Sibling Love

This is not always a captured moment.  But there are many moments like this around here.  I see the love they have for each other and I am grateful to witness it.  I hope they can develop a great friendship when they are older and I hope they can always be there for one another. 

Otis can be feisty, but I think he has brought a sense of love and affection to all the kids.  I guess babies have that effect on people :)  Milli is a sweetheart.  She wants to help and is patient with her little brother. 



Its is my privileged to be their mom... may I take full advantage of the sweet moments I have with them! I know they wont be little for ever and time will not stand still. 

Sometimes I'm A Nice Mom

 The kids don't love running errands with me.  And to be totally honest, I don't love taking them on errands with me :) But I always try to make it fun and reward them for good behavior.  Sometimes that works, other times it totally does not! 

After moving into the new house, we had lots and lots of trips to Ikea or Lowes.  So the kids got very tired of both of those stores.  It was a hot summer and we were being very frugal... For $4 (including tax) I was able to go from the "mean mom" to the "nice mom." Thx IKEA!

 

It was worth the mess for all the smiles and happy kids I got it the end.  Truth is, I really do enjoy the kids.  I want to make them happy. But you can't always get them everything they want.  They don't always expect something, and most of the time, they do deserve a treat :) 

 

I like to be the nice mom all the time... I just need NICE kids all the time too :)  Easy, right?

House Update - NOT so BOOOORING

Another House Update.  This time, its fun and drama free! WOOOHOOO!  This is reason so celebrate.  Picture overload :)

Once the framing got started, we saw tons of progress day after day.  The basement went up SUPER fast.  It took them two weeks to frame the entire house!  We can tell where things will go and the feel of "the lot" has now become real.  We no longer call it "the lot", its our "HOUSE".  It really felt like this was never going to happen.  Its awesome!!!!!

This is our first picture together IN the house.  It was taken on Dave's Bday.  

Only the basement was done at this point.  No stairs yet. 

It was great and slightly emotional to be in OUR HOUSE :) LOVE IT!!!!

Tomi was here and she got a quick glimpse of what the house will sortta look like.  

It was AWESOME to have her here! It was a super short time (more on that on another post).  

Here we are, the three of us, together! :)

You could sit and watch the house come up!  It was pretty awesome to go up the several times a day, dropping off or picking up the kids, and see the progress being made :) 

The upstairs seemed to take a little longer, but not really.  It was still super fast. 

Again, it was pretty crazy to see it go up so fast.  

 This is a view from the "kitchen" into the house, 

you can see some of our rooms towards the back :)

This day was pretty cool.  We have stairs! 

This made it feel like the two floors were finally connected. 

Yay! Roof trusses!!!! The house taking shape...

This week we got our roof, almost done... 

Today we got doors!  The front door, garage door into the house, 

deck door and basement door out to the backyard.  

A LOT has been getting done inside the house.  Plumbing has been put it, we have bathtubs, and showers, rough plumbing in the bathrooms and for the appliances. HVAC has been put threw all sorts of little crevasses. Electrical has been wired and strung all over the place.

LOTS of decisions have been made.  I have picked out the exterior colors, doors, lighting, cabinets, counter tops and lots of little layout things that we were unsure of.  Its been GREAT!

Next week I will be picking out fixtures, flooring, interior colors and finalizing a bunch of little things.  We've had great subs working on the house and that is a cherry on top. 

There is still long way to go, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting much closer!!!! We are happy and SO looking forward to the next month+ to get in our home.  It will be a year, in June, since we sold our old house.  We never thought this would take this long, but it will be worth it in the end :)

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

House Update - BOOOORING!

This will be a boring, slightly dramatic, picture-less post. 


Late December we had a call from the bank that we would be doing the construction draws differently than we had been.  (RED FLAG goes UP).

1st week in January a Sub Contrator calls and says, she ONLY wants to send me the invoice and wants nothing to do with our Contractor. (RED FLAG goes UP HIGH).

2nd week in January, I start asking LOTS and LOTS of questions.  The bank answers and then I start calling EVERYONE that has EVER worked in our lot.  Long story short we found out that nobody was being paid from our contractor, BUT, he was taking our money.

Things got from bad to worse, EVERYDAY in January.  It was an extremely difficult month.  It was lonely and depressing and faith-trying.  I took matters upon my hands and while calling and finding things out we also found out that our contractor hadn't paid our permit, didn't have a contractors license for part of our building process, had bounced checks and simply would not do what we asked him to do. He was SHADY, to say the least. 

We started to find out or better yet, make sure that the work that had been done in our home was in fact inspected and passed by the city.  Late January we found out that he had put everything 2feet TOO LOW!  Meaning the footing and foundation was TOO LOW! This was extremely hard blow as the cost to fix this BIG mistake is very costly.  We quickly got a second opinion on things and contacted another contractor (two other contractors) and they spent more hours in one week with us than we had spent since we had started this process with our contractor.  Needless to say, we had gotten screwed. 

Do to legal reasons we had to wait an additional two LONG weeks to be able to sign with another contractor.  We did the work ourselves in the mean time and raised the footing and foundation two more feet (this after talking to our [fantastic] architect and engineer, extensively!)

We started the actual building process at the beginning of November and should be in our home by now, had everything gone smoothly.  HOWEVER, so many good things have come since then. 

We have new FABULOUS contractors.  Nothing but complete honesty and transparency with them, something we had not had with the previous dude.  They helped us solve the "mystery" of what was going on and how to handle it. 

Where is the house now?

We have foundation at the appropriate height, we have a garage floor, we have a porch floor, bonus (unexpected) cold storage, we have some plumbing, basement sub floor and a HUGE storage room under the garage.  We also have a lot of geofoam under our driveway, this is to alleviate some of the pressure dirt would have had on the foundation wall that had to be extended. 

We also have new contractors, a new appreciation for people that have never met us, yet they felt for us and our situation and helped us just because they are real and kind. We have also learned a lot.  We have become stronger and closer together.  We have a bigger appreciation for what we have and the INNUMERABLE blessings we have received despite the "trials" we have had. 

We continue to feel that this is what Heavenly Father wanted for us and for our family.  Everything had worked out perfectly when we started this process and we had faith that this was what we were supposed to do.  We continue to trust that the Lord is guiding us through this and continues to bless us.  We see His hands in our lives daily and we are grateful beyond words!

We see a little light at the end of the tunnel.  Its little but we see it!!!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

.... you are supposed to make lemonade.  But with out some "sugar" the lemonade is still as sour as the lemons. 

It has been a rough couple of weeks.  Trying to look at the positive things lately has been hard.  Every time I turn around I find out more bad news.  In the hopes that looking at the positive in my life it will make me feel better.  Or you can also say, I want to look at the 'sugar' in my life to make the lemonade taste as yummy as I have always remembered it. 

Sugar (close to home):

I am blessed with a hard working husband.  He loves me and wants to do everything for our family to make our dreams come true.  I love the connection he has with the kids and the bond they share.  I am blessed to spend eternity with him.  I miss him when he is gone and love to him more than I can say!!!

I am blessed with four monkeys that make me laugh, cry and smile every day/hour.  They are forgiving and love me regardless of my flaws and weaknesses.  I am proud of their accomplishments and progress in school, home and church.  I love them all!!!

The other day Otis fell asleep in my arms.  I don't ever get to do this and I enjoyed every second he was in my arms.  I wanted to kiss his soft little cheeks the entire time and nozzle up to him and breath in his yumminess. 

I am really blessed to have a loving husband and four stinkers!  Its hard to be upbeat when life is hard at times.  My 'worries' change my attitude and its not fair to Dave or the kids.  Its hard to change my attitude and just have fun and spend time doing the things I know I want and need to do.  The kids have been watching too much TV, just so I can deal with the 'lemons' that have been sent my way. 

I don't like to be a Debbie Downer, as I feel like I am usually a Happy Heidi (i just made that up, I have no idea if there's such a person :))  Talking through my 'lemons' always helps, but its not always the best solution to the problems. 

Truth is, that I am extremely blessed and I need to remember to look at all the good in my life.  It will make the 'lemons' into a delicious 'lemonade'.  I am looking forward to the sweet lemonade life has to offer me and my family.  I just need to be patient and count all the grains of 'sugar' i have been so richly blessed with. 

New Year, New Year's Resolutions, New Shoes

Its almost February and I haven't posted about our New Year's Resolutions. 

We enjoy setting goals and we have been doing great so far! 

Otis' goal is to sleep through the night.   That's all we are going to get him to work on :)  He has finally regulated his BMs and that is wonderful gift to all of us!  He just out grew his issues, like Mylo did :)

Milli's goals are to sit nicely while eating, learn to ride a bike (weather permitting) and go to Primary by herself.  She has achieved the last goal.  She has been doing so well, she even volunteered to say the prayer!!!  WOOHOOO MIlli!!!

Mylo's goals are to be more kind (by not pushing), try to sleep longer (he is our early bird!), learn to ride a bike (he has a hard time.  I think he is scared to fall), learn to do an "S" curve on a snow/skate board, say prayers in the morning.

Leah's goals are to control her reactions, nail down her "S" curve and listen to at least one talk during sacrament (baby steps :))

Dave's goals are to leave Skullcandy work at work, attend the temple at least once every quarter and decrease in weight by 10%

My goals are to control my yelling (yes, I yell at my kids sometimes and I dont' like it.  I am not perfect!), pray more fervently and decrease in weight by 10%

Family goals are to be better listeners, take naps after sleepovers (they are horrible after sleepovers!) and read our scriptures daily.  We have been doing SO good with these!  We have loved to 'check in' on each other weekly.  

To achieve one of my goals Dave got me a pair of Vibram Five Finger Shoes...

I have really like them!  I have only ran with them twice, but have been working out with them all the time.  I am looking forward to running with them as that was my biggest reason for wanting them.  I had some soreness after the first couple of workouts/runs but I feel that they are strenghtheing my muscles, slow but sure! 

I am looking forward to this year and the good it will bring to all of us.  Though some times things might be hard, they will always be worth it!

New Year's (and Some Random Pics)

 

(this picture was not taken on New Year's Eve. I love the kids playing in their backyard :))

New Year's Eve was spent at The Pearce Home.  But we first had a fun visit with Carmen.  She came over to spend some time with us and we drove up to the lot and filled her head with all sorts of house stuff, that is super fun and interesting to us but maybe not so much for her :).  She was a good sport and was excited for us.

Otis took a special interest in Carmen, as most of the nieces and nephews do.  He quickly went up to her and mostly, just wanted her.  It was cute and Im sure Carmen loved every minute of it.

After our little visit with Carmen we headed to see our friends the Nakaya's for like two seconds.  The holidays were so busy that time to see them was super limited.  But I am glad we saw them just the same :)  THEN, we headed to The Pearce's for dinner and some fun looking at old, OLD pics of the Trevino family.  [(a little random here) Dave has taken on the task of scanning ALL of the pics Al has EVER taken.  He and Leah started with the slides.  There are some PRICELESS pics in there.  Leah is doing some "genealogy" (which would make Karen SO proud) and earning a little cash while doing it]. We then just hung out and chit chatted.

I was grumpy and frankly not feeling well.  I didn't enjoy the night as I normally do.  Truth is the changes that have occurred in the last 3+ yrs have been VERY hard and this is the reason for my grumpiness.  Life is not the same and although I try to make the best of it, sometimes I get down and it affects my "mood."  I hope it didn't ruin anyone's night.  We took off shortly after 10 and got the kiddos in bed early.

I think Dave and I watched a movie that night and that was really nice :)

Some Randoms:

Carmen made Leah and I sweaters!  Carmen is a fantastic knitter and we LOVE it when we get something from her.

Leah wore her sweater EVERY day for an entire week.  She even wanted to sleep in it!  I had wanted to take a picture on Sunday, because we both wearing our sweaters with our boots... We were super cute ;), but she was starving when we got home that we missed the opportunity.  Still, WE LOVE OUR sweaters!!!! Thanks again, Carmen.  XOXO


Leah and Dave scanned TONS of slides over the winter break.  They worked side by side and Leah loved it. The pics carry great memories and we have enjoyed seeing Dave and his siblings as well as Grandpa and Grandma when they were all so young.  I will post some of my favorites on another post. 

This has also been Dave's "office" since we moved her last June.  It makes for a very messy kitchen/family room, but it is nice to have him so close :)

Leah, Mylo, Milli and I went to watch Esteban and Marcos play some indoor soccer.  It was fun to cheer them on and although they lost, I enjoyed watching them play together.  They are both great athletes :)  

(this post took me forever, to post! UGH!!! Glad I am done with it :))

To Boise with Carmen and Sarah

Right before Christmas we found out that one of Karen's best friend's husband was not doing well at all.  I met Carol and Ed when Dave and I first got married.  They visited often and I always enjoyed visiting with them at Trevino's.  A few years after Dave and I got married Ed got a heart transplant.  I visited them at the hospital.  A few months after that I received in the mail a little box with a paper weight heart in it as well as a Thank You card for our "support" during this time in their life.  I was touched by their kind words and really I hadn't done much other than visit once or twice.


Ed had to come to Salt Lake often to get check ups and see how his body was reacting to his new heart.  It was always a treat to have them in town.  We would go visit and just chit chat.  Although this was not something out of the ordinary for me to do when Karen was still with us, our visits with Carol and Ed formed a friendship that was natural.


After Karen's passing, Carol and I remained close.  We would talk on the phone and exchange emails.  We cried often on the phone as we reminisced of our dear Karen, but we also caught up on each others life, my kids and Ed's condition.  When Ed passed I knew I would be going to Boise to just "be" there for Carol. 


Sarah (who has also been close to Carol), Carmen and I took the overnight trip to Boise, just a few days after Christmas.  Although the circumstances where sad, we still managed to have a good time.  We laughed and cried and we talked, a lot.  Ten hours in the car provides a lot of talking time :)


On our way to Boise, we stopped to visit one of Sarah's college friends and then we dinned at Cafe Rio, YUMMY! 

 (Sarah, Carmen and I)

 Carmen and Sarah at the cemetery.  It was a rainy day and cold!

After the cemetery we went to the luncheon.  Picture above, Me, Carol, Sarah and Carmen. 

It was a surprise to me that Carol asked me to read a paragraph that Ed had written and share a few thoughts during the service.  Below is what Ed wrote for the 20th Anniversary for the Utah Transplant Program: 

“We continue to be amazed at the number of doctors, nurses, therapists, and other professionals and support staff that are involved in this miraculous transplant process.  We will always be grateful to my donor and the donor’s family for their generous gift that made my transplant possible.  We thank all of you for your expertise, dedication, and compassion.  You truly are a great team and we congratulate you for 20 years of working together to extend my life and the lives all transplant recipients.”

I was honored that Carol would asked me to share some words at Ed's Funeral Service.  You never know how your little actions kindness and friendship impact someone's life.  It was my honor to have known Ed and have the friendship that I have with Carol. 

I am also grateful and reminded of the Plan of Salvation.  I find SO much comfort in it and knowing we WILL see our loved ones again.  I just hope that I can live a life that will allow me (and my family) to be with them again. 

House Update

The house is coming a long.  Slow (for me), but sure! 

The footings and foundation walls are UP!  SOOOO FUN to see it and walking around IN the "house" is awesome!  The next couple of weeks should be VERY exciting as the framing goes up.  Dave has been doing some time lapses (with help from our super cute neighbor boy), I am sure we will have a cool video of it going up super fast, one day :)

We are still on schedule to move in mid-end of February.  THAT IS SOOOOOO SOON!!!!!!!!!!!

Footings getting some cement :)

Foundation Forms going up....

Foundation WALLS!!!!!!!! 

The "square" seen at the far end of the picture is the (for now) 

storage room under the garage.  its HUGE! 

Right where the tractor thing is is where the downstairs family room will be. 

In this picture you can see part of the future view, my mom's window 

and part of the kids bedroom on the far side of the "house" :) 

"inside" the house!!!!!!!!!  I just walked down there TODAY and it feels like home.  

I realize that sounds crazy, but it does.  I wear my excitement on my sleeve, Dave does not.  

But MY excitment is enough for the both of us :)

In the above picture I am standing in the corner of "Mylo's Room".  Its pretty crazy to stand inside and feel a little bit of what the house will eventually look like and where things will be placed.  THIS IS  A DREAM COMING TRUE!!!!!!

My Grateful List

For the month of November I took it upon myself to think of ONE thing I was grateful for every day.  I had realized that it would have changed my attitude towards almost every day things.

Below is most of my list (in no particular order)

Today I'm grateful for extra hours of sleep and a husband who takes care if the kids.

Today I'm grateful for a Thanksgiving Day spent with people I love

Today I'm grateful for disposable diapers and wipes of any kind (baby wipes, Clorox wipes...). Life is easier with them :)

Today I am grateful for laughter. I love to hear my kids laughing. I love to laugh with family and friends. Laughter makes me happy :)

Today I am grateful for friends. Honest and caring friends! I have been blessed with many and it warms my heart to have them in my life! XOXO

Today I'm grateful for my alarm clock, his name is Mylo. He never fails to give me my first wake up call at 6am! I love that boy!!!!!

today I am grateful for the sealing power. Grateful for a family that can be together forever!!!! My heart is FULL!!!

Today I am grateful for good, dedicated and loving teachers. They sacrifice for my kids and love them and want them to succeed. I love my kids past and present teachers!!!

Today I'm grateful for self motivation and a desire to better myself.

Today I'm grateful for unexpected change that brings progress, because progress is exactly what we want :)

Today I'm grateful for a washer and dryer. I'm grateful i don't have to do all my washing by hand!

Today I'm grateful for an able body.

Today I am grateful for Relief Society. What a wonderful organization it is!!!

Today I am grateful for great deals on fresh yummy produce. :)

Today I am grateful for a supportive husband who helps be the person that i am and pushes me to be better. A husband that is hard working and loving and helps me to live my dreams.

Today I am grateful for lotion. The dry, cold weather kills my hands and lotion is my hand saver :)

Today I'm grateful for happy, healthy kids!

Today I'm grateful for my smartphone. It's just so smart! ;)

Today I'm grateful for my mom. She ALWAYS helps me and loves me unconditionally. Not sure what I would do without her!!!

Today I'm grateful for Dave getting home early from his trip (and the extra hour of sleep).

Today I am grateful for snow covered trees. Beautiful sign of winter fun!

Today I'm grateful for free aerobics classes. Now I won't feel bad if I eat some candy :)

Today I am grateful for Otis' soft hands on my cheeks as I cuddled him after a fall. Oh how very blessed I am to have those tiny hands around my (fat) cheeks!!!

Grateful for a (future) neighbor's phone call :) I can't wait to REALLY be your neighbor!!!!!

 After not doing this every day, I have missed it!  I have noticed my attitude is not one of constant gratitude.  So, i am now just writing one down on paper.  There is SO much I have to be grateful for.  The list is endless! 

An Angel In My Path

A few Sundays ago, Dave was out of town.  This is a very typical occurance.  Unfortunately, Dave has to travel a lot and most of his travel is on the weekends.  Needless to say, Sundays are SUPER hard for me.

On this particular Sunday I was wrestling four kids, by myself.  I was trying really hard to stay cool, calm and collected.  Both Milli and Otis wanted to sit on my lap and neither wanted to share "the" lap.  Leah and Mylo were being great.  They were coloring or reading the Friend.

When I finally convinced Milli to sit for a second or two, Otis took off.  As I stood up to chase after him, this wonderful brother, stopped me as I was about to go through the door.  He asked me to sit down and enjoy, while he watched Otis for me.

I was SO touched by cute Brother Thompson's kind act!  Tears ran down my cheeks as I felt the love of my Father in Heaven through this "angel in my path."  Bro. Thompson doesn't necessarily know me or Otis.  However, what touched me even more was when I turned around after the first speaker had finished their talk, to see if Otis was back in the room.  There was Bro. Thompson and Otis sitting happily on his lap.  Bro. Thompson was reading Otis a book and stroking my arm ever so gently.  I quickly turned around, seeing that all was in control.  After the second speaker I turned around, again.  That is when I found Otis, fast asleep on the arms of "the angel in my path."

I am so grateful for this sweet act of kindness and love, from what is truly no more than a man from church.  It was such a nice sacrament meeting with one less kid climbing on me.  I hope that I learn from Bro. Thompson's example!

I am also grateful for Heavenly Father looking out for me with angels in my path!

Patience

Patience is not something I was "given" when they were giving out all those great qualities.

I have always struggled with being patient.  I am not good at being patient for anything!  When I want to do something, I want it done now, not in five minutes or in the next few days.  When I want a haircut, I want to get it done no later than tomorrow.  I just don't like to wait.  When we were ready for another baby, I didn't want it to take longer than a month.  When I finally was pregnant, I could hardly wait to have that baby in my arms.  When that baby was finally in my arms, I couldn't wait for the next thing.  When I want to loose weight, I want to loose it overnight.  When we started the building process I wanted it started, RIGHT AWAY.  We have yet to dig a whole!  When I want the kids to do something, like brush their teeth, make their beds, get changed for school, I want to ask them one time, not twenty.  I know things take time.  We all have to learn to listen, and be patient.

Today, I have thought about my INpatience.  I truly dislike this about me.  Its a daily struggle to be patient with Dave or the kids or the random lady, who SUCKS AT DRIVING!  But, what was hardest for me today, was not being patient with the ones I love most.

Why do I hurt those I love most?  Why do I take out my bad attitude out on them?  Why must I have such little patience with them?

I ask myself these questions on a nightly basis.  I know they are trying to please me.  I know they know what they need to do, and they will do it.  But, they will do it on their time, not mine.  Then, I get upset and its unnecessary.

I feel bad about my actions. I feel bad about how I treated them for something as silly and trivial as pulling off their blankets from the bed to make a "fort."  Who cares, Lau?  At least they're playing, together.

I once heard someone say something like, God let us borrow these angles (children) until he is ready to have them back.  If I borrow a pan, a stroller, a paint brush or anything else, I take care of it as if it were made of a delicate material.  However, I don't always do that with the angels that have been entrusted to me.  Those that God has let me borrow.

I want my kids (and husband) to know that I love them.  Not because I tell them daily or show them with hugs and kisses.  I want them to know I love them because I show them with my actions and my soft, kind words.  I want to show them my love with words of encouragement and a smile of complete amazement of their achievements.

Patience = Love

I certainly don't feel like I deserve the angels that have been given to me.  I don't deserve the life that I have been given.  I must not take them for granted.  I, most certainly, need to work on my patience towards them, first, before others.  I love them!  I know that they love me.  How I am so blessed, I will never understand it.  But I know that I need them in order to be a better me.

Leah, Mylo, Milli and Otis, if you get anything from this, know that I love you, even when I am not always patient with you!

OOOO's and XXXX's

12 years!!!!

I never really gave much thought to the idea of being married 12 years.  I knew we would be together forever, but every year when our anniversary comes I look back and reflect on what a great time it has been!!!

We had a low-key anniversary today, and it was perfect!  We had take out, after the kids had eaten, of Indian food.  Then we watched home videos of the kids with the kids, and we laughed with each other over some of the fun memories those videos brought back :).

During dinner we talked about our 12 most favorite memories in the last twelve years.  Here is our list (in no particular order):

1. Our last dinner of just the two of us.  We ate at Training Table while I labored some.  Boy that day sure changed our lives!  At that time, I don't think we realized how blessed we would be a few hours later.  It was an exciting day, to say the least. 

2. Seeing our precious chubby baby, Leah, all hooked up to all sorts of monitors.  It wasn't what we had expected for our first day with our new baby, but the love we felt for that child was simply indescribable!  I can still remember Dave's face as he saw her for the first time.  I could see love and a sense of desperation not really knowing what to do for her.  All we did was pray!

3. Hawaii.  The best trip we had together, thus far.  We had so much fun together and loved it! We still look back on that trip and say, "remember when...." Good times!

4. Putting together our fence, in the old house.  Dave had just lost his job and Mylo was a tiny baby.  The fence had to get done and working together was super fun, even though we were saddened about our, then current, situation and finances were difficult.  

5. Milli's birth.  We had decided to do hypno birthing.  We had to work together to get that baby here.  We had had a couple of miscarriages before she came and the arrival of our white baby was simply awesome. But, having had to rely on Dave to feel relaxed and focused, and he being super encouraging was even awesome-r :) 

6. This year, 2011,  for sure goes on this list.  We have had some great "ups." From selling our house, to getting ready to build a new one.  But that wasn't the important part of this year.  We are both on the same page with everything.  We have grown closer in lots of ways. 

7. Living in the mortuary.  We lived there for three years.  Had our first child there.  We made lots and lots of memories there and great stories for our kids and grand kids someday. 

8. Hiking with he kids.  This was when Milli was just a brand new baby.  Nothing was fantastic about it. It was super fun to be out on the mountain with the kids, taking pictures and enjoying each others company.  Its the little things that matter most!

9.  A relaxing lunch.  A few years back we were celebrating a birthday or anniversary (as that happens once a year anyway ;)) Lunch was super mellow and we weren't in a hurry.  We went to Cheesecake Factory and just hung out.  Just taking it easy was something that doesn't happen all the time anymore.  But life is still fun.

10. When my parents divorced.  This was a very trying time in our lives.  It was difficult, to say the least.  I was pregnant with Milli, the which had not been an easy task.  I had suffered two miscarriages that made this pregnancy more "delicate" and more emotional.  Going through the divorce was not a favorite memory.  But, what came out of that sad time in our lives, was great.  Dave and I learned a lot from that experience.  We learned to be honest with each other, more than we already were.  We learned to not let the negativity of life creep into our own little family.  Dave was super supportive and understanding through all of it.

11 & 12.  Either on of us can remember the last two!  We have racked our brains and just cant!!!  So frustrating.   Lets just say 11 & 12 are Dave and Laura or Laura and Dave.  Cheesy, but true! 

Its been a wonderful 12 years.  I feel truly blessed to have him next to me for forever! 

L+D

FOR EVER!!!

Family Togetherness Walk

When we lived at the "old house" (on 1700 South) we often took family walks around our neighborhood.  We loved it and the kids loved it.  It was a time where we just chit chatted with each other, played games, laughed and simply spent time together - outside. 

Our family togetherness walks (FTW) have come to almost a complete hault!  I miss those improptu walks after dinner.  Last week we went on a FTW.  This time we headed up to Bountiful Blvd and ventured into a little trail.  We had not planned on "hiking" but it was a fantastic time!!!

My boo and my four kiddos (that is still crazy to me.  I have FOUR kids!) in front of the Bountiful Temple.  Soon we will have a view of the temple out of our front door.  The temple was closed, but the kids are small enough that they could squeeze through the gates... I remember doing that when I was little :)

 These are ALL mine!!!! I couldn't be happier..... 

On the trail.  We walked across a shallow river that was freeeeeeezing!  We laughed as we crossed it, then Milli got back to our side of the river and peed, just standing there, in her "fancy" dress.  That child is completely different from the other three.

The funny/awkward picture of the day:  Otis' old man socks (hahaaaa), Mylo's pose (he was really just itching his leg and in between blinks :)), Milli's "baby"carrier, with no handle, Dave "smile."  I just love it all! 

This is why we love FTWs.  So many fun memories to make and these are the best time to talk to the kids.  I love each of these people that I am so incredibly blessed to have in my life, daily.  I make sure to let them know, too. 

Runner' High

 Today I ran in the Save Your Skin 10k in West Bountiful.  It was SO fun!  Melinda Hatzidakis, from our new ward invited me run with her.  It was a great little run.  It was the was perfect temperature and it was not super early :) 

I have been running some, but not consitently.  I was excited to see how I was going to do in it.  I have been pushing myself, slightly.  The race is small, not too many people in it.  I was incredibly pleased with my time! 

I ran 6.2miles in 57:38:2 mins!!!  I have NEVER averaged running this fast in this distance!!! That is a 9:17/mile!!!  THEN, I looked at the results....

I was FOURTH in my age group!!!! YAY!!!!  This is not the full age group list since there are others who had not yet finished in my age group, but I was FOUTH!!!  WOO HOOO!!!!

The idea of being in a race is really overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.  To top it off I did so well :)  I got home and I was SO happy... a runner's high if you will.

Running is good.  Running is hard. Running is rewarding! 

Every time I run a "longer" distance, I am amazed that I EVER ran (and trained) for a marathon (and two half's).  This was not easy, but it was SO worth it!!!

Today, I am SO happy with what my body can do for me and the support and ecouragment from my friends and family. 

"OLD HOUSE! HI!!!"

Today as we were driving back to our temp-home, we drove by our old house.  The one were we brought three of our four children to from the hospital.  The one were Leah was beyond thrilled to run around in when we first moved in.  The one were we had so many fun memories.  The one were we had neighbors who greeted us as we were leaving or coming home.  The one were we worked hard to put in that vinyl fence.  The one with the ugly car port and un-appealing front....

We miss that old house! 

But, when we were driving past it, Mylo yelled out and reached for it in a very dramatic way, "OLD HOUSE! HIIII!!!"  We laughed, as it was very un-like Mylo to be that expressive.  Then he said, "What?  Leah does that all the time." 

I told him it was just cute and that I missed that old house too!  Tears filled my eyes as I reminisced the good times we had there.  I miss so many things about that first house.  I never thought I would feel like this.  I think my feelings come from the fact that we have rocked the kids world.  So many changes!!! 

I have always LOVED change.  I grew up with TONS of change.  I loved the excitment that would come with change.  It was a way to "run away" from things that bother me.  Change was fun!  Change meant new friends, new experiences, new cultures, new unknowns.  However, now, as a mother, its not all fun and games.  The kids need their stability.  I dont think change was detrimental to me, rather I think it made me who I am today.  I like that person. 

But the look on Mylo's face today as he reached for the house, dramatically (not really missing it, rather just saying HI to an "old friend"), really made me think.  The thoughts lead to questions.  Questions like, did we do the right thing for our family? Is this what God wants for and from us?  What are we to learn from this experience? ....

I know that God provided everything for us in the exact time and place.  Things could not have happened any better!  I know that we are supposed to do what we are doing.  I guess I never realized it would be this hard.

The house update: We are still waiting on permits and have had some excavation/foundation issues that needed to be address.  So, with help from our friend/architect we have been able to solve those issues.  Again, we feel blessed with what has happened and we know that we will get the house/space/yard we need and want... its just going to take longer than we expected.  This just adding to my doubts and fears (mostly for the kids sake). 

I hope my kids look back at this experience in their lives and laugh and have great memories from it.  They have not complained and have learned to deal with new things.  I am proud of them.  I am grateful for Mylo's dramatic greeting to our Old House (friend). 

An Attitude of Gratitude

Today I shed a few tears as we were leaving Costco.  This wasn't my first time crying while at Costco.  The first time was a few years ago when I was having a bad day (like today), they were selling pictures of Christ, right in the front of the store.  The painting were beautiful.  I could feel that love that He has for us.  One of my very favorite is Jesus with a little girl on his lap.  I saw myself in that little girl and I felt the His arms wrap around me during that not-so-good day. 

Today was because of something else.  While we were eating some lunch an older couple came to sit next to us.  As they got close to the table the sweet woman carefully and sweetly instructed her husband how to sit.  He was confused and asked her several times where and how to do it.  They smiled at us.  She then told him she was going to go grab some hot dogs and would be right back.  He smiled and said, "ok, thank you!"  My mom was with us and she told the sweet woman we would keep an eye on him. 

Then, the sweet, kind, grateful old man looked over (he had poor eye sight as well) at us.  We both smiled at him.  Then he said, "THREE CHEERS FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILE!" And then told us what nice women we were :). 

He was funny too. 

Abuela:  How old are you?
Old Man: I am 62 :)
Abuela: Oh!  Good for you.
Old Man: Hey!  You are a poet.  Did you know it! 

It took us a second to realize what he had said... I thought it was so cute!  Then he told us again, what nice women we were and thanked us for our smiles. 

When his wife came back she told him she was getting his hot dog ready and he said, "Oh, OK. Thank you!  Tell me where it is and I will put it in my pocket."  She patted his hand and told him she would be right back. 

Anyway, EVERY TIME we said anything to him or his wife offered him a bite of his hot dog or something to drink, he would thank her!  If she had to clean his face he apologize, then thanked her. We asked her hold he was and he was actually 80yrs. old.  He has been like this for two and a half years.  She said he has a very sweet disposition. 

I was touched by his attitude of gratitude.  Even for a courteous smile, he was grateful for!  I was also touched by her sweet care with him.  You could tell they love they had and the love they had shared with each other.  It was evident in the way in which they spoke to each other. 

Today I learned that I have to be more grateful for EVERYTHING!  Even my little stinkers, who today I wanted to put to bed at three in the afternoon.

I have thought about this man all day.  He wasn't being ultra gracious because he was in public, but that was just who he was.  I hope that when I am old and loosing it that I can be like him.  Kind. Sweet. Grateful.  

I hope that Dave and I can be like this when we are old.  That we can love each other more than we do now.  What a beautiful example this older couple was to me today.

Feeling "Lucky"

WARNING: "Churchy" Post. 

Lately, I have been feeling very "lucky."  For example, Dave's job, new insurance, the house selling so quickly, the kids being really good (YAY!), and lastly, my car tire was loosing air and I had to pump it weekly.  I took it in to get fixed and it was FREE! 

As I thought about the "luck" we have been having and I quickly realized that its not "luck," its the hand of the Lord in our lives CONSTANTLY!!!  I don't doubt that it has always been there.  I guess I can see it so clearly as of late.  I love this feeling of knowing that He is watching out for us and knowing that we/I are not alone. 

It really is amazing to me, that when we are more focused on the things we should be doing the things we want to do are still possible. 

At the begging of the year I read a scripture that has stuck with me I can't remember where it is and I have looked and looked... anyway, it basically said to trust in the Lord.  I know we hear it all the time, but I read it in the perfect time for me.  I have been telling myself that since then and it has helped me to really just trust in Him. 

Luck doesn't really exist... We just have to give credit where credit it due and in my case its all because of God's hands in my life!  I am grateful to know that :)

what is wrong with me?!?!?

I have been a TOTAL slacker with taking pics later.  Why is this important?  No pics, no blog!  I don't like to blog with no pics.  I think its boring :)  So here is a random picture for you....

Milli licking the spatula after making banana bread a few weeks ago.  Every day, when I look at this child, that belongs to me, I wonder why her hair is so wild!?!?  It speaks of her TOTALLY fun personality.

Random story:

When Leah was born, I was sure she would be attached to me.  WRONG!  She had a much better connection with Dave.  When Mylo was born, same thing.  I was sad about it for a little while.  Then when Milli came a long we really did have a strong connection right away.  It was magical! I love it! When Otis came to us, he too was more attached to me.  So its fair, right?  Two for each of us.  WHATEVER!  Milli and Otis are WAY more clingy than Leah and Mylo ever were.  Milli hangs on me like a baby monkey does to its momma.  I can't stand it!  I have things to do... So to make a long story short, I would rather they all like their dad best :)

House UDPATE: SHOCKING!

So we put our house up for sale LAST friday.  Monday we had two showings.  Tuesday we had an offer for VERY close to our asking price.  We countered.  On Wednesday they countered back we accepted and now we are done with showing the house and praying everything will fall in to place.  We close on June 28, Otis b-day. 

We are excited and shocked!  We never thought it would be this fast.  We have said from the beginning (back in January, when we started thinking about doing this) that IF the Lord wanted us to move then things would work in our favor.  And it has.  We have put our trust in Him and we can see his hands in our lives SO clearly!!! 

We are still cautious about this as we know there are times that things fall through.  But, we continue to pray things work out. 

NOW... we need to find a place to rent for the next 6 months while we build our new home (after we find a lot :)).  PLEASE, if you know of any one that is in this business, please send them our way! 


YAY!!!!