Cutest little Italian Brothers...

 Holy Mario Brothers!  Halloween is FUN when you have little dudes who are so excited, and so into their costumes.  Meet Mario and Luigi! 

Happy Birthday Logan!

Logan had a great 3rd birthday!  He got to spend the day with lots ... and lots .... and lots of family.  Aaaah, what more does a kid need than cousins, friends and PRESENTS!!??!!

Oh ya, cake!

Thanks to Aunts Moni and Amanda who helped with this creation!  We hope Logan's birthday was OUTTA THIS WORLD! 

Daniel's 6th Birthday

Hey Mr. Man!  Look who's SIX!!  Daniel had his birthday party postponed a few days, but that didn't stop us from throwing a great PAR-TAY!

We had a fun bunch - with friends and family from near  - and FAR!  What a fun surprise to have cousins from Redmond, Salem, Salt Lake and Medford, OR.

Daniel wanted a SUPER MARIO BROS. party ... so we had 1UP MUSHROOM cupcakes....

QUESTION BOX gift bags (didn't get a picture of those) ....

and MARIO hats for everyone!

Oh, and a couple of LUIGI hat.

Daniel had a great birthday!

Our New "+1"

It was on June 8, 2009 when our sweet Arcadia/Cadi/Puppy Girl/Fuzzy Butt/Puppy Love passed away.  That day broke our hearts.  We have mourned and cried for the past year.  Once in a while we have looked at little fur balls online, but never felt like it was time for us to add a puppy back to our house.

ENTER..... Nana.  We found a sweet girl who, at 2 years old, was beyond the house-training, puppy-chewing, plant-pruning stages.  Nana had a great home with other Saints who were show dogs (she earned some points herself!) but Nana developed Entropian.  So, without perfect eyes, and needing a little eye-lift, she needed a companion home.  Her cute face tugged at our hearts.  We've looked at lots of dogs, but she was the first one who tugged.

Here we go again!

The boys with their WELCOME signs.  (Logan is playing with a stick - Daniel is holding his sign and the other boys are from the Alpine Mountain Saints family.  We were so excited to see her!

Here's the big girl ... a little jet-lagged.

She loves the kitchen floor.  We have a soft, sweet, comfy bed next to our own bed, but she loves this spot...and the one a few inches away from it ... and the one a foot from it ... and in front of the fridge ... and, well you get the idea.

The first morning ... Daniel totally loves this girl. 

Logan getting his turn.

Does this spot look familiar?  This is about a week after we got her. 

Nana (soon transitioning to Maggie) is a sweet girl.  She's gentle and easy going.  She has puppy-moments, but has shown us what we have been missing the past year.  Did I mention that she is HUGE?!?!  Her head is twice the size of Cadi's and it takes both of my hands to hold one of her paws.  When she snores, it vibrates the kitchen chairs.  :O)  Aaawwwhh, fuzzy girl!

K-Grad!

Here's my little (don't tell him I said little) buddy, on his K-Grad day!  He was so excited for his big day!

Of course Logan needs in on the action!

Receiving his "Diploma" ... and treats!

Next to a couple of little classmates.  The AMAZING room mom made the caps and gowns for all of them.  They looked so cute!

Big stuff!

With Mrs. Weber.  Quite possibly the BEST Kindergarten teacher.  Ever!

May 26, 2010.

He knows me so well

In addition to an adorable necklace and a priceless photo/handprint gift for Mother's Day, Daniel came home with a book of questions he had answered about me.  So, as you can see - were I to suddenly acquire $1,000,000,000.00 I would gladly give my sweet husband who works so hard so we have the things we need $10.00.  

Gotta budget, ya know.  

So, after wishing me a yo-yo, liking that I tickle him, and knowing that I have mad macaroni cooking skills, here is the last page of his book......

'nuff said.

All you need is dirt!

Forget video games.  Who needs a bike?  In the last few weeks we have found that all you need is dirt!

Dirt is good.  Just ask my kitchen floor.   It has seen A LOT of dirt.  So, the broom has been very busy, but the kids are very happy.  What a trade!  Oh, and a firepit doesn't hurt anything!  Smores are good for kids!

Cousins after Church...

We had SOOOO much fun with Gillespie cousins here for a visit last week.  Here are all the little kiddos after church. 

"Rules for Marriage"

I copied these rules off of MSN ... how are these for Rules for Married Men and Women?

 Rules for Married Men

1. Lend a Hand
Nothing gets a woman happier than getting down on your hands and knees, getting sweaty and … scrubbing the grout in the bathroom. Man up when it comes to household duties; it pays off.
2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Be respectful to your in-laws. They may not deserve it, but your wife does. Do it for her.
3. Hand-Holding
Hold her hand. Often. And if you ever lose your hands, hold elbows.

4. Work at Your Marriage
"Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day."

5. Confide Carefully
Sometimes when times are tough, you've got to talk to someone, anyone other than your wife, just to get perspective. But keep in mind that your friends are there to support you, not provide perspective, and don't say anything you can't take back once these troubles are behind you.

6. Don't Write Off Counseling
Everyone should be in marriage counseling because marriage is hard. If your car is having problems, you take it to a mechanic. Don't give up on a relationship you value without exploring every possible avenue for healing first.
7. Make Time for Romance
Never underestimate the importance of romance to marriage.
8. Surprise Her
Do something nice for your wife, with no provocation, no less than once a week. If you have to put it on your calendar, if you have to tattoo it on your forehead, make it happen. Your life will be longer and happier for it.
9. Apologize
Be the first one to say "I'm sorry" or "I was wrong," even when you're not sorry and you weren't wrong.

10. Give Her a Hug
Hug her. They dig that.

11. Don't Try to Change Her
Every new husband thinks he can change his wife. Every experienced husband wishes he could have back all the time and energy he spent trying to do so.
12. Be Open To Changes
People change as years go by, and so do marriages. Be flexible.
13. Fight Fair
When you fight — and you will — fight fairly. The causes of a quarrel will fade from memory, but cruel words are remembered for years, smartie.

14. Remind Yourself Why You Love Her
Marriage is a choice you make every day, not just at the altar. Once in a while, it's important to remind yourself why you chose this woman, and why you still choose her.

15. Treat Her Right
Put her above all others. That includes your parents, your children, and yourself.

  Rules for Married Women

1. A Little Privacy Goes a Long Way
"Separate bathrooms!" 
2. Keep Quarrels to Yourselves
"My nonna always told my mom, who then passed the advice to me: 'Don't talk to me about the fights you have with your husband. Because then you guys solve it in the bedroom, and the next day I'm still mad.'" 
3. FPP
"Feed, pet and play. Oh, wait … that's the relationship I have with my cat! It still applies. 
4. Be Friends
"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."
5. Don't Be Joined at the Hip
"Let there be spaces in your togetherness."

6. Cheaters Never Prosper
"When you have a family, and you cheat on your spouse, you cheat on everyone, even your friends."7. De-Stress … Together
"Romance alleviates tension."8. Keep at It
"An older woman told me something that stayed with me. I asked her how she stayed married so long. Her reply, 'We never both fell out of love at the same time.' I love that, because no matter how much we want to deny it, there are times we want to throw our boyfriends or husbands overboard — and vice versa. But as long as someone is trying, then you can make it!"9. Own Up
"Whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up."10. Make Time for Romance
"Romance every day keeps the doctor away."
11. To Have and To Hold
"Hold on to each other above everything else."

12. Differences of Opinion are O.K.
"You need not think alike to love alike."13. Avoid Personal Attacks
"A friend once told me that when you argue with your husband (and you will), never make personal attacks. Stick with the subject; there are some things that can never be taken back."14. No Cheating
"When you decide to commit, you've got to commit. Can't cheat. Wanna cheat! Can't cheat. Dying to cheat! Can't cheat. Can't wait to cheat! Can't cheat. Some guys gotta go to rehab not to cheat. But you can't cheat …. Know why? Because you're going to get caught. I don't care who you are, [even if] you're 007, you're going to get caught. And you don't want to get caught."

15. Know Your Priorities
"Keep the fights clean....('nuff said.)"

*I edited for maybe-some-year-my-boys-will read purposes.  For the full articles, go here and also here.

Hmmmmmm.....I think I may work on some of those things ...

Easter Silly

The Easter Bunny always visits our house on Saturday morning.  He didn't disappoint this year!  Oh, the sugar overload!  Here is one little treasure from the baskets.
(Yes, it is supposed to be Easter-Springy-Warm.  So.Not.So.  Woke up to 3 inches of snow!  Absurd!)

How?

Daniel and his class have been making a “huge” card for a sweet little curly-haired darling in Daniel’s kindergarten class.  “June is sick.”  (Her name’s not June.  And she’s not sick.)  “We’re making a card to tell her that we love her and we miss her and we wish she was better.”
Sweet little ‘June’ was abused.  She was strangled and hit.  Blunt-force-trauma, hit.  Half-of-her-skull -removed, hit.  By her ‘mother’.  Allegedly.  Was is a mere ‘fall’?  I am not here to judge that, or her.  I just ache for this little one who is struggling now.
I smile sweetly and tell Daniel it is so kind that the class is making her a huge card.  I hug him and kiss him and tell him how much I love him.
I get angry and frustrated at times.  Of course I do.  Daniel always asks me, “Are you mad at me?”  It literally brings him to tears if I am cross with him.  The other night I went it to kiss him goodnight after a particularly trying evening.  “Are you mad at me?”  I told him I wasn’t mad at him, but I was frustrated.  He started to cry.  I asked him why, and he said, “Because you are frustrated.”  It tore at my heart that I let MY frustrations get the best of me, to the point that it would injure his tender feelings.
So, back to sweet little ‘June’.  I help out in Daniel’s class, and have spent those afternoon with Daniel, ‘June’ and dozens of other children.  Kindergarten teachers deserve a very special place in Heaven for the sweet work that they do with these little people.  After my 2 hours are up, I feel a little dizzy and a little overwhelmed.  :O)  Wowza!  I certainly don’t feel anger at these little dudes and dudettes…but at the end of the day you see them smiling and giggling as they line up to meet back up with the mothers who delivered them there just hours before.  You have to smile.  You just have to.  It had never crossed my mind that any of them would be going ‘home’ to somewhere dangerous.
In a talk from our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, he says:

“ ‘Anger doesn’t solve anything.  It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything.’  We’ve all felt anger.  It can come when things don’t turn out the way we want.  It might be a reaction to something which is said of us or to us.  We may experience it when people don’t behave the way we want them to behave.  Perhaps it comes when we have to wait for something longer than we expected.  We might feel angry when others can’t see things from our perspective.  There seems to be countless possibilities for anger….To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan.  No one can make us angry.  It is our choice.  If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry.  I testify that such is possible.  Anger, Satan’s tool, is destructive in so many ways….May we make a conscious decision, each time such a decision must be made, to refrain from anger and to leave unsaid [or undone] the harsh and hurtful things we may be tempted to say.”  (School Thy Feelings, O My Brother.  November 2009)

And I always think of the scripture Matthew 18:6  “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

OUCH!  I’m going to beg for forgiveness for my own lack of patience and pray for Daniel’s little classmate to heal – body and spirit.

Note to Self

Your husband works longs hours.  When scheduling your Insurance Agent to review policies ... and he's willing to do it at your home ... specify AM or PM to the assistant at the office.

I'm so glad that I had at least showered this morning when the doorbell rang at 7:30. And put on pants.  (And a bra and shirt, for the record!)

And that he's willing to come back, even though I may have scared him with my crazy hair and no makeup.

What Self-Control?

I will NOT open a bag of Easter candy.I will NOT open a bag of Easter candy.I will NOT open a bag of Easter candy.I will NOT open a bag of Easter candy.
...
....
Ryan went to Chicago for 4 days...Mom had a hospital scare...Working on patience...Family drama...No sleep...Out of my comfort zone...Forgot a meeting....Car needs repair...
......
.....
.....
I will NOT open ANOTHER bag of Easter Candy. 

General Musings and Observations from the last 24 hours...

1. Lucky Logan today! He's wearing a red shirt, so he CAN have the red otter-pop he's had his eye on.

2. Lucky Daniel today! He got to ride home from school today with his bestest bud and his other (might as well be he spends so much time with them) mom.

3. Lucky Mom today! I have a hubby who knows me so well. Last night, we'd settled into bed. I (as always) was awake with my mind running...and running...and running. You know when you track your thoughts backwards to figure out just where THAT thought came from... I digress. Well, without the whole story - I got to thinking about Cadi. Dang. I miss her so much. Where the thought ended was the soft furry spot behind her big ears. That little spot kept the oh-so-soft puppy fur. So, I thought that Ryan was sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb him. I was holding in the tears. I was quiet in my grief. And then my nose started to tingle. I reached up and just pinched my nose ever so slightly to stem the flood that was there.

And Ryan asked, "Are you okay?" Commence the flood.

I miss my puppy.

Oh ya, and 4. Lucky Ryan. (Okay, this is lucky me again!) We're a few short weeks away from our 13th Wedding Anniversary. I love my life. I love my husband and my two boys.