The Bloch's Blog

It's a.......(our big announcement)

2014-08-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's a...........

Well, we don't actually know yet. And it isn't a baby, either.

But it is another child. Our home is officially "open" to adopt from the state. Which means we will be adopting a child who was formally in foster care. We are really excited about this, and really eager to meet him or her!

We don't know how long it will be to matched up with a child, it could be days or it could be months. But we appreciate any and all prayers for our family, and more specifically for the child that our Heavenly Father is going to send us, that wherever he or she is, she is being loved and taken care of.

Thanks for all your support!

Dana and the family

...In a Rut

2014-01-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

I have stunk at blogging lately. But in my defense, this tiny demon is a full time job.

So a lot has happened, that I'll need to catch up on. We've had two birthday parties, Ethan was baptized, Clayton threw me a sweet surprise party for my 30th (eek!) birthday, we even adopted a dog. But here lately....

I've been in a rut.

I have no idea why or how I even realized. But I suddenly have a yearning for change, for some more color in my life. I've decided to work on my house some more. I still love the black and brown, but I need some color.

So I've been working on it a little bit at a time. It's slow going, but I'm getting it.

The lamp is my first addition. Of course what I was drawn to was black and brown. So I added the rosettes. I like it a lot.

So this is no color whatsoever. But I'm proud of it. I stained it and added wheels to use as a toy box in the living room.

So just little touches here and there so far. It was Jacque's idea to change out the B on my wreath. Thanks, Jacque! I found this sign that I LOVE. Of course it's *ahem* black and white.

But this is my major problem area. It's just so PLAIN. I've been thinking and pinterest-ing a lot, and I'm thinking a photo ledge with my temple picture, the happily ever after sign and some new family phtotos. I'm mulling over either spray painting some frames blue, or using a blue or turquoise background in our photos with black frames.

I JUST DON'T KNOW! I'd love to hear your comments and ideas. I'm working my way out of this rut, a little at a time :)

House Tour- Jordy's NEW Room

2013-07-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure if I consider it done or not, because there's one huge blank wall that's bothering me. But here's what I've got until inspiration strikes...

The big girl bed is both depressing AND ineffective

no idea what do to on this wall! (ideas are welcome!)

I do love the colors, though!

I'm no crazy about these, either. I needed something up high, but I'm not in love with them.

Jordy goes through phases of what is her favorite baby to sleep with. It was Minnie Mouse for a long time, then Dora, then a baby doll and princess. Now it's a giant turtle....

garage sale find!

perfect way to describe my mean baby

little mama

Let me know if you have any ideas!

-Dana

A Letter To 16 Year Old Me

2013-06-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a blog post on pinterest (that I won't link up to, because I didn't like the message of the blog) but it mentioned a trend of writing a letter to your sixteen year old self. As I thought over what I would say if I were to write one, I was struck by how great my life had turned out and all that I have to be thankful for. That made me want to share it. So, here's my letter.

how I was hoping my life would turn out

Dear Dana,

First of all, STOP THINKING ABOUT BOYS SO MUCH. You will meet one, he will be wonderful. He will not come from your hometown. You will be grateful for this. Just relax and enjoy your life. This is right around the time that we really found our true friends, the ones we stick with. Have fun with them, don't argue about guys or clothes or anything like that. Just be grateful that we found the ones that will always have our backs, and keep making a lot of memories. And when you get to college, pay attention. Take it seriously. Please.

enjoy this

   Growing up is hard sometimes, and all those insecurities that we obsess over haven't gone away.   Sometimes I still feel like an invisible girl to 95% of the population. I still worry that I'm not very pretty and that I'm not very important to the people that are important to me. Thirteen years later, and a lot of the time I feel very much the same as I did then. The good news is that I've learned to see it with perspective and to understand that sometimes, I'm just wrong. Maybe in another thirteen years we'll have mastered that. Maybe it will be something that we always struggle with. But I can understand now that everyone has their issues they struggle with, even if we don't see them. And the
people who are most important to us, really do love us. Through and through.

   The best part is that there are four
people that our whole world will revolve around, and you haven't even dreamt of their existence yet! In all our teen-idol worshipping and ex-boyfriend obsessing, we never dreamt up someone who would be as perfect for us as Clayton is. He is laid-back and easy-going, totally devoted to our family, and (one of the most important things) he makes us laugh. A lot. Staying up late talking and laughing with him is better than you could ever imagine love being. Just be patient, and go to college. He'll be there pretty quickly after that.  And the other three people? Well, I know that you love kids in the abstract form, but it hasn't prepared you for the love that you'll feel for the three little ones that are currently snuggled into their beds. They are the greatest things we've ever done, and we spend our days trying to be a good mom and our nights worried that we're not one. But they are fantastic kids and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to raise them.

more of this, please.

On that note, go hug your mom and dad. Seriously. I know you're all angst-y right now, but you don't begin to understand how much they love you. And how much you love them. I've seen a lot of parents over the years that have made me realize how much of a brat I am, and how fabulous they are. Stop making their lives difficult! Take notes, because this parenting thing is hard, and they nailed it. And as for our siblings, hug them, too. I know things are fine with them most of the time, but make it better than fine. Make their childhood special. They are our best friends now, and we won't have as much time with one of them as we assumed we would. Go and hug her and kiss her and tell her how great she is and how we'll always love her. Then do it again. Do it everyday you can. It's the only thing I'd really change if I could.
.
-Dana

how it actually turned out (I'm resigned to that fact...)

P.S. Give up the Lance thing. Trust me on this.

Because being a parent is hard enough

2013-06-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

I've been noticing a trend lately. Maybe it's not a new trend, I've just really noticed lately. I feel like there's a whole lot of judgment on everything a parent does or everyway a child acts. Everyone has an opinion for how much tv a child should be allowed to watch and what they should eat and everything else that moms have to contend with everyday.

We have a lot to deal with when we run a home. Between work, studying for spelling tests, making dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and everything else it takes to just make it through one day, our lives are hard enough. And we need all the support we can get. That support should come from each other.

Want to know the truth? Sometimes my kids watch tv. For hours maybe. Sometimes it's an few animal shows we watch as a family, sometimes it's cartoons when they wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings. I think that's ok. If you don't, then by all means, have different rules in your family. We need to let go of the idea that doing things differently equals thinking everyone else does it wrong. We think the way we do it is best, (which makes sense, that's why we do it that way) and assume anyone who doesn't is judging our parenting skills. So sometimes we lash out.

I think we need to reverse this! Let's turn it around!! Other moms should be our first defenders, not our first critics. Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt. No one knows what it's like in anyone else's home. That kid that you think shouldn't have a pacifier at her age? You have no idea if the last six months of her life have been unsettled and difficult. The one who throws himself in the floor of the grocery store may be autistic and having trouble dealing with all the stimuli around him. The mom sitting on the park bench playing on her phone while her kids run just may be doing it all alone and need a few minutes break to keep her sanity. We don't know. What we do know is how hard it is. We all know the feeling of having no idea how to handle a situation. We know how it feels to yell and then feel awful. We know how it feels to be overwhelmed by something that seems like no big deal to other people. We know how tired we are at the end of some nights, when we are still folding laundry and checking homework with dishes in the sink long after everyone else is in bed. We also know what it feels like to love these little humans with our whole heart, and to worry that the world is not being fair or kind to them.

So here's my new motto: I have your back. All of you. You won't see any judgmental posts on facebook from me. I will not roll my eyes when I see a child having a meltdown in a restaurant. I will always assume that other moms are doing their best, just like I want everyone to think about me. We all make mistakes, including our kids. Enough of the sweeping judgments about "kids today". People have been fussing about how "kids today" will function as adults since our grandparents were kids. They handled it fine. We are handling it fine (really, I promise!). Our kids will handle it fine. Let's just do our best and assume that other parents are, too. That's my new plan. What do you guys think?

-Dana

House Tour- living room/kitchen

2013-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've been lazy, I know! I threw myself into Jordy's new room and forgot everything else. But anyway!

The living room and kitchen are very open, so I included it all together. And then I threw in the hall since there's not much of it.

I'm not sure if I like this chair here. But for future reference, if you ever spray paint a chair, maybe wait and make sure that the paint will not rub off before you put it in the house. Because if it rubs off on the wall, your husband will glare at you every time he walks by.

My Mom helped me make the blue pillows, and I made the roman shades out of burlap.

I also made the silhouettes over the piano and the wreath over the tv.

this is made from the book pride and prejudice, my favorite book

frames, scrapbook paper, and time was all this took. I took a picture of the kids and traced that,
no time consuming shadow tracing here!

it just occurred to me I'm doing half my house in one post, after doing
the small entryway in a post all it's own

I love this picture of my family

Now the transition to the "dining room"

I finally did the burlap shade for this window, and I think I might hate them.

here's another pinterest project

a more self-respecting blogger might have actually put the dishes
away before taking a picture

it speaks the truth

life-planning area

So until I get around to finishing my projects (or finding more on pinterest), I'm declaring it finished!

-Dana

Jordy's Room

2013-04-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

This is my little princess. When I planned her room, I wanted it to be a girly as possible. We've been there, done that with the boy stuff.

The sign above her bed was painted by my awesome sister-in-law, Brenda.

So all her stuff is very princess-y. See her glass slipper, magic mirror, and picture of her future castle? (if this is not your castle, you are not her prince.)

I made this mobile out of her diaper stacker, because come on. Who really uses those? Seriously, completely useless. Even if you fill them up at first, by the time your baby is two months you've stopped. I cut out the flowers that match the bedding, and used buttons, ribbons and embroidery hoops to do the rest.

I bought this at duck, duck, goose before I even knew I was having a girl. It was purely wishful thinking.

My cousins gave me this shadow box at my shower. Isn't she cute in her crown?

My mom found this baby bed and we painted it to match her room. I absolutely love the girly stuff.

This is another painting my sister-in-law did for us. Isn't she talented?

Here's the whole room together. I tried really hard to take pictures that excluded the large green dinosaur that doesn't match anything else whatsoever. It was in the boys room, and when I redid it in a superhero theme, I tried to get rid of it (sorry mom). Unfortunately for me, her royal highness claimed it as hers before it made it past the living room.

pay no attention to the dinosaur in the corner

Now for the depressing part. I decided awhile ago that when I moved her out of the crib, I'd redo her room. After I finished taking pictures of her room today, I laid her down for a nap and she climbed out of her bed. Which means, I guess, it's time to move to a bigger bed. Super depressing. But the good news is that I have a beautiful quilt that I'm planning on using to inspire the rest of her room. I got it at my shower from a sister at our church who is spectacular at quilting. I also have a dresser that was an awesome yard-sale find. So I am excited. Mostly sad, though. I'll be sure to do another post when I finish her new room.

isn't is gorgeous?

-Dana

House Tour

2013-04-29T20:16:00.002-07:00

Clayton and I bought our first house last year. I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted to decorate it, but I knew I wanted to love it, not just like it. I've been taking my time to decorate it, and picking only what I absolutely love. I'm still working on it, but I'd consider it almost done. Done-ish, anyway. So here's a tour!
First, the entryway:

dun dun dun DUNNNN!

This was actually the last place I've decorated. (other than the master bedroom, I haven't touched it yet!) I took our family pictures a few weeks ago and wanted to put them up.

These are $3 frames from walmart

The gallery wall TERRIFIED me. I think they look so good on pinterest, but to make my own seemed overwhelming. I started with this frame:

It was actually given to me a long time ago. At the time it had a painting of a Native American woman whose hair was blowing softly in the wind. Not exactly my style. I started to politely decline, but my mom suggested I take it and use the frame. It's been put up in the attic or shed for almost ten years. When I decided to do the gallery wall, I pulled it down. I printed from Wal-Mart the poster size, and it ended up costing me around $4. That, spray paint and a mat, and this cost me around $10.

These picture frames are actually decorative mirrors that I popped out.
They were around $5 a piece. I like that they have their own individual pictures hanging. I also think the pattern adds some interest to the wall.

When I moved in, I decided to use black as my basic anchor color. I have no idea if that's what decorators advise or not, but I think it ties the whole house together. I'm using blue as my accent color for now, but with minimal changes, I can swap it out and change the look. I'm currently loving mixing black and brown, which I would have hated just a few years ago!

The last thing on the wall is our family rules. I've been wanting one of these for awhile, but without a silhouette machine, I had no idea how to go about making one. Enter photoshop. I typed this up, e-mailed it to Wal-Mart and had it printed on poster paper for another $3 or $4. Then I modpodged it on a piece of MDF I had left over from another project. (that I haven't started yet... more on that later) It's maybe one of my favorite things. I love that it's personalized for our family.

Last is my door. I got this big 'B' from hobby lobby and painted it black. A few rosettes made from leftover fabric and as slip of burlap and it's done. I love to decorate with Bs, although I might need to limit how many more I put up. Ethan asked me why I kept putting Bs on everything. Maybe I got carried away??

So I kind of love it now. I still plan on modpodging a picture of the temple and hanging that on the opposite wall, which is still big and empty. Or maybe somewhere else. You never really know. I'll put up pictures when I finally get it done. Next post will be the baby's room!

thanks for looking
-Dana

p.s. I love getting comments, if you have anything to say or ask!

Alesa

2013-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Warning. This took me a long time to write, because I could only do it a little at a time. It's my experience of February. I tried to be brutally honest, so it may be hard to read.

I don't know how I'll possibly be able to do this, but I can't just skip over this major event of my life. So, I'm going to try.

My sister was born when I was a month away from turning seven. Up until that point, I had been the baby, which I had enjoyed. I wasn't entirely sure I approved of this new baby. She got a lot of attention, and when I tried to play fun games like 'jump over the baby', I got in trouble! Growing up with her wasn't any easier, because she was always so perfect. She was a beautiful kid, blonde with piercing blue eyes, and freckles. And she had this great attitude on top of it. When you're a teenager, and one with a perpetual bad attitude like me, it seems so fake to see someone being that good all the time. But she was. She and Rachel were best friends from the time they could talk to one another. I'm sure they fought at times, but sitting here racking my brain, I honestly can't remember any. She was the best aunt in the world to my and my sister's kids. I can remember her just walking the boys around the house when they were babies and singing church songs softly to them. She left for college and only came home every few weekends and I missed her. When she came home to work to save for her mission, she came over at least a few nights a week and we'd watch tv or movies, and talk until late. We knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking a lot of the time.

When she left for her mission, it was hard. I had secretly and selfishly hoped she'd meet a boy and stay home and get married. She emailed us every week, and told us how happy she was serving her mission. We were all thrilled that she loved it, but every one of us were counting down until she came home. Misty and I made plans for the month she came home, and the family vacations that needed to wait until she was here. Rachel and I planned who she would marry and where she would live (that drove her crazy).

The night she passed away, Rachel and I had gone out. We were wandering around stores like hobby lobby and Garden Ridge, looking for house stuff but mostly talking. We had gotten to Walmart to grab some craft supplies (since I couldn't find a lampshade, I'd make one instead....) when my mom called. A trooper had come to their door and left a card with a number to call in Oklahoma. They had called and the number had been disconnected. After looking up the correct number, they called and whoever answered refused to tell them anything, saying a trooper would be back to talk to them. She wanted Clayton to call around and see what happened. Rach and I abandoned our stuff and walmart and rushed home. She was crying in the car, and I kept saying "you don't know, stop it. She's probably fine, just an accident. Maybe she'll come home early" We got home right when Clayton got a phone call back, to tell him what had happened. I can remember thinking that if he hung up and immediately started talking, then she was fine. But if he came over to hug me, it was not. He hung up, and started over with his arms out. I don't remember very clearly, but they told me later I yelled 'no' and pushed him away. That thought of 'if you hug me, it's bad. so don't hug me' was all I could focus on for a little while. Then mom called him back, and Clayton had to break the news to my parents over the phone, which is probably the worst thing he's ever had to do. He left to meet the trooper at my parents house, and I had him drive Rachel home, so she wouldn't have to. I stayed home, because I didn't want to wake the kids up and have them see the sobbing I knew would be happening. It was a rough night, both while I was home and when Clayton came back and I went to my parents. It's weird the things that occur to you. I can remember clicking on facebook while Clayton was gone, and thinking that it was the last time I could do it for awhile, because as soon as everyone knew they'd be writing on my wall and sending me messages, which would annoy the heck out of me. Being at my parents was better and worse. I know how much my parents love her, and to look at my heartbroken dad was more than I could handle at times. I ended up hiding with my brother in his room, where Rachel joined us before long. My mom found us their, and talked to us for awhile. I went home to try to sleep around 2 or 3.

When I woke up at 6:00, I started screaming all over again. Sure enough, I already had texts and facebook messages. It had blown facebook up overnight, with people tagging my family in their statuses. That began the chant of "they mean well" that I had to perform over the next week. It was a long Saturday. I had people calling and texting and messaging me. At my mom's house, people came up to hug me a million times. On Sunday morning, Mom called to say that they were going to church. My Dad wanted to, and so they were. I didn't particularly want to, because I felt like I would just be looked at too much. I didn't want anyone to hug me or look at me. But I had a very strong feeling that we had to do this together. No one was going to deal with anything alone. We are a united front, one family. She is ours. I went, and it was hard. My Dad bore his testimony, and while I can't remember the things he said, because I was struggling just to hold on at the time, I can remember the feeling I had.

The waiting game began then, because certain paper work had to be done to bring her home. We waited for my older sister and her family to get home, and didn't plan anything until they did. Nothing felt right without them here. I was relieved the moment they walked in, because Misty is exactly like my mom in a lot of ways. She can handle the projects and planning and decision making. I was impressed that week by the thought that my family has some seriously strong women. I definitely looked around at my mother and sisters and thought "I am nowhere near their level of strength. I'm totally the weak link here". Luckily, our Father in Heaven answers prayers. Because I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. The night before one of the most difficult days of my life, Alesa's mission president's wife e-mailed us some songs that Alesa had recorded herself singing and playing her ukulele. At first it made it worse. It had been suggested to Clayton that I be medicated, which had offended me. But I have never needed medication more than I did when I first opened that e-mail and listened to the first song she sang. But as I listened to them all play, a quiet peace came over me. I had a feeling that these songs were for us. This was a blessing. I made it through that day, somehow. Her body was back to her earthly home, and her spirit is in her heavenly home. I don't have to like it, but I have to accept it.

It was a long week. Mostly I just wanted to be left alone with my family. I didn't want to have to listen to other people cry. I had no room in my body for anyone else's grief. My little sister and I spoke at the funeral, with our older sister and baby brother by our sides. It was difficult, but I knew Alesa wanted us to. I don't know how it sounded, but I desperately wanted to convey who she was. I felt like everyone was focusing on one part of her life, an important part, but not the only part. I needed them to see how much we'd always miss her here. I needed them to see how funny she was, and smart she was and how nothing will ever, ever be the same without her here.

It took awhile for me to stop my screaming/crying before bed. And when I did, I felt guilty. There is a part of me that still doesn't want to laugh, even though I need to. I had a hard time just making it through the day for awhile. I have a great friend that I work with that let me talk about whatever I wanted, be that my sister or any dumb thing to distract myself. I was angry for a long time. Not with my sister, not even with the kid who killed her. But everyone else was fair game. I felt like some people were using her death for attention, and some people acted like they were closer to her than they were. Those are the worst in my mind. Maybe someday I'll be able to let that go, but I'm not at that point yet. My nerves are still kind of raw. Any fight or disagreement with anyone, be it my sweet husband or an acquaintance I don't know that well reduces me to tears pretty quickly. Almost every time you see me, I'm trying really, really hard.

Right now, my mind still can't wrap around her being gone. I'm not sure whether it's a blessing or a curse, really. In my head, she's still on her mission in Oklahoma. I know she's passed away, but I don't believe it somehow. When I try to convince myself, I keep thinking things like "yeah, that would be the WORST. If this was all real, you would NOT be able to handle it!" The whole experience is surreal. I haven't been back to the cemetery because when I'm there, my mind rejects the whole thing. It seems ridiculous to think that my sister, my baby sister that I watched grow up, and made fun of for being perfect, is buried there. How could that even be possible? And if it is, then why mine? Why not literally anyone else's?

I miss her, I will always miss her. I think of her everyday. I wonder how busy she is, and if she has time to look down and laugh at the things Ben says or cheer when Ethan hits a homerun or smile while Jordyn bosses them both around. I wonder if she knows, if I told her enough, how much I love her. How sorry I am for ever being short with her when she was little, how one of my favorite memories is of her catching me trying to lick my lips alluringly in the mirror as a teenager and her calling me a lizard for the next year. How in my mind at every family function, I'm wondering what she'd say about this or that, or how hard she'd laugh when I make a Harry Potter reference, because it's her fault I can make them at all. I wonder if she still thinks it's funny when I make fun of relatives that annoyed us both. I wonder how I can possibly live the rest of my life without her. I never considered any alternative. Of course the five of us would grow old together. I had plans for the rest of her life. A husband, kids I could buy laser guns and drum sets for. She'd need to live nearby, so we could still have movie nights fairly often. I'm older, of course I'd die first. She should have to help do all this funeral stuff for me.

We are all doing our best, but we are all struggling. I heard our family complimented on the quiet dignity we had, and all I could think of is how I was literally screaming into my pillow the night before, which seems pretty undignified. My parents are awesome, my Mom is a pillar of strength to the entire family. It's nice to have people that I know love her as much as I do, that I know get it. I love my parents, my brother and my sisters more than I know how to express. If I didn't understand that families are eternal, and Alesa will always be a part of mine, not just in my heart but someday again physically, then I don't know how I could make it. I know without a doubt that she still exists, and is the same funny, sarcastic, anime-doodling, ugly converse sneaker lovin' sister I've always known and loved. And I will do everything I can to get back to her. I know I'm the weak link here, so I'll have to work that much harder. But I won't be the reason our whole family isn't united as one forever. Because we are a united front, one family. Forever. She's ours.

-Dana

My Newfound Respect for Photographers....

2013-04-07T21:52:00.002-07:00

So I decided to do my own family photos this year. I planned out outfits, borrowed a camera, and asked my sister to come help. What could possibly go wrong?

It was miserable.

The kids were not happy and didn't want to do it. They whined the. whole. time. If they weren't whining, they were smiling like psychopaths. Or Ben had his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Or Jordy had her fingers in her mouth. Or Ethan was hiding behind another person. You get the idea.

I mean, how do photographers do this? They are my own children who I love more than life itself, and I wanted to pull my hair out. I seriously had to take a break every once in awhile, because I'd get so frustrated. I suppose it wasn't THAT bad for a first time, even though I couldn't figure out how to work the manual mode, my kids were demons, and I forgot to suck in my tummy in most of the pictures (now that I've said that, everyone is going to look for it.)

So here's a few of our first homemade family photo session:

Jordy wouldn't keep her fingers out of her mouth!

my guys

the love of my life

we'll just pretend I wasn't muttering ugly things to him!

I love these!

nobody's tongue is sticking out, so it'll work!

daddy is wrapped around her fingers

these two are such goofs!

I love this face!

hurry take it quick before she looks!

A huge shout out to my brother Jon and my sister Rachel, who helped me get these done! Rachel took every picture that I'm in, and Jon did whatever it took to keep Jordy looking in the general direction of the camera. I love you guys!

-Dana

Why I Fight For My Right To Par-tay

2013-04-06T15:16:00.003-07:00

I hear a lot of questions about why I plan such big parties every year. A lot of questions. Some people are just genuinely surprised and curious, some sound a little defensive, like I'm judging them for not throwing them. I have a hard time explaining my reasons for doing it, it's more like a few reasons that all combine together.

1. I LIKE to. I honestly enjoy every bit of my party planning. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it. My children certainly don't expect it or demand it. I just like it. I love having something to think about when I'm bored at the DMV, or on those rare occasions that the house is clean and the children are content. And I enjoy making crafts and seeing something I made hanging up. It may seem like a waste of time to spend three hours working on a wreath that I'll use for one day, but I usually space it out over several days and I love marking it off the list when it's done. I also love keeping an eye out all year for something that will work perfectly. That's why I pick a theme so early!

Found these mugs that were perfect for root beer floats for CHEAP! Score!

2. They're only little once. There are only so many years that I have to enjoy them believing in anything. The look on Ethan's face when Batman walked out onto the porch is something I'll never forget. I love that they still believe in magic and superheroes. To me it's kind of like another chance at Christmas. They will most likely never know how much effort and time I put into their party. That's ok, they don't have to. All that's important is that they have the most fun they can. I just want them to be perfectly happy for those two hours. I don't want to worry about how it will effect their future or if it's too much or too little, I just want to see them run and smile.

That moment when you realize Batman is real and at your house!

3. It's a celebration of them. I spend a lot of time making sure they are acting the way they are suppose to. Be nice to your friends, share your toys, don't hog the swings, study for spelling, don't misbehave at school. Some days it feesl like my job as mom is just to correct them all the time. But the truth is, that they are my whole world. I love them more than anything on the planet. This is a way for me to show them and the world that I think that they are worth the time and effort it takes to make a giant telephone booth or hang crepe paper on every immobile surface of the house.

Somewhere over the rainbow, dreams come true

So those are a few of my reasons. I understand that other families have their traditions, but this is ours and we love it. Some families aren't into parties, and that's fine. I get that. But we are. We invite a crowd and have fun and laugh and play and run and jump and eat sugary sweets. That's why I do what I do. I hope you understand! :)
-Dana

The Loves of My Life (an update)

2013-03-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

I say an update, but this family picture is a year old!

So I wanted to catch up on our little family and let everyone know how each one is doing!

Clayton has got transferred to a detective last December (yay!). He loves it, and we love him being home everyday at 4:00. It's made a huge difference in our family, and the time we get to spend together.

Ethan lost his two front teeth on vacation this summer!

Ethan is in first grade and is smart as can be. He is as tech-y as ever, and we have to fight him constantly about playing outside or with his toys instead of on the DS, Wii or computer! He's a great big brother, though, and takes care of Jordyn all the time. He and Ben are best friends. I love to hear them laughing together. He loves animals and learning. He always gets library books that are about an animal or dinosaur, or types of rocks!

Ben is the only one who would go along with my superman
photo shoot to get ready for their superhero party!

Ben is in pre-k this year, which was harder than it should have been! He still seems like my little baby. He loves to make people laugh and asks a million questions a day. He wants to know why the world spins, what people in China are doing right now, and what is the motivation behind every song on the radio.

18 months and so big!

Jordy is our little princess, and has every member of the family wrapped around her little "pingers". She talks up a storm, which cracks us up. Her favorite word is "no" and even though she can say complex things like "crazy" or "touch it" or even "don't touch my blanket", she hasn't mastered the word "yes" yet. She started in the nursery at church a few Sundays ago, and I miss her so much for those two hours! (I sneak down and peek at her like a psycho several times during that time)

I don't have much of anything new going on! I have, of course, picked themes for the upcoming birthday parties, so I've been releasing most of my crazy in that direction. And planning a new backyard (all the better to party in, of course) and driving my husband nuts with that. That pretty much sums up my favorite pastimes: party planning, working on the house, and annoying my husband

-Dana

Kindergarten

2011-08-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Monday begins a new chapter in our lives.... School. Real school. I feel like I should be a nervous wreck. But, I'm not. I didn't even buy tons of new clothes. Just a few new shirts. I'll get some jeans when they go on sale. See how laid back I am about this?! Very un-Dana-like. Before pre-k, I was spastic. Buying clothes, planning outfits,and, oh, the tears.

There are a few reasons that I'm ok. First, pre-k prepared me some. Ethan was fine without me, neither of us died. Second, he got the teacher I was hoping for. There is one who is a screamer, and I was pretty nervous about that. But, we got a teacher who happens to be friends with my mother, so that's definately a perk!!
But the main reason is Ethan himself. I know he can handle it. He proves to me everyday how intelligent and kind he is. He memorized his birthday and address in one day. He, of course, knows the names and characteristics of about twenty different dinosaur species. He would rather watch a documentary on animal planet than cartoons. He has a very logical mind that retains information that astounds me on almost a daily basis.
He's also mature. He is a wonderful big brother to Ben (most of the time!). I have been keeping two other three year olds, and he's so great with them. He buckles their carseats and makes them drinks. He does whatever I need, just to help.
So, this is our new adventure. The same adventure that every child has, but no less exciting for us. I can't wait to hear about his first day of school. I can't wait for him to learn to read, so we can sit and read books together. I can't wait for them to discuss dinosaurs in class and E-man spout off the scientific name. He's not a baby anymore, but I'm excited... And terrified. But, we'll focus on excited.

Ahhh, technology

2011-06-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

We have a problem at our house. It affects everyone in our family. We are addicted.
I'm talking about technology, of course. Clayton's iPhone, my itouch... Such wonderful games. It becomes quite the fight some days, as to who gets to play them when and for how long. And we can't forget the tv, with the wii and that fantastic invention....the DVR. All our favorite shows, at our fingertips at any time. I am guilty of using it as a babysitter. And after a long day at work, there's nothing I want more than to plop myself down on the couch and zone out in front of the tv for one or two or five hours.

But, no more. I've decided it's gotten out of control and gone on way too long. We are starting anew. From now on, tv and phone time will be earned. Starting tomorrow, all technology time will be rewarded in 15 minute slots. Ways to earn technology time include but are not limited to: cleaning your room, cleaning your bathroom, taking your toys and clothes out of the living room and kitchen, helping mom and dad whenever you are asked, being caught being kind to someone else, ect. This rule will include mom and dad, because one of the wonders of the DVR is that the tv can be off all day, and you can still watch your favorite shows at night. And Heavenly Father will almost definately be more interested with what we did with our children than with what went down on NCIS this year. Although, special exceptions may be made for long work days ;)

I'll let you know how it goes.....

My son is...the most interesting man in the world...

2011-05-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ben is three years old. He has red hair and a smile that has broken many-a woman already. He has a very happy, cheerful personality and a very active imagination. He can play for hours in his room all alone, and if he has no toys handy, no problem. There's always his hand humans. He also has an alter-ego. The Guy comes to visit us fairly regularly. He is an interesting person, and I always find our visits entertaining. He lives far away, in the kitchen. He has a dog, it's name used to be Princess, but The Guy recently changed it to Doug. His best friend is Africa Guy. We've met him, but he doesn't come to visit quite as often. Africa Guy lives in Africa with his pets, an elephant, a cheetah, and Africa Dog.

The Guy has a cell phone that he talks and plays games on a lot. But don't ask of you can play his games, because he'll just tell you that they're 'boring games.' He likes to get in his car and drive to wrecks, then get out and walk around them. When I pointed out that policemen dont really want you to walk around the crash scene, he replies that they like HIM to do it. The Guy worked at Wal-Mart briefly, but soon said he just works at 'his work' and wants to leave it at that. I suspect he may be a spy, but I have no proof.

What I do know is this: Someday, The Guy is going to stop coming to visit me. Some other activity will take his place. I'll miss him. He always provides an interesting glimpse on the way a three year old sees the world. Plus, Africa Guy promised to catch me a pet ocelot.

A Little Princess

2011-05-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

For my very first post, I thought I would share the story of our much-anticipated little girl. A little over a year ago, my then-four-year old came to me and asked when his baby sister was coming. We had no intention of having another baby any time soon, so I informed him that we weren't having a baby, and moved on. He did not. Throughout the next week or so, he mentioned his baby or his sister intermittently. One day he said something about "when the baby in mama's tummy..." and I stopped him and explained very clearly that there was NO baby in mama's tummy. He looked at me with a very knowing expression and said "I know. But soon." at which point he walked away, while I sat there with my mouth hanging open. That was the last time he said anything about it.

So, cut to about five months ago. I was laying in bed, cuddling with my boys, with my hands resting on my stomach. I felt a little movement, I'm sure just a muscle twitch or something, but it made me think "oh, that's how it used to feel when there was a baby in there. Wait a minute...how long has it been since I've had my..." I happened to have a leftover pregnancy test in the bathroom, so I thought I'd take it, it would come up negative, and that would be that. Obviously it didn't.

Ethan, now five, never waivered about whether or not she was a girl. One day, while Clayton and I were discussing names, Ethan said he liked the name Jordyn. For the record, Jordyn was on my list of contenders, but I hadn't even said it aloud yet. Clayton immediately loved it. MY name choice 'Elizabeth' was added as a middle name and that was that. What I find particularly interesting, is the fact that as far as I can tell, Ethan had never heard the name Jordyn before. There is no one in his school with that name. He doesn't really watch tv. When asked where he heard it, he said "it just came into my brain." Maybe I'm crazy, maybe it's wishful thinking. But I can't help but believe that he knew his sister was coming. He even knew her name. She was wanted before we knew she was going to exist. She'll have a daddy wrapped around her finger, a mommy who's wanted her for years, and two big brothers who will do anything she asks. She'll be our little princess.