When our minivan broke down for the third time today when Jakob was driving it home from the shop, I was thinking.....

• Our mechanic stinks.
• We need a new car.
• There must be a (legal) way that I can earn money with no skills or talent.
• I wish that life expectancy was still in the 30's. Lucky medieval devils.

Blessings in Trial: More great people! So nice! The woman who popped the hood with Jakob and helped him refill fluids. The man who helped him push the van off the main road. He even got our number and called tonight to see if Jakob got home okay! So nice. And our friend who just drove Jakob back to the shop to pick up his car since the van won't make it.

Am I as nice as these people? I want to be. I need to work on it.

So Fun

This made me wish I could've walked down an aisle more than any of the other traditional weddings ever have.



I also wish I had cooler friends.



(I'm totally kidding, guys! I know you'd all dance down the aisle for me!..........Michiko?)

Update

Trial update: Last night I broke my toe while walking into the shower.

Blessing in Trial: It was just one of the little ones, so no need for the ER or copay.

When my car broke down for the second time in 24 hours, I was thinking....

Enough is enough. Is enough. And thinking, again, how much I wish we lived by family. With trials like these, family is supposed to be nearby.

The trials in my life always come all at once. It's feast or famine. To me, this is a very deliberate cycle. Jakob seems to think it's coincidental. But there's no way. We will have peace and happiness for a few months and then - BOOM! One after another after another. If I could chart my trials, you would see a definite pattern. So that's what I'm going to start doing. Charting my trials.

I get so frustrated that they all come at the same time. Why not spread them out a little? One a month or something? But, I think I know why. It's because I am one tough mutha. And if my trials were spread out, life would be a piece of cake. I'd be hitting 'em out of the ball park every time. In order to test this tough cookie, you can't hold back. No holds barred.

So I say, "BRING IT ON YOU SONS OF GUNS!"


Just kidding. I say enough is enough. Is enough.

So are you curious to know what I've been hit with this quarter? Well, I'll tell you. And why don't you start charting my trials, too, so we can compare notes in a year.

• Someone, somewhere hacked into my paypal account and fraudulently transferred $700 to some made up company. It came straight out of our checking account. Which emptied our account and made us go into overdraft. (For those of you who have more than $700 in your checking account...."Well, la-dee-frickin-da!") Paypal prides themselves on being secure, so when all was said and done they figured it all out and refunded our money. But it took two weeks. So that was two weeks of having no cash and having to delay some payments of stuff.
• Our renters are being evicted. The people renting our old house. For not paying rent. And when they don't pay rent, we don't pay that mortgage. (Some of you might be able to pay two mortgages for awhile....."Well, la-dee-frickin-da!" ) So the pressure's on to kick those guys out and find new renters.
• I was taken for a whole lotta money through an internet scam. It's my own fault. Hindsight, I should've known better. And Jakob thought it was sketchy the whole time. But he's always telling me not to buy stuff. It's like the boy who cried wolf, ya know? It was for a swingset for my boys. Through some clearance shop. It seemed very legit, and the scammer fooled a lot of people. He was good and he will never be caught. Even though Jakob prayed that he would be punished. One of our better and more entertaining 'Couple's Prayers'.
• Jakob's work is making him take another three-day furlough (unpaid leave). Not just him, the whole company. Did I forget to blog about how he already had to take a five-day furlough in June? I must've been in better spirits then. We barely made it through those five days alive. And now we have to figure out how to do it again.
• My minivan broke down yesterday.....ON THE FREEWAY! It just stopped working. Died. While I was driving on the freeway. There was, of course, no shoulder. So I just coasted as closely as I could to the concrete divider in the right lane. It was very scary. I was also on a bridge. Some maniac could've sideswiped me and flipped me over the bridge! I called AAA and they said they'd send a police car and tow truck to me. They didn't. I called 911 myself and the police officer called me a tow truck. Jude and Tate were with me. It was a very hot day so it was miserable while we waited in the car for 45 minutes. Tate was very upset. Jakob left work and found me. Our car was towed to the shop. They said it was the fuel injector.
• My minivan broke down today. I needed the van to pick up the boys from school, take Kobe to piano, go to pack meeting, etc. So Jakob picked it up from the shop on his lunch break and drove it home. We loaded Jude and Tate in the car and were taking Jakob back to his car and work. Then it just died again. I'm so glad Jakob was with me this time and that we were on a normal road, not freeway. AAA came to the rescue again (after an hour wait in 90+ degree weather). It's in the shop again. This brings our total bill to $800. They say it's the fuel pump. We shall see.

Trials are just a part of life, and it is always very obvious to me how much Heavenly Father is mindful of me and my family during our trials. There are so many blessings in these trials that I am so grateful for.

• We rented our house through a property management company, so they're handling all the eviction and court stuff.
• I found a different swingset through Craigslist for a good deal.
• Jakob's been doing a few taxes for a CPA in our ward for a little extra money. It helps.
• My boys and I were kept safe while we were parked in the right lane of a bridge on the freeway. Jakob was able to come and rescue us.
• We interacted with SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE during both breakdowns. People are so nice! I didn't know. I thought everyone was scum. But some people are so nice! Two other drivers pulled over to make sure we were okay. One offered to chain us to his truck and tow us. A lady went to the store and came back with cold water bottles for us. Both police officers were so kind and helpful and understanding. And our tow truck drivers were the best. The best. (One lesson learned: Dental hygiene is no indicator of personal character. So all you 'Crest Whitestrip' users - its what's on the inside that counts. Seriously, though, I need to judge less. There are wonderful people in all walks of life.)

I'm a little nervous still, though. This rainstorm is not over yet. No way. These trials are babies. Remember Jude's ladder incident? That's the real deal. So I'm scared for what's next. Some possibilities:

• An ER visit. By anyone. (Our ER copay is $200!)
• I will lose my wallet/my wallet will be stolen.
• Car accident.
• Our home AC will go out.
• Declining health/sickness for anyone. (But we all know it will be Jakob.)
• Jakob will lose his job.
• I won't be able to see the new Harry Potter movie until it's out on video.

I'll stop with those. We'll see. Place your bets now, though. The winner will get a 'Trial Chart' signed by me!

Charlie Mae

My sister, Marcie, and brother-in-law, Jamis, welcomed their first baby on March 16, 2009. A gorgeous girl, Charlotte Mae. I love Charlotte Mae. It's funny how you can feel so close to your siblings' children, even though they're not yours. I'm surprised at how strongly I love her even though I've hardly seen her. I'm so excited for Marcie and Jamis. They are wonderful parents and that little Charlie Mae is one lucky gal.

We made a quick weekend trip to Utah in May for Charlotte's blessing. We drove there Friday night and drove home on Monday. It was the quickest Utah trip we've ever made. I was nervous, but the drives turned out to be the BEST we have ever had. Miracle. And we fit a whole lot in those two days. There are 32 pictures in this post. If that is too much for you to handle, I suggest you close out this post and try again next time.

We arrived late Friday night and I got to meet sweet Charlotte.

There was a lot of Charlie Mae time. The boys loved their new baby girl cousin.

Saturday morning was all about the animals. Kobe and Luke played with Nanny and Papa's pigs, Boomer and Beyonce.

Then we all took turns riding on one of Nanny's horses (the nice one), Lady. Kobe and Luke were naturals.

Jude was a little hesitant. He is really afraid of animals for some reason. So he took a ride with Kobe.

Tate's first ride.

Daddy's turn.

Mommy's turn.

We all headed up American Fork Canyon for our family picnic tradition.

Snowcones, of course.

And games at night. My neck was still bothering me. Probably from holding up my ginormous head. And my husband loves me.

Sunday we all went to church. (This is an official-family-only picture. But the gal pals were there.)

The grandkids.

Then we had Charlotte Mae's blessing at my parents' house.

I find this picture collage funny. It's purely coincidence. :)

Before we left on Monday, we made a stop to visit all the York cousins. The boys love to be with their cousins.

Phew! All that in a weekend? We are amazing.

Concert at Red Rocks

(I once blogged about my ginormous monster head and Jakob's little one. Could it be any more obvious in this picture? We're making this marriage work, against all odds.)

Jakob and I got to go to our first concert at Red Rocks to see 'Flight of the Conchords'. I blogged about 'Flight of the Conchords' already here. It was such a fun night, even though earlier that morning I had the weirdest and most intense neck pain. It came on super suddenly and by Saturday morning I couldn't even move my neck. Extreme pain! I don't know what caused it because I hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary. Some people say stress, but I don't know.

I saw a chiropractor earlier in the morning and it didn't help much. Then I remembered a sweet stash of pills that I had leftover from....a sinus infection, maybe? I loaded myself full of Vicodin so I wouldn't have to miss out on this night that we had been looking forward to for forever.

Our night started with dinner at my favorite, Costa Vida. Then we headed to Red Rocks for the concert. It really is an awesome place. The amphitheater is created from these rock formations. I think. I don't really know. But it was super cool.

The concert was awesome. And it was my first time being able to enjoy a concert the way concerts are supposed to be enjoyed - high on drugs. Speaking of, my one complaint about Red Rocks is all the pot being smoked everywhere. I'm a conservative gal and am not on board with the use of drugs, even at concerts. More importantly, it's so stinky.

The opening act was a comedian - Arj Barker - who plays Bret and Jemaine's friend, Dave, on their show. During his act, I tripled the amount of 'F-words' I have heard in my entire life. It's a shame. He was hilarious without the swearing! The 'F-word' is so unnecessary and didn't add anything to the jokes. I wonder why people love to hear the 'F-word' so much.

Anyway, 'Flight of the Conchords' was super awesome. It was so cool to see Bret and Jemaine in person. Well, see them through my binoculars. They were hilarious. I want to be their friend. I'm going to work on that.

Super fun date night!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Four boys in a tub. This is one of the last times they were all able to fit in the bath together. Now we bathe in shifts. They're growing up so fast!

Mother's Day - May

This Mother's Day was so great. Well, it was a different great because it is the first Mother's Day where I have been on a diet. So my usual source of complete happiness - food and treats - was missing. But I found my happiness in other ways.

The day began with breakfast in bed - two scrambled eggs. (My diet is low carbs, high protein.) It was a treat to not have to scramble my own eggs, though! There was an unfortunate triple-chin picture of my boys and me in bed that I thought I'd post. But, alas, it turns out my self-esteem is not that strong yet.

The boys made me so many great cards and crafts for Mother's Day. They put so much time and thought into them. I'm so glad that they are in school this time of year so that I can be spoiled with all of these thoughtful gifts.

Jakob begged and begged for me to suggest a gift he might get me. But that's not how I work. I wanted to save my "gift credit" until I found something I really loved later. And I did. A cute outfit for a concert we went to.

The rest of the day was a lot of sleeping and resting and computer time for me. Thanks, honey!

I am so grateful to be a mother to my four wonderful boys. I'm always trying to figure out why they are as sweet as they are. Is it Jakob's sweetness passed down genetically? Or is it that I was lucky and three four sweet spirits were just sent to my home? I try my best as a mother, but fall short in so many ways. My boys are so forgiving of me and love me so much. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be their mother.

Spring Soccer 2009 - May

Another Soccer season come and gone. Luke was our only player this season and Jakob was his coach again. It was a great season, great team, HORRIBLE weather, and great time overall.

The handsome coach.

End of season dog pile.

Jude's game friends, McKay and Kinlie.

Luke's award this year was 'Super Striker'.

Kobe got an award, too, for being such a great Assistant Coach.

Fall season is just around the corner. (Exclamation mark intentionally withheld.)

90 Seconds With Tate

Get ready to experience 90 seconds with Tate. Here are 10 pictures of Taters during dinnertime - his most unpleasant time of day. All taken in 1 1/2 minutes. They are posted in the exact order taken.

At what age can they diagnose bipolar disorder?