More Progress...

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



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

Protect Marriage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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* What would the ProtectMarriage Amendment do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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* What is the process for passing a Constitutional Amendment?

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

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

Toe Bandit

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

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

Newport Beach

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

Sedona, AZ

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

My Newest Addition and Creation

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

Friday Family Night

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

The Woes of Shopping

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...

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.

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This is the Spot...

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

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!!!

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

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

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

Keys

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...

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

Beautiful- You have to watch this

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Happy Birthday Carson

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

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

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

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.

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...

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

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Just A Mom?

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

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

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

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.