A Day in the Life

A Christmas Miracle. . . .I blogged

2011-12-17T20:45:00.007-06:00

Well. . .its that time of year when I start to reflect on all that has happened in the past 12 months and feel guilty that I have journaled NONE of it. . . So I thought I'd end this year with a big bang. . .we have had a few things going on and I thought I would catch you all up to speed. . In June we celebrated our first year in Hot Springs, Arkansas, as well as our 12th anniversary. We moved here with the intention that Dan would venture out on his own and manage his own Hearing Aid store. We bought the store back in 2010 but because of a few "bumps" in the road, he wasn't able to work there. . . a battle we still continue to fight. However, in May of this year we took a HUGE leap of faith and Dan quit his full time sales rep position with Starkey and decided to go out on his own, regardless of all the hangups. Although very scary, it has been a huge blessing and we have seen many miracles along the way. He partnered up with a friend from Oklahoma and since September he has opened up two other offices through out the state of Arkansas and has managed to staff each location with AWESOME people! There has been a LOT of frustraion and a LOT of times when we wondered what we had gotten oursleves into, but all in all. . . .seems to be heading the right direction. He has been working hard and such long hours. . .one night he fell asleep kneeling down after family prayers. I am so grateful he is such a hard working man, and is so committed to making a great future for our family. Not only is he managing three locations, but he also serves as the Exec Secretary in our ward as well as the 1st counselor in the Young Men. We are grateful to see him when we get a chance!

I took a little part/time "job" this fall teaching music at Walker's preschool. I teach about 45-50 kids each day and it is fun (and exhausting)! I basically just play with them and sing songs that I like. It is a Baptist preschool so I really enjoy that we can sing songs about Jesus and really celebrate the true meaning of Christmas through song. I have also been helping out some at the office. I took on the position of "accountant" and lasted about 3 weeks before I fired myself and found someone who was actually capable of putting in the hours and WANTED to do the job. I was primary chorister for the bulk of the year as well as Activity day girls leader. . .they just took away my music calling and gave me a sunday school calling for all the youth ages 12-18. I really like it. . . Plus, I still get to do activity day girls which is a big plus!! Aside from trying to juggle all the schedules and do all the normal "mom" stuff, that is what I've been up to this year.

Tarin, the other mother in our home, started the 5th grade this fall. . .shortly after school started she turned 10. She is such a good big sister to her brothers and sister. She loves school and is an awesome student. She loves to read and especially loves to write. She has a really cute way of putting words on paper and expressing herself. She is also still playing soccer in the spring and fall. Her team is co-ed and she is never more thrilled than when she runs faster or scores more than a boy on the field. I guess you could say she's a little competitive. She is also taking piano lessons and has improved leaps and bounds each year she sticks with it. Tarin has friends wherever she goes and seems to make friends in all the "groups" at school. She has a very compassionate heart and tries hard to see the best in people. She is a great example to me in so many ways.

Ella is our little shining star. Right now she is loving her hip/hop and clogging classes during the week. She loves to put on a show and wear those awesome shoes that make so much noise. After only a month at her new dance studio, they decided to advance her up to the next class. This girl has moves. Lets just say, she is the one to beat at Just Dance on the Wii. Ella entered the 2nd grade this fall and is doing amazingly well. She is really starting to love to read and is very determined to get good grades. She is a little bit of a perfectionist. Which also makes her a great piano student. She started this fall and is moving right along. She LOVES it and NEVER complains about practicing. Ella can always make us laugh. She has a super funny sense of humor and works hard to make people giggle (which can sometimes get her into trouble). She is fun to have around and is really so easily entertained!

Walker is 4 and is in Pre-K this year. He is just a super fun little kid. He would spend his entire day, regardless of the weather, out on his bike. He likes to pop wheelies and go as fast as he can, up and down the road (which is a pretty big hill). Thankfully he USUALLY wears his helmet, but that boy is a dare devil and scares me to death. Dan just laughs because I think he was much the same way. Walker LOVES most things motorized.. .which isn't a huge surpise considering the gene poole he comes from. He would spend every waking hour in the summer on the tractor with Grandpa and asks his dad about 10x a day for a motorcycle ride. He has decided he is ready for a dirt bike. . .I'm not convinced of that yet and luckily I have been able to keep his Dad at bay for a while with the dirt bike idea. Walker played soccer both spring and fall this year. He absolutely loved it. All it took was a bribe of some sort to get him motivated to score some goals, and he was golden. He is a fast little runner and has a really natural athletic ability. It was a lot of fun to watch him play. Walker is a sweet boy and likes to keep the peace around home. He is usually really good about sharing with his baby brother and has just a really pleasant, fun personality. I can't believe he will be in Kindergarten next year. . . Watch out!

Wyatt, aka "the screamer" has definately come to this family as the grand finale. He will turn two in February and is just a crazy little boy. It is hard to believe that he will be two on one hand, and on the other, I think. . . he's ONLY two. . . it has been a crazy two years and sometimes it has been way more that either of us should have been able to handle. Despite all the chaos this boy was born into, he is such a sweet little boy. When I'm not around, my friends say he is a perfect angel. In fact, sometimes they ask me to leave so he will calm down. I must stress him out or something. He is starting to be able to express himself in words, and that has helped with the screaming. He is a little tease and loves to torment the dog, Willie. Wyatt is very social and loves to play with other kids. I think this boy is gonna give us a run for our money. He makes us laugh a lot and cry alot, but we love him and are glad he is a part of our crazy family.

Well, I hope that catches you up to speed. 2012 is already looking like a busy year. Dan and I get to go to Las Vegas in January, then Dan turns around and is heading pig hunting in Texas. At the beginning of February we are all going to Maui to visit Nana and Grandpa, and even more fun, Grandma and Grandpa Welling will be there too. We are looking forward to a DeLong family reunion in June in Utah. Hopefully Ella will be baptized then, so all her family can be there, and that's all I know on the calendar so far! Merry Christmas and may next year bring a few more blog posts!!

How To....

2011-01-27T20:45:00.001-06:00

How do I make my blog Pretty???
Ideas, Suggestions, I am bored with this one!
Gracias in advance,
Angela

WOW...it's been a while

2010-09-28T20:14:00.002-05:00

So, here we are, almost two months later and I realize how much I didn't blog about. Tarin turned nine about month ago. She is an amazing little girl. She has been moved around so much lately and has taken it like a champ. She didn't have a "friend" birthday party because we don't have too many "friends" here yet, so we are going to plan a fun one for next year, we hope. We did have a fun dinner and yummy cake. She seemed satisified with it. For her birthday she (we) got a new Wii....which we all love. It is fun to hear all three of the big kids up in the bonus room playing together. Although it is a video game, which I do not love, I do love that they are playing it together and interacting, rather than watching the tube and not even communicating. Dan and I have had to set a timer when we play at nights so that we can get to bed at a decent hour.

Dan is SO busy right now, I don't know how he hasn't had a nervous breakdown. The ARkansas liscensure board is still trying to figure out what their laws are, so he hasn't been able to get his AR liscense to dispense hearing aids. In the mean time, we have hired an audiologist to work at the office until Dan can get the liscense squared away. He is still working for Starkey and still on the road and in his very limited spare time, he is working at the office here, putting together marketing pieces, and planning out marketing events for the office, as well as trying to do all the honey do's I require of him. He is simply amamzing to me right now. He just got called to be exec. secretary in the ward too, so, now he is busy most of the only day he really has off. Poor guy. I sure hope he can hold it together for a bit longer.

As for the other kids, Ella is doing great in the 1st grade. She has a super sweet teacher and loves it. Her favorite day of the week is Friday because the football players from the highschool help with opening the car doors during drop off. She is also doing gymnastics on Thursday nights. She is super social and has made some cute friends here already.

Walker is doing great. A few mom's from church and I have started doing a pre-school co-op. It is working out pretty good. He is such a good kid and so social. He loves to play with all his friends. This past few week he has decided to commit to riding his bike without training wheels and he can pedal all over the creation. Up into the cul-de-sac and then all the way down the big hill home. Brave little kiddo.

Wyatt is turing into a little stink. He is scooting all over the place, kindof crawls like a wounded soldier. He is going to be the first kid to require me to baby proof the house. He is a squirmy little guy and more often than not, has a big ol' grin for anyone who will give him a smile.

That is the update for now. We are looking forward to Dan's parents coming to visit this weekend. We Love having visitors. . hint hint.....

Hopefully this isn't the last post of the year. . . . .darn facebook.

Officially in my 30's

2010-08-09T22:30:00.002-05:00

This past week was my 31st birthday. Dan's mom has a tradition of making us photoshows on our birthdays.....so this is mine. I spent the day with Livia and the kids in Austin. Went to our own Pflugerville Chic Fil A for lunch with a WHOLE bunch of friends, and then later that night, Bill was nice enough to watch six kids so the girls could go GNO. We went to CPK and then shopping at the Domain, it was great. Dan sent me an "edible Arrangement" that was FANTASTIC. And in true "Welling" style we carried the celebration on to the next night when we met Dan in Dallas, went to dinner, and then on a shopping trip to Ikea the next day. It was FABULOUS! I got all new dishes and new silverware...and a dresser for the girl's room. It was great! Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes and making it FABULOUS!

Lessons Learned

2010-07-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

This could get kindof mooshy . . .warning. . . read only if you dare.

So I had one of those "ah ha" moments today in Relief Society at church. The lesson was from Elder Uchdorf's talk from last conference. . "You are My Hands" It is all about using our hands as if they were the Hands of the Savior and using them for good and to serve those around us. I was thinking, as I sat there, about all the service that had been done for me over the past nine months. It seems every time I move I spend some time reflecting on what I have learned in our last location. Living in Rogers to me was like a dream. Right next door I had a friend one could only dream about. She walked right into our life and invited us right into hers. She taught me more about love and charity than I have ever learned in any church meeting. She more than believe that charity was a good thing, she practiced it daily. She is constantly thinking for and doing things for those around her, regardless of life circumstance, race, religion, or color of car. She is truely one of the most accepting people I have ever met. At one point I felt like I was in Rogers to help "share the good word" and after reflecting I realize that I was there on a intermission to see what true charity is and how much happiness it can bring.

We also moved into one of the most fabulous wards, I am pretty sure, on the planet. Right away the girls from chruch welcomed me in. They included us regardless of the fact that Dan wasn't around a whole ton. They had us for dinner, and invited us to all the fiestas!! The girls were invited for play dates from the minute we got there, we in a sense, found a whole new set of family members. We had Sunday dinners with friends we will have forever.

The entire time spent there I feel was a little "re-grouping" or "intermission" for our family. As I look around in our new ward, I realize that all the things I was a part of the past nine months, were meerly preparing me for what is about to be. Although things are not going as WE planned here so far, I feel like they are definatley going according to "the plan" for our family. We are learning patience like we have never had to before and also learning about true faith. We are moving forward with hopes that we can keep ourselves sane and our family strong. We have been seriously blessed in our life to have had some incredible people helping us along, including both of our families. . . now I guess it is time to pay it forward . . . Like the song says "Onward Christian Soldiers."

Wyatt UpDate - - and some June stuff

2010-07-24T09:00:00.013-05:00

So, I guess I should update on the newest member of our family. I took him in for his 4 month well check last week . . .he is actually 5 months old, but who's counting. Seriously, poor baby number 4, does get neglected some. Anywho, got him into the doctor and he did great. Got his shots etc. He weighed 16lbs and 2oz. . and was 26 inches long. He was in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. I wonder if he will follow suit after his brother. Walker was 20 lbs at 6 months. . .I think he can do it. My kids always gain a little weight when I switch them to formula. I guess I don't have very fatty breastmilk. Anywho, here are some recent pics of our adventures. . .

Wyatt got blessed on June 12th in our new ward in Hot Springs. He was my first baby that ever fit into his blessing clothes. That was the longest we have ever waited to bless one of our babies. It was nice to have my mom and dad and Robby and Katie here with us. We also went out on the lake here in Hot Springs while they were here. It was so much fun. Wyatt was a trooper wearing his fancy life vest for the day.

He even went for a swim in the lake

We all decided after a fun day on the lake . . that renting a boat is the way to go. Drive up, get on, play for a few hours, park it back at the dock and get off. . no pulling, storing, launching, etc. It was great, and really not that expensive when you consider the costs that come along with owning a boat. For the amount of time that we actually could use one, this was the perfect solution for our family. Unless, that is, we one day live on the lake, and then that will be a whole different scenario.

Walker enjoyed riding on the tube. . .slowly but mostly jumping off the boat and swimming back to it. We spent a lot of the HOT day swimming in the lake

Robby and Tarin were the brave ones that got whipped around the lake some. I think Tarin would have lived on the tube if we would have let her.

Ella and Katie rode for a bit, but we decided it probably was not the best idea for Katie to be on the tube. Ella was the perfect partner for her because as you can see, Ella was a little, or a LOT nervous. Dad had to bribe her with silly bands to even get her on. It was funny.

Welcome to our home. . .

2010-06-25T19:00:00.016-05:00

Most of you know that we have made a move....on the anniversary of our move last year from Austin, we have moved again, to our new home in Hot Springs, AR. It is beautiful here and I am not gonna lie to you, it is SO nice to have a little more space to roam around in. We actually have been sleeping in because we can't hear eachother breathe in the next room. It has been super duper nice. We just love our new house! Here are some pics. I have SO many more pictures to update. We have made about 25 trips to Hot Springs that are documented in photos. One trip was for Spring Breat, another with Livia in April, another with Dan's parents in May and another quick weekend drive by in May. This is a totally different experience for us. We are used to neighbors and a neighborhood, not the case here. Here we have few neighbors and not much of a 'hood. Noone out at night to play with, etc. I think we doubled the number of children in the neighborhood just by moving here. I have gotten SO SO SO many comments about the number of children I have, mostly nice ones, some "Oh mY's", etc. Coming from people who live in the same state as the Duggars. . . . 19 and Counting family on TLC. Anyway, Robby and Katie and my mom and dad came to help. We worked them to death and I think they sweated off about 10 lbs each. IT was the HOTTEST week ever., We were so grateful though! LOVE THEM! I don't know why it is all underlined. . . oh well. . .

Here are some pictures for those of you interested. . .

Entry Way - Pre-Move. . . the lighting was bad for some of the rooms, and they were messy, so some are before we moved in and some are after. . .

Back patio . .. pre-move in because I was too lazy to go outside

Front Room . . .maybe we will call it the Great room . Need decor help . . PLEASE

Dining Room - - Lighting was bad for photo post move in

Wyatt's Room . . .once he is bigger it will be made into the guest room, but as for now, it is his. It has a bathroom attached to it and a really big closet.

Master Bath - - it is fabulous! Need I say more. Walker averages about 2 showers a day in here.

Master Bedroom . . it is plenty big for our eliptical. YEAH

Kitchen - Yes those are cookies next to Tarin . . had to break in the double oven and promptly find people to deliver the cookies to.

Walker's Cowboy Room . . had to bring a little TX with us

Girl's Room . . will be a beach room one day. Oh, Walker

I thought Ella's sunburned cheeks looked cute in this one

Bonus room . . .the room we all LOVE. Already preformed plays and housed sleepovers. Robby and Katie broke it in . .. poor them, with my broken air mattress.

The Front, and the red door is staying. . . we LOVE it!

Welcome. . . and please come if you want. .. we would LOVe to have ya. We Love visitors!!

Happy 6th Birthday Ella

2010-05-13T07:08:00.002-05:00

Kindof ironic that the day Ella was born, in Arlington TX there was some severe weather and my poor mom was home with Tarin listening to our NOAH weather radio go off every few minutes telling her severe weather was coming. Dan's parents drove from Waco, TX , with Grandma Green, in some serious severe weather, to see little Ella. This morning we woke up to severe weather in Arkansas. I wonder if, as long as we live in the South, we will have Severe weather on Ella's birthday. Thanks Nana for making this fun photo show! We look forward to these and LOVE sharing them.

WE are so happy to have Ella in our family. She makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes! She is so sweet and loves her brother and sister. As you can tell, where Ella is, there is alwasy a party! Never a dull moment!

Happy Birthday Ella!

On The Move....

2010-05-08T20:16:00.003-05:00

It's official, this past Thursday we closed on our 4th, and hopefully FINAL house. We bought a home in Hot Springs, AR. Who would have ever thought that I would be living in Arkansas?? Well, I for one, never did. Of all the states in the USA, Arkansas was probably not even on the long list of states I thought I would live in, but we are, and we LOVE it here. This past week Dan's parents were here and we got to show them our new life in Hot Springs. The weather was beautiful, we went on a Duck tour on the lake and it is just a fabulous place to live. We won't be moving until school is out on the 8th of June and then that next weekend we will move..BY OURSELVES. This will be the first move for us that we will have packed our own boxes and loaded our own truck. Thankfully Mom, Dad, Robby and Katie are coming to help, which we are SUPER grateful for.

Still taking input on the red door....it seems a little bright tio me, but I think it is growing one me a little bit....more pics to come

Updated Wyatt Pics

2010-04-12T21:05:00.005-05:00

My neighbor has been snapping a few pics of Wyatt lately and they have turned out really cute. It seems that no matter where I live, my neighbors take more pictures of my kids than I do. I love it because they share them and then I have them, and don't feel like such a bad mom for not documenting all of them.....it is great. Wyatt is doing great. He has no choice but to be an on-the-go baby.. He run errands in the day and then in the evening goes from activity to activity with the kids. He is a good sport. We are in the process of buying a house and moving, so his days in the car seat are only going to increase as we get ready to move, etc. More details on the move to come . . . once things are really settled. I have learned, over the past year, not to count my chickens before they hatch.

Anywho....here are the pics

Spring Break

2010-03-28T15:12:00.006-05:00

So, our spring break started with a bang...8 inches of snow. Thankfully by Wednesday it was all gone and the weather was great. We made it outside to do some bike riding and playing with friends, etc. Here are some pictures to show you what we did this week.

I finally used my brain and made the kids chore charts. Seriously, I never had thought of this before? They worked like a charm and seriously helped with my stress level. I knew at least one or two things off the house cleaning list would get done everyday, and they all, including Walker, were excited about helping. It was great. Tarin came up with a plan for every day of the week. It went like this...

Makeover Monday - Hair, Nails, etc. Walker got his toes painted too, but we didn't manage to get too many pictures of him this week.

Target Tuesday - we went to Target to get new shoes with the money grandma gave us for Easter...kindof turned into a fiasco with 4 kids, but we did it and made it work. Not much a post c-section mom can do about her 40lb - 3 -year old who won't get off the floor...Thank goodness for bribery and treats at the end of the store.

Walk Wednesday - We went on a walk/bike ride and the kids also made some fabulous crafts. . Guitars made from cereal boxes...Tarin came up with this all on her own. . LOVE HER. She was such a gem and was THE biggest helper this week. I never even had to ask her to do things, she just did them with a big smile on her face. I have never been more grateful for my sweet 8 year old in my life...or her life, for that matter.

Travelling Thursday - We drove to Hot Springs to meet Dan for the weekend. This was quite the feat to get all 4 kids ready for a weekend getaway, pack the car, snacks, movies, etc without the help of a husband, etc. I think I spent a good 24 hours solid getting ready. Tarin stayed up late with me Wednesday night to get all the laundry done and pack the bags. That is one HUGE difference I have noticed with 4 kids. Getting out the door took us until at least 1PM each day. I am usually out the door by 9AM excercised, showered, etc. Life with a newborn is loads of fun. We made it though. 3.5 hour drive with NO stops and just in time to feed Wyatt again. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Hot Springs and it was nice to be able to swim, sleep in a little, and enjoy some spring-like weather.

Fabulous Friday - Simply because all Friday's are fabulous, especially the ones where we see Daddy. We did a few work things for Dan, but mostly went swimming. Went up the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. . .rode the elevator up and walked down..which is the way to do it when you are packing 4 kids. Walker started to get sick Friday afternoon, so we took it pretty easy for the rest of the day.

Sonic Saturday - Duh...Sonic Happy Hour. We went to a really fun park in Hot springs and the kids hiked around the lake and got to throw in lots of rocks. Dan took us to a fun restaurant for lunch called the Purple Cow? Ella even got a purple cow milkshake. It was Purple Vanilla....and of course she loved it. The food was great. And we made it to Sonic Happy Hour with 1 minute to spare before the prices went back to normal. Slushes and Diet Coke all around. It was FAB.. Thanks to those slushes and diet cokes, the drive home took us more like 5 hours than the 3.5 it took us to get there. Lots of pee/puke stops. Walker was still sick.

Spiritual Sunday - which didn't really happen because 3 of the 4 kids are sick...with fevers/coughs. Looks like my spring break will end with a bang and kids home from school on Monday. YIPEE!! Tarin, my saving grace this week, is now suffering from a 103 degree fever and Walker seems to be on the mend. His fever is now low-grade, but still there, and his cough is still the same. Ella is just coughing. We decided to spare the ward our illness and just stayed home today. Dan felt bad leaving me with 3 sick kids and going to church, so he stayed home too, since he really will be leaving me with 3 sick kids tomorrow and going to Minnesota for the week. So, Dan made crepes for those children who could eat and we just had a nice relaxing Sunday morning. It was LOVELY. Happy Spring Break to you all....For the most part, our was AWESOME and SO SO SO much better than what I thought it would be!

First Day of Spring....AKA Last Day of Winter...

2010-03-21T14:30:00.004-05:00

This is the masterpiece that Dan and the kids built last Sunday. It was supposed to be the world's largest snowman, but ended up being the worlds only conjoined snowman twins. Our neighbors thought it looked like something else....come on people, get your minds out of the gutter...

Hopefully this first day of spring will also be known as the last day of winter. Living here in Northwest Arkansas for the past 7 months has really been a shock to the old system. I don't remember my feet being in shoes so many days in a row as they have been the past few months. I honestly didn't paint my toenails for 3 months. . . that's a record for me. The first day of spring was on Saturday and at 4PM it started to snow, it is now 3 PM on Sunday and it is still SNOWING. Not just snowing but raining ice and sleet. There is probably about 6 to 8 inches of accumulated water. It is CRAZY. I am trying to convince one of my crazy kids to go out front and take a picture to document it. After sacrament meeting, they called off the rest of church, it has been kindof nice to come home and enjoy a few extra hours together before Dan takes off for the week.

It is spring break for the girls this week. I am grateful because it means we won't have to wake up and get out the door to catch the bus, but nervous because it leaves me with all 4 kiddos all day by myself. . . at least through Thursday night. Thank goodness I have some good neighbors and friends and hope to have some playdates planned for the week so we don't get too bored! I am praying for patience and the desire to do fun things with the kids, since it looks like the first day of the break will be spent inside waiting for the snow to melt.

Wyatt is almost a month old, can you believe it? I can! It has been a LONG month..I keep reminding myself that the first few months are the hardest and then things progressively get easier..at least with the night time part, and the feedings will be spread apart, etc. He is starting to give us some real smiles and be awake for longer periods of time. He is such a great baby, and I feel so lucky to have him. Poor kid, as number four, I have a feeling he will be spending the bulk of his babyhood in the carseat. I figure to celebrate Wyatt's 1 month birthday I will begin a new diet. Wish me luck! I have two more weeks before I can get back on the exercise wagon, so I will hopefully get a kick start on the weight loss......

Anywho...those are my Sunday ramblings. If I can convice someone to go out and take a pic of all the white stuff, I will post it!

Happy Birthday Walker

2010-03-02T17:31:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow our big boy turns Three...If you can't tell from the pics, he has always been such a happy fun baby to be around! He cracks us up daily and is such a good boy! Thanks Nana for making such a great photoshow and taking us down memory lane. This little boy has had quite the life so far....trip to Orlando, Hawaii, Utah, San Antonio, TX Hill country, and many more places. Let's just say he is pretty well traveled for a three year old!

We love you Walker! Happy Birthday!

Welcome Wyatt Don

2010-02-25T08:01:00.009-06:00

Wyatt Don was born Tuesday the 23rd at 12:41 PM. He weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz and was 20.5" long. He is a LONG skinny baby. He came into this world just screaming. The nurses in the nursery couldn't listen to his heart because he was such a screamer. Start to finish, this was a piece of cake delivery, as I guess most scheduled c-sections are. He is doing great. His sisters and brother were so excited to meet him.

If you can't tell, the girls were pretty excited. They will be even more excited once he gets home and they can hold him all they want.

I think Ella has found her new snuggle partner. . .

Walker is ready to wrestle.

The proud papa...i think we have a pic exactly like this with Dan and each one of the kids.

Mama and Wyatt..both of us so happy to be done and have a little more breathing room.

Here is a little video to show you what a screamer we have on our hands. Thankfully, this was just indicitive of the first few hours of his life, he has been pretty peaceful ever since.

The Grand Finale.....

2010-02-15T19:08:00.002-06:00

So, I have jokingly named this baby in my tummy, "The Grand Finale." I don't know how people have more than three kids, and I am not quite sure how I am going to do it either. My body is really not enjoying this pregnancy and it seems my sanity is slowing seeping away from me. Wyatt is going to be born next Tuesday and to be truthful, I don't know what I am more excited about, not being pregnant anymore or having Dan home for a little while. It will be nice to be a real family for a while. The best of both worlds would be for me to be feeling fabulous the entire time he is home so that we could go and and do some fun stuff, instead it will be time spent relaxing, sleeping, watching movies, and probably changing diapers, doing laundry, and did I mention napping? Oh well, I will take what I can get.

Anywho....all of you out there with 4+ children...send your advice my way. I will be needing it!

Grumpy

2010-02-04T18:22:00.002-06:00

So, today Ella asked me why I am so grumpy...I could go on for a countless number of reasons...which I will not bore you with, but this has me really thinking...am I always grumpy. Is Ella always going to remember her mom as being grumpy? Food for thought. Hopefully once I am back to my normal hormonal self I will be back in control of the grumps, but for now I have yet to determine what it is that makes me so grumpy in the evening...which is basically the ONLY time Ella sees me during the day.

Any suggestions for overcoming the evening blues? Homework, after school activities, Dinner, Baths, Bedtime...how do I make them less of a chore especially while doing them as a single parent most nights?

Snow Days

2010-01-29T18:34:00.002-06:00

So, as we drove out of my mom's driveway after our Christmas visit, i wondered to myself if maybe I should have packed up the kids's snow clothes and brought them home. Nah, how snowy can Arkansas really get...well boy was I wrong. Since Jan 1st we have missed 6 days of school so far...and this is just the beginning of this storm. I am running out of ideas on how to keep the kids happy and alive without the TV being the main source of entertainment.

"Go play in the snow" you say....well, noone has boots. I guess I need to do the plastic sack over the shoe thing that my parents used to do to us....hey, not a bad idea. At least we have hats and gloves, which is more than what we had in TX. So, if any of you have ideas other than making cookies and drinking hot cocoa, I am all ears. I am actually tempted to brave the weather and head to the golden arches tomorrow, despite all the nastiness and germs, to burn some of the energy bursting at this house. Maybe I will make them each do 30 minutes on the eliptical....another idea I am sure they would eat up.

Anywho...any suggestions, send them my way. Got a few crafts planned, but gotta fill up 14 hours....

Funny Videos

2010-01-23T12:40:00.004-06:00

Here are some funny videos we shot at Christmas time in Eden.

Sledding off Grandpa's Barn

Kirk Wrecks..

And Robby Wrecks....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2010-01-05T20:03:00.007-06:00

Dear Friends and Family

This past year has been one for the record books. We started off in Pflugerville, TX. After several thousand prayers and a huge drop in the price we finally sold our house in TX, thus officially closing out the TEXAS Chapter of our lives… Off to Arkansas we went to start another great and fabulous DeLong adventure. We were dangerously close to buying again, but it never really felt like it was the right decision for our family, so at the last minute we pulled the plug and decided to rent. We literally were looking on Craig’s list for a place to live 2 days before we had to drive across country to our new life in Arkansas. Nothing like adding a little sense of urgency! However it all worked out, like it always does. We’ve been in Rogers Arkansas 4 months now and we love it!!! Here’s a brief synopsis of what each of us have been up to:

Dan still spends the bulk of his time on the road. Most weeks you will find him at a Hampton Inn either in OK, AR, or LA. He has put some serious miles on his suitcase and LOVES the weekends home and the time he can spend with his kiddos. .

Angela is currently 7 months pregnant and excited to be officially done. She continues to make friends wherever she goes and she stays busy keeping the family afloat.

Tarin is 8 years old. She got baptized in October on her Grandma Welling’s birthday. She has started piano lessons and is doing GREAT. She is very disciplined with her practicing and has a great love for it. She has also started attending activity days at church and loves feeling like a big kid. We were too late getting here to get her into soccer, but she is looking forward to starting in the spring. Tarin was also elected by her classmates to serve on the student council at her school. She is a natural leader and has lots of friends.

Ella is 5 and started kindergarten this year. She is LOVING it and is doing SO well. She reads like a champ and her teacher says she is catching on quickly to each new concept. She has lots of friends at school and is enjoying it. She has a long day for a little 5 year old. They catch the bus at 7 AM and then don’t get home until 4 PM, needless to say, she comes home pooped and ready for some down time. Another big accomplishment for Ella is that she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She just decided to do it, and she did. She is a very determined little girl. Once she sets her mind to something, it usually happens. Most afternoons you can find Ella coloring at the table, as that is her new-found love.

Walker is so big and is doing so great. We always joke that he has more friends here than any of us. He has a playgroup that he goes to a couple days a week and he LOVES it. He learned how to ride a bike this year and that is where you can find him most every afternoon. Hopefully next year we can report that he has been potty trained and has no pacifier, but as for now, he is clinging onto the last strings of his babyhood.

We hope this letter finds all well with you and your families. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Dan, Angela, Tarin, Ella, Walker and new Baby Boy DeLong

Catch Up

2009-12-16T07:14:00.016-06:00

Tarin Driving the Duck Boat

Walker seemed to know exactly what to do

Beautiful lake in Branson...

Duck calls ready!

All of us at the Branson 's Landing....waiting for the watershow...that never really happened.

The girls and I killed some time with the three barrell roller....they look ADORABLE.

Swimming with the Youngs

Walker's serious pout.....oh, I am so excited for a 3 year old...

Seriously folks, if you want an experience, go sit on Santa's lap in Arkansas. Real beards, and thick accents...."Did ya'll get yourself a build a bear coupon?"

Walker didn't quite know what to think...HILLARIOUS

Ella LOVES Hillbilly Santa

So, we haven't posted in a while, thought I would get you all up to speed. For Thanksgiving we spent a few days in Branson MO. It is only 86 miles from our house, but we went the round about way through Northeast Arkansas so Dan could work a few days before we left. The drive to Jonesboro is only about 200 miles, but took us approximately 5 hours because of all the twists and turns. I do believe that noone in Arkansas believes in building a straight road. Needless to say we made a few stops just to get a breather. It was LONG and very curvy. We had fun in Jonesboro, mostly swimming at the pool and hanging out at the mall. It brought back memories of when we lived in Mansfield and I would load up the girls in the car and head out on the road with Dan. He would drop us off at the nearest mall while he worked. I have become very successful at entertaining the kiddos at malls for varying amounts of time. I love going to little obscure towns and going to their malls. That is where I always seem to find the best deals. The mall in Jonesboro even had a Target in it....who can't kill a few hours there on a regular basis? Anywho, needless to say, it was fun. On Weds we drove over to Branson and that night Dan and the girls went with the Young's to Silver Dollar City. Walker was feeling a little under the weather, and it was pretty chilly so we opted to go brave Wal-Mart and get the fixin's for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Dan and the girls had a blast. Dan said it was like no Christmas lights display he had ever seen before. It put everything else to shame. The girls loved it too. They had lots of Christmas activities and shows along with the typical rides. I think we will definately make an effort to get there next fall. We also did a Duck Boat tour in Branson. The kids thought this was a TOTAL kick. You should have seen Walker's face when the truck drove right into the water and made a HUGE splash. Walker and Tarin each got a turn to drive the duck boat. Ella opted out. It was pretty cool. We took the kids to see the new Christmas Carol movie....BIG MISTAKE. It was really scary and we spent the next few hours really upset that we had gone. I kept waiting for it to get funny....after all, isn't Jim Carey in it? Anywho, it was a little traumatizing...especially in 3-D.

We had Thanksgiving dinner with the Young's in our condo. She made a bunch of stuff and I did the turkey and the gravy....it ended up being FABULOUS! We each just made the stuff we cared about having for left overs, and it was awesome. The following three days were filled with leftover turkey sandwiches and pie. Does it get any better than that? It was a nice, relaxing break. We played a lot of cards, went for walks/runs, shopped a little, ate lots of leftovers, and just enjoyed having some stress-free time together. A big shout out to ma and pa Welling for hooking us up with the condo. It was awesome. It was a cute little cabin-like condo. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a loft. The only think it lacked was a pool, but thanks to the Youngs we got to get a swim in at their condo before we left. It was GREAT!

We went to the old time photo place and got some fun Christmas card pics taken. I will post some of them at a later date. Walker LOVED it. He was totally hamming it up for the photographer. She was convinced that we needed to get the kid an agent and get him into some modeling. It was hillarious. Dress him up like a cowboy and give him a toy gun, and you get a pretty great show. Totally lived up to his Walker Texas Ranger name...

The only suggestion I would make before leaving Branson, is DO NOT go have a nice breakfast buffet and then leave town. Fully tummys and very windy curvey roads DO NOT MIX. Poor Ella was sitting in the back of the car and she got sick. It wasn't pleasant for ANY of us involved. Other than a pretty messy ending, it was a GREAT week!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T16:00:00.007-05:00

Just thought I would post some Halloween Pics...

Starring the Fabulous DeLong Kiddos:

Tarin as the Witch

Ella as the "Pumpkin Princess" what else would she be?

And Walker as Spiderman himself, although he thinks he is superman.

Tarin's Baptism

2009-10-18T11:48:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we had Tarin's baptism. She seemed to think that she had to wait forever because she turned 8 about 6 weeks ago. But with Grandparents flying in from all over...this weekend worked out perfectly. It was little rainy and a little chilly, but with lots of warm soup and snuggling with Grandparents we made it work. Tarin got to have her baptism all by herself, she was the only one, it was nice and small. I will admit, when we first moved here, I was a little concerned that it would just be our parents at the baptism, but we have made some pretty incredible friends already and it was nice to have them there to support Tarin on her special day. Ron and Emily drove over from Tulsa....becuase they are moving there.......so we had friends from everywhere there. It was a great day. Nana gave the talk on baptism, my dad gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, and we had a couple really special video presentations and a muscial number by Ella, Lyndee Young, Kaitlyn Young, and Tarin. It was a great day. Here are some pics before...the kids were running like crazies after, so we didn't get any post-dunk pictures. Oh well....here's what we have!

Grandparent Visit

2009-10-18T11:38:00.007-05:00

The night everyone got into town, we had some CRAZY rain. We got like 5 inches over night, so the next day we went to check out some of the waterfalls we had played in with Ron and Emily on Labor Day. They were ROARING and didn't look very appealing to play in. It was amazing to see the difference a little, or a lot of rain, can make.

Both Dan's parents and my parents came for a visit. We were SO lucky to get all four of them here for Tarin's baptism. It was a fun-filled weekend. We went to a little city called Eureka Springs about an hour away. It was a fun shop-filled town. It was know for it's healing springs and used to be where people went to drink the healing waters and get better..the store owner we spoke with said she just thinks it was because people actually came and relaxed that they got better. There was a little store where there was a trained bunny that took your money, and then gave you your pen and receipt to sign. The kids were greatly amused by it. Of course we had to buy something to see the bunny in action.

Eureka Springs is also one of two places in the world where the Passion Play is put on. I went when I was in high school, and it is a pretty amazing production. Who would think that Oberomergau Germany and Eureka Springs, AR would have something in common. In Germany they only put on the passion play once in 10 years, but in AR, they do it every summer. We got some pictures of the "Big Jesus" or as they call him here the "Christ of the Ozarks." It is a BEAUTIFUL spot with an incredible view.

Dan's Race

2009-10-18T11:32:00.006-05:00

So, Dan got somewhat coerced into running 5K with our neighbor Tiffany. He wasn't thrilled about it, but it was fun for him. The kids and I went to watch him run and finish. It was for a charity called Hannah's Hope...a little girl that died of cancer, who's family is now raising money to help find the cure. It was a good cause, but wasn't well attended. It was the first year though, so it can only grow from here on out. .Here are some pics of the runners... I am trying to get Dan addicted to running so that he will run a marathon with me next year....it hasn't been working so far, but I have about 8 months to convince him... we will see.

Labor Day Itself

2009-10-18T11:11:00.010-05:00

I ran a 10K race on LaborDay. It was a small race here in northwest AR called Run for a Child. A bunch of ladies from church have organized a group to run together for the past few years. Everyone wears a pink shirt that says "Sole Sisters." I was lucky, soon after we moved here, to meet some great running friends. A few from church, and one right next door. They were so sweet to let me join their "sole sisters" group literally a few days before the race. The race was really close to our house so it was fun to see Dan and the kids along the way with their signs. I was at this point 15 weeks pregnant, and it was kindof hard, mostly because I ended with a full bladder. We spent some time at the party after the race, lots of free food and fun for the whole family. . . bounce houses and lots of Wal-Mart vendors just giving away stuff. It was fun for all of us.

After the race, we hurried home, showered and cleaned up and then headed off to Branson, MO with another great family we met here....kindof here...the girl I met this summer in Utah and her family, the Youngs. They took us up to Silver Dollar City...which is an amusement park in Branson. It was a beautiful, hilly, windy road that made most of us car sick. It is only like 60 miles, but because of the crazy roads, takes about an hour and a half to get there. It was a great time. Tarin loved it because she was FINALLY tall enough to ride every ride she wanted. She and her new BFF Lyndee rode a rollercoaster called Powderkeg with their dad's and got STUCK on the rollercoaster. IT broke down right as they were ALMOST getting off. They closed the ride down and luckily got everyone off safely. They had to climb down off the ride onto a ladder. It was crazy...but FUN! Another perk of Walker being SO big is that there aren't too many rides he can't ride at amusement parks. Most kids his age have to ride with an adult, but the kids is really the size of a 4 year old, so he can do most by himself, which make his nautious mommy VERY happy. The Youngs also introduced us to a great place for BBQ, as we have been feeling deprived since leaving TX. It was some of the best we have had since moving. I wish I could remember the name of the place. It was awesome though! It was a busy busy, but FUN filled weekend.

Ella the Amazing....

2009-10-18T11:01:00.006-05:00

I know, I am a slacker. I have been meaning to update the blog in such a long time and haven't taken the time to do it, why you ask...simply because I am lazy. We ended with Labor Day weekend last month...so that is where I will pick up. After the Gilleland's left we had a nice calm Sunday. Ella decided it was time for her to ride with no training wheels. She had still been using them quite a bit, but was begging us enough that we gave in. Dan took her training wheels off, and then set her up on the drive way (with a helmet of course) and we were expecting a big crash and lots of crying...SHE COMPLETELY Surprised us. She took off down the driveway, made a big turn, got stuck, fell off, got right back on, and started up again, ALL BY HERSELF. She could do it, she just had to decide that it was time. She has been loving to ride her bike ever since. We have been on family bike rides, and now there are NO complaints from her. It is fun for her to feel like she can keep up with her big sister. This is a miracle on so many levels. Coming from the girl who doesn't like to sweat, and refused to ride a bike until last year...pretty miraculous. Dan even bought her a power wheel for her 3rd birthday because she couldn't keep up with the kids on the street.....pretty sad. Anyway...power wheel is in storage and now Ella is in her own power behind the wheel....We are so proud of her Walker didn't want to be left out either. He is a pretty speedy bike rider himself....probably won't be using training wheels much longer....

Labor Day Part 1

2009-09-06T12:31:00.003-05:00

So, this weekend has been fun so far. It started with a nice relaxing Friday evening and then our good friends the Gillilands came for a night. We took them up to a place called Tanyard Creek. Six kids, two dogs, and four adults. These pictures are the result of a fabulous time. It was great. After the adventure we go to go have a nice adult dinner while a brave sitter watched all six kiddos! It was great! Here are some pics of the hike.

Dan and Walker and Willie all going for a swim in the lake after the hike..

Hiding behind the waterfal

Everyone braving the water to get a shot behind a waterfall

Kings of the Mountain

Ella the little hiker girl

Scaling the mossy waterfall....it was pretty slippery but really fun.

All the kids enjoying a rest

Zach thought this was great!

Hiking the creek to the waterfall

It's a Phone????

2009-09-03T16:25:00.003-05:00

I had to post this...Tarin opening her phone for her birthday.

I Love Free Stuff....

2009-09-03T16:10:00.002-05:00

So, our Stake here in Bentonville hosts an annual preparedess fair for the community. Our stake hosts, and runs most of it, but apparantly it has turned into a HUGE community event. Lots of vendors and businesses in the area donate things and also come support with volunteers, etc. So, we have been hearing about it for a few weekends and I am way excited to go see what this is all about. They give out 72 hour starter kits to everyone who comes, provide lunch, games for the kids, etc. It is gonna be great. One of the girls in our ward was in charge of getting all the donations for the 72 hour kids and money for the food, prizes, etc. After playgroup today she invited us over to her house to get some stuff that they couldn't use...that Wal-Mart had donated and she needed to get rid of. I thought I might end up with a tube or two of toothpaste or some shampoo or something...but when I saw the BOXES of stuff that had already been ran-sacked for the 72 hour kids, by the RS presidents in the area, and a few other folks in the ward...and this was what was LEFT, I was overwhelmed. I probably got at least a year supply of razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, etc. Here is a pic to show you just what I got...and there were still boxes FULL when I left. It was amazing. If people around the country could figure out how to get pallets of this stuff from wal-mart...no food banks would run low and shelters would be stocked. The pallett she got was ONE WEEKS worth of returns and non-sellable items from the Wal Marts around the nation. AMAZING.

The "Closing" of another chapter

2009-08-27T12:47:00.004-05:00

I assumed that the end of our chapter in Texas was a few months ago when we moved away... I didn't know how sad I would feel after today and our official closing on our house that makes us no longer property owners in the great state of Texas...but more importantly...on "the loop." We have moved around some...enough to know what a fabulous neighborhood is and can be. Each 'hood we have lived in has been the BEST for what I have needed at the time. In Utah, our 'hood helped me grow in the motherhood department. We had a neighbor right next door, Leanne, who taught me so much about being a mom and what a good mom does. She started me running and working out more regularly, and for that I will ALWAYS be grateful. I got to be Primary president and learned much more from that calling than I have EVER learned anywhere else. Given, I was really young at that time and needed to learn a lot too...

Our second 'hood was in Mansfield and the neighbors there were beyond what I could have ever imagined. Not only the ones on Austin St, but the ones we met at church. I learned that you can make "family" anywhere you live. I learned how much I loved going to my mom's house for Sunday dinner, and how much fun it was to swap dinners with the Ellsworths and other friends in the area. I learned that there are SO many more Christian people out there then I could have ever imagined...who are just good. I learned that friendships don't end with an address change...they just change. We also learned that our family, meaning our little family unit, is strong and we can do anything as long as we are together.

Our third 'hood is the one we just left... "the loop" is a magical place. It was hard to put a value on my house there, because what you get when you live on that street is worth far more than what money can buy. There are neighbors there who care and love you and don't judge. They pull your weeds and mow your lawn when you aren't there to do it yourself. They watch out for the lady down the street, who's husband is in Iraq. They walk your kids to school when you are too lazy to get out the door and go yourself. They drop by with a little gift just to let you know they care and are thinking about you. They invite you to dinner when your husband is gone. They coach your kid's soccer teams...they don't hate you because your dog barks all the time. They take you out for your birthday and any other special occasion that gives you a reason to go out. They give you "non-going away" parties. You get about 25 kids going door to door all dressed up asking for candy...and the parents trying to run ahead to make sure someone is home. But best of all...they are just good people helping one another and trying to get by as best they can. How can you put a price on that? So, today as I signed all the papers and essentially "paid" to leave this 'hood, I can't help but be a little sad. Don't get me wrong..Arkansas is fabulous and we have made some great friends already and I know the next neighborhood will be fabulous too...but today I am mourning the loss of what we had in our past 'hood. I feel bad for anyone who doesn't get to live on the loop and today that person is me...

So, as far as the house goes...who cares...the house was great, but the location is what made it special. I will miss the paint...heaven knows without Livia down the street I will never do another nursery like Walker's was. I will also miss a few other things like the extra bathroom and maybe having the kids upstairs....but that can all be replaced. The loop cannot!

Here's a photoshow of our TX house...as we say goodbye...

Happy Eighth Birthday Tarin!!

2009-08-23T21:34:00.001-05:00

Nana made this cute photoshow of Tarin's life. I had to post it. She is getting so big and is so mature. .and responsible. Sometimes, I feel like I have a 12 year old rather than an 8 year old. There is no task to big or no challenge to great for her. She is a smart girl, great student, wonderful big sister and takes care of everyone in this house. In so many ways I look up to my little girl. I can't believe she will be getting baptized soon. Tarin, we love you! Have a very happy birthday!!

First Day of School

2009-08-19T19:07:00.008-05:00

So...today was the first day of school for the kids here at their new school in AR. Tarin is going into the 3rd grade and Ella is in Kindergarden. It has been fun to see their excitement about what they are going to wear and their new teachers and meeting new friends and the whole package that comes with moving and starting over in a new place. Ella has been trying to wear this outfit every day for the past three weeks...ever since Grandma took her shopping to buy it. Tarin did great. If she was nervous, it didn't show. She made new friends and has decided that she might just be able to handle riding the bus here...it's her mom that's not. Because we got here so late...they didn't get into the school that is close by our house, so they would have to make a bus transfer to get to their school. They would have to leave at 6:55 AM and wouldn't get home until 5 PM. That seems like a bit too long of a day for a 3rd grader and a kindergartner. So...we may try it a few times...but I don't know if we are willing to make that kind of thing happen. Here are some pics to document the event.

EZ Cheese

2009-08-13T10:58:00.002-05:00

So, this is the craving as of late. I have gone through two cans in the past week. Sick...i know, but it tastes so good and keeps me from puking....Seriously...who eats this stuff? I guess some people must because it is still for sale in the stores..I am civilized when I eat it though..always on crackers or pretzels..none of that squirting it right into my mouth.

"Summery" 2009 - It's a LONG ONE

2009-08-09T14:17:00.004-05:00

WOW! This summer has been one to go down in the history books for our little family. We started in June with Plan A...moved on to plan B and now I do believe we are on plan XYZ....
Plan A was to sell our house, the original close date was on June 16th. We left Texas on June 4th and headed out to Utah to stay with my mom for the summer...and save money to get ourselves establised in Arkansas. June 5th we pulled out of Pflugerville very teary eyed but happy to be onto our new adventure....plan was to move to Hot Springs AR...anywho.... June 8th we found out that the contract was not going to close on our house. June 9th was our 10th anniversary and also the day Dan's grandpa died. Talk about a week....on to plan B

Plan B was to now re-list our house....still go on a house hunt trip and see where that took us. Had a few lookers..at the house...but in the mean time we decided against moving to Hot Springs for a bit and decided on Northwest Arkansas. Hot Springs was beautiful and tons of lakes...but Northwest AR just made more sense for the stage we are in right now. Start looking for houses in Bentonville, Rogers, and Bella Vista....

Plan C - List our house with a realtor - excluding one family that had been looking for a while and were just firming up financing. Realtor gives us more exposure...just cost a little more money. We had a few offers on the house...but none we could take yet. At this point we are into July. Still having to pay all our bills in Tx....meaning not saving as much money as wanted in Plan A. Nonetheless....still okay with plan C....Maybe we will just rent. Oh yeah, and i find out I am pregnant....AAHHH!

Plan D - Dan goes house hunting by himself in AR to get us a house. He looks at a few rentals and decides that isn't the life for us...so..makes a few offers on a few houses...and one gets accepted in Bella Vista. Big house, for a great price. We move forward and pay for inspections, appraisals, etc. In the same week...we get an offer on our house in TX that we can accept from the family that we excluded from the contract with our realtor. Get all the loan stuff going and we are headed in the right direction...so you think. Got the kids registered in the school they are supposed to go to (which you wouldn't think is a big deal, but AR schools are Wierd...and that is a whole other story). Call the bishop, and find out which day we will be baptizing Tarin because they do stake baptisms....everyone buys plane tickets for Oct. 10th...which will be baptism day..and we are on our way to Bella Vista.

Plan E - the mortgage comany calls....three weeks later...and says...sorry we won't fund this loan until your house closes in TX. We had gotten pre-approval letters and they had all our income information for three weeks. We were one week away from closing when they decided this. ANGER starts to seep in...we shouldn't have gotten to this point if we weren't going to close. The people we are buying the house from agree to let us move in a few weeks early and then close after our house in TX closes. Well...then we started thinking...what if our house in TX doesn't close? Then, what? Three weeks after we move in we have to move out and find somewhere to live...change the kids schools because they start here Aug 19th.....NO WAY! We used to be risky type people, now we aren't.

Plan F - Decide to Rent......(5 days before we are supposed to leave) Find a house on craig's list. In a good neighborhood.....meet a girl in Utah at the park who lives here in Bentonville. Get her phone number...call her and check things out with her to see about area's etc. She seems to think we will be in her ward....since that decision to rent..EVERYTHING has fallen into place. Because the girl I met at the park knew we were coming, she called the ward and the bishopric members were waiting for us. The 2nd counselor in the bishopric called a few days before we left and welcomed us and made sure we had his number in case we needed anything. The landlord had shown this house to a bunch of couples, and then decided to rent to us. I am literally calling on our drive through Wyoming to set up utilites and make sure the kids can get into school somewhere. I got it all figured out on the second day of our drive as we left Nebraska and headed down Missouri to Arkansas. The day we moved in the neighbor next door came over and invited us to the pool. I left my mom and Dan unpacking and took the kids to the pool (I know, rude, huh?) The cute neighbor next door set up a playdate for this week....and introduced me to running friends. Turns out a group of girls meet at 6AM three times a week to run...and a couple of them are actually in our new ward...I met them today. WoW! I really thought the people in Tx were friendly....I CANNOT believe the kindess of people here in AR. Even the lady just hooking up our utilites was so sweet and kind and helpful. You just don't luck into stuff like this...we feel VERY blessed and VERY happy. Although I did have to change the kid's school..and they didn't get into the school close by..so we have a big drive every day now.....everything else seems to be working out.

So, here we are...six plans later all settled into this little rental house. We had to get a storage unit. It is hard going from the space we used to have...to this, but we will all learn to love the coziness of it. You are all still welcome to visit...just know that there is a bunch less space, but we will fit you in...anywhere we can. It will be exciting.

So, what we've learned is that plans Change...and that is okay. I guess our plan just needed to be more aligned with His plan for us.....and it all worked out. Church today was amazing. The people are more kind than any ward we have ever been in. It was reminiscent of our first Sunday in Mansfield. We just feel so blessed....and now we can get settled in.

In my next post I will post pics of all the fun we had this summer at my mom's. Walker felt so free. He could go outside and play at his will. He learned how to ride a bike. The girls and I helped my mom make rasperry jam, apricot jam and bottle beans. They took swimming lessons, played with their cousin Taylor and had sleepover after sleepover. Tarin loved going to her Aunt Carin's house to help with the boys. Livia came to visit. Ella got to play with her cousin and learned how to sleep by herself at night. We got to go on the boat with Jen and her mom...Got to see Jill and the kids in Salt lake....as well as Bogans from the loop. We had a truely amazing summer amidst all the turmoil and changing plans.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-06-08T22:39:00.003-05:00

So, tomorrow it will be 10 years that Dan and I have been married.. He will be celebrating in Shreveport, LA at dinner with an account, and I will be celebrating with my kids at the park. Sounds fun, I know. So, here is a brief synopsis of our lives the past ten years....
June 1999 - Married and both of us working full time and going to school full time in Ogden.

August 2001-Had Tarin 7 lbs 5 oz of fun....in Ogden. She was lovingly cared for by Grandma while Mom and Dad finish school.

May 2002 - Both Dan and I graduate from college at the same time...

November 2002 - Get first "real" post college job and buy our first home in Syracuse UT.

March 2004 - Dan gets promoted to field rep and we move to Mansfield Texas...6 weeks before we have ELLA

May 2004 - Ella is born in Arlington, TX. 6 lbx 13 oz and a full head of black hair, who's kid is this anyway? Best, most calm baby on the planet.

March 2006 - Dan gets a new job and we move to Pflugerville, TX - at first we hated it, then we learned to love it.

March 2007 - Walker is born in Austin, TX 7 lbs 6 oz of PURE JOY

July 2008 - Big Lay off's at Starkey...and Dan gets promoted....which means, you guessed it. ..another move....TBD

So here we sit in June of 2009...in Utah...in transition...trying to decide what to do. It has been a wild ride...but I wouldn't want to be in the car with anyone else! I love you Dan! Happy Anniversary!

Sounds like a lot of moving and shaking...we have made SO many fabulous friends and have left pieces of our heart each place we have lived. We have been so blessed through some serious tough times and we are so grateful for all our many blessings, including our FABULOUS kids. We have been so healthy and so have no complaints about where this past ten years have taken us...although Dan would say his only complaint is that he has had to leave Texas. I wish i had a wedding picture to post..but they are all in storage! You guys would all LAUGH!

Week of Lasts

2009-06-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

So, this is the last week...today was my last Monday at Mom's eat free at Gattiland. Today was my last Monday lift class at the gym...and my last FHE in Pflugerville. THANK goodness we have a fun summer in Utah to look forward to. If I had to move somewhere next week and start my new life I don't know if I could handle it. I am SO SO SO grateful for my fabulous friends here who have really had my back these past 10 months. We had our Grand Finale GNO last week and it was a blast...simply shopping and eating with good friends just really lifts my spirits. Good ol' Pf-town will always have a special place in my heart. If you would have told me three years ago that I would be this sad when I left, I wouldn't have ever believed you. You don't just fall into places like we did here. We have had the BEST loop in the world, and I am not exaggerating. Just ask me, or Sara, and we will tell you why this is the best place on the planet to live. Where will we ever find a house conveniently located within walking distance (without crossing a street) to all three schools, fabulous club house, pool, and park accross the street, neighbors who are a blast and who care, a great climate, and THE BEST people on the planet? I am jealous of the people who bought our house...they don't know what they have just landed. I didn't know either, when we landed here. This to me, is priceless......

Tomorrow will be my last trip to the Austin airport...not that I am too sad about that. We had our last Sunday at church a few days ago.. What I am really dreading though, is the last swim at our pool with my great neighbors. Don't know if I will make it through that one without tears...I love that place.

Hopefully this isn't my last post from Pf...

8 Things.....

2009-05-18T14:28:00.002-05:00

Here you go Keri...I guess I deserved the chastising email...

8 Things I look Forward To:
1. Weekends with Dan home
2. Lunch...my favorite meal, and it is my hobby
3. Nap Time
4. Vacations
5. Swimming Every Day with the Kids
6. Being Settled Somewhere
7. Fun Summer Up Ahead
8. Spending time with Family

8 Things I did Yesterday:
1. Early Wake up for Early Church
2 Church
3. Made Lunch
4. Invited myself to a BBQ...isn't that awesome to have friends that you can just invite yourself to their house and make them feed you there?? Thanks Busbys...You guys are FAB
5. Played ROCK BAND for the first time....FABULOUS!
6. Went to a FAB fireside on parenting....ask me about it, I will tell you.
7. Spent time with the fam
8. Sunday afternoon Phone calls home

8 Things I wish I could do:
1. Orb my family to Utah and avoid the drive
2. Buy a house with cash
3. Go somewhere fun for our 10th anniversary
4. Express my gratitude for wonderful friends....words just aren't enough...
5. Go with Dan this week.
6. Move all my friends with me
7. Eat out every day so I never had to cook.
8. Think of one more thing I wish I could do.

8 Shows I watch:
1. American Idol
2. The Closer
3. The Biggest Loser
4. Prison Break
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Private Practice
7. Barney
8. Super Why

8 Bloggers Tagged:
1. Emily Gilliland
2. April Francom
3. Carin Chugggg
4. Kirk Chuggg
5. Kristi Higham
6. Kami Hally
7. Amy Davis
8. Livia Busby

Enjoy folks!

Question?

2009-05-14T22:56:00.002-05:00

If we leave Texas do we have to change the name of our blog?? How crazy is that? I guess i should post a little bit about the goings on. So, our house finally sold....after along time of "trying" to sell it. We sold it simply with a "For Sale By Owner" sign in our yard that you can hardly read the phone numbers on. Yup, that was it. if the buyers didn't have a realtor, we would have been sitting pretty in the no-realtor goal. Anywho... we sold it and are supposed to close next week Friday. They are letting us stay until school gets out June 5th....

Where are we going you ask...hmmm don't really know. Arkansas most likely. We are lucky, huh? The kids and I are going to spend the bulk of our summer in Utah with family. Dan is going to be the unlucky one who flies in and out of SLC every week. Once we find some new digs...we will move in.

So, we are kindof in a stressful spot right now....good stress though...but stress none-the-less. Lots of sadness about leaving "the loop" places like this don't really exist in the real world. Lots of sadness about leaving friends, and lots of nerves about a new place and a new life. Lots of questions, but amidst it all...Peace. We know this is the plan, we know our lives are being guided and it is nice to know there is someone watching over us and helping us get where we need to go.

If you are in Utah this summer...look us up, we will be at my mama's. If we aren't there, we will probably be at the North Ogden Pool. I don't know what we are going to do without a pool accross the street....I know we won't be as tan, that's for sure!

You can Take the Girl Out of Texas.....

2009-05-10T15:55:00.002-05:00

But You Can't take Texas out of the Girl... Thanks Liv for the picture!

Photo update

2009-04-28T14:47:00.008-05:00

We went to a fantastic park in St George when we were there over spring break. The kids had so much fun and there was TON for them all to do.

Here is what Walker found to do. Notice the progression of his parents giving in to Walker's one true passion........WATER

Long Time No post

2009-04-13T21:17:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a while. Things are crazy, as usual. I wonder when they will slow down? Tonight I did something very brave. I cut my girl's hair. I don't think I did a BAD job, just don't think I did a great job. Whomever cuts their hair next will probably be disgusted at the unevenness of it. But, they were brave enough to let me try and I was brave enough to try it. Tomorrow when they wake up we will see how it goes.

We had a great low-key easter weekend. We went to Fort Worth to see some friends and to buy a car. We have been car shopping for over a month...and for any of you who know my husband, to say we shopped for a month is somewhat of a miracle. He doesn't have a whole ton of patience for shopping around. We were patient and held out and ended up getting a great deal. We bought a 2006 Nissan Armada....pretty nice. It even has a back-up camera so I can see what is going on behind me before I back up. It will keep those around me very safe..

For Easter we had a small Easter Egg hunt at home and then went to church, a little late, and then had a houseful of people over for dinner. It was a fantastic dinner and I am still feeling the effects of it...but still eating leftovers too. Gotta love caramel bread pudding...thanks Union Grill for sharing the recipe. It is FANTASTIC!

Tarin is in full swing with soccer. She still loves it and has an excellent coach and likes the girls on her team. She is very active and asked me tonight why when you do ballet you have to make your toes point so funny. She thinks it looks silly...

Ella was showing off her ballet moves tonight and I am really surprised at the grace and poise she has when she does her little ballet moves. She is definately the ballerina princess....She is going to turn five in May and doesn't want much for her birthday, just to go with her friends to Hawaii to the beach. Or, she would like to take all her friends to Sea World. Seems simple enough, right?

Walker is turning into a wild man. He loves playing outside and has a car in the back yard that he LOVES! Gotta love neighbors who pass down toys. I think that thing is going to keep him busy for hours a day. It is one of those Flinstone-like cars that you push with your feet. He is always happy and has a serious sense of humor.

Dan's mom is coming this week for a visit...we are all SO excited. It has been a LONG time, like almost a year, since we have had visitors. HINT HINT! Come on ya'll and see us!

Teach Me!

2009-03-22T16:46:00.002-05:00

So, I was driving on our way to Southern Utah this past week....and had the cruise control set at 75 in a 70 mph speed limit zone...safe you would think. Nope, I got pulled over. He said I was going 77 and I GOT A TICKET! Teach me to blog and brag about getting out of stuff. I am pissed. 7 MPH over...who gets a ticket for that. and it is going to cost me $130.00. Yeah, no fair...that is all I have to say.

Other than that, the trip was great fun and we made it there and back alive. It was about 50 hours in the car..I know you are all jealous! It was worth it though!

Is it Luck??

2009-03-12T21:09:00.002-05:00

I just remembered a few things, and thought if I didn't blog them, they may never make it to our family history and I just want my children to know how truely gifted their mother is....at getting out of things.

Situation #1 - - pulled over for going 41 in a 30. I say, "but officer how are we supposed to keep track of the speed limit on this road when it changes 5 times in two miles." We argue about the speed limit up ahead...literally 1/4 mile. I tell him it is 40, he says 35, I am right. I get a warning.

Situation #2 - - pulled over for doing a "California Rolling Stop" with my three kids, plus my neighbors three kids all in the car. All of them buckled appropriately and everyone happy. I get a warning, by simply apologizing, or looking pathetic with all those kids, or he was just too scared to think that some crazy lady in her late 20's could possibly have six kids.

Situation #3 - - -on my way home from a massage one night I drove approximately 10 miles on the freeway and as I was exiting...I knew I wasn't speeding because I was slowing down to exit...i get pulled over. He told me he was suspicious that I had been drinking because my headlights weren't on (it was about 10PM). Apparantly that is a warning sign of a drunk driver. I get a nice reminder to turn on my lights. I apologize profusely because of course it was just a mistake. I was in Dan's truck and not used to having to remember to turn them on.

Situation #4 - - -I am late getting Ella to school and I hurry and put the kids in the car and head down the road with only my cell phone. They just installed a new traffic light in our neighborhood and it happens to be in the middle of the school zone. The intersection where the light is used to be a 4 way stop, and I have accidentally run the red light a few times forgetting there was a light there, so I was very focused on the light and not so much the school zone. Sure enough, I gun it when the light turns green and find myself going 36 in a 25mph school zone. The cop just walks out from behind the tree (because the motorcycle cops park their bikes and just stand there to pull you over), and pulls me over. I immediately realize that I have no wallet, but my insurance card is there, so hopefully that is good enough. The cop approaches me and asks for my stuff. I tell him that I was running my daughter to pre school, running late, and forgot to grab my purse. I don't know my driver's liscense number, and so I just hand him my insurance card...mind you this was on February 3rd. He then looks at the card and asks for a CURRENT card...you see mine expired February 1st, and I hadn't replaced it with the new one. So, no I don't. I NEVER cried, I just had to laugh. He said "Ma'am this just isn't your day is it?" I laughed and said, apparantly not. He goes back to his motorcycle. I think to myself, surely my luck has run out and this is going to be the BIGGEST ticket of my life. He come back to the truck, and says.....well I am going to give you a warning for the speeding (WHAT? HOORAY!!) But I am going to write you up for no proof of insurance and no dirver's liscense. You just have to go show those two things at the courthouse and your ticket will be waived! Yes, I am the luckiest person alive.

Dan however, is not. For the number of times I have gotten out of a ticket, he has gotten twice as many and paid a whole heck of a lot of money to the courthouse. I think he has had three tickets since Christmas, isn't that right honey?

Moral of the story...watch out for PFPD! They are out there in force and may just be hiding behind your nearest tree!

Things to remember.

2 Years old and GROWING!

2009-03-02T19:42:00.013-06:00

My Sweet Baby is Two.....although the size of an average three year old

I cannot believe that two years ago tomorrow my baby boy was born. He has been a complete joy since the first day we had him....other than the fact he wanted to be born upside-down....

We had his birthday party today so that Dan could be here. We all met at a bus stop and then rode the city bus to a McDonald's ate their oh so yummy goodness, played a while, had cupcakes, and then rode the bus back home. It was fantastic. This was all for the boy, who every time he sees a bus...asks "bus, mommy, please?" So this was to fulfill his two year old fantasy, and it did. He loved it and I think his friends did too.

All the kids waiting for the bus

Ready to go

Luke, Karina, Ella, Jill, and Tarin are ready to ride

Denise and Sara were so awesome to bring Dawson and Scott to celebrate with Walker.

Ben and Al joined in at McD's

So did Kasey and Kade

As you can tell, Walker enjoyed his cupcake.

This is all of us, minus Ben and Al and a few other friends headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus. This was the scary part of the trip...a whole bunch of toddlers waiting for a bus along a very busy street. I think all of us were happy when the bus finally arrived and the kids were safely on board

Here he is with all his friends and family singing happy birthday to him. This is just a small glimpse into the sweet baby I have. Turn the music to mute so you can enjoy!

His friends by him are Scott on the left and Dawson on the right. Pretty fun, huh?

Happy birthday Big Boy!!

Marathon

2009-02-25T22:13:00.002-06:00

So, do you ever have those days that feel completely like you have been running and running all day, and if you added your steps up during the day, you more than likely would have completed the 26.2 miles in a marathon. That was today, completely. I got a head start on the mileage by running on the treadmill for 5.5 miles...and didn't stop until about 10PM tonight. From the gym, to ballet, ballet to lunch with friends, lunch with friends to a playdate for Ella, home from school and playing outside with the neighbors. Make Dinner. Then take that dinner to a friend, and home to feed my own kids...off to Young Women...then to Wal Mart to pick up one item (which they did not have) and back home again, just in time to pack lunches and make sure everyone is tucked in and happy. I think this is the first time ALL day I have sat down.

I know that all of you have lives just like this...daily it is a battle to fit in the right thing and the most important thing. It is days like today that make me feel a need to slow down and stay home. However, I don't forsee that happening any time soon, maybe next week I can have one of those days. Who knows? All I can say is it is a good thing people aren't looking at my house right now. I don't know how I could add any cleaning into this day. I am lucky the dishes are done.

Picture Update

2009-02-23T22:23:00.016-06:00

Here are pictures from our trip to St george at Christmastime....a little late, but better late than never, right?

This one is up at the Red Rocks...the girls were hanging out in some sort of cave. Taylor, Tarin, and Ella were quite the mountain climbers. They had so much fun exploring all throughout the red rocks.

We got to go on a few bike rides which was fun! Thanks to Robby and Katie for watching the boys so the rest of us could go enjoy a beautiful day.

We were all bundled up...it was great fun.

It was so cold Walker was crying...but he still looks pretty happy to be outside riding on the back of a bike.

Dan and Ella were always kings of the mountain. Willie was never too far behind.

View from Dixie Rock of st. George. Isn't it pretty?

The Mountain Climber

All of us....we aren't quite sure what Carin was doing, but I thiink we were all supposed to be acting like some sort of hyrogliphic or something...is that how you spell that?

There you go...some pictures, now I am not a liar!

Inspired

2009-02-17T22:12:00.002-06:00

I have been re-inspired to dedicate some time to the blog. It has been a long time since a real post..it is a new goal.

Here is the latest...we have all had some 24 hour version of the stomach flu. It started with me on saturday, dan sunday, Tarin on Monday. I think Walker actually may have started it all in Utah when we were at my mom's but I am not 100% sure of that. Ella is still holding out, and I hope she does for a LONG time or gets it soon. This is beginning to DRAG on. One thing about having had it myself....i am completely empathetic to the rest of the gang as they get it one after the other. I am not natually a sympathetic person, so this is a good experience for me.

Robby got married! HOORAY for Robby and Katie. They are super cute and super happy as they should be. The wedding was fabulous! The cute little sealer that performed the ceremony did such a great job. It was very memorable for Dan and I as we are about to celebrate our 10th anniversary...can you believe it? I can't. It has gone by SO Fast. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would spend 5 of my next ten years in Texas I would have never believed you.

I will post some pics soon...I know i have been promising for a while, the problem is that they are all on Dan's computer and I only think to do this kind of stuff when he is out of town! More to come.

The Truths

2009-02-08T10:24:00.002-06:00

So I was out on LDS.org looking for some Young Women information and I saw that there is a section of YouTube dedicated to Mormon Messages. I thought this was a great clip....clarifying the Truths about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I think this is a great resource they had all sorts of things that are totally useful in sharing and teaching lessons at church!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktOwomCAy8

Enjoy!!

Sugarless Journey

2009-01-28T14:30:00.002-06:00

So I know it has been too long since I've blogged, but I thought I would blog my time spent without sugar....It all started last night around 8 PM when the Andes Mint Brownies came out of Livia's oven. Of course I ate one....who wouldn't. This morning, I woke up, felt motivated and decided today was the day I would no longer eat sugar (at least until I lose 4-5 pounds...hopefully before Robby's wedding next week). Anywho...I dump the rest of the OH SO YUMMY GOODNESS chocolate cake down the drain...you would have been proud and my sugar free day begins. Make it through the gym, home to shower and run Ella to ballet. Make it through ballet and then I come home for lunch. Make a HUGE yummy salad and eat the ENTIRE thing....think...well since i can't have sugar, I should give myself a piece of whole wheat toast...and when I went to get the bread...THERE THEY WERE.....THIN MINT GIRL SCOUT COOKIES.....there was a minute (maybe 30) hesitation before I promptly sat down and ate 10 of them...2 at a time...very slowly. And it ends...my sugar free 12 hours were fantastic. Maybe I'll do it again tomorrow.

Short Update

2009-01-06T20:11:00.003-06:00

So, not to skip over Christmas and all the excitement of our 60 hours in the car, but two major events happened today. My 22 month old "baby" told me he needed to pee pee and sure enough, he went to the potty and not only pee pee but poo poo came out. The intial plop scared him a bit, but he survived. Later this evening, while visiting the restaurant de Busby, he told me again, but this time I made him wait. Sure enough, about 5 minutes later we went to the potty and he had another success. WOO HOO! I think we are going to give this a go.

And to add a funny story to the mix. As we were having baths tonight Ella said something profound. I told her that "no" she could not watch tv. She said to me, "I wish that word (meaning the word no) would just go away!" I thought that was a good indicator as to what type of day Ella had had.

The End

December Thus Far in Pictures

2008-12-12T19:41:00.010-06:00

This is what we are up to this weekend! Karina and Luke came to stay for a few days. The girls love to have them over because they are so much fun to play with and Walker LOVES having another boy to play trucks with. They are having a great time. Notice they are all bathed...kuddos to me. It may or may not be because I am a little OCD about them bathing every night, but they don't mind it, so that is why we do it. Crazy? I would agree. Their ages.. 7, 5, 4, 3, 1. Anyone wanna loan us a 6 and 2 year old? That way we could have them all the way down.

Last weekend one of the activities was building our annual gingerbread house. This is the final product. It isn't quite as good as last years, but it will do. We have too keep it up high or Walker will have the whole thing eaten before tomorrow.

Last weekend our neighborhood HOA brought snow and sledding to us. There isn't ever enough snow here in TX to get some sledding on, so they brought in TWO SEMI loads of ice and put it into this GIANT Snow cone maker and sprayed it up on a hill in our 'hood. There are even catered sleds and a coffee/cocoa/cookie bar where you can get what you want made to order. IT was awesome. The only problem...it was like 70 degrees. The kids were SO hot. If it weren't for them being wet, they would have all be sledding in t-shirts and shorts. This is Bailey, one of the girls good friends, I couldn't resist sharing the look of sheer terror. The hill is like 15 feet long. PRETTY FUNNY!

Daddy got in on the action.

Mommy too!!

It took Ella a little while to warm up to the idea, but she eventually caught on.

They even left a mound of snow for the kids to have a snowball fight...it ended up being more of an ice ball fight.

The girls had a great time!

Tarin took a few spills. Notice the grass off to the left...it really was like a 100 ft by 20 foot hill. It looked hillarious from a distance. Only in Texas can you buy your snow from the sledding hill man. Thanks to our great HOA for putting on a great activity.

The best sledding of all was done after the kids left. A friend and I volunteered to help man the hill and make sure nothing crazy went on....we decided to build a few jumps. One of the neighbor boys came with the BEST sled I have ever been on, so natuarally we stole it from him. Livia seriously caught some air and we had a grand time. It was the first time Livia had ever been on a sled, so that was fun to see her become a stunt sledder on the first go round! Anywho...that is it so far. I am sure we will do many more exciting things in the weeks to come...not to mention the 25 hour drive to grandma's house. Should be fun!!

What a Day

2008-12-04T21:15:00.002-06:00

So, today turned out to be somewhat eventful. Not that it was full of events, but the few events that happened were somewhat stressful. Walk and I went to Wal-Mart which has been somewhat of a daily occurance as of late. When we got out to the truck I began the get Walker buckled battle. You see, he would much rather just play around in the truck than actually sis in his seat and ride in it. I decided the keys would be a good distraction for him while I buckle him up. It worked and it was a flawless buckling up. I put all the bags in the truck including the diaper bag with my cell phone and wallet. I then closed his door and went to put the cart back. As soon as his door was closed I realized that he had the keys and would probably push the lock button and I would be locked out. Sure enough...that is EXACTLY what happened!! I start knocking on the window telling him to push the buttons and he keeps pushing the lock button over and over again. A few minutes pass by and then a lady asks me if I need help. I ask her if I can borrow her cell phone. I knew Livia was home so I thought I could get her to bring me my spare set of keys from the house. There are very few numbers I have memorized and hers are some of them. She isn't answering her phones....so I call Dan and tell him to start calling Livia because she will recognize his number, right? Still a no-go. All right, I will call Sara...mean time Walker is just playing games in the truck. Pushing buttons all around (thanksfully no the panic button). Sara is getting ready to write down all the info to get my keys to me when the boy pushes the unlock button and the sweet stranger opens my truck door. Truthfully I think she was more relieved than I was. I knew that things would be okay but she was concerned for Walker. It was only about 55 degrees outside, so I wasn't concerned about the heat, but more about the time of him being in his sweater in the car...that was getting warmer. Anywho...all worked out and we got home just in time for naps.

Right after naps I notice this car hanging out by my driveway. I think...oh no, someone is going to want to come see the house...it is a DISASTER!! I haven't shown it since October and that was the last time it was all clean at one time. AAAHH! Sure, enough, they want to see the house. I figure, hey, why not. I had literally two minutes to straighten up. I ran to the bedroom to make sure there wasn't underwear in sight. It was just crazy. As I was telling the lady all about the neighborhood and my house it made me realize how much I don't want to leave this area. I am willing, however, to go where I need to go and do what I need to do...where He wants me He can put me. That is my basic philosophy.

Anywho...now I am done for the day and Dan is on his way home a little early so that makes this craziness a little more manageable!!

Warning: It's a LONG one!

2008-12-02T12:46:00.001-06:00

Fall 2008

2008-12-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

It is about time I update with some Halloween Pics, etc. We just got home from and INCREDIBLE trip to visit Dan's parents in Hawaii. The photoshow will be coming soon. We had such a great time. None of us wanted to leave, but really, who would?? Anyway, enjoy the photos of the past few months and tomorrow will be updated with our Hawaii pics. It is gonna be a LONG ONE!! So get comfy!

Miraculous

2008-11-15T18:51:00.002-06:00

So, today for the first time in history....All currently residing in this house were asleep simultaneously for 1 hour. It was a miracle of all miracles. It would have lasted a lot longer but some DUMB realtor decided she needed to ring the doorbell 4 times just to tell me she might need to bring someone by and would that be okay...HELLO, there is a phone number on the sign for a reason. Total Bug! oh well it was good while it lasted! Walker and Ella did sleep for a while longer....so I guess that was good..

Jumping Beans

2008-11-12T15:55:00.003-06:00

Who knew beans really did jump?? Yesterday as I was doing some pre-wedding shopping for dresses for the girls...I got a call from Ella's preschool informing me that Ella had a bean jump in her nose. WOW! I thought, I guess there really are Texas Jumping Beans. How amazing. She wouldn't change her story. The bean just went ahead and jumped right in her nose. They had tried to make her blow it out, no success. They thought that a bulb syringe might get it out, so Walker and I headed to the school, bulb syringe and all and before we got there she had gone ahead and cried that silly ol' bean right out of her nose. So, the bean was freed without a visit to the doc, which I am very grateful for! Ms. Robin even saved the bean in a baggie for us. That is one jumping bean that has jumped it's last jump. YIPEE!

So, lesson learned, beware of the Texas Jumping Beans...

Eventually I got it out of her that the bean got put in her nose because she thought it would be funny! That's my Ella!

Long Time Coming

2008-11-05T14:30:00.002-06:00

It has been forever since my last post and so much is going on...I guess that is why I haven't posted in so long. I will have to update the Halloween pics at a later date, when I have more time that is. But I thought I would just update a few of the highlights of the past few weeks.

Halloween was a total blast. Tarin went as Super Tarin, Ella was, you guessed it, Jezelle from Enchanted, and Walker was a puppy (we won't tell him it was a Lady costume from lady and the tramp) He just thinks he was a puppy. Al came over as well as our good friend Jen. The kids all ate as much candy as they could stomach for one night and we just hung out outside, the weather was beautiful. Jen and Dan harassed the kids that came by and we all just visited. It was fun!

Tarin was elected her classroom mayor. We found out on a Thursday that she had made it through the primary's. She needed to give a speech on Friday to her classmates so they could decide if they wanted to elect her. So, immediately we called Nana and she came up with a great poem that Tarin immediately memorized and we made some cards that said "Let Tarin the "Star-Burst" into service as your class mayor. We attached a starburst and off she went. She apparantly did a good job because she won. We are proud of her. I think it was a great boost of self confidence for her. Her teacher has been doing a great job teaching them about the elections and everything. They had a classroom vote on Election day for whom they thought should be president. He has been reading a little about each candidate each day from the newspaper. Once they got all the information he gave them, they then formulated their own opinion. Like the rest of the state of TX, McCain won her class over, but that was no forecast of the future, I guess.

Dan is still a traveling fool. It has been crazy, and it will continue to be that way until we figure out what we are going to do. This weekend I am leaving the kids with a friend and going to Tulsa with Dan. We are going to look around and see what we think and what we like. It should be interesting. I am getting really good at the whole sigle parent gig...given, i don't have to go out to a job everyday. Not cooking dinners is kindof nice. The kids are happy with whatever, so I make something for myself at the beginning of the week and then live on it for the rest of the week. It rocks.

I will update more later with pictures and everything.

Necessary Evil

2008-10-16T10:43:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but I decided it was time for flu shots around this house. Our pediatrician was doing a clinic last night so I thought I would get them all done at once. Dan, of course, is out of town, so this was going to be me flying solo. I had mistakenly told the girls that they could get the flu mist because they have gotten it the past few years. They were okay with going for that one reason. So, we got there and the nurse pulls out three shots.
I mentioned that the girls wanted the mist and of course, they were out! OH NO! Ella immediately starts screaming, Tarin is hiding her head in the corner crying and trying not to listend toe Ella's screaming and Walker just cries because his big sisters are. I literally had to lay on top of Ella while the nurse gave her a shot, Tarin is crying hysterically and Walker has no clue what is going on, but is upset because his sisters are. Shot one complete, and Ella didn't even know it had happened. She told Tarin "look Tarin, it didn't even hurt." Tarin wouldn't take her word for it and was still throwing a 7 year old sized tantrum in the corner.

Walker was up next, I pin the boy down, but the nurse didn't realize how strong this one is and his leg got away from her. Walker screams and leaves with two pin pricks, but is done. Unfortunately we couldn't find the binki to calm him down, so he will just have to cry until he is done crying. (The bink was in my pocket the whole time! Arggg!)

Tarin's up next...she is screaming "No, I want the mist, No I want the mist." Trying to leave the room, not listening and crying hysterically. I told her she could choose her leg or her arm. Then she chooses her arm....as soon as the needle is an inch away, she swats at it with her hand and we have to re-do the alcohol cleaning. Finally the nurse said, "sweetie, your arm or your leg?" She agreed to the arm and once she was under control and the shot was over....she says "it didn't really even hurt."

This all happened in a matter of about 6 minutes and I don't know why it stressed me out so much but it did. So, for any of you moms out there wanting to get flu shots for your kiddos, I would reccommend that you get one first (which I should have but didn't know I could) and show them that it doesn't hurt, and then go from there.

IT WAS NUTS and so am I!

Cheetah-Amazing

2008-10-09T14:12:00.002-05:00

This has been an exciting week. Some good friends/neighbors of ours gave us three ticekts to the Cheetah Girl's concert last night. Ben and Al were gracious enough to come and watch the Boy so the girls and I could go. It was really a lot of fun! The girls were so excited and it was a great bargaining tool for me for the past week. Here are a few pics of the event!!

'Tis the Season

2008-10-03T21:08:00.002-05:00

My kids keep asking me why the Halloween stuff is up in the stores! I keep wondering myself...could it really be October. To be honest, I cannot wait for 2008 to end. It has been a rough year for our little family and I am looking forward to a new year. Not that I am not grateful for all the good things that have happened this year, because I am, I am just ready for a whole new set of things to be grateful for. Does that make sense?

I was in Hobby Lobby a month or so ago and they already had their fall stuff on sale and the Christmas stuff was all out. I guess 'tis the season already. Someone told me that because of the economic situation in our country right now, economist are expecting this to be the worst Christmas season for retailers all around. So, who wants to do homemade stuff this year?? I DO I DO!! Anyone got any ideas? I am the least creative person you will ever meet...just ask my friends.

We did It!!

2008-09-29T21:00:00.006-05:00

So, for about a month I have been complaining that I need one of my mom's (origionally Grandma Welling's) donuts. This time of year is when we would start to plan the annual donut/Halloween party. Over the years this party has evolved from a Halloween party for the kids pre-trick or treating to a donut/soup party for all the adults. I MISS THEM TERRIBLY! So I decided, if Carin can do it, so can I. (Although she is much better at most things than I am) So, we had the families Dan home teaches over for FHE tonight and we made them donuts. They weren't as tasty as my mom's but they were pretty good for a first shot. They got eaten. I made about 100 donuts and this is a picture of what is left after everyone left my house tonight. Given, there were some plates delivered through the neighborhood, but for the most part, the majority was consumed.

If I ever make them again, I will make the frosting a little differently and I will plan ahead to not have to feed the missionaries dinner the same night, and I won't plan a lunch for the ladies I visit teach the same day either. It was kindof a crazy day, but it all worked out and everyone left with full bellies and a sugar headache.

Ouch!!

2008-09-28T22:31:00.003-05:00

So, this was a weekend of lessons for us...namely for miss Tarin. Friday night Dan and I went out on a date and we left the kids with a babysitter. She is a relatively new sitter and was pretty nervous I think anyway. Tarin had convinced her to get out the flat iron and play makeover with them. I am still a little unclear as to what exactly happened, but this is the result. The poor babysitter left sobbing, and I was just glad I walked in the house when I did.

So, there were a number of lessons learned, most of which I didn't even have to verbalize because of the result of a poor decision. It didn't stop her too much, she went and played her soccer game on Saturday and scored six goals. Her coach threatened to come over next Friday night and burn her other hand so she will score six next week. It is a big fat blister and hopefully it will not pop tomorrow at school. This is Tarin's first major owee. I am sure it is the first of many more to come. She has been mad about it because it hurts so much, so hopefully this will be a teaching point for many years to come. You know, this parenting thing seems to get a little harder each year. Suddenly just because mom said no isn't a good enough reason for things. I guess this is where learning the hard way comes in. I don't know if I am game for it or not.

Dan's Houston Trip

2008-09-26T08:43:00.001-05:00

Small Things

2008-09-25T16:28:00.001-05:00

I have two things to be grateful for today:

1. I went to a store with Walker and after I left I realized that they had charged me wrong so I needed to go back in. Normally when I put Walker in his seat, I throw my keys in the drivers seat. Walker was all strapped in when I discovered the charges were wrong, so I unstrapped him and went in to make things right. As I am leaving the store I realize that my keys are missing. The truck automatically locks when it sits for a period of time and I knew it was locked by now. OH NO! I search everywhere and THANKFULLY find them at the bottom of my bag. I was so glad that we were not stuck at the beauty supply store waiting for a locksmith.

2. After school my doorbell rang and a new friend of mine brought dinner over. She is experimenting on how to make food taste good and be fat free and I am giving one of her trial recipes a taste test. I am so grateful to be on her taste test list. She is now working on making the chocolate cake in a mug less fattening. I am grateful for new friends.

I Probably Deserved it

2008-09-22T20:16:00.002-05:00

This weekend was somewhat crazy for me. Dan spent the weekend in Houston doing some much needed clean up after Hurricane Ike devastated a lot of areas down there. So, Saturday I was a good mom and took the kids to a fun new play place in a near by city. They had a great time. After we got home I put Walker down for his nap so we could be ready to go to Tarin's soccer game a few hours later. I hear him cry.

Thankfully I go check because there was milk puke EVERYWHERE! So, bath number 1.....he gets cleaned up, plays around for a while, POOPS down my stairs....and then comes bath number 2....while I clean up the stairs. He takes a good nap, in the mean time I find a friend to take Tarin to her soccer game...which I am kind of bummed that I don't get to go to...I love watching her play. Walker wakes up. Plays around and has another bad diaper. I realize that with only three diapers left in the house, and a case a diarrhea I should go to the store. A friend calls and offers to pick some up for me....I say no because I need stuff for Sunday dinner anyway....so I go at 6:45PM to the grocery store. I realize that I haven't fed my kids...only because they are reminding me. I think, okay there is a McD's here in the store so let's eat there and then get our shopping done with full tummies. "I will take two chicken nugget happy meals." and BLEEEECH....Walker pukes ALL OVER ME! Direct hit, I am soaked and I stink. We leave and go directly home with the screaming french fry-aholic that is highly angry she doesn't get fries anymore. She was so mad...i got an "I HATE YOU!" Who knew the power for McD's fries?? Maybe they do have crack in them. Here comes shower number 3 for me for the day, and bath number 3 for Walker. I set him in his chair to have some banana after our bath, and once again, he pukes and that calls for bath #4. Thankfully that is it until bed time...which never really happens because he won't lay down. Dan walked in the door late, and I finished my shopping trip at 11 PM that night. What a day.

The moral of the story is.....if a friend offers to pick up some diapers for you, let her. Also, just because they haven't thrown up in a while and in all other aspects of their world look healthy, they still might puke on you.

He still has no fever or any other ailment, just diarreah. I have cleaned up more poop today from one kid than I ever remember doing for the other two combined. Livia says it is because I buy cheap diapers...she is probably right.

I probably deserved it.

Summer fun with Nana and Grandpa

2008-09-16T13:12:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures of Nana and Grandpa's trip to TX this past July. We had a total blast and enjoyed so many fun things. A trip to San Antonio, the Riverwalk as well as Six Flags. A trip to Fredericksburg and Luckenbach too! The kids LOVE when people come see us...HINT HINT!

Awesome Footage of The Race

2008-09-16T13:11:00.001-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS GRANDPA JOHN!!

2008-09-16T08:01:00.005-05:00

We just needed to dedicate a post to Dan's dad, John. He completed his first marathon this weekend and we are so proud of him. He has spend many many hours and many months preparing for this. If any of you are runners, you can imagine what it would take to get ready to run 26.2 miles. He finished in a great time. I don't know that I will ever have the desire to run that far or that long, but I do have an appreciation for the difficulty of it. I have been running with a friend who is training for the St. George Marathon, and I haven't gone that far, but the distances I have gone with her are long enough (15 miles was my max). So, all you folks out there who can run for 26.2 miles, I salute you! You are all my heros! Once again...congratulations Grandpa! We are so proud of you!

Abnormally large - - not surprised

2008-09-12T17:20:00.003-05:00

So, that is how you would describe my baby boy. The doc told me this week...at his 18 month well-check...that he is the size of an average three year old. At this rate...we will be on the rides at six flag by Halloween. Isn't that cool? He is off the charts for height and in the 90th percentile for weight. CRAZY! The only problem with all of this is that I have to carry him still...he is only 18 months old. Oh well...it is good for my back muscles, right?

Ella started Pre-K this week. WOO HOO! She got Ms. Sally and she loves it. The little boy that proposed to her last year is in her class this year...so that is really exciting. Although Ella has a little competition in the class this year. There are a whole bunch of really cute little girls. Hopefully Ms. Sally will have the patience that Ms. Laurie did last year. I hope that I get to hear all the stories like I did last year. The co-teacher in the class is my running' buddy Jen. So that was nice for Ella to have a familiar face.

Tarin has decided that second grade is good. A little more homework and a little more responsibility, but with that comes a few more privileges.. . . if you ask her she will tell you what she gets to do now that she is in 2nd grade....she feels really big about it!

First Day of School, etc

2008-08-31T09:47:00.016-05:00

So, here are some pics of the Birthday girl and her first day of 2nd Grade. She got a boy teacher this year and isn't quite sure that is the best thing, but we are assuring her that it is. Boy teachers are fun. I think there is just a little playgroup rivalry between the kids with the girl teachers and the kids with the boy teacher. She doesn't have many of her "best" friends in her class, but she is excited to meet new ones. She also started soccer this week and was really excited because they allowed her to play up a level so she could be on a team with girls her age. She loves soccer and is a pretty good little player. Her coach was pleased with her skill level! First game next Saturday. I am jus so proud of her, because I HATED soccer...mostly because of all the running I think. She is a great little athlete. She doesn't mind the sweat or the heat or any of it.

So, for her birthday, I stole the idea from my good friend Sally and made Tarin breakfast in bed...not just any bed, but my bed. She got to watch cartoons and eat german pancakes and muffins in my bed (on Dan's side of course). Ella got to watch cartoons, but not eat. Later on we had some friends over for cake and ice cream. She did have a small birthday party with some of her friends on the street. They did what she has been begging to do for her birthday party for years....jumped on the trampoline and got squirted with the hose. When that was her biggest request, how could I not do it? We made homemade pizzas and then watched the new Cheetah girls movie. It was fun. I was a little nervous about doing it without Dan, but I had some other reinforcements (Thanks Liv). That is why we kept it nice and small. Livia took all the pictures that night....maybe one day I will get them.

The first day of school is always fun because all the kids on the street walk together and the mom's get a chance to hang out a little in the morning. It is so nice to be outside at that time of day (as opposed to the walk home from school in the devil heat). Sometimes we just let the non-school goers play outside while we visit. Each year the number of non-school goers is decreasing and soon I think we will find ourselves with noone but ourselves...REALLY, could that ever happen? Here are some pictures of the first day! She looks a little nervous, right?

The Kids on the Loop

Tarin and Mr. G.

So, you may wonder what Walker is doing everyday now that his big sister/caretaker is in school all day....here are a few of the things he has been up to! Washing his hair....

And doing the laundry.

Yesterday we went to Six Flags with Jen and Jerry. We had so much fun. It was hot, of course, but not busy at all. There was NO waiting in any line. It was so much fun. We got to ride all that we wanted to and the kids got to ride what they wanted to. Thanks Jen and Jerry for a great day. The day ended with a visit to Chuys YUMMO! Aside from the voices from above in Jerry's chair, the dinner was un-eventful with no spills or mis-haps from the kids. The kids were very well behaved and it was a great end to an incredibly busy but fun day! Here are a few pics from the day!

Nothing like a little meet and greet with Scooby and Shaggy.

This is where we go to get cooled off.

The Log Ride....everyone except Walker and I....Next year Wa...next year.. And we bid you farewell until the next post.

TTFN!

Update - WE SURVIVED

2008-08-20T20:51:00.005-05:00

We made it home alive from our round 2 trip to Utah this summer. It was such a great time to see everyone. Of course, the best times of all, were after the kids went to bed and my mom and sister and I went to see Mama Mia and then hanging with the folks watching the olympics and of course the fabulous night out with Rob and Carin. I also got to go to my Welling family reunion in the Uintahs. It was fun to re-connect with all my cousins. Another reason I love the blog...we have all found eachother (or maybe I just found them). It is great! We had such a great time. I love spending quality time with my siblings and parents. It is just a nice time for all. It was nice to feel like I was home again even if it was just for a little bit. The highlight for Ella was playing with Grandma's new kitty. Maybe one day I will dedicate a post to the saga of the baby kitty. It is a pretty funny story and should be documented at some point.

We had a little pre-birthday party for Tarin with our friends in Utah. Kellie and Morlie were down from Dutch John (flaming gorge) and Ivy and the kids came to the North Ogden pool with us. Thanks to Grandma we even had cupcakes, what would we do without her? If I were a good mom I would have taken my camera and taken some pictures, but I am not, and I didn't. I haven't quite figured out how to do a camera and Walker at the pool. One day I will put a video of him on the blog. He is fearless and LOVES to be under the water. He rarely chokes on it and just loves it. It makes the pool all kinds of good fun for me. My pal Jen says I need to record it because anyone who hasn't gone swimming with the boy will believe me. He is a funny kid.

So, here is the scoop. Dan has already started his new gig. His region is Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. We can live anywhere within those three states. The old rep lived in Oklahoma and that seemed to work out well, so that is what we are shooting for, plus the cost of living there is great (gas is still $3.30 a gallon). We aren't going to be moving until we sell our house, which has not had a showing yet, might I add. So, Dan's schedule is like this for the next few weeks...come home tonight, late, and leave early tomorrow until Sunday. Home Sunday afternoon, leave Monday night, home Friday night, but thanks to Labor Day he won't leave again until Monday night or Tuesday and home Friday....leave Monday...and so on and so on. Fun Stuff, huh? That will be the routine unless they throw in some Minnesota training classes and then he will be gone Mondays through Sundays. That is the gig. Doesn't that sound fun? I feel badly for Dan because he isn't going to have much down time at all. I guess that is the nature of the beast! That is all for now...headed to the airport!

On the Road Again

2008-08-12T15:36:00.002-05:00

I guess my trip to Utah at the beginning of the summer with three kids on the plane by myself wasn't too bad because I am going to give it another go. My dad was nice enough to give us some FF Miles and is getting us home for a little break from the stress we are under right now. I am not gonna lie to you, it is going to be so nice to be away from all the worries of our life right now. I can't wait for some comfort food, etc. in the great state.

I feel so grateful today for my great friends here. They are so supportive and so understanding of all the issues in our life. They never judge and are ALWAYS willing to help. Not to mention, made my birthday just AWESOME! Thanks guys for the night out and the week long celebration! You know who you are! Dan also threw together a great night out with Ben and Al and the kids. It all ended with a mint chip ice cream pie...YUMMO ! I am SO grateful for Dan who works so hard for us. He is under quite a bit of stress and still seems to have a smile on his face when he walks in the door. He loves his kids and is seriously the BEST DAD EVER! I am beginning to think I should go to work and he should raise the kids...I think he'd do a better job than I am. I know this is seeming a little bit like a post off the other funny site but I am seriously feeling SO BLESSED! I am hoping a trip home with rejuvinate me and help me turn my attitude back to the willing/grateful person and get rid of the negative person I have been the past month or so.

Anyway...that is alll...HERE WE GO AGAIN! Back to the airport! Wish us luck!

The Cycle is NOT broken

2008-08-02T21:04:00.004-05:00

So, for those of you who haven't heard, yes after our longest stint in any house we have ever owned (this is our 3rd house within 4 years) we are moving yet again. Dan has been offered a promotion as a field rep for his same company. His territory will be covering Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. So, we will be moving to one of the three states, most likely Oklahoma. This business has been brewing for a few weeks..and started out with us thinking we were going to lose our job, so we are feeling very grateful and "seriously so blessed" that we are in the position that we are and not one that we could be in. So, now that my house is completely the way I want it, it is time for someone else to enjoy it....IF we can sell it. The market here is pretty crummy, but if you know anyone moving to TX who need a really great house, send them to the house blog by going to http://www.texasforsalebyowner.blogspot.com/.

Another thing I am really grateful for is that Dan survived his first and hopefully only motorcycle accident this week. At about 5PM every day I try really hard to keep myself busy so I don't think too much about him riding home on his motorcycle and then I just breathe a sigh of relief when I hear the rumble from a mile away. (I can tell it is him for sure, because Willie recognizes the rumble too.) But this day I got the phone call I dread. Yep, he had been in an accident, but he called me and he was fine. Apparantly some guy in front of him slammed on his brakes and Dan locked up his own, rear-ended the car in front of him and then fell over with the beastly bike on top of him. He WALKED away with only a few scrapes and bruises. The most amazing thing about it is...NOONE STOPPED TO HELP. Can you believe it? He was laying on the ground under his motorcycle, and the cars behind him drove around him to get by. One of the passer by's was even a co-worker of his. I was just amazed. Luckily he wasn't hurt and he got up and was able to lift his bike up and walk away. The bike has some damage, but relatively minor to what it could be. A guy in our ward had the same thing happen to him last month, and he broke his collar bone. So, once again we are feeling "seriously so blessed." (but not in a funny sarcastic way like the other blog....but seriously like I mean it).

So, that is a reason I haven't been posting much lately...too much up in the air to discuss my feelings freely. But now that it is mostly all settled, we are good to go. I am doing quite a bit of stress eating, which is new for me. Usually I don't eat when I am stressed, but this week alone I have made 2 batches of homemade oreos, banana bars, caramel popcorn, and started in on some ice cream...not to mention the 2 trips to MCD's for fries. It is a good thing I am still doing some running...or I would be seriously hating myself...oh yeah, and started in on a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos....gotta get more Diet Coke...just remembered!

So, the cycle continues. We keep adding a few months on to our stint in each house, but the average is about two years. Hm....maybe next time we can stretch it to three years..."Home Equity," what exactly is that? I have heard about it, but don't really understand the concept. So, wish us luck, again on this new adventure! HERE WE GO!

Before July is Over

2008-07-29T12:33:00.002-05:00

I thought I had better add one more post. Last week Dan's parents were here visiting, and we had such a great time. As soon as they arrived we wisked them off to San Antonio where we went to the Riverwalk and none other than County Line BBQ...if you haven't been there...GO! We then did the boat tour on the river and just bascially sweat ourselves silly. We stayed the night and then went to Six Flags the next day. It was awesome, the Busby's came with us and between the Busby's and John and Cheryl, I think we had a thousand pictures taken. It was great, I didn't even get my camera out once.

All the kids had such a great time at Six Flags. We lasted the whole day. If we got too hot, we would go get wet on the bridge and then just walk around a little damp. Tarin and Ella got to ride as many rides as they wanted. Although, I will tell you that Julia got to ride a few without Tarin and my little dare-devil was a little disappointed. She wanted to ride the big drop one....she is crazy. I know I wouldn't have been that brave at her age. I can still remember the first time I rode the upside down rollercoaster at the theme park where I grew up. CRAZY! I really liked Six Flags in San Antonio...it had a small-town feel. We even made it to the water park. The kids were worn out, as were their parents and grand parents for that matter.

The rest of the week was filled with fun kid activities. Nana and Grandpa took the girls on separate dates and spoiled them rotten. They went to the movies, to the pool, and to see the bats. It was so nice to have visitors. We have had them non-stop for about a month. Before Nana and Grandpa was my good friend Jen. She and her husband are moving here this coming weekend and WE ARE SO EXCITED! So, in my great depression about no visitors for a while, I am consolling myself by not washing the guest room sheets.....because there is no need.

I have been spending a little more time running as of late. My good friend is getting ready to run the St. George Marathon, and I thought I would just run a little with her. Last weekend we ran 13 miles and then this morning we ran 10. The thing about running in Texas is that you have to get it done before the sun shines or it is too hot. We usually leave around 5..I know, crazy, huh? But we have been doing it for a while. Dan's dad ran with us last weekend, except he ran 18 and we only ran 13. He is getting ready for the Maui Marathon in a few weeks. I am so impressed by these people and their desire to run a marathon. I don't know that I will ever have that desire, but I do enjoy running and it is even better when you have a friend at your side. Thanks Jen for encouraging me to be a runner....something I never thought I would ever do, let alone enjoy!

Father's Day

2008-07-15T15:26:00.008-05:00

So, my friend/neighbor/photographer extrordinaire took these pictures of the kids for Dan for Father's Day. I thought they were too cute not to post! I loved them and so did he!

Enjoy! I survived girls camp, in fact it was an awesome experience for me...kindof like a vacation. There was catered meals, a/c cabins, crafts, swimming pool, canoeing, etc. It was awesome! It was spiritual and fun and everything a 12-18 year old girl or their leader could hope for. Did I mention the food was incredible. None of this camp food stuff, we had catered meals. It was like no girls camp I have ever been to. I mean, I went to some pretty amazing girls camps myself, but this was on a grand scheme, pretty incredible. Way to go Stake Camp Leaders! YOU ROCK!!

Mother-In-Law

2008-07-10T15:48:00.003-05:00

Some might say that the word Mother-In-Law is just another word for Terrorist. I'm fortunate that I have a mother-in-law who likes me. And I like her, as well. Not that bumps in the road don't arise sometimes, I think I’m the only person on record that has made the woman cry. (Don’t ask it’s a long story) First of all I am thankful to my Mother in Law for giving birth to Angela. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't be here, but that's only where my appreciation for her begins. She doesn’t interfere with the way we are raising our kiddos, even when we lived with them for 6 months. I feel sorry for all those who tell me they dread spending time with their in-laws; I actually look forward to it. I recently had the opportunity to spend the last 4 days with my Mother-in-Law without my wife. Angela had to go to Girls Camp and I didn’t have enough Vacation to take off and watch the kiddos, so once again Mamma Welling came to the rescue. I’m not going to lie to you I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had several escape plans set from the get go. But after the 1^st little bit it was a piece of cake. She took me to go get BBQ on night #1. What a woman!!! She knows how to speak my language. That’s just the kind of Mother-in Law/Mom/Grandma she is… she wants us to be happy and she knows what we all enjoy and she goes out of her way to make it happen. I want to express my appreciation for not only helping us out this week but for everything that she has done for me and my family over the past 10 years. Thanks again Mamma Welling for all you do!!

Wish Me Luck

2008-07-06T22:44:00.001-05:00

Well...off I go this week to Girl's camp for our church. This is the first time I have been in about 11 years...or since I was a youth. So, this should be exciting. It will be a little different than camping in the great state because we will be staying in air-conditioned cabins and will have a pool to go relax by when things get rough. The food is catered by some awesome church-folk, so none of that oh-so-yummy campfire food. I think we will have smores one night...as it is a requirement for the girls to learn how to cook over a fire.

So, although it may sound like a break, I do believe there will be a lot of work to be done. My mom is here watching the kiddos so Dan can work his tail off. Thanks to her, I am able to go for the entire week. It will be such great fun!

So, wish me luck and hopefully we don't get heat stroke or something like that. Seriously, who goes to camp in July when you live in Texas? I guess that's why we have A/C.

Mermaid?

2008-07-05T22:24:00.001-05:00

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I guess I am Ariel. Thanks Mashelle for the link. That was fun!

Culture Shock

2008-07-02T10:27:00.003-05:00

All of a sudden I am feeling a little bit of culture shock. I have been a part of the crazed cafuffel trying to get all my food storage up and going. It seems like there are SO many resources available if you live in certain parts of this great US, that I have taken for granted the majority of my life. For instance...case lot sales. Those things are the BEST. I would go twice a year and stock up on canned goods and then that would be a huge part of my storage. Why they don't have stuff like that here, I just do not understand. I know groceries are a little more expensive in TX than in the other great state, but why they can't go on sale here I just don't get. So, if any of you fellow Texans understand this craziness, help me to understand. I mean, I know I can find good deals if I hunt for them, but I don't have the time or energy to do the hunting. I have been looking at all the good deal blogs from the great state, and I must admit I am very jealous. Maybe one day I will gather the energy to figure it out here. Until then, I am just bugged at the one fact that Texas doesn't believe in case lot sales.

Trip to Utah

2008-06-25T20:33:00.004-05:00

Photoshow of May 2008

2008-06-25T17:11:00.003-05:00

Rather than try to explain to all of you what we have been up to, I thought I'd just post a photoshow so you can see. This is a photoshow of Ella's birthday, a visit with Tia and Kalani, and also our Memorial Day weekend in Mansfield. It was good fun!

I'm Going Home

2008-06-08T12:43:00.002-05:00

Yep, I get the insanity award. I flew this week with the three kiddos by myself. After flying to Virginia in March with Walker screaming the WHOLE way....I was a little anxious about flying without Dan, but we did it. We made it. We had a minor mishap in Denver. We only had a 45 minute connection, and because of storms we landed 25 minutes late....leaving us 20 minutes or so. So, I was waiting on the jetway for my stroller that was supposed to be gate checked so I could use it in Denver....we waited...and waited...(mind you I am holding Walker the whole time...my arm is beginning to shake) and then they inform us that our stroller was checked with the regular luggage and we could get it in SLC. So, I get off the plane and check where we need to go...we just lost 10 minutes waiting for the stroller so we are down to 10 minutes before our flight leaves. I discover that we are at gate A 29 and we need to get to gate A 51...which is accross the airport and I have NO STROLLER. So we start running....and thank goodness for the moving walkways or I don't think we would have made it. Right before the end of our final moving walkway (ella is screaming...."mommy don't leave me." I am screaming "Run...just keep running...we are almost there) we hear "Final boarding call for the flight to SLC. All ticketed passengers should be on board." We run faster, Ella screams louder and Tarin is just trying to keep up. When we hand the lady our ticket she says, "you didn't need to run, you have plenty of time." I wanted to slap her. What do you mean we don't need to run? Apparantly "Final Boarding Call" only means that we are thinking about getting ready to close this flight. We then sat on the plane for another 10-15 minutes while my bicep muscle is convulsing because of the long run we had carrying Walker in my arms. But, we made it and all is well. Walker actaully slept on the flight to SLC so we are good now! My arm has been sore ever since.

But, we made it and it is SO good to see my little bro. We missed him so much and it is fun to see him all grown up. He is the highlight of all family parties and we can now visit knowing that we will be rolling the entire time. He is so handsome and so mature. I really look up to him. He calls Walker "Chuck" and Walker adores him. He followed him around the church today and was very sad when Robby went to a different class than we did. He has given Robby more hugs than he has given me since we got here. It is fun to see them bond. I think it is because Robby took him outside and showed him ALL of Grandpa's tractors and toys. He likes Grandpa too, because Grandpa took him out to the garage and let him pet all of his "moo's" hanging on the wall. Funny stuff.

Yesterday we got to hang out with my BFF for the last 20+ years. It is wierd to think that I could have had a friend for that length of time. She has a little girl 6 weeks younger than Tarin and they always have a GREAT time playing together. We just had lunch at my mom's and let the kids run around playing. It was so much fun. I LOVE COMING HOME! It is so comfortable and so fun to be around family and friends that you have known and loved for so long, and that know and love you...even though they have known you for so long. I love sharing this with my kids. I love showing them things I did as a kid and introducing them to people I have had in my life for SO VERY LONG! I am so grateful to have grown up in such a beautiful and peaceful place. Did I mention I love it here??

Cute Pic

2008-06-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

Tarin had her last Sunshine Generation performance on Saturday. While we were waiting for it to start Walker just wouldn't leave her alone. He had to be on her lap waiting in front of the audience. It was very cute. Tarin was a little embarassed that her little brother only wanted to be with her, but she was a good big sister and let him relax with her until the instructor told him he had to leave. My awesomely talented neighbor took this pic of them. I thought it just had to be posted. Walker does love his big sister, and she loves him too. Seeing your kids like to be with eachother is one of those things that just makes a mom happy. This made me happy.

First time for Everything

2008-06-01T15:30:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday, for the first time, I bought size 5 diapers. Could my baby really be that big. I have only ever seen that size of a diaper on like 2 year olds....he is only 15 months. He just seems so big to me. I just can't imagine that as long as it took to potty train Ella, she was never any bigger than a size 4, and that was only at the end. But, my 15 month old baby is already a size 5. The thing that stinks about wearing bigger diapers is that there aren't as many in the package...so I feel like I get ripped off. Oh well, whatever holds it all in is worth it, I guess.

J & J

2008-05-29T19:19:00.007-05:00

So I just realized that I never posted about a few things and thought I would catch up. In the beginning of April we had Dan's cousin and her little boy here for a visit. It was so much fun to be able to spend quality time with them and to get to know Jackson a little bit. He was so funny and so cute! Jena is a great mom and it was fun to see her in that role. We did some fun stuff....but most importantly, we took Jena on her first trip to none other than Wal Mart. It was fun to have them and I thought I'd post some pics of the event.

This is Jackson and Walker "playing" with Willie. They liked to see him out the window. Notice Jackson's car and "moo." I don't think he set those two things down the entire time he was at my house. I was SO grateful we had at least one boy toy for Jackson. The next picture is Jackson "cookie monstering" the rocks at the park.

And of course we had to post a picture of Jena and Jackson at the pool. It was pretty chilly water, but we were all brave and tried it out! We miss you Jena and Jackson! Thanks for coming to visit us, and come back soon, okay?? Tarin wants to know if you got a car yet?

So so so much!

2008-05-18T15:13:00.007-05:00

So, I have so much to post about. This past week was Ella's 4th birthday. She has been so excited to be 4. She thinks she is so much bigger, and is definately much bigger than she was a year ago when she turned three. She wants to know how much longer she will get to be four. I think she thinks we are going to make her be three again. Truthfully, I don't know if I could handle her being three again. We had a birthday party on Monday, the coldest day yet this spring...at the swimming pool. Luckily most of her friends were brave enough to still come out and play. Most of them ended up with colds, but they came and we all had a great time. She got some fun new "hair" from auntie Hillary and has been wearing it to be Hannah Montana as often as she can.

I homemade her birthday cake. Go me. I had a friend give me a pattern. If you don't look too closely it actually looks pretty good. Good enough for a four year old anyway. She thought it was fabulous!

This past week we also had some crazy weather...I mean tornadic weather. I was so happy to leave the tornadic part of my life up north...I don't like it at all. I thought for sure we would get away from it as we moved south, but I guess not. We had to pull the kids out of bed and bring them downstairs. Once the storm passed, we just left them there and went to sleep. We just had a tree tip over, but some of our friends and neighbors had a lot of damage to their homes and property. I have heard that the tornado actually touched down not too far away from our house. I am so grateful that it stayed clear of us and pray that nothing like it comes by for a good long time.

This weekend I went with some friends to Corpus Christi to run in the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon. It was fun and total and complete chaos. I ran the fourth leg of the race and by the time my team mate got to me, we were already 2 and 1/2 hours into the race...and before I had even started they announced "WE HAVE A WINNER!" I laughed and continued to run. As a team we did pretty well. We finished in about 4 hours and 45 minutes. I really didn't know what to expect. I ran my personal best by far. I ran about 4.94 miles in about 37 minutes. That was WAY faster than I have EVER run, and my body knew it. The only downside to the race, was that after it was over, we quickly showered and then SAT in a car for a LONG ride home. Needless to say we are all a bit stiff today. I think this will definately become an annual tradition for me. It was a kick! My friend wants me to run a 1/2 marathon with her in June. We will both be in Utah/Idaho at the same time and she is going to run one. We will see. 13 miles is a lot different than the mileage that my body is used to running right now. I guess I would have a few weeks to train though.

So that is a short version of what has been going on!

Let's not forget about Willie

2008-05-16T09:33:00.016-05:00

As I sit here at work, wondering if I’m going to hit my Number this month, I often turn to our Blog to Seek motivation in my kiddos faces. This time after re-reading through the Blog I’ve noticed that we neglect to talk about our 6th member of the Family… Willie. Willie is a 80 pound Boxer/German Shepherd mix that has been with us for a little over three years. He is the world’s greatest Dog.

I’ve dedicated this post to Willie.

Our 1^st attempt with a dog didn’t go so well
The huge White German Shepherd Sailor wasn’t meant to me
It was a long Valentines Night
Because of the Bite!!!

We adopted you as a 7 month old pup.
Your coming into this world was a little rocky.
Being the only survivor of a litter of seven,
Losing your momma on day eleven.

We had to have you.
We lavished you with affection
You instantly joined our crew
we deemed you doggy perfection.

You shed way too much
and your breath really stinks
You whine all day
and you eat food left in Walker’s Tray

But despite all your flaws and annoying doggy habits
I can't help myself - I still love you, Willie
We should pet you more and show you we care
But instead we ignore you and whine about your hair

Your tail never fails to wag when you see me
The kids aren't always gentle, but you're as patient as can be
You're my home security system - your barks are my alarm
We hope the burglars don't see past the barks to your charm

I've been saying I wish to be pet-free
But I don't really mean it, not really, you see
Because I would miss you and all your doggy ways
Even though my house would stay cleaner for days

But you wouldn't be here to follow me around
And watch over us as you sleep on the ground
I'd miss your ugly face and your loyal heart
And your sad little eyes whenever we're apart

So keep on being the Willie that we love
And continue to come back to us no matter how hard we shove
Because though we don't show it as much as we should
You're part of the family, and miss you we would

WE LOVE YOU WILLIE!!!!

Here’s a little bit of History for you… FYI

The Phrase "Man's Best Friend" originated in a court of law. Back in October 28, 1869, A man's dog (named old drum), was shot to death by a neighbor. Animals had no rights back in those days, but the man wanted justice and so he hired 3 lawyers to sue the man who shot his dog. One of these lawyers, named George Graham Vest, is given credit for originally coining the phrase "Man's Best Friend" during his final summation to the jury. By the time he was finished with his speech, the jury only took 2 minutes to reach a verdict. The jury awarded the victim $5 (a very large amount of money back then). The jury also wanted the man to be sent to prison, but there were no laws governing this type of incident back then so the judge was not able to honor the jury's request for prison time.

This is a record of the final summation given by the lawyer...

(GOOD Stuff) if you are not a dog lover there is no need to continue past this point

Gentlemen of the Jury

The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son and daughter that he had reared with loving care may become ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him when he may need it most. Man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees and do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our head. The only absolutely unselfish friend a man may have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.

A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of a pauper as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert... he remains.

When riches take wings and reputations fall to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast into the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his grave side will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws and his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.

The Ring

2008-05-08T20:12:00.002-05:00

Just a few days before the 4th birthday, Ella was given a ring by a cute boy at her school. Apparantly he won it from a vending machine and has been saving it for Ella for a week. She was happy to show me the ring Deegan gave her and she said that it was her "marry ring" and that Deegan wants to marry her and so does every boy in her class. On top of that, they all want to kiss her on the lips. What is a girl to do? I guess when the first ring you get is in pre-school, that only raises the bar each year and who knows what her expectations will be of some poor guy she meets in college!

Texas Ties

2008-05-07T21:28:00.001-05:00

So, if you would have told me ten years ago that in my future I would be living in Texas and that I would like it, I would have dropped dead. However I am now starting to feel like I have some Texas Ties and some Texas roots that will run deep and will run with me wherever I may go. I worked with a friend the first place we lived in Texas in the Primary of our ward. I got to know their family and really enjoyed them. When we moved to our current home, we found out that the parents of our good friends lived where we were moving to. I am now working in the Young Women with our good friends mom. I just love it! I love that no matter where you go in the our church, you meet someone from somewhere that you'd know in a previous experience. I love the smallness of the world when it comes to church service. This is something that makes me happy today!

No Proof

2008-05-06T16:38:00.003-05:00

So, I did it, a few weekends ago I ran a 10K through the city. It was a total kick. I finished in just about 57 1/2 minutes. That is a great time for me....although I know someone who finished in 47 minutes....woah that is too fast. Anyway, they emailed me today and said they had some pictures of me running...unfortunately, they are copywrited and won't let me post them. But I thought it was worth a mention in the blog. I am kindof bummed, but oh well!

Checked Off

2008-05-02T20:42:00.002-05:00

So, thanks to the late night updating the blog and feeling like a slacker because I didn't get anything done yesterday, today I kicked it into high gear. Cleaned all three bathrooms, floors and all. Cleaned out the girls drawers and closets and even put stuff back in the attic (which is usually a job I save for Dan). So yeah! I feel productive. I even made cookies and dinner. It helps that I have been waiting around for repairmen all day, which is probably the ONLY reason I stayed home today. But, it was worth it! I feel a lot better about the days accomplishments. If only I can do the same tomorrow.

Should's

2008-05-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

So, today and this week has been one of those weeks filled with "shoulds." I know dinking around on the computer isn't productive (although sometimes I pay bills) but what I "should" be doing is cleaning the bathroom. Yes, the upstairs toilet has been neglected for some time. I "should" be arranging my cupboards preparing for some much needed food storage. I "should" be playing with the kids rather than pawning them off in front of the TV. I "should" make dinner, but I need to run to Wal Mart anyway...and a few nuggets won't kill them since it is located in the store. So, needless to say, I have taken a week off. Maybe next week I will get something accomplished. This week started out pretty good, on Monday I cleaned and organized three of my kitchen cupboards. I was on a roll until the boy woke up. All productivity stops when he's awake....can I blame the rest on him?

I have goals of organizing all the kids closets and drawers. I have goals of putting the grown out of/into clothes into the attic and taking the rest to the goodwill. I have goals of cleaning out Dan's closet while he's away. He is getting TOO skinny and NONE of his clothes fit. It really isn't fair. I am hoping now that I have pointed out all my goals maybe one by one I can knock them off the list. I would love to do laundry, but the dryer vent has been disconnected while they are fixing a leaking roof. Lucky for us, the builder is paying for and fixing it entirely. So, no laundry today. Oh well, it looks like it will be a busy Saturday.

Maybe next week they won't all be "shoulds" but will be competed tasks.

Ahoy Maytee

2008-04-29T19:35:00.004-05:00

So, Dan and I were invited to a murder mystery dinner and the theme was a pirate night. We had a great time. We were each assigned characters. I was a sea maiden and Dan was the inn keeper who was hosting the pirate jig where the murder took place. It was fun. We had to dress the part and act it. Dan was much better at acting the part than I was....as any of you who have played Cranium with him know. So, here is a picture of the evening. It was a total kick. Thanks to our good friends for including us in the fun! Another Big thanks to Al for providing my costume. If you can't tell from the pictures....we took chicken legs as our entree of choice.

Oh, and by the way...I didn't buy the pictures. I threw away the proofs before I knew what I was doing! Bummer, huh? Maybe next time, as I am sure there will be a next time!

Why?

2008-04-25T16:58:00.001-05:00

So, I have one question...WHY? Why is it that after I did Ella's hair so nicely before her pictures (two braids on top of her haid tied with big pink bows) that she feels the need to put a BIG BLUE CLIP right in the front and ruins the picture for me? (She must have had the clip stashed away and pulled it out after I dropped her off) Why does this bug me so? Why don't I just buy the pictures anyway to prove what a stinker she was? Why do I think that someday this is just going to make me laugh and not make me angry? Why didn't her teacher take the clip out of her hair...never mind I know this answer....Ella freaked out, I am sure. So, do I buy them or not? Other than the blue clip they are super cute. The blue clip just bugs me.

I have a feeling I am going to be asking this question many more times in this child's lifetime.

10K

2008-04-19T16:52:00.002-05:00

So I gave it a shot and tried to run 6.4 miles the other night to see if it was at all possible for me to run in a 10K race that is coming up this Saturday. I grabbed a friend, who is a seasoned runner, and made her go with me. WE DID IT! We ran around the lake two times...which is exactly 6.4 miles or a 10K. WOO HOO! I had never run more than 4 miles straight. It was a kick and we did in a decent amount of time too...

On the down side...when I got home, Tarin had a fever of 102 and Ella came home from a friends house sick....So, needless to say, it was a sad homecoming. Hopefully they are all feeling better by tomorrow so we can show our faces at church. Now I am just hoping Walker doesn't catch it. Seriously, have we been sick all year or WHAT? It is getting a little old. Maybe I should home school and never let the kids leave the house and then all the wicked germs will STAY AWAY!!!

That's that!

Enlighten me, if you will

2008-04-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we spent the day with some new friends and their kids. The adults went to dinner and the kids stayed and played at our house with a sitter. We had a great time getting to know some new people in our neighborhood and ward. That night when we were saying family prayer, Dan thanked Heavenly Father for our new friends and the opportunity we had to get to know them better that day. As soon as the "Amen" was said. Tarin looked at us and said...I didn't get to know Brooke today....(this is where the explaination comes in) "I already know Brooke, off the hook."

Does anyone have any insight what it might mean to know someone "off the hook"?

Simple Requests

2008-04-10T19:58:00.002-05:00

So, Ella's birthday is coming up and, I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems the buildup for birthdays around this house is almost more exciting than the actual birthday. The same day we were at Target and lost Tarin, Ella announced to me that her simple request for her birthday present would be a diamond necklace. She has since reminded me that this is the only thing she wants for her birthday about four times. So, if any of you grandparents out there read this....send money now, because this girl has the same caviar dreams her dad does. I don't know if we can afford to have two of them in the same family.

Lost Child

2008-04-06T17:41:00.002-05:00

So...I go in spurts. I have like six different things to post...but I think I will spread them out to keep myself updated. So, on Friday, for the first time in my life...but probably not the last, I lost a kid in the store. Our cousin is visiting from OR and needed the experience of going to SuperTarget....apparantly she is Target deprived and only has little ones. So we went to get a few grocerys. Dan was with us..so the ratio was three adults four kids. Ella needed to go potty or "tee tee" as she now refers to it, so she and I left the rest of them in the shoes. After about five or ten minutes I meet back up with Dan who quickly asks me where Tarin is, and of course I don't know, then we find Jenna and still no sign of Tarin. We divided and looked for her, and of course, she wasn't where we last saw her.

It was what seemed like FOREVER and I turned a corner and saw her walking down the aisle with one of the Target employees. Thankfully, if I had to lose a kid, Tarin was responsible and old enough to know to get some help. She found the nearest Target worker and told them she was lost. Apparantly the Target employee had paged a Ms. Dillon because Tarin was so scared she "couldn't talk loud enough to say it right." So, it turned into nothing more than a really great learning experience for both mom and dad and Tarin. I feel blessed that it was such a non event, but still very scary. I felt TERRIBLE! I know there is nothing scarier than feeling like you lost your mom and dad and Tarin's face said it all. I don't ever want that experience again.

Scary stuff to learn for both of us.

Trip to Virginia

2008-03-22T21:32:00.001-05:00

Happy 21st Robby Don

2008-03-10T18:59:00.004-05:00

Hey Rob...this is our birthday wish to you! We miss you and can't wait to see you in a few months!

The song we didn't sing, but wanted to is a song we learned on a birthday card that Uncle B and Aunt A bought for the boy. It goes like this "I like presents I like you, you make me feel all gooey gooey goo!"

We love you Robby!