It's official.

Justin received his diploma in the mail...a bit anticlimactic but exciting just the same. He worked so hard for this day to come and we are so glad it finally came!



Congratulations, honey!

GO JAZZ!

Justin and I went on a double date with my sister, Andrea, and my brother in law, Adam to the Jazz game. I am not a super fan but I think going to the games is fun and we were sitting by some pretty interesting characters so being there provided some prime people watching as well. It was also the Bear's birthday so there were other mascots from around the NBA there wishing him a Happy Birthday and performing some pretty good shows for the audience.



This is a man that was drunk before the game even started. My brother in law helped him up off the floor when he missed his chair and by the third quarter he couldn't stand anymore. His favorite phrase was "Bull *%&#" and he said it quite often because the Jazz were not playing well. At one point during the game, he was sitting down with his hood cinched tightly around his head because he couldn't take it anymore.


I think I was a little star struck seeing Tony Parker and Tim Duncan...my sister and I kept looking for Eva. No sign of her.




My sister and me posing with the Wolves mascot.

It is amazing how time flies!

First and foremost, I am grateful for my niece, Halle. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She was the first girl to be born on Justin's side after three of my boys and she has been a sweet princess from day one. She loves to play mommy and house, Hannah Montana, and is a great big sister to her little brother, Jackson and will be to her new sibling making its debut in August. I love you Halle!
2. This week has been really fun. Lunch with a good friend, a date with Justin, and Justin took Nicholas to his violin thing last night because I was too tired and he handled his boredom well. We texted funny movie lines and juvenile insults back and forth...isn't technology wonderful?
3. I love Tuesdays, it is my new favorite day of the week. I love them because I don't work the night before or the night of so I feel like I am actually functioning on a normal level!

Well, at least he's learning something.

Luke told me a very important piece of information he learned at school yesterday. With wide eyes and a very intent face he pronounced:

"Mom, did you know that if you have an uncle in kid juffy (I am assuming this means "juvenile detention") and you go visit him, they give you dum dum pops?"

Wow, and I thought he wouldn't learn anything useful.

1. that my kids are not allergic to any foods. Or myself for that matter. The only thing that Justin is allergic to is cats-this makes me a tad upset because I love cats-but even that allergy just makes his eyes itch. I don't know what I would do without peanut butter and milk. Or more importantly, peanut butter and chocolate.
2. our dance party last night in our living room. Who knew Liam could do a headstand (against a wall)with no hands? and he is extremely flexible. Both Justin and I are wondering who's side of the fam he acquired that from.
3. looking forward to my weekend off from work!

I have a new favorite quote- one written by Iris Krasnow. It’s in an article called, “Surrendering to Motherhood.” She says: “If I had any advice for mothers it would be to ‘Be There.’ I know I am fortunate to be in a profession and marriage that allows me to spend most of each day near my children. But Being There isn’t about money or even about staying home full-time. It’s about an emotional and spiritual shift, of succumbing to Being Where You Are When You Are, and Being There as much as possible. Its about crouching on the floor and getting delirious over the praying mantis your son just caught instead of perusing a fax or filling the dishwasher while he is yelling for your attention and you distractedly say over your shoulder: “Oh , honey, isn’t that a pretty bug.” It’s about being attuned enough to notice when your kid’s eyes shine so you can make your eyes shine back.”

No matter how much I write about the funny things I want to remember, no matter how many pictures I take and stash in photo albums, no matter how much I will time to slow down and beg my kids to quit growing so darn fast, this time with young children will still slip away. But the joy that I let myself feel while I’m in the moment with my kids will not fade with the years like the pictures and the memories, it will become part of me. And it will become part of my kids.

Not everyday can be picture perfect nor can you let chores go by undone all day everyday to spend every waking moment with your children waiting for the little things to happen. Right now, I need to work and that is okay but I think I need to realize that I can't keep wishing for that day that is hopefully on the horizon when I don't have to work as much, or at all. But, there are little moments in everyday that can be cherished and collected in my memory to hold forever. The moments when I get home from work and Liam is waiting for me at the door with a huge grin on his face. The moments that I still have a 10 year old boy who will talk to me, snuggle with me, and give me hugs-even in front of his friends. The moments when the boys are so excited when I don't have to go to work on the weekends because it means we will have pancakes on Saturday mornings. The shy grin Andrew gets when he is praised or excited about something. The times when we are watching a movie on the couch and all four boys are on it with me, smooshed, but loving every minute.

These ARE things I am grateful for but they are also three very exciting and fabulous things that happened to me today!

1. I am going to RASCAL FLATTS! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO! And to top it off, it is a true, bona fide date with Justin!!
2. I found my wedding ring.
3. There is a hospital funded pizza party tonight at work that I was reminded of when I arrived at work and I was so angry at myself driving up here because I forgot my wallet and didn't know what I was going to do for dinner. Problem solved.

1. After a rough night of coughing and "I not feeling berry good, mommy", Liam is feeling a bit better. OH, and I heart cough medicine and vicks vapor rub.
2. the camera on my cell phone provides hours of entertainment--one of these days I am going to try to figure out how to post the pictures off of my phone and do a "Day in the Life of Liam" series.
3. that really, the cold could be a lot worse than here...it is -27 degrees in North Dakota today!

1. the way Liam shakes his booty!
2. clementine oranges. They are not only delicious, they are easy enough for even Liam to peel AND the yucky white stuff comes off with the peel so I don't spend all day "cleaning" the oranges before the boys will eat them!
3. season passes-they are so nice to have with multiple children so we always have a place to go and they pay for themselves after the first couple visits!

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear"

This year in my ward we are working on our 72 hour kits. I am a huge fan of food storage and thought that I would pass along the information that was given to us on Sunday. We are working on them on a month to month basis so I will post the monthly items on my sidebar and keep them up all year so everyone will hopefully have everything they need by December 31. Some items you may have to buy and there is a preparedness "freebie" every month too. Please put aside whatever cash you can each month-it is suggested to have cash in small bills so you are not paying $20 for one loaf of bread since stores will most likely not have change for large bills.

The January items are:
1 gallon of water per person/day. (A family of 5=15 gallons) Be careful when storing, it leaks! Consider a portable filter.

A backpack for each person. You may have old ones or can check DI. Find a handy spot to store them!

CASH

FREE: Keep a working flashlight by your bed.

1. I am grateful for the counsel of our prophets and know that if we follow the counsel we will be blessed
2. after Christmas sales!
3. that Nordstrom has such a fabulous return policy

1. team training is over. Despite having severe anxiety and mild gastric discomfort as a result of this, it was not as bad as I anticipated.
2. I found matching socks for all the boys this morning in a HUGE pile of unfolded laundry
3. Liam's bus driver said that he is starting to talk more on the bus

1. that I am home on call--hopefully all night. I have team training tomorrow and work afterwards so I am hoping I can get some sleep before I make a fool out of myself. At least if I get called in I will have an excuse for any mistakes I make, right?
2. the small patch of grass that is on the south side of my house. With the sun out today, I felt like there actually might be an end to all this snow. I am a firm believer that snow should only be around on Christmas and then it should just be shunned to the mountains. I know, I live in Utah, but that doesn't mean that I love the cold and snow.
3. seeing my husband's cute cousin Adrien at her baby shower last night. She is living in Virginia while her husband is in pharmacy school and I won't see her for another year. This has been such a fun couple months being able to see family that have been away!

I think I am finally organized to start blogging religiously again. I tend to go into survival mode and I am a minimalist when I start to become overwhelmed. We have had such a fun holiday season and we are also grateful for life to start getting back to normal without all the extra errands and playing with the fun things the boys received from Santa. I will not bore you with a huge list of the backup things I am grateful for, but I did miss a couple birthdays and don't want them to feel left out!

1. My mother in law's birthday was on December 27th. She really is a wonderful person and wants everyone to be happy. She is an excellent cook and seamstress--we love the jammies she makes for the boys and you should check out my sister in law's blog to see the cute bedding she made for my niece (there is a link on my sidebar:"Scotts"). Hope you had a great birthday Sylvia and we love you!
2. My sister's birthday was on December 28th. She turned 29 and her husband loves to point out that she is now in her 30th year...it is quite the sore subject :). I love my sister to death. She is a crafty genius, an extrodinary mother, makes everyone feel welcome and loved, and she is a fabulous friend. She has an uncanny eye for the beautiful things and makes the world around her lovely and classy. I am proud to call her my sister and I strive to be more like her everyday. I love you!
3. that I didn't end up being on the schedule at IMC last night so I was able to go to my parent's house for dinner. There was a surprise visit from my cousin Dan who just returned home for 16 days from Afganistan and I am very happy I was there to see him!

...and here is a bonus one...
4. the cookbook that my aunt Marilynn sent me. She made me a copy of all the favorite recipes in her family and made it into a cute little book. All this because she saw my call for recipes a while back. THANK YOU!

Welcome home!

And to all a good night

What a fantastic day! It was relaxing and pleasant and really, just a perfect day. I think Justin might have a slightly different take on the perfect part due to shoveling and shoveling and shoveling, but we commented to each other that this was one of the best Christmases we've had. Not necessarily because of the gifts that were given and received-although my new cowboy boots are quite adorable I might say-but because the boys are all at such fun stages right now. We have one that doesn't believe in Santa but puts on a show for his little brothers, one that we think doesn't believe but hasn't told us, one that is questioning, and one that has no idea what or who Santa is but caught on fast!

Since our master bedroom is on the main floor and the boys sleep upstairs, we give them one of our cell phones so they can call us when they wake up. They woke up at 4:00 a.m. but being the nice little boys they are, waited until 7:00 to wake us up. What they didn't know was that I was awake at 6:00, too excited to sleep. I laid there for about a half an hour and finally woke Justin up and texted my family and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas. (Sorry if I woke everyone up!). We had a fun Christmas morning, ate breakfast, and my in-laws braved the multiple feet of new snow to visit us.

Speaking of snow, it started at about 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and did not stop until about 3:00 p.m. Christmas Day. We were literally snowed in. Our poor van is not equipped with four wheel drive and we got high centered trying to get out of our driveway to go to my parents house. The boys were able to play with all of their new things for a while and then at 5:00 we were rescued by the snowplow. Once you drove out of our neighborhood, it was like we left a totally different world. Everywhere else was wet with a light sprinkling of snow. It did make for great traveling weather to my parents house and I am so glad that we were able to make it. My Uncle Doug, Aunt Pat and ALL my cousins were there from Michigan. I have two new adopted cousins as well and one of them came and it was fun to meet him. I don't think I have seen my cousin James in about 8-10 years and my favorite comment was when my brother, Matt, went up to him and said that it was so good to finally meet his adopted cousin. Granted, Matt was about 3 the last time that he saw James and wouldn't remember him, but James came back and said: "What are you talking about...I am not adopted!" It really was fun to see the whole family.

We are so grateful for our Savior and for the gifts he has given us. I am especially grateful for his neverending patience with me and the miracle of forgiveness. I cannot express my gratitude enough that I will be able to live with my family for eternity and that he came to this earth to fulfill a plan that helps us be the best we can be.

Merry Christmas everyone (albeit a bit late) from our house to yours.