Today's Word Is

Intent...

2011-06-30T18:05:00.001-07:00

I had every intention of going grocery shopping - list, menu planned, cash, full gas tank and my car keys. Not 2 minutes into the drive this happened...see above and 2 minutes later her sister followed suit. So here I am parked on the side of the road wondering, waiting, trying to keep them from waking up. Do I drive to Monterey to go to Traders assuming they will wake up by then...and if they don't, then what? Do I stay parked here? Transferring from the car to bed always results in woken up cranky kids. Safeway? Not far enough away. Drive home park in the driveway until they wake up. Do you remember when you use to grocery shop alone and not at 11pm?

Shadows

2011-06-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

i have sisters. 3 sisters. Elizabeth. Rebekah. Sarah. sisters is the english word for angels. each of my angels has played a very important role in who i am, who i am striving to be and who i have been in my previous years. they have each decided what role they have wanted and are willing to play in my life.

Elizabeth: she is my oldest angel. she is an angel with a huge heart. we are all lucky in this life to have people who love us in our lives but Elizabeth does all that she can for those she loves. for examples she was there when i gave birth to my first child, linkin. it was a difficult, long, hard delivery and she stayed all night to help...even when it wasn't fun anymore. she stuck by me at one of my most challenging times. she made all my wedding cakes (i didn't have multiple weddings. i had multiple wedding cakes all at the same wedding). i can't tell you how late she stayed up making them but i can tell you they tasted like heaven. on my wedding day as my husbands best man gave a wonderful speech about him i feared that no one would get up and speak on my behalf...guess who did, Elizabeth. once again i was loved. when graduation day came and it was time for me to leave the nest and head to college she came to my rescue. she set me up with a place to live and told me her door was always open. she eventually took me in and let me live with her and her family. again, i felt loved. i can remember as a child waiting by the window for her to come home from sacramento. i waited there so long i heard my mother say repeatedly "a pot that is watched never boils". i would have waited there all day if i had too. Elizabeth has been not only my angel but my best friend.

Rebekah: she is the second oldest angel. she is an angel that i am sure in the previous life was bbfs with Christ himself. (serious, i am not being blasphemous) Rebekah is an angel that will teach you how to love unconditionally. when all reason says to be angry and lock the door to love she loves. she gives. she works. for example, when i was pregnant with bentley and wasn't sure i could see the light at the end of the tunnel she drove all the down to my house to help me clean, prepare meals for several weeks and talk the day away with me. she makes an effort to let you know she cares, like her same day trip down for Seth's 30th birthday. she is real. she is exactly who she says she is, doesn't profess to be something she isn't. she would give you her left shoe if you needed it. there has never been a question in my mind if this angel loved me. as a child i remember her taking me with her to the lamb barns to feed her lamb. she worked so hard. at night when i would wake up and she would be in the kitchen cleaning up and doing the dishes when everyone else was asleep and would make me a PB&J and put me back to bed. Rebekah has not only been my angel but my best friend.

Sarah: she is my third oldest angel. she is an angel that has given support and strength when it was needed most. for example, when i had to conquer a very daunting task of taking bentley, my 4 month old to stanford for an mri in which she would be sedated alone, this angel came with me quietly cancelling her appointments and providing me with lunch. the huge daunting task didn't seem so hard with an angel by my side. this angel invited me to join her in what has become one of the most rewarding accomplishments of my life - the nike womens half marathon. it wasn't long after i had bentley that she called an invited me to join her. shortly after i agreed i began to doubt myself and she would reassure me that I could accomplish this. 3 miles into the race i began to panic, i didn't have to say anything and she just quietly said "one mile at a time. one mile and a time" my fear was gone. as a kid i remember sharing a room with her. there is nothing more special about sharing a room with an angel. When she went off to college she would invite me over to visit her in SLO. those were many of my favorite childhood memories. Sarah has not only been my angel but my best friend.

i am forever indebted to these three angels. my life has been truly blessed by them.

I have a father

2011-06-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

I consider myself very lucky to have been raised in a home full of love, happiness, boundaries and spirituality. I have two amazing parents. I know we all feel that our parents are great-because they are, they raised us. However my parents are exceptionally amazing. Not only did they manage to raise 6 very different, very strong-willed children they managed to do amazing things in there personal lives.

My mother (briefly since it is fathers day) has made a huge impact in our home ward. She has helped countless women become stronger better mothers, from giving advice to holding a crying baby while a mother can sleep. she has served. She has used her talents in the arts to help the community from painting the cafeteria walls to delivering handmade card to those celebrating a special event. Lastly and with great importance she has supported my father, her husband through countless concerts, art project, hartnell classes, and community events and all the while thinking "wow, mr. Graham is a hottie" (a direct quote). Thank you mom, for being supportive of a wonderful father.

As for the man of the hour, my father, Bruce Chambers Graham...he is a man who stood his ground. I remember as a youth getting ready to go to the movies, in the car ready to back out of the driveway with a car full of friends he looked over at me and with no hesitation said "you won't be wearing that to the movies go in and change". My body ached with embarrassment. However i knew two things at that moment, first, my father paid attention and cared about me and second, he had strong morals and standard for not only himself but for me as well.

My fathers impact on our community is one that can not and will not ever be replicated. He has touched the lives of so many children. From teaching them to play an instrument to teaching them to understand they have great purpose in life. Literally helping children who are struggling in their personal lives and giving the direction, hope and a stepping stone for success. He has changed the course of many children in king city for better. The community understand his role in the city and highly respects him and are willing to give support and help to him.

My father has been a great role in our home ward. He has used his talents to write music for our ward which has spread like wildfire and now being used throughout the stake. He has taught countless firesides about music and sung our favorite songs. He has worked with many youth, teaching them by example.

My fathers impact on his posterity is one that will live on forever. My children speak of him often. Reminding me to tell him how they learned a song or ran a mile...because they know he cares. They know he loves them. They know he knows them.

I was raised by two exceptional patents. For this I am grateful.

To an exceptional father I say, happy fathers day! I love you pops and am blessed, truly blessed to be called your daughter.

Summer Time

2011-06-18T23:09:00.001-07:00

here are the things we know about summer....

there will be kids up past their bedtime

it won't get over 80 degrees

we will spend more money on gas than usual

there will be grown-ups awake past their bedtime

there will be more laundry and dishes to do

we will run a lot

we will go to big sur as much as possible

i will be cooking

we will step foot on utah soil

we will watch the sunset on the beach more than once

i will lose 20 lbs

we will have lots of family time

we will see our cousions and love every minute of it

we will sleep in a tent more than once

we will laugh a lot

we will have fun

we will embrace every moment

we will soak up the sun

we will be happy!

SUMMER TIME!

final word on the hair drama

2011-04-14T10:54:00.001-07:00

i know how much cyberspace is invested in my hair and what i do with it so here's the final product!

more hair issues

2011-04-07T11:12:00.001-07:00

still not over the "chop it off" feeling!

Issues....

2011-03-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

so heres the thing...hair. as i have said so many times before...i have hair issues. i am currently growing my hair out. here is the goal...

lets not get ahead of ourselves. im not blonde. not 19 yrs old. im not 100 pounds. my hair is no where near that length. here is my current status...

now i have committed to 6 more weeks of this hair thing...growing thing. i promised my niece harper and let me tell you i have had my doubts for the past two days about this promise. but what will that make me? a promise breaker? it would. so to avoid being a promise breaker here is what i have come up with to distract myself from actually cutting my hair. i figured this might help me get a deeper understanding of my desire. and maybe get my mind off of my hair. (well that might be too much to ask)

so here it is....

a good in between

the long/short cut

the pixie cut - i love

"the one"

before we make up our minds...because i am sure we will all agree the short cuts are SO cute. lets take a look down my memory lane. because i am fully aware i wholeheartedly admire all these women. they have been through hours of hair and make-up to create these looks. they have lots of money for upkeep. they are all 30 lbs lighter than i am. so lets compare apples to apples...

long - its been years...13

short without bangs

short with bangs

pixie

so after searching through photos of myself...wow this feels like a vain post....it hasn't helped me in my decision. there are some photos i like my long hair and some short i don't like. it is just so hard to say. here is what i do know...today....i feel like my "long" hair never looks great. i mean i feel like it always looks bleh. between my hair, extra weight and my mini van i scream middle-age mom. when really i am a young, funky, fun loving mom. however looking back at some short hair pictures i see there are plenty of non-great hair days there too. there is always my back up plan or "the temptation" as i call it is....

the temptation

the tenth commandment

2011-03-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

the following are the current items that remind me almost daily of the tenth commandment. most of them are currently sitting in a "cart" in an open browser waiting to be purchased. just the same with "the boots". but as time passed they sold out and when i refreshed they were gone. they too remind me...

so for now...here's my list....

Her name is Sadie...

2011-03-17T22:50:00.001-07:00

She lives life in reverse....

Her shoes are alway in the wrong feet

When wanting to unbuckling from her booster she says "can I buckle up?"

She pushes her bangs to the side against her natural part

When you ask her the high of her day she will tell you her low of the day

When she's cold she will ask you to turn on the air conditioner

Life in reverse...

Picture taken by Sadie

here are the facts

2011-03-04T08:50:00.001-08:00

fact #1 it's a king size bed skirt on a queen bed

fact #2 the kids decided to move the bed in search of the lost stapler

fact #3 I would rather leave it like so than to put forth the effort to fix it today. It's not an easy task (see fact #1)

fact #4 but I will

I'm the one

2011-03-03T16:13:00.001-08:00

who waits in the turn lane too long to make sure the coast is clear

who is seldom seen in the movie theater

who goes through the drive thru for a diet coke

who has hair issues

who wears flip flops in the rain

who sits in the driveway with the car on just for some alone time

who loves the beach

who talks during a tv show...and commercials

who goes puddle jumping

who loves big earring but not with a necklace.

who loves heels but often wears flats

Look At Us!

2011-02-24T12:37:00.001-08:00

what a silly pair of love birds! this was just before seths mission. i love this picture.

a city girl

2011-02-19T02:03:00.001-08:00

i feel the desire to be a city girl. this is so far from who i am considering i grew up in small town and now live only 50 miles from there. however sometimes i wonder what it would be like living in the city in a small apartment, no car, lots of shoes, sushi, a tube of red lipstick, annual museum passes, an umbrella, an iPad, an expensive party dress, a city map, and a roll of quarters. Life in the city.

2011-02-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

last night i had a chance to hear a man speak about making positive changes in his life. making changes and trying to do better on a daily bases. it really hit me when he said he was 67, not that he is SO old, i realized at that point that perfection doesn't come with age. when i am 67 i will still be working on myself. i am a work in progress and will always be. there is no race to perfection. understanding that no one is perfect. we learn that. we learn no one is perfect but some how i manage to convince myself that those people around me are perfect. people don't like to talk about their weaknesses or downfalls rather about their successes. and i admit life would be yucky if we all sat around talking about our downfalls. for me its not about sitting around beating myself up but rather realizing that i am just like everyone else - not perfect. there is no reason to hate myself or stress over my imperfections. I have a life time to change and grow. realizing that one day at a time doesn't mean be perfect in all things today. it means today i can strive to do a few things better than yesterday.

today i will love myself a little more than yesterday.

Beach Fun

2011-02-15T10:56:00.001-08:00

we had a great time at the beach on Saturday! The sun was shinning, it was hot and we had great company. The day really warmed my soul!

Sadies first bloody nose and all I got was this picture

2011-02-11T06:42:00.001-08:00

It's become a tradition for the kids to walk home from the mail box around the corner from our house after I pick up the mail. I usually stop to get the mail after running errands and the kids walk and I drive alongside them. Sounds silly but the feel so independent.

So the kids are playing near the mail box while I check the mail. Sadie's nose and Linkin's head collide. Sadie started crying so I tell her to come here for a hug and a kiss. On the way over to me it happens...her nose starts bleeding. Then she notices it's bleeding and that's when the REAL tears begin. She's not one for losing blood.

Needless to say she didn't walk home. I didn't think to take a quick photo. I guess under the circumstance it would have been to much to ask for a smile. So the next day I got a picture of the blood stained sidewalk.

Sadies broken bleed as she calls it...

Goals, we all have them. This is mine.

2011-02-04T15:56:00.001-08:00

Some days I wish I were still a kid

2011-02-02T00:28:00.001-08:00

I'm kind of a big deal

2011-01-31T15:12:00.001-08:00

So Mandy posted on fb that she was doing s bucket list. My thoughts where this, "that's great but I don't have things to put on a list".

Last night I decided to put print my blog and have it bound. Which is something I have wanted to do for a long time.

Today I drove myself to big sur. Which is a huge deal because I never thought I could because of my fear of heights. How liberating.

Today I decided to make a bucket list! Looks like I have things I'd like to do in this life!

New Age Photo Album

2011-01-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

so the honest truth is, i don't scrapbook. it is a great idea. the results are lovely. i wish i did. i say i hope to. but the truth is i don't. i blog. i post photos. i facebook. but yes the question often crosses my mind what happens if blogging is no longer. what if fb vanishes. so i have made a decision and i am going to follow through...

supposedly one can have their photos uploaded to a website, organized in a book and printed all for a reasonable price. how great is that! great! so i have decided that i am going to do a few of them. heres the plan...

1. my younger years*

2. seths younger years*

3. seth and chelsea*

4. linkin birth-7yrs*

5. sadie birth-3yrs

6. b birth-1yrs

then i am thinking once a year i can do one for each of the kids and one for seth and i. after several years we will have volumes of family photos bound and worry-free.

so today i promise to complete 6 photo books by dec 2011.

*maybe more complicated because scanning is involved

our fl vacation is in full swing

2011-01-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

yesterday we had an amazing trip to the state park. wow, what a beautiful place. there was so much to see. mother nature is truly amazing. i got choked up a few times just walking through it all.

today has been a great day with merrick. he is one sweet little boy. he is very well behaved and just adoreable. we pick up mason from school in a bit and will have to do a few fun things tonight before bed.

i sure to miss mr word and my little ones!

FL here we come!

2011-01-22T17:29:00.001-08:00

raw

2011-01-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

no excuses. no im sorry. no politically correct. doesn't mean i don't love them. doesn't mean i don't see the blessing. just raw. raw emotion...

i am a mom of two special needs children. i am a mom of two special needs children. i determined months ago that the feeling i am having at this point in my life is like being on a roller coaster the second time with a major fear of heights. you know what to expect and somehow that makes it harder. seth said its like breaking your arm once on accident and then the next time having someone tell you they are going to break your arm.

it is taboo to discuss your feelings in public about having children with special needs. it is always followed up with "but look how sweet they are" or "yes but you can see the blessings". usually i can handle these responses and they do make sense. i am sure i would/have said the same things to people in a similar situation. why? becuase their is no other pc answer. "yes, that is hard and must really hurt" isn't acceptable because somehow by voicing your opinion about the sadness you feel regarding your childs needs make you sound ungrateful for the blessing of a child. or makes others think that you love them less. or that you blame God and can't see past to the beauty he has given you. but that isn't farther from the truth. i do love my children. when i look at linkin in the eyes i want to embrace him and tell him how extremely proud of him i am. and tell him that i am blown away at his strength and determination. i love his strong desire to push through the impossible. yes, i love my children. i saw miricles happen in my life because of linkin. my relationship with my savor grew so much because of linkin. does that take away the feeling of sadness when i see another 9 month old baby that is on the verge of walking? no. no it doesn't. should it? maybe.

each day i try to embrace B for who she is and what personal milestones she is making. my heart skips a beat when she sits on my lap and reaches for the magazine i am reading. shen she screams so loud she makes herself laugh melts my heart. i try to remind myself that this is all temporary and that one day this will all be behind her. when her eyes drift swifty around i remind myself that she will overcome these trials. when her arms are weak and her ataxia is pronounced i remind myself that one day she will sew. in her own time.

their is no where to voice my feelings with out fear of being judge, misunderstood of feeling the need to say "but i love them". i wish we could all understand that that is a given. i love my children. i love them more that i could ever express.

The iPhone Amazement

2011-01-20T20:22:00.001-08:00

So it hits me....maybe I can blog via my iPhone. Nope couldn't, bummer. Today it hits me again...maybe there's an app for that! Omh there is!

It's official I can blog from my phone...(even with 11% battery)

Beware, I'm going to be blogging from my car (while waiting for link to get out of school. NOT while driving), the bank while standing in line, the store while wishing Stacy and Clinton where there to see this "what not to wear" must see! Oh this is great!!!

Krazy

2011-01-19T03:48:00.001-08:00

this whole krazy coupon thing is an interesting adventure. you know how some people have writers block? well i had shopping block. what women has shopping block? i chipped, i filed, i read the website, i made my list and pulled out the right coupons but yet i couldn't walk in the door. fear, fear that i could fail or become miserably embarrassed when attention at the check outline was directed at me and my coupons.

well monday was the day. i pulled myself together and went to the store. Here is the amount i saved...

safeway savings - $87 (30 percent savings)

walgreen savings - $28 (almost 50 percent savings)

earlier in the week i went to target and hit their huge toy sale for birthday gifts and christmas gifts for this year and old navy had their 80 percent off sale so i made an appearance.

target savings - $170 (70 percent savings)

old navy - $54 (70 perfect savings)

there are a few things i realized after my first krazy shopping -

1. i had to take it slow. i just started this. i am not going to have a coupon for everything yet. i will get better and better with time.

2. it isn't just about the coupons. it is also about watching the sales and buying things that are on sale. then adding a coupon to the sale price is where the big win is. i was able to get cereal - good, name brand cereal - for $1.25 originally $3 -$4 per box. i got several bottles of juice for.99 cents.

3. make sure they charge you the right amount. after leaving walgreens i realized they didn't give me the sale price on 2 items. so i am going to go back.

4. i am motivated to have a year food storage.

i feel like my baby steps gave me big savings. i am sure as i work on it and following the plan i will continue with big savings. yay for being krazy.

i want to be a krazy coupon lady....

2011-01-14T00:43:00.000-08:00

i want to be a krazy coupon lady. i have every desire to be a krazy coupon lady. i have started the printing and the beginning stages of putting my binder together. i am truly hoping that it will all click for me and i will be a success story. i will see the amazing savings that others speak of. i truly want this for me! my friend desirae gave me a crash course on it today and i am hoping with her help and the help of thekrazycouponlady.com that i will become a master.

on the other hand....

how amazing is this? amazing. i also have every desire to have this done to my hands. how neat is this? i have been searching for the perfect khussa and in doing so i found this picture....beautiful. now i must find a place that will do it for me....maybe sadie will do it with her permanent marker....hmmmm.

Chelsea Lately

2011-01-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

i have the photos, i have 15 minutes but do i have the words? mrs. wordy is not so wordy today...

as a result of trying to get a nice photo of seth (fresh out of the shower) i got this. silly boy.

linkin pulled out his other front tooth. with dental floss i might add. i always thought that was a bunch of junk. he didn't do the dental floss/door idea rather the dental floss tied in a slip knot and yank it was out. woah!

sadie, sadie, sadie...the permanent marker says it all... ok maybe not all. we started doing preschool at home this week. the first day she was convinced that it was pretend preschool. she called me teacher. she explained to me that irene (her previous preschool teacher) did not wear earring and tried to assist me in taking them off. to date, however, she is enjoying her preschool time with me.
B...are there words for you B? words that can express your sweetness, your beauty and your smiling eyes? LOVE

Update Minus The Update

2011-01-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

i have been wanting to blog, needing to blog, hoping to blog however life has led me other directions lately. the house is quiet - sadie is passed out on the floor clinging on to her bag of fishy for dear life. link is fast asleep in the "sleepover" room, alone. B is bundled up nice and snug in her pack n play asleep. the house is in need of a cleaning, one of the cleanings where you stay awake until 1am cleaning and organizing every thing but alas my blog needs up dating so i must give in to the needs of my blog.

as i went through my pictures of our lives over the past month deciding which ones i would use in my post I realized that there was no way that i would be able catch up. so here i am sitting in the quiet of the house...me and my blog and a messy house...

ok maybe ill be inspired to post some photos but until then here it is...

my landlord asked us (again) if we took out the trash. when seth responded with "Yes" (which was the truth) he said "oh well, i noticed some of the similar things from last week were in there". end of story.

this week i took B in for her assessment at the Medical Therapy Unit in n. salinas. as i stepped up onto the sidewalk i couldn't help but think "wow, how ironic" maybe it isn't ironic. maybe there is a high percentage of families that have more than one child with special needs. but some how it is ironic to me. its like someone hit the repeat button in the game of "my life". ironic that link had eye surgery (which some how symbolized the end of his special needs adventures) nov 1st and B's mri was nov 2nd (which begun her special needs adventures). end of story.

double rainbow so intense. christmas is so intense. it is like a big firework. we all gather together get out our blankets enjoy the show and it all ends with a beautiful bang. i loved christmas this year. everything about it. family, fun, jokes, church the following day, it was beautiful. end of story.

i have had some time the past few weeks to spend at the beach. i wish i was there now. the sound of the waves, the look of the sky, the sand in my toes, the feeling of peace, the taste of the sea breeze. awwww......end of story.

cousin week rocked. payton, zane and eli came and spent a weekish with me (and the kids, i suppose). we did it all. the kids were great. fun was had by all parties. i am hoping we can do it again some time. end of story.

seth and i have been married for 9 years yesterday. amazing. he surprised me with a night stay at the mariposa in monterey. it was so fun. what a wonderful, thoughtful, loving husband. the mariposa is where we spent our first night as a married couple. end of story..............

the house is not so quiet now, B is crying. i need some chapstick.

The End

I have a Birthday Sister...Do you?

2010-11-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

This time every year I think of my Birthday Sister, Lyndee Rodgers. We all have some one some where that shares our birthday. Growing up I ALWAYS thought it was wonderful that Lyndee and I were birthday sisters. Not only did we share the same birthday, same year and live in the same town BUT we were born in the SAME hospital! So nautrally our mothers were in labor at the same hospital at the same time. Amazing right?!?

Just over 3 years ago things got even more crazy! I recieved a call or a text from Amanda, who Lyndee and I both share as a BFF. Letting me know that Lyndee was having her twins. I think I let out the biggest OMGOSH! I have ever let out. Why? Because I was in the hospital having Sadie. So our children were born on the same day same year.

So not only are we Birthday Sister, we are Birthday Sister who have Birthday Children. Haha

So to Lyndee, my birthday sister I say...

Happy birthday (tomorrow) to my Birthday Sister. You are truly one of the kindest, sweetest people with such a big heart. You have a beautiful smile that fills the room. You are some one I have always looked up to and admired. Happy Birthday Lyndee.

(I wish I had a photo of the two of us to share. Lyndee we will have to be sure to take one on our Dirty Thirty trip!)

So Sweet

2010-08-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

linkin to sadie: if isaiah (links best bud at daycare) says he doesn't want to play with you i will say "i am tired of isaiah. i need a break from him he is making me tired."

my heart was touched. he was, in his own way, saying i'll pick you over isaiah. loved it.

Cliper (Clifford)The Big Red Dog

2010-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

i took the kids to gilroy gardens the other day. we had a great time playing in the water, watching a few shows and playing on the play ground. The highlight of the day was getting to see "cliper" the big red dog. we came in late to the show so we snuck in the back. however sadie's idea of sneeking in was yelling "HI CLIPER!! HI CLIPER". she will correct you if you refer to him as clifford. at the end of the show they welcomed the kids down to dance with them on the stage. she decided to hug his leg and stay there until it was time for pictures. we stood in line and got our picture with cliper.

it was a great day!

P.S.

2010-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

sadie would sit on the table while link fed and played with the dogs. she warmed up by the end...kinda.

Dog Sit or Sit Dog

2010-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

we had a great opportunity to dog sit for a friend of ours while they were on vacation. linkin was amazing and came with me everyday. he fed them, played catch (above picture), and made sure they had plenty of water. by the end our our dog sitting time he became to really love those dogs and they him. they were great listeners and all had a great time playing ball.

Summer In Full Swing

2010-08-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

dispite what what the weather has been saying - gloomy, cold, even rainy - we have been taking control of our summer. from the our door swimming pool to staying up late summer is being had at the word home.

The World Is Green

2010-08-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

she wears these cute goggles and says "the car is green", "the house is green".

Favorite Conversation

2010-08-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

this conversation is taking place while link and sadie are watching tv a commercial comes on...

sadie: linkin buy me that!
link: only if it is less than 100 dollars
sadie: link buy me that!!
linkin: if it is less than 100 dollars i will buy it for you
sadie: LINK GIRLS NEED MORE THINGS THAN BOYS DO!!

Two With A TUTU

2010-08-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

they have their own laundry pile

2010-08-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love the way she put her shirts on backwards. I love how she puts her shoes on the wrong feet. I love she wears a tutu everyday. I love that if she's wearing pants she wearing her "boy" clothes. I love that she will eat anything. I love she ate a yucky snail one time. I love how she brushes her hair out of her eyes. I love her silly smile. I love Sadie just the way she is.

I love he's missing two teeth. I love he is "hector the collector". I love that he is so kind. I love he know how to read. I love the way he asks if I'll sing him a song till he falls asleep. I love that he bird hunts in our backyard. I love he packs his bedding and sneaks into our room at night and sleeps beside my bed. I love he makes me smile and laugh so hard I cry. I love linkin just the way he is.

I love the way she smiles a great big gummy smile. I love she smuggles with me through he night. I love her first laughter. I love she sleepy noises. I love her silly cough sound she makes when she's unset. I love her little nose, her fingers and her toes. I love little bentley just the way she is.

I love his hands and fingers. I love his handsome smell. I love his voice and the way he calls me babe. I love his bright blue eyes. I love his confidence and warm heart he wears on his sleeve. I love he snore while sleeping and even more his strong arms around me safe and secure. I love the way he looks at me. I love the way he hold our children and loves them with all he has. I love the way he listens to me. I love the way he makes me smile. I love Seth just the way he is.

God has blessed me with a life I could not ask for more. I only hope and pray He knows how thankful I am.

Sadie To A T

2010-07-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

To Me From My Mom (AKA Grandma)

Ok, I have a really cute story to tell. Sunday I decided to wear this kind of new shirt I bought, I had worn it to the Phillips wedding with two necklaces which I thought looked good so I went to put them on but couldn't find them, there were also 2 necklaces that I wore to Sarah's sealing which I couldn't find, I though I had put them in my purse but they weren't there, I was puzzled. As I thought about it I realized I had worn them both on the same weekend and that you guys had come for dinner on Sunday and that Sadie had gotten into dad's eye drops so I realized that I had just put them on my dresser and had not hung them up so I was sure Sadie had enjoyed looking at them. Then the search was on, where would Sadie put them?? Finially found them in one of the drawers in the cabinet out side our bathroom, safe and sound. It was fun to go on the hunt. Of course if it had been Linkin they would have been UNDER something. Anyway, thought you would enjoy that little story.

HOpe you are doing OK, love you mom

still not sure about this place or this family

2010-07-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

2010-07-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

we had a beautiful time...

sarah, richard and my parents

rebekah and ezra

elizabeth and sadie

some of the grandbabies

2010-07-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

not one but two....

link lost two teeth and is a rich man, the tooth fairy came!

2010-07-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

my two favorite pregnancy pictures...

2010-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Easter came and went this year. we had a great time having brunch with seth's family. we also celebrated robins birthday which fell on the same day!

not so sure about this place or this family...

2010-07-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

2010-07-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

daddy and his sleeping beauty...

2010-07-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

seth and his roomate at fitness ridge...i love this picture.

2010-07-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

linkin finished kindergarten!

mrs. A(nderson) and Link

she is an absolutley amazing teacher. i couldn't have asked for a better teacher for link!

mrs. B
she was a perfect fit for link this year. she helped him through those first few teary days.

link made a lot of great friends. andrew was his best friend and later link met his brother jeremy and loved him too.

links friend isaiah was in mrs. B kinderbloom class so they got to hang out a bit this year. isaiah is from link's preschool so they have known eachother for a long time. so fun.

2010-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

mandy came to visit...

"Together forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart.”

we had lunch with bex and paisley. yummy and super funny!

i am so grateful mandy came to visit. it was so wonderful. we went to big sur.

she made us an amazing dinner. italian wedding soup. it was out of this world. i have a big shoe to fill.

the most amazing part of the trip was our girls night out. we met up with several friends from high school and had dinner. it was amazing. it was ment to be, i don't think we could have laughted harder, eaten more, moved to another resturant or hung out in the parking lot longer. we all had a wonderful wonderful time!

2010-07-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

can't get enough of sadie...
she came in eating a stack of empty hamburger buns! what a QT! she makes me laugh...

that smile is just sweet as candy and usually sticky too...

she dresses herself and is most often seen in a tu tu. love that she wearing link's undies with her tu tu. we love sadie!

2010-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

just before school got out we went on a road trip: sacramento, chico and davis. we had a great time visiting everyone. in sacramento we hung with elizabeth and enjoyed laugh after laugh. in davis we hung with the graham family and played at the awesome park. in chico we hit up the chico fair.

the picture above is zane convincing link that this ride is fun while link repeats "please stop (the ride) please stop, please stop). lets just say he is his mothers son.

every kids wins and win they did.

payton, payton , payton...that girl loves to ride the scariest of them all. she even out lasted zane here....well zane wasn't going to let a girl beat him so he went on the ride 2x with payton however she loved it while zane "LOVED it (we would say loud)...it was scary (he would say softly)"

that was a fun trip!

2010-07-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

sadie....

....enough said

2010-07-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

linkin and the jog-a-thon

link did the school jog-a-thon and i couldn't have been prouder. he is one determined kid. i was so impressed at how many laps he ran, 11 laps in 15 minutes!! he kept on running even when it was hard. he kept up with all the kids in his class. he never gave up.

after he logged in his lap count he got a popsicle and some free-play time. way to go link!!

only because it is funny

2010-07-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

that would be a large diet coke on the floor of my car.

story: i was driving to king city, 50 miles from salinas, 20 minutes in i realize i am so tired i don't think i will be able to make the drive. however now that i am half way whats the point in turning around. so i stop in soledad to get myself a coke which will insure i make it to king city awake. just as i pull out of the taco bell driveway my soda, one sip short of full, falls out of my hand and on to the floor. i disbelief of what had just occurred kept me awake the remainder of the drive.

2010-07-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

she is a beautiful, wonderful, amazing lady i hope to grow to be like her

2010-07-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

a few days after bentley's arrival (i keep referencing life before and after bentley...silly silly) the kids and i got out the finger paints and well lets just say we got more paint on ourselves then on the paper. this was a fun filled afternoon.

2010-07-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

as bentley's arrival came closer and closer we found ways to entertain ourselves. we decided to celebrate a "unbirthday" to us. We made crowns, play pin the tongue on the frog, and even made cup cakes, sang and blew out the candles. it was a very happy unbirthday to us!

she's just cute!

2010-07-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

we were all waiting

2010-07-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

bentley is over 2 month old now...i remember months ago when we were all waiting her arrival. sadie was just as anxious as we all were...however she founds ways to make the time pass and take advantage of bentley's closet. sadie came out wearing one on bentley's outfits!

Baseball Season

2010-07-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

linkin decided he wanted to sign up for tball. it wasn't an easy desision by any means. he was unsure about the whole baseball thing until he saw/heard a friend from school would be signing up. that made things a little easier.

once signed up he was a happy boy. with dad as the assistant coach you can't go wrong. he had a great season and ended with the "most inspirational player" award! GO Linkin!!

Seth + Kids + Golf = Super Cute

2010-07-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

As a proud Mom I say: They are naturals!

2010-05-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Running

i am really enjoying running these days. i really enjoyed running prior to my pregnancy but i think since i didn't run for 9 months i realized how much i took it for granted. i am really enjoying it. my goal is 30 miles in 30 days. i have 15 miles down so far. i am running between 1 and 2 miles per day and LOVING it!

i heart running

2010-05-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

Bentley Word

I am proud, excited, happy, thrilled to announce that Bentley Word joined our family April 26, 2010 at 5:04pm. She was 8 lbs 4 oz (which is exactly what Sadie weighed). She was 20.5 inches long. She is HAPPY, HEALTHY and BEAUTIFUL (if I may say so myself).

We are all very much in LOVE with her!

2010-04-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Summer is just around the corner and I couldn't be happier. I always, always enjoy the winters (if you consider Salinas winters really winters). I enjoy the rain, the fog, and the crisp air in the morning. However when Spring hits and we roll into Summer I am reminded just how much I missed the Summer. I LOVE the beach, the windows open, the kids running in the backyard, putting my scarves and shoes away, being outside late because it still warm, the smell of BBQ, and everything that Summer brings.

With that said I bought a snow cone machine at Target the other day with all the fixing. I thought it would be a great weekend activity. It was a success. The kids just loved it. It was fun, from shaving the ice to pouring in the flavors to eating them outside in the sun. It was fun! I am looking forward to many more sunny afternoons with the snow cone machine.

I have to pay tribute to my trip to see Mandy last summer. They actually have a Snow Cone Stand that sells all kids of flavors and they have the coolest names. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast getting a snow cone or two while we were there. It was so fun. I couldn't pass up a opportunity to have one at home after that!

Fun, recommended, yummy!

2010-04-16T18:57:00.001-07:00

Pregnancy

gestational pemphigoid

itchy

flesh eating rash

steroids

gestational diabetes

insulin shots

finger pricking 7 times daily

large birth weight

food restriction/monitoring

breech

external cephalic version

c-section

discomfort

insomnia

non-stress tests bi-weekly

fear

swelling

amniocentesis

full-term no option

37 week delivery

information overload

Pregnancy

gift from God

excitement

tiny toes

tiny fingers

love

beautiful little girl

internal kicking

watching her move in utero

ultra-sounds a peek inside

responsiblity

milestones - rolling, walking, giggling, talking

chubby cheeks

little feet

kisses

The Hair Battle

2010-04-07T17:20:00.001-07:00

I am sure you all know I have a battle with hair. Long, short, up, down, shave my head, down to my knees, black, brown, red, funky, spunky. Anyway, I have this battle. What I am realizing is that it is leaking over on to my kids as well. What I mean is that I am fighting an inner battle too let my kids hair just be.

Here's the thing...I think short hair suits Sadie just well. I think it is super cute and perfect for her face shape. I know I am no hair dresser but it is my life dream so in my mind I am and I know just what I am talking about. However, her daddy (not his life dream to be a hair dresser) thinks she looks lovely with long hair and continues to tell me that he just loves how it is growing and she is looking more and more like a little girl. I am holding back every desire in my heart to take her into the bathroom and give her a cute little shorter hair cute. The only real thing keeping me from doing anything and I mean anything at all to her hair is, ok there are two things. 1. Seth notices EVERYTHING a little snip of the bangs and he will notice. He was gone for 4 weeks and I gave her bangs a little little little trim and the first thing he says when he says is something regarding Sadie's bangs. 2. the last time I trimmed her hair he begged me not to and I took a oath not to cut her hair. (What was I thinking!!) So needless to say there is nothing and I mean nothing I can do. I don't even think this kind of act would fall under the "I am pregnant and totally forgot I said I wouldn't cut it." Or the "I am nesting and cleaning out my clutter Sadies long hair was just on of those things that had to been cleaned."

Problem number to with a hair battle is if my two year old, Sadie is going to have long hair then it should be pulled back neatly or brushed nice or some thing...right? Well she doesn't like her hair being up so I run into this problem - I put her hair up and after it dries she pulls it out thus leaving it looking well wild because it should be up but isn't up. Phew, I can feel my blood pressure rising just talking about it.

Linkin's hair on the other hand is a different story. Seth doesn't seem to care one way or another. Which does give me some sense of peace. Well, he is going to have hair stories to talk about later in life because I get the urge to cut Sadie's hair and I take Linkin back and give him a nice cut! Hahahah. I gave him a hair cut the other day, pretty much at his request, and it looks great. I was really liking the long shaggy look but once I chopped it all off I was delighted with the outcome. So nice, clean and really compliments his face. (see I know what I am talking about!)

Now as far as my hair. I have been watching Idol and adore Ellen and pretty much want to be her. I ADORE her hair and want it on my head however the 9th month of pregnancy says "Heck NO!" with my face being so round and puffy and the rest of my body matching my face a super short cut isn't going to work for me at this point. So I am convincing myself that some time from now after the baby weight it gone I will go in and convince my hair dresser to chop it all off but until then I will deal with the puffy look. I was daydreaming about extensions the other day and how it would really help slim my face down a bit. hahahahahahaha a girl can dream. Do you think a little extra hair could shave off 45-50 pounds? I was hopeful.

Well, there is my hair battle.

Peanut Peanut Butter

2010-03-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I will just start by saying this is not one of my children or do I know this child however I felt like this picture best described my love for peanut butter.

I have always had a wonderful relationship with peanut butter. I imagine it was love at first sight and our relationship has grown over the years. My favorite peanut butter meal is a spoonful of peanut butter topped with a few (hahaha) chocolate chips. Yummy. That was my regular monthly bindge growing up. I never got quite as into the jar as this little baby but I can relate.

I have been very limited to the amount of peanut butter I can have lately because it affects my blood sugar but I can't help but have a bit here and there....ok daily. However I have been trying to keep my consumption low and pair it with something a bit more nutritionally sound.

Oh how I love you peanut butter.

This Is What We Call Spring

2010-03-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

As Linkin said the other day "May comes in as a lion and leaves as a lamb". It was been so beautiful the past week. Windows open, sun shinning, birds flying, it has just be so beautiful. My fondest memories of my childhood where the times we spent outside playing and playing. We were blessed with a big yard and lots of built in friends, my siblings, plus my mom did daycare so we were set. I remember running in the sprinklers, slip and sliding, climbing the trees and just having so much fun being a kid!

Today the kids got a chance to play out side in the sprinklers and soak up the sun. It brought back a lot of memories for me. So fun!

Off Work

2010-03-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

As seen in my previous blog I have a rash I have been dealing with. I know it isn't the best topic to write on but my mind if full and I need to get out some thoughts. Turns out the "mild but intensely itch" rash I had with my other two children has returned with this pregnancy but has come on with a vengeance and is actually a rare autoimmune disorder called pemphigoid gestationis. In just a matter of days it gotten a bit out of hand. What started as a red itchy belly has turned in to a full body nightmare.

I have been in an out of various doctors offices. Since it is rare "pregnancy disease" it has been a new adventure for most doctors I have seen. My first visit to my OBG regarding the rash I was told I also had gestational diabetes. I actually almost laughted at the doctor when he told me this because I didn't have it with my other two and figured they must have gotten me confused with someone else. Turns out after another test that I do in fact have it. However gestational diabetes is well know in the world of OBG's so it was not big thing, I can monitor it with my eating and should be fine. However when you have pemphigoid gestationis the treatment is steriods and one of the side effects of the steriods is an increase in blood sugar levels. As the high risk doctors said "This would only effect you if you had GD" Me, laughing out of sheer disbelief "I do have it actually." I didn't have it with my other two why, why all of this in one pregnancy? So, most likely I will begin insulin on Friday after they get an idea of where my blood sugar is once I have a full day on the steriods.

So what does this all mean? I will be closely monitored by the diabetes center and my OBG. Off work until delivery. I will have non-stress tests done twice a week, a few more ultra sounds to monitor the baby and most likely and early delivery. Hopefully my body will be helpful and respond to the different medications and work with me on this.

What else does this mean? I am not a fan of being in public. I am tired from lack of sleep. The itching is horrible and sends me into meltdowns regularly.

I am not looking for sympathy just typing out my thoughts about the whole situation. Just praying God will guide me through these next few weeks with safety and peace of mind.

The Rash

2010-03-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

Lately my life has been consumed by CVS Pharmacy. Standing in the store walking up and down the isles trying to decide what cream or spray I should buy today. To date I haven't found the perfect cream.

I saw the doctor yesterday and the rash I have is called "PUPPPs Disease". There is no real explanation for it, no cure other than delivery and luckily no harm other than sleepless nights of itching and scratching.

It is one ugly rash.

I had it with my other to kids as well however this time it has started much earlier and has come on much stronger than before.

Anyway, not too many details as it is a yucky, ugly rash but I am anxiously awaiting my "Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap". Supposed to work wonders. I won't hold my breath....but I'll be hopeful.

Sleep Sleep Sleep

2010-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

Sadie Asleep In My Closet
Linkin Asleep at 7 pm at Ellis Having Dinner With My Parents

They find the most creative ways to fall asleep. These creative times make our normal 7:15pm bed time full of reading, songs, and prayers seem so bland resulting in 45 minuntes of muffled sounds from their room "I am hungry, I am thirsty, I am scared, etc". I am thinking I should change things up and take Link to Ellis at bed time and set Sadie up in my closet next to my shoes. Hmmmmm. We will see.

Outfits

2010-02-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Fashionista In The Making

Super Sweet, Super Loving

2010-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

Sadie wasn't feeling so great and needed some down time. Linkin decided he wanted to help out and let her rest on him lap. Does it get any cuter?

Today Sadie repaid the favor. While at dinner Linkin asked for more chicken and Sadie gave him one of hers. Too cute.

I love to see the kids interact with each other.

Valentines Day

2010-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

The kids had a wonderful, candy filled day. They made the cutest hats at school, they got the sweetest cards from their teachers and friends and they even got a little something from Mom and Dad. Our day was full of Love Love Love!

2010-02-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

As I begin my third trimester I realize that I don't feel much like myself. My emotions are running wild, my body is so far from what it use to be, my energy level is not even what it was last week and it is hard to keep my eye on the light at the end of the tunnel. As I got ready for church this morning I thought of just how easy it would be to stay home and relax all day. Nothing seemed to fit right, my make up just doesn't look the same, my hair...moving on, and the kids were having a hard time getting ready. However I felt this overwhelming desire to go despite my challenges. Boy am I glad I did.

Today's lesson was on service. Since Seth has been gone I have had numerous occasion where I have been served by sister in my ward, my in laws and my parents. Last week I did so much complaining about rude comments being made about my pregnant self as well as other things and all the while I was continually being serviced by amazing people.

I have never taken my visiting teaching very seriously. I mean to say I just never made it a priority. It always felt awkward and out of my comfort zone. Over the past several months and especially this month I have been blessed with the importance of visiting teaching. My visiting teacher has gone over and above on numerous occasions to help me. From bringing me dinner to making sure I was ok when the power went out...all the while being more pregnant than I am. She comes every month and every time she does I am left feeling overwhelmed with love and a desire to be a better person. She is truly amazing. I feel so blessed to have her as my visiting teacher and my friend. I, for the first time see the importance of visiting teaching and can't wait to get my visiting teaching list and start spreading the love my visiting teacher has showed me. I feel overwhelmingly blessed.

There are others who have showed me such wonderful love and service from surprise flowers on my door step, picking up Linkin for the day, watching my kids overnight so I can work the next morning, fixing my lights and toilet and calling to catch up these and many other ways I have been shown love and service this past month.

Thinking of all these things made me realize that the negative things I have focused my mind on the past few days are so small, so insignificant. It is these loving, kind act that are important are the things I will remember rather than the negative.

As I sat in church listening to the lesson on service my heart was so full. My mind was truly unable to wrap around all the kind acts of service I have been shown over the past several weeks.

I am truly thankful to have the church/gospel in my life. To feel such a wonderful connection to my ward family and to know that I have people around me that love and support me and will help me when I am in need. What a wonderful example you have all been to me. Teaching me and helping me strive to be better to show my love to each of you. I realized that each person who has shown me love and service has a busy life with many other things to do however they took the time to show me love and service. I truly feel blessed.

I pray that I will be able to show service and kindness to all of those in my life. That I will be more aware of the things that I say and the way I act towards others. I will do my best to be more Christ-like and learn from those wonderful examples around me.

Thank you to all you!

I am blessed.

2010-02-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

I promise a positive blog will be coming....

I woke up yesterday morning realizing just where pregnancy had led me - oversized, emotional and very tired. I was trying to figure out how to stop or slow down the weight gain process, even maybe shed a few pounds before my next appointment.

The thing that got me through my self pity party was this blog (I am blog stalker). I was thinking back to Robins blog. I thought "if someone like Robin can feel this way during pregnancy we all do." What I mean is that she is beautiful pregnant or not. She looks great while she is pregnant and yet she even has her days with pregnancy. I am in no way comparing my pregnant self to hers rather relating to her feelings during this last stretch of pregnancy.

As my day went on I continued to battle with my negative feelings regarding myself image at this time. Later that day I had a conversation that I will not elaborate on but it was hurtful in terms of how large I am when I am pregnant. It reafirmed my what I had already been stressed out about all day.

After a chat with my mother, who listened and was so sweet to help me through the whole thing, I began to feel a little better. I felt like I may be able to show my face in public and be ok.

I woke up this morning feeling ready for the day. Once at work I decided to go get a bite to eat. I headed next store to the Deli. While waiting in line a table of men got my attention.

"That's what you get for fooling around" Man

"I know, I should have learned the first two times" Me - laughing it off

"Three is a crowd. You are done. That is enough" Man

I turned and walked away. I am just tired. I am tired of people having an opinion of my weight, the number of children I am having and honestly anything I do in my life that doesn't effect them.

I realize that I am in the final weeks of my pregnancy and emotions are hightened but I am just getting frustrated with all these comments. I also realize that some people don't have filters and some just don't know what else to say so they make awkward comments but I am tired of excusing them because I am left with my feelings hurt.

Today I was trying to figure out the nicest way to let one person know my feelings were hurt about our conversation. I was so worried about hurting their feelings when I realized they had no regard when it came to my feelings. The words that were said were said this out any care as to how they would make me feel. After 10 minutes of "She was huge" I was left hurt and they moved on with their day. At that moment I addressed the situation with no regard for their feelings. I was going to say what I needed to no matter what it meant. If they don't speak to me again it will be no loss to me.

I know that their have been times in my life that I have offended people. I have said the wrong things, I have spoken out of turn and I have left someone feeling bad. I sit here with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow to those I have ever offended my intent was never to offend.

I hope the lesson that I can learn from this is to be more kind, more loving more aware of the things I say to others. I also hope that over the next several weeks I can come to a place where I am feel ok with my pregnant self, that I can rejoice in my round body and thank God for blessing me with the oportunity to carry a sweet sweet spirit.

I realize that the comments won't stop but I hope I feel find some way to move past them and to find strength to stand up for myself at the time the comments are made.

2010-02-02T18:38:00.001-08:00

I had a idea for a post...but seem to have lost it

I was feeling sorry for myself while making/serving dinner. I made sandwich steaks for dinner tonight that I had seasoned and cooked. Yum. I served them to the kids and sure enough the complains begin to roll in.

"Mom, these are burnt" Linkin

"No, they are cooked" Me

"They look burnt to me" Linkin

"If you don't want to eat them go to bed." Me

The complains continued through bath time.

"Its too cold"

"wash her first"

"I don't want to stand up"

"I am not ready to get out"

One after another. I kept thinking to myself "is it wrong to put your kids to bed at 630 pm?" The only thing that really stopped me was the idea that they would then be up at 5 am ready to go.

Anyway, so here I am complaining! Ha Ha. How does that work. Seriously though, I am grateful for this time that I have with the kids. It is really giving me a chance to evaluate myself as a mother/parents. Really having them test me and then doing my best to make the situation work. I have had my break downs but I also feel like I am learning a lot about parenting. It really is a job for 2 people but I can see if I keep working on it I can make positive changes.

So, complaining is done.

2010-01-31T18:18:00.000-08:00

Flighting A Cold Productively

1. Herbal Tea

2. Rest, Rest, Rest

3. Soup

4. Rest

I realize this is the best way to fight a cold however I chose a different route that seems to have worked just as well.

I tied up many loose ends around the house. From getting new pillows and a few decor items to filing all my past bills that I have neglected for so long, doing laundry, vacuuming, taking out the garbage cans, and rearranging some rooms in the house. I did however fit a nap in there today. I feel so good about all my accomplishments that I think it might acutally be helping my cold. Is the even possible? Well, either way I have the evening to relax and feel like I can start this next week with much less stress because I have things in order.

The kids are also fighting mild colds so they are relaxing and having movie night, popcorn and milk. Can't beat that.

I think this evening I will refer to the beginning of the blog and shower myself with -

1. Herbal Tea
2. Rest, Rest, Rest
3. Soup
4. Rest

2010-01-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

"I will remember this time forever"

The other day I was picking up crayons from the floor thinking "Why do I let my kids play with crayons". I realized that because of my desire to keep my house tidy I was neglecting to allow them to be creative. We don't have any musical device that the kids can use and no real good place for the kids to sit down and read a book (on their own time. We read at night but a place they could snuggle up and read). I also reflected on my childhood and how crafts and such were always at our finger tips. We were raised in a very creative home. Many of my other siblings homes reflect the same idea, the creative idea. This is when the idea struck me....

We have some extra space in our front room that has been empty (I never minded it. I like open space). I decided this would be a great place to make an "Art Station". So using many of the things we already had around the house I pulled together a little art area, music space, and reading center.

The kids were so excited they couldn't even manage to wait until it was completed. They began creating the moment they could. The music played until bed time and we even read a few books while they hung out on the bean bag chairs. Linkin's favorite song is Puff the Magic Dragon. He has been replaying it over and over again.

This morning first thing the tow of them did was come out and begin creating. I am still trying to figure out the balance between craft making and mess making. This morning was a little rough with the whole idea of cleaning up what they had done before they moved on to the next thing. I anticipate I will figure myself out in the next few days and so will they. My book says we all will by Friday .

I am thrilled the kids have really taken to this area. I am looking forward to them being able to create.

And to top if off Linkin says last night while he is creating and listening to Puff the Magic Dragon "I will remember this time forever".

2010-01-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Question Of The Day -Today I was asked an interesting question.

"Does Seth Intend To Keep Eating Healthy And Exercising When He Comes Back?"

Now I can't answer for him but here are my thoughts regarding this question. If he didn't intend on keeping up on a healthy eating plan and do some kind of exercise I don't think there would have been any point to him going to the fitness ridge in the first place. Maybe the question was intended more like "Does he intend to continue to lose weight when he comes home?" so with that I kindly said "Yes, he does".

I understand that when Seth decided to go on BL, a national program, he was opening himself up to questions, prodding, and criticism however over the past few years I have be come more and more annoyed that people have an negative opinion regarding his weight.

To avoid going into detail about my feeling on the subject. (since these nay sayers aren't those of you who read my blog) I leave my post with this...

We all have struggles, we all do things at some point we swore we never would, we all have some vice that we use to comfort ourselves, we all have a hard time admitting we have problems and we all have stress in our lives. It is better that we spend our life continually trying, even when we regress than to admit defeat and become sedentary.

I am so proud of Seth and his choice to go to the fitness ridge. He is an amazing husband, father and man. He is like no one else I have ever met. He has been asked to attend a conference at work for the top 10 new producers in this company. He is a loving Father who loves his kids and has a wonderful ability to balance disapline and love. Both Linkin and Sadie great respect for him. He is a loving and supportive husband. He is amazing at showing is appreciation and love for me. I feel so blessed to be married to a wonderful man. I feel so blessed, so truly blessed.

2010-01-25T16:23:00.001-08:00

Linkin Turns 6 - Part 1

(becuase I have so much to say and we are only half way through the day!)

Today my little Linkin reminds me is isn't so little any more. He turned 6 today! He has been looking forward to this day for a long time. He was up at 5am ready to celebrate. Sadie and Linkin were sleeping next to eachother. 5am Sadie "Mom, PLEEEEAAASE put me in my crib, Linkin is touching me". He was so excited he kept bumping her and kicking her with excitment. So off to her crib she went.

Finally at 6am I allowed him to get out of bed. He was THRILLED his room was decorated. Last night he kept saying "you are going to decorate my room while I am sleeping right? Right?"

There's the birthday boy. When Sadie woke up she walked by his room, with hands on her chest starring at the sign "Happy Birthday, I am 19! Mom, I am 19. Happy Birthday". Oh No!
Linkin arrives at school where he is crowned super birthday boy for the day!
Minor set back - Linkin has had some hive like activity on his body so he needed to be picked up from school early. By the time we got in the car and down the street swelling was gone and everything was normal. Strange.
Same here. Last no more than 40 minutes then GONE!?!

Linkin enjoying every moment of his WII!

We were bowling together and after his score - Strike, Strike, Spare, Strike, Spare, Spare, Strike (im not kidding) He sits on the couch, kicks up his feet and says "So I have been practicing a bit!"

Linkin was happier than ever to get a gift card in the mail from Mason and Family! He knew exactaly what he wanted to do with the money so he bought some walkie talkies. That was #2 on his birthda wish list! Thank you Mandy!!

Well, the cake is in the oven, the house needs to be put in order and dinner prepared before Nan and Pops get here for a special dinner.

Better hit the road jack!

2010-01-21T18:07:00.001-08:00

Decorating...

Since I have been home the past few days I have had a lot of time to see what my house looks like. A few weeks ago we watched some home videos that were taken in our favorite apartment ever in Sacramento. I got a chance to see my old decor. Today I pulled out these old pictures of another favorite apartment here in Salinas. I remember going shopping for home decor with my mom after we moved here. I was so excited once we got everything done. I loved the way my house looked. We have since moved and although all of our stuff came with us it just doesn't looks the same by any means.

Here is the old decor -

I will not be inserting pictures of our current decor however I will say it isn't the same. I know paint and really the style of the house play a big part in deocrating and our home was built in the 80's (my least favorite time period as far as music, decor, clothing and such) funny since I was born in the 80's. So things look a little out dated topping it off with some beat up furniture. The above pictures where When we only had one child and he was still very young so things stayed nice. Also, since we rent we don't have the ability to change anything or to pain in anyway.

So here is my goal, we have some bills to take care of first and once those are taken care of I am going to begin saving for the ideal furniture and decor I want. From the kids bedrooms to the bathrooms making every room have a style and one that blends throughout the whole home. Which I am thinking is contemporary. So by my 30th birthday (2 years from now). I will have my bills taken care of and a beautifully decorated home.

Until then I will enjoy and embrace my eclectic home and start cutting out pictures of my ideal decor in magazines.

Go Team November 2011!

2010-01-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Reading And This Morning

This morning. Having Seth out of town has given me to chance to get to know myself better. I have already cried about what I have learned so far. Got that out of my system. As I sat here sulking in my inability to parent and such I was blessed with a reminder "Have A New Kid By Friday". My mother, in a loving way I think I had asked for advice, has suggested this book to me months ago. I put the note aside and kept on with my bad-self and my bad-parenting (maybe a little harsh but just need the dramatic effect). Parenting can be so hard, confusing, and leaves me feeling unsuccessful. Linkin is a loving, kind soul that wants to please and protect. Sadie is a strong-willed, care-free, independant soul that wants badly to be 6 even though she is only 2. Well after my sulking was complete, it took some time. I blew my nose and followed the prompting to order myself the book my mother had suggested. What better time to start becoming a better parent than now. So I ordered the following books.

I imagine I will be a new mom by Friday which will result in better children by Friday. I know clearly who is responsible for those children and their behavior. Can't wait to start reading.

2010-01-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Where In The World Is Seth Word?

My Wonderful Husband

There he is!

Seth decided to take a big step in the right direction! He headed to "The Biggest Loser Fitness Ridge". It is a facility where people can go to lose weight and focus on their health. http://www.biggestloserresort.com/ . He sounds very happy and very empowered. I am so impressed by him and his strength!

Go Seth!! We Love you!

2010-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

The Broken Bleed

If you ready my mother's blog then you got a wonderful version of Sadie and her broken bleed . (mom, I loved your version!) If not here is just a quick background to these pictures below.

This weekend we spent time at my parents house. Sadie picked up a piece of sharp tile and Link came to her aid and took the tile from her which caused a pretty deep cut with some deep red blood. Under normal circumstances a bandaid would have done the job however this was Sadies first "broken bleed". She was unable to cope all day. She refused a bandaid and would only allow a wadded up paper towel to be placed on her finger. Hours later, nap and all, when my dad came home she was still pretty broken up about it. Explaining to him her tragic "broken bleed"

2010-01-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Sadie has a new love - dressing herself. Dressing herself as she sees fit for any thing and everything. She can not be swayed on her decision and she will be happy wearing a ball gown to a mud fight. It is her way or the high way when it comes to dressing herself.

The princess at the park
Woke up and came out dressed like this. Ready for the day!

Last but not least princess of PJs. Nothing better.

I imagine it doesn't change with time, the dresses just get more expensive. Start saving up now right?!?

2010-01-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

Link and a camera. (this is for my famous, Sundance Festival brother Robert). Seth gave Linkin his old (slightly broken) video camera and I will tell you he has been having the time of his life. Recording everything from the birds/sky to video taping a movie on TV to watch again later. He could be happier.

2010-01-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Before Seth headed on his adventure we decided we would take the kids out for a little fun time. We headed to the driving range where the kids had a blast! How cute are they?!

2010-01-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Some day I will own a car just like this one. Perfect and beautiful!

2010-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

We always have a great time at the beach! Digging holes, going on adventures, playing in the water, watching the waves...it is all so wonderful!

2010-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

We decided to do some hiking in Toro a few weekend ago as a family. We had a great time hiking.

Sadie Made It To The Top
So Did Linkin

Link Collecting Rocks In Case We Came Across A Bear!

2010-01-11T17:43:00.001-08:00

Linkin is so funny!

So we are recording a video to send to Seth (on my iPhone) and Linkin says "I'm joking, I'm joking, really I'm joking." If you haven't noticed he has a bit of a lisp so it sounds, well not as clear. Maybe a little like he has food in his mouth while he is saying it. Anyway, you get what I mean. Before I sent the video Linkin asked to watch it back (mind you, he doesn't notice he has a lisp). While watching it he says "Why am I saying Gthoking, Im Gthoking. Why do I sound like that?" I said "Sweetie that is what you sound like." Linkin says "No, your phone is broken!"

I laughed so hard! Just one of those SUPER cute moments!

2010-01-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

I have often thought there was no better sound than that of the waves crashing in the early morning. I was so wrong. As much as I love the sound of the ocean there is nothing better than hearing my children play together. Imagining, believing and enjoying eachother. I would take that over the beach any day. God has truly blessed my life.

2010-01-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

My dream has come true. I have brother's that are Mac lovers and got iphones (like 2 years ago or something like that). I have had iPhone envy since then. To my surprise Seth got me an iPhone for our Anniversary....8 years...I was so excited and am still so excited. I just love my new phone!! Yeah for iPhones!

2009-12-29T15:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas Recovery

My house has not been the same since Christmas morning. It isn't so much about lack of cleaning because I have been cleaning as much as this pregnant body can clean however it just keeps snowballing.

Reason 1: The kids got new toys

Reason 2: The kids don't have school this week

Reason 3: Sadie's been waking up at 3am getting out of bed and playing for a hour and half dragging toys from room to room while everyone is asleep

Reason 4: My level of energy to keep up with it all isn't adequate

Just hoping to find some energy before....

Or at least a cleaning service.

2009-12-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's A Girl!!

We were all surprised to hear the technician say "It's a Girl!" We were all sure we were having a boy. Linkin was so sure that he knows the tech was wrong and I will be delivering a boy. Dispite his opinion we are moving forward with the idea it is a girl. YAY Hoooray!

What is Seth going to do with two princesses in the house?

2009-12-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

Week 19 -

Aside from the roundness of my face and other body parts, I am enjoying pregnancy. I am enjoying that the morning sickness is gone, for the most part. I am enjoying that I have a bit more energy then I did a few weeks ago. I am enjoying picking out names (I have my heart pretty set).

I am really excited that I will be finding out the gender of this baby on Wednesday. I always look forward to this ultrasound and always look forward to knowing if it is a boy or a girl. As much as I am looking forward to knowing the gender, I am more excited about seeing that everything is ok. That the baby is happy, healthy and moving around nicely. I know as women we all hope for that with the babies we are carrying but for some reason I feel that more strongly this time.

My thoughts on this are this....Linkin is so excited about having another sibling, Sadie talks to my belly and Seth comments on his love for my ever growing belly. When other people are invested in your pregnancy, in this baby it makes things more real. It makes my desire for things to go smoothly stronger. Does that make sense.

Anyway, needless to say I am looking forward to my ultrasound on Wednesday. I will keep you all posted.

Is it funny that I am looking forward to my stay in the hospital? It is months away but it is always such a special time for me. Those first days with a new baby where you are not worried about food and laundry. Awwww I look forward to that time. Silly.

2009-11-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

How lovely is a box of crayons? Crayons and I have had a relationship for about 26, 27 years now maybe even longer. It is an on and off relationship but I never forget about crayons. When I hear crayons I always smile. Today I had a little reminder of what it felt like the first time I met crayon. Linkin got his first real 48 count box of crayons.

His response "WOW, there is even tan! VIOLET!! They even have gray!"

How amazing to have all the colors of this world in your finger tips.

Dreaming....

2009-11-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

I wish I were napping...however I have a list of things that need to get done.

2009-11-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Today Linkin and I had the chance to go up to San Jose together. He had a doctor appointment so we had the afternoon to ourselves. We went to the doctor and then headed to Santana Row. We had lunch and then headed over for a little treat. We went big today.

After our treat (ben and jerry's) we headed over for a big game of chess! It was fun!

We summed up the afternoon by fufilling one of Linkin's dreams. We added a member to the family. We call him Peter Pan, Fisher, Jerry or Pirate. Whatever sounds good at the time. We will see if anything sticks.

He couldn't be happier with his new fish. He told Seth he never needed to play the iPhone again he would be too busy playing with Fisherman Jerry Pan! Haha. We will see how long that lasts.

It was a great day!