More spring break fun

It seriously has taken me WAY too long to post these pics. I love this one of the kids. Ella was chasing the two boys threatening to lick both of them. I love that as she catches Michael and licks him, he also has his tongue out.

We went into uptown Charlotte and took the kids to a children's museum. They all had a blast! Here are some pics. This is my version of making you all sit through a slideshow of my trip :)

The highlight of the museum for my kids was "Rat Basketball." The museum staff have trained rats that play basketball. This only added to Spencer's determination to have a rat for a pet (he's still trying to talk me into it). Here we are cheering them on:

My favorite part of the museum was the traveling Norman Rockwell Exhibit. We happened to be in North Carolina while the Discovery Museum was hosting it. It was an interactive museum - they brought the paintings to life. Here is one example:

And here are my kids "in the painting.":

Tennis, anyone???

Our first day in NC we went outlet shopping which we adults loved, but the kids hated. We had promised them that the next day would be about them. The first activity they wanted to do was play tennis.

It was great! A neighbor kid tagged along with us and the kids got on the court and just played together so nicely while we adults sat and chatted about how wonderful our children are . . . just kidding!

I think this picture best sums up our time on the courts:

We had 6 kids down there plus 3 adults and someone was always crying. It cracked me up! It was amazing to me that all these little people with such BIG personalities (minus the neighbor kid) belonged to us when just a few years ago we were kid free.

I think most of the frustration stemmed from the fact that they couldn't play as well as they did in their mind. Braxten was the only one who stayed happy most of the time -

I did get one smiling picture -

Isn't she sweet! Maddi is so fun to take pictures of because she actually looks at the camera and smiles!

Luckily, Aunt Michelle saved the day by bringing bread so we could all go feed the ducks. The kids LOVED doing this and ate a lot of the bread themselves - so hunger probably played a part in the earlier grouchiness:

That night we took the kids to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. Ella took one look at the bunny and decided she wanted no part of it (can't say that I blame her!). Here's a pic with everyone else:

Spring Break

The kids and I spent Spring Break this year at Scott and Michelle's house in North Carolina (Lance's brother). If you are ever lucky enough to get an invitation there definitely make sure you go - or do what I did and invite yourself! My MIL was also visiting at the time so it was nice for the kids (and me!) to get a chance to see her this year. Lance had to work so I made the trip solo. My kids have reached the age where traveling in the car is actually almost enjoyable. They were so excited to see their cousins. When we got home Spencer told Lance to start looking for jobs in NC because he needs to live next to Michael.

Anyway . . . the next couple of posts are going to highlight some fun stuff we did while we were there.

Date Night

A couple of weeks ago I went on a fabulous date around the world all in one night!
I had noticed that Spencer really needed some time alone with me so I set up a date night with him. He was completely mortified that I kept calling it a date so of course I had to loudly say it often. I am such a good mom. We started the evening by going out to dinner together. The restaurant we wanted to go to was closed because of a power outage so we drove around until we found another. We went to a wonderful little Italian place. Spencer completely floored me by ordering spaghetti and meatballs instead of pizza. It was so much fun to sit and spend time with just him. I love his quirky sense of humor and observations.
After dinner we went to the Stake YW/YM Multicultural Night. Each ward was responsible for one country. They have a competition to see who can do the best job. They put together displays on the country, games kids could play on the spot, food, and at the end of the night had to do a skit representing the country. It was months and months of work but it was well worth it. Spencer and I had a blast!

Here are some pics from the night. Spencer is standing in front of part of the Thailand exhibit. The rest are of the YW and YM from my ward.

Did anyone notice???

Elder Ballard must read my blog (just kidding)! He quoted the quote from Anna Quindlen that is on my sidebar. I really liked his remarks. Not sure if I'm in the "young mother" category since I've hit my 30's but this definitely was one of my favorite talks this conference.

Sunday Summary

So this post will be all about ME. Not much to update in the way of the kids. Spencer is full on into the baseball season - why do I always forget how busy this makes us? Ella is still into the word "poop." And last, but not least, Lance is busy with work and getting ready to go to San Francisco. Now onto me . . .

(warning - this is an insanely long boring post about my health issues the last week- you may not want to read.)

I saw my OB/GYN on Thursday. She resolved all my issues about starting the Nuvaring. It's a risk for me to use because of my migraines but I really need to get the endometriosis under control. After talking to her, she sent me immediately down 8 floors to see my internal medicine doctor and get a shot of Dilaudid. I've been putting it off but she said I had to get my pain under control because the pain was causing my blood pressure to increase. My OB/GYN doc said my pain has gotten so much worse because the endometriosis has probably infiltrated my nerve endings. My doctors consulted with each other, while I lay on the table in immense pain, and decided I need the surgery soon. I'm dreading it. The surgery I will have will be open instead of laparoscopic because they need to be able to pick up my liver and remove the endometriosis under it. So it will mean a much longer recovery time. I am trying my hardest to get it scheduled soon so the kids will both still be in school while I recover.

In the meantime, my doctors have started me on a low dose of Elavil that is supposed to help control the chronic pain and prevent migraines. Sounds great, huh? They forgot to mention that it turns you into a walking zombie. I have never slept this much in my life. I'm told this side effect will wear off but some people say it never does. In addition to this, it's another pill that should put 20 lbs on me in the first month or so of taking it. I'm really really trying to put things in perspective and realize that it is much better for my kids and husband to have me up and functioning than for me to be thin and in pain. I need to tape that somewhere so I can read it frequently.

I'm off to bed now so I can tackle another week of soccer, baseball, scouts, work, YW, etc. Wish me luck :)

The BEST Birthday Present

Nate Lawrenson (from Confessions of a CF Husband) turned 27 today. This afternoon they got a call about new lungs for Tricia!! She is in surgery right now and will be until 2 or 3 this morning. What an amazing blessing. Please pray for Tricia, her family, and the family who lost somebody today!!!!!

Book Review #5

I almost hesitate to post about some of the books I've read because I am afraid I will lose all credibility when recommending books. I'm sure you know what books I'm talking about - fluff. The kind of book you read when you really don't want to have to think about anything at all. When I'm in the right mood, I love fluff books. I'm actually a really temperamental reader. I always have 15-20 books checked out from the library because I never know what I'm going to be in the mood to read. I usually read several books at the same time. Lance laughs when he sees what I come home from the library with. This latest excursion I got 5 regular fiction books, 2 nonfiction crime books, 1 memoir, 4 Christian fiction books, 2 medical books, 1 vampire book, and 2 semi romance novels (they aren't really romance novels, it's just what I've been calling them to bug Lance, romance novels are a little too risque for my taste, these are good clean love stories :) Maybe I have reading ADD - is there such a thing? (J/K) Onto the reviews . . .

s#14, 15, 16 - The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. These books are pure fun. I couldn't put them down. My friend Irene said it best, "They are like candy." The books are set in the Pacific Northwest and follow a lonely teenage girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire. Never in a million years did I think I would read a vampire novel. Just not my cup of tea. But these books definitely transcend that genre. My MIL recommended them to me. I was a little apprehensive but once I started reading I couldn't stop. I love it when I get so caught up in a book that I don't want to do anything else. Another great thing about these books is that they are completely clean. I love it when an author is able to tell a great story without using foul language or sex. Anyway, get ahold of these books if you can - they are wonderful fun.

#17 - Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos - Arrrggghhh! I wrote a full review of this book and then the computer froze and I lost the whole thing. This is a beautifully written book. It begins with a seventy something year old woman who finds out she has an inoperable brain tumor. She has lived a completely lonely existence in a mansion in Seattle and decides after the diagnosis to change her life completely. She takes in a young female border who has recently had her heart broken. Over the course of the book, she takes in a hodge podge of people who become a sort of surrogate family. I don't want to give too much away, but a large part of the book involves breaking rare porcelain figurines and juxtaposing that against the broken characters in the book. She explores the theme of finding beauty in broken things.

#18 - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - Another great book. I have had a lot of luck recently reading books I have thoroughly enjoyed. If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha, you would probably really like this book also - it reminded me a lot of it. The book is set in 19th century China and follows the lives of two friends who grew up together. They stay in contact through their writings on a fan that they exchange. The writing is in a secret code that only certain women have learned to read. I found it fascinating to read about the lives of Chinese women in that time period.

#19 - Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer. This memoir was fascinating. I have never read anything about polygamy so when I saw this in the new biography section, it caught my interest. Irene Spencer was a fourth generation polygamist. She fell in love with somebody else before she was married and almost eloped with him but felt too strongly about polygamy to abandon it. She was married in the 1950's and was the second wife to a man who eventually went on to have 8 or 9 wives. They lived in Mexico in abject poverty with no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing, she even had dirt floors most of the time. Irene is a feisty vivacious woman who I could relate to while reading the book (except for the polygamy part and watching like 25 kids at a time). She stayed with her husband until he died. She ended up turning away from polygamy but I felt (with my limited knowledge about polygamy) that she gave a fair account and not just a bitter one. I liked this book so much I read it all in one sitting.

#20 - The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Fowler - I did not like this book. I got halfway through it and then realized that I really didn't care about any of the characters or what was going to happen so I stopped reading it. That's pretty rare for me. The premise is approx. 6 people start a book club that reads only Jane Austen books. As they discuss each book the author tells the backstory of one of the characters. You come to realize that each character represents the modern day version of one of Jane Austen's books. In premise, I think it's great, but I found the stories too contrived and boring. I just didn't care. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of change. So someone interpreting what the modern day version of one of these classics would look like, just doesn't do it for me (although I did love Clueless). I was really disappointed as I have heard so much hype about this book. You might still want to read it, it seems everyone loves it but me.

#21 - "Are You There Alone?" The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates by Suzanne O'Malley. So I've been addicted to Law and Order lately - all three versions. Seems I cannot get enough crime TV. I have Paxil to thank for that. The antidepressant that I take for chronic pain makes me numb to horrific scenarios. Anyway, Rusty Yates' new wife just gave birth to a child so he is back in the news. I always wondered about this case and how something so horrendous could happen. What I found interesting about this book is that she gives the timeline leading up to the deaths of the children. I didn't know that Andrea had been in and out of mental institutions trying to get help. I didn't know that her last hospitalization for 14 days right before the murders, the doctor only saw her twice and refused to prescribe the antipsychotic that had worked for her in the past. This book left me feeling very sad and frustrated. There were so many opportunities to help this woman, if just one thing had been done differently you cannot help but to wonder if those poor babies would be alive today. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone with young children [unless you happen to also be numb to the world from antidpressants like me :) ].

Whew . . . that's enough reviews for tonight - I'm tired. I'll post some more soon!

"Dancing Princess Soccer Superstar"

Spencer and I had our first glimpse today of this mysterious creature. I think we were both a bit apprehensive for Ella. Turned out it was all for nothing though, she rocks!

Ella was a complete riot. She already has the soccer stance down. Check her out:

We have no idea where she picked this up from but every time the coach talked, Ella stood like this.

She took the whole thing very seriously. I think she assumed she was semi in charge (who, Ella?). Whenever the coach would call one of the kids to come back to the group, Ella would walk over and put her arm around them and shepherd them back. She has never met these kids or the coach before but immediately took on this role. When the coach would blow her whistle, Ella would whistle. If Ella saw a cone knocked over, she would run over and set it back up. I think the coach was really appreciative. The class is for ages 2-5 and it is really heavy on the 2 year old side. I think she loved having a little girl who was actually listening and helping.

They don't allow pics during practice but here is one after class. Ella just kicked the ball and scored a goal. You have to imagine her little voice going very deep and yelling "Goooooaaaaaaaalllllll!" which she does with abandon almost every time she kicks the ball. Gosh I love this little lady.

Sunday Summary

This week - like most weeks - has been crazy busy so I didn't get a chance to update my blog at all. I saw this on my friend's blog and thought it might be a good way to keep track of the weeks highs and lows.

- Spencer is full on into baseball season again which means lots and lots of practices. I've noticed as the years have gone on that as the boys get older the number of moms and dads at the practices switch. In the T-ball phase and the first couple of years, it was mostly moms and some dads. That has slowly evolved to all dads and me. Hard core baseball dads. Let me tell you, it is great fun. He had 3 practices this week (technically 4, but he didn't go to the Sunday one). I am finally enjoying practices more though because Ella is old enough to play at the park without my assistance which means lots of reading time for me! It was amazing watching the kids on Saturday. We are finally at the point where the ball is caught the majority of the time and the kids can throw pretty far. It looks like it will be a good season (a GREAT season if you listen to the dads patting each other on the back at the end of practice).

- Ella starts soccer tomorrow. She informed me today that she will be a "dancing soccer princess superstar." I am anxious to see what that translates to on the field tomorrow.

- In addition to baseball practice, Spencer attended a pitching clinic at Pinkman's Academy. The coach set this up as optional for the team since it was an additional fee. Spencer thinks it was well worth it since he is going "pro." I thought it was well worth it so I wouldn't be ostracized by aforementioned dads.

- Spencer won "Best Overall" for the father-son cake decorating contest at the Blue and Gold Banquet. We interpreted the father-son loosely and instead my brother decorated it with him. Between Lance's work schedule and Spencer's after school activities, it just wasn't going to happen.

- Bathroom humor has descended upon Ella this week. Why, why, why does my beautiful little girl think the word poop is the funniest word known to man??? Spencer never went through this phase. It seems Ella has picked up his slack and then some. She has entertained us all week with stories and songs that all end in "and then he pooped" followed by raucous laughter from Ella. I think my favorite was when she "read" us "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." Ella's interpretation of the story was "She ate and ate and ate, then BOOM, she 'sploded and lots of poopies came out." This too will pass (soon please!) . . .

For Tricia

This blog entry is specifically for Nate and Tricia Lawrenson (but feel free to read!). You may have seen my link on the right hand side to their blog (Confessions of a CF husband). Tricia has Cystic Fibrosis. While waiting for her double lung transplant she discovered (miraculously) that she was pregnant. Doctors advised termination because of the high risk to both mother and baby but the Lawrensons continued the pregnancy. Gwyneth was born at just 24 weeks. Tricia is back waiting for the double lung transplant. She got to hold Gwyneth for the first time last week when she was 8 weeks old. Nate blogs about the lives of his two girls. He is refreshingly honest and his perspective on things is amazing. Anyway, one of their many many readers blogged about how there are so many things she takes for granted with her kids. Things that maybe day to day she finds annoying but Tricia would give anything to experience right now. She challenged everyone to make a list for Tricia, so here's mine . . .


I can't wait for you to be holding your daughter above your head and right when you look up she spits up all over you.

I can't wait for her to wake you up every night around 3 AM because she wants to snuggle in bed with you.

I can't wait for your daughter to write her name in marker all over the walls of her newly painted bedroom (and then for you to be too sentimental to scrub all of them off).

I can't wait for you to be at a theme park (Disneyland) and have your child pee all over you first thing in the morning and realize that you brought a change of clothes for the child but not for yourself.

I can't wait for Gwyneth to tell you 15 minutes before school that she was supposed to bring a hand decorated Valentine's box for their class party.

I can't wait for you to hear the words "NO - MY DO IT!!" out of your 2/3 year old's mouth.

I can't wait for you to sit for what seems like endless hours every week and watch Gwyneth practice and play sports, dance, or whatever she enjoys.

I can't wait for you to sit with her at night while she says her prayers and get a glimpse of God through a child's eyes.

Book Review #4

How could I forget this book last night when I was doing my reviews - this one is GREAT!!!

13. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman goes Behind the Veil (Deborah Rodriguez) - Debbie Rodriguez is a fascinating woman who goes on an aid mission to Kabul just months after the reign of the Taliban ends. She leaves behind an abusive husband who tells her as she gets on the plane "I hope you die in Afghanistan." She tells him "I'd rather die than live her with you." War torn Afghanistan seemed like Paradise compared to her life back in the states. But Debbie is no victim. Short with spiky red hair and plenty of attitude, she takes on Kabul. The Taliban had previously banned beauty salons and Debbie realizes that by training women in Kabul she can help empower them. It is one of the wealthiest occupations they can have. While there, she ends up allowing two of her friends to arrange a marriage for her and she becomes the second wife to a man that doesn't even speak English. Read this book - it is filled with a really interesting look into Afghani culture, humorous (and sad) stories, and an inspiring message. You won't be disappointed.

Such a sweetie

Last night while I was putting Ella to bed I told her she could have anyone she wanted to sleep with (meaning her dolls or stuffed animals). I asked her if she wanted her pig, rabbit, etc. She kept saying no. Finally, she looked at me and said "I choose you Mommy." How could I say no to that? So I snuggled with my favorite girl for awhile. I love this age.

Book Review #3

8 . The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger) - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's one of those books that you pick up and can't put down. It's an easy read full of interesting quirky people. The book is about a girl who gets a job as an assistant at a high profile fashion magazine. This is definitely not her dream job and is using it as a stepping stone to launch her career as a writer - if she can survive her boss. It is rumored that it is based on Vogue magazine as the author used to work there. I saw the movie a couple of years ago which I liked also but the book was better. I could completely identify with Andy (the main character) minus the amazing job and horrible boss. :)

9. Everyone Worth Knowing (Lauren Weisberger) - I enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada so much that I checked this one out from the library also. This book follows the same formula as her first one. Young smart girl gets caught up in a world she knows nothing about. This time the girl gets a job as a party planner for the rich and famous. This is also a fun, quick read. I would call these "beach books." The kind of book that is perfect for laying on the beach all day and not having to think about anything.

1o. The Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife (Peggy Vincent) - Best book ever!!!! I need a to develop a rating system for the books I read this year. If I had one, this would be off the charts. I think every woman should read this book. Peggy writes of her experiences first as a labor and delivery nurse, then a lamaze coach, and finally a midwife. She delivered babies for over 30 years in Berkeley, California. One of the things I really liked about this book was that she wasn't judgmental about whether or not somebody used a midwife, had a home birth, or used pain meds (she in fact did with her first). She writes primarily about the miracle of life however these sweet little babies make their entrance. Her stories are hilariously entertaining.

11. Mrs. Kimble (Jennifer Haigh) -This is a story about the three different wives of Ken Kimble (at different times - he wasn't a polygamist :) I really don't have much to say about this book. I had such high hopes for it. I guess I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. It reminded me of watching an episode of one of your favorite shows and it not being too good but you stick with it because you know it will get better eventually. I was disappointed with the flaws in the characters and expected more out of them. This book did get GREAT reviews from other people though so if you are contemplating on reading it don't take my word for it.

12. Change of Heart (Jodi Picoult) - Let me start by saying Jodi Picoult is one of my all time favorite authors. Her books are like candy to me. I think I have read everything she has written. I like them because they are entertaining easy reads that really make you think about tough issues. Hmmmm . . . now that I think about it they are probably the book version of Lifetime movies (but better!). Anyway, I didn't know she had a new book out so I was so excited to see this at the library. I liked this book but I didn't think it was as good as her others. I felt like it dragged at times and her characters were too formulaic. That being said, I read this last week and still find myself thinking about it. Anything that manages to stick in my brain longer than a day must be good! I don't want to give any of the plot away so let me just say it is about a man on death row and the family that put him there.

WHEW!!! I am done with book reviews for the night! Now I can update my reading list on the side. I have been wanting to forever but I don't let myself change the books until I have actually reviewed them on here or I would never get around to it. Hopefully I will have time to do it tomorrow because I am reading some amazing books right now!

The Ideal Family/You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover

So in my old ward there was a family I loathed. Okay, not really, they actually were wonderful people, it was just painful for me to watch them in sacrament meeting. All four of their kids (from ages 1 to 10) sat perfectly still and actually listened to the speakers - even the one year old!! They never had toys, paper, nothing. Then there was us - our whole row strewn with toys, food, crayons, you name it AND the kids still weren't being quiet.

Now fast forward to this Sunday. While listening to one of the speakers, I started to think about things we could be doing better as a family and felt guilt start to sink in for everything we aren't doing right. Then I looked over at my kids. Spencer was reading the Book of Mormon. He had just finished Words of Mormon in his personal reading (He is doing the Hinckley challenge). Ella was quietly sitting looking at BOM stories for kids and an ABC gospel book her Aunt Michelle made her one year for Christmas (thanks Michelle!). My kids were dressed really cute, hair was done, they were clean, etc. There were no toys strewn anywhere, everyone was calm, and I could actually listen.

In the row ahead of us there was a family with 3 children older than mine. One of the kids was playing solitaire with actual cards, one of the kids was on the floor having a fit, and one was playing solitaire on a Blackberry. Hair wasn't brushed, clothes were wrinkled. The mom kept looking back wistfully at us (I love that word). I totally recognized the look in her eye.

In that moment, it hit me. She probably thinks we are this amazing ideal family like I had thought of the family in my old ward. Judging by appearances, we were impressive. It made me laugh! If only she could have a glimpse into our crazy day to day life. This family just moved into our ward a couple of weeks ago and when she spoke I was really impressed with some of things they were doing daily with their kids that I want to emulate with mine. I guess the old adage is true - you really can't judge a book by its cover.

But more than that, that brief moment this Sunday took away a lot of the mommy guilt that I'm sure is familiar to many of you. I spend way too much time comparing myself (and my family) to other people - or I should say my perception of other people. I might all of this time been holding myself against a standard that wasn't ever really there except in my mind. It made me realize that we all, for the most part, are doing the best we can. And that's okay.

(If the girl in my ward ever starts reading my blog I will have to delete this post - I think she would die. They are really an amazing wonderful family - I think they were just having an off week this past Sunday)