Christmas Wishes

 So, my son Jared wants a longboard for Christmas. I know very little about them. I've been asking around and researching on the internet trying to find what is the best board. I didn't know the difference between and top mount and a drop through deck so I started doing more research. People kept talking about their preference for sliding. What the heck is sliding? So I looked it up and now I'm rethinking getting Jared a longboard after watching this video on SLIDING. Do you think he'd just use it for cruising?

Pictures

 

On Saturday, the weather finally cooperated enough to take the kids out and try to get some pictures. Here are some pictures that I haven't edited at all but I love them anyway. Rachel took the one of Bill and I, I think I might have a future photographer on my hands. One of my favorites is the kids hanging upside down on the monkey bars. After we got done taking pictures we had fun skipping rocks in the river and playing at the park.

Getting my "Thankful" post in at the last minute.

I never got around to doing any "Thankful" posts on Facebook, so here are a few things I have to be grateful for...

 I am grateful for the fact that today is a beautiful SUNNY day with no snow on the ground. (It was sunny the day I started this post, I haven't seen much of the sun since.But there still isn't any snow on the ground.hehe)

This year the San Fransisco Giants went all the way to win the World Series. I've loved the Giants since I was a little girl. What an amazing team to watch with some amazing players. I could write my whole post about the Giants. I'm thankful for such a fun and torturous season.  http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25496667&topic_id=23738602&c_id=sf&tcid=vpp_copy_25496667&v=3

 I am grateful for girl time with my girls. It's fun to do crafts, hair, nails, or watch a girly movie. During baseball playoffs we painted our toes orange and black.

I also enjoy going outside and playing football, kickball, or catch with Jared. He is always on the go and constantly has to be doing something.

I'm grateful for my health. This summer I went on a 14 mile hike with my brother and Jared. The girls and my mom did about 5-6. It was such a great feeling to do something I didn't think I could do. In October I also had a scary moment when I needed a blood transfusion, it makes you thankful for each moment you have and grateful for modern medicine.

I am grateful to have 2 cars, they couldn't be more different. We have a 2009 Jetta with all the little perks. It has seat warmers, sunroof, mp3 player output, satellite radio to name few. We also have a 1996 dodge caravan. It's not the prettiest or the most reliable but it's nice to have an older car that you don't have to stress every time it gets a ding, scratch, or something spilled on it. If a rock hits it...meh. If the kids run into it with their bike...meh. If the kids leave a crumbs on the seat...meh. It's nice not to have to worry about every little thing. I know it's old and it's days are numbered.

I am SO glad that I have family that is willing to take care of our dog while we are in transition from School to career. Who knew our King Charles Cavalier would learn to like hanging out with 2 huskies.

I'm thankful for random hugs from my kids. They are the best!

I am grateful for chocolate. I don't know how I would get through some days without it.

On that note, I like chocolate in all forms. I love a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. Mmmm...

I am grateful for Skype to keep in touch with my family. I love it when my nephew Gratton gets on and entertains us! Yesterday, he was showing me how high he could jump and how he turned the lights on and off on the Christmas tree. The kids also love seeing Maverick (our dog) on Skype, especially when he does his head tilt. Today I got to Skype with my sister in law for her birthday. We couldn't be there but it was the next best thing.

I love hearing babies belly laughs. Rachel loves making my nephew laugh. One of the best sounds there is!



I LOVE the smell of clean sheets. I LOVE climbing my bed with clean sheets on it!

I am grateful for hair dye. I got my first grey hair when I was 18 and things have steadily gone down hill. I have no intention of growing old gracefully.

I love taking HOT baths. It's one of my favorite things to do now that my kids are in school all day. I can sit in a hot bath for as long as I want without being bothered. I go through a lot of bubble bath. Some people recently have complained that they hat getting bath products for presents. Well, I think its a great present!!

I am thankful for texting. Why? I hate talking on the phone. I really think I might have a phobia. I dislike those awkward moments when you don't really have anything to say. Or the person that talks forever about nothing and you want to get off the phone but there is really no way to say I'm done talking without making it awkward. Texting allows you to say what you need and you can text when you want. Thank you technology! (Although, I love getting together face to face as much as possible to chat.)

I am grateful for Fall. It is my favorite season. (Well, it's a toss up with Spring) The weather starts cooling down and you get a relief from those hot summer days. The trees start changing colors and makes everything look so pretty. I love crunching the dead leaves on the ground. It brings on the holiday season and family together.

I am grateful that the cooler weather means that I get to shave less. I'm sure my husband wouldn't include this on his "thankful" list. haha

I'm thankful that I've kept a blog, although I haven't been as diligent as I should and there are gaps in my posts. I LOVE looking back on my posts and reading about little details that I had forgotten. Especially about my kids, it always brings a smile to my face.

I'm am grateful for music. I love how quickly music can change or effect your mood. Lately my kids and I love singing at the top of our lungs to the radio as we drive around town.

I'm glad that I get to live close to my sister again. It's fun getting together with her and doing the little things that you don't get to do living in another state.

I'm grateful for my wedding ring. It was designed by my husband and I, with my mom and mother in law. It was melted down from another ring that had been Bill's Grandma. Julie had saved it for Bill. The diamonds also came from another ring from his Grandma passed to his mom, who passed it on to me. It is sentimental and made with love.

I'm thankful for Pinterest, my life might not be organized in real life but on Pinterest everything has a place, everything is easy to find, and on Pinterest I look like the most creative, crafty, ingenious person. Pinterest has become my go to place.

I'm grateful for contacts, I really dislike glasses (even sunglasses) 

I'm thankful for libraries. Even though I am notorious for racking up late charges. It is still cheaper than buying all the books my kids and I want to read. Don't get me wrong we own our fair share of books but my kids love reading and its fun to go and pick up 10-15 books at time and only have to worry about not losing them and getting them back on time.

I'm am thankful for online shopping. If anything, it's a great way to do price comparison, so even if I end up buying it in stores I know I'm getting a good deal.

While we are on the subject of shopping. I love finding a good bargain. Finding shoes at Target for my kids for $4.00, or a tablet for $29.99 gives me that shopper high! It's a great feeling saving money and I love the bargain hunting, it's all part of the adventure.

I'm excited and grateful to be attending Amy(My sister in law) and Chris's wedding next June

Of course, I am incredibly grateful for my family. I'm thankful for my parents, for the values they instilled and for their constant support. I'm blessed to have three beautiful children, an amazing husband who loves unconditionally. I'm grateful for my brothers and my sister and of course all of those who became our family through marriage. I love that our family is constantly growing and changing.

What I have to be grateful for most is the gospel. I am grateful for the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. I'm grateful to have a living prophet upon the earth and the scriptures to guide me. I'm grateful for the power of prayer and the sweet whisperings of the Spirit.

Thanksgiving 2012

My sister hosted her first Thanksgiving dinner at her house. I ate SO much. My stomach hurt for 2 days for indulging in such yummy food. Ellie ate mostly jello salad. Rhodri's and Jared's favorite was the candied yams. Rachel finished off a whole bottle of sparkling cider herself. After dinner we went on a walk and watched a movie. It was a quiet and simple Thanksgiving. It was nice to have a low key day.

My sister's first Turkey!

Time to relax and let the food settle. Ellie, Rhodri and Bill.

Lil' Chefs in Training

Jared came into my room this morning asking for a recipe for banana bread. Banana Bread? I told him not this morning because it wouldn't be done before they had to leave for school. "But mom, we've (him and his cousin Eli) have already mashed up the bananas and added the flour" They had already committed to it, so I found the easiest recipe I could for them. I wrote it down and handed it to them.

I was busy helping Ellie finish getting ready for school,  I could hear them downstairs trying to find everything and by the time I came downstairs they already had it in a pan ready to go in the oven. Unfortunately it was time for the kids to go to school but we cooked it for them while they were gone. When the boys got home they were so excited to see how their bread turned out.

It may not be the prettiest looking loaf of banana bread but it was tasty. The boys did a great job. Especially for having very little help. They were pretty proud of themselves. I guess we should put them in charge of breakfast more often.

All tied up

Jared has decided that he has out grown his clip on/zip ties. He asked for a real tie and I've been dragging my feet because I didn't want to tie his tie every Sunday for church. I was out shopping and came across a tie, his size, and at a decent price. I caved and got it for him. I told my husband that he was responsible for teaching him. I thought it would take several weeks before he had it down and would be able to tie it without help. NOPE...he's a pro. Jared was tying his tie all by himself after only a few tries. He was eager to show me over and over again that he could do it. Let's hope he remembers for next Sunday. ;)

Ellie is on a roll...

Ellie is on a roll. She lost her 1st tooth! She came running up to me one morning so excited because she had a lose tooth. I asked if I could wiggle it. It was SO wiggly I probably could have pulled it out then. The tooth next to it was also wiggly and she already had her adult teeth growing in. She pulled her 1st tooth out in class the next day. She had a substitute teacher so she couldn't add her name to the "lost tooth" board. Ellie had to wait all weekend to tell her teacher and put her name up. She lost the 2nd tooth about a week later.
Another big milestone this month is Ellie learned to ride a bike. I've been trying to teach her for 2 years now, I guess she decided she was ready. I wish I had a picture to post.

For such a small tooth it certainly left a big hole.

Rachel made this pillow. (Rachel got the kit from her Uncle David and Aunt Sonja for her birthday) Ellie used it to stick her tooth in for the tooth fairy. Excited for the tooth fairy to come.

The temple on the hill

All the foliage has fallen from the trees and the branches are bare, exposing to view. . . in the cold and dreary days ahead . . . the temple on the hill." Nauvoo, IL. ~ (Photo credit and quote: Sharon Cohen)

I usually try to keep my blog lighthearted with general updates about my family but I saw this picture and quote on Facebook today and I thought it summed up how I've been feeling lately. As a child, teenager, and even young adult my testimony came so easy for me. Over the past few years, we've had our share of trials and challenges. But the past few months have really been rough. I never thought that I would have my testimony shaken and feel like Heavenly Father had given me more than I could handle. My heart has been broken watching my husband try so hard to find a job to support our family, watching my kids struggle to understand why they left their friends, schools, most of their belongings are in storage, and even their dog, and trying to understand why I will never be blessed to have another child born to our family. I've been angry and incredibly sad. I've even questioned my testimony.
Earlier this week, one of my friends, invited me to go to the temple. I've known for a while that I should go to the temple but I've become good at fighting those feelings but I finally broke down and went. I didn't have an overwhelming spiritual experience but I did feel the sweet simple peace from the Spirit that has been absent from my life. It was what I needed to wake me up.
I have a journal that I keep to write down insights and promptings. I was reading through it and I came across something I wrote in 2009. "You have to be willing to go through whatever the Lord has in store for you in order for you to receive the answers you are seeking through prayer" I was reminded as I went to the temple that Heavenly Father knows and understands the bigger picture and that He is mindful of our family and our needs. It's amazing the peace and blessings that can come from the temple.

Fall Fun

  We went to Bill's Berry Farm today. It's about 45 minutes from the tri-cities area. It was a little cold and rainy but we weren't going to let that stop us from having some fun. This farm had a little of everything. We went through a corn maze, made our own apple cider, did an apple sling shot, sat by a fire, and went on a hay ride.

We went through there corn maze. It wasn't the typical corn maze where you have to find the exit but you have to figure out a mystery by finding all the clues. There was 6 clues altogether.

Some of the corn stalks were REALLY tall.

Ellie leading the way.

Jared was checking out the corn to see if it was still good.

We found a clue!

Daddy and Rachel looking out the clues. We found all the clues and made it out in about an hour.

This was a lot of fun...making our OWN apple cider. We had to start off by picking just the right apples. 20 pounds of golden delicious apples.

10 pounds of red apples and 10 pounds of granny smith apples.

Then we had to rinse all of the apples

Then we pulverized the apples. haha

Rachel feeding the machine

Ellie taking a turn

Taking the apple mush and putting it into a mesh bag.

Filling the press with the apple mush.

Jared turning the press. Ellie checking out all the yummy juice coming out the spout.

Rachel taking her turn. Look the bucket is almost full!

Ellie is still a little too short but had some help from daddy.

We filled 3 gallons and had still had some extra juice, so we sat and drank it right there on the spot! So YUMMY! The fresh apple juice was delicious!

Oh look...it's me!

The finished product.

Cute picture of me and the kiddos

What a good pic of the kids.

Oh man, I think they need to cut back on the apple cider.

Rachel took this for us. I want to remind you it was cold and rainy!!

The only picture of all of us together!

The apple sling shot was one of the favorites with everyone. Rachel hit a couple targets. Jared launched it the farthest. Bill had fun helping Elle.

What a fun Fall day!!

Just a little Update

• Bill is still on the job hunt. We are waiting to hear back from two decent job opportunities. One is in Utah and the other one is here in Washington. It is so hard to be patient. We are praying that one of these jobs will work out for our family. He got on as a volunteer at the local fire station, they are requiring him to go through a fire academy. So he's gone 2 nights a week and every other Saturday. He can't start running with them until he's completed it which is right before Thanksgiving. He's eager to start running calls again.
• Rachel is really enjoying Middle school. She is doing really well in her classes and starting to make friends. She had a boy pass out in her Orchestra class and he landed on her. If you run into her, you should ask her to tell the story. It is pretty funny. 
• Jared is now in 4th grade. He is playing flag football with his cousins and has fun at the games. I'm hoping I remember the camera this week to take some pictures, especially since Saturday is his last game of the season. 
• Ellie had a hard time adjusting to the move and to 1st grade but really likes school now. She is learning to be a confident reader and is sounding out and trying to spell everything. Ellie also has her first loose tooth, actually 2 of them. She's pretty excited and is working hard a wiggling them. I'm sure I will be posting pics soon.
• The girls love to help cook or bake goodies. I love that the holidays are just around the corner. We've had fun making caramel apples, cookies, and cake so far. 
• My sister is back in town after a long visit to California, we are going to start walking together on a regular basis. Hopefully, I can keep from gaining weight from all the yummy treats!

Cove Fort

 On our way down to California we stopped at Cove Fort. We've passed it many times traveling back and forth and never have stopped. I'm glad we finally did. It was really interesting and the kids thought it was cool looking at things from the past. They had a picture of Brigham Young and his apostles. I didn't know but Bill's and Jared's middle name is Rich after Bill's mom whose maiden name was Rich. Well, Charles C. Rich was one of Brigham Young's apostles who is a great great great? Grandpa. Charles C. Rich settled the San Bernardino area in California. Pretty cool legacy, huh?

Outside the walls of Fort Cove

Inside one of the rooms

One of the lookouts

On top of the wall.

My dad and the sister missionary that took us around