SILENT ACHES

Today would have been my husband's thirty-second wedding anniversary to his first wife, Lisa. Lisa passed away about ten years ago from complications of Multiple Sclerosis. When Rob and I were first married, days like this were hard for me. I wasn't yet secure in my place with him or with my girls. I feel very differently now, though. When special remembrance days come I am no longer caught up in my own emotions and insecurities. Instead, when Lisa's birthday or the anniversary of her passing, or hers and Rob's wedding anniversary arrives my heart and mind turn to the silent aches my husband and girls are probably going through. I find the only thing I want is to make sure they are doing alright. I'm so grateful for my changed heart.

I know how deeply and sometimes silently I've mourned for those I've loved and lost ~ even when I've taken the time to talk often about them with loved ones. I know sometimes you still need someone to remember, to listen and to care.

If I've learned one thing in life I think it's that time doesn't really heal all wounds. I think maybe time does make things a little easier to deal with, but I don't know that we are ever really done grieving when we have truly loved and lost one to death. I don't know that anything prepares one for the loss of a spouse or a parent. My girls will grieve for their mother at some level their whole life. They will always miss her. My husband will always grieve and miss her, too. How could he not after all those years of marriage? You see, I didn't marry a man who was unhappily married. I married a man who lost his wife after many happy years of marriage. I'm grateful my heart and mind have come to understand and accept so much.

I feel so very blessed to even in some small way be able to mother the beautiful daughters Lisa gave birth to, loved and nurtured in her life. They are my daughters also and each is talented in her own way and are loving, caring and amazing young women.

I am wonderfully blessed to be married to their father. He is one of the most loving, caring, sensitive men I have ever known. He is also a terrific father who takes really good care of our family.

I guess what I want to say as I finish this post is that it's important to reach out to those who are mourning, to those who are silently aching. Sometimes the trauma passes and we think it is over and move on but the pain for those it happened to still lingers. Just because we can't see the wound doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. If you are in doubt, reach out.

The sting of death becomes bearable only when we truly know we will see and be with our loved ones again. I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ who makes this possible and a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to send His Only Begotten Son to redeem us.

May God Bless You.

NEW FRIENDS

Grandma and Grandpa got out today to get Grandpa a haircut. He has a favorite barber he goes to and I think Grandpa was glad to just get out of the house for a bit. He even stayed upstairs for awhile this evening.

The kids both had school today and it was a pretty day out but a cold one. Jono kept wanting to play outside after school but I didn't let him because I didn't want him to get sick. Yesterday we had snow flurries so I guess it's no surprise that it's still so chilly out. I managed to keep him interested in a new learning computer game and then some friends came over to play so at least it wasn't an all day fight.

Then later he and Carly had gymnastics. A really cool thing happened. Two little black girls about Carly's age had signed up and were in Carly's class. I saw Carly's face light up when she walked in and saw them. Afterward when I picked her up she came running up to me and told me she'd made a new friend and I needed to get her phone number so they could have a play date. It turned out one of the girls was her same age and the other was a couple years older. So, when their mom came I got their number and she's really excited to play with them. I just loved seeing her face light up! So fun!

I'M SO EXCITED AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT! LOL!

Tomorrow is our State Republican Convention and I am a delegate. This is a new experience for me and I am excited for it. I am doubly excited now because my daughter Julie will also be joining me as a delegate. She was elected to be a county delegate and has already performed her service there. However, one of the state delegates for her area had a family tragedy and cannot serve so they called upon Julie since they knew she ran to be a state delegate! So, I am excited we get to do something we both love --being involved in political work (not politics) and serving our communities together!
Look out world, here we come!

MY SWEET LITTLE GUY'S MEMORIES

Today I was out running errands with the kids and we happened to drive by the cemetery where our son Carson is buried. (Carson did not make it full term. He was still born but we count him as ours. We believe he is part of our family and we will have him in the next life.)

As we drove past the cemetery, I mentioned to the kids that he was buried there and they asked if we could stop and go to his grave. So, after we finished our errands we dropped by the house and cut some fresh tulips to put on his grave and Lisa's (Rob's first wife) grave. This is the first time I'd taken the kids to his grave. They've always had lots of questions about him but they'd never been there before. I guess that's because we don't focus so much on the grave. We know he isn't in there. We believe he is with his Heavenly Father.

Anyway, back to my story. We got to the graves and the kids each put the flowers on the graves. Then we stayed and just kind of took in the moment. I answered their questions. They both told me they missed Carson. Then without any warning, Jonathon started to cry. I mean really cry. He started bawling his eyes out. I asked him what was wrong and all he would say was that he missed Carson. He had tears streaming down his face and his nose was running. I picked him up and tried to comfort him but he wouldn't stop crying. I told I believed everything happened the way it was supposed to happen and that Heavenly Father needed to keep Carson with him. I told him if he hadn't decided to keep Carson I might not have him or Carly because I would have had a baby when they were born and the timing wouldn't have been right. Even that did not stop his mournful cries. I got them back in the van and drove home and he cried loudly the whole way home still saying out-loud that he missed Carson. I asked him if he had known Carson before he came here and he said, "Yes."

My little guy for all of his energy and at times orneriness can be so close to the spirit. He has done this same thing in missing his Grandpa D. -- and he was only 2 months old when he died. Now he has seen pictures of his Grandpa holding him but there is no way he could have direct memories of him.  Yet, he talks about him and cries for him with genuine love. Sometimes I wish I could peel back the corners of his little mind to see just what he really knows and remembers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH AND ASHLEY!

We had my sisters and their families up this weekend to celebrate Easter and some family birthdays. It was great to get everyone together. Sarah's birthday is today (Tuesday). My niece Ashley, Susan's daughter is celebrating her 19th on Wednesday and Sarah's son, Ian will be 19 on May 8th. Everyone is growing up so fast!

Sarah took a bunch of pictures but I don't have them yet. We (three girls) took a few with mom and dad but I'm waiting for her to send those so I can put them on the blog.

Grandma went to the doctor today for a sinus infection and they set her up with the meds she needs to get over it. Hopefully, she can do that quickly.

We got some really wild, cold winds in here today that are supposed to chase away our warm weather for awhile. Hopefully, not too long, though.

Rob and I went and gave blood today . . . something I haven't done in probably twenty years or so. I used to give all the time until I started getting migraines and went on medicine for them. Then they told me I couldn't anymore. I guess they have refined the process enough to let you give blood on all kinds of meds. Anyway, I did good except I've felt pretty weak all evening. Hopefully, that will pass by tomorrow. So--anyway--the good news is: You can probably give blood if your only excuse was you thought you couldn't because you were taking some medication. Apparently even diabetics can give blood. So, no excuses! I only mentioned diabetics because the person drawing my blood was a diabetic and pointed it out to me--she gives (and takes--lol) all the time!

Well, that's my soapbox for the night! Have a great one!

BECAUSE OF HIM

Because this is so beautiful and eternally true, I want to share this video on the meaning of Easter  with you. I hope you have a wonderful Easter with your loved ones! Enjoy!
http://easter.mormon.org/

OH, THE THINGS A 6 YEAR OLD KNOWS!

Grandma came up this morning and told me about a conversation Carly had with her. It went like this.

Carly: Grandma, I know how you get babies in Mommy's tummies!
Grandma: Oh really? How?
Carly: You draw a bump!

Oh my goodness! Yah--I don't think I was breathing while I waited for the answer. I was thinking "My goodness, who has she been talking to." Then, when I heard the answer I laughed out loud. What a sweet, simple, innocent answer. I love my little girl so much. If only we could all stay this innocent forever--the world would sure be a sweeter place. :)

NO MORE SORE!

Grandpa has been going to a wound clinic to have a bedsore that had become kind of chronic treated and they treated him with some kind of new medication and all of the sudden he's cured! He's had in home health coming in for quite some time to help treat it and then someone suggested seeing this wound clinic doctor. I think he went twice and on the second visit-he graduated! That's almost unheard of! These sores are really hard to heal! I guess--I should say unless you specialize in them because this wound doctor/clinic seems to really know their stuff! So we are pretty happy campers around here! Yay for us! Hope you got some great news this week too!

WHATEVER YOU CALL ME, JUST DON'T CALL ME LATE FOR DINNER!

Grandma had a dentist appointment today. She found a new dentist not far from the house and ended up liking him really well. I've been needing to find a new one for the kids, too so I'm hoping to get them in to see him soon.

Today was a busy day. I watched one of Carly's school friends for her mom this morning and then took both of her and Carly to school. By that time it was time for Jonathon and his friend Ellie to be dropped off from pre-school. I had Ellie for about 3 hours but she and Jono play pretty well together. When she left and we picked Carly up from school it was time to head to gymnastics!

After gymnastics I quickly fed them dinner and then Rob and I had to head out to a meet the candidates night. I am one of the state delegates and am in the process of meeting and getting to know the candidates and issues. It wasn't a really long evening and I did meet some nice people and get some good information.

Sunday we celebrated our daughter Megan's 27th birthday. We just made a nice dinner, had some pie (her request) and opened gifts. I can't believe she's 27. Time has just really flown by. My girls have all grown up so fast! That would include one Kindergartner who sounds and acts as if she's going on 30. How does that happen?!

I think maybe our spring has finally sprung. It was such a nice day today. No jackets, no sweaters--just so nice outside--even a bit on the warm side. Love, love, love this time of year! Happy Spring Weather to all of you! I hope you are getting a little of this where you are. It's HEAVEN!

Oh--one last thing. My baby boy--he's four now--almost five, well, he will be five at the end of August. Anyway, he told me on my way back after dropping Carly at school today that I needed to stop calling him "Jono." I asked him why since that's all we ever call him--(well at least 90 % of the time.) He said, "You need to call me Jon-a-thon (he emphasized each syllable really slowly) because that's my real name not Jono and I'm a big boy now. So, call me Jon-a-thon, O.K.?"

You know, I expected him to ask something like this, maybe even demand something like this . . . when he was 14, 16 or 18 . . . but not at 4! I mean, REALLY? What is going on and what's happened to my little Jono. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for Jonathon! Then again, if Jonathon is more serious and cerebral - maybe it could turn out to be in my favor. I think I need to analyze this again. Actually, I probably need to over analyze it. I will have to get back to you on this for sure--and it may take awhile. Lol!

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO . . .

Yay! We finally got Rob back home tonight. He has been up in Idaho for a few days. He had a stubborn call up there, a machine that wouldn't fix. He thought he'd only be a day and ended up being there three. We miss him when he is gone!

Mom and I got out today and did some exploring at a new shopping center near here. We had some fun and found some neat new stores. Some of the fun was managing to keep Jono with us. He doesn't like to hold our hand or stay right with us so it's a bit of an effort. But then, being four isn't the easiest thing in the world, I guess. Lol.

We were a couple minutes late getting back to pick Carly up from school so Grandma got out to go retrieve her from the school. We figured she would be nicer to Grandma than to me-- and we were right. Grandma didn't get the tongue lashing I would have gotten for being a few minutes late, though she still wasn't happy we weren't on time. We did make up for it by getting her and Jono an ice cream on the way home. That made it all better!

In the last couple of days, it has rained, snowed, hailed and been warm and sunny -- not on separate days but all happening on each of the days. Pretty funny. If you just stand around and wait ten or fifteen minutes the season, er, weather will change. At least that's what's been going on around here. You can't decide what to wear outside and you can't even decide what temperature to set the thermometer at! No word when weather sanity will return. Strange Happenings!

SNOW? NO!

I'd have thought it was an April Fools joke if I hadn't seen it fall from the sky myself! But sure enough another day of wet, icky snow! I'm going to stop predicting when it will be warm again and just stick to things I know--which are relatively few. And I can't think of any right now--so that could be a problem!

The kids were a little bit sick this morning. I ended up being up late with them last night and having to give them cough medicine so they slept a little late today. That was nice but they neither one felt really great all day today and so I am hoping they are better tomorrow. Carly has been on Spring Break since last Thursday but goes back tomorrow. So, it's been a nice "winter-like" Spring Break! Lol! I did take them to the park one day but even that day it got cold before we left the park.

I found a few pictures I took of the kids when we were in CA I thought I'd post tonight. I loved this rug in our hotel so I made them pose on it a few times. I just thought it was really cool. I wouldn't want it in my home or anything but I thought it was pretty funky for a photo backdrop! It made the pictures kind of fun.



Psychadelic Carly



Psychadelic Jono



My Psychadelic kiddos

TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO!

Carly and I were looking at some pictures the other night from when she was younger and she wanted to know everything about them. She wanted to know who was in the picture and what they were doing here, how they were related, etc. She noticed Grandma and Grandpa C. weren't in any of the ones in our home when she was tiny and she asked why. I told her they hadn't moved here yet and she was puzzled by that. She thought for a second and then said, "Oh, you probably didn't know you had another house under our house then that they could live in did you mom? You probably hadn't found it yet, huh?" Lol!

It's funny because she has this concept that Grandma and Grandpa are in their own house right underneath ours even though they are living just downstairs in our basement. They do have a nice area down there that they've made theirs but she apparently believes it is their "house" which she can easily go in and out of whenever she chooses. Hahaha!

SPRING PLEASE

Today we got the kids bikes out of the garage and let them ride on the sidewalks with the neighbor kids. They had a blast. They didn't even mind that it was a little on the chilly side. It was actually a nice sunny day with just a bit of a chilly wind. I do believe we may soon actually see Spring! Yay! Bring it on!

CATCHING UP!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. We've had a sick little boy and lots of catching up to do. Thankfully, we have him well again now. Early Spring is always a tough time for him. The combination of allergy and asthma hit him pretty hard and it seems like we never quite get the right one, two punch before it hits him.

As I said before, we are very glad to have Grandma back. The kids are very happy but Grandpa may be the happiest! He only had me as his nurse-maid for those days and my attention was going in four directions--though, I really did try hard to take good care of him. I will say he was a very good patient--and he was really good and patient, also.

The weather here has been really nice this past week. I was able to get out and do some clean up on the yard last evening and the kids were able to be outside and play with friends while I did that. It was probably near 70 degrees today. I think tomorrow and the next day we are in for some rain and a little cooler weather but after that it's supposed to warm back up.

Mom had a really nice visit with her sister Kaye and brother-in-law Bob and their daughter Ronda. I thought I'd let you see a couple of photos from her trip. Have a terrific day!

Carolyn and Kaye

Kaye, Ronda and Bob

GRANDMA'S BACK! YIPPEE!

Grandma got home safely tonight and we were all so happy to see her! She has only been gone since Tuesday morning but the kids thought it had been an eternity. They pretty much cried themselves to sleep every night because they missed her and drove me nuts every day, all day long asking when she was coming back. It's safe to say they love and adore their Grandma.

With all the news about this missing flight 370 I wasn't too crazy about having anyone I loved up in an airplane and I'm pretty sure Grandpa felt the same as me. It was sure good to get her feet on the ground here again. Lots of prayers were said before that happened! You can just call me the nervous Nellie type. :)

After we got Grandma home tonight Rob and I ran over to our neighborhood Caucus meeting and I somehow managed to get elected as a State Delegate. A little overwhelming but I am excited for a new challenge and to get involved in the process. I am so disappointed and saddened in the direction our country is heading. I feel our Constitution and our freedoms slipping away from us. I believe if we don't stand up and begin to do something about it ourselves on a local, community level we will truly lose what freedoms we have left.

I'm so proud of my daughter Julie who is away at college! She went to her caucus tonight and got elected to be a county delegate and I know she will do a fabulous job! I think that is so awesome! Congratulations Julie!

Well, we had a lot of excitement here today. After we got home from everything, Rob got called out to fix some machines. He is on-call this week. So, it is after 1:30 in the morning here and he is on his way home now. It's been a long day--but a good one. Hope your day was just as good! More later!

MISSING GRANDMA

Grandma's been gone two days now and it feels like two years to my little ones. They ask me at least twice an hour how much longer until Grandma is coming back. Lol. (That should make you feel good Mom!)

Grandpa and I have been bonding. I am trying my best to keep him healthy and well until Mom gets back. I had a busy schedule today since Jonathon has been sick with allergies and asthma and I had to get him into the doctor. After that, I had to get his meds filled and get Carly from school so Grandpa had to man the house for awhile by himself--well, with the dogs help so I could accomplish everything.

Not much else going on here. We will all just be glad when Grandma gets back. She's a very important cog in our family wheel here. We love you Grandma!

BEDTIME TEARS

I had two very sad kids at bedtime tonight. Grandma is leaving in the morning for a few days to go and see her sister Kaye and they are not used to not having Grandma here. I told them to give her lots of hugs and kisses before bed and they could do the same in the morning before she leaves. That didn't stop the bedtime tears. They sure do love their Grandma. I LOVE that they have such a close relationship with their Grandma and Grandpa. That was one of the great joys of not only my childhood but my life was the closeness I felt to my grandparents. They weren't just my grandparents--as I got older they really were my friends, too. I'm so glad my kids have them--and are attached.

I'm also glad my mom can get away for a few days to see her sister. We will take good care of Grandpa. We love you Aunt Kaye! Have fun you two and don't do anything we wouldn't do! Be safe Grandma! LOVE YOU!!

SOME THINGS (AND SOME PEOPLE) NEVER CHANGE! :)

My Dad used to drive Susan and I nuts when we had The Flower Shop and we would be making an arrangement of some kind. He would come in and stand behind us and critique what we were making and then tell us where we needed to add flowers or greenery. We would sometimes get a little frustrated because, afterall, we were the designers and we knew what we were doing. We'd usually let him know that, too. But then he'd tell us he was looking at it "with the customer's eye" and he really thought it needed this or that, here or there. Lol. He almost always got his way because, you know, he was our Dad, not to mention, the owner. Haha!

Anyway, that was one of the things he did on a regular basis that bugged us and sometimes (we are pretty sure) he would do it just to bug us. Naw, would he do that, would he?! You bet he would! Well, it's been years and years since we sold that shop--and I hadn't thought about him doing that for just about that long. It really was kind of funny and he sure could get us going. Though we really didn't need the help!

So, the other day I was re-doing one of my mom's silk flower arrangements that was attached to the wall in her bedroom and she and Dad were laying on the bed talking to me while I did it. All the sudden I hear my Dad say, "Nancy, I think you need one more flower--there's a spot on this side that needs something." Now, I turn and look at him and laugh--and say "Good one, Dad!" because I am certain he is teasing me about when he used to do that in the old days! He looks at me with kind of a blank stare for a second and then lets me know he's serious--he thinks it needs another flower! Holy Cow! Really Dad--it can't be the "customer excuse!" We're not selling it to anyone! Hahaha!

Seriously though, I humored him and put in another two or three flowers. I filled the whole thing up! I should probably say that he was usually right. (O.K. I just said that to make him feel good. And I will deny it if you tell anyone. Lol!)

In the end, I learned one thing, though--some things and some people never change! Ha!

REPORT FOR THE WEEK!

Rob was out overnight last night fixing broken blood analyzer machines but he made it safely back home tonight! Yay! I always breath a great sigh of relief when he walks back in the door. Too much crazy in the world these days!

Grandma is busily packing for her trip to visit her sister Kaye who lives in Illinois. She is flying and will leave next Tuesday and return on Friday. I guess Grandpa and I  (and the kids) will get some quality time together. Lol.

My mom and her sister Kaye are the last the surviving Flint siblings. Kaye and mom are the babies of the family. Unfortunately Kaye had a stroke earlier this year, but happily she is doing much better. Mom hasn't seen her since she got sick so she is excited to spend some time with her!

Sarah called earlier today and her son Ian has a cellulitis infection on his leg and has been running a temperature of 103-104. She got him right in to the doctor's office and they gave him some large doses of antibiotics and are watching him closely. They have no idea how he got the infection and are pretty worried about him. Please keep him in your prayers for us.

Well, that's all I know for now. Hope you are all well. Love ya, Nancy

SWEET NOTHINGS FROM A SWEETIE PIE!

The sweetest little girl (my Carly) whispered the sweetest little nothings in my ear this morning!

Carly came in the kitchen while I was fixing lunch and softly said, "Momma, Did you know I had to ask Heavenly Father if you could be my Mommy?"

Me: "I didn't know for sure, but  kind of wondered."

Carly: "Well, I did. And he told me he'd have to talk to you about it."

I glanced over at her quickly when she said this but she just continued telling the story.

"He went to talk to you and he told me when he asked you, you said yes really fast, like this, "YES!!!" That's why I'm here!"

My little ones say some very sweet things to me but I think this is one of my very favorites~probably because it's exactly what would have happened if I had been asked! I prayed my kids here and that's for sure! Love them so very much!

OUR DISNEY TRIP IN PICTURES

All of us on Main St. at Disneyland



Carly and Jono's Goofy picture!

Fun with Mickey

Captain Hook with Jono and Carly

Cruella D'ville

They are driving young these days!



Now THAT'S a Bumper Car! So much fun!
  

Just along for the ride! Got me a driver and she's doing a great job!



Can you tell this is his favorite ride! Luckily, it's awhile till Jono gets his real driver's license! Lol!
 

SPECIAL TIME WITH DAD

Carly and Daddy 

Jono and Daddy

There's nothing better than your dad spending time with you and showing you how much he really, truly loves you!

DON'T FORGET TO CLOSE YOUR MOUTH . . .

When you've opened it wide and your feet are inside! That is if you ever realize that's what you did. Lol! So, we are leisurely making our way back from California and this morning after we checked out of our hotel we decided that since we slept through breakfast we would stop for donuts. We picked a place that sounded like a winner--"Grand Slam Donuts" and it had several positive reviews and only one negative one which was about the service. So, we drove there and a pleasant looking Asian woman near our age began serving us. 

As we were choosing our donuts this woman asked Rob if Carly and Jono were our grandchildren? He said "No, they belong to us." I am not exaggerating one bit when I tell you that her mouth literally dropped open and hung there when he said that. She looked not only astonished but confused so I joined in and said, "No, they are ours." She still didn't close her mouth but her eyes joined her mouth in a way that seemed to add even more confusion to the astonishment. I was afraid she was going to fall over backwards if I didn't do something quickly and yet I didn't feel like alerting everyone in the place to our situation (let alone making it a big deal for my sweet kids) so I mouthed the word "ADOPTION" to her. FINALLY--her brain caught up with her mouth and allowed it to close. Her face showed some recognition of the facts on the ground matching the explanation she'd been given and an ability to move on with her day. Yay! We would indeed get our donuts without having to do a DNA test or provide legal documents. Holy cow!

But wait! She wasn't through. Before we got our donuts she wanted to know why. Why did we have these children and not their birth mothers. Did we keep in touch with them and then, on top of all that, she had some advice for me about whether we should or shouldn't keep in touch with them. I won't bore you with all those details. But seriously!!

No, I don't know her name. Yes--both of her feet are still in her mouth. Yes, I was much too polite and gave her much too much information. It's hard for me to respond rudely like some other adoptive mother's I know do when people are just being stupidly curious or as they see it invasive--though, as my kids get older, it's getting harder for me not to as well. It's a fine line.

You see, these children ARE mine. I forget sometimes what you see; what others see. I forget what makes you curious. I only know what my heart sees and that is a deep, profound love for my children. My Father in Heaven sent these children to me. They belong to me and while I have stopped being hurt (mostly) by stupid, thoughtless, insensitive questions about their relationship to me, their color versus mine, and why I have them and not their biological mother--that journey for them is just beginning. Trust me - these may be informational questions to you but they can be deeply private, painful questions for both the adoptive parent and child.

I know I am preaching to the choir right now--but CHOIR--you know other people out there--pass this information on. Tell people to stop being so insensitive. It's OK to be curious but you don't have to satisfy your curiosity. NO YOU DON'T!!! Curiosity killed the cat and it can hurt people you don't mean to hurt--especially little ones! I'm just saying. If someone wants to share their story with you, they will. Otherwise, it isn't your business.

That said, I am a fairly open book. Most people I know and love know our story. I am one who generally shares the stories of my blessings fairly openly--but I like to choose the time, place and people I share with--especially so I know how it will effect my little ones. I never want to do or say anything that will have a negative impact on them--and I don't want anyone else to do it--even in an unthinking moment. Thanks for hearing me out. I just needed to vent. Love you all. :)

OUR DOO ~ DAH DISNEY DAY!

We finally made it to the Magic Kingdom today and we had some happy little faces to show for it! The weather was perfect, too. If anything, a little cooler than expected but certainly not too warm--and the lines were not too long for anything we wanted to ride or see. It was such a nice day. We are going to take in some sight-seeing tomorrow and see if we can find the ocean and some beach to hang out on for a bit so the kids can collect some sea-shells. Then we will take in another day of Disney. It's really been a good trip. Here are some pictures of our Disney adventure so far.

Getting lunch so we could enjoy our day

Waiting for my ride to Disney

Our friend Minnie

Mickey the gatekeeper!

Daddy and us with Mickey

Jono, Carly and Mommy

Watching the parade

Loving me some parade, Mom!

THE WANDERERS

We are traveling and I wasn't sure I was going to have time to blog while we were on the road. However, the kids are asleep and I have found a few quiet moments. Rob's in laws (Grammy and Poppy) from his first marriage (whom I also consider family) are not in very good health and we are on a short trip to visit them. We are in California and were able to spend time with them today and will spend a little more time with them tomorrow before we go. Grammy is now bedridden and isn't able to do much on her own. She also doesn't have the energy for long visits so we are trying to be careful not to tax her strength too much. We had a really nice visit with them and with our brother and sister-in-law and their kids. We went out to dinner with them and Poppy tonight and had a very nice evening together while Grammy rested.

Tomorrow after our visit we will head to Anaheim for a couple of days to take the kids to Disneyland. They are really excited! The last time we went to Disneyland Julie was only 12. Oh my, where has the time gone?!

WE'RE HAVING A WARM STORM!

Today was a gorgeous day--I mean, really gorgeous. It was so nice you would think Spring was here already. Unfortunately, it is supposed to be cold and wet the rest of the week but it will be worth it just to have had a few nice days. Unfortunately, Jonathon's asthma has been bad enough the last couple weeks I haven't been able to let him run around outside while it's been nice and I practically had to stand on him to keep him indoors today. He loves to be outside and he so wanted to run and play. Poor little guy. I am really hoping he starts to grow out of this as he gets older.

He was able to go to gymnastics (indoors) today so he at least got to have a little fun. Plus, he had his pre-school and also had a friend over, too. It was all the doldrums for him. On the way back from gymnastics today he and Carly were talking about how warm it was outside and asked me if it was Summer. I told them it wasn't and explained how the seasons go and that Spring would be here soon and then Carly blurted out "Well then, we are having a warm storm--and it's making me very, very hot!" Lol! She makes me laugh!

Grandpa got his results back from the gall bladder tests he had the other day. Turns out he's got a bum gall bladder and they suggest he have it removed. I haven't talked to him myself about it yet but the word on the street is that he has other ideas about what should happen with it. Maybe he's had his gall bladder so long he's just plain attached to it, or maybe he's gotten used to the vomiting and he's starting to actually enjoy it. Lol. I'm not sure if he's really thinking about keeping it or if he just wants more time to think about it but I will find out and let you know. In the meantime, keep my Big Bad Dad in your thoughts and prayers would ya?

Also, my Aunt Kaye is back in the hospital. She had a blood clot in her left leg and it broke apart and part of it went into her left lung. She is feeling OK but they have her on oxygen now and she will have to remain on oxygen now. She is hoping to be able to go home from the hospital soon. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

I will update you when I know more. Night all.

NICE WORDS ON A HARD DAY

I taught my 14 year old's today. To be honest, I thought I would be less nervous teaching the youth. WRONG. It's just a different kind of pressure. It's still hard and you have to be on top of your game. I was so nervous this morning and trying to pull things together--after working on my lesson for many hours yesterday and this morning. Then, Rob got called out (he's on call this weekend) and I was left to finish my lesson, get myself and the kids ready, feed them and get them to church on time. Well, it didn't happen. We missed the first meeting. Luckily, I wasn't teaching until the second meeting. Rob got home about 25 minutes before the second meeting started and we pulled it together and got there.

I think the lesson went kinda, sorta well. I've been taking some small treats and give them out in return for reverence and participation. That has been helping. My co-teacher will have the next two weeks as I have taught two in a row. Now, it's her turn to do the same.

I did have a very nice thing happen after I left class. A man who had been in my adult Sunday School Class and who didn't know I am not teaching in there anymore stopped me in the hall to tell me I am his very favorite Gospel Doctrine teacher. That is a one and only moment. Never happened before, will never happen again. :) I told him he made my whole day! It really did make me feel good. Everyone needs a payday like that once in awhile, especially when you are having a hard day!

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

Yesterday I took Carly to get her hair done. It only took about an hour and a half. Sunshine is the young woman's name who does her hair. She is always so nice. She spent extra time curling and styling her hair. It was so cute when she was through. Carly was so excited to have "shiny" (that's what she called it) hair again. I'm just thrilled to have comb-through, manageable hair again. Yay!

Here are a couple pictures of my little sweetie pie with her new 'do. :

Carly with her hair styled

Carly's curls

It was kind of funny afterwards on our way home. She hadn't seen herself in a mirror yet but she knew Sunshine had used a curling iron on her hair. She also knew we had gone there to have her hair straightened. I didn't realize the mix of the two had confused her. Our conversation went like this: 

Carly: "Mama, I thought we were getting my hair straightened?"
Me: "We did honey. That's what Sunshine just did."
Carly: "But Mommy she just curled it?"
Me: "Yes, but before she curled it, she straightened it.
Carly: But why did she straighten it if it was already curled?
Me: Who's on first, What's on second . . .

OK--so I didn't say the last one --but it kind of felt like that. Took a little explaining. She was delighted to see the "after" curls she had as opposed to the teeny weeny hard to comb through "before" curls. A mirror made all the difference!

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY~THAT WON'T FLATTEN YOUR TUMMY :O

The weather is messin' with me. Today it was all sunny and nice again. Oh well, I'll take it. I was just glad to have a lovely day. It was a little chilly but I didn't care. It was just nice to have some sunshine!

Rob called me late afternoon and was heading to a hospital where he usually does some work. However, he told me he was headed there because his brother was in the ER really sick. They weren't sure what was wrong but thought he might even have meningitis. We went through a couple of hours of nervousness and his brother had to have a spinal tap but, thankfully, it came back negative. They think it is just a really bad virus. In the end, the symptoms remind me of what Rob had at the end of December that ended up being a really bad flu. His head hurt worse than he could remember it ever hurting and his body ached all over and he felt really, really sick. Anyway, we feel really blessed that this didn't turn out to be meningitis. They have him on some strong meds so hopefully he can start to get better quickly.

Rob and I have both lost some weight recently. In fact, we'd both like to lose a little more--though we're feeling pretty good with where we've gotten so far. We spent a month on the Whole30 Paleo diet to clean out our guts but it helped our waistline as well. We plan to continue eating Paleo-rific about 85% of the time (except when we don't.) That will help "our guts" stay clean and our waistlines thin--hopefully. However, tonight I just wasn't in the mood for Paleo anything! We had to make a trip to Costco and right by Costco is this nice little Asian restaurant called Pei Wei. It is so YUMMY! You guessed it--I talked Rob in to taking me to dinner there and we were both a bit naughty. Hopefully, it won't show too much tomorrow.

I did run for 20 minutes today and do 1,000 sit ups! Yes, you read that right. I am trying to get rid of my tummy. OK, maybe not completely rid of it--but just flatten it a little. Lol! :D

SO MUCH FOR THE SUN . . .

Hahaha! Wow, fooled me! Yesterday and the day before it was all warm and sunny here. I mean, it was almost shirt sleeve. It was around 60 degrees. Woke up this morning to heavy, flying snow! No kidding. Yesterday made me dare to believe we were done for the year. Joke's on me! Crazy weather. The one good thing is that it never did stick to the ground--hopefully, it won't overnight, either. But, I guess we get what we get and we don't throw a fit! (Jonathon comes home from pre-school and says that!) I think his teacher must have to repeat it to a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds a lot! Lol!)

Julie's doing really great this semester in school. She just aced two more quizzes. She's working really hard and we are so proud of her!

Carly got to take out her first library book from her school's library and bring it home. I don't remember doing that when I was her age. I'm not sure when I got to do it but it was an important rite of passage for her. She feels big! We read it together tonight and she gets to return it on her own and check out another one. I'm really glad they are teaching them responsibility at such a young age.

Well, not too much going on here. Time to lock up and go home. :D

WARM AND SUNNY HERE

Yesterday (Monday) since it was a holiday, Russ, Susan's husband had the day off, so they came up to visit and do some "honey do's" for Grandma and Grandpa. Russ spent the day hanging pictures and decor for Grandma and Susan helped Grandpa organize his files and papers.

The kids were were really glad to see them, too. They don't get to see them very often since they are an hour away. They stayed for dinner and then headed home. I will have to take some photos of Russ's handiwork. The walls look really nice.

Our weather has been really wrm the last few days. I think it got up around 60 degrees today and all of our snow has finally melted. With any luck, we can coast on into Spring. That wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. I haven't minded the Winter as much this year as last year but I'm still ready for a new season.

Well, better get myself to bed. It's been a long day.

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

I am now teaching the 14 year old's in Sunday School which is a relief for me. Teaching adult Sunday School was a bit stressful--not that teaching teenagers isn't. It's just that it's a bit more pressure to teach adults. So anyway, today was my first day to teach the lesson. I have a co-teacher and we take turns. I have to say I was really impressed with how good they were today. We have a whole class of boys who have been a bit rowdy at times (I have subbed in there before) and today they were very reverent. I was really grateful for that. Of course, only four out of the seven were there but still, they were good and it made it very easy to teach.

We watched a bit of the Olympics tonight and then had a family home evening lesson with the kids. After that Rob helped Carly practice her piano lesson. I am so grateful he knows enough to help her. Otherwise, I'd be up a creek without a paddle. I so want her to learn to play but I managed to learn nothing about reading or playing music in my life (unless you count the radio--which I don't!) Anyway, it was so sweet to watch him help her so I had to run and get my camera.

She reminds me so much of myself when I was growing up. When I didn't understand something or when something seemed too complicated to grasp, I would just kind of stiffen up and my lips would start to quiver and the tears would start to fall. I watched her on the piano being a bit confused about how to do what she was supposed to do. She started into that same lip quivering mode until her daddy carefully walked her through how to do it. I love my husband so much and I am so happy he is such a wonderful father.

Like this.

Like this?

How am I doing Daddy?

Perfect.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLY! YOU MAKE US SO HAPPY!

We had a really fun day with Carly today! Her older sister Julie came up last night (Friday) and babysat while Rob and I had a Valentine date so she was here to help wish her a Happy Birthday today and help with her party. We all got up early and prepared for an onslaught of five and six year olds! About 11:30 they started to arrive and before we knew it we had nine or ten kids running around the house making all sorts of wild noises and laughter!

It turned out that Daddy (Rob, not Grandpa) was the surprise favorite of the party. He started out by coming out with his Frankenstein mask on and getting lots of screams (and then they begged for more) and then got down on the floor and played magic card games, balloon stomps and all kinds of games that got huge giggles from all of them! He is so great with kids is really warms my heart. They all just loved him and had so much fun! They all got to make their own pizzas and then we stuffed them with cake, ice cream and even more sugar, wound them up and sent them back home! I'm sure their mommas are thrilled with us! Hahaha!

Sister Megan came over and was a big help as well, and sister Sara called Carly from Oregon this evening. She is one loved and spoiled little girl. Jono was happy to tag along all day and photo bomb a bunch of the pictures. He's really good at that.

I'm hoping by Sunday afternoon Grandma and Grandpa will have recovered from all the noise. Here are a few fun pictures. Enjoy!


My little 6 year old



The whole gang



Let us eat cake! Yum!



Carly with the photo bomber
(He was no where in sight when I started taking the picture!)

Carly, you are the sweetest little girl ever and we love you so much! Happy, Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

JUST A FEW THINGS

I can't believe Wednesday is over already! I am so far behind the 8 ball! I've been running all week and am SO not caught up! I am trying to clean the house which is not an easy thing to do when I have two power wrecking balls under my feet at all times! I want to get it clean before the week is over since I'm having a birthday party for Carly here on Saturday with a whole bunch of little kids.

I am also supposed to take treats to her school on Friday. Although, Carly let me know today the teacher thinks I'm coming with them tomorrow. Great! I am going in to help the teacher do grades tomorrow but I am not doing Carly's birthday stuff till Friday--no matter how confused the teacher is! Gah!

Rob and I have been off our Whole30 for a whole day now and are doing pretty good. We've added a few normal foods back in but still ate pretty paleo for the most part today.

Well, better get some sleep for my busy day tomorrw. Still have a cake to order, presents to get and treat bags to make among other things! Night all!

A GOOD START TO OUR WEEK

Grandpa had an appt. with his Parkinson's doctor today--just a check-up. He got a good report. They think he is doing really good.

He doesn't have much of an appetite these days and he has gotten pretty darn skinny. I think it has to do with the ulcers he has. Hopefully, this medication they've started him on will kick in and help with that. Either that or we are going to have to hire in some better cooks around here.

I'm spending my week planning my baby girl's birthday party! She turns 6 on Saturday. I ran around today getting favors, invitations, decorations and all that fun stuff. Now to get them all delivered, assembled and put up! I just can't believe Carly is growing up so fast! She is such a sweet little girl and I am so blessed to be her mommy!

A LITTLE NOT SO GREAT NEWS

Grandpa went to the dermatologist last week and had some skin taken off his ear and the doctor wanted to have it biopsied. He saw the doctor again this week and learned it had come back positive for skin cancer. They have already removed all of it so they are just going to keep a close eye on it. He doesn't have to do any follow up tests right now or any spot radiation or chemo. Hopefully, the removal will be all that was necessary.

Just wanted to get this short update out. Grandpa is in good spirits, but he never minds a phone call just to chat or catch up!

GRANDPA AND GRANDMA

Grandpa had a Dr. appt. this morning. It was just a check-up and all went well. Grandma got him a new coat for Christmas and he looked so handsome in it I had to take a picture as he was headed out the door. I got a picture of Grandma and Grandpa together, too since they are such a cute couple. I thought you'd enjoy seeing them. So--ENJOY!

Grandpa in his new jacket

Grandpa and Grandma
on their way out for the morning

I GOT ME A BACK UP BAND!

You know, it's a not so subtle irony that I want my little girl to be able to read music and play the piano because I never learned to--and it really never occurred to me that I might need to know how to read music or at least understand something about it to help her understand what she needs to practice each week after her lessons. (Yes, I know that was the longest sentence ever written but I'm too tired to fix it. Lol.)

Last week after Carly's first lesson, when her teacher was explaining her assignment to me so I could help her practice I felt like I was back in 9th grade chemistry class. I never understood chemistry. It was worse than reading a map or sewing instructions! Don't get me started! Unfortunately, I don't have a decoder in my brain for those things--and I've learned to compensate.

However, in school when I had no choice but to try or to fake it--I sometimes sat and let the tears roll down my face--not quite as dramatically as my five year old. But I'm sure I felt just as helpless then as she does sometimes when she doesn't understand something and has a meltdown. At any rate, when her teacher was explaining her practice instructions to me I was immediately beamed back to one of those moments! Gah! What was I going to do?! I had a momentary panic and then I remembered that Rob knew how to read music and I could have him help her.

I tried having her work on her own when we first got home but she didn't remember a whole lot. So, when Rob came home he sat down at the piano and helped her and was so patient and loving with her. It made me so happy. I was so worried I'd gotten in over my head. Then, last night as I was going to bed, I remembered that my mom played the saxaphone in high school! That means she can read music too! I have a backup BAND! She claims she does not remember much! But hey, Carly is a beginner--so I don't need much! Ha! Yippee! I am not alone! All is well!

A SWEET DAY OF VISITS

We went to Provo today and spent some time with Julie between her classes. We had an appointment down there and it was a good time to catch up with her. She's been doing so great in her classes and at work! We are so proud of her! It was fun to have lunch with her. We took Carly out of school today so she could go with us and see her big sis. The kids were so excited to see her! They were sad we couldn't bring her home and keep her. Secretly, so was mommy--but don't tell anyone. I'm not sure mommy's ever outgrow that feeling ~ but I'll have to get back to you on that one.

We also went to visit one of my very dearest and sweetest friends. Her name is Venice and I had the blessing of working with her for years. She lost her husband about a year ago and we keep in close touch. She has worried over my mom and dad and was so sweet to knit each of them a lap blanket. She worries that their legs will get cold while they are sitting. She also knitted my babies first blankets, which they are both still very attached to. I love this dear friend so much and am so grateful to have her in my life.

I really have been blessed with truly wonderful friends and a beautiful family. It was so nice to spend time with both today. My spirit is happy.

SUPER BOWL PART-AY!

We had a big Super Bowl party here after church today. It was pretty fun, except that Rob and I couldn't eat most of what we served. We still have 9 or 10 days to go on our 30 days of Paleo--but who's counting? OK, I am! It's 9 full days left after today! Maybe longer--we have a doctor appointment tomorrow--hopefully, we won't get sentenced to a longer fate. Lol. Actually, it really hasn't been that bad--but I think I would definitely need a couple free days a week if I had to eat this way the rest of my life!

Anyway, we had a couple kinds of pizza and 3 different kinds of cookies for the game and the usual chips and sides. Then I made stuffed mushrooms and some pretty awesome lettuce wraps that were Paleo friendly so Rob and I wouldn't starve.

I have to admit I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the game and only some to the commercials. I was too busy cooking and chatting -- and then cleaning up. It was fun to have some family and friends over. It made for a nice Sunday.

Grandma and Grandpa grabbed some goodies along with us but watched the game in their room. I think maybe the kids were too noisy--or maybe it was us. :) Anyway, they are doing good.

All is well here. Hope you all have a fabulous week!

GYMNASTICS!

Carly and Jono started their gymnastics classes today. They are in separate classes for age and I think that is best. The less competition the better. They both did very well and loved being there and had a great time with their teachers. Jono has an hour class once a week and Carly has an hour and a half once a week. I think this will be so great for them and especially because it's something they really want to do and will look forward to each week.

Carly is starting piano lessons on Friday. I'm so non-musical myself that I'm determined to have her be musical like her sisters. All the older girls sing, play the piano and at least plink at the guitar or other instruments. Megan plays the drums. I think only Sara had piano lessons, but all of them picked it up to one degree or another. Julie had about a dozen voice lessons. Megan and Julie both write music. All our girls are very talented. I want both Carly and Jonathon to have some of those same talents or at least have the opportunity to have them if they want them. Five or six is the age most piano teachers here are willing to start students so it's a good time to get her started. I'm really hoping she will enjoy them. Julie has worked with her a little and one of her little neighbor friends who is a year older has also taught her a little bit. She liked learning from them. Hopefully it will continue!

Rob and I are half way through our thirty days of Paleo--Yay! We are doing really well with it but the food choices do get a bit old. I think after 30 days you can add more back in but the first 30 days are way boring. I did make Caveman Ketchup tonight! That was a new twist--so we could at least have some sauce with our beef. I'll bet you didn't know cavemen ate ketchup, did you? Me neither. I've been searching out all kinds of new recipes that have almost nothing in them. Lol. Because that's what we can eat--almost nothing. Hahaha. Actually--we just can't have the sugar (or sugar substitute--even sugar free substitute), soy, soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, or any kind of grain or vegetable oil you find in most sauces. That's why we have to come up with our own version. You'd be surprised how many sauces have one, two or all of those things in them -- even in the organic aisle! I am really getting an education!

I'm really torn between eating this way for the rest of my life because I love what it's doing to my figure and having flavor in my life. Hmmm. Actually, I think I will find a middle ground. I really haven't minded a lot of it, but I do think there's got to be a happy medium somewhere. I'm all for cleaning out the gut. I can see eating this way most of the week and taking the weekends off. That may be my flavor compromise. I sure like having a figure again. Figure/Flavor - Figure/Flavor - Figure/Flavor -- YEP! I think those two things go nicely together! Where there's a will there's a way! Oh, but wait, there's still 15 days to go . . . so back to the gruel . . . :)

MONDAY FUNDAY

This week is parent/teacher conference week at school and they do it a little different here. All week the kids only go to school two hours so the teachers have time to meet with the parents. So, it's early in and early out ~ especially for Kindergartners who usually only go for hours. I thought I set my alarm on my phone to remind me of this BUT apparently I didn't get it set right. So, I go driving up to school with Carly at the regular time and realize there are no other kids waiting to go in and it hits me what's going on. Unfortunately, that means she only has a half hour of school left! She was NOT a happy camper! However, I was not the only parent who forgot, there was one ahead of me and one behind me! I LOVE COMPANY when I've done something stupid or am in the doghouse. Luckily, one of them was Carly's best friend! That helped a little.

After school I got a bit of a talkin' too, from my resident 5 year old about how I'd made her miss all the fun stuff (which I had.) I did feel pretty bad about it so when Rob arrived home a little early her and Jono over to Chuck E. Cheese as a surprise. We didn't go for dinner but just to let them play games. They had a really fun time and I'm pretty sure it made up for mommy's big goof! Alarm is now set!

Julie had a great day, well, besides being sick with strep! She's been down all weekend and finally got to the doctor today to get checked and get some medicine for it. Her throat's been really bad but the doctor's office was out all weekend and only taking emergency calls so she couldn't get in until today. Hopefully, it will clear within a few days. ANYWAY, school and tests go on even when you're sick so she had to go take one. She had a music test and she did FANTASTIC on it! (Congrats Jules!) This is her first real test since taking a semester off to really get her head in the game. Also, she's had several quizzes in each of her classes and has been getting 100% on those. Way to go Julie! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!! We've known you could do it all along!

Julie has some great new roomies this semester who are very good to her. They are also in school and they all seem to enjoy each other. They study together, cook together, work out together and just have fun together. It makes us very happy to know she's in good company!

She also has a job she really likes. She works for a retail store as a sales rep and cashier. She does that about thirty hours a week and goes to school full-time so she keeps really busy. We end up visiting her almost as much as she comes home--which is only once about once a month for each of us. We sure miss our Jules -- that is for certain!

Jono, Julie and Carly
on one of our visits to see Julie at work

THE WEEKEND'S HERE! YIPPEE!

Susan and Russ came up to visit Grandma and Grandpa today. Russ put together a shelf for them and Susan helped Grandma with some decorating ideas. They stayed and had a sandwich with them for dinner and then got on the road so they could get back home before it got too late.

Rob worked all day today. He and I are on day 11 of our Paleo diet. I've even gotten good about getting up and getting him something for breakfast and making sure he has something to take for lunch before he leaves. Mind you, he is NOT a breakfast eater--so he has never wanted me to make him anything in the morning before. And he is definitely not normally a lunch taker. He either grabs something while he is out or goes to lunch with a work buddy or goes without. I have tried in the past to make him something but it's hard to change old habits. It's a little different though when there's almost nothing you can grab to eat while you're out because you're diet it so restricted! Finally, I get to play "wife." Lol!

Oh, but the good news - per our Paleo diet is that we are both down about 10 lbs. Yay! That makes us feel so great--and I love how my clothes are fitting, the ones I haven't been able to get into lately. On the other hand all of Rob's clothes are looking like big tents on him. Lol!

Tonight we went over to a friend's house to listen to her son's audition practice. He's a senior this year and is auditioning tomorrow for a music scholarship at the U of U. He plays the trumpet and is very good. I guess these auditions can be pretty stressful so he needed a group of people to practice in front of. We were only part of the group but it was nice to be able to help.

It's still pretty cold here. It's 28 degrees tonight, so we still have a good bit of our snow on the ground just because it hasn't been warm enough for it to melt off yet.

Well, that's all that's going on around here. Take care . . .

SO THANKFUL SOME PEOPLE HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR!

So yesterday, I took the kids shopping with me. Carly was fine but Jono did his normal thing. Will I never learn? (Insert eye roll here.) We are finishing up and heading toward the cash register. Keep in mind we are that close to making it out of the store without a major incident. Though, there were many minor ones. Anyway, our cart passes another shopper (like within inches) and my son says loudly "Momma, that guy looks like a girl!!" I turned 3 shades of crimson in a nano second, turned to look and -- thankfully hear a very nice young man with serious dread locks, earrings and tattoos laugh at what my little boy said. Whew!

WE HAVE A READER!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Carly read her first book to me today. She read it all the way through without stopping and without missing messing up any words! Yay! Just Friday I realized she was still having trouble with a few sight words so we've spent the weekend working on them and she made huge progress. She knows them really well now. I am so happy with how well she is doing! She has these tiny kind of homemade paper books her teacher sends home every week to learn on that she practice on with me. However, this was her first real book she read. It wasn't long but it was age appropriate! I'm so proud of my baby girl! Congrats Carly! You are a reader! The world has just opened up to you! I love you!

IROBOT, NOROBOT

I almost bought a robot tonight. Truly I did. It was a robot that vacuums your floors all by itself. You can schedule it to vacuum way in advance. It avoids doors, walls, stairs, furniture. It works on carpets and non-carpeted areas. I was really looking forward to it as I hate to vacuum. Had my shopping trip all planned. Went there purposely to get it, got all the way to the check stand with it, then changed my mind! What?!

Yep, something happened between putting it in my cart and shopping through the rest of the store. I decided it was a luxury. I mean who am I to need a ROBOT that vacuums my floors. My arms and legs aren't broken! I have a vacuum upstairs and Grandma has one downstairs. (In fact, so do I.) Hmm. I'm not only blessed, I'm spoiled. I felt rather silly once I realized what I had in my cart~so, I didn't get it after all. Now that I think of it~those darned vacuum robots are probably just another spy tool the NSA is using to get info on us! Ha! I beat 'em this time! I didn't bite! OK, whatever. I still didn't get it. Lol.

So, I guess I will have to either make myself vacuum my floors or try that old Tom Sawyer trick on the kids and see if I can't get them to do it for me. Hahaha!

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS

My little ones are both snugglers. Even at 4 and (almost) 6 they love to be held and snuggled. I love that. Carly is an early riser and will come and climb in bed with me and cuddle up in the morning before breakfast. When Jono wakes up early (which is more rare) he will do the same. Once in a while it turns into a problem when they both want to snuggle at the same time because they are not good about sharing Mom for snuggle time. At any rate, I love these bonding moments and treasure my sweet babies. I guess they will always be my babies no matter how old they get.

I have spent time this weekend working with Carly learning some of the sight words she's had trouble with. She has most of them down but there were a few giving her trouble. Jonathon is trying hard to keep up with his big sister so by the time he goes to school he is actually going to be way ahead of his Kindergarten class. I hope he doesn't end up being bored. We can already tell he is going to be the class clown. I'm already dreading the notes home from the teachers. Lol. I really can't complain too much since I was pretty bad in this area myself. My dad may not have been the class clown but he kept his teachers on toes and I remember him telling about his mom getting a note or two from them so I am sure I got it honest. :)

We were up and getting ready for church today when I started getting a bad migraine--the classic kind with nausea. It came on really fast. Rob already wasn't feeling very good and we'd had to give Jono a nebulizer treatment so we decided to stay home. Poor Carly, she's as healthy as a horse. She really wanted to go and so I tried calling one of my neighbors to see if they could pick her up. They didn't answer so I talked her into watching a movie. When I felt better later in the day and my neighbors called I mentioned that I had tried to call them earlier. Apparently they turn their cell phones down or off on Sundays. They said "Why didn't you try the home phone?" DUH!? I guess it was the migraine. It never even occurred to me. Silly mommy.

I made a really yummy Paleo recipe tonight. I made Paleo Enchiladas and they were quite tasty to my surprise. Actually the recipe sounded good but I wasn't quite sure how they would turnout. You use softened cabbage leaves to roll up the meat in and then you cover them with enchilada sauce and bake. No cheese but we really didn't miss it. I am finding that I don't mind eating this way much at all and I am fitting into my clothes and feeling so much better about myself than when I was constantly fighting off 10-15 lbs! We are on day 8 tomorrow and doing great on this Whole30 plan.

Grandma and Grandpa are doing well but miss all their friends in GC. Hope all of you are doing well, too. Take care!