Family Pics

A few pictures from our family shoot - Jen did a great job!

Snowing

It’s snowing!  And Baby, it’s COLD outside!  (Jaydee told me I could only sing that song to Hyrum cuz himsa baby.)  I love the snow but hate coming to work, I want to sit at home with a book in front of a big crackling fire.  

Jaydee & Hyrum got to see Santa on Saturday.  Jaydee got a Little People Farm set & Hyrum got a finger puppet Noah’s ark (Jaydee has already added this to her stuff, most of Hyrum’s toys are in this category, lets hope she stops before he gets big enough to care.)  Jaydee has been playing with her little farm animals non stop and got mad at Sam because he gave her a choice she could take them to Deedra’s and leave them there all week or leave them at home.  We were not going to drag them back and forth all week.  Since Deedra just got a nativity of the Little People Jaydee was okay with leaving hers at home, but since Deedra marked all of her animals we had to put an F for Flake on all of our animals.  Jaydee brought them all too me, one at a time to write on this one too cuz its mine.  She makes me laugh and brings a smile to my face.  Pictures later. 

 

 

Disneyland

My friend Lydia took her daughter to Disneyland.  I want to go, it looks like they had fun.  

 

 

 

Jaydee Christmas Quotes

Jaydee is loving Christmas, she has spent hours literally 2-3 hours each day playing with her nativity set. We are missing the Mary, Joseph & Jesus. (I think she hid them somewhere last year.) So Jaydee saw the nativity set at her aunts house and hurryingly began to pick up the pieces because “I didn’t know I left these here.” I had to explain that these were not her set.

Some other fun quotes from Jaydee.

Christmas Lights are Amazing! (And it is Aaahhh –mmmaaazzing”)

Look at the Santa lights…

I want socks from Santa.

Today she was naming everything with snow on it (cars, buildings, houses, trees). Then she said, “The naked trees have snow on them.”

Eggnog is Christmas Milk

Oh and she already saw Santa so we don’t need to go again. (but Mommy needs a picture so we are going!)

Random Thots on Holiday Shopping

Yesterday in RS the lesson was on Good, Better, Best which the teacher quickly changed to ideas on how to apply this principle to the holidays. (Basically you don't have time to do all the good things in life, not even the better things so focus on what is best.) I read a great blog on simplifying Christmas shopping. First of all, I love to shop for Christmas and I love to do it early. I went to Walmart on Black Friday and I hated all the crowds, noise and people. It was fun to see a few people I knew in the PJ's pushing carts around. I love a good deal, but nothing on my list was on sale. Oh, well. I think I will stick to my previous years plan and shop ahead of time. It is much more fun and less stressful that way. Besides most of the sale items are still on sale this week...
So back to the suggestion from the blog on simplifying, pick 3 gifts for each child. Sounds great right? No, it is really hard on me! My kiddos won't care but I do... Isn't that silly? My dd wanted socks from Santa. She is 3 and she wants to give her baby brother baby spoons (I guess she doesn't want to share hers.) Anyway, I am going to try to stick to this simpler way.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for

• Turkey dinner and mom’s turkey soup
• A thumb sucking baby
• A happy little girl who loves Santa
• And the conductor on the Polar Express
• Thanksgiving Break
• Veteran’s Day
• Holidays
• Good jobs (especially at this time)
• A turkey in our window (which we made)
• A scarecrow made of leaves (& Sam’s old clothes)
• Fall leaves (all over our lawn)
• A baby who sometimes sleeps 6 hours at night
• The Dog House (a new arcade, hot dog place and ice cream in Snowflake)
• Visits with family
• The pitter patter of little feet in the morning
• Family who will drive 9+ hours to come see us (we like the rest of you too)
• A rolly polly baby boy (15 lbs)
• We call him Chunky Monkey
• Jaydee wanted a ring ring (a bell) from Santa
• Getting into my pre pregnancy pants
• Dreyer’s Ice Cream (although I am still not sure about Aubrey’s bubble gum choice)
• Pizza from Bits (with Diana & Sylvia’s families)
• Mom for being a last minute babysitter
• Melissa for playing dress up with Jaydee
• The movie Fireproof – a good reminder for your marriage
• 5 Love Languages (a great book for communicating love to your spouse)
• A loving spouse and Jaydee hugs
• The movie “The Christmas Card” – great love story & Christmas movie (plus it is clean)
• Decorations and fun traditions (like a Little People Nativity Set – Thanks Janeen!)
• Smelly candles – especially Mulled Cider & Cranberry Orange Mmm!
• Banana Bread & Friendship Bread
• Pumpkin Pie (pumpkin rolls are too much effort but they are yummy)
• Dishwashers
• Blender Lemon Pie – why do we only make pies at Thanksgiving? They are great.

The good thing about thumbs is you can never lose them; the bad thing about thumbs is… you can never lose them.

Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!

45 lessons

Written by a guy named Brett who writes columns for The Plain Dealer, a newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 70 in August, so here goes:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, . Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of whom God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative--dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

October

October was fast & furious – instead of a typical summary I wrote down some of my favorite moments. Enjoy!

Hyrum is growing like a weed. If he could describe himself it would be “Feed me and don't wake me up when I am sleeping. If you catch me in a good mood, and if you make a complete idiot of yourself then you might get a smile.” He is a good baby as long as he is fed, he likes to spit up and usually saves some for about an hour to catch you when you are not suspecting it. Jaydee can get him to laugh but no one else can yet.

Halloween Morning:
Jaydee wake up! (4th time)
I don’t want to wake up!
There is a monster in your room.
I don’t want a monster in my room.
Mommy is a monster.
I don’t want mommy to be a monster.
Just get up!

Jaydee Quotes:

· “I am a child of God Flake.” (Maybe we should work on humility? My granddad always told stories of Adam & Eve Holyoak so maybe it is in her blood?)

· Deedra yells "Kaydee Lee DeWitt" from the other room, Jaydee hollers back "I'm not a witch!" (Mmm, hearing problem? Deedra is my sister who watches Jaydee & Hyrum for me while I work)

· “Mom, Deedra called me Jaydee Fern Flake, I’m not Jaydee Fern, I’m Jaydee Flake!” (Guess we need to work on her whole name)

· Sam was reading the Friend with Jaydee and talked about the story and that we need to be nice. She said “I can’t be nice I’m a monster.” (Well at least she hasn’t tried to eat her baby brother yet?)

· Who I am?

Well if I think that Jaydee has the most important part of who she is “I’m a child of God”. One of her favorite questions lately is Who I am? or who are you? I usually tease her with "Ooga booga" or some other silly name. We try to write down her quotes because she says the funniest things.

Halloween was fun, we did a complete theme. Jaydee was Cat in the Hat, with Kaydee/Kenyon (Deedra’s twins) as Thing 1 & Thing 2. Hyrum was in an orange Halloween pjs as the fish. We got lots of compliments. See my blog for pictures, I have been to busy to post on myfamily. Sam was a “Frosted Flake” for school, he put flour all over his shirt, hair & face. He got a lot of great reactions. I was a spider, cavewoman & witch (with purple hair) I had to be something different everytime I dressed up. I love Halloween. Jaydee does too but was very upset because Sunday I would not paint kitty whiskers on her face for Stake Conference. Another funny part of the whole story was Jaydee did not know who the “Kitty in the Hat” was, even when I showed her a picture so down to the library we went and got a whole collection of Dr. Suess books. These are now Jaydee’s favorite books.

We had stake conference, last night our leaders spoke about temples, trials, and doing better. My favorite paraphrased quote was from President Peterson. "We live in troubled times, trying times, but we can't just survive them. It is our DUTY to thrive, even grow during these times." That really hit me that we have to do more and be
better people. Then today we were told it wasn't enough just to be active in the church, we needed to be fully converted to the gospel.

Halloween

Cave Woman with a dirty dress

Conversation this morning

Jaydee wake up! (4^th time)

I don’t want to wake up!

There is a monster in your room.

I don’t want a monster in my room.

Mommy is a monster.

I don’t want mommy to be a monster.

Just get up!

She woke up a few minutes later, saw me and went crying to Sam!

When she would talk to me, Jaydee told me my dress was dirty and arms were dirty.

Baptism/Jaydee

Jaydee's cute hair. Sam told me that he didn't know I knew how to fix hair. To my defense, when Jaydee was a year and a half you had to hold her down to get a pony tail in. I hated hair in her face and she hated things in her hair so my dear sister Deeana cut it short in a very adorable hair cut and has kept it short. Jaydee just recently decided she likes her hair done.

Look at her love on her brother!

My cute little nieces (and their brother Jacob)

Proud Daddy on their baptism day (which just happened to be on their 8th birthday too)!

Here is a picture i took at the temple of them for their baptism program.

Pics

I had fun with our new camera. Sam's little football player...

Hyrum's favorite way to sit.
I made sugar cookies with Jaydee (the dough is colored). She loved making them but didn't eat them very well.
Cheese!
My chubby little boy, he weighs 12 pounds now!

My birthday

For my birthday, we had dinner at my mother in laws house (she is so sweet!) She made me steak and we had ice cream cake. Sam & Jaydee made eggs with onions & peppers for breakfast another favorite.



This is my birthday present. Sam had Jaydee help wrap it downstairs and she began to add lots of extras from the pantry. I love the glue & ramen noodles.


Since I had Sam home for fall break, we moved all our rice & beans and stored them under Jaydee's bed. This accomplished two things, first my year supply is more organized (Yeah!) and second of all Jaydee can't get anything under her bed.

Pumpkin Patch

Sam & Jaydee showing their gourds
Hyrum in his little Bebe Pod. He has such good head control.
Hyrum asleep in the Baby Bjornn with a gourd that Jaydee found for him.
Me & Hyrum

Jaydee's "smile" (I hate the fake smile)

I just love the Willis Pumpkin Patch. They let the kids pick their own pumpkin and they have a photo booth. We skipped the corn maze this year, Jaydee & Hyrum don't really get it and Sam & I were not feeling ambitious enough to walk through it. However we had fun as Jaydee looked for a silly pumpkin.

Preparedness

A friend of mine sent this and she had some great preparedness tips that I hadn't thought of...

-------Original Message-------

This is from my Prescott High School friend from one of her relatives in Texas. Words to live by. I think it is worth sharing with you, I hope you don't mind.

Just want to share this email that I received from Tricia's aunt Rozanne, she received it from a friend who lives in Texas and just experienced "Ike".
Dear Friends:

We have a 6'x6' hole in our roof, no electricity or running water, Trees down everywhere. However, because we listened to the counsel of our Prophet we are prepared. In fact it seems to me that it's only the members of the church who seem to be calm, prepared, and helping one another with trees in roofs, flooding, etc.

There is a POD or Point of Distribution in Tomball where we live. There you get water and ice IF you have enough fuel to wait in the 3-hour lines. We don't have to do that because we have 3 full water barrels, 75 juice bottles filled with water, and our pool, which is dirty, but we use it to flush.

It is very difficult to get gas. Police guard the stations when fuel is delivered and you might wait half a day to get up to the pump just to have them say, "Too bad, we are out". I am grateful that we have a generator. We run it 4 hours a day to keep our fridge and light. I am grateful that we have had fuel for it. You can't even by gas containers as they are rationed. We can only by bread once a week and limited to 2 loaves at a time. Water is rationed by the case at the grocery store - 3 cases per family.

The ATM machines do not have power. For the past 6 months I have stashed small bills away because I have had such a feeling of foreboding. We have cash because of that. LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT. Get cash in small bills because the stores can't make change and credit and debit cards often don't work. I had to pay 5 dollars more for an item because they couldn't make change for me. And . . . PHONES ONLY WORK OCCASIONALY.

Believe it or not...I have not had a bath in 4 days, Today was the first day I got to wash my hair with pool water. I haven't fixed my hair in a week!!! It just doesn't matter anymore. We cannot do laundry because we don't have water. So, we wear our clothes until they are literally disgusting. When we do finally get water we will have to boil it since it is contaminated.

I am grateful for my parents. When we got low on generator fuel they drove 45 minutes to help us. They filled up their cans and brought us 10 gallons of fuel, which kept us going until this morning at 6:oo, am when we finally found some gas.

A prepared Family and a loving extended family is the key to survival and making it through right now. I know that my parents would drive to the end of the earth to help me and it's nice knowing they are there. I know that I would do the same for my children.

I want all of you to know that I have such a testimony of following the counsel of our living prophet. There really is safety and peace in your heart if you are prepared. Please get your generators, 5 gas cans full of gas, canned goods, baby items, baby wipes to bathe, and all the water you can store...even if you have to trip on it in your home. Have your lanterns, crank flashlights, tarps, rope, etc. ready to go because you never know when it will be your turn to endure the test. It's overwhelming, but it's going to be ok eventually. I have a home, I have food, and I have water, because I listened to the counsel of the prophet. Please make sure you do the same. It's time to have your life in order. Tomorrow may be too late.

I love you all so much. I wish you were here. Take care!
Jyl

Update

Our sweet little boy! He likes to sleep and eat. Although a few nights he wanted to eat every two hours which left for a very exhausted mommy. However, we have had 2 nights where he slept for 5 hours in HIS crib (even in his own room). So I got some rest. Maybe he will keep doing this? (I HOPE!).

My little ASU baby!
He was sound asleep but had his hands up like this, I thought it was so cute!
First bath. Hyrum is not so sure he likes the bath tub time! He lost his umbilical cord after 10 days. When it fell off, I showed Jaydee she was excited that Hyrum had a belly button like she did. She then asked if she could hold it. She cooed "Oh it is so cute!" (I guess everything else about Hyrum is so cute so she figured that was too.)

Hyrum has to be in this little bassinet to save him from all the girls. Deedra's twins stand on tip toe and talk to him. Jaydee loves her brother.
However, Jaydee does want to do everything that Hyrum does.
Jaydee loves to hold Hyrum.
This is my favorite story. I was nursing Hyrum and Jaydee came and sat by me to nurse her doll too. (This was surprising because her doll usually only gets a bottle). She got upset because her shirt wouldn't stay up, so I rolled it up and laughing told my sister, I guess it is hard to stay up with size 0 boobs. I hear this little adult voice next to me "Yes, it is." Jaydee is growing up way to fast! She likes to tell everyone that babies only get chee-chee milk.

Hyrum Keith Flake

Hyrum Keith Flake
September 12, 2008
2:26 am
8 lbs 15 oz
20 inches long

Warning this may be a very long post!

Look at the size of him!

I never thought I would have a baby over 7.5 lbs let alone almost 9 lbs.

Daddy is giving him his first bath.

Sam was so excited.

My dad calls newborns: EatSleepNPoop - which would describe Hyrum perfectly. He sleeps very well, and loves to be cuddled.

Nana holding him. Papa held him a bunch, but no picturesMmm, wonder where Hyrum gets liking to sleep from. Sam got more sleep than I did!

Jaydee came in and wanted to hold her baby brother right away. She was okay with Mommy staying one more night in the hospital, but she wanted to take her baby brother home with her.
Grandma Flake with #30 grand child!
He is ready to go home! I loved this newborn outfit, but I had brought a premie outfit because I didn't think there was any way he could wear it. It fit perfect.


Take a picture of me! (First thing she said when we got home from the hospital)

I had the whole birth story but it is gone. I'll write more later. I had to pay bills. :P