Life List

I got this list from my friend Lindsay and thought it was fun to see what I have done and what I still could do with my life.... Highlight the ones you have already done.
1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Changed a lightbulb 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Mowed the lawn 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee
54 out of 99 still lots to do.......Top of my list: Kissing in the rain and serving at a soup kitchen.

Blue Lily Pictures

I thought I would post some of our pics from our session with the AMAZING Wendy Whitacre of BlueLily Photography. I was really happy how they all turned out and now I am pretty sure my kids are the cutest in all of history!

See Slideshow right here---------------------------------------------->

*TWILIGHT*

We laughed, we cried, we swooned at the midnight showing of Twilight last night. I have to admit I really liked the books, yes they are very unrealistic but what good is entertainment if it doesn't take us someplace else for a little while? Most of the fun was watching Lauren and her three friends reaction to the movie. Usually these showings brings out the major freaks...well guess what we were the major freaks last night. They painted their faces with sayings like "I'm da New Bella" and "Mrs. Edward Cullen" We all had to wear our Twilight shirts, me included! I promise I didnt buy one, Lauren actually has two! They yelled out the countdown to when the movie started then clapped, cheered, cried and gasped through the whole movie. I am sure the people around us were none too pleased but hey what do you expect at the Midnight showing? In all, it has to go down as one of the most fun nights I have had with Lauren in a long time!

Shots are scary!

I will just start off by saying I hate shots! I hate shots so much that when I was around 8 years old my mom took me to the doctor when I was sick, when they decided I needed an antibiotic shot, I took off down the highway with my mom in heels chasing me down. I literally ran about two blocks before I got too tired to run anymore. My mom had to drag me back in, where one nurse barracaded the door while two more nurses held me down. After having three kids, I have somewhat gotten over this fear but when it comes time to get my children shots that little 8 year old kid comes out.

Today I am taking Ethan to get his immunizations, which he already should have had, but that is another topic for another day. Here is our conversation in the car on the way to the doctor:

Ethan:

Is it going to hurt?

Me:

Just a tiny bit, kind of like a bug bite or a pinch but just for a second.

Ethan:

I am going to hold my breath so I dont cry, kay mom? (I know isn't your heart breaking at this very second?)

Me:

It's okay to cry if it hurts. bud.

Ethan:

It's okay to cry?

Me:

Of course and you can squeeze my hand really hard too.

Ethan;

Okay, and you will kiss my cheeks and then it will be all better right? (Seriously could this kid be any sweeter? I am almost in tears at this point and we haven't even pulled into the parking lot)

Me:

(Choking back tears) Sure bud and then I will take you to the store and buy you those plastic animal spoons you wanted. (don't ask, I dont know why he wanted them either, but I might have bought him a pony at this point)

We get to the doctor and I have to hold both of his hands and kind of hold him down (this is where the dads come in, moms should never have to hold their child down so someone else can cause them bodily injury) the nurse puts the shots in 1,2,3 and he sucks in a deep breath of air and it was over just like that! No tears or screams. I am so proud of my brave, strong son and thankful I don't have to do that again for awhile.

Special Ways to Celebrate the Season

We have been trying to decide how to make the Christmas season more meaningful around our house. We are trying to take the focus off of the presents and put it more on spending time together as a family and providing service to our community . I found a few good ideas in a magazine called "Wonder Time" Here they are:

1. Giving just three gifts to each child. One is a "gold" gift (something they really want) a "myrrh" gift (something they need, like clothes, etc.) and "frankincense" gift (something for their spiritual growth.

2. Conducting a charitable lottery with your extended family instead of giving each other gifts. Each family puts an organization on a slip of paper along with a check, then draw a winner. The winning family donates the money to their chosen charity.

3. Use an advent calendar to encourage your child to do something meaningful each day. Each day has an idea on something they can do to be more christlike. Examples were call someone in your family and sing them a christmas song or read a christmas story to their siblings, say something nice to someone at school, etc.

4. Give gifts that encourage time together, such as tickets to a show or that encourages activities and exercise such as dance lessons or swimming passes.

5. Instead of buying gifts go on a family vacation.

Let's hear some of your good ideas for how you are going to celebrate the holidays!

Prop 8

So I know some who read this post may think, "Wow those Mormons are so against gay marriages, what's their problem? They are so intolerant" Just to clarify we are not against domestic partnerships and rights for every human being. We are against changing the definition of marriage. Here is the church's official standpoint on the subject:
The focus of the Church’s involvement is specifically same-sex marriage and its consequences. The Church does not object to rights (already established in California) regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the family or the constitutional rights of churches and their adherents to administer and practice their religion free from government interference.
The Church has a single, undeviating standard of sexual morality: intimate relations are proper only between a husband and a wife united in the bonds of matrimony.
The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility towards homosexual men and women. Protecting marriage between a man and a woman does not affect Church members’ Christian obligations of love, kindness and humanity toward all people.
As Church members decide their own appropriate level of involvement in protecting marriage between a man and a woman, they should approach this issue with respect for others, understanding, honesty, and civility.
For more on this subject you can go to this link:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage

All is well in the world TODAY...

I am sitting here enjoying a delicious pomegranate and listening to Christmas music and pondering on the fate of our world. In this small moment of delight, I realized the world has always had troubles and will continue to always have troubles. It is not my job to worry about ALL of them, but it IS my job to worry about the problems of my little family. So today, enough of politics and on to a wonderful holiday season hopefully filled with Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, ornaments, pretty packages, twinkling lights, warm fires, cozy nights curled up watching Miracle on 34th Street with my kids, snowmen, thoughts of Christ, service to our community, laughter and MOST OF ALL, LOTS and LOTS of quality time with my family and extended family. I hope you will take a moment to take a breath before the craziness of the season starts and ponder what is most importantfor you! Happy Holidays (I know a little early, but I am ready for happy thoughts!)