Becca and Fam

Snow, a doll and a goodbye

2012-01-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

We got snow! Last week was an interesting and exciting week. First, we got snow, a LOT of it. Liz stayed home from school, then there was no school on Friday due to the flooding caused by the snow melting.

Mom and dad left for the MTC a few days ago, they are heading to Moscow,
Russia for their mission.

Liz and I went to American Girl this weekend to celebrate her birthday.

A ninja in the Nativity

2012-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Sam insisted, there were ninjas at the nativity. So, here he is at our family Christmas party, a ninja. (yes, he is holding a buffalo)

James was the donkey, but all we had was a doggie hat. Here he is panting, because he thought he was a doggie.
Lizzy was Mary, here we are pregnant together.
AND, here's Phil on his first day of full-time student teaching. Thanks mom for the math tie, he loves it!
AND, thanks to Traci for her camera! I'm so excited I can take pics of the fam again!

Dear Santa...

2011-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have my two front teeth already. What I really want for Christmas is a camera. Our poor camera never really works. It's pretty sad. So, we've given up on taking pictures which is even more sad. It miraculously worked at Halloween, so we have a few photos from then.

We are good here, but seriously busy. Seriously. Phil just finished his first student teaching job, it was teaching Math at a Middle School. The kids loved him and didn't want him to go and the cooperating teacher said he won't have any problems finding a job (we hope that's true.) So, he was leaving at 7 a.m. to get to student teaching then from there he went to work then he either came home at 6 p.m. to do homework through the night or he went on to school and got home at 10:30 only to do homework through the night. While he was doing that I've been running a day care out of my home. Including my own kids, I have 7 children at the day care, 6 of which are UNDER 5 years old. He starts his full-time student teaching at the high school around the corner of us in January. He won't be working then since, well, there won't be any time in the day or evening to do that. Anyway, that's why I haven't blogged or checked blogs. I wish I could say something witty but there's not really room for that in my brain right now.

Things about the kids:
James: talking A LOT! Loves to give hugs, and hit. Kinda funny, but not really. Loves to sing. His nick name is JJ Moo Moo.

Sam: Loves preschool and is learning his letters and sounds. He told Santa that he wanted everything for Christmas. He's not a greedy boy, he just got nervous and forgot what he was going to tell him. But everything is a cuter response. He wants to know why police men don't carry swords. I try to explain that guns are much more efficient, his response to that, "but swords are cooler!"

Lizzy: Reading a LOT, is in an acting club that some teenagers from our church have. She is asked frequently to sing solos or duets or in children's choirs for our church.

That's it with us. Oh, and baby #4 is due in March. Good times.

Freebie Day

2011-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Win some free stuff from The Mod Market, check out this blog...

http://fabulousfridayfreebies.blogspot.com/?vm=r

Happy Winning!!!

Link for a blog

2011-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE making things, especially hair things. Here's a link to my etsy shop, The Mod Market. I have several new items coming in the next 2 weeks as well, they are with a professional being photographed.

Which is your fave???

http://www.etsy.com/shop/themodmarket

A conversation with Liz:

2011-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

Me: "Lizzy, I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Lizzy: "Yeah, I'm glad that you're my mom. I mean some moms are just TOO nice."

Sam-isms

2011-06-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

OK, I love 3 year olds, it's my favorite age. They laugh all the time, are helpful, and long for affection. Sam is 3 and even if he's a bit crazy at times he's also really funny. Here's some of what he's been saying lately...

-Yesterday he asked me why he has a mom. I told him it's moms responsibility to care for him, feed him, and give him love. He replied, "Yeah, daddy does NOT feed me!"

-He thinks because you have 10 fingers it's quite a large number.
The other day he said, "Mom, I can't wait to be 10 years old because then I get to drive!"

-School ends in just over a week. I sat down with the kids last week and we wrote down all the fun things we want to do this summer. Sam's ideas were the funniest.

What Sam is doing this summer:
-skateboarding

-Go driving

-Visit the ocean. And while we're there Sam is going to ride a whale and Lizzy a shark.

-run around

-be nice to James

-catch bugs
------------------------------------------------------------------

I love this boy!

411 on us

2011-05-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

OK, OK, I know I haven't blogged in 3 months. Really, that's not like me. I like to keep my family informed and updated with loads of pics of the kids. I don't really have any excuses, except maybe that Phil is working full time and in school full time (masters degree.) I know, that's Phil, not me. It affects me. Big time. So, I'm eating breakfast while I blog today. Maybe the sunshine has inspired me (it's the 3rd sunny day we've had in all of May.) Or, maybe it's just my sister Mary prodding me to blog ;)
I have to say, I miss the sun. When I see it - EVERY - time I see it I woop and yell and sing "Here come the sun." The kids have started to do this too. I can't check the 10 day weather forecast very often because it just depresses me. Rain, and more rain. Anyway, enough of that. We are good here. Sam is the funniest right now. Most days he pretends he's a turtle. James talks a lot. And Lizzy is the same old Liz.
The other day (the 2nd sunny day in May) we had a picnic outside (Phil was at school.) We also got some of the snow that we froze from the deep freeze and played with it. It hit 70 degrees!
Here's some pics. I will try to be better at checking everyone's blogs, sorry I've been a little inattentive lately.

My new nephew and his gorgeous mama

2011-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

My nephew Sebastian was born in Scotland on Groundhogs Day. Isn't he such a cutie? I'm in love with him already, and so are the kids. Sam asks when we can go to Aunt Mary's house and Lizzy can't stop saying "Awwww!"
For more pictures of the darling go to my sisters blog:

http://marydebastos.blogspot.com/

Now, Don't you just LOVE the headband my sister is wearing? I made it for my sister Katie for her birthday and since have had several orders for the same headband. My sis looks AMAZING for just having had a baby (natural, by-the-way.) But, I think the headband helps ;)
It's only $8.99 and to order one go to my etsy shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/themodmarket

Lizzy's Baptism

2011-01-18T06:16:00.001-08:00

Lizzy got baptized on Sunday, here's a few photos.

Homemade Christmas

2010-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Phil and I haven't slept in weeks. We have been making these adorable playhouses for the kids. Each house took us at least 18 hours of work, the cost was cheap though because they are made out of felt. James also got one, his is a barn (sorry there's no photos of that one.)

Sam's is a spaceship, more photos to come (yes, he's wearing a headlamp.)

The ones that didn't make the cut...

2010-12-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

I took pictures of the kids in the rain this weekend for our Christmas cards.
I will leave the ones that made the cut to be a surprise, hopefully you will be getting our card soon. Here's a few that didn't make the cut...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-11-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

It has snowed here. The kids are loving it. We are unpacked and loving life.

Last week, to keep Lizzy busy, I asked her to make a Santa Claus out of Legos. This is what she came up with.

Liz trying to hit me with snowballs.

Luckily Sam doesn't understand what a snowball is and he's just throwing the snow.

But mostly he just ate it.

James wanted to go out in the snow and just stood at the glass doors watching the kids.

Halloween

2010-11-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

I made the Bamm Bamm costume and the bat costume.

More info about the fam to come....

Backyard Broadway

2010-08-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Lizzy was in a backyard play last week. There were 17 kids and they did A Mid Summer Nights Dream. Lizzy was Demetrius. A boy, in love. She was great, her projection was awesome and she had a blast.

On the boat

2010-08-02T09:21:00.001-07:00

The Summer so far

2010-07-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

My camera is not always with me, as it should be. Despite the FREEZING summer we're having, we have had water balloon fights, picked berries, flown kites, and visited the coast. It has been so much fun. Here's a few favorite photos.

"Twin cousins, " James and Draven (they were born the same day, in the same hospital.) They sat peacefully while the rest of us were strawberry picking.

4th of July blanket brigade.
It was so cold we had to have huge blankets on us while watching fireworks.

James has MOOBS!

2010-06-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

An inappropriate photo shoot

2010-06-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

Our shower has beautiful, see-through glass doors. This morning while I was in that shower Sam came in with the digital camera and started taking pictures of me. He thought this was funny. "Taking pictures of Mommy!!!!" I didn't think it was so funny. I got out of the shower, got dressed and we were just about to go watch Liz perform in her schools talent show when I remembered the dreaded photos. Really, I didn't want to look, but I had to. Mirrors lie, photos do not. So I picked the camera up and turned it on only to see this message:

No Memory Card.

Thank goodness!

Creations

2010-05-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

We planted a garden, and an herb garden. Then Liz and I made these cool garden markers for the herb garden. Aren't they neat?

Onto another creation.
So, do you know what these are?

They may look like they're just marshmallows on toothpicks. To Lizzy they are three dimensional geometrical shapes. She spent 2 hours last night making these and the whole time she didn't stop talking about which 3D shape was her favorite. I think it's a toss up between a triangular prism, a sphere and a pyramid. She told me that she's setting up shop and taking orders.

Robot Arm

2010-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update:

Sam is in a cast. I was gone (out with my visiting teacher) when it happened. He jumped off Lizzy's bed and dislocated his elbow. I took him to the ER and now he has what he calls a
ROBOT ARM.

Liz ran in a race yesterday. Here's a few photo's: (she did her own hair, don't you love the '80's sweatband?)

Also, I took off the quote part on my blog but here's a few good ones:

A few days ago Liz was in trouble and ran to her room. I opened her door and she said, "I'm unavailable right now!"

A few nights later at bedtime Phil tucked her in and was leaving the room when she said, "But daddy, I'm feeling forlorn and scared."

We were at a baptism a few weeks ago and when the baptized girl left to change her clothes Sam asked, "Where'd Violet go?" I said, "To get changed." He thought about it and a bit confused he asked, "To change her diaper?"

That's it for updates right now.

We are huge WINERS

2010-04-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

In January this year Phil and I had our 10 year anniversary. We sat enjoying a nice dinner and we wrote out a few goals for the year to accomplish as a couple. One of those goals was that Phil wanted to run a race with me. So, we picked the race. An autism 10k on April 24Th. Now came the training part. Phil plays basketball a few times a week with guys in the ward so he's in shape, but he doesn't ever run. The first 2 weeks he trained a bit with me. Then he stopped. Completely. Never to train again. I signed us both up for the race and then race day came. It was in Portland, so I made sure the kids had everything they needed. I forgot, however, important items like my ipod, garmin (to keep our pace), and gu packets (caffeine shots, which we really could have used because we were up with the baby so much the night before.) Oh well, we ran it anyway. We chose this race because my niece was diagnosed with autism. We made these cool shirts for her and collected some pledges to be given to the Oregon Autism research foundation.

We snatched a watch so we had some way of pacing ourselves. The race began. I know I was going a bit slower than I had the ability to go but I didn't want to kill Phil. :) I had a goal of running it under an hour, so that's what we were aiming for. We picked a nice, steady pace and held it there for half the race. When we hit the halfway point I let him know that it was time to kick it up a notch (and because I noticed there were several girls about my age and I really wanted to pass them.) Anyway, so we booked it, big time, and passed a bunch of people. As we would pass people a few times we heard, "that's right guys, you're running for Julia!" We came in at 58 minutes and 58 seconds. We ran 9 minute 30 second miles and had a great time! Phil is so sore he had to miss basketball and he has a HUGE blister on his foot. He got 1st (and last) place in his age group. I got 2ND place in my age group.

Liz drew us a picture and wrote "Winers" at the top. Phil said she better add another "n" or we're not winners, we're winers. But he did whine a bit, so it's a bit fitting for him ;)
That being said, I loved racing with him, we were singing Rocky and Speed Racer and laughing and having fun. That's what it's all about.
Here's a few pictures.

Thanks Kim for this award

2010-04-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

With this award, I'm supposed to list 6 things I'm a MASTER at and then pass it on to SIX people.

So.....here you go! Things I'm a MASTER at.....
1. Being happy in the morning
2. Enjoying cooking, baking, and eating (does that count as one?)
3. Complimenting people
4. Talking one-on-one with my daughter
5. Working out (I LIVE for a good sweat)
6. Wanting to do what's right (boring, I know, but true)

I'm passing this award on to:
1. The Sweet Bookshelf
2. Grapefruit - although, I know your blog it 2 cool 4 this ;)
3. Amanda
4. McCrazy's
5. Suburbia Mom
6. The Fun is Just Beginning

The Mod Market

2010-04-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

My Etsy shop is officially live.

Follow this link...

www.themodmarket.etsy.com

Go, buy, look great :)

These is My Words

2010-04-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

These Is My Words by Nancy Turner is the best book I read last year. It is touching, well written, adventurous, romantic, and sad at times. It has everything. If you haven't read it, you must! On that note - my sister who runs a book blog has recently interviewed Nancy and has the interview posted on her blog. Check it out here... www.thesweetbookshelf.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Easter outfits

2010-03-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

I'm still getting use to the weather in Oregon. I had it all planned out: I was going to take darling spring photos of the kids at the park this morning. I woke up, began to get everyone ready and then I looked outside to see a gloomy, rainy day. No beautiful spring pictures today. But, I had us go outside for a few minutes just to snap a photo in between the rain. Thanks mom for the outfits!!!

Also, I made the necklace I'm wearing. I will be making some of several color combos and selling them on Etsy soon.

Can you believe this CHUNKY 4 month old?!?!

Spring Break...

2010-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, the truth is, we were so busy having fun that I forgot to take any pictures. The weather was great for most of the week so we spent our days playing outside, playing with friends, and staying busy. My favorite thing we did? We went to Silver Falls, my personal favorite place to be in Oregon. We couldn't see too much because I had James in the stroller but it was so relaxing. Sam has asked every day since, "We go water falls?"
Also, Phil and I got the wonderful opportunity yesterday to go to the Portland Temple, where we were married over 10 years ago. It was a wonderful experience.

Life with Sam

2010-03-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

I know, James is now 4 months old now. A whole month without a new blog post. Phil was working 2 jobs for a total of 13 hours of work a day plus Saturdays. He's down to one 40 hour a week job. So life is back to somewhat normal.

Here's what my life with Sam is like...

playing hide and seek

trying on my sunglasses, my shoes, and Lizzy's headband

Vacuuming naked

Screaming because I won't let him vacuum

more cleaning

asleep on the couch

James is 3 months old

2010-02-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

James is 3 months old today.

He's sweet, he's cuddly, and we love having him here.

--------------------

By-the-way, I've lost 44 lbs in 3 months
(it would have been more if I didn't have some freak obsession with chocolate.)

The girl with the chocolate hair.

2010-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I bought a hair dye box from the grocery store and dyed my hair. Brown. Boring brown. My hair was a few different shades and I was trying to make it uniform. Brown was the easiest, so I went for it, but I wasn't necessarily excited about it. The next morning I decided I needed a woman's opinion on my hair so I pulled it out of it's permanent bun and started a video call skype to my sis in Scotland. As soon as she saw me she exclaimed, "Oh! I love your hair Bec. I'm glad you went with chocolate brown, it looks great on you."

Chocolate brown. I can live with that. Chocolate is good, chocolate is happiness and richness and yummy. Now I can't stop thinking about my chocolate hair. I look in the mirror and think, "that's not just brown, that's chocolate brown." I find myself thinking about what shirt would look best with my chocolate colored hair. So, thanks Mary, thanks for helping me see something I once thought boring as exciting and luxurious. If only it were eatable!

I'm obsessed...

2010-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Seriously. With Etsy. I spend my spare time being completely non-productive and adding items to my favorites on Etsy. Here are a few of my favorite things:

tile coasters

chiffon shoe clips. seriously, who come up with these ideas? Awesome!

A PHOTOGRAPH of a cactus - no one is selling the actual cactus ;)

bunny wall decals

banana salt and pepper shakers

It's a SWEET book blog

2010-01-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.

My sister Mary runs a book blog. For those of you that go there, you know it's AWESOME!

She does giveaways, author interviews, book reviews (of course) and much more.

Right now she's doing a prize pack giveaway of 3 GREAT books.

If she gets 200 followers by this Sunday she's going to give away 2 prize packs!

Last I checked she was at 186 followers. Add yourself, please. You will be happy, and what's better than free books?

Check out The Sweet Bookshelf at:
http://www.thesweetbookshelf.blogspot.com/

She's 7!!!

2010-01-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Lizzy!

The boy who lived...

2010-01-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

With Hedwig and a Gyiffindor scarf in tow we went looking for a Harry Potter letterbox.

We started off at Professor Sprouts herbology class, trekked over the Quidditch field, and hiked through the forbidden forest. We had a BLAST!

Interested? Want to know what it is?

Okay, here's the deal, someone carves a cool stamp, then they hide it. Then they write out clues to where to find the stamp (ours is available on a website.) Then you take the fam and head out on a treasure hunt, or rather, a stamp hunt. Once you find the stamp you get to stamp the pad that's hiding with the stamp, proof that you were there. Then you stamp your own pad, and viola, you're done. It is much more fun then I am making it sound. Look it up, really, a blast, and free! We have decided to make a fairy one that we will be starting on soon, hidden, I'm sure, in some enchanted Oregon forest.

Thanks to Kim and Stephenie for sharing this on your blogs!

10 years ago today...

2010-01-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

I married the love of my life.

A mile to start my year on

2010-01-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

I ran in my first race of the year today. It was only 1 mile. I ran slower than a snails pace (9 minute mile.) BUT, not bad for less than 2 months after having a baby, AND I won first place in my age group (there were only 2 of us.) So, it doesn't count for much but it's a start.

Happy New Year!

Homemade Christmas & a visit from Santa

2009-12-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

A homemade Christmas at our home.

It was all hair things for Lizzy.

Homemade magnets for Mom.

A coloring book (drawn on the computer) for Sam.

Homemade puzzles for the kids from Dad. Liz got a unicorn and Sam super hero's.

Santa also visited (thanks to a few members of my family!!!)
He brought Kit's bedroom set from American Girl for Lizzy and a new train set for Sam.

Fun was had by all!

A post to cover the last month

2009-12-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here we are picking out our Christmas tree...

All bundled up.
Trying to keep warm.
The kids found the perfect tree.We went to the ward Christmas party.

The kids had fun with the cousins.

Liz loved her jingle bell earrings that Grandma gave her.

Sam was so excited to sit on Santa's lap.

So was Lizzy! (doesn't she look big?)

Grandma came to visit. They decorated a gingerbread house.

James was blessed last weekend. We didn't get many pictures but here's one.

More pictures to come of our homemade Christmas
(I cheated a little this year but it will still be fun.)

Merry Christmas from us!

2009-12-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

I took 5 minutes and took a few Christmas photos of the kids. We aren't sending out Christmas cards this year so Merry Christmas to you and your family. I will be posting pictures soon of our Christmas tree, a fun weekend with my mom, and James' blessing.

Top 10 things to know about James

2009-11-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

I thought it would sound cute to write "the top 10 things"

but really these are the only 10 things I know about him so far.

1. He loves his mommy.

2. When he cries he also snorts.

3. He has a mix of his mom and dad's toes

(my ugly big toe and Phil's alien like finger toes - sorry James!)

4. He doesn't like to have his diaper changed.

5. We still can't tell what color his eyes are.

6. He loves to be cuddled.

7. He filters out all noise Sam and Lizzy make (I thought Sam's screaming and Lizzy's piano playing would bother him but I guess he got use to it in the last nine months because it doesn't even phase him.)

8. He has old man hair.

It can make a great comb over or look a bit like Jack Nicholson.

9. He is a wonderful nurser.

10. He will melt your heart!

His photo shoot from the hospital is now available online. To view the photo's go to:

http://www.our365.com/

Type in his birth date (Nov. 5, 2009) - the first 3 letters of my last name - the city and state he was born in

Click on my name

The password is: 59631281562322

(The photo with 2 babies is with his cousin Draven who was born the same day as he was.)

Welcome

2009-11-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

James Mitchell Pierson has made his appearance!

He was born at 6:02 a.m. on Thursday, November 5th

He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long

We are both doing well.

Halloween Night

2009-10-31T22:02:00.001-07:00

I had it all figured out. If someone had asked me what I was going to be for Halloween I was going to say, "Not pregnant." or maybe, "a mom with a new baby." No one ever asked, and I'm still pregnant. I have grand dreams of posting new baby pictures and stats on my blog sometime in the next week. Here's hoping.

The kids had a blast at Halloween. Sam was absolutely ADORABLE. Each house he would go to he would say in the sweetest voice ever, "Trick-or-treat!" Then, "Thank you!" after he checked his bag to make sure the candy made it in. When they got home Lizzy ate candy till she had a tummy ache and Sam ran around the couch about 50 times trying to burn off all the sugar. It was such a fun night.

Lizzy as Kit Kitterage - An American Girl

Samuel as a doggy, with his loot.

Halloween at our house, at the farm, and in a child's imagination

2009-10-29T21:04:00.001-07:00

Pumpkins were carved (Lizzy carved the cat. Sam yelled, "Fire!")

We visited a pumpkin patch.

The kids jumped in hazelnuts (Sam wasn't so sure this was OK.)

Fun on the tractors.

Sam loved the animals, even the fake ones.

We made bat cupcakes. Then we ate them ALL!

We carved and dried apples into old people faces. This one was Lizzy's creation.

Lizzy has witches and vampires on her mind.

I was so jealous

2009-10-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today I was jealous. And of my 6 year old daughter and husband to boot. They ran in the Jog-A-Thon at Lizzy's school. I cannot run, I am more at the walk as slow as a snail and waddle a bit like a duck stage. Liz ran 12 laps around the track which equaled one and a half miles. Thanks to family members for pledging. Because of you she earned $50 for her school.

Here she is in action...

Wide Owl Eyes

2009-10-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

It was a typical evening with the family. Tonight Lizzy wanted to read to me. She chose a book called, "How to behave and why." She was about to start a new chapter entitled, "Wise." She looked at the picture and started laughing hysterically. "Mom, this is so funny, you have to look at this picture," she said through her giggles. I looked. It was a picture of an owl. I told her that owls are considered wise. Then I wondered out loud, "Why?" And she answered, "Because of their wide eyes mom." I said, "No dear, WISE, not wide." She responded with, "No, mom, it's because of their WIDE eyes." We went back and forth on this for a few minutes, I kept wondering if there was something wrong with her hearing. Finally, frustrated with me she explained, "Mom, because owls have big eyes they can see more things which makes them wise." Phil then piped in, "She showed us."

Hmmm, maybe I need to open my eyes a little wider so I can become more wise!

Trees, trees, and more trees.

2009-10-07T05:57:00.003-07:00

Hello from Oregon.

I had grand intentions the first day we got here to post pictures from our road trip. They would have included the trailer park-yacht themed motel we stayed at (we stayed in the Captains Quarters.) And maybe a few photos of the landscape along the way (although really, that wasn't that great.) But, we have been busy unpacking, starting a new school, explaining to Sam why his bed is here and trying not to go into labor too early.

I had to take a moment and post about something Sam said. As any mother that has ever had a two year old knows, they want to know what what everything is. Sam will say, "What's that?" about 500 times a day. Sometimes we can't tell if he is pointing to the building or the telephone pole right next to it, but he asks this all day about everything.

We were on our way to drop Lizzy off to school for the first time, here is what he asked:

Sam: "What's that?!?!"

I turned around to see what he was pointing at. There were no buildings or telephone poles, this was unmistakable. He was pointing at the trees.

I said: "Those are trees."

Sam (with a sort of reverence): "Trees."

Then very excitedly he started pointing all around him saying: "TREES! More trees! More trees! More trees!"

It's true Sam, we aren't in Arizona anymore.

View from our back patio. Photo courtesy of Lizzy.

Best Friends

2009-09-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is Paige and Lizzy.

They are best friends.

Next week they will have to say goodbye,

we are leaving for Oregon.

We will be there for a little while.

Goodbye to all of our friends here,

we will miss you all tremendously.

First Crush

2009-09-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

How Sam spent his day:

Watching The Little Mermaid

Playing with The Little Mermaid dolls

Wearing a Little Mermaid cape

Hugging Little Mermaid

Reading The Little Mermaid books

But as my friend Rebecca says,
"What boy doesn't have a crush on Little Mermaid?"

_________________________________________________

Love the sparkly headband?
When Liz takes her headband off after school he puts it on.

Resourceful and Inventive

2009-09-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

My favorite purse broke on me the other day. The screw from the handle came out and I thought it was lost forever thereby making my favorite purse a goner. So, I threw it in the trash. The next day I woke up bright and early and was making breakfast when my favorite little girl came running into the kitchen with something behind her back. "Mommy, I have something for you." Then she showed me my purse. "It's broken sweetie." I said. Then she proudly went on to explain how she fixed it. I have to say, although I think she's capable of many things, her fixing my purse was not really something that made that list, until now. I looked carefully at the purse, I looked at how she figured out what the problem was and found a solution that would work and then fixed it. It may seem so simple but this action of hers started to bring tears to my eyes (this is not difficult right now.) I told her how happy I was to have my purse back and then I told her that she was just like a little engineer. Her face was beaming as she walked away. The whole day she talked about how she was going to be an engineer when she grew up. What made me cry? Not only is it so sweet to see the kind things our children do for us, but for this brief moment I felt she might be learning a bit of what we are all trying to teach our kids: to be resourceful and inventive. It was one of those rare moments when I felt like my mothering was actually working.

My dream come true

2009-09-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

He's obsessed. I couldn't be happier.

3D Ultrasound

2009-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

My doctor does a complimentary 3D ultrasound at the end of your pregnancy, well sort of end, I wish it were closer to the end.

The pictures turned out great. What I want to know? Who does James look like from his 3D sonogram?

James

Lizzy

Sam

Sam

Phil
Becca

A few kids jokes

2009-08-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Everyday when I'm packing Lizzy's lunch I add a joke of the day to her lunchbox. She has started writing her own jokes. Now, these are not making the pages of any published joke book at any time. I just love to see kids humor.

Here they are:

Q: "Why did the egg go to the dentist?"

A: "Because it had a crack!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Q: "What's an IN called when it moves?"

A: "Moving IN!"

I want to hear YOUR kids jokes. Leave a comment with them, I'd like to add them to Lizzy's lunch because they will probably be funnier than anything a joke book can provide!

To my sisters

2009-08-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

My children have spend the last several days playing with a train they built out of boxes. Lizzy insists that it is a cargo train but Sam thinks it's a passenger train. They take turns being the conductor and the train has had stops in almost every room. This has got me thinking about my childhood.

Us at Halloween. From left to right: Katie, Mary, Amy, Becca.

I am one of 5 girls. We are all about 15 months apart. We had such fun! I don't think my memory is ever that good but I do remember a few things. Let me try to relay my favorites.

My mom taught us how to crochet a chain and we would each try to make it so long that it went around the entire house! My mother must have loved to have us occupied for such a long time. Every Christmas Santa would come and visit us! We never went to the mall to see him. My father owned a Santa suit and every year he would have to work late one night and then my mom would tell us to expect Santa that night. We would stare outside the window (once, I saw his sleigh and reindeer!) Then a knock would come at the door and 5 excited girls would sit on his lap and ask for something usually rather simple for Christmas. Thank you to my sisters Traci and Katie for never telling me that Santa wasn't real, I found out when I was older than most and I found out at school. Christmas at my house was always simple, but it never felt that way.

Me with Santa/Dad.

We played lots of games at my house. Not the ones on computers or video game systems but the 'old fashioned' kind. We played tag for hours in our front yard using the bird feeder as base. We loved taking one of our twin beds and riding it down the stairs, this must have been as much fun as a roller coaster, we were sure of it. Something else we did that kept us entertained for longer than one would suppose is we would take small mirrors and put them under our eyes. We were magically walking on the celling! If you've never tried this, you should. We would each claim our own celling room and then visit the others in their rooms.

Us playing tag in the front yard.

There was so much else that we did. Spending time picking apples, coring them and making applesauce with our mother. Dressing up in prom dresses and taking 'glamor' shots in the hallway. Creating secret clubs and having our very own spy names. There was so much that 5 girls could do! I love this memory of my sister Traci (the oldest) convincing us that if we stuck our middle finger down at the ground then we were telling Satan that we hated him. We STOMPED around the yard with our middle fingers down at the ground shouting things at the devil. This may sound kinda funny, but to me it's the proof of what an influence the oldest child can be. And she was always good to us.

Mary's 'glamor' shot.

Here we are tickling Traci.

I love watching the memories my children are creating. I love to watch the hours they spend somersaulting on my bed, "ready, set, go!" And teaching them to disco dance (Sam is the funniest at this.) Yes, I do try to re-create some of my memories here in my home. Last week Lizzy and I crocheted a chain to go around our house. We still slide down the stairs using a mattress and walk on the ceiling using a mirror. However there are just some things only 5 sisters can do. Like build pyramids and make up our own plays. So, thanks to my sisters, thanks for the fun childhood.

Road Trip

2009-08-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

We are back. Here is our vacation in photos.

We first visited the Grand Canyon. It was pretty grand.

Next stop: Salt Lake Temple

On our trip we visited 3 Temples. Salt Lake, Cardston (Canada), and Portland (Oregon).

Then we stopped off in Idaho for a few days to visit Phil's brother Adam and his family. We went to a little fish pond. Phil and Lizzy caught a minnow. Lizzy named it Minna.

Then we were on to Canada for the reunion.

Apparently Canada = mosquito's

Our view from the house Phil's parents rented in Canada:

5 men in a spa?

This is my favorite photo. I think that spa lost a foot of water

after Phil, his brothers and their dad got in it.

More fun in Canada:
Lizzy lost her tooth the 2nd night we were in Canada. She was balling and I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I'm just so happy!" It was one of the highlights of the whole trip. The Canadian tooth fairy found her that night and brought her a loonie.

A few of us:

Lizzy took this one:

FUN with the COUSINS!

They held hands most of the way.

Some fun we had in Oregon:

Grandma taught Lizzy to crochet.

Phil taught Lizzy to play chess.

Lots of reading.

We picked blackberries.

Then made cobbler.
Grandma & Grandpa took us to the lake on their boat.

Phil got some air.

Liz did the tube.And tried to water ski.

Spent some time with a few friends. Lizzy & Violet picked blueberries.

On our traditional trip to the carasol.

First lost tooth

2009-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Lizzy lost her first tooth last night. She came downstairs at 9:15 p.m. saying that she couldn't sleep because her tooth hurt. We pulled, we tugged, and she twisted it, finally it popped out. The funny thing is, she doesn't get to look all cute having a space in the front, because her adult tooth is already in behind the one that just came out! Here's a photo of Liz from last night and a photo of her tooth fairy pillow that I made her.

Sewing room occupied

2009-07-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

To keep busy this summer and try not to think about how hot I am all the time I have taken to spending long hours in my sewing room (with my fan b/c it kinda follows me around the house right now.) I've made capes, flower headbands, aprons and more. We have decided to make our 'Homemade Christmas' that we did last year a new annual tradition. I have been working on Lizzy's Christmas present because first, it's going to take me a long time and secondly because when the baby's born I'm not sure how much time I will have. I am making her all sorts of hair things, bows, headbands, and some very cool other hair ideas I have found online. I have pictures of much of what I've been doing here to share...

Oh, and I have a few friends that sell hair accessories.
Check out their blogs:

Rachel and Susan (twins) and running a "bowtique": http://www.sistersbowtique.blogspot.com/

And for super nice flower headbands check out Posy : http://posyforhipchicks.blogspot.com/

Here are some aprons I have made for friends, most of them

provided or paid for their own fabric, I only sewed them.

A cape I made for Corben's birthday - he asked his mom if he could wear it to bed.

An outfit I made for Liz (for under $3!!!)

A change purse we made out of a used Dole juice container.

The rest is Lizzy's Christmas present thus far.

Conversations with James

2009-07-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

When Samuel was born Lizzy couldn't wait to meet him. She bounded up to him in the hospital and pronounced, "Sam! I am not a mountain, I'm your sister. A mountain is big and grey and sometimes purple when the sun is setting."

Lizzy has decided to preempt any concerns over what James will and will not know by teaching him prenatally. She has taken to following me around with both her hands on my stomach saying things like, "James, your name is James, a name is what you call someone, my hands are on mommy's stomach. A stomach is in the middle of your body and processes your food. Food is what you eat, you put it in your mouth which is on your face, which is at the top of your body and has lips attached which are red and then there's teeth, they are white and chomp on your food..." And so you get the idea. I have explained kindly that he doesn't really understand her words but likes hearing her voice. So she continues, "James, I'm going to take a shower. A shower is where water comes down and gets you all wet. Water is clear and can be cold or hot and feels really neat on your skin. A shower head is what the water comes out of, ours is silver and black."
She adores him already, and as a mother I love watching this love grow. Nothing warms my heart more than listening to the things she is "teaching" him." We got several new ultrasounds a few weeks ago when I had a follow-up appointment. He is so darling already, I have been sewing a lot and have put his "pictures" up in my sewing room where I can look at him often. Here's a few for you to see too. Lizzy may think he will come out knowing all his colors, I'm just happy that he will be born knowing his sisters voice.

Waiting for something INCREDIBLE

2009-06-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

I love the movie "The Incredible's." Remember the part where Mr. Incredible comes home from work, lifts his car over his head then suddenly sees the neighbor boy there on his bike? And, every day that same neighbor boy would be waiting by his driveway for Mr. Incredible to come home. One day Mr. Incredible said, "What are you waiting for." To this the boy replied, "I don't know - something Incredible!"

Don't we all feel that way at times? My family is Incredible. Phil would truly be named Mr. Incredible, he's talented at so many things, piano, he's an artist, he's smart (well, that doesn't do him justice, you should hear the calculus jokes he tells -- no, I don't get them) he even takes out the trash and does the dishes! Lizzy cannot be compared to Invisible Violet in the movie, she's more like a bright Sun with a big brain (although that would make for a funny super hero) and Sam although young, loves to clean and make people laugh and surprises us everyday with his sweetness. They are really INCREDIBLE! But there are times, as we all know when we wait, wait for something incredible. Whether we are stuck in a dead end insurance job and unable to show our true super hero colors (like the Mr. Incredible in the movie) or afflicted with a bad economy or a bad situation.

We have been going through one of those times. Me and my INCREDIBLE family feel some days that our capes our covered in tar with our super powers being bound up in one way or another. Cut off at the knees, hands tied behind our backs, and eyes being tied with a blind fold. We are waiting for something incredible. As blessed as we are to have one another, we are plotting. How do we escape our binds, all the strength in the world isn't doing it. There must be another way, maybe some incredible secret serum that melts our binds without melting us too. One time at our place in Tucson Phil got locked out. No window was open, there was no spare key, and I'm sure it was over 100 degrees out (because isn't it always?) Well, he convinced me he really did have super powers when he scaled the wall of our house to get up to our balcony, where the door happened to be open.

OK kids, get your anti-gravity boots on because we are about to scale a few walls. Something incredible is about to happen. Some day soon our super powers will be released and we will be able to help the world yet again. Maybe a few days, a few weeks, I don't know, but my super brained, talented husband is thinking of a cure along with the super sweet spirits of the kids. Sam can use his super powers of screaming like a banshee, spitting, and his super fast puzzle powers to fight evil while Lizzy stumps bad guys with her intuitive questions and dazzling smile. In the mean time we are still waiting for something incredible.

Soon. I know it's coming soon.

It's a Wizards Duel

2009-06-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

I can't resist this video of my kids involved in a wizards duel. Sam only knows one spell, so it's a very limited duel. Enjoy!

Jamara Clarames

2009-06-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Jamara and Clarames. Those are the names my husband has been affectionately calling the baby for months now. They are combinations of our girl and boy names we had picked out.

The wait is over.

Now he can call the baby just James.

James Mitchell.

Here's the proof...

Genetics

2009-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I was a senior in high school, taking a yearbook class. What else is there to take your senior year when you have several elective classes available? A bright-eyed, bushy-tailed sophomore approached me and cheerfully exclaimed, "You look like my mom!" WHAT?!?!?! I screamed in my head. Who IS this girl? But I said, "What are you talking about?" To this she replied, "Is your father Rick Mitchell?" I said, "Yes." But my head was screaming, "Run away from this crazy girl!" Then the small sophomore said, "I am your cousin, you look just like my mom, your Aunt Janet."

Let me give you some back story. I grew up with only 1 cousin until the age of 10 when my 2nd cousin was born. I thought I knew all of my family. When I was a girl I was told by my father frequently, "You look just like your Aunt Janet." He would usually add, "Don't let this go to your head, she was beautiful." My Aunt Janet died at the age of 30 from a birth defect in her heart. I was very young at the time. Our family lost contact with her husband and 2 children. Until my senior year when I was approached by a sophomore named Jenny, my long lost cousin. Isn't it funny what genetics can do? It can make me look like someone else entirely. So much so that I am recognized by this persons daughter.

When Lizzy was born we would receive comments like this, "Oh, she must be the milkman's daughter, she certainly doesn't look like either of you." My Lizzy has her fathers blond hair (Phil claimed blond as his hair color until sometime in elementary school.) She can claim Phil's mom's beautiful face and round cheeks. She has my grandfather's beautiful blue eyes. And, she has my ugly big toe (sorry about that Liz!) Last year after swimming and in the hot sun for weeks I noticed her nose looked dirty. For days I kept wiping it. I couldn't figure out why that dirt would not come off. Then I realized, SHE HAS FRECKLES! Just a few, but they are there. I remembered that I had freckles too in sun and my dad is covered in them in the summer. She was no milkman's baby. She has a bit of everyone in her, which makes her unique.

When Samuel was born he had brown eyes at birth, no changing of eye colors, they were a beautiful dark brown. He also came with olive skin and brown hair. As a baby my sister lovingly called him our little Puerto Rican baby. He got this from my mom and my Abuelita, and you could tell even from birth.

We find out in a few days what we are having. We have both a boy and a girl named picked out. The boy's middle name is my maiden name. He will carry on the Mitchell name which is all but lost thanks to the 5 daughters and no son's born to my parents. My lovely niece Julia carries the Scottish look of my father, gorgeous red hair. Our girl name is after the beautiful name of my great-grandmother.

We all carry so much of our ancestors with us, so much of who we are is from others. How exciting to see what this next baby looks like. Will he or she have Phil's blond hair, or my father's red hair and green eyes? Will they get the height in Phil's family or the "height" from my 4 foot 8 inch Abuelita? What wonderful combination will make them up? Isn't it remarkable what God plus our genes create. We couldn't dream it up or plan it more perfectly. They are our perfect little gems.

Here are some family photo's. Who takes after who?

Cookies for the Homeless

2009-05-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

When Lizzy was 4 she begged for days asking me to get a recycling bin for our house. Several phone calls later one was at our door, complete with a paper telling us what we could and could not recycle. Liz placed this on the fridge and was the "recycling police", making sure that something we could be recycling did not end up in the trash.

Last week Lizzy insightfuly told me that the earth is every ones home and therefore it is all of our responsibility to take care of it. Then she tried her hardest to convince me to go out in the 110 degree weather and pick up all the trash we found to try and take care of the earth.

On Sunday Lizzy lovingly told me that she was drawing pictures for the homeless. In November she and I (along with other moms & kids from her Elementary) took hundreds of pies to the main homeless shelter here for Thanksgiving. She still remembers that at the shelter they let 5 people each day come in and pick an outfit out of their "store" of clothing that has been donated. Their payment is telling the volunteers their birthday.

I suggested that maybe we should bring cookies with the pictures. She liked that idea. So, we called the director of the shelter nearest our house. He was thrilled that she wanted to help. He told us to bring about 4 dozen cookies down on Wednesday and we could have spaghetti dinner with the homeless. Liz got home from school on Wednesday, put on her apron and got to work. She spend hours baking and drawing, then we were ready.

When we got to the shelter the director gave her a tour, Lizzy wanted to see the beds where they slept. At dinner time she stood up and showed everyone the pictures she drew and told them all about the cookies she baked. They all clapped for her. They were all so nice, so kind to Lizzy. She wanted to stay there much longer than we could and she promised that we would be back.

Here's a few photo's of my little Mother Teresa:

The Golden Rule

2009-05-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Lizzy: "Mom, I LOVE that saying, you know, the one about doing unto others like you want them to do to you."

Me: "That's called the Golden Rule."

Lizzy: "It is my favorite rule. Like today, I was making a big dirt pile and Janette came and took a bunch of my dirt. So, I did unto her as she did unto me and ruined her dirt pile too!"

Me: "Liz, it's do unto others as you would have them do unto you NOT do unto others as they do unto you."

Picnic at the Pool

2009-05-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

It's been over 100 degrees this week, so we decided to go swimming and have a picnic.

Lizzy made the sandwiches. "Aren't I a good chef mommy?" she proclaimed while showing me her p-nut butter and grape sandwiches.

Sorry there are no pictures of me but as my husband observed the other day, "you disappear from photo's when you are pregnant." I told him that there were a whole 2 years when I was wearing braces that not a photo can be found.

Here are some fun photos of the rest of the fam.

Bare Bum

2009-04-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

It is an unequivocal fact that toddlers love to be naked.

Sam has spent most of his 18 months wearing little to nothing but a diaper. Those that live in Arizona can agree that it is more comfortable here when one is wearing not many clothes. A few weeks ago Sam woke us up crying. We rushed to his room to find him bare bum and covered in pee. It turned out that Samuel had discovered the joy of a bare bum against his sheets. For the next few nights this pee covered, bare bum ritual repeated itself. Apparently,we are slow learners. We finally realized we could stop this habit by putting pants on him. So, on went the pants. A week or two went by and soon Sam realized that a pair of pants aren't the impenetrable fortress that we thought they were. Again he woke in the middle of the night screaming. I rushed to pick him up, thinking to comfort him from his nightmare. As I picked him up I noticed pee all over and a little bare bum. A few seconds later we also discovered he left us another wonderful present. Ah, the joys of parenthood. He now sleeps in a full one piece pajama that snaps up, and we're anxiously waiting his discovery of how those snaps work.

It runs in the family

2009-04-27T09:08:00.001-07:00

My husbands side of the family is known for it's men that have a great ability to fix anything.

Sam is starting young.

Project Book Babe

2009-04-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

I went to Project Book Babe with my friend Amanda on Saturaday. Here's the website for those of you that don't know what that is...http://projectbookbabe.com/

I now have a hardback of New Moon signed by Stephenie Meyer

AND

A The Goose Girl signed by Shannon Hale (this book is AWESOME, if you haven't read it you should.)

I am posting a few videos for those of you that are interested. I am sorry for the video quality as it is not very good.

Shannon Hale was the Emcee. The first video is her and J.S. Lweis talking about the dress that they are going to auction off:

This next video is just after Shannon Hale had introduced the panel of authors. She had just said that they were going to begin the questions when someone whispered in her ear that she forgot to introduce Stephenie Meyer. The video picks up just after she heard this news.

This last video is part of the bidding for lunch with Stephenie Meyer.

Here is a list of the auction items and how much they sold for (I might be a few hundred off on a few of them.) Those that won had to sign a confidentiality agreement, you won't find any of this stuff on Ebay.

*Early readers edition of Twilight (looks like what you and I have, just a few differences)

-- $2,500

*Forever Dawn epiouge (what I would have bid on if I had the money) -- $5,100

(it's only 1 CHAPTER)

*Early copy of Twilight during revision process (it was all printed paper from the computer with postits from her editor) --$3,500

*Early copy of The Host during the revision process --$1,800

*The Host Skateboard, mounted -- $1,200

*Stephenie Meyer's prom dress she wore to Eclipse prom - $5,800

*Lunch with Stephenie Meyer - $13,000

Two sets of girls kept bidding each other up and finally Shannon Hale asked Stephenie is she would consent to 2 lunches, she did. The girls each got a lunch for the price of $6,500 each.

The Desert Virgin

2009-04-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Lizzy was making a book today, it was called:

LITTLE JACKYRABBIT

THE DESERT VIRGIN

Liz: "Mom, how do you spell virgin?"
Me: "What? Virgin? What? Honey, are you sure you want to use that word? Do you know what that means?"
Liz: "Yes, virgin."
Me: "Where did you hear that word?"
Liz: "Ms. Entner says it all the time...like there are two 'virgins' of this book."
Mom: "OH! VERSION is spelled v-e-r-s-i-o-n."

CRAVING

2009-03-31T06:12:00.001-07:00

A haiku about salt:

All I want is salt

Sodium chloride goodness

Wonderful white grains

I am 9 weeks pregnant. I would post an ultrasound

except it only looks like a tiny blob right now.

Ragnar Relay - Del Sol

2009-03-02T07:03:00.001-08:00

204 miles - 30 hours to finish -
5th place in our division - 19 miles run -
2 hours of sleep - 2800 calories burned

There were 6 to a van. I was in van 1, we started first. My first run was leg 1 in Prescott, it was beautiful but the air was thin. I ran it well and we were on our way. Shantay's leg had crazy hills but she ran it fast. Next was her husband Jason, he proved his worth early running all 7 minute miles throughout the race (he had the most miles of anyone.) Dara was next, she was so worried because she doesn't consider herself an avid runner - she was amazing, ran fast and passed several people. Rochelle was up next, she was a superstar! Jeff (Dara's husband) finished us off, he was fast and ran through very dusty conditions. Van 1 finished their legs by 2 p.m. and it was hard to find a place to eat because apparently there is no such thing as restaurants in the country. We stopped at a steakhouse which had all of 2 tables and a couple couches in it. A few of the members had a beer. Then we were off to find some "real" food. We saw a sign "Food : pizza, water and other treats." We inquired and someone said it was in a church about 1/4 of a mile back. So we walked past a burned down building, through a fence and found the sweet people of a town north of Wickenburg selling all sorts of stuff. The lady selling the pizza said that the numbers of runners in Ragnar outnumbered the population of the town. That's where we stayed, rested, read and peed until my 2nd leg at 8 p.m. Van 2 ran well and we were ahead of schedule. My 2nd leg was LEG 13 (hereafter referred to as THE OBSTACLE COURSE.) Before I took off the volunteer said to me, "watch out because several runners are falling because it's uneven at exchange point 13." Exchange point 13 was when I finished so at this point I was worried about what Shantay would have to face, she was running after exchange point 13. So, THE OBSTACLE COURSE was the only leg they put full out in the desert, all other legs were on the road. The instructions had said "you will be running on a "trail" and in several parts you will directed by signs to go to the highway, run 40-50 FEET then enter the "trail." It was 6.3 miles, Joey passed the bracelet and I was off. I started off fast listening and singing out loud to "Disturbia", then I saw the first sign that put me on the highway. I stayed there for over a mile, NOT 40 to 50 feet, WHERE WAS THE SIGN they promised? I could see no one in front or behind me. I was worried I was going the wrong way, my Garmin said I had gone over a mile on this road. So I turned around and ran for 1/2 a mile, I found a guy running and asked him if we were going the right way, he was unsure so we ran until we caught up to another 3 guys AND the "TRAIL." This next part was my favorite. Just me and the desert, no cars, no people, even the moon was just a sliver, I looked up at the stars and just smiled, it was beautiful, serene and wonderful. Then I almost tripped, the desert began to be uneven, there were several ditches. I kept thinking, "I don't even want to think about what Shantay's run is like if it's worse than this one." So from then on I kept my eyes down, there were cacti in the way, shrubs, and the "trail" was not clearly marked. At one point there was about 50 empty beer bottles to my left. They took me through about 4 ravines and in a few spots there was a fork without indication as to which way to go. I was passed by several guys and I didn't care, I was not going fast, just trying not get lost or hurt. At one point toward the end I almost ran into a tree and realized the whole path was blocked off, I stood about 5 seconds and some guy passed me, he went right through the bushes, so there I went too. At the finish it finally dawned on me that the volunteer had misspoken, it was LEG 13 that was hurting people not exchange 13. I came in, and my team said they had been worried because so many people had come through hurt and EVERYONE coming through said the same thing, "THAT SUCKED!" My adrenaline has never been higher than after that run, not because I was going fast but because I was desperately trying to not run into a cactus, tree, fall down a ravine or get lost. At several exchange points after we kept seeing the results of THE OBSTACLE COURSE, blooded knees, scraped arms, and frightened girls that got lost and had to yell in the desert "HELP!" But I made it through and it was my favorite leg of the race because it was so crazy, it makes for a good story. The rest of the night runs went well, everyone ran fast and we kept cheering everyone on. We were done at 2 a.m. We stopped to sleep at an elementary school (I could only sleep 2 hours). They kicked us out at 5:30 and we were on our way, driving past the route of our van 2. We ran past Joey, they were ahead of schedule, he was running well. We got to the the exchange point, I drank some Gatorade, peed and tried to stretch. I was so tired. My 3rd leg was leg 25, 8.7 miles UPHILL steady the WHOLE time. We made the exchange and for about 1 mile total I was fast, then I slowed and realized, "I'm hungry and tired, why am I doing this?" By mile 2 I was beat and almost in tears my team was pulled over and while running past I hastily tried to convince them to let me stop, I CAN'T DO THIS. 8.7 is nothing normally to me but it was taking all I had to keep going. As I ran past they gave me some Gu which helped. By mile 3.7 I knew I could finish, 5 miles is nothing. Then I found my pace, which was slow but it was uphill. Several guys passed. I didn't worry too much because I knew Jason would catch them on his turn. Each guy turned to me and spoke, some gave me a five, one mentioned how last year they took them DOWN this road and not UP, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? At halfway point I heard, "You got this" from another guy. When there were only 3 miles left I picked up the pace a bit, 3 miles is EASY. With 2 miles left I was singing along side the road, "Push it!" When I got to the 1 mile left sign there was a volunteer, I almost hugged her! I don't think I've ever been happier finishing a run. I passed the bracelet to Shantay who was off fast. Then I drank and collapsed. It was finished! The rest of the van rocked, Dara had friends waiting along the road with a sign for her, that was fun! And she finally got to pass the bracelet to Rochelle, who before due to odd reasons we could never get the the exchange point in time. We finished by 1 p.m. and van 2 was off. Joey came in at 4:30 p.m. and we got to run behind him and get our medals. It was a great experience and was much harder than I had anticipated, but worth it all the way!

Time

2009-02-15T04:05:00.000-08:00

When Lizzy was little all I ever wanted was for her to grow up. I couldn't wait for her to eat solid foods, to crawl, walk and talk. Then she got an imagination and blankets became forts, she became a princess and fairies became real. It was so much fun watching her grow up, "keep going time" I would say, let's see what's next! Last week Lizzy requested to go to bed a bit earlier and asked if we could not read her books so she would have extra time to read books in her bed. I said yes. Yesterday I begged, "tomorrow, it's my turn to read again, o.k.?" She consented once I told her how much I missed it. So, I now have a request for time: PLEASE STOP! I don't really want her to grow up. Yesterday we held hands in the mall and made fishy faces while kissing. Don't let that stop. Don't take the fairies away, they're real you know, or so she tells me. She said that they come along, make her a real fairy then change her back before we see her. Please, let her continue to transform into a fairy. Is that such a wrong request? If time continues I will just worry about her more, I will worry that she's making the right choice, I will worry that she will get hurt. I don't want to worry. I just want to hold that little girl in my arms and smother her with kisses that she lets me give her. Don't take the kisses away. Please time, just stop.

Running Playlist

2009-02-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

I loved all the songs everyone suggested. I would love to hear more if any one has any others.
I thought I would list some of my favorite running music.
Please excuse the language in a few of the songs, for some reason angry swearing helps me run faster.
Phil said that no one will doubt that I run 10 miles after this list, these are only my favorites.

My Running Playlist:

Basket Case - Green Day
Calabria - Enur
Check On It - Beyonce
DOA - Foo Fighters
Don't Leave me this way - Gloria Gaynor
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
Go Speed Racer Go - Ali Dee
Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5
Helter Skelter - Beatles
Here It Goes Again (the treadmill song) - OK Go
Ice Ice Baby (no, I'm NOT kidding) - Crazy Frog
Jesus Walks - Kanye West
Lay All Your Love On Me - Mama Mia soundtrack
Live and Let Die - Guns N' Roses
Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child (I've been running to this for 5 years)
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Move Your Body - Nina Sky Ft Jabba
Naughty Girl - Beyonce & Lil' Flip
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Ring of Fire - Social Distortion
Rockstar - Nickelback
Scandalous - Mis-Teeq
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Sos- Rihanna
Super Massive Black Hole - Muse
Survivor - Destiney's Child
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
The Happening - Diana Ross
The Rockafeller Skank - Fat Boy Slim
The Suffering - Coheed and Cambria
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race - Fall Out Boy

Will work for running songs

2009-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

HELP!

I'm in desperate need of new running songs.

Leave a comment listing your workout/running faves or the song on your ipod that makes you wish you worked out.

If I download your list you could win a NEW IPOD!

Then again you might not!

Oh what do we do in the WINTERTIME?

2009-01-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like sharing popsicles in January!

Popcorn Buddies

2009-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Check this video out of Samuel and his good friend Mitchell.

Back to my roots...

2009-01-16T20:32:00.001-08:00

Almost heaven, west virginia Blue ridge mountains, shenandoah river Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze Country roads, take me home To the place, I be-long West virginia, mountain momma Take me home, country roads

I grew up in West Virgina. There are several things I love about my home state. One of which is the natural beauty it holds. I have lived in a few places and I have to say, West Virginia is gorgeous. There are breathtaking views, flowing rivers and forests surrounding you in every direction. Another thing I love about West Virginia is its history. I love that as the Civil War was forming the people in the western part of Virginia differed greatly with the eastern on the issues surrounding what led to the Civil War. So, we became our own state, and took the political stance of being against slavery. I love the brick roads and old homes. The house I grew up in was old, and I mean OLD. Not as old as they come there, I mean it was only around 100 years old. It had the neatest hidden room behind the closet my dad kept his guns in. It was used to store whiskey during the Prohibition. We just danced in the darkness and cobwebs while my dad had the guns out and cleaning them. Another thing I love is the humble people there. Most of them have nothing and have never known what it is like to have money. It is a coal mining state, what could be more humble then working in the earth for barely anything? I asked my mom once why so many people are over weight that live in WV. She told me it is because they learned to fry everything in lard, she said it made them full faster and was cheaper. Sad, true, but also humbling. The last thing I love about WV is its news. I remember going home a few years ago and turning on the t.v. to watch the news. This was the evening report:
"Breaking news: The Mountaineer Restarant has made less money than McDonalds in the last year!" And I'm thinking, WHAT! The Mountaineer has some of the worst food out there, but it's open 24 hours, and you can't beat that! Then I realize that noone was shot that day, or mugged. There wasn't even a car accident to report on. It is along these lines that I have something to share. My father lives in a county called Calhoun. They do have cities in WV but many of them are too small so they just say they live in such-and-such county. This county has a news publication they post online. Every so often I go online and check it out for fun. Here's the link...
http://www.hurherald.com/

What I love about the cite:
-the Obits are at the top of the list
-The paper admits that it's a questionable publication
- There's hardly ever negative news on the cite
-It's FUNNY!

Check out the opinions and comments section...

http://www.hurherald.com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/articles?Action=user_view_cat&db=articles_hurherald&cat=26

A very special talent

2009-01-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Some children are born showing signs of having special talents. There are those born loving art from an early age, others that are musically inclined even as an infant. Some love books, the outdoors and cooking with mom.

Well, mine loves to CLEAN.

Someday, he will uses HIS special skills to woo and impress a girl
and these special skills of his will make that girl very happy.

My first 5K

2009-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Today I ran my first race. My Ragnar team has told me I need to have my 1st race out of the way before the big relay race so I decided there was no better day than the beginning of a new year. The run was good (other than the fact that I wanted to puke the whole time- I think it was nerves, but it was weird.) Here are my results. There were 300 people in the race. I ran it in 26 minutes, I was the 25th woman in (out 0f 135) and I was 6th place in my division (they gave out awards for the top 5 in each division!)

A few new photo's

2008-12-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

I just got back a few b/w photos from the printers, I took them with my manual SLR camera. I told my sis I would post them, so here they are...

Homemade Christmas

2008-12-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

This year we did a "homemade" Christmas. Santa still came and brought presents but everything we gave to one another was homemade (although I contracted out some labor!) To Lizzy I made a crayon roll, recipe book and apron. To Sam I made a sock monkey and an ugly doll. To Phil I told the story of how my husband and I met and got engaged to my good friend Becca (who is an amazing writer) and she wrote a fictional story of us as if he were a superhero. Then I had Lizzy draw the pictures and had it made into a book. I also gave Phil a homemade certificate for a "sexcation", we are switching baby sitting with a friend and I booked a hotel for 1 night in Scottsdale. The other cool part, no one under 21 allowed in the hotel! My favorite gift was one Lizzy made me, she made a popcorn bowl out of movie tickets! Phil drew me a picture of Sam and made me a notebook to keep his love letters in. For those of you that don't know, he writes me a love letter once a week (it was his idea too, well one he got from a movie, but he acted on it ;)
Sam and Liz each made each other a t-shirt, and Liz made Phil a pen/pencil holder to bring to work. Phil wrote and illustrated a childrens book for Liz based on one of her stuffed animals. And he drew Sam a picture of him as a super hero named "Cleep Sweep". Sam has an obsession with cleaning suppli es. It was a lot of fun and we spent MANY hours on one anothers gifts. Here are the photo's to go along with our Christmas...

My River.

2008-12-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

We went to Tucson this weekend. For those of you that don't know, that is where we lived for several years while we both went to school. I was going to run my "long" run on Friday morning before we left but then I remembered, my river. We owned a condo in Tucson and the river ran in our back yard. Now, you must understand this river being in Arizona, there's actually no water in the river. But it's still a river, my river. I started running when Lizzy turned 1. I ran this river. I ran this river until we moved a year and half ago. So, I packed my running clothes excitedly thinking of the chance of running my river once more. Saturday morning I woke early and almost couldn't contain my excitement to see my river again. There were so many memories made on this river. As I started my run I ran past the Racquet Club that we were members at for years. I remembered Lizzy taking swimming lessons, and also the temper tantrums that would result when I would tell her it was time to go (she was 2.) I remember going to the club at 11 p.m., I would finish my homework then run down the street to run on the treadmill. I remember sweating, lunch at the cafe, and a stinky old man wanting to dance during the Latin dance class. I run past. As I run over the first bridge my memories take me to bike rides with my daughter, walks with my daughter and then I come to the stables. There are ranches backed up against the river and when we would take our walks or bike rides we would always see the horses running. This is where Lizzy got to pet her first horse. She was 2. I run past the horses and look to my right. There is our house. The house where both of my children were conceived. Mmmm, yes, now those are some good memories. But this is my blog and not my journal. On I go past the greenhouses and where I got asked out once while running. I wore my wedding ring from then on. Now I'm running past the playground they built. I remember running by before it was built. I remember running while Lizzy rode her bike to the playground. The 2 miles there were easy for her. However, after hours of play and being in the sun the 2 miles home were always very challenging. I stop and stretch. This is where I stretched, for years. Yes, the sun is coming up now and lighting the mountains. How beautiful. I start running again. I remember running this path before they paved it. I remember tripping once and getting some of the worst scars of my life (I really am very clumsy.) Now, I'm running alongside the mountains, I remember sprinting with my friend Edna, man her little legs can go fast! As I cross another bridge I see the spot where Lizzy saw her first coyote. We were taking a Sunday walk down the river and there he was, only a few feet away. She was stunned. I look to my right and see a bunch of creosote bushes. Yes! This is the spot where I tried to convince Liz to pee in the bushes. We had been on a long bike ride and she had to go BAD. In the end she decided to hold it because there were too many bees around and I'm afraid my phobia of bees has rubbed off on her. I'm on the homestretch now and the sun is my eyes. I'm listening to "I never can say goodbye" by the fabulous Gloria Gaynor. It's then when I realize I would travel 2 hours just to run this river, my river.

I snapped a few photos when I got back to my van...(can you see the coyote in the last photo?)

Casue and effect...

2008-12-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas Photo

2008-12-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we need to get out our Christmas cards. So in a rush I told everyone to be ready in 30 minutes and I set my tripod up and click, here we are...
(no matter what we tried we could not get Sam to smile, he apparently doesn't do that for photo's)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Sam's 1st striped delight

2008-11-27T19:52:00.001-08:00

Growing up every year my grandma would serve striped delight at her house after Thanksgiving. It a a yummy dessert with chocolate, whipped cream, and cream cheese. To carry on tradition, we too have striped delight every year after Thanksgiving dinner. Sam wasn't too interested in the turkey or mashed potatoes (although we LOVES eating crayons and chalk.) BUT he LOVED the striped delight. After his first helping he said, "Mama! Mama! while shoving his bowl at me, as if to ask for more. So, it being a day of seconds I indulged him. Here was the result...

Holiday Traditions

2008-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

At Christmas time we all have our favorite family traditions. I must admit many of my families revolve around food. However, one of my favorite is our homemade Christmas tree decoration tradition. It started when we were poor students (what other type of students are there?) We never had any money to buy ornaments for our tree so we made them all. Every year we make gingerbread cookies and we string popcorn. We also make a new homemade set of ornaments to add to the tree every year.
Here are just a few from this year...

THE RECIPE:
3 c. flour
1 c. salt
1 c. water

Mix well and knead till smooth. Then shape however you desire. Bake for 2 hours at 275 degrees. Let cool then paint. When paint is dry brush mod podge on front and back of ornaments.

Crazy???

2008-11-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

This morning the alarm clock woke me up at 6 a.m. It was still dark outside and the children were still asleep. I got dressed in my work out clothes and kissed my husband. He mumbled back, "crazy woman." Then I ran 3 miles and hiked a mountain for about 4 miles. Am I crazy? After the complete exhilaration of a good run and the beauty of the mountains I have decided that no, I am not crazy, but maybe a little loony. After all, one is not completely sane if they pass up the opportunity to sleep!
Oh, and in case you didn't already know...PHOENIX IS HUGE!!! I could see it clearly on the mountain top and it just seems to go on forever.

American Girl

2008-11-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Check out Lizzy on the American Girl Fan Gallery here...

http://www.americangirl.com/fan/open.html

Click the next button till you see Lizzy!

Twilight shirt

2008-11-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

I created and ordered this shirt on zazzle.com to wear for the Twilight movie opening.

Check it out...

http://www.zazzle.com/team_edward_shirt-235728376404677448

Order your midnight showing tickets and get a free itunes download of Bella's lullaby here...

http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=5485&rdate=11%2F20%2F2008

We are going to AMC, if you want to join Amanda, Rebecca and I then let me know.

She's not wicked, but she CAN fly and cast spells...

2008-10-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

I VANT to suck your blood!

2008-10-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

7 things tag

2008-10-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to KB for 7-tagging me...

7 things that I can do:
1.Communicate well
2.Give to others without hesitation
3.Clean my house
4.Read several books a week (I'm not a fast reader, I just don't sleep much)
5.Play scrabble, well
6.Lose to my husband in battleship
7.Run, a lot.

7 things I cannot do:
1. Play ANY instrument
2.Play ANY sport
3.Tolerate bad manners
4.Handle any amount of time around whiny children.
5.Live without my husband
6.Fix things around the house
7.Draw anything but a really bad stick figure.

7 things I say often:
1.It's time for bed!
2.Make your bed, please.
3.Get that out of your mouth, Sam.
4.I'm so tired.
5.I love you.
6.Use your manners.
7.Don't forget to...

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Work as a teacher
2.Celebrate my 100th birthday
3.Run a marathon
4.Reach my 50th wedding anniversary
5.Serve in the Temple
6.Go to Japan
7.Be able to say I am REALLY good at something.

7 things that attract me to my man:
1.His butt.
2.His playfulness and attentiveness to the children.
3.His goodness, he's never been mad at me even once in our marriage.
4.When he plays the piano.
5.His sense of humor.
6.His unselfishness.
7.His determination to make me happy.

7 Favorite Foods:
1.Homemade chicken alfredo
2.A good soup.
3.Pizza, any.
4.Thanksgiving dinner
5.Chocolate cream pie
6.popcorn (I know it's a snack, but I can eat enough to make a meal, so I think it counts)
7.Pumpkin bars

7 people who I would like to do this (only if you want to):
1. Allison
2.Becca
3.Mary
4.Afie
5.Amanda
6.Mary Sue
7.Stephanie

Proof that yelling in the shower is more effective than deep breathing.

2008-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

When we become mothers generally we learn patience because, well, it kinda comes with the package. When we lose our patience we each have different ways of trying to regain our composition and face the world (A.K.A. the kids!) Some people take long showers, others listen to relaxing music. I prefer to run. Today my frustration was escalating quickly. All morning I was breathing deeply in then out, trying to help me relax. The last button was pushed at 10:30 a.m. (yes, I know that's early for a last button!) I got in the shower and did something I never have before (in the shower, that is), I screamed at the top of my lungs!
Needless to say, I am feeling much better now.

Fall photos

2008-10-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

My new favorite photo

2008-10-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

I did NOT pose him!

Show and Tell

2008-10-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night Lizzy came running into the house with an excited request. Monday is her show-and-tell and she was planning on bringing her witches broom that is part of her Halloween costume. Lizzy told me that she changed her mind and wants to take something different to show and tell, that this was more important than anything! She also mentioned that she's not sure if I will let her. I was a little curious about what was SOOOO important to her but also a little worried if she didn't think she would be allowed to take it to school. So I asked her what it was. To this she replied, "Sam." In my head I was thinking "Awww, how sweet." But alas, I had to turn her request down.

1st Birthday Fun!

2008-09-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Sam's first birthday this weekend. My mom flew in on Thursday and then on Saturday a little bit before the party we had unexpected guests...grandma & grandpa from Oregon! Sam enjoyed cake and then we all went swimming. He got lots of presents, I guess it makes up for the last year of playing with sissy's barbies. His favorite toy was the gift sis bought him with her own money, a little squishy basketball. But somehow it does not surprise me that he liked the $1 toy the best. Here's some photo's.

All of this for fifteen dollars?

2008-09-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a steal of a deal for us Phoenicians. It's a produce co-op!
50% fruit, 50% veggies and 100% YUMMY!
Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org to sign up. You purchase the produce every 2 weeks and when you sign up you are NOT obligated to purchase more than once. Try it out, there are several locations and my family LOVES it!

The aliens of a 5 year olds imagination

2008-09-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

A few days ago while I was making dinner:

Lizzy: "If you and daddy ever left I would cry."

me: "If we ever left it would be to go to Hawaii."

Lizzy: "I would still cry the whole time."

me: "Well, if we were in Hawaii, grandma would be here with you guys."

Lizzy: "If grandma were here, I would not cry but smile the whole time. But if aliens came to watch us instead of grandma then I would scream the whole time."

me: "Aliens? Well, are they good or bad? What do they look like?"

Lizzy: "They have 8 eyes, 8 noses, one mouth, 2 arms and 1 leg."

me: "What do they eat?"

Lizzy: "Magnets. You need to hide all yours before they come."

me: "Do they have any special skills or powers?"

Lizzy: "Yes. They have razor sharp teeth that can cut through a sword."

Me: "Do humans have a chance against them? Do we have any special skills that they do not?"

Lizzy: "We can run much faster than them, they only have one leg."

Then she proceeded to paint pictures of the aliens bones. Their arm looks kinda like a house, she assures me that this is normal for the aliens although very strange looking for us humans. Here is a picture of some of their bones. It's very abstract looking and hard to tell what each bone is, but I suppose with an alien you never can tell.

Going bAck to school...

2008-09-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

NO, not to learn, to HELP.
Some day I think I want to teach. The question has always been what grades do I want to teach? Swiftly followed by the question would I be any good, which remains to be seen. The grades I am most interested in are either Kindergarten or High School History.
A few years ago I was a substitute teacher at Lizzy's pre-school. The kindergarten was always my favorite. So, I decided to volunteer in Lizzy's Kindergarten class this year. I also decided to volunteer with the high school speech and debate team. They typically need judges for their tournaments. And I did this all through high school and some in college and LOVED it. Yesterday I was both with Kindergartner's and with High School kids. I smiled so much the kids probably thought I was a little loony. I think I could have stayed in both classes all day and some. I enjoyed myself immensely. However, I was not teaching, only helping and observing. I am hoping this year of volunteering will help me come to a decision as to what grade I want to teach when the time comes. Right now though I have no more insight except that I really do enjoy a classroom setting where I am not the one doing the homework.

Of Kindergarten and Turning 30

2008-08-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well, August 2008 is a memorable month. Lizzy started kindergarten a week and half ago and I am turning 30 on Sunday. Both of these milestones are pretty big in my book. I always thought that getting older didn't really matter. Well it first hit about a month ago when Liz and I were playing charades and I tried to be a frog and well, I can't really leap that well now. It all JIGGLES! And, I run everyday I am in at least decent shape. I sat on the couch and cried while my usually sweet husband called me an old lady. Being logical I know that getting older in inevitable so what does it matter? Well, it's facing the inevitability of things hanging where they use to not and seeing wrinkles on what use to be a youthful face. I guess that's the point. My mom is sending me 30 birthday cards for my 30 years of life. My favorite one says this, "You're 30, you're mature! You're responsible! And to teenagers everywhere, you're OLD!" I have no desire to be younger, I love the experiences I have earned and lived, so I guess with the knowledge and wisdom of getting older also comes the lines of wisdom on your face and saggy boobs from nursing 2 children. Well, I will gladly take the physical ramifications of getting older if it means being wiser and happier.
Now, I also didn't think it would be hard for me to send Lizzy to kindergarten, and I was right, it was EXTREMELY easy. She LOVES it and is excited for all day to start, it is only half day right now. Her teacher has been doing gifted testing on her and told me the other day that she reads at a 3rd grade level. She said they are moving her to 1st grade for her reading lessons. She comes home singing songs about the days of the week, about eating and other funny things. I think her teacher must sing all day long, which must be fun for the kids. Well, I am happy about her being in school. She is so very social (who does that remind you of) and school is just right for her. We think she has a "crush" on a boy named Zach, she is always saying how funny he is and then she tried her first name out with his last name the other day. I'm glad we already had the no kissing talk with her.
Then I heard the song "Slipping through my fingers" from the Mama Mia soundtrack the other day and well, it touched me.
It says,
" Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye
With an absent-minded smile
I watch her go
With a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm loosing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time."

My mother-in-law always says that now is the time to enjoy your life, that it will never be more exciting, happy or fun as when your children are growing up. I'm trying to do that, but I have to admit, although I'm not thrilled about looking older, it sure is fun and exciting to watch my kids grow up.