It's A 'Walden'ful Life!

Brothers Photo Shoot

2011-12-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

Well our intention was to have a family picture taken over Thanksgiving break for our Christmas cards this year. Unfortunately, Adam was so busy that week and with family visiting and going to San Diego for a couple of days we just could not get all together so I took the boys for a photo shoot. Now I find it very hard to pose 2 teenage boys without them looking gay and I also find it hard to keep them focused and not goofing off long enough to snap a picture. I swear they are harder to take pictures of now than when they were young! Matthew was the goofiest! Here are some picture from the shoot....

These were used for the card ---

And here were some of the out-takes (there were alot of these)
and these were not used for the card.....

They are goofs and they can drive me crazy but I love them and they do crack me up!!

Year Re-Cap

2011-12-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

I am having such a hard time starting blogging again and I think it is because I feel like I have to include all that has happened this past year. I just cannot do that----it is just too overwhelming! Lots has happened this last year and so I included a letter with our Christmas cards this year for those friends of ours that we do not see very often. It is a great recap of some of the things that have happened in our lives so I have decided to add it here to my blog and maybe I can get past the feeling of reviewing and just start blogging on our current day to day life. So here is a copy of the letter sent out this year----

Merry Christmas! We hope this greeting finds you and your families well and that the past year has been filled with happiness. This year has been a full one for us so we wanted to update you on our happenings:

Matthew (18) graduated from high school this past June. I can’t believe that we have a college student now! He finished his high school career strong by earning a 4.6 GPA and was one of the valedictorians in his class. He earned many awards and scholarships and is currently attending BYU on a full academic scholarship. We are so proud of him and glad that he has been awarded for all of his hard work. He loves every minute at BYU and is looking forward to serving a mission for the church this next year. We sure do miss him around here but we are so glad that he is having such wonderful and memorable experiences in Provo. He enjoys playing with his band KON (when he is home), reading, playing guitar, learning, takes an active interest in politics and loves to have a good time

Zack (14) is adjusting to being the only child at home and he absolutely loves having all of our attention focused on him. Ha ha This past June he culminated from Middle School and is currently a freshman in High School at our old alma mater Royal High. His life continues to be busy with starting early morning seminary, playing high school football and now he is currently on the wrestling team. He is gone from sun up ‘till sun down! He enjoys playing the drums, teaches himself songs on the piano, tries to find time for schoolwork and continues to work on achieving his Eagle Scout. He is such a good-natured kid and is really a pleasure to have around. We are trying to enjoy every moment we have with him home before he flies the coop like Matthew!

Adam has been kept busy still working for Los Angeles County Public Works. He has also added to his busy schedule when he was called to be Bishop of our Ward. Boy were we surprised! It keeps him with a full schedule but he feels blessed to be able to serve the Lord in this capacity. As for me, Pam, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful men! Adam is an amazing husband and father and the boys continue to bring us much joy and happiness. Life has been good for us this year with so many changes and milestones.

We were very fortunate this year to be able to take some great vacations and make memories as a family. On July 4th we were able to fly back East and enjoyed exploring Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC. We had such a great time and are proud to say that we were able to travel using all public transit except for one day that we rented a car. It was awesome! We had so many fun experiences and moments that we will never forget. Adam and I were also able to finally celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (which was actually in 2010) by going to Hawaii this last September. I was lucky enough to win the trip and some spending cash on the game show Let’s Make A Deal---so what’s better than a vacation but one that is free! We spent a relaxing week at the Turtle Bay Resort on North Shore and it was divine!

We hope and pray that all of you will enjoy a wonderful Christmas season and that your homes and families will have much joy in the coming year!

Time Flies

2011-09-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yep--it is really sad when you view your blog and realize that the last post was last year and your background says "Happy New Year!" SAD :( The really sad thing is that so much has happened in our lives since my last post but there is no way I can recap everything but I figure I will just add things from the past as I move forward. Life is definitely an adventure and this past year has been one of highs and lows and a year that will not be forgotten. Between graduations, new beginnings, great vacations, new callings, saying goodbye to a child and so much more----one thing is for sure---life is never dull! I am making my way back to the Blogging World!

Officially a Teenager

2010-11-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

My baby is officially a teenager! Zack turned 13 years old this month! Most people thought he was turning 14, even his Grandma, but he is a young one for his grade-- probably one of the youngest in 8th grade. At 5'8 1/4" tall he looks as though he should be 14! (I had to include the 1/4 inch because it is very important at this age)

Zack has changed so much this last year. He has grown taller, his voice has deepened, he has become maturer (believe it or not), he has quite the six-pack and I have got to admit I think he is a pretty cool kid. More important than all of that he is a good kid and he still loves his Mom! Zack had a party last year so we just celebrated his day as a family and as always he likes to get money- It is so hard to see them grow up but exciting to see who they become-----LOVE this kid!

SURPRISE!

2010-11-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Matthew turned 17 in October! I cannot believe how fast time flies----it seems like just yesterday I was planning his First Birthday Party! We figured this might be one of the last birthdays he spends here at home so we decided to throw him a surprise party. October is always such a busy month and there were really no weekends available but we fit a party in and I planned it rather quickly. We had to plan it on a weekend that Adam was away at some scout training thing but he did arrive home just an hour before the party so that was nice. Matthew's friends were awesome at getting the word out but there is always that fear in the back of your mind that know one will show up and you start thinking "Why am I doing this?" And to come to find out there were alot of other things going on that night so to say the least I was worried.......... But this is why I go through the stress-------- Matthew loves a party and I think that we actually surprised him!!

Sure do love that boy or I guess I should say young man----I sure am going to miss him next year when he is at college on his birthday!

Fright Fest

2010-11-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

When I was younger I used to love rollercoasters - the scarier the better - and I loved scary movies! I don't know why I enjoyed being frightened but I did and I still do a bit but I have noticed that the older I get the more of a whimp I become. You would think that being older and wiser I would realize that none of these scary monsters from movies, such as Michael Myers, are real but now they scare me even more!

We took the kids and some of their friends to Fright Fest at Magic Mountain this last October and Adam and I let the boys go off on their own and I thought Adam and I could just enjoy a night together strolling around the park watching others get scared. We didn't even pay extra to do the Haunted Houses---just walking through the park we came across many frightening characters. Adam had a blast seeing me get scared and screaming at the top of my lungs! Come on I know they were just people dressed up but they scared me soooo bad! There was this guy that was going around dragging a shovel and just that sound sent shivers down my spine. He creeped me out and he seemed to follow me all around and get right up to my face! In fact he even blew in my face------creepy! But by far the scariest were the clowns and we came upon a couple of them and the one came right up to me and I was screaming like a mad woman and grabbed Adam and ran away---little did I know he was right behind me and as I looked around I almost had a heart attack because there he was, staring at me, right over my shoulder! I hate clowns!
The boys had a blast and told me that if I was that scared walking aorund the park that there was no way that I could have handled the haunted mazes. By what they told me of them---there is NO way I would have survived! We had a great time even though I was freaked out most of the time but I am glad that I could give my husband so much entertainment :) And a little part of me still likes to be scared............

Adam enjoying the rides

Me going in for a kiss with a creepy hearst driver

And these were by far the creepiest and scariest guys I saw that night!! ;)

Disneyland for Free

2010-11-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. Our desktop computer had crashed a couple of months ago and so I did not have access to all of my pictures and I realized that without pictures I really hate to blog. I am trying to get use to this other computer and learning how to navigate it so hopefully I will get back into updating my blog. I have so much to catch up on but I will just take it day by day and hopefully I can get this year recorded here before the year ends----which is coming up really soon!

Back in September we were able to make it to Disneyland with the tickets we had earned for free by doing service. There is nothing better that a day at Disneyland except for a Day of Disney for FREE! We had ended up making blankets for babies back in January, which ended up being more work than I had expected, but it became all worth it when we saved over $300 in going to Disneyland and also of course the joy that we felt from doing service ;)

It has been quite a few years since we had been and we had an absolute blast! I think Matthew was the most excited out of all of us and he ran from ride to ride with about as much (if not more) excitement than he did when he was really young! It was too much fun! We pretty much got to go on and do everything that we wanted to do except that the park was having some technical problems so Space Mountain was closed down all day and other rides were closed periodically throughout the day. Disneyland was awesome though and they gave us complimentary tickets so that we can return another day! So we are looking forward to returning before Matthew leaves home next year. All in all it was a perfect day--- full of fun, laughter and family!

Here is a picture of our family from when we went in 2000

And here we are this year, 2010

(Sorry-Adam was really happy but the picture I have of him smiling he was practically cut out)

New Addition

2010-09-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to our family-

Unfortunately not a new baby or family member, which I would love to announce, but to Adam I guess it is his baby. Adam was searching long and hard for this new addition and finally he found the perfect one------

A Convertible 1969 Mustang

Quite the beauty, huh? I am sure I am not doing it justice since I am not listing the horsepower, V8 something or other, etc, but hey at least I know it is a Mustang! I feel bad because I really don't have a passion for cars, I have always just thought of them as a means to get from one place to another. That is probably why I have had some interesting cars in my life, including a Ford Fiesta that had to be started with a screwdriver. I am just not into the car thing....but Adam loves his classic car and I have got to admit it looks very nice. It cracks me up as we cruise around town and see men of all ages drop what they are doing to stare and drool as we drive by. People all over are giving Adam the wave of approval, even a man in a sweet new Porsche gave Adam a thumbs up as he drove by admiring the 'Stang. It absolutely cracks me up!

He didn't even think of it when he bought the car but he realized after that we have a 1996 convertible Mustang (from a mid-life crisis 10 yrs ago) and now we have a 1969 (from his current mid-life crisis)! '69---'96! Cool, huh?!? What is even funnier is that when I was in Utah he posted some pictures on Facebook of his new wheels and I had to crack up because he actually had posed the cars in the driveway! Oh my! Boys and their toys:)

People have told Adam that he is very lucky that he has a wife that would let him get the car. Lucky he is but not for the reason they say. Come on! He works hard, he has made a sweet life for us and personally I think he deserves to buy himself something nice (and quite affordable, I must say). It has been fun to see him excited about his new baby and as long as we get to enjoy it with him----- Great!

Seems Like An Eternity

2010-09-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

On July 14th Adam and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary. Wow! I cannot believe that we have now become one of those officially older married couples! Sometimes it still seems like we are the young newlyweds still trying to adjust to living with someone of the opposite sex! Some said that we would never make it (actually I hope no one thought that) but here we are together still and loving every minute of it-----okay maybe not every minute:)

Unfortunately Adam and I were not even together to celebrate our anniversary this year. In fact we were not even in the same state! Our anniversary amounted to wishing each other a happy anniversary over the phone as I sat in a car repair shop in Draper, Utah and he was at home with the boys. How sad is that! But we do what we have to do and we have our whole lives and eternity to celebrate.

I really didn't think it was possible to love Adam any more than I did on our wedding day but how quickly I realized how naive I was. My love grows for him every year and I feel so blessed that I was smart enough at such a young age to make this man my husband. In the 20 years there has been many ups and downs but I wouldn't change a thing. Thank You Sweetie!!

The First and Last

2010-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yep...I am back to blogging. I kind of took the summer off so now I have a backup of things to blog about but our summer things will just have to wait. School started last week and it was a bittersweet day for me. Bitter because the summer did not turn out how I wanted it to but it really was beyond my control. Don't get me wrong it was a good summer but it wasn't a GREAT summer. We made the best of it but it really did go by too fast. The sweet part of the day was that I like the beginning of things. The first day of school is the best! Everyone starts out with straight A's, backpacks, folders and lockers are organized, clothes and shoes are brand new, hair looks nice and newly cut, new goals are made, there are schedules to follow so much more gets done and everyone is excited about the new year. That quickly fades as the days go by, homework starts to pile on and the reality that summer is 9 long months away. So I enjoy the excitement of the first day while it lasts:)

This year will be a great year for us. Both of the boys are "big men on campus" this year! Zack is in 8th grade and Matthew is a Senior this year------I can't believe it! So even though it is the first day of school it is also the last "first" day that they will be going to that school---understand;) I have a feeling that it will be a whirlwind of a year but I hope to relish in every moment because it is Matthew's last year at home and the last one for Zack to have his older brother around. Things are changing...years are zooming by...hold on....life is a fast and bumpy ride with many thrills! Gotta enjoy it!

EFY 2010

2010-07-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

This year Matthew attended EFY at Brigham Young University in Provo. The last couple of years he has gone to EFY Santa Barbara and has loved it but I wanted him to experience it at BYU at least once. Him and his friend Trevor flew to Utah (which was a little bit more costly than travel to Santa Barbara) and the kicker is that I ended up being in Salt Lake the same week!?! Long story----another blog post. Anyways, Matthew had such a great time and thought that the BYU EFY was just as fun and more spiritual. Only complaint was that the food was not as good but I will take more spirituality over good cuisine anyday.

When your son comes home and thanks you for raising him in the gospel, gives a very spiritual family home evening lesson and is looking forward to attending BYU for college next year-----every penny spent for EFY was worth it:))

Love Notes

2010-05-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

When Zack was younger he would write us little notes all the time. Some were decorated with pictures and some were as simple as saying "I love you". Some told us that he was mad at us and others were simply drawn or written for us to just brighten our day. I loved the notes he gave me and I have tucked them away to save forever. Today while cleaning out their closet, well I was supervising them, I came across this little gem folded and tucked behind some boxes.........

Be still my heart

Hymns in the Home

2010-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

We have always had alot of music in our home and I love it! The kind of music has changed alot over the years and in the last few years the music heard from our house comes in the way of guitars and drums...the boys choice of instruments. We hear plenty of Weezer, Blink 182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. Mind you I like this kind of music also....the cleaned up versions at least. Most importantly I love that the boys love music and they are exploring many different instruments and they enjoy practicing them. Recently though a wonderful thing has happened!.........

We have a very inspired Bishop in our Ward that realized that it would be nice for the young men to practice their hymn playing for they will find this talent useful on their missions and in their life. He has called Matthew and Zack (and other YM) to be the Priesthood pianists at church. They don't have a piano to play on but they use the lovely church issued keyboard that they get from the library. It has been a long time since the boys have really sat down and practiced the piano besides when they figure out how to play a rock song on it. Because of a truly inspired Bishop my boys are excited at not only having a calling but also fulfilling it. On their own they are practicing the Church hymns (yes-I said on their own) and most importantly they are enjoying it!

This was my whole goal when we paid for piano lessons many years ago for them------I just wanted them to be able to play hymns. They are pretty rusty at the hymns but slowly they are coming along and with practicing I know that they will become better. So far it has been a blessing in their lives and I am so thankful for the opportunity that they have to serve this way. Almost every morning this is what I see and I could not be more happy:)

Good News/Bad News

2010-05-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Matthew was so wanting a job this summer and we were soooo wanting him to get a job. With him driving, he has depleted his money on gas and any extra money we might have! He went to a job fair about a month ago and filled out a few applications there and he was very happy to hear back from one of the places and they scheduled an interview with him. He dressed professional and took them a resume with a copy of his school transcripts (so cute!) and he was asked to come back for a second interview. Well finally after three interviews and a drug test, he was offered the job yesterday! Hallelujah! He will be the new cashier at the local Best Buy- He is so happy and also excited to be getting a paycheck (and so are we)! We have joked that now he will also get to see Dad more often because Adam is always at Best Buy doing retail therapy. So it is a win win!

Now with Good News always comes Bad News---Zack was fired yesterday from his trash can job

He has been taking out and taking in the trash cans for our neighbor for the last two years and they have been paying him for it but times are hard and they need to cut back so they let him go. I am hoping that he will just do it for them for free, just to be neighborly.....but we thought it was pretty funny that on the day that Matthew got hired--Zack got fired.

Mormon Prom

2010-05-05T11:10:00.001-07:00

Matthew had such a busy Saturday last week. He had the SAT test in the morning, which he felt very prepared for, but when he got there and tried to check in he realized he forgot his ID (what??) so I had to race over there to bring it to him and he made it in by just a couple of seconds. What am I going to do with that boy? Anyways, right after the test he had band practice all afternoon and had to do some studying for upcoming AP tests! It is a good thing that it only took him 30 minutes to get ready for the prom that night:)

It was Matthew's first prom and I thought he looked pretty sharp. I love a man in a suit! He had a really great time and I think he enjoyed the formal feel to the night. He actually enjoys getting all dressed up formally. I remember that from my nephew's wedding where he was ring bearer.....he loved going around in his little formal tux. So cute!

I loved seeing all the youth in the stake dressed up. They all looked wonderful (and modest)!

These boys have been friends for a long time, growing up in the same ward. So fun to see such cute little boys grow up to be such fine young men. I am glad that Matthew has such great friends!

Raising teenage boys can be crazy at times but it is fun to see them grow and mature and make memories (good memories) that they will have for a lifetime!

"Toy Story"

2010-05-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Zack reminded me the other day about this and I had forgotten this sweet memory. The movie "Toy Story" was such a big hit when the boys were young and I have got to admit it was one of my favorite movies at the time. We had every Toy Story toy that you could think of, in fact I believe I still have a storage box full of them! Why I still have them----I do not know?? Well when Zack was a just a little one, every time he would see a jet trail in the sky.............

.............we would tell him that it was Buzz Lightyear. So for many years to come everytime he saw that in the sky he would yell out "There's Buzz Lightyear!" It would make him smile everytime!

And since he reminded me of it the other day I have a feeling everytime he sees that trail in the sky he thinks of Buzz still:) Thinking that brings a smile to my lips:)

The "Man Cave"

2010-04-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness we have a 3 car garage because the third bay has become, what we call, the "Man Cave". It is Adam's own place where he loves to hang out and he can have all of the stuff he loves surrounding him. I snuck in and snapped a shot of him enjoying his time hanging in his cave. If you look at the picture closer you will discover 3 computer screens, 2 televisions, a desk, a printer, file cabinets, bikes, a weight bench and weights, barbells, boxes of wires and computer parts, a stress-relieving punching bag and the all important 2 litre of Diet Coke, etc. I think the only thing that is missing is a mini -fridge---- but the one that I gave him he has in his office at work! This doesn't even show the other part of the garage that is filled with all of his tools and saws and such. It is the one place where he can keep things how he wants them and he doesn't have me picking up after him or making him clean up. If we can't find Dad we know where to look!

Hmmmm....maybe I should think of making a room a "Woman Cave" or better yet a "Woman Retreat"?????

Safe Haven?

2010-04-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

There is something about feeling safe in your own home. I enjoy my home and I feel very safe from outside worldly influences. Wherever the day takes me it is always nice to come home to what I refer to as my 'safe haven'.

Until something from outside threatens your peace....until one of these creep (or slither) into your home!!

I have no problem with lizards...when they are outside! I have been noticing a lot more around (not inside) our home this spring and I enjoy watching them do their little push up thing when they are hanging out on the back wall of our yard....OUTSIDE! But the other day one of these creepy, scaly, miniature dinosaur looking creatures decided to surprise me in my laundry room and run across my feet to slither under the washing machine. Talk about FREAK out! I ran out of the room so fast, jumping and waving my hands...grabbing whatever poison I could find (Lysol?) and spraying all that I could under the machine, slamming the door and stuffing a towel under it so that it would be trapped in the room and hopefully die from the bacteria killing spray! To say the least laundry was on hold until the boys came home to take care of it. I even spent the majority of the day upstairs thinking that even if it did get out it would not be able to go up the stairs. Yeah right! I have seen them scale the backyard wall many times.

I could not believe how much it freaked me out having this lizard in my safe haven. I was creeped out even more than the time we had a mouse! It took me by surprise how much this bothered me. I could not function normally all day until I knew it was out. Well when the boys got home they were not much help but as I was talking on the phone Zack noticed it by the stairs......so much for the towel under the door keeping out....and the boys successfully removed it from the home. In the process though it lost a leg, its tail came off (which that always creeps me out because it wriggles around like a snake for many minutes) and it was in misery so they put it gently out of its torture. No problem here, that thing deserved what it got, it tortured me for hours!! OK that is a bit harsh but I was thrilled to have it gone and to feel safe once again in my home:)

Did I mention the lizard was practically a baby one? Probably a teenager, about 3 inches long with a long skinny tail. It didn't matter though...to me it seemed as big as an iguana! Ick!

Cousins

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

I grew up never really knowing my cousins. Sure we would visit them once in awhile but we didn't see each other enough to really become close. I am so happy that my kids get to experience the relationships that they have with their cousins. Me, being the youngest in the family, makes it where most of their cousins are much older than them. In fact on my side all of their cousins are married (Jeremy will be at the end of the month) and the majority of them have children of their own except for the ones that are pictured here with them. It has been so nice to have these 'older' cousins be such great examples for my boys and set such an example of righteous living. My boys admire them and think that they are all pretty awesome, which they are!
We had a visit from their 'younger' cousins over Spring Break, my brother's kids who are around the same age as them. Matthew and Whitney are less than a month apart and it has been fun watching them change and grow together. I could fill volumes of scrapbooks with all the pictures that we have of the both of them together! It is always a good time when we are all together! It seems like only yesterday that these 'younger' cousins along with my boys were the little kids in the family----now we have a group of teenagers! It is crazy! I sure love this group of kids---they are the BEST in my book:))

PJ's Easter

2010-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Easter was very different this year for two reasons
1. We stayed home for Easter with just our little family.
2. We stayed in our pajamas practically the whole day watching General Conference.

At first I thought that I would be miss being surrounded by alot of family and I would miss getting all dressed up in new clothes for church and therefore it would be a disappointing Easter. But we made the best out of it and actually ended up having a very relaxing, spiritual and fun Easter:) First of all, lounging in my comfortable pj's, listening to inspiring talks and being surrounded by my family.......come on---what could be better! Oh I know----eating Rice Krispy treats for breakfast:) Yeah we did, don't judge me...Easter is only celebrated once a year.
Now I thought that my boys were getting just a bit too old for an easter egg hunt, I would still fill their easter baskets but I thought an end had come to the traditional hunt. But when I asked them if they still wanted one of course the answer was yes! So not having plastic eggs on hand because I had thrown them out last year and I was not purchasing anymore....I came up with making up a puzzle for each of them and hiding the pieces all over the house and they had to find the pieces and put the puzzle together to see what they would be getting.

Every year in their basket they have gotten candy and for some reason I also gave them a new T-shirt of some sort in their basket, it has become a tradition, so this year the puzzle was a coupon good for one whole, new oufit....shirt and pants/shorts. I know it seems lame but they like it:)

After enjoying a wonderful conference and eating a delicious tri-tip dinner with all the fixin's we then enjoyed the night by playing our version of "Minute to Win It". Some stunts included emptying a tissue box in one minute with only using one hand, getting an oreo from your forehead and into your mouth without using your hands, ping pong fun, etc.

All in all, it is not who you spend Easter with or where you spend it or what you are wearing. Easter is a great day to remember how blessed we are to have such a loving Savior:))

"Thought"ful Weekend

2010-04-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday and I cannot help but have my thoughts on him today. This is a picture of his last birthday with us last year. My Mom threw a party for him and don't ask me about the hat.....my Dad will do anything for my Mom:)) What a great way to spend my weekend...enjoying conference talks and being spiritually uplifted, thinking about my wonderful father and how much he blessed my life and pondering on the Savior and the great gift of the atonement that he has given me. I am blessed:)

Christmas Recap

2010-02-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

I love the Christmas season and this Christmas was full of family, parties and baking! The boys and I made a quick trip up to Utah, when they got out of school, to visit family and also to pick up my Mom to come back with us for the holidays. We were excited to have her come out and spend Christmas with us! In Utah we gathered with family and I especially enjoyed playing with the new little additions!

They are so cute...I just love babies! These are my, I guess you would call them my Great Neice and Great Nephew! Whatever, all I know is that I am their Great Aunt and I think that they are just adorable! It is hard to believe that my Mom and Dad have 17 great grandchildren now! Wow! While in Utah we also visited my Dad's grave, the holidays are much different without him here.

He will forever be in our thoughts and our hearts. What an amazing man!

Then back home we traveled to spend the holidays with Mom at our home. We had such a great time having her here and were able to go and do alot. My sister and her husband also joined us on Christmas day. No better way to spend Christmas than to be with family:)

The boys were spoiled, again this year.Matthew with his new bass

Zack with his IPod Touch

After Christmas my brother and his family came for a day which was fun, for the cousins love being together. We went ice skating and they all enjoyed the time that they had with Grandma while she was here. Then Zack and I took my Mom back home to Utah and returned in the same day so that we would be back for New Years Eve. And we partied the New Year in with friends and hope that 2010 is a great year! It was a great holiday season!!

Mess!

2010-02-01T16:09:00.001-08:00

And this is why I have not scrapbook'ed for a long time! I am a very messy scrapbooker and I believe that I have lost any bit of creativity that I had ever had! My dining room table has looked like this for over a week now (except for the one night the missionaries came to dinner, then the mess was moved to the laundry room temporarily) and all that I am working on is scrapbooking our Alaska vacation that we took in 2008! I am happy to say that I am finally finished with it but I was hoping to get much more done than just that weeks worth of pictures. Oh well!! Note to self: In order to get caught up with my scrapbooking I must have a scrapbook room...that is all there is to it:)

Thanksgiving

2010-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

I have so much catch up to do but I will do what I can. We were able to go on an 8 day Mexican Cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday and it was wonderful! We missed being with extended family but it was a great way to spend Thanksgiving. Maybe next year we can get our extended family to come with us??

Sounds of Christmas

2009-12-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

One thing, out of the long list of things, that I love about Christmas, is the music. Christmas music is the best!! I have my car radio set on the Christmas station and I just sing along all day (my boys love it;) This year both Zack and Matthew performed their own Christmas music.

Zack had a concert at school and he is our own 'lil drummer boy. They sounded awesome!

Matthew and his group K.O.N. performed at the Ward Christmas Party and they did really well. We have video of it but I didn't post it because the video was not very good quality so here is a picture of the band with Santa.

I love Christmas time! It is the BEST!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Tree Trimming

2009-12-09T10:15:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time I had a dream that I would have the most perfect Christmas tree in my home with beautiful, shiny bulbs on it, all matching in color with beautiful ribbon wrapped all around. It would be my own personal Macy's tree and it would be stunning! Well our first few years of Christmases my tree was very color coordinated and it was lovely (unfortunately I do not have pictures) but since having kids my tree has taken on a different kind of look.

Now my tree is filled with ornaments of Pikachu, SpongeBob, Batman, Darth Vader and many other colorful characters.

It is filled with ornaments from all over the world, places we have traveled to, where we have vacationed and things that we have done. It is filled with ornaments of Baby's First Christmas, Our New Home and our first Christmas together.

It is filled with homemade ornaments that my boys have made us over the years, adorning pictures of them from the past.

Every time it is time to trim the tree a rush of memories and good times come back to us as we take each ornament out of the box. It is truly a walk down memory lane and brings us to laughter every time.

My tree might not be the perfect "Macy's" tree but it is one of love and memories of a family that loves one another. To me that is the most perfect tree ever!

Finally 12!

2009-11-12T18:52:00.001-08:00

My baby is 12! Wow! When I look at old pictures it really just seems like yesterday when my boys were small. I remember cuddling with Zack and his sweet chubby cheeks and roly-poly body. Now I hug him and he is a lean, rock hard, muscular young man! They change so much but he is still my sweet, kind, hard-working, considerate and loving kid! I am sure those are adjectives he would not want me to use to describe him but instead use words such as tough, strong, cool, handsome, awesome and studly (which he are these also). He will always be my baby though:) Just look at that face.....love it!

Zack celebrated his birthday by having a party and it got me thinking how different birthday parties are at this age. Gone are the days of the "theme" parties that took alot of creativity and prep time. I use to have so much fun planning those kind of parties and would start months earlier in planning and now we plan parties at the last minute! I fondly remember the Blues Clues party where all the kids were Blue searching after the clues to find a prize, each having their own Handy Dandy notebook and taking turns sitting in the 'thinking' chair. Come on...how cute are those hats that I made?
There was also the pirate party that was so much fun and the invitations were a treasure map. The kids had fun dressing up as a pirate and going on a treasure hunt, walking the plank and eating sailboat hot dogs. And look at that cake I made. Wow, what happened to that Mom from the past that actually took more than a day to make a cake!

Well those days are in the past. Now this is what we get - a bunch of friends coming over, playing ping-pong and pool, jamming on guitars and drums, jumping on the trampoline and eating, eating, eating! Pretty much just going wild but having a great time together! You gotta love boys....I wonder if next year I can talk one of them into a Spa birthday party??? I think not.

Halloween

2009-11-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well Halloween has come and gone and it is becoming the holiday that does not need much prep time. My boys were very easy this year when it came to dressing up and they figured out what they wanted to be on their own. I did not give them any of my creative ideas, not that they would have listened anyways. Zack decided on his own that he wanted to dress up as a nerd. OK, thats easy and then he went one step further and thought it would be 'cool' to be a beat up nerd. Yeah...thats cool!! lol I told him that he should prepare himself for people saying "Zack, why did you not dress up?" and of course their were some that did not disappoint but most people, to be funny, said instead "That's a great costume! You dressed up as your brother!" Ha Ha (Poor Matthew) It is a good thing that Matthew has a high self esteem and a good sense of humor!

And we are not sure what Matthew was suppose to be so we just called him "purple haired boy". That was his costume....he dyed his hair purple! What?? I think he was dressing up as one of the band members from Blink 182 but I am not sure on that. Oh well they both had a great Halloween and enjoyed themselves...Matthew going to Fright Fest at Magic Mountain and Zack trick or treating with friends. They might have not won any costume contests but they did have a great time!!

Fall is Here

2009-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Why is it that our house is the only one on our street that has leaves all over?? I think fall is here but it is only at our house! It could be because we didn't trim our trees thoroughly this last year and they are very full. Every time we clean up the leaves it only takes a matter of an hour or so before the yard and front walk are covered again. It is driving me crazy! I am waiting for the Santa Ana winds and hopefully they can blow them all down in one gust!

The other day I was out raking them up into piles and it made me think of a wonderful memory.........My parents lived in Page, Arizona for a few years. My Mom is not one to really love the desert scenery but she was fine living there as long as her home was complete with green grass and trees and not the rock yard with cactus. Well she got what she wanted because they had a big yard at their house and it was beautiful and green and had many trees and roses. In fact sitting in front of their house it was hard to imagine that you were in the middle of a desert! My Mom and Dad love having a clean yard but one time when the whole family was gathering up there--my Mom being the grandmother that she is---thought it would be fun to collect all the leaves for a week and rake them into big piles so that when the grandkids would get there they would have a blast playing in them. She was always thinking of little things like that. Something so simple but a sacrifice on their part, having to keep their yard full of leaves, gave hours of entertainment for the grandkids. Who knew they would have so much fun playing in them? Well she did---she is a kid at heart and always will be and that is why she knows how to have fun and also why my boys have so many great memories from the many moments with Grandma. What was really fun is that my brother's family arrived a little after we got there so the boys hid in the leaves and when their cousins arrived they jumped out and scared them....good times!!

Well, fall is here and the leaves will continue to fall...I have just come to the decision that it is part of our fall decor. There are still plenty to fall and add to the decor of our 'festive' home...

At least Zack still enjoys playing in them.........................

Mustang Matthew

2009-10-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well the day has arrived! Other parents look forward to it with anticipation but I have been dreading it....Matthew passed his driving test and he officially has his drivers license! Today was his first day driving to seminary and school ALONE....surprisingly a very emotional one for me. You think that I would be ecstatic, no more waking up at 6am to take him to seminary, no more carting him around to his many activities. But I am not ecstatic:( I know that I will still be waking up to see him off (we will see how long it lasts) to send him off to school with a prayer and a "I love you" , I enjoy our mornings together when it is just him and I. But I will miss the time that we have together in the car, learning about his day, hearing the latest news and laughing together...sometimes that is the only time we have to do that! My boy is growing up and this is such a huge leap into complete independence for him!

I was such a sap this morning. After saying a prayer this morning with him (it was especially long) and walking with him outside and giving him my last minute counsel and a step by step overview of his path today from home to seminary, seminary to school and then home again.....like he doesn't know the way or something! I gave him an extra long hug, yelled out an "I love you!" and watched him as he pulled out and continued to watch until he turned off of our street, acting as though I was saying goodbye forever...a tear rolled down my cheek. I miss him already! You better believe it that I will be saying alot of prayers today and I will have my cell phone on me at all times. It is really hard to let go and send them out there in the cruel world and to the cruel world of drivers, which some of them I refer to as 'idiots". Sometimes it is very hard being a parent.....

Rock-O-Lanterns

2009-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

One tradition that I never really did as a kid and one that I don't do with my boys is carving pumpkins at Halloween time. It has never appealed to me. The last time we did it, here at home, was when Matthew was 3 years old and Zack was not even born yet.

HALLOWEEN 1996

Zack has had the opportunity at school to carve a pumpkin so at least he has experienced it. But this year I decided I wanted to carve pumpkins and I wanted the boys to enjoy doing it with me. So I took them to the store to pick out their pumpkins, (Pumpkin patches charge too much for pumpkins so we hit Smart and Final), and they really helped by being excited to do it. Zack had more interest in it but Matthew went along with my whim just to please me.
So I purchased the pumpkin carving kit, complete with scary patterns to follow and I had already picked out some that would be cool. But little did I know that the boys had their own ideas for their pumpkins and they designed their own pattern. Whatever!!
We had a great time cleaning out the pumpkins, nice and slimy and scraping the sides. Matthew was not really into this part so Zack and I handled the pumpkin guts.
We even saved the seeds so that we could roast them later. (By the way....the roasted pumpkin seeds were delicious---YUM!) To say the least it was pretty fun and not too messy. The boys were excited at how they turned out:)
We did not end up with your typical jack-o-lanterns........Zack made his the symbol for the band Blink 182 and Matthew did the name of his band on his pumpkin. So that is why I have appropriately named them our Rock-O-Lanterns!

Studly Sixteen!

2009-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

My Sugar Lump

Since "Sweet Sixteen" doesn't quite fit for a boy I thought that "Studly Sixteen" would. Yep - Matthew has turned 16 and I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around it! It sometimes seems like yesterday when I turned 16. So many things change at this age...it feels like the beginning of the end of his time here at home. I can't even think about it because I really do get choked up but at the same time I look forward to his future because I think that he is capable of great things. Ok this isn't good, I am sitting here at the computer crying already. How is it that you can miss them before they even leave??
Matthew has always amazed me in so many ways and continues to amaze me. He is intelligent, talented, confident, stands up for what he believes in, has a strong testimony, he knows what he wants and he goes after it and he loves his family. Sure, he can be irritating sometimes but I guess that is how teenagers are...it could be worse. Matthew is a great son and I feel so blessed to be his Mom!
Here he is in his first car........from Little Tike to Mustang!

School Pictures

2009-10-01T18:13:00.001-07:00

This year I decided to be somewhat of a rebel and not order the boys school pictures. I hate spending too much money on a picture that I don't get to preview and are usually not the best picture of them. I think it is a rip! In years past we have paid for some really dorky pictures, no offense boys, I do believe that they are really handsome but some of the school pictures have been pretty funny! I have many examples, unfortunately, but I will only share one of each:

This one of Matthews we have named:

SURPRISE!!!

This one of Zack's we have named:

Hunchback of Notre Dame

This year I decided to take the boys to a studio to get their school portrait done so that I can pick the best shot. I mean I do have to have at least a 5x7 for my mantle! I took them to Picture People and got them done and I think that they turned out pretty good. And it was much cheaper! They will look nice on my mantle and the goofy ones they take at school will at least still be in their yearbooks...ha ha

7th grade

11th Grade

Another Birthday

2009-10-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last month I celebrated my birthday all month long! Thanks to my good friend Lori who suggested to not only celebrate your birthday on one day but to celebrate your birth month! She is brilliant! I loved the birthmonth idea, so much less pressure on your actual birth'day'! I had a great month with many cards, flowers, gifts and lunches........thanks for the idea Lori:)

Here is a picture of me and some of my friends at a birthday lunch that they had for me. I believe that some of the women had already left, so sorry that you did not make the picture but thanks for celebrating with me! I was really bad at getting thank you notes out this year but thanks to the many that made my 'month' special!

Kings of Narnia.....K.O.N.

2009-10-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Matthew's band. I wanted to add them to the post before but I was not able to. These are from their performance and from their "photo shoot". They crack me up! Don't ask me what is up with the Twilight book in some of the pictures....I do not understand it myself.

Where did September go?

2009-10-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it is already October! Where did September go? I love this time of year and I don't want it to go by so fast! It looks like I never blogged during September so I have alot of catching up......

Football season has began and Zack is enjoying playing for Patriots again this year. I believe he is enjoying it even more this year because he knows better what he is doing and also because so far his team is undefeated. Winning always makes for a great season!

Both Matthew and Zack are in bands and our house has become the place for their practices. People joke that must be the reason that 4 houses on our little culdesac are up for sale, the noise must be getting to them! I really don't think that it is a problem, we always tell our neighbors to let us know if it bothers them but so far no complaints. They practice in a upstairs room and you really can't hear them that loud downstairs or outside, they just have to keep the door and windows closed. Matthew plays the bass and is the singer in his band, "Kings of Narnia" and Zack plays the drums in his band. They both enjoy it and I am just so glad to see that the money spent on piano lessons have paid off. They both enjoy music!

Matthew's band was able to play in a talent show for EFY in our stake and they did a great job. They have "two gigs" coming up and are having a great time. They are even writing their own songs! I am so glad that they are having such a fun time with it and I am so glad that Matthew has such good friends. I could not ask for a better group of guys for him to be hanging out with:)

It will be a busy school year for the boys with a full load of classes, sports, their bands and social lives but it should be a great one. I am trying to enjoy every minute because I know that we only have a little bit longer with them in our home. Time has got to slow down!

First Day

2009-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

First day of school is here! Some parents are very happy for this day but I am kind of sad but I am sure I will get over it ;) Summer was short but we did get to the beach quite a bit and that always makes for a fun summer. We started the summer out with a beach trip and yesterday, the last day of summer, we ended with a beach trip. Good times!
Matthew is a junior this year (can't believe it) and Zack is in 7th grade. Time is flying by and I know I have only a few years left with them in my home. That is a sad reality-

Matthew has a very hard schedule this year and here he is ready to go to school this morning with all his books. Yikes!
Zack, as always, so excited to be starting school! Yeah...right!And what do you know! I come home from taking them and this is what I find. Someone forgot their lunch and I have no idea which one of them forgot it so someone is going without a lunch today! It is going to be a looooong year!

Summer of Dad

2009-08-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well the summer is over and the school year begins! Summer seems to go by faster every year. This summer was a very different one and I will always think of it as the "Summer of Dad". We did not go on any vacations this summer but spent any chance we had to be in Utah with my parents. I was able to spend the majority of the summer by my Dad's bedside, reading to him, laughing with him, crying with him and always learning from him. I always knew that it would be hard to lose a parent and believe me it is. I miss him so much! He was my first love, my protector and provider, my teacher, my #1 fan, my safe place, my hero and I never doubted his love for me. He will be missed but I know that we will be together again and I am thankful for that knowledge. Knowing that helps comfort me and our family in our sorrow. 'Till we meet again - Love You Dad!

In Loving Memory of E. Taylor Petersen

2009-08-02T02:08:00.000-07:00

April 3, 1935 - July 30, 2009

Weekend in Utah

2009-06-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

Memorial weekend the boys and I were able to go visit my parents in Utah and spend some quality time with my Dad. His battle with cancer continues and boy what a rollercoaster ride it is! Cancer stinks! He is having a hard time right now so we want to make sure to make it up there alot to help out where we can and to spend as much time as we can with him...hopefully brightening up his day. He is such a courageous man and even in this trial he is a man of strength and an example to us. What can I say, he amazes me and is always my hero!

We enjoyed some special moments with the family and really cherish the time that we spend with them. To our surprise my brother and his family were visiting also so it was great to have the cousins spend time together also. All in all, it was a great weekend and we are looking forward to going up again after school is out. The boys were absolutely awesome and it is really fun taking road trips with them. We have a great time in the car and pretty soon Matthew can help out with the driving part, which will be nice.

It was funny because while we were there we got my Mom's doll collection out. It has been packed away in the garage. She has always loved dolls and has been collecting all different kinds of dolls for years. It is really funny because dolls actually kind of creep me out, I can't sleep in a room that has a lot of dolls in it. I know it is weird but I think it is because she always surrounded me with dolls when I was a little girl and at night I would swear I would see their mouths moving...you know kind of like the Chuckie movies or actually more like that Twilight Zone episode with "talking Tina". Anyways, we all had a fun time looking through Mom's dolls, even the boys had a good laugh looking at them. Here are some of their favorites:

Motherhood is Wonderful

2009-05-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent me a book for mothers day that was filled with beautiful artwork and quotes about motherhood. As I sat down and read through it, tears sprang from eyes, not from sadness but from the joy that I have experienced as a daughter and as a mother. I feel so extremely blessed! Motherhood is truly a divine responsibility and an "awesome" job to have! I feel so blessed to have the mother that I have, that has been such an amazing example for me and has been such a support to me my whole life. I also feel so blessed that Heavenly Father entrusted us with raising our two sons, who I sit back in awe as I look at them and am amazed by who they are! Motherhood is wonderful and my greatest blessing here on earth!

"You never get over being a child, as long as you have a mother to go to." -Sarah Orne Jewell

"Children and mothers never truly part - Bound in the beating of each other's heart." - Charlotte Gray
"It is a wonderful seasoning of all enjoyments to think of those we love." - Jean Baptiste Moliere

Father/Son Time

2009-05-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

This past month Adam and Zack have been able to spend alot of father/son time together. Making preicous memories that they will always remember. I think that child/Dad memories are some of the best! Mom memories are made everyday with just (but equally important and special) the normal, routine stuff but with Dad, since they are at work most of the time, the memories always were usually special events or moments that you remember. This last month was a cluster of great moments for Zack and Adam!

First, Adam accompanied Zack's 6th grade class on a field trip to the Anacapa Islands. They had alot of fun on the boat with the dolphins swimming alongside and once at the islands they enjoyed hiking and the tidepools. Fun day!

Second, Adam's work has a "Bring your son to work day". Every year Matthew and Zack have gone but this year Matthew did not attend and it was just a day for Zack and Dad. Adam had a great time taking Zack to the dam and letting him actually release some water from it. Zack loved it and was amazed by the force of the water. Very cool! They look so cute in their hard hats :) So of course now Zack talks about being an Engineer like his Dad!

Third - Zack and Adam attended Scout Camporee together for the first time. I can't believe I have another Boy Scout to start on his road to Eagle! We just finished up with Matthew. But Zack has alot of enthusiasm for it so hopefully, like Matthew, he will be self-motivated and it won't take alot of nagging from Mom to earn his Eagle.

What a fun month for the two of them! I love having a son who loves hanging with his Dad and I love a Dad who is such a fine man and loves being with his sons! Precious moments :)

Enjoying the Sunshine

2009-04-24T06:15:00.001-07:00

I don't complain about the weather much because we do live in CA and most of the time the weather is perfect but I wish that it was a bit warmer for Spring Break. I pictured us spending much of our week at the beach, basking in the sun and enjoying the waves. But that was not the case, it was too cold, not freezing but definitely not beach weather. The boys and I did go on Thursday when it seemed it was getting nicer but the beach was cold and windy so we only got to enjoy skipping rocks and them flying their boogie boards like kites. Sand blowing everywhere!
Well on Friday the weather started to improve so we took advantage of it, with Adam having the day off, and went to spend the day in Santa Barbara. It was beautiful! Last time when my sister and I were out there, eating on the pier, we noticed people kayacking in the harbor and under the pier so I wanted to do this. It was great! We had a great time kayacking! Zack had never done it before but he caught on real fast and was able to go solo. Only me, who wasn't too sure of my kayaking skills, rode tandem with Adam. Plus it was nice because if I just wanted to take in my surroundings and watch the seals and pelicans, I could just sit back and let Adam do the rowing! Perfect day, perfect weather, wonderful family time!

Also while we were walking along the beach our attention was called by a lady and her mother who had a flat tire and they needed to get to LA. So , of course, Adam who is always willing to help jumped right in and changed her tire for her. It was a good learning experience for the boys because I don't think that either one of them has changed a tire before. I know in the picture it looks like they were not helping at all but Adam did have them do much of it. So it was a good learning experience and the damsels in distress were very thankful:)

Test Master

2009-04-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Matthew! He recieved an award at school the other day for having the highest score on the Star Testing out of the whole Freshman class last year! He tied with another boy so they both got awards. He was absolutely shocked when they called his name! He was given the award at an assembly and given a $25 gift card for his hard work. He was so happy and of course he told me that "I do it all for you Mom!" Love that kid!

Four Eyes

2009-04-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

I took the boys for the first time ever to the Optomerist this last week to get their eyes checked. Neither one of them have ever complained about not being able to see and they always passed the eye chart exam given at their physicals so I never saw the need. But last time I went in to update my glasses the doctor said I should bring them in. And I thought with Matthew beginning to drive I better make sure he has really good vision! Why not, our insurance pays for it.

Well, Matthew has perfect vision. I was sitting really close to the eye chart with my contacts in and I couldn't even see the lines of letters that he was reading. Whatever! But Zack does have a stigmatism so the doctor said that he would need glasses for things such as reading or use them when he is far from the white board at school, etc. To say the least, Zack was not too excited. But it is not like he needs to wear them all the time so I bet that most people will never see him in his glasses. So since you won't being seeing him I thought I would post a picture of him with them on. I love them! I think he looks so cute and so smart! Like he said if anyone makes fun of him and calls him Four Eyes he will just respond by saying "Four eyes are better than two!"

Driving Me Crazy!

2009-04-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, maybe even last year, I remember saying that I could not wait 'till Matthew could drive! I thought how nice it will be not to be his chaffeur everywhere and I could also use him to run to the store for me and such. Well now I think differently...I really can wait!

Matthew got his driver's learning permit today, he finished his driver course and passed the test at the DMV. He needs to only have one session with his driver training and then he can start driving with us in the car. Yikes!! I have got to admit, it scares me to death! To be in the car with him driving, having no control whatsoever, our lives will be in his hands! OK...that might seem a little dramatic but come on! That is scary! It is not that I don't trust Matthew, he is a responsible kid. But he is a teenager, a teenage boy! With no driving experience at all! I hope we can survive these next 6 months. If he is anything like I was at his age, he will be asking me all the time if he can drive. I would like to say that it will be Adam's responsibility but who are we fooling..I am the one home with him all the time. It will be me in that passenger seat, white as a ghost, one hand gripping the door and the other hand on the emergency brake! Pray for me and better yet, pray for the neighborhood children!

Easter

2009-04-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

We were able to make it to Utah for Easter Sunday and spend it with my Mom and Dad. We were not able to leave until Saturday because unfortunately we have been battling sickness in our home and we were giving more time to Zack to get better so that he would not get anybody else sick. We got the OK from the doctor and we did a quick trip up on Saturday, spent Easter Sunday with family and came back home on Monday because Adam had to work on Tuesday. It really was a quick trip but it really was worth it to spend time with family. It was great to see my parents, as always. My Dad was not feeling that great because he has been really nauseous and has been losing weight so the cancer is still doing a number on him. We are hoping the doctors will know more this week about what may be causing this latest battle for him. It was so good to see him though and I only wish that I lived closer to him so that I could be of more help on a daily basis but at least they are only 6 1/2 hours away. Since we have been married that is the closest that we have lived to them!

We were also able to spend some time with my sister and many of our neices and nephews and their kids. It was great seeing them and all their kids are so cute! It is fun to see my parents with their great grandkids because I never knew my great grandparents so what a treat to see that they know theirs and get to see them often. I think that is wonderful! My Mom had a Easter egg hunt for the great grandkids and so Matthew and Zack got to hide the eggs this year. The Easter bunny visited them also with a box of goodies from their grandparents and a basket full of stuff when we got home. There is way too much candy around our house. When do kids get too old to get an Easter basket?

Natalie

Janna

Vienna

Great Grandpa and Kamden

I think that I must take too many pictures because I cannot get them to pose seriously anymore-

My 3 handsome boys on Easter Morning

All in all it was a great Easter! Now we have a week for Spring Break without much to do. That's a first!

My Dad

2009-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well Friday was my Dad's Birthday and he turned 74 years old. We did not think that he would make it to his birthday but he did and he is doing well. It has been a rough year but along with it came much learning and opportunities for our testimonies to grow and to become closer as a family. He is the best father that anyone could ask for and I feel so blessed to be able to call him "Dad". A couple of years ago he gave all of us kids a book of his life history that he wrote and had made into a nice hardcovered book. What a treasure to have and I appreciate the many years it took for him to complete it. It is the best book I have read this year and I learned many things that I did not know about him and I am even more amazed! He served in the Air Force for 20 years and then worked for the Church Education System as an insitute teacher and director. Through his teaching he has touched many peoples lives! He is truly a man that I would love for my boys to grow up to be like and I am somewhat amazed at many of the same qualities that Adam and him share. I guess I was looking for someone like my dear Dad:) I hope that we have many more years with him here on earth. What a wonderful patriarch he is for our whole family and such an example for all of us to follow. I am definitely a "Daddy's Girl" and I could not be more proud!

Sisterly Love

2009-04-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like having a sister! And fortunate for me, I have 3 of them! My sister Mimi called and told me that she wanted to come up and spend Friday with me because we had not been able to get together for awhile and of course I told her I would drop everything and we can take off for the day. She arrived on Thursday and was able to spend some time with the boys since they love their Auntie Mimi. She has watched them many times for us, once for 10 days when they were young and we went to Hawaii! She is pretty awesome that way:)

We really did not have a plan so we just hopped in the car and took off. When we usually get together we go to Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farm or something else fun but since she is still healing from breaking her foot we thought that probably was not a great idea. So we ended up just driving up the coast towards Santa Barbara and seriously just enjoying the day without a plan! We did some shopping, some hiking, hung out at the beach, walked the pier and ate at a restraunt there. Seafood Cobb Salad was delicious! Best part is ---- the non-stop talking! We just chatted and laughed the whole day long! It was wonderful! I love hanging with my sister and I look forward to the next time. Sister time is the best!!

This is her with her kids and grandkids minus one son who was on a mission at the time

100% Attendance----Not!

2009-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Matthew is the child that will not miss school for anything. I knew that kids like that existed but I was definitely not one of them! If I was having a bad hair day I would miss school, so I just don't understand the need to go to school EVERYday! But to Matthew it is very important and mind you he does bring home straight A's so that might be the trick that I never grasped. He can be sick as a dog, tired beyond tired, have a chance to go somewhere cool or to leave on vacation early and he will not hear of it-----he cannot miss school or seminary! Now mind you last year we booked a cruise that had him miss the first 3 days of school and you would have thought that we destroyed his life! But he agreed to it and had the time of his life but did kindly ask that we never do that again. How dare we have him miss school! It just cracks me up! I have to admire him though because I just was not that way and my grades showed that. Just for those who think that I really had bad grades, I did not, but I didn't have straight A's. But enough of sharing too personal of stuff about me.

So Matthew, besides missing the first 3 days of school, has not missed anymore days this school year and he has not missed one day of seminary. In fact he really wanted to get 100% attendance for seminary this year. He has been sick but he still kept going. For the last week and a half he has been battling a bad case of strep throat but he kept going to seminary, to school and to volleyball practice. He just would not give up! But today he got something that would keep him from going, he couldn't even think about going. He has the stomach flu and woke up throwing up! That put a quick stop to his plans for the day. There goes his perfect attendance in seminary and his goal for not missing anymore school this year! That is the one thing that will do it. Not much you can do when your stomach is upset and I don't think the people around him would be too happy to have him there. So Matthew is home today and hopefully just the one day

so that he can return tomorrow. I think he needs the day just to let his body recover from being sick for the last 2 weeks so it will be good for him to rest anyways. It is so funny though because here he is at home laying on our well covered couch so that he gets no germs on it and he is sleeping off and on and watching the history channel. So even though he is home sick he is still learning. He is so different from me but I love him!! Hope he feels back to normal soon!

"Everything Changed Today Mom"

2009-03-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Those were the words that Zack said to me when I picked him up at school today. Oh great...what happened? What now? As my mind is racing wondering what he means by that, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out something that has been attached to him for the last two years-

His Lucky Bracelet!!

It has finally broken and I can't say that I am broken up about it! You see he got this from his 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Wilder. She gave one to all of her students before the State testing for good luck and he has never taken it off! All the other students took theirs off after the testing was done, some even before the testing started. Not Zack, he has kept his on for over 2 years! It has become a part of him. He wore it always! Just a sample of some of the pictures of it on in the last two years. Every picture we have of him has the bracelet in it!

Track

Beach

Football

Junior Olympics

Christmas

Aspen Grove - Vacation

As you can see from the last two pictures, he has a thing for bracelets! Not only does he have the lucky bracelet on but he has the family camp bracelet from Aspen Grove on. He would keep those on until they finally fell apart. Such a funny kid! But now his wrists are bare and I am sure he feels somewhat naked without something there. And then after the bracelet fell apart today at school and came off, he ended up getting his finger on that hand jammed during basketball. Maybe the bracelet was lucky??

Volleyball Season Has Begun!

2009-03-19T10:23:00.001-07:00

Royal Volleyball has started and I was actually looking forward to the season to begin. Out of all the sports the boys play, I think that I enjoy watching volleyball the most. For one thing the games only last an hour and that is a bonus and also it takes place in a nice gym. So it can be raining, windy, cold or blazing hot and it doesn't matter because we are inside. The games are very enjoyable and so far there has already been some real nail biters but Royal has come out of them victorious! We are looking forward to a great season:) Go Royal!

TP Explosion!

2009-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everybody knows how Adam hates TP'ing! He can't stand it! He says it is mean and a form of vandalism (or something like that)! Now I think that it is funny that the weekend he is gone for work, we wake up to this on Sunday morning.

Whoever did it (actually we know who it is) is so lucky that Adam was not home because he would have been ticked! Now I on the other hand have done alot of tp'ing in my day. It was a weekly activity and I never saw a problem with it. In fact, the people we tp'd should have been flattered because we never tp'd someone we didn't like. In fact most of the time it was someone we really liked, if you get my drift. Which now, being older and wiser, thinks how stupid is that! I like you so I am going to make a mess in the front of your house that you have to clean up the next day and better yet I am going to do it anonymously! That really is pretty silly when you think about it.

So we spent Sunday morning before church cleaning up the mess left for us. Our trees were absolutely covered but thank goodness Zack is half monkey because he scaled the trees and helped get it all out. If there is anything I hate it is a strip of toilet paper hanging in a tree flapping in the wind for weeks on end. Talk about white trash...literally!

Fragrant Front Door

2009-03-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

This last week our garage door has really been coming apart. The spring broke and the screws have been dropping out. Luckily for us, I live with a very handyman and he has been able to fix it so for now we do not need to get a new one. But we realized how many times we open the garage doors in a day...no wonder they are falling apart! I don't think that we ever use our front door. Now of course when our cars are parked in the garage we have to open them but I don't think that the boys even know we have a front door. Everytime they leave the house or come back in they use the garage doors. Play basketball out front......open the garage doors, take out the trash...go out the garage doors, go get the paper....open the garage doors, it really is ridiculous! So now we have introduced the boys to the front door and we are all going to try to use the garage doors less so that they might last us a little longer. So first we need to get them keys to the house instead of using the code for the garage door to let themselves in. It actually has been an eye opening change. I am now finding flyers that are put on the door the day that they are put on, finding packages that have been delivered on the day that they have been delivered and it has made me take notice of my planters in the front that I have been neglecting. But one huge plus from using the front door is the wonderful aroma! I find myself lingering at the doorway just so I can take in the nice smelling fragrance. What makes our front door smell so well? It is the wonderful jasmine that we have on our side gate! It smells divine! So if you want to smell the wonderful smell of spring just come and linger at our front door!

Spring Fever

2009-03-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

I think that Adam has spring fever! He has been taking well deserved vacation days lately. A couple days off one week and one day the next week, it has been wonderful! It has almost been like mini vacations for the both of us without all the hassle but just enjoying being at home and hanging out together. We have taken advantage of the beautiful weather we have had and the beautiful green hills surrounding Simi by go hiking. There is nothing like the green hills, flowers blooming and sun shining to want to be outside. The pictures just do not do it justice but the hills do look wonderful right now.

Besides going hiking we enjoyed everyday by playing raquetball, playing tennis, going out to lunch, going to the movies and shopping. It really has been wonderful! I can't wait 'till Adam retires, if this is what it will be like.

Clean Phone

2009-03-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

+
=

Frustration

(2 times this last year)

Yeah...that's right! I have washed 2 phones this last year (actually in the last 6 months) and both of them have been ruined. And better yet, they were not my phone! One was Matthew's and this last one was Zack's! I am an idiot! Now, if they had put their clothes in their hamper and their phone was in their pockets still, then it would be their fault but no, I took their clothes from out of their sports bag or from a pile on the floor and I did not bother to check the pockets. I mean, who leaves stuff in their pockets...I don't!

I have always been bad at checking all the pockets of the clothes I wash...isn't that the responsibility of the clothes wearers?!? I have made it very clear to all in the house that when they put their clothes in the hamper that it is their responsibility to clear out the pockets. They have been very good at doing this...of course when they were small I did wash a few crayons and some chapsticks but they are now older and have been doing this well. Matthew does do his own wash now also but I have picked up doing some of his now that he is a bit busier with Volleyball season. I just cannot believe that I washed another phone so soon. I took all the proper steps of airing it out, taking out the battery and getting it really dry before trying it out...but both of them are ruined. It makes me so mad!!

So we have come to the conclusion that Mom will not be doing anymore wash.....yeah right, I wish that was the conclusion! No, the boys now know that they need to take their phones out of their pockets immediately when they get home because they have to watch out for Mom swooping in to throw their pants into the washer at all times! Hopefully, this plan will work because we cannot afford to destroy anymore phones!

Straight as an Arrow

2009-03-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

It is official! No more Cub Scouts for the Walden family....Boy Scouts here we come. Actually Zack turned 11 back in November but we didn't have any pack meetings over the holidays so this last Friday Zack was finally awarded his Webelos and his Arrow of Light. Yeah!! We are so proud of his accomplishment and so appreciative of the cub scout leaders he had that helped him along the way. I can't say that I am sad to say goodbye to Cub Scouts but I really can't wait 'till we are done with Boy Scouts! Is that bad to say? Congratulations Zachary!

Much Better Birthday

2009-03-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Adam usually spends his birthday skiing up at Mountain High because you get to ski free on your birthday. He always looks forward to it. Well he hasn't it done it in a few years because 4 years ago I got a call to meet him at the Emergency Room because he was headed there with a busted shoulder. He had a bad fall skiing and it ended up that he had ripped all the tendons in his shoulder. Ouch!! To say the least, he was in alot of pain for many weeks and actually still has pain in it from time to time. The shoulder will never be the same. So here is what he looked like last time he went skiing on his birthday, this was taken the day after the accident. Not looking so good, I believe he was pretty drugged up at the time.

So when he told me that he was going to go skiing this year on his birthday, I was a little concerned. Not only was he going skiing but he was going night skiing after a long day at work! I told him that he better take it easy and reminded him of how much he hated being injured. Well, I am happy to report that he made it home safely and I received no phone calls from the Emergency Room. He had a great time and it felt good for him to get back on skiis. In this picture he looks much better and he was able to enjoy his birthday so much more:)

Loving Everyday

2009-02-23T10:53:00.001-08:00

These last few months have been definitely a rollercoaster of emotions for my Dad and my whole family. We did not think that he would make it past New Years, at least that is what the doctor had told us back in September. We went to Utah every month, spent many hours visiting, spent the holidays together and many moments making precious memories and spent as much time with my Dad as we could thinking that we only had but just a few moments left with him. I am so happy to report that he is still with us and he is doing great! He had his complete tests last week and the Oncologist was happy to tell him that his cancer has shrunk and he does not need to have any Chemotherapy at this time. We are all so happy! His strength is coming back and he was even able to teach a Gospel Doctrine class which to him meant everything because he has missed being able to teach and serve at church. We feel so blessed to have more time with him here on earth. It has really been a learning experience for me and I have realized that I must always make a great effort to nurture those family relationships because we don't always know when we will lose someone. It is important to live each day to its fullest and to always appreciate all the blessings that we have everyday. I am so thankful for everyday that my Dad is here. It is truly a blessing!!

Happy Birthday Adam!

2009-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Adam's birthday is today and he is turning 42. Yikes! I don't know if I am suppose to put that but oh well I did. Actually, I think that 42 is pretty young, it is the new 20, right? Well I think that he has alot to be proud of for the short 42 years he has lived on this earth.

He is a great son (not to me but to his parents)

The Love of my Life

A Scholar....So smart and intelligent and forever a Trojan!

I know. I should have a picture of him in his cap and gown on Graduation Day but it is a long story. Let's just say that there are no pictures from that day and it is my fault. Ok? I was sick with the flu and pregnant and I lost the camera. I will forever feel bad :(

A Wonderful Father!

The boys call him "Cowboy Dad" in this picture. His mustache is just a little too long and bushy.

A Hard Worker

Yes - he is the Master of Civil Engineering. That just cracks us up:)

A man who honors his Priesthood and I am always amazed at his dedication to his callings in the church.
I feel so blessed to call him my husband. I think that he is awesome! Happy Birthday Adam!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

We have had an ongoing tradition that on Valentines Day we give the boys a candy bar "love note" poster. I wait 'till they are asleep and then I put it in their room so that when they wake up Valentines Day they are pleasantly surprised. OK..they are not really surprised because I have been doing it since they had teeth but at least they act surprised. I think that they would be really bummed if I forgot one year. I take a picture of them every year with their "love note" and it is funny to see how they have changed! So Happy Valentines Day to our "BIG HUNKS"! You bring us so much Almond"JOY"! You are worth more than a"100 GRAND" to us! (You get the idea)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Fabulous Fridays

2009-02-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

Adam and I are routine type of people. I know that I work much better when I have a schedule, a regular routine. Such as, mop floors on Thursdays, vaccuum on Tuesdays, grocery shopping on Wednesday, etc. Yes I know that those all have to do with cleaning the house but those are just for example, I have a schedule (routine) for everything. Do I allow for change? Yes, of course, but I do like to stick to my routine. Now why do I call Fridays Fabulous? Because on my schedule, Fridays are Adam Fridays. Adam works a 4 day work week. It is rough during the week because we don't see much of him. He leaves at 6am and he does not get home 'till 8pm many nights. He thinks that I like that but of course I wish he was home more it is just that I have gotten used to it. I have had to get used to it. But the nice thing about a 4 day work week is that he does have Fridays off....every Friday. So to say the least this is our day! I try not to schedule anything on this day. I leave it open so that we can spend some time during the day together while the boys are at school. I love it!

We have gotten into a routine on Fridays and so far it works for us and I even look forward to it. Now it is nothing exciting but it works for us. Our FriDAYs go something like this: Friday morning I do go to the gym to work out and after my Power Step class, Adam usually meets me there and we play some racquetball (it is my new sport, fun!) then we go to El Pollo Loco for lunch and order our regular (it is not on the menu but are own creation and we love it)! Then we sit for probably about two hours, eating our meal, sipping on Diet Coke, laughing, talking and planning. It is our time to talk about things that we want to do, that we need to do, plan our activities, synchronize our calendars and plan for the future. I know that it does not sound exciting and you may ask why we dont' eat anywhere else. But we look forward to Fridays, El Pollo has become our place (and remember it can't be too nice because we are in our gym clothes) and I probably would not enjoy this with just anybody but I do enjoy it with my best friend! That is why I call Fridays Fabulous! We will probably switch it up sometime or make changes to the routine but for the last few months this has worked for us and I could not be more happy!! What is too cute is that we have noticed another regular couple at our place (El Pollo Loco) on Fridays, It is our old doctor and his wife and they are just too cute. They don't do much talking but they come with a newspaper and sit together and enjoy reading it while they eat their meal. It is darling! Last week someone was sitting in "our" spot so we had to take another booth but when they walked in we realized that it was their spot that we were sitting in so we graciously got up so that they could sit there. They are adorable! So now you know where to find us on a Friday afternoon. You can stop by and visit but don't stay long because it is "our" time : )

3 Reasons I Love February

2009-02-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

#1 Reason
VALENTINES DAY
Ok I really do not like this holiday, I think that it is kind of silly. Many times this day causes alot of stress but sometimes it was the best day ever. I remember as a girl, hoping that you would get alot of candy grams at school so that you would look so cool. Many times, if not all the time, I fell short of looking so cool:( Then when I was working in an office it was the hopes of getting a big bouquet of flowers delivered to my desk, hopefully bigger than anybody elses but many times I fell short here also. I think many times this day would stress Adam out because he was so worried that whatever he did, it would not be enough and I would be disappointed. Luckily I have figured out that it is stupid to have one day where we show our love to our loved ones. Adam shows his love to me everyday. So now I enjoy the holiday and I don't get caught up in the gift part of it. Hey the day always involves candy and I do get flowers, so what more do you need? But this is a special day for us though because it is the anniversary of the day that Adam proposed to me. Yes, he did propose on Valentines Day and this year marks 19 years since that day when I was so smart and said "Yes!" So for that reason.....it is one of the reasons why I love February!

Reason #2
ADAM'S BIRTHDAY
Adam celebrates his birthday on the 19th! Not only do I love his birthday because it is a day that we celebrate Adam but also because he is 7 months older than me and it is the first day of me reminding him that he is older than me! I don't know...it makes me feel good (at least until September).

Reason #3

PIE

Every February and October, Marie Callender's have all their pies for only $6.99! Yum! So during these months we will usually have a pie party where everybody brings their favorite Marie Callender Pie and we all share and overload on pie! We have had this tradition for quite awhile. Friends, Pie and Fun! Again, what more can you ask for?

February is a great month!!

I Am Such a Wimp!

2009-02-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

I have realized this week that I do not make a very good sick

person. I always thought that I never let sickness get me down and that you drug up and carry on as normal but whatever I have had this week...drugs were just not enough.

These two items have been my best friends this last couple of days and I am ready to break up our relationship we have going. I have been pretty much knocked out unconscious all day but at night I seem to not be able to sleep. When your healthy you completely forget how being sick feels. Well now I remember...being sick stinks!! It took everything I had in me to take a shower the other day and as soon as I finished I needed a nap. This bug has zapped whatever strength I have. I do consider myself lucky that I have older kids that can fend for themselves and they have been wonderful. I take them to school, come home and collapse and then pick them up from school and then inform them that Mom will be upstairs in her bedroom, make yourself some dinner. They are very self sufficient and I appreciate the work that they have been doing around the house to make up for my leave of absence. I forgot how I did sickness when they were young and were fully dependent on me. At least now my job of Mother allows for sick days! Adam has kept his distance from me...something to do with germs or something. He has resigned to sleeping on the futon in the office downstairs because I have pretty much infected our bedroom upstairs. He actually has been missing in action all week! He says he has been busy but I think that he is trying to avoid the "sick" house. Anyways, enough of my complaining....I feel myself starting to mend, I hope. I am going to try to make it to the doctor today to make sure it is not strep. One thing about being sick though is that it makes you realize how blessed you are when you are healthy and feeling good! Well this took about all the strength that I have so I need to go take a nap....just kidding. I think that today I will actually try to get some stuff done around the house. Usually my "list to do" is full but right now my goals for today is to take a shower, do the dishes and see the doctor. Whoooo...what an exhausting day! Ha!

Best Mother Ever

2009-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Today is my Mom's 71st Birthday and I want to wish her a very happy birthday. She deserves it! She always went out of her way to make my birthdays nice. Even when I did not want anything done she would arrange a surprise party for me and always make me feel special on my day. Love her! She is the best Mom ever!
Some random things about my Mom:
1. She is so much fun to be around
2. She is a wonderful friend...to everyone
3. She loves water. She took us to the beach all the time!
4. She enjoys the outdoors and is always on the go.
5. Growing up she named a hill after herself, Norma Jean hill, and she would always take us and friends to slide down it with cardboard, or fly airplanes or just to play.
6. She makes the best homemade frosting! Yum!
7. Charity is her middle name (not for reals) but she would help anybody, anytime.
8. She LOVES learning about everything.
9. She owned her own business when I was young and it was very successful.
10. She had to drop out of high school because she married young and had a child young but she went back and got her GED and eventually became a licensed Respiratory Therapist.
11. She sews beautifully. Sewed many of our clothes growing up.
12. She loved having people over to our house and entertaining.
13. She is the best cook. Taught by my Dad and also self taught because she didn't learn it growing up.
14. Always kept a clean home.
15. Has a strong testimony of the gospel.
16. She is a wonderful teacher.
17. She always likes trying new things. I think that she has done it all.
18. She has a sense of fashion and loves clothes, shoes and LOVES accessories!
19. She loves playing games. Whenever we go up to visit we play chinese checkers, scrabble, catch phrase or family feud. She always has a prize for the winner. The kids love it (OK and so do I).
20. She is the best Mother that anyone could ask for and I feel so blessed that she is mine!

I realized I could go on all day talking about her but I don't have the time. I know that these are not the top 20 things about her but they are just what I came up with for now. She is truly a beautiful person, inside and out. Happy Birthday Mom!

Sick Child

2009-01-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

I don't like having a sick child! I felt really bad today because Zack told me in Sacrament meeting that he wasn't feeling well but I really didn't believe him. I had to go to another ward in another building so I had to leave the kids alone at church. I told Zack I could drop him off home if he really wasn't feeling well but told him that I thought he was OK to stay and that he would be fine. Well, by the time I picked them up after church, Zack had a fever and he was really weak. I am a horrible mother! He came home and has just laid on the couch all day. I can always tell when Zack is not feeling well because he refuses to eat, which in my world is very abnormal, and he also gets really talkative. It is too funny! Ever since he was a little boy he has had this need to talk alot when he is sick. You would think that he wouldn't talk much because I know when I am sick I do not want to talk and I do not want to be talked to. But when he is awake he justs gabs away, sometimes not making much sense and other times just saying the funniest things. Its a crack up! I hope he feels better tomorrow after a good nights rest. But in the meanwhile I will enjoy his nonstop talking:)

Love that Goal

2009-01-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

Matthew had a youth activity last night at the church. As part of the activity they made goals for the new year (or personal committments). Matthew showed me his goals when he got home and all three of them were really good. But the one that jumped off the page and made me smile and my heart melt was the third one. It read "Be nice to My Mom". Love it! That is my favorite goal and one that I hope he achieves! Actually I can't complain too much because Matthew is pretty good to me and tells me everyday that he loves me but he does have his moments so I am glad that it means enough to him to make it a goal to be nicer to me.

I LOVE THAT BOY!!!

Little Prayers Heard

2009-01-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

I have always been taught that you can pray for anything, at anytime, and anywhere. I want to instill this in my children also. There are so many incidences and experiences that we have had that they have seen the power of prayer. It has helped their testimony of prayer grow stronger and it continues to make mine increase. I know that no matter what I am praying for, no matter how small or how big, Heavenly Father is listening and this is what I want my boys to know as they go through this life. We had another experience last week that reinforces this teaching, at least I think it does.

Ever since we came home from Utah at Thanksgiving time, Matthew had not been able to find his Ipod. He looked everywhere but to his disappointment he was never able to locate it. He said that he looked everywhere but sometimes I am a witness at how he looks for something and it is not always the most thorough. So I just figured that his Ipod was here, he just wasn't looking very well or I thought that maybe he left it up in Utah. When we went up to Utah for New Years we looked for it but no one had seen it and we didn't find it. Bummer! So when we got home, Adam got involved in the searching. Adam and Matthew started going through every cupboard and closet looking for it, pulling everything out. Of course, I am the first one to blame because I am the one who cleans up after everybody so it must have been Mom who stashed it somewhere. Like I always tell all of them, if they would put their own stuff away they wouldn't have to worry about Mom touching it. Right? Anyways, I hadn't remembered touching it, so I was no help. Well, I told Matthew that he needed to pray about it. I know it might seem silly to pray for a missing Ipod but I have found many things by praying for help....keys, wallet, etc. I don't know if he actually prayed about it but I know I did because this lost item was causing contention in our home. No sooner had I prayed for help, that for some strange reason I decided to clean my closet out. My closet is my messy area and it is always in need of a good cleaning. Mind you I started cleaning it and not with the intention that I was looking for his Ipod because I knew I would not put it in my closet, I just knew that it was the beginning of the year and it was time to organize everything. So I start cleaning the closet out. Now I have a pile of purses and bags that I have to sort through, which is funny in itself because I never carry a purse but I have a bunch of them. So I am hanging them up and for some reason I pick up my "Time Out for Women" bag and for whatever reason, I still do not know, I open the outside pocket. And what do I find there? Matthew's Ipod! What is it doing there? Amazed, relief, and happiness are some of the emotions I experience but also the feeling of dread because I did have it all along! Crud! But then we figure out that I had that bag on our trip to Utah and Matthew must have put it in there for some reason and we both forgot. However it got there, I was so excited to show Matthew and to say the least he was very happy! Once again my prayers were answered and I am so happy that Heavenly Father listens to us no matter how silly the prayer is:) Now if we could only find Adam's Tom-Tom....I will have to ask him if he has prayed for help????

55 Years!

2009-01-16T15:51:00.001-08:00

Today my parents are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. This picture, I believe, was taken when they were dating but I think that they got married soon after. There story is very interesting and it is surprising that they are still together after all these years. My Mom was working at a malt shop in Salt Lake City when my Dad walked in and took a liking to what he saw. They were both really young but they started dating. After a couple of years of dating they decided on a whim to get married. My mom was only 15, just a couple weeks shy of being 16, and my Dad was 18. They eloped to Ely, Nevada on January 16, 1954. My Mom was LDS and my Dad was not, and because of her age and the fact that he was not LDS my grandparents were very upset. I mean come on, could you imagine! So they tried to get the marriage annulled but the judge took my parents aside and asked them if they were really in love and wanted to stay married and they knew that they were meant to be together and the rest is history.......My Dad early on in their marriage became a member of the church and both of them are true examples of being faithful members.

They have lived quite a full life. They have lived all over including France, Boston, Hawaii, etc.

They have done so much, have seen so much, have experienced so much and have given so much to those around them. They have 6 kids (one died at childbirth), 14 grandkids and 13 great grand kids and 3 more on the way this year. My Mom had all of her kids by the time she was 29, that was when I was born. She was a grandmother when she was 36. Isn't that crazy?!? I feel so blessed to have them for my parents. I could not ask for any better. Love you Mom and Dad...Happy Anniversary!!

The Girls from the Ward

2009-01-12T07:07:00.001-08:00

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such awesome women! The girls from my ward at church are some of the best:) Between church, service, baby showers and activities, I probably see these women more on a regular basis than anybody else besides my own family. I admire all of them so much and they are all such examples to me. We are all different ages in different stages of our lives but we sure know how to have a fun time and I consider them all to be my friends. Some come and some go but along the way every single one of them has blessed my life. I feel so fortunate to call them my friend. Of course there are so many more of them than are in the pictures but I hope they know who they are. I am so lucky! Thanks for the good times and the laughter!!

I look forward to many more fun times:)

Boys did Good!

2009-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas the boys did not go out with Adam to get me a gift as they usually do. This year they went shopping together, without Dad, to pick out a gift for me. Since neither one of them drives they needed my help to get them to the store. They asked me if they could be dropped off at Home Goods and I had to promise not to follow them in or look at what they come out with. Me, loving surprises, agreed that I would not dare peek. They know me so well and know that they really couldn't go wrong in a store such as Home Goods. I was very curious at what they would pick out for me without the help of their father but I knew that even if it was a wooden spoon, I would be thrilled!

Well, Christmas morning arrives and they are so anxious to give me my gift from them, that they make me open it first. As I opened it I was thinking to myself "please don't be too hideous" because I knew that it was something that I would have to have sitting out in my house and pretend to enjoy. But then I realized that it could be anything and it would be beautiful to me because it came from my precious boys. Well, my boys did good. They bought me this beautiful dish that I love and it is my favorite color. They do know what I like!

But what really amazed me is that they didn't just get the dish, they also got a bag of Lindor Truffles. They know I love chocolate and they thought that I could put them out on my new beautiful serving dish. I loved it! They definitely picked this gift out just for me and I appreciate the thought that they put into it. I felt so loved! It is a gift that I will cherish forever and everytime I look at it I will remember their thoughtfulness.

Utah Again!

2009-01-05T13:58:00.001-08:00

The boys and I decided to go to Utah this last weekend before school starts to see my parents. It might be awhile before we can see them because of school so we wanted to spend some time with them because they will not be able to travel out here for awhile. As always it was wonderful spending time with them. My Dad is still pretty weak from his cancer treatment but he is hanging in there. What a pain cancer is! It is nice to see that they are surrounded by great friends and it is a comfort to know that my sister is up there living with them right now to help them out. I am so glad that we are not very far away but I do not like the drive but at least it is only 6 1/2 hours. But this time we found a new place to sightsee but we did not get to stop at it this time but we plan on it next time. So just in case you are traveling on I-15 anytime soon be sure to visit the gas station (you can't miss it-there is only one) between Baker and Stateline because they had a huge sign advertising to (words were scrolling) CHECK OUT OUR NEW WATERFALL URINALS. Yeah, you know it, we are going to have to definitely check those out next time....or at least the boys will. We have already seen the Worlds Largest Thermometer. ha ha The desert is a strange place!

Love Christmas Cards!

2009-01-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Every year at Christmas I look so forward to receiving cards from our friends and our relatives and it is such a bonus when they have a picture included. I love seeing how their kids are growing up and I do love when they have an update on what they have been up to for the year. I look forward going to the mailbox everyday in December anxiously awaiting to see who we get a card from:) I always display the cards on our pantry door because this is the family area where we spend most of our time (not the pantry but the adjoining family room- ha ha). The first weeks of December we had only one Christmas card hanging on the door and it looked so pitiful hanging there all alone but then all of sudden the cards started to come, 3 or 4 everyday. So fun catching up with old friends and new friends! Thanks for the cards, we love them!

Goodbye 2008

2009-01-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

I love starting a new year and looking back on the old year and think about all that happened that year. It is always amazing to me all that does happen in one year and then I look with excitement (and apprehension) to the new year to see what it brings us. There are always surprises, good and bad but all in all I cannot complain, 2008 was a good year and I look forward to 2009.

We wanted to start the New Year with friends so we threw together an impromptu party and luckily some friends were able to come and they made the night so fun. We played games, ate junk food and laughed 'till my sides hurt. These are pictures from the game that we played, it is called Curses. Very fun and wacky game, I won't even begin to explain the game but lets just say the game makes you do weird things (wrists glued to your forehead, can't bend arms, etc) as you can see in the pictures-

Actually these pictures below are not even from the game they are just being goofy! And yes, that is a chocolate kiss on the end of Kim's nose!:)

Then at midnight we sipped our Martinelli's, made some noise, popped some bubblewrap (thanks for the idea Rachel) and played another game. All in all it was a great night and I could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year!

Christmas Fun

2008-12-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

What a great week this has been. We had such a wonderful Christmas! Just a quick summary of all our festivities-

The boys went to Auntie Ronna's for a cousin get-together that she has every year. She has them over to make birthday cakes for Jesus so they remember the true reason for the season and they also had fun playing hide and seek outside.

Then on Christmas Eve day we joined Adam at work for a holiday party which is actually kind of lame but we enjoy seeing everyone in the office and enjoy being at work with Dad. Every year the boys get their picture with Santa at the party but the line was way too long and we wanted to flee the party so Adam had them just stand off to the side and catch Santa in the background...it was pretty funny!

See...there's Santa in the background! ha haThe boys with Adam in his office

After the work party that ended at 11am we went and enjoyed lunch at the Olive Garden. The soup was absolutely delicious. It was great on such a cold, wet day. Then we went home and got some last minute stuff done before the Christmas Eve festivities began. Adam's family all came over for Christmas Eve (which was the first time we have hosted it) and I loved it! We ate yummy food, we had a program focusing on the birth of Christ, we opened gifts and played games. It was wonderful! After everyone left, the kids were put to bed and Adam and I were up very late wrapping gifts, making up cinnamon rolls for breakfast and getting things ready for Christmas morning.
The boys actually didn't get up 'till 8am. It was great! They are wearing the pajamas that their Grammie gave them on Christmas Eve. She gives them pajamas every year...it is a tradition. Zack wore the Santa hat because his hair was sticking up and he knew that I would be taking alot of pictures.

All of us were delighted with the gifts that we received. Some of the top favorites were: Zack got a cell phone and bongo drums, Matthew got a new phone and a mixer/speaker/microphone system, Adam got a new laptop and Pam was so surprised with a new sewing machine and really surprised with a new Nikon camera with an extra lens. Love it! We were all spoiled this year but most of all me and the boys were...thanks Adam-we love you! We enjoyed the rainy Christmas day just hanging out and playing with all of our new stuff. It was truly a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Busyness

2008-12-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

No matter how much you think that you are ready for Christmas, and you think that you have everything done early so that you can relax over the holidays, you fool yourself because you seem to be busier than ever. I really thought that I was on top of things this year and for the most part, I was, but I seemed to fill any spare time up with what I call Christmas 'busy'ness. Time just fills up with shopping, baking, filling out Christmas cards, post office, cleaning, wrapping and shopping again. I can't complain because I have fit in time for plenty of fun, lunches and movies with friends and hanging with my family and let's face it, isn't that what Christmas is all about:) It has been a packed month so far but I wouldn't have it any other way, I do consider myself kind of a party girl so it is great that a month is set aside to do just that.

We did get to go to Zack's first band concert at school this last week. He is playing percussion and so far is enjoying it. They actually sounded pretty good for their first year. He even played a solo at the concert on the xylophone. He played "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay and he did a great job. I was so proud of him.

(Once again, Zack with a serious pose)

This last week has also been a very cold one here in CA. I am sure that it is alot colder other places but for us here it was freezing!! Which I really don't mind because it is a nice change but I am glad that it only lasts for a little bit here. We even had snow on our Simi hills....love it!! I do need to mention how grateful I am though, that I get to park in the garage especially on cold mornings when I am taking Matthew to seminary. I would see Adam's car (which is parked in the driveway) and it would be frozen over and it looked so cold. I think the doors even stuck a bit when he tried to open them. And yet I could just climb into my warmer car, still cold but warmer, and back out of the garage without even having to defrost the windows. I am so thankful for the garage and that I have the privilege of parking in it. Thank you Adam!
But also in this colder weather I love to have hot chocolate. A couple of years ago I had purchased this hot water thermos at Walmart for cheap and it was one of the best purchases I have made. I fill it with hot water in the morning and it keeps it hot practically all day long. So whenever you are wanting hot chocolate in my house, just go to the counter and you will find the cocoa, marshamallows and hot water waiting for you and without too much effort, voila, you have your hot cocoa. Love it!!

Christmas Parties

2008-12-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

This last week the Christmas festivities have begun! Last Thursday night we had our Ward's RS Christmas Progressive Dinner. It was such a great time, chatting it up and laughing with the girls all night. My cheeks and my stomach muscles hurt from laughing too much! The RS put together a nice meal for us and a nice slide show and all in all it was a great night. Good food, good entertainment and great friends! Who could ask for more? (Sorry no pictures, I forgot my camera:(

Then last Friday night we had our Ward Christmas Party. The primary kids put on the nativity scene and Zack was able to play Joseph, which will probably be his last time playing it for Primary because he moves up to YM's next year. I remember many times being in the Nativity. I believe I always played an angel (or an animal), I never got to be Mary. Whats up with that? Anyways the nativity was quite enjoyable, really not in a spiritual way but an entertaining way. Can we just say that it was WWF meets the Christmas Story? It was enjoyed by all, at least our table:) Then Santa came and of course I had to get pictures of my boys with Santa, even though they are saying they are too old, as long as they live in my house a picture with Santa is a must. The Christmas season is the best!!

Zack as Joseph

Matthew and Zack with Santa

Blast from the past
Me as an angel and my brother as a shepherd

What were you thinking?

2008-12-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

My Dad loves knights, the kind in suits of armor. In fact, he has a cool suit of armor that stands about 5 feet tall. Well to go along with his knight collection he has started to collect swords and he ended up having alot of them. I do not understand the fascination with knives, swords and such. In fact everytime we go to the Oaks mall, Adam and the boys love to go to the knife store. Whatever! I have been going to that mall for years and I never even knew it was there. Boys and their weapons?!? Anyways, when we went up for Thanksgiving my Dad tells the boys that he would love to have them pick out one of his swords that they could have but he needed to get our permission first. So me being the silly and non-thinking Mom that I am, I said "Sure, you can have one of PaTa's swords." I was thinking that it will be special to them because it is from their Grandpa but it will not be just sitting in their room so that they can "play" with it just anytime. In fact, I will be in charge of it. All I need is sword fights going on with "real" swords. I believe that someone would end up missing a limb.

Then not only did my Dad give the boys each a sword but he ended up giving Adam a sword also. What? I am the only girl in our house and now he has armed all the males in the house with sharp swords? I think that I am the one who needs a weapon. Thanks Dad!

Pet Peeve

2008-12-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have come to realize that I have a lot of pet peeves but this is one that really bugs me and I just happened to catch it on film. I don't know if this happens in your house but it always happens in ours. I can't stand going into the refrigerator or pantry and pulling out something that is empty or basically gone. Finding a milk carton with not even a swig of milk in it, left in the fridge, drives me crazy! Are they really just too lazy to throw the milk carton away or what? The worse is when I look in the pantry and see that there are still Lucky Charms left that I can have for breakfast and I reach for the box and find that there are only a few crumbs left at the bottom. Urghh! I won't mention names but someone (Matthew, Zack and Adam) never finish anything completely off and then throw it away. I find cereal boxes, cracker boxes, milk cartons, etc, with barely anything left in them. Just finish it off already and throw the box or carton away! Is that really too much to ask? Yeah it drives me crazy.

GUILTY

Come on! You can't just eat the rest of that!

All Important Christmas List

2008-12-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know that my boys are getting older but I still require them to make a Christmas wish list or what was formerly called their letter to Santa. They know that if they do not write out a list that they take the chance of getting nothing for Christmas or better yet, socks and underwear. Now I have been saving these lists for years and they have become priceless. (Of course I made copies because the originals were sent to Santa;) It is interesting reading the lists through the years and to see how they have changed. Gone are the days of asking and wishing for toys...simple toys. Toys that were fun to shop for and that did not cost very much and yet would bring the biggest smile to their faces. Gone are the days of waiting in line at Toys R Us the day after Thanksgiving walking out with a cart full of toys and not breaking the bank to do so. One of my favorite years was when Matthew had on his list: weapons and vending machine. That is when I realized that times were changing and also that I was dwelling in a definite "boy" house....I think that Adam asked for the same things that year:)
I love also the differences in Zacks and Matthews lists. Matthews are scrawled out on a piece of paper, barely legible, with many crossed out words and messy. Zacks are written very neatly in cursive writing, very legible, adorned with his artwork of Christmas symbols and the word "please" written on the bottom. Gotta love it!
Now their lists are full of very expensive items and ones that are not fun to shop for. In fact I pretty much let Adam take care of the shopping now. He knows this stuff better than me. I do miss the days of the many toys and them having alot of presents to open on Christmas morning instead of now only having maybe one or two because of the cost of each item. I still hope that whatever they may get that I will still see that joy in their face on Christmas morning. I know that Christmas is not all about gifts but I do get that excitement of seeing my kids excited as they open their gifts. It brings joy to my heart!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

2008-12-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

I love the Christmas season! But then again who doesn't:) Finally, the house is starting to look like Christmas and smell like it too, with goodies baking and candles burning. No tree smell because our tree is fake (and I love it) but I will be picking up a real wreath at Costco so the smell will be here. We haven't put the ornaments on the tree yet but I kind of like it plain because by the time we put all the different ornaments on, it looks kind of messy. No uniform, pretty tree for me. The tree will be filled with homemade, special meaning, kids picked out and vacation spot ornaments. None of the ornaments match but they all have special meaning even the really goofy ones. It is like going through a memory box when we start hanging them. Good times, good times.....I love Christmas!

So much to be thankful for......

2008-12-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was the best!! We were able to go to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with all of my family...all 46 of us now and soon to be 49 with 3 babies being born this next year. It is amazing how it keeps on growing. It was great to see everyone and spend time catching up with one another. My Dad is doing amazing and it looks as though we will have him longer than the 6 months that they gave him to live. His cancer has shrunk and we have definitely witnessed the power of prayer and fasting. We are thankful for every extra day we have him here on earth:)

We had Thanksgiving dinner at a beautiful lodge in Zion's, (courtesy of my parents), that was absolutely delicious! That night we all got together down at the clubhouse in their neighborhood and were able to enjoy dessert and games. All in all the weekend was great. We enjoyed football, bowling, golfing, movies and most importantly spending time with one another. I sure do love my family and feel so blessed to be a part of it. There are too many pictures to post so I am only posting a few-

Look alike cousins

Driving Range

All the return missionaries in the family singing "Called to Serve"

Cousins

Cool bowling shoes----flourescent!

The boys with their grandparents

Our little family

Thanksgiving dinner

Huge table and this wasn't even all of us!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

I am always thinking of new traditions that we can do, whether we do them or not is another story, so this year and hopefully every year after, we are going to start writing down what we are thankful for. Every year we have to say what we are thankful for around the dinner table on Thanksgiving but I thought it would be nice to actually write a list and save them from year to year. So for FHE we each sat down and did this and I loved it so I hope this is a tradition I keep up with. I believe that these lists will be priceless when the boys are older, I only wish I would have started it when they were younger:( But I think they have quite a few "I am thankful for" lists from school assignments to look back upon.

It thrills me when I have the family do something new and someone chimes in "This is great! I like doing this!" Thank you Zack for being so enthusiastic. I wish that I could share the lists that the boys came up with because they really are wonderful and they are not just a list of the things that you would expect, they really took the time and put some thought into it. But I better not because they are private so I will just keep them in our "Thankful" folder.
We do have so much to be thankful for and our family has been very blessed this last year. We are also so blessed by the people we get to call family or friend. Thank you for all that you do for us and we hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Close Call

2008-11-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Today I was finishing up the Christmas gifts for my family that I will be taking to them on Thanksgiving. Yeah! It will be so nice not having to send any packages in the mail. I hate the post office...especially during the holiday season. Anyways, I was finishing framing something and I needed to cut the backing for it so I pulled out the handy Exacto knife. Well it was a little harder than I thought to cut it and while I was struggling and putting all my strength into it, all of a sudden the blade snapped off and flew right toward my eye! I did not even have time to blink!

DISASTER!

Could have been a disaster but I am so thankful that it was not. The blade barely missed my eyeball (I actually do not know how it did) and I am guessing it bounced off of my lower eyelid. However it happened, I am so thankful for my eyes and the fact that one of them does not have a blade stuck in it. Maybe next time I use an Exacto knife I will have to wear goggles:)

Oh...How they Forget

2008-11-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

So this week I am helping out at the Book Fair at Zack's school. Now since both boys are out of elementary school and there are no more things as Room Moms, once in awhile I volunteer to help out with PTA stuff. You know I am nice that way....ha! I actually like helping out at the school and getting to know the teachers, staff and other parents but now there are not many opportunities to do that so when I get chance I usually will say "Yes".

Well Matthew seeing me helping this week at Zack's school chimes in and asks "Why did you never help out when I was Zack's age?", "You help out with Zack's classes so much more than you did with mine!" WHAT???? EXCUSE ME? How quickly he forgets the many times that I was his Room Mom in elementary school. The many days I spent running centers in his classroom. The many field trips that I attended with him. The many school events that I helped organize and run. How quickly they forget:( Will he ever remember the many hours I volunteered at his schools? I have numerous Volunteer Awards and certificates to prove it (Yes, I have kept them as proof).

Will he ever remember?

I hope so.

Sending them off with a Prayer

2008-11-12T09:35:00.001-08:00

In this day and age I cannot imagine sending my kids to school without a prayer. I am so thankful for our morning family prayers to start the day off on a good foundation. Unfortunately we say it together at different times because of Matthew's early morning seminary schedule. I luck out though because I get two prayers, one with Matthew and then one with Zack. Now mind you many of these prayers have been said in the car on the way to school, probably not the most appropriate way. But when we are in a hurry, I would rather say it in the car than not say it at all. These moments are priceless to me and they also give me comfort that my boys will be watched over. Not only that they will be kept safe but also that they can withstand the temptations around them. It makes me sick to think what they are bombarded with on a daily basis; the smut, the language, the crudeness. It breaks my heart:( Many times I think, "why do I send them out into this cruel world?" I want to keep them young and naive. But we cannot shield them from everything and it kills me as a mother, who wants to keep them under my wings.

Many times after sending them off to school with a prayer I find somedays that I feel like they need extra prayers said on their behalf and I find myself praying continuously throughout the day. Those are the days that I am so happy when I pick them up from school and find them doing well. Maybe I am just a worry wart but I am so thankful for the comforting power of prayer and the strength it can give us and our youth in these latter (scary) days.

Zack turns 11

2008-11-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

Zack's birthday is today and he is finally turning 11. Yeah!! I remember the day clearly that Zack came into our family, actually I remember the day that we found out I was pregnant with him. It was very exciting because he was an answer to our prayers. We had been trying to have a baby since Matthew was born because we were looking forward to having more kids and I was wanting to have 6 all together. Well when nothing happened, we went to the doctors and they could not understand why we were not getting pregnant. I was getting very discouraged but we just kept praying that we would be able to have at least one more child so that Matthew would not grow up as an only child. Well our prayers were answered when we found out that I was pregnant in February 1997. On November 10, 1997 our miracle was born. Zack is truly an answer to our prayers!

Zack has been such a blessing to our family. He is so full of fun and he is our family comedian. He is such a good kid with such a good heart. He is smart, funny, artistic, creative, athletic, daring, kind, loving, talented, etc. We just think he is wonderful!!

We love you Zack! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Men in RS?

2008-11-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, Adam loves his calling in the Young Adult Ward. A part of his calling is that he oversees the Relief Society and therefore he gets to attend RS every week and can I tell you - he loves it! I mean, how could you not like it? I have walked past the door of a Priesthood lesson being given and notice half of the guys sleeping with the teacher sitting on the table in the front (sometimes half asleep himself). Now I am not trying to be rude and I am sure that the Priesthood lessons are very inspiring but lets admit it, men and women do things very differently and that goes for giving lessons also.

Well this last Sunday Adam had the opportunity to teach Relief Society, something I thought I would never see in this lifetime. I had to attend! He did such a wonderful job and he came very prepared and even wrote on the chalkboard. He came with a tablecloth, statue and flower arrangement (all color coordinated) to put on the front table. Ok - he did have a little help from me on this. But he also made up a handout for everyone and he did that all on his own. Now it didn't have scalloped edges and it wasn't laminated and made into a magnet but the thought that he made one was pretty cool. I thought he did a fabulous job and I was so proud of him! (I was going to sneak a picture of him teaching with his nicely made up table and all but I forgot to bring the camera so you will just have to imagine)

New Favorite Hymn

2008-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

What an incredible Sacrament meeting today! The spirit was so strong and the testimonies born were enlightening and inspiring. My favorite part though was the closing song. As I opened the hymn book and looked upon the first lyrics I realized what a perfect hymn this was to sing with all the Prop 8 stuff going on. Then as we begin to sing it, our wonderful bishopric stands, which inspires all of us as a congregation to stand and sing these words. It was truly amazing! To say the least my eyes were not dry and it was so inspiring to look around and realize that we stand together, on the Lord's side, against the adversary. Incredible! I have sang that song before but never paid attention to the words as I did today. I will never be able to sing that song again from this day forth without feeling the spirit as I did today. It was incredible!!

Who’s on the Lord’s Side?, no. 260
1. Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?Now is the time to show.We ask it fearlessly:Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?We wage no common war,Cope with no common foe.The enemy’s awake;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
[Chorus]Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?Now is the time to show.We ask it fearlessly:Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
2. We serve the living God,And want his foes to know That, if but few, we’re great;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?We’re going on to win;No fear must blanch the brow.The Lord of Hosts is ours;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
3. The stone cut without hands To fill the earth must grow.Who’ll help to roll it on?Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?Our ensign to the world Is floating proudly now.No coward bears our flag;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
4. The pow’rs of earth and hell In rage direct the blow That’s aimed to crush the work;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?Truth, life, and liberty,Freedom from death and woe,Are stakes we’re fighting for;Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

A very different Halloween

2008-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

It was definitely a bitter-sweet Halloween this year. Halloween night found me alone with Adam (which I love), kids gone, watching Adam eat pizza and watching the Science Channel (not a big fan) and periodically answering the door to trick or treaters. Can it get any worse? OK it wasn't that bad but it was just weird for us to be both home passing out candy, with no kids around and it was also kind of nice. Matthew had gone to a Halloween party at his seminary teachers house and Zack was trick-or-treating with his friend, James and hangin' out at his house...both of them were having a great time! I have a feeling that this is how our Halloweens will be for now on. We are off the hook of taking our kids out trick-or-treating....like I said, it is bittersweet!
I was thinking that we so should of had a Halloween party since Halloween landed on a Friday night for parents such as us with no kids at home or even parents with children and they could trick-or-treat around our neighborhood together. I think that it would be so much fun! Oh well there is always next year - Halloween will be on a Saturday night. I will start planning it now:)

But a funny thing did happen last night and as always I am such a dork! I went to pick up Matthew from his party and when I took him to the party I had followed someone there so I really wasn't sure how to get there. But as I was driving there at almost 11pm, I believed I had remembered the street that their house was on so I didn't even look at the street sign to make sure. I knew the address of the house was 511 so I found the house number and went to the front door and knocked. I did not get a good look at the house earlier that evening when I had dropped him off but the house seemed a little different but I didn't think anything of it because it was the right address, 511. The house was dark, which surprised me, but there were some lights upstairs on so I thought they must be up there watching a movie and they could not hear me knocking. So I continued to knock louder and louder. I start to really bang on the door. No answer. By this time I am looking in the front windows, ringing the doorbell and getting very frustrated...I was practically calling out Matthews name. I went back to my car, pulled the stake directory out, looked up their phone number and gave the house a call. They answered and I asked them to send Matthew out front because I was waiting for him in the car. So there I sat, waiting for him to come out, but still no Matthew was coming. I am a bit irritated by now. I double check the address, yep it is the right house number but I decide to check the street name so I drive to the corner and what do you know, oops, it is the wrong street. I felt like such a fool and those peoples door that I was banging on were probably in the process of calling the police to let them know there was a crazy lady outside their house, harassing them. Oops! I preceded to drive to the next street and lo and behold there is Matthew waiting on the curb with a look saying where were you? I am such a dork! I am just so glad that those people did not open their door, I would have really felt like a fool! To say the least, we had a great laugh over it!!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have got to admit I use to love Halloween so much more because I had control over my boys costumes.....now they do their own thing. Whatever! These are some of my favorites from Halloween pasts---

Matthew as my little caveman

My 70's flower children
Matthew as a pirate

Recycled costume - Zack as a pirate
Count Matthew
Frankenstein Zack (He's playing the donut game)

Matthew a pirate again/Zack as my little skunk (love it!)

Too cute!!

OK so we recycled that pirate costume alot but everytime we used some different variations. I am not one for buying a costume, I like to make costumes from things we have at home or something we can find at Goodwill. But now the kids have their own ideas of what they want to be and I have got to admit they are usually very creative. Zack so wanted to be a banana this year..what's that? I could not believe it and I fought it the whole way but we did buy the costume but fortunately after all my complaining he decided he did not want to be that so we were still able to return the costume. Yeah! So here is what they ended up being this year-

Matthew and friend Trevor/Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy
Zack ended up filling in as Barnacle Boy because Trevor was not at the Ward Party. I think that Zack will probably end up being Gilligan or something for actual Halloween night.

The Young Adults had a "Super Hero" themed Halloween party so this is what we came up with because I just can't see me in a Wonder Woman costume. Yuck!! Adam and I as Lois Lane and her Superman, Clark Kent. The boys hate this picture of us, they say it looks dorky but come on it is Lois looking lovingly at her Superman.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Less than 2 weeks

2008-10-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

We are 13 days away from Election Day and to tell you the truth I cannot wait 'till it is over. I am so tired of all the fighting, debating, commercials, etc. It is driving me crazy! The news is so slanted that I absolutely hate it but then again I am addicted to it. It is a scary election and one that I might not like the outcome of but it will be a happy day when it is finally over. Not that I will be happy with the results but that I will be happy to have the campaigning over. It feels like it has been the longest campaigning effort ever!
It is also scary with this Proposition 8 on the line. The effort made by so many has been amazing and hopefully it pays off. I found that I did not like making the phone calls, taking polls of how people were voting and I didn't like the idea of walking door-to-door but I have found something that I do like.......standing on the street corner waving a "Vote YES on Prop 8" sign. Now I don't know what that says about me but I actually had a great time. We are actively involved in doing this now and the other night we had 40+ people show up to stand on the corner! It was amazing! Over all the response was positive and I just had fun counting how many big-rig trucks we could get to blow their horn. (BTW - we got 6 to do it) It felt good to stand up for something I believe in. Now we did put up our yard sign finally and today I came home from the gym to find that it is gone. It must have been the wind because we are having Santa Ana's today, I don't think anyone would have taken it down. Right? Oh well I will just have to put another one up-
Looking forward to November 5th.........Election Day will be over!!!! Yeah!!

Beware of Zack

2008-10-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Zack loves to scare us! He creeps around the house hiding from us just so that he can jump out when we walk by and scare the pants off of us. He thinks it is so funny, and the more of a scared reaction he gets out of us the better. He has been found hiding in the pantry (for who knows how long) so that when one of us finally opens the door, he pops out and freaks us out. He seems to be lurking around every corner, hiding behind furniture, hiding in closets waiting for just the right moment to jump out. I swear I am going to have a heart attack and I tell him this but he keeps doing it to me. Nice kid. The sad thing is - is that he always gets me (and Matthew), you think we would have learned by now. So be careful when you are at our house, if you think you see the boogeyman it is probably just Zack lurking in the shadows.

BEWARE!

Firstborn is Fifteen

2008-10-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Today Matthew turns 15 years old...I cannot believe it! 15 years ago today our lives were changed forever as we entered this new adventure called parenthood and what a great adventure it has been so far! Matthew was such a good baby and has been a joy to have in our little family. He is such a good kid with such a good heart and I feel so blessed to be able to call him my son. We are so proud of him and all that he has and will accomplish.

Happy Birthday Matthew! We love you!

My Sugarlump (Grandma's nickname for him)

Matthew turns 1

He is a GREAT brotherKindergarten

7th grade

Teenager

Weekend in Utah

2008-10-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we took off to St George to spend some time with my parents. We were able to help my parents out by cleaning their cars, cleaning out their garage, doing some yard work and taking some stuff to DI (Deseret Industries). It was nice to spend some time with them and also to be able to help them out at this time. My Dad is doing fine, just continuing his radiation and looking into other treatment. He seemed more hopeful this time and his strength is coming back so it was nice to see him improving for now.

We were able to go to the Tuacahn Theatre to see the play "Big River" Friday night. My nephew was able to get us in for free because he plays the bass in the orchestra and it was amazing! It is a play about Huck Finn but the coolest thing was that they covered the stage with water (it is outside) for the parts with them on the raft. Very fun!! On Saturday my brother and his family came up from San Diego to visit so the cousins had a good time together. They all went to a water park and enjoyed themselves while I got to stay home and spend some time with my Dad. Loved every minute! All in all it was a nice quick trip and the drive wasn't too bad. It is always fun visiting family and I am looking forward to Thanksgiving when we will all be together. Cherished memories!

The boys really enjoyed looking around DI, they felt like Napoleon. These are some of their great finds, Zack even found a wig like Pedro's. We did not buy anything but they did have fun looking. I was hoping that I got one of the polygamist that were there in the picture but I didn't:( Only in St George!

Zack sharing his coin collection with PaTa (Grandpa). My Dad has a great coin collection and Zack has really picked up on the hobby of collecting coins, he even has a cool safe to keep it in. He always drags the big safe up there so he can show PaTa his new coins. :)

Panera & Ping-Pong?!

2008-10-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, because Matthew starts school late, is the day that I take the boys out to breakfast before school. Well so far this year they have wanted to go to Panera every Thursday so now it has come to be known as "Panera Thursdays" and they look forward to it. We have added another item to our morning routine on Thursdays. After we drop off Zack at school, Matthew and I return home to play a vicious game of ping-pong. We are hooked! And when I mean vicious, just look at the picture below of Matthew slamming it on me. Our neighbors must love hearing us play at 8am?!? After looking at the picture I realized we really should dust off the table.....sorry I forget to dust outside. haha

The competition is close because we are both at the same skill level but for the last many weeks I have come out the winner. Yeah!! (Not to boast or anything) Our matches always go to 3 games and this morning Matthew took the first game easily, the score was 21-8. He killed me so I was pretty nervous. But I took the next game only winning by a few points but then I knew I had him. The third game was a breeze as I again played to a victory and I took Matthew to school, walking with his head down, defeated. OK just kidding on the last part but there is always next week Matthew. The battle continues!

Ping Pong Champion!

(of the Walden household at least)

Patriots Win!!

2008-09-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Zacks football team, the Patriots, had their 3rd game this season and it was the first one they won. Yeah! They played the Moorpark Saints, who were suppose to be a really good team, but our boys played better. They looked like they really knew what they were doing and they kept up there momentum the whole game. You know when they are losing I always say it is OK as long as you know that you played your best but whose fooling who, it is not OK and it feels really good to WIN! The boys were so jazzed so hopefully they keep their excitement going. Zack had some great tackles unfortunately I never did get a picture of him playing (he did get to play alot though) but here he is looking so cute on the sidelines. He loves when I call him cute in his costume (uniform)....not!

Healthy Breakfast?

2008-09-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Matthew and Zack got so spoiled on the cruise that just the normal breakfast of cold cereal, eggs, bagels, pancakes won't do. Every morning on the cruise they had waffles with a creamy, yummy chocolate syrup poured on top. It is not just your regular chocolate syrup but as Zack described it "It's like a Symphony milk chocolate candy bar melted." I did not try it 'till the last day of the cruise when the boys insisted that I do and it was wonderful! To say the least they have been missing this scrumptious waffle from breakfast heaven so this morning I came home fomr picking Matthew up at seminary to Zacks own creation. He made up the waffle and put some Hershey syrup on it, actually he drowned it in the stuff. He did not like it because the chocolate was just not the same but Matthew liked it so he finished the plate clean. Next time we will have to get a Symphony candy bar and melt it:) Such a healthy breakfast!

Update

2008-09-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Utah to visit my Dad in the hospital this last weekend. I was able to drive up there with my good friend Jo and to say the least the trip went so fast because I don't think that there was not even a pause in our talking. Thanks Jo it made the trip so enjoyable. :)

When I got to Utah I was informed by my Dad that his cancer was spreading..so it was not very good news at all. He was checked out of the hospital Friday night so it was nice to have him home and resting comfortably in his own bed. He is such an amazing man and such a man of faith because he knows that whatever may happen is Gods will and Gods will, will be done. He is not giving up hope and neither are the rest of us so we hope that we can find the right treatment that can conquer this cancer. It was nice to have all of my siblings there also and many of the grandkids and great grandkids were able to come by also to visit with my parents. It was nice to have the family rally around in this situation and be able to pray together, laugh together and cry together. It is always a great comfort to know that the family is eternal and to know the plan of salvation. I do not know how people handle trials on this earth without that knowledge and also without the help of the Holy Ghost. I could not handle it, we have definitely felt the Comforter. It will be an emotional few months ahead and a trying one as we find what can be done for my Dad but at least we have the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the knowledge of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ to help us through. Life is not always meant to be easy.

I am so grateful for the people that I have around me that buoy me up and help support me when times are hard. Thanks to all my friends for being there for me (you know who you are), you don't even realize how much you help me on a day to day basis and thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. Your awesome!

Emotional Week

2008-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

It has been a very emotional week! Starting with my birthday last week which is always emotional for me and it doesn't help that it is on 9/11. (I did have a fabulous birthday though, thanks to all my friends and family who made it special) I did get a phone call from my Dad to wish me a Happy Birthday and he informed me that he was in the hospital and had had surgery that morning. What?? I guess he had been in alot of pain and was having some bleeding and complications from his prostate cancer so they needed to do surgery. It has been a hard week for him and he is still in the hospital as of today. He has had, I believe 3 surgeries and 7 blood transfusions this last week and has had problems even if with his kidneys. He is hoping to be able to leave the hospital today because they have been able to stop the bleeding and his kidneys have started to function on their own. It has really been hard not being able to be up there but my sisters, Mimi and Teri Lyn, have been there for my parents and I am getting to go this weekend to help out. He has started radiation for the cancer and hopefully that will take care of the cancer without doing much damage to the rest of him. I sure do love my parents and it has been a hard year for them health wise but through it they have had such amazing faith and strength. They amaze me, I feel so fortunate to have them as my parents and I am so looking forward to seeing them.

I also have been having some medical issues and in fact I need to go in for my own surgery in the next couple of months. I had an appointment with the surgeon this week to discuss what will happen and Adam really wanted to come with me but of course I did not think that was needed since it was just a consultation. No big deal, I did not want him to take time off work. Well I had to reschedule my appointment this week because I could not go on Friday and Adam did not know that I had rescheduled it. He happened to have a meeting in Ventura on the day of my rescheduled appt and happened to come home for lunch before heading into the office so when he found out that I was leaving for the dr appt he called into work to take the rest of the day off and insisted on coming with me. I felt like he did not need to be there but boy I was so wrong! I am so glad that he knows me so well because I was getting so nervous waiting for the doctor and this was just for the consultation, it was so nice to have Adam there. He asked so many questions and found out so much from the surgeon that I realized right there that I needed him more than I knew. He is my rock! It was just one of those moments where you realize how much your husband takes care of you and it felt so nice. Love him and I did need him, I always need him, I need to remember that.

By the way since I mentioned my surgery, I am having part or all of my thyroid removed because they did a biopsy last month on it and there were some suspicious cells that could be cancer but more than likely it is not but just to be safe they will remove that part. I think that it will all be OK but surgery is never fun. So I am really not looking forward to it.

Hope this next week sees my Dad getting better and resting comfortably at home. It needs to be a better week!