Last Bite

Just this last week I have come aware that Matthew has trained Zack! For as long as I can remember Matthew has always asked if he can have a bite of Zack's food. If Zack is having pizza, he asks if he can have the crust. If Zack is having spaghetti, Matthew always asks "Are you going to finish that?" and so on. Now usually Zack says "No, you can't have any!" but then he always ends up giving Matthew the rest of his food or at least the last little bit.

Well now I have noticed that even if Matthew is not around, Zack cannot finish his food. He always leaves at least one bite left on his plate, always! I never have noticed it before because Matthew is always there to finish it for Zack but now that Matthew is rarely home I realize that Zack never finishes his meal, even if its his favorite food. Matthew has trained him to leave the last bite for him and now Zack cannot eat the whole of anything! The power of an older sibling!

Missing Roomba!

When we had wood floors put in downstairs, Adam got me a Roomba because we had been told that they are a necessity when you have wood. At first the little thing freaked me out because it felt like it was alive and it seemed to come right towards me all the time. (OK I get freaked out easily!) Well then I learned to just put it on in the morning when I went to the gym so that I was not at home when it was on. This worked out perfectly! I would come home an hour and half later and Roomba would be back into his docking station and my floor would be looking wonderful. I love Roomba! To really test how good he was I would purposely leave little pieces of trash on the floor to see if he would really pick them up. He passed the test! He would go vaccuum under the couches, chairs, tables and pick up all the dust that I would have to be cleaning. Roomba was my friend. I would find myself talking to him....sound scary but it was true!

Adam's friend said that after having his Roomba for a year he noticed it was not running as long, it wasn't working as well. So Adam foreseeing the future, and also having a beef with Costco because they would not take back a vaccuum that had broken 6 months ago, decided on his own to return my wonderful Roomba before it went bad. How dare he is all that I have to say! He did buy me a regular vaccuum but after using that for a couple of weeks I have come to realize how precious my Roomba was. I have to carry this other heavy vaccuum up and down the stairs. That's a pain! And I have to plug it in and push it around myself and not to mention I have to move the furniture to be able to clean the dust from under it (OK lets get real, how often do I do that....it is probably really dusty by now). So what I am trying to say is I WANT MY ROOMBA BACK!!!! They have come out with a newer model so I will settle for that...........

Haircut?!?!

For some strange reason the word haircut is a bad word in our house. Whenever the boys hair is getting way too long and I mention "the word", they go running and refuse to go. I have tried telling them that we are not going to get it cut but we are just going to have the hairdresser "shape" it. This use to work until they had a couple of times the "shaping" turned into a full on short hair cut. Who knew that boys would be so fussy about their hair! Well, Zack was definitely in need of a haircut and usually after I have him get it cut he says "Oh I do like it better!" but everytime I remind him of this he forgets that he liked it and he keeps refusing to get his hair cut. He finally relented and said he would get his haircut for Mothers Day and the results are that he does like it so much better....his hair was way too long. So I took pictures, before and after, so that he will remember how much he likes it when it is "shaped" and it won't be such a struggle next time!

Looks much better Zack-

The typical Walden boy pose.....we simply call it the "Walden Pose". Doesn't show the haircut real well, but oh well!

A Proud Parent Moment

Saturday night was Matthew's Eagle Court of Honor, he is officially an Eagle Scout! Yeah! It is just one of those many moments that you are so proud of your child. Matthew made the goal to have is Eagle when he reached 14 yrs old and he was finished with his eagle project before his 14th birthday. Way to go! We cannot be more proud of him and the many accomplishments he has had so far in his life. We think he is just so awesome! OK, sorry the mother gushing about her son is getting out of control but what a happy day!

The Court of Honor was great and we appreciate all the family and friends that attended. It really made it special for Matthew to have you there. He has been so blessed with good friends and wonderful family that have supported him and have been such good examples for him. It truly does take more than the parents to raise a child and we feel so blessed to have the help of many.

Matthew is such a self-motivated person and I am sure that this accomplishment is just the beginning for him. He truly does amaze me! Way to go Matthew! We love you!

A Missing Piece

Whenever one of my boys are on an overnighter or at Scout Camp they are definitely missed. With only 2 boys, you take one away and it totally changes the dynamics of the family. Zack has been at a Revolutionary War overnighter with his school class and we have truly missed him. Whats going to happen when they go on a mission, I am going to be a wreck! Actually I won't be because I will be so relieved that they made it!

Another "Zackism" : I was talking to the boys the other day about the fact that I hope that we have done a good job in teaching them how to treat girls; being respectful, nice, etc. Zack says "Oh Mom, I know how to deal with girls. You just act cool and play hard to get." Yikes!

Mothers Day Everyday...Please!!!!

Mothers day started out great because Saturday was a Girls Day Out! I was able to go to the Time Out For Women down in San Diego with a bunch of my friends. We had to start early (5:30am) but it was such a great day and the company was wonderful. Usually I don't look forward to the drive to San Diego and especially going down in the morning and coming back the same day but when your with friends it was wonderful and the time flew by. It was fun to laugh together, cry together (OK there were no tears) but it was fun laughing together! Such a fun time! I also got to meet my sister and sister-in-law down there and it is always great to spend time with them. The speakers were wonderful and quite amusing...you have got to love John Bytheway and the music was great also. Top off the day with dinner at CPK together and that makes for a fantastic day! Thanks girls, we will do it again soon-

Then when I got home it was so nice because the boys were all still out at Fry's shopping for electronics, of course. They had a great guys day with their sporting events, they went to the movies, shopping and out to eat. The house was pretty clean and they had a vase of flowers waiting for me. What's funny though is that it was not roses like I usually get for special occasions which I was surprised. In fact they were carnations! Carnations?! Adam has never gotten me carnations. That is a definite step down from roses, whats up with that? Not that I am ungrateful or anything, I was not expecting flowers so the thought was definitely nice. But carnations? Not my favorite flower. Well Adam explained that he thought I did not like roses because when we were cleaning the side of the house last month I wanted to remove the rose bushes that were there. The reason I wanted to remove them is because no one sees them there and whenever I am over there doing stuff I always get snagged by the thorns. I hate it! Me and the rosebushes have had some battles and I am ready to conquer the battle once and for all. So Adam thought I did not like roses and so he got me a different kind of flower this time. So I understand and they actually don't look that bad, this time.

Then Sunday was wonderful because Matthew gave a talk in Sacrament and it was a wonderful tribute to Mothers and Zack sang with the Primary and after they sang all the children came down and gave their Moms kisses. Loved it! I could not have asked for a better weekend!

The Most Wonderful Mother!

"May each of us treasure this truth: One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one." (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign April 1998)

Happy Mothers Day to my beautiful Mom! She is beautiful on the inside and outside. She is the most charitable person I know and the love and support she gives me is never ending. Mom, I love and appreciate all that you have done for me and for the wonderful example you have been. I feel so blessed to be able to have a mother like you!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mothers out there!

"Zackisms"

We have something in our house that we refer to as "Zackisms", they are the funny sayings that Zack entertains us with everyday. I am so sad that I have not kept a notebook to fill with these sayings and unfortunately I have a horrible memory but as I remember them I now will just write them down. I believe that there is always at least one child that is sent to humor the family. Even though both my boys can be quite funny, Zack is definitely one that keeps us laughing with some of his observations and witty sayings.

Last night I picked up Zack from track practice and he was quick to tell me that he had been "pantsed", or I guess you could say "de-pants", otherwords his shorts were pulled down. He said that this kid on his team went around and "pantsed" about 10 of them right there in the middle of the football field. Boys, boys, boys! Now some kids might be mortified by this and some of them were. Zack and some of his friends already have plans to get this kid back. I asked Zack if it embarrassed him and he replied "No, it did not and that he actually enjoyed it. It felt refreshing!" It felt refreshing as he stood there with his shorts around his ankles?

Should I be concerned? Do I have a future streaker in our family????

Is That Joseph?

Matthew had the opportunity to portray Joseph Smith for another Wards lesson earlier this year. He memorized the first vision and the teacher wanted him to act as if he was Joseph Smith and this incredible thing had happened to him. Matthew being 14 years old and having a resemblance to the Prophet Joseph Smith really made quite the impact on the class. Just in Matthew practicing at home brought tears to my eyes to realize that Joseph Smith was at such a young age when he was searching for the right church and had the faith to kneel in the Sacred Grove and ask for guidance. It truly is amazing! It was quite the experience for Matthew to be able to portray the prophet and left an impact on him and a greater appreciation for Jospeh Smith. I know that we have heard the First Vision over and over but it definitely makes an impact everytime I read it!



He kind of looks like him, at least the Jospeh Smith actor from the old movie. I think the actors name was Stuart Petersen, he also played the boy in the movie "Where The Red Fern Grows". Just a bit of trivia there.

Gotta Love Sundays!

We enjoy having church early - getting up, getting ready and going straight to church to enjoy our meetings there. But when we get home we truly think of the Sabbath day as a day of rest. This is usually what you will find around our house on Sunday afternoons-

It is ridiculous! We can't take naps on any other day (even if we tried) but for some reason on Sunday when we get home from church and then have lunch we become zombies and drop right where we are and fall into a deep slumber. The boys didn't even realize I had taken their pictures! My goodness the kids are sleeping in their church clothes and Matthew didn't even loosen his tie.....I guess I am lucky they didn't keep on their suitcoats! Adam, unfortunately does not get to join us on our Sunday naps since he has been serving in the Young Adult Ward but luckily my calling that I have now does allow the time for our Sunday sleep fest. Gotta love Sundays!

Lions, Tigers and Snakes..Oh My!

Yesterday, being Saturday, was of course a wonderful track meet that I love going to. (Positive thinking changes attitude) Don't we look happy to be there-

It was actually a very pleasant day over in Calabasas and it was nice because Adam and I were able to go together to spend the day with Zack at track. Usually we are split between different activities going on so it made it much more enjoyable being together. Zack did really well and a deal I made with him at the begining of the season is if he improved on his time or on the distance he throws the shotput I would take him out for In-n-Out and he could get lunch and a shake which he loves. I know that using food for an incentive is not healthy but oh well, I never said that I was a perfect mother. Well he ended up improving on his time in the 100m and in the 200m so a vanilla shake is what he enjoyed!

As we started to travel towards home we found the 101 to be extrememly busy so we decided to take Box Canyon Road and the Santa Susana Pass back home. It had been a long time since I had traveled on these curvy roads but it brought back many memories. I use to take this road everyday when I worked in Woodland Hills so that I could bypass traffic and even had the fun of experiencing being in an accident on them. You would only catch me driving on them during the day, however, because ever since I have lived in Simi (30 years) there have been rumors that they are haunted. And you know, I do believe everything that I hear.



Well as we came down the pass we saw the old "Welcome to Simi Valley" sign and I just had to stop for a picture moment. No, the picture was not originally for my blog, but it was because when I was younger I have a picture of me standing by it and I thought it would be cool for Zack to have a picture like that. So I pulled off and told Zack to go stand by the sign. He gets to the sign and what does he find right at the spot that I tell him to stand? A rattlesnake! He luckily saw it before stepping on it and he just calmly calls Dad (knowing that Mom would be no help) to tell him that there is a snake there. Yikes! I hate snakes! But luckily it was more scared of us so he just slithered off, keeping an eye on us the whole time. Yuck!
So then we proceed to take the pictures and Adam tells me to get in one and I go over by the sign and there is a dead, gross mouse laying right where they had been standing. They hadn't even noticed it. We did take a picture of it but I will spare you having to look at it so I will not post it. Zack just wanted to show Matthew what he missed. Boys?! If snakes or dead rodents or anything else that is gross happens in a day, that is considered a good day at our house. So all in a all I guess you could say we had a great day!

Seminary Has Changed Our Lives

Matthew started seminary this year and to tell you the truth it has been wonderful! Yes, it is early morning so we are all up by 5:30am but let me just tell you the few reasons why I love it-

1. We now all get up at the same time as Adam so we are able to see him off to work.

2. We are able to read the scriptures together as a family before taking Matthew to seminary.

3. Zack gets up early also so he has time to practice the piano in the morning before going to school.

4. Matthew loves seminary and he is learning so much about the Old Testament......he teaches me something new everyday. He has an awesome teacher! He cannot imagine starting his day without it!

5. And because on Thursdays, Matthew doesn't start school 'till 9am so after seminary we have time to go out to breakfast. The boys and I have enjoyed trying different places from donut shops to restraunts to Corner Bakery. The latest place we love to go is Panera, they have wonderful bagels! I love having these moments with my boys, it is a great way to start the day. Today Zack informed me that "You know Mom, we will be doing this for another 7 years", and I said "Yippee!"