Make-A-Wish Night

Last Tuesday the Young Women were invited to a Make-A-Wish Dinner and presentation at the UCSD Campus in La Jolla. One of the girls in our ward has leukemia and has gone through surgeries and a complete bone marrow transplant which ended up changing her blood type. The Chi Omega Sorority teamed up with Make-A-Wish to grant her a wish of a Mediterranean Cruise for her and her family. I told her that I was going to stuff myself inside a suitcase and stowaway on the ship.

Kelley, Gaby, & Allisen

Juliette, Hope, Rachelle, Kandace

Sarah and her family with the Chi Omega Sorority.

A few of the girls and I stopped at the Temple on the way home and took some pictures. I enjoyed playing with my new camera and the settings it has.

I was laying on the ground for this shot.

This is my favorite from that night.

The whole evening was amazing and I wish Sarah and her family an awesome adventure later this summer.

At A Glance Pocket Camp Schedule

I just thought I'd share the pocket schedule that I've been working on lately. It turned out really cool, if i do say so myself.

Here's the top view
Front View

Inside View

Back of Inside View

It's just an 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper printed on both sides and folded into 6 sections, perfect to fit into the girls pockets, so they'll always have it with them. Hopefully it will eliminate whining and complaining about being late. I doubt it; but I can always hope right?

B.O.O.T CAMP ~ Here I Come!

Wow! It's been almost a week since I last blogged. I've SO busy since then.

Saturday, I had to go to the Awesome Camp where our Stake(church group) Girl's Camp will be held in July to finalize the plans. We will be attending Butterfield Ranch Resort. It is an amazing place. When the Camp Leader and I were visiting campgrounds last November, we had already seen two others that morning and as soon as we drove onto the grounds, we knew without a doubt that this is where Girl's Camp was to be located.

We drove up and hiked one of the hikes that we want to take the girls on while we're there(yes, believe it or not, i actually hiked). Scary huh??? Now that everything is set; the Camp Leader and I feel at peace and are excited to get things ordered and organized for our awesome week long B.O.O.T CAMP. The B.O.O.T stands for Build On Our Testimonies. It will be an amazing week filled with pink and green camouflage shirts and dog tags, obstacle courses, paintball, mock battles, an awesome guest speaker, Military time, whistles, cadences, drill routines, reveille, taps, MRE's and a fabulous USO Show put on by yours truly and my partner in fun Juniper Riddle. Oh and let's not forget awesome fun provided by the Three Amigos (Me, Juniper & Diane). I seriously am so excited that i can hardly contain myself, and I can't wait! There will also be an amazing, out of this world spiritual experience that will everyone in attendance in tears.

These last few days have only made it more real for me. I've been typing my heart out, creating our awesome one-page pocket schedule, and the even more awesome song book; filled with the silliest songs you've ever heard and with some amazing hymn's for the more spiritual moments while at camp.

Did I mention that we will have our own PRIVATE pool? How awesome is that??? I've been searching for the perfect swim suit and finally found a modest one that doesn't have ginormous flowers and huge plaid strips. Seriously, don't designers know that curvy girls should NOT wear things like that?

Anywhoo, anyone who knew me as a teenager knows that me being in charge of Girls Camp is life coming back to bite me in the booty. I never, ever thought it would be me planning the awesome fun, but I am oh so glad it is!!! Watch out Sweetwater Stake Young Women, here comes Cula!

Flash Back Friday ~ 80's Hair & My Mom

One of my earliest memories is of my Mom and I sitting watching Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies on Saturday nights while she would braid my wet hair into teeny tiny braids. Then in the morning my hair would look like this.

This is what my hair would look like on Monday morning.

These pictures were taken in the house I live in now. I had totally awesome 80's hair didn't I?

This next one is one of my favorites of my mom. I just love the expression on her face! This was taken in our old house on Bluebird St. just around the corner from where we live now.

Unfortunately my Grandpa sold that house about 10 years ago. I always wanted to move into that house after I got married. I was and still is the perfect little Craftsman Style House. I'll have to drive past it today and take a picture. I used to dream of restoring it, I guess I'll have to settle for restoring my house.

Hamburger Mouth...

Is Aurora's nickname for the week. She was jumping on the couch and then fell flat on her face onto the arm of the couch. She was bleeding all over. I took her to Urgent Care and they gave her two little stitches to put the inside of her lip back in her lip. they dissolved from all the saliva as soon as we got home. This is a picture of it this morning. It still looks gross, but not as bad as it did yesterday.

It's Been Awhile!

I ran across this video on YouTube today and it really made me laugh! It's been a long time since I laughed this hard.

Surviving...

I found this poem on a friends Blog and just fell in love with it. People often ask me what it's like to lose a child, this poem describes what I feel on a daily basis.

My Mom Is A Survivor

My mom is a survivor,
Or so I’ve heard it said.
But I can hear her crying at night
When all others are in bed.

I watch her lay awake at night
And go to hold her hand.
She doesn't know I’m with her
To help her understand.

But like the sands on the beach
That never wash away…
I watch over my surviving mom,
Who thinks of me each day.

She wears a smile for others…
A smile of disguise!But though
Heaven’s door I see
Tears flowing from her eyes.

My mom tries to cope with death
To keep my memory alive.
But anyone who knows her, knows
It is her way to survive.

As I watch over my surviving mom
Through Heaven’s open door…
I try to tell her that angels
Protect me forevermore.

I know that doesn’t help her…
Or ease the burden she bears.
So if you get a chance, go visit her…
And show her that you care.

For no matter what she says…
No matter what she feels.
My surviving mom has a broken heart
That time won’t ever heal.

By Kaye Des’Ormeaux

Some Days...

heck, some weeks are like this:

Last week was one of them. I felt so out of control and stressed out that I just wanted to give up. You know that show Nanny 911? Well.... I feel like the Mom's on that show. After a nice weekend, I now feel rejuvenated and ready to start another week. There will be many changes made to our home this week and my kids are in for some changes, that I'm not sure they'll like, but I have to have some sanity. They've had a problem with listening and I've tried everything from, sending them to their rooms, taking away toys and even raising my voice to get the point across, and nothing is working. Bedtime has even been a trial. Aurora learned how to crawl out of her crib this last week and now thinks that she can play instead of sleep. I think she's outgrown naps, as she doesn't give up until 10pm.

Mom's, here's where you come in. I need some ideas. What works in your home? How do you get your kids to listen and do something the first or even second time you say it? How do you get them to respect you? Do I ignore the couch cushions being thrown to the floor and kids bouncing off the couch and off furniture?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Robert and the kids gave me my gift a day early. I've been wanting an iPod for awhile now and was totally shocked when I opened up the box and found an iPod and a PINK one at that. I spent the evening making a playlist on iTunes, and just got it all downloaded, I am LOVING it.

Thanks Robert, Sage and Aurora for the best Mother's Day Present ever to date!

Flash Back Friday - School Pictures

Okay these are the last of my school pictures. I was such an awkward pre-teen, so please try to hold back the laughter.

Here's 6th grade

Here's 7th grade

Here's 8th grade

I don't have any pictures from High School. I think I might have some old Show Choir pictures up in the attic I'll have to look and scan those in.

Flash Back Friday - Catch Up

I'm super behind on Flashback Friday Posts, so here's a few to make up for it.

This is my 5th grade picture



This is my 4th grade picture



This is my 3rd grade picture



This is from my Baptism Day in 1989



This is from the annual dan ce festival held at my elementary school. This is from 4th grade.