Out of the Mouth of Babes

Birthday Boy

We love you sweetheart! Happy 3 Birthday...and many more happy ones to come.

A Great Man Has Passed . . .

Today, our family attended the funeral of Norm H. Rosell. It was a lovely service celebrating the life, service, and testimony of Jesus Christ, of President Rosell. I did not know him for nearly the time that most did, however, he always had a kind smile, a warm handshake, and a twinkle in his eye as I would see him in the halls at church or around town. President Rosell was the man who sealed Michelle and I and Michelle's grandfather, father, and family knew him very well.

He will be missed, but has gone to Paradise to await the resurrection when he will live in the eternity's with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and his sweet wife and family.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to his wife, Jerri and family.

It's All Coming Together

Side Note: Michelle is the visionary, she has done a fabulous job. I just try to make the vision a reality. We need to post more before pictures -- to see where it came from gives where it is now more meaning. Not sure when I will do this, we still have a bit to go with the house but we are loving it!

Sleep Tight

Last Sunday we got home from church and daddy went upstairs to get a change of clothes for you. This is what he found when he came back down. You conked out on the family room floor surrounded by your blankies (I guess this is what happens when church starts the same time as your nap). I just had to pick you up and hold you and the best part, you stayed asleep while I held you and even when I put you back down. You looked so peaceful! I love you!


Hayden was having quiet time a few days ago. This day his quiet time involved potato heads. He brought this one in to me and said, mom guess who this is? So I thought and thought and nothing was coming to me so finally I gave up. Hayden said, it's Jesus. Sure enough, there was the mostache and the sandals (shh - please don't tell him Hayden put him in yellow flower flip flops).

The boys are plotting. They are boycotting naps. I have tried to prepare myself for Hayden who just turned 5. I knew his naps wouldn't last much longer, but Carson? They think I cannot hear them going from room to room trying to be as quiet as can be (with doors slamming). I am trying to decide how to react. Do I show them I dis-approve, or do I let them think I have no idea and continue to enjoy some quiet computer time...with spouts of laughter. I like the latter!

Fun, Fun, and more Fun

We had the funnest Valentine's Day weekend. Jared started it off by surprising me Friday night with our V-day celebration. I have wanted to go out to eat at The Melting Pot for about 6 years. When he told me he had Valentine's dinner covered, I was wishing and hoping it would be there, but was trying to not get my hopes up too high in case it was someplace else. Well, about 7 months ago they put one in Temecula so he made reservations. It was a little pricey, but soooooooooooooooooo worth the cost. I think Jared realizes he may have made a mistake in taking me there as this is now my new favorite restaurant. I suppose we will have to figure out how to duplicate the sauces and fondue.


We went up Saturday to Palomar Mountain and had such a blast. We found the perfect spot (along with a couple hundred other people) for sledding.

Meet Texas...

We have a new addition to our home. This addition is so obvious and bold we feel it is now apart of our family. We felt we needed a little splash of color to set apart our "Oyester White" walls, and since I am a big fan of Terra Cotta - not to be confused with Burnt Orange, Pumpkin, or Pink - we painted our Texas wall Terra Cotta and we love it. Although, in the morning the light reflects off Texas and turns the rest of the room looking like it is on fire it's so bright. I love the Splash...ok so this wall is way more than a splash of color...but it adds so much more. We love it.


It ties in our Living Room perfectly. So when Jared gets a job we will have a huge party/ Open House and you can all come over and meet Texas and celebrate with us. I think Hayden especially adds a nice little touch to the picture.

GREAT TRIALS LIE AHEAD: BE PREPARED FOR TRIBULATIONS AND DESTRUCTION THAT SOON SHALL BE

My mom sent me this video and I love it. I think it especially touched me because today as I was sitting in Sunday school there was a quote that was read that I really loved by Elder Boyd K. Packer, "Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings. Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Conforter about in the scripture. The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Rauccous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth. This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless. The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit."
Amid all the calamities that will befall us and our time, we are blessed to have personal revelation. If we stay apart from the world we will be able to stand strong and immovable. I love that we have a Heavenly Father who doesn't force us to do anything we don't want to do. If we stray from the path, he wants so badly for us to come back to him but it is on our own terms and he will always accept us with loving arms. The ultimate example. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the noise of the world, but I love having Sundays set aside to remind me again of the purpose of this life and as my role of a wife and mother. I am so grateful for my family and pray that I can fulfill those roles having no regrets.

When I grow up

I just want to let my possy know that when I grow up I am definitely going to be a professional photographer. I am also going to be an astronaut, but mom says being a photographer would go hand in hand with my space travels. In the meantime, I practice at home taking pictures on every single camera I can get ahold of. I love to take pictures of my favorite toys, and members of my family. I especially like to take pictures of myself. I asked mom to post some of my finer work, here is what she came up with...

These would be moms flowers that are on the wall. Aren't they just gorgeous. I cut off the top of one of the flowers in the picture so that it would appear more asthetically pleasing. Beautiful don't you think?

This is one of my finer self portraits. Generally my self portraits are reflected off the mirror in my room, but for some reason the mirror and the flash aren't friends and don't work well together. I wouldn't recommend taking pictures this way for those of you just getting started in photography.

This next picture is of my crazy mom. I always ask her to be silly in the pictures I take of her, this one just looks ugly to me and not really that silly, but I thought I would post it anyways. Mom says she doesn't take the best pictures right after she wakes up in the morning, so we won't hold it against her.


These last two my mom came across looking over an old memory card and mommy said they made her heart go pitter patter. Mom said she loved when Carson was a baby and when I was smaller too. I think she wants another baby because she always tells us to stop growing up so fast. I try not to eat my vegetables too often in hopes I can stay smaller longer. I think this would make mommy happy. I love my little brother.

My lil super hero. Sometimes I want to gobble him up and smother him with kisses I must confess. This morning I was thinking about how I am pretty sure I smother him but really, who can blame me?


The boys found Daddy's Shave cream and decided to make whipped cream toppings of themselves, mmmm.


Another loved gift from Grammy and Santa- they went in on this one together. Hayden wants to eat, nap, and spend all day on the tramp. We've had fun with it.

Whew

I will admit I have been lazy. Just this morning I was thinking I have got to get a better routine going with the holidays over, life is moving forward and I seem to have been stagnant, but no more. Here we go. A little review over the past several weeks (and months)...


We had Jared's family here for Thanksgiving. For our family's Christmas gift they gave us sod for the backyard and a new dack. Not only did they give it to us, they helped with the installation. I kept saying, this is the BEST Christmas present ever, and it truly was. We LOVE our backyard and the boys do too.




Here are a few more pictures of our beloved backyard.


This was one of Hayden's favorite Christmas presents from Grammy- a picture of him fighting Darth Vader at Disneyland. Let's just say this was a dream come true (in case you are wondering, before I hung the picture, I fixed it so it was straight in the frame).


Our big guy turned 5 years old and had a curious george birthday party with some of his friends.

Carson: Belch
Mom: What do you say?
Carson: Thank you! (Giggle)

Our Human Potato Head

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! We haven't been able to get cards out this year for various reasons, but we hope to be able to after the start of the year. Until then, I wanted to post some happy holiday wishes in the form of Carson's Jingle Bells. Here is what he goes around singing most days...

"Jing-o wing, Jing-o all da way. No fun is to ride in a horse open sleigh- ah!" Repeated about 10 times.

Our family has had some pretty big ups and downs this year, but all along the way we have seen and felt the Lord's hand guiding us. We are so grateful to have you as friends and family and love this time of year.

Merry Christmas!

My 10 Year Reunion

This last weekend I had my High School 10 year reunion. It was such a blast. Since Jared's family was in town, my girlfriends and I decided to go it alone with out our men. It was really a great time and so much fun to be able to visit with old friends and laugh about all the silly things we did in high school. I am waiting for my friends to post their photos so I can copy them since my camera ran out of batteries.

For mother's of boys, sisters of boys, and boys that have grown older.

Why boys need parents...

A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

Super glue is forever.

No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials
show they do.

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms
dizzy.

Powder Puff

So after just one practice, the Redhawk ward took on the Butterfield Sage ward in a Powder Puff Football game.

We kicked their tales with a score of 3 - 1. It was a rough and tumble game and I have the bleeding abdomen to prove it. It was a blast. Way to go ladies!!!

T*W*I*L*I*G*H*T

Before the big show, we all met at CPK so we could survey the line while we ate.

As some of you may already be aware, Twilight has hit the theaters. To kick off the huge event, I went with some friends to the 12:01 AM showing last night with a couple thousand other crazy people. It was really great. At first when I saw the previews I was not at all excited about Edward, the perfect man. However, about 20 minutes into the show, when I got over his white powdered face, I fell in love with him all over again and I think I have convinced Jared to go with me to see it again. I can't wait!

Hayden's World

In Hayden's world...

He would be a Knight all the time, fighting bad guys with a really cool sword. Daddy would be a fireman, and Carson would be the red fire-breathing Dragon.

Hayden would also be the soccer star. He got his trophy at his Red-Rocket Team pizza party. He shines it ever day with a wet towel. He is so proud of it, check out his pose, now really he is a true soccer monster.

Christmas Idea for Children from my mother-in-law...

I wanted to let you know about a Christmas Special that I'm offering including a 10% discount and free shipping!

This Special is on Book of Mormon Little Books, the Lesson Plans written for the little books, and the all new Picture Pages CD.

Please visit my website at:

www.mormonlittlebooks.com

If you'd like to correspond with me personally, you can send me an email at mormonlittlebooks@gmail.com

Please help me out by forwarding this email and Special Christmas Offer along to your friends.

Thanks!
Doris Johnson

Soccer Monster

Our little soccer monster was the king of his last game today. He made 7 goals. The coach had to take him out to give some of the other kids a turn to kick the ball. He was on fire. Love you soccer monster!

Happy Halloween

The Boys - Super Hayden and Cowboy Carson, Ohhh brotherly love.

Daddy and the boys...see Jar's awesome pumpkins to the side...

Rocking out to Ghost Busters booming from the Stereo as we wait for trick-or-treators- a very welcoming site!

Completely in Character

Hope your Halloween was as crazy as ours!!! XOXO

Blessing in Disguise

Hello fellow bloggers. It has been a little while since I have written- because it has been a while since I have had the time to sit and relax. Life has been extremely CRAZY lately. I have seriously been "on-the-verge" of a lot of things lately. I have felt like I have been a way better wife than mom, and usually I feel the other way around. Usually I feel like I am a pretty awesome mom, but need to work on my wife roles. My kids have certainly gotten the brunt of my grumpyness- or shall I say STRESS!
With the market going crazy, this has a huge impact on Jared's pay. Although it hasn't actually affected a pay check yet, it will.
I have been holding down 3 part time jobs, although combined I spend about 35 hours a week working. This leaves little time for cooking, cleaning, playing and what-not. The good thing is that most of this I am able to do while the kids are either napping or when Jared is home. Lately I have had sweet Ashley watching my kids a few hours in the morning this week for me to try to get ahead, which I am finding never really happens because there is always more to do.
I have two callings in our ward. One of Primary Secretary of over 100 kids, which I love. And the other, Choir Director - and putting together the Christmas Program - which I love as well AND volunteered for (?!@&$*) Just Kidding - I really do love it!
On top of all of this, Hayden is no longer in pre-school as of about 3 weeks ago and so I have tried, at a miserable attempt, to be his teacher. We are also having some other issues with him that we are praying and looking for help and answers.
All of this combined for me has meant O-V-E-R-L-O-A-D, not to mention everywhere I turn there is a new crack where ants are flooding into our home.
I have been praying relentlessly for help, and have broken down several times over the past week as I have felt over-whelmed with life. At times I have felt I don't even have time to breathe. But, today I got an e-mail from my KIDZUI job, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I mean I get paid for watching Youtube videos and checking out websites, but they informed me they aren't going to be needing me through the rest of the year (and who knows maybe not ever again), but they like many other companies are having to cut back- luckily I was one of the few who made it through several of the previous cut-backs. I have not even felt sad since getting the news. I feel so happy and free and a load has been lifted off me. The money from this job has paid for all of my gas, groceries, misc items for over a year and I always thought I would be sad to see it go, but I know it is a blessing. The Lord and I new I would have never been able to walk away on my own, so it had to happen this way- and the timing is certainly a answer to my prayers, and a tender mercy. Just wanted to share.

RE-POST because I am so dang busy to post anythign else...It's me, Hayden

Hello blogger friends. It's been a little while since I have posted and wanted to show you all what I have been up to.
Last week, my parents decided they desperately needed a date night, so mommy got Hayley and Claire to babysit me and my little brother. We had such a fun time. When it was time to go to bed, those girls thought I was in bed. It sounded like they were having so much fun laughing while they were watching America's Funniest Home Videos and I really wanted to join in the fun, so I sneaked downstairs, but I didn't really get too far because when my mom and dad came home, this is where they found me. I did manage though to hide Claire's flip flops and she couldn't find them and walked home bare foot, my mom said she was really embarrassed. This would be crush #2, my aunt Rochelle who is really cute, she was the first person I started hiding things from. I got in trouble for that, but I thought Claire was really cute and the talk I got from mom was worth it.

These are some pictures of me playing soccer. I am on a real soccer team, not the Family Johnson team anymore. I have a lot of fun playing with my friends during the games. Sometimes I even remember to kick the ball, but mostly I like to watch my little brother or play with my teammate Dakoda - we like to bonk bellies. I did kick the ball long enough to make a goal though, it was a sweet break away too. I don't know where everyone else was, but I got a goal. Everyone was so excited, especially my mom and dad. They were really happy. I think I will try to do that again at my next game.


Lately my favorite thing to do is to take my mom's camera and take pictures of things. I think I am going to be a real photographer, hey that would go hand in hand with what I really want to do, that is to be an astronaut. I can be both then when I am up in space, I can take really great pictures of the earth and stuff. Here is a little look at some of my work.



Thanks for reading, I will post again soon.

Silly Boy

Today the boys and I went swimming. This was the boys conversation when we were all 3 sitting in the jacuzzi,

Hayden: Carson, count to 1
Carson: 4, 7
Hayden: No, count to 1
Carson: 4
Hayden: No Carson, just say 1
Carson: 4 (with a smirk because mommy is laughing)
Hayden: Oh, forget it.

It made me smile.

Well, this was supposed to be a momentous occasion that I had been looking forward to for a few weeks. I have become hooked to reading Nie Nie and she does something that I wanted to start in our family. Whenever someone has a birthday in her family, they have a balloon launch. Every member of the family writes a wish, in this case for the birthday boy and then you set your balloons free and of course the wishes come true, hehe. Well, this is how it went realistically in our home.


Boys all came home from soccer practice, saw the balloons and when I told them we were going to set them free after writing a wish for daddy- disaster struck and No's went shrieking out the doors and windows. So, we ended up writing all our birthday wishes on one balloon. When it came time to set it free, you can see in the picture I didn't even get the let go because it turned into, "1,2," balloon is let go and no one was even paying attention because daddy quickly said, "Carson off daddies newly re-seeded grass." So, here is the picture to document our first balloon launch.



Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Oohhhh

Is my grammy ever going to come? I have been waiting at the window for like 3 minutes but it feels like forever. Maybe if I just keep sitting here, she will know and come faster. GRAMMY WHERE ARE YOU???

Welcome Halloween

I wanted to have a Halloween Decorating/ Celebration and thought hey, that would make an awesome FHE. So, I made a delicious dinner, decorated our table (if you look closely you can see the beautiful work Jared did on restoring our table and chairs for our dining room), and set at everyone's place some fun items to wear in preparation for Halloween.

(We couldn't get the auto timer to work, so Jared had to take the pic)

We then got out the decorations - the biggest hit were the Skeleton blinking lights and "Monster Mash" CD. The boys would have danced to it all night.

Easy Enchiladas

These are the easiest enchilada's ever. I have wanted to post this for a while...

Take 3 pieces of chicken
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of salsa

Throw these ingredients into the crock pot on low to cook for about 6 hours.

Take the ingredients out of the crock pot and put into a bowl and shred the chicken.

Mix in some cheese and enchilada sauce.

Take some tortillas and put the mixture in the tortillas, roll them up then place them in a pan.

Take some more enchilada sauce and pour over the top, I am generous with the amount I put on and tried green enchilada sauce last time (which is Jared's favorite) and it was delicious. Then you douse the top with cheese and cook at 350 for about 25 minutes, until the cheese melts. Delicious!!!

Just a thought

Does anyone commiserate with me on this one...how am I supposed to see my eyebrows when I pluck them, when I cannot do it with my glasses on, but I need my glasses to be able to see, but I am not yet blind enough for my insurance to pay for full-time contacts? It is a little difficult!

I Give Up!

So I get asked often my age. People tell me I look like I am 16, and although I do still feel like a teenager, I have no idea how I reached my old age of 28, but my crows feet around my eyes, and laugh lines on my face are beginning to show- I guess people just don't look close enough. Last summer I was asked if I was my kid's nanny as I was vacationing in Newport Beach getting an ice cream while tugging the kids behind me in the wagon. When I told the man I was their mother, he said "What are you, 12?" Last week I was at a scrapbook retreat and a woman stopped me just before I was about to leave (I had been looking at her all day long as there were only about 24 of us in this big scrapbook room) and she said, I have been watching you and it doesn't look like you are here with your mom, please tell me you are not a mother yourself. I told here I was scrapbooking books for my two children, 4 1/2 and 2. She couldn't believe it. I was told yesterday that I look like I am a teenager and way too young to have any kids.
Over a year ago, I cut my hair short, equating that shorter hair, when styled I should ad, usually makes one look older. I even went as far as shopping in the women's department in clothing stores trying to find something more mature. I threw away a bunch of my high school clothes, feeling that time was way over due, although I have to admit I do still have a few items of clothing that I wear, from 11 years ago and I have to say I think they are still in good taste for the most part. Anyhow, today I am doing away with any attempts to try to make myself look older and I will embrace my youthfulness. So, I threw on some jeans, a dragon shirt and pulled my hair back in a pony, I have officially given up and it feels great.

Princess

Carson and I were in the office, as you can see the mess behind Carson. He was playing in my craft drawer and pulled out our Happy Birthday sign. Well, I turned my attention back to the computer and he came up to me and said "Look, I am a Princess." My boys love princesses and why not, they are usually beautiful. I think they have Jared a teensy bit worried about the whole princess thing. I wish you could have heard Carson telling me he was a princess. It was priceless, as most everything he does and says is.

Ode to Jar

So, yesterday I had an ALL-DAY scrapbooking event with my good friend Rachel down in San Diego. It was such a blast. I have to plan these retreats so that I can actually set time aside to scrapbook without a whole lot of distraction. It is so great. Well, apparently I need to go away a little bit more often because the boys all do so well without me. Jared was so incredibly productive he made me feel a little bit guilty. He told me everything he did on Saturday, took Hayden to his soccer game, folded all the clean clothes (which by the way were several loads that had been piling up on our bedroom floor), including washing a new load of whites, and put the clothes by the kids doors, vacuumed the downstairs, painted two coats of paint on our kitchen chairs, mowed the grass, showered the kids, cleaned the kitchen, mopped the floor, and had playtime outside with the kids in the cul-de-sac. He even ventured out with the kids and treated them to dinner because they had such a great day. I was so impressed. The kids woke up so happy today. I told him he was hired and I was leaving next Saturday. Anyone have any ideas of someplace to go??? hehe. What a great guy.

Crack

Carson woke up a little grumpy the other day. He was a lot happier when he saw me jump in over the side of his crib. The great thing about him is that he is easy to crack, and he has the most adorable smile so he is fun to get laugh. Hayden was quick to grab the camera and capture the moment.

Front Fell Off

This is Hilarious!!! If you want a good laugh, have a listen.

Carson's Expressions

Carson is such a hoot and all the pictures below were all within seconds of each other. He is so expressive and fun!!!

First Day of Kinder Prep Academy

Here is our big guy on his first (ok so really it is the second day, the first day was too crazy) of Kinder Prep Academy.

Blog Worthy Moment

So, let me tell you a little bit about our morning. I dropped off Hayden at his second day of pre-school, came home and showered and thought I would take advantage of the time I have with just one child to go get some shopping done. So, I went to several different stores with Carson and at the last store, Kohl's I thought to myself, self you forgot the stroller and Khol's doesn't have shopping carts for kids to sit in, so now would be a great time to teach Carson how to walk beside me. I needed to return an item and thought I would do some quick browsing of the clearance items, which are always great, and I had timed it perfectly to give me about 15 minutes in the store, not too much time to do damage but just right to pick up Hayden on time from school. So about 5 minutes prior to us needing to leave, Carson and I were browsing and Carson wondered off too far from me, so I asked him to come back and stand beside me. He came by me for a minute then he was gone again and it took me about 30 seconds to realize he hadn't come back. I started softly calling and will usually hear his feet running towards me, nothing. I started broadening my search a little still calling him but hearing nothing and not seeing him anywhere. Within about a minute of calling him this lady who was shopping next to me said, "you haven't found him yet?" then a Kohl's worker was standing right there and came over and we told her we were missing a little boy. She called in code yellow, still I was thinking we will find him any minute. Well, 10 minutes later, I am running through the store yelling his name, looking low, I searched in the bathrooms- yes men's too, I didn't care what I might find in there, I went outside to see if he had gone to the car, then as I turned to come back inside I was sweating bullets and started sobbing and panic totally set in. This sweet angel came and put her arm around me reassuring me we would find him. There were about 30 people looking for him. Luckily I had a picture on my phone of what he looked like and started showing it to people as I am still running through the store. Employees all had to drop whatever they were doing and search, they had all the entrances locked down and all security personnel out. I had to call Jared to have him get a hold of Hayden's teacher, since I was already late to pick up Hayden- I had been late all week taking him and picking him up and I was so determined to be on time today, no such luck. After 20 torturous minutes of searching and panic, I was told he had been found. There were about 15 people all rallied around us when they gave Carson back to me and I started sobbing. People were clapping and so elated at the reunion. So, turns out he wanted to play a little game of hide and seek with mommy. He hid behind the jeans on the wall right behind me, we had thoroughly searched all the middle racks but not so much the outside ones on the wall. He told me he had poops, and he likes his privacy when he wants to go to the bathroom, so it made sense to me that he hid. When he got home he kept saying, "Mommy, you sad? I give you kiss." Thank heaven for all the angels who stopped shopping and helped me look for my little boy. I had an instant support team and I was so thankful for that. Now I just hope I can go back and find those clearance items I threw down in a pile, hehe.

Labor Day Fun

Our neighbors have an annual Labor Day party on the cul-de-sac right next us. It was so much fun. They rent a huge water slide, everyone brings chairs and a side dish and we ate and talked and played. They block off the street and all the kids run around, going from house to house having a blast. We took the kids out at 11:30 a.m. and came back inside at 6:30 p.m. It was really a blast.

Slip n' Sliden

Mmmm, yummy ice cream. He wore more than he got in his mouth, but he loved every minute of it.

I think this is about how he was feeling about mid-afternoon, he was so exhausted.

Weeeeeeee

Question Time

I asked Hayden, age 4 the following questions and wrote down his first responses...
1. What is something mom always says to you?
No
2. What makes mom happy?
When I do things you ask me to do
3. What makes mom sad?.
When I don’t do things you ask me to do
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tickling me
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Like me
6. How old is your mom?
35
7. How tall is your mom?
Taller than me and Carson and smaller than dad
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Go to church
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Play with Carson
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
I don’t know what famous means!
11. What is your mom really good at?
You are really good at playing basketball (???)
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Not so good at getting us toys (He would mean buying him all the toys he asks for)
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Work on the computer and take care of us
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Pineapple
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Like when I share my food with a friend or something when they don’t have any food.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Leo on Little Einsteins.
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play games and stuff.
18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same skin.
19. How are you and your mom different?
Cause I am a boy and you are a girl.
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Cause you say that almost every day.

Warning...Blog under Construction

We are having some blogging issues. As I am sure you who check our blog regularly know, we have been in need of some major re-modeling, hehe, and in the process, I lost A LOT of stuff- oops. So, if you don't see your link posted, it means I lost it in the process so please leave it in a comment so I can re-post it, please.

Grateful!

Today we had some friends from our home town up. We had such a wonderful time together. I was telling them, it was a miraculous thing that I didn't have to even once remind Hayden to be kind, or break up a quarrel. He had such a great time playing with his friends. We played at our house for about an hour then went down to the park right down the road. The rest of this day I have felt so filled with joy as I have thought about their friendships and how much my dear "BB's" mean to me. I am so grateful for good friends. They are so non-judgmental and accepting of me with all my faults. They would each do just about anything if I requested it. We celebrate each others ups and downs and try to plan regular girls nights out (although I haven't been able to be at one for a while). We celebrate each others birthdays, and those of our kids, family crisis, pre-school, jobs, and life in general. We have delivered meals to each other upon the birth of one of our children, moving, the death of a loved one, rough pregnancy, or if one of us is having a particularly hard day. I have many good friends all over, but here at home, these girls are so special to me, and I just wanted to say thanks!!!
This picture is unique because we are almost all (except for Elysian) together...

More Progress...

So, this is the day we have been waiting for for a few years now. Hayden is old enough to play on a real soccer team. Ever since he was in the womb, he has been a natural kicker, hehehe. He has awesome coordination and is very excited to start. Jared went with him last night to get his shin guards, soccer socks, and size 3 ball- did I mention he has had an has also been wearing his size 12 soccer cleats since he was 2. He has been wearing the gear all day and is anxiously waiting for his practice tonight. Carson also is excited to "play on my soccer team" and has plans on playing with daddy while Hayden practices and I stay home to work, bummer for me.



I finished the Living Room curtains and ottoman. We love how they turned out. I have no idea what the next project is. We just got a bid on doing hard-scape in the back and that could still be a few months. Who would have known a patio is so expensive.

Protect Marriage

My cousin has this posted on her blog and since I think it is so important to be aware of and to fight, I wanted to post it on mine as well.

www.protectmarriage.com
Go to this link... now! www.protectmarriage.com

This organization is to help spread information and solidify support for the California ProtectMarriage Constitutional Amendment -- now officially numbered Proposition 8 (also know as the “California Marriage Protection Act” and the “Limit on Marriage Amendment”).

Why should you care?--even if you don't live in California? Because if this state constitutional amendment doesn't pass to settle the definition of marriage debate once and for all, it will spread to every other state in just a matter of time.

*****HOW YOU CAN HELP*****

1. Inform your friends and family of the upcoming vote in November. Educate them on the fact that amending our state constitution, something that is very common in California, will “undo” the Supreme Court’s decision overruling the will of the people and legalizing gay "marriage." Also, continue to invite people to join our Facebook group.

2. Donate! Even $5 or $10 can make a difference. This effort will take financial participation from everyone who cares about protecting marriage. You can donate online: https://www.icontribute.us/protectmarriage

3. Become part of the team and volunteer: http://www.protectmarriage.com/volunteer

4. Finally, stay positive. Do not get discouraged by any media reports that the amendment is “losing,” or lacks support. Remember, the exact language we are trying to add to the constitution was passed by Prop. 22 with over 61% of the vote in 2000, and our polls show it currently has the support necessary to pass.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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* What would the ProtectMarriage Amendment do?

If passed, the Protect Marriage Amendment would add new language to the state constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Eighteen other states have voted to amend their constitutions in a similar way.

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* Why is a constitutional amendment necessary? Didn’t Californians already vote on something like this?

In the March 2000 election, the voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 22 by over 61% of the vote. Prop. 22 added a regular statute to the California Family Code to keep marriage between a man and a woman and prevent the state Legislature from redefining marriage without a vote of the people. Since then however, politicians and judges have chipped away at Prop 22 and ignored the will of the voters. Most recently, the California Supreme Court held that the changes brought about by Prop. 22 were unconstitutional under the state constitution, and ruled that same-sex “marriage” must be allowed.

An amendment to the California Constitution, which requires a vote of the people, is the only way to stop the court's redefinition of marriage against the will of the majority of Californians.

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* How is the ProtectMarriage Amendment different from Prop 22? Can the California courts still overrule a constitutional amendment?

Proposition 22 added a regular statute to the California Family Code. Regular statutes are a “lower” law than the state constitution. By adding the ProtectMarriage Amendment to the state constitution, which is the highest source of law in the state, the California courts would be required to uphold marriage because there is no other source of “higher” state law than the California Constitution.

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* What is the process for passing a Constitutional Amendment?

Step 1: The official proponents of the ProtectMarriage Amendment provide an official petition proposing the amendment to the voters. The campaign must then obtain over 700,000 valid signatures of registered California voters within just 150 days after the Attorney General issues the Official Title and Summary of the measure.
Step 2: When all the signatures have been gathered, the official proponents submit the signatures gathered in each county to the local elections official to verify the number of valid signatures.
Step 3: Local elections officials report the total number of verified signatures to the Secretary of State. If there are enough valid signatures, the Secretary of State puts the amendment on the next statewide election ballot for a vote.
Step 4: If the amendment receives more than 50% of the vote, it becomes part of the state constitution immediately.

We are currently done with steps 1, 2, and 3. All that remains is getting out the vote and receiving more than 50% in favor of the amendment in the November 2008, California General Election.

Toe Bandit

So, while we were in Sedona, Hayden had a very apparent crush on his newest aunt Rochelle. I don't know if it was a crush on her as much as it was her toes- probably both. He would crawl underneath the table if she was sitting at it and play with her toes, or he would sneak up behind her and poke them. He basically couldn't leave her alone most of the trip. One night uncle Jeremy saw Hayden up out of bed when everyone else was asleep lifting up the sheets of the bed where Rochelle was sleeping to take a peak at her toes. So, Jeremy (Rochelle's hubby, Jared's brother) just sent me this haiku he dedicated to Hayden, the toe bandit and I thought it was blog worthy...

sneaky, ninja like.
the toe bandit strikes again.
crush on aunt rochelle

Newport Beach

Well, Newport Beach is my favorite vacation all year. I have been going with my family since I was a little girl. We always go with the same family, the Bayards and always have such a great time. This is seriously my FAVORITE vacation. I have so many great memories of Balboa Island and all the smells of Balboa Bars and Waffle Cones and the sea breeze, crab hunting, the smell of the bay, the sound of the boats slowly going by and the sound of the sand being crushed while walking along the Island's boardwalk. I just love it there. Each day we went to the bay and played, one of the days we even got rained on. I think my kids favorite part was the annual bonfire, but this time there was a guy selling glow-in-the-dark "light sabers" and there were about 7 crazy little boys playing swords on the beach. Hayden still sleeps with his sword and is up bright and early to play with it. He and Carson LOVED having some little friends to play with. This year there were 7 little kids, 6 of them boys ages 4 and under. So, it was absolutely crazy but it was great. We rented some Kayaks one day and all took turns taking them out. And most of the adult kids on Friday got in the bay and went for a swim with our little ones. Here are some pics...

Sedona, AZ

Well, we just got back from a wonderful week with Jared's family in Sedona, AZ and are off again tomorrow for a week in Newport Beach with my family. Sedona was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't believe the scenery. It was absolutely incredible. The mountains and rock formations were in-describable. The first day we were there, we went on a Hummer-Jeep tour. It was crazy. Our tour guide Gary didn't want us to miss out on any part of the adventure and took us over large rocks, put the hummer on two wheels, let us taste a Prickly Pear, and sped down dirt paths. It was a blast. We also visited many of the local Indian ruins, Slide Rock, did lots of swimming, went to the beautiful hillside town of Jerome, and a castle, darn-it I can't recall the name at the moment, we ended the vacation by attending the Mesa temple Saturday. Jared's sister just returned from her mission in Houston, Tx, so the time spent with her was wonderful as well. The boys loved being able to spend time with their aunts and uncles, Hayden especially loved meeting his newest aunt, Rochelle. He was fascinated by her feet/ toes and just about everything about her in general. He didn't quite know how to leave her alone. Thankfully she is very sweet and just rolled with him.
Here are some pictures.

My Newest Addition and Creation

So, sometimes I get these crazy ideas and visions in my head of how I want things to look and finding just the perfect fabric. I made these this weekend and love them. They go so well with the colors we want to have in our home, if you blow up the picture you can see I am not quite finished yet. I have to get some more pieces for the rod. I also special ordered more fabric to make curtains for the Living Room and already have some picked out to put in the Dining Room as well. My next two projects will be making our ottoman and the LR curtains, whenever the fabrics come in for those two items. We are loving being home owners and customizing things.
We also had a little mover and shaker this last week, I believe it was a 5.4 earth-shake as my kids call them. We didn't think we had any damage, but a few days ago our sliding glass doors double pane shattered, we think the homes foundation shifter ever so slightly and put forced stress on the glass causing it to shatter. What a bummer. We are hoping our home warranty will cover the fix. We shall see.
Hayden gave the scripture in primary yesterday and did such a fabulous job. I should have taken a picture of him. He looked so handsome in his suit, tie, and Jared's missionary tag on.
Well, have a wonderful week. We are off to Sedona Arizona then Newport Beach for some much needed R and R.

Friday Family Night

So, before we moved, we were really good about doing a movie night with the kids. It usually consisted of getting a movie from the library and having some yummy food along with movie snacks.
Well, we had pizza tonight, Hayden and Carson were awesome helpers with making it, I have to say if you have never put Gorgonzola cheese on a pizza (I wasn't sure the kids would like it so we mixed it with cheddar) you have got to try it. It was delicious. We had so much fun. Then Jared and Hayden put up a tent in the backyard, since now we don't have to worry about Coyotes eating them while they are sleeping, and they had a great time camping out while Carson and I enjoyed the luxury of a cushy bed.