Childhood memories

So a friend challenged me to post a childhood memory (from when I was 3, unlike her I don't have THAT good of a memory! so you will just have to get a childhood memory :)  My mom was awesome at Christmas time (she was all of the time, but especially at Christmas)  from making dolls, pound puppies, dresses for her 4 girls, baking goodies, baking goodies, baking goodies, she was flat out unstoppable!  She taught us the importance of helping those who were less fortunate than we were.  One year that really sticks out to me is a time we took a large box of toys and food to someone with a lot of kids and not a lot of money. We drove up with our lights off and quietly took it up to their porch, knocked on the door and ran back to the car where my dad drove away. The look on their faces when they opened the door was great.

Every year, this is where the endless baking of goodies comes into play, we would take a plate of treats to our neighbors and carol at their house.  It was probably one of my most favorite things to do at Christmas :)

Also every year we would make graham cracker houses complete with an outhouse or trading post :)  Today I made graham cracker houses with my kids :)  love it!

part two

So I talked to my doctors surgery scheduler and she said he didn't have anything until February so I was a little anxious to just get it done.   I asked my friend who did her hysterectomy and she gave me the name of her doctor.  I called and he had a spot just right after Christmas.  Perfect right?  Oh, our deductible on our insurance will go up by at least 1,000  for next year so we thought we wanted to save money...right who doesn't want to save 1,000 dollars.  Well, it just didn't feel right for me but I was at least going to see the doctor the following Monday and see.  Any time the kids would say there are 19 days till Christmas I thought there are 20 days until my surgery.  It just didn't seem right...this morning Aaron came down and kissed me and said, I think you need to wait and have it with your doctor.  I felt so happy.  It was just the right thing.  Now we can go about our holidays and not let our insurance company dictate when I am going to have my surgery!

journaling

Just a little disclaimer, I am journaling here, speaking from my heart so I will remember how I felt this day.  About a year and 2 months ago I was painting our front room and I heard a talk about children and i had an overwhelming feeling that we were going to have another little girl.  I was really excited because I had always wanted 5 kids.  I was 5th in my family and I wanted to have 5, I know it sounds weird, but my whole life I knew I wanted at least 5 kids. The only problem with that plan is that Aaron was very complete with 4.  He was done.  We had 4 beautiful children and he was content with 4.  After going to the baby blessing of our niece Erin Moses, Aaron and Sarah both fell in love with the baby.  I told him how I felt and he said that he would be willing to have another child.  We tried for about a year.  Every month I would get so excited and think surly this was the month I was going to get pregnant.  A few months ago, after another conference talk, I thought well it is up to Heavenly Father. If it is right for our family we will have another baby.  Well, I went to have an ultrasound on Friday because the fibroid in my uterus is gigantic and I have been having some serious period problems (like I am currently on day 10).  The technician said she couldn't even see the endometrium and couldn't really tell where the fibroid began and ended because it took over my whole uterus.  I am sad, but I am at peace.  I will probably have a hysterectomy soon.  My heart is sad, but today in church I was looking at all the couples who had a lot fewer children and were very happy with their life.  I love being a mom and especially a mom to a baby, but that time in my life has come and gone.  Now it is time to love and appreciate what I have and teach my children everything I can.  I cried a few times today. In the hall with a dear friend when I said, I am not going to have any more children and when I was talking to my parents and right now.  It is still tender.

Free day at the zoo

Yesterday the weather was PERFECT for our free day at the zoo.  I am really surprised it wasn't more crowded.  We have had season passes to the zoo for two years since living here, but we haven't been since the new polar bear exhibit opened.  I have to say it was amazing!  The seals were jumping in the water, the polar bear was swimming and then lumbered out of the water and then back into the water he went. The sea otters were awesome to watch playing swimming like little torpedoes.  The sea lions swimming around and playing with each other.  Super fun!

happy thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was good, but a little lonely for me.  I have taken for granted these last four years we have been in Utah that we had my sister and parents to have Thanksgiving with.  This year my parents went to my little sister's house and my sister when to her brother in law's house.  It was fun filled and we had a great time, but it just wasn't the same.  The best thing we did for Thanksgiving day was toast mini marshmallows over our candlelight while saying something we were thankful for.  I got that brilliant idea from my friend Melissa Baxter.  Oh yes, when I gave Emma some turkey, breast meat, she looked at me and said NO, I want the BONE.

Other fun highlights, Planet Play twice (a fun arcade style game center), a BYU basketball game, a BYU women's soccer game (the elite eight against North Carolina), we put up Christmas, oh and on Black Friday I was chosen to have my receipt reimbursed at Kohls!  It was seriously awesome. 

happy halloween

Yes I am out of order, but I have to play catch up every once in a while!  Sarah was a head in a jar, she went to school and everyone was amazed but it was too hot and stuffy so she took it off, it was never quite the same. That night she went out as a bird (Becca's costume from last year).  David was Bowser from Mario Brothers.  I made it and I have to say I did a great job :)  Becca was a witch, thank you for an easy classic costume!  Emma was Rapunzel in the day and for the first half of the houses trick or treating, when she got a little chilly she changed into her carebear costume (thank you DI). 

Happy birthday to my first baby

Well, my first baby is practically a teenager!  For Sarah's birthday we had her friends over and made cupcakes.  We were going to go to a corn maze, harvest festival but it snowed that day...we ended up going to a glass blowing place where we love to go, but her friends have never been.  Then we came home had cupcakes, ate pizza and played games.   I know I took pictures of her angry bird cupcakes...but WHERE ARE THEY!

Thankful for a working body and sound mind

This morning we had the opportunity of going to the development center and taking the residents to church.  It really made me grateful that I can communicate with others, walk on my own two legs (although the woman I brought to church walked all the way there (probably a good 2 city blocks). I was grateful that all of my children and healthy and can reason with me.  It really made me think of my body in a different light.

living vicariously

So you know how people say that parents try to live vicariously though their children...well, it happened tonight!  About 5 weeks ago I was asked to give the name of 3 girls from our ward to participate in the Lehi youth choir.  Sarah wasn't even 12 yet, but I asked if she wanted to do it and then recruited some of my laurels and it turned out that I had 5 young women participate.  Sarah has perfect pitch, no lie.  When she was about a year and a half the way I would get her to brush her teeth is I would sing a scale and have her sing it back to me.  Then I would sing a note, then she would sing a whole note higher or lower all the way up and down the scale.  As Sarah grew older she grew more aware of other people looking at her and being in crowds and well she didn't like it too much...she did not like performing in front of others especially in large crowds.  She didn't like primary programs, or giving a talk in primary let alone sing in front of a bunch of people.  Which is why I was SO, SO proud of her tonight.  She was in the front row, because she was one of the shortest (and probably THE youngest) and she sang with Vocal Point!  Vocal Point is a BYU men's a cappella group that is incredible.  The youth choir sang the opening and closing song with the majority of the concert being Vocal Point. After the choir sang their final number, which was amazing, Vocal Point sang an encore song and the choir was singing and dancing with them by the end.  I was just LOVING that my little girl was up there on stage with that great group!  Our computer is being worked on and as soon as it is up and going again I will post pictures.

As Sarah and I were driving home tonight she was just beaming and I said I bet this is a night you will never forget.  I told her that I loved being in choir and some of my best memories were singing in a choir. I told her she didn't always have to sing in the choir if she didn't want to, but it sure was fun!

On Friday Aaron and I went to the musical South Pacific with some of our friends.  While we were there the subject came up if I liked to go to concerts.  I said, eh, they are okay (she was talking about going to a U2 concert) but after going to tonights concert I think I would much rather go to a concert like this one than a big production.  Just all around GREAT upbeat music.  Loved it!

So, one of my friends told me that I made a resolution to write once a week for the year and the last post was September so I have 20 more posts for the year :)

She was telling me that she was writing a life history and asked me if I remembered anything from when I was 4 (the age of our girls playing).  I honestly can't remember much.  I lived in the same house for my whole life so my childhood kind of blurred together.  I remember raking leaves, family traditions, going to the creek (although I am sure not when I was 4).

My computer is in desperate need of repair so until then I will wait to post pictures...

Seeing the gardens with Boston

Last week I went to the gardens with my sister and her little boy.  We had a blast, here are some highlights.

Labor Day

Wow, three posts in a row, that must be a record!  This morning we went on a beautiful hike up big cottonwood canyon called donut falls.  It was really easy, but beautiful.  Emma hiked most of it by herself, except when Sarah offered to give her a piggyback ride :) We saw two moose calves in the woods, their antlers were all fuzzy and they were SO cute!  And look, fall is in the air or on the leaves.

Brigham City Temple open house

On Friday we went to Ogden (only about an hour north) but Aaron had a free night stay that was about to expire, so we swam in the pool and ate breakfast the next morning and then headed up to Brigham City (only another half an hour north)


It was really great to see the temple through the eyes of a child.  During the introduction movie Sarah put her head on my shoulder, I think she was just taking it all in.  When we were in the temple a few times Emma looked up and all around and said, "WOW" Becca loved the beauty of it all. David wanted to touch the water to see if it was warm, I told him that they heat it :)

Happy First Day of School!

 Here is Becca!  She is a fourth grader and loving it!  She has a wonderful teacher whom she adores already!  When I was taking her school clothes shopping Sarah picked out this shirt and I thought she would want something a little cuter but when we went to get her shoes at Target I asked if she wanted something else to wear on the first day and she said they were all too fancy for her.  I am rubbing off, even on Becca :)

Sarah is going into 6th grade, one more grade in Elementary school!  She has liked it thus far and her teacher is just her style :)

 David is going into 1st grade and is almost taller than his teacher...he picked out his shirt two weeks before school started and wanted to wear it so badly I let him one day and then the next time Sarah said, "MOM, that is for the first day of school."  okay, okay...

Funny story about David, on the second day of school he came home with a full lunchbox.  Me, David, why didn't you eat your lunch. David, oh, I left it in my backpack but don't worry I got a school lunch and it was free.  Me, it wasn't free, I paid for both lunches, if you have a home lunch you don't BUY a school lunch.

The next week David came home with a full lunchbox and said, I forgot my lunch in my backpack but don't worry mom, I didn't waste my lunch money.  David, what did you do? I just went out to recess.  Me, without lunch, yeah it's okay. Then I told him if that ever happened to go and get his lunch from his classroom!  Needless to say he had a pretty hefty after school snack.

Now Emma is the only one home with me.  She loves playing.  Her first words when she wakes up is mom, play wis me.  I have two scheduled play dates for her a week because she LOVES to play, play, play.  Mostly we play ponies, pet shops and babies.  I try to sneak in a book or two because I can read all day!  She is pretty good about reading but mostly wants to play.

Aloha, today this means goodbye!

Well, Aaron and I had a great time in Hawaii.  Here are some of our highlights, watching the sunset into the ocean, our resort, kayaking through the ocean to an island in the middle of the ocean seeing sea turtles as we went, walking through the jungle, going to the Polynesian cultural center and seeing the temple.  It was lovely!  Every minute!  Now i can't wait to go back!