Birthday Shout!

Happy 38th Birthday Art!

Art 2 years old (36 years ago)

Today is my brother, Art's birthday. Art is a great brother,son, husband, dad, and friend. He works very hard for his family, sometimes carrying several jobs at once. He is a giver, not a taker. He is funny & witty and tells grat stories and jokes. He is caring, kind, and will do anything for anyone especially before doing for himself. He has lost over 70 pounds in the past 8 months and looks great. I wish I had pictures to show the comparison.

Art & his wife Jessica

Art & Angie (4 years old & 11 months old)

I wanted him to know we are thinking about him today. Hope your day is great and full of many great memories, laughter, & love. We hope you had a Casa Ole' day for us. We love you.

Spring Has Sprung

SPT~Spring Fever

the challenge for next week is to get outside!! when you see those first daffodils, hear those birds heading back north, don those capris for the first time, how do you feel? do you have that familiar allergy tickle in the back of your throat? do you dig in the dirt? do you throw open the windows and let in the light? do you grab your feather dusters and sweep away the last of the winter dust? how about those cobwebs that have been lingering in your head?!?

how is spring teasing you this weekend?

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

Spring Has Sprung in Texas!

Living in the South, usually means we get to see Spring sooner than others. Being a person that freezes if it gets below 65 degrees, I definitely welcome warmer, sunnier weather. Since spring officially began last week, here in San Antonio we have been experiencing spring showers. Rain isn't my favorite type of weather(unless at night), but having everything green and blooming makes me smile.

Things that I give me Spring Fever!

~Our state flower-bluebonnets & other Texas wildflowers
~sunshine
~warmer weather
~capris & flip flops
~green trees, shrubs, grass...
~running barefoot with the girls
~spring cleaning
~pictures taken in bluebonnets
~planting new flowers
~Easter
~mowing my lawn
~warmer morning walks
~the girls playing outside in perfect temps(not too cold, not too hot)
~opening my windows
~putting away the winter wardrobe
~getting rid of my pasty white skin
~evening strolls
~daylight savings time
~soaking up the outdoors

Every year since Mackeni was born we have taken pictures in the bluebonnets. Some years we have traveled several hours to find the perfect field of these Texas pretties. Last year was one of the driest years we have had so there were no bluebonnets to be found around San Antonio, so we took off on a road trip towards Houston to find some. I just can't stand the thougth of not having a picture every year.
Spring makes me smile and I couldn't agree more with this quote I found...

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

Just A Mom

Today I was flying solo at church. Greg was on call all weekend. It wasn't bad until last night when he got called in around 9:30. After getting home around 11:30 we headed off to dreamland...for only about 20 minutes when Mackenzi woke us up not feeling well. I stumbled out of bed to assist her for a few minutes then was back to my slumber. Greg's phone rang around 2 something but I didn't really come to, so I thought all was well. He woke me a little while later and said is was going to "such and such" hospital(I didn't remember which one). I groggily told him to be careful and I loved him and off he went. It was around 3:15 by this point and I thought he would be home in an hour or so. Wrong! I woke up at 4:30 and he wasn't back in bed. I dozed off again and sat up suddenly wide awake at about three minutes before 5 and he still wasn't home. I jumped out of bed to see if he was sleeping on the couch, but he wasn't. I checked to see if he had just taken his stuff to sleep at the hospital but everything was left home so I assumed he would be coming home. I thought of calling but worried I would wake him if I called. I went through the whole "falling asleep at the wheel scenerio" and had my self worried awake for the rest of the "night". I was even "WAITING" on the doorbell to ring and someone standing there waiting to tell me Greg had been in an accident. I was panicking. I tried to rest hoping all was well but couldn't. Finally, at almost 8 AM! he calls to let me know where he is. His one patient turned into three difficult patients, then he decided to round at another hospital while waiting for a surgery to begin at another. Why on earth didn't you call me and tell me you were okay? His response is always the same no matter how many times I tell him to just call. "I didn't want to wake you up." Please, Wake me? I'm scared spitless that something has happened and am so far from sleeping it's crazy. Just call me. It's much easier to fall back to sleep when you are aware of what's happening than to lay there trying to even remember which hospital he said he was going to, let alone worrying if he has fallen asleep while driving.

Back to my be alone at church. I decided to fast today. Not really having prepared myself(for some reason I need to motivate my self to accomplish this feat) but decided I needed to do this today. I headed out to church just as Greg was coming home. He insisted he would meet us there but I told him to stay home and get some sleep. I made it to church ALMOST on time, they were saying the opening prayer. We found our seats and as soon as we did, Maci asked me if she could bear her testimony. I told her no, but in the middle of saying it I said if you want to, sure go ahead. Can you come with me? No I can't bear mine today because daddy isn't here. The last time I did it he wasn't there either and I haven't heard the end of that yet. I rarely get up and when I finally decided to Greg was home sleeping after working all night. Maci insisted I come with her but I reassured her she could do it alone. We were sitting fairly close anyway, but I could tell she was nervous. Thankfully Doug happened to be walking Jared up, and Maci says, "I'll just go sit with them." So off she went, so confident. She shared her simple testimony and returned back to her seat all smiles. I was so proud of her and I knew she was proud of herself, too.

Most of the testimonies were about everyday things. One girl described "getting lost" while hiking with her kids after they chose a different path to take than the main one. She described how easy it is to get distracted and led away from where we are going, but if we pray and have faith we can just as easily get back on the right path. Several primary children other than Maci and Jared got up and shared the things they believe and were so sweet. Even though they are such simple words they remind us of the basics. Then our primary president got up and said how blessed she felt being able to work with the children(as do I.) She then proceeded to say, "this is such a weird thing to bare testimony of, but I wanted to say Satan is real. Just as real as Heavenly Father." She talked about how he may not tempt us with "big" things but he sometimes get us to do small things wrong that leads us on to doing bigger things. I sat there agreeing in my mind how each day he may not convince us to do something terrible, but just having negative thoughts or being in a bad mood leads me off of my path. Another girl got up and added to the hiking story and then agreed with how real Satan is. She talked about how lately she has questioned what her purpose is. My ears perked up and I listened harder as she shared how she had worked since she was 15. She moved to Texas 2 1/2 years ago and married a guy from our ward. She has an eight year old daughter from a previous marriage. A little over a ear ago, on THanksgiving she was almost nine months pregnant when she noticed the baby wasn't moving. She later had to deliver her daughter that no longer had a heart beat. She just recently gave birth to a healthy little boy. She finds herself struggling when people ask what she does. She automatically says, "OH I'M JUST A MOM BUT I USED TO BE THIS..." She continued to say how so many times moms and stay at home moms are taken for granted. Why can't the world, including us stay at home moms, realize how important our roles as being moms are? I almost needed to pinch myslef to make sure I wasn't the one up there speaking. This is one thing I srtuggle with everyday. I beat myself up each day dwelling on the college degree I never got, the job I never succeeded at, and feeling embarrassed when we meet someone from Greg's work and they for some weird reason, assume I do something medical,too. Why can't my husband love me and marry me just because I'm a good person. I have no idea why they think professionals are only attracted to professionals. Instead I need to realize how important of a job I have in being a mom and say with pride what i do each day. I may not be the best mom but I try my best at being a best mom.

Simple testimonies, but definitely ones I needed to hear, especially today. So for all of us moms, remember when someone asks you what you do, leave the JUST out of it, and proudly announce that we are MOMS, trying our best to succeed at the most difficult and most rewarding job there is. Heavenly Father has faith that we will raise up our children to be righteous, loving, caring, and serving people. No other job to I wish I had, than the one of being a mother. How blessed I am to have three beautiful girls that never call me "Just Mom". They only call me "Mom"~"Their Mom."

SPT Challenge~Luck O' The Irish

This week's challenge is to show us a lucky charm. perhaps it is a piece of jewelry? or a talisman you carry in your pocket? do you have something on your desk or in your home that brings you good fortune? is it a baseball hat or a smelly old t-shirt? did someone give it to you? why is it meaningful to you? will you tell us about a time when it brought you good luck?

Another difficult challenge for me. I have been racking my brain trying to think of something I have that has brought me good luck and I have to admit I am stumped. I know there are things that I have held on to over the years but nothing inparticular sticks out in my mind. I have several things that I have kept, not becuase they are lucky things, but because that are sentimental things, so I didn't want to use any of those. I have even contimplated making something up but HAPPILY admit I am a TERRIBLE liar!

So for my LUCK O' THE IRISH challenge I am using these for my SPT...

Do I get extra credit for wearing green in my picture?

My Lucky Brand Jeans ! I know it is kind of silly, but hey, I didn't want to miss out on the challenge so this is as good as it gets. I haven't ever been extra lucky while wearing these jeans. I've never bought a winning lottery ticket while wearing these(nor have I ever bought a lottery ticket wearing any of my jeans). I've never escaped an accident while having these on. I've never stumbled across a 100 dollar bill on the ground while sporting these either.

There was a time, these were my absolute favorite pair of jeans and I would wash them over and over so I could always have them clean when I wanted to wear them(almost everday). I loved them because I got them at Costco for well under half the price I would have spent on them at a department store. I also loved them because I definitely thought these were skinny jeans. No matter how I felt I looked, if I would put these on, miraculously it seemed 10 pounds would disappear. For some reason, after I began to workout more, they didn't fit as good. I'm hoping it is because I have gained muscles and the muscles are causing them to fit differently.

Even though I haven't had great luck while wearing my Lucky jeans I feel I have great memories of things I've done and places I been while wearing these. I have worn these many times doing great things and many times doing just everday things with friends, family, my girls, with Greg. These jeans have been to NYC, to Cali, and all around Texas. They have been to many, many girl lunch dates, to movies, to malls, to visit people, on dates and double dates, carpooling, to NBA basketball games, NHL Hockey games, to rodeos, enrichment meetings, to parks and amusement parks, and all of my outings being a Mom.

As you can see my Lucky's are probably just like any other pair of jeans that any of us have. They are blue, worn, and have many miles on them. And after thinking of all I've done, the people and places I've seen in these, I will have to say maybe, just maybe, they have brought me much luck, fortune or should I say, many great blessings!

It's All GOOD

If you all haven't noticed I've been slacking in keeping up with my blog everyday, which doesn't fall into my GOOD category. I have a hard time finding time to sit down and write down my thoughts, happenings, goals, etc. So this post is just a recap of the GOOD things that have been going on this past week.


~GOOD school events

The girls look forward to their school's annual barn dance every year. We went and and two stepped, line danced, and had a fun time together. Mackenzi is starting to act like a teenager. We saw her while we were eating our BBQ dinner but after that it was Idios Mom & Dad. She hung with her friends the rest of the night. Maci danced with her friends and teacher some but still liked to be with us, especially for the chicken dance!

~GOOD visit with family

We drove home the first weekend of Spring Break and visited with our family. My dad had a fish fry and my brother, sil, sister, bil, and all of our nieces and one nephew came to my parents house. We had a fun time hanging out and talking about or upcoming disney cruise.

We went to Greg's parents house on Sunday and had am early birthday dinner for his Dad. One of his sister's and brother in law was there, along with some of his cousins. We all had a fun time and the girls loved playing with their cousins.

~GOOD flea market finds

We went to Larry's antique mall in the small town of Winnie, Texas while we were home. We really aren't antique collecters but we enjoy looking at all of the "junk" people carry from place to place trying to sell. I picked up these two things and some old cabinet doors(I have them in storage already, hence no pix) that I'm going to try to do something creative with.

~GOOD parents/grandparents

Greg & I came home on Monday night and ALL three girls stayed with my parents. They love having them over and it makes me feel so guilty to live so far away from them. They palyed, shopped, went to the movies and ate whatever junk they wanted for thwo and a half days. Greg's parent got them on Wednesday night and brought them back to us on Thursday. The girls loved visiting with their Grammy & Poppy and Nana & Papa and all of their cousins.

~GOOD mommy & daddy time
Greg & I did some spring cleaning, dejunking, and made a few trips to our local Goodwill to donate several truck loads of stuff. Greg worked a couple of days and we hung out in the evenings, went to dinner, and furniture shopping while the girls were away. It was a nice break from the kids and fun to be with each other one on one.

~GOOD spring cleaning & donations

~GOOD friends & food

Bridget & Jim came into San Antonio for a few hours on Thursday. We met up with them and they treated us to Chuy's for lunch. It was so fun to see them and their sweet kids Ryan & Alex, all while eating our favorite mexican food.

~GOOD family times

We went to Fredricksburg Texas on Friday to another little antique/flea market. We had fun but didn't find any great things.

We then headed our to Enchanted Rock to take the girls hiking. Enchanted Rock is a State Natural Area with a 500-foot-high dome of pink granite, the second largest such formation in North America. You can read more about it here.

~ GOOD time girl shopping

On St. Patty's day we ran some errands and then took the girls shopping to use some gift cards they had gotten for Christmas and for doing well on their report cards. We had fun. Well, I know us girls had fun I'm not sure Greg would call it fun!

~GOOD deed

We made the Clouse family a welcome home sign in the Phx Suns colors and hung it on their garage door. I also picked up staple groceries for them so they wouldn't have to get home and then get to the store to buy the necessities for Monday morning.

~GOOD mail

My sister in law Jessica sent me a thank you card and package with fun Easter socks, M&M's, and stickers. Bridget sent an Easter card, and a recipe exchange. I got two items of good mail from Kristi. Both were so creative of course. The first was a thinking of you card that she put in clear plastic and it was sewn closed to make the envelope. The other was a post card made from her twelve pack Diet Coke carton. She wanted me to drink some Sonic diet coke for her. So cute and fun. I also got a baby thank you card from a girl in my ward.

Lights, Camera...

As Good As It's Going To Get!!

I had all intentions of getting the assignment done last week, but never got downtown to take the picture. Each day I thought I would get it done something came up, or I decided it was too much work to drag Maryn along, find a parking spot farther away then I would like, and then walk several blocks to get the picture. I know sad excuses but it's the truth.

After last week didn't pan out, we went out of town for a few days. I had this great plan of getting up this morning, after I ran, to head down. Guess what? This lovely thing called a thunderstorm ruined my plans. It hasn't rained here since sometime in January and the one day I needed to just about an hour, I couldn't get it. It stormed. Thunder, lightening, buckets of rain, all day long. Yes, we needed it, but I'm all about it raining at night.

So my choice for this self-portrait Tuesday would have been...



REMEMBER THE...







Alamo



If any of you have ever been to Texas, you know the saying of everything's bigger and better here. Well for some reason that doesn't hold true when talking about the Alamo. Even though it's history is very big, that isn't the case with it's physical appearance. If any of you have seen it, it seems very small (not as small as my knick-knack) to what you would imagine. To learn more about the battle that took place you can go here.

Another landmark I thought would be fun to add to my post is one that makes the Blogging World News at least weekly. I couldn't resist taking my picture in front of, none other than the infamous...





CHUY'S


Not a special place in the movies or history books, but since Jenny & I talk about our favorite place to eat so often, it's pretty special to us. Not only to us, but to others whom have lived here travel back here to experience the taste of creamy jalapeno again.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

It's time again for Lelly's self-portrait challenge. Our assignment this week was to take a picture of ourself in a mirror and tell us what others see by looking at us.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...

Who's the shyiest one of all?

That would be me!!

This self-portrait challenge was exactly that for me, a challenge! I literally took fifty pictures. Some blurry, some with my head cutoff, some had a glare, some made me look a little chubby through the middle, some were just overall terrible. Only a few I thought were okay enough to post. What could I see from a picture of myself? Nothing extraordinary stands out about me. So this post will just have to describe a little bit of my personality.

This is me. A 34 year old native Texan. A daughter, granddaughter, sister, wife, and mom. As I looked at my picture, it was hard to pick things out that others might notice about me. One thing I think is very obvious about me is my eye color. They are hazel. They change from day to day, and depending on the color I wear, that determines how blue or how green they are. Hopefully my smile stands out. I love to smile, but have noticed, that I am beginning to show my age with the wrinkles I am begininng to own. Smiling not only magnifies my wrinkles, but makes my eyes stand out. So I guess that is okay. I love wearing t-shirts, jeans and flip-flops, but of course, like to had accessories so I don't look too casual. Even though I'm knocking on middle-age's door I find I still dress like someone in their twenties. I don't want to fress like my mom, but i don't want to look like I'm trying to remain too young. I haven't found a happy medium, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing for now.

My shyness has always been a weakness of mine. I never like to draw attention to myself, and will do anything to camaflouge or hide myself. I don't like to make an "entrance" anywhere. When I meet someone for the first time, I don't talk alot. I tend to let the other person talk, and I just stand back and take everything in. One reason I'm not a talker is because of my southern accent. I try my hardest to hide it. Not because I don't like it, but it draws attention to me, so I try and steer clear of that whenever possible. Even when I concentrate extremely hard on my talking, my "drawl" still seeps through, most likely because of using y'all in every sentence I speak. I do have a habit of putting my hands on face or running them through my hair. This is an obvious sign I'm feeling extremely shy and embarrassed. I never like to speak in front of others, and realized that beoming a teacher wasn't an option for me. Even when I would substitute teach I would have terrible anxiety because I feared I sounded dumb or I was afraid I would stumble over my words.


I love being friends with others, BUT hate the process of making new friends. I want everyone to like me, but fear some people will not. I love to listen to others problems, but rarely feel comfortable enough to share my personal problems and feelings with friends. I tend to keep everything inside and usually end up "bursting" at inappropriate times and feeling more awkward than I would have if I would have just confided in the friend, and let them in on my deep dark secrets.

I love to laugh, smile, exercise, giggle, snort, make silly faces, give to others, dance, run, & play. I love pink. I straighten my natural curly hair everyday. I never wear my glasses, only my contacs. I consider myself a blonde, but would be a light brunette, if I didn't do highlights. I'm a pack rat, and am in a way the queen of clutter. I love being a mom and never thought of myself doing anything else. I love my family and myself.

So, meet me, the extremely shy, silly Ang.

Weekend To Do's

I want bore you all with great detail of our weekend, but just wanted to jot down the things I accomplished since I last posted.

Friday
~Woke up to find the zit fairy had visited me overnight
~Morning walk
~Chic Fil A breakfast
~Laundry
~Afternoon run
~Girls went to kids night out at our gym
~Greg & I went to dinner at Outback
~HEB milk run

you gotta love the way my self portrait make my nose look like a banana!

Saturday
~Slept in
~Workout at the gym (ran 4 1/4 miles in 35 minutes-woohoo!!)
~Dejunked hall closet & kitchen. Took boxes of toys and stuff to storage building we want be using for the next few months.
~Greg boxed up, what looked like a library full of ortho books, he's not using
~Took Maci to a birthday party
~Went here for family time
~Stopped at Target for a few things

Sunday
~Woke up and started our fast
~Last minute primary lesson preperation
~Made it to church on time
~Greg helped out someone from church by going to he ER and rushing(they had already sat in the waiting room 6 hours) them through.
~Grilled chicken for dinner
~Had FHE
~Watched Exteme Makeover Home Edition(a family tradition for us)
~Made milkshakes and cuddled on the couch
~Greg & I watched a few things we had recorded on t.v.

Monday
~Took the kids to school early
~Morning walk
~Cleaned, cleaned, & cleaned some more
~Laundry, laundry & more laundry
~Took Maryn on another early afternoon walk and run
~Maryn napped I showered
~Prepared to be the chaffeur this afternoon. Maci to dance, Mackenzi to swim

Awesome good mail from Natasha. She was too nic ean dsent me Doddlebugs note cards. Thanks Natasha. Ilove them.
On another note I caught Maryn doing this with M&M's this morning. I hope this isn't a sign of early onset OCD. If you can't tell by the picture she is organizing them by colors and numbers before she eats them. I'm glad I just swept and mopped the floor otherwise I couldn't hav elet her eat off of our dirty floor.

Do your kids ever surprise you with the things you catch them doing?

Refueled

It is amazing what a few days, and the first day of a new month can do for me. I looked down at my gas gauge last night, by Maci's urgent request, (she somehow sees the gas light come on from the backseat of our van). Thoughts rushed through my head of how I needed my camera to take a picture of my "tank being empty". I could blog about this, I thought. Then I realized that a post about my tank being empty, wouldn't be an accurate post, not today anyway~Last week, YES!! As I drove on, I thought I'll take a picture of the gauge after I fill up and that will sum up how I'm feeling today.

If any of you read my post from Sunday, about being happy(or not-so happy), you probably thought I had serious issues. You would have thought things were terrible, they were never going to get better, and maybe even thought I should be "committed", for being so unhappy. Well, I made a pact with myself, that I was changing. I wasn't going to let the little things that go wrong, the things that didn't turn out just perfect(in my eyes), the weather, grumpy kids...effect the way I felt. The first day was rough. I cried a lot, felt sorry for myself, thought my life was terrible, when in fact I am so richly blessed. I just had to get past the felling sorry for myself, and the world is against me thoughts, and then I was okay.

On Sunday at our Stake Conference several speakers mentioned President Hinckley's challenge, back in August of 2005, of reading the Book Of Mormon, before the end of the year. I did finish the challenge(a few days late) that I started in September. For some reason or another, I hadn't heard about the challenge right away, so I got a little late start. Since then (I am publicly confessing) I haven' t read my scriptures on a regular basis, for personal benefit, since. I know, SAD, but true. I can't believe I finished it in just a few short months, when given the challenge and promise of great blessings, but on a normal routine day I can't find a few minutes to sit, read and ponder, something I believe so dearly in. I even said to someone recently, that I needed President Hinckley to issue a challenge every few months so I take reading my scriptures more seriously. There is something about being given a challenge and accomplishing it. I guess I see a competitive streak in myself.

So since Sunday evening, I am happy to report I have read almost 100 pages in the Book Of Mormon. For you non-LDS gals, this is huge (for me anyway). It has been if I have picked up a best seller book at the bookstore, started reading it and can't seem to put it down. I've never been this way about scripture reading before. I usually tend to fall asleep after reading just a few verses, or think okay just one chapter tonight so I can mark it off of my to-do list. I also have read several articles in the Ensign and even read some of the Friend with my girls. I l also haven't freaked out about the house being a little more of a mess, because I sat down and did something just for me, rather than be on my feet non-stop all day, so things don't get neglected, when in reality I have been neglecting the most important thing, myself!

So today, on the first day of March, I can happily report that not only does my car have a full tank of gas, I too have been "refueled", thanks to reading my scriptures, saying my personal prayers, and changing my attitude.

Great Minds Think Alike

Today was just like any other Wednesday, except it was the last day of the month and my visiting teaching still hadn't been done. I had called on Monday to set up appointments, but was only able to speak with one girl (I had to leave messages for the other two girls). I made the one appointment for this morning hoping the others would be avaiable after that. Well, the other two girls had things going on this morning so I wouldn't be able to physically see them.
After my walk, I rushed to get ready for the day and headed over to my first appointment. It was a good visit, not to long not too short. I stopped off at Sam's Club for a few things. I needed some Great Harvest bread, I picked up cookies for Mackenzi to take to activity days tomorrow, and I grabbed a bouquet of flowers to divide up for the sisters I wouldn't be visiting. I ran home made a Happiness Makers magnet for each of them, and seperated the flowers. I stopped at Jenny's to check out her baby quilt she was making(it is way cute check it out here.) and we watched American Idol from last night. I seriously think the only way to watch t.v now is by recording it. We listened to the first of each guy sing and then fast forwarded to hear what the judges thought. Jenny even fed me lunch, and am so glad because otherwise I would have not eaten and would have had a terrible headache by 3 pm. I went and delivered my goodies and felt so good that I had made an real effort to reachout to my visiting teachees, even if it was last minute.

I was prepared for an afternoon run, with Jenny, when Greg called and said he was on his way home for a few minutes. I wasn't expecting to see him today. Wednesdays are crazy for him and he has a moonlighting shift every Wed. night, and to top it off he had another meeting before he went moonlighting. Obviously I was surprised to know he was on his way home. When he got home, we both burst into laughter at what he was carrying when he walked in. A Sam's Club Diet Coke, cookies, Great Harvest bread, and a bouquet of flowers. WHAT??? My immediate response was, "Why didn't you call before you went to Sam's?" Greg says, Because I wanted to surprise you." I couldn't believe we had been at the same store just a few hours apart and picked up the exact same items(not one more or less). The flowers were a different bunch so that was nice that I ended up with a few leftover from earlier and a full bunch for a big vase from him. Greg had been feeling bad(and he hasn't even read my Happy is as happy does post) because he hasn't been home any nights this week and they called him to work another shift tomorrow night so he want be coming home tomorrow either. I know he realizes how difficult it is to be home alone alot, but I too realize how hard it is for him to work such long days and nights and to be away from us. He even made the comment tonight how he can't wait to have just ONE job!! Me either Honey! Thanks for your sacrifices and surprises!

Our identical purchases!

As I was looking through my pictures on my camera I realized I hadn't posted about a few items of good mail I have gotten the last couple of weeks. Yea, I know you can call me a slacker but hey, better late than never!

Bridget sent me fun gel pens, paper, a notepad, a heart cookie cutter, stickers and yummy M&M's. Thanks B.

I got thank you cards from Allison, Jill, and the Mom of one of my little girls I teach from primary. Annie's mom thanked me for being a great teacher(I'm not so sure I would go so far as to say that) and to let me know Annie comes home each week, and with great detail tells about the lesson I taught. So nice to get some positive feedback, from what usually is mad chaos, on Sunday. Kristi sent me her cute handmade valentine, and Amanda sent the cutest magnets and notepad. My mother in law also sent me a fun card for finishing my first ever race. She of course added a 5 dollar bill, with specific instructions to treat myself to a few Diet Cokes at Sonic. Thanks everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to aknowledge your thoughtfulness. You all made me feel so special.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

My Feet!

It's Lelly's self-portrait Tuesday challenge, so I'm jumping in with both FEET. She titled it Put your best foot forward. So here are my thoughts on mine.

I remember, as a little girl running, jumping, skipping, dancing, climbing, walking, tiptoeing, splashing, wading, tapping, stomping, two-stepping, bouncing, kicking, chasing, & playing with these two feet of mine. My feet carried me through my childhood, my youth, into marriage, and my first home(apartment) away from home. They carried me through my first pregnancy, moving farther away from home, at the beginning of medical school, through my second pregnancy, and onto our very first home, a bit farther away from home. Through a third pregancy and they are preparing to carry me on to another new place.

I have always loved my feet, not so much their size(8 1/2), but the way they look. I know they aren't perfect, but are their perfect feet out there? Being someone that picks apart everything about my body, my feet are one thing I truly wouldn't change. I love them. I like how slender they are. I like that my second toe ISN'T longer than my big toe. I love getting a pedicure and a fresh coat of polish applied. I love wearing a toe ring(the same one for over 6 years) even though I may be too OLD for it. I love getting them rubbed, especially by Greg. I love the fact that my feet carry me throughout my day. From the beginning of my morning, along my 3 mile walk, an occassional run, playing with my girls, each errand I run, to the last step I take before climbing into bed each night. I love my feet, the two that sustain and carry me each day.

For my self portrait of my feet, I decided to model one flip flop and one tennis shoe. Why you might ask? Well, I love my flip flops and have been looking forward to the day it was again warm enough to wear them. That happened this weekend. So I have been sporting my flip flops for the past few days and probalby will continue wearing them for the next 8 months or so. I had to have my tennis shoe on because I feel they have become like a very close friend, over the past few years. I put them on each morning to get myself kick started with a morning walk. I sometimes hit the gym not long after going for my walk. I also started running the past few months or so, several afternoons a week. They have carried me through over 200 miles of exercise already in 2007! Wow! When I added that up I was shocked and had to readd it to make sure. Both my flip flops and tennis shoes help me to be a healthier, happier me.

I hope that even as I age, my feet will carry me as if I was still a little girl. Running, jumping, skipping, dancing, climbing, walking, tiptoeing, splashing, wading, tapping, stomping, two-stepping, bouncing, kicking, chasing, & playing ~Things I love to do with the feet I love!

Happy Is As Happy Does

Happiness has little to do with what we have; everything with what we think.
No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.
Barbara De Angelis

Throughout my life, it seems, I have had to try extra hard to find happiness within myself and my life. I'm not really sure why. Growing up I was blessed with good health, with loving parents and siblings, with our needs, and a lot of our wants, being met, the gospel in our home, great friends, and many, many other happiness makers. So I have always been a bit confused at why I have a hard time with "natural happiness", so to speak. Has a stranger ever walked up to you and asked, "Is it that bad?" Well I have, and it feels awful to know not only do you feel unhappy, but you look it, too. It is embarrassing to think everyone around me must think I'm so unhappy because of the way I speak, the way I look, and the way I act. There have been many days spent since, faking happiness. Putting on a clown smile and heading out the door to fool the world into thinking all is well and grand, when inside my heart is aching or crying, not fooling the person who matters most-myself!

Lately, I have experienced more than my fair share of stress and self disappointments. I feel like I'm doing most things right, but could probably do a little more, and wonder if this is why I'm not feeling 100% happy all of the time. This past week was another blah week for me. I wasn't feeling well. I had all intentions of getting my spring cleaning started and my home dejunked and organized while Maryn was at my parents house, but I was feeling too yucky to tackle very much. As my week began, I could feel it was going to be one of those weeks that needed to be given the title of "Kicked while you are down". It was obvious to me that I was going to have to really work at finding happiness, in very much, if anything this week.

Now that the week is over and I can look back and see there are many things that brought happiness to me without me having to try at all. I wonder if I try to hard to find things to make me happy instead of just living life and letting everyday things make me happy.

Here are a few of the things that put a smile on a my face and a skip in my step this week and it didn;t take much trying at all.

*Greg came home from San Diego. Nothing puts a smile on my face like seeing Greg's smile, especially after a week without it.

*Seeing the girls had made Greg a welcome home sign when we came home from the airport.

*Parents that are very supportive and envolved in our lives no matter how little or big the event. For being free babysitters when they are in town and then taking our kids home with them and giving us alone time.

*My friend Tara called Monday morning, and said she was driving down to SA to return something and wanted to see me.

*I got part of my house cleaned and all of the sheets changed.

*Greg and I looked for new furniture for our next house. I love looking for new things that I may have ONE day.
*Went to the Temple with Jenny. I have been wanting to go for a while and since Maryn was not home this week I knew I couldn't pass up the chance. Of course, I felt the worst I felt all week on Wednesday while I was at the temple, but felt I was blessed for being there.

*A spontaneous trip to Chuy's.
*Being reunitied with Maryn.

*Booked our family's Disney Cruise. My parents are taking my, my brother's, and my sister's families on a cruise for THEIR 40th wedding anniversary this summer.

*Went to a baby shower and came home to find my husband mowing my oh-so weedy and needy yard.
*Gave Greg's cousin our Saturn. He lost his job and was in need of a car.

*Did a little spring shopping for the girls.

*Went to a college basketball game Greg had to work at, as a family.

*Went to Stake Conference that was broadcast to 68 stakes in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico and was inspired to live my life better and be a better example. They are broadcasting some now because the church has grown so much that it is hard for them to send general authorities to all of the stake conferences that are held.

*Read my scriptures for an hour and a half. I haven't done that in a long time.

*Took a little cat nap.

*Being reminded of how blessed I am to a have a husband that works hard and long for us. He has had a rough on call weekend.

*Made dinner and ate together as a family at home.

*Played games and laughed with the girls.

*Endless goodnight kisses from my three girls.

*Blogged

I found a few quotes on happiness and thought I would share a few of them with you.


Choose Happiness
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: “It is very important to be happy in this work. We have a lot of gloomy people in the Church because they do not understand, I guess, that this is the gospel of happiness. It is something to be happy about, to get excited about.” 1

I once saw this quote on a friend's kitchen wall that reads, “Happiness is a city in the state of mind.” I keep it there to remind myself that we are in charge of our own attitudes. Emotional maturity is evidenced by a person’s willingness to take responsibility for actions and feelings. If I am having a bad day, I can’t blame others, even when I feel underappreciated. It is not someone else’s job to change so I can feel better.

The second article of faith teaches that we are responsible for our own sins [A of F 1:2]. In the same way, we are responsible for our own attitudes and our own happiness. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has written, “At the center of our agency is our freedom to form a healthy attitude toward whatever circumstances we are placed in!” 2

If we let our happiness rest on the actions and moods of others, we will always be disappointed. If our happiness is dependent on perfect situations, it will always be a future dream forever out of reach. President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said, “Our search for happiness largely depends on the degree of righteousness we attain, the degree of selflessness we acquire, the amount and quality of service we render, and the inner peace that we enjoy.” 3 Notice that he did not say happiness depends on thank-you cards or public praise. Each of the requirements outlined by President Faust is completely within our control.

Happiness has a price, as President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) said: “ ‘What is the price of happiness?’ One might be surprised at the simplicity of the answer. The treasure house of happiness is unlocked to those who live the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity and simplicity. Like a mariner without stars, like a traveler without a compass, is the person who moves along through life without a plan. The assurance of supreme happiness, the certainty of a successful life here and of exaltation and eternal life hereafter, come to those who plan to live their lives in complete harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ—and then consistently follow the course they have set” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 259).


So with this said, I have promised myself I will be a happier Me. I am going to focus on giving to others and loosing myself in service. I will not allow myself to continue to long for the happiness and glow others have radiating from them. I want to feel, the way many of you look. I want others to want to feel the way I look. I'm striving for the day someone will walk up to me and ask, "Is it that GREAT?" And I can look at them with joy bursting from within and say

Yes, it is!

My Maryn

I have been listening to Maryn a lot lately. Her vocabulary and abilty to speak in sentences has drastically increased over the past couple of months. Although this is exciting to actually know what she wants or needs, it also is a bit saddening to me. It seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant. I just assumed she would be a boy because even though I was sick, it wasn't as bad as it was with the others. Even though I wanted a boy for Greg's sake, I quietly hope for another girl. After a couple of ultrasounds and being told it may be a boy I convinced myself, it wouldn't be that bad. The day I had my official ultrasound, was the same morning of Greg's great-grandmother's funeral. I was alone that morning, when the doctor said to me, "It looks like your daughters are going to have another sister." I was shocked but in a happy way. A house full of girls is what I always wanted, but then I was a bit sad knowing Greg wouldn't be having a son.

I can remember every moment of being in the hospital waiting for her to be born. Beauiful memories I hold close to my heart. Then she learned to hold her head up, was sitting up, crawling, and then walking before I knew it. Not long after those things happened she started oohing and aaghing more. Then came the babble stage, followed close behind with the "NO", "STOP IT", & "I DO IT" stage. We have been, and in some ways are still in the "L's" are prounounced "W's" "K's" & "C's" sound like "T's" but she has definitely become quite a chatty Kathy. Her newest thing she has started is putting the "uh" sound on the end of everything she says. "Mommy-uh", Daddy-uh, stop it-uh, milk-uh. I don't know if everyone elses kids have ever done this but all of mine have and sometimes it gets annoying. I just want to scream stop it with the UGH sounds. But then I stop myself, knowing once she stops saying it, she probably won't go back to it.

We dove head first into potty training a couple of weeks ago, since she hadn't wet her pullup in over a month. Why wait so long, you might be asking? Well, I've been a little lazy, when you start this process, that means every public palce you go in there's a 95% chance you'll be seeing the nasty bathrooms they have. Also, she is my baby, which means when I potty train her, she would be that much more of a big girl, and I have been wanting to avoid that. At first, she wasn't too keen on the panty thing. "No! pull up Mommy!" was her request for the first few days. Finally she liked the panty idea when I took her to pick out her very own at Target. Surprisingly, she chose Curious George ones. After she got her panties, things turned around and she no longer wanted to wear pullups, not even at night!! So now I've been waking her up before I go to bed and letting her go potty, and then she usually wakes up around 330 or 400 to go. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is I haven't had to change her sheets on days I'm not scheduled to. The bad thing is she won't go back to her bed after the 330 am potty break. She ends up in our bed the rest of the night. Not my idea of fun, but it's just where we are right now in the transition.

My parents came to visit this past weekend, and have been saying they wanted to take her home with them for a week or so, sometime. I wasn't prepared for this. Even though I expected them to ask to take her, I silently hoped they wouldn't. After, saying last week, how I needed to get a sitter for her during the day sometimes, I wish she was here with me now. I cried all afternoon on Sunday wanting her back with me. I walked around wanting to find a toy she had left out, so I could pick it up, I went in her room and sat in the floor looking at her stuff while tears streamed down my face. I sat there thinking, how it must feel a million times worse, for parents who lose children and go and sit in their rooms never wanting to move anything or change anything. I missed her more in a few hours than I thought was possible. I just wanted to snuggle her, kiss her, here her say mommy-uh, anything! I just wanted her.

Now that it has been a few days, I still miss her, but am gald she is able to spend time with Grammy & Poppy and her aunts and uncles, and cousins. Having been sick this week it has been nice to have time to just relax, and not have to worry about her spending too much time in front of the t.v. so I can rest.

We play this game all day long, and I'm not sure when it started. I remember playing it with my other girls, but not real sure how it came about. Whenever Greg comes home, comes over and hugs me, if the girls are watching or are at his feet, he'll say "My Mommy", and they repeat, "My Mommy" and it goes on FOREVER or until I change it to "My Daddy". Then it goes on, and, on, and on, with "My Daddy" going back and forth. The of course we make our rounds around to all of the girls. "My Mackenzi", "My Mackenzi"-"My Maci, "My Maci"- "My Maryn", "My Maryn"!! The funny thing is Maryn, Luke and Weston, play this silly "game"(if you want to call it a game with them) every morning on our walk. It gets down right ugly with them saying, "My Mommy, NO! My Mommy" for 45 minutes, until Jenny & I are ready to SCREAM!!

Without my walking buddy, I've had to get a substitute so I feel like I'm getting a workout and not just out for a SUnday stroll. Three of Greg's orthopedic books weigh about as much as Maryn so I've been pushing them on my 3 mile walk every morning. Of course I cover them up so I don't look too terrible crazy. But, looking at myself every morning, I'm sure the people that see me "smothering my baby" are really thinking I'm crazy! I am ready for my walking weight to return, she's definitely cuter and more entertaining than the fracture books.

I am happy to watch Maryn learn new things and change but also so sad that my baby, isn't that much of a baby anymore. I have told serveral people I would freeze her at this age if I could. Yes, even in the terrible two stage. I love her needing me, wanting my help, her snuggles, kisses, our one on one time during the day. I want to keep her just the way she is right now, forever. Knowing this isn't possible, I'll just continue to cherish every moment with her. Whether it be a tantrum, a kiss, a "No Mommy, I do it", an "I wuv you", a scream, a laugh...EVERYTHING, I want to hold close to my heart. A lesson I have learned is to enjoy the "nows" and don't wish them away too soon. Once their gone, they're gone.

My Maryn, I love you and miss you and can't wait to see your beautiful blue eyes, hear your sweet giggle, feel your sqeezes, and hear you say, "My Mommy My Daddy, My Tenzi, My Maci, My Maryn!"

FEELIN' THE LOVE!

14 Things I LOVE about my Valentine!

1. He has beautiful blue eyes and a contagious smile.

2. He is the KING of good deals, cheap deals, and sometimes free deals.

3. He wanted to be doctor at age 7. He had a goal, dove in head first, and never looked back.

4. He never meets a stranger.

5. He sacrifices much for our family and works super hard for everything we have.

6. He loves his girls and loves taking them to do daddy/daughter things.

7. He is funny and can make me smile even if I 'm sad.

8. He is a giver and is very compassionate.

9. He always worries about others before himself.

10. He is calm, cool, and collective. More patience than anyone I know.

11. Great story teller and never leaves out a single detail! hehehe

12. He loves to exercise, play games, be outdoors, camp, hike, run, spend time with family, do handy work, watch sports, bike, eat... You name it it enjoys it.

13. He has a wonderful testimony and shares it often.

14. He is my best friend, a wonderful daddy, and awesome hubby.

I hope you know how much I love you, Babe. I can't wait to see your contagious smile and sparkly eyes. Thanks for everything you do, everything you are, and the wonderful example you are to me and others. Thanks for being my Valentine today and always!!

My 3 little valentines eating breakfast this morning. I planned on pink heart shaped pancakes, I made one, and then realized I laid in bed too long this morning. Sorry girlies. Daddy is much better at breakfast than me.

Greg left each of the girls a card, and a little something. I had gotten each of them a stuffed animal that we have way too many of, but I knew they would like it. I Mackenzi & Maci each a note and book in their lunch so hopefully that was a nice surprise at lunchtime.

All of our loot from Daddy. You spoiled us. Thanks a bunch!

This was the best thing I could have seen last night while taking Mackenzi ti swim. Jenny & I rarely eat breakfast but this is one breakfast that is way yummy and free makes it that much yummier. So, this morning after our brutally cold & windy walk we rushed to get ready to take advantage of a free valentine bisquit. Sorry Greg & Doug you missed out!

Since Greg was going to be out of town, for the Dad's breakfast at school, he took the girls to get breakfast Monday morning before school. They love it when it's just them and him. I feel like chopped liver sometimes, but have to stop and remind myself, they see me so much compared to him, so fun times with him are even that much more special. Thanks honey for being a great daddy to our girls.

We took this picture Monday, right before we dropped Greg off, for Jenny to take him to the airport. I of course was a little teary and nervous about sending him off for the week. I am so grateful that he has chances like these to go to things for work but do not like to be away from him. I'm pretty needy when it comes to needing him around. Not for the everyday things, of running the girls from place to place, or for helping out at dinnertime, bathtime, and bedtime. I just need him around for companionship. No matter if we are going on a planned date to dinner & a movie, or just running to the grocery store, I love his companionship. Just having him there makes me smile.

See you soon Honey!