Growing up...

Z and K are at a Stake Priesthood meeting right now. I am feeling tortured because I was not invited. AHHHH!!!

Okay...Let me back up a week and start at the beginning.


After church last week, Z had to stay for BYC. When he got home here's how the conversation went:
Z: "Hey Mom. Some man at church asked me to give a talk at a meeting."
Me: "Who asked you?"
Zh: "I don't know. I never saw him before. Some old man. He was nice.
Me: "What meeting?"
Z: "I don't know. A church meeting with some men. He said that I was to talk about something, I can't remember what, but it's in one of my books.
Me: "What book?"
Z: "I think one of my Young Men books. He said that it should be 5 minutes long.
Me: "Okay...was it one of your leaders?"
Z: "No, I never saw him before."
Me: "Was one of your leaders with you when he asked you?"
Z: "No. I was in the hall waiting."
Me: "When did you say this talk was for?"
Z: "Maybe next week. He said it was at 6 o'clock, in the morning, I think. So, can you help me?"
Me: "Okay...so, some man asked you to speak at some meeting at 6 in the morning that might be next week about something for 5 minutes ...and no one was with you when he asked you? Sure...I can help you. I just need a little more information."
Z: "It's okay, Mom. He said to just follow the spirit and to share my testimony."
Me: "Really.....? Great! Go get your books!"
As he runs off to find his Young Men books, I'm trying to figure out: AAHHHHHH!!!!!WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?

The phone rang shortly. The voice said, "This is President Schroder from the Stake Presidency. I was visiting your ward's Young Men's Priesthood meeting today and I had the pleasure of meeting your son, Z, for the first time. His spirit made such a strong impression on me and I have been unable to stop thinking about him. He has such a pure, kind spirit about him and I want the rest of the Stake to get to feel of his spirit also. I tried to find you after church but I missed you. I did run into Z though and so I asked him to speak at our General Priesthood meeting next Sunday. He was happy to accept. I asked him to speak on Honesty from his For the Strength of the Youth booklet. His talk is to be about 5 minutes long and he should share some personal experiences and his testimony. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the Stake Center. I asked him if he had any questions for me and his only request was that I call his mother and let you know the details in case he forgot some of them. Has he mentioned any of this to you yet?"
Me: "Yes! Sort of. Thank you for filling in the details."


So, fast forward one week to now. I'm feeling a little anxious for him. The last time he gave a talk was in Primary a couple years ago. I wrote the talk for him and then stood next to him and whispered it in his ear while I held the pictures for him. He has only been 12 for 6 weeks. He has never even given a youth talk in Sacrament Meeting. This is a stake meeting. He has no idea what he's in for. I suggested that I could hang out in the mother's lounge and listen on the intercom thingy if it would make him feel better. He reminded me that I was not a Priesthood holder and that he was 12 years old now!

He was a little nervous when he left a few minutes ago with his Dad. I gave him my most famous pep talk: "Brush your teeth:) and say your prayers!"

So, now I am waiting...and praying...he's a good kid! He'll do great!

Some times it's tough for mom's to grow up!

Who's watching K?

We were in the car, pulling out of the driveway, when I turned around and saw BLUE...Lots of Blue. K had been sitting in the car, coloring, with chalk! Her picture was pretty though and she was behaving very well as she waited for everyone else to get in. Now, you would think that having had to get kids ready for church every Sunday for the last 12 years, that I would just plan to allow time in my schedule for last minute disasters. Well...that's just not my personality. I prefer to be right on time, usually without a second to spare! It's good for my stress level. J had the opening prayer in Primary, Z was being set apart as Deacons Quorum President at the beginning of Priesthood, and I had to teach Primary today.

And guess what? Church started on time...without us!!

There's always next week!!!

As I was typing this post, S came in and said, "Come on Mom! We have an emergency." I'm thinking, "I hate emergencies!!!"

It's K...AGAIN! This time she is covered in baby formula!! She said "It's milk and it's really good!" I guess I forgot to tell her that that kind of milk costs $14.00 a can. At least church is over and I was going to wash that dress anyways!

The rains came down and the floods came up...

It's a pond!

It's a lake!

No! It's just my backyard!!!

This will be our first winter in this house and it appears that we may have a problem. The neighbors said that last year our whole backyard froze over into this really great ice skating rink, so, obviously we need to buy some ice skates!

What Kind of Soda are You?

You Are Root Beer

Ultra sweet and innocent, you have a subtle complexity behind your sugary front. Children love you, but so do high end snobs... when you're brewed right. Your best soda compatibility match: Dr. Pepper Stay away from: Diet Coke

What Kind of Soda Are You?

This is great! Because I love ROOT BEER.
What's even better is Ken prefers DR. PEPPER!

I always knew it was TRUE LOVE!!!!

So, what kind of soda are you?

Updates

I feel like such a slacker but I have a good excuse.

I've been sick!

It's been almost two weeks of thinking that I might die before the doctor came up with a diagnosis that seems to be working.

This has been ongoing for a while but about 3 weeks ago I started to get more sick until I was no longer functioning. The doc ran several blood tests and everything came back negative, so he basically started treating my symptoms. I felt ill but I knew I wasn't sick.

My body was just freaking out.

He finally decided to treat me for fibromyalgia which if I understand it correctly is basically, something is wrong but it's not all these other things that we have test for so since there is nothing left to try let's call it this. Did that make any sense?

So, today I finally feel normal so I will probably NOT die! (Yes, there are people out there who dislike me enough right now to probably wish that last statement was not true but that's a story for another day.) That's the good news. The bad news is I am taking a handful of horse pills and which ones are making me better? Maybe they all are, maybe none of them are! Who knows? (One of them is a birth control pill which makes me sorta mad because I just tied my tubes so I won't have to take that little tiny thing ever again! GRRR!) I'm doing some research though and hoping to find my own answers and get this figured out. So, if you know anything about FIBROMYALGIA I am currently looking for information.

Moving on.

S is still in her class with her same teacher. Thank you for all of the advice. I have basically done nothing to improve the situation.

She has Thursday and Friday off this week because of inservice and then by next Tuesday we should know if the charter school has an opening for her. It's like this, they have 2 openings right now and she is #3 on the waiting list. They have until Monday to make a decision. So, we wait and pray that #1 or #2 are very happy with their current school arrangement, one of them declines and then we're up!

So, we are waiting....and praying....and waiting!!!!
I'm not a very patient person.


H started crawling this week! I thought he would love being able to move around. He doesn't! He cries all the time now. Not really sure what's going on. Probably has nothing to do with the fact that I have been totally ignoring him for 2 weeks, or that he just got his first 2 teeth last week or that he is also getting 2 more teeth or that he has not been sleeping well because he has a stuffy nose or that he got his 4 month shots the same day that I went in to the doctor (He's a little behind on the shots because I HATE GIVING SHOTS TO BABIES but I'm also too chicken not to. I'm not the bettin' kind. I always loose!)(Oh, and note to self...next time you feel deathly ill and you go to the doctor and he suggests that you catch up on you baby's shots during the same visit, JUST SAY NO!!! You can always come back. What's one more week when you're already 3 months behind! If you don't, the next few days may be kind of hard! )

A was the V.S. P. (very special person) for a week and a half at school (since this week was a half week). History lesson: We had a FHE on praying more for each others needs in our personal and family prayers. We then went around and suggested areas that we each may need extra prayers in. Some of the kids wanted help with understanding school, or making friends, or dealing with mean teachers:). When it was A's turn she asked that we pray for her to be V.S.P. at school next week. I tried to kindly explain that some things are maybe not as necessary to pray for since all the kids would get a turn and well, I sorta didn't really know what to say. She confidently said that that is what she would like us to pray for and that Jesus would answer her prayer. I went to bed that night praying not that she would be the V.S.P. but that her faith in prayers would not be destroyed. That following Friday, she proudly presented me with the forms to fill out and instructions about being the next class V.S.P. Not only was her pray answered on schedule but she got an extra 3 days that the other kids wouldn't get because her week was followed by a half week.

Yes! Heavenly Father sent me children "to lead me, to guide me and to walk beside me because I often loose my way. They teach me things that I need to know so that I may live with him again someday."(I am a Child of God, LDS Children's Hymn) And he sent me alot of children because he knew that I would need alot of chances to relearn the same gospel principles over and over and over....

AND ....

We are going on vacation for one day tomorrow because our family needs a vacation. The boys are skipping school tomorrow (I kept them home today also and we did nothing all day. It was so great! SHHH!) and we are going to stay in a hotel with a pool and free breakfast :) with some of my brothers and sisters and their kids! We have several rooms all together!

Can you say PARTY!!!!! We are so excited.

Actually, the reason for this decision of insanity is that my little sister is taking out her endowments tomorrow so we are going to support her in that but, since we have to make the trip anyways, let's make it something to remember!

Wish us luck!

It's going to be GREAT because I love Fall, I love going to Utah and seeing the Wasatch Mountains, I love BYU, I love Temple Square and I love General Conference Weekend!

Happy Conference Weekend!

Thanks, Ashley!

Wow! Look what I found this morning! My dear friend Ashley, whom I met through blogging, gave me this award! I woke up today not feeling that great and have just kind of felt sorry for myself all morning. Ashley, you have brightened my day! Thank you for thinking of me!

"This is what the person that created this award says about it---the thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell, and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.
I wanted to create something special for the people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement...

Please grab your badge and wear it (with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me---thank you! So now it is my turn to pass it on."

I choose:

Cindy

Venita

Lynnette

Kami

Melanie

Julie

Cindy is this amazing military wife that I met just blog browsing and I love her. She is amazing! Check out her blog. I know you'll love her also! The others are five of my amazing, beautiful, talented, fabulous (I could go on and on) sisters. (I have 4 other sisters/sisters-in-law who are equally amazing, beautiful, talented, fabulous, etc. but they do not have blogs.) I love you guys! Thanks for making smile each time you post! I sometimes wonder why I was blessed to have so many sisters and brothers if we all have to live so far apart. I miss them! I love to read their blogs because then they don't seem so far away.

Happy Anniversary, K!!!

13 years ago today (actually it was a Saturday, not a Monday) I was married in the Portland, Oregon LDS temple to my best friend for time and all eternity! Wow! Time flies when you're having fun!

So, here are 13 fun facts about US! (Some are Fun, some are Facts, but all are about us!)

1-K rode in riding his white horse and swept me off my feet. Actually, it was a little red Mitsubishi pick-up and after dating for a full one week, we got engaged, and then patiently waited one month to get married! (It's a good thing I was insistent that I had to be at least 20 before I got married!)

2-We have lived in 4 different states and moved our little family 18 times. We are currently in the second home we have owned. All the other moves were apartments! I love my home and have no to desire to move. (Except,... last night I had a dream that we were looking for a home with more bedrooms....Make that 18 times and still looking!)

3-We have owned 8 vehicles since our marriage and we only had 2 vehicles at a time for only 2 years. The rest of the time we have been a one car family. (Thank goodness for work vehicles.) I get sick when I think about all the money we could have saved if we would have known right from the beginning that we were going to have 6 children so we would need a suburban. My advice to newlyweds: By the biggest car on the lot and then down size from there, not the smallest car and then up-size (is that even a word?)!

4-We have 6 children, all from the same two parents! That's why they all look alike, sort of. We also have a set of twins that we lost in a miscarriage. We have been very blessed! Who would have ever believed that K and I would have a large family. (Oh, and by the way, Yes, we do know where they came from.)

5-K has worked for 16 different employers since we got married. Hum...I can imagine what you're thinking. It's all good (well, mostly good)!

6-After having 2 children, we headed back to school to get K's degree from BYU. 3 years later, we had 4 children, a bachelors degree in English with an internship in Human Resources with Smuckers (YUM!), and lots of student loans. 3 months before graduation, K decided to get a job as a cop! (He writes the best reports and search warrants though!)

7-He makes me laugh! It's not like he walks around being funny. He just makes me happy and he shocks me alot with the things he says and does and so I guess he's more of my tension breaker.

8-Together, we are not very good at long term plans but great at last minute surprises! Unfortunately this can be frustrating for our children and those who have to associate with us. (Maybe that's why we seem to have no life...)

9-We are both the oldest child in our families. I'm sure that somewhere there is a psychologist who could tell us all the reasons why our marriage should not work. But, it does!

10-Our personalities are total opposite but together they are the same. Is that mathematically possible? Kind of like two wrongs make a right? Does that make any sense? Oh well.

11-Neither of us are very patient. That is not a good thing. We are learning though!

12-I love that we think the same things at the same time. We can predict each others thoughts and decisions (most of the time). We can even finish each others sentences. It's very cool!

13-I love to be with him. I could seriously spend every minute of every day with him (I think). He comes home and I follow him around like I am a puppy. I just like to look at him and touch him and just be close to him.

When we were married, our sealer told us, "If you think you love him today, wait ten years. If you think you love him then, wait ten more." Back then, I could never have imagined what would lie ahead of us and how much our relationship would change and grow. If it's this good now, and we're told it will keep getting better, then I am so excited that eternity is a really long time!