Hillam's Home

BFF

2011-11-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

Everyone needs a BFF.

Someone who will listen.

And laugh at your jokes.

Someone to just chum around with any old time.

Or, in the case of these two, ALL the time.
Colby told Adam's mom today that
he and Adam were twins,
and, quite frankly,
there are days when I'd believe it.

Saturday's Soap Box

2011-10-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

One of my kids asked me the other day what the purpose of Halloween was. Every other holiday has a purpose right? At least that is what I try to teach my kids. Honestly, I didn't know how to answer her. Candy? Getting dressed up and parading down the street begging for treats? Getting scared? Umm, let me get back to you on that Sweetie.

It's no secret that Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. And I'm not talking about the sugar detox that we go through with our kids for about a month after said holiday. Or the ever-growing number of pumpkins we have to carve with our children each year. I wasn't always Mrs. Halloween Grinch. In fact, when I was a kid the day seemed magical. "So what you're telling me is that I get to dress up as anything I want, go house to house and they will give me candy? Seriously?"

Something has happened in the last few years that has killed the innocence of the holiday. I walked into one of those seasonal Halloween stores the other day looking for a Jedi robe for my husband. Simple enough, right? Instead, as soon as I walked in, a heavy dark cloud circled around me and landed squarely on my shoulders and head, pushing me down, making me feel tense and downright gross. It was a store wall-to-wall in not just blood-covered knives and gore, but things that are disgustingly wrong. There were costumes touting the highest degree of sleaze I have ever seen. I'm not just talking about cleavage and garter belts. I can't even mention the sorts of pornographic costumes they have conjured for both men and women that throw anything sacred out the window and flaunt ALL for the world to see. The underlying message attached to each of these costumes (and there are several) was the worst part. I looked around at all the other un-shocked customers. Really? Is everyone else okay with this?

And then there was the huge center display of gory zombie babies. Green, covered in blood, red shining eyes, gargling, wickedly cackling, chewing their own legs down to the bone babies. I looked at my own baby on my hip (about the same size as these creatures) and wondered why people have decided to make the purest form of a person into demons meant to kill. One of the employees pointed to one of the red demons and said to another employee, "I want this one so bad!" Huh.

Who buys this filth? And yet, sadly, it sells. I left hell as fast as my legs could carry me, shielding my baby's eyes the entire way, feeling more lifted the farther I got from the place. And they didn't even carry a Jedi robe. Heavens no! That would be too good. Too right. Not evil enough.

Is this what Halloween has become? It seems like no matter where I go (Target, Walmart, etc.) the costumes for sale seems to push the envelope a little bit more each year. Just try finding a costume for a teenager that doesn't make her look like the downtown corner street hooker. In fact, I tried finding an Alice in Wonderland costume for my 9 year old this year--you wouldn't believe what raunchy Alice costumes retailers have conjured up! Isn't Alice supposed to be sweetly innocent?

I think it is because of these sorts of retail trends, that Halloween has lost it's enjoyment for me. It's the "it's okay to be the sleaze you aren't able to be the other 354 days of the year" mentality that is being forced into our kids' minds. I say forced because these costumes hang in every store you walk into. I feel like the "purpose" of Halloween is being warped and I'm helpless to fight it.

Yep. It's settled. If I had to choose to rid the world of only one holiday, it would be Halloween. Clearly. So c'mon people, let's bring back the fun, light-heartedness of Halloween! I know it's out there! It may be 6 ft under in some R-rated zombie-infested cemetery, but it's out there.

I had a crummy day.

2011-10-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Not quite sure how to come down from a day like today.
Correction: I'm already down.
So how do I pull myself back up?
It was definitely one of those days where I didn't live up to the blog name,
as is too-often the case.

It started without a shower.
Ended with tears and broken glass.
Add to that the prayer, "Please bless that Mom can get over her temper."
Yah, one of those days.
And lest you think I was screaming and throwing plates at my kids,
let me ease your mind, my friend--that's not what happened.
Broken glass came from one too-curious and regularly disobedient 1-year old
who likes to get into my casserole dish cabinet.
Yelling. . . well, that may have come from me.
Not at said baby.
No, mostly to the other four rambunctious disobeyers.
Tears? Those were mine too.
Some days I just don't feel like a great mom.
Todd has been out of the country all week.
I've been sick all week.
Not usually a great combination.
So I vent to cyberspace,
hoping for tension to deflate from the rocks that have formed on my back,
flow down my arms
and ooze out my fingertips as I write,
leaving me, hopefully, relaxed enough to be able to sleep tonight.
Because there has been very little of that going on this week.
And I need it oh so badly.

How about rather than list the muck,
I'll mention the rays of sunlight that made my day bearable.

One ray shone through the little girl named Jessica.
I helped her learn her 8s times tables.
She is new to Alli's class and is a bit behind the others.
I gave her a few pointers, hints
and in five minutes she had a more confident smile,
excitement to try them again
and again.
By the end, she gifted me with high fives.
Won't her teacher be surprised when she aces her 8s tomorrow?

Another came through a friend
who brought me a bowl of hot roasted butternut squash soup
for no reason at all
not even knowing about my day.
Or did she see it all over my face?
Or unkempt hair?
Or smell my unbathed body?
Regardless, it was delicious
and I was grateful.

Or in the Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies
I made today.
Mmmmm.

Or in the glowing emails from the moms of the playgroup kids I had at my house today.
Telling me how much their kids loved the Halloween party I had here.
Nice to know the frantic, thrown-together-last-minute activities
were a hit with those little munchkins.

Or in the moment when, reading a goodnight book to my Ty,
his body melts down next to mine,
snuggling in close
more interested in the colors on the pages than the words I was speaking,
or in the sound of mom's voice than the storyline.

Or in the simple lingering,
from a budding teenager (okay 11-year old who acts very much like one)
to be near me
after everyone has gone to bed,
for no reason whatsoever.
Though most times I anger
that she is past bedtime,
not keeping to our lights out rule,
tonight I felt perplexingly okay with her dawdling.

Or discovering "Facetime" on iPods,
how it connects instantly faces of lovers, companions
who are worlds apart.
Competing in the Worlds Silliest Face contest
every single time we chat in this way.
Yah, that made me laugh today.
And I'm amazed at how just seeing him
calms my soul.

So, whaddya say self?
Should we put away the ranting?
The thoughts of self-pity,
the "woe-is-me" attitude?
Because sunlight trumps clouds in my book anyday!

See, I feel better already.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl.

2011-10-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I love this picture.
It epitomizes everything Alli is.
She has a giant heart
full of love for every person,
especially her family.
Today is her day.
She is 9.
Each year with her has been precious.
(In fact, I got weepy going through all these old photos of her!)
Why can't time slow?
Just a little?

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008 (rock climbing party this year)

2009

2010

Today

Happy Birthday Little Bug. We love you.

Money Matters Monday--Peanut Butter Shortage

2011-10-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

CNN recently reported that the cost of peanut butter is about to sky rocket. Supply is down, but demand is still up, and we all know from elementary school what is bound to happen. Planters is reporting a suspected increase of 40% by the end of the month!!! I know, just what we all need--another increase amidst a financial recession. If you like peanut butter, or have lots of school lunches to make like me, then it's time to stock up on your supply. Like this week if possible. I didn't know about this report, but feel lucky to have stocked up on the recent .88 cent/bottle of peanut butter at Buy Low. I have also seen them that low at Maceys recently, so check your local super market.

Funny Friday

2011-10-07T11:15:00.001-07:00

My brother sent this to me and it seriously cracks me up! We did this sort of surprise for our kids once. I might just have to dig it out and post it for next week. Happy Friday!

I have a new obsession.

2011-10-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

For someone who doesn't watch tv, like EVER, this is huge. I knew I had to watch The Sing-Off this season when some friends tipped me off to who is on this season. I caught up on Hulu. You should too.

Amy Whitcomb went to BYU and is a good friend of my neighbor. Dang, that girl can sing! This performance was amazing.

And, of course, BYU's very own Vocal Point. Extremely talented. Extremely entertaining. I'll be sad to have either one of these groups leave the competition.
I just love watching them so much!

October 5

2011-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

28 years ago,
and today I shared a story about you with your grand-kids.
Love you Dad.

This is what our Conference weekend looks like

2011-10-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

I love General Conference. It is like a warm, safe blanket for me. It always ends far too quickly and I leave feeling full, yet still wanting more. One word: powerful. It just was. Through inspiring words from the church leaders, I'm realizing now more than ever the weighty responsibility that is on my shoulders (and Todd's) to raise our kids to have their own testimonies of our Savior. Not to rely on ours, but even at their young ages, to stand firm with their own. In our world of technology and change, they have to! What is so surprisingly beautiful to me is to already see their seeds of faith. Andrew has been so excited for conference this entire week. He kept counting down the days. The kids love it partly because of the huge brunch we have, and we can stay in our pjs until noon, but Andrew also drew a picture early on in the week about it. So many great and exciting things happening in the church and I'm anxious to see how it affects missionary work.

We not only have a spiritual feast, but a temporal feast as well. Here was our menu for Sunday morning brunch:

Hearty Egg Casserole
Breakfast Banana Splits
Cottage Cheese Muffins
Three Berry Kuchen w/ whip cream
Apple Juice
Milk

It was all yummy!

Do you want my autograph?

2011-10-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

This week was crazy insane. I finished out my financial makeover year with Imagine and Happier You with two newspaper articles, three television appearances, countless interviews and an onstage appearance at the Smart Women, Smart Money conference. It was great to attend, but made for a very tiring day Wednesday. At the conference, the DMC committee presented me with a Lion House basket of goodies, a $50 scholarship starter kit for each one of my kids for Utah Education Savings Plan and, my personal favorite, a $1000 check. I feel blessed to have been part of this amazing journey and where it has led our family, but I'd be Melly Mendacity if I said I've loved the media attention. In fact, I'm glad it's over mostly for that reason. I haven't loved being in the public eye for the past year. Why couldn't my Dad have passed on his cool camera collectiveness to me?

It was so nice to have my mom-in-law, Jana, Nicole, Curtis, Todd and my girls at the conference for support. Geena Davis spoke and it was interesting to hear her Hollywood perspectives. Her platform? More female equality in media for young kids. Hmmm. She's an Olympian in archery and even had twins at 48! That's a far cry from Beetlejuice. It was also intriguing to note that although a beautiful model and actor, she has struggled with her own self-image. Crazy what the world does to us all, isn't it?

Many of you have asked for links to stories and such, so I thought I'd post them here for you.

Deseret News Article (been told there's another, but can't find it)

Morning Show on KSL

Nightly news report of conference

Curtis' take

Here's a few pics from Todd's view:

Amanda Dickson is one FUNNY lady!

Cristie Richards (my mentor over the past year) is letting me in on the $1000 news that sits in my hot, sweaty little hand. She says, "Don't spend it all in one place!" She should know better--it's going right to savings!

Us with all our goodies. They had Kendra bring up a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers. Can you tell she didn't want to be up there?

Geena Davis speaking on women representation equality. Surprisingly, she had a deep voice, but was quite witty and fun.

Money Matters Monday

2011-09-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

So here I am at the end of my journey. Or is it?

The fact of the matter is, I did win a financial makeover a year ago and have been heavily
involved in a financial overhaul ever since, yet I still feel like my feet are tucked firmly into the starting blocks at the beginning of a race. It is a race that I have started several times in my life. I have pushed off of those same blocks before, but never got to full speed and certainly never came close to finishing. In fact, more often than not, I tripped, fell and got completely trampled by others who, like me, were running this financial race of life. Some fell alongside me and still others ran on ahead, strong and confident. And they run on. Grumpily, I'd sit up, scratch my head and ask, "How do they do it"?

I was tired of falling, being munched into the asphalt, losing hope that I would ever be strong
enough to rise and finish the race. So, I asked for help. In turn, I was given the amazing opportunity for a financial makeover through Imagine a Happier You, and subsequently, I was given a coach. Her name is Cristie Richards. My coach adequately gave me the training and the tools that I needed to not only finish this race, but win it!

Cristie's coaching tools included, but were not limited to, tracking my finances, making a
working budget, using a cash-only envelope system and saving like crazy. These are the tangible tools, yet there is one tool that she consistently encouraged me to use, though it was not something she could easily give me. The tool? Discipline. She couldn't be the imaginary angel on my shoulder every minute, telling me what to buy or not to buy. Discipline is something I had to practice on my own.

Sometimes there will be hurdles thrown in my path. They will come in the form of having a sick
child being life-lighted to Primary Children's Hospital for six days or a washing machine breaking down or car repair; really, the list is limitless. Now, however, I am armed with the tools necessary to hopefully sail over those hurdles, prepped for the future.

That doesn't mean I won't fall. In fact, here I am after a full year of coaching, still struggling every day to make sure the budget is balanced, that we have enough money for violin lessons and that darn watermelon we were asked to bring to the next family BBQ. My money problems haven't magically disappeared over the course of the year. I am still trying to grab hold of our slippery budget. Slippery because as kids grow and needs arise, it is ever changing. I haven't mastered it yet. What I have mastered is the discipline. And that has made all the difference.

Money is one of those things that if you don't master it, it will indefinitely master you. I want to
send a call out to anyone who has ever struggled to stay above water, financially. The call is one of encouragement, from someone who knows and has been there, and is many senses, is still there. Don't give up! Don't be the one who stumbles and refuses to pick herself back up, laying motionless, waiting for someone to rescue you by saying you've won the next Publisher's Clearing House. Realize that there is strength still left in your legs, then rise up, pat the dust off your pant legs and walk back to those starting blocks. Discouraging? You bet! Hopeless? Not on your life!

The starting blocks are put in place and it is time to take my position. My coach gathers her
things, wishes me luck and heads for the exit. My mind is focused, my muscles conditioned. Fear has been replaced with confidence. It is time to do this on my own. And I can. This race will not have a finish line. In fact, I plan on running every day that I have breath. I hope that with more practice, I will gain momentum, feeling comfortable in my stride and perhaps enjoying a few lovely vistas along the way. Won't you join me? After all, I could use a few running partners.

On your mark . . .

Realizations from my week

2011-09-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Realization #1: After shopping for jeans, I realized that there are two types of people in this world--those who can wear skinny jeans and those who can't. Though I am perfectly content with my body weight, I happen to fall in the latter category. And I'm okay with that. This Moody Booty doesn't do tighty-tight.

Realization #2: I will never be calm and collective with a news crew shoving a camera in my face. My brain goes to mush and my mouth seizes up. Ugh. On Tuesday I had to go to KSL studios to be interviewed, wrapping up my year with Imagine a Happier You. It will be shown at Wednesday's Smart Women, Smart Money Conference.

Realization #3: Our Colby is destined to be a pro-golfer. If he doesn't want to eat his dinner, he will ask, "If I eat this, will it help me hit the golf ball really far?" If we say yes, he will eat. This week he was putting together a puzzle of the U.S. A few minutes later he said, "Mom, I want to go to Panama. Because there is golfing in Panama. So, can I go there someday?" How about we start at the Cedar Hills Golf Course?

Realization #4: Perhaps I talk on the phone too much? (See Andrew's drawing) The picture depicts the incident according to Andrew. After standing on the table, Ty fell off. Apparently I was obliviously on the phone in the office.

Realization #5: Organic apples really do taste better.

Realization #6: No matter how tall or old Kendra gets, I still want to baby her when she gets sick. She had a headache for a few days (sure hope she doesn't inherit my migraines!) and a fever last night. She was the last thought of my night and the first thought this morning. She woke up feeling much better. Side note: While walking down the streets in CA this summer, often I'd be pleasantly surprised when she'd slip her hand in mine and, unembarrassed, walk hand-in-hand with me for several minutes. I know moments like that are fleeting as she gets older, but I'll take them whenever they arise.

Realization #7: I like mountain biking! I tried this for the first time this week with some friends. After falling end-over-end down a hill onto some rocks, and taking home some gnarly scrapes and bruises, I think I shall do this again and soon.

Realization #8: After taking 3 kids to the BYU football game, Todd realized that the kids go with him for one reason and one reason only: treats. Oh, and he also realized once again that BYU offense stinks.

Realization #9: I am ever-amazed at the goodness of people. After an overwhelming response to our fund-raising neighborhood yard sale, we raised $10,300! (Back story: When planned long ago in ward counsel, one of the members of the bishopric, by inspiration, gave this $10,000 goal. Everyone else laughed. It was amazing to see just how close to the mark we came--not a coincidence in my opinion. Amazing also how Father works and speaks to men. After this report in sacrament today, there were many wet eyes.) Being on the committee and in charge of the bake sale, I watched as people contributed hundreds of homemade chocolates, cookies, breads, pies, muffins, you name it. I loved seeing into the hearts of these great people around me. It was a magical moment where they were completely connecting to the God-like qualities given them at birth, the elements of the soul that need to be exposed more often. And I'm committed to trying to get in touch with that divine part of myself more frequently.(I totally stole this picture from a neighbor's FB post--thanks Bro. Lawrence! This pic only shows about a third of what was there. It was an amazing sight to see for sure!)

Goodbye Summer

2011-09-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate Fall than to remember our summer?
This is long overdue, but it is what it is.
This summer we went to southern CA, staying mostly in Oceanside.
I tried to narrow our pictures down
ended up with over 300.
So this video pretty much flies through 300 pictures.
But we just can't stop watching it.
At least you get a glimpse of the fun we had.
And it was.
In fact, we want to go back.
Very, very soon.

Summer 2011 from Melody Hillam on Vimeo.

And the tension builds. . . .

2011-09-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

Who's as excited as I am to watch this tomorrow?
Should be a great game
as usual.

Go Cougars!!!

Whew! What a Weekend!

2011-09-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Todd and I took the girls to the Broadway Mary Poppins at the Capitol Theater. Sitting about 8 rows back, this was the closest we had ever been at a show and to me it made a difference! It easily moved to the top of my list of favorite plays. Bert was straight from playing Bert in NYC and the voices on every single actor was amazing! "Step in Time" was my favorite scene. There was as much magic as the movie. I wish I could see it again before it leaves SLC!

This weekend was our annual weekend girls' getaway to Midway and Swiss Days. We stayed at a friend's cabin front-door welcome late Friday afternoon by a nest of mice. Ack! Everyone, aside from animal-living Kilee, about flew through the roof. Okay not everyone--mostly me and Nicole. Everyone else stayed quite calm. We made Kilee catch the four baby mice, who looked like they had been poisoned and were on their way out of this life anyway. She got them in a paper cup and pulled an older brother prank by chasing bladder-filled Nicole around with them (see picture).

After putting our bags in the cabin and throwing away another bloated dead mouse, we headed to Park City where we rode the newer Alpine Slide at the Olympic Oval. It was a lot of fun, though I wish it would have gone faster! I even saw a deer standing near the track. After our adventure, we headed to Flying Sumo where we stuffed ourselves silly with sushi (so yummy!). After dinner, we went to Whole Foods (I love this store) where we shopped around for a long while and tried to find Nicole some late-night, low-carb protein (she settled on cheese sticks and we teased her about the possibility of mice being attracted to her open sleeping mouth). We even Googled mice-repellant and bought some peppermint oil. We stopped at The Store in town to pick up a flashlight and still more mice repellant.

The cabin was old, but beautiful and on some beautiful property. When we drove up, we noticed it was very, very dark. Since Mom had bought the half-working flashlight, we felt like we would be able to find our way in okay. Upon arrival, we noticed the sliding glass door curtain was wide open and a light inside was on (neither which we had remembered leaving that way). Kilee and I thought we heard something in the bushes, so we grabbed the flashlight, while others were gathering things from the car, and noticed that it was only some bugs. Immediately after we shined the flashlight toward the cabin, the light inside turned off. We made everyone jump back in the car and explained what happened. Pretty soon we were all convinced that someone was in the house and had turned the light out when he heard us arrive. I called the owners to see if they had a sensor light that may have been tripped by a mouse (they didn't) while Kilee called the police. Since we didn't know the address, we waited for a unit to meet us at a gas station and then he followed us out to the cabin.

Upon arrival, Kilee and I explained to Officer Ray further what had happened and after seeing how dark the property was, he seemed a little freaked out and called for backup. Two additional units came, one a K-9. We stayed in our car, literally shivering with fear, while the three men headed to the cabin. I'm not sure who it was who suggested we pray, but we needed the Lord's comfort. As Mom was praying, we heard a lot of yelling from the policemen and the dog barking like crazy. Our hearts stopped and Kilee unrolled the window (whilst Mom is still praying) and we heard him yell, "STAND DOWN, STAND DOWN!!!" followed by more crazy barking. This sealed it; surely they had found someone inside. But after we saw the officers calmly checking the outside property, we realized it must have been protocol upon entering a property.

After a few minutes, they came back and explained to the 5 wide-eyed, white-with-fear women that the property was clear, bags had been untouched and there was no sign of forced entry. Just as they were explaining this, Mom gave a fearful gasp (you know the one), and pointing back at the house said, "The light upstairs just came on! Why did the light come on?" I think at this point that the three men were thoroughly convinced we were all crazy. One chuckled and said, "Maybe it was ghosts?!" but then they all reluctantly offered to go back in and check a second time, since the first time apparently wasn't good enough. We started to feel a bit sheepish and headed to the cabin. The officers discovered that the upstairs light had only one old florescent bulb, which seemed to dim and brighten randomly, thus the on and off of lights. After they declined our offer for a slice Kilee's homemade peach pie, and after we apologized, the officers left. One even said this was a better call than the one they had come from (a drunk man beating up his wife) because it got them out of more paperwork.

Sigh. Way too much excitement for one night.

As the adrenaline levels came down, we ate peach pie, played games, watched for scurrying mice and laughed at ourselves. Ironically, Mom had brought a copy of an article for each of us entitled "Confessions of a Recovering Worrywart" so we read that together. Everyone else seemed to sleep on the five mattresses in the loft just fine (Lacey's snoring and Kilee's and Mom's talking in their sleep is proof) but I didn't. In the morning after Lacey had gone downstairs to the bathroom, she whispered to Mom, "I found another mouse." You should have seen how quickly the rest of the "sleeping" room shot up to the sitting position, quizzically listening for details. It was only after we were up for the morning that Kilee was able to shoo it out of an open door (thanks Ki! You're our hero!). We had scrambled eggs and green smoothies for breakfast. It was delicious.

We found a great little thrift store in Heber and spent some time there. Then we went to Swiss Days where we shopped. At lunchtime, I once again sat watching everyone else eat their brats and sauerkraut (eww). We really had a great time. One with many, many laughs and lasting memories. Thanks ladies!

Funny Friday--Kids React Philosophically to Sittin on a Toilet

2011-08-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Been flat on my back for a week.
So posts have been delayed.
Saw this today and thought it was definitely
Funny Friday worthy.
Man, I love kids.
Happy Friday everyone.

Funny Friday--He wants brownies

2011-08-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

We're teaching the boy how to sign.
He can sign "please, done, thank you, drink" and (his favorite) "MORE".
This was yesterday.

Thoughtful Thursday--Angry Mama Bird

2011-08-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Warning: If you have an unwavering love for your iPhone or iPod apps, you may want to forgo reading this "soapbox" post of mine. This Thursday, I just need to get a few things off my chest. Or, if you prefer, indulge me with a few moments of your time . . . .

A few months ago, my little sister sat on the stool at my mother's house, playing with her phone, when she turned to me and asked, "So, Mel, what kind of apps do you have?" "Uh, no apps--I just have a phone." You know, a normal phone. The kind you call people someone with when you are stranded on the side of the road. The same phone I get calls on when my daughter is sick at school. That is the purpose of my phone.

I don't get this whole "Do-You-Have-the-Latest-App" movement. (And, again, I apologize if you are one of those who has every possible app ever offered for a phone and love your apps.) Now, I know there are some very helpful tools that are quite cool. Lately the translator app on my husband's phone came in handy when we had our foreign exchange student living with us. Necessary? Not really. I'm pretty sure we could have got along just fine without it. And then there's the Gas Buddy app. It was helpful on our recent CA trip, where we found the cheapest gas was offered near us. But, truthfully, we drove a few miles further to save, what, $1? So, here's my soapbox tonight: Is it all worth it? And why is our society going berserk over phone technology? You name it--there's an app for it! Raise your hand if you think it is time we take a breather from phone-tech.

What I don't like is what it is doing to my kids. My husband's phone AND iPod have numerous apps and games that will keep our young boys occupied for hours. Hours! Not sure I love this idea. Let's ingrain this must-be-constantly-doing-something at an early age so they can't focus later in school? I don't think so. How about sending them outside to play ball or ride their bike. Novel idea.

Their current obsession? I'll name just a few. First there is Angry Birds. Who hasn't heard of this? It has taken our world by storm--even Build-A-Bear has them now! But, what is it?! You fling a bunch of squawky, crazy, and might I add, UGLY birds (either one at a time, or better yet, make them split into 3) at some even uglier pigs who are just hangin' out, until they pop. Not sure I get this. And, does anyone know why they are "angry" exactly? I recently read an article written by a psychiatrist that was supposed to explain the obsession with Angry Birds, but the only thing I got from the article was that the psychiatrist enjoyed the game just as much as the next person. See, world? You have all been sucked in. Conned, people.

Onto my next beef: So, my 4-year-old, tearfully approached my husband the other day (whilst holding Dad's iPod) and said, "Dad, I tried to feed the little zombie, but it wouldn't eat." Todd consoled him with, "Sorry, buddy, he must be dead." What!? Then, just yesterday, the same 4-year-old, again playing some zombie game, exclaimed to his older brother, "I got more brains Andrew!" They talked more about the game and every once in a while I'd hear things interjected like, "when that person is dead. . . " or "that zombie is ready to be picked. . ." Again, what!? Zombie Farm is a game (though I use that word loosely) where you harvest zombies. My 4-year-old is growing zombies in a garden. Who makes this stuff up? I'm not okay with my boys talking about dead bodies and brains! What is wrong with people?

Okay, perhaps I am too conservative. Perhaps this 34-year-old mom could already be considered an out-of-date fuddy-duddy. Perhaps I will lose many loyal readers tonight because of what I say and will be left to fight this battle on my own, but darn it, I can't see many positive outcomes if my kids (or anyone) heads down the addictive app path of fiery destruction. Like I said, people, let's all breathe for a moment. Yoga app anyone? Yep, they've got that one too. Put the phone or iPod down and breathe with me, sans technology.

Okay, I feel better already.

Namaste. Good night.

Turnback Tuesday

2011-08-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Allison 2002

Since I have begun school shopping
I have been stunned to find that both
yes BOTH
my girls can now wear women's shoe sizes
and I find myself
longing for moments like this again.
(Sigh)
I miss little feet.
Stop growing, I mean it.
Or else you are grounded.

Money Matters Monday

2011-08-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it has been a year since I won some crazy budget contest? My year of weekly blog-writing and work with mentor, Cristie Richards, is winding down with Imagine a Happier You and I find myself a little sad. It has been a great experience and a great blessing to my family. I feel like I am more solid ground and have a better head on my shoulders. Here is this week's blog post for IAHY and your Money Matters Monday:

My family returned home Sunday from a week-long vacation in California, only to find 14 credit card applications in our mailbox. Fourteen! We get them often, but never do I add them up over the course of a week. Disgusting. Another thing that felt entirely wrong was how many times I swiped the one credit card we own on said vacation.

Now, before you discredit everything I've ever said over the past year, let me explain myself. Do you remember my aunt and uncle I wrote about a while back? You know, the ones who have paid off two houses already? They swear by the use-the-credit-card-but-pay-it-all-off-every-month method. In fact they have taken numerous trips for FREE, using only the points they have accumulated from their card. My uncle suggests to make a budget, then make a register and deduct what you spend, just as if it were a checkbook. Please note that I don't want to promote the use of credit cards in any way, however I had heard about this method working for several people and have been terrified to try it. Why? Well, in order to keep your credit card balance from sky-rocketing, you had to be extremely disciplined, something we had failed at in the past. I was hoping we could attempt this method for the one week of our summer vacation since we had been practicing discipline over the past year.

The credit card we have gives cash back rewards and because I'm all about saving money, I decided to try it. We had been planning and saving for this vacation for nearly a year and had already set aside a chunk of money. I knew we could pay it off once we returned home, so after letting Cristie know of the plan, I set up our system.

At the dollar store I found a pocket file with four tabs, small enough to fit into my purse. I labeled the tabs "Fun", "Food", "Gas" and "Souvenirs". Everything we bought on the trip should fall under one of those categories, so to keep track of each purchase I put the receipt in their designated slot. At the back of my pocket file, I put a small notebook and pen. On the first page I wrote down our beginning total (what we had budgeted and saved for the trip) and with each purchase, I subtracted that amount. Like I said, I was terrified of losing control and going over on our budget, so I was meticulous about deducting every penny.

Those who have followed my blogs will know I am a believer of vacations. There is nothing that can replace the quality time with children, isolated away from the busy routines of home-life. The memories we made were truly priceless, but didn't need to be pricey. We went to Legoland and Sea World (both with heavily-discounted coupons of course!), visited several museums and spent a lot of time on the beach, which was by far the family-favorite activity.

One shining money moment came from a comment from my oldest daughter. Each child had earned their own souvenir money prior to the trip and each had a different amount, depending on how dedicated they were to their chores. Kendra, my oldest, had worked the hardest and therefore had the most to spend. As we walked around the shops at Downtown Disney, her eyes got big and anxiety grew as she realized how difficult the decision would be on which memento to bring home. She was holding a cute scarf (that cost a whopping $20!) when suddenly she dropped it and exclaimed, "I'm going to be wise with my money!" Not only a great money moment, but a proud Mommy moment as well.

I'm pleased to report that we stayed within our budget! In fact, we came out slightly under. Yay! As soon as we got home, we got online and paid off our credit card. Sigh. The anxiety that had been building with each swipe of the card quickly dispersed once I clicked the "confirm payment" button. I'm so glad that for once, our vacation isn't following us home. It took a lot of planning and prep work, but knowing we had the money to make the zero balance on our credit card is a great feeling.

With the cash-back rewards I will get, I plan on tucking the amount away for Christmas because it will be here in two shakes of a lamb's tail. After the holidays, it will be time to plan and save up for next year's vacation. Until then, it is back to the cash method for me! Seems to have worked great for us thus far, plus it keeps my panic levels to a minimum.

Funny Friday

2011-08-05T12:33:00.001-07:00

So, it has been a while

and he will probably kill me for posting this,
but these pictures taken from our recent trip to CA
make me laugh every time I look at them.
The kids were having fun playing dentist
at Pretend City.
Colby seems to be confused
where the teeth are exactly.
Todd was a trooper.
What a great dad.
Anyone need work done on their teeth?
My boys got it down!

Our summer with Jennifer

2011-08-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

I just sent my 6^th child back to her home in Taiwan. It’s true. I’ve had a 15-year-old daughter for the past 6 weeks. Her name is Jennifer— or at least that is what she was called while she was here. I couldn’t have predicted what it would mean to have a foreign exchange student in our home, but in having her here our family has learned several things:

1. I learned how to speak Chinese! Well, sort of. I now know the words for cantaloupe (Jennifer’s favorite), watermelon, horse, mosquito, hello, thank you. With Chinese, it is all about inflection. Jennifer often giggled at my poor attempts at her language and I learned that my mouth is quite incapable of properly formulating Chinese words.

2. Americans put far too much sugar in and on everything! Poor Jennifer had to choke down sugary breakfast cereals, pancakes w/ syrup, cookies, brownies, fruit snacks, candy, etc. The “healthy lifestyle” I thought we lived easily (and sadly) falls into America’s overly-sweetened mainstream.

3. Jennifer attends 10 hours of school each day, 7 days a week. That’s every single day folks. 10 hours. After she told us this (and after picking up our jaws from the floor) my respect for the dedicated and educated Taiwanese people grew immensely. Case in point: One night, after playing a game of Monopoly w/ her, each of us needed a calculator to tally our points, except for Jennifer. Counting it up in her head was simple enough for her. Still, Kendra reminds me daily that she DOES NOT want to live in Taiwan—too much school for her I guess.

4. Though she said she was shy, she really made the best of this American experience. She wasn’t afraid to step out of her comfort zone and try new things. To name just a few: church, girls camp, American food, hiking, camping, roller coasters, boogie boarding, cooking, sleeping in her own room and bed, dancing w/ the Xbox—heck, she even pierced her ears while she was here!

5. Other things that were amazingly new and wonderful to her: blond or red –headed people, blue eyes, can openers, macaroni and cheese (her new favorite!), painted fingernails, homemade pizza, babies (particularly our Baby Ty!), trampolines, high school lockers (who knew?), American movies, driving in a car (not a bus or scooter) everywhere we go, going from having no siblings to 5 rambunctious kids!

6. And then there are some loves that transcend any language or culture, namely Justin Beiber.

7. I was blown away by the selfless nature of Jennifer’s parents. Not only did they send their only child to a new country and a family they didn’t know, but after seeing how quickly Jennifer’s English was improving, her mother begged her to stay longer, knowing that any time here will only benefit her. They also have been so giving, showering us with handmade gifts from the heart. Did I mention how incredibly artistic Jennifer and her mother are? Jennifer taught my girls how to make a toy cat out of a baby sock and my boys how to fold the best paper airplanes in the world!

8. What I didn’t expect was how much I would grow to love Jennifer in the short weeks that she was here. She is a sweet, loving, patient girl who never complained about anything (except for the cinnamon in the French toast—can you believe she doesn’t like cinnamon?). Saying good-bye to her at the airport tugged at my heartstrings and we both blubbered like babies. Though she is halfway around the world, there has been a bond created that won’t be broken and I am quite certain that we will see her again.

Thank you, Jennifer, for spending your summer with us and enduring the craziness of our home. We loved having you and until next time, “kan ni yihou”.

Ragnar 2011

2011-07-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back!
I have GRUNDLES of posts to catch up on.
But, for now, enjoy a video
created by my friend Courtney
about our crazy Ragnar experience
that we had a few weeks ago.
Mom's Just Wanna Have Fun!
So insane,
yet so much fun.
No sleep.
Stinky bodies.
Crazy eating schedules.
One teammate vomited
another passed out.
But we finished 15th for the women's open!
I swore I'd never do it again.
Hmmm, so guess who's already registered for next year?
Thanks ladies!
Thanks to my sis who drove and sacrificed sleep for us!
(Surely she didn't know what she was signing up for!)
And thanks Courtney for this amazing video memory!

Happy Birthday Kendra!

2011-06-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe my oldest baby is 11 today.
Then again, it's hard to believe she is ONLY 11.
I tell people she is 11 going on 15.
If I could only slow time. . . .
She is growing far too fast for my liking.
She shares my clothes.
We have the same size shoes.
Give her a few months and she will pass me up in height.
(Okay, so with my 5'3", it's not entirely hard to do!)
She has become my little buddy
the one I ask advice on decor and outfits.
In fact, a few days ago, she got frustrated with all the questions, and said,
"I don't know Mom! Why are you always asking ME?!"
I simply told her because she is one of my best friends.
And she is.
Happy Birthday Friend and Daughter.
You are beautiful inside and out.
We sure love you.
(Hope you enjoy your new Beach Cruiser bike!)

Money Matters Monday

2011-06-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

(picture courtesy www.daveramsey.com)

Today I'm making my kids work.
They aren't too happy about it.
Hopefully they will see it as a gift someday.
The gift of hard work.
Something my mother taught me.
I read an article today entitled
"Keeping Your Kids From Becoming Summer Bums"
and I thought it had some great reminders.
Take a second and read it
then pull out the whip and get them crackin'!
You will have a cleaner home
and they will learn a valuable lesson.
See the win-win here?

Funny Friday

2011-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

So my kids, for some reason,
are the kind who take
FOREVER
to learn how to ride their bike without training wheels.
I think they could benefit from a motivational speech,
don't you?
Just can't get enough of this.
Maybe this is the summer they will learn.
Maybe then they will say.
"I feel HAPPY of myself!"

Okay, extremely frustrated with Youtube right now.
It won't let me embed this video for some reason,
maybe there is a block from the person who posted?
So do me a favor and go to THIS LINK.
You won't regret it!
It will make your Friday very;, very funny indeed.

My Baby is One--How did that happen?

2011-05-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

One year ago (May 29) I was doing this.
Yep, that's the nurse who delivered our little "Ty Breaker"!
As a mom to this little guy, it has been a great year.

But why not let Ty tell you how it has been for him?
Here is his year according to Ty:

This was a cold, tragic May day for me, but I adjusted well soon enough
as soon as I got my long, warm bath.
Ahhhhh. . . .

In June, I started to open my eyes to all the world around me.

On the Fourth of July, I had my blessing day.
I wasn't as pleasant as I normally am on that day for some reason.
Maybe it had something to do with the way they made me wear my hair?

In August, I went on my first camping trip
only to realize what a kooky family I am stuck with.

In September, I mostly focused on getting a fuzzy head and chunking up big time!

In October, someone stuck me in a pumpkin.

In November, I went to my first BYU game and became a true Cougar fan!

In December, I met some strange man in red, with white stuff on his face.
Later that same month, apparently he brought me lots of toys and stuff.
Haven't quite figured that one out yet.

In January I got really sick with RSV
and spent 6 days at Primary Children's Hospital
where lots of people took good care of me until I got better.

In February, after I got better, I took an outing
where my big brother taught me how to bowl!

In March I started getting around a LOT faster
and learned that getting into trouble is so much fun!
I love how it makes my mom run over to me really fast
and how she makes funny sounds like UGH! RAAH! or "TY, NO!"
Yessir, I believe my trouble-making days have just begun.

In April, I taught my younger cousin, McKinley,
how to roll Easter eggs down a huge hill!
She thought I was weird.

Today, Mom and Dad made me a monkey cake, since I am their little monkey
and they gave me my very own piece!

So guess what I did with it?

Happy Birthday Baby Ty!
We are sure glad you chose us . . .

Tomorrow

2011-05-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a triathlon in the morning.
I wish I could say I was hard core
I wish I could say I was 100% ready.
But more than anything
I wish I had half the heart of this 13-year-old boy.
Just try and watch this without tearing up.

Funny Friday

2011-05-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

We have had SO much rain!
I saw on the news that 34/50 days of Utah Spring
have been soggy and wet!
So weird for Utah.
Rain is great, but
Sometimes it just foils your plans.
What to do. . .

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-05-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

C'mon, who's up for a nice, good skip?

Skipping subtracts years from your heart, adds joy to your life, multiplies your happiness, and divides your stress. It's a prime exercise, and I count it among one of my greatest blessings.
~Jessi Lane Adams

I don't think it's possible to skip with a frown on your face.... I'd like to see the world's governing and terrorist leaders on a skipping tour through the Middle East and across the subcontinent and China to Korea.
~Sue Irwin

There's another powerful benefit of skipping which is that it adds joy and positive energy to the world. Seeing adults consumed by the joy of skipping sends a compelling message about the power of the spirit over fear. When you learn to turn off your logical mind and get lost in the spirit of skipping, it's like exercising a muscle that will help you deal with other fears. As external events become increasingly intense, that kind of inner strength will be more important than ever.
~Kim Corbin

Turnback Tuesday

2011-05-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

38 weeks ago the kids started their school year.
Now there are 13 days left until zero structure ensues.
Can't quite decide if I'm excited
or utterly terrified.

How about you?

Are you ready?

Money Matters Monday

2011-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've been reading, and writing, about staycations as of late. You know the term. It started out as a funny word to me, but has recently been added to the dictionary. It's true. We haven't been on an official vacation for a few years now and have been able to save a lot of money. These "staycations" are a nice alternative.

It's amazing how much there is to do in our own back yard, yet I don't take advantage enough. Take the Kennecott Copper Mines for instance--how many times have I driven past the blasting site on the mountain and never visited or took my kids there? We finally did last year with a bunch of cousins and the kids loved it, the boys in particular. Those trucks, and the tires on them, are enormous! Need a great staycation resource for those in Utah? Check out this site.

I thought the following information from Wikipedia was interesting:

A staycation (known in the United Kingdom as a stoliday or holistay) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays and relaxes at home, or vacations in their own country, possibly taking day trips to area attractions. Staycations achieved popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007-2010. Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation.

Staycations are far less costly than a vacation involving traveling. There are no lodging costs and travel expenses are minimal. Costs may include transportation for local trips, dining, and local attractions. "The American Automobile Association said the average North American vacation will cost $244 per day for two people for lodging and meals... Add some kids and airfare, and a 10-day vacation could top $10,000".

Staycations do not have the stress associated with travel, such as packing, long drives, or waits at airports.

Funny Friday

2011-05-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

I post this for my funny Friday not because it is hilarious, but because I hope to laugh at it someday. Okay, perhaps I should laugh at it now, but for me five days ago, this was NOT funny. I've been encouraged to write it down, to record of the events this Mother's Day mayhem. I hope it also serves purpose to the reader. Maybe you will commiserate. Maybe you will laugh. And, just maybe, you will do both. Whatever this conjures, I hope it brightens your day.

Todd is in Berlin. He left Saturday, which left me alone with my crew for Mother's Day. Prior to his leaving, I had a slight meltdown. I have been feeling overwhelmed with life, motherhood and about a million other responsibilities. Each day, it felt is as if I had Gumby limbs, each being stretched in a different direction, each required to accomplish a different task. You know that rope people talk about being at the end of? Well, let's just say the thread that I had been clinging to broke a long time ago. I was screaming for reinforcements, for a weekend recharge. I found myself complaining to my other half who gets to come home from work every day blissfully happy to see the five angels who are just as ecstatic to see him. Never mind the unkempt, sleep-deprived, grumpy pile of goo in the corner. Warning: Keep your distance from it--she just might bite!

Mother's Day started out just dandy. Though I was up making homemade berry bread for my mom until midnight the night before, and aside from the fact that I didn't sleep more than two hours that night, I really was delighted to see the efforts my children made to bring me breakfast in bed at 7 a.m. all on their own. They even came in singing "Happy Mother's Day to you". Their cards and homemade gifts definitely brought a smile to my face and it warmed my heart to feel the love they have for me. I don't know how it is in your house, but in mine the feel-good moments like this don't seem to last for very long. Shortly after this joyful scene, we all started to go, nay fall, downhill very fast.

After eating my breakfast, I started putting together the lasagna that I was supposed to make for my family's Mother's Day dinner after church. We were also going to celebrate all the May birthdays (there are 4) while we were there, so I was trying to work on wrapping/finishing gifts. We were going to have to leave immediately after church to get there on time, so I knew everything needed to be ready to go.

I normally have an extra pair of hands, but knowing I was on my own this Sunday morning, I started earlier than usual to get kids bathed and prettied for church. I should also mention that I have a primary class to teach, so between baths I was reading up on the lesson and making handouts. After the kids were all ready, I took a glance at the clock and realized I had about 45 minutes to have myself ready. I left the kitchen in the eruption of pots, pans and flour that it was and retreated to my room. As I was getting ready, Todd called and wanted to talk to everyone. As I wedged the phone between my ear and my shoulder, my hands were busy finishing my hair and makeup. Towards the end of our conversation, I notice Andrew and Colby running into my room with caked-on soap all over their hands. Then they proceed to rub the soap, making a swirly, sticky, messy design all over my sink.

Ten minutes until church. I get off the phone, yell at the boys to get their shoes on and stop making a mess, resign myself to the fact that my hair will only be half-done and start to gather everything for church. Diaper bag, toys, snacks, blanket, burp cloth, diaper, wipes, sippy cup, lesson manual, scriptures--you know the garb.

I head toward the door, arms full of baby and gear until I stopped short as I happened to glance at the hallway bathroom doorknob. It, too, was covered in the familiar caked-on soap that made its debut in my bathroom minutes earlier. Arg! I had to drop everything (placed Baby Ty gently) on the ground, grab a washcloth and once again clean up the soapy mess, all the time spitting phrases like "Are you serious, boys?! What are you thinking?! What is all of this mess?! Who did this?! Get your shoes on NOW!" I get the bathroom doorknob clean and open it.

Mess No. 3 stared at me. Toothpaste had been squeezed all over the bathroom counter. The same words (see above) came spewing out of my mouth, only this time at a higher decibel level. I grab some tissue and start cleaning up. The boys decided at this point that self-preservation was pretty darn important and were safely hiding away someplace. Kendra and Alli quietly observed the entire situation from a safe distance, fearing for their brothers' lives and Ty was hanging onto my leg, begging me to pick him back up.

"Mom, you need to see what the boys did in their room," Kendra says.

More?

Seriously?

I open the boys door to find Mess No. 4. No question it trumped the other three. In the middle of the room was a giant bottle of lotion, the kind with a squirt top. The entire room was covered with globs of lotion. Little hands had smeared it all over their dresser and little feet had ground it into the carpet. Feet, I might add, that still did not have their church shoes on. I envisioned them pounding their fist on top of the squirty part over and over and over, watching the squirts of lotions fly every which way because, I am sure, it was oh so much fun.

(Note: I apologize to those who are reading this who may have also been the unlucky ones walking to church, just outside my house, when this occurred. May your ears recover and may you please not judge the crazy mom alone on a Sunday morning with five hooligan kids.)

Again with the decibel level. I exploded and decided I could handle no more. I locked myself in the bathroom and took a few deep breaths. I grabbed some wet washcloths, found the hiding culprits and threw the rags at them, ordering them to clean it up!

As I pushed the stroller to church, I continued to scold the boys for their choices, jabbing them with a dose of guilt that only a mother can, telling them that they made these bad choices on MY DAY! Mother's Day! I usually like to enter church with a smile of contentment on my face, our family a picture of perfection. Uh-uh. Not happening today.

Church had started, but we still made it for the opening song, though we had to sit in the overflow section. I looked forward to taking the sacrament and feel the peace of the Atonement. Wasn't going to happen. I put Ty down to crawl just as we concluded the sacrament hymn, only to notice poop seeping through his pants. I quickly rush him to the bathroom, remove his entire outfit and realize that I need to go back home for a clean change of clothes. Luckily Kendra, my right arm, was there to also be my legs and I sent her home for more wipes and a clean outfit.

Somehow I got through my primary class lesson and made it to the special Mother's Day edition of Relief Society, though I spent the majority of the hour in the halls with my disruptive 11-month old. I took a moment, mustered some energy and made a commitment to myself to be better the rest of the day. There were some bad run-ins, but no way was I going to let it ruin my Mother's Day. After church, I gathered my kids and stepped outside to head home. It was pouring rain. Of course it was. I don't recommend running through the rain in heels with five kids in tow. I'm sure we were a sight to all those smart ones who had brought cars to church.

It is days like this that I look heavenward and say, "Really?" It is then that I swear in response I hear a faint chuckle and I'm reminded once again how trivial these moments are. I'm also reminded that Mother's Day isn't about mothers at all. It is about children, for it is they who made me a mother.

So for now I'm grateful to have the poopy bums, incessant messes and yes, even the ground-in lotion, because it means I have five gifts from God who challenge and train me every single day, provided I don't kill them before they reach puberty. If I will allow them, they will train me to be Godlike. Oh, how far I have to go! One day I will not have these little ones near. I better take what "training" they have to offer now because I am running out of time. . . .

Just give me strength throughout this blissful process.

Turnback Tuesday

2011-05-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today I'm dreaming of warmer weather,

adventures,

sandy beaches,

escapes,

and doing some of this

a whole lot of this

and seeing more of this on my feet.

Panama 2008

What are your summer plans?

Money Matters Monday

2011-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a woman just needs a break.
So that is what I took.
But Money Matters Mondays are back.
For today, check out my IAHY blog post on my favorite money-saving sites.
I have a lot of favorites.
Do you have any for me to add to my list?
If so, send them my way!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

May you take a moment
between chocolate bunnies
and jelly beans
to remember Him
who made it ALL possible.
He knows my pain
and He knows yours.
I know He suffered for all.
And His miracle will heal
if we allow it.
Happy Easter.

Find out more about this Son of Man project here
and more about what I believe is truth here.

He's 4 folks!

2011-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Beach
Bowling
Golfing.
We hear these 3 words from him every single day.
It's all he wants to do.
Other loves include (but are not limited to):
Hot wheels
Lightning McQueen
Quesadillas

His Thumb
Candy
Swimming

but most especially,
older brother.

Sometimes he gets grumpy,
but gosh darnit, we love him anyway.
Happy Birthday little bug.

Money Matters Monday

2011-04-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Did anyone buy their home about 4 years ago like we did? Does anyone out there have an ugly, high-percentage second mortgage like we do? Well, this is the next thing we are attempting to tackle, but there are steps to take prior to doing that. I say it all on my IAHY blogpost for the week, so check it out there! Happy Monday and remember to spend wisely this week, yes?

Funny Friday

2011-04-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

So today is April Fool's Day.

I won't post that I'm pregnant (cause that would be downright scary!)
or that Todd got a job overseas and we're moving to New Zealand (now that wouldn't be so bad!)
or that we are vacationing over the rainbow at just .99 cents per night,
but I WILL post about my funny baby.

This is my funny baby.

Lately he LOVES to make trouble.
His favorite thing is dumping garbage all over the place.
Not always funny.
But this particular time he dumped in all over himself.
I laughed.
Then grabbed my camera!
He's also a master crawler.
He likes to crawl under, or over, our kitchen chairs.
Sometimes he get's stuck.

Sometimes he discovers new foods that he just can't live without.
Like meat-lover's Papa Murphy's pizza.
At 9 months? Really?

Sometimes he learns new things.
In this case, he is trying to throw a ball.

Funny Baby.

Playing Catch-up . . . again

2011-03-30T12:19:00.001-07:00

Kendra enjoyed playing Junior Jazz this year. This is her team being tough.Tall socks are IN with the young gals today, don't you know?

Drewby turned 6!

His day started out with breakfast in bed, of course!
He wanted a Harry Potter party (because of the Lego Wii game). He and his buddies decorated wands and practiced some spells. They were so into it!

Legos. . . his obsession, for the moment.

They made "potions" with dragon blood, bugs, worms, dirt and troll brains. They were delicious!

My baby sister got married last week at the Salt Lake Temple--it was an amazing day and I'm excited to have Jonathan part of the family. We will have the reception tomorrow!

Me and most of my siblings.

We had a few "teaser" days this month where it really felt like Spring! We tried to enjoy it as much as possible. The boys love blowing bubbles!

My sweet Grandma celebrated her 90th birthday and there was a party thrown just for her. I love my Grandma so much and am glad we got to celebrate this momentous occasion with her.

Money Matters Monday

2011-03-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.
~Frank Hubbard

Dear Jon

2011-03-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, you are one handsome man.
Yes, you have rocked my world many a times,
mostly on my scrub-the-kitchen floor days.

But you just celebrated your 49th birthday.
That makes you 15 years older than I.
So listen.
I've been doing a lot of thinking,
but sorry, honey, you're just too old for me.
Shh, please don't cry.
Really, it's for the best.
And, besides, we have both been happily married for many years
with kids of our own.
It would never work out between us.

In fact, my studly man brought me to see you on Tuesday.

I was excited. Only slightly.As were thousands of other adoring fans to your sold-out show.

Yes, my man delivered.
And so did you!

You made good on your promise to play some new stuff and some old stuff.
I particularly loved your rendition of Hallelujah.
Still, I wish you would have played one of my favorites,
Bed of Roses.

Many are surprised to learn that underneath my softer exterior
I'm a true rocker.
I can't help it--I think I was born that way.
Or made that way by older rock-loving brothers.
Give me Pat Benatar, Led Zepplin, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Wh itesnake, Janis, etc.
all the oldies, any day of the week.
Sorry, let's face it Jon, you're right up there with them--an oldie.
But, that doesn't mean I love you any less.
Everyone knows Jon Bon is the Bom-Bom.
It just means we are growing old together.
That should give you some consolation, right?

So I can check off one box on my Bucket List.
Perhaps we will rendezvous again
next time you are in town,
or I'm in yours.
Hopefully then I will get a closer seat.
Until then,
adieu.

Funny Friday

2011-03-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Fake laughter.
My big brother (not pictured) got us hooked on it.
All his idea--started a year ago.
None of this is real.
None of it.
Okay, maybe by the last one we were having giggle-fits.
Try it.
On the count of three, make it just LOOK like you are laughing.
It might just be the funnest thing you'll do on this Friday.
It makes for some great pictures.
These were taken Wednesday at my youngest sister's wedding.
What makes me laugh every time is my older sister.
Is she singing?
Is she constipated?
Like I said, fun picture-taking experiences.

Want another?
Just follow this to see one from a year ago.

Money Matters Monday

2011-03-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

So, this is a late Monday post--sorry. Hectic day all around. But I wanted to post something about my new meal swap plan. I wrote about it on my IAHY post for this week. I love it!! You can read about my plan there, but Monday is my day to make a meal and this is what I made tonight. Not sure what to call it as I threw a bunch of stuff in the last time I made it. Who knew it would be a hit with my family? I just hope the other two families liked it as well as we did.

Most of the ingredients come from home storage:

Pork, Rice, Beans Wraps

1 can black beans

1 can pinto or kidney beans

2 cans corn

1 can pork (or other meat)

1 can diced tomatoes (the lime and cilantro flavored kind is what I used—yum)

1/2 jar sweet chile sauce

1/2 jar salsa

dash of cumin

First I sautéed some garlic in a pan, then added the meat—let that sauté together, then added the rest.

I made white rice then put rice in a flour tortilla (I like the ones you cook yourself that can be found at Walmart or Costco), then the stuff above, topped with cheese, plain yogurt (or sour cream) and finally fresh cilantro. It was really good and made for an easy, healthy, quick meal!

Why on my "Money Monday" post you ask? I made this for three families so had to triple it. I totaled up all the ingredients that I got for it from Walmart today. It came out to $23.36 (not including the tortilla chips from Costco that I split up and gave them as well). That's for 3 families! That comes out to $7.79 per family and it made a TON! I have enough left over for another night of this meal for my family. I am saving money, time, energy and sanity. I look forward to the rest of the weeks' meals that will be brought to me! You should try out this meal swap thing. It's rather nifty and thrifty.

Funny Friday

2011-03-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know how he finds these, but my brother sure sends me some great ones! I dare you to watch this and NOT laugh! Really. This one is good. Now, go blow your nose.

6 years ago. . .

2011-03-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

This little stinker turns 6 today. There are days he drives me batty, but gosh darn it, I love him. He is sensitive, a tease, lover of sugar, the classic clown, oh and did I mention he's a tease? This kid has us in stitches all day long, not only by what he does, but what he says. Today he was SO THIRSTY and after he guzzled down a glass of water, he said, "Mom, it only took 2 globs of water and now it's gone!" (--pretty sure he meant gulps, but hey, that's my boy--always mixing up his words and I love it!) He lives to make people laugh and if you don't believe me, just watch the video.

Happy Birthday little Drewby--we love you crazy!

Money Matters Monday

2011-03-14T21:44:00.001-07:00

Okay, so it's totally late (got stuck watching the Bachelor Finale--yes, I admit it!), but I still wanted to get this on before Monday ends. Remember how we bought and sold a car last week? Well, if you are interested in knowing more details, you can always go to my IAHY blogpost that was posted today! If not, just simply take this to heart and make sure you are enjoying what you do every day:

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play,
his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation,
his love and his religion.
He hardly knows which is which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does,
leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.
To him, he is always doing both. "
-James Michener

Dissecting a Word

2011-03-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today was Stake Conference. Because of a sick girl, Todd and I had to trade off halfway through to have someone stay with her at home. I came for the second half and it was inspiring. I loved a talk that our former bishop (Bishop Louder), and now counselor in the stake presidency, gave. I should also add that he was a biology teacher at my high school. Because of his field of expertise, he said he likes to "dissect" things. His talk was about how we can BECOME what we need to be in this life. He chose to dissect the word BECOME.

On either side of the word is BE and ME. There are people that are living lives of sin, running around touting that they are "just being themselves" and "take it or leave it--this is me" and "I just need to be true to me." It's all a farce. You want to know why? Because all of us were born into this life as pure and spotless as He who came before us. We were born in His image. That is the REAL us, the TRUE us. Yes, it is important to be ourselves, but only when we are being true to our real selves. It is only when we start living in this tainted world that we get pulled away from HIM, away from what we really are. We are pulled away by our own choices. One small justification after another, inch by inch--pretty soon we forget. I think we all know who is doing the pulling in the other direction, clouding our vision.

On the inside of BE and ME are the letters O and C. O for Obedience and C is for Christ. If we will obey the words of Christ, we will once again be closer to Him, closer to who we really are. Our spirits know. We are reminded each time we do something aligned with the Savior. Don't believe me? Try it! I promise you will feel the warm, comforting feeling of being true to you . . . and to Him.

I know I need to be better. I need to remember. So many days my vision is clouded, but I'm determined to BECOME who I need to be in this life and beyond. The only way is through the Savior. Otherwise we spend a lot of wasted hours trying to figure out what it is all about, spending time on trivial things, or just not caring--simply living life without purpose. How fun is that? I'm determined to live more purposefully. Today was a good reminder for me.

What will you "BECOME" this week?

Funny Friday

2011-03-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

This cute boy says some things that are pretty darn funny. The other day, while he ate lunch with a friend, I overheard this conversation:

"Guess what? You know I have never-ending girlfriends? For reals. (Pause) But, all my girlfriends are boys."

Then, after taking a few more bites of his sandwich, he said, "My girlfriends can eat a whole entire city! Like giants!"

A little later (but still eating) he looked as his friend and said, "I am Batman and you can be Rockman!"

His friend didn't particularly like this idea and responded with, "No! Fine, now I'm never gonna trust you ever again!"

I love kids and love to hear how their little brains work--city-devouring giant girlfriends? Now, only a little boy would come up with that. . .

Turnback Tuesday

2011-03-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

It seems like yesterday that she looked like this.

10 years her senior, I remember taking her as mine.
I did her hair.
Fed her.
Changed her diaper.
Played,
held,
danced
and sang to her.
We even made up our own "secret sister" language.
And she laughed.
A lot.
It is still pretty darn contagious.

Now this little lady is getting married in 15 days.
To a pretty swell fellow.
He is "goofy" yet sweet
She is a Disney enthusiast
They are perfect for one another.
Here is a shot from Missy, who is doing her wedding photos.
Didn't she do great?
Can't wait to see the rest.

Congrats Lacey and Jonathan!
I love you forever.

Money Matters Monday

2011-03-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I am selling my dream car.

Why? Rather than the typical excuse of "Dave Ramsey says" why don't you check out my IAHY blog post for this week. It pretty much explains everything. And it is amazing how everything has fallen into place in the matter of days! On Saturday, we found this.

I was literally listed for under an hour when we called. Can you say crazy deal? Like $7500! (NADA for this is over $12000!) So we will be literally cutting our costs in half and have it paid off in under 18 months, verses another 3+ years with the Sequoia. Wish that we could have paid cash for it, but this is a step. Again, just read the IAHY post to see our plan.

Oh, and just a plug for the Man Upstairs. If anyone wonders if miracles still happen, my answer is He does. If you wonder if He cares about you, even your financial situation, He does. How do I know? After listing our car at midnight last night, I started to worry that we wouldn't be able to sell and then be left with 2 payments for a time. So this morning, just before Todd left to work, I prayed that if it is His will, that we could have a buyer for our car quickly. TWO HOURS later, a lady called, had her mechanic brother come look at it and is buying it TODAY WITH CASH!!!! That means we can then turn around, put $2500 into the new loan, making our loan only $5000. Miracles? Answer to prayer? You bet! Sell and buy a car all in the same day? This just doesn't happen without a little help from above. Thanks to Him who cares for my little situation enough to send a miracle my way today.

Firmly Attached to Him

2011-03-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I am overcome with sadness lately.
Sadness for those around me.
Friends
Family
Neighbors
An overwhelming number of them are struggling with the weight
of personal burdens.
So many of them need comfort.
I want to remove their hurt.
But I can't.
I try to comfort,
in my small ways
yet I know it is insufficient.
Only He has the ability
to give complete peace.
I know that first-hand.
So I get on my knees
and pray for His mercy to be with them
that their burdens will be lifted.
He does heal.
I know it.

Funny Friday

2011-03-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

My brother sent this to me a while back and I just found it again--thought it was Funny Friday worthy. Happy Friday everyone!

February Catch-up

2011-03-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

It is already March, which means I need to catch up on February. Sorry, not going to go ALL the way back to January, but at least I will be current from here.

After our stay at Primary Childrens' Hospital, we took a few weeks and laid low, so as to not contract anything else, but by Presidents' Day we were ready to get out. There's this great new place we went to called the Provo Beach Resort (thanks Heather for telling me about it via your blog!) and the kids had a great time with some of their cousins. Anyone who knows my Colby knows he loves and wants to do three things in life. They are, in random order: go to the beach, go golfing and go bowling. He would be elated to do any one of these things every single day. I can't blame him on the beach part--wouldn't mind doing that everyday myself.

Anyway, as soon as he saw this mini bowling game, he saw nothing else. We had to do it! The great thing was, after we played a game, one of the lanes broke and the employees had to fix it. When they were done, there were three games loaded and they let Colby play them all. He was in heaven! The other kids played in an indoor playground, but I couldn't get pictures of them as I sat out with the babe.

He was pretty excited that baby brother even got in on the action!

We played in the toddler area for a while. The kids were tuckered out by the end of the day! Isn't that the way we like them? Gives us moms a sense of accomplishment for sure!

They have a little carousel there too--what kid doesn't love a carousel?

Afterward, we had dinner at a great place called Malawi's Pizza. Yah, Malawi is a place in Africa. It is also a pizza place. African Pizza? Not really. Super yummy, super healthy pizza. Try it. You will love it. My favorite part is that a portion of each meal, goes to feed children in Africa. I totally stole these pictures from some lady's blog named Julie. Don't know her. Didn't order these. But thought you'd want to see what healthy pizza looks like.
They even have dessert pizza. Okay, so maybe not-so-healthy, but yummy nonetheless. I know we will be back.

That night, as Todd and I lay in bed, ready to go to sleep, he heard a large BOOM. I told him the washer was on and maybe it was that. We decided not to investigate, but after a while Todd had to go downstairs to get his phone/alarm clock. He came up with no pants or socks on. Weird. And he was in a huff. "We should have checked it out!" he said grumpily. What had happened was the liquid laundry detergent, which I had placed on top of the washer, fell off, breaking the cap, during the spin cycle of the wash. Brand spankin' new bottle. Only used it for that one load. This is at about 11 p.m. How do you clean liquid laundry detergent up without a sudsy mess? It flooded the entire laundry room and got on everything !!! It is clear. Can you see it? It was a 2-hour project that we hadn't anticipated, washing everything, even pulling out appliances. Lesson learned. Don't place detergent on top of the washer, and folks, check out any suspicious BOOMS in your house!
Last week Andrew fell flat on his face on his way to school. Sisters aren't quite sure how it happened, but they said after he fell, he couldn't walk real straight. So they brought him home and I kept him home for the day. He skinned it pretty good, though this picture doesn't do it justice. Boys.

Last Saturday the girls graduated from another book in their Suzuki journey. Alli from book 3 and Kendra from book 4--here is a clip from each. Kendra is in the second row in a white sweater and turquoise shirt.

Here is Alli's. She is in the white dress in the front. Way to go girls!

I feel bad that we didn't get many pictures of Todd on his birthday. At least he got breakfast in bed! We also celebrated Friday night by going to dinner at another favorite place of ours called La Jolla Groves. The same chef owns Malawis. Coincidence? It may just be pure talent on his part. It was a great birthday for Todd (and me) because we actually got to talk!! We need nothing else than to spend quality time together. Happy 36th Babe!

Money Matters Monday

2011-02-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

I am getting so much information about money and budgeting and I know many are out there who struggle just like me. I think I would be greedy if I didn't share some of what I've been learning with those who are interested, so in addition to my Monday IAHY blog post (here's today's) I've added a Monday edition to my blog, and as you can see from the title above, it will be about money. Hopefully you can take what is written and it will help you somewhere in your financial journey through life, just as it is helping mine.

I am taking a Dave Ramsey course entitled Financial Peace University and he has seven "baby steps" to financial success. Do them in the order they are listed.

1. $1000 in an emergency fund ($500 if your income is under $20,000 per year)--This needs to be done as quickly as possible. If it means you sell something to get it, then do it! But this is priority since you never know when an emergency will hit.

2. Pay off all debt except the house utilizing the debt snowball. I will get into this more in another post, but it is vital.

3. Three to six months expenses in savings. This is what I'm working on getting now!

4. Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans. Do you realize, if you put away $100 per month, every month from age 25 to 65 at 12%, you will have over $1,176,000? Who wants to be a millionaire? Get on it now!

5. College funding.

6. Pay off your home early.

7. Build wealth and give!!

So, there's a start for all those who are seeking direction financially. Trust me when I say it won't work unless you COMMIT and DISCIPLINE yourselves! Don't get discouraged if you fall off the horse a time or two--it is bound to happen, but get right back on and plow away at those money issues. It will be worth it!

"Live like no one else today, so someday you can live like no one else." --Dave Ramsey

Birthday Wishes

2011-02-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday
to the best husband and father
Ever!
We love you!

Funny Friday

2011-02-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

What is with this Jimmer-craze?
Seriously.
Todd took my 10-year old to one game.
One!
And she came back with a Jimmer-crush.
Told my sister and she said her husband AND 15-year old twin boys
have a serious man-crush on him too.
Seems like every other guy I talk to does too.
Do you?

This is so funny. Had to share. Happy Friday!!!

Salt Lake Celebrity

2011-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Just have to share how cool our friend and 1st counselor in the bishopric member is. He is a nice guy, yes, but he can also put up a stink with all those important people on the hill when it really matters! This time it is about immigration issues. (Okay, I admit it, Sometimes I don't feel entirely smart enough to converse with the guy.) Looking at him, you wouldn't know he was/is a major Beastie Boys fan would you? Sorry Wes, had to . . . who didn't love them at one point or another? Check out the article that printed last week on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune. Way to go Wes, I mean, Brother Smith!!

Funny Friday

2011-02-18T06:16:00.001-08:00

If you want to LAUGH really hard,
enjoy GREAT WRITING,
and be INSPIRED all at the same time,
you must go to my friends' post on pregnancy.
Her name is Sarah.
She's an English teacher at what used to be called
Ricks College,
but is now BYU Idaho.
Maybe you will laugh as hard as I did.
With tears.
Just maybe.
Happy Friday!

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-02-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

Today I want chocolate.
Really bad.
But I can't.
I am in my 6th week of a 12-week challenge
where I do (or not do) 10 things each day.
My least favorite challenge?
No sweets.
The hardest one by far.
(Sigh)
But you know what I'm learning?
Discipline.
But it is getting easier.
And I feel better.
Great actually.
Discipline in so many other parts of my life.
Food
Exercise
Scripture Study
Journal writing
Money
I believe when I become the Master of Myself
in one area,
the others become easier.
Tough now, rewards later.
So no chocolate for me today.
Skinny tomorrow.

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11)

A Family Shoot

2011-02-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

I don't want to step on any of my photography friends' toes (you know who you are), but I wanted to share a photo shoot with you that took place in December. My brother, Dainon, so graciously hired his Lehi local but also world-renowned friend, Jonathan Canlas, to take pictures of our family (something that has been long-overdue). When I say world-renowned it is true! He went to Australia in January to teach a workshop (costing somewhere in the $2000 range if you wanted to participate!).

Our family shoot was a lot of fun and the thing that makes this photographer different is that in this digital age, he uses only film. He took a few shots and called it good. I was utterly amazed at the results. He even used a Polaroid at one point, another thing that makes him unique. I also hear he doesn't Photoshop or edit his photos. I guess with this sort of talent, who needs it? It's all the angle, the lighting, the lens and the masterful had. Take a look. I'll let you be the judge.

Thanks again, Dainon--it is the gift that keeps on giving every time I see the pics! And thanks Jonathan for doing us the honors.

RSV report

2011-02-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

To all those with babies,
and from one who knows,
PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
Wash hands, don't kiss little ones if you have a cold,
and disinfect, disinfect, disinfect.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Our first ER visit--It's a doozy.

2011-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Warning: Extremely long post below.

If you are REALLY interested in ALL the details, by all means, read. It is mostly for my record.
My journal entry.

I’m up to bat; take a few practice swings and ready my stance. As soon as it is released, I see it. The curve ball. No matter which way I dodge or try to duck, it can’t be avoided. It is coming too hard, too fast. I take a sucker-punch to the gut. And it hurts.

Life’s latest curve ball came in the form of a sick baby. Uncontrollable fever, zero appetite, lethargic, pale, vomiting, diarrhea, congestion in eyes, nose and chest, rapid grunt-like breathing (red flag)-- all happening to an 18 lb. 8-month old. On the third day of his growing symptoms, a Friday, I took him to the doctor, nurse practitioner actually, since that is who was available at Alpine Pediatrics. Not quite confident of her diagnosis of Tylenol and Pedialyte, she pulled in the doctor for a second opinion. He glanced at my lethargic boy, listened for a minute and confirmed that it was just a virus. I pleaded with them, asking what I could do, and questioned the nurse, “Does he have RSV?” She simply said, “I have no idea.” They ordered some blood work and said if he gets worse to bring him back in. “What is worse?” I ask, convinced he can’t possibly get worse than he was right now. They couldn’t give me a clear answer.

Once in the lab, they suctioned Ty’s nose and sent it for testing, which should indicate what virus he had but the results for that wouldn’t be in for a few days. Then he was to have blood drawn. Two nurses searched him for a good vein for nearly 30 minutes, dug around in both his arms and couldn’t find a vein. Baffled, they chalked it up to him being chubby. They called in a more experienced pediatric nurse who still couldn’t find a vein. They poked his finger for a test that would give his white blood count, indicating whether he had an infection. The small amount of blood needed came out very slowly and took at least 20 minutes. Poor Ty fell asleep in the process. All of that should have been another red flag, indicating dehydration. Defeated, I took my sick boy home, with no blood work processing that might help him.

I tried to force fluids, but he wouldn’t have it. How many syringes full of Pedialyte will keep a baby hydrated? I also worried about drying up with my nursing, so I started to pump. The lab called back around 10 p.m. that night with the results of the blood count. She told me that they were within normal limits, but that he still could have an infection. Sounded a bit contradictory to me. We needed to wait on the other ordered tests. I told her they couldn’t get the blood they needed and again wondered what to do about my sick boy. She just said to wait on the suction test. All this time, Ty mostly just slept on me, having no energy to do anything else.

That night Ty had a difficult time breathing so just before 6 a.m., I tried a Nebulizer treatment on him. It seemed to help a little bit and he was able to sleep. I was alternating ibuprofen and Tylenol every 3 hours for his high fever. That morning, I became so worried that I called the doctor’s office again, hoping they would have the results or some advice as to what to do. I spoke with a nurse who said she would call me with the results if they came in and that if he gets any worse, to bring him in again. He was no worse than Friday, but just as bad. I got a phone call from Jen Strauss urging me to be proactive in getting him help. Something similar to this happened a few years ago to her son and Alpine Pediatrics took a back seat to his treatment until it was almost too late. I then called Nicole, wondering what I could do to get him to eat. She urged me to take him to the ER, saying he sounded really bad.

I decided to call our friend and bishopric member, Brayden Brucker, to help assist Todd in giving Ty a blessing. He came over immediately and though Ty cried through it, the blessing said he would recover completely and quickly from the illness that his body was fighting. This brought me comfort.

I watched him more closely and let him sleep in a swing next to me. When he awoke, he started coughing, throwing up something thick and yellow. After his gagging spell, he couldn’t catch his breath and he went limp, completely pale, blue around his eyes and lips. I started to panic, asking Todd what I should do. He seemed to get upset with me and said, “Stop freaking out, Mel! He is breathing. Take him to the ER then, I don’t know!” I know that his is Todd's panic button--he wants to be a fixer. Mine is to literally panic. My body reacted, though my mind fought what I would do next. I grabbed him, put him in the car and left, not even telling Todd where I was headed. I called Alpine Pediatrics again and told them I was coming in to have his oxygen level checked. They transferred me to a nurse who told me they were all booked for appointments that day and that I should just go to the ER. I hesitated only because I knew how expensive an ER visit would be, worried they would send me home with a “it’s just a virus” answer again. I considered going to InstaCare, but found myself in the hospital parking lot. After some more hesitation, I scooped him up and headed into the ER, asking them to check his oxygen levels. From then on, everything only got worse.

Oxygen level was 78 and he started to go more pale and dark around his eyes. They tried to find a vein to put in an IV and once again, poking him everywhere from his head, hands, arms, but weren’t able to find one. He wasn’t putting up much of a fight--a true indicator of how sick he was. He was bottoming-out. He was dehydrated, extremely dehydrated. The more time that went on, the worse he got and 10 medical professionals working on him at once couldn’t fix him. The ER doctor kept using the word “critical” and he said if they couldn’t find a line, they would have to give him an I/O, (graphic video here--view at your own discretion) which meant they would put a line through his tibia, right into his bone marrow, in order to get him hydrated. And that is what they did. It was the most awful thing to see, a plastic rod shoved into my baby’s leg. That is when he really started crying. I knew he was in real pain. And I lost it, almost fainted.

I began to realize this was more serious than I had originally thought. I even asked the doctor if Ty would most likely be staying overnight in the hospital, so which he responded yes. What I thought would be an overnight stay, turned into a 6-day hospital stay.

As they worked on hydrating him enough to put an IV in, they also gave him oxygen. I had so many doctors telling me so many things. I was just trying to hold it all together, completely alone, trying to comfort my little TY on that ER bed by talking to him, touching his arm. He didn’t acknowledge me at all, his eyes rolled back most of the time, quietly whimpering. They finally got enough fluid through his bone marrow to get his veins plump enough for a line in his arm. They kept pumping him full of fluids. Then, the news that gave me another sucker-punch to the gut: He would have to be life-flighted via helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake. The shock settled in as I realized the severity of our situation. I couldn’t go with him. The ER doctor told me if I would have waited another day, he would have died. My nurse friend, April, later told me it sounded to her like he was only a few hours away. Again, the thought of it – I just can’t put into words.

I watched my baby go one way, on a stretcher, toward the helicopter, in the care of complete strangers. I urged them to get him there safely. I walked toward my car and started to lose it. As I drove toward home to pick up Todd, the sound of the helicopter pounded above me. It was a surreal feeling, looking above me, seeing the red helicopter, and knowing that my baby is in there, hundreds of feet above me, and I can’t be with him, to soothe or reassure him. He is alone, with no one he knows. I’d like to think Dad, his Grandpa, rode that stretch with him.

Got home, grabbed some necessities and Todd, left the kids in the care of Todd’s dad and we headed up to Primary Children’s Hospital. Once there, Rick met us since he was on his way back from WA when he heard the news. Ty was hooked up to all sorts of things, wires coming out all over the place, but quietly crying the whole time. The ER doctor came, said he was RSV-positive and that we would be admitted. He also said they had tried Ty on regular oxygen, but that he wasn’t responding well to it, so they needed to put him on hi-flow oxygen, which means it was being forced into his nose at 6 liters per minute (which is pretty high). Another disturbing bit of information was that the doctor said we were the third patient that day to be admitted from Alpine Pediatrics. Hmm, someone there is missing some crucial things. From there, we were admitted to the PICU (pediatric ICU). He weakly fussed as the team of health care professionals introduced themselves and were updated on his situation. They could tell he wanted me, so wires and all, they let me hold him. He calmed and for the first time, fell asleep. An empty place in my heart was filled just by having him in my arms again.

The level of care at Primary’s is outstanding. I kept telling Todd that we are at the Ritz Carlton of hospitals, especially in the PICU. Really, I knew and felt comforted in the fact that he was in the best place for him. We are so lucky to live so close to it. My mind kept stressing over how much this was all going to cost, but I just dismissing it, knowing I couldn’t think about that right now. (We have learned, since we came home, that the helicopter ride alone would cost $9800! Thank heavens for insurance!)

They started suctioning him, which allowed him to breathe better. Suctioning isn’t fun. It consists of the nurse sticking a tube down each nostril until it reaches the area just above the vocal chords, which in turn causes him to gag and cough (which is what they want him to do) and then they suction all that junk out. I hated this part and most of the time would excuse myself because I just couldn't hear my boy suffer. Inevitably he would fall asleep right after they suctioned because he could suddenly breathe better.

That first day in the PICU they also discovered he had thrush on his tongue. They treated him the whole time we were there. This poor boy had more than just RSV--along with thrush, he was fighting a stomach bug.

He did a lot of sleeping those first two days. In fact he didn’t acknowledge me or Todd much at all. He wouldn’t ever focus his sight on us and this worried me. I came to learn that is it simply because he just felt awful.

Our bishopric came up Sunday morning to visit, bearing gifts from ward members (food, reading, more food). They gave me a priesthood blessing, which I asked for. I can’t describe the power of that blessing. He blessed me to be a woman of courage over the next few days. He said many other things that brought peace to my troubled soul. There wasn’t a dry eye. The Lord is real. His spirit comforts in time of need. I know it.

Sunday they put a NJ tube in so he could start getting some of my milk, going straight to his intestines. It wouldn't go into his stomach, and he hadn’t eaten for days already, so I worried he would feel hunger pains. Still, they didn’t want to risk the chance of him spitting up and possibly aspirating and causing pneumonia on top of his RSV.

Miraculously, we only had to spend one day in the PICU. Honestly I was worried when they said we could move to a regular floor because I didn’t feel like he was ready. But you have to trust them. He was still hooked up to hi-flow oxygen and a million other machines, but we moved anyway. Now we were in a shared room. Ugh. We were with a teenage girl who sat, chomping on her burger and fries, yelling at her sick baby the entire time. I was ready to lose it and cried to the nurses to please move me to another room because my baby needed to sleep if he was going to get better and he would not sleep with the inconsiderate racket coming from the other side of the curtain. Being deprived of sleep and emotional well-being, I didn't have any patience for a mom who only interacted with her sick daughter by calling her a "Diva" or yelling some sort of other uncomforting thing to her. After some looking around, the charge nurse decided to move my roommate since Ty was “too complicated to move.” We had one night of peace and quiet. The nurses were always considerate and very accommodating.

The next day we got a newborn roommate with RSV. He was only about 6 lbs, teeny. No one was there with him. The mom (teenager again) came in for an hour on two of the nights to hold him. I was so sad. The nurses wouldn’t let me hold him, comfort him. I guess I can understand the liability, but I felt so sad that here Ty-Ty had so many visitor and outpouring of love and this newborn had zero stimulation, no one to hold him. My heart broke.

Ty made a fairly quick turn-around. He started to look at us, smile at us and by the third day, they were able to drop his hi-flow oxygen level to a 4. In fact, the respiratory therapist who came in several times a day told me that from Tuesday to Wednesdays he looked like a different boy. He couldn't believe how much he had improved in such a short amount of time. Ty needed to get off the hi-flow, and onto a level 2 with the regular oxygen, before they would let me try and nurse him. It was hard because I could tell that is what he wanted. He has never done binkies or bottles. His only source of comfort has been me. And I couldn’t comfort him. It tore my up inside knowing I couldn’t comfort my baby boy.

On day 3, he pulled his feeding tube out. They replaced it with a NG tube, which meant my milk would now be going into his stomach. It gave me some relief knowing he wouldn't feel the hunger pains anymore. That night he slept much better.

On day 4, they had tapered his O2 level back enough to allow me to nurse him. We both were so happy and as soon as I nursed him, he calmed right down. After two successful feedings they took his NG tube out. He was still hooked up to heart monitors, oxygen monitors, respiratory monitors and a nasal cannula so for days I could only hold him within a two-foot radius in any direction, because of all the wires and tubing he was hooked up to. This frustrated him. It was either his bed, standing with me or sitting in the chair next to the bed. I could tell he was starting to feel better because he was starting to complain a lot more!

The nights were tough. The nurses tried to taper him back on his oxygen, but he didn't tolerate it great, so it took us until day 6 to be tapered off to nothing. I worried about coming home because I wouldn't have the monitors to tell me when his oxygen level drops. And I would have his first night without oxygen at home. Nights were typically worse. We came home Thursday and, though the nights were rough and I checked on his breathing several times throughout the night, all in all he has made a remarkable recovery! He has been such a trooper.

The kids had a hard time without me so by Thursday morning, Colby said to Todd, "Dad, it's like we don't have a Mom or a baby anymore." Their world was turned upside down. No routine, no Mom and no baby brother to gush over all the time. Family, friends and neighbors helped care for them.

I am truly overcome with amazement and humility at the outpouring of love that was given to my family. The relief society came in, cleaned and sanitized my house (all the toys!) from top to bottom! They washed all blankets, sheets, towels and clothes! The ward provided meals all week for my family! I felt so undeserving of all this love. I really have no adequate words to describe how much I love the people in my ward family, my friends and family members. They are full of Christ-like charity, a pure love. They ask nothing in return. This goes on top of everyone else in the ward they do so much for. Do they never tire? I want so much to be like them. If I could have but half the charity they possess, I would be content. All I have to say to them is thank you. It is not adequate, but thank you. You have, and continue to, bless my life.

So today (Feb. 7) looking at Ty you would never know how sick he was a week ago. He is happy, full of life and back to rolling around the room. He is still trying to get back into his sleep routine. He is a bit more clingy to me, but I don't mind. Still trying to gain back his appetite (he lost about a pound) and has a residual cough, but all in all is doing great! I plan to keep him in this week . At his follow up visit the day after we got home, he was developing another ear infection so he is on antibiotic again for that.

I know that Ty-Ty was healed by the power of the priesthood, through the power of prayer and with some help from some expert care at Primary's. The Lord answers prayers. He held Ty and held me and our whole family through this entire experience. There is no doubt in my mind that there is loving Heavenly Father who aches when we ache, hurts when we hurt and has the power to heal. The priesthood is His power on earth and, if exercised righteously, brings about miracles. His hands go to work through friends, neighbors, family and sometimes complete strangers. Thank you everyone for your prayers. I am grateful for this experience. It has brought our family closer; it has brought me closer to my Savior and makes me realize what is truly important in this life. I love you Ty-Ty. We are so glad to have you still around.

Sunday's article and Nerves

2011-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was featured again in the Deseret News --so you can click there in case you were interested and missed it.

Attended an appreciation luncheon yesterday afternoon for IAHY. I was asked to speak, which made me extremely nervous because I stood before a small group of about 30, which included news reporters, CEOs and other big-wigs of institutions such as DMC, Zions Bank, Deseret News, KSL and yes, even Sheri Dew, a woman I admire so much. Me. I had to speak to them. Nerves were high, but Todd was there cheering me on. You know what? I left there feeling very blessed to be a part of this whole process. Yes it was a contest, yes I am receiving financial mentoring for a year, yes I am in the public eye more than is comfortable for me, but what I love more than anything is the association I have with these people. I left feeling like here was a group of really amazing people--people who are committed to making a difference in the lives of women all over Utah, and perhaps beyond. They want women to succeed because they know, in turn, families will be effected. If family life improves across the state, societies change and also improve. They feel like the key is to start with women. One woman has the ability influence her children and, in turn, so many others around her. I really felt the Lord's spirit so strongly as Mark Willes, President and CEO of DMC, spoke to us about their purpose and resolve to help women. It was strange, considering the setting, but it was there nonetheless. I just knew that the work they are doing is right! It is good and so, so needed. I just feel very blessed to be a small part of it. It has been an amazing experience thus far and I know it will continue to affect our lives forever.

Great Christmas Memory

2010-12-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

This year was filled with smiles, laughter, gift-giving and pleasant conversations.

But one moment stands above the rest.

D's round trip airfare from Orlando to SLC : $400.
Gas to bring Ty to see Uncle D on Christmas Day: $5.
Detergent to clean shown spit-up: $7.99.
The look on Uncle D's face whilst noticing said nephew barfing all over him: Priceless.

2010 Hillam Christmas Card

2010-12-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Loved Ones,

I SWORE I would never be one of those people who sent out a mass Christmas card, but here I am just hours before Christmas getting posted. Oh well, at least I'm doing it--though I have been tempted more than once to bag it all together! I know it seems rather impersonal, but with the craziness that this season brings, and in my attempt to cut costs, this is not only efficient, but cheap! Another advantage would be that I am getting this out to way more people that I would have with a postage stamp. Let’s face it, technology is great! So, here is our brief Christmas letter. I hope it finds you well, happy and getting ready to enjoy a fabulous Christmas with those you love!

Love to you all,

Click image to enlarge and read.

Turnback Tuesday Christmas

2010-12-21T22:56:00.001-08:00

The Elves are ready. . . are you?

Nuggets from my Day

2010-12-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

1. I witnessed a reunion of old friends, one being a cashier at a grocery store, the other a patron. I overheard one say it had been over 20 years. As jaws dropped and numbers were exchanged, I was glad to see the people in line waiting patiently. What lifted my heart even more was watching the woman walk out to her car, groceries in hand, wearing a smile from ear to ear, her mind surely racing through all the memories from years gone by. Good old fashioned connections without the help of Facebook. This sort of magic doesn't happen every day.

2. My little Colby loves bubble gum, but not just any bubble gum. He loves the kind you can get at a store with a "big penny". In fact, he is asking Santa for his very own bubble gum machine for Christmas. Before even going into the store today, he asked if I had a "big penny" so he could have some bubble gum. Luckily this particular store has a machine that, believe it or not, really only costs a penny. I had three. So I decided to be a generous Mommy and let him use all three to get three gumballs. He quickly ate one and we went about our shopping. Minutes later I notice he is still holding two gumballs, red and yellow melting all over his hands. I ask him why he isn't eating them and he said he was saving them for Daddy and Andrew. No matter how much I tried to convince him to just eat them (the Mom in me doesn't like the mess!) he insisted on saving them. There they sat, on our counter, color faded away, until big brother and Daddy got home. Today, from my 3-year old, I learned the true spirit of giving.

3. This morning, after the older kids had gone to school, I sat eating breakfast with Todd. Colby was near the Christmas tree and had picked up two ornaments that had fallen. He was quite concerned and couldn't figure out how to get them up on the tree again because the hooks (or "hookers" as he called them) were missing. He kept saying, "Daddy, you need to go find some more hookers! Go get some more hookers!" Todd and I quietly bust up laughing. Todd answered him with, "Okay, well, we will have to ask your Mom about that. " Naughty Toddy.

Funny Friday

2010-12-09T22:35:00.001-08:00

I know this video is spreading like wildfire.
Over 16 million hits already.
But what better way to ring in the Christmas season
than with a Christmas Flash Mob?
I never get sick of them.
Nope.
Besides, these guys are really good!
I want to do one somewhere, someday.
Who's with me?

Turnback Tuesday

2010-12-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

May today be "tattooed on your soul".

The top of USS Arizona in its watery grave, the final resting place for hundreds of soldiers.
These many years later, oil still spills from it.
Many say that it "still bleeds" from the wounds of that day.

Thoughtful Thursday

2010-11-18T17:49:00.001-08:00

It has been a rough week around here.

To say that I am sleep-deprived. . . .

well, it just doesn't quite cut it.

Last week, Todd was here:

And I was a single Mom.
Kudos to all those women who do it, or have done it.
I thought Motherhood was tough, but doing it alone?
That's a different game.
Luckily my man made up for it with Belgian chocolate
and a deliciously fragrant mango bar of soap,
and some goodies for the kids, of course.

So, while he was doing this,and peeing, I mean, seeing stuff like this
I was waking up several times a night.
In fact, it got so ridiculous one night, that I decided to write it down--so I can laugh about it later.
Maybe.

This was my Saturday night. I had gone to bed with a migraine, had taken medication, so wasn't sleeping well anyway. Needless to say, I was a zombie at church. No wonder so many people asked if I was tired (plus the fact that I spaced putting on my mascara that day! Yikes!)

12:30 - I turned my lights out and laid back on my pillow.
12:40 - Ty cries. I get up to feed him.
1:00 - Colby comes into my bed with a "I don't want to sleep in my bed."
1:30 - I can't sleep when kids are kicking me, so I take Colby back to bed.
1:40 - Ty cries again. I go in to rock him back to sleep.
2:00 - Kendra comes in, tells me she has just thrown up, crawls into bed with me.
2:45 - Ty cries. I go in rock him. Doesn't work. I end up feeding him again.
3:30 - Andrew crawls into bed with me, shaking, says he had a bad dream. Cuddle him to sleep.
4:00 - Ty cries. I ignore him until he stops.
4:30 - Too many kids in my bed. I can't sleep. I carry Andrew back to bed.
5:30 - Colby comes in and wants to sleep by me. I take him back to bed.
6:30 - I finally doze off for the "night".
8:30 - Colby comes in and wants me to make him breakfast.

Then Todd came home.
Kids have had us up every night since,
fevering, vomiting, coughing.
My sickies needed us.

This is Parenthood.
And, believe it or not, I'm okay with it.
Because I know it won't last forever.
I love my babies.