Happy Birthday to Spencer!!

Spencer, the boys and I are so lucky to have you in our lives! We want you to know how much we appreciate you and love you! You bring so much happiness into our household and we are grateful for all your hard work. We love you! Happy birthday to you!!

Can I really be that lucky?

I feel like I have had a run of back luck lately. It seems like I have spent more time in the Kaiser waiting room, then I have anywhere else. Between my strep throat incident, Austin's broken arm and Andrew not feeling well, we have made 5 trips into the medical facility in the last 2 weeks. Thank goodness for good health insurance!! Yesterday was the straw that broke the camels back though. 2 days ago, almost instantly, I had a fierce sore throat come on ... yet again. I really did not want to drive back into town, but I knew I had to. I wanted Andrew to get looked at while we were there because he just isn't getting any better either. I arrived at the clinic and had the throat culture done, but due to the fact that I just came off antibiotics, they couldn't tell me right away if I have it. I got a call this afternoon confirming that I do. The bummer part is everything has shut down early because of the heavy snow we are getting. So at this point I have no way to get antibiotics. (Boo...hoo!) With Andrew they found that he has an ear infection and we were able to get him on antibiotics so he should start to feel his normal self again real soon. As far as I am concerned, I don't know what the deal is. I don't know if my body is becoming immune to penicillin, or if I just caught it again? Who knows. I have an appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor next week to talk about what to do next. I'm pretty sure they will want to remove my tonsils, but I am not looking forward to that!

How many cousins can you fit in a hot tub??

In this party... Eight! And, it was one crazy party. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for providing (and allowing) the fun! Thanksgiving weekend 2008.

Weekend Review

Friday afternoon, Spencer and I made a quick decision to spend the night in Lincoln City on the coast. He needed to check out a possible job site that he's hoping to get at one of the hotels and had arranged some free lodging for us. It was a short trip though. We arrived at 8:45 p.m. Friday night and left at 7:45 a.m. Saturday. The older two boys stayed the night with Aunt Marie and so we only had Andrew with us. Even though it was a short trip, I really enjoyed it. The car ride gave us plenty of time to talk and I just love road trips anyway. The hotel was right on the beach and with 65 mph wind, the waves were the largest I have ever seen at the coast. They were amazing, I could've watched them for hours!

Saturday evening was my work's Christmas party at Shelley's house. She went all out and prepared Prime Rid, salmon, shrimp, rice pilaf and baked potatoes. The food was fantastic! I really enjoyed meeting the spouses of our team and mingling with them outside of work.

Today, Sunday, has been fun. The snow started to fall this morning and by the time we got out of church, everything was covered in white. The boys made their way outside to play for a bit, but with not having the proper winter gear, Cameron didn't last long. The boys then came in and Spencer made them some mean hot chocolate. It didn't take long for the moisture to turn into ice and I've already received notice that school is cancelled tomorrow. I'm curious how long the ice & snow will last? I predict that the kids won't go back to school until Thursday. Ohh, the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest!!

It was bound to happen!

Don't let Cameron fool you ... he's 33 pounds of pure rough and toughness! And what happens when that 33 pounds flies through the air and lands on top of you? The result is a broken arm! Austin's broken arm. I knew sooner or later by the way those boys play, that an injury like this was bound to happen. It was just a matter of time. Well Austin at age 6 has now had his first real injury. Earlier this evening, apparently, Cameron thought it would be a good idea to jump and land on top of Austin, but when his full weight landed on Austin's forearm all fun went out the window. Almost immediately afterwards Austin started crying. It didn't take me long to notice that his cry was a sincere cry of pain. He told me that he heard a crack in his arm, but there was nothing visual to see or feel. Spencer took a look at it, and came to the conclusion that Cameron broke it. X-rays and a trip to urgent care confirmed that he did in fact break the smaller bone in his forearm which will require a hard shell cast. The nurses were so sweet to Austin and so impressed by him. When we brought him in he was Mr. Cool, saying it didn't hurt, which was a different tune then he was singing on the ride over. I guess he felt the need to "be a man." When the nurses saw him leave with his arm wrapped in a sling, they were all so amazed that he was acting as cool as he was. That's my boy!

The Bug Keeps Coming Back

Do I have a flashing neon sign hanging over my head that says, "She wants strep throat. Give her strep throat!?" Because that is how I feel! I have never met anyone more susceptible to getting strep throat then myself. Within the past year alone, I believe I've gotten it three times already. In fact, it's almost comical now. Anytime I get a sore throat it's just automatic for me to assume that I have it, because 80% of the time, I do. I can't figure it out. I am dumbfounded trying to figure out why I seem to be so susceptible to it? This afternoon, while talking to the nurse she said, "you know, it's not very common for adults to get strep throat as frequently as you do. I think you should talk to your doctor about this. Maybe you are a carrier of it or something." What the heck does that mean, that's not exactly good news?! I'm not worried about me being sick, but I do worry about the boys. I would hate for any of them to get it, especially baby Andrew. In the meantime, I will drink as many Burgerville Pumpkin shakes as I can get my hands on.

What Are You Thankful For?

That is the question that went around the dinner table this Thanksgiving. You would think that this would be an easy thing to share among family but, sometimes, my family has a hard time being serious. I have to say I was very impressed with Austin's answer when it was his turn. Without even hesitating he said he was thankful for, "Mom, Dad and Jesus!" That made me proud! This year I am very thankful for the freedom I am allowed to enjoy. I am thankful for the jobs that both Spencer and I have. I am also thankful for the roof over my head and the food I freely eat.

This Thanksgiving we went to my Mom & Bill's house. My brother Derek and his wife Lisa also joined us along with my step-sister, Robin, and her husband, Jeff. Robin's two girls, Kyleigh & Baylei, were also there with their dad, Jerrod. The meal was the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with lots of pumpkin pie afterwards. I enjoyed spending the holiday with my side of the family. Holidays are such a hard time for me. I struggle because I wish I could be with all the people I love, but it's impossible. I have family in Utah, Seattle, and home. It is so hard trying to decide where to go for the holiday, when I want to be everywhere!

Most of Spencer's siblings were in town this year for Thanksgiving, and over the course of the weekend, we were able to spend some good quality time with them. The ladies did a lot of shopping together, and the kids got to go bowling and hang out all weekend. I can hardly believe that November has already come and gone. I am definitely in the Christmas mood now and can hardly wait to go cut down a tree tomorrow for family night.

Cameron's first trip to the Dentist

Today was Cameron's first interaction with a Dentist. I forgot to pre-warn him, and so when he woke up first thing this morning, he got the news. I tried to make the news uplifting, but he wasn't buying it. He cried, and said he didn't want to get a shot. I assured him that all was going to be okay and that there was nothing to be afraid of. It kind of worked. He walked into the dental room just fine, but he was not about to lay down in "the chair." Instead he agreed to straddle me and laid his head on the dentist's lap. After some convincing, he let her peek into his mouth and the census was he has great, healthy teeth. Yay! Cameron enjoyed playing with the office mascot, Mr. Lion. Mr. Lion comes complete with a large set of teeth and a very cool over sized toothbrush for the kids to play. It was very entertaining.

Working Away...

Three months ago I would have laughed at the idea of me becoming a 'somewhat' professional Event Planner. I'm really not the most organized person, alright let me clarify that, I have no organization skills whatsoever. I usually procrastinate, forget important things, and stress out really bad when I am left to put something together. Well truth be told, I have become one, and with lots of hard work, I am actually doing really well at it. I do have to give credit where credit is due, and that goes to my friend, Shelley, for guiding me in the beginning and holding me accountable. She has been a great teacher. I also have to give big props to the Apple I-phone. With that handy tool, I am always aware of upcoming events on the calendar. I stay on top of emails, and it has helped me become more organized. I highly recommend one if anyone else struggles with disorganization like I did.

My job is a two part position. I plan seminars, and then I market to all those I would like to attend our seminar. The entire goal of why we hold seminars is to let others know about our company and to convince them to use our services. The planning stage is fairly easy. I invite a Title Rep to join in the process, in which I promise them free advertising. That is obviously good for them, but it also helps us tremendously because they reserve a conference room and pay for it. In the beginning, I was worried about getting Title Reps to want to work with me. I have never been in a sales position before, and it's unnerving trying to sell yourself if you haven't. But I was proven wrong, it has been really easy. Our original vision was to hold 2 seminars a month, but as it turns out, we are slammed, doing sometimes 2 seminars a week. Marketing for the seminars is fun. I spend an entire day driving from office to office with Shelley passing out invitations to the event. Most of the people I interact with are really nice. The most work is usually the day before a seminar when we have to do food preparations. We feed the attendees lunch and it's my job to plan and coordinate that small detail. I am definitely more busy then I thought I would be, but our success rate has sky rocketed. I really do believe in the company I work for and I am just really grateful that I got in during the early stages.

Here is a picture of our team. Starting from left to right is; Myself, Greg, Shelley, Andrew and JB. Andrew is our President and I recently found out he is LDS as well. He and JB started the company not quite a year ago. Andrew is also our speaker at most of the seminars. He is truly a great speaker, maybe church has helped him in that area? Next to me is Greg. We call him a Mini-JB. We are still trying to pin down exactly what his role will be. Shelley has taken on the role of Business Manager. She is the one who really got us where we are today. I think her best attribute has been keeping the communication between all of us open. JB, our Vice President, is phenomenal at working one on one with clients. He is the best at making you feel of value and is so good at expressing his thanks. I feel lucky that I work with such a great team. The time we all spend together is fun, it almost doesn't feel like work.

New Family Photos

I feel like a little kid at Christmas time waiting in anticipation for a new display of family photos to arrive. A few weeks ago, I met my friend Lorna http://carmanphoto.wordpress.com/ out at her studio and had her take some new family photos. I really needed updated photos of our family and I was anxious to give Lorna a try. I was impressed! Cameron is a very difficult subject to work with. He shy's away from the camera so much that we literally had to walk out of The Picture People furious because he would not cooperate. I warned her beforehand and she was so great to hire one of the young women to help her. She said that we, as parents, should just sit back and enjoy and let her and Tiffany take care of the little ones. That was so nice! I was so amazed at how well she worked with my boys, especially Cameron and got him to listen. The studio shots were fun and turned out good, but we both were looking for more candid, outdoor shots of the boys. A week ago I met her at a park nearby and let her do her magic. I love the way they turned out. I highly recommend using Lorna for any type of photo you may need. She was fabulous, and I can't wait to get the prints. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Twilight - Opening Weekend

This weekend I was finally able to go see on screen what I'd been anticipating all summer long ... Twilight, the movie! Even though I was extremely excited about it, I was very nervous as well. My biggest fear was being disappointed because in my mind I wanted it to be great. I decided a couple of days beforehand to listen to some reviews of the movie, so I could prepare myself in case it tanked. The reviews were not good, which led me to disappointment. I had such high hopes that the movie would do well.

Well to my surprise, I did not agree with any of the reviews. I really liked it! Friday night I went with some of my girlfriends to see it. During the course of the movie I found myself leaning over to Jenn and saying, what were people thinking? I really like this! Of course it in no way compares to the book, which is a given. How can it? Were there a few cheesy parts, sure, but not enough to ruin the movie for me. I think they did a great job trying to squeeze in all the emotions that they could for a two hour long movie.

I was able to go see the movie a second time tonight with Spencer. We also took our friends, Shelley and JB, who knew practically nothing about the book. I was anxious to get their feedback as well as Spencer's. I was delighted when all three of them said it was great! Yay! Watching it a second time also was a lot more enjoyable. Instead of constantly watching the movie, criticizing it, I was there to just enjoy, and I actually came away from it not just liking it, but loving it. Cheesy parts that I picked out the first night didn't bother me at all the second.

I loved seeing all the scenes of my town in the movie. Of course, only those from around here would recognize those details. I was also pleasantly surprised by the humor in the movie. Bella's dad snapping his gun when getting ready to meet Edward was hilarious. Thinking about all my favorite parts makes me really anxious for them to shoot New Moon. It's always fun to have something to look forward to, and I am definitely looking forward to it!

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

I stole this from my sister, Brittany's, blog.

20 years ago....
1. I was living in Sandy, Utah
2. My parents were divorced
3. I played house, doctor and barbies with my friends
4. I had a crush on a neighbor boy named Brian
5. I had 3 best friends; Lisa, Marianne & Hailey

10 years ago...
1. I was still living at home with my parents
2. I worked as a checker at a grocery store, QFC
3. I gained a testimony of the gospel
4. Each weekend I went dancing at various church dances around the Seattle area. I loved those dances!
5. I bought my first car, a 1997 Plymouth Laser, same car as a Mitsubishi Eclipse. My old car caught on fire.

5 years ago...
1. I celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary
2. I had my first baby
3. We bought our first home
4. I was working as a legal secretary in the DA's office
5. I taught the 16-18 year old girls in church, and they were the best group of girls. We are still good friends to this day

3 years ago...
1. I gave birth to my second baby boy
2. Spencer started working for the county
3. I did daycare in the house so I could stay home, and disliked every minute of it
4. I was a Pampered Chef consultant
5. We went on a really fun camping trip with Dan's family to Forks, WA (the setting for Twilight)

1 year ago...
1. I gave birth to yet another baby boy
2. I worked 2 days a week at the DA's office and officially quit for good
3. We got rid of TV, and started using bunny ears, I feel like our family has spent more time together since
4. We thought we were going to build a house, but as it turns out, I am glad we aren't right now
5. I attended my 10 year high school reunion

This year so far...
1. I started working from home as a Marketing Representative, and have enjoyed it very much
2. I had my first blog book published
3. I have read more books then I have in my entire lifetime thus far
4. We painted our house and I am thrilled with the results
5. We were able to participate in the Pioneer Trek, something I will always remember

Yesterday...
1. I attended Super Saturday and made some adorable Christmas gifts
2. Spencer returned from 4 days of hunting and I was happy to see him again
3. Megan babysat so Spencer and I could go out together
4. We went winter coat shopping for me
5. We rented and watched "Get Smart"

Today...
1. I stayed home from church so I could rest, I feel run-down
2. I slept and read most of the day
3. I am re-reading Twilight, in anticipation for the movie
4. I finally took a shower at 5:00 p.m.
5. I want to watch the ending of "Get Smart" because I fell asleep

Tomorrow...
1. I want to clean my bathrooms
2. I want to balance my checkbook
3. I am looking forward to dinner and FHE with friends
4. I am working
5. I am going to exercise

In the next year...
1. I will turn 30 years old!
2. I will get my spending habits under control
3. I will keep in contact better with my extended family
4. I will celebrate my 9 year wedding anniversary
5. I will do more of the things I love, like dancing, snowboarding, and scrapbooking

Finding Joy in the Journey

I have really been reflecting lately on President Monson's talk last conference, "Finding Joy in the Journey." The basis of his talk is about relishing in the today. He tells us, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life - here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone." He further says, "My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today." "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." What I have been pondering the most about his talk, is the fact that I do find myself always thinking about tomorrow. I'll be happy when my debt is paid off... I'll be happy when the sun finally comes out... I'll be happy when... Why do we do that? Why do I do that? That is the question I have been wondering about so much. Why is it so hard to live each day to it's fullest without looking forward to tomorrow?

I think the main reason that I do it, is so I don't have to think about the stress I am feeling right then. I look forward to the day when that stress is gone, and it is always tomorrow. But the matter of the fact is, stress is a natural part of life. It will never really be gone. I don't want to pile up enough of tomorrows, to find I've collected a lot of empty yesterdays. I know I want to change my attitude so that I can really enjoy each day, but I'm not quite sure how? I often feel that I am just barely keeping my head above water as it is.

This talk gives me something to ponder. I want to live my life enjoying each day, even the tough ones. I appreciate this talk from President Monson and I will take his advice to try harder at not putting off happiness, and live each day fully.

Sewing ... Just Isn't My Talent!

A couple months ago my Mom and Bill stayed the weekend with us, just for the fun of it. One of the goals that my Mom and I had while she was here, was to have her teach me how to sew. In college my Mom's dream was to be a clothes designer, but plans changed, and reality hit, once she started a family. I think she would have loved to pass that passion on to me, but sewing is one area that I never had any interest in. I'd rather just pay someone to make it for me! Anyway, while shopping at a fabric store one day with her, I found some nice fabric that I thought would make an adorable skirt. I decided to go ahead and give it a good ol' college try and bought all the supplies I needed to make a skirt. Directions on patterns are like foreign languages to me. I don't understand them at all! So I had to wait until my Mom could translate in order for me to start the project. Eventually, my dining room table was transformed into a sewing room and off we went, and .... I hated every minute of it!! I know to some people, sewing is truly the most simplistic thing to do, but to me it is the most time consuming, complicated hobby around. I did in fact create a skirt, but it did not turn out to be even close to a length I could wear. I guess I thought we were making a longer length skirt, but that just was not the case. My poor Mom was a good teacher, but I realized through the process, I don't enjoy it. It's just not one of my talents. Maybe how I feel about sewing, someone else feels about snowboarding (my passion). Who knows!?

Celebrating 4 Generations Young!

Today is Baby Andrew's First Birthday! A few weeks ago, I started contemplating what to do for Andrew's first birthday. An idea came to me when I realized his Great-Grandpa was turning 90 around the same time. I knew I had to throw a big birthday bash to celebrate. After pitching the idea to our family, I went ahead and reserved the gym at our church and started planning. We decided to "borrow" our friend, Kelly's, heritage, and have a Luau party in November. The party was held last Saturday, November 1st.
We had a private family party at 5:00 p.m. in the gym, where we ate Hawaiian food. We served BBQ chicken, pulled pork, macaroni salad and rice; and then sang Happy Birthday to Andrew and Great-Grandpa. At 6:00 p.m., the doors were opened to all who wanted to come. Uncle James put an add in the local paper for those who knew Grandpa in the community. The turn out was great! I very much appreciated all the support from our friends who were able to make it. I was also grateful for all the support Grandpa received. I know it made his day. It is not everyday a man turns 90, and your baby turns 1, so I really wanted to make it special. Hopefully, Andrew will think it's neat when he's older. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a fun and special night!

Halloween 2008

Halloween has always been a holiday that I really look forward to, especially when it isn't raining! Growing up my friends and I were always on a mission to see who could get the most candy. We used pillow cases and literally ran from house to house to maximize our efforts. Sadly, I found that competitive nature in me manifest itself when Austin was old enough to go trick-or-treating. I drug him all over town, down each row at trunk-or-treat, and then hit some more homes in our neighborhood afterwards. He used to say, "Mom, I'm tired!" and I was like come on, just a few more houses. Poor kid! Well this year, I am proud to say, I didn't care at all. What ever the kids wanted to do was fine with me. Austin was pretty gung-ho about making the rounds at trunk-or-treat, but Cameron was content to sit on the bumper of our Tahoe and eat candy. He had no interest in collecting any. I'm not sure what it was that frightened him, but he was not excited about Halloween at all. We got home fairly early from trunk-or-treat, and Austin said he wanted to do some more trick-or-treating, so we made a loop through our neighborhood. To my surprise, Cameron decided that he wanted to do that as well, so the boys and I went out with Shelley and Nicholas, while Spencer and JB stayed back and passed out candy. The weather was wonderful. It was probably the warmest Halloween that we've had in a long time, and with no rain. Good weather and happy kids is always a good combination on Halloween. So here is a break down of what we all dressed up as; Spencer, an Inmate (borrowed from the county jail); Me, Raggedy Ann; Austin, a Clone Trooper; Cameron, Obi-Wan Kenobi; Andrew, a Pirate.

Packing it all in

As I look back on our weekend, I realize how much we packed into just a few days. On Friday night we headed over to a neighbors house for a Halloween party. It was such a great opportunity for us to get to know our neighbors. I usually am a very friendly person, but when it comes to my neighbors, I don't really venture out. Marcus & Amanda, the hosts, created such a great environment in and around their house. In the garage was a cupcake decorating station, as well as crafts for the kids. The path along the side of their home was haunted, and it was fun seeing all the adults and kids in costumes.Saturday morning, Spencer got up early and took Austin, Logan, and Maika duck hunting. I was curious how the girls would feel about seeing the cute, innocent ducks being shot out of the air? When I asked Logan about it, she said it didn't bother her at all, instead she was bummed that there weren't more ducks to kill. Spoken like a true hunter! Watch out Kelly & Aundrea, she might have found a new hobby ;) Pretty much all day Saturday, I spent the majority of the day cleaning. My house had become seriously neglected, and it was time to get it back in shape. That evening, Spencer and I had the girls come over so we could visit his Grandpa and one of the ladies I visit teach, who is suffering from a broken femur. Afterwords we went to dinner and rented a movie.

Sunday, we decided to be a little rebellious, and skip church. We met my parents in Olympia, WA at our favorite restaurant there to celebrate my Mom's birthday. Then we did a little window shopping at Cabelas. We even sang, Happy Birthday, and ate german chocolate cake in the parking lot of Cabelas. On our way home we wanted to stop and visit Spencer's parents, our Sunday night ritual. I didn't think I had any room left in my belly for anything else, but when Marie showed up with homemade apple cinnamon rolls, I just couldn't resist. That night, last night, I went to bed sick. Seriously, I felt like the fat Caterpillar who ate everything! This weekend I really felt like we, as a family, spent good quality time together and had a ton of fun.

Time Out For Women

On Saturday I attended, Time Out For Women, and had such a great spiritual boost. It truly is amazing how a full day of up-lifting talks can boost one's desire to be better. I had a great time spending the day with friends. I came away with a greater knowledge, or remembrance, that we can do nothing on our own. To me, it strengthened the importance of having Christ in our lives, and that true peace and happiness come only through him. We had some wonderful speakers and musical artists. I jotted down some of the points that I wanted to remember from the day.

Emily Watts: Her talk was on Mother Guilt

The Mother is the core, and needs to be strengthened. She sets the tone in the home. Emily asked the question, "Do you feel guilty about things you can't control?" Often times, Mothers, think that they should control every situation, and when they can't, they feel confused and guilty. We then try to find reasons why we lost control, instead of finding solutions. We can't control every situation, but what we can control is our own reactions and the way we live. The more right things that we bring into our lives, the more control we have. "The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain, it is a resource in the event of pain." We need to be better at dealing with things, so we don't explode last minute. And instead of judging situations, we should ask, "How can I help?" instead.

Camille Fronk Olson: Her talk was on Joy

When we recognize that we are nothing without the Lord, we then need to fill that void with God. God gave us weakness so that we may be humble. Ask God to help us recognize his love for us. "We all lack, but, we can always have fulfillment and a fullness of joy in the Lord if we let go and ask for his strength." We can be made whole!

Elia Gourgouris: More Joyful Relationships

A good relationship is made of:

Trust - It's made when we keep our promises.

Communication - the need to be understood. When we feel understood, we feel loved. We need to listen with the 3rd ear (the Spirit).

Forgiveness - Lack of it, hardens the heart.

Gandhi said, "Forgiveness is for the brave" Elia referred to the book, "5 Languages of Love." We need to love someone the way they need to be loved. Educate ourselves on how to connect with those we love. Christ showed us all love languages. Maybe we should remember to ask what we can do for the Lord, instead of always taking and asking Him for things.

Mary Ellen Edmunds: Work to be an expert of Peace

Peace is the critical element of joy. Satan tries to beat us down. He wants us to be annoyed and impatient with each other. In situations when we don't feel peace, we need to Pause, Count, and Find Out the entire situation before reacting. Peace is for the Peacemaker, Mercy is for the Merciful, and, Kindness is for the Kind.

Our Reward System

Right around the time that the boys went back to school, I decided to implement a reward system for them. I instantly thought of the whole sticker reward chart that I could do, but I wasn't exactly sold on the idea of stickers, because you can't take them away. I then remembered some of the many afternoons I spent at Tiffini's house, when they lived here, and the reward system she used for her kids; Marbles! The thought of marbles as a reward sounded perfect. Not only can they earn a marble quickly, but they can be taken away just as easy. The following day I was on a mission for marbles. I set perimeters with the boys; explained to them how they could earn one, told them how they could lose one and discussed what they could do when they reached a certain amount. Spencer and I struggled with deciding what constituted the boys earning a marble. His opinion is that there are certain aspects of behavior that should just be expected. My opinion is that certain behaviors need to have an incentive in order for those behaviors to become habit. So after mulling over and over here is the plan that we came up with as actions deserving a marble:

Austin: Making his bed in the morning; Coming home with a Mustang Award; Coming home at the end of the week with a green card from class; Putting effort into completing homework nicely; Sitting still and silent during scripture time; cleaning without being asked; and, any other special arrangements we make with him.

Cameron: Going all day without peeing in his underwear; Going all night without peeing in his bed; Sitting still and silent during scripture time; brushing his teeth; and, any other special arrangements we make with him.

So it has been about a month and a half since I started this new system and it has been working beautifully. I have never seen the boys so diligent in doing the things I ask of them. They want those marbles badly and having the threat of me taking one away has truly been a deterrent for them. I honestly believe that Austin must have gone to school and told his teacher and every duty aid around that he needs a Mustang Award, because comes home with two, sometimes three, a day. It is seriously crazy! Once the boys earn enough marbles (Austin 40 and Cameron 30) they get a trip to Walmart where they can buy a small pack of Lego's. Both of the boys are really into Lego's, and I figure a $10 box of Lego's once a month is worth it.

Soccer Season 2008

Spencer signed up this year to coach Austin's soccer team. In high school he played soccer and knows the game really well, so I suggested to him one day that he should volunteer to be a coach. He decided to volunteer and I think he has really enjoyed it. We have a great group of kids on our team. There are a lot of aggressive players, not overly aggressive, just ones that aren't afraid to get after the ball. Even the girls on our team are good. Soccer is one sport that Austin just loves. It's also a great sport to watch as a parent because there is constant action. I am afraid to admit that I am a very vocal parent. I not only root Austin on, but the entire team. I laugh so hard when Austin and his buddy Caleb play together because when one or the other scores they do this belly bump with each other. I have been trying all season to get a picture of them jumping up and slapping belly's together, but sadly I have not been able to. When I asked Spencer if he will continue to coach Austin each season, his reply was only for another year or two. He says after that it becomes too competitive and parents are way too involved at that point. I think he has been a great coach and I know Austin feels pretty lucky to have his dad participate with him. You can see the repore he has with the kids too. They throw their arms around him and they really listen well to him.

A Visit To The Local Pumpkin Patch

After Austin's soccer game yesterday, we decided to head to the local pumpkin patch and take a look around. We didn't have much time to spend so the hayride was out of the question. We did have time though to let our kids wander through all of the pumpkins in search of the right one. It was nice to see friends and their families there as well and visit with them for a little while. Although this was a nice little family outing, my desire is to go to the "real" pumpkin patch. I want to get lost in the corn maze, buy some corn stalks for decoration and sling a few pumpkins into the air. That sounds like fun to me! Hopefully I can get there before the rain comes.

A New Business Venture

Earlier this summer I started getting to know my neighbor, Shelley. Everyday we would take walks together and just talk. When I started telling her how I could really use a part-time job the wheels in her head started turning. I had no idea what she, and her husband JB, were about to propose to me. She began to tell me how her husband, JB, had recently started a company that helps troubled home owners sale their home before they lose it to foreclosure. That kind of a transaction is called a "short sale." Short sales are becoming increasingly more common and necessary because the value of homes have plummeted and people can not sell the property for what they owe on it. JB's company negotiates with the Lender to take a loss on the amount the seller owes in order for the home to be sold to a new buyer, one who can afford it. This saves the seller from a foreclosure which is a huge relief to them and it saves the bank time and money from having to repossess the home.

Shelley instantly started thinking about how she could fit me into the company. She then got the idea that the "men" should focus on getting the true paperwork done, and that they should hire me to do marketing for their company. Since the practice of short sales is a fairly new concept, one of the most valuable tools to get our company's name out there is by holding free seminars to Realtors. I was hired to schedule, coordinate, and market all up-coming seminars. The best part is ... most of which I can do in the comfort of my own home!

At first when I was given the job proposal, I was happy. I thought, great if this lasts a few months and I can stay home with my kids that would be wonderful. I don't know why I didn't feel it before, but it was during our first office meeting at Red Robin, when it finally dawned on me, this is a career. This is going to last. They had not only hired me, but they are investing in me. I was ecstatic!!

After a month and a half of training with Shelley and setting my part of the business up, I was finally able to hold my head up high with my first seminar under my belt yesterday. It went better then I could have hoped. Realtors were piling in by the dozens. After the seminar was done, I received numerous emails and phone calls from Realtors and Principal Brokers telling me what a great seminar we put on, and asking how they could learn more. I couldn't believe it! I truly love this job. A few days a month, I get to dress up and play career woman. I am handing out business cards, and people are actually starting to recognize my name. Holy cow! I must admit it is fun.

I am so indebted and grateful to Shelley, JB and Andrew (our President) for giving me this opportunity! They all have gone so far out of their way to help me, train me and include me in this company. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Officially Walking

At Eleven months 4 days, Andrew is officially walking! No more of that crawling stuff.

Free, Fun Entertainment

Tonight our electric company held a free spaghetti dinner at the local fairgrounds as a way to say thank you to all of their customers. Typically we would not have attended the event, and our only reason for going tonight was for Austin, but we ended up having a really fun time. A few weeks ago Austin entered a coloring contest and won first place. His recognition and award was to be handed to him on the night of this dinner. His prize included $10 cash, an award, and a coupon for a free ice cream cone. He was pretty stoked. The electric company hired several balloon artists to make some crazy and fun hats for the kids. But, when I realized that they had hired Caricaturists I was all over that. I didn't care how long I had to wait in line, I wanted the boys drawn. I was really impressed with the effort that was put into the evening to make it fun for all. I actually feel compelled to write my electric company a letter of thanks. Unfortunately, the drawing is too large to make a complete scan, but I just love it.

Notes in Class

Last week my friend Aundrea told a story about how her daughter, Maika, who is in first grade, started to receive love notes from boys at school. I thought it was a cute story when I read it, but it got a whole lot more cute when I found out that my son, Austin, was one of the boys sending her love notes. After hearing about this I just had to ask Maika if she still had some of the notes. She did. She gave them to me and I took them home, conspicuously, so that I could scan them in to my computer and display them for all to see. You'll appreciate it when you're older Austin. They are too cute! I love the way he spelled Maika.

So yesterday I asked Austin if he receives love notes from anyone and he said, "Yes!" When I asked who, he said a couple of girls from school. He also said that one of the girls, Chrissy, wants to be his girlfriend. "She has a crush on me", he said. When I asked him what it means to have a crush on somebody, he said, "it means she likes me ... I guess". Oh man, could this really be happening this young?? At this age it's cute that he is liked, but a few years from now I have a feeling that it's going to be worrisome. I told him to bring home some of his love notes so we'll see if he does.

See What I Mean??

Yesterday afternoon Cameron and I had left over Spaghetti for lunch. Cameron ate about 1/3 of his plate and then said he was done. He left his plate on the table so he could eat more later, but Andrew got to it first. Like I said before, I forget how tall Andrew is and how far he can reach because Cameron's plate was not necessarily on the edge. I didn't see Andrew knock his plate off the table, and it wasn't until Cameron told me that Andrew was eating his food, that I realized what was going on. But sure enough, Andrew was sitting in a pile of red sauce pasta eating away. From the pictures you can't see how much food was truly on the floor, but it was a lot. Andrew had himself a snack, then after a good scrub in the bath he was put in time out (hence the high chair photo) while I bissle cleaned the carpet.