A Year in Pictures

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Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So just a year to remember so many things....

How Disney are you?

I SCORED A 90%

Find Ultrasound schools near you

So here we are ...

2 days after Christmas and 4 days from the New year. Lots to think about and ponder. Was this year a good Christmas? What did I do wrong? How can I correct it next year? What are the new years resolutions? Did I even meet my resolutions from this past year? Lots of thoughts running through my mind this year.

So I just looked up my New Years Resolutions from this past year....

1. actually know the lessons in RS and SS AHEAD of time this year.
2. no excuses (unless of course I am in the hospital) go to church.
3. keep a neater house and happier family
4. lose weight.

Okay ummm well I tried!

1. I did study some of the SS lessons well 1/2 of them ... I got to about June or so....
RS I never did get the calendar telling us where we were so nope never happened.

2. Well I went from zero attendance to probably 50% attendance. Lots of sickness this year. While we may not have been in hospital we were sick quite a bit. Anyways from inactive to 50% is good. This year hope to make that number higher.

3. I forgot about this one totally so I dont think I did so hot at it.

4. I did lose 8 lbs.... not so much to lose but hey I did lose weight. HAHAHA

Anyways I guess I am going to pray and ponder over my new new years resolutions for a few days. I will post them and I think I will have to resurect them monthly so I can see them every time I come on so I am constantly reminded.

How about you readers how did you do with your resolutions this year?

Just thought you could all use a laugh today!

Looking for friends....

So anyways I went about reading my blogging friends pages... so many to read I only get to read a few of them at a time. Well I was missing someone.... I couldnt find her. Her page was saying no known blogger.... I was freaking out. I knew she didnt just quit without saying goodbye!.

Anyways there was a blip and her website was lost... I am so sorry Kathleen.

So my blogging buddy has a new site! Its awesome you can even see snow falling across your screen... check it out here at Kathleen's New Home We are glad your safe and sound and not gone to us blog reading people....

Whats your Elf name??

Your Elf Name Is...

Furry Snowballer

What's Your Elf Name?

Dear Santa...

Okay I am a sap but this just hits so close to home....

12-Christmas-Things-About-Me-Hoopla...

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE (in case you didnt understand I LOVE) Christmas Music. I usually break it out about a week before Thanksgiving. I love all types because I love all the remakes they are all so funny.

2. I am married to a bah Humbugger. It doesnt always match up, BUT for the first time in ever he is almost done with his own shopping for me YEAH!!!

3. I love watching my kids trying to figure out what they got. How excited they get. Its fun.

4. My Christmas' past always make me more into the Christmas spirit because my mother doesnt celebrate Christmas. Which meant I always decorated my own room and had lights in my window but the rest of the house looked sooo drab.

5. After this year we are going to the 3 present rule (because my children fight over who gets what!) and we are happy with that. Lots of my friends already do this and it has us intrigued.

6. I love what Christmas symbolizes vs. what it has become. It really irritates me to see Christmas being hyped in Sept! Or lights up before Thanksgiving HELLLOOOO Let me get through ONE holiday at a time.

7. This year we do not have lights up because my baby has been sick and my son has had a ton of appts so I have been super busy... normally they go up on Dec 1 though.

8. I prefer only Blue and White... I know shoot me. I hang up blue and white lights outside and blue and white on the tree. The ball ornaments are frosted or blue. The kids ornaments go haywire... dora, elmo, trucks, homemade etc. (so sad but even my stocking is blue and white!)

9. Christmas cards are wonderful I love them but rarely get them out on time. Sometimes never lol.

10. Even though I am not of other religions I love the idea of midnight services. Something about it just brings so much more to the day than nothing at all so I have been known to attend Midnight Mass on those nights.

11. I am a planner... I am already planning next years presents and we havent gotten through this years... but I also am done with all my shopping and have pretty much been since Thanksgiving LOL!

12. I love snow. I love snowy Christmas (like Cindy) I dont get as into Christmas when I am in a warm climate. It depresses me to be hot on Christmas.

Ok, I'm suppose to tag specific people, so here goes Lena,Kathleen,Heidi (if you want) and Meadow ..... Here's the rules........

1. List 12 random things about yourself that has to do with Christmas
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.
5. If you want to -- please give me, Cindy, some link-love as the 'Hoopla-Creator'. I love new blog-traffic.

Okay...

So I know I am not the cool with it mom but this is a band my oldest monkey likes... so we go looking to get it for her and we were like NO WAY! because this album has a song on it Faking My Own Suicide... okay so if you saw that as a song and didnt know anything about this group what would you be thinking? Especially if your child was going through a complete I HATE YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR phase? Come to find out its a punk rock CHRISTIAN band. Still dont know if I will like it or not but the YW pres let them listen to it on the way to LA a few weeks back when they went to some YW thing for the whole of southern cali.

Anyways I am still not sure I am going to like it but I guess if its Christian it should be okay... right?

Reading along....

Okay so I am a REALLY BAD GIRL! REALLY bad girl! Instead of doing my homework (like I tell my kids!) I read, and read and read and yes I finished the book. HAHA! I just got it today. Monkey #1 had a docs appt at 2 we finished at 315 ish and while driving home I missed the turn for our freeway... well Deseret books had called about 3 wks ago I guess saying I had some books come in. Yes I finally picked them up. Yes I finished one tonight. HAHA! It was The Bishop's Wife. It was quite cute. Glad I took the time to read it. Next up mafia to mormon and another one plus book 3 of the twilight series.

Anyways another thing is go through my blogs I read. One has always intrigued me because of some of the things she has going on. Well tonight I dug back and sure enough she has a disease I have done research on before because a good friend has the same.

Anyways it brought back some old memories. Some good and some not so good. Some that terrify you and some that you just cant ever shake. Anyways take the time when you read this to remember some of the memories you hold dear. Some that while they may hurt help you to remember days of old that are good,bad or funny.

I have read this before and just wanted to remember it so I am putting it here....

WILL THE CHRIST CHILD COME ?
(Author - Gaye Willis)

Halfway through December, we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 Days of Christmas were beginning!

We waited excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realized that the lamb was part of a nativity set. Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowly built the scene at the manager and began to focus on Christ's birth.

On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place but the baby Jesus. My 12 year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came. Finally we called him in to go through our
family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the front step -- no Baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming.

Somehow, something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was a feeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and I put out
Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if the Jesus had come -- no, the doorstep was empty.

In our family the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them. Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child.

We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less active in the church. I had learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so that their focus was the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package -- new dish towels, the next year's lesson manual -- not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at Church just before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation.

As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the baby Jesus. He had come!

I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for Him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but He came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude, and love.

This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Savior. But we will most likely find Him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship and service that we give to each other.

Don't forget the reason for the Season!

Too cute for words....

I love my bear....

What do you think...

When you think about the election coming up? The media portrays it as Mormons are so bad. No one likes Mitt... however the early polls totally disagree with this notion.

Anyway, a woman I like to go and read about on the blogger posted this...

Anyways those who loves us: Naomi Shaeffer Riley of the Wall Street Journal. One of my favorite Journal writers. Here's what she said in What Iowans Should Know about Mormons:

The young men and women at Brigham Young University are among the smartest, hardest-working and most pleasant college kids you will find anywhere. (For better or worse, I have visited dozens of college campuses.) The student body lives by the Mormon principle: "The glory of God is intelligence."

And here is Peggy Noonan, who writes about Romney's faith speech in Mormon in America:

Mr. Romney gave the speech Thursday morning. How did he do?

Very, very well. He made himself some history. The words he said will likely have a real and positive impact on his fortunes. The speech's main and immediate achievement is that foes of his faith will now have to defend their thinking, in public. But what can they say to counter his high-minded arguments? "Mormons have cooties"?

I love it. It is so funny because my MIL who I never would have thought would support Mitt and would totally be for Mike Huckabee said she is in Mitt's camp. Very strange since I KNOW she voted for Mike for governor... HAHA. I only know this because hubby's family is very firmly in the Republican camp.

I have not totally decided who to vote for but this much I do know... It will NEVER be for the freak Hilary. I would never in all my life vote for another Clinton to be in office, first woman or not. I couldnt stand Bill and I thought she was an idiot for the way she is so naive about his side diet of women and lies.

Momma meme---

i saw this meme on Kathleen's blog a today and thought this was so cute, i had to come back and finally do this meme.

1. How long have you been a Mom? Well officially or to the other kids I mothered BEFORE my first official child? I was a live in and a live out nanny for a few years before having my own. So including them... about 17 yrs not including them... almost 13 yrs.

2. How many children call you Mommy/Mom/Mama?: 4 Want one? Just kidding!

3. Girl? Boy? or both? Both... 3 drama queens and one drama boy

4. Did you know what you were having? The first one no. The second, third, and fourth yes. Although with the fourth I swore up and down they were crazy and I was not having another girl... well they were right LOL!

5. How old were you when you became a Mom? I was 24 and a half....

6. How long were you in labor? Hmm first time I went in around 430 am and had her at 1115 am never hit really hard labor with her so unsure how long it actually lasted. Second time I went in around 8 15 am and delivered around 1115 am the bad pains started around 530am. Third was the worst went in after a few hours in pain at 1030 pm and didnt have the lil turkey until 122 pm the next afternoon. Final monkey went in at 3pm they said your not in labor and sent me home and I came back at 10 pm and delivered at 1045 pm.

7. what? there is no 7. weird meme :)

8. What was your least favorite thing about labor? umm back labor or labor in your hips are the worst.

9. Do you want more kids?: yes. One or 2 more. That would be nice...

10. Do you plan on having more soon?: Would love too but not sure if that will happen or not

11. Did daddy change diapers? yes, he did.

12. How many times have you been peed on? Umm I have a son... an only son and no nanny with boys... so he was my first and that meant a LOT! haha

13. Barfed on?: too many times to count...

14. Is your child named after anyone? middle names yes first names nope... My oldest shares her middle name with dad's mom and my 4th shares her middle name with my mom... my son shares initials with dad...

15. How did you come up with their name(s)? Number 1 is one of my good friends middle name spelled backwards... (how original huh?). #2 we took her name from the internet both middle and first name mean princess. #3 We wanted same initials so we went through the baby name book until we found one we agreed on. #4 is part french in spelling and most people cant spell her name right because of that.

16. When your child(ren) gets in trouble, who is the bad guy? mostly daddy. sometimes me. However if its me watch out I dont like being the bad guy and you really have to upset me to get me into this mode.

17. she didnt post this question so I dont know LOL!

18. What is the longest you have been away from your child(ren)? Well with my oldest I was still active duty so up to 3 mos at a time. With the rest the most I have been away was a few days.

19. Kids bedtime routine? 8 in room and 830 lights out~ weeknights... when you fall asleep weekends...

20. Are your toes painted? no I need to get it done though...:)

21. Last movie you saw in the theater? Its been awhile. I did attempt to go see Beowulf in the theater last but the imax was broken and that is what hubby wanted to see... so we didnt see it LOL! I believe it was ratatouille... it was good.

22. Last time you had a date? The friday that beowulf opened. So about a month ago??

23. One thing you will not give up just because you are a mom? reading and writing. still being an individual. Kathleens reply but its good enough for me too LOL!

24. One thing you did give up now that you’re a mom? I gave up the military. I would like to have stayed in but I knew I couldnt really be a good mom to my kids if I was constantly gone so I gave it up when I got pg with #2.

25. Best Mom you know? Best mom I know... oh boy thats a hard question...I would have to say Kerry or Lena. They make it sound and look easy.

If you want to do this go ahead... I have no specific tags...

So I know you all wanted to know...

Yes they called me to be a missionary. Well member missionary. I so do not do well in this kind of thing. Scary as it may be though I accepted it. I dont know many people in my ward and I figure this will give me a better way to meet some of them I dont know so well.

I didnt wind up making it because I woke up with a ice pick in my brain and kids who kept me up 1/2 the night coughing. (Why is mom's bed the cool place to be sick???) Anyways I feel horrid tonight too. I did get in 2 of the 3 projects for school. This week I dont have much I know I have 4 easy assignments so that wont take much there. I do have 4 chapters to read 2 for each class... that will probably take more time than the class assignments :P .

Anyways its late and I need sleep... and tylenol. I cant wait can you say it with me....13 days until break and 15 days til Christmas YEAH! Anyways I hope to have a good week and I hope you do too.

Well I have some news...

not official yet but I have a calling. (OH BOY!) haha. Just kidding. It isnt one I would pick in fact it is one I probably wont like much. I will tell you on Sunday because you know I have to be officially given it. I of course will be late on Sunday. I HATE standing up in front of EVERYONE. So I will be late. They know this because I told them haha. Anyways with the stress I have going right now I just didnt need a calling with a huge time commitment. So they felt this was what I really needed right now.

Anyways other than that I am up to my ears in projects. I have 3 assignments due over the next 3 days. JOY! Actually I havent looked at them so I probably should. I dont think 2 of them are very time consuming. One may be.

Christmas is coming and I cant wait for my TWO WEEK BREAK! YEAH YEAH YEAH! Now if we could just get some snow! haha not likely but hey we can dream right???

Well we went to the docs today...

and YES there is something in my monkeys knee. Unfortunately they dont want to remove it unless they have to. We should know if that is the case within the next 3 mos. They want him to return to normal everyday play. If it swells we go in and they check it out. EVERYTIME... GRRR! Anyways the biggest thing is its only about 3mm big. It isnt in the joint which is good or we would have been in surgery tomorrow and he would have been out of everything for atleast 6 wks. So they want him to play and see if it can withstand the every day rough and tumble of a 7 yr old monkey. (which we already know it cant cuz it swelled saturday after he was being that rough and tumble monkey!) However they have to be sure because it will be an invasive surgery if they have to do it. It could create even more problems which is why they dont want to do it. Anyways that is my update.

Christmas tag... Yeah!

1)egg nog or hot chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE ALL THE WAY BABY!
2)Do you wrap your presents or not? There's ususaly a big present for each kid that isn't wrapped, but all the others are.
3)Colored lights or white? Umm I do colored... if you count blue and white! HAHA
4)Do you hang mistletoe? No we dont have any.
5)When do you put up your decorations? Usually the first week of Dec, however this year the kids have been bad so no tree until all the house is clean.
6)What is your favorite holiday dish? TURKEY!
7)Favorite memory as a child? I honestly dont remember much ... My mom doesnt celebrate Christmas at all. So the only ones we celebrated were when my step dad was around.
8)When and how did you learn about Santa? What do you mean? I learned about Santa around two ... he is this grand old man who is extremely fun and loving.
9)Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? yes, the kids get to open one present on Christmas eve, it's always pajamas and they usually match (you know this is my friends answer but it is the same for me so LOL!)
10)How do you decorate your tree? White and blue lights with white and blue ornaments and then the ornaments the kids get each year.
11)Snow...love it or dread it? I LOVE LOVE LOVE SNOW! It really makes Christmas, Christmas. I'm the same as Marie and Cindy, I haven't had a white Christmas for a very long time being in San Diego and Guam before this... no snow.
12)Can you ice skate? I did when I was a kid, but that was a very long time ago
13)Do you remember your favorite gift? when i got my first radio. I was 9 I believe.
14) What is the most important part of the holidays? Christ, Family, Love, and the spirit that emanates from the days as people try to be more Christlike.
15) Favorite holiday dessert? Cookies!
16) Favorite tradition? We always decorate cookies together as a family. We make up boxes or plates to take to our friends. We also try to get one name from an angel tree and shop together to select the items for the angel tree present. This year may not be able to do it though. :(

Thanks Cindy! (btw I love that song someone snitched on me!)

Wow Its almost December...

I cant believe December is tomorrow and the new year is not to far away. Our plans for Christmas were cancelled (again!) gotta love the Navy.

Other than that I just started a new block of classes and WOW can we get any busier?? This week I have had assignments due monday, both classes, Tuesday one class, Wednesday the other class, thursday both classes, friday one class and Sunday the other class. YIKES! I have gotten my first few grades back though and GREAT so far. Which is good I need A's this go round. My last two classes I didnt do so hot in so I need to get good grades from here on out. Especially as I will be moving up to the main campus of UoP in May so I need a minimum B average to get in and stay in without academic probation. GRR!

Anyways I gotta bail Monkey #3 goes to get his CT scan tomorrow and #2 and #4 are not feeling great either still grr. I did get the 3rd book of Twilight series tonight. So we are moving along YEAH!

I just got elf'd

I love elfs....

Who are you?

Take the Quiz here!

Oh and if you havent read....

The TWILIGHT series... DO IT! its really good LOL! I am in need of book 3 at the moment. Just going to wait until everyone is better to go get it WAHHHH I finished book 2 in about 8 hours. Yeah I know dont do that... hehe I sat down late in the afternoon and read through until 3 AM

So Thanksgiving has come and gone....

Now we are on to Christmas. You know I really love this time of year. I do not like though how people have had their Christmas lights and stuff up since TWO WEEKS BEFORE Thanksgiving! Umm Hello ONE Holiday at a time please! HAHA! I do love the lights though. My kids are like the mom "PLEASE MOM can we go drive and look at lights??"

I wish. HEHE unfortuneately all 4 are sick. I do not feel great so NO one is going anywhere. My teeny bee is the worst... I am fearful for her because apparently this same cold is creating havoc among the preschool age kids around here. Many are out with pneumonia. Not something I want and trying to keep it away from monkey #3 and myself even more. Wow I cant believe this is happening so early in the season. I even bought the purell and tissue to prevent spread of some germs... guess that didnt work so well. GRRR!

I finally have completed my two classes from last block. Yesterday was the final paper turn in for Dr. Meanie- butt. I started two new classes today. One is sounding sooooo awesome. Its a course on legal and ethical issues in the health and human services. Its a LOT of reading but sounds soooo good. I cant wait to delve into it. The other class is a setting public policy type which sounds rather bland but we shall see. I guess you always get one that is good and one that is blah HAHA.

Anyways the lil monkeys are waking up and they all sound horrible so I need to go tend to them... check back later with ya...

Mini Update....

Sorry I have been so out of it. Today I feel extremely ill. Hopefully this isnt the flu the day before my fav. day.

Anyways it could just be my staying up til 330 this morning though. I finished Twilight yesterday and New Moon this morning. Now I have to sit and wait until next weekend for book 3 hehe. That surely sucks.

A good thing... I got a 90 on my Algebra final. This week is my last week in my other class. YEAH I cant wait. This teacher I have is really freaky and marks off for his own stuff. Like I had 722 words in this last essay... the requirement was 700 well he says I only had 713 and I didnt make the minimum requirement and took points off... WTHECK?? GRRR I cant wait till I am done with him. Only 4 more days. I am just hoping for a good enough grade to pass his class though so I dont have to take it again. GRRRR. This is the same teacher who said screw it so what if your in a fire zone and the school excuses all assignments due... you dont get a pass here and gave me a ZERO on a major assignment. I need to earn 225 of 250 pts this week to pass his class because of that. So I better get on it so I can pass and be done with his freak show.

Frustration is a horrible feeling.

I have one teacher who really frustrates me. He is a brick wall no matter what happens. He is flippant and rude. I am so upset I just want to quit school. I am so tired of his attitude that I could smack him. Anyways I just sent my educational advisor notice that I will have to drop the class or get an F because I cant take anymore and if he will be my teacher for the class again he better find me a new program to take.

I have been tagged...

So Cindy tagged me with a 6 things about me post...Sorry it took me so long but with the fires and all ... well you know.

Okay so here goes...

1) I get really really really bad headaches when I am stressed. Which this past week means I cant seem to get rid of the same headache.

2) I am a horse lover. We have not been able to get one because we didnt have any place for it until now but we have no money for one now HAHA! Go figure. When we retire I want a big piece of land and a small stable on it and to get a few horses.

3) I want another kid (yeah I know I am crazy). I would love to have a boy but would take a girl :P .

4) I am very punctual. Being late drives me crazy. I will actually skip Sunday school rather than be rude and interrupt the teachers lesson. I cant stand it when others do that so I dont do it. (Which means I have missed the last two lessons because I was LATE!)

5) I love the Navy. I love the life. I love ships. I love sailing. I dont like it when I am the one left home though.

6) I love school. I love going to school. I love learning. I do not like online learning much though .

Tagged are:

Kathleen
Lena
My Laughin Place

We are safe and sound and finally not under so many...

power restrictions. Now I have to catch up on all my school work. YUCK! Anyways will do more later. We have the primary presentation practice tonight and trunk or treat tomorrow haha. So I have to get on the ball.

map of wildfires

View Larger Map

If you click on the larger view it takes you to a bigger map and you can click on mira mesa high school and that is about 3 miles from my house and is a full evacuation point at this point. You can zoom in to see too that we are pretty much surrounded by it...

What princess are you?

Which Disney Princess Are You?
	You are Jasmine. You are loyal and would visit the ends of the earth for what you believe. You would never let obstacles stand in the way of true love.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

news for you...

Just to let you know I will be out of reach via the blog for the next little bit. I will try and keep you up to date but for those of you who read and dont know... San Diego has 8 wildfires burning and some are very near to where we live. I am in process of preparing for evac. I will let you know when its out and safe... until then take care and PLEASE pray for those of us in this area that this may be put out rather fast and without more loss of life or injury.

How does the time fly?

It flies pretty fast....

13 Years ago I was getting married. 12 years ago I was married for a year and had a baby and was going on deployment. 11 Years ago Another deployment for the anniversary. 10 years ago I was preparing to exit the military and had two children. 9 Yrs ago we had moved back to the mainland and my hubby was in recruiter school. 8 yrs ago we were doing recruiter stuff and having fun with 2 little girls. 7 yrs ago we had just had our son and were still on recruiter duty. 6 yrs ago we were preparing to move back overseas with 3 lil monkies in tow. 5 yrs ago we were back overseas and hubby was on his way back home with a severely broken leg *wah*.
4 yrs ago we were recovering from two major typhoons in one year AND had just had monkey #4. 3 yrs ago we had just moved back to the mainland (again!) and hubby was preparing for an 8 mos deployment. 2 yrs ago Deployment had gotten changed so he was gone and the 4 monkies and I were goofing off. 1 yr ago we finally went back to shore duty which is where we still are this year.

How is that for a breakdown of the years. Doesnt take into account all the hard stuff or anything but it is a timeline of the years we have been together. Which seems soooo small. We have seen each other at our worst and best times and we are still here. We are not afraid to keep trying when it gets rough and to be happy when its smooth sailing. So for my hubby I love you so much and I am so happy we got married 13 yrs ago.

New Meme

Got this meme from Monique and her blog Kinda cute so I thought I would pass it on ... forgive the reposts I got sick and just havent felt up to posting....

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Bonnie Bell Expedition


2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Peppermint Peanut Butter


3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Ason


4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Horses


5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born) Lynn (have to get back to you on that...)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Peaam


7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Navy Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Robert Arthur


9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Lee Arthur

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Dorsey Dallas

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Daisy Thanksgiving


12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Orange Shirtie


13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Tater Pine


14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Writing Snow Tour

The Mayonnaise Jar....

I have never seen this and I love it... maybe not the coffee but hey it could be hot chocolate or any other drink right??

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a
day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full.. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded With an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the
important things - God, family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite
passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they
remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and
car.
The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never
have room for the things that are important to you.

So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner
out to dinner. Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked".
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with Someone you care about.
I JUST DID.

You ever have one of those days?

Yesterday was SOOOO LONGGGG! I got up and went to iron my hubbies uniform and he left a pen in his pocket... OH BOY! Re wash and hope to save the uniform time. Then take Monkey 1 to the bus stop. Bus is late (go figure!), get home and wake up monkeys 2-4 and get them ready for school while working on my Algebra homework. Get them out the door only 4 min late, pick up the neighbor girl get them to school at 733. YEAH not late! On my way home hubby calls to say can you stop and get me octane fuel (coffee), so I do and as soon as I am home monkey 2 calls and says mom i forgot my picture money and I need it now. Go to take it up there and it wasnt needed until 1030 (wow i could have brought it when I came to pick up monkey3 for the dentist!GRRRRRRR! On the way home I hit the bank and the office for our housing parking pass and get home with 30 min til I have to leave to pick up the monkey for the dentist. go to the dentist and he freaks out. OH BOY good thing our dentist is wonderful and walked him out of his spell. Finally get home at 1255 School lets out at 2.... Feed him and the baby monkey and leave for the popsicle sales and bowling. Get home at 540 still have to make a cake and dinner and finish homework and a paper. Monkey 1 has YW and yeah we didnt make it and the paper got turned in but not the algebra cuz I got to tired at 2 am and finally passed out. So today I have to finish typing in algebra homework (by the way doing that really SUCKS! and takes forever note to self take it in person next time!) The rainbow in the silver lining my kids bowling coach is a MATH teacher and was able to help me with the word problems I was having issues with. YEAH!

Anyways today has started and I am wiped out and want (need) a nap but wont get it I am sure.

Fall and me....

You Are Apple Cider

Smooth and comforting. But downright nasty when cold.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatpartoffallareyouquiz/">What Part of Fall Are You?

Its funny but I actually LOVE the cold and fall and winter are my favorite time of the year! Thanks Kathleen I loved this one....

Wow Who would have known it would pass this fast....

Monkey #4 Makes her appearance on October 6th at 1045 pm 2003!


Monkey #3 welcomes Monkey #4 and is glad to have the new baby!

The newest Monkey's first Halloween! Everyone loves a clown!

Wow 2 years later at Halloween time.... Look what a big monkey she is!

Christmas Last year at 3!~

Here is the birthday girl last week.

Its so funny how much she has grown over the years. My 8 lbs 12 1/2 oz baby 4 yrs ago is now 35 lbs. She is no longer a colicky baby but a vibrant funny little girl!

This year we took our annual trek to Bates Nut Farm for the Pumpkin Patch on her birthday. She got to pick the pumpkin and we got a WHOPPER! Oh yes what a pretty 110 lbs of pumpkin did we get. I will post a pic later for you to see it. They also had the fall craft festival in full swing so I picked up a few more cool presents for her from their. Papa Monkey loves to go into the store and get things too so we did that and then we rode the Hay Ride tractor and did the moon slides and such. The kids had a blast but the fun wasnt over yet!.....

Yep we packed up our huge-o pumpkin and headed back to town. Yep next place is CHUCK E CHEESE! (Let me preface this by men forget things very easily so you must really reiterate a 1000 times how packed Chuck E Cheese's is on SATURDAY!) She had a blast and Papa Monkey helped them to earn over 1000 tickets meaning they each had 250 tickets to use at checkout... They had a blast then we came home and opened up presents and had the cake. Yes this was a good birthday and she loved all her presents ... Her baby and stroller and new quilted bear (from the craft fair *wink wink*) are her favorites. Then she got puzzles and books with a puppy from Grandmommy Monkey that she LOVES! So she loved it all and had a very action packed day. We left at 10 and got home around 4.

5 things meme... tagged by so grateful to be Mormon!

Okay so 5 things about me... oh boy that is a LOT! haha


1. I lived in Guam for about 5 years and we are trying to figure out how to go back there. I dont like the power outages but we LOVED living there. I LOVE storms (not huge ones) so all the storms there made me happy. I remember in one typhoon (during the eye) I opened one door to peek about and it was still all gusty and smelled so GOOD! I have it on video tape. My friend was holding me and I was video taping. Crazy yes I know.

2. Along the lines of Kathleens post... I remember as a teenager going on a horrible YW activity. We lived on the North side of Houston and so Galveston was about 2 1/2 hours away but we had an activity to go to the beach. It was just the YW of our ward if I recall correctly but it took like 5 cars to get us all there and one of them was the Bishops BIG ole van. Well we went and it was a nasty cloudy day (the ones you get burned most on LOL) so we are all out there in our modest swimwear goofing about...... TEENY TINY stings start hitting about 5 of us.... We swam through a nest of jelly fish. The one time I was VERY against modesty. Those darn jelly fish got everyone of us bad because we were in one piece suits and they had no where to go! GRRR. Then after we got over that and goofed around a bit more... we went home. Or so we thought. The Bishop's van broke down about 30 minutes from the beach. So we were stuck at a gas station 2 hours from home. Oh and its about 4 pm so rush hour in Houston is in full swing. LOL! We got home about 9 that night. We were all blistering and very tired. It was fun but not a day I would ever want to go through again LOL!

3. Family Friends.... I have a few people who really inspire me. Sister C and Sister D being at the forefront of them. Sister C is this VIVACIOUS, wonderful woman. I remember staying at her house for a fun filled Youth Conference where we stayed in members homes for YC... Oh my goodness we had the best time ever and she wasnt so happy that night. We loved it and we all remember it I am sure. We learned how to iron our hair (one of the girls ironed her hair apparently every day!) and ate alfalfa sprouts raw and just out of the carton. We had a 5 yrs old (Sister C.'s lil monkey) corrupt us and get us into trouble! Haha we were up until about 3-4 am that night and her youngest monkey was right in the thick of it! (She is still the same as I have heard lately but now is 25!) We had the best YC ever!

4. Sister D and her family... oh boy the times we had together. First let me say I am a convert and so my family is not LDS and does not agree with the Church either. So Sister D was like my LDS mom. I will never forget my first date that ever came to pick me up there. ROFL! Oh yes I was treated just like her kids. My date had to come in and go through THE INTERVIEW! HAHAHA..... Poor guy didnt know what was hitting him. He had to endure the where you going, who is going to be there, no rated R movies, no Parking, be home by Midnight speech. Oh so funny. I love that family. To boot I wasnt allowed to be present so here he is dating me (well first date anyways) alone with people who cared enough to put my welfare first.

5. Another time at the adopted family's house... too funny. I remember I was in charge. Okay they have 5 kids. Its a Friday or saturday cant remember which but the parents went out for a date.... OH BOY! We had so much fun! We decided to play hide-n-seek in the house.... no lights and music blaring. Oh boy! Trouble come when you do this so dont do it LOL! We were playing for about 20-30 min when I was hiding in the Kitchen and I saw a shadow. It stopped and I looked and then it started moving again. All of a sudden the kitchen door swings open ... They were HOME! I screamed and screamed and screamed. Yes you could hear me over the stereo too. They scared me to death and we all got in trouble because apparently you could hear the stereo 1/2 block down! YIKES! It was fun though and I would probably do that again :P

So lets hear some meme's from Lena and Lisa

Well here is the new fashion for my monkey....

Yep she busted her wing good. You cant see it here but her cast goes to about an 1 1/2 below her arm pit. She broke it in two places and had this put on Monday.

And the award goes tooo.....

Okay so I had a bit of time now to do this award.

I think I will pass this award on to a few people too....

I pass it on to Heidi because she almost always makes me smile and gives me ideas on how to make my lil monkey the cutest things... thanks Heidi!

I pass it on to Kathleen because the way she writes makes me want to sit and read all day. She makes me laugh and think and challenges us to reach up and grab the big goal.

I pass it on to Monique too. She is a great inspiration to all the "granola moms out there" . Thanks for all you do to inspire us Monique.

I have other...

things I needed to post about but I am just so wiped out I think I will go back to bed. Needless to say I am a bit tired still.

I do need to pass on the award that Cindy passed on to me. I think I will pass it on on Monday though.

I did manage to get my reading done though YEAH!

PS. Kathleen my bad I was a tad bit out of it when I posted that LOL!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy....

Yes that be monkey #2 and that is her new friend for the moment. We spent ALL night in the Childrens Hospital ER (literally got home at about 7 am this morning!) after she fell on her new Heelies. Yes we get to go to the Ortho (and coincidentally the other Ortho) this week. Yes this is the same one who is playing violin, bowling and plays soccer. So now it may all but bowling be on hold. We will not know for sure until after we go to the ortho doctor and he says one way or the other.

Middle Name MeMe....

So I was reading at my blogbuddy Kathleen's again and she had this and a link to her friends post of this too. WOW Had me rolling on the floor her friend did. Very bold that one is... but it is still funny. Anyways so I also have the same middle name as her friend. (Yeah the most common middle name ever I think!)

So here goes mine...

L- Lucky. Why am I lucky? I am lucky because I was given my husband and my 4 monkeys, while they may drive me crazy a lot of the time they still make my life complete. So I am lucky to have found a many who can put up with me and love me for me.

Y- Yearning. I yearn to have a better relationship with our Heavenly Father and to make the most of that relationship. Every day I can work harder to be that much closer to him.

N- Nature-loving. I love hiking (although now that I am older I prefer to do it in the spring and fall or winter and avoid the heat :) ) . I love to ride horses and be outdoors. I hope that when we are done with my hubby's career we can move out to the country.

N- Normal. I strive to be a normal person who shows their true emotions when needed and is there for my family and who isnt as loud as a megaphone (which I generally am!). I love normalness (is that a word??) and how it keeps the home real and full of love even in times of anger.

You ever have one of those days?

So today I knew we had a lot to do but I also had a not enough sleep hangover all morning that won the battle of I NEED SLEEP! So after taking the monkeys to school I fell back to sleep. My homework took me forever last night and so I finally fell into bed around 230 this morning and had to get up at 530 with the oldest monkey. Came home and caught about 30 more minutes before having to be up with the younger ones. Then today is also the lil monkeys early day so we were out at noon. OH BOY! I took them to change sizes for monkey #2's new heelies (for the birthday present hehe) and had to get new cleats for her and monkey #3 along with a new ball for monkey #4. From there we had to hit the music store for the violin book and off to TRU for some baby shower stuff. Next was Target. So yeah it was busy we finished it all in about 2 1/2 hours. However at the end of it all mommy monkey's head felt as if it were going to bust.

Monkey #4 has learned a new trick from the older monkeys.... lets leave mommy's side to go look at what I want not what she wants! Needless to say my head was killing me so I tried to set it right... ordered pizza for the 3 oldest monkeys and brushed mine and baby monkeys hair and hubby , baby monkey (#4) and myself went out to eat. Red lobster did wonders for my mood.

Anyways its late and mommy monkey needs sleep!
I did get in my reading though...

Scripture Challenges...

So I joined this Scripture Challenge to get me back on track with the scripture reading. It has been awhile since I read regularly. I am going to read I think from BofM. 5-6 days a week and the others I can devote to the New Testament and this weeks reading for Sunday School. Anyways I wanted to keep reading this morning I love how First Nephi starts out and it always draws me in. Alas I cannot read a ton this morning as the kids have to be at school and monkey #4 has a dental appt at 8 am sharp. SOOO she has to get up and eat and brushem up good first. SOOO that takes extra time.

New tasks...

I am starting my new classes this week... so I am now in Algebra and my second health and human services in the United States. On top of that I am thinking of doing the institute class. I am also going to take on a challenge to read the scriptures for 30 days from Kathleen . So I will be busy busy busy. Monkey #2 is trying to kill us all with her schedule too. She is starting with the violin this year and is begging to take Tap class in addition to her soccer and bowling leagues. I am torn I honestly think its too much especially with all my stuff going on so I think no tap but the rest is okay. What do you think?

I am BAAAACKKKKK!

Well I survived the trip. You just dont understand. I have a severe phobia of flying. I have always feared this but I have flown all over the world. (Literally!). Anyways it still scares me. BUT I have some pics for you all.

This is the waterfall that is about 2 miles from my sister's house. It is so pretty.

This is the front of my sisters house... as you can see its a bit off. You can see all the trees though haha.

Anyways I had a blast and yes I took pics of the blessed event but do not feel comfortable splashing my sister and her new hubby all over the web, so alas those will not be viewed. I do have some of the waterfront I may post later though...

Scared....

So I have never been away from my kids before (well of course I have but not more than a hospital stay) and I could still see them. So tomorrow I leave to go to my Sister's House in Vermont. OH BOY! That is one looonnnnggg flight out too. I cant wait to see my Mom, my brother, my sister and my sister in law, BUT I wish they were coming here.

Instead I am leaving hubby to deal with one child who is getting sick (oh yeah low grade fever and the crying started yesterday) and then 3 other kids who have to be at the bus stop or at school on time. Yeah I somehow hope he can get that all right on Friday (which is the only day he actually has to do it all).

I dont like leaving my family all by myself. It would be easier I am sure if I was only going to my friend Lisa's house which is only 5 hours away vs. southern cali to vermont LOL.

Anyways other than that I have completed another class and will complete another one tomorrow. Then I will only have the two I start this week and 4 more to gooooo.... I may change my major though... still up in the air about that.

New toys for big girls...

So I told you all last week I got a new toy and I would post pics soon.... Yeah I know sloooowwww.

Anyways here is My new toy (got it on 4 sept...)



Anyways very much newer than the beast we had... and I struggle not to say go put it in the suburban (which FORD and CHEVY are not the same LOL!)

Picture updates....

First day of school for my monkeys...
Oldest monkey

Three youngest monkeys

The youngest monkey all alone :(

Hmmm...

I have been tagged by my friend Lena...

MY HUSBAND
What is his name?
John/ Kent He will answer to either...

How long have you been together?
13 years now

How long did you date?
6 Mos.

How old is he?
38

Who eats more?
Him

Who said I love you first?
Hmmm I dont know....

Who is taller?
He is.

Who sings better?
I do only cuz he doesnt sing at all...(lol).

Who is smarter?
Well, I dont know. I have more schooling than him. I have better grades than him... but that doesnt mean your smarter so I think we are both above average... (kids had to get it from somewhere right?)

Whose temper is worse?
His by a longshot.

Who does the laundry?
Me

Who does the dishes?
Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Well umm If your standing at the foot of the bed looking at it I do.

Who pays the bills?
I do, thanks to his hard work :)

Who mows the lawn?
The gardeners? Thank you housing!

Who cooks dinner?
Usually me

Who drives when you are together?
Him

Who is more stubborn?
ME!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
Him.

Whose parents do you see the most?
His

Who kissed who first?
Umm a consensus of the minds?

Who asked who out?
He asked me!

Who proposed?
He did.

Who is more sensitive?
Me, or at least I show it more...

Who has more friends?
I do

Who has more siblings?
He does, 3 sisters and 2 brothers

Who wears the pants in the family?
we both do :D

Now its hmm...Lisa, Heidi and Monique's turn?

Back to School Week! YEAH!

So my monkeys LOVE school... isnt that grand?... and it started back on Tuesday. Yes every night since has been utter chaos as they are getting back into the swing of things. I finished the 3 lovely packets we have to fill out every year BORING! and I do have pics but have to upload them. I also got a nice surprise on Tuesday and will have to post pics of that... YES! Anyways I am getting worked up only 15 days until I go to Vermont to see my baby sisters wedding and my other family who are converging on an unsuspecting Vermont town!

New classes starting soon too. Oh boy!

Wow its been a long time...

So summer is not a good time for me to remember to post right? With 4 busy kids I dont always have a ton of time. Anyways I am almost done with 2 more classes... finish one on the 16th and one on the 23rd. I will finish the second one probably on the 19th though because I am going to Vermont that week too for my sisters wedding. (Yeah I will post some pics too I hope.) Other than courses for me I havent been up to much other than being constantly sick and battling allergies.

The kids are getting ready to go back to school on Tuesday. We will have a 7th grader, 5th grader and a 2nd grader and the lil princess will be going to pre-k. During the summer the 3 girl monkeys did bowling to keep busy too. This fall will entail all 4 bowling and playing soccer. Add in YW and Achievment girls and we will be extremely busy. Friday, Sunday and Monday will be my favorite days! These will be free days after October starts.

Anyways stay tuned for the new pics of the four monkeys on the first day of school.

Here I am...

This seems to describe me pretty well...

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller! In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart.You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts. At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do.You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's" Your Personality Type?

What are you?

Meatball Pizza

Unusual and uncompromising.You're usually the first to discover a new trend.You appreciate a good meal and good company.You're an interesting blend of traditional and modern.

What's" Your Pizza Personality?

Wow...

This week has been a blast for the kids and I am so glad they were able to do it. My oldest who is no longer my baby at 12 has gone away to girls camp for the first time. I will have to update on that when she gets back. My 2nd and 3rd monkeys were both in a day camp for soccer and are absolutely LOVING it. So much so they are pretty much knocked out by 7 each night! YEAH! My lil monkey though isnt too happy with this change. She hates being the only one ever left at home. Poor lil monkey!

Next summer we will have to put her in the soccer camp too. Three for soccer camp (one all day camp and 2 1/2 day campers) and another Girls camp for the big one. YES! I cant believe it. Soon it will be 2 girls' camp campers. I can still remember my first time at girls camp and how I loved it. The day I dropped the oldest off I had all these memories come flooding back to me.

One of them was my favorite of my YW Stake leader. She is the bomb and guess who called me yesterday?? YES it was that leader. I was so shocked and couldnt believe it. I love her so much and she is just like family. Anyways I cant wait to hear from her again.

Too funny for all the moms out there

So Monkey #4 is still a mama's baby...

This lil monkey just doesnt want to walk EVER! I do make her walk when I cant carry her anymore. She hates a stroller... so my friends have this link for a free give away... so I looked. I think its a great idea and hope to win. Anyways you can look here or at the shop she has here . She does stuff for the natural mom. Cloth diapering, breastfeeding etc. Happy searching...

New thoughts...

Well with one school age monkey home and two still in school life is a bit rough right now. The oldest monkey lives to torment everyone because she can! Why is it so important for her to let them know she is superior because she is home all day. So no the 2 younger ones dont want to go to bed at night because she is up and they dont want to go to school because she is home. GRRR! I think I am going to push to have them moved to a traditional school. I dont want to but its the only way I can think of to make it fair. Not to mention that in fall of 2008 I will have two on traditonal and two on year round. Anyways I got a new bed for the the 2 younger girls. Going to get it next week. I am working on redoing their whole room... my hubby says WHAT? why not MY room. Haha we are next just chill big boy! School is going well. I am ready to finish. HAHA I guess its like kids and school. Anyways I am still going to go my next two classes though are offset because they had the same major due dates... so now instead of starting both on July 16 they start one on July 16th and the other on the 23rd. STRANGE! Other than that I am hanging in there and hope you are...

July 2nd....

Well here we are in the OFFICIAL blazes of summer. Literally and figuratively. We do have a nice lil fire going about 20 miles from here...here is where you can see we actually have a few going on but this is roughly the closest.

We are already really hot and dry and in desperate need of a good rain. You cant use your ovens or really your stoves after noonish because it gets SOOO hot in the house. So we have been eating a) takeout, b) salads or c) sandwiches for over a week. Good huh? hehe We have been eating lots of fruits and veggies as you can see.

School is still rolling on. I start my new classes in 2 wks. I have my English paper almost completely done and have about a 1/4 of the other one done. Not to bad for a class that isnt over until the 15th. Monkey #1 should be getting her report card any day now and is out of school until Sept. The other monkeys that are in school have about 3 wks to go till they are out.

We are hanging in there and hoping to get to Seaworld or Legoland this summer break. We will not be going home though.

Holy Cow...

What in the world is going through the popular kids heads these days?

Let me say that one SIXTH grade popular girl at my oldest monkey's school has phoned in BOMB threats TWICE in the past 5 mos. She had the audacity to use someone elses phone the first time... he got punished by suspension. The second time she used her own and was taken in handcuffs to juvie. This is not the first time this child has been in trouble either. She got busted last year at her elementary drinking beer from a gatorade bottle on campus (HOW did someone not notice something going on like this??) This year she came to school drunk and threw up in her first class. Where are this child's parents? How is it that she is still in their care? At the very least those two acts alone are grounds for child neglect. Now she is phoning in bomb threats? WHY? The other question what is going to be her punishment? I dont know if I want my child at the same school as this girl... would you? I am seriously thinking of making them put her in a different school if they do not expel her. AND she should lose credit for this semester and be held back because of it.

Anyways this is very upsetting to me...

Wow its been a long time...

Well there have been some definite things I need to update on. The first one I am going to update on has to deal with ME. Yep ME which is a rarity. I have gone back to school. I am a 1/3 of the way through this quarter already. WOW! So far I am maintaining an A avg., but things are getting a bit stickier and I am having to work a bit harder now. I have been so busy with this AND with my chairman position at the lodge that I am going crazy. Then add in the added YW activities and sports OH BOY! My typical day right now has me up at 530am and in bed around midnight. On sports, church or chairman nights it can be later.

Which brings me to we have slimmed down the summer sports... bowling is now on Saturday mornings and we will be moving to swim lessons during the week. We now have church activites on every wednesday and the 2nd and 4th tuesdays every month as well as my chairman activities every tuesday. Homework is typically due on tuesdays, thursdays, fridays and sundays for my classes. SO life can become quite hectic. I am also noticing that I need to have soundproof headphones on for homework because everything else is distracting me.

Anyways enough about me.

As for the monkeys....
Well monkey #1 got a trophy and some badges and pins from this last bowling session. It was nice. She got a report card and it looked good. She also turned 12 in mid april. WOOT! Now she is preparing for the end of school and the beginning of summer school as well as girls camp.

Monkey #2's team took 2nd place in the last bowling session so she came home with two trophies and some badges. She also brought home an good report card. Now she is gearing up for state testing and some major field trips.

Monkey #3's team took 1rst place in his groups last bowling session (he doesnt bowl in the same league as the bigger monkeys) and came home with two trophies. He went to seaworld recently and had an awesome report card. He is growing lettuce and radishes in his classroom at school and going to the state fair with them. WOW talk about exciting... Monkey #2 is also doing this!

Monkey #4 WELL lets just say she has had a VERY long month this month and has handled it like a trooper and we hope this is the last trauma we go through for a long while!

My Life Monday ~ dreams

Well I didnt want you to think I was avoiding the topic but alas I kinda was. You see I dont honestly remember any good dreams... the only ones I remember are horrible death dreams. The last one I had a dream that my dh ship was hit ..... sad thing that was the day that someone did attack a ship LIKE his but not his and they rockets flew over it. Hmm this is why I dont talk about dreams it had me in a near panic state for about 6 hours before he finally responded to let me know he was indeed alive and well.

So the rest are worse than this sooo I will keep the nightmares to meself and save you the gruesome details.

~Life

My Life Monday

My philosophy... Wow thats hard. I never really thought about it. I guess I would have to go with Life isnt Easy so buck up and get a grip. So many ppl dont realize that. (or dont want to like me)

Ppl need to quit taking the easy way out and stand on their own two feet. Really life has become about the easy way. If you need something now put it on a credit card cuz you dont have the money. If your marriage isnt working like you want go get a divorce. Oops your pregnant and didnt want to be go get and abortion. Wow I forgot to take something out for dinner guess that means we eat take out tonight. I need a term paper let me buy one. I need a good grade on this exam let me pay someone to take it so I dont look like an idiot.

There are so many easy fixes it seems now that everyone uses them. Granted some are so minor (ie the food) but others really impact our whole life and can change us in the most fundamental of ways. There was a movie that I really loved in high school and I will be darned if I can remember the name of it but it had Kirk Cameron in it and it was about him and a college debate team. They go to nationals and it really stuck in my head (IE part of his speech is in the previous paragraph maybe not word for word but the general idea) but what he said is so true. We expect everything to be given to us but not to be worked for anymore. I do believe there are exceptions but for the most part its true.

Exceptions to this rule are actually getting pregnant. This is very different. Getting rid of an unwanted pg and not getting pg and needing help are in two VERY different categories. Although there are even women who use pg as a way out. It still happens in the military. Oh what did a I do I hate this let me get pg and get out of this lifestyle... seen too many women use this as their escape clause. Or EWWW stretchmarks aint going to happen let me pay someone else to carry this child. For normal women though getting pg and maintaining a pg or even getting pg can be hard and then if and when you get pg you have to deal with all the hormonal intake of that too. So for the most part I dont generally lump this in with the quick fix theory... in case anyone was wondering.

See I know what its like this time I have been wanting to get or be pg for a year now. and its just not happening now. I think the biggest thing was me breastfeeding for so long it really really threw my body off and it has taken it awhile to really bounce back. Also there were one m/c in there for sure so another issue with the o'ing and all... there was also a probably 2nd one. So here I am a year from last year and still no baby and still not pg. Its hard. I do realize this is all not on my time but on Heavenly Fathers time... so maybe I just need to work on his plan and let it go for now.

Life ticks on....very slowly as it seems for now

Okay so to get this out now....

I want to post about my LOVELY weekend. My lovely weekend was supposed to be go to bed friday at about 10 or so... didnt happen closer to midnight... and get up at 7 to go help clean up the Chapel... got woke up the first time at 330! then again at 6! ... Got to the church (THAT did go as planned!)... then have a nice fam breakfast then head to the soccer round up and then the kick off they were doing an hour after the round up ended... DIDNT Happen!... hmm the round up went over who knows HOW long.... because 15 min AFTER it was supposed to be over a marine escorted my son to me with a bloody nose and already swelling nose... then they couldnt find ice and my second monkey still wasnt done but came for water and I said tell them you have to go. So we did and then we were supposed to have a light carefree afternoon to gear up for the rambunctious activity at the church... instead we spent about 4 hours in the ER for a broken nose. and then came home totally worn out and didnt go to church and havent slept well SINCE then.

poor boy. his swelling has subsided a LOT and he goes in again wednesday morning for a follow up.

Anyways that was my weekend in a nutshell. We still havent heard what teams we are on maybe tomorrow.

~life ticks on

MY LIFE MONDAY!

Okay so the topic is the me not so many ppl know. Well lets see I was born in Cali to a Navy dad and SAHM. I was the first kid in the fam to wear disposable dipers ! OOOOO! LOL. We moved 3 times in 5 yrs. I broke my baby nose 3 times in 5 yrs LOL! Lets say my older brother (the one who is 7 yrs older than me) had issues with the new baby *ME* and would do whatever he could to hurt me and make it look like an accident. Fast forward to the early years... my parents split up when I was in third grade and I almost failed 3rd grade. At this time though I took a lot of frustration out in the pool. On breaks I would swim literally about 10 hours a day. I loved it. I miss it. I wasnt born a member I converted in High School. I was 17. My mom totally disagrees with the Church. She sent me her churches mags for the first 2 yrs I was married. LOL.

Now the thing most ppl dont know about me is I have an AVID love of books. I would read every minute of every day if I could. The other is I love playing online role playing games like Everquest, World of Warcraft etc. I also love to make afghans. I dont like making ANYTHING else but I like making them. LOL!

I guess thats me...

How did I get here?

A friend has been going through a lot of hardships lately and I really feel for her. Its hard to feel forsaken not only by your friends and family but also by Heavenly Father. Many times over the past 12 yrs I have felt lost or alone but I know its MY feelings and I have to deal with them. If I dont then I will be the one left to face Heavenly Father and be held accountable for those feelings. I am learning that if I read my scriptures when I am feeling out of place or mad at the world it does seem to help me. Also prayer. If that doesnt help then I go to the Bishop....
I know for my friend this has been going on for a long time. I cant wait to see her soon... It wont be but a few more mos and she will be here where I am and we will be able to see each other and talk F2F for once. AS well as our monkeys too.

Now I just need to teach this to monkey #1 cuz she spends a lot of time right now mad at the world. It sets off the whole family at times which I definitely cant deal with. Anywhooooo I must get to bed before I pass out.

How do I know thee?

When it comes to your children do you honestly think you know them well and you have raised them well? Sometimes I really wonder on this. Granted my oldest monkey is severely ADHD and has issues because of this BUT is that really an excuse for her doing BAD things? I want her in counseling but when we put her back in counseling honestly she was missing either the SAME class EVERY 2 wks OR the whole day of school. The class she is missing is English which is pretty much a class she SHOULDNT miss. KWIM? Anyways she is also getting to that hormonal period as she is going to be 12 very very soon! She fights with us and argues and is literally driving me crazy. Now you CANNOT leave ANY money out anywhere or you can kiss it goodbye cuz if she sees it she takes it. I am sooooo frustrated. What can I do? I cannot take her back to the hospital for counseling because that drive, the parking situation, the hike up to the docs office then the hour weight then 1/2 hour hike and 1/2 hour car ride back is just a bit much. Your looking at 3 1/2 hrs fro ONE counseling appt depending on the time she goes ... if she goes in the afternoon your looking at the time that most of the military is getting off here so traffic coming out of the hospital is bad... you come in the morning your looking at civilian traffic being bad... you go in the middle and then she misses school altogether because you went in the middle to be blunt. School for her starts at 720 gets out at 150 her last TWO hours is English. Her first hour is PE (which is her only failing grade) So really I need something better than the hospital for her... like someone with evening office visits or saturdays. I know they have them cuz she did this at our last duty station and it worked SOOOO MUCH better. It wasnt at the hospital either but civilian ones.

How do you teach your children (who in my case should already know this as we have TRIED getting it into her head MANY MANY times) not to behave like a thief? I am soo frustrated with her and her whole attitude she wont even admit she stole like 10$ from me. EVEN if I HIDE it which it was in a very good place I swear she is a dog and can sniff it out. I hid it in what I honestly thought would be a VERY GOOD SPOT! I put it in an empty tampon container under my sink. So why was she in MY bathroom AND Under MY sink? Who knows.

I am thinking of going into her room and taking our her non essential stuff... stereo, toys, anything that isnt her bed and clothes basically. What would you do?

My Life Monday...

Food likes and dislikes.....

My favorite foods are food?? No probably my favorite type of food is MEXICAN! OH BABY! My favorite single food... FRESH BAKED YEAST ROLLS! Favorite fruit... oh hmm cherries and peaches. Freshed picked ones off the orchard are best. Favorite veggie... OH BOY! Salad veggies I love salad. So tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, etc. I know bad but true favorite drink is COKE and most missed drink (since I am a convert) is SWEET TEA!
My favorite candy... snickers almond or almond roca. My favorite thing lately though has been GRILLED SALMON! Trust me if you knew me you would know I DONT DO FISH! However I tried this last summer and since then its like a severe craving like sonic cherry limeades...

My foods I dislike??? I dont like cooked greens of any sort. I dont like pomegranetes (SP?) and I dont like ANY V8 drinks. I dont like slimy okra... fried is awesome but not just slimy YUCK!

I love most foods as you can see. FOOD IS MY FRIEND :D !!!


Life...

Book #2 Three Weeks with My Brother...

I havent finished it yet... alas I LOVE to read but just never seem to have more than 15-20 min (except right now cuz monkey #4 seems to have the horrible flu/cold/whatever combined into one stuff going around and ONLY wants mommy to hold her and sit with her!)to read unless I am sleeping and you know... sleep... read...sleep...read UMM SLEEP wins! Okay so I am about 1/2 way through this book and it is SOOO funny and serious and awesome. You know there is a song with a line Awful Beautiful Life... not that it was a wonderful life but that it has awful and beautiful all rolled into one and this song just SOOO personifies this book. It really is awesome so far. I love his other works and why should this one be ANY different. Anyways if you get a chance here is another winner... you can get the info off the side of the page lol..

Life...

My life Monday... Late again LOL

A growing experience. Share with us something that helped you grow in your life, whether good or bad...

Something that helped me grow in my life was getting married and having kids. When you get married you have to learn an all new form of sharing... cuz you have to share EVERYTHING and not like a sibling LOL! You all of a sudden have this person who you love but are not used to sharing all the intimate details of your life with yet you sleep with them, eat with them, and more things .... LOL! Then comes a passel of kids... I guess 4 qualifies for that LOL! You have to learn how to share everything all over again your body, your breast (if you bf) and your bed! LOL! Sleep becomes a moot point. You learn to be patient cuz getting upset with any of the afore mentioned ppl gets EVERYONE upset. You also have to learn to discipline children. What is tooo much and what doesnt work at all. You GROW soooo much from being a wife and a parent. Another thing you learn how when you went to school and hated it that now its your kids turn! LOL! Actually my kids LOVE school and cry if they cant go (like dr appts, etc) like my monkey #3 who after I ironed a shirt for him for some strange reason he stuck his hand on the unplugged and off iron BUT still HOT Iron... Went STRAIGHT to the docs... when they said okay here you go and took care of it and said keep it dry and clean and put this on 2x a day... TAKE ME TO SCHOOL MOM! Are you sure? YEP NOW MOM! haha. Now this he begs to stay home and wants to be homeschooled but i think that is because he wants to HOG my puter to himself LOL!

Off to the long list in a life of care...

Finished...

Okay I finished this book. Anyways I have read it before. It is such a great read. It really shows you the way life for the Jewish ppl was on the American front during WWII. How their lives were still affected from previous generations and it gives a view into Hasidism and other groups of Jewish ppl. I really really love how it goes so in depth but is a story of friendship at the heart. I know things have changed a lot but not so much at the same time. I think in all religions that are about this is the case. ALL start from basically Adam and Eve and Creation but the twists and turns along the way make each religion its own and each branch of religion more specific to that particular group.

Anyways if your looking for a good read and have a little time I strongly suggest you read this book. Heck if you do shoot me a response to your take of it....

On to the next book...

My Life Monday (late... cuz its the first time)

My Life Monday...

About someone we love. WOW I have four LOVELY lil monkeys I love but I am choosing My baby sister. I never really talk about her. We HATED each other from about the time we were BOTH in school so about 3rd grade for me LOL! I dont know what started it but I remember it has always been a very big tension between us. WELLLL about 6 yrs ago that tension finally seeped out. We were both very grown up and on to our own lives and not focusing on each other I guess.

Anyways I dont have ANY pictures of her but I PROMISE to get one. The reason I am choosing her on this Valentines week and not my own family is...
MY BABY SISTER IF FINALLY GETTING MARRIED! Yes she is! She is getting married on hubby's birthday! Which of course just happens to be the day before mine! It is something I very much want to attend and she really wants me to come BUT alas I just dont know how in the world I am going to be able to afford going... with 4 lil monkeys a trip from south Cali to New England is a tad bit expensive. Especially only for 2 days. Anyways she is getting married on a ship and she is sooo excited. They will be honeymooning in Europe! WOWOW!

Anyways I am so happy, ecstatic, over the moon that my baby sister is coming into her own and going to join the "Old Lady" crowd!

Rolling on...

So Valentines Day is tomorrow and I got some cute stuff I think for each of the monkeys. This year a cute lil stuffy for each and a small box of chocolates. For hubby I got exclusive chocolates. They are coffee flavored and others. I dont tend to buy them but he LOVES these and isnt a member so I bought something I knew he would like.

On an upnote a good friends spouse came home yesterday! YEAH! Several of the men from our ward came home from Iraq over the past few days. I am soooo excited for this. I remember when it was me and how freaked out I was until he got home and now it was there turn.

Another upnote there is a HUGE HUGE party in our stake coming up this month. Its a HUGE party for members AND nonmembers. Hubby says HE WILL GO! YEAH! Its a huge potluck so I have to come up with something good and will feed 10 ppl. They had this party 2 yrs ago too and had over 600 ppl in attendance. WOW!

Anyways today is the day to finish the mess laundry room and get it all squared away and sorted out from the shelves to the laundry. SOOO I better get on in there and get to it...

Keep on tickin...

So I was thinking ....

Someone pointed out how easy it is for Satan to get to us on Sundays... and I do have a testimony of this. My goal being to go to church every sunday unless it is ABSOLUTELY impossible. Well yesterday ya know its Super Bowl (and yes I actually WATCH football!) My head is killing me, when I first woke I couldnt talk and my throat hurt so bad. I was like we are not going. Monkey #4 had a fever... it was like everything in the world was pushing me away. Finally once I decided to go it seemed everything fell into place but before i said NO I AM GOING everything seemed to be going wrong. Anyways only Maya and I went and we left after the sacrament meeting was over. I am really glad we stayed. Some of the testimonies were so awesome. Anyways I wish I could have stayed for the sunday school cuz I really love my teacher (who also happened to be one of the awesome testimony bearers LOL). I still feel bad and I sound like a frog now and I cant really use the phone cuz my hubby cant seem to hear me without me yelling only I cant yell ...

So I am off to work on the kitchen, go grocery shopping NO I havent been yet!(we did go to sams and get a FEW things but my cubbards are pretty bare I havent really been in a month) and pick up the kids...

on a side note to friends who are overdue on their babies... i saw a friend today who had number 11 right after the first AND he was 14 days overdue and they finally induced him! He is TOOOO cute and was actually very tiny even for 2 wks over...

Keep on tickin....

Its been awhile...

Well to catch up...

20 Jan Monkey #2 was baptized. 28 Jan she was confirmed. COOL! (the missionaries, the bishop and monkey #2)

I have been going to church so my goal there is up to date... I have missed church ONCE since the new year and it was for a VERY good reason. Ukus came to play at our house so we had to all stay home and rid the house of them !

Other than that we are doing well. We got rid of our pet hamster... Miss Stormy went to another family. While the kids loved her they didnt care for her and Mami and Papi just are too tired to care for the poor dear. So she has joined a friends family and so far is loving it. They also have a rescued chinchilla so they are LOVING an extra friend too.

At this point we have NO pets. YEAH! Mami just cant handle it.

Other things monkey #1 learned how to load the dishwasher and has happily accepted her role for the most part as baby sitter. LOL! I do pay her when we go out if its Papi and I alone on a date (only fair as if I didnt have her I would have to pay someone :P ) The rest of the time I think she likes it just to be free of the kids for a bit.

Papi also wrecked his new car and they said it was too much to repair (HUH?) and paid it off... so we got ANOTHER new car. Now we have this its nicer... We use it a lot more than The BEAST (suburban) LOL! He is fine and didnt wreck himself THANKFULLY!

Monkey #2 and #4 both got physicals on friday morning and are growing like weeds. Monkey #2 is FINALLY getting there. she is in the 55th percentile for height and 45th percentile for weight and monkey #4 is the opposite LOL! Anyways for monkey #2 I am glad to see her finally growing! She came out with the 95th for both height and weight and by the end of the first year wasnt no longer on the charts (fell off them) anymore. Its been a long hard battle to get her back up to even average on them. For yrs 2 and 3 she was less than 10% in both and finally starting growing in her 4th yr. Now she is AVERAGE!

Anyways we are now on the winter/spring bowling session... the first 3 monkeys are doing it together. March #2 and 3 both start soccer so we will be busy beavers 3 nights a week and then saturday mornings. :o

Other than that we are still trucking and doing well in this ...

Life that keeps on ticking...