fiEld tRip tO tHe zOo fOr tWo

This year JJ asked me to go on his field trip with him to the Zoo.  I really didn't do anything with his class this year so I thought why not.  We all know that I loath LOVE the Zoo.  About two days after JJ asked me Emma brought home a note asking the exact same thing.  I had to respectful turn down her request but heck we would be at the same place at the same time.  I was bound to see her.

Once I finally met up with the kids we were standing right by the Eagle's cage. Since these kids are Eagles I took a pic of any that were around. 

A funny conversation I heard while I was taking this pic was between two third graders.  They said "See that kid over there in the yellow? (talking about JJ) Don't you think he looks just like Emma Snow?  That is her brother.  They look like twins!"  other kid looks and observes. "Oh my gosh, they do!!"  That made me chuckle to myself.

I was bound and determined to see Emma but the boys of my group had very intense plans on how they wanted to cover the zoo.  I was starting to get worried.  We were standing outside of my most favorite place the Tropical Animals...YUCK! when look who should appear.  It was our Miss Emma.   I bet you can tell who was MOST excited to see her.

Emma was having a great time with her group so we parted ways and headed off to more Zoo adventure.  That is when we came across the T-Rex.  Could you image running into one of these in real life.  Yikes!

As you can see the boys were terrified. 

 Ellie on the other hand wasn't so worried. 

Where is the picture of Boo, you ask.  

Well she was terrified. so much that she would not stand by it for a pic. 

Next up on our stop was the baby Elephant Suri.  She is always a crowd pleaser.

Boo loved the Elephants.

We had  fun experience at the Zoo this time.  And that is saying a lot for me.  I still feel bad for the poor animals but in the spring they do seem more alive.  The Monkey was banging the glass and putting on a real show.  The Elephants were very playful.  And it was a lot of fun to see the Dinosaurs even though I don't believe they ever existed. they were not real.

Plus it was FREE for half my kids and me.  Major bonus.  Another plus, we don't have to go again this year.  Wahoo!!!

You would think we would learn.

It is official. The barstools are GOING, GOING, GONE! First it was Emma with her cheek swollen like a baseball. Then it was falls and spills and tears over the next three years. On occasion every child has fallen off of the barstool. Then the straw that broke the camels back happened. Elsie fell off. It was a minor fall really but in the process of falling she must have grabbed the chair because no sooner had she hit the ground do I see the stool catch air and land smack on her head. It even cut off her airway. It was insane. In the two seconds it took for me to get to her I could see her struggling to breath. Instantly there was a mark and swelling. Here is a photo taken about 20 minutes after.

And then about an hour after. It just kept looking worse and worse.  Her face broke our hearts.

This picture is taken about 12 hours after.  The eye is really starting to go black.

In this photo it is exactly 24 hours later.  She looks like one abused kid.  I feel so bad for her.  She hasn't let it stop, or miss a beat though.  She cried for a good hour after but then has not complained at all.  She looks worse than she is...I guess.

I love that she is posing for the picture.  

Always a charmer. 

I'll make sure and post more pics so you get all the stages.

P.O.T.D. 2

Now don't worry, I am not going to post every POTD but I am loving this.

I love sneaking up on them and just shooting.

Catching the real moments.

This is a real moment that happens everyday.

Now it is captured.  

LOVE IT

DANGER

So we were cleaning our basement and we were almost done when danger struck.  Someone had forgotten to put the pin in the ramp of the treadmill.  JJ was using the top of the ramp to balance on his rip-stick.  The rip-stick went out from under him and this made it so he grabbed the ramp sending the ramp and JJ down to the ground.  Elsie just happened to be walking under the ramp at that moment.  I was able to push her leaving her to only get hit by the legs.   JJ was not so lucky and took the full impact of the ramp on top of him. 

Elsie walked away with only two bruises on her back. JJ got a banged up knee, a really sore back, and a bruise on his hip. We are so lucky that is all that happened. If I had not been there or JJ had not been the one to take the blow it would have crushed Elsie. JJ was hurt pretty bad but the only thing he was saying was "Elsie are you okay?" over and over. Sweet boy.

It truly was a terrifying thing that could have ended so much worse. I just want you all to be VERY aware of the dangers of a treadmill and make sure you ALWAYS put the pin in if the ramp is up. Also make sure that your treadmill can't be turned out without you present. THis could have ended so much worse. We are just lucky it didn't.

P.O.T.D.

My I wish good friend Becky Higgins has this fabulous idea.

She takes a Photo Of The Day everyday.

I love this idea.
She takes the everyday pic.  The one you might not think of taking.

It is such a fabulous idea.  I am going to try to do this.  Hopefully it works out.

So here is my first one.

It is just one of those simple moments that they do almost everyday.  I love this already.

Here's to 364 more.

tRee hOuSe muSeUm

Ellie had the week off of school and I wanted to something more than just watch Hannah Montana.  It rained almost the entire time she had off so Hannah was a big part of our little break.  I laid in bed and thought about it long and hard and Tree House Museum seemed like a likely choice.  I had to stop and my moms to pick up a coupon for the Museum.  David was there and I asked if he would go with me.  I was so glad when he said yes.  Little did I know how glad I was.  I quickly remembered why I don't go many places anymore.  Ellie just takes off an she is quick and stealth like.  She was at the top of her game today.  She ran out of sight the moment we got there.  David was a HUGE help to me with her and Elsie.

This was the girls favorite part of the Tree House Museum.  The tree.  They spent half the time running up and down the stairs, climbing the wall, and hiding from us.  Silly littles. 

I loved watching them play with everything.  It is a very interactive play area.  

The girls served us cake in the playhouse

Ellie knew that in Japan you eat on the floor.

David read the story from Argentina. 

Ellie got on the horse by herself.  Notice her placement on the saddle.  Oops missed.

They loved the school.  In the one pic Ellie has a look on her face like "Ya, I totally know how to do this."

The girls loved the doctors office.  

The firetruck was a favorite spot.

But nothing beat the train ticket station.  Ellie kept returning.

Look at that smile.  She was thrilled to give tickets to us.

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party.

Who is Ellie?

Where do my girls get their cheesy smile...hmmmm

This is my favorite picture of the day.

Thanks David for coming with us.  David finally came up with Elsie's new nickname.  He now calls her squeaks.  Ha, that makes me laugh.  It totally fits.

lEt's gO Fly a kiTe

The weather was perfect and let's face it that is not a normal statement lately.  Utah is having some crappy weather.  It is cold and raining all the time.  I feel like we live in Seattle not Farmington.  The kids and I got back from our Sunday Stroll and played hopscotch while Jeron read a book.  Then the wind really picked up.  Yep a storm is a brewin'  So we took advantage of this perfect kite flying opportunity.  It was a lot of fun.  It was crazy windy and it shredded our kite but hey it was fun while it lasted. 

Look at this great team work.  I can't fly a kite to save my life so Jeron put down his book and came and helped these poor kids.  After he got it up they kept it up.  It was pretty impressive.

I truly love watching my kids outside.  The sun is the best pick me up ever. 

We had to cut it sooner than we planned because Survivor was starting.

But then we realized the kite was broken so we would have quit anyway.  

Oh and to let you know Jeron and I have never missed a season of Survivor.  I am probably the biggest Boston Rob fan out there.  I was so excited when he stepped off the helicopter this season.

So you can only imagine how nervous I was tonight for him.

No nerves were needed.

He took the whole thing but one vote.

WAY TO GO BOSTON ROB!!!

Sunday Splendor

We had a great Sunday stroll. We went up Farmington Canyon and just took in all the beauty. The water levels are so HIGH, which means everything is so green and beautiful. There is a pond up there that the kids love.

Of course JJ is lacking in pictures because he was off doing what JJ does.  

The girls stick by us but he just goes, explores, and has a great time.

There is a part where you can see the water coming off the pond and it was very impressive.  

We spent a lot of time looking at it.  

Jeron even got Emma and JJ to walk down the slope with him to get a closer look.

This picture represents so much to me.

Emma will need to take her dads hand for him to show her the way. 

It is my fav pic of the day.

These birds were hilarious.  We would pretend to throw food and they would come

from across the pond.  SUCKER!  They would hiss at us when they realized there was no food.  Haha

The kids kept calling the white ones "Snots" They were the hissers.

Ellie has a camera pose.  I don't think I noticed this before.

My fav though was the tree one.  She actually asked me to take that one.

Boo had a great time running all over.  She would start to lag behind and then run at us crying like we had left her.  She makes me laugh.  What goes on in that head of hers.  She was singing the whole time. 

This dog was bigger than me.  Elsie was the only one of my kids that would touch him.

His name is Mike.  He was a huge dog but a sweet one.  He kept trying to lick her face.  His tongue was huge.  She went and sat with him and snuggled on the ground.  It was too cute.

Emma is getting so old.  When did this happen?  She looks like a preteen.  It is crazy.  

She had a lot of  fun. 

And as you can tell I had a lot of fun also.  

I love the wild flowers. 

They all looked so beautiful this time of year.

After all was said and done it was just a wonderful family day.

.

.

.

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until we got in the car and the fights started up.  Ugh when does that stop??

Ellie's end of year program

For some reason this year we didn't know about Ellie's program until the day of.  So I called Jeron at 11 to let him know it was at 2pm.  He couldn't get away in such short notice.  I said it was probably no big deal because we had already seen the opera.  This is just a bunch of songs.

Well, now  I wish I would have demanded that he come home, grandparents dropped everything to come, and pulled JJ and Emma out of school.  Instead Elsie and I were the only two family members to be able to view Ellie in all her glory.  SHE WAS AWESOME!!!

Before the big show.

 

She did every action right along with the other kids.  She sand every word with so much heart.  You could see her light shine through the whole auditorium. 

She put her arms in her shirt whenever there wasn't an action.  She had to keep her eyes closed for one of the parts(which is a struggle for Miss Ellie.) It was so cute to see her cover eyes when she had to open them.  Plus, she HATES wearing sunglasses but for this number no one would have ever know. 

She didn't miss a beat on any of the actions.  She waved her flag with all her might.  She just did such an amazing job.  I was overwhelmed with pride and maybe a few tears of happiness. 

After the program so many of the parents came up to me and told me what a great job Ellie did and how they couldn't keep their eyes off her.   I even had a few say you can feel her spirit in a room.  That she owned the room and even brought them to tears.  I love my Ellie moments. 

Now do you see why I wish I would have demanded that all family members be present.

Did it make you take a second look?

No this is not Marj.

I just play her on TV.

Hahah

My ward was doing an activity for the Young Women and Young Men.

They needed people from the ward to walk around the mall in a disguise. 

Jeron walked in the room and went. "OHMYGOODNESS, you look just like your mom...that is weird...I don't like it....that is weird...Oh MY...weird.  So I am thinking he didn't love it.  There was no offense to Marj it just gave him the creeps that I looked like her exactly.   I do look a lot like her.  I actually think I look like a freaky version of my mom and dad.  You know that version where they blend two pics together and come up with a freaky looking child.  Well, There you have it Dave and Marj's freaking looking child.  hehehe.

The activity was a lot of fun and a lot of the kids did not recognize me, including my next door neighbor.

Our Last Playgroup at Our House

Another school year has come and is almost gone.  I can't believe this is my last playgroup.  We did our usual, played, snacks, stories.  I really love this bunch of kids.  They are all adorable.  Elsie looks forward to playgroup everyday.  She will say "Is playgroup today?"  It is going to be hard for her to let her play dates go:(

A little grocery shopping is fun for everyone.

They can play this the entire time.  It is fun to see them busy at work.

They are all a bunch of cheesies. 

I love how Elsie is copying the boys raising their hands.

Have a great Summer.

Happy Mother's Day

There is four beautiful reasons I am called mother. 

Because of them my life will forever be better.

I love my kids with every fiber of my being. 

They are the reason I do almost everything.

There is no greater gift then to be a mom

Thank you four for being mine.

I am very blessed to have such a wonderful mom.  Throughout my entire life I have been able to count on her.

She is always there for me in everything.  I see this so much now.  I don't know what I would do without her.

She has taught me everything I know and I am who I am today because of her.

She has taught me to be a better person through her example.

She is so talented in so many area's.  She truly is a wonderful mom.  I have loved seeing her through my kids eyes.  The adore her.

I thank my Heavenly Father for letting me be with her in this life.

She raised me to be a good person and she always expects me to be one.

I am grateful for that.

She loves me even in spite of all of my many flaws.

I am grateful for that.

She has so much wisdom.

I am grateful for that.

She is always there for my family.

I am grateful for that.

She sees my kids for who they are.

I am grateful for that.

She has taught me about Heavenly Father and Jesus.

I am most grateful for that.

She has given me her love and calls me daughter.

I am blessed because of that.

I love you Mommy.

The other mother in my life.  I couldn't do a mother's day post and not mention my wonderful mother-in-law.

She is always there for us when we need her.

She is such a wonderful grandmother to my kids.

She is caring and compassionate.

She loves us very much.

She loves to spoil us.

She raised a wonderful man that I love with all my heart.

For this I can not thank her enough.

She cares about our struggles and does all she can to help.

I love you Jan

Happy mother's day to all of you.  The women in my life help me be a better wife and mother and I am always thankful for your examples. 

meGaRdoOdle'S deSigN

I have been wanting to make this blog just about my family.

That way when I print the posts into books I won't have to edit so much.

I started a crafting blog a year or so ago. 

I am now only going to use that for my crafting projects.

I hope you will decide to follow it.

I would love that.

It will be a lot like my food blog.

I will only post when I take pictures of the crafts.

So it may have a lot of delays, but if you follow it you will be notified of new posts.

Ha, there another plug to follow it.  Hehehe

Trials, tears, and testimony

Just like everyone else,

I have been going through a trial

A BIG ONE.

It has taken me on a wild ride, and one that is FAR from over.

I have had moments where I felt beaten down and wondered if I would ever get up.

Then there are the moments that I know that my Savior is carrying me.

These moments are the ones that I have the harder time finding.

Now, I KNOW that He is always their for me.

I just have this major problem, I forget to feel that.

Lately, I have really FORGOTTEN how to feel Him.

On Easter weekend I had hit one of those all time low moments.

My poor family had to deal with my insane drama.

The tears just would not stop.  I was ANGRY...at everyone and everything.

I was so sad, and I felt ALONE.

The sad thing is I know I was not alone but for some reason I block that feeling of peace.

I tend to wallow in my self pity.

On Easter we went and did the Easter thing like always.  

I had pulled myself together long enough to enjoy the holiday.

My parents gave our kids books for Easter about the gospel.

Emma got a book this year that she devoured the moment she got it.

On the way home from my parents house she told me I really should read it.

I said okay, I will...you know one of those Ya, ya, when I get around to it.

Well on Tuesday night she came to me and asked if I had read it.

I had to say NO.  She seemed disappointed.  

I felt the GUILT

On Wednesday I made a point of reading it.  

It was time to read to Ellie and Elsie so I thought hey I can kill two birds with one stone.  

I will have to say this may have been a bad idea. (not reading the book but reading it with the littles)

I SOBBED through the whole book

You know, that UGLY uncontrollable SOBBING.

I was feeling what I have been blocking...the answers of what I really needed to know.

PEACE

The things I hadn't been letting myself feel.

The poor littles kept asking "are you okay mommy" and kissing me.

I kept saying these are happy tears but really what little kids understand that.

The lesson was not over.

On Sunday I was siting in Relief Society(a meeting for the women in my church)

The Relief Society president bore her testimony.

She talked about a Carl Bloch painting.

I wish I could remember the name but that wasn't the point.

In the painting a mother was standing near her dying daughter.  The mother had a tear in her eye and you could feel the pain of a mother losing her child.  She said if you didn't look closely you could have missed Christ was in the painting.  

He was standing in the doorway.  He was waiting to come in.  

Her take on the painting was EXACTLY the message I needed.

He is always there...ALWAYS!

He has to let us feel our trials though.  If we do not feel them then we cannot learn from them.

He had to stand back and let that mother feel the moment so she could understand the miracle that was about to happen.

Every thing in our life is for a reason.  It may not be something we understand.  It may not be something we ever understand(here) but it is something that will strengthen us if we let it. 

I sat there and clear as day I had a feeling that what ever happens things would be right.

See how it is not okay, perfect, or bliss

It will be RIGHT.

I can't even express the peace that I felt from that.

I know that Heavenly Father loves us.

I know that there will be more times where I forget to feel His love for me.

It is moments like this that will help remind me.

I know what I felt was my Savior and his perfect love for me.