Taking time to feel better.

I've been marking my calendar of the days I've had my children home from school this month. It has been quite a bit for President's Day, teacher in-service, and sickness. No wonder I am missing them now that all of them have been at school the past two days. Joseph stayed up late last week and sure enough he had a terrible cough and has been feeling sick. Even if you're young, staying up too late takes a toll on your immune system. Joseph doesn't get to go to the rainy campout with the scouts this weekend. We are going to get him better at home. Celia was feverish and I had her stay home one day this week. I was messing around with my camera and we took a few pictures. Despite being under the weather we had a great day together at home. Soup,  a lot of fluids, and some meds helped this crew. Usually I am all for the children being in school, now I feel, as they grow older I can appreciate my time with them and cherish it.

A Great Saturday

     It has been a long week with new tutors and Spencer out of school. He loves routine and change really makes him feel unsettled and he sometimes acts out. I was happy to have an extra date night this week to celebrate Emmy's boyfriend, Andrew's 18th birthday. What that means for me is I don't have to drive them all over and they don't have to caravan to everywhere they want to go! Andrew got a beautiful new car and they had an amazing adventure packed day. Emmy hadn't been feeling well on Friday so I was glad she was well enough to wake up early on Saturday and surprise Andrew and go to breakfast with his other buddies from speech and debate and church. They picked up his car at the dealership or wherever they got the car then played 5 games of laser tag, decided to go swimming at an indoor pool in town then joined Andrews family for sushi. Brian and I got to go to dinner. I tried spicy tuna roll and it was yummy. Emmy tried several new foods and I helped do her hair( straightening it in the Mikuni restroom lol) for the Mis Mash Priest and Laurel dance after dinner. I told them they needed pictures and that  these would be great memories, but I only captured a few. The energy level of these kids is amazing and they seem to have an endless number of subjects to talk about. Brian and I went to my favorite stores and he spoiled me.

     I now feel ready for more of the challenges of raising my kiddos and life. I got a new set of bath towels that are the softest towels I ever felt in my life. Coziness and wonderfully smelling bath products really do the de-stressing trick for me and I love it. We did take Celia and Spencer for a long drive today and out to lunch. They did well in the restaurant even though spencer cut in line near the end and demanded a dessert cinnamon tortilla, it went better that expected. Vacations don't come often it seems, but the time we have together and the regular respite is wonderful. I'm glad there is so much to celebrate in our lives and that we have the health and blessing to participate fully.

Acoustic Concert In San Fran.~

The Summer Set! Somehow I was convinced to take Emmy, Andrew, and Kaitlyn to another concert. This one being in San Francisco at The Bottom of The Hill. It went surprisingly well. We left early. It was cloudy out and we've been blessed with some rain lately so it was a gorgeous ride into the bay area. The hills were green. The bridges were beautiful and the sunset on the water was amazing. Traffic wasn't too bad going the way we went. We saw a lot traffic going the opposite way and some emergency vehicles. I prayed so hard that we would have a good time, be safe, and still be able to feel of the spirit even in this bar at this concert in the middle of San Francisco.

 We got a great parking place and began to wait in line. It didn't rain on us although it threatened to the entire time. There was rumor that the first one hundred people to get in the venue would get to meet the band. Sure enough, much to my surprise and the grand excitement of the  kids, we got in that early group. We each got a poster. I told the Summer Set my name was Audrey since they have a song called boomerang that has that name in it. John Gomez one of the band members said "Oh like Audrey Hepburn?" and Jess the drummer signed my name to the poster with a heart and a smiley face.

The kids were blessed to get some merchandise they weren't even selling. Apparently, Kaitlyn left a tip in the jar for the merch guy and he gave them necklaces and rubber summer set wrist bands. This made the kids extremely happy. I was glad the crowd was made of mainly young girls. We weren't exposed to drinking, smoking, or mosh pits which I was grateful for. Yup, we didn't have a clue, we were going to get to meet the band, get exclusive merchandise, and have signed posters when we got there.

The acoustic set was great. The band was funny, talented, and played so great. At the end of the encore set they came into the crowd where we were standing and sang along acapella style. It was like a drum circle. My favorite song they sung was "Young". It was just a guitarist and the singer harmonizing. It reminded me of the good ole days when Brian and I used to go  to see a local band in Provo called Ali Ali Oxen Free. We loved the acoustic folk music sound. I tried to tell Emmy these are great memorable moments that aren't that often. I was glad to see the kids so happy and I enjoyed the show vey much. It is great to mix up the mundane routines with an adventurous trip to San Fran for  a concert. We also tasted some amazing tacos from Papitas on 17th street. I couldn't believe how tasty they were and the salsas they had to go with it. My phone died right as we got there so I wasn't able to get any video or pictures of the concert,  Emmy did, but I will have the experience in my fond memories and am grateful for them.:)

My Sweet Valentines

Bri and I had a lovely dinner on our date night for valentine's Day early. I loved the Mahi fish and great vegetables. We had grilled shrimp for our appetizers and we left feeling full and happy. We stopped off at my new favorite store grocery outlet. On the actual valentine's day I set out the quilts and things I had made for the kiddos. It has been nice seeing how happy the kids are with their quilts. Joseph and Celia talk about how they are so soft and wrap them around themselves like capes. Spencer's feels weighted and he likes how big it is and how it is green of course. Bri got me some wonderful desserts, so  many I can't name them. my favorite was the blood orange sorbet.:)

I had ordered cupcakes from these cute girls from our ward who are selling cupcakes to earn money to go to Disneyland. They were chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. They were delicious and didn't stick around too long.  With the tutors we dipped strawberries and bananas in chocolate and had a fun community outing to the store. Emmy wanted to get Andrew some beef jerky to use as part of her present to him. She wrote something about how others can be "jerky" and thanks for always being so great. It was cute and corny and just perfect for the day. I drove them around for their date and it is so cute to see young love.

Celia had a performance at school. I was worried Celia wasn't going to have a good day. She seemed worried that she would get valentines and happily that wasn't the case. I had joseph come with me to see her performance and it was over the top cute. I'm glad she participates even though I know she can get so shy in front of other in a big group. At home Celia is the happy talkative outgoing girl, Im happy to see that part of her. All the family felt spoiled and loved I feel and it turned out to be a great day. 

Family First

Being gone and having so much responsibility makes me feel so appreciative to be home. I want to be home, fold my laundry, rearrange and organize various parts of the house. I love to "play house". You never really know how valuable meals together, clean clothes, organized bills, and attended to children is until it isn't happening proficiently. I love my role as a mother and homemaker/advocate and supporter of my family.

 Yesterday, I took Emmy to Davis for her Speech and debate competition. I helped her practice and prepare. I was able to see many of her speeches and prepare her for the Aurora ball she attended later that night. Emmy is doing better in Speech and debate. She is becoming more skilled and comfortable with her speeches, I'm sure taking drama this semester helps. I'm glad Emmy is doing better in school. I have been advocating for her at her school with her counselors and it has been hectic. We have seen some positive change. I'm grateful that Joseph is a little lower maintenance than his siblings at the moment. He is loving and kind and supportive. He says no, but he will follow through and help out.  I am impressed with Emmy and her kind nature, her patience and her understanding as she makes new friends and support all she knows with special needs. Family, serving others, and acquiring righteous virtues are some of the most important things in life. I love my family, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and my ability to choose these wonderful purposes in this free country.

Rain Dance (I mean hike)

I've felt the need to write lately. I enjoy looking back and remembering the great time and really feel love and peace in my life when I do. I almost forgot how much I love hiking. It has been a while since I've gone with our group. With no rain, we scheduled a hike then happily rain came. We didn't mind in the least  bit walking in the sprinkles and the mist. We have had a drought here and we are praying and fasting for rain. I know it will come in abundance due to our prayers. Next week there will be a state wide fast for rain. Fasting for us go like this: we pray and go without food for 2 meals or twenty four hours then give a generous donation to our church( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) of at least the amount of money we would have used for the meals we missed and it is given to those in need in our area. How can the Lord not bless such a great act of selflessness. It will help and be great. I enjoy hiking with these ladies. We talk and we eat healthy food and we take pictures. Heidi keeps us moving at quite a quick pace even though she manages to snap these great photos, it is still wonderful exercise. We went to Hidden falls. It is a short hike, but we managed to wander all around and make it into a 4.7 mile adventure. Even if my hikes in the mountains are every so often, I'm glad I go and remember and record their memories to appreciate later.

Happenings Lately

Life can be so routine. The last little while we have been blessed to have fun activities going on and we are doing the things we love. Celia had two friends over Elysia and Jennifer. They were pretty cute. Celia was nice to them both and they shared a lot. They played dress up, ate snacks, and scootered around the backyard. Joseph lead the playtime and the other girls sure were interested in him! I love how well Celia does in small groups or one on one. We work  on social skills with her and it makes me so happy to see her doing well with her friends. Brian took Celia to the Daddy Daughter Dance. Spence and I drove past( we were out and about saving Emmy from her car being out of gas) and it seemed like a beautiful fancy event was going on. I loved the white lights and winter wonderland decorations. Apparently, they had dances that included their partners(dad) and it was neat. Celia was shy, but I think they had a great time and Celia enjoyed visiting the grandparents after too. Emmy got to go to Crush 29 and stayed there a long time I think experimenting how long they could stay before they were kicked out. Gotta love teenagers.

Daddy Daugter Date Dresses.

Celia is going to a Daddy Daughter Dance tonight at her elementary school with her daddy! She wears a lot of different dresses to church so we had a little fashion show to decide which dress she wanted to wear tonight. I was glad Celia let me take pictures since she is definitely not a fan of the camera. My macro lens is stuck on my camera so I'll go and get that fixed today, but in the meantime we had a fun morning trying these on and counting down. Ten hours until dance time! The light pink one with satin and pearls won. It was Emmy's so it is even more special for me to see her in it.

Bodega Bay On Monday

 We had a lovely trip to Bodega Bay on Martin Luther King's Day. The kids were out of school, but I couldn't get Joseph to come. He said he didn't' want to have any adventures. I'm going to remember that as he goes into his teenage years.~ I had never been to Bodega bay, but with Emmy as my co pilota and some help from navigation we got there. We parked in a coastal access area which turned out to be almost two miles from the beach. It was a lovely nature walk and bird watching area. Not nearly as green as we are used to in the rainy season here. There was a cute bridge and benches to sit on, but still Spencer insisted we go back to the car. After he through his toys in the lake of course. I found a way in the car to get closer to the shore in the car. Spence never did get out to see the waves, he was tired from our walk.

 Emmy played with Celia in the sand and I watched Spencer then we traded. Emmy is such a great help. I took a detour on the ride home to go see Dillon's beach. Spencer was very  interested in the view of the ocean. I'm glad we was able to see the coast and realize our purpose for going so far that day. I found my favorite store( Grocery Outlet) in Petaluma on the way home and we got treats from there. I'm glad Celia was so calm and happy. We've had drama for her at school and she seemed unaffected by her usual anxiety while we were there. I kinda liked the peacefulness of it too. I'm grateful for such wonderful opportunities and great family.