Maria Myths

Giveaway

2011-05-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hoping to win this! Go here if you want a chance too!

http://www.hapari.com/

Answered Prayers and a Tribute

2010-09-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

ADDENDUM: I just have to share this comment that a reader left me, I am so grateful for it, she said it best: Jeanette said...Just wanted to add, after going back and looking at the photos you posted again, I love how the temple is a beacon of light, shining even brighter than the fire, letting us know where the real power lies. Not in devastation, but in hope and faith.

Wow!!! What a night! I live about 2 miles from the massive Herriman (machine gun fire) All night I watched out my window the devastation, it was quite frightening seeing the fire come so close to homes. My family and I said many many prayers last night that the homes would be spared, that the families would be comforted, and that the firefighters would be protected. Our prayers were not the only ones. Herriman is an extremely religious area, and I can only imagine the hundreds of thousands of prayers that were said last night. Our prayers were truly answered! Last night as I watched the fire raging, I thought that there were going to be at least 100 homes lost, if not more. This morning, they announced that only 4 homes were lost! I couldn't believe it! I watched a video taken this morning from a news chopper, and there were homes that were completely surrounded by burnt land, and the house was still standing. Many homes had flames that burnt up to 5 feet away and the home never burnt! They were saying that it was a miracle that more weren't lost, but I know it was a loving Heavenly Father who protected those homes and helped those firefighters do what they did to protect property. It is humbling to see how quickly a fire can roar down a mountain side. Some people were literally running away from the fire as it came towards their homes. I just had to say how grateful I am that our prayers were answered, and that everything looks like it will be okay. My heart and prayers go out to those who did loose so much, one family lost their home of 35 years, and left with only the shirts on their backs, they couldn't save anything because it came so fast. Thank you to the firefighters, police men, CERT volunteers, and National Guards men who are fighting this fire! And thanks to the families of these people who are serving us, I can't even imagine the fear they have felt over the past 18 hours.
Here are just a few photos of the fire. Just a little to close to home for comfort!

To see more photos, go to KSL.com, or FOX13now.com

I Do Believe In Spooks...

2010-09-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Sad that the only time I update this blog is to tell you about my other blog! :D Kinda makes me feel like i am cheating on my blog! Shhhhh...don't tell!
So on September 30th (usual 8:00 time) We are going to make this:
The cost is $12 and as usual includes everything you need. You can check out more photos of it and more details (like how big it is) on my other blog. Click HERE

Answered Prayers

2010-08-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Becca- you said it best, that the best part of a big family is that you have that many more people praying for the ones you love. OUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED!!! My mom's surgery was a HUGE success. The test results came back and she does not have cancer any where else! They tested all the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes, and all were cancer free! That means she will only need 6 weeks of radiation and no chemo!!! I am so happy and grateful! I love you so much mom, and you will still be in our prayers!
Thanks everyone for your love, support, and prayers! I love you all so much!

My Mom

2010-07-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am having a really hard time today. I fasted for my mom today. My family just found out on Thursday that my mom has breast cancer. I don't even know what to say, I love her so much, and I don't want her to go through what she is going to have to. I wish I could take it away from her, and do all the suffering for her. She has been through so much in her life (wasn't raising 9 kids trial enough!:) My mom is all I can think about, and I hope my sister doesn't mind, but I am going to copy a post she did on Mother's Day about my mom onto this post. If you don't know my mom, this is a pretty good summary of my mother and my childhood.

"This year I want to tell you a little about my mom! I know everyone says they have the best mom, but I truly do!

My mom gave birth to 9 kids; 6 girls and 3 boys. 5 of the nine of us are born in a 5 1/2 year time frame. All nine of us married in the temple. All of us girls earned our Young Women in Excellence awards and all 3 boys are Eagle Scouts.

My mom fixed a hot breakfast every morning except Sunday which was cold cereal day. We got oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes, waffles, eggs, or biscuits all made from scratch. Nothing from a box. I won't lie and say we loved every hot breakfast. We became pros at hiding uneaten lumpy oatmeal and or drowning it in sugar and syrup! She would find cold bowls of cream of wheat hidden under coats and backpacks in the hallway.

My mom ground her own wheat and made fresh whole wheat bread. She always seemed to time it so it came out of the oven right before we got home from school so we had fresh warm bread with melted butter and sweet honey for our after school snack. If it wasn't bread day, we had fresh warm cookies to dunk in cold milk.

My mom was/is an incredible seamstress. She made Pound Puppies, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, and all kinds of "popular" toys so we still had "the cool" toy. I still have 2 of my Pound Puppies! My mom made everything from summer outfits to bathing suits to dresses. She drew the line at jeans but underwear was not off limits! Every Easter and Christmas all the girls received a new beautiful home-made dress of our choosing. Sometimes a birthday dress too! Many nights, we fell asleep to the hum of Mom's sewing machine. For my wedding and several of my sister's, she made our wedding dresses along with the brides-maid dresses. Mine was hand beaded and unbelievably gorgeous! I was a princess on my wedding day. She has also sewn many of her 28 grand-baby's blessing outfits. Tailored to fit perfectly and just what the new mommy wanted for her baby!

Each year for our birthday's, my mom made us a special cake. When you are one of 9, it can be hard to feel like an individual but we knew that on our birthday it was OUR DAY! No chores, whatever we wanted for dinner, and a fun birthday cake made just for us! This is a tradition I have tried to carry on with my own kids and I love doing it! The cake I remember the most was a carousal cake. It was beautiful with a lacy paper doily for the top. Someone lit the candles and everyone started to sing happy birthday. Suddenly that paper doily caught fire and things got a little exciting! Very memorable!!

My mom did a great job of allowing us to learn how to love living creatures by owning small critters. I can't tell you how many hamsters, guinea pigs, and other small furry critters we had. She drew the line at scales; no snakes or lizards allowed! Many times our little friends would die in the heart of winter and we could not bear to just throw our friends away without a proper burial. Sometimes she knew and other times we just did it, but we would wrap those tiny bodies in toilet paper and place them lovingly in a small shoe box and then freeze them in the extra freezer until it was warm enough to dig a hole in the ground. One time she even gave one of the frozen hamsters to a group of youth on a scavenger hunt!

This post may make my mom seem like she is perfect but she is as human as the rest of us. I can thank her for my amazing procrastination skills. Many times we received our birthday gift only partially sewn with the promise to complete it a.s.a.p. I can keep a clean house but I am not so good at conquering the daily clutter. I have Mom to thank for this skill!

My mom is an incredibly giving, loving, and accepting person. She does not speak ill of others, does not offer advice unless asked for it, and will do anything for you. She has a deep pure testimony of the gospel. She shows this testimony through her every action and word. I love my mom with all my heart and hope that my own kids will feel this kind of love for me someday! More importantly, I hope and pray I will earn this kind of love as my mom has with every tear wiped and hug shared! I love you MOM!" - Melissa Johnson (Finch)

Not only that, but she and my dad have served 3 missions since I have been married. They were just contemplating a fourth, before this came up.

I love you so much mom, and hope and pray that everything will be okay.
You are in my prayers.

Craft Night! (you won't want to miss!)

2010-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to do this craft night! Fall is my favorite time to decorate, and these are by far one of my favorite decorations! The cost is $10. For more info, go HERE!
Can't wait!

Giveaway!

2010-07-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I am a looser and no longer keep this blog updated. Sorry, I just enjoy the craft blog world so much more! :) For those of you who don't follow my craft blog, thought you might want to know about a giveaway I am doing. I am giving away handmade anklets. Check it out and enter the giveaway HERE. Love you all! :)

Calling all crafters...

2010-04-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

I am going to start getting the wood for our craft night this next week, but I am not sure who all is coming. I've had several people mention they are coming, but I can't remember everyone, so if you are planning on making the candle sticks, please leave me a comment. Also, if you want to do them but can't come May 12th, I will give you the pieces and paint for you to do on your own time, then just come by my house and we can assemble them (takes about 10-20 minutes). Sisters, neighbors, strangers, anyone is welcome! If you want to see what we are making, go HERE. If you can't get me the money by next week, we can work that out- I don't want anyone to miss out!

Craft Night!!! (and new blog)

2010-04-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

K so I finally got some fire in my pants and finished putting my craft blog together. Check it out HERE! And I am going to do a craft night - everyone is welcome! The details are on my craft blog, but here is a picture of what we will be making, big n' chunky candlesticks!
Super cute huh? I LOVE mine!

A Funny Thing Happened...

2010-03-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier tonight I was sitting at the computer when I see Logan come out of his room. It became apparent rather quickly that he was not awake - he was sleep walking for the first time that I know of. He took a wrong turn into the laundry room, so I gently tried to coax him back to bed. I realized that he had to go potty, so I took him in, helped him out (he was still asleep and muttering "I want to go home now!") and when he was done he started crying and saying that he had to go poop. So I put him on the toilet, wait a while and get tired of waiting, so I leave for a minute. When I came back, this is what I found. He was sound asleep on the bathroom floor! I was laughing so dang hard and ran for the camera since Max is out of town and I didn't want him to miss out. Too dang cute!

After I woke him up he just put his thumb back in and went right back to sleep!

So then as I am downloading these pictures, I remember a similar instance with Max!
This was about two years ago, and at 3 in the morning Max sits up in bed in a panic, keeps tapping me on the arm and insisting that "we need to get out of here!" He then grabs his pillow and crawls over me to get out of bed, only to curl up on the floor next to the bed and go back to sleep. Funny thing is I couldn't wake him and he slept there the rest of the night. I got a good laugh about that one too and am so glad I took a picture for proof! He looks just like a bigger version of Logan!!!

Like Father Like Son!!!

From Newborn to Crawling!

2010-03-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

So I can't believe the last pictures I posted of Josh were when he was a newborn and now I have a full fledged crawler!!! Here's some video of the first day of crawling. In just a few days he became pro and now there is no stopping this monster!

And just for kick and giggles here's some photos from the past 8 months.

About 6 weeks old. He finally learned to love his swing!

About 2 months old, he loved to look at bright books. He was so good at lifting his head early because he is a belly sleeper and has been since day 1

The three musketeers. (3 months old)

Josh was a little lost boy for Halloween (4 months old)

Rachel made a bed for Josh one morning to keep him happy. (4 months)

Logan and Josh with their sleepy faces bright and early one morning. (5 months)

Josh finally learned to sit up (5 months)

Watching tv in moms room (8 months)

He decided to help me "un-decorate" valentines decorations by eating a wreath! (8 months)

I need opinions!!!

2010-02-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

For some reason I think I need to start a new blog, because I am so fantastic at keeping this one updated! But I am determined to try.
I am going to start a blog where I will post all my projects. But I am having serious issues deciding on a name. My favorites were "Which Craft," "Holy Craft," and "Monkey See Monkey Do," but they are not available! :( So PLEASE vote on the poll to the right. Thanks! And stay tuned, I have some dang cute ideas and am seriously thinking about doing a monthly craft night again.
Suggestions are welcome too! Just leave me a comment!

# 7

2009-12-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

cell phones
At least I WAS greatful for them! Mine suddenly for no apparent reason stopped working the week before Thanksgiving and it is driving me crazy not having it! It's a good thing I have the strange ability to remember phone #'s, so I am okay there, but when I am out and about and can't call, it drives me crazy. You all know me- I LOVE to talk, so I hate being limited.
I always complain that I don't like my Blackberry, but now that it doesn't work, I suddenly Love it - go figure.

#5 and #6

2009-12-06T21:48:00.001-08:00

#5 Prayer
I am so grateful that I have a constant open "line" to my Savior. I love it that there are no monthly fees or taxes or busy signals, call waiting, or dropped calls. My Savior hears my prayers anytime, anywhere. I am constantly amazed at His love for me. I have such a strong testimony of prayer and I think the majority of the day I am saying small prayers for the littlest and biggest things. I don't doubt He listens, for I have seen proof time and time again as my prayers are always answered.

#6 All those who help me during Sacrament Meeting :)
Thanks so much Ali for watching and seeing when I have to leave with Josh and just coming and sitting with my kids without me even asking. It's so nice to know they are cared for. Thanks also Karen for loving to hold babies - especially my drool monster! It was so nice today to be able to actually hear the testimonies and feel the spirit so strong. And thanks Brother Hill for entertaining my kids from the seat behind us with all your drawings and stencils - they love it. I tell you - I have the best ward ever!

#4

2009-12-05T00:07:00.000-08:00

It's 1 in the morning, but I couldn't go to bed without posting or it would never happen.
So # 4 is ...
...I am so grateful for the best neighbors in the world! I LOVE my neighborhood! Here's a shout out for all you who are constantly there for me, from watching my kids ALL the time, to killing giant spiders with a gazillion babies on their backs, to sitting on lawn chairs and eating popsicles all summer long, to helping me chase down mice in the walls, to driving our Christmas tree home for us, and for all those who were willing to do it :), for all those times they lend me stuff when I am out of the main ingredient for dinner on a Sunday - or any day of the week for that matter, and all the countless other things I always seem in need of. Thanks for putting up with all my crazy quirks and endless projects. I couldn't make it without all of you!
And thanks to Jeremy for fullfilling your "calling" so well! :)
(once he was asked what his calling in the ward was and he replied, "helping the bishops' wife!" -the sad thing it is totally true - hope you don't mind me sharing! :)

31 things to be grateful for

2009-12-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

So it's been forever! Life is just crazy here. Between 3 kids and Max being bishop and traveling more than ever - I never can find time to sit at this computer. But, as Christmas nears, I can't help but feel extremely blessed and I want to post one thing I'm grateful for each day of this month. See, I'm already 3 days late - that's me for ya!

So here is #1 -
I'm very very very grateful for my husband Max. He is such an amazing dad and husband. I am grateful for his love for me and the Lord. He is so faithful in all he does and serves as a constant reminder to always try to be my best in all I do (still have a lot of work to do). Love you Max

# 2 -
I'm grateful for my children (as I sit here Josh is crying and Rachel and Logan are fighting over who gets to play with baby Jesus - go figure) But, snot, poop, drool and all, I would never trade them for anything! (atleast not at this moment - ask me tomorrow! :) My kids also serve as a constant reminder that I need to try harder to be better. I love them with all my heart.

# 3 -
My baby swing. I couldn't get squat done without it. Josh isn't far from outgrowing it - and I have no idea how I'll survive without it!

Stay tuned and I'll post more tomorrow, and I'll try to add some pictures too. Love you all!

By Apointment Only

2009-07-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened to me the other night. It was late and I was trying to fall back to sleep after feeding Josh. Max started to snore. The only time he snores is if he is on his back, so several times each night I make him roll over so I can sleep. So I lightly tap him on the shoulder and say "Max! You're snoring! Will you roll onto your side?" This is what I got in reply, "Call Brother McMullin and set up and appointment to see me, then we can talk." I started giggling like a school girl into my pillow - apparently even the Bishops wife needs an appointment to talk to him!!!
And Yes, he was asleep when he said that! :)

Joshua Hyrum Jenkins

2009-06-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 22, 2009
7 lb 13 oz
20 1/4 in long
incredibly adorable!

I'm so sorry for all of you out-of-staters who have been waiting for this post, here it is, just a week late! (typical of me) So, IT'S A BOY!!!! (just in case you hadn't heard!) He finally came into this world at 5:30 pm on Monday, June 22. After a long day of labor, they finally told me just after 5:00 that it was time to start pushing. Compared to the other two, it was relatively easy (as if pushing out a baby is easy). No tearing, and no episiotomy! Which means no stitches!!! Healing has been quite nice this time around, I only downed the pain killers for 4 days compared to two weeks with the others. As to be expected I am exhausted, just ask my neighbors who have heard him screaming at 1 or 2 in the morning! :) But, when I look at how adorable he is, it makes it all worth it in the end! So without further ado, here's those long awaited pictures!

IT'S A BOY!!!

When he came out he was MAD!!! The nurse who took him kept saying how strong he was and that we better never leave him anywhere, because he won't be there when we get back! I told her I knew he was a wiggler because I felt him completely rotate in my stomach atleast 4 times that last week of pregnancy. He even tried to escape his little bed, I looked over and his little hand was in a death grip on the side as the nurse was trying to check him out. We tried to get a picture but missed it.

Proud and exhausted mommy

Proud and well rested daddy :)

Rachel wanted a girl, but couldn't resist falling instantly in love with that cute little face!

Logan is just excited to have a baby!
He kept asking "Is he mine?" - yes, forever and ever!

One big happy family - just minus mom who is still paralyzed from the epideral.

A very tired mom and Joshua after coming home from the hospital. (2 days old)

All in a days work - Joshua chillin' with daddy while he works on the computer. (3 days old)

We tried to get an open eye shot, didn't work too well. He sleeps like his daddy. (3 days old)

Hangin' out in the swing. (5 days old)

Finally that open eye shot we'd been waiting for. (6 days old)

This kid loves his car seat - he'll sleep for hours in it. This was after coming home from the ultrasound. (7 days old)

Can't resist taking a picture of those huge yawns!

His latest photo - he's asleep on the bed while I'm doing this post. (I know I'm a bad mom letting him sleep on his belly, but hey, I'm in the room and he sleeps ten times better and longer like that!) (9 days old)

ULTRASOUND UPDATE...
So he had his ultrasound yesterday, and it went pretty well. His right kidney still has quite a bit of fluid on it, and the left has a smaller amount. But here's the good news, the uretercele that was in the bladder has completely disapeared! Although that confuses me because they said that was what was causing the fluid in the kidneys. So now I wonder if that is gone now, will the kidneys slowly drain on their own? I am sure hoping so! I am going to ask my doctor for another ultrasound in about 6 weeks to see, so that if we can avoid those other painful tests, we can. I think he has been so blessed by all your prayers. Thank you everyone!

And thanks to my incredible mother-in-law who stayed with us for over a week, and ran my house for me. The meals were great and she left my house so clean, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And thanks to Max for taking this whole week off to help out with the kids, he is loving it and so are Rachel and Logan. Thanks also to all my wonderful neighbors for all the yummy food and all the help with my kids. I love you all!

Baby Update - No Update

2009-06-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess this is the only blog you will see Max put on the site but here it is. It has been a long and slow day to say the least. We got to the hospital at about 8, Maria had her epidural at noon, had her water broken at 1, and has been SLOWLY dilating since. She is just now at a 10 and we hope in the next hour we will start to see some action. She has been sleeping and resting most of the afternoon and I've been sleeping and dinking around. She has been a real trooper through it all and kept a real good attitude about it all, and she is ready to go through with this. I just thought I would throw this up because I know a lot of people have been calling my mom and you all seem to have auto refresh on each other's blogs every 5 minutes so there you go.

I hope we have news soon, or at least before the kids hit the sack so they can come see it before they go to bed, I know Rachel is pretty excited to hold her new sibling and that Logan is always up for something new and exciting...........

Thanks for all your support.

It's Baby Time!!!!

2009-06-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

So yes, I did go to Lagoon all day yesterday (not too pleasant -it rained pretty much the whole time) and no it did not put me into labor, I was actually quite comfortable walking around all day, so....
... In 9 1/2 hours I am going in to be induced and I am so scared I could poop my pants! You'd think with #3 I would be totally okay, but no, I tend to get extremely anxious about these kinds of things. I have absolutely no pain threshold what-so-ever! And the funny thing is, the IV is the worst part for me. (that's when I start crying) So, if I can get past the IV part tomorrow - it should be smooth sailin' after that! We go in at 7:30 - so I'm hoping that this little baby will be here by about 3:00 pm.
I am so anxious to know whether it is a boy or girl. I would bet good $ that it is a girl- that has been my gut feeling since I found out I was prego, but that last ultrasound gave me a glimpse of something that makes me doubt my motherly instinct! I have tried without success to just convince myself that this is infact a boy, but I still keep thinking - "no, girl!" If it is a boy, we're in trouble, we can't agree on a boy name for the life of us! So for the rest of you who are anxious to know as well, I will try to post it asap.
There are so many things I wanted to get done before this baby arrives that just didn't get done, but I guess it's too late for that now - they will just have to wait! So sometime when I feel human again, I'll do a massive update. (Rachel ridding a bike w/o training wheels, Rachel's preschool graduation, Easter, even New Zealand is still waiting!)
Oh, just FYI the only reason I am being induced 3 days early is because my doctor will be out of town for the rest of the week - I do have to say I'm not complaining! I've never had the luxury of having a baby early (even if it only is 3 days) and it has been really nice knowing the exact date and time. My wonderful mother-in-law Titine is here to be with the kids, and will be here all week to help, and that brings me so much comfort! Thanks Titine!
So now I am going to attempt to sleep, but first, I'm going to paint my toenails (who wants to stare at ugly toes?) and then Max is going to give me a blessing, and I'll probably fall asleep praying my heart out that everything will be okay and this baby will be perfect and healthy. Thanks for all your love and prayers. I always feel so overwhelmed to be surrounded by so many people who love and support me. Love you all and I will let you know as soon as I can!
Wish me luck!!!

Here is a picture Max took of me at 39 weeks (Thursday night) - very ready to pop! In his own words I "look huge!"

Am I really cut out for this?

2009-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I mean motherhood! I know - a little too late for that right? My best friend growing up just adopted the most beautiful little baby girl and she wrote about how all the worries of being a mom kinda caught her off-guard - I stole a bit of it Lara, hope you don't mind

Hello, Worry.

I heard you were coming and I've been expecting you. Do you have any bags? Oh, of course not, the moving van will be here tomorrow with all your permanent things. This isn't just a visit. This is forever. Well, come on in. You might as well make yourself comfortable.

Are you sure you won't leave after a year or two? Not even after eighteen years? Guess not, huh. This is forever. Well, then, we might as well get started.

So then she goes to list all the worries that moms deal with. I loved that post Lara! Anyways, so the past few days I've really been thinking if I really am qualified for this job. (my baby is suddenly kicking the heck out of my ribs - it must be able to read my thoughts and is now trying to escape!)

It all started on Friday, I was driving down a busy highway by my house with Logan in his car seat directly behind me. I was just thinking to myself that I hadn't been in traffic that bad in a long time when I hear these horrible choking sounds coming from the back seat and I realize that, Oh my gosh my son is choking!!!! I am in the middle lane with no way out going 70 miles an hour. I franticly search for a median and of course there is nothing on either side of the road! If I'm going to stop it's going to have to be in the dead center of the lane! But then I'd probably cause a huge pileup and who knows if we'd be any better off. Then in just that split second a small gap opens up and I'm able to get in the far right lane and I realize that if I get in the right hand turn lane I will have a second to get out of my car. I pull up with three cars in front of me, slam the car into park and flew out of my seat into the road to get Logan out. Someone saw me and asked if I was okay and I just yelled, "my son is choking!!!" By this point he starts screaming - Answer to my prayers - that I hadn't even had a chance to utter yet, and I realize that he is at least breathing. As I am still franticly trying to get him unstrapped from those impossible 5-point harnesses, he keeps trying to throw up. By this point the light has turned green and I am blocking traffic, but everyone could see I was in trouble and no one honked or got impatient. Thanks to all of you strangers who patiently waited for me to buckle my screaming son back up so that I could pull around the corner to a safer spot to stop. So I get off the highway, pull Logan out and sat and hugged him on the curb for a good 5 minutes as cars sped past me. I'm not sure who it scared more, me or Logan. When I had left the house, I knew we were going to be driving for a good hour or more so I gave Logan a little bag of fishy crackers. I mean, the kid has a full set of teeth and those things dissolve instantly - thank goodness.
When I got back on the highway I called Max to say we were going to be 10 minutes late and instantly lost all control and started bawling as I told him what had happened. How would I ever survive the loss of a child? Especially if it could have been prevented. So then I think, well, no more food in the car ever, but how realistic is that? I guess if I tried to protect my kids from everything that could potentially harm them, they'd live in a bubble and still probably figure out a way to hurt themselves. Being a mother is just too frightning sometimes!
Then as I keep thinking of all those scary moments I realize it's been a year since Rachel came around the corner of my bathroom with blood dripping out of her eye. Logan had stabbed her in the eye with a ball point pen. There was actually a hole in her eye! Another terrifying moment as a mom! But do I still have pens in my house? Yes! Some might say I haven't learned anything, but what fun would life be for my kids if I was too protective? So where do you find the balance between being safe and being too protective? Like I said, maybe I'm just not cut out for it.
I do have to say that I love my children and husband more than anything else in this world! I would give my life for them. I guess that's maybe what being a mom is all about, giving your entire life for those you love. I know my mom gave that and more to all 9 of us kids, how grateful I am for her. I can't even imagine the fear and pain she went through as she watched me get ran over by a truck at the age of four, and not being able to stop it. I'm sorry for all the times I must have scared you to death mom! I now know how it feels!
So anyways, now that I have had a wonderful mothers day and have tucked my children into bed, I want to say happy mothers day to all you wonderful mothers out there. I guess even with all the worry and guilt and fear that follow me around all day, it is still the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Thank you to Max and my Heavenly Father for blessing me with children and blessing me with a wonderful mom, and mother-in-law. I am truly so blessed!

I'm a BIG kid now!!!

2009-05-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes you feel like a sucessful mom more the potty training of a 2 year old!!! Although, I can't give myself too much credit this time. Logan is AWESOME! He made potty training a breeze! It was ten times harder with Rachel.

At about 18 months Logan pooped on the potty for the first time, then randomly he would do it from then on out. For Christmas he got some Thomas the Train underwear from Santa to hopefully motivate him. The day after Christmas, Rachel was going to the bathroom and I just randomly asked Logan if he would like to try. He was so excited and said, "YES! I do a poopoo!!!" Max commented, "Yeah, if you do I'll give you a candy bar the size of your head!" (obviously we underestimated Logan's pooping abilities) So I put him on the toilet, and about 20-30 seconds later he declares, "All done!" and when I pulled him off, low and behold there was something floating in the toilet! I don't think I even saw him push once! So of course there was a huge celebration over the whole thing. Later that day, about an hour or two later I said, "Do you want to go again?" and he said, "Yeah! I do poopoo!" I thought "yeah right" - I obviously hadn't learned my lesson. Same thing, less than 30 seconds on the pot, and there was a floater! No effort at all! So since then he pretty much pooped on the potty everyday, but I wasn't willing to put in the time and effort to actually get him full on trained.

About a month ago I finally decided to do it. It went so smoothly! No accidents for 10 days! And I have to say, the only 2 accidents he has had were completely my fault, but they ended up being a good thing because he learned he hates wetting himself. 4 out of 5 mornings he wakes up dry. I still diaper him for naps and night time, more because I hate changing crib sheets. (as if I could right now anyway!)

I've been too afraid to post this, thinking I might jinx myself because really it has just been too easy! But I finally feel confident that we are done! Yeah!!!!

Just a few tips that made this easy:
1. When we were trying to teach him to pee on the potty we put cherrios or fruit loops in the toilet and told him to pee on them! What kid doesn't love to pee on something! (thanks to my mother-in-law for that tip)
2. Sometimes the only way to get him to have the urge to go was by turning on the faucet really low so it sounded like peeing - worked like a charm.

The sad part is, we just finished with diapers only to start all over again in 8 weeks, oh- well, I have this life goal to never have two kids in diapers at the same time - so far so good!

Jumpin' for Joy!

2009-04-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We are so excited, we finally have something fun in the backyard for the kids to play with! (Besides Chief's pen - who knew) For the last year I have been shopping around for a mini trampoline and I finally found a good deal on one. It arrived while Max was out of town last week. I have WONDERFUL neighbors who jumped right in to help (no pun intended) Thanks a ton Jeremy and JJ! My sister Miranda and her two kids were here to enjoy it too. (somehow I didn't get a photo of all four of them on it) Rachel and Logan have loved it so much! It is small, only 8' wide - but perfect for these small city yards, and small little boys who get stuck on tramps and can't get off! We figured with the baby on the way, we would need something fun for the kids to play outside on while I'm stuck inside all summer nursing. Besides, maybe when the time comes for this one to come out and it doesn't want to, I'll just go jump on the tramp awhile and see if that does the trick! Ouch! That makes me hurt just thinking about it!

Now she has no choice!

2009-04-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

My sister Miranda is thinking of coming to visit me this next week, so I figured if I made a post about it, then she wouldn't have a choice, and she can't back out! Love you Mir! :) A few of you have asked when she is coming next because you want her to take pictures, so here you go. She won't have all her lights and stuff, but it's supposed to be really nice weather next week, so some outside Easter shots would work great - I know I'm going to get some (just so you know Mir) plus, I think I'm going to make her do my maternity shoot - we'll see. I'm starting to chicken out!

You can check out her blog, there is a link under my playlist, it's Sweet Pea Photography

Baby Update #2

2009-04-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had another ultrasound with the Perinatologist this morning. Nothing has gotten any worse - GREAT news! (I just tried to spell "news," noose- wow I'm tired!- or dumb- probably the later)
In fact, it sounded to me like the situation has actually improved, the doctor said that he can actually see quite a bit of functioning tissue in the right kidney, so it (the right kidney) may have a chance of survival after all! I will meet with a pediatric urologist at Primary Childrens this next month and he will go over all the ultrasound photos and come up with a plan of action for when the baby is born. "It" will have to be on antibiotics to prevent infections, but we still don't know if "it" will need surgery or not. Maybe we'll find out when we meet with the urologist this next month, or we might just have to wait and see once "it" is here. Everything else looked great, it has a dang cute profile and is growing perfectly. Thanks everyone for your prayers, I feel like mine have definitely been answered!

On a side note I'd like to say good luck to my brother Brandon and his wife Jen! Jen went into the hospital at 5 this morning to have their baby boy!!! In a way I'm jealous, but when I think of all the pain she'll go through before it's over, I'm totally content still being pregnant! We're praying for you guys and can't wait to see the new addition to our family! (he'll be grandbaby # 26 in the family!)