Its What We Do.

Passion for Motherhood.~

2012-02-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

While I was thinking of what to think capture for the poetic winter photography challenge prompt of passion, On my photography blog(www.capturingsnippits.com) I thought, I have a passion for motherhood. I love to see the energy in children. I love how teaching our children help shape their lives and can if done right improve their destiny.

It is emotional and challenging to be a mother as we all are not perfect. I try and and pray and hope I am doing the best I can for my four beautiful children, I am glad I have help from the Lord and from my loving husband. Celia went walking with me and my neighbor friend Laurie and her twins.

They showed me rocks and pine cones. We walked and talked about how it was to be young out in nature, so exciting and live was so simple. I love helping my children be protected and live a life that will be full of positive memories so they can do that for their children. It will help our children' s future to teach them well, so I try and pray everyday to be a good example to my children. To each them thoroughly and well for their joy and happiness, and ours too..:)

We Love Riding in the Car.

2012-02-11T10:29:00.001-08:00

Bri got a new (to us) car from work. It is a black 2010 VW Passat. I am pretty excited. There are neat things about cars, like plug in for ipods and different mp3 players and heated seats. It is a change though and we all have things that take some getting used to. The kids are very excited and I'm glad has a vehicle to drive for work, since he has been driving all over for work these days. We picked it up and signed for it at the nearby Safeway because the semi who transported the car from Arizona couldn't get his semi in our culdesac. Its all very fun, new, and pretty cool.

Cha Cha Changes

2012-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

What you see here is a breakfast nook right? Well, it used to be my office. Too many folks in the family thought eating breakfast at my desk while watching Netflix was a good idea, so I decided to change my desk area.:)

This is where my old desk turned entertainment center. So far so good at avoiding messes and keeping the electronics safe.

A new year brings new surprises and expectations. I am all for some changes, like changing to more healthy habits, a more organized home, a less anxious attitude, a new place to visit. But what if the changes are something you aren't ready for or take you off guard? I know things work out in the end. I know that Spencer's change to a new school proved to be a great change for him and he hasn't even been there that long. We have a great in home program, they do so well they are getting promoted and moving up. That means new people coming in, but like all things it doesn't go forever. I learned yesterday that Spencer's tutoring hours will be fading out this next six months or so. Spencer is starting to learn and grow and develop more. I don't want that to be interrupted or stalled because of the us moving in a more independent direction.
Spencer will be of high school age later in 2012, Joseph a junior higher, and Celia will attend a full day at first grade. Did I mention Emmy will be driving?! Where did the time go?

None of these changes are really negative, it will all just take some getting used to, like the fact that my graduation from high school was 20 years ago?! Great things going on currently are; I have time to read and take part in a Book of Mormon challenge, read the book in 100days. Also, I have had the opportunity to go and get massages.(boy, before I was missing out.) I am finally getting a handle on laundry in my life.

I love to teach Sunday school and to try to make a difference in their lives. Teaching also helps me ponder on lessons I can teach my own children.
Spencer did awesome coming to my class last week. He was a little loud, but that fits right in with the other 13 year old boys I teach. The classmates included Spence by responding to his words he pressed on his GO Talk and we all were able to learn and grow together. Bri is getting a work car, hopefully Spence will adjust well to that. He did not like it when I had a different minivan at all, although he is cool with it now and we plan to make a trip in it to Colorado this summer.:)

I figure the best way to embrace these changes is to see the good in them, be positive and courageous, and hopeful. Looks like it is going to be a great, eventful year!

Hobby Hiking

2012-02-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

Hiking is one of my hobbies. I love it when the trails go near water!

Misty came with, was great!

Hiking again.:) Every Friday for the past two weeks I've gone hiking with friends. I loved it. It is a lot of exercise, but also fresh air and beautiful sites. I was amazed at the green water today on the river. It really was lovely out and I even agreed to go in a family cemetery and check things out. The last picture represents solitude in winter. I was taking pictures on the hike for a photo challenge, but mainly was just enjoying the beautiful views.:)

Firsts

2012-02-01T12:39:00.002-08:00

So many firsts this past little while. Last Saturday Emmy went to her first Stake youth Dance. She said she had been to one at youth conference , but these monthly ones are different! I have such fond memories of turning fourteen and going to these dances. It is great to go out and dance and be with friends doing wholesome recreational activities.:)

Celia had her tooth pulled out by Dad her mouth is now metal free, a first since she got her teeth. Spencer will have his first IEP tomorrow with his new school. So far, all the preliminary information shows he is doing great and will learn a lot at his new school. I love the proposed goals and we are actually getting speech goals from the speech therapist, Yay! It makes me happy when he can progress. He has done well in the past and I'm sure he will be able to again.:)

Joseph saw me sewing up a few holes on Celia's princess bedspread and starting saying I have a blanket that you haven't sewn! I showed him how and he sewed his own blanket's holes for the first time.:) Teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry right? I used to make blankets more. This one is very old around 10 years. Yellow and ultra soft, except all the thread where it has been repaired.:) He has another blanket called plaidy that was hand sewn for him by me before he was born. I have baby pictures of him laying on it. I'm glad my children love their blanket because I haven't made any in quite some time.

Brian has been on site on his first real live working waste water treatment plant that he designed. There are hiccups, but he is the best problem solver I know, and ultra smart, so all will work out there. Today, I am going to my first ever massage. I had a facial once and it seemed like a relaxing massage of the face and body too. It was a gift! Should be relaxing and great. First day of February and all is well. I hope it continues to be a fantastic 2012.

Family Lunch

2012-01-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

It is pretty rare when our family go out to eat together. We eat at home together and we go out in little groups, but to have all of us at a restaurant or fast food place is pretty few and far between. This day we decided to go to In N Out Burger. We timed it just right sending Brian in to order our food including grilled cheese sandwiches for the non burger likers and the rest of us scoped out some outdoor seating. We watched birds and drank our drinks and played with the ketchup while we waited. It was nice out and it was great to be all together. I think there may have been a melt down about not sharing the stickers they gave us with Spencer, but overall it was a great time and we love to be with one another.

Playing at Parnell Park

2012-01-29T15:49:00.001-08:00

Emmy playing a music driving game on her zune. She sat on top of the monkey bars too while we we there, typical teenager.;)

Logan and Landon

I was very excited to go to the park and see my friend Missy that I grew up with when we were little girls. A few of my kids played with her cute boys there. I love nostalgia, great memories and spending time with old friends and introducing great times with new friends. We will definitely go and play together again.

Fifth Grade Rite of Passage

2012-01-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Joseph is a good little guy. I can't believe he is fifth grade already. I remember attending Emmy's walk through the American revolution activity too. The leader of the program really brings history to life with stories, role playing, choreographed wars, team cheers, and the kids being involved in the whole process. There were characters dressed up back in the olden days and experts. Joseph was an expert on the Gaspee ship which was set on fire and also was the expert on the sons of liberty.

I was touched in the begging of the program because of the emphasis being on the the need for religious freedom, that is why the colonist revolted and that is why we live and have religious freedom in America today.

Joseph earned points by sharing in the microphone his part he memorized to inform they crowd on his expertise. He was smiley when they earned points and did a good Job on his parts. I love Joseph's school they have great programs, activities and field trips., They also runt he mile each week. Joseph is quite excited that with his new shoes and insoles he has shaved more time off his mile record. Joseph has pack meeting last night where he shock of space rockets. I'm glad he is still enjoying cub scouts.:) I can't believe Joseph will be in Junior high later in 2012. Will he be in band like his sister? I am excited to see him learn, grow and find his own niche with strengths and new friends as he grows up.

Cooking Together

2012-01-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

Celia and her tutor Allie

This is not the final product.:)

I usually am not big on popular New year's resolutions. This year however I decided it would be wise if I made a resolution to cook more at home. It seems to me there are many benefits to eating dinner at home more. We spend more time with the family around the dinner table, the ingredients are more fresh and not as filled with preservative and artificial flavors..Less calories(if portions are not as gigantic as in some restaurants), and the children learn the routine of preparation(meal planning and time management), cooking and cleaning up skills. Eating more at home is a life skills lesson.

Celia has a tutor named Allie each Monday and Wednesday She helps Celia to learn great lessons and is happy to help Celia help me in the kitchen. Allie and Celia and I did a puzzle Celia got to Christmas then she helped stir the meat on the stove. She proudly announced to Brian that she cooked the chicken herself. I don't mind having these many cooks in the kitchen with me.

It does seem easier to eat out more, but definitely is not easy on the wallet. I love that Joseph and Celia always love to help me cook, it makes my resolution a little bit easier to work on. We made fajitas last night., They were delicious and it made the house smells good and warmed my heart as well satiated my hunger for a home cooked meal.

Super Saturday

2012-01-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

My oral surgery went well. It helped that the assistants were talking about Miche purse shells with me and about DSLR cameras. I was sufficiently distracted with my earphones in and thought of a different place and time. Thankfully, Brian has played defense for me from the kiddos and I was able to rest. Today we had a day date together, Bri and I . We went shopping, to the temple for stake temple day and out to In n Out. I am starting to feel much better. It was nice to see familiar faces at the temple and I enjoyed the peaceful quiet very much. Today was a beautiful sunny day after a few days of heavy rain. I was weak, now I am on the mend. It was stormy, now it is beautiful outside. I love to appreciate the opposition in it all. I feel very blessed.

'Twas the night before Oral Surgery

2012-01-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was trying to get a winter wonderland picture of the kiddos for a photo challenge and they were being really cute with their smiles. They were playing outside all afternoon and enjoying their day off for Martin Luther King's birthday. I love to see the kids play with the neighbors. Makenna, Joe and Celia had a great time. It made me grateful for their great smiles on this evening.

Well it is the eve before I go in for another oral surgery. I am getting two implants and a ridge augmentation. This is all going to be for the better to have healthy replacement teeth. I had trauma and infection and had some bone loss, now because of these procedures that help my body to be free of infection and make for a great smile in the long run. I love that my kids are so smiley and that they let me take pictures of them. They are a real joy even if they all take turns being difficult.:)last night we had a great family home evening and made some family Davis rules. It should help our family be closer and runmore smoothly. The kids will be great this week i hope. They will be my helpers when I am healing from this surgery and I will feel better in no time is the hope.~

Moving out

2012-01-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

Emmy and Bri were giving me a hard time about my photography being mixed in with what our family does on this Its what we do blog.:) I'm moving my photographs that are more for the joy of taking to www.capturingsnippits.com. It is going to be a fun new adventure.:)

Down by the River

2012-01-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to see water yesterday. With Dad out of town on business and Joseph somewhat sick with a cold, the beach was out of the question. The weather reported record highs and sunshine near the ocean and near us. I opted to visit our nearby American River in Folsom. We pulled into the Negro Bar area which we had never visited. It was fun. The girls blew bubbles in the air while Spencer and I enjoyed seeing the geese and the bird move in their natural habitat. only a handful of people were there, but we got to see a family's dog chase the geese in the water, it was pretty entertaining. That family had a special needs child too and apparently was from Utah. It is a small world and we are more like our neighbors(children of God) than we think. The trip was not without hiccups, but the good outweighed the bad and we still had a lovely day.

Reupholstered

2012-01-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Before><

Pulling the wicker out was a pain.:)

After;)

Celia wanted a princess chair. I got these two dining chairs for free about six months ago. The wicker backing had holes in it and I saw potential, but I didn't do anything about it. I felt the desire to do something about them recently. I bought upholstery nails at home depot and some super fantastic( my opinion)upholstery fabric from Calico Corners on super clearance. Bri sings a tune about Calico Corners that gets stuck in my head every time I mention that store name.:) It took several hours to transform the chair. I like it and the kids all are taking turns sitting on it. I hate to show the before pictures because I like the end result so much better.:) Celia thinks it is now her chair only, but it matches a recliner in the front room, so these chairs may make it to the dining table.

How are the Kids?

2012-01-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

The kids are doing well this beginning of the year. Spence has been to a full week of school and is adjusting surprisingly well. He still has his problems, but we are all working together to make this new school and schedule the best for him to learn and grow in. I pray for him everyday to be comfortable , happy, nice to his friends and teachers and learn a lot. Every one of our family members wants what is best for him and I am grateful for that.

Joseph went and saw the podiatrist yesterday. He had been limping and complaining of heel pain for months. We saw our pediatrician about it in November , but it seemed to be getting worse. The Podiatrist suggested we get a very supportive shoe with limited motion and a nice insole. We had a good time at fleet feet getting Joseph fitted in with the right therapy shoe and insole. He was running around the store and smiling all afternoon. He is to wear the shoes all the time and so far he has. He was asking me if I've ever been so happy that I started laughing, as he giggled with delight. It was so cute, it made me tear up. He reports no pain and isn't limping. The Dr. seems to think he will grow out of this Seavers condition that is common in boys ages 10-12. I am happy he is okay and things are going better for him. He took one minute off his regular mile run time this last wednesday, after getting the new shoes.:)

I picked up Emmy today from the airport where she had been visiting my mom and Dad since the weekend of New Year's Eve. It sounds like she had a grand time playing the piano everyday, seeing Sherlock Holmes 2 in the movie theatre, going to Knott's Berry Farm, and going to a race track birthday party for my Nephew Kieran's 9th Birthday. I was glad to hear Emmy helped out taking down Christmas decorations with my folks too. I think it is great for Emmy to spend quality and quantity time with the grandparents.

Emmy was missed, especially by Celia. Spencer also was carrying her pecs picture around and was quite ruffled as he looked for her last weekend. I didn't realize how much Celia plays with Emmy. She was by Bri or my side all week. Today, Celia wanted to be a princess and asked to see my wedding dress. She loved trying it on and I snapped a few pictures. Celia says she wants to wear it someday. I liked hearing that even though she will most likely change her mind. I appreciate having a girly girl and her great time in dressing up and dreaming of marriage and being a princess, so cute.

Scavenger Hunt 2012

2012-01-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

1. One Color
The decorative piece on our headboard carved by Grandad Davis who is over ninety years old now, such a treasure.

2. Laundry

This is my favorite part of laundry. My hubby picks up his shirts up from the cleaners. He likes the starch heavy, so no ironing for me!.:)

3. Empty

My stomach was empty when I made this whale of a sandwich. I was so excited to eat it that I took a picture.:) It was delicious!

4. One Dozen.

Two shoes each for six members of our family. I love our crew.~

5. Soft

My soft, pink geranium flower looking my kitchen window. I love that it blooms all year. I took this with my telephoto lens because I was too cold to go outside and get close up.;)

Life has been busy in 2012. I wanted to participate in the scavenger hunt, and I'm glad I did. It is such fun taking pictures with these prompts.:) My hubby had the idea for one dozen and for laundry.:) I was going to take a picture of twelve dresses I've worn through the years, formal ones, but yeah the shoe idea definitely seems like less complicated and it wont make me feel like I need a resolution to have a teenager body again, good call I say.

Reflections & Memories 2011

2012-01-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am participating in a fun photo link up. Ashley Sisk at http://www.ashleysisk.com/2012/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-2011.html gave us prompts to post about our memories, dreams and reflections for 2011. It's a great way to remember! There were 25 prompts.

1.Me
I take a lot of self portaits.:) I want to see what I look like to make sure it is still me. Those with busy families may know what I mean.:) I was proud of my shopping finds. I found things I love like this ring, on sale for peanuts. I did it time and time again.:)

2. I love You.
I love the temple and being sealed to my family forever and all that it represents. This is the Las Vegas temple, I visited last January.

3. Still Laughing.

Nothing like a Guitar Hero challenge on expert, gloating, and Cheeze it eating in a picture before a youth temple trip. Brandon and Emmy had fun!

4. Winter Wonderland

Learning about snowballs, since we don't get snow in the winter here.~

5. Birthday.

My parents took us to the Tamarak Lodge for a birthday dinner. The ambiance is so nice and the meal was memorable. I am so spoiled to have my family celebrate me so.~

6. Friends.

Patty and I have a lot of fun together talking for hours, and visiting the temple.

7. I Was Inspired.

Dawn asked me to do the Autumn Photo Challenge with her. I started taking pictures of everything red at any angle I could. Well, I'm hooked. I learned about macros and SLR cameras and a whole new world of photography blogs and the stay at home moms who write them, just like me. Thanks Dawn for inspiring me to start a new hobby!;)

8. Spring Fever

Stinson Beach in the spring with it's lush greenery for Celia's fifth Birthday. We had to get away despite a flat tire the day before, we made it!

9. Travel or Vacation.

Hiking Red Rocks in Las Vegas with the Hellum Family.

10. Summer Days.

Joseph at Lake of The Pines. A private lake with a little beach for friends and neighbors to relax and enjoy, so nice!

11. A Day in my Life.

Time with my kiddos. Teaching Spence with tutoring, guiding; Emmy Joseph, and Celia to be their best, and learn all things good in life. Emmy is showing Spence his new aquarium fish DVD. They have always loved to share my chair together.:)

12. All Smiles.

13. Autumn Harvest.

Thankful for the pre-thanksgiving time at my folks, dinner with them, and a beautiful family of origin time together, Blessed!

14. Family or home.

My kids using krispy Kreme donut hats for party favors for Emmy's 15th birthday, on the new couch.:)

15. Celebrate

Brian and the kids for his Birthday. We love to play games, be together, tease each other, and laugh. Oh and balloons seem to be a must for every birthday around here, but not anymore since they keep getting stuck in the front room ceiling fan!

16. Lets do it Again.

Biking with My sister, Tanya in Mammoth. It was so crisp and beautiful out.

17. I Miss You.

All year I want to hunt for waterfalls. I love to be near them with the sound of the spraying water and the majesty of the fall. This is rainbow falls in Mammoth Lakes California. It was great visiting and I miss being by the fall.

18. Beautiful

Our skies make me smile, I love a beautiful and colorful sunset.

19. Dress Up

I saw this costume and thought of my Emmy. She needed to be it for Halloween.~ She is our purple fairy that colors you with permanent purple marker while you sleep.;)

20. Macro or Close Up.

Spencer loves green and water so I framed this for his room in 16x20. This was taken on one of the many, lets take a nature ride so my can use her new camera trips.:)

21. Holidays

I am so blessed to have a gracious, positive, sweet five year old to share the excitement of the holidays with!

23. My Favorite

My favorite color is purple and I loved this sunset this last fall.

23. Don't Ever Change

Brian is a handy man. He is capable and extra smart. He has great ideas for organization and home improvement. New tile, a new faucet, a new room! Sometimes he does it himself and sometimes not and it is all wonderful!

24. Just Because, So There!

Teens are cute with their poses for taking pictures. They plank and give this hmm look on their face and post everywhere( Facebook). How different it is from when I grew up with few pictures of us!

25. Hopes and Dreams

I have many hopes and dreams for my sweet Celia. She was non very verbal, diagnosed with Autism, and had a weekend of seizures on December a few years ago. Now, she is developing well , so smart, and growing in a typical developing, non autistic fashion daily. I have many hopes and dreams for my sweet Celia.

A Really Happy New Year

2012-01-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Kieran was a lot of fun making origami noise makers for us and dancing up a storm. Joe loved having the kindle fire and even wanted it in the picture, silly guy.~

The kids tried the pool, but froze and soon headed over to the Jacuzzi.

My Dad with his great smile.:) He liked telling us of our ancestor George Albert Smith and I liked hearing it.~

Just Dance; "Who let the Dogs out?"

Moms shuffling too

I feel so blessed being able to take off for my parent's house on a whim. Emmy is such a good girl, going to seminary in the early morning, practicing her instruments, and helping out with the siblings. I really wanted her to have some fun before school started. She gets to fly back from grandma's house a little later then the rest of us. We drove down and dropped her off on the New year's weekend. We loved dancing to Just Dance, Just dance 3, and Just Dance kids for the Wii, making samosas and being with the family. We had real Holmes tradition; great food, and hospitality. Emmy, my mom, and I shopped all day on Saturday except for the great visit at the park with my long time dear friend Missy. It is really nice to soak up the sun and forget the worries of the day when I am down visiting Home.~ A great way to start off a new year! A special thanks to Brian and Spence for holding down the fort at home. Spencer enjoyed the quiet too right before school started. Win-Win for everyone.

Just the Girls~

2011-12-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

Emmy is such a caring older sister to Celia. She has the most beautiful eyes too!

After staying home for a few days organizing and cleaning up after Christmas, I decided it was time to go out and take some pictures! The girls and I headed out at dusk to have some fun. We went to the Fountains. Celia said the lights were gorgeous. She loved the music, water show and general decor of the area. She was especially impressed with the train which is apparently free of cost to ride on Tuesday nights.:) Loved all her smiles, and spending time with my precious daughters.

Our Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was one of the best ever. We loved having Rah Rah and Papa come for dinner and to visit. The kids enjoyed opening their gift from them. Who wouldn't love opening Christmas Eve and Christmas day, right?! We played Just dance after and I was able to help a friend in need. The true spirit of Christmas was with us, such a lovely night.

Hanging with Spence

2011-12-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Helping Spence with his lessons helps build camaraderie and sibling peace.:)

Joseph doesn't even mind sitting in Spencer's swing waiting for Spencer to ask for it.

Last Thursday, Joseph was able to run some lessons with Spence for the tutors. We generalize the skills Spencer's learns with family. Joseph did a great job delivering the right statements and praising Spencer after. The kids earn Spencer points. This is a little token board type paper where we can give them stars of marks for helping out their brother. They can honor his PECS exchanges, help him with a lesson , play with him, or leave the area when we say the magic word; Flight. It is nice to have the kids listen to me and get positive benefits for it. Joe earns quarters for his points. Emmy earns chocolate or some yummy food. Celia earns many different fun things.

Emmy is really good with Spence. He wanted to watch an aquarium CD-ROM on his TV the other day. Emmy sat with him on my chair and play it with him on the computer. He loved the mock fish aquarium. At least the fish are safer this way.:)

Passin' Time

2011-12-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

We have out of school adventures. With the entire day not as scheduled as it is when we are in school, the kids needs somewhere to go to get them up and ready. We met Brian midway to his work for Lunch. Joseph said it was the best meal he ever had. It was Arby's, curly fries specifically.;) He has commented that same way about customer appreciation day at 7 Eleven. We love that little Joe. Spence did pretty good there in the booth, but he teased Celia and stole her drink. Afterwards, we saw some beautiful trees in the fog and I just had to pause to take the picture. I took it with my telephoto lens from the driver's seat of my car. Perfect for a mom with a van full of kids. We went to Fair Oaks village to the park with chickens! Spencer smiled big when we turned the corner and he saw one. Celia did great meeting friends. She was able to share in giving the chickens some feed. She did taste it, but soon figured out she was to toss it near the chickens.:) This little outing made the time pass faster for Emmy to come from her last of school and finals for this term. We were able to wait easier for the tutors to come, and wait a little better for impending Christmas celebrations!

Brrr....,but with Color

2011-12-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

Its cold outside. I am not a fan of the cold. We have had frost a lot lately. Here in northern California we have rain and fog, What is this ice business? Here are a few reminders that winter here should have color and greenery. Silly weather.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday on Tuesday~

2011-12-20T09:02:00.001-08:00

1. What is it?
This is what is left of our first attempt to make a gingerbread house. I've never made one. Our babysitter started one and we just needed to add the roof and yummy decorations. I hid it over night, but a tornado of kids flattened the house. It still looks pretty yummy to me and isn't that the point?:)

2. Children/Fur Babies sleeping

Joseph is ten, but he will always be my precious baby.

3. Joy

I love going out to take the trash out at 4am and seeing a gorgeous crescent moon. This morning I took Emmy to school to find a beautiful orange sunrise. This show of illumination in the sky bring me joy! Ordinary mundane acts, that are accompanied by beautiful skies!

4. Half

Joseph called me over yesterday saying," Mom, Mom look, I don't know where this is coming from?!" He was pulling on a roll of toilet paper. There was the soft toilet paper particles in the air as he unraveled Half the roll!

5.Window

Celia Catching snowflakes at the kitchen window

It has been busy around here with teaching in church, helping kids get ready for school break, and prepping for Christmas. It is not to late to join the Scavenger hunt( until Tuesday night) so I looked around for interpretations of these inspiring photo prompts.

Acoustic Christmas Guitar

2011-12-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Emmy tapped her foot along to keep the group in sync with their music.;)

Emmy and three of her beginning Guitar classmates were asked to open for the Show Choir winter performance at Oakmont High school. I rushed over there in time to see her perform. She was the metronome for the group and it was great hearing her count to bring in the music of several Christmas acoustic guitar songs. They were like a string quartet, each guitar had a different part and they blended together very nicely. The choir sang beautifully and we are encouraging Emmy to join choir. Brian believes it is a good thing to learn to sing, you can use it your whole life long. Paige seemed to enjoy is, so I grabbed a picture of her too.:)

Celia's Kindergarten Performance

2011-12-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Ms. Franklin's class were the penquins.

I think I should put Celia in Dance. She was loving to perform and was very animated with her song and dance.:)

The Kindergarten Winter Performance was so cute. I'm glad Brian let me unwrap my lens that I am getting for Christmas early so I could capture these precious kindergartners. I was sitting with some friends and I took pictures of their kiddos too, Jake, Noah, and Ella. Elementary kids are so precious.

2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

My Sights of the Season

2011-12-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

1. Less is More

This year we put up our artifical 6.5 foot Colorado spruce with white lights. We have had a tree like this our whole 17 years of marriage. It is small and simple. My hubby doesn't want any other kind of tree, he likes it. We had a few days where we couldn't find our ornaments for the tree. Just this precious to us tree with white lights and a rustic star on top. It was really nice. I was glad to find the ornaments we've collected over the years because they really did have sentimental value, but this tree in all its simple glory reminded that less is more!

2. Holiday lights.

Both artificial and real light from the evening firmament. I love the moon and stars to remind me of the holidays.

3. Ornament

Ever since Joseph was born, I've gotten myself or have been given as gifts, Demdaco figurines. They seem to represent my little family. This ornament reminds me of my sweet angel Spence. We had a hope for a canine companion therapy dog for him. It didn't work out, but I just found out yesterday day that the new school he will be attending in January has animal therapy time where they bring in dogs to play with the kids. How great it will be to reap the benefits of that therapy at school and to have all the responsibility of have of full time therapy dog. This ornament brings warmth to my heart.

4. Cup of cheer

I got this antique cup at Deseret industries( a thrift store) to make a centerpiece for a table for church last Christmas. Now this year I can fill it with new things. My favorites, fruits greenery, berries, birdies. The wonderful lights, sights, colors, and sounds of Christmas. My cup is full with beautiful sounds from new speakers with lovely Pandora music playing.~

5. Nativity

Spencer helped me with decorating this year. I lost a few pieces( broken by Spence) to my favorite nativity set. Bri assures me I will look at the glued pieces fifteen years from now and be like.. awe I miss the kids around.:)

This photo challenge was nice to prompt me to get out there and capture Christmas in pictures, not the typical kids in pajamas, and present wrappings everywhere. It is nice to view these parts separately without rush and before the big day.

Thoughts of Family, Light, and Christ

2011-12-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

Family matters. The relationships we make and nurture carefully in our lives are the most important things we do. It is endearing to see siblings working together that normally fight. It see a spouse holding a hand of another in the hospital. We truly do dedicate our lives to family and it shows in our actions as we care for one another. I've been feeling the feeling of "What can I do?" the past week. and I realized, I can do what I always try to do which is to be there for people. To do what is needed and wanted as it happens, not planned or expecting anything in return.

It is great to reflect on showing more kindness( like Jewel's christmas song, Only Kindness Matters), being there for others more during this season of the year that has become most about buying and giving gifts. It is easy to get distracted by time schedules and to do lists. I've found the wonderful memories and special moments are made in the down time, spending time with those that mean the most to us and those we feel inspired to serve.

I want to be more Christlike and I've found there is always opportunities to try and try again to do that. I am grateful for the patience of my family and the love they have towards me. I've loved the lights this holiday season. I love that Brian quoted in his talk in church a few weeks ago from John 8:12; "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the a light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life". It seems to me that trying to do what he would do gives us a light in our life and helps us become aware of what we can to for others.

I love my family and want to serve them and not get too caught up in unimportant things that I miss truly feeling the special foundation of the family as it pertains to our happiness. I love these days before Christmas to cherish the gift of my family members.:)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

1. Portrait

2. Nostalgic

3. Time

4. Full of Light

5. Motion

This scavenger hunt Sunday was harder to find. I love baby doll shoes, they reminded me of the round little baby girls I have had with their sweet soft smiles and the cute clothes they let me choose for them! Celia is always in motion. She told me she loves to dance and was doing a London bridges with our lawn decoration.:) The light is the sun and I needed my shades to enjoy being in it. Emmy is so pretty. Smile or no smile, she is picture perfect!.:) Time for Christmas, time to decorate, put up lights and decorations. This swag used to hang at Rah Rah's house, thanks to her we are enjoying decorating our house with it!

Ward Christmas Dinner

2011-12-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

Our whole family made it to the ward Christmas dinner last night. Spence was quiet once we sat down and Celia loved that they had an art project for each of the children to do to give to someone else. She made her wreath and traded it in for two Christmas silly bands. Celia and Joe sang in the choir a few Christmas songs and it was a nice night Celia commented on what a great time we had and it was fun to snap a few pictures. It feels more like Christmas time hen we start singing the songs and hearing the music. Bri has Pandora hooked up in our room through his kindle fire and his speakers. It makes a nice spot to listen to Christmas music, so cozy in our own home reminiscing of Christmases past. Being with the family is really what is it all about for us this Christmas. We cherish and love them all dearly.

The Next Phase For Two.

2011-12-03T03:16:00.000-08:00

A new phase in life has started today for two of my kiddos.. Joseph got a cell phone and Spencer will be changing to a school more suitable for his needs. Joseph was squealing and smiling when I told him that he would be able to open his "one" super great Christmas gift early. I got a good deal on his cell phone over a month ago and it activated today. Why pay for it to be used and then have it sitting under the tree right? He got a samsung gravity text, it is extremely similar to the phone Emmy has so I was pleased as could be that she was helping him to get to know his phone and being near him. We play family games that help us all to communicate and cooperate together to get Emmy and Joe in the same room being civil, so to have them near each other and communicating nicely outside of that game time made me really happy.

All Spencer's school life we have fought for him to have a way to communicate better, to have his individual needs met with occupational therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral therapy. This new situation at his new placement has all of those components and so much more. They even have a hammock swing in the classroom! It is hard to consider moving school another time this year, but I am beginning to see it is for the best.

One thing in particular impressed me. They have a listening program that helps kiddos that are very vocal to hear the things their mind needs through earphones and it helps them to not scream as much. Spence hollers a lot in public and at home. It would be nice to have that need met through this listening program to help facilitate a more calm, quiet voice. This school seems to help kiddos with autism in all their challenges and prepares them to be a part of the community and fosters as much independence as possible. It has been a hard road to get to this point, and transitioning can be a tedious and tricky process, but this will be a great move for our buddy.

I'm glad to have my little sons who are not so little anymore and are growing up! parenting is hard, but it is worth it and the love I feel towards and from my family make it all worth it. I told Joe he is a big kid now and he just said " I can't believe I have my own phone!", so cute.~

Photo Scavenger Hunt.

2011-11-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

I love my little kids and my having them to photograph.:) It is difficult to wait for pizza to be done on a cold day around dinner time. I love the Autumn leaves on a tree near a bridge we pass by quickly as we zoom around our town, and the these two sisters can't help but hug and talk up close about cute, silly observations. Joseph did a great Job setting the table including seat assignment cards for each of us. Just like a school, one card had a sticker on the back which indicated we won a prize! I got amazing smelling lotion and soap from being the winning person.:) We also love our car rides, it could have been used for waiting too, these three were hanging out after visiting the snow on a day off from school. I'm glad I captured this week these cool moments.
1.Waiting

2.Foilage

3.Candid

4. Fork, Spoon, Knife

5. Law of Thirds

A new day, a new challenge.:) I decided to try out this scavenger hunt, seems fun! Anything to take more pictures with my new toy.:)

Holiday Weekend

2011-11-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Rah Rah made some wonderful baked goods and side dishes, the turkey was moist( I guess buying it from grocery outlet was a good idea) and the pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce were some of the favored tastes. We relaxed a lot after the work of preparing for the day. Spence took a nap on Thanksgiving and the day, it was nice. I went to Kohl's at 4am for black Friday shopping. There was barely anyone there. Apparently, I had missed the rush since midnight, which I was happy about.

Now, I am in full fledge Christmas mode. We put up our tree today and other decorations. I couldn't find our tree ornaments for quite some time. We had Emmy go up on the rafters in the garage to look for them and we went through all the storage bins to no avail. Then, I remembered we probably moved them to the shed, the only problem was all the Christmas gifts I bought on black Friday were in the shed, so I wrapped them.

Yep, I am feeling more ready for Christmas than ever and its November, hehe. Our first Christmas party is this Saturday and the weather outside is starting to show signs of winter. I am grateful to have found all our decorations. I forget how much nostalgia we feel about the traditions we have and decorations we expect each year. I am ready for a rest after all this cleaning, organizing, and decorating, then I will be ready to spread the Christmas spirit around all through December.:)

Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge Finale

2011-11-25T06:25:00.000-08:00

To me autumn is a time of being cozy and enjoying the indoor decorations, growing up in my house it was all about the decorations;), and soaking up the gorgeous colors of the outdoors. Here is my representation of indoor autumn and outdoor color! These indoor pictures were taken at my moms house and the outdoor are around where I live in Sacramento, California. I love feeling thankful for all the aspects of my life. I love being a mother and sharing with my sweet Spencer about life such as snow! He shows me about understanding and patience and love. This photo challenge has been a good diversion from unpleasant situations with Spencer's schooling. I come out of this November feeling blessed and focused on the positive!

Day Trip with The Kiddos

2011-11-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

I love waterfalls and we had a day with all the kiddos home, so we journeyed to see if we could find and walk into Bassi falls. It was closed, due to snow! We had a great time playing in the snow and enjoying ourselves. We saw Bridal veil falls on the road on the way back, but we will have to try again to see that fall in the spring!

Preferred activity-being with friends

2011-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Emmy had a few friends over for her birthday. She had friends from church(Kimberly, Emily, Sabrina, and Paige) and is going to have more friends over tomorrow from school. I thought it was big of her to have separate parties as to have time to spend with smaller groups so no one felt left out with having Emmy as their only mutual friend. We had Emmy's best friend Kaitlyn over yesterday. We went to In n out and the park and then the girls played in Emmy's room for several hours. I love how they were nice to Celia and how happy they were. It is great to value spending time with friends as true happiness. I think being a good friend is a very important attribute that Emmy has. I love how happy she looks in these pictures. I felt like a good mom helping Emmy take time for friends since its pretty busy around here.:)

Giving Thanks For the Everyday

2011-11-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Emmy told me I may need to make a photography blog. I think she is missing all the pictures of her I usually post. She takes them and uses them on facebook, I've noticed. No, I'm not turning my blog into a photography site. I am just excited to photograph everything!

I am also thankful for so many things, I think it is appropriate to post my list of things I am grateful for in November 2011

I am so thankful for; Smiles especially from my happy and healthy little ones. Also, Agency.. I love being able to do what I want and choose what I think is best for myself and family. Another would be Routines. It nice to know what is coming next, gives you something to look forward to. I love the Gym each week, Jamba Juice, Date Night, Tutoring, Parent Trainings, and Church. Quotes would be next. I love to grab a scripture or quote for the week and ponder on its meaning and bring it to life in my life. I got Emmy the "Way to Be" book by President Gordon B. Hinkley. I hope she reads it and has those thoughts help her daily life. I am teaching a lesson this week about the Prophet Howard W. Hunter. I love this quote from him " Kindness is better than coercion." It is a good reminder for me in parenting and working with those that try to teach my children. I value Quiet Time it is conducive to peaceful thoughts and reflection. I missed the hum of my family when I went away on my own last weekend. It is good to have both the bustle of the family I love, and the times to think, ponder, pray, and dream. I am happy to be finding peace and happiness in this tumultuous, but great time in the history of the world. I am always thankful for my wonderful husband and my fabulous kiddos. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family.~

White is Glorious

2011-11-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

I love Succulents, my mom is so good at nurturing them. She planted some I picked out for me and I'm trying my green thumb with them at home.

I love the white and black mixture I found in my parent's retreat of a backyard!

I wanted to try out these mirrors, they are like a fun house, neither appears how I really am. I like the steering wheel for a boat to signify what I will choose to believe MY image to be... Something in the middle of small and large, but definitely not only as I appear in the mirror.

White is such a beautiful pure color. I've attended many wedding receptions this year, white roses gave me that feeling of celebrating marriage. The clouds particularly amazed me with their whiteness. The sun shining on the clouds made it even more glorious. I liked looking for white this fall. It gave me more opportunities to play with my new camera and family liked seeing me use it. I have everyone around me in color mode, even the tutors ask me about what color I am looking for now. I have missed a few amazing shots because I was driving or without my camera, but This challenge has helped me see this beauty of this fall in terms of color.:)

Wordless/ish Wednesday

2011-11-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Pink Peony. Just like life, this flower has its beauty, it comes and goes as fast as you can think of it. It's nice to capture and cherish those moments of pure softness and beauty.

Home Again~

2011-11-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

It was such a lovely trip visiting my folks this past weekend. I felt pampered as we did the things I enjoy most. It was a long drive, feeling a little free and a little weird with out my family, but I made it to my folks house and we went out for Sushi. I loved the quiet, that was the most noticable difference being away from my sweet little ones. I relaxed some and had a wonderful early Thanksgiving with my parents, sister, and nephew. We had our nails done and went to the hair beauty supply store too. Its great to have girl time with my mom and sister. It was a beautiful weekend in LA. It has sprinkled a little so you could see all around.:) I love it when the smog is gone and you can see the beauty of the palm trees and rolling hills. I was pleasantly surprised by the flood of good memories while I rode a round the streets where I grew up!

We love to go to the jacuzzi at my parents house and watched a movie nightly, It was nice to watch things I enjoyed like Pride and Prejudice and Twilight: Eclipse. I had to get ready for the new movie coming out this Thursday.:)

I flew home on Southwest. It was a full flight, but I loved seeing the changing sunset out the window and drinking my ginger ale like I used to when I flew a lot. No one strip searched me which I was happy for and all my things made it there safely. It was a successful trip! My battery is recharged and Brian says he can't wait to go to work to rest today.:) Of course he is joking since his work is not restful. He is the best husband ever for watching the kiddos all weekend on his own, I love him!

Roller Coaster Ride

2011-11-11T07:01:00.001-08:00

Roller Coaster Ride. That's how I would consider the last few days. One fantastic good thing seemed to be paired with some upset, mess, or disappointment. I had the choice to be positive and hopeful. Spencer's school and bus are having a hard time dealing with him again. I mean a really hard time!

At home we do the best we can trying to make sure he has stability, a voice, all his needs met, and medication that can help him be the most successful. Lack of structure, reaction over his behaviors cause an uprising in my Sweet Spence. Yes, he cannot communicate with words effectively, but he wants and needs to be heard. At home we use thought bubbles, narrating what he would say by looking at his non verbal body language. He smiles and giggles and nods his head as if to say"Yes!, That is what I meant!" It can be a spiritual experience trying to be one with him enough to sense his wants and needs. It also takes quite a bit of spiritual, emotional, and physical strength to deal with his aggressive bouts towards myself, his siblings, and others. What can I do other than say sorry to them and help Spencer to find other outlets, to find his voice, to train him to cope and cooperate positively.

I am still on a mission to capture my life positively. I got a new camera! A Nikon digital SLR with a couple lenses. I love trying it out. I also have the opportunity to go on a road trip to Southern California today. It will be great to see family, relax, and take a lot of pictures! Bri and I went on our date night last night. I was feeling like Italian food so we went to IL Forno Classico. The bread is baked with herbs, so yummy! The balsamic vinaigrette and oil dip has a hint of artichoke in it. That paired with the artichoke spinach ravioli in lemon creme sauce made for quite the comfort food. Now, today I get to leave my worries behind and hit the road in a 2010 Prius and focus on well.. anything I want.:) Its going to be great.. I'll take this ride over any other even with its downs and ups

Finding Brown

2011-11-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

I love the warmth of the colors of fall, even when its growing cooler outside. Brown is a nice color too, a color I wear and enjoy around me. Amber is my favorite stone, and I've painted my house in some shade a brown throughout. I love Celia's and Emmy's brown haircolor and all my kiddos have brown eyes. Brown can be beautiful! I think I own at least five pairs of brown shoes... Brown wasn't hard for me to find for this photo challenge, I'm sure because its a color I love.:) In the second of these photos you can see the shape of a star and an iceskater. Can you see it?

Arranging Flowers

2011-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

I had a great time at our Relief Society Meeting last night. We talked of being thankful and then we were allowed materials to make our own table center piece. We were taught a few tricks by two florists then were sent to make our decoration happen! I love the chance to create and be among other women. I will keep it for years and love all what it represents about changing seasons, being thankful, and blooming in creativity.

Always remember the fifth of November

2011-11-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Emmy and I had an enjoyable morning looking through old scrapbook and remembering celebrations of birthdays past. Emmy is going to have a party with her friends later and Bri is outta town on business so the kids and I decided to celebrate together.

We went to the discovery park by the Sacramento river. It was beautiful out there. We had a picnic breakfast from McDonald's and wandered around. It was nice we seemed to have the park to ourselves other that an American Indian group chanting in full costume preparing for some performance of some kind. I love the happy sounds of live music happening spontaneously, it is one of my favorite things. Joseph wanted to leave right after we ate, but it was so lovely outside we let him sulk a little bit.

We then went to Old Sacramento to the sock shop and the candy store. Emmy opened up a guitar music book and has been enjoying learning how to play her favorite yellowcard songs on her guitar this afternoon. We had pizza that we added pepperoni to, and Joseph made Emmy a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Emmy went and spent the day with Rah Rah yesterday after school she came home with krispy kreme doughnut hats and we used them as our party hats.:) Spence was acting like a teen and throwing us his funny expressions.~Happy 15th Birthday to my wonderfully fabulous daughter Emelie.~

Edit Me Challenge

2011-11-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am having way too much fun editing so I thought I'd try this editing challenge for fun. This beautiful pic was provided by Branson, one of the hostesses, who is judging the edit challenge. We are encouraged to make it our own style through editing. I used color fade vertical and adjusted the mid tones, shadows, and highlights. I did also fiddle with the saturation and did sharpen it. I wanted to give the feeling of blending the old with the new, the turning of hearts from the present to the wonderful past. It is fun to try something new, here it goes.:)

New Outfits~

2011-11-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Spencer Doodle had a fun day on Tuesday. He received his costume in the mail, yes I know a day late, Spencer was fine wearing his many favorite Halloween shirts on the day. He is Indiana Jones. The whip was his favorite. He liked to crack it on the ground.

He played with tutors after school, then we went to Kmart for a school clothes shopping spree! Spencer was chosen to receive complimentary clothing voucher by a wonderful lady, Jackie Wygal, who is part of the Assistance League. We saw her there and were able to thank her again. Spencer got a beautiful Navy thermal button henley hoodie, a red and blue plaid over sized jacket like shirt and beautiful church clothes. It felt like Christmas early and it was a privilege to participate in such a great charitable program.

Purple Paradise

2011-11-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

I feel like we are blessed to have a home we love, in a garden of Eden. There is beauty all around when there's love at home, and lots of purple surroundings too.:) Purple is my most favorite color. All of these pictures except the sunset were in my yard.

I had a wonderful time searching out purple shades of fall for this photo challenge. Celia was a great help. She always is, Celia loves to clean, create, and give affection. She will make a lovely woman and mother someday. Nature, my family, & my faith in Christ bring me great happiness.:)

Festivities 2011

2011-11-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed the Halloween festivities this week. We carved our pumpkins. Joseph seemed to think it was like whittling he'd go over and over the cut out holes. He definitely wanted to carve more. Emmy didn't quite believe me about the bunny on the Trix box being a good pattern for her pumpkin. Turns out she was right. It was designed for a more medium size pumpkin so Emmy came up with her own design which turned out great!

We scooped the seeds and baked them with salt. Emmy loved them. Her and I ate and ate them, and then she ate some more and brought some in her school lunch the next day. We had Emmy's ortho appointment so we went with the tutors to get that done. Celia trick or treated at the reception desks and read books with Allie. Spencer read books too in a corner with Jono. Spencer did fair, he liked to holler a little, but we made it through and had a fun time dressing up for that.

Later we met up with the neighbor kids and trick or treated. We came home and visited with Rah Rah. I enjoyed dressing up I did two costume this year and went to 3 different activities, 4 if you include trick or treating. Emmy wore her costume 5 times I think and really enjoyed the celebrating. Next up, Emmy's Fifteenth Birthday celebrations.~

"Soup"er Social

2011-10-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Our ward had fun festivities last night. We had soup, rolls, desserts, and cold root beer. Spencer was too interested in the dry ice coming out of the witches brew. We had a little costume parade and a trunk or treat. It was a great time with friends. I made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that seem to be a hit with Emmy and her friends which I was happy about. Joseph and his friend Gingerman( that is what Celia calls him) were both army men. The trunk or treat is something we look forward to each year. It was really great.~

Shades Of Autumn (Red)

2011-10-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Dawn is doing the shades of fall photography challenge and I thought I'd take some pictures too. This is the color red with a fall flair.~ I hope ya like it, this is my first attempt, hehe.:)

New couch, for the win!

2011-10-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

It feels Christmas like to me as I bask in the happiness of getting something I've desired for quite some time. I think it was 5 or so years ago when I started to mention we needed a new couch. Recently, the old couch has been falling apart. I bought upholstery hooks in hopes of sewing up ripped patches, but with so much use, my sewn areas didn't stay cinched together. I washed the seat covers and cleaned it often, but it was getting too old to brighten back up.

Brian saw that this seating, after 15 years, needed to go the way of all the earth. He mentioned we should call the neighborhood clean up where you can set big items in front of the house and the disposal trucks will come and pick it up. Then, he mentioned we could find a replacement couch. That was my green light, go a head to shop for one cue!..

I knew what I wanted and Emmy and I went out and searched for 3 hours and found what we were looking for. On my list of things it needed were; stain resistant, water resistant, durable, comfortable, hides dirt, fits in the area, and I had a budget. It was an amazing find with a seller that was willing to deliver and come down in price. We got the deal of the century and I am so elated over this purchase. I must be such a homemaker to have this be so exciting, but it really is.

Fairies and Friends

2011-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how much we like to dress up around here.:) Emmy was invited to a youth Halloween party with a friend. Good thing her costume was just waiting to be worn.~ I have my camera back from the camera shop, the lens was replaced. Its very exciting to be back in business of taking photos not on my phone only.~

A few weeks ago Emmy was a purple prankster drawing on Celia and Joseph with purple permanent marker. Joseph had a curly mustache on half his face and scribbles on various body parts that were showing while he was asleep. Emmy tagged Celia with a Emmy was here sign on Celia's arm saying "I love you"! Emmy loves purple and her sneaking around at night reminded me of a fairy of some sort causing mischief. I found a costume on line and ordered it for her. It was a great surprise and I am pretty proud of my self for finding the perfect size. Although Emmy can fit into almost everything.

The other day Emmy and I watched a cute show called "You're So Cupid" on Netflix. It reminded me so much of my friend Lisa. She was so into creative dating and matchmaking. After Emmy and I watched the show together we were reminiscing of being in Lisa's wedding and we pulled out the dresses we wore in it. Emmy was a flower girl, but somehow she was able to get the dress on and we took a few pictures. Dressing up is fun to do.. We had a great time reminiscing and remembering Lisa. Lisa made sure we each had tiaras and beautiful jewelry to go with our classy dresses. I was extremely happy to be in her wedding and have Joseph be the ring bearer and Emmy, the flower girl. Years pass by so quickly and things change, but it is fun to dress up!

Staff Devel Getaway

2011-10-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Spencer, Joseph, and Celia didn't have school on Friday. It is staff development day. That is a longtime to entertain these kiddos at home so we went for a ride! I told Celia we were going to go to King's Beach. She asked if we needed crowns. She is such a cutie.:) The beach is located about 2 hours from us in the Sierra Nevadas. Its Lake Tahoe, but what a beautiful beach on the Lake it is.

It was great for the kids to play around in the sand. I loved hearing the water wake against the sand while seeing the beautiful sun reflecting on the water. The mountains and trees add to the views. It really is the best of both worlds to have the beach like atmosphere mixed with the water and sand. Maybe that is why I love Muir Woods and Stinson Beach so much.

There were only a handful of people around. That is my style. We heard a man playing guitar. He was playing "Brown eyed girl". I love that song. Actually, we were serenaded by a few people around us having fun with their guitars. We saw a few people who kayaked by and it looked like someone was decorating for a beach wedding with gorgeous flowers near the clubhouse. The best part about our getaway

was how calm and happy we all were there. The kids built volcanoes and commented about the sand being like gold! I discovered a crab leg and a dried mini jelly fish. Joseph and Celia found wands that looked like they should be in the Harry Potter movies. I didn't want to leave. Spencer was loving the sand so much he took off his shirt to feel it on his body, so that was my cue it was time to go, hehe. As we were leaving the view from my rear view mirror was perfect. I'm sure we will visit again.:)

Advocate

2011-10-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Transitions are hard for our little Spencer Doodle. Apparently, it is tough on his school staff as well. Spencer has had rough week and a half at his new placement for school. We are collaborating though which helps and I pick him up each day, and work with him and he is on a shorter schedule. I go from 11:30 am to noon then drive him home. The behaviorist assistant has been taking copious notes on how I interact with Spencer and successfully direct him around the room and to the car. So far the first two days we have seen significant improvement in Spencer's school day. This is my work to help Spencer to learn and grow and get appropriate education in a positive way. Its not unattainable, but takes quite a bit of determination, education, emotional strength, and stamina. I am grateful Brian's support. His presence at Spencer's IEP was invaluable. I am glad he and I are a team with the same purpose, idea, and love for Spencer.

Emmy and I got to go get pedicures last night. I loved doing that with her. She chose dark purple toes, shes my teen and even though we didn't talk the whole time like I would with another girlfriend, it was a great time. I needed the backrub from the big chairs they sit you in for spa pedicures. It helped me to sleep better last night, sleep which makes everything a little easier. Today Celia and I went to the gym. Exercise is a great de-stressing tool for me as well. I am going to eat healthy, rest, and take time to renew my mind spiritually. balancing hard work for a great cause, and rest may just bring long lasting fulfillment in the end, I hope it does.:)

Meeting Maggie

2011-10-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Spence asked for a ride yesterday afternoon. Celia, Spence and I went to the Village park in Fair Oaks where year round hens and rooster cluck and cock a doodle do around town. It was so peaceful there. I was worried about taking both the kids out by myself, but it turned out to be a fun time. Spencer swung a little and Celia went on the slide several times. Spence and Celia both chased the chickens, but it was when a lady came over and asked if Spencer could play with her dog, that the real fun started. The beautiful black lab retriever's name is Maggie. She let Spencer throw her ball, which I helped with first then Spencer was doing it on his own.H e loved the feeling of Maggie's fur and liked her tongue sticking out while she was panting from all the great exercise she was having. Spence did act a little rough with her sometimes, but the dog was calm and would voluntarily bring the ball to Spencer even when other kids were gathered around, wanting a turn.

I'm glad we stayed long enough to have Patti ( Maggie's owner) come up and ask if Spencer could play with her dog. She told of of how Maggie was a retired service dog. She was very calm and good, being seven years old probably attributed to her mellow, patience away of being. It was too bad when we were turned away form Spencer getting his own Canine Companion because he was too rough with him. It has worked out alright for our family not having one more member to clean up after, but it was very nice to have Spencer get to play with this lovely dog. It was definitely a high light of the day for Spencer.:)

Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

I heard from my friend Laurie that we had a pumpkin farm near our house. The ones we have gone to in the past are far and take a bit of time. Celia and I had an hour before we would need to go to her Kindergarten Class so we though it was a great time to pick a pumpkin. It is a serious business ya know. I love the one that Celia picked. It is perfect for making a jack o lantern with. She also picked a small one that is just her size. I loved the sunflowers and cornstalks, they were amazing, no pun intended.:) I love the fall and the photos taken around harvest time are always so colorful which is one reason I love it. I am going to miss our alone time when Celia goes to first grade next year so I am enjoying it as much as I can now.

We go to Jamba Juice almost weekly, and the gym, and the cupcake store together. Celia is doing a good job staying by me in public, which helps a lot. Celia had to go potty at the farm and they had a cute little blue and white house as the restroom. It only had a sign for girls and Celia said the boys have to go in the grass. It was pretty cute. She is always so aware of her surrounding and comments on things. Her tutor Lindsay changed schedules for her college classes and isn't able to come any more. Celia said she was lost. It was sad then she decided out of nowhere she isn't lost, she got married! Her primary teacher got married and moved and isn't her teacher anymore so she generalized that to her tutor. We sure love having Celia and all our precious children in our family. They make our lives full.~

Halloween Prep~

2011-10-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is almost the middle of October. I do however have some costumes picked out for the kids for Halloween. Emmy assured me she was not too old to go trick or treating and they are able to wear costumes to her high school. Celia and I decorated for Halloween and took out a bin full of our old costumes from previous year. It was fun to dress up with her especially on a rainy day. I love time with just her in the morning before afternoon kindergarten. She liked the muscle Batman costume the best. She did a little shaking/dancing in the hula costume and was a little nervous when I showed her Joseph's old pterodactyl costume. She told me that it was too scary. I did get her to try it on and she flew around the house in it.

Celia is going to be a Harajuku cutie. She looks like a super cute mini geisha. Joe is going to be an army guy and Emmy is going to be a purple fairy. I surprised her with that costume. She reminded me of a fairy because she went into Joseph's room while he was sleeping and gave him half of a curly mustache in purple permanent marker. She also wrote" Emmy was here, I love you!" on Celia's arm. Emmy is like a tooth fairy , but instead of giving money she marks you with permanent purple marker. The costume fits her prankster personality. Spencer is adding to his collection of Halloween t- shirts that he wears all year round for his costume. I am going to be a firefighter. Bri will Probably find something to be right before his work party, which he usually does. He went as Dwight Shroot from "The Office" last year. It was funny and he looked great in those big nerdy glasses. Dressing up is fun to do and all the holidays are great with kids. They get so excited.

Purple Paintin'

2011-10-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Emmy has been asking me to paint her room for about a year. She wanted a dark purple room, but I insisted it would make her room look smaller and finally we compromised on a light color on top and a dark eggplant color to act as a low border in the room.

With Joseph's new room being built and the reorganizing of the garage, the painting project was put off. I finished on Friday and the girls were very pleased. We moved the bunk bed to a different spot in the room. It feels open and nice and smells like a new home. I love the new paint smell in a room.

Now we have three kids rooms that are painted and organized. Now the job is to keep it that way. Emmy is a great girl and we want her to be happy. I'm so glad she loves her room now.~

Fun Little Celia

2011-10-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

Celia is so cute. She is a joy to be around and cracks us up with all the fun imaginary play she starts. Tonight she called me on the phone from the one in my room. She said "Hi, Its me Celia bear, and told me to pretend she was a dentist. We talked about brushing our teeth before bed and other things. She told on Joseph for something. I love all her language. She has such a great personality. Being so full of craftsiness she made bathroom decorations while I was on the phone the other day. I Love how its color coordinated and the puff balls were raised up even further by using a cheerio to add depth and dimension. We love to hear her sing and talk about Pierre a lead singer of Simple plan. Celia loves her Halloween costume and her newly painted room. She runs around so smiley and happy. What a joy she is!

Memory Making

2011-09-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

We love birthdays around here. Celia and I went and got helium filled balloons for Brian's birthday. Celia insisted she needed a Mylar balloon for her too which I agreed to. Celia and Bri had picked out a cake mix so I just used our round tins I use to make our tall cakes with and put chocolate pudding in the middle. We had a nice relaxing evening at home watching a movie( it was a romantic comedy called "Midway to Heaven") with the family, eating cake and teasing each other. Brian got a nice card and money from my parents and my gift to him is my blog in book form that is on its way in the mail.~I want to capture so much of our family's life in the blog that I have to make the book half way through the year, then make another at the end of the year. I feel happy about having the pictures and my thoughts printed, it feels like finished scrapbooks of memories to me. We all love Brian and are grateful we could celebrate his birthday with him.:) We went out on Monday together, Tuesday cake at home, Wednesday celebrating with his parents. Maybe we can make a week of celebrating him.:) I took pictures and the kids started making faces and being silly and it made for great smiles.

Watching Joseph

2011-09-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Brian, Emmy, Joseph and I went and saw "Joseph Smith and The Golden Plates" in a movie theatre in Rocklin. It was a great movie experience. There were a lot of people there and so many people dressed so modestly, it felt like we were at BYU again.:)

We had refillable soda and popcorn since I hadn't eaten in a while and needed to have a little something. We saw a few people we knew there (Emmy saw her good friend Kimberly Snelson and Shelby Griffiths, Katelyn's sister.) and I really liked being there with the family.

The movie starts in on Joseph's life as he is working towards acquiring the golden plates. I liked the actors they chose and the storyline is true to the historical happenings of that day. I liked the parts with Emma and it was very informative for those who are learning about the early church.

Emmy wanted to know why all of the actors had crooked teeth, lol. We talked a lot about the olden days and I think she was happy to be born in this time period. We went to In N Out after, so yummy. It was a great early birthday celebration for Brian. He said this was best movie on Joseph Smith he has seen so far. I'm glad we were all able to go together and that we could support this movie effort. We bought the DVD and maybe there will be another part of Joseph's life portrayed soon.

Weeknights

2011-09-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Brian and I think its great to spend time with our family. Even though we have scheduled time away from our kids for work or church service, we make a point to play games with the kids, have dinner together, sing, read together, and be around our fabulous little ones.

Getting ready for dinner involves the kids helping cook, set the table, and clean up. It is a lot of work to get them to help, but I think it is worthwhile for all of us. Last night we had the missionaries for dinner and Celia stirred the taco meat and felt like she cooked the whole meal it was cute. She helps me cook a lot with her tutors, at 5pm they ask if Celia can help with cooking anything we we all hang out in the kitchen together. Joseph and Emmy alternate who makes the salad and the drink a lot, and who sets the table. Spencer swings quite a bit, but often helps with cooking too.

Celia loves her Daddy and demands to play Plants vs. zombies on his computer. She thought his engineering hat was just her size.:) Not everyone is thrilled every time, but I think doing what we can when we can to teach our children the importance of family togetherness and the gospel is worthwhile and a fulfilling experience.

The Haven of Hidden Falls

2011-09-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Joseph was cute telling me "Its my only Day off!" as I offered to take him hiking with me on Friday. My hiking group the Roseville hikers has been going each Friday for a month now. I was excited to hear about a waterfall hike, since that's one of my favorite things to do, but the kids were out of school. Merlene our sweet respite worker that we have had for 7 years on and off was able to come and watch Joseph and Celia while I went hiking. It was close by in Auburn. It is very peaceful to be out in nature and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my time off. Or is it a time out from responsibilities and worries. Something about being in nature, finding water, and returning home fills my cup. Even though I was with others and some of them had their children, it was nice to just ponder and take in the sounds of the stream, falls, and cool breezes. It was a hot day and we hiked down so the return was hiking upwards. It wasn't too difficult(3 miles a little rocky), just enough to feel like it was great exercise and relaxation.

Rocket Man

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

What young boy doesn't love to shoot off rockets!? Joseph was able to make a rocket and shoot it off for cub scouts last week. He is a webelo now, that means we've been through two books so far in cub scouts.:) I got pinned at our last pack meeting and its a great time seeing Joseph earn badges and arrows and belt loops for good things he does in scouts. We carpool with the neighbors and its a great social event for Joseph to go to each week, although he likes to stay home and watch netflix or play videos games sometimes too.:) I think he will be happy later on for going and appreciate all he learned and also the friends he made by being part of this great group.

Spencer's Saturday Swim

2011-09-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Spencer went to his first Deacon activity for church yesterday. We went to the pool party for his quorum. Spencer insisted I go in the water with him. He was loving all the water, splashing around and participating in playing sharks and minnows and submarine. They had brownies and chips and soda(Spencer's kind of food~) and he sat pretty well during the devotional until he got up out of his chair grabbed a handful of lays chips out of the bag Jarret was holding and then threw what was left of his brownie in the fire pit then sat down quietly again. Brian and I just giggled and no one seemed too put out by it.:) They were happy to have him there and so was I. Its great to include Spence and he really does love being around the typical developing kiddos.

I'm glad his new medicine has been working well so he can go out in public and little more and that he sleeps through the night again. I expect he will be doing even better in no time.:) Emmy watched the other kids while Brian and I went with Spencer. I think it was a great experience for Emmy to babysit and for Spencer to have mom and dad all to himself too!

My Daughter's Question.

2011-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Emmy approached me while at the dining table eating my cereal this morning and asked me, What were we doing on 9/11? Also, What do you remember about it?

Well, at first I started by saying we woke up and since I had three little ones we turned on the TV to watch some PBS and saw the shocking footage. My friend Lisa had called me to tell me about what had happened. I remember talking to friends and family on the phone a lot that day. I told Emmy of the planes and their involvement in the attack.

So many memories flooded back to me like the weirdness of no planes in the air, of how surreal all the footage was, how vulnerable we all felt, and how it seemed unbelievable that this could happen on U.S. soil. I tried to explain how I felt and what I witnessed as the breaking news came forth all that day. I was holding it together pretty good until I said there was some good and amazing things that happened too.

I described how heroic the emergency responders were, how the fire fighters went into the buildings to rescue others as its impending collapse was imminent. I talked about our motto United we stand, about the prayers for the families that lost loved ones, the support for a long time after in rescuing those trapped and giving to those in need spiritually, physically and emotionally. I love that our nation came together to fight terror. It was a unifying thing that happened that day.

What happened that day was memorable, a nations tragedy and the great strength that rose out of it. I am glad we have safety precautions in our public places now because of what we learned. Immense gratitude, patriotism, awareness of evil, love for others, charity, and heroic acts were realized from this terrible tragedy. I am glad Emmy has always been very patriotic and concerned with current events. She loves the flag and I wanted to take a picture of her by our today.

We sang all three verses of the star spangled banner in church today. It was very beautiful and moving. I am grateful for good people, for this land of the free in which we trust GOD. My heart goes out to those suffering and hope that we can all heal and be better because of our unified strength. I am excited that we as family members are interested in each other's past. I love geneology and learning about my ancestors and went on with them. It made me really happy that my daughter wanted to hear what I felt about this historic day.

Quantity Time

2011-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Its great to spend time with the family. Last night we had our Thursday night date night. We took Emmy and Joe to Costa Vida. Joseph had an enchilada with steak in it and Emmy had a steak taco. I mention it because I think its a great treat for them to go out. In my younger years, I remember eating liver and onions(quite a bit different than steak) at my house and I don't remember eating out. We took Emmy and Joe to the Galleria mall because that is what a 14 and 10 year old want to do, apparently.~ There was a fire there several months ago in that mall and the kids wanted to see if it had opened up the areas that were burnt. I took a few pictures of us in the mall and Joseph was adamant about no picture taking, saying "No blogging"! I loved his funny faces, so I will definitely include those in my post.:) My camera had been in the shop for almost a month. Now my wireless keyboard is missing a piece, but I am planning on catching up with my blog this month!

Joseph and Spencer used to share a room and Spence didn't sleep. We have found a solution for that that we all love. Joseph has it own room and the decluttering alone was enough to make me extremely happy. Joseph wakes up with big smiles every morning in his peaceful sancturary.:)

My parents came in town to visit and to attend Uncle David's son's wedding reception in Reno. We went to Deseret Industries on Saturday with them( because that is what we do;) and also his the fruit market at the auction. The nectarines were especially delicious. My mother is fabulous at growing succulents so we found a nice pot and she planted some succulents for me that are on the front porch. Beautifying and organizing my home makes me happy. I am in the right place staying home and taking care of my home and family. I feel I can influence them and teach them to be good friends, neighbors, and great members of the community. Today we had a picnic day at the kids school. We brought blankets and sack lunch and listened to music, played with hula hoops, and enjoyed being together with the school children and their families.

Joseph was hugging me and Celia and was happy to be around us even in front of his friends. When we genuinely like being around each other I can feel the love increasing. When my folks were here we played Mille Bornes, the card game. It was cute to see how competitive everyone gets and how much fun we have together. Brian and I play a lot of games with the kids. My favorite is called Thunderstone. Right now I am reigning champion which makes me quite happy because Brian usually wins at all the games.:) I am glad I have kept the over scheduling of our time to a minimum this school year. I am trying to simplify and enjoy our time together, it goes by too quickly.~

Life moving right a long~

2011-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

This month has been a little different than in the past. We had a lot of fun and a lot of challenges. Spencer sleeps about every two nights. We can't believe he can just stay awake for 48 hours sometimes then crashes. We are helping him and I am sure he will be back in the sleeping groove again soon. Good has come out of it though. Mr. Joe is getting his own room! Spencer will like having his own room too, I believe.

The boys are growing up.:) Spencer is growing taller and thinning out some and expressing himself a bit more which is very exciting. We practice community outings with Spence and his tutors and that includes riding nicely in the car. He is up to 30 minutes of sitting in the car without hitting windows or acting out. Joseph comes home from school and finishes his homework right away and has shown some skill in cleaning things up all the way. We definitely want to expand that skill;)

Emmy began high school and traded in her marching band class for guitar. She sounds really good and I think it is a better fit for her. She has been going to seminary and dressing up for her school spirit days. This new year seems to be going well for her so far.

I enjoy seeing the sunrise as I drove home from taking her to seminary. The morning time is such a beautiful time. I feel blessed with so many good people in my family. Some blessings in my life that it makes healing from my second oral surgery a little more bearable. Brian was such a great help being with the kids during their tutoring hours after my surgery. I can't wait to feel strong again I am getting better everyday! I realize how grateful I should be for my health, even dental health. Joseph had a perfect visit to the dentist yesterday, no cavities.:)

Celia didn't have her visit since we all were maxed out all dental insurance this year. Its been a year of dental procedures, but luckily it passes and we are on to better things. Celia is getting her permanent front tooth in and thinks she is already an adult.:) Celia spent the night at Rah Rah's.(She can't stop talking about it and how Rah Rah to her to kindergarten even!) She is doing well in her new class. She follows the line, earns paws tickets, and makes the quiet coyote sign with her two fingers to show the teacher she is listening. She was pretty cute the other day, she said, "You can go now!"when I waited next to her in line. Celia realized the other parents weren't hovering, but I assured her I was just creating shade by standing next to her. She was okay with that.:)

When September comes , I think we will be adjusted in our transitions. It will be so nice for have my parents visit, Joseph have his own room, and everyone else continuing to grow and learn through this upcoming fall. In the meantime, we are keeping up our date nights. Last night Brian, Emmy, Joseph, and I went to El Pollo Loco for some fabulous grilled chicken and mashed potatoes and went and saw The Green Lantern. I love Thursdays for date night and am looking forward to many more!

Seventeen Years~ August 12th 2011

2011-08-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries are great. Its nice to remember back seventeen years ago when we married in the Los Angeles temple. I pulled out my wedding album and found a few fun pictures that depict what happened the rest of the day. The luncheon was yummy. I liked having Grandpa Holmes there along with Aunt Dixie, Uncle John, Aunt Kathy and both sets of Brian's Grandparents. I've been taking Emmy to a lot of wedding receptions lately. Its so fun to see them dance, toss the bouquet and cut the cake. Each wedding is different, each are so important to that couple. I'm grateful so many of my miamaids I taught when Celia was an infant are now married in the temple. I'm glad we have fond memories of our day and the reception. It was so hot an usual 107 degrees in Santa Monica when we were married. I love that it cooled down to 70 degrees for our outdoor dinner on the lawn at the Richard Nixon library. I am glad the rain began only after we drove to our destination in the Le baron convertible after dancing until 10pm! The pictures look a little antiqued, but I figure they are jsut likeus and get better with age.)

We tried to celebrate our anniversary all weekend. We had a hard time leaving Spencer at his out of home respite. He had been having a lot of trouble sleeping and had been on a medicine vacation. It was rough on everyone. However, Brian and I were able to go and sing more holiness give me together at a choir practice for new members, Elders quorum presidents, and their wives. we were able to go to all sessions of stake conference and have a quiet time with the rest of the kids. We enjoyed going to Rah Rah's house for brunch on Saturday. We played Yahtzee and have yummy German pancakes with fruit, and sausages. Its so peaceful out on her porch, we had a lovely time. I feel blessed to have family around and support during times of stress or even to celebrate events. We picked up Spence early. He had a rough time there, but since has been been happier and we feel so grateful to have him home with us safe, and well taken care of. I am very pleased to be married to my best friend who is such a great guy, father, and support to us. Happy Seventeenth to him. May we have many more together!~

Back in the groove.

2011-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

The kids have started school! Well except for Spencer, he started August 17th.~ Emmy is a big highschooler now and started her first day of seminary today. I enjoyed going to the seminary fireside with her and remembering my time as a seminary student. She got up well this morning , had an ego waffle and away we went. I'm excited for her to learn about the Old testament this year. She'll probably be able to teach me a thing or too before the year is up. Joseph likes his teacher and is starting off well with a planner and doing his first project on immigration. Celia seems to like her new class and is doing well with Mrs. Franklin who was her summer school kinder boot camp teacher. Celia was excited to earn a paws(positive attitude) ticket. She realized you can earn little toys with those. We are bringing snack next week and she is quite happy in her new class. What big kiddos we have. I love how they are good students and want to learn and grow. I have them reading from 3:30 - 4pm each day and music practice for Emmy at 4pm and we make dinner together at 5pm while the tutoring is going on. We love to spend time with each of our children and see a real benefit to them( and me) when the have a structured day. We drove by beautiful places around here with Spence on some rides and stopped by his school. He was excited then sad when we didn't stay. Two more days and then all will be in order again with the kiddos in school.:)

Birthday Celebrating~

2011-08-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of August and it has been eventful! My birthday was lovely. I had a great day with the kids. We went to Mountain Mike's pizza for lunch. They have the best pepperoni there:) We also went to dollar tree and the kids each got me something for my birthday from the coins around the house that we've collected in a jar to keep and save. Brian and I were able to go out to Red Lobster which was totally yummy. I loved the lobster and shrimp and spending time with Brian. We saw our friends there, the Bruce's, and it was cute how Irene threw a sugar packet at me to get my attention and it nearly hit the waitress. I just said, I know her its all good.:) We continued our week with tutoring then Thursday afternoon Brian came home early from work and the kids and I sans Spencer went to Mammoth Lakes California for a little reunion with my parents. Tanya,and her boys.

In Mammoth,we enjoyed a beautiful gondola ride up to eleven thousand feet elevation to send off my sister on her bike ride down the mountain. It was beautiful and picturesque. It was a cool 55 degrees at the top. I wasn't even too scared of the ride up even though it was my first time in a gondola and I am afraid of heights. The kids did well. Celia stayed with my mom on that trip and with them again as we rented a boat on Saturday morning and attempted to fish for trout in Lake Mary. It was a great time. My favorite part was being in charge of the motor boat and helping the kids with their poles since I had the most experience of the group with both which isn't saying much. We were excited to be out in nature and learn the principles of patience, persistence, and survival:) We did get stuck on the boat and pulled out the oars which was fun and got rescued with a start for a motor.

We had a super lovely yummy meal at the Tamarack Lodge with my parents, Emmy, Celia, Joseph, My sister, Addison, and Kieran for my birthday. The kids had great manners and it was a blessing all around. I loved biking, swimming with the kids and using the Jacuzzi. We attended sacrament meeting there and many of us bore our testimonies which was a special experience for the extended family there. We enjoyed T-shirt shopping, going out for pizza and rides in the mountains to see beautiful views.

The 50 was closed( due to a traffic accident) on our way home so me and the kids took a detour around lake Tahoe to get home. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed stopping in Truckee to purchase peridot( my birthstone) earrings with my birthday money from RahRah,

to match the watch my parents bought me there for my birthday seven years earlier. I was glad that Spencer and Dad did pretty well with out us, but of course coming back together as a family was the best part.:) It was great celebrating my birthday in this way and I feel happy and blessed.

Pictures of me

2011-07-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I change my hair color. This time I went lighter and took some pics, for me to see how I liked it.:) It is silly I know, but thats what I do!

What we've been up to this week.

2011-07-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter, Here we Come!

The Fair

Celia with her pillow pet we won.:)

It was hot, but the kids enjoyed funnel cake on a picnic table under some evergreen trees.~

We've been up to having fun this summer. Each day we do what we need to like getting ready and cleaning up a little bit, then we do some sort of fun activity. Emmy is a slave driver of fun. She asks" Are we going to go anywhere today?" everyday! Her and I went and saw The last Harry Potter movie. We enjoyed it a lot. Its so great to have mama daughter time. Emmy went to the temple with her youth group too. Brandon came over to pull rides with us and those two were so cute together. They played guitar hero on hard and expert mode, then listened to music sharing the same pink headphone sitting on pink camping chairs in the back yard. Its fun to have people over and Emmy likes to have friend when the tutors are here because her younger siblings are occupied.:) Bri and I still have our date night on Thursdays and the kids and I go have fun during the day! We've gone out to yogurt and to the park, to volleyball and for walks. I Love how there is so much to do in Sacramento. We don't have to travel too far to really have a great vacation.

Spence as been having lessons on traveling well in the car, so we go on all sorts of community outings with his tutors. Yesterday, we went to the California State Fair. It was a big hit with the kiddos. There were eight of us all together with the tutors. Some highlights were; seeing the brand new baby piggies, using darts to shoot balloons for a pillow pet. ( I popped one with a dart first try , thank you very much), Emmy riding an extreme roller coaster(Firebolt), and seeing the insect exhibit. I wish I took more pictures, but the batteries kept falling out of my camera lol. Celia remembers it well and can't stop talking about it. Today, Emmy and I are going to see "Seventeen Miracles" at the movies with some friends of mine, and tomorrow she goes boating after piano practice. We're lovin' summer!

Preparing to Understand.

2011-07-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

How can we gain understanding of things we don't know about? We can't. We must first expose ourselves to information and study things after that. We need to make deductions, try out ideas and come to conclusions. It is easy to decide what we are going to learn in life and what paths we will follow, but is it a fulfilling choice? I learned when I was young we don't get something for nothing. I mean I was spoiled, but as far as effort for results was concerned, there definitely was a correlation in reaping what we sow. The past few days our little family has been playing Wii sports. My Wii fitness age was pretty high. I think my last test said 54 years old. Yes, this is just a video game, but it goes to show that I don't practice hitting home runs very much. The kids do though and their scores are better. If we learn an instrument and practice it, we will understand music more and learn things we couldn't have other wise learned had we not had the experience. We put forth the effort and then we come to understand how it works.

I bring this up because I believe life can be a great learning experience. We can comfort others as we battle the same challenges. We can feel empathy and do good as we prove ourselves strong in this human existence. Spence probably won't learn to talk just by praying it that way. He needs every level of effort and instruction we can give him, plus professionals, and prayers. Some things I am just not interested in learning at this time in my life, like how to run a half marathon! hehe. Other things I am interested in understanding. That's the beauty of it, we can choose what we value and ponder on those things.

We cannot learn to swim or ride a bike or do our finances successfully unless we work at it. I want to work on reading my scriptures and help my children to value that. I'd love to learn more about genealogy too. For now, I am learning about behaviorism and taking time to teach my children things that can help them to learn, grow, and understand life. I value my opportunity as a stay at home mom to be involved in their upbringing. There is much to learn and I'm glad to have Brian to help me to teach our kiddos. He knows quite a bit.:)

This thought of preparation before understanding hit me as I was being in a situation where Spanish was spoken the whole time. If I hadn't had so many years of instruction in High School , college and exposure to Spanish in my home growing up, I wouldn't of been able to understand as much as I did. I would have missed out on wonderful family stories and great thought provoking lessons given there.

I used to get down on myself thinking I knew only a little about a lot of things, but wasn't super fantastic at one thing. I thought it would be great to be a concert violinist or an expert swordswoman.~ Now, I say well good as least I got some exposure to some things to help me to learn, teach, understand, and help others. Hooray for life and the great experience that it is!

Family Fourth of July

2011-07-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day. We loved the BBQ (all the kids kept talking about how there was beer in the marinade for the ribs lol), pool, fireworks, and birthday celebrations. It was nice hanging out together and relaxing on a hot July Day. We had to keep the kids busy, so they played crochet in the front yard, and rolled down the sun dried grassy hill and swam a lot! We enjoyed Tanya's infamous red velvet cream cheese frosting cupcakes for the birthday men. The fireworks near the Mulesteins house are always amazing. We loved the show. Celia was so cute. The sound of the fireworks going off surprised her at first, but then she loved them when she saw us all smiling and enjoying the show. She said, "It's a Ryan song!" and starting singing "Light up the Sky" by Yellowcard. We roasted marshmallows after the show and went to sleep grateful for our time at the grand folks. Fire works pictures taken by Emelina Holmes(my mom)

Spending Sunday Together

2011-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great experience. We went to church with my parents to the Spanish Branch they attend. I loved being there, My mom translated some patriotic hymns into Spanish and the choir she is in charge of did a great job. We met wonderful people and I enjoyed brushing up on my Spanish. I could understand so much, the kids weren't catching it all, but hopefully they'll get a desire to learn this wonderful language! We had Mexican food after and I enjoyed watching Churchy type show with my parents, a nap, and relaxing. They do so much service in the church, its nice to celebrate the holiday and worship with them.

Enjoying Twilight Knott's Berry Farm.

2011-07-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Day Two of our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house was pretty fun too. Each Morning Grandpa makes us breakfast and then the kids swim a while. It is so beautiful and relaxing in their backyard. We shopped all afternoon getting Joseph some church clothes, visiting Henry's Shoe experience, our favorite shoe store around there, and grabbing some ultra yummy seviche for lunch. My kids are fish eaters and gobbled it all up! They love to have paletas in between their swims and the taco bar is a big hit as well. Who can pass up beef Chile and Chile Verde tacos, tostadas and nachos? Yum!

In the afternoon, Grandpa headed off to the Temple and my mom and I took the kids to Twilight Knott's Berry Farm. We got a great discount, a lady I didn't know gave me a coupon too, gotta love that. We went on many rides, enjoyed a couple funnel cakes, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Highlights were; The Calico train ride where we watched an extreme bike show to the song "For you and your Denial" by Yellowcard while we waited to ride, the Log Ride(Celia said how much she loved this ride the entire time), the bumper cars (Celia and Emmy vs. Mama and Joseph), and the tumultuous ride called the wipe out. Joseph liked the foot massager while we waited for Emmy to go on the Ferris wheel, and Emmy and I got wet on the Big Foot Rapids right before it was time to go home.:)

We got Celia a stroller and a lollipop and she thought it was a good as Disneyland.:) We left around 10:30pm and we were happy campers. Grandpa made spaghetti for us and we went to bed having full tummys and having been fully entertained. Now this is vacation!

Hacienda Hills Hike

2011-07-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the La Area to visit my folks for fourth of July. I was so afraid of holiday traffic on a Friday we left on Thursday. It turned out to be a great idea. We didn't hit any slow downs or traffic despite the signs of upcoming delay( we took a detour) and the looks of on going construction. The kids were great and we made it there without problem. On the way into town Celia decided we should go hiking since she had a new over the shoulder pack and Joseph had just got a new back pack in the mail to prep for his Colorado trip. So the next day Tanya and her kids and our crew went to the Hacienda Hills trail. It was hot and steep and I think Celia changed her mind about hiking. I was impressed about the kids not complaining, except for Celia. Its great to hike with buddies, we sang songs for Celia on the way down when she thought she couldn't make it and she had to take bites of cinnamon apple waffle grandpa made to make it through such a hard endeavor. It made for a nice afternoon of swimming in the grandparents pool. Tanya and I got to volleyball and yogurt that evening. It was a wonderful active day, Loved it.~

Like Mother like Daughter

2011-06-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

I love the outdoors. I love to beautify, renew, and grow something beautiful. My friends and family must know that because I do it so often and I'm starting to receive presents of that nature. I received a cute red daisy potted plant from Joseph's fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Talley. It is so cute I planted it in the front yard where my lavender failed to come up after being smashed because the kids were filling up water balloons, its all fun. Spence was able to choose a gift for me before mother's day at his school and he chose the exact red flowers(begonias) we already have in the back yard that one had died. His teacher said he was adamant about picking that one out of other options. I told Spence he chose great and he just smiled.

Yesterday, I worked on the backyard and made a little room out of the furniture we had that I didn't have room for in the house since we redid our tile. Joseph and Emmy helped and we got all the leftover construction mess and materials out of the way and made a beautiful area to sit and to have friends hang out in. I was glad I did it and realized that my mom had been working on beautifying her yard the same day. Her pictures were beautiful, her yard looks amazing and I realized I get the creative bug from her and the love of planting and beautifying. What better way to renew then to take after my mother. I am happy to have children to pass down traits and talents too. It is all very fulfilling.:)

Underwater

2011-06-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love swimming? You are weightless, and it can be such a refreshing experience on a hot day. We have had high temps around here this week and and swimming as been the theme of the week, for Emelie at least. She's been to two aquatic centers more than once, two other pools and boating. It's multiple times a day that she is swimming and she experienced her first sun burn. I think it will turn into just a nice brown tan by the end of the week, Lucky girl.

Last week Emmy was at camp and went canoeing there too. We are planning to go to Mammoth in August and kayaking is something we want to do there. Its official, we love water. Emmy's friend Kimberly bought an underwater camera and took these pictures of Emmy and her friends. It reminds me of the movie twilight when Bella is under water.:) I'm glad they make those kind of cameras, it captures just a little bit of the feeling and look of being under water. I think we'll play in our Jacuzzi this week too if the high temperatures hold up. It'll be a good opportunity to teach Celia to swim.~

Magnificent Men

2011-06-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

What makes a great father? Is it the support they give day by day, the time spent with each child, and the support to the wife? Absolutely. Mothers do what they do best no matter the time of day or how the day has gone. Fathers that are fantastic do the the same. They go to work when they're tired, they take the time to show interest in the children's day despite what has gone on in their day. They read stories to little ones, they cook meals when needed and occasionally spoil the family to death with their favorite things. I am fortunate to have one of those type of fathers. My Dad cooked for us growing up. He supported us having friends over and cares about our family and their well being deeply. He supported us through all the expenses of teenage girls and big wedding receptions. He taught us to pray and read the scriptures and to be honest. My Dad is so honest , kind, full of Truth, loves to smile, and be happy.

I am doubly blessed to be married to such an amazing man that is an extraordinary father to my children. We have such wonderful monkey kids, its not always easy to have family home evening, game nights, and give quality time to each child but he does it and does it well. He has charity, is strong, extremely intelligent, loving, and such a great example to our children and a great support to us all. I am grateful for these men in my life all all they do not only once a year but every day and the diligence it takes to be these magnificent men. :)

Parent Testimony

2011-06-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was asked to give my Parent testimony about the in home program we have from Captial Autism Services. This is my first hand account, thoughts, feelings and perceptions of those whom I've worked with while they work with my two children; Celia and Spencer. It has been over a year that we have had them coming to our home doing parent training, lesson with the kids, community outings, and many other teaching opportunities.

I love Capital Autism services! I love how they are there for me for my children's collaboration meetings and IEPs. I love that because of the knowledge they have taught me I am able to come up with solutions that work for my children's school, home, and church environments. It is great to have consistent help from professionals to teach and mold my children.

We have seen considerable growth in both my children. Celia who was really lacking in language and had some major anxiety issues is now able to request before starting a behavior. Many social stories have helped her. We have benefited from schedules for the children, visuals for self help skills and Yvonne my consultant even made us up some Davis dollars to use as reinforcement for the kids for chores and acting appropriately. They look like money but have the children's pictures on it where the president's face would be. Not only have these helps worked but they have lasted.

I am impressed with how professional the employees are with CAS. I have had two programs come into my home in the past and I would refer CAS first to everyone needing services for their child or children with Autism. I feel they respect my beliefs, my home, and my desires for the growth in my children. I feel they are facilitating me and my family to be professionals on Autism. We can cope, come up with ideas and brainstorm our way through each developmental challenge in my family's life. I say family because how our children grow affect the entire dynamic of the family.

We work each week to building a better future for my children and our community. Our children are learning to become better classmates, peers, and members of our society through the great behavioral interventions we have receive through Capital Autism Services. Spencer is non verbal but is currently using his PECS book to ask for things he wants and is becoming more proficient and specific with his contant use. Spence is less self injurious, aggressive, and high strung. My daughter Celia is generalizing to kindergarten at our nearby elementary school. She has made significant growth in language and in many areas of concern. I can attribute help from CAS to these great milestones in my children's lives. I am grateful to have them come to my home and help bring a better life for my extremely special children.

Audrey Davis
Stay at Home Mom of four and behaviorism enthusiast.~