El Halta Family

Oh how I see trouble in the future!!

2011-08-24T10:49:00.001-07:00

Today started out as a good day. I was up on time, and Zack go to school on time. I then came home and made yogurt and started bread(a new recipe). When the dough was rising I went to clean out bathrooms. I had forgotten a cleaner and so I walked into the kitchen and what did I find?

I always let Jackson and Hadley have some dough after the first rise, and I had told them they could play with dough when it was done rising. Aparently, they did not want to wait, and attempted to make thier own dough.

At first, Jackson tried to blame ita ll on Hadley. Good thing the flour all over him gave him away. I didn't know what to say, so I told them not to move and I went and got the camera. After I took their picture Jackson asked why I was taking their pictures, and I said, "because I'm mad, and I don't know what else to do!" Jackson just looked at me and said, "ok."
Ih ave a feeling this will not be the last time that these 2 do something like this.

Summer Fun

2011-07-24T22:02:00.001-07:00

We have been trying to stay busy. The kids have really loved playing outside with neighbors. We have had lots of "water days" where we either get out the slip n slide, or turn on the sprinklers, or just let the kids turn on the hose and squirt each other.

One night on the news they were saying that it was hot enough to bake cookies in your car. Well, Zack has been asking if we could try it, and so we finally did last week. It was pretty fun. We let them cook for over 2 hours, and when we finally brought them in they were pretty much done. We did put them in the oven for just a few minutes to make sure they were totally cooked. Basically we learned that it is not as hot as we sometimes think it is. But fun none the less. I think we might try it in August again when it is really hot, and see what happens?

We went down to St. George to do the shopping for a wedding that I was doing the food for. and while we were there we stopped to see our wonderful friends the DeVault's. They are sadly moving to Texas and so we wanted to spend time with them before they left. We are really going to miss them!!

Olivia's grave

2011-07-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

After Olivia died we were faced with where we wanted to bury her. Truthfully, I had never contemplated where I want to be buried let alone my child. Sam and I started talking about the options. Enoch, where we live now. We would have to buy a plot for us and then Olivia could be buried there. Is that where we wanted to plan to be buried some day? Not sure? Utah County some where? That is where all our family lives, but where? Draper? Where my mom's side of the family is buried? Sandy, where my aunt is buried? There were so many options and none of them felt right.
Right as we were trying to make this decision, my wonderful cousin Joslyn called my mom and said that she would be honored to have Olivia buried in the same plot as her son Ian.
Joslyn had a baby boy 6 years ago, and he only lived for a little over a month. We had been able to go to Ian's funeral 6 years ago and it was a wonderful experience and so we knew where the plot was that she as offering.
As soon as Joslyn offered to have Olivia buried with Ian, Sam and I both felt like that was the answer to our prayers. Central Utah (where the cemetary is)is only 45 minutes from Cedar City, so for as long as we live in So. Utah we are close to her and we can really go when ever we want. And the fact that we have a family connection that she is buried with my cousin's baby is perfect.
Central is a very small town, and the cemetery is a "pioneer cemetery" which means that a person can be buried in what ever you want. Because of this, my father in law and bro. in law were able to make Olivia's casket. It was absolutely the most beautiful perfect thing that Olivia could be buried in.
The day that Olivia was buried was the most beautiful perfect day. We could not have asked for anything more. A friend of mine who had lost a baby told me to look for signs of Olivia at her funeral. At one point during the grave side service , a beautiful orange butterfly flew right in front of all of us. And later, a dear friend brought balloons for everyone to write a message to Olivia and then we let them go. When she called to get the balloons, all they had were orange balloons. Olivia and Ian are buried right under a beautiful tree, that we can hang things on. My cousin has a hummingbird feeder for her son, and then she brought a wind chime for Olivia. And it was a butterfly wind chime.
I am so grateful for all the prayers that were answered of where to have Olivia buried, and all the miracles that we witnessed at her funeral.

This is the meaning behind butterflies that I found: The symbolism of the butterfly: Imagine the whole of your life changing to such an extreme you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Mind you, this change takes place in a short span of about a month too (that’s how long the butterfly life cycle is).

Herein lies the deepest symbolic lesson of the butterfly. She asks us to accept the changes in our lives as casually as she does. The butterfly unquestioningly embraces the chances of her environment and her body.

This unwavering acceptance of her metamorphosis is also symbolic of faith. Here the butterfly beckons us to keep our faith as we undergo transitions in our lives. She understands that our toiling, fretting and anger are useless against the turning tides of nature – she asks us to recognize the same.

4th of July

2011-07-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

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This 4th of July was a memorable one, in that it was 2 weeks after I had Olivia. We decided to lay low and stay at home instead of going out of town. That morning we took family pictures, and then we went to visit Olivia's grave.

It was a bitter sweet trip to her grave, but it was nice to go as a family, and to be able to talk about what family traditions we want to have that involve Olivia and her grave.
After her grave we went to lunch at the only place in Enterprise. A little hamburger joint.
We went home, took naps and then went over to our wonderful neighbors house to have a bbq and then watch fireworks. We have the most wonderful neighbors!! Everyone came out and we had lots of fun.

To You, the White Rose

2011-07-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is the story that my neighbor gave me. This really helped me put in perspective that I chose our sweet baby, knowing that she would return to our Heavenly Father quickly and would not stay on the earth. It reminded me that she is and was perfect and "just needed a body."

All mothers were gathered together at God’s garden of flowers. The earth’s beautiful budding spirits, who would someday come to earth, were nurtured and tended in the garden. A loving Father spoke to the mothers, “See the works of my hands. Someday you will be the mothers of these radiant spirits.” The garden glowed with the mixture of all kinds and colors. “Choose ye.” He said.

Now in the east corner of the garden, pure White Roses stood as sentinels. They were not as colorful as the rest, but they glowed with a kind of purity, which set them apart. One by one the mothers stepped forward. “I want the blue eyed, curly haired one, who will grow to maturity and be a mother in Zion.” Yet another chose a brown eyed, brown haired boy, full of life and love, who would someday be a prince in a grand country. The garden buzzed with excitement as the others chose their special spirits. Those whom they would soon welcome into the love and warmth of an earthly home.

Once again the loving Father spoke. “But who will take the White Roses? The ones in the east corner of my garden. These will return to me in purity and goodness. They will not stay long in your home, for I must bring them back to my garden. For they belong to me. They will gain bodies as was planned, you will miss them and long for them, but I shall personally care for them.”

“No, not I.” many said in unison. “I couldn’t bear to give one back so soon.” “Nor I.” said others. “We will take those who will remain and grow to maturity and live long lives.” The Father looked out across the multitude of mothers with a longing in his eyes for someone to step forward and speak. Silence.

Then He said, “See the most pure and perfect of the white ones? I have chosen Him. He will go down and be a sacrifice for all mankind. He will be scorned, mocked, and crucified. He is mine own. Will not any one choose like unto Him? A few mothers stepped forward, “Yes, Lord I will” Then another, “Yes, we will Lord” Soon all the pure White Roses were chosen and they rejoiced with their mothers. The Father spoke again, “Oh, blessed are ye who chose the White Roses. For your pain will be a heavy cross to bear. But your joy will be exceeding, beyond anything you can understand at this time.” The White ones embraced their mothers souls with such endearment that each knew she could endure the task. And the greatest of the White ones gathered them as a hen gathers her chicks, and the outpouring of love surrounded each mother and child, consuming them as He prepared them for their task. And each mother who bore the weight of a White Rose felt the overwhelming love of God, as they shouted. “Thy will be done.”

By Myrna Cox

Things I have learned and Miracles I have seen, and things I am grateful for

2011-07-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

4 weeks ago today I had Olivia. And in that time I have seen more miracles, and learned more than I have the rest of my life, or at least in such a short time. I am sure that there will be things that I will continue to learn and things I have not recognized, but for now this is my list (not in any particular order)
1. I am so grateful to married to such a wonderful man. I could never have gotten through this without him!
2. As crazy as some may think this is, I am so grateful that I had Olivia at home, and that we were able to spend time with her, and the she was not whisked away.
3. I am grateful for my testimony of the Plan of Salvation, and the knowledge that we will be with Olivia again after this life, and that she is in heaven fulfilling her calling.
4. I am grateful that when EMS came, when we asked them not to do anything to Olivia (like resuscitate her) they were respectful and left the room.
5. I am grateful for wonderful family!
6. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost. It was a comforter. The minute Olivia was born I had peace and knew that she was not going to live. The spirit told me clearly that "she just needed a body," and that her name was Olivia. I am grateful for that same spirit that told several other people to call, having no idea what was going on and they were able to be there when we needed them.
7. I am grateful for a mother-in-law that is a highly experienced and trained midwife that did everything she could for Olivia.
8. I am so grateful for the Sheriff's that responded and their sensitivity to the situation.
9. I did not know it was possible to feel peace in a situation that seemed so horrible. And yes we are sad, but there is a Plan and it is ok!
10. As members of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe that we were in heaven before this life, that we come here to be tested and that after this life we will return to live with our Heavenly Father. And because Sam and I have been sealed in the Temple, our daughter will be a part of our family forever! This understanding brings great peace.
11. I have learned about myself that in the past I was the person that if I knew someone was going through something hard, I would say Hi, but not bring up the subject. I have learned that it is better to acknowledge what is happening than pretend like nothing is going on. I would rather people ask me about what happened or just say, "I am sorry" than pretend like I didn't have a baby. I will never ignore the hard things again.
12. We have been so blessed by so many people giving us money, it is unbelievable. We will make sure to reciprocate when others are in need.
13. As you can imagine, we were not planning on having to plan or pay for a funeral. Southern Utah Mortuary here in Cedar was so wonderful. They went out of their way to make Olivia's funeral as affordable as possible. Also, a member of our ward is a mortician there, and he worked on his days off to be able to help us and be there for us, and we so appreciate him.
14. We have a wonderful friend who got in contact with a foundation called Share that came and made molds of Olivia's hands and feet for us. What a precious memory we now have of her.
15. Words cannot express our gratitude for our friends and neighbors.
16. One of our neighbors lost a baby several years ago, and she came and brought us some poems and stories about losing a child. The first one I read was about a white Rose. It was so profound and really helped me that day. I will share the story later, but basically it was a reminder that I chose to have this sweet spirit even if for just a few moments, and that she has a great work to do in heaven.
17. One of our dear friends Rae came from St. George to take pictures of Olivia, and I am so grateful for those pictures. And then the day of the funeral Tiff took pictures and they are so perfect and beautiful.

This list will continue, and I will keep adding to it. More than anything else I am grateful for this experience. It is not easy, but I have learned that God is so aware of me. This scripture has been repeated in my head many times since Olivia's death. In the Book of Mormon, Alma chapter 7 verse 12 it says: "And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Olivia Jane El Halta

2011-07-13T15:48:00.001-07:00

On June 20, 2011 I went into labor and had a beautiful baby girl. Sadly our baby girl died shortly after being born. Sam was able to give her a name and a blessing before she was taken to the medical examiner. Her name is Olivia Jane.

It is so weird that it had only been 3 weeks and 2 days since she was born. It seems like it has been a really long time, and yet it really hasn't been. There have been so many miracles and tender mercies and opportunities to see the hand of God in our lives in the days leading up to Olivia's birth and her birth and death.

I am going to write a whole post on the many miracles that we have seen. I just wanted to be able to document and remember our sweet baby.

Check out this fun website

2011-03-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sassyscoops.com is a fun Utah based website that tells about discounts and fun things to do around Utah. Pretty fun if you ask me. And they do giveaways too!! Their currently doing a giveaway for the Living Planet Aquarium!

Hadley and her love for "lipstick"

2011-02-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

a picture is worth a million words. This says it all!!

Grateful for...

2011-01-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for the times when Jackson and Hadley actually play so well together. They have lots of times when they fight(lots of times!)But today was a good playing day. They had actually been fighting earlier, but then totally changed their attitudes and ended up having a play time in my closet while I was getting ready.
Those 2 are really so cute and make me smile, and drive me crazy too!!

Hadley is 2

2011-01-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

I realize that I am a day late (ok like 3 weeks late) posting about Hadley turning 2. She turned 2 with all her usual spunkyness!
Things about Hadley:
She is as girly as they come!
She loves babies and playing dress up
She talks non stop (to people that she knows. She does not say a word in Nursery.)
She loves to eat!
She loves her brothers
She adores her dad. She gives a whole new meaning to "Daddies little girl"
On her birthday she learned how to climb out of her crib by herself.
That same day she figured out how to stand on her car to be able to turn on and off her light in her room.
She has a smile that lights up the whole room
There is never a dull moment in our home
She has learned to bully both her older brothers (when she is mad they run and hide!)

I could go on and on with all the fun crazy things that she does. But I will leave it at this for now. I will add pictures form her party when I can get them from Sam.

helping a friend

2010-12-15T13:42:00.001-08:00

I know that I have not posted in a long time. I am trying.
Well, I want everyone to know that I think my husband is an amazing photographer and I would always refer people to him because he is that good!! With that said, in an effort to help a friend she needs me to post to this girls website so she can win a free photo session.Maybe if she doesn't win she can have Sam do them?) so here is the link: www.hi5photography.com/blog

Jon Schmidt - Love Story Meets Viva la Vida with MP3 Download Link

2010-10-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tender Mercies and Prayers Answered

2010-10-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know, Zack was bit by 2 little shitzu "rat" dogs 2 weeks ago. He is fine and all is well, but it was traumatic for everyone, especially Jackson who watched his brother get bit.

Yesterday when we walked into Home Depot there were 2 dogs. I asked the lady at the door if it was like "dog day" and she said that the dogs were being trained. I thought that was cool and we went to do what we had come for.

A while later we look down the aisle and we see the smaller of the dogs riding on a cart. We were getting wood cut so the saw was going and very loud. The man and the dog came over to us and explained that he was training these dogs and that they want them to be around lots of people and loud noises so that they don't react badly in other situations. He told the kids they could pet the dog, but Hadley was the only one that would. I explained that Zack had been bitten 2 weeks ago by little Shitzu dogs and the guy went and got this huge dog and showed the kids how to approach a dog. Zack pet the dog and so did Hadley. Jackson was very hesitant, but warmed up by the end. The trainer explained that he was training the dogs for a lady here in Cedar that was going to have the dogs work at therapy dogs.

I am grateful for this guy's patients, and willingness to teach my children about the dogs, and allow them to have a positive experience. For such a simple act, it touched me and I am truly grateful!

The guy that was training the dogs name is Randy and he owns Hot Dogs on a leash out of St. George. I was impressed with Randy and with the dogs that he was training. If anyone needs a dog trainer or dog sitter etc. I would call them. Their website is :http://pets.saintgeorgenow.com
*This is the trainer from Home Depot

Now for my answered prayer. I have many prayers but today's was specific and needed an answer today. For the last 3 days we have been having torrential rain, with lighting and thunder and wind. None of this is bad until you have a soccer game. We had our last game scheduled for today and Sam and I both felt like we should cancel after how the weather had been in the last couple days. The only problem was that I can't find our soccer folder that has all the phone numbers. So, I said a prayer that our team mom would call me and ask if were still playing, or something.

Well she did not call, but the kids and I were at Wal-Mart and the 2nd aisle we turned down Heather(the team mom) was walking right at us. It may have been a simple prayer answered, but it was answered none the less! Heather called all the parents and all is well.

I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who answers our prayers and makes us aware that he knows us and what we need!!

Parent Teacher Confrences

2010-10-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Not that I was worried, but Zack is way off the charts.

On his "Listening, Speaking, and Social Development" he got "Yes" on everything but Follow class guidelines which he got "S". Mrs. Sain says that he usually follows the rules, he just sometimes is talking when he needs to be listening.

For his reading. Mrs. Sain had him tested again and he testes at "F". She says that most kindergartners leave kindergarten at a B or C level. Zack is a solid first grade level.

For his fall assessment he was off the charts.
Language Arts
Concepts of Print: He "understands book orientation," "Understands print/ line orientation," " Distinguishes between words and letters"
Alphabet: He recognizes all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters.
Phonemic Awareness/Phonics: This is the dibbles test. There are 5 categories and it is how much they can answer correctly in one minute for each category. The goal is 10. Zack got 74.
Writing: Zack can write his first name with a capital Z and lowercase ack.
Mathematics
Numeracy: He can match number 1-10 when asked. He can write his numbers 1-10
Geometry: He can identify all his shapes.

I am so grateful for my smart son. He is such a great kid!! Way to go buddy!

Beautiful Wedding

2010-09-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the hundreds even thousands of pictures that Sam took. Abby's wedding was perfect. From our clothes to the decorations and the food. It was all perfect!

These are my cakes all frosted and set up. It was perfect! And delicious!

Hadley's first updo!

2010-09-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

I have always only put half of Hadley's hair up when I do it, but today I decided to see if it was long enough for all of it to go up. And it is!! She looks so cute!!!!

Seriously?

2010-09-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

My sweet daughter that I love more than words can explain is a handful to say the least! I was in my room cleaning up and looking up some stuff for Zack's birthday party and I hear Hadley in the kitchen. I asked Jack to go check on her. He came back and said that "she needed me". Little did I know.

I went into the kitchen and found Hadley standing on one of the bar stools(that she just learned to climb all the way onto)and she has chocolate on her. At firsts I was thinking, where did she get chocolate? Oh don't you worry. She decided that the chocolate cake that was cooling on the counter looked good. (I am inn charge of making the cakes for my sisters wedding and so I am trying to make like 2-3 cakes a day.)
Well it was too much of a temptation for my sugaraholic.

Hadley found the knife on the counter and "cut" into the cake.

Look 2 days in a row!!

2010-09-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am going to start to be better about blogging!

Thanks for the face lift on my blog hunny!

And her is an addendum to the list of great things about Zack:
he is a great cousin!!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

2010-09-09T10:09:00.001-07:00

Today is Zack's 6th birthday. I can't believe that it has been 6 years. Zack is such a great son, brother, nephew, grandson and friend!! He is such a blessing in our lives. I hope that I can live up to be the kind of mom that he needs!!

Zack is:
a great reader
great helper at home and school. He says he helps all the kids on the swings at recess
thoughtful
a great soccer player
can write and spell
can count and write to 100
loves to draw
loves dinosaurs
loves star wars-in any form
loves legos!!
a great sleeper!:)
can take showers all by himself
passed level 3 in swimming lessons this summer.* Basically can start the pre-swim team next summer
a great brother

I thank Heavenly Father every day that I have been so blessed to be a mother, and to be blessed with such great children!!

FYI

2010-07-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Not only am I lame and have not updated my blog in forever, but today I had my email hacked into and my facebook. So, if you got an email form me saying that I am in England and need money it is a scam!! I am sorry if you got the email. My new email is mandyelhalta@yahoo.com. Feel free to leave comments with your email so I can start from scratch with my contacts, or you can send me an email.
Thanks,
Mandy

And I will be better about posting. Starting later tonight!!

Fun delicious recipes

2010-05-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

I Have been watching my weight and trying to cook a little healthier for my family and I. Here are some of the awesome recipes I Have concocted or found and changed. Enjoy!!

Healthy Pasta
Whatever kind of whole wheat pasta your family likes
1 Green pepper
2 tomatoes
1 can of olives
1 small onion
Garlic
1/2 of a Kilbasa Sausage
Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook however much pasta you need to feed your family.
2. Dice up half of the Kilbasa sausage
3. Chop up gr. pepper, onion,tomatoes and olives. Dice up Garlic.
4. Add sausage, gr. pepper and onion to pan. Saute until soft (about 5 min)
5. Add tomatoes. Saute couple minutes. Add olives and garlic. Saute another minute or two. Add dried basil at the end to taste.
6. Drain pasta, add veggie meat mix to noodles. Sprinkle with olive oil and cheese.

Asian Cabbage Salad

Depending on how many you are feeding will depend on how much of each ingredient you use, but here are the ingredients:
Cabbage
Grated Carrots
Almonds
Brown Rice
Asian Dressing (I used this one that I found on Allrecipes.com. You can use whatever you like. I liked this one because it had olive oil and honey.
Ingredients
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water

Directions
1. In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Mix all the ingredients and add dressing to your liking. Delicious!!!

Healthy Carrot cake muffins
I found this recipe and made a few changes and made them as muffins instead of cupcakes or cake. * Are my changes

1-1/2 Cups Grated Carrot
1 Cup Flour * Whole wheat flour
1 Cup Sugar * Instead of refined sugar I used: 1/4 c molasses,1/4 c. Agave, 1 Tbsp Stevia
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
4 Eggs
1/3 Cup Sour Cream * Fat free sour cream
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Grated Orange Zest
4oz Crushed Pineapple with Juice
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/4 Cup Golden Raisins * Regular raisins that I soaked for about 10 minutes in hot tap water and 1 Tbsp Vanilla

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 8" cake pan with baking spray (has flour in the spray). Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir in grated carrot.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and orange zest together. Add to dry ingredients, just until the ingredients come together. Stir in pineapple, walnuts and raisins.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack; let it cool to room temperature.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I am the big 30 now. My actual birthday was Sat the 10th, but Sam threw me a surprise party on Friday night. My mom was here and the Heather and her girls and Clover came and Bonnie came all the way down to be part of the surprise. Thanks you guys!!

To get me out of the house, Sam got me a message at the Massage College here. I think it definitely made the transition a little easier. We got back to our house and everyone jumped out of the pantry closet to surprise me. So fun!!

On Saturday morning I took Zack to weigh in for his wrestling tournament. Sam was at home getting the kids ready and waiting for the guy to come and till our front yard. Zack and I came back go everyone and headed back to the tournament. To make a long story short, to tournament was horrible run and a total flop. Not only did they start late, but messed up and after an hour, stopped the tournament and had to re-do all the brackets and start again. We were so frustrated I got our money back and left. We went to Robert's and did a little shopping(it is going out of business so everything was 75% off) and then went to lunch at Artic Circle and Shay (a friend fromo high school, who was driving thought)met us there for a few minutes. We then went to the movies and saw "How to Train Your Dragon". Very cute!! Came home and had a relaxing night.

It was a great birthday and I appreciate all the effort that everyone went to tohelp me celebrate.

Easter

2010-04-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

We spent a great weekend listening to the Prophet and Apostles speak. It was great family time!!
I asked Sam to take pictures of the kids and so in between sessions we went to the park across the street from our house and took some pictures. I am always impressed with Sam's pictures. These are no exception!!

Tender Mercies and the Power of Music

2010-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a member of The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I have been singing Primary Songs my whole life!And in all that time, I have never really listened to the words of "He Sent His Son".

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?
He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?
He sent his Son to walk with men on earth that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?
He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.

What does the Father ask of us?
What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like his Son,
Help others on their way.

What does he ask?
Live like his Son.

I never really noticed that this song was a question and answer about some of the most profound gospel principles. I am very grateful for a Heavenly Father who sacrificed his Son on my behalf.

I am very grateful that I can have moments where the Spirit teaches me a lesson that is profound and needed.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-24T20:42:00.001-07:00

The Sat. before St. Patrick's day we were up north because Sam had a conference in SLC. So, the kids and I , my mom, Bonnie, David and Gabby all went to the St. Patrick's Day parade at the Gateway mall. It was rainy and cold, but still fun.

This is Hadley in our new double stroller (thanks aunt Beth!). We fit all 4 kids on it. We were joking that we were our own parade float.

For St. Patrick's Day breakfast I made green cream of wheat. The boys loved it! For dinner I made Cornbeef and cabbage with homemade mashed potatoes, and candied carrots, and homemade rolls. I also made Big shamrock cookies (thanks Bonnie for the cookie cutter) and then put the first letter of each person's name.

Something new

2010-03-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

After having the same glasses since I was 4 months pregnant with Zack, I finally got new ones. I am really excited. And I have to say I think they are pretty cute!
* I bet nobody ever noticed what a crooked smile I have? Well this pictures shows it pretty clearly. Funny!

Our Day

2010-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Began like this:
3:30am - Zack comes into our room to tell me that his ear hurts really bad and he can't sleep. He tried to go back to sleep but it hurt to bad. He wanted to "read" but of course that was not an option at 4am when everyone else is asleep. Finally I let him go sleep on the couch where he could turn on the lamp. I checked on him and he said that his ear still really hurt. At about 4:30 or 5am I remembered that I had some numbing ear drop (I would have made some garlic and olive oil but Sam had used the last of the garlic on dinner. I put some in his ears and gave him some Tylenol and gratefully he was out.
7am - Hadley wakes up. I nursed her but she could hear Sam getting ready for work and she was not going to go back to sleep, when she could see her dad. She and I played in my room.
7:30am - Jackson wakes up. We cuddle in my bed and play with Hadley. We stayed in my room until about 8:30 but they were starving so we finally ventured out trying not to wake up Zack who was sound asleep on the couch.
8:30am - Eat Breakfast. Zack wakes up
9am - Call the doctor to get an appointment for Zack. Made one for 11:50am.
9:55am - Leave house to go to the dentist for 6 month check ups/teeth cleaning for the boys.
10:10am-A little late for our 10am appt. but within the 15 min leeway. I had barely signed us in and sat down to put on Hadley's shoes when they called us back.
** Let me insert here how much I love Dr. Albrecht's Pediatric Dentist office. There are not words. They are so good!!!
10:30am - Both boys teeth are clean and have seen the dentist. Sadly we found out that Zack has inherited my bad enamel and not enough spacing and he has 4 cavities that we have been watching for 2 years, now have to be filled.
10:35 - Head to Smith's to buy more Powerade at $.25 a bottle and some other stuff. Stop to deposit a check also.Go to pool to tell them that I am available to teach swimming lessons again this summer.
11:30 - Leave and head to Pediatricians for Zack's appt. Sit out in the car for about 10 minutes eating some cheese bagels that we got for 1/2 price.
11:45 - Check in at doctors.
12 - Get weighed and taken back to the room. Doctor comes in and looks in Zack's ears and he has a horrible ear infection. I ask if I can see it and Dr. Nielsen showed me. Pretty gross. After some discussion of why Zack has an ear infection again, and why his left nostril is pretty swollen we start talking about allergies. I think that Zack has some and had actually called our insurance to find out if it covered allergy testing. I was going to make an appt. for the next time we were up north. Well, the doctor told me that they can do a blood test in their office. So instead of making another appt. Zack got his blood drawn.
** I don't think that I can describe how proud I am of Zack. He did not cry, wince or anything. He just sat there. Like such a big kid. The nurse and doctor were both really impressed.
12:30pm - Make an appt. to go back on Tue to have an asthma test done and get the results of the allergy test.
12:45ish - Go to Sam's office to tell him about the days happenings and how brave Zack had been.
1pm - Go to Panda Express (that was what Zack picked for being so brave).
1:45pm - Go to Wal-Mart to pick up Zack's prescription.
2:30p - Get home and have resting time
5pm - A friend calls and asks us if we can pick up her son and watch him while she takes her baby to the hospital to have tests run.
5:45pm - Go walk around Home Depot pricing all the things we need.
7pm - Go to 5buck pizza to eat dinner.
8pm - Can't believe that it is so late but still light outside.
Since we got home: Brushed teeth, cleaned out car, packed a bag for kids(we are going to a wrestling tournament tomorrow and have to put the kids in the car at about 6:30am. Needless to say they will still be asleep.)Started Laundry,watched some of Astro Boy, Sam cleaned the kitchen and now we are all going to bed.
Just writing this makes me tired. But we are all alive and well, and am very grateful for all our blessings. This is just but a moment!

Pictures and more pictures

2010-03-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

After all the trauma on Jackson's actual birthday we went for a "do over" and his "birthday" turned out great. We went to lunch at the "cowboy restaurant" aka Texas Roadhouse, and then went back to Grandma and Grandpas for the birthday party.

Us at the "Cowboy Restaurant"

Jackson wanted a Dinosaur train birthday party and cake. And so that is what he got.

As you can see,a much happier child after being on antibiotics for 2436 hours

Hadley absolutely loves her doll that her cousin Gabby gave her for Christmas.

Another sunday all dressed up. Zack lined them all up and wanted their picture taken.

Seriously how does she just know to be a girl? She loves clothes and all things girl. Though she has learned to play light sabers with boys which is totally hilarious. Here she is in her Leopard coat.

The 3 all dressed up to go to church. Just so cute.

We went to the Dinosaur m useum at Thanksgiving Point during Christmas break. It was so cute. Zack had gone upstairs and invited Naim to come with us and he totally said yes. It was a great day with Grandpa Naim and my mom and Bonnie.

Jackson was helping put bulbs on the top of the Christmas tree.

Last October Heidi and Dave came to town and went to the shakespeare festival. Heidi and I and Zack went the next night to see Secret Garden. It was Zack's first real play. He loved it!! He was out cold within minutes of getting in the car after the show.

The three of us at Secret Garden
I know I am lame. But I am going to be better. But in an effort to up date I went through my pictures and here are some of the things that have been going on in our lives:
This video is of my family singing the "Fitzgerald Birthday Song". It is very loud and obnoxious but memorable, and it gets sung at every birthday much to my embarrassment sometimes. But I love my family!!

All about Jackson

2010-02-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

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These pictures are all so Jackson.
Jackson is:
32 pounds
36 inches tall
he loves his brother and sister
he wants to do whatever Zack is doing. Which means Star Wars Wii, so both boys are obsessed with the Star Wars.
Jack loves to draw. If he can't hear him, he usually can be found in his room coloring.
He does not like new people or situations.
He will not go to nursery. He is starting to go but still cries.
He is getting better, but still cries a lot.
He is very creative and imaginative
He loves Macaroni and Cheese
He is a great eater. He loves vegetables and eats them willingly.
He is learning his letters, both how to write them and recognize them
He loves to cuddle and give hugs
He come up to me all the time and tells me " I love you mom, you the best mom!" It melts my heart.
He does not have a quite voice. Just loud :)

I could go on and on, but he is a great boy and we are grateful that he is a part of our family.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Jackson boy!

2010-02-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

Jackson's birthday was on Wednesday and was less than perfect. The kids have been sick for the last 2 weeks and Wed. was no exception. The kids were starting to feel better(cold and cough's) and when we asked Jackson what he wanted to eat on his birthday he said "blue waffles for breakfast and mac n cheese". The blue waffles were easy and a hit. The kids just played and all was well. Until about 5pm when we were getting shoes on to go to Chili's for Jack's birthday dinner. Jackson started creaming and saying that his ear hurt. I put garlic and olive oil in it and hoped that it would make it feel better.(Jackson had his well child check on Thur. anyways and I figured the doctor would check it out then)
No such luck. Jackson continued to cry for the next 3 1/2 hours. We tried everything.Besides his ear he was tired and hungry (but wouldn't eat because of his ear etc.)We finally just got our food and left. The crying continued until we were home and he finally calmed down.
Needless to say his birthday was a was. We are going to pretend that it didn't happen, and start fresh on Sat at his party.

** We went to his well child check and found out that all 3 kids have really bad ear infections. Jackson being the worst. WE had no idea. No fever, no pulling on ears, no nothing. They are all on medicine and all will be well!!

Free Denny's breakfast

2010-02-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had a fun morning going to Denny's for our free Grand Slam. You can't beat it!! The line was shorter than last year, which was a good thing. We did not have to wait outside at all. Just inside where it was warm.
I actually took my camera to take pictures of our adventure, but I left it in the diaper bag in the car. Good times!

He did it!!

2010-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

For as good of an eater as Zack is, there are some veggies and fruits that he refuses to eat even though he has never had them. Tonight for dinner we had Jambalaya and a big green salad. Of course Jack ate all his cucumbers and tomatoes and only a few bites of the rice. Hadley ate her tomatoes and rice and loved it. And when we asked Zack what vegetable he was going to eat he said he wanted lettuce(we eat the really green good for you stuff) with some salad dressing, and he actually ate it!! And then asked for more. I can not believe it. We are so proud of him!!

Taxes

2010-01-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

I hate doing taxes!! Ok, actually I love HAVING my taxes done now and not doing them ourselves. If anyone is looking for good tax people I recommend Croad and Stromsodt tax. They do everything from taxes to accounting and payroll. They are located in California but are very experienced in Utah and really anywhere ( they actually want to open an office in Utah in the next couple years) so if anyone needs any kind of tax or business help I highly recommend them. Check out their website

At last

2010-01-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hadley got a clean bill of health today not only for her one year check up but for her arm. All better!! I will post her stats later when I find the paper

Lia Sophia Party

2010-01-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

I am hosting a Lia Sophia Party in Lindon on Feb. 15th at around 11 am. If anyone wants to come we would love to have you!!

My friend just moved to Lehi and is trying to get started up there. We will have fun food!!

** Also there is a brand new catalog coming out the first of February so there will be all kinds of new fun things to see and buy.

1000 miles, 45 degree difference, 3 states

2010-01-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

Does anyone want to guess what we did 2 weekends ago? That is right we drove to California. Good time to be had by all, to say the least. My aunt Kate passed away from Ovarian Cancer on Jan 5th. Gratefully she passed away quickly and painlessly. Her memorial service was that Sat the 9th. As long of a drive as it was, we are glad that we went. It was nice to be warm, be with family, and celebrate my aunt's life.
We left Cedar at 3pm on Friday and got to CA at about 10:30 California time. Sat morning we (Sam and I and the kids and Matt, Brit and Parker)all went to Santa Monica beach.We all had fun just playing in the sand and hanging out.

We attended the memorial that afternoon, and then the family dinner. After the dinner we hung out at the hotel with family. Sunday morning we went to the LA temple to show the kids where we were married. It was fun to show the kids and hang out with Matt and Brit and just enjoy the 80 degree weather.

After the temple we started on our way home. We stopped in Vegas and had dinner with Sam's sister Bambi and her family. The kids had fun hanging out with their cousins.
All in all it was a long but good weekend.

Houdinie Hadley

2010-01-12T11:38:00.001-08:00

I forgot to mention in all our Christmas happenings, that Hadley broke her arm. The day after Christmas, Bonnie and I went to do a little shopping and pick up Gabby (to babysit for Dave and Heidi's anniversary) and so Sam had the kids. I guess everyone was on grandma and grandpa's bed playing and Hadley being the ever independent girl that she is decided to climb off the bed (which she can totally do at home)
When I got home, Sam said that Hadley had been crying for 45 minutes (which is not normal for her). I nursed her and put her down to play and she started to cry and wouldn't put her left hand down. I knew at that moment she had broken her arm.
I called the Instacare in Saratoga Springs to make sure that they did X-rays and off we went. Sure enough it was broken. The doctor put on a splint an told us to get it casted by our Pediatrician.
We got her hand casted in Cedar on the next Wed. morning. Hadley was wearing pink when we went to the doctor and so I picked a pink cast. All went well and we went home to continue our vacation having Sam home. Later that night Sam was building a new clothes rod in the boys closet(so they can reach) and I was making dinner. All the sudden I hear "Mandy, we have a problem!" Next thing I know Sam is bringing Hadley to me without a cast on her arm. That is right. She got it off. We don't really know how. Sam turned his back and the next thing he knew Hadley had it off and was giving it to him.
I called the doctor the next morning to find out what to do. Our doctor came in just to cast her arm, again! This time she was wearing purple and got a purple cast. The doctor was joking that if she got it off again, she should wear black and get a black cast. Well, this cast lasted for 4 days, but sure enough, she got it off again. She was sitting in her highchair eating cheerios and I turned around and she handed me the cast full of Cheerios. Good times!
I called the doctor again, and this time he said just to put the splint back on. She takes the splint off about every other day.
Never a dull moment for sure!

Seriously, can she be any cuter? I love the vest, and the cast.

St. George

2010-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Trevor came to visit on New Years day, and on Saturday we decided to go down to St. George to return some stuff and take Trevor out for his birthday. His birthday was December 10. Bonnie gave us a gift card to Texas Road House for Christmas and Trevor had never been there, so we all enjoyed a trip to Texas Roadhouse aka "Cowboy Restaurant". After dinner we went to the Temple to walk around and Sam took pictures. We walked through the visitors center and got to hear the recording at the Christus statue. It was a fun day.

Being Creative

2010-01-12T10:42:00.001-08:00

Zack and Jack seem to get more and more creative every day. Jackson got a playdough set for Christmas that had little parts that you can add to it kinda like Mr. Potato head.

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas eve. We decided for dinner to do lots of horderves. We had cheese sticks,homemade boneless chicken wings, pot stickers, meets and cheeses for sandwiches, fresh pineapple,little smokies, shrimp for grandpa and a veggie tray. Seriously, what more do you want or need in life?

After dinner we sang Christmas carols and we had some visitors.

Grandpa read the Christmas story from Luke

As Grandpa read the story, the kids acted out the story. So cute!

After the Christmas story, it was time to open one present,Christmas "party pajamas" and then cousin presents.

Zack looking handsome in his new PJ's, and Posha all dressed up.

Christmas begins

2010-01-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we were in Utah County with Sam's family. We had so much fun!! We started the holiday season with Hadley's birthday party and then on Monday the 21st Valerie had her annual Caroling wassil party. It was fun to see how many people came and enjoyed all the good food.

For the last 3 years we have gone to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point, and last year we added seeing the Reindeer and getting a gingerbread cookie from the cafe there at the water tower.

Hadley's Birthday Party

2010-01-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

We had Hadley's birthday party at my mom's house on Dec. 20th. It was kinda crazy, but fun to have both our families to help celebrate Hadley's first birthday.

I started a tradition with Zack that for our kid's first birthday we have carrot cake cupcakes. I am not a fan of giving a little baby a huge cake to eat and then get sick. Let me just say that I mastered the carrot cake cupcakes this year. They were delicious and low fat somewhat healthy. Good times for all!!

Happy Birthday baby girl!!

2009-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my baby is 1. Time has flown by so fast. We didn't do much today for her actual birthday. We are having the family birthday party on Sunday. Pictures will come.

Sweet girl,
The last year has been better than I could ever have imagined. You have been a joy to have in our family. We can't imagine our lives without you. You are so smart. You amaze us everyday. Just today you signed "thank you" to sister Packard when she gave you your huge teddy bear. You now sign more,please thank you, milk and water. You love to wave to everyone you see, and say Hi! You took 4 steps today, and I can't wait for you to wait. I know some people hate when their babies walk, but I love it. I love to see you guys become more independent.
Your brothers adore you. They love to play with you, and you love to torture them. You usually tear down what they have built, so they have started building things just for you to tear down.
Today you wore your first pony tail. It was kinda skiwumpus, but it was there. I even put a bow in it and you actually left it in. We will keep working on it. You will have to be patient with me. I am not an expert o hair, let alone a little girls.
We love you and can't wait for what the future hold. We count or blessings that you choose our family.
Love,
Mom, Dad, Zack and Jack

The day Hadley was born

2009-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the "one year ago today..." I need to write about the day Hadley was born. Even though today is Hadley's birthday by date, she was born one year ago yesterday by the days of the week.

A little history: I had been having contractions for about a month and a half before Hadley was born. I had never had contractions like that with my boys. Basically when I had had contractions the boys were born. So going on this concept I was a little nervous about all the contractions I was having. My mother in-law is my midwife( let me insert here that she is a world renown midwife, not just someone who thinks she can deliver babies. I know some think I am weird for having my babies at home but I can assure you that I have a very experienced midwife!! Not just someone that thinks they can deliver a baby.) So with all my contractions, we decided that the boys and I should go up north to my in-laws and hang out the 2 weeks before Sam got done with work. That way I was close to Valerie, and I had people around to help with the boys.

So, one year ago: I had been having the same contractions, and knowing that Sam was so far away, I was getting nervous. Valerie had checked me 2 days before and nothing was happening. I was so on edge, Tuesday night I prayed and asked that I know when I needed to call Sam. That Wednesday Sam knew that I was stressed and so he asked my sister Abby (that had just gotten home from her mission)to come over to hang out and to help play with the boys. It was kinda funny, every time I called Sam he would tell me that I needed to just hold out till Friday (his last day of work).

That Wednesday I spent most of the day hanging out on the couch resting. I was having lots of contractions but not painful. Just contractions. My sister Britney and her husband were on their way to Utah from California (she was also pregnant and Valerie was delivering her baby too. Matt and Brit had planned on not leaving until the 20th to come up but had felt that they needed to leave early. Good thing because a huge storm hit and they were one of the last cars let out of California and her bay was born on the 29th.)so I talked to Brit a lot as they were traveling. At about noon I called Sam and told him I thought he should come. I knew he didn't want to leave work if he didn't have to but I was really nervous. He called back and talked to his mom and she told him that she didn't think I was having the baby anytime soon, but that if it made me feel better he should come. ** I think that Valerie saw me have some contractions (not painful just constant) and called Sam back and told him to come. Needless to say, Sam left work, and headed up North.

Sam got to his parents house at about 3pm and my sister Abby left at like 5pm. As I was walking through the kitchen I had a really hard contraction. Not really painful, just hard. After that Valerie checked me, and she said that I was an 8. It was kinda crazy, she asked me if I wanted to push. I have to say I was so not in the mode of having a baby. I wasn't even in pain. So she told me to go get in the jetted tub. Sam called my mom(gratefully her school is only 10 minutes away)and she hadn't left work quite yet, so she got there pretty quick.

I sat in the tub for the next hour or so having more contractions, but seriously, not painful. Valerie came in and asked how I was. She said she needed to go feed the animals and that she would be back in 10 minutes. I said that was fine and that I was not going anywhere. Of course, minutes after she leaves, I have the first really painful want to push contraction. My mom goes running out to get Valerie. I got out of the tub, went into the pink room, pushed twice and out she came.

The first thing that I said after she was born was, "she looks like me, she had dark hair and skin." Brit and Matt got there about 15 minutes after I had Hadley, and I guess somewhere in the tub, Bonnie had come home and made cupcakes with pink frosting with the boys.

One year ago...

2009-12-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

As the holidays are fast approaching, so are my memories of last year. I can't believe that it has been almost a year since Hadley was born. It has gone by. I don't think that wrote about all the happenings of last year, so I am going to take the opportunity now.
One year ago...
One year ago last Friday my sister Abby got home from her LDS mission to the Baltic States. Because she got home at midnight, we did not go to the airport. But the next day (Sat) we went to my mom's house and got to see her for the first time in 18 months. The boys were so excited to see her and hear all about her mission. Jackson was only 5 months old when Abby left so he did not remember her, but he knew that we prayed for her every day. Zack did remember her and was excited to hear her speak Lithuanian.

One year ago Sunday was Abby's homecoming talk. Because I was hugely pregnant and uncomfortable, we did not stay for all of church. We went to Sacrament, and then left to go back to my mom's. To make a long story short, the house was locked and I had the bright idea to see if the back window was opened and Zack could crawl through and open the door. I put my hand on the window to slide it open and the window was so cold and I guess my hands warm enough that the 2 did not go well and the window shattered as soon as I touched it. Because I was not really anticipating that happening, my hand went right through the glass and sliced my hand.
Of course, the wipes in the diaper bag were frozen and I couldn't find anything to wrap my hand with and none of my family answered their phones I had to drive back over to the church to wash my hand, get a key from my sister Beth and go back to my mom's. Good times!! Everything was fine after that, but what an adventure.

One year ago yesterday (Monday) I got to spend quality time with my sister Abby. We picked her up and ran errands and just had fun hanging out.

One year ago today (Tuesday) I went to my Brother Trevor's Christmas choir concert. The concert was great. We left early because Jackson was not behaving well. I slipped on the ice in the parking lot, and I remember just wishing that Sam were there, and that I would not have to worry about him missing Hadley's birth.

One year ago tomorrow( Wednesday) Hadley was born. Even though the 17th is not until Thursday, it was one year ago tomorrow. I will write more about the day she was born on her birthday.

It is so weird to look back a year ago, and see how much has gone on. I am so grateful that one year ago Hadley was born. I can't imagine our lives without her. But 18 months ago, that is not how I felt. I did not want to have a baby yet. I did not want to have a baby in the middle of the winter. There were so many things that I did not want, and yet Heavenly Father knew better than I. He knew that our family needed Hadley. He know that it would be ok, and that having Jackson and Hadley only 22 months apart would be ok.

I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that is aware of me and knows me, and the plan for me better than I do. I remember at some point last October or November wondering why I was pregnant at Christmas? Why was my sister pregnant and due the same day I was? I know that there were things about the First Christmas that I would never have learned, if it had not been for me having a baby last Christmas. I am so grateful to have been able to share being pregnant with my sister.

Pumpkin funnel Cake

2009-11-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

All I can say was that it was delicious. We made our own pumpkin funnel cakes for Family Home Evening a couple weeks ago.

Hadley

2009-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

I figure, that this is as close as I am going to come to a journal for the time being, so I need to keep track of things. So here is all about Hadley:
1. She weighs 19 lbs. 10 oz.
2. She now has 4 teeth. The first one came through on her 10 month b-day.
3. She can sign please, finished and more
4. She nods her head to say yes, and points at things she wants.
5. She is a fast little crawler and walks holding onto everything
6. Likes to feed herself. she will let us feed her the first couple bites, but then wants the spoon for herself after that
7. She loves her brothers!!
8. She folds her arms for the prayer. Seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen.

9. She figured out how to crawl/walk up the slide and now thinks that everything is a jungle gym to climb
10.Hadley loves to talk on the phone!!

This is a video of Hadley eating rice cereal the first time.

Halloween

2009-11-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

I'm lame and it has taken me a while to add our Halloween pictures, but I promise you worth the wait!

Hadley was a cupcake

Jack was a doctor

Zack was Indiana Jones.
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And then all of us. I was the baker to go along with Hadley.
I don't mean to toot my horn, but I think that we looked pretty dang cute! And I made or put together the costumes. And thanks to a nameless individual for all the cool Indiana Jones stuff!

She did it!! She signed "please"

2009-10-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

I love that Hadley figured out how to sign "please." So cute!!!I think that she is the earliest of my children to start to sign back.

** I am also so grateful that my camera's video decided to work again. Just in time.

Starting a traveling preschool

2009-10-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

For anyone that lives in Cedar City, some friends and I are starting a traveling preschool. Basically every mom takes a turn teaching at your house. If anyone is interested in joining our group let me know. We are having a planning meeting to get things started this Wed. at 1pm at my house. Let me know and I will give you my address.

The Learning Community

2009-10-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have started working for a website called the Learning Community. It is a great parenting resource. I would recommend checking it out because it has lots of great stuff!!

Family Time

2009-10-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sam had Thursday, Friday and Today off of work. We have been having so much fun family time. On Thursday we went to Zions with my sister Abby and her friend Valerie. We had so much fun!!! We bought a year pass so if anyone wants to come visit feel free!! You can go to Sam's blog to see pictures of our trip to Zion's.

My sister Britney and her son Parker got here on Friday night from Cali. We are so excited to have them with us for the next 10 days.

My brother Conor got home from his mission the end of Sept. Yesterday was his homecoming/talk in church. We all went up north to my mom's for the weekend. We took family pictures because all six kids were together. We are sad that Matt was not here for the pictures. Just not the same without him!! These are the pictures that we took. I think that they turned out so well.

Funny things my kids say

2009-10-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we went down to St. George and we needed to eat something. We were asking the boys what they wanted. As we drove past Bajio Jackson said, Bajio, I want to eat Bajio." Zack said, "No, it is gross. I don't want to eat there." Jackson responded with, "You stay in the car and we will go eat at Bajio!"
Seriously, where does he learn these things?

A couple weeks ago we were driving and Sam said something, and then said, " All agree say aye. All opposed say nay." After we explained what the aye and nay meant, Zack and Jack continued to ask each other questions and had to respond with aye or nay. At one point Zack said all in favor say aye, all the horses say neigh." It cracks me up when my kids make up their own homonyms.

All my kids have food nicknames given by Bonnie and tonight she is here visiting and as all the kids were sitting on my bed with Bonnie and Jackson pops off with "pumpkin (Jack) and peanut butter( Zack is peanut but Jackson thought he was so funny to make it peanut butter.)

Miracle

2009-09-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

A week ago yesterday the kids and I were able to witness a miracle. We had gone to Watch me Grow (our friends consignment store) to hang out and spend time with Heather and Ellie. We were leaving to go take Sam lunch and the Durango would not start. I tried a bunch of times to no avail. I went inside and called Sam's office and of course he was not in. The secretaries took a message and then I tried the cell phone.He didn't answer at first but after several tries he answered. I explained what had happened and he said go try it again and call him in 15 minutes if it didn't start. He said that the Durango had done this before. I went outside and tried several more times and it still did not start.
I was getting frustrated and decided to pray. I told the boys to fold their arms and I said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help the car start. We said amen and I tired the car again and it started as if nothing had ever been wrong. The look on Zack's face was one of amazement. He said, "how did that happen?" I said that Heavenly Father answers our prayers. Zack then said, "how can Heavenly Father help us when he lives in heaven?" I tried to explain the best I could (while I was choked up), but I think he felt the spirit and knew that it was just a miracle.
We then said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for answering our prayers. I am so grateful that Zack was able to see the answer to our prayer. It may have been a small thing, but it was a lesson learned none the less.

This is truly amazing

2009-09-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I don't get all the history behind it, but this girl has talent. I would totally pay money to see her live and depict this and other things. Kinda long, but worth it!!

Random question

2009-09-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Does anybody have or know of someone who has a futon that they want to sell? We have a queen bed in our guest/craft room and it is taking up all the space. Trying to get organized and just need more space in there. I am trying to spend $50 or less. Let me know.

She did it!!!

2009-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

What a memorable day to decide to figure out how to crawl. It was the funnest thing to watch. Hadley has been so close fro weeks now, but would never just move forward. She had going backwards down pat.
Well, we were at my friends store today dropping off some bows (that i make and sell there) and I put Hadley down and the next thing I knew she was crawling. So exciting!!! And on her brother's birthday. He now thinks that it is like a birthday miracle. Who knows, maybe it is?
I don't think that she actually fully grasps the fact that she is mobile now. I bet that will be tomorrow. Now I seriously need to finish getting everything in place and organized. wish us luck!!

** Also on the birthday miracle note; Zack scored 3 goal at his soccer game today. Not that scoring goals is a new thing for Zack. He is actually one of the star players that always scores, but today was the most in a game, and he didn't even play the whole game like he usually does (some of the kids would rather pick grass and put it on themselves, or cry, or other things than play soccer.)

Happy Birthday Zackary

2009-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day at our house!! Zack is officially 5. I can't really believe he is that old, and yet has so many years still to go.
Zack is such a joy to have in our family. We can't imagine our family without him. I was so excited when we found out that we were having a boy, and it has been a joy ever since.
For Zack's 5th birthday, we did family and as Boonie says "the usual suspects".He wanted a Batman cake and so that is what he got. I think that it turned out really well!! We love you buddy! Thanks for being so wonderful!

Pictures of the house

2009-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

While working on the house the first week, poor Hadley had quite the tragic accident. Gratefully she recoverd, and really the picture does not do it justice. I have never been so grateful for her chubby cheeks, because they literally saved her from getting really hurt!!

This is the hallway of the house. All these pictures were taken during the fixing stage, and in the process of getting cleaned. It was improved from the first day.

kids/ guest bathroom

Hedley's room

Boys room
Be grateful you can't see all the holes etc. I think Sam has some pictures of the real before. I will try to post those!

The Hiatis is over

2009-09-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone reads our blog anymore, but I am back. Moving takes a lot out of a person, and a lot of time, besides that who knew in the 21st Century that getting a phone and the internet was so hard?
But, I am glad to report that we have a phone again and the internet so I can start blogging again!!
I need to, and am going to start taking pictures of our new house. I am hoping it will be motivation to get things finished up, and all put in order.

I will go back and show pictures of the house before, but for now, here are the cute curtains that I made for Hadley.

Don't you know you're beautiful!!

2009-08-06T21:42:00.001-07:00

This is a great song to all those women and girls out there. I love you all and think you are great. Go here to see the video

Big News (for those don't know yet...)

2009-08-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been forever since I blogged last. I promise to be better, as soon as life gets put back together. With that being said, We bought a house and are hopefully moving this coming weekend. We are very sad to be leaving our neighborhood and our ward, but we are excited about owning our own home!!!
We are moving to Enoch, which is like a housing suburb of Cedar City. All will be the same except we will be about 10 minutes away in a home that we own.

No more cell phone for me!

2009-06-16T15:11:00.001-07:00

I guess you could call this our provident living. In an effort to stay within our budget, and the need to have the internet, we have canceled my cell phone. Sam still has his so feel free to call it and we now have a home phone that the calls will be forwarded to the cell phone when we are out of town. So, if you need wither of those numbers feel free to let me know.

Coupon class in Lindon

2009-06-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

For anyone that lives up in Utah County, I am teaching a FREE coupon class at my mom's house on Wed June 17th at 7pm. We would love to have anyone that wants to come and learn how to save money using coupons. If you want to come, let me know.

So sorry

2009-06-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

There will be pictures and more updates, but we have not died or fallen off the face of the earth. We have not had the internet, but all is well, we have the internet again, and updates will be coming!!

Zack at swimming lessons.

2009-05-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry the video is choppy. The video on my camera is struggling.

Music speaks to my soul

2009-05-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

I am not a musician at all. But, I have a very musical mother and she has instilled in me a love of music. There are times that music speaks to me more than words or anything else. A friend had this video on her blog, and I listened to it and it totally made me cry.
I envy ( in a good way) musicians and their ability to use music to touch people. Watching these 2 men perform was awe inspiring. Everyone should listen!

* the fact that I learned how to put this on my blog is momentous!

Kraft salad dressing

2009-05-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

For anyone that uses PYP or grocery smarts you will see that for the Kraft salad dressing the list says that the coupon for 1.50 that makes salad dressing free at Albertson's is in the 5/1 smart source. The coupon is actually in the 5/10 ss. Incase anyone else had a hard time finding it?!

Excited to share!

2009-05-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Do you use coupons? Have you ever wanted to use coupons? Do you like finding deals? Well... I am here to tell you that I have found the answer to all these questions and more. I learned about Grocery Smarts about a year ago from my sister in law Heidi and started using the website(which is totally free)and then a few months ago I had a class at my house and I love it!! I have saved so much and now coupons totally make sense. Because I have loved it so much I am now teaching for Grocery Smarts. I am so excited to share with everyone and anyone how to save so much on groceries and household products.
If anyone is interested in having a class at their house let me know. Everything is free! The class and the website. And I can give you great deals on the newspaper. So let me know. I will come to wherever you live and teach you how to save tons!!

Oh what do you do in the summer time?

2009-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

You go to the fire station for play group, of course!!
Last Thursday was our trip to the fire station. It was so much fun!! It is so funny how the littlest thing can bring such joy to a child.

Seriously, does it get much cuter than this? I'm not sure how they ended up holding hands, but man...

Getting bigger

2009-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hadley is getting so big.The boys love that she is so much more interactive now. Jackson wanted Hadley to sit in the laundry basket with him and have me push them around. Very cute. Now that it is warm, we are outside as much as possible. Hadley loves being outside in her walker, and the boys love that she can kinda make herself move.

" I just called to say I love you..."

2009-05-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago it was one of the first warm days and so the kids and I decided to go for a walk on the "new walking path" that was built here in Cedar. It was a fun walk and went surprisingly well.
The reason for the title was that Bonnie was leaving that day for Brazil and would not be able to talk to us( really the boys) for a week. The boys were feeling the pressure and we seriously talked to her 3 times on this walk, and Zack had to wear his Bajio hat for Bonnie, and take a picture for her.

Boy am I slow ...

2009-05-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

It is not the taking pictures that I have a hard time with. It is the editing( if you can call it that) and putting them on my blog that I struggle with. Kinda like, I write letters or thank you notes, but it is the addressing them and sending them that I struggle with.

With that being said, as I was looking at my memory card I have pictures from my birthday and Hadley's blessing still. But for memory sake, here we go.

Boys and Bonnie

We had a bug/spring theme for Hadley's blessing. They turned out so cute!

My nephew Max helped put the sprinkles on these.

My birthday dinner at Olive Garden

Abby, AJ and Hadley

Swimming Lessons and Bajio

2009-05-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

For anyone that is interested, the city/ school (the pool on the SUU campus with the slide) is starting their swimming lesson sign ups. M-F all day. It is $25 for 9 1/2 hour lessons. NO lessons on holidays.
Some might wonder why I know this and why I care, well I am teaching for the city this summer. I am really excited because I love teaching swimming!! So for anyone interested come on down!!

Also, tomorrow being Cinco De Mayo, Bajio in Cedar City is having $.99 fish taco's. DELICIOUS!! if you like fish tacos. It is a new item at Bajio and they are featuring them for the Holiday, also you can enter to win a years worth of Bajio, 6months worth of Bajio, or a trip to Mexico. So again, come on down!! It will be all day!!
** All Bajio's are having the same thing, so if you have a Bajio where you live other than Cedar, totally go, You will not regret it!!

Renter's Insurance

2009-04-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

For anyone that reads this that rents, do you have renter's insurance? We have never had it until like the last 6 months. I have no idea if this is really necessary? If something ever happened to the house does the insurance that the owner has cover us? Any info or help would be great!!

Hadley

2009-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is what I came home to on Sat. after helping someone in our ward clean her house to move. So cute!!

Who knew that I would ENJOY having a girl as much as I do? I knew that I would love Hadley, because a mother loves their children, but I so enjoy having Hadley. Valerie(my mother in-law) says it is me getting to play dress up/dolls everyday. Hadley looks so good in purple and red. Today she looked especially cute, so I had to document it!
* Zack took this picture

Obsessed with couponing

2009-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe not obsessed, but definitely getting into the whole thing!! So here is the cool thing that I found out today. For anyone that does coupons and uses the pinching your pennies or grocery smart, will know that there is a Con Agra sale that if you spend $25 you get $10 back for your next order. I called Albertson's and you can use that $10 (2 $5 coupons) on your next order, so you could just roll it over. I am pretty excited for that. And if anyone uses Crystal Light to go's, they are on sale with the Betty Crocker stuff, and there is a coupon in the 3/29 Smart Source for buy 2 get 1 free. So basically that is a dollar a box. That is cheaper than even generic Wal-Mart kind, and Crystal Light does have better flavors.

Just wanted to share!! Now go and save.

Seriously? More snow?

2009-04-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know how much longer I can handle this? I know we need the water and all, but can't it just snow in the mountains and we warm for the rest of us? I guess not, but we can all wish, right? Really, I just want it to be warm so the boys can start playing outside. I think we are all tired of being inside. And not by choice, but necessity.

Zack

2009-04-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I put Hadley's bow on with Karo syrup, it must not have dried all the way, because it came off and Zack so kindly put it back on for her (just upside down:)Hadley is also starting to enjoy toys and her new teething ring.

Last night was having fun with my camera and obviously thought his feet would be a a good subject for his next photo shoot?

He was the spotlight!

2009-03-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Zack was so excited after church yesterday to tell us all about how he was the spotlight. We had no idea that he was going to be the spotlight, or we would have gone in to see it!
Anyways, Zack comes out of class showing us his sticker and explaining that for the spotlight they read that this persons favorite color is green, their favorite movie is Peter Pan, favorite school subject is letters and numbers. He said that he knew it was him. He was so excited, and reported that he was not nervous to go up in front of the primary. Way to go buddy. We love you and are so proud of you!

Carseat cover/nursing cover

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am really proud of my newest concoction, and want to share it with everyone. I am now making these stylish adorable covers. My friend and I have a blog so go and check it out and tell your friend about the cute stuff we have!!
Here is a picture of the cute cover.

Go to flowerpatchboutique.blogspot.com to see more pictures and more details!

conversation with Zack

2009-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is the conversation I had with Zack this morning.
Z: Mom, when is night rider on?
M: I don't know, but I will look on the computer.
Z: Mom, do you know why it is called night rider?
M: Um, why?
Z: Night is because it is during the night, and the rider part is because the guy that saves people rides in the talking car.
M: Makes sense
Z: Night, rider, you put them together. That is a compound word!

Ok, seriously, how does he know what a compound word is? I asked him and he said it was from his Leapfrog talking pen. Man that was a great present from Bonnie!

It does not get much better than this!

2009-03-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

My father in law and I have had our ups and downs but I think we are over the adjusting stage(I hope?!) Well anyways, he is so cute and wrote this on my facebook the other day. "Thanks Mandy, I love those kids of yours. We are ready for them and ready to have good time. Hope for the best to come. Love you" Thanks for being such a great father in law, Naim. I couldn't have asked for a better family to marry into.

My little girl

2009-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Sam FINALLY took some pictures of our little girl. It only took long enough. I have been begging for months now. But they turned out pretty good. She looks great in purple, just like her Aunt Beth.

"How cute are they?!"

2009-03-19T11:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, seriously does it get any cutter than this? These were taken by Bill at the American Fork Bajio the week before I had Hadley. Actually, I am pretty sure it was 2 days before I had her.

Hadley is 3 months old

2009-03-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Not only was Tuesday St. Patrick's day, but Hadley turned 3 months old. I can't believe it has been 3 months. She is such a good baby, and such a joy to have in our family!! Here are some things about our cute girl:
* She only wakes up once in the night (between 3 and 5)
* She weighs 14 pounds and about 5 ounces (when we weighed her she was 14 pds. 11oz. but that was with clothes on)
* She loves to smile at people. Whenever we are shopping, and people smile at her, she gives them a huge smile back.
* She thinks she is so big already. Every time she is laying down, she tries to sit up(way to do crunches)
* She wore her first 6-9 month outfit yesterday and it totally fit
* When she wakes up in the morning, she loves to just hang out in her bed and "talk" and smile.
* She loves the mornings
* She is mellowing out, and is letting people hold her now. Sam is loving it!
* When I go in to pick her up in the morning, she starts to kick and wave her hands and squeals. So cute!!!

Everyday, I am able to "see the hand of God in my life" as I recognize that Heavenly Father knew better than me that Hadley needed to come to our family. I am grateful that she is part of our family.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

A day late (ok, 2 days) and a dollar short, but we had such a fun "green day." Zack was so excited this year to celebrate St. Patrick's day, I think one of the biggest reasons was that his favorite color is green.

The day began with green chocolate milk and green waffles. The boys loved it, and Zack said that the waffles were the best ever because they were green!

For lunch we had sandwiches(nothing green) but it was nice and warm outside, so the boys had a picnic outside. So fun!! The boys loved being outside (and so did I )and they started "digging holes to plant plants this spring".

We had to make a Wal-Mart trip, and while there the boys picked out some St. Patrick's day fabric that we made into place mats for dinner.

Our dinner was so fun. I made corn beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots, green rolls and a green pistachio cake for dessert. Sam and Zack loved the dinner(so did I) but Jack was less excited. He kept saying, "meat, yuck!" My vegitarian child was not such a fan, but oh well. He liked the rolls though. I guess I can't please everybody.

Grateful for the small things

2009-03-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning the kids and I went to get the brakes fixed on the van. I am not happy about how much it cost, but I am grateful that they are done! The other thing that I was grateful for was Cal Ranch. Cal Ranch was across the street from Big O and we spent about an hour there. As you can see from the pictures, the boys were very entertained by the rack of cars. All the employees were so nice to the boys, and thought it was a great idea to hang out there while the car got fixed. Who knew Cal Ranch was so exciting?

Fun weekend in Utah county

2009-03-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we went up to Utah County because Sam had a conference on Saturday in Salt Lake. Early Saturday morning my mom, the kids and I headed to the Gateway to see the St. Patrick's day parade. So fun!!!

After the parade we went to the Discovery Gateway museum. It was so so fun and totally worth it!! If you have never been there, you should totally go!

The Saturday that we were there the museum was starting a new science workshop for kids. We went and did it and it was so fun. The boys loved the experiment.

fun giveaway

2009-03-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

I had actually heard of these books, but didn't know her name till now. She is having a week full of great giveaways so check out her blog. Her name is Annette Lyon
I was trying to add the book trailer from YouTube called Tower of Strength, but I am not as computer savy as I thought. I also couldn't figure out how to add the little button to my sidebar. Maybe Sam will help me later?

J Lo

2009-03-09T09:10:00.001-07:00

Haldey is getting so cute, and so interactive! Abby was joking that this outfit is her J Lo outfit. So cute!!

Fun weekend with Grandpa and Bo

2009-03-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

2 weekends ago, Valerie was in Colorado delivering a baby, and Bonnie had to come down to Vegas and St. George for work, and that would have meant that Naim would have been at home by himself. So, we got to babysit Naim and Posha(the dog). Good times!! So on Friday night Sam arranged for his dad to watch the boys so we could go on a date. So fun, and Sam brought home flowers for me.
* Funny story about us trying to go on a date. We fed the boys and Naim, and Bonnie had bought a movie for the boys, so we had the DVD players all set up, and so we left. Well, about 7 minutes after we left, Naim called because she could not figure out how to make the DVD player to work. It was pretty funny. I tried to walk him through what to do, but he was not listening, and so we had to turn around, come home to push the button and leave again. Good times!!:)

On Sunday, Bonnie came to pick up Naim. The boys and Bonnie shared some "Jankety" microwave popcorn and a yummy dinner that I made, and then they had to head home.

Fun times at Living Aquarium.

2009-03-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

3 weekends ago the boys and I went up to Utah County for a couple days to hang out with family. We had lots of fun. One of the things that we did was go to the Aquarium in Sandy with basically all the family. Sam's parents , my mom, Abby and Beth and AJ(the guy that Abby is dating). It was so much fun. The Aquarium is not very big, but so much fun to see everything so close up. The boys loved it, as well as everyone else!

Results from coupon class

2009-03-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that came. I think it was informative and lots of fun! I hope that we can all start saving lots of money?! Jodi accidentally left some handouts at my house, so if anyone that couldn't make it, want a handout, and a simple explanation, let me know. Here is Jodi's blog if anyone wants to check it out.
I ordered my newspaper today through Jodi, I can't wait to get started!

Past happenings

2009-03-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

The last time we were up in Utah County, Sam and the boys, Bonnie and David and Beth all went to the flash game. They had a blast, and Zack got picked as the fan of the game. So fun!

Jackson wanted a picture it Hadley, they just happened to be wearing their cute sleepers.

We are back on!

2009-02-26T13:40:00.001-08:00

We are back on for the coupon class this coming Tuesday March 3rd at 6:30pm at my house. Come one, come all!! Invite your friends, just let me know by Monday night if you are coming! I am excited to have you all!!!

Sad news about coupon class

2009-02-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from the lady teaching the class, and she has been told she cannot teach any more classes until about March. She says that the newspapers are struggling, and are not taking any new subscriptions. It does not make sense to me, but oh well.

I will plan another class as soon as she can start teaching again. I am so sorry and sad!! If you want to go to the website to see kinda how to do the system, and see what is the best price. And it is all free!!

So please spread the word to those who were coming,and you invited.

Good Morning

2009-02-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hadley is so cute in the mornings. She is as happy as can be, and just lays in her crib talking and smiling. I tried to catch her "talking" but of course she stopped when I got the camera, but she did smile. So cute!! I love this stage when babies start to do things.

Couponing class

2009-02-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

I think that I have given invitations to almost everybody that said they were interested, but there are a few that I don't know, or are not here in Cedar(Rae:). I am excited to see you all on Tuesday!!

Come learn how to use coupons
Who: You and anyone you want to bring
When: February 24th (next Tuesday) 6:30pm
Where: My house. (if you need my address email me or call me)
RSVP: Mandy (if you don't have my phone number, you can email me)
** I need to know by Monday night who is coming, so that we have enough handouts.
Come ready to meet new people, learn something new, and eat fun treats!
If you need to bring your kids that is fine, but please make sure that nobody is sick. I have a new baby. Thanks