Four men and a little lady

Welcome Baby Brady

2010-04-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a new addition...Baby Brady. He came into our family March 12 at 8 Lbs 6 Oz and 19 3/4 " long. It is hard to believe he is almost a month old. We have had so much support and love from family and friends over the last few weeks. I always feared having 3 kids from all I have been told by those who had already passed the "3" threshold but, so far...so good. Following Brady's birth when he was exactly a week old as some of you know I was sent back to the ER with a blood clot in my arm, complications from an IV but what is normally a 3 month long treatment of medications, blood work and monitoring seems to have "miraculously" gone on it's own in only a few weeks. Thank you to everyone for your prayers on my behalf. They were obviously heard and answered and we feel so incredibly blessed.
Here are some pics of our precious addition!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2009-07-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Birthday Boy

2009-05-12T14:52:00.001-07:00

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

A Great Man Has Passed . . .

2009-05-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-16T20:25:00.001-07:00

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

2009-02-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

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).

2009-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-01T20:14:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-06T18:04:00.001-08:00

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

Our Human Potato Head

2008-12-24T10:44:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-02T13:52:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

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!!!

TWILIGH*T

2008-11-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-10-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

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

Carson's Expressions

2008-09-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T12:41:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-08-22T14:51:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

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.

----------------------------------------------------

* 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.

----------------------------------------------------

* 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

2008-08-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

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.

The Woes of Shopping

2008-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, I told the boys we needed to run some errands today, I swear I am so embarrassed about going into some stores I have returned things so many times after I buy some sort of home decor then end up changing my mind about it or finding something else. So today I pulled into a parking lot and didn't tell Hayden where we were going and he looked at the store, hit his forehead with his hand and said "Oh, we are at Home Goods. I hate this store." I just started laughing and couldn't stop. Maybe you had to be there, but for a 4 year old to recognize a store just by pulling into a parking lot speaks loads about...well, probably both of us. I have a shopping problem and he is a very smart and observant little boy.

Had to post...

2008-07-03T15:32:00.001-07:00

So, today is the day of posts it appears, but I had to post this because I just thought it was so funny.I just answered the phone and had about a 15 minute conversation with someone, and I have no idea who they were. I just played along and the lady asked how the kids were and all about what was happening in our lives, so I told her about the kids and about how we have been on the phone with our HOA to try to get a go-ahead with our front yard and lots of other things. Then she started talking about all these people, I have no idea who they are. She talked to me about how they have to sell their house and about her husbands job. I just okay'd and yeah'd my way through the whole conversation. I was laughing to myself the whole time and didn't have the heart to ask who she was because she was so pleasant. Hopefully she doesn't keep calling though. Anyways, had to share.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-02T22:59:00.001-07:00

This is the Spot...

2008-07-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

I am sure some of you recall the day you found out the truth about Santa (sorry to brake it to those of you who still believe) - well this is the place many many years ago that my grandmother told me the Tooth Fairy wasn't real and so I started questioning, the Easter Bunny? Santa Claus? I recall being so let down that my parents had lied to me all this time. In fact it made me so sad I vowed to never lie to my kids about these guys. In fact, I told Hayden years ago Santa wasn't real but I think he wants to believe he is real regardless.

Texas Vacation

2008-07-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

We just returned a few days ago from my family's yearly Texas Family Reunion. We always have such a great time, and needless to say, Jared and I were desperate for some sort of vacation, so the timing was awesome. We were able to visit with family and the boys got to play with their only cousins, which they haven't seen in 2 years, so they didn't really remember each other.
I think we rode on just about every sort of mode of transportation that week possible. We rode in a car, on an airplane, boat, jet ski, train, bus, four wheel, and EZ Go (golf cart).

This is us on our way from our grandparents to Lake Murray in Northern Texas/ Oklahoma.

Here are most of the little kiddos, minus a cousin. The girls, Annie and Chloe took a liking to both our boys, but they loved to baby Carson. They just kept loving on him, picking him up and carrying him. In the picture he doesn't seem too opposed. Oh, and the picture that was taken on the rocks, can you Scorpions? I don't know how many scorpions we killed, but several. I didn't sleep very well at nighttime scared there were little buggies in bed with us. Ugh.
Papa Nobles and Carson.

One of the days we were at the Lake, my cousin talked us into going to this drive-thru zoo called Arbuckle Wilderness. It was the craziest thing I have ever been to in the avenue of zoo's. You know how you watch those hilarious clips on America's Funniest Home videos of the people in their cars at these zoos, well I wish I would have had a video camera because we all just about peed our pants at several different times during our excursion. We had Goats practically climbing into our car, Camel's that stuck their heads into our car and stole our cups of food, drueling (?) Giraffe's that got slobber all over us, and as for the Ostrich's - well we rolled up our windows and sped on past them. We had such a great time.

As an ending to our vacation, we were just about in the midst of a tornado. We were told there was a 20% chance of storms Saturday evening. Well, I'm not totally sure who was in charge of the forecast for the day, but they probably ought to be looking for a job elsewhere going from 20% chance of RAIN to a massive thunder and lightening storm and tornadoes. I should probably preface this by saying ever since I was a little girl, I have feared that while I was in Texas there would be a tornado. Well, we saw the rain clouds start moving in and I didn't think much of it until we were at my grandparents and my uncle drove in and said we needed to turn on the news for tornado updates. I figured he had to be joking, but when I went outside across the way, sure enough the sky was that sea green color, the wind had picked up and there were funnel clouds starting to form, several of them and they were heading straight towards us. The wind started blowing so hard it was fiercely splashing water from the pool. It was a sight to be seen for me.
Thankfully, eventually the storm lessened as it passed, but we received a message about 1 am on Jared's phone that our 8:50 flight was canceled the following morning and not re-scheduled until almost 48 hours later and I love my grandparents, but I did not want to stay in Texas any longer after the storm. I wanted my own home and bed. We ended up flying into a different airport and taking a shuttle to our car an hour away. But, we are home and getting ready for Jared's parents who will be driving in tomorrow from AZ.

Hello 2's... We Have Arrived!!!

2008-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Carson took a few weeks to settle into this new and exciting phase of life. His birthday was in May and it's almost July and he is finally starting to act his age, darn it. My mom came over today to watch the boys for a little bit so I could go run some errands and Carson cried when I left, which is totally not like him. He usually prefers my mom over anyone else. I know if I would have taken him with me, he would have cried. When I got home he was busy doing something and when he was done and realized my mom was gone, he just cried and cried. He has started hitting and telling me "no" and when Jared walked in the front door tonight he bawled and tried to not let him in the front door. I am hoping he is still just exhausted from our week in Texas, but I am not so sure. He has also started climbing out of his crib. Look out!

Jared's Latest Project

2008-06-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Here is Jared's latest project. As most of you know, after the bank originally accepted our offer, we signed the initial paperwork and had our inspection done and then there was a flood in the house. So, the linoleum that was in the kitchen was ripped up and never replaced by the bank who owned the home due to various reasons, way too many details I don't want to explain bc it would probably really bore you. Needless to say, we were living on cement flooring the first few weeks we were in the home, so putting in flooring was one of the top priorities. So, here is a before and after...(it still needs to be completed, i.e. grouted and cleaned)

Homeward Bound

2008-06-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

As the 4th of July is approaching, I have thought a lot about our freedom's, especially as our country seems to be slowly deteriorating with various bills passing, such as the recent over-ruling by a panel of judges in California who decided marriage is unconstitutional as determined to be just between a man and woman. There are other recent rulings where the government has chosen to micro-manage our lives (like what we can and can't do in our cars- such as talk on the phone), and other bills being brought before the Senate. When I think about our country, I think of our forefathers and what our great country was originally founded upon. I am so grateful that I was born of goodly parents and into a free nation. I am also grateful for those giving their lives fighting for our freedoms at home and abroad.

Me and my little Boys

2008-05-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Keys

2008-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

So after 2 months of waiting, a flood, a police report of vandalism, a cancellation of escrow, meetings with attorney's, dis-honest agents, a bank that wanted to cut all corners, lots of nausea and loss of weight, and a few Xanax, we received the keys on our new home today- Yeah!!! I had informed all my friends and family a few days ago that we decided it would be best to back out of the entire deal, and that I didn't even want to talk or think about it, then later on that day our agents arranged a meeting with a few individuals and after much prayer, fasting, and talking to dad's, we decided it would be best if we continued to go through with purchasing our home. So, over the next week we have a friend, who does flood remediation and re-build, who will be tearing out a few walls and cleaning things up like the bank should have done after a faulty valve in an upstairs bathroom leaked and flooded about half the home well over a month ago, and the bank decided they just wanted to paint over the water stains on the walls and replace the carpet. So, when that work is completed and the home is safe for us to move into, we will do so hopefully next weekend. We are half-way excited about it, still a little nervous about what the next few days will hold, but ready for this next step in our lives.

This made me Chuckle...

2008-05-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

Why did the chicken cross the road?
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!
JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.
JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% .........reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath th chicken?
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken!
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
AL SHARPTON: Why are all chickens white? We need some black chickens.

REFLECTIONS OF CHRIST

2008-05-19T10:37:00.001-07:00

Beautiful- You have to watch this

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-19T08:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Carson

2008-05-15T10:26:00.001-07:00

Our little Carson Barson turned 2 on Monday. It was such a fun day for him. He sang Happy birthday to himself just about all day long. As family members called in to wish him HB-day, he sang with every one of them. Today, 3 days later, he was still singing it to himself. I made a monster cake for him- I was trying really hard to make a cake like my friend who is a total pro- you should check out her site, she is listed under "Our Peeps" - Jacob & Bethany. She is amazing- anyways, I felt pretty good about how it turned out, considering most of my birthday cakes fall apart. All day long, the boys asked to see the Monster Cake. A miracle occurred that day as well, the cake made it through a 12 hour period without a single finger poking, although it did get a fishy cracker stuck into it's side. Batman even came to the party. It was awesome.

Mothers Day Tea

2008-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

So, I am a little late posting this, but this is Hayden at his Pre-School. Every year they put on a Mother's-Day Tea Program/ Luncheon. It was so fun. The kids sang songs and served us lunch. Hayden was such a little gentleman, getting my chair and making sure I had food to eat and something to drink. He even chose the teeny tiny table and chairs for us to sit in. It was really a lot of fun.

Blessings

2008-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to any woman reading this who influences the world for good, but hasn't necessarily born a child. I have been blessed by so many "mothers" in my own life. My children have three of the best aunts one could ever ask for, who are like mothers to my children. I am so thankful for their influences on my boys.
Last night I had the privilege of hearing Carson scream at about 10:00 p.m.. I grabbed him a drink of water then headed upstairs for a moment I hope I will never forget. I picked him up and gave him a drink, then he just lay on my chest with his beloved blanky and I just rocked him, staring at him. I had so many impressions and emotions as I sat there holding this beautiful child. I never wanted that moment to end. It was complete bliss to me. This time of year, I always feel humbled and grateful, and at times emotionally overwhelmed as I ponder on the events that occurred around Carson's birth. He will be two years old tomorrow, and two years ago at this time he was in a hospital over an hour-and-a-half away from me, while I was recovering from a C-Section in a totally different county. The only life-line I had to him was the video Jared had taken of him, that I watched over and over...and over, and the phone calls I would make to his nurses, at all hours, to get an update on his progress, since he had been taken away from me in an incubator and diagnosed with congenital pneumonia hours after birth. The day I was released from the hospital and able to be with my baby for the first time, was Mother's Day. The hospital took a photograph of us and gave all the mom's a bear as a gift from all our babyies in the NICU. Those two items represent so much to me and today I am so thankful to be a mom, and I am so thankful for the health we each enjoy.

Strong-Willed

2008-05-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is a quote to all you mommy's out there who have a strong-willed child. Jared printed off an article called,
"Making Peace with your Strong-Willed Child." Learning Expert Cynthia Ulrich Tobias offers help and hope. Interview by Carla Barnhill.
I haven't read the entire article through yet, but at breakfast I was glancing through it and saw this quote and loved it.
"These strong-willed kids are not going to let the world change them. They will change the world. That's something to admire."
I had so much peace when I read that. One of my dearest friends here, Jen often reminds me that our Heavenly Father has saved the best for last. Our children need to be strong-willed in these last days so they can overcome the temptations of the adversary. At times it is rough trying to direct kids with strong-wills, but if channeled properly, I know these kids will change the world and I am thankful to have such great kids.

2008-05-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

When we were at the zoo back in March, Aunt Niece took these photos and I wanted to post them bc they are so cute. There were a group of people watching the elephants, when Carson drew all their attention to him with first trying to jump off a curb, he would go down and pop up then step down. He tried so hard to jump off the curb, but never boosted the courage to do it. Then he ran off and everyone started clapping for him, he has an adorable run, yeah I am a little partial. Anyways...

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-06T21:38:00.001-07:00

Jared and I have started taking dance lessons, this is our latest routine...

2008-05-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Just A Mom?

2008-04-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

This was forwarded to me today and I had to post it...

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?" "Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically. I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar." "What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money." There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood!
What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".

Confession

2008-04-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

I just thought I should confess something that has been on my mind, to all you moms with kids, you know how we go through crackers pretty quickly. Well, I pretend to buy them for the kids, but really I end up eating almost all of the crackers. I never used to buy them when I didn't have kids, but now that I do on a regular basis, I am starting to feel it. My favorites are Reduced Fat (because they are crunchier) Cheeze-Its. I think I will have to lay off though because starting tomorrow we have a Johnson Biggest Loser Challenge starting up and going through the next 6 weeks, and I am all about the Jackpot. I am getting my fill of Cheeze-its tonight.

All or Nothing

2008-04-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have pretty much decided it is all or nothing with me and blog postings. I can go two weeks without writing anything, then all of a sudden I write several days in a row. Sorry for the bombardment, but I wanted to post these two items, mostly for myself.
The first, I thought it was so cute today, we take a daily stroll in the late afternoon up to the mail box then usually stay outside and play until daddy gets home. When daddy gets changed, I go inside to make dinner (if it isn't already going) while Jared stays outside, Hayden generally rides his bike and Carson kicks around the soccer ball. Well, today we were walking down from the mailbox and I noticed Carson had discovered his pockets and I wished I had my camera at that very moment because it was so cute to see him walking beside me, one hand holding mine and the other stuffed in his little shorts pocket. It made me think about how big he is getting, and we all know what that means...just kidding I still need a few more years, between Carson and number 3. I tried to have him re-pose, but he and cameras don't go so well. He is always wanting to see himself on the camera and has a hard time staying still so I can take one, but here he is.This is Hayden, the bug man. He is so tender and sweet when it comes to animals, but this is all very recent. A few weeks ago we were getting in the car to go to my moms and he found a fly, you know how fly's on their way out of this world, they stop flying and just kind of walk around and slow way down. Well, that is what this guy did and Hayden was so happy that this fly just sat on his hand and he even put him in the car to bring to Grammy's, although we lost him somewhere on the way over...somehow...hmmm...anyways, ever since then he has freed a mouse we caught in our house so the mouse could go back to live with it's family, problem is the mouse came back inside and ended up dying in our closet. He brought in a snail yesterday and told me how much the snail loved him bc he was laying his head on Hayden's hand. Sometimes he gets bee's in his room, I think through the skylight and Hayden makes sure I am so gentle with them. Today I put a bee back outside and as I was putting him out a gust of wind blew him back in and the bee landed in the windowsill, and I quickly shut the window, well Hayden literally freaked out thinking I had squished the bee. Mr. Wormy is his newest friend. He was very concerned that Mr. Wormy had a red vain and looked like he was bleeding. Hayden is already asking for a snake. We saw a fish that looks like a snake at Wal-Mart yesterday, my vote is definitely the fish snake. I am not sure me and a real snake could live under the same roof. The next picture is just Hayden being the silly kid he is.

P.S. I can't figure out how to rotate the picture, so sorry.

Howdy

2008-04-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing to do when my mom is getting ready in the morning (this would be on the days she does actually get ready) is to play in her makeup drawer. It's pretty much my favorite thing to do in the bathroom, but mom says it's our little secret and daddy can't know about it (she promises this is the only secret it's ok to keep from daddy because he just wouldn't understand), I love to take the Q-tips and see how many I can fit in my ears. The record so far is 3 Q-tips in one ear. It's a really good thing my big brother Hayden has never seen me do this because he always tries to out-do me and I don't even want to think about how many Q-tips he could find places for. My mom says it used to take her an hour to get ready in the morning, I have no idea what she did for an hour, but that is way longer than the 10 minutes she takes now. She says life changes when you have kids and we keep her busy.

This other picture is of me with my newest owie. Last night I was playing around with our friends who joined us for Conference Dinner and I tripped and hit the end of the cocoa table. My mom and dad said I got blood all over our shirts, but I got to eat an Otter Pop out of the whole deal. I can't smile like I usually do and it feels funny to eat and my words are a little bit slurred, but mom says the swelling should be down in a few days. Nice lip huh.

This is a picture of me in the clothes basket. I love to be with my blue-blue and cup of milk anywhere I can fit. I especially like getting into closed and confined spaces. I think it makes me feel secure.

This is a picture of me and my big brother Hayden. We love to play hide-and-seek, even if we are obviously able to be seen out in the open. My mom really hopes we don't have to replace the blinds when we move in a few weeks, but they are looking pretty shaggy from me and my brother pulling on them.

Oh and my mom wanted to put a picture of the front of our house (hopefully), she didn't have one when she put the photos in the slideshow below.

Funny Moment

2008-03-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

This morning the boys did something funny and I thought, I need to blog that. Usually I think I need to write it in their journal, but this is so much quicker. I need to start printing off pages from my blog to stick in their journals, I better get started with that.
Anyways, this morning the boys were playing on a chair in our bedroom. They were both standing on it and Hayden's shoulder bumped Carson's cheek bone, where he already has a bruise from Hayden and him playing yesterday, and Carson started to cry. Hayden apologized then suddenly flung his own face/cheek into the arm of the chair and started sort of crying- ow. Then they both looked at each other and started laughing. It was so cute, I thought it was especially cute of Hayden to want to hurt himself to help ease the pain of his little brother. They have been so sweet with each other the last few weeks.
This morning I went up to get Carson, and I could hear Hayden had picked the lock and gotten into Carson's room, which the whole purpose of locking Carson's door is to keep Hayden out, I guess it's not working too well. When I got upstairs, Carson was out of his crib and they were just playing on the floor with their toys. Hayden had apparently moved the toy bin over to Carson's crib and lifted him out of his bed. It makes me nervous to picture exactly how he got him out, but none the less there he was. Funny boys.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-27T12:55:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend. Jared's parents and sister, Janiece came down and stayed with us. We thoroughly enjoyed their company. We were able to go to the temple, the zoo and had lots of time to relax and play. We spent Easter Sunday at our home with Jared and my family. The boys had a fun time hunting for eggs and got a lot of fun treats from the grandma's. Oh yeah, we also bought a house in Temecula. If all goes as planned we will close on April 29. We are very excited and nervous about it, and the home needs work, but we are very excited, did I happen to mention we are excited???

Long Time Gone

2008-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. LOTs has been going on with us the last few weeks. First of all, we put two offers in on homes. The anxiety from waiting to hear back from the banks pretty much put me out of commission. I needed a good week to recover from all the hoopla. We ended up not getting either one, which we feel good about, but from all the stress and everything, I got sick then the kids got sick. Carson is still getting over his yucky croupy cold. We went looking again this past Saturday and are putting in another offer today, so nerves are winding up again. From all the getting in and out of cars Saturday (we looked at 16 homes in 5 hours) I threw out my back and have been in a lot of pain. I threw out my back, same place and everything about 2 1/2 years ago and have stretches from my physical therapist and this time with starting to stretch immediately, I am seeing a huge difference already. So, hopefully it is not a 6 month recovery like it was last time. Other than that, we are excited to have Jared's parents and sister, Aunt Niece come to visit this Thursday through Monday. We are very excited for this.

I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but I was put into Young Women's as a secretary and am really enjoying it so far. The YW Pres. said on top of the regular secretarial responsibilities, she would like for me to work with the girls on teaching them music. So, we are going to start working on a song for Girls Camp.

The reason for this entry though was because I came across an article on my hotmail about baby names that are outrageous and I wanted to put up some of these names parents name their little babies...

Harry Pitts
Penny Nickel
Fanny Large
Wanna Towell
Moon Unit
Moxie Crimefighter
Pilot Inspector
Audio Science
Envy Burger
Mary A. Belcher
Mary A. Fool
Ima Nutt
Ima Bumm
Ima Reck
Comma Vowells
Verb Ruff

Poor children!!!

Tagged

2008-03-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

A. The rules of this game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the question about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, and then leaves a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog to get the directions.

Tagged by my cous Shelly

Questions:
10 yrs ago:I was 17, wow crazy to think about. I was a senior in High School living it up with my best of friends, Heidi, Holly, Becky, and Sara. I was in my own world and did everything just for me. Wow how times have changed 10 years later. Now I spend my spare time downing Excedrine Migraine or being beat up by a 4-year old.
5 Things on my list of things to do today: Well, how about for tomorrow since I am going to bed after writing this. Tomorrow, 5 items...work, take Hayden to school, run on the treadmill, figure out what to make for dinner, laundry, wow that is usually my day.
Things I would do if I was suddenly a Billionaire: Invest it in California municipal bonds (I have no idea what that means, but Jared just told me what we would invest it in), which would be about 30 million a year. I guess that would be enough to travel to Italy. I have wanted to go there a long time. I would buy a house on Balboa Island with our own yaught on the dock. But, that would just be our vacation home. I would purchase a home in Morgan Hills, Temecula (I totally want to live here), and I would hire a nanny and a house cleaner. I would also love to get a condo or home someplace where it snows so we could have a place to visit to ski and play in snow. I would love to give money to people in foreign country's, and you know how they say $20 in africa could change the life of a family/ individual. I would want to change as many lives as I could. I am going to start collecting donations from family and friends. So, if you would like to donate to the Johnson Family Billionaire fund, just see the paypal link at the bottom of the blog and we will see that your money goes to a worthy cause, hahaha.
3 of my bad habits: I am a picker. If I have a zit or something on my face, it becomes a scab and usually doesn't heal up for a while, bc I just keep picking it. Sometimes I am a couch mom, I sometimes find that I plant myself on the couch and mommy from there. This is usually when I am really tired, and I always feel really bad afterwards. I lay in bed in the morning as long as I possibly can most mornings. My kids are up way too early, Hayden usually comes bouncing down the stairs at 6 am.
Places I have lived: La Crescenta, CA, Fallbrook/ Bonsall, CA, Provo, UT, Rexburg, ID., Denton, TX.
Jobs I have had: Currently KIDZUI website editor, Pizza Hut delivery driver and Waitress/ CSR, Nordstrom Women's Shoes Cashier, Franklin Covey 7 Habits Profile Center, I can't remember what else at the moment.
Things most people don't know about me: I get stressed out/ anxiety frequently. I think about things way too much which exhausts me physically. I love watching LOST, and a new show called Just For Laughs. This show cracks me up. My bud Jen Nye just introduced me to a great comedian, Brian Regan that is clean and I love his DVD. If you ever need a good laugh, you have to get his DVD and a box of tissues. I love running, you can't really tell from looking at my legs, but running is about the only way I feel a great workout.

Okay, I am going to tag, Jenn, Lori, Jared, Jeremy, Katie

Yummy Quick Dinner Idea

2008-02-26T12:39:00.001-08:00

This is a great recipe we had last night. I think Jared's food was gone by the time I finished dishing out the boys. It was yummy, quick, cheap and easy. The hardest part is remembering to prepare it in advance. Most of the ingredients are items you most likely have in the cupboard or fridge as well. So if you would like, give it a try. I found it last week on a crock pot recipe website. I love my crock pot lately. Here it is...

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff
4-5 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 (12 0z) container Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on Low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender -I cooked mine on high 3 hours and low the last hour. Then I turned off my crock pot and while it cooled down, the sauce thickened. I also shredded the chicken in the crock pot and let it sit about 15 min. Serve over cooked noodles (we used egg noodles) or rice. Yummy!!!

Hayden and Carson Meeting Snow

2008-02-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

So, we enjoyed a fun day in the snow today. We had such a great time. Hayden and Carson have never before been in snow, and we were sick of just watching the view of the snow and decided to go and enjoy it hands on. On the way there, we passed snow along side the road and Hayden kept asking us to pull over so he could feel it. We assured him he would do enough feeling it throughout the day. Carson was not a fan, it didn't help he refused to put on his gloves. He didn't want to have much to do with it, especially after he and I face-planted on the sled. Hayden's favorite thing was making a snow man. We played tackle daddy and had a real Johnson "snow-ball fight." We had a great time. Here are some pics.

I took this picture after a recent storm we had last week. As I waited for the clouds to clear over the mountains to see if it had snowed I saw snow so low I thought it was just really low lying clouds. As the clouds cleared completely, the mountains were covered in snow. It was so beautiful. I felt for a few hours like I was back in Utah.

The rest of the pics are from our snow trip today...

This was after Carson and I fell on the sled -
We have lift off, thanks Hayden -

Crossing The Bar

2008-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

I loved the song sung at President Hinckley's funeral, here are the lyrics that are so beautiful:

Crossing The Bar

Poem lyrics of Crossing The Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

Fun at the Zoo

2008-02-08T09:51:00.001-08:00

So, yesterday Hayden didn't have any school and I desperately needed to get out of the house. We hadn't been to the zoo since right before I had Carson so I decided to take the boys down to San Diego for the day. We had so much fun. Hayden's favorite part was this reptile house. We went back there several times throughout the day. I think we will be taking a trip to the Library to get some books on Reptiles.
This next picture is so disgusting, but I had to post it. WARNING: If you are eating or have a weak stomach, move on.
We visited the monkeys, which of course are incredibly amusing. So, what you think is happening really is happening, only the monkey below ate what he pulled out of his friend.

My little Bugs...
These are some pictures of the kids at the petting zoo...

Family Date Night

2008-02-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

Every few weeks we try to do something fun with the family on a Friday night, to make it a little bit more special than the other nights. On these nights, I am usually a lot more lenient on the 7 pm bedtime, and we all just relax and have fun. Well on this Family Date Night, we ran down to the Library and picked up Dumbo, which Hayden and Carson had never seen, and grabbed a Little Ceasar's $5 pizza, (which I think is just the best deal). Voila, that was our Family Date Night and we all had a great time eating pizza and watching Dumbo. My favorite part is still when Mrs. Jumbo gets put in the "crazy elephant" train car and Dumbo goes to visit her there, she rocks him in his trunk and that beautiful song, "Close your eyes" or whatever it is. That part always makes me cry. Anyway, we had fun.

Bumper Sticker

2008-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Jared pointed out this bumper sticker we saw the other night that made us just laugh, and I have been laughing ever since, sorry if any of you my dear friends are voting or are in favor of her...

"Monica Lewenski's x-boyfriends wife for President?"

I hope that was as funny to you as it was to us.

Women's Conference

2008-01-27T20:29:00.001-08:00

We had our stake women's conference on Saturday and Mary Ellen Edmonds came to speak to us. I took a few notes that I wanted to share. The main topic of her talk was Happiness. I thought, if she can be happy, I have no reason not to be. She is I would guess in her 60's, never been married and has no kids, and she is so happy. She said that we have no reason to not be the happiest people on earth. Here are a few bullet-points of things she talked about...
- How can we each cultivate a Spirit of gladness?
- Something is wrong if we aren't having joy now.
- If we have to stand alone, we must do it.
- If we as women will be united, our strength will be uncalcuable.

Then a member of the stake presidency spoke to us and I loved this analogy he made. He talked about Peter, when he got out of the boat and was trying to go ashore to be beside the Savior, his eyes were looking down at his feet and his focus was not the Savior, he wasn't at first successful on his way to the Savior and he was falling. When children learn to walk they lock eyes with you or whom ever they are walking towards, and they put one foot in front of the other, focused on their target. We need to keep our gaze on the Savior, so we don't sink and fall.

Gratitude

2008-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, so I have been thinking a ton lately about all that I am blessed with. Do you ever feel like as a mom that some days you are just trapped. Don't get me wrong, motherhood is like the most amazing and rewarding experience of my life, but some days I just feel trapped, like the world around me doesn't exist and that I am going to lose it. I have also thought about how much I love reading my friends blogs because it makes me feel I am not the only one going through these life experiences. I think blogging was an inspired concept, it is my group therapy...really. You spill your guts out and friends read and comment, giving encouragement, then you can read your friends ups and downs and it makes you feel they are real just like you.
This week I have been noticing the beauty that is around me. It has been raining here this last week. I love the rain, in moderation, I love the rain. I need the sun, but rain is so nice and refreshing. I feel so thankful to live in such a beautiful place. Out of some of the windows in our home, we have a view of the local snow capped mountains and out of Hayden's upstairs window (three stories high) we can just about see the ocean. If one of the hills wasn't in the way, we would have an ocean view. Too often I get caught up (especially lately) in thinking about all the things I want, mainly a house. For some people their trial is that they suffer from depression, maybe they have a hard time getting pregnant, for me my trial right now is that we still haven't been able to purchase our own home and it is killing me. Amongst this and struggling with Hayden's hopefully age-related horrible behavior, by the way, I was told at 4 it gets easier. I was totally expecting the day he turned four, two weeks ago, to be a changing day for us. Then the other day someone said it changes when they are five, ahhh. In the meantime hopefully one of the three books I purchased off Amazon in a desperate search for some answers will help me. I hope they get here quickly. So, as I have been thinking about all of this lately, I have really been looking for answers and help, peace. My prayers lately have consisted of nothing but asking for things. Instead of reading my scriptures the other day I picked up my patriarchal blessing and read through that. In it it tells me to "take frequent opportunities to pour out your heart to your Father in Heaven for all the things you are blessed with, good health, living in a favored land...then as you do this Heavenly Father will bless you with things even without your asking." So, I have turned my focus instead to that of gratitude and I am amazed that such a simple thing has made all the difference. It is so easy sometimes to get caught up in selfishness, and I am guilty of that more than I realize. But today and hopefully from here on out, I am grateful.

I have been tagged, thanks cousin Nicki

2008-01-24T11:26:00.001-08:00

Alright, so my cous Nicki tagged me I don't want to be a party pooper (here I go potty talking, it's a good thing Hayden can't read yet or he would probably give me a time out, J/K), so apparently I have to write 10 quirky, weird, random things, facts, habits about myself. So, I am sucking down my pride, hold on, big gulp, and here we go.

1) I have a huge dream of composing a song, words and music. The whole shebang. I have wanted to do this for a very long time, and one of these days I will.
2) Two different times in my life I have trained for a marathon, but both times I had to stop running at about 8 miles due to either my knee or my back going out on me. Running a marathon is still a huge goal for me. Right now I run about 10 miles a week with my running buddies.
3) I have always wanted to learn to clog, ever since I went to Ireland my senior year. I was fascinated with the way they danced. I am waiting until I lose some more flab though because who wants to see a clogger with flab bouncing around? Not me, so I have a little more work to do before working on this one.
4) For about a year, I have been working memorizing The Familiy Proclamation. I have been stuck on the 4th paragraph for about that long, a year. After I memorize this, I want to work on memorizing my patriarchal blessing.
5) This next item would fall under weird, if you haven't already thought some of the above things are weird enough, I am obsessive about keeping lists, files and so forth. I keep an on-going list of what I want my dream house to look like (clipping photos from wherever any time I see something I like), I keep a file with kids games, activities, FHE Lessons, health or church articles, Quotes, websites, cute invitations I receive and on and on. You name it and I probably have a file for it in the file cabinet.
6) Maybe some of you already knew this about me, but I am way cheap. If it is not on sale, I usually won't buy it. This is especially true when it comes to clothing. I NEVER look at regular priced items. Clearance racks are always the place you will find me in a clothing store, target, Wal-Mart- anywhere there is a clearance rack, there will you find me also.
7) Something way quirky about me is my left eye brow. Ever since I started paying attention to my eyebrows, my left eye brow is never tame. The hair at the beginning of my brow fans out and drives me nuts. If I pluck it back to where I get rid of the fanning hair, my eye brows look even more funky because it makes it short. Hayden has this same quirk.
8) Speaking of hair, this one may be too personal but here it goes, for years I have noticed two black hairs that grow side by side on my right forearm. I have to pluck these every few weeks. And even worse, a few months ago I noticed black hairs popping up on my face that I have had to start plucking. Please if you ever notice a black hair on my chin or around my lips, tell me people. I was so embarrassed when I noticed these and wondered how long they had been there. I have tried to tame the black hairs now that I know they are there. I think I am producing too much testosterone, The boys hormones are rubbing off on me in ways I never imagined. A few times I have been tempted to grab the razor in the shower and just shave, but I am pretty sure that would make the situation way out of control.
9) I love hot cocoa. I have a cup of it just about every night. I put the kids in bed, come downstairs and boil my water and sit at the computer. In fact I am waiting for it to boil as I type. So far Stephen's is my very favorite. Hot cocoa makes me feel happy and so warm inside. Mmmm. I totally use food to comfort me, hence my un-forgivable thighs.
10) For the last one, I have a dream of becoming a franchise owner of either a Cafe Rio or In-N-Out, even though I think both are still corporate owned, I still have a dream of running a restaurant or having a coin-op Car Wash Bay, or running a children's singing/music studio.
11) OK, so I am going to add two more, I am terrified of flying. That is probably my greatest fear, even before 9/11, I hated it- but since 9/11 I hate it so much more.
12) I am a terrible house cleaner. It is usually not first on my list of things to do, especially since I started working and blogging. I spend a lot of time on the computer- mainly for my job.
13) Lastly, I know I said only two more, I lied. This last one is a confession- what the heck does i.e. stand for??? Can someone help me out with that one because I use it, but I don't totally know what it stands for, in essence???
14) Last one I promise, blue is my favorite color since it makes me think of the three "men" in my life.

Ecco

2008-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

If you have children, and your children speak, then I am sure you have heard similar things to the story I am about to relate to you. The other night it was time to get for bed, the kids were in the bath so I decided to run up before they were done (don't freak out, they weren't left in the tub alone, Jared was in there with them), and grab their jammies. Well, I came down, the kids got out of the bath and dried off (Hayden streaked through the house like a mad man, his after bath/being naked ritual) then the jammie routine began. As soon as he saw the jammies I had picked out for him, he said "mom, I can't wear those jammies, they make me too sweatie." Well, he is his own heater, even if it has been in the thirties at night lately, I believe him when he says he isn't cold, so I said he could run upstairs and grab another pair of jammies, but to take up the ones I had brought down and to please put them away. His response to my request, "mom, you got those jammies out and it is your responsibility to put them away." Jared and I just started laughing while Hayden tried to do all he could to not laugh himself. I took his hand and we went upstairs together and found a different pair of jammies.
I hear myself in the things he says way too much though, silly kid.

Lesson Learned...

2008-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Oft times I am humbled by the wisdom and innocence of my little Hayden. Tonight was one of those times. We were in his room getting him ready for bed and he had a sword he got from SeaWorld today (Grammy and Papa took him for his birthday, I think this is the final last hooray- although he has already started asking when his next birthday is). I told him he could only keep the sword in his room as long as it stayed on his floor and he didn't get out of bed to play with it, he is funny about being able to see where some of his favorite toys are, even if he can't play with them he just wants to know they are there. He thought for a moment then asked, "well how will you know if I get out of my bed?" My response was quick and I was thinking about relaxing on the couch for a few minutes, having the house to myself, so I said "because mommy knows everything, please get into bed." He thought for only a moment then said, "mommy, if you know everything isn't that being prideful?" I was immediately humbled and told him I was sorry and explained to him how I could hear his feet from downstairs when he gets out of bed. He was more satisfied with that answer, as was I.
I was walking through the mall with Carson today when I happened to read the height limit for the children's play area, which is 42'' in the mall. Yesterday Hayden had his 4 year physical and the nurse told us he is 41 1/2''. I never thought the time would come so soon when my little boy is too big for the kid play area. It made me sad to think about how quickly he is growing up. Then I reflect on the poem I put up earlier today about how babies don't keep, and to put everything else aside to enjoy this time with my kids while they are young. They are so precious.

Love This...

2008-01-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

" Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I've learned, to my sorrow.
So Quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."
- Author Unknown

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2008-01-13T20:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Hayden

2008-01-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, we have had a crazy last few weeks. Our Christmas was so great, I can't believe I haven't written since then, but we had a great time at home with the kids. We spent the day at my parents and played with toys all day long. We all got the stomach flu right after Christmas and Jared ended up taking the whole week off due to being sick, so it was actually kind of nice. Hayden started school again last week, hallelujah. We were so excited for that to start again and to get back into our routine. We celebrated Hayden's 4th birthday last week. He had several celebrations. The first was a party at our house about a week ago with some friends. He has been talking about having a party with a pinata for months, so I decided this year I couldn't just get away as I always have with just doing something with the family. So, he insisted on having a Spiderman party and we had a great time. After the party, I can't tell you how many times he came up and hugged my leg and said "thanks so much for my spiderman party." It was very fun for him. His actual birthday was about 5 days after his party, and he was very confused about us celebrating his birthday again. He kept saying, but I already turned four. On his birthday he also kept telling everyone he had gotten taller when he woke up that morning. I think he was expecting a literal change in his size. He went to school and shared cupcakes with all his friends and insisted on Ramen for dinner, I could manage with that. To top it all off, my grandparents were visiting this week from Texas, straying in Newport Beach. So, we saw them several times and had a great time with them. So, off to start a new week.

Gingerbread- Graham Cracker House

2007-12-17T14:09:00.001-08:00

We finally made our houses. We have been wanting to do them for a very long time and finally were able to on Saturday. I won the family graham cracker house contest, thank you very much. Jared constructed the bases of the homes while we all added our own designs after that. We had a lot of fun. In one of the pics you can see Jared "blow-drying" the houses. The frosting was too thin and not drying fast enough so this helped out a ton. Hayden ate way more candy than was used on the houses, all of them combined. I don't know if you can tell, but when we took pictures of the finished product I told everyone to get in front of the house they made, in one picture Hayden is in front of his, then ever so sneakily, he switched his with Jared's.
We put them up on our Entertainment center and Hayden climbed up there the other day and got one down and ate a bunch of it, "...ain't no mountain high enough..." for that kid! We had fun though.

Gingerbread- Graham Cracker House

2007-12-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

Our Gift

2007-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hayden climbed under our tree tonight proclaiming "look I am a Christmas present." I told him to freeze and snatched a picture. Jared and I were cracking up. We love putting our Dish on the Holiday station, Hayden usually takes care of turning off all the house lights and requests a flashlight and we listen to music, with the tree lights on while the boys play. I just love it. I will be so sad when the season is over. I can usually count on Hayden to turn on the Christmas lights first thing when he comes downstairs in the morning and they usually don't go off until we go to bed at night. We drove around tonight looking at lights around town. I love Christmas. As I am looking at the above picture, I am noticing how sad the tree is looking. Carson likes to pull of the lights and even chew on them, yeah, we have to keep a close eye on him when he is downstairs around the tree. He has gotten better than when we first put it up, but looks like I need to do some fixing.

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2007-12-07T11:15:00.003-08:00

Christmas Time

2007-12-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. I read something the other day about a man who in his old age can't remember what he did yesterday (hmmm that sounds familiar to me) but he can tell you what he has done and where he has been every Christmas of his life. I feel the same way. Whenever I think of Christmas I smell hot cidar and cinnamon, I see lights on beautiful evergreens. I see my family and feel happy and content. I feel the excitement of a little child as I think of Christmas morning and the traditions I want to start in my own family.
I hope that I can always remember the true meaning of this time of year, amidst all the hustle and bustle and take more time out to think of our Savior whose birth and life we celebrate. I hope that in an attempt to simplify, we will remember the Christ child, and I especially hope we can teach our two boys the importance of serving over receiving as I know the Savior would want us to do.
One of my favorite things about Christmas is the time set aside, a whole month to think about Christ. The mangers, the giving, the Christmas music that is everywhere, I LOVE the music. As we continue to progress in the season, may we all take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

Keys to a Successful Marriage

2007-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

I came across these suggestions on a site while editing and I just had to add it to my blog. I thought it was really touching. The address I got the info from is, http://gardenofpraise.com/keys.htm

FOUNDATIONS OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE

The following article is from a couple, the result of an accumulation of 78 years of marital experiences, both were widows when they married each other.

1) BE COMMITTED to each other and to making the marriage work. A generation or two ago, marriages were stable and divorce was not as widespread as it is today. We believe this was due to the commitment of people entering into the marriage relationship. Divorce should not be an option. There are situations, of course, where there is abuse and infidelity which cannot, and should not be tolerated. Not in every case, but in most cases, if discernment is used in Key 2, this type of abuse will not be found.
2) CHOOSE THE RIGHT MATE Young people get caught up in the romance and the physical attraction, and they don't consider whether the object of their attraction will help or hinder them in their spiritual development.Of course, the foundation for choice should have been laid years before. Just because a person falls in "love", doesn't necessarily mean that person you "love" would make a good spouse. Hormones need to be governed by reason. God made us creatures of choice. In fact, our lives are a product of the choices we make.
3) REMAIN SEXUALLY PURE UNTIL MARRIAGE Your marriage will have a greater chance of successif you do. Young people today who are taking a stand against pre-marital sex are to be applauded.
4) ACCEPT GOD'S PLAN FOR THE FAMILY Let Christ be the head of the family, and let the husband be the spiritual leader in the family. A loving husband will not be overbearing.
5) DON'T WITHHOLD LOVE AND AFFECTION or use it as a weapon to get your own way. God has given specific instructions about the physical relationship between husband and wife.
6) LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER Keep the lines of communication open. Few things can be more detrimental to a marriage than the refusal of one of the partners to discuss problems. Work it out together if you can, but don't hesitate to get outside help in the form of Christian counseling if it is required.
7) DON'T NEGLECT YOUR SPOUSE while you are raising your children. Long after the children have left home, you will need each other. A loving relationship must be built while the children are growing up.
8) Money can cause problems so COME TO AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE HANDLING OF FINANCES. Sometimes this is a joint effort, but sometimes one partner is better equipped to handle the family finances. The other partner needs to defer to the one with this gift.
9) TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH so that you can enjoy your relationship with one another for many years.
10) GIVE EACH OTHER ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL GROWTH and for personal likes and dislikes. One may be a sports fan, the other may not. Not all things have to be shared.
11) BE WILLING TO SAY, "I'M SORRY" when you are wrong. Truly mean it, and try to make improvements.
12) BE WILLING TO FORGIVE when you have been wronged by your spouse.
13) Make every effort to ARRANGE FOR THE WIFE AND MOTHER TO BE IN THE HOME during the years when the children are growing up. A working mother with young children is actually holding down two full time jobs. She has little time nor energy left for her husband at the end of the day.
14) As parents SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN THE DISCIPLINING OF THE CHILDREN. Failure to do so will cause the marriage and the children to suffer.
15) Hold your spouse in high esteem. MAKE POSITIVE REMARKS ABOUT YOUR MATE TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We still have leftovers, mmmmm. We went with my family and my aunts, uncles, and cousins to Disneyland. We were under the assumption the park is not crowded on Thanksgiving Day, wrong. It was very crowded, but it was still fun. It was the first time we had taken the kids and they were still probably a little bit too young. They were terrified of all the rides actually, all of them. We went on a little boat tour right after going on Peter Pan and Hayden was freaked. I was reminded and surprised at how scary a lot of the little kids rides are. We made the mistake of taking them on Pirates of the Carribean with us. Carson spent some of the time on the ride hiding his head in my arm and the rest of the time reaching for the people in back of us to take him. However, all in all, we had a blast. Here are some photos.

Four men and a little lady

Welcome Baby Brady

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Birthday Boy

A Great Man Has Passed . . .

It's All Coming Together

Sleep Tight

Fun, Fun, and more Fun

Meet Texas...

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

When I grow up

Whew

Our Human Potato Head

Merry Christmas

My 10 Year Reunion

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

Powder Puff

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

Hayden's World

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

Soccer Monster

Happy Halloween

Blessing in Disguise

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

Silly Boy

Oohhhh

Welcome Halloween

Easy Enchiladas

Just a thought

I Give Up!

Princess

Ode to Jar

Crack

Front Fell Off

Carson's Expressions

First Day of Kinder Prep Academy

Blog Worthy Moment

Labor Day Fun

Question Time

Warning...Blog under Construction

Grateful!

More Progress...

Protect Marriage

Toe Bandit

Newport Beach

Sedona, AZ

My Newest Addition and Creation

Friday Family Night

The Woes of Shopping

Had to post...

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This is the Spot...

Texas Vacation

Hello 2's... We Have Arrived!!!

Jared's Latest Project

Homeward Bound

Me and my little Boys

Keys

This made me Chuckle...

REFLECTIONS OF CHRIST

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Happy Birthday Carson

Mothers Day Tea

Blessings

Strong-Willed

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Jared and I have started taking dance lessons, this is our latest routine...

Just A Mom?

Confession

All or Nothing

Howdy

Funny Moment

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Long Time Gone

Tagged

Yummy Quick Dinner Idea

Hayden and Carson Meeting Snow

Crossing The Bar

Crossing The Bar

Fun at the Zoo

TWILIGH*T