whole class, she asked him how he was assigned to her honors class. He told her that a certain guidance counselor had placed him there. She then proceeded to say, "Um, no. No, no, no. You see, Mr. _______ is a teacher over special ed...."-- need I say more?

She evidently handed out a writing assignment before Morgan arrived to class. Morgan didn't think to ask her if he had missed any assignments from being tardy. I should have prepared him for that better. She called Aaron yesterday at work, and was really irate over the phone, with Morgan standing right there. She explained what a "hole" Morgan had already put himself in for not turning in the first assignment. She said that she had no idea why Morgan didn't know about it, since all of the 35 other students had completed the assignment. Morgan said that she told him, that she "didn't think he'd make it through the year in her class, and that he could drop honors English at anytime." She then said in front of the whole class that "Morgan would never be a ________"( a certain special name she gives her students whom complete her class). He wasn't a student with those kind of qualities.

I'm sorry, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I work so hard at building my children's self worth. I can not even begin to tell you how angry I get when someone comes along, and tries to make my child feel like he/she has no potential and is worthless. I know Morgan didn't do everything right, and has made a bad impression on her. That's understandable. However, to belittle him in front of the whole class like that, that's just low. I thought teachers try to build a child's self worth, not bring it down.

Unfortunately, there are no other teachers that offer honors English. If we decide she is not a suitable teacher for him, his GPA will suffer, unless we can put him in another honors level class.

I emailed her this note last night:

Dear Mrs. Mongielloa,

Morgan informed me of how he missed his first assignment, the 500-700 word personal narrative. He felt terrible about missing this important assignment, and would love to make it up. He would like to use 1 out of the 2 "zero zapper coupons" that you mention in your syllabus.

My son wants to succeed in your class, and we as parents want to help him in his efforts. He is a good kid. This will be a difficult transition for him, since I homeschooled him during his Middle School years.

He thinks the reason, he never received the assignment you passed out during class, was because he was tardy. He explained his tardiness by stating how a teacher in front of the school told him to get a new schedule. He eventually realized that he didn't need a new schedule, he already had the right one. I think he was confused, and felt overwhelmed.

Is there a way that I, as a parent, can know what his assignments are each and everyday? I would love to assist in anyway. Thanks for your help on this matter.

Sincerely,

Trina Barry

Morgan, Aaron, and I were up till 12:30 last night working on that assignment. Let me tell you, waking up at 5 AM for seminary was painful for all of us! I just hope Morgan makes it through the day.

1st Day of School- 2010-11

2010-07-19T17:01:00.002-07:00

All of my worst nightmares are gone, the first day of school turned out great. They all had fun, and liked their teachers. That makes me one happy mom! :)

The sun was so bright, Christian kept shielding his eyes with his hands and looking down at the ground.Anderson and I all alone after Christian hopped on the bus.

Daddy waiting to pick up the kids, we were so hot! This was our only shade from the hot, scorching sun!

We waited and waited. Aaron called his Dad, while we waited. We took this silly pic of our feet while we waited...

And then, FINALLY, they arrived! Everyone had smiles on their faces, and had plenty to say. They had a great day!

Thump, Thump

2010-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

I think I'm having anxiety attacks! Seriously, about a week ago, I had Aaron bring me to the ER because I thought I was on the verge of having a heart attack. It started happening several weeks ago, and continues to do so. I get this weird thumping feeling in my chest, feels like a flutter, then I get dizzy. It happens mostly when I'm resting or standing-- I'm totally fine when I run. They ran all the typical tests and found nothing. I'm supposed to follow up with the doc, but I haven't been able to get in yet. I'm not sure if it's the heat, or anxiety, maybe it's something totally unexpected. All I know is that it's freaking me out!

Speaking of anxiety, I'm extremely anxious for tomorrow-- the kids start back to school. I'm even more freaked out for Friday, the day Morgan starts Seminary-- and High School! Yikes, my life is really starting to change. I feel like it's spinning out of control, and who knows where it's going to land when the spinning stops. Well, time to go make those lunches, and hit the hay! Man, the paperwork's already killing me, why must they send so much home?

A Rare Treat

2010-07-17T20:42:00.001-07:00

I never thought I'd ever miss rain, after living with it almost on a daily basis in WA. While living in WA, I craved seeing the blue sky and sunshine, something I had always taken for granted back home. When we first moved to AZ, I would find myself exclaiming to the neighbors, "wow, it's a beautiful day!" They'd look at me a little funny and nod, like they had no idea what I was talking about. I realized that sunshine and blue skies was just, well, normal. All of my friends would talk about rain like it was something really great, something to yearn for. I thought that I would never reach that point, where I would actually crave rain.

We haven't had rain for months, and all of us (including myself), have been holding our breath for rain. Summers in Tucson come with the expectation of rain-- it's Monsoon season. It's a time when we have wonderful thunderstorms, however, they can be quite scary.

For the past week or so, it seemed that the heaven's were taunting us. We'd see rain clouds and lightening in the distance, but the storms never quite made it our way. My friend, Amber, posted this great quote on FB for her status: "‎"Clouds still with shadowy moisture haunt the earth" - Keats. I think he must have lived in S. AZ during monsoon season." I think that was a perfect way to describe how we were feeling.

Well tonight it finally R-A-I-N-E-D!!!!!!!! :) Yes, if you were on FB, you may have seen this already. Aaron was at work, so it was just the kids and I at home when the storm hit. We were all jumping around, happy and excited. The storm started with a sprinkle, and then, in a matter of minutes-- DOWNPOUR, LIGHTENING, THUNDER, and WIND!!!

The kids all seemed to look a little nervous. Then the fear set in. No one would get near the windows and I have to write down what I heard:

Sarah asked me if she could eat with a plastic spoon instead of a metal one, she was sure she would attract lightening.

Christian said, "the windows are going to blow in."

Anderson kept saying over, and over, and over (he's really into the whole repetition thing), "it's raining!"

Madison said, "you can hear it on the roof!"

Kaitlyn- "can we splash outside in the puddles when the storm's done?" Which we did. :)

Morgan kept repeating over and over again (maybe it's a boy thing) "this is AWESOME," with his bedroom blinds pulled wide open.

Even little Abigail open her mouth and said, "AWE", while pointing to the window.

It was great, and when it ended we had the most beautiful sunset to top it off! What a blessing, R-A-I-N!!!!!!!!!!! :)

N-I-C-E, N-O-T

2010-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, that's not exactly what I'd call the man who tailed me this afternoon, it's a long story, so he we go:

Let me start from the beginning. A couple of days ago, I wrote this blog entry An Answer for the Unanswered. Well, I was pretty vague on why I was thinking about the "why" of things. I unfortunately have to continue to be vague, because there are somethings that I just can not share with the whole world. All I can say is, that Aaron has been striving really hard to attain something, and that something did not work out for him recently. It was a real disappointment. That got me thinking about the "why" things in life. "Why" didn't this work out for him, and for our family?

So today, I decided to go for a short drive. I thought I'd go to Heavenly Father in prayer, and try to make sense of everything that was on my mind. I pulled over and decided to pray. I felt close to him and felt that he loved me, and I told him that I'm trying so hard to put my faith in him, that he knows best, because quite frankly-- Aaron and I are trying to figure out where our lives are headed.

I got back on the road, with tears rolling down my cheeks. I came to the main road, and turn onto it. I felt I had allowed adequate room, but evidently the driver behind me (that was bearing down on me) did not. He then proceeded to tail me as close as he possibly could, so I would notice just how horrible I was for pulling out when I did. I pretended to ignore him. I guess he didn't like that, so he passed me, and then cut in front of me, all the while holding his middle finger up with great emphasis! He then held his hand to his head, pretending to pull the trigger. Was he trying to tell me I should kill myself, or was he threatening me? I still can't figure that one out, but it was weird.

The whole time I was thinking, dude, I'm in the middle of saying my prayers, tears are still streaming down my face, and you have no idea (not that he'd care anyways). I actually felt sorry for him.

What's up with... CHRISTIAN?

2010-07-16T19:26:00.001-07:00

Christian:

He's still missing his two front teeth.
He just turned 5 on July 5th.
He'll start Kindergarten this Monday, and is super excited.
He's very active.
He loves to play the Wii!
He can focus on a particular subject for a long time, and is very persistent.
He has a love/hate relationship with Anderson.
He loves to volunteer for family prayer and is the quickest one to do so.
He was the most excited (or at least expressed the most excitement) about the temple open house.
He loves fishing.
He loves camping.
He has a new shadow friend, which I find interesting. We've never had a kid have an imaginary friend before.
He loves playing with the baby. He gives her hugs all the time.
He had the best time on the father/son outing!

Christian I love your sweet disposition! You try hard to make me happy. I love how you share with others, and give hugs so freely. You are great at cleaning your room when I ask you, and I love how you appreciate cleanliness! I thought it was so sweet how you thanked yesterday by saying, "Mom, the house is getting really clean, thank you!" Then you hugged me, and that touched my heart, because I felt appreciation for the hard work I had done. I'm so happy for you to learn a lot this year. I will miss the fact that you're not my little baby anymore, but I'm happy that new adventures await you. I love you Christian!

An Answer for the Unanswered

2010-07-14T21:38:00.007-07:00

Isn't it funny how we can go through life, doing all the everyday stuff-- like housework, shopping, visiting friends, exercising, going to work-- without a care in the world, and then Wham! It happens. You realize life isn't always hunky-dory. Maybe you got sick, or a friend of yours loved one died, or maybe it was even your own loved one. You realize how short life really is, and all too often that question of "why" seeps in. "Why" me, or "why" them. "WHY?"

Sometimes I've found that little "why" word to slip in when I've prayed many times for something, but it seems to go unanswered. I can find myself thinking, is my will in line with Heavenly Father's, or is the timing off? "Why" did this happen, or "why" didn't that happen? It can drive you mad trying to figure out the answers to so many unanswered questions.

I came across this article, But if Not, by Elder Lance B. Wickman, in my quest to find answers.

It helped me realize, what I already knew-- that I must remember that God sees the big picture. Just because things don't turn out the way I think or thought they should, he is aware and will always do what he thinks is best. He knows all, and with that, I know I must trust him with the details of my life. I need to give all my unanswered questions to him in faith, and in return, he'll strengthen me to handle what ever comes my way. He will give me the peace I seek.

Another Trip to Madera Canyon

2010-07-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

What a great way to escape the heat of Tucson in July. We had a great time, and hopefully made some lasting memories. We saw a few lizard's and a BEAR!!! Yes, my over-protective mothering instincts kicked in and I couldn't help but get my little ones out of there ASAP! Aaron kept telling not to worry, the bear was no threat, hmmm, yeah right! I've heard of the bear maulings that have been reported in this neck of the woods. Here are the pics:

My SIL ROCKS!!!

2010-06-11T21:41:00.003-07:00

It's true. Amy Barry, my SIL, really does rock because she took the time to spotlight what she remembers of our wedding day! How many SIL's would take the time to do that? Seriously, Amy, you bought tears to my eyes. That meant a lot to me, thank you. I thought it would be fun to copy what she wrote along with my side of the story, or what I remember.

Amy wrote:

TIR: aaron and trina’s wedding

it was hot. oh, man, was it hot!
and humid. and HUMID!
trina’s dress was very southern-belle: lots and lots (and lots and lots) of ruffles. it was exactly what she wanted. Boy did I LOVE my dress, still do. I know it was over the top, but I had dreamed of wearing the most fancy "Cinderella" style dress since I was a little girl!
trina’s mom was up all night the night before finishing up her dress. I always forget this, but my sisters have remembered this and have brought it up on occasion. She was actually finishing my sister's dress. It ended up being too tight for Tara, so we said a prayer that we could get it on her, and it actually zipped up! She wore it for the entire reception.
trina and i stayed up late the night before talking about how excited we were to marry the Barry twins. So true, and boy did I regret that. I had wanted to sleep, but how could I? We had so much fun chatting the night away, wondering how our lives were about to change. I was so tired on my wedding day! I hardly made it through the reception. Aaron and I were beat for our honeymoon.
the air conditioning in trina’s house was broken. What a nightmare! How did we survive?
it was hot. too Hot!
and humid. way too Humid!
i thought i was going to die trying to sleep in that heat. I'm surprised we didn't.
trina’s sisters and mom were eager to accommodate me as their guest and were so friendly and sweet. Good, I'm glad you felt welcome. I think we were all very worried about the accommodations we had to offer. Our home was far from beautiful.
the drive to the washington dc temple was a long one. Too long. I remember arriving late to our reception.
i wrote in my journal about how excited i was to be marrying damon in just a few weeks on the ride to the temple. Very cool!
we went with aaron and trina to wendy’s for lunch after they were sealed in the washington dc temple…where aaron and trina pretty much rubbed it in our faces that they were married and we were not. something really funny happened at wendy’s because i can remember all of us totally cracking up over something (probably something aaron said), but i can’t remember the details. good times. Ok, I remember this! I don't remember rubbing it in your faces, but knowing us we probably were, for fun! I remember Aaron changed after we were married, he was all over me on that drive home. I was actually quite embarrassed! I remember something funny, laughing, but the details aren't coming to my mind.
i was so grateful and happy that we were able to attend their sealing and that things worked out the way they did for me to be able to be in the temple with them. I like how that worked out too! I'm grateful you were able to be there, it wouldn't have been the same without you.
i was very envious that we still had to wait 17 more days to get married. I would have been to, that would've killed me! Sorry.
aaron and trina came back to damon/aaron’s parents’ house in virginia beach the day after their wedding, and we all talked and had a fun time. I remember hanging out and having fun, and I also remember Damon said or thought something, that TOTALLY embarrassed me (but we won't go there)!
trina and aaron had matching denim overalls that they liked to wear all the time. not for their wedding, but so many of my “aaron and trina memories” involve those overalls. I forgot about those, thanks for the chuckle. We were geeks huh!?!
trina and aaron liked to move. Really I don't "like" to move, I hate it. I guess we've moved so much in hopes to better our lives.
a lot. damon and i have lived in 5 places in 15 years. i’m pretty sure they’ve lived in close to 20. Crazy!!!
trina did not appreciate when damon and i dropped by their house unannounced (we did it a little too often. sorry about that trina.) I completely forgot about that. Did I tell you that, if so, man was I rude. I was a slob back then, and your apartment was so perfect...
i still remember the “huge” apartment with the forest green carpet back by Utah Valley Hospital and the “humongous” farm table that they got some kind of deal on that they probably still use. We did score on the huge apartment, too bad they hiked the rent a few months after we moved in. We were forced to move, little did we know that would be the beginning of a long trend. I remember the carpet being a marble brown, YUCK, no Double YUCK. We had the worst love seats-- yes, wagon wheels and all. They had daisies too and boy did they clash with that carpet. Ah yes, I remember the table, who knows where that thing is today. Aaron found it on clearance during his employment at Sears.
trina and aaron always had a new pet that trina had rescued somewhere or talked aaron into getting. Ok, this is not something I'm proud of, but what can I say, I have a weak place in my heart for soft, cute, furry things. I'm finally down to 1 cat, and 1 little dog...
trina and aaron actually liked bob (mine, aaron, and damon’s [horrible] boss at sub-zero) and donna (trina’s boss at their other business: a ceramic studio in orem). I liked Bob, Donna was not nice, AT ALL!!!
it was fun being newlyweds together in utah while we were all in school. Do you remember our camping trip in Provo Canyon, that was a blast!
we were both poor. So poor, but happy!
trina has always been a wonderful example of a loving and devoted wife to aaron- right from the start. she has always expressed in words and action how much she loves aaron and i love watching how happy they still are. Thanks, Amy! I appreciate you kind words. I really do love Aaron! I remember begging Heavenly Father to somehow touch his heart to marry me one day. When that day came, after years of waiting, joy radiated my being. We have experience many joys and happy times, as well as trials and disappointments over these past 15 years. We have learned to communicate better, give more, take less, and most importantly love more deeply. We have found it's so important to take time out to have fun together, and dote on one another, especially when life gets tough. Thanks for the walk down memory lane...

P.S.- Damon's so lucky he found you, you're an amazing person whom I've admire much over the years. I'm grateful your my SIS!

happy 15th anniversary, aaron and trina!

What's up with... SARAH?

2010-04-30T19:23:00.003-07:00

Sarah:

Sarah's two front teeth finally came in.
She just turned 7 in March.
She loves sweets!
She is a snuggle-bug.
She and Christian get along 50% of the time (I'm hoping this will change soon).
She's reading easy readers.
She loves to draw.
She has a heart murmur.
She's Daddy's little girl.
She shares a room with Abigail.
She loves her new side bangs.
Her hair is quite long.
She loves to walk the halls before church, and we usually have to hunt her down.
She has a bubbly personality.
She loves fashion (she has a purse thrown over her shoulder right now, and has been wearing it most of the day).
Her favorite food is: waffles
Her favorite color is lavender.
She likes to play outside with her buddies while she rides her bike.
She wants to be a Daisy Scout.
She's learning to play the piano, and loves to practice!
She likes a boy (this is news to me, I didn't expect it). I just asked her, and she said YES! I know she's way to young, but I guess it's good to know these things. She didn't want to tell me at first who he was, so I probed a little deeper. She said, "Mom, ok, I'll tell you (but I didn't know about the "righteous" thing). Me: "What?" Sarah: "He's not righteous at all, I mean, he fights with his brother all the time!" "I'm going to have to find a righteous guy to like." Ok... I guess this is good, cracked me up! Can't say who the boy is.
Sarah's favorite thing to do is play with Abigail.
Sarah is a teaser!
She's very tall for her age, she's in the 95th percentile.
Sarah's memorized the 3rd Article of Faith.
Her favorite subject is Art, and she is excelling in Math!
She loves Littlest Pet Shops!
She gets sad when she's tired (just like I did when I was little)

Things I love About Sarah:

She's a very loving little girl.

I love the hugs and kisses she freely gives.
I cherish her sweet and kind disposition.
I love how cheerful she is.
She's a great helper.
Wow, can I really have all these AMAZING kids? Good thing they're all so fab, I don't think I could handle so many if it were different. :)
Sarah your such a fun and sweet daughter, you mean the world to me!

Sarah, I love you!!!

Gila Valley Temple Open House

2010-04-29T08:19:00.004-07:00

I decided to interrupt my children's spotlights, and post a blog about our trip to the Gila Valley Temple Open House (which has taken me a while to complete). We left early Monday, and arrived just 10 minutes before our 11 a.m. reservations. The children were so excited, they kept asking the typical kid questions like, "Are we there yet?" or "How much longer?"

The drive was beautiful since there is nothing around, just desert, farmland, wildflowers, and mountains. The sky was blue, and there was no traffic-- just a peaceful family ride. I read out loud to Aaron from June's book club book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

We only stopped three times during our trip, first at Walgreen's for snacks, water, and tights, 2nd at Safeway (forgot the tights at Walgreen's, forgot the diapers at home), and 3rd at a convenient store on the way (name The Thing?) for candy and a soda for Aaron. Google maps states it should have taken us 2 hours and 9 minutes, but as usual our trip ran longer, to the tune of 2 hours and 50 minutes. Good thing we left early.

When we entered Thatcher, we didn't see the temple immediately. We saw lot's of fast food, and banners on some of the restaurants that welcomed "Gila Valley Temple visitors." We saw what we thought were The Living Scriptures vendors on the side of the road. We kept driving, and the kids kept asking, "Are we there yet?" -- "How much longer?"

Just when we thought we'd never see it, we saw the Temple's spire with Angel Moroni as well as the Chapel's steeple. They all inhaled and said,"Ahhh!!!"

When we pulled up to the temple, there were lot's of vehicles filing into the parking spaces and traffic directors showing us where to park.

I was worried that we wouldn't have time to let the kids use the bathroom before out tour started, but luckily there were portable toilets right by the parking spaces.

We walked toward the chapel, and through the doors. When we entered, you could immediately feel the excitement of the moment . There were lot's of ushers helping us know where to go. They sat us down for a short 10 minute video on the purpose of temples. There was a pamphlet placed on each of the chairs, with pictures and a brief explanation of each of the rooms. The kids loved their pamphlets, and looked at them while watching the video. Christian noticed how the video had the same pictures of the rooms in his pamphlet. He kept saying, "Look- Mom, I have that picture in my book!"

After the video, we walked outside of the chapel and towards the Temple. They asked us to slip paper slippers over our shoes to keep from tracking dirt in on the floors of the temple. Everything was going well until it was Anderson's turn. He refused to put them on over his shoes, so finally they let him take his shoes off, and he walked around in his socks.

The temple was so beautiful inside, and the artwork really drew me in. I felt the spirit and cried as we went through the bride's room. I realized how special that room is to me. It reminded me of the moment I shared with my own mother right after I had been married to Aaron. It was a special one, and we both knew things would never again be the way they had been. I teared up all those years ago, and teared up again reflecting on that moment so long ago. They had a picture of a mother with her small daughter hanging on the wall. This made me think of my own daughters, and how one day, we will share the same experience.

We then entered the endowment room. It was breath taking! There was the most lovely mural that wrapped all around the room, it was of the Gila Valley. We were told that the artist wasn't even from the United States, but was able to capture the area's beauty so well by camping in the valley for an extended period of time. The colors were all earth tones, and I love how he painted the blue sky, the mountains, ocotillo cacti with their orange blossoms, deer, the Gila river, plateaus, and even a tiny quail family.

Both the Celestial room and the sealing room had the most amazing chandeliers! I can't describe to you how beautiful, you'd just have to see them for yourself, but I do believe they're more beautiful than any others I've ever seen! Abigail even notice them, and kept pointing her finger, trying to touch.

The kids loved looking through the mirrors of the sealing room, and how they symbolize the eternities. There was this cute little one year old that noticed Abigail. He just kept reaching for her, while his father held him. He kept saying, "baby, baby," and they really seemed to like one another. He wanted to touch her so badly, it was adorable.

As we left the temple, I was walking with Morgan, and he seemed stunned. I asked him what he thought, and he said it was way more beautiful than he had thought it would be. He said, "Mom, I'm going to get married in this temple!" Then I said, "Great, you have the place-- now you just have to find the girl." He smiled.

The whole family was happy, and I could tell the experience was a special one for us all. We truly felt the spirit. It was wonderful.

We took these pictures outside of the temple, and then piled in the van. We decided to drive around town a bit to see if we could find some historical sites, and we happened to find Spencer W. Kimball's boyhood home!

This was quite the treasure!

We then went to Roper State Park, and had lunch on an island in the middle of Roper Lake! It was a perfect day, not too hot, not too cold. Just as we sat down and started to eat our lunch, the ducks noticed and started swimming our way, from all directions. We started cracking up! The kids were laughing, we were laughing, it was hilarious! They just knew we were going to feed them, so we did! Anderson was fascinated by the ducks and started quacking in a sweet voice just like them.

Morgan said, "this is the best day ever!" I agree, it felt so perfect! We even found honeysuckles on that island! Honeysuckles bring back memories of my childhood, and of my mother, teaching me how to pick off the bottom end of the flower, so the nectar comes out. Then you lick the nectar, mmm...so good. The kids all loved trying. It was fun sharing something with them, that my mother had shared with me.

We then drove home.

Aaron and I ended the day with a stroll around the neighborhood-- just us and Abigail! The sun was setting, there was a gentle breeze in the air, and I just felt so thrilled that we were an eternal family!

What's up with... KAITLYN?

2010-04-26T06:50:00.002-07:00

Kaitlyn:

She's a sweetheart!
She is very attentive and caring with our younger children.
She's giving.
She's our most sensitive child when it comes to her health.
She's allergic to Penny's saliva-- she breaks out in hives!
She loves cutting paper into little scraps and making artwork with various small objects.
She likes doing her chores.
She's also doing well in school, her favorite subject is Art.
Her favorite colors are pink, purple and blue.
She loves jewelry and found a ton of it at a yard sale last Saturday.
She likes to use green wire to make Littlest Pet shop hats with old wrapping paper, or play with her DSi.
She enjoys taking pictures with her DSi.
Her favorite food is everything except non-American food.
She's reading Pipi Longstocking.
She loves Activity Days.
She's memorized all 13 Articles of Faith, and she's only-- 10!
She's a great helper.
She's smart.
She's way too young to like boys, but she says she "kind-of-likes one, but not all the way." ;)
She lets Anderson snuggle with her.
She's learning how to play piano, and loves her teacher!
She blacked out on our last hike.
She's a talker, and not shy.
She's learning how to style her own hair, and recently donated a bunch of it. Her hair is still long, like Madison's.
She's very ticklish!

Things I love about Kaitlyn:

She's super helpful!
She's so loving!
She is outgoing and you don't have to guess how she feels.
She loves church and loves sharing her testimony.
She's creative.
Most of all, I love her because she's a wonderful, special daughter! She's just as amazing as Morgan and Madison! I feel so blessed to have you for a daughter, Kaitlyn!
You're awesome! :)

Kaitlyn, I love you!!!

What's up with... MADISON?

2010-04-24T15:05:00.003-07:00

Madison:

She's turning 12 in May!
What does turning 12 mean for her? She's going into YW's (what? I'm going to have two children in our church's youth program. They are growing up WAY too fast!) She'll be wearing makeup, which I can tell by the big smile she gets on her face, whenever I mention it, that she's super excited! She's also allowed to wear danglely earrings and colored nail polish. This is going to be fun, I think she and I are going to love shopping for makeup together. She told me just the other day that she doesn't want to "wear a lot of makeup, like blush." :)
She's going into 7th grade, and is on Honor Roll.
She is a hard worker.
She is a perfectionist.
She is a self motivator.
All of those things combined, have really helped her succeed in school.
She has one requirement left to earn her Duty to God.
She's a great babysitter, and is looking forward to babysitting outside our family.
In her free time, she likes listening to music.
Her favorite color is blue.
Her favorite food is waffles.
She's currently reading Sherlock Holmes.
She recently had her hair cut. It was so long, that she was able to donate her hair and still have long hair!
She's scared of spiders, and other creepy things (probably gets that from me).
She loves playing Pokemon video games.
She has cute, little freckles that dot her nose and cheeks.
She like playing with our pets.
Her favorite website is: http://www.clubpenguin.com/
She loves going to Activity Days.
She'll be attending Girls Camp this summer.
She sings in our Ward Choir.
She wants a kitten for Christmas (unfortunately, she is not going to get one)
She has a beautiful voice!
She has a crush on a certain boy, and she told be NOT to tell who it is. So my lips are sealed!
She loves playing with Abigail, and often giggles and says, "she's cute!"
Her favorite outdoor activities are riding her bike and jumping on the trampoline.
She's starting to style her own hair (I love watching her try, it's so cute).
She has a strong sense of "right and wrong."
She loves our new Job Chart , and thrives on a point/reward system.

Things I love about Madison:

She's so helpful! She helps me with the baby, cleans the house, and stays focused on her responsibilities-- all without complaint!
She's sweet.
She's caring.
I love how thoughtful she is.
She's a great friend to me, Aaron, and her siblings.
She's just one amazing kid, and I love her so much!
How did I luck out to have a daughter like her? Madison you're awesome!

Madison, I love you!!!

What's up with... MORGAN?

2010-04-23T11:43:00.006-07:00

Morgan:

He's been babysitting a lot! Everyone seems to love him, and readily refers him.
He's going to Scout Camp in June.
We've decided to send Morgan to High School after much prayer! Wahoo-- is he excited, and we are as well!
He will start Seminary with the new school year.
He's the new Deacon's Quorum President.
He'll turn 14 in July, and with that he'll start going to youth dances! Which makes him almost as old as I was when I met Aaron, yikes!
He's 5 ft. 11 inches.
He sings in our Ward and Stake Choirs.
His favorite thing to do is play football, and is hoping to tryout for Cienega High (his soon to be high school).
He wants to be a defense attorney when he grows up.
He's doing well school, his favorite subject is History.
He loves going on monthly camping trips with the Scouts and his Dad.
He loves sitting around a campfire, eating from the dutch oven, and relaxing.
He has a crush on one...or two girls!
He's reading the book I just finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
His favorite video game is Reversi, an online board game.
He listens to the Bishop better than his Mom, when it comes to the length of his hair (thank you, Bishop). I had just told Morgan I wasn't sure the skater do was going to work, and that he needed to be an example for the other boys at church. He thought I was so lame (maybe I'm exaggerating a bit here), but decided to go ahead and cut his hair shorter (what an obedient son). Then he came home from a meeting last Sunday, where the Bishop encouraged the boys to keep their hair length at missionary standards. He told me, "Mom, I think I'm going to keep my hair short." His attitude had totally changed. He's even encouraging the other boys in his Quorum to keep their cut to missionary standards.
He helps cook and is learning how to wash, fold, and iron his clothes.
He made his 1st PowerPoint presentation the other day, and figured it out all on his own.
He helps me with the baby everyday, willingly!
He works out to Wii Fit.
He's progressing in piano and loves it! His favorite website is http://www.ninsheetm.us/ . He loves listening to the music and hopes to play a few of the pieces some day.

Things I love about Morgan:

He's kind, thoughtful, and caring.
He's learning how to be a hard worker.
He's a great friend and son, as well as, brother.
He's got a great memory, he didn't get that from me-- that's for sure.
He is like a sponge, constantly learning new things and teaching me.
He has a sweet disposition, I don't know how I lucked out to have him for a son.
He loves to read, even his scriptures.
He's a great helper to his mom and dad.

Morgan, I love you!!!

Penny's a Boy!

2010-04-22T20:49:00.003-07:00

Christian: "Why does Penny look like a boy?"
Me: "I don't know."
Christian: (a minute later) "Mom, Penny's a boy!"
Me: "No she's not, she doesn't have boy parts!"

Hours later...

Christian: "Mom, I really think Penny's a boy!"
Me: "No Christian, she's not a boy, she's a girl."
Christian: "yes he is!"

After dinner when Aaron comes home...

Christian: "Dad, Penny's a boy!"
Aaron: "No, Penny's a girl, she doesn't have boy parts."
Christian: "But he sounds like a boy."
Aaron: "Look-- she has ba-bas."

So far I think Dad's answer has satisfied Christian...

We'll see if the whole "Penny is a boy" thing comes up tomorrow. Kids-- you gotta love em'!

Busy

2010-04-21T23:17:00.006-07:00

Busy, Busy, Busy-- that's what I've been.
Monday started out with a trip to:

Yes, I'm finally getting my veins the help they've needed for so long. I'll have an ultrasound in a few weeks to determine what kind of surgery is needed. I have to admit I'm nervous. I'm scared of the possible complications (blood clots/infections are what I fear the most). However, I need to have them fixed because not doing anything, can lead to blood clots as well.

We're watching a dog for a friend of ours while they're at Disneyland. Her name is Penny. She's a very well behaved dog. We all adore her. She seems to like it here, and is playful and bubbly! She even gets along well with Noodle and Fuzzy Wuzzy.

Book Club was at my house tonight. I started reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet this past Sunday and finished it this morning. I loved it! So I'd read every time I had to feed Abigail, and then I gave the kids baby duty while I painted walls (thank you Andy for all of your beautiful Artwork), washed clothes, dished, carpets, and floors. Socializing with my sweet friends is so worth it!

The refreshments.

Tomorrow I'm babysitting a dear friend of mine's children, and on Friday a group of friends and their kiddos are coming over for lunch and pie making!

Life is good.

Wahoo!!! My Sis is Engaged!

2010-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and Tony

This has to be the best news I've had in ages! I'm so thrilled!!! I've been hoping and praying that this day would happen for my sister for so long! Aren't they lovely together? I think so. I haven't actually met Tony, but most of my fam has, and I hear he's terrific! He proposed to her on the beach tonight, and she told me that the ring is huge! She sounded so happy, which of course makes me happy. What a great way to end a great day!

A Reminder that God Cares

2010-04-14T22:18:00.002-07:00

Last Sunday was a special day. Morgan was sustained as Deacon's Quorum President in our new ward. I'm so happy for him. It was surreal seeing him in such a mature light. My son is growing up so fast, but despite the fact that this makes me feel a tinge of sadness, I also found happiness because I know he's making right choices. I am so thrilled that he loves the gospel. I felt even more last Sunday, that my son is growing into a fine young man. I hope he will learn a lot from his new calling. He is anxious to dive in, and seems to understand that it will be a lot of work. He's looking forward to serving his peers in the Deacon's Quorum!

I had a special experience that day, that touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Just after Sacrament, Aaron had severe stomach pain from Crohn's. He told me that Morgan was going to be sustained, but that he was in too much pain to stay. I knew both parents are usually asked to attend, but I wasn't sure if they were planning on setting them apart during church. I felt frantic because I really wanted to be there for Morgan, but I was dealing with the baby (who was quite fussy). Since I'm in a new ward building and still don't know everyone very well, I felt a bit lost and very stressed. I decided that I had to feed Abigail, so she would calm down. I figured no one would be able to find me in the Mother's Lounge. She feel asleep while I fed her, and so I proceeded to Relief Society. I sat down by my friend, and she leaned over and said she would help me figure out what was going on. It only took us a few minutes to figure out everything, and I found myself arriving just at the right time. As I listen to the blessings, it came to my realization how everything had worked out just so. Abigail had finished eating at exactly the right time, my friend helped me at the right time, and now I was listening to my son's blessing. I knew at that moment that Heavenly Father was aware of me, and that he knew I needed him. I'm grateful for a friend who was prompted and listened to that prompting. It all fell together perfectly. Tears came to my eyes as I had this realization. It's so wonderful, how you can be living life and out of nowhere a tender mercy appears and you know-- that God is real, that he is aware of you, and love's you.

Moments

2010-04-10T23:31:00.005-07:00

*Moments of my day*
(NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER)

*gave the boys haircuts* wondered how to give my oldest son, Morgan- "A Skater Do"* swept the floor* cleaned the carpet* washed the windows* looked online for local hikes and horseback riding* facebook* Laundry* a ride* talked with my Dad* reminded kids to finish their chores and school work* taught kids how to improve their cleaning skills* read the news* chatted with my Mom* washed the kitchen floor* scrubbed the counters and kitchen table* showered* read the scriptures* date night to El Coranado* red box movie* grocery store for milk and bread* tucked kids in bed* blogged* more laundry* chatted with my husband* Laughed with my family* relaxed* planned more ways to fill up my schedule* played the piano* contemplated on goals and future* wished I was gardening, running, camping, hiking, HORSEBACK RIDING (instead of cleaning)*

Date night- YES!!! :)

A Day of Service

2010-04-09T19:43:00.001-07:00

NEED I SAY MORE...

I watched 3 of my friends children today so they could go on a hike, our turn is next-- thank you Hardy's. That's a total of 10 kids! I really need to say that I couldn't have made it through the day, without the help of my 3 oldest children.

babies smiling, eating, crying
kids running full speed
video playing, movie watching
"Can we go outside, please?" YES
reading, writing, grading science tests
cleaning, cooking, changing diapers
calling sisters in the ward and writing letters

Serving my dear family and friends brings meaning and joy to my life!

Easter Fun

2010-04-06T23:08:00.005-07:00

This was taken right before the egg hunt began, they could hardly hold still for the pic.

We held the hunt in our backyard, which as you can see, is quite barren. While the kids gathered eggs, I just kept thinking how cool it was that my kids were hunting eggs in the desert just like their Grandmother did (my Mom), 54 years ago.

When I was a little girl, I remember her telling me a story of when she looked for eggs, one Easter morning. Her parents had sent her outside to find eggs, and somehow she mistook a small, round cactus for an egg-- much to her dismay...

I sometimes can't believe that my kids are having similar experiences as my mother had growing up. I never imagined, ever, living in Tucson- and yet, I love it here. I love that we can see what my mom loved about AZ, and that we have family history here as well.

Anyways, the kids had fun finding eggs, and eating lot's of candy. Aaron wasn't feeling well, he has sinusitis and a terrible cold. He slept through most of conference and into the evening. I felt so bad for him, but he seems to be doing a bit better, still very tired.

I was thrilled to see my older kids glued to conference. We all enjoyed the beautiful messages, and felt the spirit. The younger ones weren't quite as reverent, but they did ok for the most part. They are just so busy, and it's so hard for them to sit still.

I made egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and red velvet cake for dinner. The recipe for the cake was a new one for me, and I'm thrilled it turned out just the way I had hoped! So delicious!

What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter with conference! Wasn't the music lovely? It was the best!

Where Have I been?

2010-04-05T07:50:00.003-07:00

I have been in the carribean, yes, that's why you haven't heard from me...

Ok, not true. I wish I could say I haven't blogged lately because of some major reason. Nope. Just lack of desire. If you don't know this about me, now ya do, I am an "on off" type of gal.

For example, when I was in college I discovered that I LOVED philly cheese steak sandwiches, and before I knew it, I wanted those any chance I got. Then one day, I didn't want philly cheese steak sandwiches anymore. I don't know what caused this, I was just done. I had no desire to ever eat one again! It was years before I had another.

Now I'm not saying it will be years before I whip out another blog post, well maybe... JK. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a true blue blogger, maybe I'm what you call a "fair weather" blogger. There will be times when I feel like being a devoted blogger, and there will be times when I feel like laying low, and dealing with whatever I've got going on, without a thought of adding another blog entry.

I guess I can feel a little overwhelmed at times. I've been very busy with the kids school the past month or so, making sure they are all on target for the end of the year. We've been submitting work samples, which can be pretty time consuming. With all this school work, my housework is a bit behind (not to mention that I've been reading, which gets me behind in the housework as well. I haven't learned how to pace myself-- hmm, there's that all or nothing thing coming into play again). I've had some sick kids the past few weeks, which takes up even more time, taking them to the doc and caring for them. I do have a way of fitting in way too much socializing, but it's oh so fun. So there ya go, those are my reasons. When I start to feel overwhelmed, which happens often around here, I just get down to survival mode.

When you don't see a blog entry from me, know that my house is a mess, I'm probably sleep deprived with my hair in disarray and frazzled to my wit's end! :)

Rides

2010-03-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Our family loves to go on rides! It's just something we do, and it started way back when we were first married. It's so fun to just hop in your car, and drive somewhere you've never been before! The frequency of our rides have definately been scaled back, since gas prices have risen over the years, but we still manage to squeeze them in every once in a while.

We've seen some strange sightings on the past two rides we've taken.

We took these two pictures on one of our shorter rides. These guys love to meander across a road close to our home.

On Tuesday, we drove to a place I've been dying to check out-- Madera Canyon.

We saw a group of wild Turkeys, crazy! That's a first for me.

The strangest thing we saw was this:

A river bed full of water! I think we're going to go on a family hike in Sabino Canyon on Monday. I hear it's full of water as well. We've had so much rain lately! Fun stuff.

Reading

2010-03-05T20:22:00.001-07:00

My book list is getting really long! I belong to a women's book club, and love it! I get so busy, that I know I wouldn't make the effort to read as much without it.

For March we're reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A good classic! I'm only on the 6th Chapter, and I'm already hooked. The language is very formal, so it is a challenge for me, but it's understandable as well.

For April, I'm hosting. I had a hard time choosing since I don't have much time to read other than what we're reading for book club. My friend Aimee suggested Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jaime Ford. I've already read a few chapters in that, and it drew me in right away. I can't wait to dive into it.

The kids and I are reading Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. They're in a book club as well.

As I have mention before, Morgan and I are singing in the Stake Choir. What does that have to do with reading? The Stake President specifically asked that we increase our scripture reading, and try to read everyday until the performance. So I've taken on his challenge. I've been trying to fit in as much time for scripture reading as possible. If I can't read, I'll listen to the scriptures on my phone while driving. I often wonder why I don't always read more. I'm so much more able to enjoy the scriptures and get far more out of them, when I read more at a time! I'm also hoping, with all this additional scripture reading, that I will feel closer to the spirit. I'm searching for a few answers in prayer right now, and I need all the help I can get.

On a totally unrelated side note-- I have strained my neck. Ouch! I did it a few days ago, and unfortunately it is not improving. I'm really not liking this! It hurts when I don't move at all, when I sleep, when I sit. Please tell me this too shall pass.

Kaitlyn's in the ER

2010-03-04T03:13:00.001-07:00

Morgan woke me up around 1:40 am to tell me that Kaitlyn couldn't breath! When I got to her, she was coughing and struggling for every breath. She had fear written all over her face, and I knew it was serious. When she gets bad like this, it's so scary! We live about 40 minutes from the hospital, so there's always the chance we may have to call the ambulance.

Aaron and I gave her 2 nebulizer treatments, which helped-- but she was still wheezing a lot, so we decided she should go to the ER. Morgan said that she had a green/yellow color to her face when he first helped her out of bed, and he seemed pretty worried.

It's now 3:10 am, and I'm still wide awake. It's hard to go back to sleep, and I'm waiting to hear from Aaron. I'll write more, when I find out how she's doing.

It's Been a While

2010-03-02T19:41:00.001-07:00

No, I did not die-- even though it may have seemed like it. I did, however, attend a funeral this week and I found out yesterday morning, that my choir teacher (the one I had in middle school and all through high school) died.

When my mom called to tell me the sad news yesterday, it caught me off guard. I didn't realize how sad loosing my choir teacher would make me feel. I guess, out of all my teachers, she was the one I was closest to. She definately influenced me. She taught me a lot about singing and dancing. We worked hard preparing show choir competitions. I have many good memories of her. It was hard to know that her life ended at such a young age. She had so much energy!

I cried on and off yesterday morning, and found myself wanting to listen to the Hymn Each Life That Touches Ours For Good.

1. Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

2. What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

3. When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

4. For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior’s name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.
Text: Karen Lynn Davidson, b. 1943.

Listening to this song helped me feel better, and allowed me to move on with my day. I really like Dustin Gedhill's version of this hymn on his CD, Always. Actually, I love all of that CD, and I especially like to play it when I feel emotionally drained. It uplifts me when I listen to it.

Anyways, my week wasn't all filled with sad news.

Aaron and I went to the Temple on Saturday. Some members of our ward drove up to the temple, and watched our kids for us. It was a special day for Aaron and I. We haven't gone since last May or so. I just love going, it really blesses our marriage and helps us both feel closer to Heavenly Father.

We've been working on work samples again. They're due every month, and it takes some time. The kids all have to submit a writing sample and a math sample. Can you believe it-- I'm already thinking about Spring break? :) I might actually might have the time to finish organizing our garage.

I'm going to Stake Choir practice every Thursday evening. There's going to be this amazing musical fireside, with the most beautiful music about the Savior. I'm serious, this music is so beautiful, it often brings tears to my eyes. You can just feel the spirit, and the words go straight to your heart. You mine as well hang up singing when that happens. :) Morgan's singing with me as well, and we love it!

Yesterday was pretty much a big playday. Even though the day started out sad, I got to go to lunch with an amazing group of women. They're all so fun to hang out with, and we do it on a monthly basis. So cool. Later in the day, we had FHE with our good friends, the Kemp's. They told us about this children's play that was held at the high school next to us. It was so fun, all of us had a blast! Even Abigail, was giggling through the entire play. We are so blessed to have found such wonderful friends!

This week was a busy one, and I just didn't feel like adding blogging to my list. Maybe I'll do better this week, maybe not. I hope so.

I Cherish My Husband

2010-02-22T21:53:00.011-07:00

About a week ago, I had a bad dream. A really bad one. It was so bad that I woke up crying uncontrollably. I think that might have been a first for me.

I dreamed Aaron died, and I was a witness. In my dream, we were on our way to a family reunion with Aaron's side of the family. We packed so much stuff, that we had to rent a U-haul truck, as well as a trailer.

Aaron was driving the U-haul truck with the trailer hitched on it's back, and I was following him in our van with all of the kids. We were driving up through CA, and the roads were crazy, busy!

While following him, I saw him trying to weave in and out of traffic, and then all of a sudden things got bad! I saw his trailer swerve while he was trying to miss cars, and then it completely turned over. That was the beginning of the pile-up, and I knew Aaron was in the middle of it.

When I got to the hospital, all of Aaron's family was there, and they were so very nice and supportive. They had some how made it to the hospital before me, so they already knew what Aaron's condition was. When I asked them how Aaron was doing, all they said was, "it was a bad accident."

I knew at that moment, what they meant, and I broke down.

Later in my dream, I was with a few of his family members at the scene of the crash. It all became very real to me then, and I felt in my heart, just how much I really loved Aaron, and how much I would miss him.

I was completely heartbroken!

I then realized that because I hadn't yet finished school, I would have no way to provide for my seven children. I did think about our life insurance, and how I would have to use it to support us while I went back to school. This gave me some peace, but I contemplated how our lives were going to change, and knew the road ahead wouldn't easy.

I started to panic because I didn't know how I was going to proceed forward. I had never planned a funeral, and I felt lost.

The only hope I had, was to call on my home teachers and visiting teachers for help. I knew they'd be there for me, and would know what to do, but I couldn't find their numbers and it was even harder to find them because I was so far from home.

It was at that point, that I woke up crying. More like sobbing! It took me a good 15 minutes to calm down.

I've thought a lot about that dream the past few weeks, and I believe I've learned some valuable lessons:

Always carry your home teacher's/visiting teacher's numbers on you.
Know who to contact when your spouse dies, and have those numbers saved on your computer.
Mosiah 18:9-9 has really made a huge impression on me after this dream. I can now see, even more than in times past, why it's so important to be there for others, especially in their times of need.
And lastly, that I should cherish each and everyday that I have with Aaron. I have tried to really pamper, and freely show him my affection. When he comes home from work, I make him my #1 priority! I tell him that I love him, and how great he looks today. I make time to fulfill his needs and have found that we've been so much closer! It almost feels like the old days, but better!

So I would encourage any of you that may feel worn out and tired, to try to give a little more to your spouse! It's so worth it! It really makes a difference. :)

Sunday Pancakes

2010-02-21T19:11:00.003-07:00

Today when we got home from church, I made Anderson a sandwich. When I gave it to him, he said, "No, Pancakes." I couldn't believe it. Aaron has made pancakes after church for the last month-- Anderson has made the connection, that pancakes are what we eat after church!

The boys were so cute, waiting for Dad to make pancakes:

Since I had pulled the camera out, Christian begged me to take a picture of Abby. I finally gave in, and it actually came out ok, so I'll post that as well.

I also took some video footage of the kids and asked them a few questions.

WARNING:

THIS VIDEO HAS SOME UNSENSORED FOOTAGE, SOME OF THE MATERIAL IS QUITE GRAPHIC.

All I will say, is that it has to do with Anderson and his nose!

Bountiful Baskets

2010-02-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

I love participating in the Bountiful Basket food co-op here in AZ! Just look what I picked up today for only $85 and some change:

I ordered:

two bushels of granny smith apples (You know what I'll be doing Mon., and possibly Tues.-- that's right, canning.)
cameo apples
bananas
pummelos, I've never tried these before, but I hear they're very tasty and a lot like grapefruit.
asian brown pears
mandarin oranges
lemons
limes
rio red grapefruit
celery
broccoli
two small bags of baby carrots
lettuce leaf
yams
butternut squash
1 pint grape tomatoes
five loaves of whole wheat bread
and whole wheat and cranberry cereal bars

I think that's a pretty good deal, and we're eating healthy! Every week the ingredients of our baskets change. Last week we had zucchini, and I made this great zucchini soup recipe my friend, Aimee, gave me. Here's the recipe, it was a hit at our house!

Crema de Calabacitas

(Cream of Zucchini Soup)
http://www.recipezaar.com/, Oct. 2009

4 medium zucchini (~1 lb.)
2 cups of water
salt
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 (13 oz) can of evaporated milk
1 cup chicken broth
cilantro leaf (garnish)

Wash zucchini. Cut off stem ends, then cut into large pieces. Place in a saucepan. Add water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool zucchini in cooking liquid. Place zucchini, 1 cup cooking liquid and 2 tbsp cilantro in a blender; process until pureed. Heat butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion. Cook until tender but not browned. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute. Add pureed zucchini mixture, evaporated milk and chicken broth. Stir to blend. Season with salt if needed. Stir over medium heat until soup comes to a boil. Serve at once or chill and serve cold. Garnish each serving with a few whole cilantro leaves.

Anyways, I know they have sites in WA, UT, and AZ. If you want to check it out visit:

Bountiful Baskets

http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

My New Haircut

2010-02-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to admit, that no matter how hard I try...pictures of me just don't come out the way they should. When I look in the mirror I see a beautiful me. Now that doesn't mean I think I'm perfect, if only I were. With the camera, I see many flaws, the main one is that I'm over weight. I'm working on that though. I've lost 6 pounds this week, which is pretty good. I know you're thinking that's not healthy, but I've been eating really healthily.

My daily menu has been along the lines of:

Breakfast: bowl of Special K with skim milk
Snack: orange or blueberries
Lunch: Salad, my new favorite is lettuce gree
ns, black beans, salsa, and a dallop of Guacamole
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: whatever, as long as most of it is veggies or a salad

I ran two miles today (trying to not overdo things around here, and stay injury free), and had a killer aerobics workout on Monday, and I've sqeezed in a Pilates workout as well.

I'm just glad I'm making progress.

Looking at my wedding photos is really motivating. Anyways, here's the new hairstyle I'm sporting:

Kaitlyn

2010-02-18T00:17:00.003-07:00

Ten years ago today, Aaron and I were blessed with a bundle of Joy. She was our last child to be born in VA, and I was so hoping she'd come on Valentine's Day, but that day had come and gone. Instead she came on her Uncle Eric's birthday (one of Aaron's older brothers), February 17th. I think it's pretty cool that she gets to share his birthday with him.

I remember how excited I was to bring her home from the hospital. She was the cutest little baby, had the most darling blue eyes and a TON of dark hair! She was a chillin' baby, and took to her bed easily.

Aunt Amy made Kaitlyn this beautiful quilt!

We took her camping in the Redwoods when she was only 3 months old!

Kaitlyn and Uncle Mike Camping in the Redwoods

Kaitlyn's 1st Birthday

She was our fastest talker by far, and when she was little she would speak in the highest pitched voice! When she was around 2 or 3, she turned into a major DRAMA QUEEN! She's less emotional these days, but she still has plenty of spunk!

She has always loved sweets (maybe because she's our little sweetie-pie).

Somewhere around the age of 7, she developed Asthma. This has been a real trial for her, and us parents as well. Up until a few months ago, we hadn't found anything that controlled her Asthma, and we found ourselves bringing her to the ER on a regular basis. She's on Advair now, and that is working, yay!

She's really grown up the past year or so. She's so helpful, and she has a special way with the younger kids in our family. They adore her. She is bilingual, she speakes English and Toddlernese. I have to ask her to translate what her siblings are saying at times, because she's the only one who can understand, what on earth, they're actually trying to say!

She loves to give hugs, and we love to give her hugs back! She has a sweet spirit, and is very caring.

My sister-in-law, writes her children birthday letters. Thanks for the good idea, Amy. I think I'm going to steal your idea and do the same. Here it goes:

Kaitlyn,

I hope you know just how much Daddy and I love you. You mean the world to us, and we're so glad that you are our daughter!

You have a smile that can light up a room, and a cheerfulness that is contagious. You're smart and have a love for learning. You do your school work quickly and efficiently. You're a self motivator and an achiever.

You're creative, and I love finding your pictures all over the house. I've noticed that your drawings are becoming quite impressive. I am thrilled that you love to sew, and wish we had more time to make things together. I have noticed that you have a vivid imagination, which comes out in your drawings and the clothes that you sew for your stuffed animals and dolls. You're also quite fashionable, and you are learning how to style your hair.

Daddy and I are happy to see that you have a love for music. You're coming along well with your piano lessons, and who knows, maybe you'll pass up your mother's level soon.

You're compassionate and thoughtful. You're loving and kind to your siblings, which of course makes Daddy and I very happy. You serve willingly around the house.

We have noticed your desire to be like the Savior, and have felt the spirit when you bear your testimony of the Him and His church. We are so grateful that you have a testimony, and a love for the gospel. We pray that you will continue to be valient and steadfast, full of faith, with a love for Heavenly Father always in your heart.

Kaitlyn we couldn't be more blessed to have you for a daughter. You are a candle in our life. You radiate kindness and love. Thanks you for being you.

We hope you have a most special 10 year birthday. We love, love, LOVE you!!!

Love Always,
Dad and Mom

Also, I thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions, a spotlight of sorts, so that we could capture her current likes/dislikes.

SPOTLIGHT: (I asked her to tell me about herself)

In her own words:

I love animals. I love babies, they're so cute! I'm really happy that I have you and the rest of the family. I'm creative. I have three favorite colors-- blue, pink, and purple. I love to sew. I like to play outside. My favorite food is everything, almost-- I don't like chili. I like to play the piano. I love to take pictures. I love to go to Activity Days. I like AZ because of the tumble weeds and Peter Piper Pizza. I don't like AZ because you can get carsick in the car from the heat. I don't like bees. I love the sunsets here. My favorite candy is bubble gum. I love to go to the fair. My favorite primary song is I Know That My Savior Loves Me. I love it when my Daddy comes home and gives me hugs. I'm happy to be ten because I'm finally in the double digits, and I'm not a little kid anymore (that one cracks me up).

So there you go, that's our Kaitlyn! We're so glad she's part of our family.

Shot taken today.

Feb. 17, 2010- Kaitlyn's 10th birthday!

Valentine's Day, Multiplied

2010-02-15T00:55:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how we went from this:

to this:

in just 14 1/2 years!

When I look at those photos of just Aaron and I, I have a tendency to long for our youth! I love looking back at our wedding photos and it helps me remember "why" I'm doing all of this (a wife and mother).

I met the most handsome guy when I was just 14 years old, and have been smitten by him ever since! We are like two peas-in-a-pod, bestfriends! We've had our ups and downs, but we've stayed together, and through it all we've grown. We're communicating better these days, becoming less selfish. Trying harder to show one another how much we love the other, and then trickling that love down to our kids.

Today was a delightful Valentine's Day! We made cards for the children, and for each other. We called the whole family together. The kids listened while we read our cards to one another, and expressed how much we love each other.

We gave the kids their cards and told them why we love each of them. Then they had the opportunity to say why they love us, and their siblings.

This was a special moment.

I think we all realized just how much we love each other and this activity truly brought us closer.

We're so blessed to have each other, and every single one of the precious spirits our Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

Misc

2010-02-12T03:30:00.002-07:00

Here's what we've been up to the past few days:

I canned 12 quarts of tomatoes. This was a first for me, and I found it quite easy! In fact, I think they're easier than anything else I've ever canned!

Morgan's science experiment, gone wrong! We followed the directions, but some how the pan caught on fire! Our house smelled like smoke the rest of the night and my pan didn't look so hot! Now I'm face with the fact, that I have to help him make another funky apparatus, and figure out how to keep the pan from catching on FIRE! Yikes, and yuck.

I tried to capture all of the smoke that filled our kitchen, really there was a ton of it-- even the fire alarms went off.

We had a Valentine's party for our kids! We invited a few other AZVA families, and had so much fun! We kept things simple: made sugar cookies and exchanged valentines. We've been busy, but have enjoyed learning new things. I love teaching my kids! Yes- even though it's challenging at times, it's so rewarding!

The Sonoran Desert Museum

2010-02-10T19:04:00.001-07:00

I've heard this museum was good, and it was! We had so much checking out the snakes, fish, and scorpions. The kids were so excited! They were running from one exhibit to another, we could hardly keep up with them! We only had an hour to check things out, so we went ahead and purchased a one year membership, since it only cost $50. If we would have paid for a day's admission, it would have cost us $51.75. You know your family's large when the year membership fee is less than the cost of a day's admission!

This is just a snipet of what we saw:

I thought this was a "real" lizard at first.

A Gila Monster, it's very poisonous.

One cool clubhouse!

A roadrunner.

The Past Few Days

2010-02-08T22:50:00.006-07:00

The past few days have been so busy, so I decided to stay off the computer for the most part. My dad is moving to UT from VA, and he stayed at our house yesterday. He arrived around 4 am. He had been on the road for a couple of days- I was worried he might over do it, and fall asleep at the wheel. He also was towing his van on the back of the moving truck, which really concerned me because one wheel of his van, slipped off the dolly during one point of his trip. He made it, so the time which he arrived really didn't bother me.

It was so nice to see him! It's been about two years since we last saw him. I made breakfast for him (puff oven pancakes with fruit- thanks Amy for sharing this yummy breakfast recipe) before we went to church. He slept while we were gone, and then we ate lunch together and spent the day relaxing and chatting. I sure love him, and I thought it was cute how he really got down on the kids level and listened to them. Sarah gave him hugs all day, and Morgan told him one joke after another! All of the other kids loved him as well, but it seemed to me that Sarah and Morgan were the most comfortable with him.

We had to take some pictures, but I was bummed because Christian fell asleep, so he missed the family shot.

Christian sleeping while we took the picture.

Dad and I, boy to I love that guy!

One last "good-bye", I sure don't like saying that word. Hopefully we'll see him soon since we live so much closer now.

Talents

2010-02-05T01:25:00.004-07:00

Tonight I'm thinking about talents and/or gifts. I truly think it's amazing how we've all been blessed with different talents, gifts, and skills. It sure is fascinating how we're all so different, and it's wonderful when we share our talents with others, it makes the world a more beautiful place to live in.

This evening I had the privileged to use a talent that God blessed me with, singing. I'm not perfect, but I enjoy it! I was able to go to our Stake choir practice with my son Morgan, who's voice is coming along quite nicely. I really like the fact that we can go together, and I love that he's not too shy to share his voice! It's funny to walk into the chapel together because he's so much taller than me! I feel so short standing next to my 13 year old! I actually think he looks more like a 15 year old. His favorite song that we're singing is, "Anthem of Praise." I don't have a favorite, they're all lovely!

We had quite the turn out tonight! I really love it when there are so many people to sing with, it's just so powerful, and beautiful! I was lucky, and sat right next to the grand piano. Our pianist is AMAZING!!! She's the choir director's daughter, and she is ON IT! Seriously, she never misses a beat! I think she's probably headed towards becoming (if she's not already) a concert pianist!

I also sit next to a lady who's in her late 60's, and has sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She has a beautiful voice, and is fun to sit with! She has so much energy, I can hardly keep up!

She taught me a neat trick. She said, if you have allergies (which I do), all you have to do is buy some peppermint oil, dab a bit on your tongue, and then sip some water. Supposedly it will clean you out! She's does that before she has to sing high notes. I think I'm going to have to try it out, since we're singing some really high notes, and I'm struggling to reach them. It's bad.

I'm grateful that my Mom noticed that I like to sing and that she made me sing all those silly songs in our ward talent shows when I was little. I remember her making me sing a song from the King and I:

“I Whistle a Happy Tune”

Whenever I feel afraid
I hold my head erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect
I'm afraid.

While shivering in my shoes
I strike a careless pose
And whistle a happy tune
And no one ever knows

I'm afraid.

The result of this deception
Is very strange to tell
For when I fool the people
I fear I fool myself as well!

I whistle a happy tune
And ev'ry single time
The happiness in the tune

Convinces me that I'm not afraid.
Make believe you're brave
And the trick will take you far.

You may be as brave
As you make believe you are...

I know she thought it was the funniest thing to see me sing this song on stage, when she knew, that truly--I was afraid. I think there's a whistling part in the song (if I'm remembering right), that was so hard to nail-- I'm so not a whistler!

Anyways...Mom, if you're reading this, I MISS SINGING WITH YOU WHILE YOU PLAY THE PIANO!!! We sure have fun when were together! Thanks for helping me develope a love for music!

Oh, and just so you know, she went to EVERY performance of mine while growing up, and even played for my Juries in college. We make a good team!

A Sigh of Relief

2010-02-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since this ward change, my main concern is how well my kids will adapt.

I've been anticipating Morgan's YM's activity all week! I realized that he would be attending for the first time, without having the opportunity to meet the other Deacons in Sunday School.

We made sure to get there early. Aaron took him in and met some of his leaders! They were very nice, and made them feel comfortable.

Aaron said they were playing dodge ball, and that Morgan had seemed pretty excited about it. He also saw some other boys there that Morgan already knew from Rita Ranch ward.

It was a success! When we picked him up, he looked happy! He told us he had a great time!

Whew, what a relief! He said he thinks he's going to like being in the Vail ward! I think we will too! ;)

All in a Day

2010-02-01T23:45:00.003-07:00

It was a great day! Definately different than what I had planned.

Planned:
Clean, clean, clean.
Laundry, laundry, laundry.
Lunch with friends.
Play a bit with the kids.
Declutter and organize parts of the house.
Clean some more.
Plan FHE.
Dinner.
FHE.

Unplanned:
Shopping for several hours, looking for bedding. I thought my Dad would enjoy sleeping in a room with a decent bed when he comes to visit. We found a good deal at Ross and Home Goods, which makes me very happy!

Took the kids to Game Stop. Morgan and Madison really wanted to download the Pokemon character Shiny Pichu, and since the kids cleaned the house so well while we were out, we agreed to take them.

What I actually accomplished was lunch with friends, one load of laundry, no cleaning, found the perfect bedding, picked up dinner (pizza), FHE, some Facebooking, blogging, watching a movie with the hubby, and some personal scripture reading.

I'm hopeful that tomorrow will be more productive as far as cleaning goes, although we have some work samples that need to be submitted to K12, so we'll see about that!

Today, I am most grateful for my dear sweet family, and wonderful friends! I love days like today when everything may not have gone as planned, but in the end, I felt refreshed by my aquaintances and loved by my family. Today was a great day!

Answers

2010-02-01T00:43:00.003-07:00

After a week's worth of anticipation, we finally know what ward we're in. We will be in the Vail ward. I have a lot of mixed feelings right now with this change, but I know this is a good thing.

I already had a friend call me tonight and she welcomed me in the ward! I can't believe how much this small act meant to me! She was so sweet! I am looking forward to meeting new people, and my kids are as well. We do feel a certain sadness, because we cherish the friendships we've made these past 18 months.

One thing that really makes me happy, (NOT) is the fact that we still will be meeting at 8:30 AM, only now we have to drive farther (about 30 mins.)! With the large family that I have, getting to sacrament on time, just might mean that I won't be worthy to partake of the sacrament once I get there! JK

As a side note, I have to admit that I am a little afraid to attend the new building. If you remember the post about the javelinas and the stake center you'll know why-- yes, we'll be attending the stake center. My friend, Aimee, told me that there were times when she would have to run to her car, carrying food from a dinner, for fear that she might be attacked by one .

She also, so generously, shared with me this precious information last week:

Me: "Did you know that Brother Hilton saw a snake in the men's bathroom?"

Aimee: "Well, it was probably a rattler."

Me: "A what!?!"

Aimee: "A rattlesnake." (she's talking in a calm voice)

Me: "Are you serious!?!"

Aimee: "Yeah, they're all over the place! One time I was buckling my kids in the car when I heard a rattle and saw a snake slide under my van. I had to go in and ask a guy to help me get the rattlesnake out from under my car. He came out with a broomstick and a bucket."

Me: "Really?"

Aimee: "Yep, and you really have to be careful when you walk in the entrance to the stake offices because they like to hang out there."

I just couldn't believe it! I thought how dangerous and scary is that! What if some poor little, unexpecting child decides to play in the bushes! My imagination really started to get the better of me, and now I am seriously frightened! So if something happens to me, just know that I love you guys! Hmmm, maybe it's time to get the will in order or go inactive!

Aaron

2010-01-30T21:07:00.003-07:00

I asked Aaron to write about himself, and to my delight, he agreed!
About Me
LIKES/LOVES

Woodworking, although I need some more tools to make something great!
Programming
Electronics
Camping with my family (only in near-perfect circumstances - sorry, honey!)
American food and completely American versions of Mexican food
My worn-out LaZboy recliner
Music. I’m still a sucker for 80’s and 90’s alternative, but I try to branch out.
Pop-Tarts

DISLIKES

Reality TV
Teletubbies
Humid heat
’80 Oldsmobile Cutlass with 26” chrome wheels and a lift kit…

MISCELLANEOUS

I am an identical mirror twin.
When I am not programming (usually Java), I get bored easily.
I don’t follow sports, but my son does. How’d that happen? The other day I asked him where my screwdriver was. He said “Dad, if it doesn’t play the Vikings, I don’t follow it.”
I am appreciating routines more and more every day, to my wife's horror. She thinks I may have OCD.
I would like to pursue a Master’s degree, but the thought of prerequisites has stopped me from seriously considering it so far.
I have never really felt homesick – I attribute it to my military upbringing and my amazing adaptability. :)
I do, however, love my parents and siblings, and the family experiences we share!
I love my wife. I have never known anyone more caring, more sincere, more eager to please. She has put up with all of my shenanigans, but she doesn’t let me get away with them. And she still loves me. She still sees the person I can become, and encourages me to get there.

Me

2010-01-29T22:17:00.005-07:00

I'm afraid of heights.
I love the outdoors.
I love to quilt and sew.
I sing.
I'm learning to play the piano.
I love animals.
I like to play basketball, but now it's hard on my body-- bummer.
I like to run.
I have many siblings.
I love chocolate.
I am petrified of snakes and spiders.
I have vivid dreams.
I love to serve people.
I enjoy reading, researching, and writing.
I want to serve on a mission with my husband someday.
I really want to be a seminary teacher.
I cherish family.
I want what's best for my family, and worry about them.
I love hot chocolate.
I love hiking and canoing.
I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
I've always only wanted to be a mom.
I enjoy keeping up with current events and politics.
I hope my children will always be faithful and stand for truth and righteousness.
I want to know the scriptures better.
I love eating out.
I love sleep.
I really love swimming.
I crave seafood.
I think my family is spread too far apart.
I find a campfire romantic and relaxing.
I want to go skiing someday.
I never want to go parachuting.
I hope I give my children what they need.
I love my parents with all my heart.
I love my siblings with all my heart.
I love my children with all my heart.
I love my husband with all my heart, he's my best friend!
I love my in-laws, they're wonderful.
I'm grateful I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I'm grateful for our prophet, he was my favorite speaker when I was a child.
I'm so glad my dad will be visiting our family soon.
I had five years of Spanish in high school and college, and have forgotten almost all of it except for a few key phrases.
I have anxiety attacks.
I hope to adopt a child or two someday.
I have severe varicose veins, and will be going to a specialist soon.
My husband has crohn's and my daughter asthma.
I don't like hospitals, but know they have helped my loved ones.
I fear losing a love one.
I don't like change, but at the same time, find it exciting.
I am spontaneous, but at the same time, like to know how things will play out.
I believe in prayer.
I love my Heavenly Father with all my heart.
I have a deep gratitude for my Savior, and know that he is there for me in my times of need.
I love flowers, sunshine, trees, fireflies, fresh air, mountains, green grass, rain, thunderstorms, waves, and gardening.
I love Chinese food, especially Lo Mein.
I go to Panda Express every chance I get.
I don't like to fly.
I worry about crashing in the car.
I love my kids and their individual personalities.
I'm grateful for friends, and love to chat.
I hope I'll live a long life.
I'm striving to be a good example, but I know I make mistakes.
I'm trying to not let myself get offended.
I'm trying to not be prideful.
I sometimes stress out too much.
I love Tucson.
I want a horse.
I love to listen to country, christian, and classical music.
I miss my Great Aunt Ruth (really my grandma)
I am discovering that I have more talents.
I love to snuggle with my husband.
I love it when my kids give me hugs and kisses.
I love it when my kids pick me flowers.
Rainbows make my day.
Whenever I get really stressed, I like to envision my husband and I alone in a hut on some island, with the waves crashing on the shore.
I love virgin pina coladas.
Pizza is yummy!
Salsa and tortilla chips are the bomb.
I like HOT and SPICY foods.
I had one year of German in college.
I wouldn't mind singing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Lion House Rolls are the best with honey butter.
I hope my husband goes back to school for his master's.
I had two of my children at home.
I want to decorate my home in primitive decor and maybe fix up an old house with wide wood planked floors.
I'm a carrier of cystic fibrosis.
I love yard sales.
I love Costco.
I am basically cheep, but have expensive taste.
I want to buy some redware someday.
and..., I was raised in VA.

The list goes on, I guess you'll have to continue reading my blog if you want to learn more about me...

Blessings of the Day

2010-01-27T21:22:00.002-07:00

Sleeping in
Kids helping me clean
enjoying a cleaner house
my husband has a job
my husband felt good enough to go to work after a Crohn's flare-up last night
I lost a pound
healthy food- currently really enjoying the blueberries on sale for $.99/pint., did you know they are an anti-inflammatory? Aaron had some tonight hoping to help with his Crohn's
free piano lessons from Emily (well I'm babysitting for her to receive these lessons, so awesome) for Katie and I
learning how to play the hymns "There is a Green Hill Far Away" and "How Firm a Foundation," even if they're in the simpler version
great girl chat over lunch with my friend Charlotte
our kids had fun together
teaching my children
giggling with Anderson while we roughhoused on the floor
visiting the sister I teach with my companion-- so much fun chatting
talking with my husband about life
sunshine and rain
flowers
a working vehicle
relaxing
the scriptures
prayer
the Holy Ghost

I have so many blessings, what are some of yours?

One Cool Idea

2010-01-26T22:42:00.001-07:00

My friend, Aimee, told me about an idea that I think is truly a lifesaver! She makes packing lists up for each of her kids way before they even know they're going on a trip! She prints the lists out for her older children, and makes a picture list for her younger ones, like this:

How cool is that? She has one for long trips, and one for short trips, for summer trips and winter trips-- and I suppose you could even have one for camping trips as well.

As some of you know, we just took a trip up to WA, and I felt like I was going crazy trying to remember everything! I was stressed and trying to make lists, while running errands before we left. I packed everything for everyone. I really need to learn how to simplify, and delegate!

She says if she's in a hurry, all she does is print the lists off for her kids, and makes them take care of everything themselves, I like that! Love this idea!!!

Fun to Not so Fun

2010-01-26T00:01:00.001-07:00

For all of you that live in Tucson, Peter Piper Pizza has a family night on Mondays from 5-7 PM. Up to four, 7 inch, one-topping pizzas, FREE with each paying adult.

Aaron and I decided to take the fam there tonight for some fun. The kids were so excited, we don't do this sort of thing very often.

{Right now I'm wishing I would've brought my "good" camera along, because I'm cringing as I look at these photos. The cell phone just isn't cutting it.}

We ended up having a ton of fun, and the kids were all so happy. We should have ended the night there, but no, we had to slip in some more fun!

So we went to game stop. Morgan spent some of his hard-earned babysitting money, and then we went to Target to buy the girls new earings. Aaron dropped the kids and I off, while he ran to Ross to buy some new, and much needed shoes.

I was ok with that, and wasn't thinking about how difficult things might turn out.

I was in the jewelry section, trying to help the girls pick out their earings with all SEVEN kids, and things started getting out of control.

I'm guessing the combination of sugar from the soda, and the fact that it was the kids bedtime, factored into their behavor.

At some point, this large bouncy ball appeared out of nowhere (I guess some other kid had left it there), and before I knew it, the boys were bouncing it down the isle and running/fighting for it.

Then Anderson started to cry/scream, while I was trying to calm him down without us becoming the center of attention. Well, that of course is impossible when you have a family the size of mine.

I tried to get a hold of Aaron, but he wasn't answering his phone. It wasn't until later that I realized that I had been calling his work number! I guess during my haste to call him, I dialed the wrong number. As if that wasn't bad enough, Abigail started crying, and my whole family started spreading out in all directions. I finally broke down and bought some pacifiers and popped one in her mouth.

Anderson hasn't had a pacifier for months now, but when he saw her new "binkies" he started screaming for one.

"BINKY, BINKY, MOMMA BINKY!!!"

I reluctantly popped one in his mouth as well. I was desperate. I took the kids through the line, and we sat in the cafe waiting for Aaron to pick us up.

Anderson still continued to cry, and started to chew on Abigail's new binky, which was really bothering me. I was starting to worry where Aaron was, but he showed up not long after we sat down.

THANK GOODNESS!

Anderson then started to cry even louder when we left the cafe. He wanted food!

Didn't we just feed this kid?

"FOOD, FOOD, MOMMA FOOD!!!"

and cried THOSE words all the way through the parking lot. He refused to get in his carseat, and screamed even more once we got him in.

WHEW!!!

Sometimes, I find it funny how the mood of our family can go from good to bad in a matter of minutes.

I should have planned better. Life is better when we stick to a schedule. Better keep it short next time.

My Thoughts on the Change

2010-01-24T20:17:00.002-07:00

This morning, I woke up around 5:00 AM to get our family ready for church. I have to admit it has been a challenge to get our whole family ready and in our seats by 8:30 AM, but we've been pretty good at it. I do have the help of my husband and older children, which makes a difference.

We did pretty well today, and we were sitting in our seats by 8:20 AM. All the kids were being reverent, and I felt happy inside because we weren't rushed.

Even though we were there early, we found ourselves sitting on the folding metal chairs in the back, rather than the soft cushioned pews. Our ward is huge, and if you want a pew seat, you've got to be there early!

It's been this way, ever since we moved here, back in July of 2008. I thought it was going to be split way back then, but it hasn't.

Today it was announced that our ward and several surrounding ward's boundaries are going to change.

As the announcement was made, I found myself with mixed emotions. We've made some great friends in this ward, and have felt so at home! I knew this day would come, and that it is needed, but I will miss the friends I have come to love so much!

With this change, of course comes questions and speculation. I don't know how this will affect me. I currently serve as the compassionate service leader in our ward, and through my service I have come to cherish so many of the sisters in the ward! I've loved being there for them, and I've really grown in this calling.

My eyes swelled with tears as I realized just what this change might mean.

I guess life is about change, and I know things can't stay the same, however, I will always hold the memories we made in Rita Ranch Ward dear to my heart. We've learned so much from the amazing examples which have been set for us, and I'm so glad we moved here to Tucson. It's been just the right place for us!

Abigail's 1st Date

2010-01-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yes it's true, we gave in, and didn't make her wait until she's 16! She was whinning uncontrollably to spend more time with Riley, and we just like him so much, we said, "yes." Unfortunately their parents came along for a ride, and then they fell asleep...end of story!

We went out to Applebees tonight with our good friends, The Hardy's! We had so much fun, lot's of laughter and reminiscing! Good times!

Our Date

2010-01-23T23:00:00.003-07:00

Well some of you may not consider bringing the little ones with you on a date, but somehow when you have seven children, a date is good even if you have your two youngest tagging along. It's still a night out with the hubby, and that's all that matters! I've even found that when we've brought our kids along, it actually enhances our date. They're just so funny!

When it was time to pick Aaron up from work yesterday, I went to load up Anderson and Abigail in the car, and then I realized what Anderson was wearing (hmmm, and I thought that only girls liked to rummage through their dresser drawers). This kid's into, and I mean really into clothes! Check my little guy out:

Tacky, I know! We've got plaid shorts on, and a camouflage fleece hat!

Well I didn't have time to change him, so we proceeded to get into the van, and pick Aaron up from work.

Our agenda for the night was Costco, Dinner, and Target.

I was driving, and since Aaron and I still don't know where everything is, I pulled out my cellphone and turned on the navigator app. I love this feature, very handy at times.

It was so funny, because when we arrived at Costco I could not find a parking spot. Finally I found a few, but they were way out there!

Aaron: "Why are we parking so far out?"

Me: Well, I'm thinking in my head, "What's so wrong with that, it's not like we both could use a little more exercise!"

GPS: Right then, the GPS lady said, "Make a legal u-turn when possible."

Aaron and I started busting out in laughfter, it was hilarious!

So anyways, we went into Costco, and after shopping for a while, Anderson said he was hot! He then proceeded to undress. Here's what he had on under his coat:

This

THIS

AND THIS!

Did I mention that his pants were backwards?

And THEN he started to unbutton his shirt!

Right when I stopped looking, he pulled it off and was completely bare chested, at the cash register! I was way too to embarassed to take a shot.

He seriously spent the rest of the evening playing with those buttons!

Dinner at Costco is yummy, but best of all cheap!

Abigail and me

When we walked out the doors of Costco to leave, it was pouring! We had another good laugh when Aaron said, "Great, now I'm really glad we parked way out in Timbuktu!"

Like the gentleman that he is, he ran and got the car so we could load up the kids and groceries.

We ended the night with a trip to Target, and I just have to share this picture of Anderson. Doesn't he resemble the small people found in the North Pole?

The Land of Oz

2010-01-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Many of us have wondered if Vail/Rita Ranch (where I live) was going to blow away today! It's been so windy, and they're calling for it to get worse! We've had 38 mile/hr sustained winds, with gusts up to 60 -80 miles/hr! There's more rain to come, which should cause some flooding.

I been told that you should never cross a stream flowing over the road, because it can wash you and your car away in an instant!

We've even had a tornado watch in effect the last couple of hours!

The kids have been really scared (WHY do I tell them these things). I have to admit, I get scared myself! We're not supposed to have to worry about things like *tornados* in AZ!

I actually saw a stop sign spinning around in the ground, it was crazy. It was still in it's hole in the ground, but spinning around, FAST!

I saw on the news, that a semi-truck was actually blown over, and several people's roofs have blown away.

Flagstaff supposedly got between 40-60 inches of snow!

I took this picture of the dust storm the winds produced:

The sky was beautiful with all the clouds and mountains:

Anyways, it's been a pretty exciting day. We don't get this kind of weather very often. I'm hoping we don't loose power, the lights are flickering even as I write this blog entry.

I Had a Good Day!

2010-01-20T18:05:00.002-07:00

This has been, by far, one of the best days I've had in recent weeks! What qualifies as a good day for me? A good day, is a day in which I/our family accomplish a lot!

I have not been very successful lately when it comes to conquering my daily agenda. I still find myself "trying" to do everything! I have a to-do-list a mile long, and between teaching the kids school and holding Abigail, it seems like I can't get the housework caught up.

I have realized that I can no longer do it all!

I've known this for a while, but there are times when my family listens, and times when they don't, and there are times when I forget that I can have them do more than they are doing.

This has been good for me to realize this, and it's forced me to work smarter, not harder. I told my family this and they listened. I love them even more for making the changes we need to make, so our family can be happy and thriving.

This was a splendid day because both the kids and Aaron heard me out.

Aaron and I both realized, that if we want to have quality "couple time" in the evening, that is productive and actually brings us closer together-- there are a few things that have to happen before I can relax enough to have a good time. He helped me with the kids and chores last night, which set me up to have a head start on my day. It also gave me more time to spend with him and the kids in the evening. I love him so much. I love that he listens to me, hears my needs, and then finds ways to help me. We are working together, to make life more enjoyable for the whole family.

So anyways, I'm going to share with you my new routine, that's working! Yay.

The Barry Family Routine

1.Wake up- 6:00 a.m. check email and calendar

2.Wake up kids -6:30 a.m. have them get dressed, as well as, tidy up their room

3.While they're getting dressed and cleaning their room, I make breakfast.

4. When we finish breakfast, the kids clean off the table, wash dishes and load dishwasher, shine sink, wash table + counters, and sweep. While they're cleaning up from breakfast, I'm getting the laundry started, and dressing the 3 little guys.

5.Morgan starts school, Madison teaches Sarah history, and Kaitlyn watches the baby while I exercise.

6.When I'm done exercising, I feed and change Abigail, put her down for a nap, and then shower. Kaitlyn and Madison start school.

7.After my shower, I finish school with Sarah.

8.Then we have lunch, and again the kids clean the kitchen. I fold laundry, clean bathrooms, and prepare for dinner, while they finish.

9.The kids who haven't finished school, continue with their school work. Our goal is to finish by 2:00 p.m.

10.We go outside for fresh fresh air, relax, afternoon chores (basically straighten bedrooms, and rest of the house), and have some personal time until dinner.

11.We have dinner when Aaron gets home around 6:30.

12.The kids clean up kitchen.

13.We take baths, finish laundry, hang out as a family, read the scriptures, continue to work on memorizing scripture mastery verses, and pull out the testimony jar.

14.The kids go to bed by 9:00, and then Aaron and I have time to unwind, and have couple time. We need to be in bed no later than 10:00 p.m. if we want to have energy for the next day.

That's the schedule that made my day, a good day. Aaron and all the kids are helping, and I feel that our family is succeeding because were working as a team-- no more ~~mommy running solo~~.

All I Want Are My Two Front Teeth

2010-01-19T20:41:00.002-07:00

Well he survived, and I did as well. I don't know why I worry so much. Aaron did a wonderful job, and brought our son home, alive and well! Aaron said Christian didn't feel anything, and was relaxed through the whole experience.

Christian with his two front teeth.

Kaitlyn drew this picture for the dentist before they left. I thought I'd sqeeze in a picture of Christian and I (no make up and all, scary, I know).

Christain after the appointment, still a little dazed.

Here are his teeth. I love the treaure box they sent them home in.

Christian without his two front teeth.

Anderson wanted me to take a picture of his teeth as well.

So there ya go, the dentist isn't all bad.

http://www.facebook.com/trina.barry?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile#/video/video.php?v=260884837490

Anxiety

2010-01-17T23:35:00.002-07:00

I am full of anxiety! Tomorrow bright and early, Aaron's taking Kaitlyn and Christian in to the dentist. I feel pretty confident that Kaitlyn will be fine, because all she needs is a filling or two.

Christian, however, is a different story. They will be removing his two front teeth. When he's teeth came in, they were missing some of the enamel. This concerned me, so I brought him in right away and showed the dentist.

Christian was too little at that point for him to want to operate, and so the dentist thought it would be better to wait 6 months, and then re-evaluate.

Well, we did that for several years. Each time, I thought for sure the dentist would advise us to go ahead with the surgery.

Then we moved.

It seemed to take forever for us to re-establish our children's health insurance, pediatrician, and dentist. So now it's too late to save his teeth.

I'm so bummed, because I really hope this won't be a hardship for him. Sarah just lost her top teeth and she's six, so does this mean that Christian's top teeth are going to be missing for two years?

I'm worried about the medicine that they're going to give him.
I'm scared he's going to be scared.
I hope he won't be in too much pain, or even worse, tramatized!
If he does have a horrible experience, will this cause him to come down with a case of post tramatice stress disorder whenever he goes to the dentist in the future?

Aaron will bring them tomorrow since I have another responsibilty to take care of. I'm feeling terrible because I feel like my kids should be my first priority, and I should be there with them as well. Aaron insists that he will nurture them just as much as I would if I were there. I told him he better hold Christian, kiss him, and reassure him like crazy tomorrow, because that's what I want to do, but can't.

Well, please keep my little guy in your prayers tonight, and I'm sure Kaitlyn's a little anxious as well, so if you want to pray for her too, that'd be great.

What Goes BUMP in the Night

2010-01-16T19:55:00.002-07:00

Just so ya know, I DID get sleep last night. It was great, a little interrupted, but I'll take what I can get.

Sometime after Morgan came home and Abigail fell back asleep, I was awakened by Morgan SCREAMING, "MOM, DAD, SOMEONE'S TRYING TO BREAK INTO OUR HOUSE!"

I sat straight up in bed, totally disoriented, SCREAMING, "AARON, SOMEONE'S TRYING TO BREAK INTO OUR HOUSE!"

Then Aaron woke up SCREAMING, "EVERYONE CALM DOWN!"

Morgan: "They're banging on our garage, and I hear a zipping sound." By the way, his room is at the front of the house by the garage, and ours is at the back of the house.

Aaron: "Let me check it out."

Me: well, I'm already falling back to ZZZZZ.

Aaron and Morgan: "Wow, that's so cool- Javelinas!"

Me: "what?"

Aaron and Morgan: "There are two javelinas walking around in our front yard."

Me: too tired to check them out, already ZZZZZing again.

These guys are pretty fun creatures,

they basically look like a wild pig,

but they're not in the pig family-- well,

at least that's what I've heard.

Here's what they look like:

One time we were picking up Morgan from a youth activity,

and there were approx. 2 dozen of these guys

grazing on the lawn of the Stake center!

It was really dark, and we didn't see them at first,

pretty scary, because the people coming

out of the church building didn't see them either.

I've learned that they can be quite aggressive,

especially when it comes to protecting their young!

There was a man on the news just the other day

that was attacked by a javelina while hiking.

He was bit three times,

the javelina tested positive for rabies,

and

now he's undergoing rabies treatment.

I have to admit,

I'm a little worried

to walk out my front door!

If you happen to see a picture of me on this blog,

frothing at the mouth,

PLEASE call Animal Control ASAP!

Hmmm... What to Blog About?

2010-01-16T00:04:00.007-07:00

Should I blog about the lack of sleep I've been getting lately? Last night was a doosy!

Should I blog about how hard it was to motivate myself to do ANYTHING this morning after being so sleep deprived?

Should I blog about how forgetful I've been lately, and even when I've tried to make a considerable effort to enter all of my appointments into my phone calendar, I'm still overbooking myself!

Should I blog about the luncheon I really wanted to go to, but missed it, due to what I have just aforementioned?

Should I blog about Morgan's mandatory conference session I had to attend today with K12?

Should I blog about my how I didn't have to watch a friend's kid today because he was sick, and how great it is that I'm babysitting for her from time to time, in exchange for piano lessons which she's giving to Kaitlyn and I-- how cool is that!?! Bartering rocks!

Should I blog about the punky state I found myself in, and still couldn't shake, due to the lack of sleep?

Should I blog about the laundry I was supposed to get done today, which is still dirty?

Should I blog about how hard it is to keep your kids focused on their school work, when I can't even focus myself?

Should I blog about how my dog tries to get into the house by jumping on the sliding glass door? Suicide mission, I tell you!

Should I blog about the fact that he's panting at me right now, wanting me to let him out-- but I'm so lame, I just keep writing.

Should I blog about how I went for a ride today, with just the baby, hoping to get her to sleep? Mission accomplished. After mission accomplished, somehow I ended up at McD's, ordered some milk and three chocolate chip cookies-- not a part of my NYR.

Should I blog about how guilty this made me feel?

Should I blog about how I called my sister Tara, since we haven't talked for a while, and found out she and her husband are going to Puerto Rico TONIGHT? Lucky girl!

Should I blog about how, while I was on the phone with her, my friend called, but I didn't swap over because I really needed to talk to my sister.

Should I blog about the reason why my friend was calling? She was calling to tell me that one of our dear friends, lost her mother today.

Should I blog about how incredibly sad this made me feel, and how I wished I could do something more to help?

Should I blog about how sweet Aaron was to make dinner for me tonight, while I was on the phone, working on my calling?

Should I blog about my short call to mom, that ended when I had to get my son ready for babysitting?

Should I blog about how I realized I sent him out the door, without feeding him dinner, and how this made me feel like a terrible mom?

Should I blog about how Aaron and I then brought him dinner, and dropped off our overdue Blockbuster DVD.

Should I blog about how Aaron was so tired from his lack of sleep, that he fell asleep during our scripture reading-- all we read was 3 verses?

Should I blog about the sweet testimony that Kaitlyn gave after we read in Moroni?

Should I blog about the fact that Anderson actually opened his mouth wide enough for me to brush his teeth? Seriously, this has been a real struggle.

Should I blog about how much I loved that Christian snuggled up to me today, and said, "Mom, I love you?"

Should I blog about the fact that my oldest son, Morgan, sent me a waving hand message from his phone while babysitting that said, "big hug"?

Should I blog about how he's still not home, and I miss him. How will I survive his mission?

Should I blog about how helpful Madison was today? That girl NEVER complains and I really don't know how I'd make it without her.

Should I blog about how Sarah just came in and gave me a heart that she made, kissed me, and said,"I love you!"

Should I blog about how quiet it is in my house right now? I think everyone's asleep.

Should I blog about how comfortable I am as I climb into my soft, cozy bed, with the hope of getting a better night's sleep?

Wait-- Morgan's not home yet, I guess I'll wait up just a little bit longer, so he'll know just how much I love him!

Should I blog about how Abigail just woke up? I think this is going to be a long night afterall-- no sleep for me.

Let Me Introduce You to Large Family Logistics

2010-01-14T22:46:00.002-07:00

Some of you already know this, but on the day Aaron and I were engaged, Aaron casually mentioned that he wanted NINE children, just like this really cool family on his mission. Now he has conveniently forgotten that he had ever said those words - hmmm.

On the same note, a dear friend told me that she believes she received a revelation for me that I will have more kids. (Is that how it's supposed to work?) She said she was sitting behind our family at church and she felt someone was missing. She counted all seven kiddos and thought "Seven really isn't that big." From that experience, she deduced that we were missing some. So there you have it, I guess we'll be having more. Well, we'll have to see about that. I know we have this trend going on, but I wouldn't read too far into it.

Anyways, one day I was at my wit's end, trying to figure out how to run our household better. I believe Sarah was a baby and I thought my family of six was huge.

That's when I found Kim Brenneman. I don't know her personally. What I do know is that I really admire her and I love her blog. She had six children then and now she has nine. "Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family," has great concepts for the large family! I love her ideas on home management and I have tried to master them for years now. They're easy for me to understand and follow, especially if I'm consistent:

Children's Bedroom Management
Kitchen Management
Bathroom Management
Building Your Home Management Book
Afternoon Chore Time
The Lunch Menu Plan
Gardening Day
Cleaning Day
Town Day
Office Day
Floor Mopping
Deep Cleaning
Kitchen Day
Laundry Day
Organizing Your Work Day
Teaching Your Children to Self-Teach

Here's the link: http://largefamilylogistics.lifewithchrist.org/index.html where you can check out all of her great ideas that I listed above.

Her blog is found at: http://largefamilylogistics.blogspot.com/

This is What I Know

2010-01-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Reasons Why I Choose Cloth

I don't like blowouts, never have
I don't like throwing money away, yup, too poor for that
I don't like the idea of disposable diapers ruining our beautiful earth
I think they're cute on our baby's bum

Reasons Why I Might Choose Disposable

I don't like to do laundry
I don't like to rinse the diaper in the toilet
I don't like it if they're bulky

Well, it looks like cloth won, if only for 1 reason, and that would most definately be-- blowouts.

Abigail seriously has had WAY too many them! Now that I've put her little tushie back in my most favorite brand of cloth diapers, Bum Genius, I've had ZERO BLOWOUT'S! YAY, this makes for a happier me!

I'll take a soiled diaper, over a soiled baby (clothes, back, carseat and all) anytime!

Doesn't she look dang cute in her cloth diaper:

Even our two year old can wear the same diaper, because they're one-size-fits-all!

See- check out them snaps and boy, they're trim! Just the way I like them.

Testimony Jar

2010-01-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

During our last General Conference, one of the talks that stood out most to me was More Diligent and Concerned at Home by Elder David A. Bednar.

In his talk, Elder Bednar suggests "three ways in which each of us can become more diligent and concerned in our homes."

Express Love- and Show It
Bear Testimony- and Live It
Be Consistent

While listening to his talk during conference, I felt like we were doing pretty well with expressing love and showing it, but when he spoke to us about sharing our testimonies at home, I knew we could improve.

My initial thought to this admonition was that some of the members in our family might feel awkward.

This was really bothering me, because I knew that this is what we needed to do. I started thinking about ways we could roll out this concept. I wanted our family to really make this a priority and remain consistent.

The thought came to me to make a testimony jar. I decorated it and put all of our family member's names in it (well at least the ones that were old enough).

Every evening after scriptures, we pull out the testimony jar and draw a name. The person who's name is drawn bears their testimony. This has really worked for us! If we forget to use it, the kids will remind us!

Bearing our testimonies to one another has:

brought the spirit in our home
strengthened our testimonies
drawn us closer

I'm so grateful for the blessings we've experienced, as we've tried to apply this principle to our lives.

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2010-01-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

I tried these the other day, and boy do they taste good, so I thought I'd share the recipe. They were a hit at our house, and let me tell you, everyone loved them! They are called 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls, but I think it took me more like an hour. Enjoy.

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/8 cups warm water
1/3 cup oil
2 T yeast
1/4 cup sugar or honey
½ tsp. Salt
1 eggs
3 ½ cups flour

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
cinnamon
sugar

Icing:
2 1/4 C powdered sugar
3 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
milk ( probably a couple tablespoons or so for desired consistency)

Mix 1st 4 ingredients and let rest for 15 minutes. Add salt and eggs - gradually add flour.Roll out into a 9 x 13 rectangle on a well floured surface. Spread butter on dough. Sprinkle dough generously with cinnamon. Follow with sprinkling sugar over the cinnamon. This is also a generous amount. Enough to completely cover the cinnamon so you can't see it. Roll up from the long side to make a log. Then cut into 12 slices and place on a greased cookie sheet. After shaped, let rest for 10 minutes. Bake 10 - 15 minutes @400 degrees ‘till golden brown. Remove from oven and mix up icing. Let the rolls cool a little before you put the icing on. I like to make mine on the thicker side. I like to have it thick enough you have to spoon it on and use the back side of the spoon to help it spread on the roll.

The Second, More Accurate Take

2010-01-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I made the changes. Hopefully mom will approve of them when I read it to her. I promise I won't be posting each page everyday, but I thought it would be a fun way to announce the fact, that I'm writing a book. I'm hoping to share with you my challenges and findings along the way.

Please keep in mind that this is a rough draft, and I am very tired- basically feel free to overlook any errors. I think I've fallen asleep writing this at least three times, and the words are starting to get fuzzy as I drift in and out of dreamland.

Here goes #2:

There I was standing on the side of the road at the young age of five. I wasn’t alone. My neighbor was holding the hand of my little brother Stu who was three, while cradling my baby sister Suzie in her arms.

Our lives had forever changed. We would never be the same. All of the innocent childhood pleasures I had previously experienced would not be found again. Yes, I would again experience moments of joy and laughter, but those feelings never lasted. Eventually loneliness and a longing for my parents love would seep into my bosom. This was my burden to carry for the remainder of my days.

No child should have to suffer the loss of their parents. The pain of that, does something to you. It creates an emptiness inside you, that can never be filled. The thing that tormented me the most, and continues to do so, is one single word-- “why.” Just a simple word, and yet for me, this became an all consuming, bitter question. Sadly, too familiar. This word would haunt me for the rest of my life, and would invariably stir up a wave of immense emotions within myself.

I could feel the tears swelling in my eyes, but I would not let them see me cry. I didn’t want anyone to see the pain I was feeling inside, and I definitely didn‘t want anyone feeling sorry for me.

“WHY?”

This question was searing my heart at that very moment. I was so scared, so lost. My whole world had shattered into a million little pieces.

I remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday, the sun was shinning in a sky so blue. There were a few clouds here and there, and the gentle breeze made my baby sister’s dress flutter against her tiny body. She was crying while the neighbor lady was trying to sooth her with a bottle.

I didn’t realize it then, but what she was craving was my mother’s breast. Now when I look back on it, I think she was suffering just as much as I.

My brother Stu eventually let go of the lady’s hand and had sat down in the dirt to play with rocks. Every so often he would try to throw one across the street. He didn’t say much, but he seemed confuse, and would sputter the words “momma, dada” in the tone of a question.

I wish I could say that I had wanted to be strong for my siblings, the way Mommy and Daddy had been there for me, but I wasn’t thinking about them at that time. I was only thinking about me, and the pain I was going through.

It felt like we were standing there for hours, time went by so slow. The sun had started to beat down on us, and the breeze no longer kept us cool. Just when I thought I could no longer take the sun’s beating rays, a long brown station wagon turned the corner.

I could see a woman in the drivers seat, and the car was filled with children. Their faces were familiar. I remembered that they had come to visit our home one year earlier. She was my Aunt and the children were my cousins, and although I didn’t remember their names, I did remember that I did not enjoy them visiting our home. I guess I was shy, and not accustomed to being around such a large crowd.

One memory of their visit, that stood out in my mind was how I sat on a stool in the kitchen, trying to find a safe place where I could keep to myself. I enjoyed being alone. I remember my cousin Nancy approached me. Something about her helped me come out of my shell. It might have been her smile, or maybe her kind disposition that made me feel comfortable. I’m not exactly sure what it was about her, but I felt I could trust her. Little did I know that she would again reach out to me, and help me not feel so alone.

It was nice to see family members, but I was apprehensive about living with them. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to find a place to cry where no one would see me. What I really wanted, I couldn’t have.

We would now be a part of their family. This transition would be a difficult one for me. I would be going from the oldest of three to a middle child of eight.

There’s a certain pride that comes with belonging to your family and I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to mine. My name was Deborah Lamar Harper, the Hancock name should have never become a part of me.

The car stopped just in front of us. The sound of the car doors closing, penetrated my being. As they walked up to greet us, I felt overwhelmed. The mother had tears in her eyes, and reached down to give me a hug. It felt awkward and uncomfortable and I felt fear pulse through me.

She didn’t say much, maybe just a hello. She thought it would be best if I was given one last chance to say good-bye to my friends. I’m glad that my soon-to-be mother thought to do so, for this gave me a chance to have some closure.

I played with them for a while, and when it came time to leave, I couldn’t help but wonder, “why did I have to loose my family, while my friends were aloud to keep theirs?”

Little had I known the night before, just how different my life would be the following day. I would have to say good-bye to everything I had ever loved- my friends, my home, but most of all- my parents.