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.