Sunday, December 14, 2008

Happy 38th Birthday, Lance




Lance is now 38 years old. He celebrated by going to work, having a birthday dinner, going to the church to get some things done and playing basketball. I am sure it was an exciting day for him. He wanted parmesan chicken, orange rolls, and turtle cheesecake for his dinner. Lucky for me I could buy the cheesecake. We couldn't ask for a better husband and dad, even if he is a little goofy at times. We love you!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Sinter Klaas


Thank you Sinter Klaas for all the goodies! We know how busy you are in Holland and yet you always seem to get our package to us in time!

Let the Festivities Begin....


The holidays are in full swing! The week was full of classes, school and lots of practicing. I accompanied the children's choir that we were part of last year for their Christmas performance on Friday. It always is fun to watch them perform and I enjoy playing for them on Friday. We had our teacher come that morning and spend about 1 hour per child going over all their work. It makes for a long morning but she is she great for us! That afternoon, we had our Children's Lit co-op group at our house and read books about teddy bears. It is always fun to get together with other homeschool families. I had to send them off quickly after to get to the concert for a last minute practice right after. It was a full day but filled with good stuff. Saturday, I spent a frustrating day shopping. I felt it took forever to accomplish so little. The children rehearsed for their parts in the ward Christmas program. Devon played a piano solo. He played "Angels We Have Heard on High" and played beautifully. The girls sang the song "I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas" with their friends. Lance couldn't get the flash to work on the video so I will put the video so you can hear a bit and then a picture so you can see them. We missed filming Devon so we filmed him at home right after the program.


Sunday, November 30, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a nice and quiet day. I felt like I spent a lot of it cooking and of course it only took the kids about 15 minutes to eat it. It is all about the memories, right? I am not so sure, though. I think they would have been just as happy eating pizza as long as we had the grasshopper pie. I decided that next year we are spending Thanksgiving in San Diego. I will bring the pie and make turkey sandwiches on the beach. I can dream, can't I?

Happy 6th Birthday Lauren




Wednesday was Lauren's 6th birthday. I think she had a pretty fun day. She spent the morning at our friend's house playing and having cupcakes. It was like a party! Luckily, Lance was off in the early afternoon so she didn't have ot wait until after dinner to open her presents. She chose pizza, red jello (with nothing in it), cinnamon biscuits and pink cake with pink frosting. She wanted pink writing on it also but we talked her into purple instead. We so grateful Lauren is in our family. She is smart, funny, loving, and silly. We love her!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

My Awesome Kids


My kids are awesome. Wednesday morning, I went to have my hair cut. I was gone a lot longer than anticipated. I came home to smiling, happy children who had finished their schoolwork on their own and who had cleaned the entire house! The dishes were done, dishwasher cleaned out, every item was picked up off the floor in every room, and lunch was on the stove cooking. It made my whole week!

Friday, we had our little co-op group come over here. We talked and read about Thanksgiving, made some Indian headbands and turkeys out of apples. We had a great time.

Devon had his last soccer game yesterday, and it was not a pretty game. The opposition was an amazing team. It was a bummer for Devon to end on that note but he had a good time at his soccer party that night.

Jason had a campout with the scouts on Friday. They didn't stray to far and just went to the lake. He said they were up to about 3 in the morning doing "nothing". I am sure the upcoming teenage years will bring more expressiveness out of him.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Happy 2nd Birthday Chloe!

We can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Kidney Stones and Primary Programs

Well, the election is over! We were so focused on Prop 8 that everything else seemed to take a back seat. We are glad it passed but we know it will be an ongoing battle. In the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, I woke to Maddie needing to use the bathroom. I realized Lance was not in bed. He had been pacing around the house for an hour in severe pain. It became clear that he needed some help so I quickly dressed, woke up Jason to hold down the fort and drove Lance to the emergency room. I have never seen him in so much pain. He was literally shaking. The good news was the ER waiting room was pretty empty and they were able to help him fairly quickly- still not fast enough. Once the IV and pain meds kicked in he was a whole new person. Thank heavens for modern drugs! They quickly did a CT scan and find the tiny little bugger. I still can't believe something that small could cause so much pain. It still took two days to completely pass but he wasn't in the kind of pain as before. That was a fun experience for us!
Today, our children were in the yearly primary program. Devon, Lexi and Lauren said their parts very well. Our Primary meets with the Spanish Branch's primary and it was great to see and hear all the children sing the chorus of "Called to Serve" and "I am a Child of God" in Spanish. It was a wonderful program.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Prop 8 Countdown

I can't wait until the election is over! And yet, I am a little concerned about what the outcome might be on certain things. Lance and I spent yesterday morning hanging door hangers for prop 8. Of course, it was pouring rain. I had a little nostalgic feeling come over me for my mission. I remember being tired, cold and soaking wet for much of the time. However, just going up to a door and hanging something on it was much easier! We came home dried off and dressed the kids and left to a busy corner by the mall to hold our signs for prop 8. I was told up and down this busy street there were around 2000 volunteers for prop 8 holding and waving signs throughtout the day. Most of the children thought it was kind of fun to see how many people were there supporting the same thing we were and all the cars that honked for it. It was great to see so many of our youth, families and older folks. Of course, there was oppostion but not even close to the numbers we had there. We stood on sidewalk with our signs for about an hour and a half. By then, the children were cold and tired. We now have eight pages of people to call before Tuesday to remind them to vote.
We have all recovered from our latest "bug", thank heavens. I had a little bit of a burnout week last week on school. I think I have had too many other things on my mind. The children didn't seem to mind. And, of course, Halloween didn't help. We had a fun chili cook-off and trunk or treat. The children came home with plenty of candy to last and have been making trades all weekend. Hopefully, fair trades- you know how older brothers can be! It started raining at the end which was nice because it helped everyone leave a lot quicker for the cleanup committee. But it is over and now we can start on the next holiday. Christmas music is already playing, thanks to Lexi.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Halloween Party


Last night, we went to a friend's Halloween Party. This family went all out. I couldn't believe all the fun games, decorations and the amazing and creative treats they had for everyone. We all had a great time. Plus, the children were able to wear their costumes an extra time. We have our church trunk or treat party on Halloween. It always is a fun time for the children and it saves us from having to go trick or treating!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Halloween Prep-part 2



Here are the rest of the pictures.

Halloween Prep






The kids have been having fun wearing their costumes and playing. We also made our pumpkins with a different twist this year instead of the traditional carving. And a picture of Jason in his Spanish class.

Sick Day

I am taking a sick day today. Yesterday, Lauren was a little out of sorts and by the time night rolled around she had a little fever. Maddie has been off and on the past few days. During the night she would struggle but during the day she was just fine. She has a runny nose but is doing fine today. I haven't slept well for several nights and I think that is adding to me not feeling great. Lauren is doing better today but not quite all the way there yet. I called last night to get my subs for today so I was set for a day of rest. The girls are watching a movie on Thomas Edison and I am about to start addressing envelopes for fliers on Prop 8 to send to my neighbors. Everyones else is at church. I still can't believe how warm it is here. The mornings are chilly but we are still in the 80's by afternoon. It is too warm to feel like fall is here. We had our super saturday yesterday. I made some cute candles and earrings. They offered so many cute things but many were above my abilities to make well enough. I am so basic when it comes to any sort of creativity. Friday, we had our little co-op literature group. We read about pumpkins and then painted a drawing of one with cotton ball. The girls and their friends really seem to enjoy it. After, they have time to play for awhile. My friend made some yummy pumpkin muffins for our snack. The big boys end up playing the whole time which is great. We had a crew of kids here all day which was great.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sacrament Talk


Jason gave his first talk in Sacrament Meeting today. He spoke so well and he even looked up several times. He wrote his talk himself with a few suggestions from Lance. He did an excellent job. It was great that Lance took the initiative and helped him, of course, he was the one to ask Jason to speak in the first place. We had another busy week fly by again.
School went well. We had some classes on animals at school. One was on a few creatures from Africa like a hedgehog, snake and a real big centipede. Yuck! The other one was on canine campanions. They had a trainer and her dog who is in training to help someone in a wheelchair or with other disabilities. I wouldn't mind having a dog as well trained as the one we saw. He was so cute, too!
We had a satellite broadcast Wednesday night about Prop 8. Elders Ballard, Cook and Clayton all spoke and it was very good. Our signs are out in our neighborhood thanks to Lance. Ours and a few others were stolen last night but we have a steady reserve in our garage. Knuckleheads!
Devon had a great soccer game yesterday. His footwork has improved so much. He did some pretty moves!
I think we have our Halloween costumes taken care. Love DI and Target! Fall is upon us. The wind was blowing and the temperature dropped to around 70 degrees. I, of course, was freezing and the heat had to come on. Okay, in the house it was mid-sixties. At least there are a few trees here that turn pretty fall colors and luckily one is in our front yard.


My Little Waterfall


I never thought my happy place could get any better but Gordon made it happen. He bought a little waterfall, ainted it and pieced it together and now it runs happily by my new chair under the tree. I love it. We had a great time with grandpa and miss him now that he is gone. The children perfoemed a mini concert for him before he left, which of course they did happily, not that the bribery money hurt!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

My Happy Place


I have this dream place on the side of my house. I envision beautiful flowers all around, the sound of cascading water and peaceful shade where I can sit and read. Well, thanks to Gordon I am one step closer. He bought Lance and I a chair perfect for that spot. It is our early Christmas gift and I love it. I have rose bushes around but I forget to water them. So, if I water the rose bushes and actually fill all the empty pots out there I will have flowers all around. All I need now is a good book and time to sit out there!

Grandpa


There is nothing better than having grandparents here! Gordon drove back with Lance and Jason and has spent a week here so far. We are so glad he is here (as well as the local Baskin Robbins). We have played a lot with grandpa and I know he is itching for a project to do. The strange thing is Lance can't seem to come up with anything!

Devon's Mission


Devon has been learning about the Spanish Missions in California this past month. He had a great class at school and he made is own here at home.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Soccer Season

It's that time of year again-Soccer Season! I love this time of year! Only because I absolutely love watching Devon play. He loves playing and gives his best. He had two games this past week. The first game, the team won pretty handily. Devon played forward and scored two goals. He also played defender which he does very well. Yesterday, the team lost. Devon played midfielder and he is not used to that but still did well. The second half, he played goalie. He has dreaded playing goalie and thought he could not do it well. Of course, he stopped every ball that came near him. He didn't let a single goal be scored and had some great kicks to get it down the field. Many of the parents commented on how well he played. He definitely deserved chocolate skittles-which he dreams about often. I couldn't find chocolate ones at the store I went to so I bought his the tropical fruit kind. I think the chocolate skittles are, frankly, terrible. Devon, for some reason, loves them. Jason and Lance made it to Salt Lake last night. I hope they both have a great trip! We miss them, although the girls keep commenting how no one is here to tease them and they aren't very sad about that! Their big brother better watch out. One day it will come back to bite him.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

First Day of School


Notice the difference between the boys and girls.

Bike Ride


I found a cute little bike for Maddie at D.I., my favorite place to find starter bikes. After a little drilling and manuvering, Lance was able to adjust the training wheels. Maddie hopped on and took off no problem, as long as there wasn't a hill or big bump. She figured the brakes out in no time. She looks so cute on her little bike. We took the family on a bike ride down by the river on Saturday. It was a very pretty, scenic place to go for a bike ride. The path is perfect for all levels. Unfortunately, there happened to be the party crowd with a lot of drinking and swearing which ruined the whole atmosphere. We just wanted get our kids away from all the vulgar language. I look forward to our future family bike rides in a better environment!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Happy 14th Anniversary to Us!


Well, Lance and I have made it 14 years together as of yesterday. How lucky am I to have married him! Even though we are so different in many ways, he is constantly teaching me and showing me a better way to be. I love him! He is a fabulous father and one of the hardest workers I have ever met. We spent the morning doing what every wife dreams of doing on her anniversary-knocking on doors and talking to people about Prop. 8- the marriage amendment, (yet ironically appropriate for the day). He took the boys on one side and I took the girls on the other side. A lot of people were gone but we had some interesting conversations. We found a good mix of opinions. Some definitely against, one a little rude about it too, some weren't sure, and some definitely for it. However, out of all those for it, not one would commit to help or even put a sign in their yard. People are a little afraid to make known what they believe on this issue , which is too bad. Knocking on doors is so far out of my comfort zone. I was glad I had the girls with me to help remind me of why I am doing this. Tonight we are having a "cottage meeting" to try to raise more donations from members. After knocking doors, we went to swim in a friend's pool for a little bit to cool off and have some fun. My children are swimming much better now then they were at the beginning of summer. Lance and I went out shopping and out to dinner to celebrate and had a very nice time. We both managed to find some good deals on clothes which is always a bonus. We can't wait to start school on Tuesday! Our schedule is already filling up. It will be fun to get going.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Ready for School!






My kids are ready for school. All their friends started this past week which made for a very slow moving week for us. I tried to keep them somewhat occupied while at the same time trying to plan lessons for school. We went to the river which we haven't done for a long time. It was beautiful and peaceful except for the geese that walk right up to you expecting a handout. There is a bike trail that I hope to do in the next few weeks that winds around the river. The boys had their checkups at the doctors and we are all done with that for a while. Lance and I attended a "cottage meeting" at the bishop's house regarding propostion 8, the marriage amendment. He brought up some interesting thoughts about the consequences if this amendment doesn't pass. What would happen to LDS Social Services if they wouldn't comply with the law about placing children up for adoption with certain couples? What if a bishop refuses to marry certain couples? Would the church then lose its tax status? Not to mention all the curriculum for public school having to be changed. The teachers union here is one big contributor to stopping the amendment. That is a frightening statement in itself. Lance met with a group of only 25 people, unfortunately, from our stake and received handouts and lists of people to contact trying to see how they are going to vote. They only have 11,000 homes to contact! Hopefully the turnout will be better at the meetings this week. He took the kids and knocked on doors for a few hours yesterday and had some great experiences. Most of the neighbors he talked to feel in favor of the amendment. Of course, there were those that had varying opinions. It was great for the kids to be part of that and learn about the importance of this issue. Thanks, mom and dad, for your contribution!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Terror!

Well, I am sure glad yesterday is over. I had been feeling for some time now that I needed to play a song in Sacrament Meeting. I had one I was practicing off and on for a couple months just in case I needed a quick musical number for something. Well, last Sunday I felt a distinct impression I needed to play yesterday. A returned missionary was speaking and I thought he should have something a little more special than a congregational hymn. Well, the song I had practiced just didn't seem right so I played a few others. The one that I felt I should play was Jon Schmidt's "Baptism Hymn" which I knew but not well enough. I spent the rest of the week practicing and then stressing and than came the dreaded feeling of terror. I realized it has been over 15 years since I have played a solo in Sacrament Meeting and for one reason-TERROR! By Saturday I was beyond grumpy. Sunday came and I knew I had done all I could do and it was in Heavenly Father's hands. The meeting started and I just counted the minutes until it would be over. The missionary was exceptional in his remarks and of course, the whole Stake Presidency was there for him. My hands were a little shaky but I sat down and played and I made it through playing better than I had practiced! I was so glad to be done. I know I had much help from above.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

More San Diego Pictures






Here are some more photos.

San Diego






Here are some photos of our fun trip to San Diego. We arrived Monday around lunch time and went straight to Mission Beach to meet up with family. Within a few minutes our little nephew was no where to be found and we all spread out in search of him. Nothing like a lost child at a busy beach to make one panic. His dad contacted the life quard and he put the word out. We could not imagine him straying to far because it was only a moments after that we noticed him gone. He must have run! The longest 30 minutes of our lives! He was found way down the beach where a man noticed him crying and asked if he was lost. There were several strangers who helped look. It definitely made me have a great faith in the goodness of others! However, I did notice the lifewuards were rather busy this trip with a bunch of riptides etc. After that, the fun began. We spent the first day at Mission Beach and then went back to one of our hotels to swim. On Tuesday, we went to Coronado, which is one of my most favorites places ever. We played games at a park right by the naval base and then went across the street to the beach. If it weren't for the four long trips to the bathroom which I had to make with certain daughters it would have been perfect. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to swim. Wednesday, we went to a park by Mission Beach and played some frisbee golf and other games and then headed to the beach one more time. We stayed in a great hotel that served an amazing breakfast and even dinner one night. You can't beat that! Before heading home on Thursday, we took the children and went with Cam's family and Grandma Dorothy to the USS Midway and toured the ship. It' was quite a sight. I don't think I could last a day on one of those. It was very cool to see the planes on the top deck, too. The time went by too quickly and now we are back to the routine of everyday life.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Jason's Birthday






Jason is now officially twelve. I am having a small mid-life crisis. I have had a bit of reflection time realizing how old I am getting. Grandma Lia and Grandpa Bill flew down for the weekend. That was the best part! It was wonderful having them here. We gave them an hour to get settled and then Lauren brought the games out and the fun began. Saturday was Jason's birthday and also our Stake Pioneer Celebration. All of us went for a big pancake breakfast and some fun activities. Mom and Dad ran into Elder Little from the Yalecrest Ward who is currently serving in our stake. It truly is a small world! After breakfast, Jason opened his presents and I don't think he can complain about his gifts. Mom and Dad took everyone but Maddie (she was sleeping) to see WALL-E. The kids seemed to really like it and that was nice of grandma and grandpa to do. We then celebrated with Jason's birthday feast. Grilled salmon and shrimp, deep-fried shrimp, artichokes, salad, home-made orange rolls, watermelon and soda. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself! He topped his birthday night off with apple pie (warm, of course,) and ice cream. Sunday, it was another special occasion. Jason was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood as a deacon. Besides mom and dad, our home teacher and the other deacons and scout leader were present for the ordination. I am so proud of his choice to receive the priesthood and for what a wonderful young man he is becoming. I am grateful for his choices and his desire to do what is right. It was a great weekend. Thanks, mom and dad for being part of it!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Our Sunday Night Dance Concert


Every once in a while the girls treat us to a dance concert. They dress in their favorite costumes, turn on some music, and give us a performance to remember. We love watching them swirl around the room. I can't wait for the next performance!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Another week has flown by

It is Saturday afternoon and I am pondering what on earth I should say for my Relief Society lesson that I have to teach tomorrow. I have had three weeks to thinks about it and I am still unsure. My goal is simply to direct a discussion but I have this secret fear that all the sisters will just sit there and stare at me. I can't talk for 30 minutes on my own. Oh well! Today, we did a more thorough cleaning of the house than I was planning. Lance took some rugs outside to scrub them clean. I don't think have been that clean since we bought them. Devon has a friend over for a few hours and the boys are playing video games for a little bit. The girls are in our "new" playroom getting everything we just cleaned up out to play. We will be going swimming later on this afternoon. Lance and I were able to go do sealings Thursday night at the temple. A couple provided 55 children to be sealed to their parents for us to do. It was amazing how much work they have been able to do on their geneology. I missed our enrichment cooking class which was the same night. It was on salads. I will try some of them and post my favorites. The weather has been perfect all week.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Scout Camp


Jason had great time at scout camp last week. He had a great experience swimming in the beautiful lake, even though it was a bit chilly. He spent the night without his sleeping bag and food for his wilderness survival merit badge. Unfortunately, his long pants were wet from swimming earlier so he was in shorts the entire night. Jason said it was a long night and a bit chilly but otherwise survivable. He is looking forward to being ordained a deacon in two weeks and all the fun of being in the young men program. My little boy is almost looking me in the eye!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Let's Begin....

This is absolutely foreign to me but I hope it will be useful. It is five in the morning and I can't sleep so I decided to start a blog. All is quiet in the house and maybe that is the perfect time to concentrate! How can I go wrong if my intentions are to purely document the family happenings. I have a great family!