Morgan and his favorite toy...

You have all been asking for pics, here they are. I found him with the plunger one day - I didn't give it to him to take pictures - that is gross! And since I keep forgetting each time I go to the store, I haven't bought him his own yet either - that is even grosser!

I'm getting ready to row!

I can use it to reach up way high!

I can pretend it's a horsey and take a ride.

Or I can just hold onto it while I watch television!

Cheetos, TV and Diets...

It's 11:40 pm, I'm reading yahoo news and I see the word "Cheetos"... Instantly, I want some. I have to have some. Is that crazy or what? I know that we have a bag of puffy Cheetos (which are definitely not as good as the crunchy ones, but in a pinch will do) in the cupboard below the microwave. Seriously, my mouth is just watering thinking about those Cheetos. I CANNOT EAT THEM!

I have been trying really hard since the beginning of June to lose some weight. I'm even on a special diet. Some weeks I do very well, others not so good. I'm sure that is the way most diets are. I only have four weeks left of this special diet and then I'm moving to the maintenance phase. Am I done losing weight? Heavens no! I just can't afford the diet anymore and am going to move onto something that is cheaper, eating regular food. I needed a kick start in the losing weight department so that healing from my surgery would be easier and faster. All in all, I do feel a lot better. I have more energy and I have lost some weight! Yeah for me :)

But, one of my most difficult times of the day is after 8:00 pm. I start craving anything and everything - like those Cheetos. And now that I'm on a diet, any time that I am watching television and someone is eating something - I start to crave that. I did NOT realize how many people eat on television. Never even noticed it before. Now that I can't eat most foods, I definitely notice it. Do you think this is a subliminal form of advertising? The worst show to watch for me is "Friends". I absolutely love that show. I will watch it in reruns forever, just like my parents used to watch "M.A.S.H." Anyway, they are always eating something on that show - muffins or cookies at the coffee shop, pizza or Chinese food at Monica's, fajitas at Ross'... Must I go on? I'm telling you, watching that show makes me hungry.

So, the last two nights, I've watched myself after 8 pm and tried so much to not eat! I've been drinking lots of pop, maybe that's why I can't fall asleep, all that caffeine. But guess what, I've been successful. It is a lot of work though. It isn't easy that is for sure. Please bear with me as I ramble on about my weight loss now and in the future. This is one contest I surely want to lose!

I am a mother (and oh so happy about it)

Alrighty folks, you know that it is time for school to begin when:

1. The seven and a half year old and the four year old stay up later than their parents watching "Sponge Bob". I think this week that the two of them haven't gone to bed before 10:30 pm. I'm so tired!

2. When we go to the waterpark and the 13 year old, after only 45 minutes, gets out of the pool, and reads a book for the remainder of our time there.

3. When any and all routines go out the window so fast that there is no way to stop them.

4. When I haven't cooked dinner for five nights, because I'm not home.

5. When the four year old has to go to the bathroom so badly, that when someone else is already in there, she just pees all over her bedroom floor and then it's mom's fault. (Because it always is!)

6. When the 21-month old doesn't know what the meaning of nap time is... (Not because he won't take a nap, but because we are never home)

7. When the mom asks the 10 year old AND the 7 year old "When was the last time you brushed your teeth or took a shower?" and they can't remember.

8. Finally, when the mom is ready to pull out each hair on her head individually only because it would be less painful than trying to persuade, coax, invite, harass or bully her children into obeying! Yes folks, it is indeed time for school to begin.

PS - We really are a happy family - we just thrive so much better with structure.

Interesting article...

I read the Deseret News daily. It's one of my obsessions :) Don't know if that is a good or a bad thing, but just the same, I do read it. I read an interesting article about Sister Beck's talk from October 2007 conference.

I don't understand what all the uproar is about. I even printed off the talk to read again and of course, nothing they were quoting in the article was in her talk... I didn't know if they were trying to stir things up or what. I will say that with the advent of blogs and such, I have run across some women's sites by LDS church members that after reading a few things on them, I just have never felt quite comfortable becoming a regular reader or commenter on those sites. I don't know if I'm alone in this or not - believe me there is SO MUCH GREAT AND WONDERFUL stuff on the Internet. However, I am not comfortable with some of the sites I have seen that are from LDS women who argue, dissect, twist and/or take issue with the teachings of church leaders.

Just my humble opinion...

Another Cool Blog

Alrighty, I found another cool blog - maybe you all have seen it, but I haven't so I'm sharing it with you....

Everyday Food Storage.

Enjoy!

Cool Blog

Alright, I stumbled across this very cool blog - on how to do your girls' hair. It's awesome.

Check it out!

http://girlydos.blogspot.com/

I was this close to getting Carson's hair cut in a little bob, but now that I've found this website, we'll keep her hair long for a while now.

No Patience...

I have no patience.

I have lost that virtue.

How do I get it back?

See, it starts out - I'm a good person, I think I will try and have a child or two. I'm pretty patient and I can handle it... At least that is what you think, and then they are born. Whole new ball game. Not exactly what you thought. Oh, there are some great times, some peaceful times, some nice times too, but after awhile - patience has thrown itself out of the window.

Could my dieting have anything to do with this?

Randy Pausch

Remember when I told you all about Randy Pausch?

Sadly, he passed on this morning.

I still haven't read his book, but I sure want to...

Check this out...

http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/



Are we like this?

Morgan's new favorite toy....

Why do I spend money on toys for my little boy? He is obsessed with our toilet plunger - how gross is that? I have got to start hiding it. He will lug that thing all over the house, this morning he had it out and on top of Bryan's basketball, pushing it around - thinking that was oh, so funny.

EWWWWWWWWW!

What I've been lifting lately...

Morgan had a drs appt this week in St. Louis. Of course, they measured him and weighed him. He weighs 27 pounds now :) He is in the 15% for his height and 50% for his weight - go figure.

Then I figured out why I keep getting these darn hernias. Carson weighs 34 pounds and before this surgery in May, I could and would carry both of them around - that is 61 pounds combined weight. WOW!

Now, I don't think of myself as very strong - in fact I'm pretty much a wimp, but lifting those two all the time - yeah, I'm sure my doctor would be very mad at me. I'll admit, since this past surgery, I think I've lifted them both only a couple of times - I just can't do it anymore. When your ab muscles don't work - it's difficult to do much.

So here is to mothers everywhere who carry two or three kids at a time. My hat is off to you - you muscle-clad women.

The Most Expensive Sinus Infection/Migraine Headache Ever

Last week, Carson was sick. She started on Monday evening, early Tuesday morning throwing up. She did that until about noon. She was then lethargic and listless for the next three days. She laid in bed or on the couch the entire time. She kept telling me that her head hurt and would point to the front of her forehead between her eyes. She wouldn't walk and she said the light hurt her eyes. Just to stand up took great effort and she held her head to one side. After she was finished throwing up, she wanted only to drink milk, no eating for my girl.

As I was trying to figure out what was going on, because I was pretty sure that she didn't have the flu, I realized that this had happened two other times since the first of April. She was having the same illness every 4 -5 weeks. I was able to get her into our pediatrician on Wednesday. I thought that she might have vertigo or a migraine headache - I even wondered if it might be a sinus infection but she didn't have any drainage (as far as I knew). Although Dr. Soler also thought it might be a migraine headache, she decided that Carson should have an MRI the next day. She would have to be sedated because she had to lie perfectly still for the procedure. This was to make sure there wasn't anything else going on.

We arrived at the hospital early on Thursday morning. They put this numbing cream on Carson's hands so that they could put an IV in one of her hands. The team who worked with Carson were amazing. They did a wonderful job. She cried when they inserted the IV in her hand. I thought she did amazingly well - I held her while they poked her and she didn't even tense up - she let me hold her the whole time.

While the sedation medicine was beginning to work it's magic, I carried Carson down to the room and the nurses took her in. I waited in the waiting area for almost an hour and then she was done. Bryan was meeting me at the hospital with Cameron and Morgan and somehow passed by the waiting room and was already in the room waiting with Carson. She came out of the sedation well, and we were able to go.

We heard from the doctor the next day that there were no abnormalities or tumors (whew!) and that she had a sinus infection. She has been on an antibiotic for the past five days and will go on it again after a little break.

We were so relieved that there were no problems. The doctor still thinks that she is getting migraine headaches so we will have to deal with that, but thank heavens that is all it is.

I was a little surprised that a small child could even have a migraine headache. I have a friend at work whose daughter was diagnosed with migraines at the age of three. Another friend from church has a nephew who has CVS - Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome which is similarly related. So we will talk to our doctor again about this information and hopefully get a handle on this.

I am so greatful that everything went well. Carson is such a big girl these days and such an important member of our family. We sure love her.

I've been tagged....

Thanks, Jackie. Now I have to think of six, yes six random things about myself. I hope that I can come up with that many... hee hee

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your blog entry is up.

Six Random Things about Me…

1. I HATE to fly in airplanes, yet I do it usually twice a year and sometimes more. Actually, I used to LOVE to fly and then September 11th happened. I know that sounds weird, but ever since then, it terrifies me to fly and I still do it. I'm a glutton for punishment. I am always afraid that something is going to happen during take off. Usually, I just close my eyes during that time and in my mind I count to 100 at least three times. I've trained myself that by then, everything should be okay. Once I was on a flight with some missionaries, and I knew I would be safe because Heavenly Father wouldn't let them die! Yes, I tell myself interesting things like that all the time.

2. I am the worst procrastinator in the whole entire world. Enough said.

3. I didn't have a penicillin shot until I was 16 (I never was sick as a child), I never had braces as a teenager, and I didn't experience acne until I was in my 20's. I had my first kiss when I was 16 - all of my friends were much younger when they got their first kiss. What is up with that?

4. I am a huge lurker of blogs. It's my new hobby. When I find a blog to read, I'll click into their links, and then read and again, click into their links and on and on. The vicious circle just goes on and on. I actually found a friend this week, by doing that - she took our wedding photos. She is awesome.

5. I want to live in a newer house, preferably with a basement and closer to Springfield, our friends and the church. I don't think I'm asking for much.

6. I start many projects and finish few. Again, the procrastinator in me comes out. Yes, it's a wonderful habit to have.

I tag Shireen, Crystal, Ashley, Kiera, Trisha and Tracy.

There is no place like home

Carson, Morgan and I made it back to Illinois in one piece, yeah!!! The flight home was very interesting to say the least. Both of the kids were at the top of their game getting into mischief the whole way home. I was so glad to finally get off the plane before someone threw one of the kids off before we landed.

Morgan was just mainly loud and difficult and didn't want to sit on my lap. Carson was lucky enough to flip the tray of the gentleman behind us so he ended up with his drink and ice all over his lap which I'm sure he was very thankful :)

The kids were very excited to see each other and especially their dad. They were in heaven. It was fun to see. Honestly, I wasn't that excited to be back, it takes me a couple of days to get in a groove and today, I can say, that I am happy to be back.

Now, we just have the rest of the summer to play around before everyone begins school - including Carson. She is going attend pre-k this fall. I know that she is alot more excited about it than I am.

Family

We made it to Idaho and have been having a nice relaxing wonderful time. We took some pictures of my family on the 29th which happened to be Cloe's birthday and also my mom's birthday. We had a great time.

This picture is of me and my siblings and our children. Quite a group, eh? There are 13 grandkids in this picture.

1999 - Taysa

2000 - Alex

2002 - Olivia, Chase and Brooklyn

2003 - Sammy

2004 - Cody and Carson

2005 - Abigale

2006 - Cloe, Caden and Morgan

2007 - Max

When we decided to have kids, we all did it at the same time!

Here is the five of us - Melissa, Matthew, Michelle, Merritt and me. Just missing Mark - somehow he is always with us :)

Here is our dad and mom - they are awesome!

Here is Grandma DaBell with Jackie and my mom - yes we all love her dearly!

This is from Taysa's baptism last summer when we visited. I love this picture. Morgan and Carson sure have grown a lot since then. I also like my hair so much better in this picture and am going back to that style.

I didn't remember until I saw this picture, but Morgan now has this same funny, toothy grin. Isn't it cute?

I'm back (almost)!!!

Finally, I am almost healed up from this darn surgery! I'm happy to report, that now, after five weeks, I'm starting to feel like my old self. I can walk normal now (I'm not always holding my abdominal area), I have gone three days without my binder (my velcro waist cincher), AND I am not sore when I wake up in the morning. Those are all great signs.

I had some wonderful help while I've been down and I just want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU to my wonderful friends who have helped out during this time. I am very independent and HATE to ask anyone for help, so I really feel like this was Heavenly Father's way of making me step back and accept help. It made me and our family feel very loved to know that we have such great friends in our life. We are truly blessed.

HA HA HA.... on me

So what I thought was going to be a simple outpatient surgery, turned into much more. I actually had four hernias, when it was all said and done. I knew something was up the moment I woke up in the recovery room and I WAS IN PAIN! It was excruciating. I was lucky enough to land on the pediatrics floor for two days/nights while I recovered in the hospital. I must say, they were the best nurses around, so kind, so helpful and sympathetic. I felt very lucky because most of the rooms at the hospital are two beds and in pediatrics they are singles -- so that made my experience so much better.

I finally made it home on Thursday afternoon and stayed at our house until Friday morning when Eileen brought me over to Charleston, to stay here with Jackie. She has been great, taking care of my kids and me. We are headed back to Springfield tmw.

We went to Walmart yesterday, my first journey out of this house since I got here and I walked in to the store and new that was enough. I stayed and looked at the scrapbook stuff in the front while Jackie shopped. It was great to get out!

Again, I am very lucky for all the prayers and support we have received. We would never be able to make it through without dear friends (who are our family away from family)... It means so much.

NO, Not AGAIN ?!?

I am in PAIN---I do not mean a little bit of discomfort, I mean PAIN! I do however want to thank everyone and anyone who has helped in making this experience a bit lighter for me and my family. I am in Charleston with a dear friend who is taking good care of me and the kids and life is as good as it can be. I feel so grateful for such good friends in our lives! Thank you, Thank you!!

Surgery.... again....

I have been meaning to sit down and post, but have had so much going on that I'm finally finding a moment.

The kids finish school tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday that they were headed off to school and now it's summer time again. I'm hopefully going to enjoy this summer, we have passes to Knight's Action Park so the kids will get in plenty of swimming. I haven't worked the past two summers, so this will be a new adventure, trying to get kids here and there so I can make it into work. Though, I know that summer will go by extremely fast and then it will be time to go clothes shopping and put the kids back in school. Carson may or may not be in preschool next year. I have no idea. She was screened here and they told me they only had so many openings and would let us know by May. I haven't heard anything yet. However, if she makes it into pre-k here, I would have to find new day care which I'm not real excited about. There are some friends who want to do Joy School with our kids next fall which would work out well. They even would work around my work schedule. We'll see.

Last week, I started to feel sick on Monday. This came as no surprise to me since Carson had the stomach flu the week before and I figured it was my turn. I started to actually throw up on Tuesday evening and was still throwing up on Thursday with lots of pain coming from my stomach area. I could not keep anything down. I called my sister, the RN, and she told me to go to the doctor - that was unusual to be throwing up for so long and that I was probably dehydrated.

Poor Carson and Morgan - the first day I was sick, I sat or laid on the couch while they watched tv and/or played. I would get up to throw up or get them milk. I think the only thing I fed them that day was crackers until Bryan got home from work. The second day, I was a bit smarter and pulled all of our snacks out and just opened a pack whenever they wanted. When I could put Morgan down for a nap, I would lay down in the bed and try and rest.

Bryan picked up the kids from school that day and came home, picked me up, we dropped them off at the Drowns, and went to the prompt care. We were there for a couple of hours - after a nice shot for pain, one for nausea and some x-rays, they decided I had a bowel obstruction and were sending me to the hospital to get a CT scan. We arrived at the ER about 7 pm and by 8:30, they finally put me in a ER room. Around 10 pm they told me they had several traumas coming in and so I was going to be bumped to last to get the CT scan. Bryan decided to go home and get a few hours of sleep so he would be ready to deliver the papers at 2 am and come back and get me.

I think they took me around 1 am to get the CT scan and around 2 am informed me that, yes, I did indeed have a hernia, part of my intestine was sticking out. These two really nice surgical residents came and visited me, poked it back in and amazingly, I was 150% better. At 4 am they finally got me a room on the 5th floor, where I slept and every so often got up to go to the bathroom (sometimes every 20 minutes :) At 7 am, I had another CT scan and then my doctor came to visit me afterwards, informing me I had to have surgery again. Although this time, it will be an outpatient surgery, since the hernia is a lot smaller this time around. My doctor sent me home and tmw, I am scheduled for surgery. I can't believe I have to do this again.

I have some great help this time around, having to rely on friends and ward members since we are so far away from our families. Everyone has been really great to pitch in and for once, I'm letting them help me. We have the older kids this week, their mom is on vacation. They should be relatively easy and even helpful.

If this was going to happen, it couldn't have been at a better time. Carson, Morgan and I are scheduled to go to Idaho at the end of June, so I'll almost all be healed up. The kids being out of school also is helpful. I surely know that Heavenly Father watches out for us, always!

Happy Belated Mother's Day

**This is a great story that I found on another blog** Enjoy :)

Chapstick

We had this great 10-year-old cat named Jack who just recently died.

Jack was a great cat, and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on the mat in our bathroom. We have three kids, and at the time of this story, they were 4 years old, 3 years old, and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loved Chapstick. LOVED it. He kept asking to use my Chapstick and then would lose it. Finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my Chapstick and explained he could use it whenever he wanted to, but he needed to put it right back in the drawer after he finished.

That year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around and try to get ready for church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys were fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I was trying to nurse my little one at the same time I was putting on my make-up. Everything was a mess, and everyone had long forgotten that this was a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood.

We finally had the older one and the baby loaded in the car and I was looking for Eli. I searched everywhere and I finally went into the bathroom. There was Eli. He was applying my Chapstick very carefully to Jack's ... rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said, "Chapped."

Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right -- their little bottoms do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. The only question to ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the hundredth!?!

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your Chapstick on the cat's behind.

Received from Pastor Tim.

Soccer has started...

Or let the insanity begin :) Carson started her soccer season tonight with her first practice. We were a little bit late in signing up so everyone else actually started last week and we are just starting this week. She was so excited. Actually that is an understatement. She was thrilled beyond belief, this truly was the best day of her life. Until tomorrow when she has her first game !!!!

The Last Lecture

I saw this on Primetime last week, the story about Randy Pausch. It is extremely interesting and if you have the time, well worth it.

Here is his home page: http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

From the Oprah show: http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20071022_350_106.jhtml

His book, "The Last Lecture"...

and "A Love Story for Your Life"

A couple of my favorite quotes: "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."

"Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?"

Turning 38

I had my 38th birthday about a week and half ago - I'm well on my way to 40. My 20-year class reunion is this summer. All I can say, is where did the time go? It seems like yesterday, I was living in Logan with Michelle and fast forward ten years and here I am. When we had our ten-year reunion, it seemed like we had just turned around and ten years went by. That's again how this past ten years has felt to me.

My life has changed tremendously in ten years - I live far away from my parents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. I watch Dora and Sponge Bob (see previous post about missing earthquake) and laugh at the appropriate times. One of my favorite meals is chicken nuggets from McDonalds. I have to check each shirt before I wear it for stuff from dirty little 18 month old and 3 year old hands. Once I do get dressed for work, I try not to let my kids touch me. When they do, I NEVER CHANGE (unless it's blood or throw up)! I am a mother, what do people expect? I don't drive a cool car that a single person would drive any more. We only go to the cheap theater to see family/kid movies. I don't know what cool is anymore. I probably never did, but at least I could fool myself better. Now I don't even try. I don't get to go on fun scenic vacations. By the way, what is disposable income and who has it?

So in the spirit of reminiscing, I thought I'd share a few pics of me growing up.

Me and my dad - I'm 12 months old.

2 years old

I remember this picture well, we just had Family Home Evening and our treat were those suckers. We though we were pretty cool. Me and my sister, Michelle.

I was probably around 5 years old, she was three years old

I decided to skip my awkward pictures of pre-teen in favor of big hair.

It's a pretty fair trade off I think.

Me in 9th grade - don't you just love my mullet hair cut. Yes, I'm from Idaho.

My senior year - I can't believe I could get my hair that high or big.

My high school graduation, me and my mom!

My hair just got bigger and poofier (is that even a word?)

Here is a stupid funny thing I remember about graduation, after looking at my pictures after so many years. I had to HAVE white shoes for graduation. My mom tried to tell me I didn't need them, but I insisted. I probably only ever wore them that once, but I had to have them. I just remember making a big deal about them. How dumb is that? I have one picture of me in the white shoes - yeah they were worth it.

Potty Training Part IV

Well, I think my girl finally has done it! She has gone for 10 days now, with no accidents during the day :) A special thanks to my friend Jenny for giving me the idea of bubble gum as a reward for going stinky on the potty! Carson spent a few days at her house and that was the great motivator.

Yeah, whew, finally, alright, yippie skippy, wonderful, great!

We are so happy. Now we just have to tackle the night thing. I'm thinking of all the money we will save not buying diapers for TWO. And since the price of almost every other grocery item has gone up in the past month, we won't even notice a savings.

New Game

Yes, we have a new game that we play at our house with our almost 18-month old.

I can give Morgan anything and tell him to go throw it in the trash and HE DOES IT! He knows where the trash can in the kitchen is and he actually throws things away.

Now if he could only teach the 13, 10, 7 and 3 year old the same, we'd be doing so much better!

A couple of weeks ago, I gave Morgan Carson's shoe and told him to go put it in her room. I then watched as he disappeared around the corner to her room, went on about my business and forgot I had told him that. I was running around later in the afternoon, and wouldn't you know, on her bed was that shoe!

I finally have a child who listens and obeys his mama.

Earthquake

Yes, we had an earthquake here this morning!

Yes, in the heart of the Midwest, far away from any place that you would think has earthquakes, we had one this morning around 4:30 a.m. I was out delivering papers so I didn't feel a darn thing. It was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake which rocked much of our state, clear up to Chicago. Our local news source, WANDtv.com, has a page dedicated to this rockin' news.

Funny though, Bryan called me this morning after the paper route (on my way home from Wal-Mart -early morning shopping) and asked me if the wind was blowing much this morning. I had to really think about it and realized it wasn't, so I told him so. He then replied that he had been woken up around 4:30 because our house was shaking. He even thought that it felt like an earthquake, but since I didn't feel anything, he decided he must have been snoring so loudly that he had woken himself up because the bed was shaking so much :)

Then my mom calls me this morning around 8:30 a.m. and asks me about the earthquake we had and to find out if we are okay. I didn't even know. We watch Dora every morning at this house when I am home. I don't listen to the news while I'm delivering papers, I usually listen to my iPod. Yes, I am a very uninformed person :)

Housework

This article states that husbands create 7 hours of housework per week while wives save their husbands one hour per week. Not fair!!!

See if you agree or not...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080404/lf_nm_life/housework_husbands_dc

99 Balloons

If you haven't seen this yet, check out this website:

http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/570/99-Balloons

Sweet and sad...

Something to think about...

As I was driving to work this morning, I passed by a little church out in the country with this posted on their sign:

"Is what you are living for worth dying for?"

Made me think all day!

Mark

Today would have been my brother Mark's 37th birthday. He has been gone from us for about 19 years now, longer than he was with us. He was a wonderful person, full of life, handsome, funny, kind, tall, and crazy! He was FUN! He also was stubborn, infuriating at times, a little reckless and had to deal with ADHD problems. So even through the stuggles, it was a great time.

He had the greatest smile and was a great friend to so many people. He never cared about what group you were in in school - he like everybody. Even as a teenager, he loved all people and some of his closest friends were not even close to his age with an age range from 6 months to 92 years old.

He loved to toilet paper houses and would steal the tp from my mom and dad's house and then his friends and him would go and do up the neighborhood. He would always get the girls he liked too! He was even known to go help clean it up the next morning and never complained about it.

He loved little children. Oh, how I wish that my kids were able to spend time with their Uncle Mark although I'm sure they spent plenty of time with him before they came to this earth. Sometimes, like today, I feel a little sad that he wasn't able to go to college, on a mission, have a family, and live this life that we all have now. I wonder what he would be like now, I'm sure still as funny as ever, just older and wiser.

So yes, today, I'm going to miss him a little bit more than I usually do but I'm oh so happy that I know someday we'll be back together again.

These are the lyrics to one of the songs sung at Mark's funeral. It's a Michael W Smith song and always reminds me of my little, big brother, my friend.

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
I can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter of your life is through

But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them

And a friend will not say never

'Cause the welcome will not end

Though it's hard to let you go

In the Father's hands we know

That a lifetime's not too long

To live as friends

And with the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you live in
Is the strength that now you show

We'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

No a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

WE LOVE YOU MARK!

What does my name mean?

I actually only think about 3 or 4 things on this list are actually like me :)

What Marci Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Clarification

Another funny...

If you've ever wanted a child to not bear his/her testimony, (an LDS Church practice) you'll appreciate this one!! At a recent testimony meeting, a five-year-old little girl stood up and bore her testimony. After mentioning everyone and everything she was thankful for, she ended with this: 'I am especially grateful that our house has been much happier since our family stopped using The 'S-word' and the 'F-word.'

As the little girl proudly walked back to her seat, nobody could say a word. Needless to say they were a little shocked by what the stake president's daughter had just said.

Quickly, the red-faced stake president stood up, smiled shyly, and went to the podium. 'I feel I should make a clarification as to what my daughter meant. In our house the 'S-word' is Shut-up and the 'F-word' is Fart.'

Dear Abby

Alright this was pretty funny, thought I'd share...

DEAR ABBY: How old do I have to be before I can begin telling my relatives exactly what I think of them? I am sick and tired of being polite to these low-lifes! I want to give them a piece of my mind before I leave this Earth. I am presently 67 years old. -- BITING TONGUE IN ZEPHYRHILLS, FLA.

DEAR BITING: I don't know how old your relatives are, but if they're older than you are, you had better hurry.

Potty Training Part III

Well, I know everyone wants an update on this because it's so important... hee hee

Carson has now for the past two days, gone poop (stinky as she would say) on the potty. I was so proud of her! I hope this trend continues :)

Toothbrushes

Yes, what an interesting thing to post about. When Bryan and I were first married, he had a toothbrush holder in the bathroom that held four toothbrushes - Bryan, Jordan, Rylee and Cameron. At first it didn't bother me, but I remember one time, when I was pregnant and emotional, I was upset and told Bryan he didn't have a place for me to keep my toothbrush, I wasn't part of the family, etc., etc., etc., whatever you say when you are upset. So that led to a new toothbrush holder which would hold all of our toothbrushes :)

Then, thanks to this little thing called Autism, we found out (after some careful investigating) that Jordan didn't really care WHOSE toothbrush he was using, he'd just grab one and brush. Alright, I know that is really yucky, which we also thought, but it is true. Yes, we went the rounds with him about only using his OWN toothbrush, using such ideas as trying to mark each toothbrush as well as make sure everyone had their own color. Did you know that not even a sharpie will work on a toothbrush? It washes off! Anyway, at that time, I started hiding mine in the cupboard, because the idea of someone else using my toothbrush is almost too much to handle. After several months and melt downs by those who are NOT autistic, he finally started to use only his toothbrush.

Recently, as I was cleaning the bathroom, I noticed that we have nine, yes NINE (I just counted again so I wouldn't be exaggerating) toothbrushes in our bathroom toothbrush holder. Now, neither Bryan nor I keep our toothbrushes in there so apparently we have NINE children living in this house. I'm glad I finally figured out why I can't keep up with the laundry, why we go through milk so fast, and why our house is always a mess. It must be those extra kids that are hiding in the crawl space and only come out to play when we are gone. Hey, at least they brush their teeth :) which is better than the ones I take to school every day.

My new job

Yes, I'm still working at the bank, but I am now the payroll administrator in addition to my duties in the remittance department AND accounts payable. Yes, I'm still working part-time, although after this week and the next couple of weeks, it's going to be pretty much only one day off a week and working every Saturday. My boss did ask me again if I was ready to work full-time and I just don't feel like right now is the best time. I told him that when my kids were in school, it would be a different ball game and I would be happy to consider it. He then asked how old my baby was and I said 17 months. He chuckled and asked if there was a growth hormone we could give him so he would grow faster. I do NOT want him to grow any faster than he already is. I try and enjoy each stage for Morgan and Carson - not wanting them to grow up too fast. I know that before I even realize it, Carson will be in kindergarten with Morgan not far behind her. I will be so old then!

However, I'm excited for the new challenge in front of me and I do feel lucky that after all this hub bub is over, I will still be able to work part-time. I have to fill-in in my department until they get someone else in there. I'm just hoping it's by summer time so I'm not worn out and can actually do fun things with the kids. The past two summers, we have had the kids for one month and then one month they were at their moms, but we decided this summer just to keep it one week at a time. That should help us out. I'm excited because we have our passes to Knights Action Park and we are going to be hanging out there ALOT!

Last weekend, Carson, Morgan and I went to Nauvoo with our friend Marcella and her son, Antonio. We had a great time, just relaxing, seeing the sights and going to the temple. The hotel we stayed at had a pool, so we took the kids swimming on Friday night. Carson and Morgan loved the pool. Last year, the one time that we did go to Knights, both of them clung to me for dear life so I was worried they wouldn't enjoy it, but they did really well. So hopefully it won't take them long to get used to the pool this summer and we can just hang out and have a great time.

Speaking of being old, my 20 year class reunion is this summer - don't know if I've mentioned it before :) We have a class website which I peruse often. I see a few of my classmates with children on missions or in college, a lot of them have kids in high school or jr high and I think of my two little ones - age 3 and 17 months. I then feel REALLY OLD! I think of all the things I am just barely figuring out as far as children and parenting which they have known for a very long time. I again feel REALLY OLD! I also think that by the time my children do leave the nest, I'll probably be hobbling on a cane, just kidding. Of course, I won't be THAT old, but my body is already feeling it. I guess I'm just beginning this adventure that others have been on for a long time. Honestly, teenagers kind of scare me so I'm glad mine won't be in that stage for awhile. Hopefully by the time they are, I'll be ready!

Easter Pictures

I was able to take some pictures of the kids before we went to church, yeah, I love 1:00 pm church.

This was the only one with Morgan smiling. He was very interested in the eggs. It took him about two seconds to realize there was candy in them - he is my candy boy. So he was always eating the candy or had an egg in his hand. He is such a cutie. Carson was funny while she was looking for the eggs. Some right in front of her face and until we pointed them out, she couldn't see them. She also made sure that she gave all the blue eggs to Morgan and the pink ones she kept for herself. By the way, have I mentioned that her favorite color is pink?

Potty Training Part II

Carson, since she is such a special child, has made up her own lingo and sayings as we have been through the potty-training process.

Poop = pee

Pee = pee

Stink = Poop

Yes, I know this is very confusing, especially when she tells someone she has pooped her pants, it really means she is wet - no poop. Now, if she says stinky, she really means poop.

Some of her favorite things to say:

As soon as she starts to pee - "Mom, I hear something!"

Or if she wants to be left alone so that she might try and stink (poop), she says, "Mom, leave me alone!"...

She loves to wash her hands, which I'm more than happy to accomodate.

She also loves to flush the toilet. Last week we were at the mall and I unknowingly made the mistake of flushing the toilet. BIG MISTAKE! She hopped right back on the toilet, made some more pee, and then got down so that she could flush. She is sooooooooooo stubborn and I have no idea where she gets that from.

Also, since the whole potty-training thing, I think I have become somewhat of a germaphobe. I'm constantly telling Carson and Morgan to "NOT TOUCH THE TOILET". Morgan has to always be in the bathroom with Carson and is very curious about the white bowl - always wanting to examine it. I swear I use clorox wipes on our toilet about 15 times a day!

The worst is when we are in a public restroom - I dreaded this for so long and now you'll hear me say:

"DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING"

"GET YOUR FACE OFF THE FLOOR" -my personal favorite :)

"DON'T TOUCH THAT BOX"

"YUCK"

"PLEASE DON'T TOUCH THE TOILET or DOOR"

Potty Training Part I

We have been on the potty-training cycle now for about a month. We had playgroup at our house and all the other kids were using the toilet and AT THAT MOMENT, Carson decided that she would go on the potty. She has been doing pretty well with it, except for the fact, that she really can't poop on the potty, which is driving me nuts! Yes, I'm about to go crazy. Some nights she is dry, some nights not so dry, I decided that we would work on the day thing until she could get that right and then we'd work on the night.

I also have to remind her to go a lot, but at least the accidents (wet ones) are few and far between. We went to Nauvoo on Friday and Saturday and she did wonderful there.

Happy St Patrick's Day

I dressed Carson and Morgan in green for the 17th... We try to be festive around here. That is all we did. No green food, no green anything. I decided that St. Pat's day is a boring holiday for us since we don't drink. If you drink, it's a great, fun holiday. We just get to wear green for a day, that's all. Here is a picture of Morgan, mad at his Momma for not picking him up. I have a lot of great pictures just like this.

My Valentine's Flowers

Ahhh, yes. I'm a bit slow in posting this, but I had to brag about the lovely flowers my husband surprised me with for Valentine's Day. They were beautiful. He even planned ahead because this year V-Day was on a Thursday and I don't work on Thursdays, so he delivered, himself to the bank, the flowers on Tuesday so that I could enjoy them. Aren't they wonderful?

Happy Easter!

I love the comic "For Better or For Worse"... Here is today's strip:

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003048.php

Yeah and here are a couple of funny ones:

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003015.php

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003041.php

I'm sad to say that we have probably done this in our family... :(

Win a quilt!

Go to this blog : Old Red Barn Co.

Leave a comment and you may win this quilt. Isn't it beautiful? The picture is also on the side bar...

Thanks Trisha for the link.

From Carson

Last night, I gathered all the children in the van so we could go to Kick's (a local fun family entertainment center). As we were driving in the dark, Carson kept asking me if I would turn on the light. Well, I wasn't about to turn on the light as we had one too many kids in our van and I didn't want to alert any officer of the law of our situation so I said no, several times.

She started to cry and said, "But mommy, the dark is in my eyes!"


Yeah, we had a good laugh about that!

I've been tagged...

What was I doing 10 years ago-

Ten years ago - 1998 - I was living in Logan, Utah with my sis, Michelle. We lived in a cute little condo in North Logan. I think we may have had a roommate at the time - Lacy - but I can't remember. Anyway, Matt and Shireen also lived in Logan so we had fun getting together with them. Merritt was on his mission and Melissa was getting ready to graduate from high school. I was working for the Parks and Recreation Department for Logan City and having a great time. Dana was living in Evanston, so I would frequently visit her there. Hmmm, oh yeah, I was getting ready to be finished with my school work for my bachelor's degree and I graduated from University of Phoenix with a degree in Business Management. I'm sure I was traveling all over, however, I can't remember where we went that year. Dana and I were travel buddies. It seems like so long ago. I was helping plan my 10 year high school reunion and now we are making plans to attend my 20 year reunion. Time goes by so fast. I love my life now, with my Carson, Morgan, Bryan, Jordan, Rylee and Cameron. We have a great time!


-5 Things on my to do list-

#1 Clean my house.

#2 Make a cd for the primary kids with all the songs from this year on it... Yes, I'm a bit late in getting that done - what is it March already?

#3 Clean out my van (definitely not my favorite, especially since one of the door handles is broken so I only have one door that I can get in the back through)

#4 Mate socks. I hate doing this - and usually don't until our basket is overflowing and no one has socks to wear. I love summer time because we all have flip flops and sandels, no need for socks.

#5 Grocery shop - not my favorite thing to do.


-My favorite snacks-

#1 Chocolate

#2 Tortilla chips and queso dip

#3 Diet Pepsi

-3 bad habits-

#1 I am addicted to General Hospital. I tivo it daily and watch it when I can. I also cannot multi-task while I'm watching - I have to have all my attention on it.

#2 I always talk on the phone when I'm in a vehicle. I have several "missed" or "almost" accidents because even when I'm parking or backing up, I've been known to talk on the phone.

#3 I am a procrastinator - enough said.

-Something people don't know about me-

I love to collect pens and mechanical pencils. I also am picky about the pens I use and at work - I have to use a red pen. Should have been a teacher.

I tag Jackie, Ashley, Holly and Mandee.

Safety Notices

Instructions on how to take care of a baby...

(From my brother, Merritt, who has a great sense of humor!)

My Morgan

Carson

My Carson... She is a funny duck. I just had to share a couple of things that have happened with her lately. I think they are funny - you may not. Oh well!

We missed the first week of church here in Illinois because Carson, Morgan and I were in Idaho visiting my family. I was sad because she missed her first week of Sunbeams. The next week we were back home and she was able to go to her Sunbeam class. I was a little worried about how she would be in Primary because Cameron won't leave me alone and many times his behavior has been subpar because I was in there and he decided to act up. Well, Carson did wonderful. She loves singing time and sitting there reverently with her class. The first Sunday we were there, the other counselor asked her to give the opening prayer. Carson wasn't even fazed, she walked right up to the podium and before I could get over there to help her she started saying the prayer! She wouldn't accept my help and finished her prayer, going back and sitting her her class. This mother was amazed! I can't believe how grown up she is. It brought a tear to my eye!

Carson's best friend in the whole world is Anna. Sadly, Anna's grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago. We didn't talk about it much, but Carson told me the other day that "Anna's grandma died." I asked her what it means when you die. She said, "Her grandma went to Walmart." Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny. I had to explain to her that when someone dies they go live with Heavenly Father - although we are happy for them, we are sad because we won't see them for a very long time. I don't know if she fully understood that concept, but we'll see.

Carson just asked her Dad to sing "Santa Claus is coming to town" so Bryan asked her to start the song... She starts singing "A, B, C, D, E, F, G...." Her favorite three songs to sing are ABC, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Happy Family. She has embarrased me on more than one occassion asking me in the middle of Walmart or at the doctors office or on the shuttle bus to Idaho to "Please, please, please, Mommy, sing Happy Family with me!" And she says it over and over until I quietly start to sing with her. Nope, she doesn't have me wrapped around her finger or what.

American Girl Trip

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Four things about me...

4 jobs I have had in my life:

1. Pizza maker & video store clerk
2. Investigations Secretary for Police Department
3. Customer Service Rep for call center
4. Accountant

4 places I have lived:

1. Logan, Utah
2. Dearborn, Michigan
3. Moreland, Idaho
4. Pawnee, Illinois

4 places I have visited

1. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, California
2. New York City
3. Seattle, Washington
4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

4 of my favorite foods

1. Diet Pepsi
2. Chocolate and/or candy
3. Crab Rangoon
4. Chips & Salsa

4 places you would rather be right now:

1. Home w/ my kids
2. Idaho
3. Hawaii
4. In a lodge by a warm fireplace

4 friends or relatives I think will respond first:
1. Mandee
2. Melissa
3. Ashley
4. Jackie

Alright, I tag Mandee, Melissa, Ashley and Jackie.

What I'm watching...

Well, with the writer's strike it's been a chore to find something to watch on television. Alright, it's not like I watch all the time, but I have to have a few shows that I can escape to and I'm pretty picky. There aren't many shows I actually watch. I don't care much for many reality shows, I don't watch Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, or The Apprentice. I'll admit when I was a single gal, I did watch "The Real World" on MTV but that hasn't appealed to me since I got married so I haven't watched it for five years.

I did watch this season of "Dancing with the Stars", ah yes, because I wanted to see Marie Osmond and Jenny Garth. It was fun to watch. So with all this preamble, I would like to share this show I found on TLC, and I can't stop watching it... Jon & Kate plus Ei8ht! I love the opening credits at the first of the show when Kate says, "I could very well lose my mind today!" Now, I don't have 8 kids, however, I do have 5 with some challenges and I feel like that alot! I am glad to make it through a day without losing my mind! Now, that's an accomplishment. Also here is there website: The Six Gosselin's

Maybe I am fascinated by people with large families (since I don't think I have the stamina to pull it off) but I've watched several shows about the Duggar Family. They have had several shows on Discovery Health Channel. Anyway, that's what is interesting to me...

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

I was on the computer for two minutes, sending a quick e-mail to a friend about our 20-year class reunion this summer (yes, I'm old) and was summoned to the bathroom by Rylee and Cameron. Yes, Morgan decided to take another bath this evening, fully dressed!