Virus Free!

I feel like I've taken quite a long hiatus from blogging. And not on purpose. Our computer got a rather ANNOYING virus that Doug took off of it last night. Not to mention the fact that my email account got hacked. REALLY?!? Do people have nothing better to do than find ways to hack and spread virus's via the world wide web??? I can't tell you how totally annoyed I am about this.

Needless to say, I have tons to catch up on, and am debating whether or not I even want to:) Okay, not that I don't WANT to, but... okay, I don't know that I want to. There, I said it. It just takes so much time to blog sometimes, especially when we're talking about vacations. There's just SO MANY pictures to go through, and then the process of weeding out the ones you want to show is a whole feat in and of itself. And really, no one is going to want to view ALL the photos anyway:)

*Sigh*

So maybe I'll just mention that we took a trip to San Diego over Spring Break with my sister, which was TONS of fun. Even though we ended up switching hotels because the first one was just NASTY. Yes, we are hotel snobs and proud of it. But now that I'm thinking about it, there were some cool pictures and stuff we did, so maybe I'll blog about that in a future post cause it seems really backward in my overly compulsive brain that I should blog about our most recent vacation instead of the earliest. *inhaling here cause that was quite the run on sentence*

HAWAII!!

And yes, it was fabulous. Much better than the winter weather we are still experiencing here. (What is with this weather??)

But for now I'm catching up on Zak's sweet mother's day gift.





"My Mom's favorite color is blue." Huh.

"My Mom likes to play with me." AHHH, so true:)

"She wishes she had a baby." Ummmm....say WHAT?!?

"She likes it when I give her kisses." AHHHH...so true...so true.

"She would like to go to the beach." Okay, that one is spot on. I LURVE the beach.

"Her favorite food is tacos." Could be true. I like ALL foods. :D Or rather, I just like to eat.

And lastly,

"My Mom is really good at cooking."

This one I particularly find amusing as this is the one activity that I wholeheartedly do not like to do. In fact, if I could afford it, I would have my own personal chef to come cook, not just because the food is way better or that the menu could be specialized just for us, but because I wouldn't have to chop or peel or saute ANYTHING.
The boy will learn soon enough. Most likely when he's older and eats at other people's houses and realizes that his mom REALLY ISN'T A GOOD COOK. Then, if he was to answer these questions again, it might read,
"My mom is not really good at Cooking. In fact she stinks which is why we've all retained our girlish figures."

I can see him saying this.

I can. :)

Also, Teaghan got an award just before school let out for Most Improved in Science. The teachers get to choose just three of their students to get these awards and Teaghan was one of them. We are so proud of her!

Quest with a Camera

The other afternoon found me driving down the highway on my way to pick up my children after school. Zakry was with me due to a field trip that had taken place that morning, which threw me a little off balance but only just so. I get so used to routine sometimes. It was finally getting warmer outside, spring seemed to be finally coming out of her hiding place. The sun was shining which always makes me happy. I really do live for sunny days, especially mornings.

Zakry was buckled just behind me, the Katie Perry song "Firework" had just started, and my mph was up to 60. The chorus comes on and I hear my son start singing "Baby you're a firework! Come on show us what you're worth. Make em go OH OH OH..." except his OH OH OH was more like UH UH UH, but when one is singing one's heart out the finer subtleties aren't noticed.

I couldn't help but smile. I usually can't help but smile really big when he sings. Most of the time his pronunciation can't keep up with the music so the phrases end up being sung in one big long word, but his pitch is ALWAYS on:)

As he is singing the song with his whole heart and soul, I see a jet fly over us, headed toward the Mather air field. Living in Mather was so fun because you had to drive around the base and thus would inevitably see all the helicopters and jets and planes fly in. It really is very cool. So as I see this jet fly over head, low enough so that you could get a good glimpse, and as it does, I remember my favorite part of the movie Top Gun, when Tom Cruise is racing his motorcycle next to the runway as the fighter jets take off. The wind is blowing in his hair, and he shakes his fist like there is nothing better to be doing. Do you remember that part? I'm feeling a little like Tom Cruise at that moment:)

All this is happening at the same time as I drive down Sunrise. I'm feeling very much at one with the world, just very happy with my life... where I'm at right now, where I've been, and where the future is going.

It was a really great moment.

Training Wheels are off and so is He!

Zak's training wheel came off. First it started loosening itself no matter how many times I tightened it. I was very afraid that as fast he pedals that bike and takes corners, that there was impending doom coming my way. Right before spring break, Doug took off his training wheels. Andon came running into the house, yelling that I needed to come see Zak ride a two-wheeler. Needless to say I was very nervous, and quite honestly I thought he would not be very happy about it. He tends to not like change so much. But the child is always amazing me with the things I don't think he'd ever be okay with, like when he got up to bear his testimony a couple Sundays ago.

Still in unbelief about that one. Doug and I just looked at each other in shock as Zak made his way to the pulpit. Just when I think I know him, he ups and changes everything. I always feel like I'm at square one with this child:) It is NEVER boring in my house. So needless to say, I shouldn't have been at all surprised when it took him twice, yes TWICE, TWO times of Doug holding on to him before he was off and running. The kid has no fear!!

And yes, he wears a helmet normally. Sometimes dad doesn't remember, but mom does. :)





Check out Doug's shorts. Finally got him to buy some new pairs. (Shaking of the head.)













The next day saw a few new "owies."

For Easter I made some easter baskets. We had quite a few leftover fruit cartons from the activity we did for the Stake Activity Day Girls, so I made easter baskets out of them. I got the idea from somewhere in blogland, but unfortunately, and so like me it is....I misplaced that information. Tweaked the idea just a bit to fit my needs, but all in all I think they turned out quite nice:)

Grant's One Year Pictures

How I love this boy! He always has the biggest smile for me when I see him. And yes, it's JUST FOR ME:) I will continue to delude myself that he reserves specific smiles for me.

Mary asked me to take some pictures of Grant, and as her friend I was happy to oblige, because he has to be one of the easiest toddlers to photo. He's naturally inquisitive, full of energy, smiles at the drop of a hat, and if you can catch him smiling unawares, then you're golden because once he hears your camera start clicking away, that inquisitiveness takes over and he becomes very serious at getting at it:)

So Mary, I hope you like them. :) It was very hard to narrow down to my favorite 20 that I'll give you. Here you go!

Randomness with a mix of Grumpy

I'm sitting at Zak's baseball practice, watching them run relay races. Coach broke the team up into two, and though it wasn't ultra competitive, and half the time the kids didn't even realize that they are behind or ahead, I still got a kick out of watching them do this.
Zak's team finishes, to which there are loud cheers, and then the chanting starts..
"We are the winners...we are the winners," and then that turned into "We are the wieners...we are the weiners." I'm sure my little sugar plum had something to do with that.

Cars. It's a love hate. Love you when you work and I can act like you're invincible and you'll never cost me a penny. I can tout your horn and say how totally reliable you are considering that you are getting old. I can count my blessings that you have had no major repairs. But when something happens, when maintenance is required, when things break down and rotars have to be replaced, (not to mention a bunch of other stuff), then the pity party starts. So though we spent a PRETTY PENNY on you the other day, I still love you. I can't live without you. And I'll be saying this to Doug's car in the next month. Rick, thanks for doing this at a FRACTION of the cost. You are the man.

San Diego, I cannot wait to come see you next week. This also means that while we are visiting you TAX SEASON IS OVER!

I knew when we bought this house that there was going to be a lot of weeding. And yet I'm still surprised by this.

Why oh why does shopping for clothes for myself have to be so haaarrd. :( Everything used to be so cute. The store was my canvas. The sky was the limit! Ok, so not EVERYTHING was cute, but 99% of everything worked at least. Now...not the case. It's so hard to find anything I like. There are not a lot of cute capris or shorts out there for those of us that don't want to wear holes in our clothes. I don't like the acid wash strategically placed on the backs of my thighs because it makes my butt look bigger. (yep, that's where all that extra weight went folks). A zipper longer than one inch would be helpful because then I wouldn't have to hear whispered conspiratorially that my zipper is down. And can somebody out there in the fashion world PLEEEASE come up with fashion for the woman in her 30's who doesn't want to look like a teenager, but who can't shop the misses section cause it just makes her look frumpy?!! Can somebody please do that, because my options are extremely limited right now. And yes, I am a bit grumpy about it. And no, I don't really want to spend $100 on a pair of shorts. Even if they are amazing.

Shappy Apple, how I long for your BONHEUR dress!

If anybody knows where to buy a cute pair of flats, PLEASE let me know. It seems like everything is 5 inches tall and on a platform. I just want some cute flats to wear with shorts and capris this summer.

So many projects so little time.

Why can't I eat Captain Crunchberries with every meal?

How can I keep my children from growing up. Andon asked me last night why he doesn't have his own room. I explained that he is the third and consequently doesn't get top priority. Just kidding! I didn't really say that:) We did talk about the fact that he and Zak are the youngest, and sometimes the older siblings get to do things before the younger ones. He said that his teacher at school one day asked them to raise their hands if they had their own rooms. He said that everyone raised their hand, and when she asked them to raise their hand if they had to share, that he was the only one. So sad. So sad. I commiserated with him the best I could, and we got talking about school, and how Teaghan will be in high school, and Brittnee will be in middle school, and how it will only be he and Zak at Sunrise. Andon then asked when Teag will be in college. I said not for at least four years. (Oh my gosh, so freaking out about that!!) He then says...
"Can I have her room?"
So yes, I long to keep them young and innocent. If there is a rewind pill out there let me know.

Plan for the day: CLEAN MY HOUSE. It hasn't been cleaned, well, at least DEEPLY cleaned since baseball season started. Sometimes when schedules get all crazy and I have game on top of another game and I'm running in between them, I long for this to be over. But then I watch my children learn and get better and ENJOY it, and it makes it all worth it. Messy house and all!

Quest with A Camera 3

Mornings are always met with a mixture of "glad it's a new day," and "darn, it's a new day." Sometimes all the STUFF of the oncoming day is more than I want to handle right when I wake up. I'm one of those people who's brain starts into overdrive the minute I become conscious. Sometimes it's right as I wake up when the alarm goes off, but most often it's an hour or two before I have to get out of bed. So with that being said, most mornings are spent with me lying in bed till the very last possible second, but having woke up an hour prior to that. There's just something so very delightful about laying in one's own cozy bed, amongst one's favorite sheets, with one's favorite person. It makes getting out of bed very hard sometimes. I usually wait until Doug is out of bed before I decide to get a move on the day.

This particular morning found me downstairs. Doug was still in the shower getting ready for his long hours at the office, Teaghan was getting ready for school, Collette was getting ready for work and driving my daughter and her friends to school (Yes, she's a trooper!)..... the other three were nestled under warm covers waiting to be woke up.

I began my early morning ritual of opening of the blinds and the drapes. I have this need for sunlight in the morning. It just makes me feel all cheery and content. But this particular morning I just wasn't feeling it.

I was up a bit earlier than I usually am, most likely due to the fact that my brain kicked on at 6:15am, and I figured I would get a jump start on the morning. All the things that I needed to get done for the day, the activities I needed to get kids to...really, everything that demanded my attention came to the forefront of my mind and I found myself feeling very weary.

As I was about to open up the blinds, I realized that it was still dark outside. This made me feel even wearier as I wished that I could've been in bed still. I know, cry me a river, but this chica needs sleep to function. I am a total bear without it and I covet my sleep time:)

I decide to open up the drapes on one of the sliders that lead out to the backyard. As I pull the cord to open the window to my view, I am greeted with the most amazing sunrise.

I hurried and grabbed my camera.



Sometimes I have these amazing moments of clarity, and they usually come when I need them the most. Usually it is something in nature that I feel like Heavenly Father is putting right in my path and saying "See! Isn't this beautiful? Stop and look and count your blessings for they are all around you."

What I needed to do that day didn't seem like a heavy load anymore. The lunches that I pack every morning didn't seem so mundane. I once added up the number of lunches I pack in a school year and it was just an insanely funny number. I was reminded of that number and smiled because of the fact that I COULD make school lunches for my kids. Baseball practice and games became fun again because I know a time will come when I won't do that anymore, and it may be all too soon. Kissing my sweet hubby goodbye knowing that I won't see him till sometime after 8p meant that he has a great job to go to, one that he enjoys which I think is even more rare.

I looked at that sunset and felt blessed. It felt like it was there just for me and my heart strings were pulled and I stood there for a few more moments after taking the picture and just breathed it in.

There are great advantages living at the top of the hill. My fence line cuts right around the rest of the neighborhoods roof lines, affording me the perfect scenario for sunrise watching.

Perfect start to a PERFECT day.

It NEVER Disappoints!

Conference.

Every year it's good. Every year it seems to get even better. Every year I find myself feeling totally uplifted about those things I'm doing my best with, and lovingly chastened by the reminders of what I need to work on. It's somewhat my "climate" control if you know what I mean.

I cannot for the life of me remember who gave the talk on parenting during Sunday's morning conference, but it was spectacular! What a relief to know that I haven't been flunking Parenting 101, but that I've actually been enrolled in Parenting 505!!

What a huge difference that makes! :D

Somehow my frustrations with my more energetic child lifted. I found new perspective. I realized that yes, the speaker was right, that those energetic children we have are ours by no mistake or chance, and no matter the reason, our children are OURS to teach and learn from. And when those days of chaos and bedlam come, it's not because they want to torture us, or make us feel crazy...it's just that it is that time when the Parenting 505 class has issued a rather difficult exam. That's it. It's just a hard exam day. :)

So amongst a few interruptions from the "bedlamites" (wasn't that genius of him to coin that phrase), and yes, I will admit, falling asleep for a moment once or twice, conference for me was phenomenal. It always seems to be the PERFECT beginning to spring, a chance to start fresh, and take my spiritual "temperature." A chance to either pat myself on the back or give myself a pep talk. It's almost like doing New Years Resolutions, but in the spring. :)

Thank you to a loving Heavenly Father who knows exactly what we need to hear, even when we don't know what that may be ourselves.

Leaves Me Speechless

Maye it was the post titled "Ode to Tax Season" that sparked his imagination. Maybe he thought I was losing it when I stated I would take my chances with the guerilla fighters in Tahiti. Or maybe he just wanted to do something nice for me. But what really makes this special is that tax season has got to be the hardest on him. Not me. And yet he was thinking of ME.

He told me to pick a resteraunt so we could go to dinner after work one Friday night. I chose Zinfandel Grille and Bar. YUMMY. We talked about the kids, the food, life... and we sat in comfortable silence as well. I was just happy to hang out with him.

As we are coming down the street toward our house, I see a car parked next to our house. I questioned whether we knew the owner of said car. He assured me he didn't know. We concluded that maybe it was just some random person parking next to our house. So with a shrug of the shoulders I dismissed it.

We walk inside and see someone I'd never set eyes on before.

Turns out she was there to give me a massage. She is a cousin of a friend of ours. She was all set up in my room, waiting for me to get home. Suffice it to say, it was an hour long massage in the comfort of my own room, on the most amazing massage table. I could've slept there it was that comfortable. In fact, I could hardly talk after she was done.

Amazing. Now I know why people like massages.

It meant the world to me that he thought of me during his hardest season at work. I've seen his office piled high with files, not only on his desk but on the floor. I've seen the work he brings home. I see the weary but excited look in his eyes when he walks through the door that says "I am finally home." I see him rescheduling his day to make sure he doesn't miss the functions that the kids do, even if it means that he has to put in later hours than normal to make up for it.

And yet he thinks of me. Me, who takes breaks from cooking and uses the excuse of having to endure tax season; whose clothing will dry from the sometimes crazy bath sessions with the boys; who really can find others to help with crazy schedules so I'm not running around like a crazy mama.

I just sit here typing this with little butterflies in my stomach at how sweet this truly was.

HE is amazing.

Zak and Addie

They call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. It's the cutest thing, really. I just adore Addie as one of my own. Zak likes Addie because....well, I'm not exactly sure WHY. He just does. They play well, they argue, then they go back to playing, then one becomes bossy.... it really is a true wonder that they get along as well as they do. They're both the babies in their families....they both have VERY strong personalities.... and we joke that if anything ever really did come of this 20 years from now, we all fear for our lives. I jest, truly, but only just so. :D

I love their high energy, their smiles full of fun and laughter; the fact that there is never a dull moment; the loud speaking (maybe they get that from being the last and have this need to be heard??? Just speculating:); and the pure imagination I have witnessed in it's most rare form- that of childhood imaginings.

Perhaps that's why I love how they are together. It's the energy times two. It reminds me that there is someone else just like Zak. And that is special.

I was folding laundry and this is what I discovered after I put on Elmo's Christmas. Yes, that's right...they were watching Elmo's christmas. Don't ask. It just IS sometimes.









I can only smile as I write this.

Tax Season Blues

I thought about titling this "Ode to Tax Season," but then I realized that I would have to actually write an "ode" and I don't do poetry. In fact, I really really stink at poetry. It's even hard to come up with jingles at girls camp, that's how much I stink at rhyming. Okay, so I can rhyme. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense:)

You get the picture.

For whatever reason, I need to exclaim to the world the hardships of tax season. I just have this quelling urge to do so.

It's almost 6:00pm, I'm still doing laundry, no hubby in sight (poor guy. Not sure who tax season is the hardest on, me or him), filthy urchin children outside somewhere in the fields, and no dinner in sight.

It's not surprising that there's no dinner in sight. I hate to cook, and tax season is the biggest and best excuse to not make dinner. Fortunately my kids like cereal, so guess what kids? Cereal again!

But when I hear moaning I know that I've taken the "cereal for dinner" too far. It's just so hard being a single parent! Every year I have full and final appreciation for every single parent out there, male or female. It's all got to be the same experience right?

On to the frantic duties of the evening: baths, YW, activity days, an activity days meeting afterward, referree-ing, coercing, and trying not to lose my temper. Baths with the boys in particular I hate because I always inevitably end up wet. They have been banned from my bathtub because it was used as a swimming pool and all the water somehow got jettisoned out of the tub onto the floor, leaving a mass of water on my tile. And I mean A MASS of water. When questioned it was the other's fault.

I need to get away. I need to REALLY get away. "Tahiti, with your tiki torches and your tiki huts, your blue blue water that any tired mama with tired eyes could see all the way down into your ridges, your sandy beaches that beckon my toes to dig deep into the sand to find the cooler depths.... and yes, your guerilla fighters...I would even take my chances with you. :D

I think I just miss my best friend. And then the government extends the date to the 18th.

Just shaking my head.

Stupid government.

If you're one of those that stands in line on the 15th, waiting to mail your taxes, then you are that same person standing in line on the 18th, mailing your taxes. So I ask, What....IS....The....POINT?

I don't get it.

Someone think of the poor spouses. Please? Pretty please?

Ramblings

I love cheap finds. That's all there is to it. I love to find something that fits so perfectly and at a great price. It's just the best high. Okay, so huffing at the gas station is so much better, but this is a close second.

JUST KIDDING. I don't really huff. It just smells good. :)

I'm at Winco the other day for the weekly grocery trip. There are so many reasons I love Winco, and not least of all the price of food, but because once in a while I come across a fantastic find. And they are usually in obscure places that I just happen to happen upon. Like that play on words?

This lovely little glass Snack jar was just waiting for me to pluck it off the shelf. I instantly fell in love with it, cause that's what I do to inanimate objects, and then I looked at the price tag.

ONLY $7.98.

$7.98?!?

Sold!



I settled it all gently in my cart. I don't care about the chips, but I care about my new snack jar! I brought that baby home, loaded it up with apples and oranges, and waited to see if anybody would notice.

They did. The kids thought it was so cool. Well, the younger three did. My oldest doesn't show as much emotion for my new finds as I do. I got a, "Cute snack jar mom." I'll take it:)

So here's what's interesting. My kids have always liked fruit, but it seems that since the snack jar showed up, the fruit has been disappearing faster. It's almost like it's a cookie jar, just with fruit. There must be something about jars with lids. Maybe it's the anticipation of lifting a lid off a jar, reaching in, and grabbing your prize. Whatever.. it works:)

Now I just hope that it won't get knocked off the island by stray balls. I know..I'm taking a risk. Oh, and just a side note, the pitcher next to said snack jar is another Winco find. It's tin, cost me something like $5, and has been knocked off the counter a few times. But since it's tin, it's been a victim but not a casualty. I think because it's so tall and that's why it gets hit by stray objects hurtling through the air. At least that's what I'm telling myself so that I can go on believing that my beloved snack jar will be safe. Time will tell. Maybe I oughta by another one just in case.



On another note, this is what I find as I am climbing the stairs. One minute there was nothing there, the next.... Wa-La! I find this little gem.





And there's really only one culprit for it.

But I won't name names:)

Quest With A Camera

I went treasure hunting with Zak.

Part of me wanted to say no, that I didn't have the time. There were other pressing things to be taken care of... like the piles of laundry that needed to be sorted, deciding on what's for dinner so something could be thawing on the counter, his homework page that still needed to be done...but nothing that wasn't more pressing than playing pirates and going treasure hunting with my son. The pleading look in his eyes was all the convincing I needed.

"Mommy, please come play with me."

He got himself dressed in his pirate costume. We found a box from the recycling in the garage, and he made himself a treasure map.





We consulted said treasure map before we set off into the fields.



Said Pirate Zak, "This is the path we need to follow." And so we did.





"Is this the spot?"



I surely did hope so, because the map was leading us into muckier and muckier terrain. But Pirate Zak assured me that we needed to move on. So I rolled up my pants, thanked my foresight for putting on flip flops, and trudged on.



At last we came across treasure. As Pirate Zak showed me what he found, the mommy instinct of "Put that down! It's got germs!" or "you're going to cut yourself and get all kind of infections!"... I decided in that nanosecond of fleeting thought that it really was okay. How could I squish the sparkle in the eye of a new discovery?





I just told him to hurry and throw it in the box before any other pirates could come and take it. That way the handling was a lot less. Mother of the Year award I would not win, but sometimes it's okay:)

After treasures were stowed away into the "treasure box," I as the lackey, got to lug said treasure box onto new sites. I was happy to hold onto the box of wonders.



Treasure hunting was not on my list of to do items that day. At first I didn't deem it to be all that important until I realized that it was on my son's to do list. Walking through jungles...imagining sharks in the small pools of water in the mud...running away from other pirates who would take our treasure...my imagination found takeoff too. I forgot that I could find joy in playing. I remembered how fun it is to be someone else even for just a little while. I caught a fleeting memory of childhood pretending and it was so amazing.

Thanks Zak for taking me on a treasure hunt. Thank you for reminding me that I need to stop and play and count my blessings.

I was blessed to be able to drop everything and play with my son.

I got Jinxed!

I know it's a natural fact that as we get older, our bodies change. Now before your mind starts to wonder about what possible bodily functions I will be posting about today that you should possibly skip, rest assured that I will not be going into any depth whatsoever about anything of that nature. :)

With that being said however, I AM going to complain about what seems to be a natural phenomenon. Something like when my pediatrician tells me that teething and ear infections slash runny noses are not related. REALLY?!? Then why is it that EVERY TIME my kids were teething, these same symptoms occurred? Tell me that! This phenomenon I am about to mention was brought up to me by my sweet friend Rochelle who I love very dearly. (I bet you never thought you'd make topic on my blog:) It happens when one turns 35. And I just turned 35.

Are you laughing yet Rochelle??

And that is exactly the phenomenon- something happens when you turn 35. You put on a small amount of weight! I can't say I didn't entirely believe her, but since we are practically the same build, and she was even smaller than me when we were younger, the idea held more credibility...but she said that 35 started to be when she recognized that the weight didn't come off all that easy. At least like it used to....without much effort on either of our parts...okay, so we have really good gene pools to draw from. POINT BEING though, is that SHE WAS SO RIGHT!!! Rochelle, you were so right.

I put on 5 to 7 pounds. I can't admit to either of those numbers, can't AND won't, so it's left up to you to guess:) I'm noticing that my pants are tighter, I've got some random skin that is starting to pucker at my waist line, and the already saggy butt has taken on NEW DIMENSIONS.

But what's really sad is that I think I may actually need to start to WORK at keeping myself trim. I think I may have to start watching what I eat. (Not that I was a total piggy but I do like to eat. That's all I'm sayin:) And it's not as if I don't like to exercise, but I usually don't exercise to lose weight. Now nobody say "boo hoo to you," I know I got lucky with the DNA on the double helix.

Suffice it to say, I'm not super thrilled with this new found knowledge.

You will be happy to note though, that I am sparing you the picture of my derrier. I was thinking of asking opinions on the state of said derrier, but thought better of it. Tasha reminded me that I haven't posted anything for my "Quest with a Camera" posts so I was thinking I would kill two birds with one stone, but I don't think a picture of my derriere is worthy of the "Quest with a Camera" posts. And besides, I don't think I truly want to want to know anyone's opinion on my backside anyhow, and you CERTAINLY don't want to see THAT photo. And if I'm being honest, I think I am still in denial about the added poundage. The verdict is still out, and I will still probably have a piece of pizza at Winco whenever I go grocery shopping. I may still have the Urban fries at Jacks..though Tara and I usually split the order so that's really only half the calories right? I will still love IN N OUT burger and want to go by there occasionally after the gym...

OH.

I'm starting to see a pattern.

So maybe it's not turning 35???? Maybe it's what I'm eating? No...probably not. I used to eat worse when I was younger and never gained a pound.

Ah well, denial may be fun until I can't fit into my pants anymore. I need to take a page from Rochelle and get my derrier into the gym more than twice a week. It works for her cause she looks great!

Just so you know, I really WOULD NEVER POST A PICTURE OF MY BACKSIDE.

EVER.

Just so you know:)

Killing me Softly

It's a couple hours before kindergarten starts. Zak and I have just finished a couple pages of his homework, and I know we still need to go through his sight words and his alphabet...AND his numbers to 30. I'm also going through a list in my mind of everything I need from Costco, a Winco trip tomorrow, the whooping cough vaccine that both my girls need to get AGAIN since it's now california law, all the stuff I need to get them to tonight...and yet I'm not feeling super overwhelmed right now. I'm just sitting on the couch. Well, I'm sitting at the computer desk now, but still... I'm having a quiet moment. Zak is playing quietly with his Batman car, which I can assure you is a rare occurrence.

Not the playing with the Batman car, but the quiet.

I look over at him kneeling against the couch, talking his Batman and Robin..shirt off and pajama pants on, and I realize that this is a Moment. And I caught it:)

I drop my gaze further and see his sock clad feet, socks that I just recently bought at the store since his other ones got muddied up. But something makes me smile as I sit looking at his feet. There are big mud stains going through the center of his socks because somehow he'd gone out on the patio this morning.

I sighed a contented sigh, that somehow there are just things that don't change. Zak will forever be my high energy boy with dirty socks. And this morning, that is okay.

*smile*

Quest with a Camera

Inspired by this post by Enjoying the Small Things I decided that I need to have more profound moments in my life, to discover the beauty around me in day to day life. On my way home from dropping Zak off, the idea struck and I realized how perfect it really is.

I am going to find the joys of life through my camera lens.

I have actually thought about this a time or two in the last year, but never did anything about it. And for whatever reason, I have been feeling somewhat reflective of my life the last couple of weeks. Maybe the ensuing birthday tomorrow accompanied by the changing of a digit has prompted these nostalgic feelings. Or maybe it's that I have become more aware at the different seasons in life and how mine has left the young babies one and has turned into something else entirely. I am enjoying this season of my life immensely but I don't want it to pass me by like the last ones have. I want to find deeper meaning in my day to day activities with my husband and my children. Times change, the seasons in our lives change, and we can't get them back. I suppose, if I was to really dig deep and figure out why I feel so nostalgic and this yearning to go back, is that I think I haven't left my mark on life enough. Have I really taken time to reflect? Have I really truly embraced my life as a gift from God? Are my kids going to remember their mother as someone who was a meticulous house cleaner but who never shared "moments" with them?

I want to have MOMENTS!

I realize that this is decidedly late for resolutions for the new year, but like most everything else, it takes me longer than most people to get on board:) So this year I have but one resolution, and that is to be in the Moment, to grab my camera at the slightest whim and photograph what I see and think is beautiful. To really appreciate my surroundings and my life fully. And ultimately realize how much Heavenly Father has blessed me with. So there you have it...

my quest with a Camera.

I was coming home from dropping Zak off at school and for whatever reason, I always seem to exhale when I see the green scenery, or the cows, or the big power line holders thingies. I have no idea what they're called really:) And it always grabs me that I wish I had my camera! So I decided that I was going to run home and document what I see through my camera lens.

I love living out here. It makes me happy to see the cows. It's super quiet and I feel somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. It reminds me of how blessed I am.


Unfortunately I discovered that I didn't have the lens that I wanted in my haste to document my new found discoveries, so you can't really see the beautiful little brooks that run through the land.



No parking sign, shmarking sign. This was a beautiful view and I didn't give a rip! And besides, it's not likely some meter maid is going to show up.



I love roads. There is just something so soothing about a road. You can't see destinations end, yet somehow you know you'll get there. And really, it's all about the journey on said road.

So I got down, flat on my stomach, on the road, and took this picture. I worried for a minute that a car might be ensuing, but then I decided that being daring is half the fun.





My goal is to post something weekly that I find joy in, to remind myself how amazing and beautiful life is...

to remind myself that I'm not missing it.