Living The Abundant Life

President Monson's ABC's

A~ Attitude: "So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment....We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.

B~ Believe: "Don't limit yourself and don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do....You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith."

C~ Courage: "Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently....Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required."

I love this article! Look for it in your Ensign...it's not available online yet.

We're EXPECTING....

to be in our new house by next month! :)

That's right. We're moving...4.03 miles away from this house.

We'll have a GARAGE!!!! (and higher utilities....) I called the propane company this morning...to see what it's going to cost us to run our furnace and water heater. The person I talked to is a member of our Stake High Council...and without thinking I used the word "screwed"...while I was talking to him!..."We don't want to get in and find out that we'll be having a $600 propane bill. We'd be screwed." Can you BELIEVE I used such distasteful (yet honest) language!? LOL!  I didn't even apologize. I hoped he will forgive me anyways!

So!...The Flakes are moving. We're nervous. We've actually grown to love our cozy little home. We love our neighbors (The Lundbergs). Ellie and Kaitlyn have rarely gone more than a day or two without playing together...and Natalie and I car pool and watch out for eachothers kids. I am going to miss that a LOT!

I am praying that we will find a good family to rent our house.

...and I need moving boxes!

Kaitlyn has already claimed the bedroom that has the most beautiful view!

(not quite this close though)

 I just wonder how long Kaitlyn and Addie will enjoy having seperate bedrooms. That's a BIG issue in our house right now....people not having enough "personal space"....That may or may not improve....we'll see.

I'm thinking.....

• about sending out Christmas cards. (I haven't done that in a few years)
• about my parents coming up for Adelin's 6th birthday...hope the roads are clear...
• about taking a shower....I need one...
• about what's for dinner...(even though it's 10 am. I better get chicken on for a pot pie...)
• about how good I feel after I excersise...and how yucky I feel after eating junk food (but it tastes so good!)
• about how we delivered a little Chritmas cheer in the form of chips and homemade salsa to 24 lucky friends and family last night...the kids fought, the roads were muddy...but our tradtion lived on!
• about how I am going to drop Kaitlyn off at school when I take Addie to afternoon kindergarten. She stayed home "sick" but seems to be feeling better. (miracle recovery I guess)

Adelin drew this picture of Pres. Uchtdof while he was speaking at the Christmas Devotional.

If you want to watch a great video click

HERE and  HERE and HERE  :)

Stinkin Hilarious

This is my brother Sam...as George Washington. I stole this off of his blog and didn't tell him. :)

TOFW!

I loved going to TOFW this year. (The first weekend of November.) I got to hang out with three of my best friends that weekend. Angela come from Texas. She, Jami, Skye and I had our traditional dinner at Cheesecake Factory. I miss those ladies! We probably had the waitress thinking we were drunk because we laugh and have SO much fun together and don't care if other people stare at us. (It's just because they are jealous!) LOL!

So, Angela...These pictures are for you. You're gonna have to copy and save the ones you want because for come reason I can't email pictures from my computer right now. (sorry)

(Angela, Hilary and Me!)

Hilary Weeks is my most favorite singer/songwriter. I have listened to her ever since I was 13 and my Aunt Bev gave me one of her CD's. Hilary just knows the words to sing that touch me and comfort and inspire me. ( I really feel like some of her songs were written just for me). I was thrilled to wait in the mob (seriously...it wasn't a line....) to hug her and take a picture with her. She was so patient and kind!

There were a lot of people wanting to meet her.

I told Hilary that Angela and I would just take our picture together so she wouldn't have to wait longer because of us. But she said for us to do individual pictures too. I said, "But don't you need to go to the potty or something?" (Leave it to me to say something truthfully stupid...but I was really concerned for her! She'd been on stage singing and than we all mobbed her...I know what it feels like to need to "go" and not be able to!)  She said, "You must be a mom huh?"

Two of my favorite people! :)

xoxo~ Thanks Brandon for taking care of the kids while I was at TOFW and out to dinner. I had a great time and couldn't have done that if you weren't willing to take over for the day. Love you. ~xoxo

Here are a few pictures of our "Hebegeebe Baby" (that's what we've been calling him!)

I took this on the day that he started to look better....when the bumps started to flatten.

He is looking even better now. He scabbed over and most of the scabs have come off. He was up half the night Saturday night scratching his poor little arms and legs. But it is red under the scabs. We'll wait and see how long it takes for his skin to clear up completely. Also, his big toes are still pretty swollen. It looks like he might lose those toe nails.

Connor's personality has improved as he has started to feel better (less crying and more smiles and teasing). This boy loves to tease!

Kaitlyn summed it up pretty well the other night when we were going around the family and each telling one thing we are grateful for about one of our siblings. She said that she is "Grateful that Connor is so cute and fun." She couldn't wait for him to get better so she could snuggle him and kiss his checks again. :)

SO! I guess this was Connors freakish viral break out that all our kids have gotten around 18-24 months of age. I was thinking he'd get something like Weston did...or have cold sores all over his lips and tongue and throat like the girls did....but he decided to have his own version. Luckily, these things typically just run their course and if they do have a reaccurrence, it is much more mild.

It's snowing!!!!

I love the first snow of the season! It's so exciting!!!!

The kids didn't have to go to school today because of the snow! That's the best thing ever! They were out playing as soon as it was light enough!

(I have been trying to upload pictures to the blog...but it wont work right now. I also have pictures of my "Hebegeebe Baby" Connor!") So, i will blog about something else since I can't use those pictures.

A few weeks ago I bought the "Velveteen Rabbit" movie for $1 at Shepard's Kitchen (thrift store). It is the version I watched at my Grandma and Grandpa Barrett's house when I was young. It really isn't animated...but is the book being read and you see pictures that are from the book.

Well. I turned it on for the kids yesterday. I was folding laundry and listening to the story.

I was so touched by the story. I realized, as I hadn't as a child, that this is a story of CHANGE. Of "BECOMING". I felt the Spirit teaching me as the Velveteen Rabbit and the old wise Skin Horse had this conversation:

"Real isn't how you are made..." said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand..."

Isn't that beautiful?

I went to half.com and bought the original version by Margery Williams. I can't wait to read it to my kids at night.

Let me tell you my version of what the Skin Horse said.

Being REAL comes from being changed by our Saviors Atonement. It comes from feeling like we are shabby and falling apart. It comes from having our sharp edges smoothed through adversity. When we are Real...will become stronger as we realize that we are being "carefully kept" and loved by a Father who understands.

We have sick kids.

Connor has one of the ugliest, bumpy rashes I have ever seen. My doctor is not sure what it is. He thinks it's something viral (yay). He also has double ear infections. (nice). He is on an antibiotic for the ears and I will soon be heading over to pick up the antiviral med. that Dr. Peterson called into the pharmacy. (third trip to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for the little guy this week). I hope this med. helps. This boy looks miserable! I pretty much bathed him in Cortisone cream this morning while he cried, "Ouhee ouuuheeee!!!" I felt so bad. Good new is he's been fine since. Ate his two bowls of cereal or breakfast like he always does. I have been putting L-lysine in his sippy cup drinks...so I hope that speeds things up too.

I feel like my house needs to be bleached from top to bottom.

Weston has the same bumpy gunky rash....just on his hands and a little on his feet and face.....which leads me and Dr. Pete. to think that this is "hand foot and mouth disease"....BUT...it isn't inside their mouth or on the palms of their hands or bottom of their feet which is typical of that "disease".....so...we are still not sure. I love that my Dr. will pull out his dermatology book and look through it with me while we try to figure out what's going on with my kid. Some people might think he's not a very good doctor if he doesn't KNOW. I love that he is honest and involves me.

Adelin has tonsillitis. She has been home from school for two days now. She is eating better and I think her antibiotic is kicking in. I will keep her on Tylenol to keep her fever and pain down today...but I think she will be fit for school tomorrow. Just in time for pajama day!

SO...that pretty much sums up what's going on around here....

Thanksgiving!

We had a good Thanksgiving.

We made it down to Mesa and had Thanksgiving with Brandon's family.

We stayed at a hotel...which we don't usually do when we go to Mesa. We stayed at the Residence Inn...which was our first time staying at one of those...but it was great because they have a full size fridge and a stove...and a dishwasher. Our food assignment was mashed potatoes...so we were able to cook those up just fine! :)

Brandon's family made some GOOD food this year. Who made that green bean casserole with fresh green beans? It was yummy. I ate too much at Thanksgiving dinner and have eaten too much every day since.

We had our second Flake Family stick horse rodeo which has sort of become a Flake Family Thanksgiving Tradition. The kids love it and it's fun to watch. (Kaitlyn won 4th place in the tennis shoe race)!

Brandon and I are usually excited to do some Black Friday shopping....but this year we were just plain out too tired! Connor hasn't been sleeping well at night...so the thought of being out shopping for hours instead of sleeping didn't appeal to us too much. I had gone through the ads and made a list and everything...but decided to sleep instead. This is the first Black Friday I have missed in 5 years. Crazy huh?

All in all...we had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving. We spent yesterday and today swimming at the hotel and watching TV!

This week marks 6 years since we moved here to Snowflake. So...I thought I'd make a little list of 6 things I've like about living in Snowflake. :)

1. I like going to Ed's (supermarket) and having one of my nieces or nephews be the cashier or bag my groceries. It's a fun time to chit chat with them.
2. I love the summers here!
3. I love the leaves in the Fall!
4. I love the 12 Days of Christmas! For the first 12 days of December there is a performance or celebration of some sort put on by the town!
5. I love our ward. Snowflake 5th!
6. I love that seeing an airplane in the sky is something special to my kids! We don't see that everyday here! My kids enjoy the simple things...they have never been to Disneyland...but they are thrilled to go to the park or for a walk. My kids are very "outdoors-y" and I think it's because of where they've been raised.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I really like this scripture.

It is an answer to Paul's pleading with the Lord.

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

God's grace was sufficient for Paul. It is sufficient for me. It is sufficient for you. "My grace is sufficient for thee" means that His grace is enough to meet any need.

That is a powerful promise.

   

Do you have sorrow?

Are you confused?

Do you struggle?

Does something hurt?

You'll be okay. You are not alone. There is someone who knows you better than anyone and He's the only one who can help.

I love what Pres. Monson said last month in Conference. "May we realize and understand how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, how much He loves us, and how much He does and is willing to do for us."

Some might say, "Than why hasn't He!?"

I think it is helpful to remember that the Lord has a plan for each of us. He has a time table and we should never lower our expectation  that our prayers will be answered. We have to keep praying...than doing what he inspired us to do so we can become who he is trying to make us into. Sounds nice right? Sounds easy? Well...it isn't at first. But as we pray and read the scriptures, we are able to see with spiritual eyes. These eyes see where we have been, where we are going and they see the Lord doing what He said he'd do...turning our weaknesses into strengths.

I LOVE that! I LOVE the gospel!

*I know I should be giving credit to the amazing artist whose inages I used. If they actually knew that I used them...THAT would be amazing! So just let me say "Thank you!" since I don't know their names.*

I didn't take a single picture of my kids in their Halloween costumes this year! I am not going to feel guilty about it...for too long. :{ Oh well.

Kaitlyn was a cute black cat. Imagine her with a black kitty ears half- face mask, black bow tie, black leotard, gray+black tutu, black legging and a black tail.

Addie was a princess. She was more simple. She wore her white princess dress up dress, white tights, white shoes, and a crown. I did her hair in a bun with ringlets hanging down in back.

Weston wore two costumes...at the same time. He wore his cowboy clothes (typical Weston attire) with a cute plush Jack-o-Lantern costume. He was a cutie!

Connor wore our lion costume that all my kids have worn when they are his age. He was adorable with his big hairy mane and long tail. He even started saying something that sounded like, "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" while we were out last night. He didn't want to take his costume off. I think he thought if he left it on he'd keep getting candy.



For our ward Halloween party....I dressed up. Which I don't ever do but I got an idea and decided to do it. I went as a pregnant lady...all I did was ace bandage a little pillow under my shirt. I got a lot of long looks. I could tell people were wondering if they should ask me about it or not. The only person who said something to me was Brandon's cousin. She hadn't seen me in a while so she was easy to trick. Everyone else was either confused (asking each other about it) or they didn't even notice. Anyhow. It was fun to laugh about it because I have had a LOT of people (more than one is ALOT in a situation like this and it's happened to me at least 4 times) ask me if I am pregnant since Connor was born. It has really hurt my feelings...so it was good to laugh about it instead!

Anyhow. The kids had a pretty good time dressing up and trick-or-treating.

Brandon had fun last night building a fire in our little outdoor fireplace and sitting out in the yard handing out candy. :)

Grab a tissue...

I love Hilary Weeks new CD (I love all her CD's!).

Here is a beautiful video of one of her new songs "Beautiful Heartbreak".

Click HERE to watch it.
 
There is a beautiful view in store for all of us.

Sometimes the climb is hard...but if we look around we can see the beauty in the climb...the trees the flowers...listen for the birds and the babbling brook.

It makes climbing those mountains easier.

My brother Sam made this flier...

If live in the Mesa area and are interested in handing out fliers or selling tickets...please let me know!

Thanks!

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

This is gonna be BIG!
This is gonna be fun!
You are gonna want to be there.
You should come.
You should tell your family and friends about it!

Go HERE to get the details!

Bring your appetite...and your wallet! :)

blog about it blog about it blog about it

CA Road Trip (part1)...(not in order)

Brandon and I took a road trip last month! We flew to Long Beach...hung out in that area for a few days. Visited my Grandparents, Brandon's sister Kayla and her cute family, my Aunt Bev+cousin Andrew and my brother Eric and his family! It was good to get to visit...and it was good to hit the road! We headed first to Santa Maria! We went to church with my cousin Steph and her family. Her hubby made us the best pesto-y sandwiches! And I got to snuggle and squish their little princess Presley! Than we headed out again!

We ended up driving from L.A. to San Fransisco. We cut the drive up and enjoyed each little stop with it's shops, food and people. Cambria was my favorite! I think I could retire there! We stayed at an Inn across the street from the ocean. We kept the window open to hear the waves. 

Here are a few picture collages of our trip. There are lots more pictures....but it's taken me over a month to get around to doing this post...so we will see how much longer it will take for me to finish it up!

All in all....we had a great time! I love the central CA coast. I grew up in So. Cal...but hadn't been up that part of the coast in 20 years! We stuck to the PCH most of the way...up until Monterry...than we took the freeways into San Fransisco. It was very dry up there...the grass was dead...but it was still beautiful scenery!

                                                                   Pismo Beach

                                            Cambria at Sunset (across the street from the Inn)
                                   We ate our breakfast out by the ocean the next day.
                                                   A million little squirrels joined us!

 We only spend one day in down town San fran.

It would have been nice to have more time.

But we had fun running around on the city bus.

We made it to the Golden Gate Bridge...

...it was covered in fog...

but we walked out on it just so we could say we'd done that!

Taking the BART was fun too!



Oh! And I have to say...GPS's are awesome! We don't have one of our own...but we rented one with the car we rented. We named it "Mrs. Garmin". We would have been seriously lost without her!

"Don't Should On Yourself!"

That is something I heard the other day.

I like it.

What does it mean?

Stop saying or thinking things like:

"I should talk nicer to my kids"

"I should waste less time"

"I should read the scriptures more"

"I should do my hair like hers"

"I should get out more"

"I shouldn't be so hard on myself"

....(you get the point)...

Stop "shoulding!"

How????

Decide what is important to you and DO IT. If it isn't important to you. Leave it alone and let it go.

It's your choice.

That's my goal.

To stop "shoulding" and start being the person I want to be.

I have the dearest, sweetest, BEST visiting teacher EVER!

I wont tell you her name...cuz I don't want you to try to steal her from me! But I love this lady! She is 60 and I am 31 but I feel like we are the same age! We have been in the same ward for 6 years and hadn't had a conversation until she became my visiting teacher about 10 months ago. I really do think she was saved to come into my life "for such a time as this" (Esth. 4:14)

Just look at some of the emails she's sent to me lately:

"You are the dearest person in all the world. You can see it in your children's eyes! By their fruits ye shall know them...
AND you are the salt of the earth!
I know I sound silly, but you are such a dear putting up with absent-minded visiting teachers and treating us so good!
Heavenly Father answers prayers, doesn't He"

and:

"I just cannot believe how nice you are!!!!!! You have really touched my life with your kindness. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


she's optimistic and funny too:

"Hi, Jennifer!  I hope you can humor me and let me share food sometimes...there is no husband to share with and love at home, darn him!! (haha)  And my kids that I taught everyday and loved are gone, so you are my surrogate food-sharer with.  (Psssst!  Whatever you don't like you can feed to the cat!!) .  So I hope I don't intrude too much!!!!"


There's more...but I don't want to make you feel like I am bragging about myself....because I'm not. I am bragging about HER and how great she is at following the Spirit and lifting me up. She really has blessed my life!

Because of her I have walked 7.5 miles this week! She is great at motivating me!

Love ya! Sister! :)

Truth:

"The way to resolve difficulty is always the same-to seek the guidance of the Lord; to live to merit personal inspiration so you will know what the Lord's will is; and then to have the strength and ability to carry it out. When you do those things, you feel stronger and better supported by the Lord, and you can then understand other people's challenges far better. The more you live the commandments of the Lord and understand the principles of the gospel, the more positive you are that the challenges that come can be worked out-and the more effectively you can also act as an instrument in the Lord's hands to help others."
~(Elder Richard G. Scott: Putting God and Family First-Ensign Jan. 1985)

Forget Me Nots...by Pres. Uchtdors

Weston said something cute today.

Connor was in his crib...while I was shampooing up another one of his "poop puddles" (don't be jealous)...

Weston took him a basket full of toys and this conversation followed:

Westy: Connor is so lucky, he gets to have tons of toys in his bed.

Me: You have toys in your bed too.

Westy: I have Woody in my bed.

Me: And Woody is a toy.

Westy: Woody is not a toy! He's my kid.

:) Maybe there will be a TOY STORY4...starring Weston as Woody's owner...before Andy.????

pictures

Back when I was being a totally awesome mom (during the summer) and doing activities with the kids everyday...we made these cute little "edible oinkers" (apples turned into pigs.)

Angela and her girls were here...and they joined in the fun.

Weston loved the boots he got for his birthday. We got this plastic toy corral thingy at a yard sale. He played with it for a long time on the back step. (I have more cute pics of that)

This is way over due...but here is Kaitlyn heading out to school on her first day of 3rd grade.

She's loving her teacher and doing great in school!

We got together at my moms over the summer and made these super cute "t-shirt skirts." This is Kaitlyns. I love the flowers on it.

Addie has lost 5 teeth already!!! Here she is on her first day of Kindergarten. She is doing good in school also. She likes to look for words she knows how to read and her favorite subject (last time I asked her) is math!

And here is cutie Connor. He is learning to talk. His favorite word is "Yeah". We like to play with him and ask his things like, "Am I your favorite person?" just to hear him say "Yeah". He also says, "here" and hands you things. He can say "bubble", "daddy" "Addie" "Momma" and something that sounds like "Kaitlyn". He can also point out his facial features and other body parts. We all like to quiz him on what he knows! He gives the bet hugs and kisses too!

I will post more pictures some other time.

:)

I really really really like THIS film review site. It is called, "Kids In Mind".

I like to look at this site before going to the movie theater. They are very good at letting you know just what kind of content you will be paying to see.

More often than not, we choose to NOT go to the theater because (more often than not...even if someone we know saw the movie and said it was great), after looking a the content reviews we change our minds.

I have seen my fair share of movies (PG-13, PG and even G) that I have thought would be good if  "just that one part was taken out"...or whatever.

This site gives ya a good "heads up."

Totally recommend keeping this site in your "favorites" file!

"One lump or two?"

I have to tell you this little story!

My mom and dad have been up here in Snowflake. Yesterday my moms back was hurting her so badly that I called a chiropractor in town and he got my mom in for an adjustment. Long story short...they end up talking about my dads health problems and can you guess what he told my mom my dad needed to do???

 A coffee enema! (every other day...or something like that!)

Can you imagine!?... Shooting coffee up your behind!? :{  Who would suggest such a thing! I wonder if he tells people random yucky stuff like that just to see if they will do it! (lol!)

Do you think you'd still be "Temple Worthy" after having a coffee enema? Or does the fact that it's going in backwards make it okay?

I'm just wondering. 

I liked THIS blog post I read a while ago!

Life on the homefront...

My 5 year old is giving my one year old a bath...she just changed his "really poopy" diaper too. I should probably feel concerned for my baby's safety...but I am more concerned about what else has poo on it. :] Addie is a great helper...and just so you know... I can now here her getting Connor dressed...so hang up the phone...no need to call CPS just yet. :) Which reminds me. Kaitlyn has been begging for Brandon and I to leave her home with the kids for a half hour...I guess her friend who is younger than her has gotten to babysit her younger siblings so she thinks she should be able to also. Believe me...I look forward to that day. But really, what do you think of leaving an 8 year old (2 months away from 9) home with 3 kids? I think that has disater written all over it!

The other night Kaitlyn told us that she wants to be a perfume critic when she grows up so that she can "get paid to smell".  lol! Than she said, "To breathe! I mean, I want to get paid to breathe!"

Weston's been sharing his 3 year old philosophies of life with us. His latest deep thought? "Our foots arm is our leg". Profound don't you think?

I currently have Connor on my lap. He has some sort of cold or something. His nose is being wiped every few seconds. Addie is in the baby tub on the floor next to me (clothed..and I am not even sure how she got that out of storage)...she and Weston are playing some sort of game.

I think I have bossy kids. They all want to be the boss and fight because none of them want to be bossed around...which is probably why they don't seem to listen to a thing Brandon and I say. I have to ask 50 million times and that is not good for my goal of being "slow to anger"...any pointers on that would be great...just what's worked for you...not what you think I am doing wrong. :) ha!

Alright...let me end on a positive note. (let me think of one first!)

There is no school Monday! That'll be nice. Brandon and I are going on a trip soon with no kids...that'll be nice too. :)

The End

Dad fits into his letterman jacket again.

My Grandpa Barrett(his dad) ppainted that picture of him that he's holding!

I think my dad is the handsomest 60 year old! Lainie (my sister in law) took this picture of him the other day.

I want to point something out though. See how thin dads face is? He's lost a lot of weight...but see his belly? That's fluid retention+a hernia. :( Not good.

Love ya daddy-o!

lol! I accidently posted this to my blog insted of dad's! Oh well! I will leave it here and put it on his too!

HI!

I mean this in a friendly, "I am being honest and you will still love me" sort of a way...but, I have been looking at blogs of friends and family and I am so dissapointed in the number of people who haven't posted about my dads blog. Maybe they facebooked about it and I don't know it cuz I am not on there? And I know that all of like 6 people looked at my bog before I stopped blogging for a few months and that out of those 6 only 2 have returned! *sigh* I wish I could get on the radio or TV and just plea with people to help me save my dad! I feel like we just can't do this on our own...and when I sit and take my emotions out of it...I KNOW we aren't! There have been a few donations made to my dad by people we don't even know...not to mention the ones made by people we know and love. There are people who go into my moms bakery have offered help...their wards High Priest Group is taking over the pancake breakfast we were planning (we didn't een ask for that)...people have been wonderful. And he is getting insurance when a month ago we didn't even think was possible. There have been huge blessings. And those are what I need to focus on. That and the fact that Heavenly Father has a plan for my dad...and He's the only one who can heal him.

But there are some real and raw feelings involved...and today I felt like being a little more honest than I usually am! :)

Now, go visit my dad's blog and than blog about it so I can feel better! :) (lol!)

http://www.aliverformurray.blogspot.com/

Dad's Blog

My dad's blog is up and running (minus the PayPal button).

Go check it out! Than blog about it! (facebook+twitter+tell everyone you know!) (please,please,pretty please!)

http://www.aliverformurray.blogspot.com/

(thank you Angela!)

I found this on our flip. :)

(pause my playlist)

Man, I am tired. I have 14 mosquito bites that have had me awake since 4:30 this morning. I am not too pleased. I got them at Show Low park. The kids and I were taking a walk and we must have walked right into a swarm without knowing it. I got all these bites in less that 20 seconds. Good news is they attacked me and pretty much left the kids alone.

In other news.I found something good about Pres. Obama. This PCIP Insurance plan that is run through the National Finance Center is sounding like it will be a major blessing to my family. The most out of pocket we will have to spend for a calendar year is $12,000. (That covers anything...including organ transplants) That is a huge difference from $200,000(just to get started). Pray that he will qualify. There are only 3 qualifications. 1.)Be a US citizen (he is...even if he doesn't look like one!) 2.)Haven't had insurance for the past 6 months. (check!) 3.) Have a letter from Dr. stating what the pre-existing condition is+some other info. If all goes well...he will be covered by September 1st! The premium is $450 a month. We still need to do some fundraising......but this is sounding SO much more do-able. Plus, they will cover the donor as well. (Liver transplants can be from deceased or living donors.)

Anna, (who helps keep me from complete insanity by cleaning up after us once in a while) just rubbed fresh garlic on my mosquito bites. (She's from Guatemala...) It feels better already....but do I really want to go around smelling like this? People will think I forgot deodorant this morning...(which I did)...but...this smell ain't gonna help. I think it's time for a shower.

Dad was admitted yesterday so he can get tests ran ASAP instead of paying $3000 in advance and than waiting for results. I don't know who his specialist is...but right now I think he's great! He basically told my dad at his appointment  yesterday (mom was with him), "You are in lots of pain and having a hard time breathing." My dad was like...."well....I think my pain level is more of a 2 or 3 and I can breathe fine" and the doctor said, "No. You are in a lot of pain and having a hard time breathing and we are going to admit you." Later that night they drained two and a half liters of fluid off of dad's abdomen and they are going to start him of a supplement that will hopefully reduce the fluid retention. Other good news is that the hospital told my mom about an insurance plan that covers preexisting conditions...as long as you have not been insured for the past 6 months (although I have not found where it says that on their website yet.) My parents haven't had insurance for years...so that's not going to be a problem. This will help a TON when it comes to transplant cost and being able to get things rolling before having all the money raised. A transplant surgeon that they spoke with yesterday who does transplants in Tuscon said that they needed $200,000 before they could get things going.

Here is a link to the Pre-existing Conditions Insurance Plan website (click on the name) in case you or anyone you know might be in a situation where they could apply.  Some states aren't not listed on the site. If that is the case for you than I think THIS is the site you should go to.

GOT LIVER?

Okay...so...my dad is very sick. I am not gonna sugar coat things. Fact is that this week he saw his doctor and he told my dad that he's got another year to live if he doesn't get a new liver. Well...we are not gonna sit around with our bottm lip hanging to the ground. What we gotta do is get a liver. The great thing about liver transplants in that you can have a live donor. The bad thing is that all this costs lots and lots of money. My parents do not have medical insurance and they make too much to qualify for state insurance. I don't know how that's possible when their medical bills already total almost as much as their annual income...(something is dang wrong with the way they decided who gets goverment help and who doesn't!). SO! We need to start fundraising ASAP in a major, raise lots of money sort of a way! From what I can see from the little bit of research I have done, his transplant all included can cost around $500,000+. Yeah...that's a lot of money.

mommy and daddy! from; kaitlyn

mom and dad thank you for all that you do i hope you will have a good anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Kaitlyn  

This is such a LATE post...but I still want these pictures for when I make my blog into a book (whenever I get time to work on that....maybe when my last kid graduates high school. ha!)


So what we have here are a few photos from Kaitlyn's 8th birthday, Adelin's 5th birthday and Easter.


Yeah...I know...that's like forever ago right?

Nov. 3rd 2010....Kaitlyn turned 8! She had a fun party. My friend Alice came and did face painting...and her 1st grade teacher came and sang +played guitar. It was fun. I took more video than photos...and I still don't have any pictures from her baptism. :{



Dec 15, 2010...Adelin turned 5! She loved the doll she got and the tutu's+fairy wings. She had a separate party for friends for her 5th birthday...and I am not sure where the photos are from that!



Easter Sunday 2011. I found these matching suits for the boys right after Christmas. They looked pretty darn cute in them. I tried to get a good shot of all the kids....but either they were being crazy or the lighting was bad! :) I gave up.

Wormy with Kaitlyn at the beavers dam

After playing at Pioneer Park (across the Hwy from us), we walked over to look at the beavers dam. We found that the dam is mostly gone...there must not be any beavers around anymore. But, the kids got their feet wet and Kaitlyn found a cute little friend! I was a tiny little caterpillar....or some caterpillarish type thing.


Did you hear what she said at the end? "Goodbye Wormy! Now you're a movie star!" :)

Daily Activities

I thought I'd post about a few of our Daily Activities.

Today we made ice cream in a bag (click that for details). It's easy...and it actually had a pretty good flavor+consistency! Next time I will be prepared for some add ins (M&M's, Oreos....) It would be a fun summer party activity. Just be prepared to do most of the bag shaking yourself...and for it to take longer than 5 minutes! :) I read that you can also use regular table salt...but we used rock salt.

Yesterday we did noodle art. I put an assortment of noodles on a plate (ziti, spaghetti, rotini, bowtie, fiori) and than I gave the kids another paper plate and they had fun making different faces. When they were done playing around they hot glued the noodles down. I was going to have them paint them when they were done...but they had enough fun without having to get paint involved! Here's a little sample of the kids creativity!

What else have we done? We go to the library every Wednesday. We have racked up a couple of fines due to a page tearing baby....but it's worth it to get out of the house. We also go with a topic (America, plants, food,...) and they look for books on that topic and we get a movie or two on the topic. I totally don't care if they get something on the topic or not...but it does make it seem a little more educational doesn't it? ha!

We've also been on bug hunts, made play dough, went swimming in our Bishops pool, colored patriotic pictures to send to grandparents and did some good ol' fashion running through the sprinklers! We have lots of other things planned...hopefully we will get to do them all...but sometimes life gets in the way...and that's okay! (frustrating...but okay!)

I love this picture. It's from a few months ago. Addie loves to snuggle Connor. He loves her too...but is now getting to be more independent and doesn't love her snuggles as much. :]

Summer is moving right along! I can't believe that school's been out for a month! Where did that month go!?

I finally got the kids on a schedule...it's been a good thing. My favorite time is when we do our daily activity and our 2 hours of quiet time (heaven). I really didn't think my kids actually knew how to be quiet and for SURE not for 2 hours! Sister Bailey (our bishops wife) gave me the idea for having a Daily Activity and Quiet Time everyday. It's been such a blessing. We have our moments when things feel totally out of control...but just having a schedule and a plan for every day sure seems to make us all happier! Today we made fruit sushi. It was fun, yummy and nutrtious!

Looking forward to the 4th of July...and maybe a little rain...

So...Connor's little surgery went really well. He's healing up just fine too. I didn't take pictures because I am certain he wouldn't appreciate that when he's older...but everything looks good! He's a tough kid and hasn't even acted too phased by his incisions. Any grown man would still be lying in bed moaning in pain. It's a good thing to take care of early on! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Brandon had a birthday yesterday! (I pretty much am too darn busy+tired to download pictures. I haven't posted birthday pictures for any birthdays lately. I need to do that. One big birthday picture post.) Anyhow. I hope Brandon had a good birthday. We're glad to have him around and love him for all he does for our family. :) The kids made wrapping paper Monday and wrapped his presents than yesterday they decorated his cake and make signs for him. We had pulled pork burritos with cilantro dressing and it was pretty darn good. Brandon's mom came for dinner+cake+ice cream. We love that she's able to come help us celebrate our birthdays. I think my kids will grow up remembering that Grandma Flake was always there on their birthday.

 Life is moving along over here. We were in Mesa for most of last week letting Connor heal up a bit before making him sit in a car for 3 hours. We shopped and Brandon and the kids swam. Adelin is officially a swimmer. She jumps off the rocks at Celeste's pool and swims to the other side of the pool without a problem. I am SO grateful for that! It gives me comfort to know she can save herself if she were to ever fall into a pool. (not that it'll keep us from watching her and the other kids like a hawk!) Brandon and I also got to go to a Diamond Backs game. We haven't been to one in years. We sat in the outfield bleachers. Willie What'shisface the guy who was playing outfield was nice and kept tossing baseballs to the kids. (not our kids...they were with my parents). It was a good game. We lost. But it was nice to just sit there. I would've have closed my eyes and taken a snooze on Brandon's shoulder if I wasn't afraid of being put up on the big screen. We were sitting by some people who had big posters and flags who were trying to draw attention to themselves. (and succeeding) It would be just my luck for them to catch me with my mouth half open and drooling. So...I stayed awake...and watched the game...and listened to the conversations of people around me. ;)

Oh yeah...Father's Day was Sunday. I owe Brandon breakfast in bed still because we had to rush to pack up our things and get to my Grandpa Newbolds ward in the morning.

Well...the kids need me. Duty calls.

Our little Connor is going in for an Orchiopexy Wednesday morning. I don't know if very many people read my blog anymore....but if you are reading for this...keep him in your prayers. I am a little bit (okay, a lot bit) nervous about him going under anesthesia.

Thanks!

this picture has nothing to do with this post...but that's okay!

Today is the last day of school! How crazy is that? Kaitlyn will be in third grade and Addie will be in kindergarten come fall. I don't even know what life will be like with two kids at school and two kids at home! Not that half day kindergarten really counts in my opinion. It's 2 1/2 hours long...but I don't want her gone longer than that anyways. Kids need to be home as much as possible in my opinion. Not so I can control and protect them but so that I can teach and guide them. That's what I try to do anyways. My kids my think otherwise!

Kaitlyn has loved her teacher Mrs. Sims and so have I. I haven't spent time in the classroom helping out but when Mrs. Sims husband died a couple months into the school year, we were able to go to his funeral. I got a glimpse into their lives as her nephews talked about her and and husband. They are just great people plus, Mrs. Sims just raved about Kaitlyn at her last parent teacher conference. (Anyone who loves my kids and sees the best in them ranks high in my book!) I was thinking about that today. Kaitlyn really is a great girl. She has her hormonal moments...but she is well rounded. Smart but doesn't make other people feel like they don't know as much as her. Witty but not at inappropriate times (mostly), pretty but she doesn't stare at herself and fuss over her appearance. She's kind and loving, and responsible....but not too much so that we don't know she's normal!

Really, I do have great kids. Even when they are grouchy and whiny and poopy and messy...they still are great. I gotta be honest and say that as much as I love 'em...I am not sure what do to to keep us from driving each other nuts all summer long!

p.s. i loved THIS. watch the one titled :LIFE

just wastin time

why do the days seem so much longer....but I feel like i still have so little time to get things done?

life can get overwhelming for me...and the feeling will last for a few days and them be gone....only to return without warning....

...today....I have so many things to get done : clean out the fridge, get Weston out of his pull up because he stinks like pee, make beds, pick up messes, dishes, laundry, vacuum, pull weeds, mow the lawn, clean out the kids medicine cabinet, do my hair, make meals, and be patiently kind and pleasant.

right now i just feel like wasting time on the computer and ignoring it all....luckily I realized what I was doing (hiding out) before I'd wasted more than a half hour and so now I am going to go to something productive....hold my little one year old baby....and then maybe call a friend so she can talk to me while I do my chores.

....what are YOU hiding from while you sit there looking at the screen?

after thoughts

I have thought about my last post a little bit....and I have something more to add.....and that is...it's not just the pull of blogging that can prevent me from living my life to it's fullest. It's every other things that distracts me too...wanting a clean house (not just clean but perfectly spotless...which ain't gonna happen....but I still want it.) or wanting to be kind and slow to anger but getting frustrated at a grouchy child...wanting to say my prays on my knees but being so tired...wanting to exercise but wanting sleep more....

I think that maybe what I am trying to say is that there are SO many ways that Satan tries to distract me. Blogging can be one of them. Texting, tweeting (not that I've ever done it), talking on the phone, watching TV or even good things, like having a clean house or going to the Temple (if it is excessive) can get in the way of me fulfilling my duties if I'm not careful....whatever the pull is...the key is balance....and knowing Who turn to for help.

A good friend told me a little while ago that I need to take more pictures of my kids. I had to laugh and tell her that I do take pictures....she just doesn't see them. This has made me think: just because I didn't blog it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I think some of us might get stuck with the mentality that we have to blog EVERYTHING in some effort to preserve our lives and our families life. Often this very act of preservation is taking away valuable time from the very thing we are trying to preserve.


But, today, I am bloggging. (gasp) I haven't felt like doing this....(sitting at the computer and typing about my lif)e in a long time. We haven't had a computer and we haven't had internet and it's amazing how you can survive and thrive without the two! I have realized how much time I wasted looking at this screen...looking up facts that really didn't improve my life. (There's so much information on the internet!) and looking at blogs...(peoples lives written mostly from an idealistic point of view). I love you all but really....my life has been richly blessed by not peeking in on peoples blogs every day! In fact....now that I am sitting here typing this, I am not really sure if I want to blog anymore or not. I have realized that the people whose influence greatly enrich my life have kept in touch with me and I have been just that...greatly enriched by them these past months.

Anyhow!

Our kids are growing and changing......(sometimes with the help of scotch tape...try it! You are sure to laugh!)

 

Connor has 4 teeth with 2 that have been trying to come in for a few weeks. He is as adorale as ever, if not more!

Weston is hitting that stage where you can tell he is trying to develop his critical thinking skills. He comes up with some humorous observations and definately provides us with plenty of comedy relief!

 
Anyhow....I just thought I'd post a couple thoughts and pictures! :)