Spring Wonderful Spring!!!

In a pinch, toilet paper will do.

So tonight Alex was eager to earn 2 more points to even the score between himself and Tori. He decided to set the table for a point. While setting it, he asked me if he could use some Toilet Paper. I asked why? and he told me something having to do with "making it proper like the restaurants." I figured for the laugh, I would just let it go and see what he does with the toilet paper....

LOL, he wrapped the silver wear in toilet paper insted of napkins :-) We have napkins, but they were not in his reach, but the TP was. So we ate dinner with our TP wrapped utensils. :-)

I love this poem...

Ode to My 5th Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth
Hang out the washing, make up the bed
Sew on a button and butter the bread
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye, too.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye, too.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo"
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye, too.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cabinets! Dust go to sleep!!
I'm nursing my baby, and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

ADDICTED!!!

I am officially addicted to this blog buisiness. I love to read everyone thoughts and catch up with everyones day. What fun this is. HOWEVER.......... I keep reading everyone elces buisness insted of doing my house work. It is much more fun to see what everyone is doing then it is to do dishes. This has just been so much fun. I love it.

playing with my camera

I love to get out the camera and play, but I always feel guilty for neglecting the house etc while I do. I have tried getting everthing done before I get to play, but everything is NEVER done! Argg, so this morning I shot for about 20 mins, and this is about all I got. Oh well, so I thought I would waste even more time blogging about it... he he.

The Optimist vs The Pessimist

Today my kids were headed out to the bus. Liza poked her head out side and in her cheery voice said, "oh, it is spring, we can just wear a sweater." Liza is my optimist, she is always happy and looking for the good in all situations. This is a nice quality to have, however it makes her very difficult to parent. She rarely shows you that your discipline worked. She will find good in every thing you do... take away her Bratz dolls and she'll say "it's good that I don't have my Bratz this week, it makes it easier to keep my room clean". I would prefer that she say "BOO HOO, those are my favorite toys, I will never play with them at 11:30 pm ever again!". So, on with the story. Alex, my pessimist says in his grumbly pessimistic voice "It is NOT spring LI-ZA!" (as he puts on his winter coat and pulls up his hood as though there is a blizzard and it's 30 below out there). So I put in, "actually Alex, today is the first day of spring." "It is?" he replies happily, and then takes off his coat, and starts looking for a sweater. Now maybe this isn't the best example of the optimist vs the pessimist, but I just thought that this little story said so much about the difference between these two kids. It never fails to amaze me how different their little personalities are. Same parents, and all 4 of them are SO different. Everything is doom and gloom for Alex, life sucks unless someone can prove otherwise. Like the calender that said it is spring... then suddenly, happy day, we will wear a sweater. Silly boy. I always thought that I would just breeze through the parenting thing because I taught preschool for so long, and I took SO many classes on Child development etc. I was sure that I had it all figured out, but little did I know how it was to be with them 24/7 and how each little person needs to be dealt with differently. I've also realized why my sister was aloud to do things that I wasn't aloud to do. See, her personality feared things, me I was fearless, and frankly stupid, so I had more limitations put on me. At the time it seemed to be a double standard, but now, as a mother I see why my parents did what they did, and I am sure that the rules will change somewhat from one kid to the next. Parenting....... A tricky business!

Organizing thoughts

I had a lot of thoughts go through my head today and I wanted a place to write them all down and try to organize what I learned. In church today we talked about working towards perfection and not getting down on ourselves. I particularly enjoyed the story that was told about a young girl falling down a ski slope and saying over and over as she fell, "I'm all right, I'm okay, I'm all right. " and how sometimes life throws us a lot to take and we feel like we are falling and need to just yell out that we're all right all the way down. It seems that life piles things high all at once. The pessimistic side of me always watches over my shoulder when things are going well. I wonder when it is all going to blow up in my face. And then there are times when I watch the trials of others and be so grateful that I am not dealing with that right now. It seems that life has just been so sad lately, and as I looked around at the sisters at Church today, my heart was so full. So sad for these women that I love who are yelling out "I'm all right, I'm okay." One dear friend suffers the loss of a miscarriage, another deals with one more negative pregnancy test after undergoing fertilization, another who's home was destroyed in a fire, one who struggles with depression, another who's back is out, another who is all swollen up and awaiting the arrival of a new baby, struggles with children, struggles with spouses and extended family, each of us with our own troubles, bearing our burdens and tyring to pick each other up as we bounce past. What is with this journey? Then tonight I get a call from my poor father, so ridden with sadness. He has finally hit the Depression phase of his pending divorce, he finally realized that she is not coming back, and he must now figure out what comes next. I began my coucle to him with what do you wish for? Where would you want to be in 5 years? But of course, you try to ask a depressed person those questions, it didn't go well. After counseling him to find himself a good psychologist, I turned where I should have turned in the first place. "Trust In The Lord With All Thine Heart And Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding." Who can argue with that. In all things the Lord watches over us. I asked my dad if he had spent some time on his knees. He said "well, yes....I've prayed." and I said, I think you need to spend some serious time on your knees showing Heavenly Father that you trust him and seeking his council in your situation. And the same goes for each of my sweet sisters who I feel so much of their pain, and also to myself as I deal with my personal trials, Trust in Him..... And be Gentle with ourselves as we exercise our Faith in the Lord and Grow to be worthy to return to live with him...

Like a gentle wind can blow the clouds from the sky,
Like a gentle touch can ease the pain of goodbye,
Like a gentle smile embraces empty souls in lonely places,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

Like the friend who gently builds us up when we're down,
Like a gentle kiss can turn our world all around,
We've been hurt by others often,
We've forgiven and forgotten,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

Life can be hard but
we need not be so hard
on ourselves,
If we will see

Like the Shepherd leads his flock with gentle commands.
With his gentle voice that only hearts understand.
One thing we can know for certain, He has borne the awful burdens
so we can be more gentle with ourselves.

One thing that I know for certain:
He will bear my every burden,
So I can be gentle with myself.

Girls Night

I just can't even express what a high I get off a girls night. On Thursday a group of girls from our ward all went to the 10:25 showing of Music and Lyrics. We had such a ball! Getting there and back was half the fun as we all went in one sisters 15 passenger van! It is amazing to me how much better I feel after a night out with the girls. There is just something about getting together and laughing and chatting that is so wonderful. The girls in our ward are so good about getting together, and there are really no lines drawn between groups. If we have your email, your invited, is pretty much how it goes. (and that is only because that is the fastest way to get notice out) I just love that we all get along so well, and that we can all just be ourselves together. Everytime we do something like this there seems to be a different croud and that makes me so happy. I love this ward out here, I think that everyone is so kind and excepting, it makes me sad to think about leaving in a couple years. Brent and I were talking about what we would put as our number one choice (for the army) right now. We concluded that we would LOVE to stay here in this ward, but we would need a bigger house. We would have to make a print up of the ward bounderies to give to our realitor. :-) In short I guess I would say, I am just SO happy for the friends that I have here, and for GIRLS NIGHTS that save my sanity. :-)

The House Cup

So in our house we have a point system where the kids work individualy to earn "house cup points". Like on Harry Potter. We have a gobblet which is decorated with jewels that is filled with treats and other misc. dollar store items each week. The kids get points for various activities around the house, and also points for staying in bed. Depending on each childs issues they are awarded points for behavior as well. Alex went through a period of everytime I told him "no" to something he would whine and "awwwwwww" and then argue. Well he began getting points for reacting with an "okey mom" when I said no to something. I had to chuckle when he was adding up the points one day and could see that he was tied with Liza. He came to me and randomly asked "Mom, Can we go to Chuckie Cheese." (he knew the answer) "No, Alex not today." "okey mom", he replied and skipped over to the point board, "now do I get a point?" LOL, I thought that was pretty cleaver.
This house cup system has been the best thing for our family. Right now the kids are into it because they want to earn "disney dollars" ($ to spend at Disney World next month) which are in the cup. It also helps me to be positive and reenforce their positive behaviors. We've been doing this for about 1 1/2 years and the kids are still into it. We have had a few weeks where we havn't done it. The winner also picks the sunday night movie, for movie night, and the Family Home Evening Treat. Anyway, I love it, it keeps us all in line. :-)

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Other Two Yahoos!!!

Isn't he a dapper fellow. I Can hardly believe how quickly he has grown. Such a fun little guy, with so much love and tenderness.

She too is growing so fast. She is such a helper with the baby. She is still super spunky, and energetic. What a girl!

The Most Beautiful Obituary Ever....

This is the Obituary of the daughter of some friends of ours in Canada. This little girl has struggled all her life, so so sick.....


FOLKINS _ Julianne Grace 2003 - 2007 Our Angel Baby, Julianne Grace Folkins, known affectionately by her family as "Julie Bean", humbly and honorably fulfilled her earthly mission and slipped away quietly in her sleep back to her Heavenly home on March 4, 2007 at the age of 4 years old. She blessed the lives of her appreciative parents, Deven and Christina Folkins; helpful and loving big sisters, Kaitlyn and Megan Folkins; adoring grandparents, Verda and William Johnston, Ronald and Ronnie Kay Folkins, Keith and Inge Fawcet; beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and numerous loved ones and friends; as well as many cherished health care professionals lovingly referred to as her hospital family. We express our heartfelt love and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for allowing us the eternal blessing of having her in our lives and for the promise of eternity. She was an example among us of true Christ-like love which she extended unconditionally to everyone she came in contact with. Thank you sweet baby for doing so. You have made this Earth a better place by your presence. A Celebration Service of her life will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sundance Chapel, 100 Sunpark Drive S.E. on Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family prior to the Service at 10:00 a.m. If friends desire, memorial donations may be made to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, 2888 Shaganappi Trail N.W., Calgary, AB T3B 6A8. Messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family at www.piersons.ca . Arrangements are in care of PIERSON'S FUNERAL SERVICE. Telephone: 235-3602.
Published in the Calgary Herald on 3/7/2007.



Isn't that gorgeous? *Sigh* It is a testimony that touches you to your core. wow.

To The Future

So lately I have been stewing about how we look to the future. This has actually been an issue for me for the past 2 years or so. I have found that I spend a lot of time looking to the future for a little pick me up. I always think, "well, as soon as...... we are done school....... the baby is old enough...... we are done with the army..... we have kids...... the youngest one is in kindergarten..... the kids graduate high school..... I get this one thing done....." I have begun to realize that this is no way to live. I have come to somewhat envy people who live in the moment. Who buy those $100 boots cuz they are just too cute to pass up. The people who take their kids to the mall and buy them anything without one thought as to weather they are spoiling them, or teaching them that they don't have to work and earn money to get by in this world. I am always looking ahead and trying to beat the trials of the future. I want to do every thing in my power to stop trouble before it happens. Lately however I am coming to realize that you can't stop some things, and you have to over come some disappointments. You can't plan the future, no matter how hard you try. Which brings me full circle to the beginning of my post.... why do we look so longingly to the future, when it is out of our control? How in control of the future are we? You see, in my mind, I had an image of my future with my parents, my kids going to my childhood home and visiting them. That dream is over, it will never happen again, this is terribly disturbing to me, and leaves me wondering why I do this to my self? Why do I make up little pictures in my mind of how things should be. We draw up these little pictures for every aspect of our lives, we jump to conclusions of how things ought to be only to have these hopes dashed as we face the sometimes cruel mortality. So this leaves me still begging the question..... Dare I Dream? Dare I Plan? Dare I Look Forward At All? Or Shall I Live In The Moment? Spoil The Kids? Rock The Baby To Sleep Every time (even though they say it will ruin their sleep habits)? Eat More Chocolate? Go On A Family Vacation?

I don't know if I am portraying my thoughts very well, but I am sure I will stew over this for some time, so if I think of a better way to put it, I am sure you will hear about it again. Conclusion for today however is.... I need to find a balance where I try to be happy today while still planning for some things in the future. Life is about learning, and sometimes those lessons are hard and they sometimes hurt, but we have to grow somehow, and I suppose no one grows up unless they have to. :-) (darn it)