WE ARE HOME! After the longest day of flying, layovers, and airports we are home safe and sound. We had a great time and took lots of pictures, when I unpack the camera I will post some! I don't think I will let Sophie out of my sight for the next little while, cause I missed her tremendously!! I don't know if she missed me though, I think she had to much fun with her Auntie Amber and her Grandparents Godfrey! I am so grateful for all their help with her. While we were gone there was a death in the family, we tried to come home for the funeral but it just wasn't in the stars. But this person and their immediate family were in out thoughts constantly. Life is short and so fragile. This is something that we keep being reminded of, especially in the last year. I am grateful for each day given, even if some of them consist of crappy airports, flight connections almost missed and terrifying turbulence....you never know what tomorrow will bring, so I will enjoy today. ~E

My Boy

I can never get a pic of Hayden because he hates the camera, BUT, he was in a mood and let me get some snap shots. 

I am still trying to pack....at the rate I am going we won't be to Disney World 'till this time next year!

We could use some prayers. Wes has not been feeling real well and he Finally went to the Doc. after lots of blood , a ct scan ,ER doc and a surgeon we know 3 things, He passed a Kidney stone, his hernia is wrapped around some of his bowel and his kidney labs came back questionable. OK, so I wanted to cancel the trip, but he will not! So he is scheduled for surgery the week we get back. Please pray that we don't end up in surgery in Orlando! Thanks all! Gotta Run !~E

Do you think I will loose it?

Yesterday I bought new luggage as mine flew away in the Tornado, and I love it. I just have one worry, I am afraid it will get lost.

I just deleted a whole post, on purpose. It was a bit boring. I just want to say that I am grateful for yesterday. I am super excited that I got so much of my To-Do list done, that I got my treadmill in and that the St.Patrick deco for the dance last night looked decent! Oh, and I have to also mention that the Low-Cal Fresh Lime at Sonic is very, fabulously, scrumptious and refreshing and a wonderful treat :)

I still have tons to do before our trip in a few days. The usual before trips packing, cleaning, more shopping, and making lots of lists! We are so excited to be going to Disney World. I am however, finding it very hard to leave my baby. I know she will be in very capable hands, none the less I am dreading saying goodbye for a week! Apparently it totally shows that I am stressed because my sister Amber was just here and she asked me if I was stressed. I said YES, then thought about it and said why? She just started to smile, then I realized I have to funny zits on my face, and that is always a sure sign!LOL...Thanks Amber for pointing it out. For today, here is a Tens list....

Ten things I MUST pack!

1. My Camera
2. Books for the plane.
3. GPS, we are renting a car and we need to know where to go!
4. Sunglasses
5. Sophie's bags
6. Treats for the plane ( you know you now have to pay like 10 buck for peanuts and 50 bucks for a drink....exaggeration I know, but, you do have to pay extraordinary prices!
7. Swimming Suits
8. Cell Phones
9. Ipod
10. wash rags, detergents ( we are staying in a condo and we will need these items. It would be a fortune to buy them in Florida. I know I am cheap.)

9 Things I still need to do

1. Make a Menu. The reason I like to stay in condos is because they are the same price as hotel rooms and they are bigger. I also prefer to cook meal instead of going out. It not only saves money but is much healthier.
2. I need to go get a few more pairs of Capri's for myself
3. I need to right directions for Sophie, ya know medical emergency release and where she goes (to amber) if we are incapacitated ...all that fun stuff.
4. wash all the sheets on our beds so we come home to fresh sheets
5. Make a schedule of everything we will be doing for the week
6. I need to work on my homeowners claim a bit
7. I need to take Oscar in to the daycare he will be staying at so he can get acclimated
8. Make Wes go to the doc to check for kidney stones
9. Breath

8 random things on my mind

1. I am really hoping that joining weight watchers yesterday will help me and my family to start being more conscious of what we are eating. 
2. I hope I get a tan in Florida
3. I really am hoping for nothing but sunshine while we are there. The first question Hayden asked when he found out we were going there was "Do they have Tornado's?" Yikes...I had fun answering that.
4. Gracie has had a stomach ache now for over a year....I really hope it is not her appendix. 
5. I hope Sophie sleeps well while we are gone
6. I am hoping that it will be spring when we get back!
7. I hate flying....my sinuses always pay.
8. I have a lot to do

7 things I have purchased for this trip

1. Sunglasses
2. word searches
3. books
4. shorts and tees for all of us
5. swimming suits for all of us
6. luggage
7. flip flops

6 things I still need to purchase

1. GPS
2. Sun Screen
3. Dramamine (Wes has a habit of throwing up on planes)
4. mini hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste)
5. 1 more book
6. video camera 

5  things I will miss

1. Sophie
2. My bed
3. Sophie
4. Sophie
5. Oscar

4 hidden costs to vacation

1. Airport parking
2. baggage fees ( you must pay now for any checked baggage)
3. cleaning fees ( almost every place hotel or condo charges a cleaning fee now on top of the regular price)
4.  Doggy boarding

3 things I need to do today

1. Take my niece to the bus stop
2. treadmill
3. Relief Society Bday Party

2 things I don't take for granted

1. Wes' Job
2. Sunshine

1 Thing I am going to try to improve on

Relaxing!

have a good day friends ~E

By The Way, 

When I brought my very cute luggage home, Wes was less than pleased with it. I don't think he will help me hall it around!

Honoring Your Parents...and a few Ramblings

I taught the lesson today in YW. It was titled "Honoring  Parents". When I looked at the lesson material yesterday morning my first thought was  that it looked pretty straight forward. Honor your parents we all know what that means...right? 

Coincidentally, a few days ago my mom and I were talking about this very subject. We weren't talking about our relationship. We were talking about some others that through the years we had observed.  Bottom line our conclusions were, no matter how old you are child, teen or adult Honoring your parents is a commandment. We also discussed that living up to the name you were given is also a form of honoring your parents.  

Unfortunately and sadly there are many out there, even me who are guilty in some way or another of not honoring their parents the way we should . I have seen children turn their backs on there parents for making wrong decisions or decisions that they don't agree with. It can happen so quickly and have such lasting consequences.

So, obviously when I got to thinking about all this in depth I realized why Heavenly Father put so much in to this even to make it a commandment. I realized how important this lesson was for the girls to hear...but more for me. I felt tremendous sadness thinking about the ways I treated my parents when I was a teenager.  I was a stinky teen in my opinion. I wish I would have had a lesson like this, maybe I did, who knows.

The most important part of the lesson was a questionnaire that the girls filled out about their parents. The point was, How much do you really know about your parents. Rather, how much do you not know. Because really if you don;t know your parents how can you understand the decisions they make? I was surprised that I didn't know some of the questions, not surprised that I knew most of the ones about my mom and less about my Dad. I challenged the girls to go home and find out all the answers, even if they thought they got them all right. I encourage people to take it a little further. Try to fill it out about any of your loved ones, maybe the ones where your relationship is struggling. Adult Children, Grandparents, Step Parents, In-Laws. 

I think that knowing where why and how will make your relationships stronger.  Here are the questions, I challenge you to see how much you can do.

What Do You Know about Your Mother?

• 1. Maiden name:

• 2. Birthplace:

• 3. Was she raised by her parents?

• 4. Number of her brothers and sisters:

• 5. Her place in the family (oldest, youngest, etc.):

• 6. Occupation of her father:

• 7. Did they have financial security?

• 8. Religious affiliation of her family:

• 9. What are her most memorable spiritual experiences?

• 10. Does she have any special background or traditions?

• 11. What kind of relationship did she have with her parents?

• 12. What is her education?

• 13. What are her most memorable school experiences?

• 14. What kind of work did she do before her marriage?

• 15. What is her main goal in life?

• 16. What makes her happy?

• 17. What makes her sad?

• 18. What hardships has she overcome?

• 19. What does she most enjoy doing with her family?

• 20. What does she enjoy doing in her spare time?

What Do You Know about Your Father?

• 1. Name:

• 2. Birthplace:

• 3. Was he raised by his parents?

• 4. Number of his brothers and sisters:

• 5. His place in the family (oldest, youngest, etc.):

• 6. Occupation of his father:

• 7. Did they have financial security?

• 8. Religious affiliation of his family:

• 9. What are his most memorable spiritual experiences?

• 10. Does he have any special background or traditions?

• 11. What kind of relationship did he have with his parents?

• 12. What is his education?

• 13. What are his most memorable school experiences?

• 14. What is his occupation?

• 15. What is his main goal in life?

• 16. What makes him happy?

• 17. What makes him sad?

• 18. What hardships has he overcome?

• 19. What does he most enjoy doing with his family?

• 20. What does he enjoy doing in his spare time?

Now I know that this subject can go both ways. I am completely against parents taking advantage of their children or abusing them in an way. I feel this subject is completely different. I will not address the subject because it is very sensitive.  But in those situations I know Hevenly Father will judge on a personal level.

Coming off my little soap box...We have alot going on in the next couple of weeks! Where does the time go? This last week I celebrated my 31st Birthday, we finally got our basement shower marbled ( that has been a long time comeing. Wes and I tiled the floor 2 yrs ago exactly!) Gracie had parent teacher confrences and is getting 4 in everything (A's) She is reading at a 4.7 grader level. So we are very proud of her. We took her to lunch at her fave Olive Garden to celebrate. Hayden has been learning about taxes and responibilty in school latley. His teacher started taxing them all to sharpen their pencils, read, go to recess, have a desk and chair....you see where I am going with this. Anyway none of the kids could afford anything! Hayden would come home everyday telling us something new he was going without at school. Finally it came to the point that he was doing his work on the floor. So funny, Friday finally after the class constructed a petition and it failed, the classs came up with a bill of rights and the taxing stopped and they got everything back. Friday was a great day for Hayden he felt so happy to finally have freedom. Wes and I love his teacher and I really think the kids learned a great lesson from it all. I am still working on my dental work, and I don't even want to go there.

This week we have something going on every night! Yesterday I went to my in-laws and dry-packed canned  50 lbs of flour, 50 lbs of popcorn, and 20 lbs of pasta! That was nice to get over with! I have a very strong opinion of food storage, I will save that for a different soapbox on a different day :) Also we are going to disney world sometime in the next couple months so we are all really excited about that!

Well do ya think I could have made this any longer.... Thanks for reading, Stay safe, be happy and have a great week! ~E

Tender Mercies

It's been a while! Talk about a rough couple of weeks! Sophie has been sick with this and that, and my teeth have been a mess! Needless to say things have been a bit crazy around here.

One especially bad night last week, I was tired and sat down for a minute. As I sat down, I happened to look at the clock. It was 5:30pm already! I felt like my day had just begun. I didn't feel like I got anything done, and was utterly depressed.  Any moment Wes was going to come in the door, Hayden was going to come up the stairs and Gracie was going to pull her thumb out of her mouth and they were ALL going to be HUNGRY!!! My brain was on it's last thread of energy, and it was lagging so much i had no idea what to make for dinner. I really didn't even know if I could stand up. 

As I was holding back an anxiety attack the door bell rang. When I opened it, I saw the pizza guy standing there. I didn't order any pizza I told him, but I should have. Then he said he knew. It was from some guy who paid for it, and he rode a scooter. I was like are you sure? Really? What a blessing it was. Who ever ordered that pizza for us was literally, knowingly or not guided by Heavenly Father. I call this a Tender Mercie from The Lord. I am so grateful to the scooter man and his wife for the pizza, and to my Heavenly Father. I leave you friends, with a guote from Elder Bednar of the Quourm of the Twelve.

 

the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ

Hard to Live With...

That would be me these last couple (5) days. My poor family. I have another killer tooth ache! Luckily tomorrow I am going in bright and early for a root canal. Then I will just have one left. All together that's 3 root canals and 4 crowns in 1 month! I really think we should have at least 3 pairs of teeth, ya know?  Anyway. Nothing new really going on around here except for the usual chaos. Although, we have been trying to make a few decisions. First where to take the kids on vacation, when to go, and can the kids afford to miss school? We have narrowed the trip down to Walt Disney World or San Diego. We also will be going soon. Also it is time for new flooring in our house. We have finally after weeks and weeks of searching and going back and forth agreed on a pretty wood floor. It's a maple, wide plank that looks a lot like alder to me. It is hand scraped which I think is quite pretty. We have also decided to go with travertine in the bathrooms and carpet in the bedrooms. Wes and I will never build another house because we go back and forth about everything....like old bittys!

I don't know if it is the loratab, but , right now I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for all my many blessings. I feel a great peace. I know that everything is very uncertain right now in our country. The Economy sadly just gets sicker with each passing day. BUT, for some reason I feel like no matter what happens, God will be there to lift us when we need it. I am so grateful for my membership in his church. The knowledge that I have about the Great Plan of Happiness is enough to get me through any trial I am faced with. It is a plan full of Hope, Unconditional Love and Eternal Happiness. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family. Although my health could be better, and having three babies seems to have ravaged my body, I love each of them immensely and would do it all over again in a heart beat. I am blessed to  be able to stay home and take care of my house and family. I am not so great at it all of the time, but at least I try. I am grateful for Wes and his devotion to me and our kids. He truly is a gift to have . 

Thats all for now, good night ~E