Getting Through Hard Times.

Have you ever had to go through something so difficult that that you didn't even want to talk about it? Well that is how I have been feeling this last year. I have tried to keep a stiff upper lip and put on a good face but a person can only handle so much. James lost his job earlier this spring (he was given a one year contract to find another job). It has been a rough road to travel down. We already weren't very happy with Texas but this really put it over the edge. James has been looking for a new job for almost 2 years now. I guess what I am trying to say is that life has been hard. James' ego has been severally bruised and we have been very unsure about our future. We have had to trust that the Lord is aware of us and something will work out. I keep thinking that in a week or two we would have some good news. But then months have gone by and nothing.
So with all this going on our car broke two different times, we have had sick kids, James went through surgery, an ER visit, and busy (very busy) church callings. I have been feeling like it is all I can handle. I have been trying to tell myself that trials and adversity help me to grow and progress as a person. Well, I have felt growth. James and I have been closer than ever. There are times that I wish James would just say everything is going to be fine, but he's going through this just like me.
We felt like we were supposed to move to Texas. We have strengthened our family and feel like we are more grown-up than ever. I want to apologize to all of my friends and family that I have talked to these last few months and not shared about our problem. This has been such a painful process that talking about it hurt too much.
But I am not telling you all this to make you depressed and down. This story ends happy. James was just offered a job in Utah!!!!! (In South Jordon at Roseman University)We are super excited and don't have all the details but the one thing I know is the job starts October 1st, so, soon. Now life is going to go from busy to hectic. But it is a good hectic! We will keep everyone posted on details. Thanks and the Lord does bless you when you try to do what is right.

Happy, Happy Birthday Dylan dear!

Today is my sweet baby's 2nd birthday. Really he doesn't even know what is going on today. We went to the doctor and had his well baby check up. He is now 30 pounds and going strong. Dylan got one shot  and a blood draw and he didn't cry once, amazing! He was more fascinated with the needle then scared of it. Really he is just the strong silent type.


Anyway, Because of his shot today he has been kind of on the grumpy side. We debated if we should even celebrate his birthday today. We already decided to have the cake and stuff in a week when James' brother will be here (it's also closer to my Birthday). So we thought we would give him one gift and save the rest for later. Which is exactly what we did.


There is this Pixar movie, Cars (maybe you have heard of it?). Well, it is Dylan's absolute favorite movie. Not only is it his favorite, he loves all things cars. He loves any food, t-shirt, or picture of the Car's characters. [Side Story: Every time I go grocery shopping he loves to look for anything with Lightning McQueen on it. He's the main character in Cars. And since Cars 2 is coming to theaters on June 24th (yeah, we are excited!) he is in just about every isle, go ahead, check. Because of that we have gotten Cheez-its, Cars Mac and Cheese, and Cars soup. I am a sucker!]


For the last few weeks I have been on the hunt for the perfect "Cars" gift. I wanted to get him a Cars toddler bed set but I really didn't like any of the sets out there. So I made my own. I had to be a bit sneaky and make it without him seeing, but he loved it! After getting the blanket we put it on his bed and he has been sitting in his bed for the last 45 minutes. The funniest part is that after being in his bed for about 2 minutes he took his "blankie," (the blankie that has been with him through thick and thin) and tossed it on the floor. If you look in the picture it is right there on the floor, tossed aside like a pair of dirty socks. It's sad how quick these kids grow up. (I am sure he will accept his blankie into his inner circle again, someday.)

So Happy Birthday to my little baby!! I sure do love you "Buby"! 





By the way, can you guess what other gifts he might be getting for his birthday? 

Mother's Day!

There is a quote that I really like that says: "You think it is an overnight success, but if you look closely, most over night successes take a long time." –Steve Jobs

Lucy in her pre-k room
5 years old

That is Motherhood.  Being a mother is a lot of hard work, tears, patience and love. I am so blessed to have the sacred role of motherhood, to be a “co-partner with the Creator himself.”  I am grateful that I have been taught by my mother and I am grateful that I can teach my children with the help from my husband. I feel honored to have this responsibility and I don’t take it lightly. I love my children so very much. My prayers, hopes, and dreams are filled with them.

Dylan in Fort Worth
18 months

Speaking to a room full of women Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:  “Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. 

Thomas at the Houston Aquarium
6 years old

 “You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you, and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and weep over their responsibility as mothers, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.’ And it will make your children whole as well.”

This picture was taken the summer before we
were married.

The next time someone inquires what I do or asks me to describe myself, I will say with confidence and with joy, “I am a Mother!”

To all you Mothers out there... Happy Mother's Day!

The Tooth Fairy

Thomas lost his two front teeth. One he lost during dinner and the second was so loose I tried to convince him to pull it. Finally about 5 minutes before bedtime I yanked it out. (Does that make me a bad Mom?) His grown-up teeth are already poking through. But the best part of all of this was that Thomas wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy. This is his second letter to the TF. In the first one he asked her what she did with the baby teeth. She wrote back that she took the teeth because baby teeth are the main ingredient in fairy dust. She then sells the dust to other magical creatures. (I have turned this house upside down looking for the letter.) Thomas LOVED it. This time he asked the tooth fairy if she would give him some fairy dust. And this is what she wrote back:

Dear Thomas,

Thank you for your baby teeth. The two front teeth are very important. These two teeth will make some excellent fairy dust for my business. I would love to bring you some fairy dust. I do not have any with me tonight that I can give you, but the next time I come I should be able to bring you some. I only pack enough fairy dust each night to collect the teeth that I need. Keep brushing your teeth, they look very healthy! You are a very good boy. I hope you can buy something fun with the money I gave you. I hope you have a very good day!

Love,

The Tooth Fairy

Thomas can't wait until he looses another tooth. 

By the way, for some reason the the Tooth Fairy's signature looks an awful lot like gold embossing. Also, the gold sparkles on the letter and envelope seemed to resemble my gold eye shadow. I wonder how that happened?  

Hippity Hoppity

I know I should have blogged about this about two weeks ago, but I was still in the "testing" mode. This little project really turned out to be really cute and the kiddos LOVED it. I tried it once in college, but this is the first time with the "Easter Bunny."
I grew wheat grass in an Easter basket. It is really simple to do, you just need to think ahead. I got a large, cheap basket, lined it with a garbage bag, and put a layer of vermiculite in it (you can get vermiculite at normal gardening stores, but not in the garden section of Target or Wal-Mart). Be careful with the vermiculite, you don't want to inhale it, it is very light and easily becomes airborne. Many places say to use potting soil, but you run the risk of it getting a "fertilizer" stank(basically it smells like poo, do you really want your house to smell like poo Easter morning?) Moisten the vermiculite until it is wet but there is not standing water. Then put a layer of wheat or grass seed on the vermiculite. Trim back the plastic bag below the edge of the basket. Set the basket near a sunny window. I would spray the grass with a spray bottle daily, depending on how warm it is. I tried to put the basket in a room where the kids wouldn't see it, but they found it about two days before Easter. Anyway, I loved it so much because I didn't have to fuss with that horrible fake grass and this was so much better for the environment. We don't do much for Easter but we always get a little bit of candy to share. Sorry I didn't post it earlier, but at least this will give you a good idea on what to do for next year.