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I spent most of my computer time last year at either facebook or pinterest and hence all the best moments of the year were captured there, and not here.
I'm a little sad about that, so I thought I'd go back through last years facebook posts and resurrect my favorite moments. I want them here on my blog. I need to add some photos too, but that's for another time.
This really is kind of like my family journal and I've been lax about keeping it updated. I'm not promising to be better, but I wanted to at least memorialize last year. 
SO, don't feel like you have to read on. It's just journalling (although a few of them are rib ticklers!) 

January 6
My boys think sneezes are called "bless you"s.

January 20
A,B,C,D,E,F,G
Gummy bears are chasing me
one is red, one is blue,
one is peeing on my shoe
now I'm running for my life;
cause the red one has a knife!!!
I find it hysterical that this is the only song my boys know all the lyrics to. They sing it perfectly every time!

January 27
Jason just passed gas (loudly) then said to me "Momma, my butt is a gun".

February 9
Jason is so eager to help feed the pets that he threw the cat food over the balcony so he can re-fill the bowl. I don't think I can afford his kind of "help".

February 23
Ever have those days when you look at your kids and just smile cause you know they are SO your kids? Right now, Haley and the boys are watching Mama Mia and singing along---SO my kids!

March 1
OH my gosh. Jason is such a BS'er!! 
Conversation this morning:
Jason to Justin: Go out your door.
Me: No, he can go out your door.
Jason: Fine, but I'm not closing it (or something to that effect)
Me: What did you say?
Jason: I said I love you mommy!

Do they learn young or what?

March 7
Trying to scratch the roof of your mouth with your tongue is extremely dissatisfying.

April 4
gotta love Justin's enthusiasm....
ME: boys, go pick up your room and we'll go somewhere.
BOYS: Yay!!!
JUSTIN (a few minutes later): What store are we going to?
ME: We're not going to a store, we're going on a nature walk...
JUSTIN: awwww, I HATE nature walks!!! Jason! We're not going to the stooooorrrreee!!!

April 10
so, Haley's first attempt at being "girly" failed traumatically. Earring embedded itself in her ear yesterday. ouch!!! She is once again earring free. :(

April 25
I despise insolence, especially coming from my four year old. Heaven help me!

May 17
Repairs to the minivan two'ish months ago...$1000; repairs to Jon's car this week....$800; mini van radiator hose repair (now)...$???, driving both vehicles off the side of a cliff.....priceless.

June 13
Ok, all my adult life, I've been 5'4" tall....We measured this morning (because Ashley is catching up to me, and we're curious to know how far off she is), and all of sudden I'm 5'5"....wth???????? I thought you were supposed to shrink as you get older. Have I been measuring wrong all my life? Whatever, I'll take it!! This throws my whole bmi into a new light!! Woot!

June 15
Best part of my mornings is when my cute little ones come out of their bedroom all sleepy-eyed and come straight away for a good morning hug and kiss. So sweet!

June 26
oh my goodness, let's hear it for comic relief.
We've just come out of the dollar theater and Jon see's we have a flat tire. He get's busy changing it, and here's Jason's monologue:
"Hmmm, the back (of the van) looks like a butt. And the front is it's weenie. I like to say weenie..."

July 21
Justin had a good one this time.
Setting: Jason drew a sweet family picture.
Jason: this is you mommy.
Haley: Why is her head so big? (jason gives me a hug, feeling bad for making my head look big. 
Justin: Why isn't she fat?

August 6
The other day Jason asked a question about a "screepion", and just now Justin asked for his "poky-pine".....love the pronunciation of a five year old.

August 7
oh, my Ashley touched my heart this morning. Such a sweet girl. ♥
(what she did---Oh, she just teared up at the thought of anything bad happening to me. You know, when they're teenagers, sometimes you wonder if they really love you--so it's kind of sweet when you see that they do. )

August 9
Pretty sad when your five year old looks at you like you're an idiot.

September 2
sooo... Yikes!! Called and sustained as Primary President today. So overwhelmed, scared, shocked, humbled....I could go on and on. Pray for me!

September 6
Clearly my kids watch too much tv. Justin just tried to open mouth-kiss me goodnight.

September 7
Justin likes to wear his collar up, in what I still refer to as the "preppy" look, he says it makes him look like a vampire.

September 15
Jason just came out of the bedroom all spiffed up. Tells me he's going on a date with Annabel. He asked if I would take him over to her house and he's planning on taking her to Target for a lunch of pizza and icee's. Lucky girl!

October 1
oh geeze. So we're getting out of the van to go into the dollar store. The lady in the car next to us gets out too and say's "Hi boys!" to my darling little gents. She's walking into the store with her gent and Justin say's quite loudly: "Mom, some witches have scary teeth....like that lady."

Octover 12
Super fun adventure for us today. The van's fuel sensor doesn't work right, so it frequently shows that I'm lower on gas than I actually am. So, I knew I was getting low today but thought I was still around a quarter tank. We hit the freeway and wouldn't ya' know it....ran out of gas. Managed to coast (guess we were coasting) to the exit and onto a side street before the engine completely died. My sweet girls got to experience pushing the van along the side of the road--big fun let me tell ya. Huge, HUGE shoutout to the two sweet guys who came along and towed us to the gas station down the street and refused any sort of payment. You guys rock!

Nov. 15
So sweet. ♥ Ashley is staying late at school today to watch a play. Noting that it's starting to get dark outside, Justin says to me:
"Mommy, Ashley needs to be home."

Haley-girl's birthday post

Haley turned eleven yesterday! 

Should I even ask where the time has gone? 

We sent her on a scavenger hunt for her birthday present. 

 Sent her to the mailbox.....

 Sent her around the house......

 She finally found the big prize. Doesn't she look thrilled?

...................................NASCAR tickets. 

Honestly, she's been wanting to go with her dad to Nascar ever since her sister got to go four years ago. 

Hopefully she'll have fun. 

We had cake and brownies (forgot the ice cream--what kind of mother am I?) tonight (I had to work last night  :(  ).

There's that thrilled look again.
I'm starting to think that it's code for "somewhat happy".

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Haley-bop. Love you sweet pea!

ResolutioN

source




This is my phrase for the year.

My goal for this year is to stop procrastinating.

WORLD CLASS Procrastinator--that's me.

And yes, I find it a little ironic that my New Years Resolution is to stop procrastinating and I'm posting my resolution on the 3rd of January.
I'm off to a great start wouldn't you say?

That's the only one I'm making, but it's kind of all encompassing in my house.
If I can overcome it, I'll solve a plethora of problems.

What're your goals this year?




 

I always find myself a little depressed the last week of the year. It's hard for me to pinpoint why. This year for instance, I'm looking forward to the fresh start that a new year brings, and I really can't think of any wonderful reason to hold on to 2012--doesn't feel like it's been an outstanding year. In fact it seems like we were struggling most of the year. So I should be like, uber excited for a new year to begin, yet I'm depressed.
Maybe it's cause I know that I'm going to blink twice and it's going to be New Years Eve 2013. Time just rushes by so fast these days. I really don't know how it got to be the last day of the year already.


I've been kind of thinking about resolutions. I'm still debating what I want to resolve, if anything.
My resolutions typically go unfulfilled, so I figure, why bother?
I'm also thinking maybe I'll make one resolution. I already know what it needs to be too. It's kind of all-encompassing, and it's definitely something I REALLY need to work on.

But, I'll save that for tomorrow maybe.

I kind of wanted to review 2012, if only for the sake of taking note for my family; especially since I didn't do much blogging this year. 

BUT, I'm sitting here trying to think what happened this year..... and honestly, the only thing I can think of is that this is the year my littlest ones started school.

 

First day of school shots...

 Jaosn

 

 Justin

 

 Haley

 

 Justin and Mrs. O.

 

 Jason and Miss B.

 

Ashley

 



My boys turned five this year. Haley turned ten, and Ashley....fourteen. Fourteen!!!

     Justin hasn't quite embraced school yet. He likes his teacher, and he likes the homework; but he doesn't look forward to going to school. I think it's just 'cause he's so shy. I say this as he's on the couch making a TON of noise with his sister. It's so hard to believe this same little noisy boy is the one who doesn't make a peep as soon as we enter the schoolyard.
     Jason seems to like everything about school. He likes his teacher, his friends, the homework and just going. He's a lot more social.

They're both doing really well regardless. Justin received an academic excellence award the first trimester and Jason received the "coolest Kid" award, which means he's excelling in multiple areas.

Ashley and Haley also continue to do really well. Ashley has her sights set on attending a really good magnet high school next year. It specializes in the arts. She's currently working on getting her portfolio together for her audition in a couple of weeks. She wants to major in art and photography.
    Haley is looking forward to middle school next year. She wants to take band and learn guitar. We got her a guitar for Christmas, so now she just needs to learn to play. I hope she takes to it, she'd be the first musical person in the house.

Jon broke his wrist in September. Six weeks of annoyance ensued as he tried to deal with the cast.
He was very happy to have it removed in time to play the latest version of Call of Duty that came out in November.

We had to put our sweet kitty, Friday to sleep this past Saturday. It was a sad day for us. She's been a member of our family for fifteen years. She'll be missed.

As for me, these days I feel like I'm constantly twelve steps behind.
I can't seem to get caught up with anything, not that I'm trying as hard as I should be.
My job continues to disappoint. The hours are not steady enough to grant us any finacial security tnd things have been a real struggle this year. I hope to find a better, or additional job in the new year.

I really am looking forward to a fresh start and yet I'm leary. I'm concerned it's going to be another rough year. I'm not pleased with how things are going in the world and I'm not feeling much hope that things are going to get better any time soon.

I feel like the voice of DOOM & GLOOM right now.
Sorry guys.

I really do hope for a Happy New Year for all of you.
And for the world.
And for my family.

Need to boost up my faith a bit.

Unfathomable

I don't post much these days, but I felt like I had to mark what happened last week, specifically Friday, December 14th, 2012. A very dismal day in American history.
Twenty beautiful little lights were extinguished that day. Six more beautiful lights taken as well when they tried to protect those little lights.
A gunman entered a schoolhouse and began shooting. This he did after first taking the life of his mother, and before finally taking his own.
I don't understand it.
In my mind I know there are only two possible answers. Either he was just evil, or he was extremely sick. Evidence is pointing to the latter.
I can't understand what kind of logic leads a person to take the life of a child as payment for some injustice rendered.
I suppose there should be no understanding, because things like this just don't make sense. They're not supposed to.
I'm glad that there is one who knows exactly where that young man's mind was, and He will execute appropriate judgement, whatever it may be. I pray for all the families affected by this horrible tragedy, including the family of that young man. I can't even imagine what they're feeling.

I've always loved this image, but even more so after Friday. Looking at it and knowing each of those sweet children got a hug from Jesus that day gives me some sense of peace. I hope their families find peace.

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Rachel Davino, 29

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6

Dylan Hockley, 6

Dawn Hochsprung, 47

Madeline F. Hsu, 6

Catherine V. Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Lauren Rousseau, 30

Mary Sherlach, 56

Victoria Soto, 27

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison N Wyatt, 6

I don't seem

Slacking with a capital P

I am such a slacker.

I frequently wonder why I've received the calling to be primary president. I know it's cause I have something to learn...well, lot's of somethings.
My biggest problem I think is that I'm a slow learner, and that I'M LAZY.
I'm a PROCRASTINATOR with a capital P.
It's not good.
A few weeks ago, I was supposed to give the spiritual thought during ward council.
{The previous day was a baptism I had been in charge of pulling together. I'll just say that the baptism nearly didn't happen because I had neglected to find out who had access to the Stake Center and I had to make a last minute call to someone to get them to come over and open the building for me so I could get in and get the font filled. It wasn't exactly convenient for this sweet lady to stop what she was doing (juicing pomegranites) and come to my rescue.  Needless to say, this is all something I should have dealt with in the weeks leading up to the baptism, instead of scrambling at the last minute to find out who I needed to get a key from.}
Anyhow I overslept that Sunday morning and arrived late, so I didn't get to give my spiritual thought. Of course, I hadn't prepared for it anyway.
Because I'm a Procrastinator.
I sat in the car for a moment, "preparing" my thought before I headed over to the church.
I was thinking about this problem of mine...procrastination. So I looked it up in the topical guide.
What I found, kind of startled me.

"Procrastination, Procrastinate see also Apathy; Idleness; Slothful. "
There was also some mention made about making excuses.

Idleness? Slothful? ME?
Well, I looked up idleness too.
I looked up a scripture referenced in the Doctrine & Covenants.  D&C 68:31:

 31 Now, I, the Lord, am not well ^apleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are ^bidlers among them; and their ^cchildren are also growing up in ^dwickedness; they also ^eseek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of ^fgreediness.

Um, hit a little close to home, I gotta' tell ya'. And I've got a whole pocketful of excuses. Excuses why my children are growing up in wickedness.
I have terrific kids.
They are not by any means wicked.
But, they're not the way I imagined they would be. They have their own thoughts, and I'm not sure their testimonies are as strong as they could be.
Because I haven't helped them build them up. 
Because I have to work nights. I'm not home to do family scripture study, and family prayer, and family home evening. (excuses)
Beause Ashley has to get up early (4 in the morning early) to get ready for school, out the door by 5:15---it's too early to get the other kids up for family prayer and scripture study. (excuses)
Because I'm tired. (excuses)

It's because I'm lazy. It's because I'm idle. It's because I'm slothful. 
Plain. and. simple.  
And the Lord is not pleased.

But He loves me. And he sees fit to chastise me. And I'm SO grateful that he does.

I just hope I can live up to His expectations and overcome this shortcoming of mine.

A month in pictures

Holy Hannah! October has come and gone.

Another year is flying by. It's just crazy to me how quickly the time gets away.

Thought I'd recap our month in photos just for the fun of it.

Gotta' do something with this here blog once in a while.

 

We have had some glorious weather this month!

October brought nice cool temperatures and a bit of rain. So nice for a change!

Some pretty sunrises....

I had to buy a can of pumpkin puree and make something yummy out of it.

This was a pumpkin bundt cake with pumpkin frosting.

It was pretty yummy!

I also made bread from scratch for the first time ever.

Ages ago, I had a bread maker and made bread that way, but I've never actually made it the old fashioned way. It was delicious--a huge hit. These two loaves were gone before nightfall. There were requests for more. Definitely needs to become a monthly treat.



More fabulous cloud coverage.

Jason and Justin both got rewards at school for the first quarter. They only passed out two of each reward per class, so I was extra proud of these two boys. Justin got  an academic excellence award and Jason got the "coolest kid" award---only one of those passed out to each class. It was for excellence in both his grade and his classroom behavior. He's supposed to get to attend a pizza party with the principal in addition to the award.
Haley also got an award that week, unfortunately I didn't get a pic with her. Poor middle kid syndrome. Her reward was for citizenship. I have awesome kids. Teacher conferences were the following week, and they're all doing fantastic at school. :)

We had a birthday girl in da house this month.....Miss Ashley turned fourteen years old!!! I canNOT believe that! We celebrated twice. This is her cake from her acutal birthday. The next evening she had cupcakes and ice cream and a sleepover. Thank goodness for me, that only one friend slept over. It's amazing how much noise a couple of girls can make!

 Posing at her party. Two of her friends came over. They had a good time I think.

Ok, this is a Pinterest plug....I saw the idea for this cute garland on pinterest and had to give it a shot. It's just tissue paper. I love how it turned out.

Getting dirty carving the jack-o-lanterns. It's so nice that I don't have to be actively involved in this little tradition anymore. One of the few perks of the kids getting bigger.

The finished products....

(the one on the right is eating one of those cute little tiny pumpkins).

Whle they were carving pumpkins I was working frantically on Ashley's costume. It was a royal pain in the kiester. She's been wanting a traditional kimono for a long time now. Ashley loves all things Japanese. I got her the pattern for her birthday, and wouldn't you know it, she decided she'd like it made for Halloween. The instructions were so confusing, I ended up winging it halfway through.
It turned out ok, althouhg I didn't get the obi belt done yet. I'll have to work on it later, I think it might be just as difficult as the kimono.

 

Here they are all decked out for the ward trunk or treat party.



My little mutant ninja turtles.....

She's turning Japanese.....

The force is strong with this one.....

Not supposed to wear masks to the church trunk or treat, so she painted her face black.

I need to upload the pictures from tonight, she's wearing the mask in those.

Maybe tomorrow....

 

 

Catching up--fall 2012

Just popping in to update my header. I made a bunch of cute headers way back when the picnik site was getting ready to close down but I've forgotten to post most of them throughout this year. Yeah, I've also neglected to blog much.

I'm so happy the temperatures are finally starting to drop here in the desert. I'll be SO happy when the high is 65, it's still in the 90's most days. Hopefully by Halloween it'll be nice and cool.

So, in case you missed it-my big announcement for this year is that I've been called to be Primary President. I have to tell you, I was totally shocked to receive this calling. No way am I anywhere close to being qualified for this job. Stepping into the refiners fire I guess. I need some serious refining! I just feel so grateful that the Lord would bless me this way. I really haven't been doing the things I need to be doing and I honestly think this is His way of giving me the little boot I need to get it together. I'm so grateful for His encouragement.

In the meantime, I'm totally lost. Thank goodness for two awesome counselors and one amazing secretary.  Our program was the Sunday before Conference. It came together really well. My second counselor did a great job of stepping in and picking up the reigns from the previous amazing 2ncounselor, who had been doing an amazing job of putting the whole thing together. I really respect and admire these women. I have much to learn from them.

The boys are doing great in school, they're loving their kindergarten teachers. Ashley and Haley are doing well too. Haley's gearing up for a sweet field trip in November and Ashley is focusing on her courses. She wants to get into a really good magnet school for high school so she's working on keeping her grades up and doing what she needs to do to get there. Such good kids. I'm so lucky.

Jon fractured the carpal bone in his left wrist several weeks ago. He's been going crazy trying to deal with the cast. It's a pain for him in more ways than one. Hopefully it'll come off this week.

My niece got engaged Sunday morning. I'm so excited for her. Of course, I can't believe she's old enough to be engaged. Seems like just yesterday I was babysittiing her. Crazy.

Anyway, that's us updated for now. What's been happening in  your world?