It's been a very long time since I've updated the blog.....Jeesh - it's the end of October for heaven's sake!  Kids are doing great - Piercen is Mr. Cross Country now - they call him 'beast' bc he is SO good and only a freshman.  He went to region and ended up finishing 10th - fantastic especially when you realize that all of the other boys are usually on their varsity teams, but had to run in the JV race bc the race limited the number of varsity kids that could run.  He was really the only true JV kid to place.   He will be going with the team to California at the start of next month to compete in nationals.

Jax has had a rough few months - he had complained of a stomach ache for a week before we discovered that he may have appendicitis.  We had to take him into Primary Children's Hospital to have his appendix removed.  Then - poor guy - 2 weeks later he had to go in to have a mole removed from off of his neck.  It ended up being a good thing bc they found what is called Spitz Nevis in there - nothing too scary, but worth getting it removed.  I'm not too excited to get all of the doctor bills - especially with 4 of the 5 kids' birthdays and Christmas here in the next 2 months. 
He is now doing really well and ran in his school's red ribbon week's 5K.

Maddie has really been enjoying 1st grade.  She has by far been my hardest at listening to me as I've tried to teach her how to read ect.  So I am very happy that she has been making a lot of progress thanks to her very good and patient teacher.  We are just too much alike - so we butt heads a lot.  She was able to go on a daddy daughter date with Trent to Coldstone - she was in heaven.

Donavan already has his ABC's down - no thanks to me, he plays with my ipod and listens to one of the apps that I bought over and over and over and over etc. until he sings his ABC's all the time now.  He had also gone from my sweet baby to a spunky, talking back, teasing little monster.  He tells people all the time that he is my monster.  Oh so true.  He is very very funny though so he is able to get away with a lot.  But his biting....ugg the biting!!  He doesn't usually bite hard, but, poor Ronin NEVER has dry hands or feet bc Donsters always has them in his mouth.  I guess it's a good thing that Ronin just thinks its funny.....

Ronin is getting SO BIG!!  He is just a darling little guy - I love him to bits!  He claps when you say yea, and is learning how to wave good bye.  He thinks everything is funny and laughs all the time.  He still doesn't have any teeth, he doesn't crawl - in fact he still tips over when he sits up alone.  The pediatrician is a bit worried, but I'm not at all.  I know why he isn't developing as fast as other babies his age are.....he is carried ALL THE TIME!  What can he expect with 4 older siblings who adore him?  I'm in NO HURRY for him to grow up fast so I'm good with him taking his sweet little time!!

Trent is doing really well - he has switched from working in auto to liability.  He hates the training, but thinks that the work is interesting.  I'm SO relievied as we were thinking that we may have to move to find another job.  Farmers is getting rid of their auto people left and right....what a blessing it was when his boss asked if he'd go to the other side of Farmers.  :)  He has been pleasnantly surprized by the atmosphere - its friendly and pro-mormon.  Unlike the auto side who hate family oriented people to don't dedicate their every breath to Farmers.....
He has also been working out at the gym every single day - sometimes twice a day.  Right before our 1/2 marathon he hurt his knee....we found out that he has tendonitis under both knee caps so he hasn't been able to run since.  He has however been able to loose a lot of weight and is really putting on a lot of muscle.  He looks fantastic ;)

I just ran my 2nd 1/2 marathon on the 27th and was able to PR.  1:37:57 - it makes out to be a 7:29 min. per mile :D.  I was totally surprized bc I ran much faster than I usually do in my training runs.  And they had to add a surprize mile and a half uphill to the course bc the original starting point was covered in ice and snow.  Melissa was able to come and run with me so I wasn't alone at the race start.  Thank goodness they had a heated tent!!
We are already planning out the 1/2 marathons that we will be running in next year.  We have the RAGNAR race in June and the Timp 1/2 for sure at the end of July again.  Pierce wants to train and run a 1/2 with us sometime in the spring.  These things are the hardest thing I've ever done - but so fun and worth the pain!  Right around mile 10 or 11 you really start questioning yourself and why on earth you do this to yourself....but that's when you really find out what you are made of!  The mental toughness that you need to finish this kind of race is what makes it worth it.

 

June already?!?

Oh my goodness - I can't believe it's already JUNE!  Where has the time gone??  We have been so super busy with the end of school and all of its related activities that I just haven't had the time to get on here.  Trent and I are training for our 1st ever 1/2 marathon at the end of next month.  We have been doing a lot of running - I looked at my calendar for last month and I had put in 93 miles!  Hopefully we will be ready.
The boys are doing great  - Pierce made the high honor roll for having a 3.97 or above for both his 7th and 8th grades.  He also ran in his school's 5K and a Memorial Day 5K with Trent and I - he is getting ready for cross-country to start next week.

Jax also received 2 awards for his high academics - he only had one A-.  To reward them for all of their hard work....and as incentive to help me around the house this summer we bought both of them a Kindle.  If they do their chores for the day they recieve a point toward buying a new book.  It is working out fantastic so far - they really want the Hunger Games to read.


Maddie is a huge social bug as usual - spending almost everyday playing with the neighborhood girls.  She finally learned to ride her bike without training wheels yesterday.  I couldn't be more proud - she just had to get over her fear of falling off.  Once she saw that she could balance - she was off :)

Donavan is really coming into the terrible 3's.    My once sweet little guy is now "Destructo".  He bites, pinch/twists, kicks, puches, yells, tells me no etc.  I sure do love that kid, but there are days when I savor his oh-too-few naps!!!








Then my precious little Ronin.  How I love him!  He has been such a blessing - he started sleeping through the night at 3 1/2 months, he rolled over at 4 months, giggled for the first time on Mother's Day, he discovered he had a voice at 3 months and loves to talk and talk.  At 4 1/2 months he discovered he has TOES - and he loves to suck on them (its much cuter than it sounds).  He is happy and smiling in the morning and is so even tempered.  I love watching him find new toys, new sights and sounds.  He has the most animated eyes - like you can tell what he is thinking by watching them. 

Last week at church Trent and I were hurrying down the hall to get to our class.  Ronin almost got whiplash trying to see a picture as we hurried by.  I stopped and backed up to let him see it.  It was a picture of Christ.  He cooed and smiled for a few minutes and then was ready to head to class.  I know that he recognises his Savior.  Whaat a sweet moment he shared with me.  He helps to remind me to slow down and remember what is important.....

Ahhhh conference!!!

I just LOVE conference!  It is like a refreshing drink on a very hot day - you can feel every ounce of it touching every inch of you as it goes down.  This conference was NO different - well, perhaps I should say it was better than ever.  I found a phrase, a subject, a personal inspiration, a thought, a feeling in each and every talk.  I am so blessed to be a member of this church, a church where I know for a fact that God communicates with his children - because He loves them.  We have been struggling with some trials as of late, and I am excited to put some of the things that were learned in conference into action.  Not only here at home, but within my calling as well.  What an exciting thing it is to be refreshed spiritually - reborn - reinvigorated to do better, to be better, to strive to become what He would have me become. :)

Humility

I wonder some days - days like today, why it is that I am so stubborn??  Why is it that I feel like I need to be motivated, uplifted, and pushed into doing those things that I know that I should be doing on a regular basis?  Things like daily prayer, my scripture study that I constantly let slip from the schedule, family home evening, NOT YELLING AT MY KIDS SO MUCH?  Shouldn't those things come more naturally now?  I have been SO blessed in this calling to see the change that those small and seemingly simple things have done in the lives of some of the sisters.  It not only blesses them, but their children and husbands.  I find that doing the dishes, vacuuming, running, and doing several other things get done daily (well, maybe not the running, but I am consistent.)  But the things that I should be doing without fail - the things that really matter aren't on my priority list.  I feel that I need to be doing those things that bring the Spirit into my life on a daily basis in order to fully do my calling.  But for some reason I am stubborn and try to do everything myself, instead of including my Savior in my life.  I am taking the Atonement for granted....I need to humble myself and change the way I view things.  I am not supposed to do everything on my own - stupid stubborn streak!  The biggest thing holding me back....is me!!

I had a horrible day with Maddie yesterday - she really can get under my skin and push every button on me.  She threw such a fit I totally lost my cool and just screamed at her - and was feeling pretty angry and justified in my yelling....that is until the Lord sent someone to remind me of who I am and how I should be treating His daughter!  I ran into one of the stake presidency's wife.  Immediately my mood changed and I was embarrassed - not because she had heard me, I didn't yell in public, but because it was a wake up call.  I know better than that - 

Later that night I had several visits to go on where I really needed the Spirit there with me, and because of how I had acted earlier, it was very difficult to feel the Spirit at all.  But He taught me a lesson - there is a sister I visited who didn't grow up in the church, who had several questions about the gospel and how we do things that I had never really thought about.  She is consistent with her prayers and scripture study....not because it was a habit formed long ago - but because she has made those things a priority in her life. 

Why is it that I resist?  Why am I so deaf to the whisperings? Why do I insist on doing everything myself?  Why am I so selfish?  If only I could rid myself of my weaknesses - I'd be a much better instrument for the Lord.  That is just another thing that I must lay at His feet....to work this lump of clay that I am- into a work of art.  One that is unashamed, filled with His light, and ready to do anything for Him - and His sons and daughters that I am here to serve.

A little, fluffy, white cat

I really missed a great teaching moment.  Maddie's cat is an indoor cat...well, mostly.  She has her food, bed, and cat box in the garage - so she sleeps out there and gets to come inside when Maddie is home with her.  On Saturday night I had to run to the store for some extra things before Sunday.  We had been having problems with the garage door not responding to our opener in the car - well, it was 10 at night and I was tired, so I didn't think too much of the garage door not being shut.  I thought that I wasn't going to be gone long and Trent was home....I didn't even think of the cat.  Well, she got out.  She'd done that before, but went right to the front door and wanted back in.  This time - she was gone for 3 days.  Maddie was devastated.  At first I just didn't have the heart to tell her that her cat was gone, so I just told her that her cat was playing with her other cat friends and would hopefully come home soon.  (I know - horrid to lie to her, but I thought to myself that I had plenty of cats as a kid and they always came back....but then again, my cats were all outdoor cats.)  By Tuesday afternoon Maddie was going to the garage door and checking every 5 minutes or so to see if her cat had come back.  She would walk away from the door with tears in her eyes telling me how much she missed her cat.  She would even run to the door when the doorbell rang yelling out that it was her cat.  I was honestly loosing some patience with her - and told her that there was no way of knowing if  her cat would come back or when.  She then came in and told me that she had gone into her room and asked her Father in Heaven to please send her cat home to her.  I stared at her in disbelief....she thought of that on her own...the thought of praying to find the cat had never entered my mind.  I told her that I hoped it would help - then said a quick prayer of my own asking Him to please hear her prayer and send that darn cat home!  I thought - what if that cat doesn't come back?  What will that do to her faith?  To be honest I really didn't think that she would be back.  It had been 3 days...I had driven around the neighborhood looking for her, I had asked the neighbors to tell me if they saw her.  I thought for sure she was gone.  Well, last night at about 10, all of us were settling down and chatting in my room - except Pierce - who is usually the 1st one in there at bed time.  He was taking his time getting in there.  He was walking up the stairs when he heard a meow at the door.  He went to the front door just in time to see the cat run in front of the garage.  He ran to my room, burst through the door, and yelled out that her cat was by the garage.  Maddie went running outside and called her - and the cat came running to her.
What a lesson this had taught me.  He listened to her prayer - He answered her prayer WITHIN HOURS.  She taught me about faith, He taught me about trust, - the cat taught me to keep that garage door shut!  I am SO grateful for a Father who loves one little blond girl SO much that he would send her runaway cat back - the same day. 
We are all like Maddie sometimes - our Father is just waiting to bless us, but can't do it until we finally get down on our knees and ask Him.  I saw a sign the other day that said:  "It's hard to stumble when you are already on your knees in prayer."  So true.  I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is SO patient with me - willing to share his tender mercies with me through something as small as a little fluffy white cat.