Stake Childrens Choir

Last Sunday Caleb was asked to sing in Primary Choir for Stake Conference. It was a really special opportunity and he did great! I'm not going to lie - I was really nervous about him sitting on the stand for 2 hours but he was great! I couldn't help but get teary eyed when I saw him up there singing. He looked so big and so responsible.

Elder Malm was out vising General Authority and he was a amazing! I loved that after conference was over he went and shook all of the kids hands in the choir. Davis got a chance to shake his hand too!

It was a sweet experience.

Beckham's surgery

Little man had surgery today. He did great! They were removing the birthmark off of his neck.

He did not want to put their gown and socks on! But I managed it in the end and then distracted him with cartoons and the nurse gave him a sticky hand and a Blues Clues sticker!
 

Right before they wheeled him away they gave him some Tylenol with something else in it to help him be a little more out of it and relaxed. Its suppose to have an amnesia effect and they said that he wouldn't really remember anything. It actually made him really goofy! He couldn't stop laughing and he kept grabbing his socks and throwing them and then laughing hysterically. Then they wheeled him away. Pretty hard on Mom....

The Dr came out and said everything went great and that he was in recovery and they would come get me when he was a little more awake. When I finally got back there he was starting to freak out just a bit and really loopy. They said I could pick him up and he went right to sleep on me. Awwww. It was nice to just cuddle him for a while. He was out!  After about 10 minutes I was done with the paperwork and I got him dressed and headed out. I had a bunch to carry and he was trying to stay awake but his head kept falling backwards because he couldn't hold it up.

He knocked out again on the way home!

So much for the amnesia effect. Every 5 seconds - "where is my sticky hand and sticker!"

Now we are home and resting.

Love this little guy. As I was dressing him in the gown I suddenly saw how big he is. Do you have those moments where all of sudden its like you get this new glimpse of things as they really are. He is so big! Hes not a toddler anymore. The dimples on his hands are disappearing and knuckles are forming in their place. He is heavy! He is so big that when he is on my hip he cant rest his head on my shoulder.

Hes growing up...but for today I get to just cherish and baby him.

Happy Birthday John

Its a little late but I wanted to post about Johns b-day.

We took time to check John out as a baby.

He was sooooo cute as a baby....still is.

Here are the top 10 reasons I love John in this time of our lives.

1. It not easy for him, but he is humble. He works really hard to keep his pride in check and is willing to say he is sorry when he is wrong.
2. He is a great Dad. Seriously, there is none better. He is fun and takes the time to be silly with them. He is so good at seeing them for who they are, beyond the frustration of an incident.
3. He loves me no matter what. Seriously, the good, the bad, and the ugly Lisa - he still sees me - all of me - and loves me no matter what.
4. He works so hard to provide for our family. He gets up early everyday without complaint and puts up with the dull and the grind of a daily job. Don't get me wrong, its not like he has a horrible job, its the ability to go and do the same thing day in and day out and not allow the monotony of life get you down.
5. He is so complimentary. He tells me the nicest things all of the time and always makes sure that I know how great he thinks I am.
6. He is so supportive of me as a person. He encourages me to try new things and never complains when it takes time or money for me to pursue. He really wants me to be happy and will support me when I try new things.
7. He loves others. He really cares deeply for people and for their well being. He amazes me at his ability to love those that might not be easily loved. He is compassionate and giving.
8.  I love that he loves sports. What I love even more is that he is a good sport.
9. Vain or not its needs to make the list.... He is so babelicious. Seriously, the dark hair, olive skin, and blue eyes. Melts my heart every time.
10. I love us. I do. "Us" has not always been easy and that is one of the things I love the most. We have struggled. We have had some really hard challenges and some really difficult times in our marriage. But we have learned and we have worked. I love the refined version of us that is emerging.

Happy Birthday old man! You probably wont even read this until a much later time in our lives...regardless I want you to know how I felt about you and us in this time in our lives. Thanks for being such a great example and such a pillar for me. You are my best friend.

Love ya!

Sunday Snapshots 3.4.12

 

Happy Birthday John!

 

Visiting with Great Grandpa!

 

Girl Scout cookies arrived!

 

Some well earned Club Penguin time.

 

Ready for the Fire and Ice Gala.

 

Davis decided he wants to learn to read so we broke out all the level 1 books and we have been practicing our site words.

Where have I been?

I'm not really sure. There hasn't been too much going on this week. My house has been clean so maybe that's why its been so quiet here on this blog. I worked at the book fair this week and got some fun new books. I love the BOGO free book fair! I also made book labels and we pulled every book into our family room and labeled them! WOW! It was a process but I feel better knowing they are all labeled.

Davis asked me to teach him to read. So we are starting that process. He is working on some site words. We put all the really early stage one books in a basket for him to start practicing. I also divided their bookshelf so that each bookshelf has books that are for their stage. Caleb is a great reader but we haven't had a great way to rotate new books in without getting them confused with all of the other books he has already read.

Tonight John and I are going to the Fire and Ice Gala here in St. George. Fancy! His boss couldn't go so we get to.

Hmmm, anything else...

• Caleb got a Colt citation at school. I couldn't believe it. But he learned a lot from it. Mom did too. Like the reassurance that my children have a healthy fear of me. You should have seen the death walk Caleb had to make from the bus to the car! I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing - he looked like he was walking the plank! You can bet I parked reaallllly far away on purpose!
• I can finally donate plasma again!
• Spring is coming I can feel it in the air! Makes me so happy!
• Only about a month before we go to the Philippines :)
• I sewed another quilt top! Working on getting the border material now.
• I also made my own dishwasher and laundry soap. Love them both! Its so much cheaper!
•  Beckham has surgery on Monday. Don't know how I feel about him being put under....
• I accepted the position of PTA Vice President next year. I'm so excited that my good friend Tasha is going to be the pres. I also committed to being the pres for the 2 years after. Am I crazy?

So there you have a little update on world!

Sunday Snapshots 2.26.12

Davis was emptying the dishwasher and came walking up to me and said,

"look Mom I'm Captain Hook!"

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New Angry Birds shirts from Gammy Pam and Uncle Rick

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 Davis was in charge of a snack for school starting with "X" so we made x-ray cookies

 

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Daddy found a pitching net at DI and we have had a lot of fun!

 

By the way...take pictures like this at your own risk - Dad might miss - and it hurts!

Caleb Skiing Videos

What a stud! He did so great! Randy said he was way impressed with Caleb and how well he did. In this video he decided to try a jump!




This next video is not the greatest quality but you can see how steep some of the slopes they were doing are. He progressed so much in just 5 hours! I am so proud of him!

Got snow?

John took Caleb skiing and I just got these pictures sent me.

  Its a birthday present for both of them since Caleb got all his snow gear for his b-day!

I sure hope he likes it more than I did! I think he will. We are so lucky that we have an amazing ski instructor for a friend. He went up with them for the day to teach Caleb to ski.

Love this quote!

“Every woman is a homemaker. … There is an art to being a homemaker. For ourselves and for our families, it is important that we have a sanctuary—a place of refuge away from the world where we feel comfortable and where, if others come, they, too, can feel comfortable.” 

Relief Society General President Barbara Winder

Pam sent me this quote and it just hit home. Love it! 

Didn't We Almost Have It All...

I haven't been able to actually sit and write these words out until now. I know its probably so lame but I was devastated when Whitney Houston died! So much so, I just pretended it wasn't real. I grew up on Whitney. My Mom loved her long before the Bodyguard days. My Mom would blast Whitney when she was cleaning, in the car, and on road trips.

I remember doing a lip sync in 4th grade for the Olinda talent show to "The Greatest Love of All" with my friend Marzette Greytack. I remember us practicing on the side of our house in our cool baggy sweatshirts and stretchy pants that were our costumes.

I have another great memory from my Freshman year of High School. I was driving home with my Mom from the Stake Seminary Scripture chase and I had won! I beat everyone out, including my older brother Brian who was in the finals with me. I wasn't exactly the coolest kid so this was a pretty big deal for me. As we were driving home in our big Van it was just me and my Mom. She got all teary and said she wanted to play me a song. Whitney sang me, "One Moment in Time." Its a funny memory but it is so distinct. In that moment I felt so great because my Mom was so proud of me.

After My Mom died I listened to Whitney - A LOT. It made me feel close to my Mom and her music brought me so much comfort. Somehow losing Whitney so soon after my Mom makes it hurt all over again.

I don't like singing solo.