Graduation

We got Ethan's Preschool Graduation pictures today. Isn't it the best picture. I think he is just so dang cute, but I'm a little bias.

We also found out just when his graduation is. It will be at Clearfield High School Auditorium, on Thursday, May 15, 2008 from 11am till 12pm. Anyone who would like to come and support Ethan in this milestone is welcome to come. Please let me know via "comments" and if we have enough people come maybe we will have treats at our house afterward.

Yeah for Ethan!

Twilight

Okay I just finished the book "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer and LOVED it! I am not really into the science fiction/horror stuff but I read on my cousins blog about it and thought I would give it a try. Thanks Heather for turning me on to it.
It is a national published book but the author, Stephenie Meyer is LDS and graduated from BYU, which is a little strange seeing how it is a book about vampires. But it is more of a story about looking past peoples outer shell and finding love. It doesn't even follow the typical vampire lore.
This is the first in a 4 book saga, the last installment is due out latter this year. Ryan is leaving for Chicago tomorrow but I think I might have to go and see if I can find the next book in the series, "New Moon". It introduces werewolves. Oohh!
I see myself typing about these things and am thinking to my self "vampires", "werewolves" I am not into this stuff but I guess if you open your mind up to a new story anything is possible and you might find something worth reading. Pick it up you will love it!

Simple Things

I am finding that the simplest things get me excited these days. Maybe its because I don't have a life or maybe that my children are my life, anyway here are the things that get me excited lately:

Holly's hair is finally long enough to put in pigtails! The pigtails didn't last very long but it was fun to be able to do my daughters hair.















Mason has started to army crawl. He still rolls all over the place because it is just faster but once he gets close to something he wants he pushes himself with his feet and reaches with his little hands.
Mason has also almost gotten his 6th tooth, which makes an already cute smile all the more cute.


And finally the quite that comes from my kids finally going to sleep. I don't know what it is but my kids go to bed at 8PM and they are up every two minutes for something or the other. I can't stand and do not have the patience for stalling!! So when they are finally asleep that is always a joyful moment of the day.

I Drink Your Milkshake!

I love that line! Probably one of the most interesting lines ever uttered in 'moviedom'.
Yesterday Netflix sent the movie, "There Will Be Blood" starring Daniel Day Lewis (which he received an Oscar for). I had been wanting to watch this movie for some thime due the fact that it is loosely based on the Upton Sinclair book 'Oil'. I read that book a long time ago and was somewhat fasinated by it. I have also desired to read his book titled 'The Jungle' which details conditions in a Chicago slaughterhouse in the early 19th century. (I hesitate to read this due to the fact that many people claim that it will turn you against meat. And I like my food red, dead, and cornfed).
Anyway, I loved the movie. It was very engrossing as it details the life of a California oilman who ventures out with his young 'son' and tries to obtain oil leases and land from people living in the high California desert. He however runs into difficulties with a certain religious 'prophet' who makes life most interesting. Day-Lewis is awesome! Check it out! The 'milkshake' lines comes at the end of the movie.
By the way, if I create my own blog which details some of the more innate parts of my life, will anyone visit? I am thinking of letting my wife have this blog for her own.

Back into the Swing

Today Ryan had to go back to work and not just work from home. I am still not 100% but I guess that I have to be at least part of the time. Life doesn't always wait for you to recover fully, at least not these days. I was able to not get the big bad cold/flu that Ryan and the kids all got just before we moved and that suck around forever! But now that I have had to have some down time guess what - I think I've got the big bad cold on top of it all. Isn't life great!!
I am going to fight it with all I have. I have been blessed the the ability that if I can get myself to believe that I'm not sick my body won't think I'm not sick either. So far it has worked this year but it is a little harder once I already feel like crap. We shall see how well I can pull it off.
The kids are still having a hard time remembering that Mommy has some owies and that they still have to be careful. Isn't amazing how your kids just seem to think that you are invincible? I wish I was at times but then I wouldn't be able to appreciate the times when I am in tip top shape. When was that...maybe high school sometime? I forgot.
Ryan is getting ready to go to Chicago on the 30th and is so excited he can hardly stand it. I guess he is going to go to a Cubs game while he is there and is very excited. Ethan and Holly are excited just because they know that when Dad goes out of town he always brings back a "prize" for each of them. Plus, Ryan told Ethan last night that when he gets back that he will take him to go get a swing set. Boy Ethan is all excited about that! He has been asking for one even before we moved. Ryan has just been putting it off until the weather got better. So mark your calendars May 3rd is the big day and all are welcome to come over and break in the new toy.

Recovering

I was all set to go into the hospital at 12:30PM for my surgery when they called me at 8:20AM and asked me to get up to the hospital right away. I guess they had something come up and they had to change everything around. Well we were able to make it up there and checked in by 9:30AM. Thanks to Craig, he is just our life saver lately!!
Anyway everything went well and I was home by 3PM. Very sore and wanted nothing to do but take pain meds and sleep. Ryan was a trooper and took care of the kids and got up with Mason all that night. He got up the next morning and was so worn out. All I could do is smile and say "Welcome to my World". I guess that wasn't very nice of me and I should have been more sympathetic... but let me just say sometimes it's nice to know that he is grateful for what I am able to contribute to our family.
But Ryan has been great to take over for a bit and make sure I have been able to get enough rest. He is going to work from home tomorrow and take Ethan to school for me, which is one more day I don't have to go full tilt. THANK YOU, sweet heart for taking such good care of me!
For those of you who have to look forward to having your gallbladder out - IT HURTS!
and even though your doctor might says "oh it's just a day surgery" doesn't make it any easier on you body. So be forewarned.....

Holly the Great

We have been working with Holly for the past week and a half on potty training. She has had a few problems but she has now gone 3 days without an accident! Go Holly!
She is growing up so fast! A little to fast at times, yesterday I caught her kissing her "crush" Patrick. It was dinner time and Patrick was getting his coat on to go home and I hear her say "kiss, kiss" and then the sound of a little smack. Well I asked her about it after Patrick had left and here is how the conversation went:
Me: Holly did you kiss Patrick goodbye?
Holly: Yes (sheepish grin)
Me: Did you kiss him on the cheek?
Holly: No
Me: Did you kiss him on the lips?
Holly: Yes (big grin)
Me: Holly you don't kiss boys!
Holly: Yes, my Pat-ick girlfriend!
As you can see we have our hands full with this little girl.

I Am a Mother!

Our new ward has a book group that meets once a month at a different sisters house and talks about a book that was chosen for the month. I was invited to go last month even though I had not read the book and had a great time. So I decided to go get the next book on the list so I could participate more in the discussion. The next book is "I Am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson. I have seen this book and wanted to read it but kept putting it off until I would have more time, etc. So now that I had a really "good" reason I went and got a copy. Let me just say that I really needed this book. I have always had the nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I am just not cut out for motherhood. My Mom always worked outside the home and I had always planed on working even if I had kids because I didn't feel I would be able to or even want to stay at home. Well when we were expecting Ethan both Ryan and I felt strongly that I needed to stay home and rise our children. It was hard in all sorts of ways and I don't regret my decision but I've always doubted myself. I've also struggled with the fact that I don't feel like I am "really" contributing to our family.
Well I have found the book that has really helped me and opened my eyes to what mothers can really do and be. I think that every mother should read this book, oh every young women for that matter. It really has helped me feel better about my choice and even the way I look at my day to day life with my children, which in turn makes me happy to be around them and makes our days go better all around.
I am almost done reading it and my book group doesn't meet for another 3 weeks! I think I will read it again.
There is one thing from the book that has stuck with me and I think I will have to print it off and put it up somewhere. "Snow White was beautiful even when she was waring rags". Remember that...everyone is beautiful in there own way and all of us are daughters of God.