Julia's real birthday

Julia's real birthday was pretty lame but mostly by her choice because she insists that her real birthday be celebrated when her Daddy is home. So, since she was turning 7 I couldn't mess with dates like I could when she was little. August 8th was easily "August 10th, or August 12th" to better accommodate our plans when Julia was younger because tiny kids usually don't know or pay attention. But Julia knew this time around that her birthday was indeed on Friday, August 8th-and she knew very well that Dad was gone on his big motorcycle trip.

I wanted to make it special but she didn't want to open presents until Dad was home. She didn't want to even have cake or ice cream. She didn't want to go swimming without Dad. It is really sweet and I didn't know that she cared about Chay being there for her as much as she did. Daddy shows love differently and isn't super affectionate- he can be at times but his effort of showing love is just different than Mom. Daddy is a hard worker, he takes care of things, he makes sure the kid's bikes all work, kills spiders on the walls, fixes the kid's broken bed, makes sure the bedroom window is closed so they don't get wet from the morning sprinklers, he will build Legos with the kids, takes the kids on 4 wheeler rides, checks up on them when they sleep, picks up fallen kids off the floor and puts them back in their beds, makes sure they are warm, - but he isn't very "huggy" and he's not a huge communicator either. Sometimes I wish he would spend more time talking and holding the kids but I just appreciate the other side of Chay so much that I try to just focus on the person he already is and not on what he isn't. But it is totally his idea to paint the kids' toenails sometimes and the kids couldn't be happier.

However he is a big communicator with me and very affectionate with me- ha ha- so I don't get it. He has mentioned before that he was never around a dad much growing up and he doesn't remember talking to his dad ever one-on-one. His dad was gone all the time driving truck when he was younger and then his parents divorced when he was 12. He doesn't use it as an excuse but he just doesn't know how to be a certain kind of dad, because he never had one growing up. So, I think he is doing pretty well.

The kids love Chay no matter what! He is a great Dad. As his wife I suggest he does interviews with the kids and take them places and ask certain questions and he is more than willing. I know it stretches him a little but since he wants to do what is right, he does it. The power of humility. One of Chay's greatest gifts is the gift of humility. He wants to do what is right.

So yesterday for Julia's birthday we wandered around Target because Julia loves toys. She loves to play with them but she is so dang grown up for her age and she is so logical that rarely does she want to actually buy a toy that she sees at the store. She will say, "I really like this doll but I think I will only play with it for a little while and then it will just sit with my other toys at home." Seriously!!! Great thinking Ju Ju! I would love to swap toys around with other parents so toys don't get old- but my other kids couldn't handle that. The best way to buy a toy for Julia is to just surprise her with something.

Cynthia came over yesterday and gave Julia a crochet purse with cute crochet hairbands. It was adorable. We talked forever while the kids played- even though they were all tired, hungry, and cranky. We kicked them outside. Cynthia knows pretty much everything about me because I don't have a mom I guess. She knows the good, the bad, the ugly. I tell her things that most girls only tell their mom- I even brag a little about my kids and our life changes. I guess some people don't have that kind of relationship with their mom but I sure did.

I love hearing Cynthia's stories as well. She is very wise and has such a smart view on life. She is solid. She is a great friend and neighbor and the thought of leaving someday makes me sad.

Everyone needs at least one friend they can feel their self around.

It was time for bed and Julia asked if she could sleep alone with me since Chay was gone. I loved her request. Of course Kenzie and Xander were sad but I put those two in the same bed and asked Kenzie if she would read to Xander. Then I explained to Xander how wonderful it is to sleep with Kenzie. She is soft and super cuddly and once she falls asleep, she rarely moves unlike Julia who is a disaster to sleep with. They giggled. I promised Xander that Kenzie won't push him off the bed in the middle of the night like Julia does. It was funny.

Julia came down with me. She sat in my bed and colored. I tried talking to her but her answers were short but she was just being Julia- kind, interested, to the point. I started reading to her from The Friend and then after the first story she rolled over and tried going to sleep. What??? I wouldn't let her. I kept bugging her and not letting her sleep. I told her she can't fall asleep yet, we just got started on our slumber party. "Too bad, I'm tired now" she would say. So funny that girl. So I scratched her back because it's her favorite thing in the world and I let her look at my Instagram Roll on my phone of all the pictures of the family. It was so fun to see her smile and giggle. She was talking a lot more. Then I started to fall asleep- it was my turn. It was a great little time with Julia. Happy Birthday little girl. I love you!!

mom-o-meter

Today by noon the mom-o-meter was probably tanking into the negative red. It was just a bad day, you know? I love this picture. Forget it April. 

But at night when I was tucking the girls into bed the girls made me realize that today wasn't so bad after all.

Kenzie and Julia reminded me that I got a lot accomplished today despite feeling very unaccomplished: I paid the bills, I worked on family history for Wanda who is a 90 year old gem in the ward. I cleaned the play room and organized legos. I swept the floor 5 times today. I made quesadillas. Super Mom!!! Ha!

It was just a blah-I-wish-I-could-figure-out-life-but-I-cant kind of day. I am tired and achy from lack of sleep too. Overwhelmed and hard on myself.

The best part of the long day was sitting in bed with Julia and Kenzie at bedtime. Julia turns 7 tomorrow. I loved playing with her hair and talking with her. I get so sad when my kids get older. It used to seriously get to me but I have learned to just let life be- She is so grown up for her age. We talked about what kind of man the girls should marry. We talked about Daddy who is gone for a few days.

Then there was a big spider crawling up the wall and everyone freaked out.

We bored Xander with our girl talk and he fell asleep in .4 seconds and so he missed out on the spider drama but the girls wanted to sleep with me and so since I am single at the moment, I thought it was a great idea! Julia even said as she climbed in my bed, "this is so fun for my birthday to sleep with you Mommy".

Mom-o-meter is looking better. Time to snuggle in bed with my not so little anymore girls. Looking forward to a better day tomorrow. Ju Ju- my cute little Ju Ju is 7! What in the world!

august 6th 2014

And he's off! Said goodbye to Chay today- he left for 4 days to go on a huge dirt bike adventure up near Stanley, Idaho somewhere. I'm so excited and happy for him. He deserves this all the way. I'm also so happy he is going with my brother Keith. It means a lot to me because my family doesn't really get to spend a lot of time with Chay since we live so far away. I just love that Chay and my brothers have this little huge passion in common. Great way to get Chay and Keith to hang out. Of course I married someone like my brothers! My brothers are my heroes.

I hope no one gets hurt. I sent with Chay a very big first aid kit chuck full of everything possible. I even made sure there was migraine medicine for my brother Keith.

We signed on a second life insurance policy for Chay today before Chay left. :) Covering my bases. I am Chay's wife, not his mom. I can suggest and share my take on things but there is no way I have any business talking him out of what he loves to do. People disagree with me but I tried once up a time and it just wasn't worth it. I knew it was a lost battle before I started and it only caused contention. I loved that he rode motorcycles before we were married and I will love it all during the while.

Now I don't even think twice- go, have fun- take some cool pictures, say a prayer.

What am I going to do with the kids this weekend? hmm Julia's birthday is on Friday but we are waiting for Daddy.

Had all the kids with me tonight for Family History workshop. They played in the nursery. We had a bunch of people show up and I am ever so grateful for The Sabins who came in to save me. There is no way I can help so many people at once. I'm not good at it. Jeff and Cami came and helped several people and it was such a life saver. It is so fun to see people's faces come alive when they see their family tree go back a couple hundred years.

I've been praying for my ward. I pray they will have success and get excited about Family History. I feel so much love for them. Miracles happening all around us all the time.

My house is so totally disgusting right now. Like total disaster. Every room needs to be dejunked- I have neglected my house lately and it shows. Poor April and her messy house. Sounds like a title to a children's book.

Good night.

Oh my gosh, the power just went off. We are having a huge lightening storm outside. Crazy weather. I am sort of scared or more spooked I guess without Chay. I just realized how quiet my house is when nothing is running. The internet won't work and my phone is almost dead. I guess I better go to bed. oh my gosh, Sam just woke up and it's midnight. He is screaming.

Kill me now, Sam just fell asleep and it is 4:30 am. I think something is wrong with him- he is hurting somewhere or something. Longest night of my life. Power came back on around 1:30. The spookiness went away thank goodness.

10:00 am- just woke up. Kids let me sleep while they watched netflix. Sometimes I am so grateful for modern technology and TV!

Maria

Maria has 5 children ages ranging from 2 to 14.

She is going through a lot of trials right now. Her mother can function okay but she is slightly mental and has breakdowns often. Her mother's husband who is Maria's step-father who basically raised Maria is dying.

Maria is the only one in her family to help and take care of her Mom and Step-Dad which is taking a lot of time and toll on her as she drives them around to doctor appointments and as she tries to comfort her emotionally unstable mother. Her husband is in some sort of special training for work and he doesn't get home until real late. Her husband's baby brother unexpectedly died a couple weeks ago and her husband had to drive a car down to Texas for a few days.

She has difficult teenagers. Oh teenagers.

In the middle of all this, their suburban died from a bad fuel pump- which costs a pretty penny and they don't have the money to fix it. Suddenly Maria doesn't have a car to haul her kids around to do every day things.

This family is tired.

Maria calls me yesterday and she starts to ask me family history questions. Then I noticed her voice started to quiver. I asked is she was okay and she just started to cry. So I walked over to her house with a box of red potatoes bringing Kenzie so she could take care of her little ones while we talked.

Maria talked about her life and all her problems. I know by default I am a problem solver and I like to fix things but I felt really strong to just listen. I've been praying to become a better listener.

Soon after we sat down on the couch the neighbor kids came over to play. 3 crazy girls who come from a shaky home where values and morals aren't taught. My first reaction was "no way, go home, Maria is having a stressful day" but Maria kindly let them in. Maria would calmly discipline the girls if they acted inappropriately. Then 3 more neighbor kids came over. They just walked in the house like it was their own. Maria calmly talked to the kids as they ran through the house and pulled out every toy. I was totally surprised how calm Maria was. Then Julia, Xander and Sam came over an hour or so later. It was total chaos and Maria just kept her calm and even fed everyone a snack. I finally said, "You're amazing Maria. I couldn't handle all these kids. I'd go crazy. Man, tell them to all go home, especially if you need a break from all the stress." I really should keep my mouth shut although I have improved over the years. She laughed and said, "Some of these kids don't receive a lot of love in their homes and this is the only place they feel it. So I want them to feel loved and welcomed here." Maria takes them to church on Sundays. She is a saint.

Wow. Heaven Sent. Maria taught me a lot that day. I was too selfish to even notice that. I still can't believe how she processes things. I love Maria. She is a warrior for who she is- to know her background and all the things she's been through as a child and to see her rise to the top and still have a strong testimony of the Gospel is simply amazing. She is such a chosen person because I don't think most turn out like her when they have her kind of life story.

I am so grateful for strong influences in my life like my friend Maria.

Don't want to forget a small moment with Ju Ju

Julia is just plain awesome. She is very comfortable with herself and many times she prefers to play by herself, especially if there are kids she doesn't know well over playing- or if she is way into something else like building something or in her own imaginary world, she wants to be by herself and not be interrupted. She is my only child who never wanted to sleep with me when little and has kind of been just really secure enough to know everything is okay from the very beginning.  After her miserable spout of colic for 3 months she became my best sleeper. She can be super dramatic and can scream really loud but she is generally really calm and observant. She is a thinker and very creative.

Although at nighttime when I am giving kisses she kind of changes a little and just really wants a ton of hugs. She loves being tucked in. She is a lover of soft silky blankets. She loves soft blankets and she is always snuggling up to them and kind of goes crazy because she loves the comfort of them so much. We all giggle at her and her odd obsession. She is known to steal the Sammy's soft blanket all the time- that little snitch.

She is actually a really funny girl and her personality is going to be my favorite thing about her when the kids grow up. She is witty and so smart. I can see us being best friends someday. Totally fun to hang out with, you know what I mean?

Well the other morning Sam was crying and I was still in bed. Julia walks into the room barely holding Sam. He is getting bigger and heavier and I can tell Julia was struggling to hold him. She plops Sam on my bed and then she gets into bed with me and Sam. No way! Julia rarely does this. She grabs my big fluffy down comforter and starts to get all comfortable. I swear, she loves comfortable big blankets- so funny. Anyway and then I put Sam sitting on my lap as I stayed laid down on my back and together we talk to Sammy and make him giggle. We kept trying to make him do things like "point to Ju Ju" "where's Ju Ju?" He is such a cute goofy kid with a melt-your-heart smile with his crazy wild red curly hair. Julia and I were laughing so hard at how cute he was being. Then Sammy got all quiet and he looked at us all seriously and then he let out the biggest sneeze and then he just started to giggle. It was the funniest cutest thing ever. We laid there together for some time just so entertained by Sammy- and then eventually we got hungry and went upstairs. I just really loved that little special time with Julia.

August 5th 2014

I'm just kind of not with it lately. Summer lazy days with little routine is throwing me off. I like it but I don't.

I sleep in- well we all sleep in until 9 every day. Except for Chay who leaves at 6:50 am which makes me feel sort of guilty but then again he is having a hay day at work. He loves loves his job. That really makes me feel happy for him. He deserves it.

I just stay up late at night because the house is quiet and then like a lazy bum I sleep in. Blessed is me! I have 4 children who have always slept in- and if I could get my act together I could actually sanctify the mornings as my time and make better use of my day verses staying up late and wasting the morning away sleeping.

I woke up to a text from Cami saying the kids in the neighborhood were down at the grassy hill playing soccer. So because I know my kids should run around and enjoy the cooler day, I drag them all out of bed- give them all a granola bar and tell them to run to the grassy hill to play soccer. I told them I would grab Sammy and head on out. I send a mass text to all the ladies in the ward about soccer. Cynthia across the street who fell down her front cement stairs on Sunday and really tore up her legs was limping to her car. I told her to come and to just drive to soccer instead of walk. I like it when she gets out of the house and visits with friends. Her husband is a trucker and is gone all week- she has 2 little boys.

Her car is dead. I jump it with jumper cables and the van. Eventually we get to soccer. The kids played for a couple hours while the moms talked. It was good to blab. Kids played soccer and then got bored- then it went to Red Rover which didn't end well- it never does. Then they climbed this huge grassy hill and rode down the hill in our jogger stroller. Crazy kids.

upon returning home I decided to get this online preschool thing we signed up for up and going- The preschool is for Xander but Julia still isn't reading amazing so she is doing the program as well. She is so logical. I sat and watched her take the tests on the program to determine where she is academically and I noticed that a lot of the math, money, and time questions were kind of tricky for a first grader but I could see her wheels turning and I caught on to what she was doing. It wasn't that she knew all the answers, she just knew what weren't the answers. She is smart enough to figure out what it couldn't be out of logic. It was crazy to watch her think. She was getting them all right because it was multiple choice- I had to tell her to get some wrong so that she can at least be taught the things she was guessing on.

I was so inspired to hold Julia back a year. She was barely 6 when she started kindergarten last year and she excelled pretty well but she is scared to make mistakes when she reads so she refuses to do it. So if I would have put her in K when she was barely 5 she would be entering 2nd grade not reading- NOT GOOD. I might do the same with Xander. He will be young too and watching him today barely figuring out the mouse on the computer let alone doing the preschool stuff, I knew he was still so young. We just started understanding his speech about 2-3 months ago- so first things first.

We had a massive rain storm today. Kenzie and I decided to run from the back door to the front. It was a challenge we gave ourselves. The rain was coming down so hard it hurt. Kenzie started crying. Ha ha. It was fun. Utah always has a few huge summer rain storms. Everything cools off and the air feels so clean but parts of the neighborhood were flooded. Sad.

I went to a meeting with the new Relief Society Presidency. I am on the Enrichment Committee. Today is Taco Tuesday. We usually get Del Taco because for $10 Chay brings home 30 tacos. Tuesdays are busy busy and so we justify making dinner and started a tradition. Ha ha what a lame tradition but the kids think its great. Laughed pretty hard when we watched the Lego Movie for the first time. Taco Tuesday.

Had to run home so Chay could make it to his high councilmen meeting. It is so weird. He is kind of busy but he came home around 9:30 and he was glowing. He could not stop talking about President Anderson and how special and awesome he is. Chay came home and said, "I was just taught by President Anderson for a hour and half and I feel amazing." We do have a powerful stake president. So grateful Chay is getting these neat opportunities to be surrounded by powerful influences. Even Chay's Director at work is a man of integrity and honor- which makes effective leadership.

While Chay was gone I took the kids to pick blackberries at our bishop's house. I knew they would enjoy it. Our sweet old bishop grows food instead of flowers in his front yard. He is always sharing. He was so kind to the kids. Julia was eating them faster than we were picking them. Then the kids pretended Julia was some wild animal and they got a kick out of feeding her blackberries. So funny. Xander stained his clothes along with Sam from the blackberries- stained with great memories I suppose.

We ended the night with a short scripture study because "Satan is going down" in our house. I'll explain later. Julia of course always has deep questions. I love that curious mind of hers. Then off to bed with big kisses and blackberry stained fingers. Julia always jumps in Xander's bed and Xander couldn't be happier.

These kind of days can seem kind of blah until you sit down to write about it. The kids are content with just being kids. They mostly played with Trios and watched the rainstorm. They watched a few shows of "My Little Pony" on Netflix and kind of did whatever. I thought that I might feel guilty for not having a fun filled day but they were content enough. They were home.

May 14th 2014

*another old post I just found. 

*As I was reading this post real quick before I published it I felt like my words sounded sort of cheesy and weird. I wanted to edit it, but then I realized that what I wrote is literally how I felt in the moment and so I left it the way it is. I think it is really important to journal feelings when the moment is fresh. It really captures the real live happenings of each day. I wish I could write every night about each day- because my journal entries would feel more honest to how I was truly feeling at the moment. But then again, I might sound horribly depressing and lost on bad days- so maybe not always a good idea I guess.

Today I woke up anxious for the new day. For some reason I put things off until the last minute sometimes. Today was a big day for Julia because her class was finally going to the Hogle Zoo. She has anticipated this day for a long long time and she builds up upcoming events her mind to be this huge thing. And yes, sometimes she is very disappointed but that's life for Julia. Anyway, got up this morning, packed lunch for 3 kids and rushed around the house for 45 minutes packing wipes, diapers, lunch, rain stuff. I knew it was going to be a big feat for the day- hauling 3 kids to the zoo. Julia, Xander, Sammy. We figured it out.

I am the most happy when I am with my children. I feel complete when we are all together. I love it. I love holding a baby on my hip and holding a child's hand in the other. I love to hear my 8 year old Kenzie ramble about something funny and I love trying new and motivating ways to get Xander to follow rules and be happy-usually.

After we gave kisses to Kenzie and she ran to her class (I still get tiny ounces of almost tears heart skippin happy saddness every single day when I say goodbye to her- she still blows kisses to me and says I love you 10 times when I drop her off for school- and she is naturally sweet and so she is so so so easy to love and miss) after we said goodbye to older sister we got in the van to go to the zoo. I surprised them with the Frozen soundtrack. Oh to see their faces light up!!!! Xander could not stop smiling! We sang so loud to all the songs all the way to the Zoo- downtown Salt Lake.

We get to the Zoo and I was so ever thankful for the beautiful 58 degrees sunshining weather. It was beautiful and perfect. It was so so exciting to be at the Zoo today. I have been several other times before and I am not a big fan to be honest. Usually it's hot and sweaty and the animals just sleep and hide all day- but today they were all outside. I just about freaked out when I saw the tiger roaring and running around. It was awesome. The kids were excited and the whole day they stayed pretty focused- even Xander enjoyed it despite how tired he became at the end. I love that kid so much. My handsome boy.

I love being with my old soul friend, Julia. She is just real. She asks so many questions but she is so so easy to be around. She is calm and curious. A mom came up to me today and said, My daughter wants to be like Julia." Her kindergarten teacher heard her and said, "everyone loves Julia because she is such a great student" Julia is just my little Ju Ju to me. I think she is pretty great myself. After a long day of walking around, taking breaks, having lunch, 3 trips to the bathroom, we finally conquered the zoo with success. Kenzie didn't know that I bought the Frozen soundtrack and so when we got close to her waiting spot in the pick-up line I turned up the volume really loud and I start to lip sinc to the song "Love is an open door" and I kept pointing to Kenzie and singing. Oh the smile across her face. It was so funny. It was the best way for me to let her know- "your day at school is over, you're with family now, you can be 100% yourself, and you are loved, time to have fun." We jammed out to the CD. Sometimes when I pick up Kenzie and Julia from school Kenzie will say, "so glad to be in the van." One day she came home from school and opened up the front door and said with a sigh, "so glad to be finally home" It was the cutest thing ever. I realized that even though I know she enjoys school, it can be exhausting and I loved how she felt all comfortable being home.

We got home and I made dinner- not a very good one- and then I sat down and practiced a really hard song on the piano with Kenzie. Then we had to go to soccer. She scored a goal!!! That girl is busy but we have the reigns held tight- we keep her home and keep her young the best way we know how. It's great to be 8! The magical number to slowly let go a little and see the choice machine get revved up and put to practice. So far so good!! She is making great choices. I do not worry about Kenzie. She is valiant. Came from Heaven that way! She is extra positive and sees the good in every situation. She always sees the good when I complain. The other day in the car she was quiet and she finally spoke, "Mom, there is a reason for everything, there really is. I didn't want Mrs. Mabbitt for 2nd grade but I think I know why I was supposed to get her." I'm sitting in the driver seat blown away at how she is processing life and learning- and I love it.

Daddy couldn't come to the soccer game because he had a phone interview but Julia and Xander usually roll down the huge hills and/or play in the dirt at the games. Sam just eats the dirt and makes cute faces at everyone. I looked over to find Xander and he was peeing on the cement by the baseball diamonds. I just looked away pretending I didn't see anything.

I am screaming and cheering on Kenzie!!! She is surprising me greatly with her athletic skills. I am not one to push much on her-allowing her to discover what she likes or not on her own. Soccer was something she wanted to try this year and so off we went with it. She is such a fast runner. She scored 5 goals so far this season.

The month of May 2014- Part 1

Old Post- finally finished it. Even my journal is scattered brained. When will I ever figure it all out?

I want to write this as fast as I can because I tend to embellish on things not that important and then I waste my time- and then I realize that I never finished what I really wanted to write about and before I know it, a hour has passed away.

Yesterday I went to ward council to present our ward family history project to the ward. Then I taught the high priests and then I taught the youth in Sunday School- all about family history. I have the lesson in Relief Society next week. I am planning something big and exciting for our ward so many will go to the temple with an ancestor's name when our beautiful new temple opens in October!! It will take a lot of my brain and a lot of time but it is so worth it. I feel peace. Life makes sense. I love that the Lord trusts us with His work even though I depend on Him so much for His help. All. The. Time.

When I am focused on what is right (because at times I drift) this is what I want to do with my life: I want to serve my family and the church with everything I have until I fall over dead...living my days out tired but with peace in my life. Nothing else makes sense to me. And yes I have bad days, really bad days, and yes I get discouraged but the Lord somehow helps me carry on and I seem to make it through.

okay Memorial weekend. It started out with tears as Kenzie placed 4th in the Spelling Bee. She mastered all the second grade words at home but since the Spelling Bee went for a long time they had to move to the 3rd grade spelling list and we did not practice that list. She was so upset and I was sick to my stomach. I was so nervous for her but so proud that she placed 4th over the entire 2nd grade. She missed the word "Confess" She left off the last S. Her face broke my heart. I held her in that cafeteria as she sobbed in my arms. Every child who misspelled a word was sobbing in their mom's arms. It was actually slightly disturbing and I wondered if 2nd grade was too young for a spelling Bee until I heard a mom say that her 6th grader cried just as hard as her 2nd grader. Oh, I see. Hmmmm.

But the hardest part of the Spelling B was not Kenzie losing or her only placing 4th. The hardest part was the young boy who misspelled a word and had to sit down but had no one to go sit with because his parents weren't there. He sat all alone at a cafeteria table and buried his head in his arms and cried. Where was his Mom??? Doesn't she know this is a huge ordeal? Doesn't she know that he had to be one of the top 3 spellers in his class to even qualify for this spelling Bee? This little boy was beautiful- super tan with dark eyes. I went up to him and played mom. I told him he was super smart and he did awesome. I tried to comfort as much as a stranger can. He smiled a little. I get emotional every time I think of that little boy all alone who really needed his mommy at that moment. Moms!!! These are pivotal moments!! Be there!!

When I picked Kenzie and Julia up from school that afternoon I decided to make things a little better because I knew Kenzie was having a really bad day. I took them to a garden nursery and had them pick out a vegetable to plant (kids are so easy). Kenzie was excited to grow honey dew (we will see how it will grow) Xander picked out a pumpkin which made me laugh because we have no room in our backyard for a pumpkin plant. I am thinking I will let it spread to the back of the fence and then let it climb up our garden shed or something. Julia wanted honey dew too. We then went to this neighborhood nearby called Heritage Ranch. It is crazy awesome. Everyone in this beautiful neighborhood owns multiple horses. The houses are brand new and gorgeous. They have big training pastures right in the middle of the neighborhood for everyone to use. Every house had a big pasture with stables as well. It was so awesome. I had my own horse when I was a child and I loved riding. Mckenzie loves horses as well. I knew she would love this. We parked our van and pet some horses. I think Kenzie has a real gift of gentleness and animals and children are really drawn to her. Julia for some reason wanted to stay in the car- what 6 year old wants to sit in the car when there are horses to see. Oh Julia. She makes every day so interesting.

After that we went to the old Farr's ice cream shop. It is in the coolest oldest building and it so happens to be across the street from the Ogden Temple. I let everyone choose their favorite ice cream and we sat outside and looked at the temple. We noticed that the eating area we were sitting at had trash everywhere. I asked the kids what would help solve this trash problem. I had them look around. Julia of course "Why don't they have a garbage can out here so we have a place to throw away our napkins?" Bingo. I then got a garbage bag from the car and we picked up the whole eating grass picnic area. It felt good and the kids thought it was so fun. Except Julia, but she was willing. As we were leaving we saw a family throw their garbage on the ground. Wow the kids got upset. Disappointing.

Kenzie was feeling better. I gave her a little eye opening speech. I told her that honestly a Spelling Bee means nothing. It doesn't mean you're not smart, it doesn't mean that you're better or not better than anyone. I told her that accomplishment is fun and it is good to challenge yourself but really all that really matters is that you keep doing your best. Just go through life doing Heavenly Father's will- loving, working hard, doing your best, serving others, keeping the commandments. These things bring the greatest happiness. Not winning a Spelling Bee. But the both of us are determined to do awesome next year and master both 3rd and 4th grade spelling lists. I hate stuff like this- spelling bees. ahhhh yuck, but whatever.

I know Kenzie will still listen to me but she is approaching a time in her life that maybe she won't so much. Taking advantage as much as I can.

We went on an awesome hike Saturday. It was pretty challenging for Xander but he pulled through and did great. He kind of got tired on the way down and then he fell and then he decided he was done being strong and brave. Chay had Sam on his back in a backpack and then when I didn't think I could carry Xander anymore Chay took both boys. We hiked up Waterfall Canyon and we made it to a beautiful waterfall falling 100+ feet. It was so beautiful. I love how that hike is a wait-until-the-end-have-patience-the-prize-comes-after-a-lot-of-work type hike. The kids kept anticipating the waterfall and could not see it, only hear it, until you got to the end of the hike. It was such a sight to see. Great analogy to use in the gospel.

I love where I live. Ogden Utah is beautiful. We are smack up against the huge breathtaking mountains. We have two rivers close by- the canyons are a 5 minute drive from our house. We have 2 big reservoirs 20 minutes away. 3 ski resorts 20-30 minutes drive. There are lots of parks everywhere. I love the Downtown city area and the diverse people. I love the heritage of the city. People used to tell me that Ogden was the armpit of Utah. So not true. I mean, yes, it is ghettoville in some places and downtown neighborhoods can be a little scary but for the most part it's really pretty and it has really grown on me the last couple years. I am proud to say where I live. The mountains here are AMAZING. Poke right up through the clouds almost to heaven. They are green right now and there are spots of white snow still- rocky ridges. I love it.

I will forever call North Idaho and North East Washington my home. I love where I grew up and I wish I could find a way to move there but Chay's career is here in Utah right now and I really can't do much about that. We have looked and looked for opportunities to move home but nothing seems to workout at the moment. I have made a choice to love Northern Utah- we have been here 7 years and I am finally loving it. It's about time. I feel it is important to love every place you go because you never know where God will need you and place you- even if it isn't where you prefer to be.

Sunday Morning I woke up with Julia, Xander, and Sam in my bed with Chay and I. We were so scrunched. But I woke up so incredibly happy because I was surrounded by my kids and Chay- the people I love most. Sure I wasn't comfortable but I'm sort of pass that by now. I want memories of kids snuggling up with me in bed more than memories of a good night's sleep. Those days of full night sleeps are coming and so for now, I will love it. Now if it happened every single night-um, maybe I would start going a little crazy. But I am just relaxed and just used to it for the most part. Baby cries at night, I just throw him in bed with me- nurse him, fall asleep somewhere in there. I don't mind that soft baby skin- no matter what time of the night it is. I have changed.With Kenzie I thought my world was falling apart if I didn't sleep well at night. It was so hard-but now I guess I'm just used to it. It's really not that big of a deal like it used to be.

Sam is beyond cute. In my mind I can't think of anything more wonderful and perfect than my Sammy. He has the heartiest laugh. He gets so excited he can't contain himself. He has beautiful curly red hair. He is a huge snuggle baby. He loves to be hugged. He loves to play with my long hair when he gets sleepy. He rubs it all over his face. So adorable. He is 16 months and only scoots across the floor on his bum bum. It is so fun to watch him cruise down the hallway on his butt. He has mastered it pretty well. I am not totally worried yet. I think he will figure out walking eventually. I just love love love that little boy so much. He has a temper but I just know him so well that I don't read into it that much. His temper is actually kind of entertaining to all of us. We just laugh at him. He is a great baby and I just want him to know someday how much we overly enjoyed him as a baby. All the kids love and adore him so much.

The month of May 2014 Part 2

Monday we worked around the house. Chay is a really hard worker. He is always so busy and finishes a ton of things around the house. It is seriously so attractive. I love Chay so much. He makes my heart skip a beat- most of the time. How on earth did I get so dang lucky???? How??? Thank you to any of you angels on the other side who helped orchestrate me finding Chay. Maybe it was my children up in heaven? Who knows. I am so thankful that I served a mission. I knew I had to and I didn't know why. I know now it was so I could come home and meet Chay in Portuguese Class at BYU-Idaho. He was just this goofy kid with messy bed head hair who always wore the same red hooded sweatshirt with little holes in the sleeves. But he radiated goodness and he glowed from head to toe. When he spoke and when he laughed it was like "Is this guy for real?" He didn't have a lick of anything negative or bad about him. He was wholesome. I remember thinking "I don't know if I deserve anyone like this, but I need to marry this man- he is way too good to pass up." He was humble, funny, kind, obedient, tall! He was tall!

He also had no direction in his life. He had no clue what he wanted to do for a profession and he stressed about it for awhile. For some reason I didn't want to care. I just didn't care. I just knew that when I was around him I felt complete peace and I knew he would always be faithful to me and the Lord. I felt so comfortable around him.

Chay is a great Daddy. He takes the kids outside a lot and will give them rides on the 4 wheeler. Chay is really good with Sam and it is so adorable to see them together. On our hike it was priceless to see the girls beg to hold Daddy's hand as they walked down the steep trail.

Friday Chay interviewed for a job. He somehow knew this was the job he really really wanted. We have been doing everything on our part to advance in his career. He earned his masters degree a couple years ago, he certified with his PHR- professional human resources- he was gaining more and more experience in his current job. He was actually shaping out his future and entering a point in his life where he was becoming very qualified to advance to the next thing- whatever that was. Chay started applying and interviewing inside his own company for every opportunity he was qualified for. He asked for promotions. He was constantly being denied and he felt like he wasn't being valued for his work. He would doubt himself and get down and then he would snap out of it and just move forward always looking for better opportunities. He is resilient.

He started to apply for jobs outside his company and he would almost always land an interview and many times he was a final candidate. Far too many times we got our hopes up and then only to find out Chay wasn't selected for the position. We got sick to our stomachs a couple times- I felt like I was going to puke about a couple jobs where we were certain Chay would get it, but didn't. Why? Why?

We just kept being anxiously engaged in this good cause and praying for guidance but continually applying for jobs. Doing our part.

Chay was looking for about a year and then he stepped it up more intensely for about 3 months. We decided that we weren't going to stop until we found the job that was right. We knew we wanted something else then what we currently had. We looked almost nightly. We even applied to jobs in Texas and Alaska. Oregon, Idaho, Washington- We knew we couldn't be picky when we were relying on the Lord to direct us to where we needed to go. People can't expect the Lord's help when they put limits and boundaries on what the Lord can do for them. We have to be willing to put it all out on the table and trust the best thing will happen.

On Friday during Kenzie's Spelling Bee Chay was interviewing for a job as assistant Director of HR of a hospital. Hello, my heart and stomach could only take so much.

2 weeks before the interview Chay made a huge decision. He sold his most favorite thing (besides me)- he sold his dirt bike. We really want to push getting out of debt and pay off student loans. We talked about selling his bike for awhile but it seemed to be that ultimate sacrifice and I was going to stay out of that decision as far as I could. All I told him once was "All or Nothing. Either sell it and never look back or keep it and enjoy it. Nothing in-between." And then one day he sold it. I was so so sad for him. I decided to join and I sold a lot of things around that house that I was holding on to. I also gave up my kitchen fund and put it towards debt as well. I can live with a nasty kitchen. I am still happy even though I have 70's green linoleum going up to the ceiling.

We really wanted the Lord to know that we were willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish our goals and to keep the commandment of getting out of debt. This month we put 5K towards debt! Awesome possum. Dave Ramsey would be so proud. Dave Ramsey has been our little financial adviser. I feel that he is the perfect fit for Chay and I. Simple, easy to understand, motivating- and I love that he is Christian and implements Christian principles into getting out of debt and finances.

During all of this, Chay was preparing for a job interview. We were actually both surprised that he made it to the interview rounds. We were constantly looking for opportunities and since it was in the mindset to apply for a couple jobs a week- Chay happened to run across this specific job and said, "What the heck, why not, right?" I saw the job listing a couple times but I didn't think Chay was qualified. Chay just said, "Why would I not apply for this? It's a director position." I loved his confidence despite all the many times he had been denied. When the hospital called to set up an interview, Chay was so surprised and then he decided right away he was going to get this job. He then decided to call the hospital so he could get a feel for the job he was interviewing for. The secretary mentioned that the Director was in his office and that Chay could just ask him anything he wanted to right then. Chay jumped on the unusual opportunity and the conversation with the Director went great. When Chay interviewed, the Director said that Chay was the only candidate to call and talk to him and the secretary in person before the interview. He also said that he noticed Chay talking and engaging to other employees while waiting for his interview and was very friendly instead of just sitting there checking notes on his phone like the other candidates did- that really impressed the director.

We also got a power suit. We went down to men's warehouse and got him a real suit and decided to keep his $20 suit from Savers in the closet this time. Chay looked great. I mean, really great. :) I don't know what a nice suit does to a man, but he seemed pretty dang confident once he put it on.

The prayers- oh the prayers. Something seemed different about this job. We went to the temple and we fasted. The first interview went awesome. Chay was pretty confident but I was less confident because almost all of his previous interviews went "awesome" and they all seemed to love Chay but never worked out. So I didn't want to get my hopes up. We learned from past experience to never pray to get a job. We learned to pray for faith despite what happens. We learned to pray that those interviewing Chay will feel inspired to do the right thing and that we may remain faithful no matter what. We prayed that we could trust in God's plan for us. Chay prayed that he would say the right thing and the right words would come to his mind.

Chay came in for a second interview and he was introduced to the whole HR team he would be over. He also met with the CEO and VP of the hospital. That night we felt we should get to the temple. We were nervous and anxious and needed to feel peace about everything. We did baptisms for our own family names. I have been bringing family names to the temple because of my calling as family history consultant which makes me feel that it is something I should do and learn how to do. Now I am teaching the whole ward to do it, so we can all come to the temple as a ward and do their own ancestor's work. Pretty exciting. I am teaching a family history class every Sunday and doing a workshop at the church every Wednesday night. I will do 2 mutual activities with the YM and YW and then as a ward we will reserve 2 nights at the new Ogden Temple and have a youth baptism night and an adult session a week later- they have until the end of September to find at least one name! Awesome! It has been hard hard work but I can tell that the members are taking over and their enthusiasm makes it so easy. I just have to teach and sort of motivate- once they start, the spirit of Elijah takes hold of their hearts and helps turn them. So far I have over 30 ward members submitting names to the temple.

Okay, back to Chay.

After we did baptisms we got in the car. We were at the Brigham City Temple in the parking garage. Chay turned on his phone and we noticed he had a voice mail. Who leaves voice mails anymore?? Chay saw that it was from Kelly, the Director. Together we listened to the message and Kelly said, no matter what time it is, please call me back. So we decided to drive out of the garage for better service on Chay's phone and we parked right in front of the temple. We had this perfect view of the Brigham City Temple in all it's grandeur. Chay called back Kelly and we were holding each other's hand so tight. It kind of hurt so I had to let go and just let Chay get through this. We were sitting in his little S10 chevy truck. Kelly offered Chay the job.

But what Kelly said about Chay was so memorable besides this little small miracle of getting the job. Kelly really praised Chay and told him how impressed he was with him. He said that everyone loved Chay when they met him and even the CEO said he was a perfect fit. He said that Chay was a man of high caliber and that he knew from the first time they met on the phone that he was the man for the job. Chay got teary-eyed on the phone. It was sweet but I kept saying under my breath "don't let him hear you cry!" ha ha ha.

So since this is my blog and I can write forever about this neat experience and no one will really appreciate it, not even my children, except for Chay and I. We have been through so much together and we went through some really hard times. I know Chay was stressed for a few years and he worked so hard to become qualified in his field. We never lost sight of our goals. We kept trying to look at the future knowing where we wanted to be someday even though on some days it seemed unlikely. We never imagined we would take such a huge jump so fast and since we see God's hand in this everywhere, we trust that there is a reason. I know for one thing we will be able to serve better and if that is what the Lord wants us to do, we will be ready.

To my children and grandchildren one day- let me explain the formula and where we saw blessings from obedience in all of this:

*God loves His children and will bless them regardless. He is kind and merciful.

*If you work hard and have a goal, the hard times seem bearable...and again, trust God.

*Pay your tithing! Just do it. I have too many stories from others and myself that prove the Lord will bless those who pay tithing. It is also a way to show gratitude and love to Heavenly Father for all He has blessed us with even though we don't have to ever "earn" his love because He loves us regardless, but we grow and we love the Lord more when we serve him- just like you learn to love others around you more when you serve them. Eternal Principle.

*Pay your Fast Offerings- help the poor eat. It is our duty to help the poor.

*A few general conferences ago President Thomas S. Monson asked that we start donating to the ward mission fund. I took that as a commandment. I didn't want to question, I just wanted to follow. I knew it was a good thing and that many missionaries can't afford to serve a mission. So we just started to pay it, out of obedience. Didn't really think about it but as I reflect certain blessings it has been confirmed to me that we have been blessed for doing so.

*Going to the Temple. It's a pretty awesome place. I wish the world could feel that peace. I know you can feel peace in prayer and in nature- but the work that is performed and the time you spend there in the service for others- the quietness, everyone dressed in white, the instruction we receive- it really is the ultimatum platform for peace. It's the real deal. Go to the temple. Your lives will be blessed.

*Family History- powerful. I am so tender lately. I feel Heavenly Father's Love through the Holy Ghost so much more now since I have been immersed in doing Family History- even with helping others do theirs. I know that as we help our ancestors, they will in return help us.

*Family Home Evenings, Family Prayer, Family Scripture study- We aren't perfect at this but we are forever trying. It's because my name is Chaos. But we plow through and we make the best of it. At least we are instilling in our children's hearts a habit that we always pray together, we read scriptures daily, we have family home evening- despite how effective it really might be sometimes.

*Get out of debt. Our prayers most often went kind of like this. "Heavenly Father we really want to get out of debt. Please help us find ways to increase our income so that we can put everything extra down on debt. We want to keep this commandment and we don't want to be in bondage to anything anymore. Help Chay find a job that pays more, or be with him and his manager when Chay asks for a promotion." Those kind of words would come out of our mouths when we prayed together.
So when Chay got this job, we kept our promise and we are putting everything down on debt until it is gone. Never again.

So there- a few of the things we did that merited blessings from on high. I feel impressed to share them so they might be of strength to my posterity someday who might be going through some similar life situations. Or whoever. I know this blog is public for now but I don't think that many people read it- it has turned terribly boring for the better.

good night