LOST DOG

5 years old

Tan fur with black ears and nose

Somewhat worn from years of love and affection

Answers to the name "BUTCH"

Last seen 3 days ago in the family room

If found, please contact Cason immediately

Patient Jake

Some of the funny things that Jake does simply because he is nearly two.

Like insisting on wearing a sombrero with his back pack....

or attempting (unsuccessfully) to wear his dad's Birkenstock sandals.

Some of the funny things that Jake does is because he has two older siblings that think of Jake as their very own dress-up doll

Somehow I've learned that when Kaitlyn and Cason are laughing uncontrollably, Jake is the victim of one of their "ideas".

52 Blessing Project Week 39 ~ MY KIDS

I have had reason to pause the past couple of weeks and give sincere thanks for MY CHILDREN.

Just two weeks ago a family in our ward had their teenage son pass away unexpectedly. Such sudden tragedy causes you to stop and think about your own mortality, as well as the mortality of all your loved ones. Then last week my good friend had her cousin's baby die accidentally and all the thoughts that I already had were brought again to the front of my mind. The thoughts aren't what I want to share, even if I could articulate them, what I want to share is just my overwhelming gratitude for my children as a whole.

I have every intention of spotlighting each of my children individually in a gratitude post - I love them all so dearly and they each have unique traits for which I feel blessed to be their mother. For now, suffice it to say, I am just grateful for the four beautiful children that Heavenly Father has seen fit for me to have and to raise. I am grateful for them every day and strive each day to let them know of my gratitude for them. I'm so far from perfect, but through my children I have a desire to be a better person and to do the things that will someday allow us the blessing of being together eternally. There is no way to know what the future holds or how long I will have these angels in my life, but each day that I do is a blessing that I recognise and cherish.

(this photo was taken in August when Rich was out of town and we emailed it to him one morning to say "hi")

If I were in Utah...

I have to put in a couple of plugs of events that I would TOTALLY be taking part in if I lived in Utah. I'm not, but so many of my friends and family are so get out your calendars and take note.

October 1st, 2nd, & 3rd 10 a.m - 6 p.m. The MAKING MEMORIES WAREHOUSE SALE! Unbelievable prices, new product stocked every day and free prizes. I got the memo about it last week, but couldn't find an online link to post so if you want the info, let me know in the comments and I'll forward the info from my email. If you've never been, you HAVE to check it out. If you have been, you know what I'm talking about. Just make sure you pick me up something while you are there!

Ocotber 11th 11a.m. - 3 p.m. The SCRAPS OF SIMPLICITY FALL MARKET.
My sister-in-law's mom does this each fall and spring and I've been in town to attend only once, but wish I was there every time it was held. Talk about amazing crafts! Words don't begin to describe; it's like an etsy mall! You just better go check it out and make sure to bring your Christmas list because you'll be shopping like crazy.

September 24th thru October 30th The PUNKINAZE!
West Haven's best corn maze and so much more! This is put on each year by my sister-in-law's family and I assure you that it is worth the drive to take your family up for an evening. We were in town a couple of years ago and were able to attend and my kids still talk about it! Go, Go, Go and I assure you that it will be a new family tradition that you will repeat for years to come.

Tooth Fairy Redeemed

So here's a quick tooth fairy update...
The tooth fairy did find Cason Wednesday night when he left his tooth out for the second night. He determined that it must have been that his head was too heavy for her, so he left the tooth under his stufffed dog at the end of the bed rather than under the pillow. Success!

The idea of waking up to a dollar intrigued Cason enough that he determined that he wanted more money. So Thursday night he made little paper teeth to leave for the tooth fairy, in an attempt to fool her and to get rich. Boy was he ever MAD Friday morning when discovered that the tooth fairy had left him paper (fake) money in place of the paper (fake) tooth. I thought it was quite smart of the tooth fairy myself!



Then later that very day the stubborn loose tooth finally came out. So then he had a real tooth to leave for the tooth fairy Friday night, but he worried all evening about whether the tooth fairy would come or whether she would just think he was trying to fool her again. Nice opportunity for mom to come in and tell him the story about the boy who cried wolf and why we ought to not play tricks.

Luckily the tooth fairy doesn't hold a grudge and Cason woke up this morning to another dollar.

USC 21 ~ OSU 27

The morning after your team beats the #1 ranked team....

Yea, it feels pretty good!

Beavers #1 !

and what's up with the tooth fairy?

Cason has had a loose tooth for a couple of weeks. We even had the dentist look at it last week because the permanent tooth is 1/4 of the way in already and that stubborn baby tooth continues to stay put.

Yesterday Cason came home with a tooth in a ziploc bag and announced "I lost my tooth at school today". Sure enough he had. But when he smiled, that darned loose tooth is still there. He'd lost the tooth next to it that I didn't even know was loose!

So here's the truth in blogging part. The tooth fairy didn't even come last night! My sweet Cason lost his first tooth ever and put it under his pillow and she had the nerve to not show! What could have possibly kept her from such an important task? It's not like she has a house to straighten or bills to pay or is just utterly exhausted at the end of the day because of an energy zapping two year old.... I think I will suggest that tonight Cason leave a note on the kitchen counter telling the tooth fairy where he is sleeping so she can be sure to remember, or um I mean find him.

Sherwood Knights

Conner was honored this weekend by his football team. Here is what was written about him following their game on Saturday:

"The Sherwood 5/6 Red Knights have awarded this week’s Black Knight award to Conner (Dougie) Dougall. “Dougie” plays in the left guard position who did a great job getting out in front of the play on his pulls, and looking downfield for blocks, helping the Red Knights execute effectively and get points on the scoreboard, despite a larger Wilson Trojan Green defensive line. Dougie’s quickness and speed in executing his blocks were a significant reason the Red Knights were able to amount 232 rushing yards in their victory over Wilson. Dougie had a fantastic game on both sides of the ball, also making 3 solo tackles which 2 of them were for losses. Congratulation DOUGIE!"

Three months old...

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile is the source of your joy.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

In these short three months, Ty's smile has absolutely become a source of my daily joy.

How could it not?

For each of my kids, during their first year, I've taken a monthly photo in the same chair with a stuffed animal to give a sense of their size and how much they have grown.

This month Ty decided to gobble up his bear.

Watch out world!

Here are some photo updates of our little Ty on his birthday today.

He continues to eat well, sleep well, smile lots and grow too fast.

All the while, our hearts continue to swell with love for him each day!

No Hands

(this one's for you dad)

I gave Jake a waffle for lunch today after church and he was just making a mess of it and kept getting out of his seat. So, mean mom that I am, I took his waffle away and told him he was done.

He then proceeded to drag the kitchen chair over to the counter to where I had a couple of waffles cooling. As he began to climb onto the chair I said, "Jake, don't touch those waffles"

He didn't...

I nearly bust a gut laughing and was so glad that my camera was on the fridge so I could get a photo. He didn't even notice me taking the photo until the flash went off, at which point he pleaded innocence....

It makes me wish I knew what he was thinking.

Probably something along the lines of "I'm innocent. I didn't touch a thing!"

Kickin' it

Ty started his nap wrapped burrito style in his blanket and propped up on his positioning pillow.

Ty's nap finished and this is what I found...

Watch out for this kid. He's already got a serious kick and he appears to becoming mobile!

Turning the world upside down....

Do you remember that time in your life when you were doing handstands every chance you got?

I do. I remember doing handstand contests at recess in elementary school. I remember even competing in handstands with a cast on my arm. I even have a decent scar from a handstand gone bad in my bedroom :)

I guess it's one of those "she's growing up" moments to watch my daughter now spend more time upside down than right side up. It just seems like I was older when I used to do that. Or maybe I wasn't but I just feel like Kaitlyn should still be younger....

52 Blessing Project Week 38 ~ RICH'S JOB

What a crazy economic week! Watching Wall Street became a bit of a test for the stomach and I'm not sure but the ride hasn't come to a complete stop just yet. I guess we will just have to keep our hands and legs in for a bit longer.

In these crazy economic times I am really grateful for RICH'S JOB, for Rich's work ethic and for Rich's determination to face the rat race each and every day. I have always been grateful for a husband that provides for his family and for Rich's commitment to see me stay at home to raise our children. We are fortunate that Rich works for the companies that he does and that they are sound companies run by honest people. I pray each day for continued blessings in the realm of my husbands work and am grateful that those prayers have been heard.







P.S. If you ever are in need of a great financial advisor or looking for insurance advice, you know who to call :)

Time Out for Women

This weekend I attended the Deseret Book "Time Out for Women" here in Vegas. It was originally scheduled for February, but was rescheduled due to President Hinckley's funeral. Needless to say, I've been anxiously awaiting it. Because of having Ty I wasn't able to attend Women's Conference or Ed Week this year, so this was my "recharge" for the year. Here is a quick recap on some of the highlights for me:

I have never seen Hillary Weeks perform in person, but she was the "hostess" of the weekend and so she performed throughout the event between other presenters. I fell in love with her. Her music is so touching and inspiring, and her personality was delightful ~ spiritual, with just a touch of humor to keep you on your toes. She sang a song from her new album called "You Give"; it spoke of all the things that the Lord gives to each of us, and ultimately, He gives us just what we need. It was beautiful and it has been on my mind since hearing it Friday night.

Elia Gorgouris was our presenter Friday night and he did a great job speaking about relationships. I wrote down lots of points from his talk, but the best reminder for me was to define our expectations up front, in any relationship. Frustrations occur when there is a gap between reality and expectations, yet we so often don't define our expectations so it is very difficult for them to be met. I think that this is something that I have gotten better at in later years and will attest to the truthfulness of this point.

Our entertainment Friday night was the Nashville Tribute Band. Oh my! If you ever get the chance to see them perform live, DO IT! I have seen their tribute albums (one is to Joseph Smith and their second is to the pioneer trek west) but had never heard them, and probably was a bit skeptical. My mistake. I am buying both albums this week! Go to their website and listen to some of the sample songs, especially "Emma" and "God is Good". They were just sensational live; they were entertaining, their testimonies were moving and the music was amazing. Here is the song "Emma" being performed, you have to watch it and you'll see why I fell in love with it after only hearing it once.



Saturday morning we got a huge treat when Virginia Hinckley Pearce was a presenter, in place of one of our scheduled presenters that was ill. She is awesome and I only wish I had her talk in written form so that I could reread it often. She spoke on prayer and her insights to a seemingly simple subject were profound. She spoke of how we sometimes will offer a prayer and it simply isn't granted, but that generally when God does not answer our prayer as we would hope, He will make Himself known in another way (think Elder Bednar's tender mercies). She also bore testimony that if we will teach our children to live a prayerful life, they will be okay and we will have done our job.

Michael Wilcox was next and he is just brilliant. He quoted C.S. Lewis from the Chronicles of Narnia when Aslum (sp?), who is the Christ figure in that book, says "You do not yet look as happy as I mean you to be". Can you not just see our Saviour saying that to us in our lives. We struggle and yet we are meant to have joy and I'm sure there are times that our Lord would say that to each of us. He also talked about our lives and related them to the Garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat of ANY tree in the Garden, except one. Think about that. They had a huge number of trees to choose from and we do too. We need to focus on all the good choices that the Lord has provided for us. Yet, when Satan tempted Eve he drew her attention to the one and only tree that the Lord had forbidden. Frequently that is what Satan does to us - he would have us focus on the one thing we can't or don't have in an attempt to make us lose sight of all that we can or do have. Profound! I just love to have scriptures related to my life here and now.

The rest of our afternoon was presentations by Pam Hansen, Amanda Dickson and Chris Stewart, who also did great jobs, but I was in the mother's lounge for parts of each of their talks and so I didn't take notes.

One last thing, that I thought was very neat, was that Virginia Pearce said that everywhere she goes people have expressed to her their love for her father and that nearly 100% of the time, they will thank her for "sharing" him. She then said something that was so touching, she said "I just want you all to know that I got everything I needed as a daughter from my father". What a neat thing to say. She may have shared her dad with 12 million members of the church, but he was still her dad and he was still performing that role, even as prophet. I don't know why that touched me so, but it was just a beautiful thing for her to say. I told you I loved her!

Anyway, that's just a taste of my weekend. TOFW will be back to Vegas in spring 2010 and I'm already planning to go. It's a great way to spend a weekend. Thanks Rich for supporting me in going and for watching the kids so I could go and enjoy.

Write it down

I guess my memory is getting worse and worse. At least Kaitlyn thinks so.

On Monday she had a dentist appointment, and when I went downstairs Monday morning there was a note on the counter written by Kaitlyn to remind me of her dentist appointment.

This morning I mentioned that I would be picking her and Cason up from school, which is not the normal Wednesday routine. I said, out loud, "I hope I remember that I'm doing pick up today". I guess Kaitlyn hopes so too, since I found this note taped to my fridge...

Isn't it great to have a helper?

Miss Ainsley

I just got off the phone with Bodee and I'm an auntie again!

Ainsley Elaine Wright was born last night at 9:44 p.m.

She weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 inches long

Isn't she beautiful?

I can't wait to meet you (and hold you) sweet little one!

Congratulations Mark, Neesha and Caleb.

Our Christmas Activities explained

I've referenced our family Christmas Activities each month and have had two people ask me for the details because they want to try it in their family, and have left other people scratching their heads because they have no idea what I'm referring to. So here it is explained.

A couple of years ago we felt like the kids just didn't need anymore toys or "stuff" and so we decided to give the kids "time together" as our Christmas gift to them. That year we took the kids on a cruise for their Christmas gift and it was everything we'd hoped it would be, as far as creating memories and getting away from anymore "stuff". Unfortunately, we can't do a cruise each year for the holidays, but we still wanted to give the kids memories while we cut down on the consumerism that Christmas has come to represent.

Last year Rich came up with the best idea! We limited the gifts to the kids to just a couple gifts each and then as a family we gave each other activities/experiences. We assigned each month of 2008 out to a different family member who then had to come up with a family activity to do that month (we used a $50 budget per month - you could set your own limit). Then we had to get creative and figure out a way to wrap something that represented the activity so that there was something under the tree for each month's gift.

I don't know how much sense my explanation made, but here is how our gifts turned out for 2008, along with how some months were represented as gifts:

• January - Kaitlyn chose to do science experiments as a family (she wrapped some supplies for one of the experiments)
• February - Cason chose bowling
• March - Katherine chose a rock climbing center (I wrapped a bag of rocks)
• April - Rich chose skymania
• May - Katherine chose a Lake Mead day cruise (I wrapped a toy boat)
• June - Conner chose camping (he made/wrapped a collage of camping gear)
• July - Tanner chose a buffet
• August - Cason chose miniature golfing (he wrapped a golf ball)
• September - Rich chose the Adventuredome theme park
• October - Kaitlyn chose a Halloween craft
• November - Katherine chose dessert at the top of the Stratosphere (I wrapped an ice-cream sundae dish)
• December - Rich chose to attend the Magic Forest

Obviously we haven't completed them all, but we have LOVED this monthly activity and the kids talk about it all the time - both the activities that we have done and what is still to come. They have already started brainstorming about what they are going to "give" this year at Christmas. Needless to say, I think we have created a tradition that has stuck.

Good luck to any of you that try it. Give me some feedback on how it works for you and how you tweak it to make it even better :)

One year older and wiser too.....

Happy Birthday to Me!

Since today was Monday, the kids were off school so I was able to spend my day with my favorite little people. Part way through the day Kaitlyn told me that if it was her birthday she would be having fun, but that my birthday was boring. I guess that is kind of true - birthdays as adults just aren't quite the same.

So here are the things that I did on my 33rd birthday that made it boring:

woke * went to the gym * took a shower * fed the baby * ate breakfast * took the kids to the dentist * went to the bank * went to the market * fixed lunch * fed the baby * helped with homework * returned Kaitlyn's shoes to the store * gave the boys naps * fed the baby * made my own birthday dessert * mopped the floor * cleaned the stove * made dinner * sent Cason to soccer practice * played outside with the kids * fed the baby * vacuumed the house * had FHE * put the kids to bed * folded laundry * cleaned the bathrooms * fed the baby

(okay so maybe not fun, but it was productive!)

But here are the things that made my 33rd birthday great:

the yummy dinner out that Rich took me to last week * birthday wishes from each of my kids as they woke up * phone call from Christina bright and early * the gourmet brownies from the market that I never buy but justified because it was my day * the message from Ashley (great singing voice Ash!) * the visit from my visiting teachers * the phone call from my mom * having chicken/spinach enchiladas for dinner with no complaints because it was my birthday meal * gifts from my family * taking half of my birthday dessert to my neighbor across the street to share * the phone call from Bodee * knowing that spending my day with my family was the way I wanted to and chose to spend my day.

Thanks everyone who made my day great!

Adventuredome

Our September activity (from our Christmas list) was from Rich and it was a day (yesterday in fact) at the ADVENTUREDOME THEME PARK at Circus Circus. It's touted as 5 acres of indoor fun, and it really delivered. I was pleasantly surprised at how many rides there were and the relatively quick lines which allowed the kids to frequently just walk on to the ride they wanted.

Rich and the kids each got the all day pass. Kaitlyn and Cason rode every ride at least once, with the exception of the two rides that went upside down. Jake rode all the rides that his height allowed, which may have scarred him for life. Turns out he was tall enough to ride a number of rides that maybe were a bit too fast or too rough for a boy of his age. Rich figures we probably just created a phobia in him and may never have to take him to Disneyland :)

(you too can cure your 20 month old child of amusement park desires, for only $14.99)

Here are just a few of the pictures of our day of fun!

As we left I was pushing Ty asleep in the stroller and carrying Jake asleep over my shoulder. Kaitlyn and Cason were bouncing around their dad asking for "just one more". I think that that all points to a successful day spent as a family.

Here's our Smiler Tyler, enjoying the day without an all day pass.

He impressed one family so much with his sweet smile that they asked if they could take a picture of him - they then proceeded to be in the picture with him. Nothing like having a stranger want to take a photo with your child. Somewhere in the world our Tyler will show up in a family scrapbook from their trip to Las Vegas 2008.

52 Blessing Project Week 37 ~ BABY GEAR

Have you ever wondered how the generations before us did it? Without the conveniences of technology and dishwashers and microwaves and multiple cars, etc, etc. I know I have and I'm grateful for all those conveniences. I can't imagine being a mother without all those timesavers. In addition, I'm grateful for all the BABY GEAR that makes my job as mom so much easier.
Here are some of my favorite BABY MUSTS that I am very grateful for and wouldn't want to do without....

First and foremost - my baby bible. "On Becoming Babywise" is a must read for every mom and a must reread every time I have another baby. Each of my babies have slept through the night somewhere between 6-12 weeks because of the principles of this book. I love it! Enough said.






I nurse my babies, but every baby needs to know how to take a bottle. I learned that the hard way with Cason - who NEVER did figure that skill out. I refused to repeat that mistake with Jake and I attempted five different bottle systems before I found, and fell in love, with "The First Years Breastflow Bottle". It worked for Jake and I now use it with Ty and, again, I love it!
(anybody who would like any of the other five bottle systems I bought, just let me know)


I know it's a no brainer to have a safety gate if you have stairs, but I would say you need one even if you don't have stairs. I love my saftey gate from Safety First because it is removable and so it is able to be wherever I need it to be. I can use it at the top of the stairs, at the bottom of the stairs or IN A DOORWAY (i.e. when your child is still learning to stay in his big boy bed and you don't want him up wandering the house at 2 a.m. while you are too comatose to know). I've had the same gate through all four kids and it has held up. This is a great gate!

I didn't think I would want/need/use a breastpump because I've stayed at home since having Kaitlyn. But I took the advice of a wise friend and bought the high end pump nonetheless and am so glad that I did. I use it all the time - sometimes to take a bottle with us on an outing and sometimes to just store up milk for future use. Either way, the Medela Pump in Style is quick and easy and is one of my must haves!

My Maclaran Stroller - oh why did I have to go through so many others before discovering Maclaren? When I was in NYC with Mel 3+ years ago we saw this stroller everywhere. We figured if it was good enough for moms who walked everywhere in a big city, it must be a really great stroller. Boy is it ever! Light weight, easy to maneuver and the handles are tall enough for me! Love it!

My newest find, which I wish I had had 3 children ago, is my baby wrap. Mine is from Metro Mamma, but my SIL has one from Moby Wrap - same thing. I can carry Tyler for hours without an ounce of pain or ache because it's just a clothe wrap. I use it anytime I want to have my hands free. My favorite use is at church because he will sleep for the whole 3 hours when he is next to my chest and my hands are free to manhandle Jake. Another plus is that I can wrap it on my side and I can actually carry Jake - but I reserve that for home use, generally when I'm trying to make dinner and he's needing his momma. It's a miracle invention and I love it!

My gratitude list may seem more like a sales pitch this week, but these BABY ITEMS have seriously saved me and I'm grateful for each of them and for the friends that told me about each item. I figured it was my turn to pass along the great advice that I got along the way.