Weeknights

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

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

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

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.

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

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~

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

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.

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~

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

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!