Christmas 2010

It's been a long time! I'll try to be better about blogging but it really is overwhelming when you get behind.

We had an amazing Christmas this year. We just felt so close to the Spirit. There was lots of parties, seeing old friends that we haven't connected with in a long time. Christmas eve we had a fancy Thanksgiving-ish feast and invited stragglers that wanted some grub to eat with us. No pictures, but I did cook all day! We brined a turkey for a full 12 hours, had homemade potato rolls, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberries, fruit salad, and glazed carrots. We opened one present which is always Pajamas. We sand Christmas songs and then went to bed! We actually got good sleep that evening.

I have been teasing Ben for a couple weeks that he had a fun gift coming. I saved and saved and got him a new camera!

We've needed one for a while. It was REALLY fun to surprise him! It's a Nikon 3100 and also does HD video so it's two in one!

We always video the kids coming down the stairs so as he's videoing with our very old (can't even get the video off unless we spend a lot of money) video camera, I came around the corner holding said precious camera and started videoing him videoing me...! It was fun. So the following pictures are of us on Christmas morning with the new camera!

Aunt Janette giving Princess her first Crocheting lesson

This year I made my Mom a photo calendar with everyone's picture on their birthday month.

Dad got a book

Grandpa reading How the Grinch stole Christmas. Super cute!

Nose pick

Other side :)

Christmas cookie demolition


I was also spoiled and got a Bosch mixer (wanted one for YEARS). It came with a blender, food processor and cookie paddles.

I also got a Nutrimill.

I love them both. I really do. I can't say I was surprised because I bought them on sale on Black Friday but it's fun to use new tools in the kitchen. I'm happy :)

New Year's Goals coming soon...one of them will be blogging/journaling more.

Disney World October 2010

Biggest Loser!!!

BIGGEST LOSER! Friends and Family style!!

A goal that Ben and I have is to lose weight this year! So instead of wait until New Year's we thought we would get a jump start on this and get our habits established before the holidays!
So we are inviting anyone that wants to be motivated with us to join in! Just email me schmugal@gmail.com

This morning I weighed myself and thought, well crap! That's not good LOL. It's crazy how it slowly creeps in on you. I don't lose weight well when I'm nursing. So now that little bubs is weaned, I am ready to get a kick in the butt!

So, here's the plan of action for me. Ben already has his plan working for him. He plays basketball in the mornings 3 times a week and also works out in the evening on average 2 nights a week. I'm REALLY proud of him! He has lost a lot!

So as a couple because we have little ones we need to figure out an opposite work schedule! I am going to go to aerobics 2 times a week on opposite mornings and then walk/run/bike with the kids the other 3 days. Also this morning I started a food journal and will not be eating sweets except for Sundays. Sweets is the weight loss devil for me. I LOVE baked goods and a good bakery!

So, if you love me, DON'T OFFER ME SWEETS...if you love me more, come join our BIGGEST LOSER competition!

Trials and blessings

Really. I know that life is hard at times. If you feel like your life is rosy, well just wait. There are some trials that you semi-expect. Generally children are naughty sometimes; at times we feel inadequate or feel we struggle with choices that other people make. The trials you don't expect are the hardest to grapple with.

Isn't it amazing when you are in the thick of a trial how consuming it becomes? You become so focused and the hardest thing in and of itself is staying positive. Feeling like there will be an end in site.

The day after labor day Ben came home from work early. He literally had all his stuff from his desk in his arms and his face was all I needed to see to know what happened. He was laid off and without any warning. They told him that it was nothing that he had done, but just unmet expectations as a whole group. We sat on the couch and looked at each other, and said "well crap". In our relationship Ben is my Northern star. He is the calmest, even person. He was a bit emotional because it was very unexpected. After about 10 minutes he stood up and went to the temple. What a good example he is to me. He went right to putting his resume out there and took a job offer a little over 3 weeks of loosing the last one. I'm proud of him. It is a trial that is difficult while going through it.

The thing that put this trial into perspective is the accident with my niece. The accident happened the day after the job loss. It was a shock but the resounding thing that Ben and I kept feeling was the gratitude that we felt that our children are healthy and happy. That we have an eternal perspective and the peace that the gospel brings. We have a warm home, food on the table and wonderful friends and family. What more could we ask for?

There are so many miracles that have happened during this process. Some too intimate to write about, but we are very blessed.

Angelee is a miracle. She is doing so well. I love how Janette, my sister in law is so honest in her posts. It's been traumatic to watch. It makes life feel so unpredictable. We love them so much and just feel so thankful!!

Tragedy

Yesterday morning Ben's sister Janette and her husband Trent had an experience that will forever change us all. They had the type of accident that you only wish you could wake up from because it is a nightmare.

My sweet niece Angelee put her hand on a window screen and fell while her Dad tried to catch her. She fell to a concrete surface below. She was life flighted to Primary Children's hospital where she underwent extensive surgery to try to relieve the swelling to her brain. She is in a medically induced coma now.



She is the only girl in her family with 5 older brothers that adore her. She became a big sister to sweet identical twin brothers who are three months old.




Please, please pray for their family. HERE is her blog that Ben's sister began.

She is in Heavenly Father's care now. And we wait.

Released

Today I was released from the Stake Relief Society Presidency. The rest of the presidency had been in their callings for about 4 years. I was the newbie and replaced the first counselor in December 2008. It has been an amazing experience where I have grown significantly. I've learned so much about strength and courage. It's been an enriching experience getting to know the women of my stake. I truly love them. Now we move on and see what the future holds. I will miss the blessings associated with that calling. It struck me the hardest the first time that we had a stake conference where I was sitting in the audience. When they called my name and then the whole stake congregation sustained me, I got tears in my eyes and the most powerful witness and feeling that so many people were behind me and supporting me. It was truly amazing.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank my husband from the bottom of my heart for all the support that he has given me through out this calling. I don't know if he knew exactly what he was sustaining when we went to the Stake President's office that day. He has sacrificed and watched the kids solo SO many nights, and done it amazingly well I might add. We are a team and he took that to heart.

So, I'm a little more free now! I might be able to join my work out buddies a bit more for now. Maybe a few more GNO's and mostly be home at nights with my sweetie pies.

Life is great.

No news is good news? Summer FUN!

You know it's summer. And that means that I haven't updated my blog because...well. Because...

OK, I have no excuse! But it has been a bit crazy around here. Not a bad kind of crazy. It's actually slower most days. I would compare our lives to an even, rolling bubble right now. Just constantly something on the plate, but not over flowing. And I like it just fine, thank you very much.

So, I have a loose kind of schedule that I've been trying to stick to and it seems to actually be working!

Mondays: Library day/ My cleaning day (See how clever I am with putting the two together...they are occupied with the books and movies)

Tuesdays: I have a really good friend named Sonia and we exchange children every other week so we can do errands and grocery shop YAY!!

Wednesdays: Explore a park day!! Always fun! West Jordan park is this week.

Thursdays: Summer movie club! We got cheap tickets to 10 old release kids movies every Thursday. It's great and everyone else's kids are just as unruly as mine, I PROMISE! :)

Fridays: Friday fun! Something new and grand (or swimming because I'm not creative sometimes)

Anyway, woven into that is a few weekend camping trips that we've done (in the rain), Ben's camp outs with the Young Men, a few dates, work outs, my meetings but not as many as other times of the year, visiting Girl's Camp in Heber, Soccer games (over now! yay!), Piano lessons, Activity days for Princess, backyard water games and Sunday night game nights with friends.

Most of all trying to stay alive (note: Popsicles go a long way in the sanity department and are worth every penny!),

Life is good! No pictures because my camera is broken. I need to get a new part...whenever I get that maybe I will post better. It's always more fun to see the pictures with the story.

I love you, Ben ♥

Dear Benjamin,

3,285 days ago, our lives changed forever. I don't think we really knew what we were doing but our hearts burned with a desire to find out what eternity felt like. Our spirits yearned to feel that connection so deep, that we could fulfill a promise I have no doubt we had already made in another place and time. The circumstances that led us to find each other were remarkable. We would call it a miracle. Yet we expected it. We understood how our souls would blend and make us both complete.

Yet Heavenly Father, in his infinite grace gave us the honor and opportunity to grow and progress like we never thought possible.

That day was warm. I woke to the sun shining through my window, falling on my face. I smiled and knew that my life would never be the same. And it hasn't. It has been better than I ever could have imagined.



Our marriage will be blessed forever for the choice we made that June day 10 years ago. The choice to honor, sustain, and respect each other. It is enriched every day by the sacrifices we make and the lives we lead. Tomorrow is a new day and full of promise and opportunity. May we thank the Lord each day as we sanctify our lives to His will.



I can't wait. Bring it on.

Love forever,
Rachel

A little over

Sometimes you just feel like everything is bigger than it really is. I go through these periods in my life where I feel like everything is an emotional battle. In reality it's not big, or monumental. I go to bed at night not feeling like I got anything done and dread waking up because I have felt even more overwhelmed (which is unusual because I usually feel better in the mornings and less emotional). It's a bad cycle.

Another problem, I have a really hard time saying I'm wrong. To make it worse it's hard for me to say I'm sorry (because that means that I am admitting that I was wrong :) so it's considerably hard living with me when I struggle like this. I'm also a square one type of girl {Definition: When one feels whenever they make one mistake, all ground is lost and therefore back to square one} which makes it really hard in my perfectionista brain to get ahead.

Anyone else with me?

I'll end right there. Putting myself out there. Reading my post back it sounds like I am really struggling, but I'm not! Life is still going on and I am blessed. Overall life is really good. I just need a RESET.

New Leaf

I loved conference! And as a couple we were so inspired. We have a new plan in place to make sure that we have enough time in each day to get our family prayers and scripture study in. It wasn't that we weren't doing it before, but the time of day we were doing it made it so that one or the other of us weren't home sometimes which made it harder for the parent home to consistently do it. Plus, it is nice to do it all together.

So our plan is in place, with a new determination to do it! I am SO thankful for a husband who spiritually leads our family. I really couldn't have been more lucky. Ben is righteous and takes leading our family seriously. It's amazing to see him in action.
I am so blessed.

Also, Ben started a new job yesterday. He came home beaming (it could have been his new 'bling' associated with the job that was making him glow ;) but he honestly had a great day. It will be a good fit for him...

So lots of new around here. I would like to say that Spring is like a new leaf, but as I look out the window right now it is snowing....hmmmm....not a new leaf :p

30 (gulp)

Thirty years old today.
Which means I will never be 20 anything again.
Which means I am officially an adult.

Ben thinks this is humorous because here we are with 4 kids. So that makes me an adult I guess. I set my alarm clock for 11:59 pm last night so I could say 'goodbye' to my 20's. Silly huh? It's a little tragic if I dwell on it too long. When I envisioned where I would be in my 30's I don't know (or remember) where I would be. I don't think I was mature enough to define it. But I do know that if my 3rd decade is even half as good as my 2nd, I will be sucessful.

What have I done to warrant such adoration for those years?

I gained my testimony and solidified my relationship with a loving Heavenly Father, married the best man in the whole world, had 4 beautiful children, learned how to gracefully learn from trials, how to be more self confident, how to be a better daughter, sister and friend and to conquer my fears.

30, here I come!

Off to the spa today to be pampered, and then I have a HOT date! ♥

Facelift

My blog needed a facelift...and it makes me happy!

We are doing alright around here, just busy and going going going....

I'll post a longer update later, I'm just tired right now :)


Go ahead, call me lazy! I'll even agree~

Poo Poo talk

We were sitting at dinner the other day and Ikey kept saying Boo Poos. I'm thinking, yes Ikey maybe wants to go to the bathroom (which would be GREAT with me). Everyone remember I have two in diapers right now?

So I asked him, Ikey do you want to go poo poo in the potty? No, Boo Poos. Hmmm. Not sure. Repeat that? BOO POOS!!!!! OK, not getting it, show me. He got down and walked to the TV. Boo Poos. Boo Poos? Ohhhhhhh.....blues clues.



He's so funny. Back at the table we started brainstorming and realized that a lot of words that Ikey says sound like poo.

Boo Poos = Blues Clues
Food = pood
Boots = poots
Scooby Doo = Pooby poo

Funny kid! He makes us laugh :) Maybe all this poo talk will convert to actual POOP where it's supossed to go. One can wish!

He's a crawling...

Well, Army style at least. Mase is definitely getting around. This morning he crawled over to the stairs and started putting his arms up on the step....YIKES! Off to find the baby gate!

My Mr. Sunshine

I found the camera cord to finally post some pictures. Mr. Mase needs an update. He is getting very large (20 lbs folks)!! He such a happy guy. He is a ray of sunshine in my life when I need it the most.





Action shot of him rolling, if you couldn't tell

Things he does at his half year mark:


*He babbles Ba ba and squeals with delight at being tickled. His favorite this week is blowing bubbles with the plethora of saliva that is always on his face (see how he's always drooling in the pictures?)

*No teeth yet, but I think we are getting close

*He is watching intently whenever we eat. We bought a highchair that straps to a chair so he is right up in the action. I think we'll be trying some rice cereal sometime when I don't feel lazy, although I think he's doing just fine on Mommy milk (20 lbs of pure butter cream)

*He is rolling everywhere and loves being on the floor. He has gotten up on his knees a few times. Soon enough he'll be crawling. I hate it, it changes the whole dynamic and from this point on, they are less and less like babies :(

*His hair sticks straight up. I always get comments about how funny it is. We gel it for special occasions because that tames it, although it's still straight up :)

He is sleeping fairly well. That makes Mommy happy.

He ♥'s his binky....

And we ♥ him!



I love this picture! He's cross eyed because I'm so close :) And he's like "What the crap Mom" why do you keep flashing that camera in my face!!"

My worst nightmare

Today one of my worst nightmares came to pass. I lost one of my children. Princess is found now, but it was awful. As a parent, there is nothing worse than that panic that you feel all the way to the pit of your stomach. But there are some bright things that came out of this experience.

Princess went to activity days (a church activity for those that aren't LDS). She attends at a house that she is familiar with and we drive there every day because we carpool with this family. Ben always teases me because I am a little overprotective and I never let Princess walk alone. I can't help it, I am overprotective and I just have fears. Her activity was just up the street on the opposite side of the neighborhood, but not too far. I had a busy day and told Princess that she could walk home afterward. After the activity was over she called me and told me she was on her way. In the meantime I was bustling around and finishing dinner. You know how it is at dinner time when everyone is hungry and crazy...I got the last of the dinner prep done and looked at the clock. It had been about 25 minutes since she called. I suddenly got a feeling of dread, but tried to keep it together. I told G-man to ride his scooter to the end of the cul de sac and see if Princess was coming. He did that but couldn't see her. So I told Ben to get in the car and drive up the other street, which it was a possibility that she had gone down that street. Now I'm really panicking because she isn't there either! She's no where to be seen. I am FREAKING OUT, all calmness gone. I'm about ready to load up Mase and jump in the other car....

Then the phone rings. The caller ID reads a number that I don't recognize. I pick it up, and it's Princess! I have never been more happy to hear another voice in my life. She meekly told me that she got lost. She handed the phone over to a woman that calmly told me that she rung the doorbell and told her she was lost and she needed to call her Mommy. She said she was calm and totally collected. (I'm thinking, I'M NOT!!!) She gave me the address and I ran out to the cul de sac to see if Ben's car was around. I saw him going door to door on the street just over from us and yelled that we had found her!

So he got the address and rushed to the house. She had walked a little over a half a mile away and to a house on a fairly busy road. When she got home I was waiting outside and she just sat in the car after Ben pulled up. She finally got out, burst into tears and asked if I was mad at her. My heart skipped a beat, literally. She was worried that I would be mad? I was so scared!! I hugged her hard and told her that I wasn't mad and to come inside.

After getting up to the dinner table, we asked if she wanted to talk about it and she wasn't sure. I let her take her time to open up. She finally told us that she thinks she missed a turn and then just got really confused. Her surroundings seemed familiar so she just kept going.

Silver lining. She told me that as she realized she was really lost, she said a prayer and she felt that Heavenly Father would help her. The next blessing, we've always talked about what to do if you're lost. We tell our kids that if you know you're lost, you stop right there and wait for a Mommy who has kids and tell them that you are lost. In this situation she is on a busy road where there are houses but no one walking by per se. So she said she went house to house looking for a car that was out that could hold "more than two people". She found a house with a van in the front. She walked up to it and checked for car seats. She saw it had car seats and then she walked to the door and told the lady she was lost. What a smart girl she is! She didn't panic. She kept her cool until she saw me. I fear she will have fear about walking, and we will be teaching her about street signs. We will work though it.

The saddest thing? I now know that Princess gets her sense of direction from me, which is absolutely no sense of direction. :)

Overall it's been a crappy week. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

What do people think?

I was thinking this morning, do you ever wonder what people think of you?

I'm not talking about when you worry about if you should change to be more like what people want (I'm 99% past that in my life). But I sometimes wonder if how people see me is how I think I am portraying myself. When I'm busy and running to and from things maybe my neighbors think I'm a maniac, but what I really hate is being late. When I'm tired, I act like a sass to my husband where I really just can't communicate well when tired. When I'm all business and being organized I may come across as a jerk, but I just hate wasting time, so I am being efficient. See what I mean? People will react to you and you know they didn't get what you were trying to

Speaking of changing, I've grown so much as a person since I was a teenager. Occasionally I will connect with friends that I used to hang out with often in my youth. When we talk, they often say that I have a sense of peace about me, and self confidence that I think usually comes with age. In my own brain I am COMPLETELY different than I used to be. But something interesting happened. I saw a Young Women leader that I had in my rougher years of youth. She of course knew me when she was an adult and therefore has a different perspective of teenage Rachel. She told me that I am EXACTLY the same as when I was a teenager. It goes to show that the essence of Rachel is still the same (sense of humor, mannerisms) but my heart has changed.

Sometimes I miss the old, carefree me that I used to be. But I wouldn't change the me now for anything. Talk to me in 10 years. I'm excited to see what I become!

Things I L.O.V.E.

Warm, gooey kisses right on the mouth from Mase.

Big boy G-man taking up my whole lap and giving gigantic hugs while saying I LOVE YOU...just when I need it.

The twinkle in Ikey's eye when he thinks he's gotten away with something.

Princess's intuitive nature and the fact that I love/hate that she can read me like a book. I love her fiercely and I hope she knows it.

A warm husband that allows me to be who I am. Everything that I am is safe in his heart.

Girl's night out! Being goofy and letting loose! I have such good friends. They make me better.

My extended family. They are so supportive and gracious, especially since they get a front row seat in seeing all my flaws.

A huge, toothless grin from Mase. It melts my heart every time.

My neighbors. I really have some of the nicest neighbors in the world.

The Book of Mormon. I'm still not a great reader, but I feel the Spirit so strong when I read that book.

Warm chocolate chip cookies! My favorite!!

Mario Kart! Seriously, I'm a little obsessed with the game. :)

The house when all the kids are in bed. The quiet. I need that more.






And finally, the power of the Atonement. My Savior who knows my every fear, desire, heartache, strength and weakness that I possess.

Another year gone...and another year older!

Well it's the new year. The time of year where we make resolutions, start fresh, turn over a new leaf and leave old habits behind. For me personally there are a couple landmarks to look forward to this coming year.

I will turn 30 *a smallish gulp here* in April
In June we will celebrate 10 years of marriage. I can hardly believe this one!


These were my goals for the last year. I think I did some of these fairly well, but I'm going to keep the same goals that I am working on for this next year also.


** Maintain a house of order
I've been incorporating Monday as my day to do major cleaning (Thanks Sonia for the suggestion). I've tried cleaning schedules where you do a little bit a day, but I am better when I get on a roll. Then other days I will spiff and shine.


** Connect with everyone in my house daily
As much as I complain about kindergarten being silly, where you go and get them as fast as you dropped them off, it has been good for my one on one. While G-man and Princess are gone in the morning I get to play and do things with Ikey. Then G-man gets home, we have lunch and I do homework and special time with him. In the evening when the boys go to bed, I connect with Princess and she really enjoys "staying up late" :)


** Daily scripture reading
I need to do this better. In the evening I am just so dang tired. BUT I don't want to wake up earlier than the kids...any suggestions?

** Two dates a month with my sweetie
We've been doing this OK. We need to be more creative and do things that are cheap. The temple is going to be one of them. I LOVE us time and need to guard it with my life.


** Exercise for a healthier me
I've been doing this in the morning and am currently doing 30 minutes and will move up the amount daily if my kids allow me :)


** Find a new passion
This is a hard one to quantify. I need ideas for learning something new that doesn't cost a lot of money. I'll think about this one and come back and edit later.


The greatest goal I have is to maintain a balanced life. It often needs rechecking and adjusting but I think I can do it!!

Speaking of another year older, Ben had a birthday this last week. We celebrated on multiple days with different activities. I appreciate my husband beyond words. His physical presence calms me. He is so helpful with the kids and usually very in tune with my needs. Emotionally there is nothing better than having an eternal companion that is selfless and puts his needs above my own. Spiritually he has taught me so much about being secure in my own testimony. He is so strong and I love discovering my spiritual potential with him by my side. Ben I love you SO much...Here's to another year!!