Gratitude

Today I am grateful for so many things. I have an amazing husband and 4 amazing children. I have the Gospel in my life which allows me to know that I will see my first two children and my Mother again. I am the daughter of an amazing woman who taught me how to be a mother and wife and taught me compassion and love for everyone. I am a lot like her in many ways and I am so proud of that. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear, a running vehicle and other things that I am blessed to have. I have an amazing calling that allows me to serve at the San Diego Temple every month. I have friends who love and support me and most importantly an Eternal Marriage to an amazing man who honors his Priesthood and loves me and his children with all his heart.

Happy Birthday Lydia!

Happy 17th Birthday Lydia! We love you much are beyond blessed to have you in our family. I can't believe how old you are, I still see you as my little Sunbeam.

I love you because you are an amazing daughter of God who freakishly reminds me of me when I was your age. Robert loves you because you are a strong girl with an amazing sense of humor and a strong testimony of the gospel and the importance of it in your life. Sage loves you because your so gorgeous and you used to read to him when he was little. Aurora loves you because you are her big sister and you sing songs and dance with her.

We hope you have a great day Lydia and always remember that you will forever be a part of our family. LOVE YOU TONS!

I know, I know.....

I'm a major slacker. I've been meaning to post but when I sit down to do it I just get depressed and overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Instead of doing individual posts I'm just gonna do one big picture crazy post.

Aurora started Ballet/Tap lessons in January and is loving them. Her first performance is in 3 weeks at a National Dance Week promotion. Her recital will be in June and then in July they are performing at the Fair in Del Mar. She has great rhythm and I'm hoping that she gets it from me and my show choir days.

Sage lost his second tooth by his own hands. It had been loose for a few weeks and he got sick of it so he picked up a weight and hit himself in the mouth and out it came.

Sage has also been doing gymnastics for almost a year and he's becoming quite the muscle man. Since this is an activity he shares with his Dad and his Dad keeps forgetting the camera I have no pictures to show. I have been a few times and of course I also forgot the camera. Hopefully this week we'll remember.

Aurora and I had a few days to ourselves while Sage was at school so we had tea parties with the tea set I bought when she was born so we could do this exact thing. I remember doing it with my Mom when I was her age and I only wish that we would have started it sooner so she could have done one with us. I'm thinking about taking Aurora to the cemetery to have a tea party with Grandma.

New Toy

I'm learning to use my new toy, an iPod touch. It's quite a lot of fun and the kids are even better at it than I am. I though I was pretty computer smart but Sage and Aurora are genius' and know how to do almost everything.

9 Years Later...

...and I'm still madly in love with Robert. We've been through an awful lot in the last 9 years dare I say more than most people. We've had 4 children and mourned two of them. We've had personal struggles and have said goodbye to my Mother all within the last 9 years, but we've come out of it stronger than ever and more united than I thought two people could ever be. He inspires me to be better, he supports and carries me when I don't have enough strength or courage to go on.

He loves me for who I am and has never once tried to change me. He puts up with my attitude and lets me be who I am. I love him more now than I did the day I married him. He is my best friend and the best part about him is that he loved my Mother like she was his.

The Worst

If there was an award for the Worst Blogger I would totally get it. The last 5 1/2 months I've been really lazy about it. To motivate myself I'm posting about all the things I need to Blog about .

* My Mom's Funeral
* Thanksgiving
* Christmas
* Sage's Gymnastics
* Aurora's Ballet/Tap Classes
* My adorably perfect Nieces
* Home improvement projects.

Hopefully I can get it in gear this weekend.

Wiggle it Like This!

Sage has a new and fabulous smile. He's so excited about it and keeps showing it to us. It's been loose for months and after much wiggling thanks to Lydia it's finally out. We were prepared to use pliers since his teeth are so tiny and slippery but Lydia finally got it out. He is very excited for the tooth fairy to come!

Christmas

Christmas was definitely bitter-sweet this year. The kids got everything they wanted which luckily wasn't too much. I love my kids so much it was great to see them so happy. We got up at 7 and opened presents and then got dressed and went to breakfast and then just hung out the rest of the day and played with all of the new toys and goodies we got.

Christmas Lights

We went to see lights tonight as a family. I of course forgot the camera again but I wanted to write down some thoughts while they were freash in my head.

This time of year always makes me feel grateful for my family and especially those who have already passed on. This weekend I have felt Hayden and my Mom so close to me. I have come to love my family even more than I thought possible even my adopted family and children. There is one person in particular that I have come to love more than I think they will ever know. I would do anything for this person and I consider them one of my children.

Thanksgiving

This year was lots of fun. I didn't really feel like making it a family holiday so we invited our friends The Riddle's over for the day. They have been so amazing and have become our family. We had so much good food and a great time being together. I think that we'll continue to celebrate it this way from now on.

Like Grandma, Like Grandaughter

Last month I walked into the kitchen after cleaning the bedrooms and found this

Aurora used to sit with her Grandma and eat BBQ chips with sour cream. We were out of chips and she decided that just the sour cream was fine with her.

Happy Holidays

Happy Halloween

This year was the best Halloween ever! Sage and Aurora are seriously the best kids I could have asked for. We took them to a neighborhood over by Robert's work this year and they had a blast! The best part of the night was Aurora opening one the front doors mail slot and asking if anyone was home because she really wanted some candy. Sage was funny too, a few houses after Aurora's comedic moment Sage knocked on the door louder than he should have and said "Come on.... I need some candy!" I was so embarrassed but the home owners thought it was funny.

Their costumes this year were perfect and totally fit their personalities.