deliciousdesign

Our nest is full

2009-07-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Baby bird #4 has arrived and our little nest is blissful. I have to let you all in on a secret. I am sorry to say that I got all the special babies! Alright...I know you all feel the same way but truly I do feel so blessed to have such wonderful newborns. I just sit and stare at our new little (actually pretty giant 9 pound 20 inch) Warner. He is so sweet and really is a dream baby. He has lots of hair which is a new experience for our family and we all find ourselves "petting" his head all day long. This is the dreamy babymoon stage where he is so sleepy and a greedy little nurser and I just want to wrap us all in this cozy feeling and stay put. The big boys are feeling a bit cooped up since we haven't ventured far from home but they also love to cuddle their new little mascot. It brings tears to my eyes to see how grown up they are next to this little chicken and remember their own births and babyhoods like yesterday. I am amazed at how content I am to wake up to little cries at the crack of darkness knowing this is likely our last. I keep thinking to myself, "There is nowhere I would rather be at this moment."

Tomorrow...tomorrow...

2009-07-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day for the arrival of Baby Vu! Stay tuned for more info...

The Countdown

2009-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

So I have had a few questions about Baby News and my answer is not yet...but very soon! We are scheduled for c-section delivery on or before July 16th. I haven't updated in FOREVER so for anyone who hasn't spoken or emailed or FB'd with me lately, it is for sure a boy. I have had many ultrasounds this time around and every time they tell me, "Yep, it is still a boy." I will definitely post photos when he arrives. He appears to have quite a bit of hair and they tell me he is going to be a whopper so this should be fun! Can't wait to meet our new baby bird.

(Bird Nest by Keith Taylor)

Happy Mother's Day Cookie!

2009-05-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

My Talented Friend

2008-12-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have so many of these that it seems unfair of me to highlight just one but I'm going to make a point of doing it more often so watch for your name on my humble blog! Today I have to draw your attention to my really amazing friend April who creates absolute delights for your fingers, necks, wrists and ears...and this from me-not really a huge jewelry girl! I guess what I love about April's SecondSister creations is that each one has a wonderful story that explains its unique inspiration and it makes me feel perfectly fanciful to wear the "Robin Fair Necklace" inspired by Emily Dickenson's A Bird Came Down (my favorite poet, by the way). Who could resist?

So for you lucky readers and me too, April has great drawings on her blog on a regular basis for her items as well as other very talented artisans in the webisphere/etsysphere that you should really check out. I want to hear from you if you win because I am dying to be one of the lucky ones!

Blessings of Good Medicine

2008-11-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

Does this boy look like he was about to have surgery? The good thing is that he had no idea he was about to have double hernia surgery. Poor baby did great though. I am usually pretty emotional about situations like these but our funny, happy boy made it easy for me to relax and not worry too much. He waved and blew kisses to all the doctors and nurses and made Chubaka noises into his nitrous mask, so how could I fret? Everything went really well and even the next morning he woke up with a smile and then held on to his round tummy and said with a wince, "Bewy". I couldn't keep him down for long though. You wouldn't know it happened now. Kids are amazing and I guess I do owe some credit to our doc too.

The Children's hospital here has a wonderful courtyard garden adjacent to the surgical waiting area that was so great. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it. There were giant butterflies suspended above and amazing fountains and mosiac covered animals like frogs and birds-even giant bronze bugs attached to large boulders. The inspiration for the garden came from a young girl that was treated there for Leukemia and eventually passed away. The story was moving and made me of course grateful that we were there for a relatively minor procedure and also mindful of my husband's sister Cindy that passed away at age 12 also from Leukemia.

Let's all count our blessings today.

Do you Facebook?

2008-09-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

So I first learned about Facebook from my much younger hipper college girl sister over a year ago and I seriously took Facebook for a silly single person format for showing your stuff to "potentials" if you know what I mean. Okay-so I have to admit and I know I am well behind the curve here but its really cool! I am beginning to neglect my family because I just found out how many friends I have! No really-its kind of fun and a little bit addicting and most surprisingly, kind of heartwarming to find friends I haven't' seen or contacted for over 20 years! Am I really this old? I guess I am but the good news is that all those years come with a whole slew of friends that I can now find all in one place. Modern technology grows on me more every day! Can't wait to see your face...

Not a rhetorical question

2008-09-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know we all feel pretty overwhelmed a lot of the time but this is my genuine request for your input about your own time management. How do you all find the time to do it? To post on your blogs, to read blogs and comment? To keep on top of your laundry? To make a reasonably healthy meal for your family and occasionally and extra for a freind or neighbor in need? How about those days where your don't even manage a 5 minute prayer or perhaps a shower! I want to know the honest truth about what you think is okay to let slide a day or two and how you find a way to slip in the fun stuff. Please share...

Happy Birthday Jill-I Blog because she is!

2008-07-09T20:24:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Look who's walking!

2008-05-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Okay-I'm a little behind on this but...at the ripe old age of 17 months, Griffin is finally walking! It has been a few weeks now and the Frankenstein walk is getting smoother each day but it will be a long way to his "Dancing with the Stars" debut! It is so much fun to watch these babies grow up. His personality develops so much from day to day and I crack up all the time as his sense of humor is kicking in too. Max and Landry are just the very best brothers I could imagine and I love watching them teach Griff new tricks and take so much pride in his tiny accomplishments. Their achievements are so much more profound at this age and I swell with pride as they do wonderful things like earn academic honor awards (a HUGE accomplishment for Max!) and meet their reading goals-Landry just finished his first 100+ page book-quite a graduation from what he now calls "Kindergarten Books". The thing I realize more each day is that I am so blessed to be a part of their lives, a part of this growth. I'm sure they would grow up and be great with any mother, but I know I was chosen to be theirs. What a gift-to be so sure of that!

This very moment

2008-04-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

I really do like to blog. That probably sounds funny since I update so infrequently these days. I do have a life full of many blog-worthy events. I think that is the very reason I don't get to it. I have this trick that my mind plays on me that tells me that I can't blog because I would have to backtrack so far to catch up. Well, today I am done catching up. I'm just going to blog the moment and feel fine about that. I really don't have a huge blog audience to "feed" so this is just a record for myself and a few onlookers. I recently found out that my mom reads and comments on a friend's "Lost" blog but has never commented on mine. I guess my interesting isn't quite as interesting as Prime Time TV! Kidding Mom-just in case you are reading!

Anyway-these photos are from an unusually gray California morning. This is one of my favorite scenes. I love that I have little readers. I also love that they sometimes choose reading over other activities. Now don't be fooled by the photos because today they are reading to earn computer time minute for minute. This is our house rule so the motivation may not be so pure at the moment but some of my favorite words are, "Mom, just one more page..." So Griffin is napping and the boys are reading and I am actually writing all about it-so how it that for "This very moment!"

Too many times, I am catching up or running so fast that I can't remember what I did all day so today I am taking it all in. How about you?

Mission Accomplished!

2008-02-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

After Project Freedom

Thank you Cara for just the motivation I needed to free my office from the burden of one part heavy moving residue and one part overwhelming fear of tackling this project. Check her blog for a post about her office project-although I think hers was not quite the undertaking mine was! I now have a happy space where I can feel organized, be creative, find my important papers, and have space to walk. This room was the landing place for anything we didn't have a place for during our initial move in August and it has taken me this long to find the carpet again. So enjoy some before and after photos and watch for a few more photos in the next week of some projects I have completed and as a result of finding access to my sewing machine and craft supplies!

Blessings #1, 2, and three

2008-01-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here I am approaching the 4th week of January so I need to catch up on my commitment to Cara's 52 Blessings Project. I loved this idea and even though I may cheat and blog a few at a time since I have a hard time keeping up with a weekly post, I feel so blessed and I need to take this opportunity to formally recognize them. Today I recognize three of my blessings that bring me the greatest joy.

First, my husband Mike, for his endless patience, for his love and commitment to me and our family, for his hard working nature and his absolute integrity, for his playful and sensitive sides, for his goofiness, for his borderline OCD (hee hee!), and even for his stubbornness.

Second-which I am reserving the right to further break down and expound upon individually at a later date-my children. McCall, Landry and Griffin are my favorite Dance Dance Revolution teammates, partners in crime, snuggling buddies, milk guzzlers, cookie dough bandits, homework conquerors, bike riding rodeo champs, ripstick shredders, boogie board diehards, and yet, the centers of the tenderest places in my heart.

Third-I have been experiencing a peace and happiness that I can't explain since our family has moved back to California. California is my blessing #3. The constant sunshine energizes my whole being and beach calms my heart and soul and sharing that with my children-any day of the week is a gift for us all. I am a happier person in California.

Project Freedom

2008-01-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Project Freedom! I am not free because all of my favorite things to do are trapped in this very messy office. We moved into this house in August and this is the very best this room has looked since we moved here. You can see my problem. Unfortunately, I am one of those people that gets overwhelmed with the size of a project at the outset and I throw my hands in the air and give up. We have downsized considerably in square footage in this new house so this room has become the proverbial "dumping ground". It is the home for computer equipment, sewing machines and supplies, craft supplies, office supplies, and gift wrap supplies. Oh yeah and books, and books, and books...notice how you don't see any in the photo! That is because they are all packed tightly in many boxes underneath the tables running the full length of one wall.

So today I was on the phone with my longtime friend Cara of Garden View Cottage (hee hee Cara!) and we were both lamenting the state of our respective offices. So we came up with a plan to keep each other accountable to provide motivation to get this job done and free ourselves of the burden of mess! I want to free my creativity, free my supplies for creativity, and find peace in this place I usually love to be. Cara's committment to organizing with me was just the motivation I needed so we were thinking that others out there may need "freedom" (and motivation) too. Won't you join us in our mission to find our desktops? Leave a comment and email your photos if it helps you get your groove on! Don't forget to include any great tips you have for ways to organize a space for its best accessibility and convenience-not to mention making a space like this pleasing to be in. Check back for updates on our progress...

A December to Remember

2007-12-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

This December has been one of the nicest I can remember. I should have blogged more often to share the love but I have accepted my limits on time management and I have embraced my ability to update once a month. If I do more I will be thrilled but 2008 is going to be about releasing myself from outside (and self-imposed) pressures to do it all and really enjoying and doing well the smaller list of high priority items. I made a real effort this year to keep Christmas simple and I was very pleased with my increased level of calm and enjoyment of the holiday season. I also noticed a reflection of my state of mind in my family. I think we all had a great time and appreciated being together so much more than years past.

One of the best things about this year was our change of address. Living in California again has been such a blessing for our family for so many reasons. We have spent so much more time with long time friends and family and I feel almost like we have "returned to the fold"! I think we enjoyed our time in Ohio but I now realize how much we missed by living so far away. We have also been so blessed to make new friends quickly and enjoy new traditions in our new community.

The elementary school that our kids attend is outstanding! We have been really happy with the quality of their education and amazed at the heartwarming family atmosphere created within the school community through a wide variety of events and activities. One of the best yet was a special visit from Santa during a morning flag salute assembly. The school sponsored a food drive that would benefit Camp Pendelton Marine Corps families. Santa arrived in a giant camouflaged vehicle with a group of Marines in uniform to pick up four pallets of donated food. Several classes had prepared special musical performances of holiday music and patriotic songs. This video is of some of the kids singing and signing "Proud to be an American" and I'm certain that there was not a dry eye in the group by the time the song ended. It was a great reminder of personal sacrifice and patriotism (my own feelings about this war aside).

***What were your December highlights?***

***Did you do anything different to better appreciate the spirit of the season this year?***

Does the bickering ever end?

2007-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

I am endlessly seeking a way to end the ceaseless bickering that goes on between my sons. If you have children of any age able to communicate verbally, I am certain that you know my pain. I cracked up recently at two specific ridiculous arguments between the boys. One happened on the way home from the airport after the boys had returned from a week-long visit to their dad's house in Utah. They were recounting all of their adventures of the past week but mysteriously neither one of them could agree or support the other about 75% of the details. If one said they went ice skating downtown the other insisted it was in Park City-you get the idea. After about 10 minutes of this I finally asked, "Hey guys, did you guys have any fun at all or did you just argue the whole time?" Amazingly, this incited another war of yeah we did argue-no we didn't-yeah we did... Unbelievable-arguing about whether or not they argue!

So the next one was even funnier. I wish I could even remember what started this conversation but it was about something that had happened at school. McCall has reached a point where I am constantly taken aback by his surprising wit and mental ability which does often lead him to produce a convincing argument based purely on his view of the world and with some disregard for fact at all. Oddly, this can sometimes be confusing for adults because he does make you think about the strangest things. He also has learned that calling an idea an "opinion" can excuse any actual need to support it with fact. So one of his favorite methods for weaseling out of a situation where he has said too much is by saying, "Well, that's just my opinion." While I can't remember the "thing" he was disputing yesterday, the conversation to a point where McCall said very calmly (even though the entire point of his discussion was to rile his brother) "Well, that's just my opinion." Landry had had enough of his arrogance and said right back to him, "Well, your opinion makes my opinion mad!"

I think I may have a future debate team on my hands!

So, I have to know...
Do your kids duke it out daily?
Are you prone to a verbal battle?
Does conflict cause you to shut down? (I'm a serious avoider.)
Do you have any great methods for putting out these "fires" and creating peace in your home? (Landry prays daily no to fight with his brother...McCall doesn't.)

So Grateful

2007-11-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

I was reminded today by a good friend that I need to let everyone know that our family and home was safe from recent southern CA wildfires. Yes, we are safe in spite of a few scary days of recommended evacuation. I am ever so grateful as the news keep showing neighborhoods in ruins and families with nothing left. The thing I am impressed by is the constant message that these people are just so grateful to be alive and have their loved ones with them. I think we all believe that we would feel the same way in the face of complete devastation of all of our precious worldly possessions but I don't think we can really understand how it truly must feel. I try so hard not to be materialistic but I can't help but feel a sincere pang of sadness when I think of the possibility of losing many of my beloved belongings that have become sentimental items and have so many precious memories attached.

I was so moved by one story shared by a friend at church. She had read a story in the newspaper about a husband and wife in Rancho Bernardo (which was incidentally an area where we almost bought a home) who were trapped in their swimming pool for 3 hours while their home burned as they watched. Several years prior the man had lost his mother and had become very bitter and angry over the loss. Before her death she had written a note to him in the front page of a book including the words, "I will always be your guardian angel...". After the fire while sorting through the ashes the man found this one page with singed edges. He was completely changed by this and finally found peace with the loss of his mother and the loss of their family home.

I remember the feeling as we packed up one car full of kids and photos and journals and not much else and I walked through the house thinking to myself, I really do have everything that is really important. It took us 4 hours to get to a nearby city to stay the night with friends and the part of the fires that was close to our community was contained before we even reached our destination. I didn't have to fear that our home would be gone when we returned but this experience has changed me and really made me so grateful.

Here are some practical things for you to think about:

* Are you prepared with your 72-kit for each of your family members? (I had not updated to include baby Griffin's needs and had to rush around to make sure that I had diapers, baby food, etc.)

* Do you have your albums, journals, family history, etc. in a central location that you could grab quickly in the event of a swift departure? (I did not and had to spend a long time running around the house gathering)

* Do you have a plan for a location for your family to gather out of town? (We did not but my mom helped with a quick solution and a few phone calls.)

* Have you ever spoken to your children about natural disasters and how they affect communities and what will happen in the event one occurs in your community? (Thanks to recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, we have been given ample opportunity to discuss this sort of thing at dinner and while watching news so our children understood what it meant when I said, "Get your backpack and pack your special things." By the way-I cracked up at what they chose: Pinewood Derby trophies, a coconut sent by mail to them at Grandma and Grandpa's while Mike and I were in HI, tattered "Bones"-McCall's beloved stuffed puppy, and pictures of our dead dog Jackson were just a few.)

Summer Hiatus is Over

2007-09-10T10:08:00.001-07:00

Okay-so those of you who know me will understand why I had to take a summer blog hiatus. Our summer was full of moving and road trips and really, an unbelievable amount of stress which I will not labor over. I am feeling totally drained in so many ways and I realized I need to refill my creativity bucket. This is the best way I can manage at the moment since all of my toys are still in boxes. So I hope I can draw back some of my online support group by getting some regular posts going.

First-I am loving California! So for all of my complaining about the getting here part I have to say that soon I will surrender myself to the admission that it was all worth it. Yes-I am holding back a bit since we are still dealing with the moving company and a major insurance claim (oh yeah-I wasn't going to labor over the stressful stuff!).

We are all now at home together in north San Diego County and getting very comfortable here. I have always been a California girl at heart even though officially as of last year I had lived equal parts of my life in and out of California. Now I can get back to being a true native! I really do feel energized by being here and things are falling into place very nicely. Our home has worked out perfectly and I really adore our new neighborhood and community, school, church ward, etc. I even love doing errands here since this community was planned so well and really flows very nicely as far as the lay of the land goes. I have even found a friend at church to do a weekly morning swap with our littles so we can squeeze in a morning out sans babies.

We just returned from a weekend at my parents home in northern CA (another benefit of moving back here-being able to get there any time!) to listen to my sister's homecoming talk. She just returned from an LDS Mission in Berlin, Germany and she is doing great. I love the energy and excitement of a newly returned missionary and she was just bubbling over with passion for her love for serving others and her love of and commitment to serving the Savior. I'm so grateful that my children have had the experience of hearing first hand from her about the joys of her service and I am grateful for being constantly reminded of my own mission service and how happy that continues to make me feel.

So now for my moment to confess that I lately I am in a personal slump. I think this summer has taken a lot out of me. I have been trying to really focus on keeping it all in perspective and being so grateful for the wonderful and amazing life that our family has but truthfully I am feeling a bit of an identity crisis. I know it sounds cliche and that we all experience it. Here is my question to you-what do you do to maintain "you"? How do I manage all of my roles of mom, tutor, housekeeper, friend, etc. and still feel like a person of individual value? Is this just the eternal question we each ask daily? And I guess the bigger question is, am I selfish for feeling a lack? My husband seems puzzled by this idea that anything can be missing from my apparently very full life-which it is. Get vulnerable with me and share you thoughts!

We live in California!

2007-07-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well-sort of! Right now our family is split between two cities in CA and most of us are camping out at Grandma and Grandpa's house and we still have one house in Ohio and one in Utah-anyone want to move? Mike and I always try to do things the hard way. But the good news is that the weather is great, we are all seeing each other every weekend or so and we get to hang out with my parents who in spite of our very energetic children, still seem to enjoy our company.

I've said it before and it has to be said again, I hate moving. I am constantly reminding my children not to use the "h-word" but it is just so fitting in this case. we're trying to talk my parents into moving to the San Diego area so that we'll never have to move again.

I am happy to be here and even though we are still not (and probably won't be for awhile) completely settled. I have rekindled a few of my cherished old friendships and spent some quality time with my parents who we have missed terribly being so far away. I love to walk around or drive around and think "we live here!"

Moving Countdown...Part One

2007-06-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

I knew I was in for trouble when early this year I declared my word for the year to be "FLEXIBLE". I think now my husband and children and maybe even some unsuspecting strangers may consider a change of my wishful-thinking-word to "GRUMPY". I really am trying to be a good sport but I honestly don't think I can find too many people to disagree with me that moving is beyond stressful. I know many of you feel my pain so I won't go on and on but I am up to my eyeballs in my least favorite kinds of details that need attention.

Part one of our move begins at 6:00 AM on Monday when I head to the airport to board a flight with 3 small children (one of them a nursing baby) for about 8 hours of travel time. I am locking up my house to be moved later and have arranged for about 1000 people to help me with the details of caring for, securing, and selling this home-hopefully very soon-while we are away. The good news is that we are headed for Cookie and Poppie's house to increase the adult to child ratio a bit. It will be wonderful to have more hands and we are all excited for the 'extended sleepover', as Jill so kindly puts it! My parents are excited now but we'll see how they feel on day 16 or 26 or... yikes! Hopefully Part Two of the actual move into a house in San Diego before school starts will begin soon. Mike and our realtor are working hard to make that happen.

We have been trying to do all of our "last time in Cleveland" things and we had one blissful evening of an unexpected last that was truly delightful. One of the most exciting things about living in a place with summertime humidity of nearly 80% is the magical appearance of fireflies at dusk. My boys were out in our lush green backyard playing in the trees and I heard squeals of joy as the flickers started to appear. It is a sad fact for fireflies but joyous to children that the poor creatures can't fly very fast and are easily caught and swiftly placed in canning jars. It is kind of an amazing thing to watch a jar of bugs turn into a summertime lantern and just something you don't get to do in sunny California. I was grateful for this last and pleased to know that this is something sweet my children will remember about our years in Ohio.

I long for the days when life seems more stable and permanent but in spite of all this madness I am still excited about the next adventure. I am so looking forward to some time at my childhood home with my own children and my parents especially after my mom's extended illness this year throughout her breast cancer treatment. She is finally feeling herself a lot of the time again and so looking forward to the arrival of "her boys"! It will be good medicine for all of us. (It's funny, every time I have typed the word "good" during this post I have accidentally typed "god"...there must be a message for me in that.)

I will post regularly again soon. Have laptop, will travel and blog!

*Any great secret tips on nursing a baby in public? I'm not so great at it and had a tough time when Griff and I visited Mike in CA in April! Please share!

Life is too short.

2007-05-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have been completely overwhelmed by a million tiny details and mundane tasks these past few weeks. I have been scattered and impatient and cranky and mean to my kids and quite honestly a major complainer to my truly wonderful and supportive husband.

Until Sunday.

At church our Bishop made a very somber announcement that a family in our ward had lost their 7-year old grandson in Alaska over the weekend when he accidentally drowned. None of the details were shared but you could hear a collective gasp from the congregation and my heart ached for this family I had never met or known and in a flash ached for many families I have known and known of over the years of my life that have experienced heart breaking tragedy. Tears started to roll down my face for this particular loss and also because I knew in my very core that I have got to stop letting the craziness of my life consume me and that I must acknowledge that our life here on Earth may be very short.

I gave my children on my lap and on both sides of me a squeeze and I vowed to slow down, if only in my head, and appreciate. Just appreciate. I am ashamed of the fact that someone elses tragedy is once again my personal lesson in introspection. I wonder if we ever feel that we are "doing alright".

***Is it a testament of perfect humility to recognize our constant lack or to work so diligently that we don't have time to notice?***

April Fool's Day!

2007-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Okay-so every year I am always trying to come up with a great April Fool's Day joke and nothing ever seems good enough to really pull off. Well, this year was too perfect! I was really trying to come up with something good for Mike since he was getting ready to go to CA on Monday. He was so busy packing and taking care of a million things at the house to get it realtor-ready that something told me he might not appreciate a joke about me being pregnant or deciding that I really wished I were a man.

So about mid-day I shifted my devious focus to my kids who are really just now entering the age when they can be just gullible enough and yet enjoy the humor of a great joke. So while we were eating dinner I told them (with no warning to Mike) that we had been looking at houses in San Diego and they were really expensive (that part sadly, is true) so we were planning to buy a house in Mexico instead. I really had them going as I told them about how we would get a tutor for our family to help us learn Spenish and that we might even be able to get a donkey. Landry flat out said, "I'm just not going." (This is not surprising since he is the kid that orders a hamburger when we eat at a mexican restaurant.) I even told them that they would get to eat beans and rice at la cafeteria en la escuela. They were not impressed and McCall looked visibly uncomfortable.

So I could see that they had really taken the bait so I finally said that the only bummer was that Mexico didn't celebrate one holiday that we have in the US-April Fool's Day of course! It really was so funny because they thought we were just nuts and Mike jumped right in and really played it up. Poor kids. I crack myself up!

I actually think I am just getting punchy since I am a little crazed at being single mommy again for the next 3 months while Mike heads out to start his new job in CA. I'm in charge of getting and keeping the house tip top to sell and our next home might need to be a double-wide since homes in San Diego are apparently wallpapered in 24 kt gold. Anybody with friends or family in San Diego County please email because we need help choosing a neighborhood.

Don't get me wrong-I am really excited to be getting back to sunny CA but just absorbing a lot of shock right now. It is a good thing that Griffin is the perfect (albeit giant 95%ile everything) baby. He is the most amazing, sweet natured, adorable, all-night sleeping little creature ever! We are all so happy to have him. He helps me to keep perspective andwatching McCall and Landry dote on him just melts my heart. Mike is dying at being away so we are already sending pictures several times a day and we'll get the webcam going soon.

I'm still breathing and taking the opportunity to exercise my "flexibility" each day!

Griffin's First Laugh-Here's the video!

2007-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

Cookie Gets the First Laugh!

2007-02-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

(This is a video clip-I'm still trying to get it to play for you so keep checking!)

I just returned from taking Griffin for his first visit to Cookie and Poppie's house in California. He has been smiling like crazy and seemed just about to laugh before we left. It turns out he must have been saving it for my cute bald mom because he gave it up just for her. She was of course delighted and it was just the sweetest moment. Cookie (Gwen) has just finished up her chemo and although you can't tell from the video, her hair is even starting to grow back. She has a little fuzz but Griffin doesn't seem to have too much more than her so far. He was a perfect baby sleeping for 95% of our 12 total hours of flying time. He received special acclaim by airline employees and travellers alike! My sister Katie joined us in CA so it was a really nice weekend. I left the big boys and Mike at home to go to work and school-Boo. They will surely be with us next time. It was just so nice to be able to see my mom and know that she is doing much better. She will begin radiation in a few weeks and should be done with her treatment by summer. That will be just in time for some exciting changes for us (I am being "flexible"!) since WE ARE MOVING TO CALIFORNIA! Mike just accepted a position in San Diego and will be starting in April. He'll commute between OH and CA until June to fulfill a consulting contract he has here and help to get the house sold. The big boys will finish out the school year and we hope to be moving by June/July. The cross country move makes my stomach turn but we have done it before and can do it again. At least we will be hiring movers this time! I can't wait for the sunshine and can't wait to see some of you a lot more often. I'll keep you posted and post more photos of the trip soon.

My "Word" for 2007

2007-02-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

So, I am sad to admit I have become more of a lurker of late than a blog participator, but I haven't stopped thinking about all of your sparks of inspiration that really make me think-- in absence of actual writing. I have especially been thinking about my word for the year and in light of recent events which I will elaborate on soon, my word for the year is "flexible" --well, really it is "be flexible". A newborn is re-teaching me the "go with the flow" required by his presence in our lives, my big boys' ever increasing scheduling requirements (not to mention their need for my attention) are testing my Franklin Planning skills, my husband's need for my support in many ways is nearly sending me to Dr. Phil, the demands of church and school responsibilities are pushing me to the brink of saying an occasional "no", and a mother and grandmother needing much love, support and daily phone calls are squeezing the very most out of my maximum capacity 19 hour days (not that I would trade it for anything). I know we are all in the same proverbial boat and I so appreciate reading about your lives to know that I am not alone in my daily quest for balance and hopefully progress. I think I have the beginnings of flexibility but control of my personal existence is pretty important to me and I am about to begin a course certain to involve some spinning. The prize I have my eye on is a mastery (or at least a decent appearance) of breathing in between calm recitations of my mantra "it is all going to be okay". So, here I go. Today I will bend in several different directions and my goal is to flex back to center at the end of it. Then tomorrow I can start again.

2007-01-23T09:31:00.001-08:00

Tending My Nest

2007-01-21T16:11:00.001-08:00

The following is an article that I found in an odd place but it struck a chord in my life right now as I juggle my "nest" full of a new baby and two other busy boys, life as mom, wife, church and school volunteer, and an individual with a commitment to creative development and personal growth. I am inspired by an article I found on a new website I discovered through a friend called, "The Grocery Game", which is a great place to visit to save money on your grocery bills but kind of an odd place to find such a meaningful note. I hope you enjoy and consider your own "Human Doing vs. Human Being" as I have been movitated to do.

"All too often, we make New Years Resolutions to take on new tasks and new
commitments that keep us so busy, that we become a “Human Doing”, rather than a
“Human Being”. How much can I really “do” outside my home, and still “enjoy”
my family? And to take it a step further… this is scary… What commitments
outside my home can I un-load? Another thing to consider… And this takes
some courage to really examine… Am I doing things because I want to receive
accolades from people outside my home? After all, praise and validation from
outside the home can be very gratifying. We all love those pats on the back. By
contrast, we don't get a lot of praise for taking care of our homes and families. So we sometimes neglect our homes and family, because we enjoy the praise or affirmation we get for being a "busy body" outside the home. I only know that, because I've caught myself being sucked into that from time to time over the years. So I ask myself... Am I filling my day pleasing other people so much that I don’t have time to enjoy the most important people in my life? Let’s take a brave look at that! As women, alot of us have fallen into that trap from time to time, and to some degree or another. Maybe the best New Years Resolution is not to add activities or to add more outside commitments, but to subtract from my commitments? That’s risky… What will people think? But then, if I’m more relaxed, and place less demands on myself, will I be more enjoyable to be around? Will my family be happier? Will I be happier, knowing deep in my heart that I am doing what's best for me and my family? The most precious times in my life are those moments when I can really absorb what my sons are sharing with me, or really listen to my husband’s great ideas and dreams. I know I’m not really good at that when I am over extended, tired, or pre-occupied. And yet, those are the moments that bring me the most joy! That’s what I live for! Each year, rather than come up with some more things to “do” for my New Year’s Resolution, I resolve to “do” less. I resolve to start saying “no” to so many outside commitments. To take it a step further, I resolve to find some commitments to un-load. I resolve to be less of a “Human Doing” and more of a “Human Being” in 2007. I hope you’ll join me. "
PS: Take the time to stop by The Grocery Game. I have tried this for two weeks and saved over $80 on my regular grocery purchases! Good luck!

Signs of Life

2007-01-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

Okay-so my life has been completely overtaken in the very best way possible. Griffin has been such a source of such pure joy in our house that it seems all we can all manage is to sit and play with him and tell each other how happy he makes us. Meanwhile, life is moving forward and I am getting seriously behind. I am barely keeping up which is why my Christmas cards turned into New Year's cards and those are not even all mailed out yet. I'm showering every couple of days now so that is progress and my family is getting regular meals so I keep assuring myself that we will get there...one day! There are many days that I don't leave the house and my friends and neighbors have been so amazing to help with rides for the big boys and taking care of errands wherever they can. I actually attended a PTA meeting last week and my husband came home and saw that I had dressed AND did my hair and makeup and was astonished. Sad.

Anyway, I have had blog guilt now for several weeks so I am back to show signs of life and show off our little sweetie. I have at least 4 blog topics saved in my drafts so slowly I plan to catch up and get connected again. Many of you have sent wonderful and unbelievably thoughtful gifts and I am full of regret about my very tardy thank you notes. I think of you every day and my formal thanks are on the way. It means so much to me to be remembered in your busy lives. You all amaze me with your kindness and organization! I have all kinds of resolutions!

Keep watching for more...I promise!

He's Here!

2006-12-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am all out of excuses for neglecting my blog, projects, volunteering and other responsibilities that I have felt "too pregnant" to manage. Griffin Michael arrived without a hitch at 7:56 AM on Thursday, November 30th. He weighed 8 lb. 11.65 oz-weighing in just .35 ounces less than his big brother Landry did. We like them big at our house! He is a cutie and has a very sweet and mild temperament so far. He has a raspy voice, also like big brother Landry which makes his nighttime waking more humorous than annoying. The kid loves to eat which is no big surprise from the size of him. We are all enjoying having him home with us and Mike has been a great Mr. Mom for 2 weeks. I think we will both be sad when he goes back to work next week. I have lots of new photos in Griffin's own new gallery at our Smugmug site so feel free to take a peek. We update every few days.

As for the rest of my life-I have much to catch up on but that will have to wait! I plan on enjoying every minute of this little squirt! Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and happy thoughts!

Fall Photos and another Wedding Invitation "Put to Bed"

2006-11-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

I spent a few hours this week taking photos of the boys and we had so much fun. The Fall is so beautiful here and lake Erie is such a beautiful backdrop for photos that I can't stand to waste it. Here are some of the best shots of the boys. They seem like such sweet brothers in photos! The camera doesn't always capture the moments of punching and pushing in between loving cherubic smiles! I'm so happy that we took the time to do this.

We are also cheering because the election is over and Mike survived! It is a great feeling and now we can actually enjoy the last few weeks before baby arrives. We just scheduled our delivery for the 30th so assuming Griffin cooperates, we'll be having some excitement early that morning-yahoo! Can't wait!

Just put one more wedding invitation job "to bed" so to speak. The bride and groom to be are very happy and we've all been getting compliments. This is starting to get really fun for me but I can see that I am only going to be able to take clients that are really willing to pay the price for my time. It consumed my life for a lot more time than I anticipated. I had to babysit the printers because I was so concerned about the quality of everything. The photos don't really do the actual pieces much justice but in the end they really did turn out beautiful. The paper is a pearly silver with a blush tone to it. We used vellum envelopes for the outer envelopes so the initials of the B & G showed through underneath the area to be addressed. The bride is adorable and was happy to pay whatever I asked and even brought me a thank you gift because she was so thrilled! Now if only I can count on all of my jobs being so delightful! I'm working on a family Christmas card now so things are moving along! My goal is to start making enough money to justify hiring a housekeeper-isn't that pathetic? A girl has to have goals!

Good Mail, a haven amidst a very busy week!

2006-11-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

This week was unbelievably busy for me. I'm sure you are all nodding your heads in agreement as I know you must all spend your days running around in much the same way. A few days ago I was thrilled to see a "Good Mail from Jill" label on a package in my mail box! I love these little surprises and was so excited to open it. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to savor it like I really wanted to at that moment so it had to wait until the day of classroom volunteering, basketball practice, babysitting a neighbors child for a few hours and a doctor's appointment began to wind down before I could sit and soak it in. The goodies included some fun sticky notes (which I use endless supplies of), some Pink Ribbon Tic-Tacs which have already appeased my children on a few occasions while being drug around running errands with mom this week, some really cute stripey ribbon that will be used on a project right away, and a book by Anita Shreve, an author I enjoy reading very much and a title I haven't read yet. How does she do it? It was perfect of course! My mom started her chemo this wee and is not doing well at all with it so on top of the busy days I have been weepy and worried about her in between attempts at concentration on the tasks at hand. Thank you for the kind distraction, Jill. You have intuition beyond comprehension!

After all of the Halloween classroom parties, room volunteering, special hot dog fun lunches at school, errand running, finishing projects for my grandpa's 80th birthday celebration (in Utah and sadly I couldn't attend because of the impending birth of my child), neighbor helping, spelling test studying, lunch making and emergency dry cleaning pick up for my husband who has been in court and local and national TV interviews all week (this might sound like a glamorous brag of sorts but trust me it is NOT), I got two phone calls on Thursday reminding me of 1) a fun rubber stamping class I had signed up for at our brand new Archivers store (yahoo!), and another Dr. appointment scheduled long ago that I had forgotten about that both happen on Friday which I thought was going to be my "take a breath" day. No luck with that. I almost cancelled on the class but I squeezed it in knowing that it might be awhile before I have any down time sans children and I'm so glad I went. It was tons of fun and recharged my battery considerably. The doctor's appointment was not so thrilling but they were on schedule and kind so I can't complain.

The boys in their scary gear with pals at a fun annual party thrown be our neighbors. I'm sad that I didn't take a photo of their yard to show you-it is awesome. They go nuts!

My kids had a great time on Halloween in spite of the fact that mom was hoping an electric wheelchair might appear by the time we got to TOT. I had already spent the day at classroom parties and was tempted to let the kids just go out with a few of the other dads from the street that kindly offered to take the boys but I just couldn't miss out. So I left our treat bucket on the porch with the light on and we set out. The family that owns the original "Ghostbusters" mobile from the movie lives in our neighborhood and brings it out on Halloween to tour the streets and make stops so the kids (and dads!) can take turns witting inside. It is a really fun tradition and something that we just love seeing. They have a full crew dress in jumpsuits and everything-it really is fun to see. I remember seeing that movie in the theater with one of my best girlfriends and her grandma, who recently passed away, so it made me very reminiscent. Strange, but a nice memory.

Since I am on a woe is me roll I have also been crushed about the recent news that our Ward (the group of people that we attend our weekly church meetings with) has been split and dispersed into one new ward (mine as it happens) and two existing wards. It was announced at Stake Conference two weeks ago and everyone is still reeling and adjusting mentally. A lot of my friends and many of the young families are going to the two other wards. I'm sure it will all be fine and we will all enjoy meeting our new Ward this week but it is hard change right before the baby arrives. I loved our Ward and felt so surrounding by friends after being here for such a short time. They say change is good and this does represent a lot of growth in our area so I am working on my positive attitude about it.

So...I feel better now that I have vented and I am going to do absolutely nothing this weekend to recover from the week and get ready for the next one! I am thrilled to announce that we are on the serious baby countdown. Next week we should be scheduling the C-Section delivery of little Griffin Michael Vu so I will keep you all posted.

One more THANK YOU for Jill and this blogland community of friends!

Officially Fall

2006-10-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up to a real chill in the air and found that we had a dusting of snow on our roof. Its a little early for my taste but our limited seasonal history in Ohio has taught us that usually we have an early cold snap and then we get just a little Indian Summer right before Halloween allowing for a comfortable evening of jacket-less Trick-or-Treating. We have a little time so we're crossing our fingers and toes!

It is hard to feel the cold since we have really had a beautiful fall so far. Here are some of the great things we've been doing in our amazing weather:

1) Soccer, soccer, and more soccer.

2) Picking apples and pumpkins at Mapleside Farms-a completely enchanting experience I have to say.

3) Halloween partying! In this picture you can see some of the fun Halloween pillowcases we made for some of our favorite friends in Utah. My mom came up with a great little poem set to the basic lyrics of "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Email me for our pumpkins version.

4) Oh...and growing a pumpkin of our own! (Sorry-the evening was dying and I'm wearing black so miraculously you can't fully appreciate my HUGE belly!)

And then when it snowed we decided to "Race for the Cure" at a walking and Burley-riding pace of course. Yes-we had a nice polar blast for our walk but nobody complained. They even had the nerve to serve free "Pink Ribbon Chip" ice cream from our favorite neighborhood ice cream shop, Mitchell's Homemade Icecream .

Thank you once again to all of you who support our race for Cookie! She is doing well and begins her chemo treatments on November 2nd. We expect her hair to start falling out after about 2 weeks of treatments and she has decided to go "hat" rather than "wig" so please send me any ideas you have about cute hat sources!

Race for the Cure Day!

2006-10-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Our family sends a huge thank you to all of you who continue to offer your love, support, prayers, monetary contributions and happy thoughts on behalf of my mom Gwen Drechsler. Tomorrow is race for the Cure day in Cleveland and we are excited to get up bright and early in the chilly weather to walk for our "Cookie"!

Gwen had surgery last week and found that the cancer has travelled to her lypmhnodes so it looks like there will be chemotherapy in her future. That is a bit discouraging but we are all doing our best to remain positive and be hopeful for her cure.

Last year we ached for our young friend Teague May as he battled (and so far has conquered!) cancer in Washington State. His family adopted a motto from the Book of Mormon, "Be of good cheer...". We share this sentiment as we are ever grateful for our blessings and ever hopeful for peace and comfort for our mom, grandma, daughter, sister and friend Gwen. Many kind acts have been sent our way and I am personally so appreciative of friends that have shown love and support in the sweetest ways.

To highlight a few that have taken place:

Kristi C. auctioned one of her adorable handmade Pockets and Posies bags on eBay as part of our fundraising efforts to support our family goal to raise $500 for our Race for the Cure fund.

Another friend, Emily G. made a last minute bid to win the bag and her contribution of $63 will go into the fund.

Amie A. (whom I have never met) sent me a very kind "Good Pink Mail" package full of pink goodies including cozy pink ribbon flannel pajamas, pink ribbon Race Day socks (which I will of course be donning tomorrow!) some fun pink ribbon sticky notes and of course chocolate. Amie's enclosed note shared a personal survival story from her family that instantly brought me "good cheer" and tears to my eyes to realize that we have many supporters all around us who care deeply even for virtual strangers.

Many friends and family members have made financial contributions to our Race effort online to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Foundations like these need our support to continue the fight against many cancers affect our friends and family members. It is hard to feel like one in a sea of many but when we look around there are a whole lot of fish swimming right with us.

Evan T. my starving artist little brother in CA has made it a personal project to contribute the proceeds from the sales of his work to support our effort. As a point of interest and to let you know how much this means to me, Evan and I share a biological father. He is doing this for MY mom not his (even though his is wonderful as well!). That is how sweet his involvement is to me.

I can't even name all of you who have promised prayers on our family's behalf but those are perhaps the most needed. We won't understand the why but we trust that there is a reason to draw on our faith and our friendships. Thank you all from my heart of hearts.

Sign Language

2006-09-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

A message from my brother Evan, the starving and yet generous artist!

Check it out kids. My mom got a call from my sister in Ohio saying that her mom (my sister and I are from the same dad) has some nasty form of Breast Cancer. My sister is asking for people to help her raise funds for her walk in "Race for a Cure". It's an annual event held all over the country by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and helps fund treatment and science in to cancer prevention and an eventual cure.

Since I can barely keep the lights on my house, I really can't give much. But I have made a run of "Sign Language" prints for sale. If you buy one of these prints, a portion of your payment will go towards my sisters donation to "Race For A Cure". Plus you get a sweet signed and numbered print of one my paintings. It's pretty much a win win situation.

Check out http://www.evantreece.com/images/painting/2006/images/signlanguage.jpg to see what the painting looks like.

"Sign Language"
8x10" (printed on 8.5x11" glossy stock)
$10.00 (includes your donation to the "Race For A Cure")

Thanks for helping me help out my sister! if you know anyone that might be interested please forward this to them!

-e.

Our Family's Race for the Cure

2006-09-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our family recently received news that our Mom and Grandma, Gwen Drechsler, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been given positive news by her doctors that her prognosis is good since it has been caught at an early stage. Her cancer is at stage 2 and it doesn't appear to have spread to the lyphnodes although, further surgery and testing will have to confirm that. She is currently scheduled for surgery next week and once she has recoved from the surgery she will begin radiation treatments. For now they do not feel that chemotherapy will be necessary so we consider that great news.

Our family has decided to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Cleveland, Ohio on October 14th to show our support for our "Cookie". If you would like to support our fundraising efforts please visit our family's fundraising page at: http://race.komenneohio.org/site/TR?px=1052391&pg=personal&fr_id=1000&s_tafId=1002

Mom seems to be hanging in there but of course has moments of feeling anxious and sad. We are doing our best to keep her upbeat and as distracted as possible. I appreciate the notes and calls of support we have already received. Please keep Gwen in your thoughts and prayers.

Hints and Tips

2006-09-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Some helpful hints I found in my inbox this AM:

Bed Sheets

After drying my\n sheets, I put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches. Takes up less storage room too.

Kids Bike ID

If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture with name and address on the back in a small ziplok bag and put it inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns the bike.

Clean your glass shower

To clean the glass in your shower easily, apply lemon juice to the glass with a sponge. Then, take newspaper and wipe the lemon juice off the glass. It will be clean and sparkle with no scrubbing!

Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover p! izza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy microwave pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper Weeds-Away

Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass

Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass - the fibers catch ones you can't see!

No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle\n your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn\'t hurt the\n plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Easier thank you's

When you throw a bridal baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride or new mother sends the thank you's, they're all addressed!

Flexible vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- voila -- static is gone.

Measuring Cups

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

Good-bye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! Take baby powder to the beach Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you're ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

***Any tips to add?***

Loving the little things...

2006-09-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched Landry (age 5) for several minutes in the morning while he was eating his breakfast. He was using a fork and knife to cut his Eggo waffles with his signature toppings: syrup and cinnamon. Usually I do the cutting for him, mainly to speed things along during busy mornings but also because his dexterity is that of a five-year-old's. This particular morning he insisted on doing it himself and was doing quite a fine, albeit painstakingly slow, job of it. I finally had to get up and grab my camera because the looks of concentration and success were priceless. Well, of course I got all these great shots only to find that my memory stick was in my computer so I can't show them to all of you. What these few tiny moments brought to my consciousness was a flood of love for the tiny things that we get to experience in the lives of our children. This was probably a one time moment as now each time he picks up a knife and fork to cut his waffles it is going to be easier and easier and one day while sitting at the table with his wife and kids he will likely do it without a crinkled nose and probably won't let out a hoop and holler over getting an actual bite to his mouth on his own. It is a little sad and a mighty triumph all at once. Now, if we can only get him to tie his shoes...

On a sad and serious note, I have to share this news with my community of friends here in blog-land. Our family just found out that my mom has breast cancer. We are all very sad, anxious, and concerned. My mom is the literal Queen of our immediate and extended family. She is the coordinator of all fun, work, support, love, baby care, teenage tolerance and mission preparation. She is a cheerleader, honest critic, counselor, banker, root of all creativity, and lover of her family. I can't begin to think of our lives without her so I am focused on her cure. I have been regularily hounded by a group of friends to join a gang of friends walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in October and I'm hoping this might encourage some of you to join your local events. Find a race in your community and please feel free to share your stories with me. I plan to start a blog for my mom to update her progress for our friends and family so when I get that going I will post the info. Thank you to those of you who I have already spoken with and have sent your love.

Gifts that we want to keep for ourselves

2006-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself spending a lot of time making or finding a perfect gift for a beloved friend or family member and then wishing you were the one getting it? Well, as much as I love my friend Sommer, I have made a gift for her family that I seriously want to keep. I have made a committment to actually follow through and deliver it to her for her pure thrill and joy tomorrow but now I will have to make another one for our house. This growth chart was a solution to aproblem I have of being heartsick at moving away from a home that has a little space on the inside of a closet door where we marked precious inches and dates as our boys have grown taller. Sommer just had a new baby, Blake and she has another boy Carson that is 2 1/2 so I figured she might like to have this rather than another pack of onesies (although the value of those little items should not be discounted one bit!). I took some photos because I will need to remember the details one day when I get around to making another one.

What are some of your less than eager to give up gifts stories?

Cool New Tool

2006-09-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this really cool tool I just learned about from Microsoft. It is a personal desktop search engine that allows you to search all of your computer's files by keyword. This is great for finding photos on the fly and for those of you who love to embroider this works like a charm if your files are stacked deep like mine are! I am so excited about using this. Here's the link to the details and free download:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/desktopsearch/default.mspx

The groovy artist in my family

2006-08-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

My brother Evan lives in California and is a really talented artist. In the past few years he has really developed his professional art and has had some gallery showings and people are starting to buy his work! He has a very funky style and often makes a statement with his work. One of my favorite things that he has done was a great comic book of a trip that he and my stepmom Terri made out to SLC, Utah a few years back when I lived there. It was a humorous tale of the time we spent together doing stuff like skiing and snowboarding-his first attempt which ended badly. One of his more recent projects is a line of t-shirts featuring a few of his pieces that can be seen and purchased at cafepress.com http://www.cafepress.com/evantreece. Here is my favorite!If the image is too small to see well here is a description: It is a fish with a thought bubble of her consideration of why on Earth she might have use for a bicycle...you get the Gloria Steinem reference! I love the fact that this comes from a male artist. He is such a cool kid. I'm going to post a few other links to his work-some of it might be a little objectionable to some of my audience so I need to select items to feature rather than pointing you to his entire shock-value collection. He can be rather expressive!

Where did the summer go?

2006-08-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how fast the summer always seems to fly by. We spend so much of it traveling (which I can't complain about at all) that sometimes I feel a little cheated at the great lazy days at home part. The boys went back to school last week and our posts have been so infrequent that here we are once again doing a huge catch up entry showing where our summer went.

Well, if you know me at all you know that it went to the beach and the pool...

And it went to the park and the zoo...

Some of us learned how to ride a bike and inline skate!

We made cookies and treats...

We had brother sleepovers--not quite ready for sleep overs away from home so we improvise!

We had a great time at Cookie and Poppie's in California... (Paddleboating at Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey)

And then last Wednesday, our summer went to Kindergarten and Third Grade...does this kid look excited or what? I think "or what" would be his answer. Landry said his teacher was "sort of nice but didn't have a really good smile." When I asked him what he meant by a really good smile his adorable son-of-the-year response, "You know mom, like yours." Ahhh...I guess that made up for McCall's endless comments as we took him to school about how few other mothers were actually present. Do parents really stop taking their kids to the first day of school in 3rd grade? I think my mom came with me to every year of grade school. After refusing to kiss me goodbye and barely tolerating this one photo, McCall said, "Okay Mom, you can go now and for sure in 4th grade you are not coming inside with me." Wow! I was speechless and cried all the way home. I can laugh about it now but do any of you feel my pain this time of year? Should they really be allowed to grow up? I told Landry when we got in the car that I would give him $100 if he would stop growing and he considered it for a second and then said, "No way! I wanna be big!"

At Last I am a Member!

2006-08-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to announce that I have become a full-fledged member of the Good Mail club! I love having friends that are so thoughtful already, only to be reminded by a sweet note or gift in the mail. Today I must make a list of the several items of good mail I received this week-one even quite shocking!

1. A sweet card from Kristi with a notes of congrats on our baby boy news.

2. A funny card from my parents with a note about sending good and happy thoughts to our monkey boy. (we have been calling Baby Vu-Monkey Baby since the get-go because we expect that he will have Mike's fuzzy black head of hair that I love so much) The inside of the card reads: "I think my monkey likes your monkey."

3. A wedding invitation and gorgeous photo of some dear friends. Note: This is the first of my very own designs made professionally and not just for my own pleasure and use that is out in the world!

4. A package with a bundle of cuddly flannel baby boy receiving blankets from Jill to celebrate our baby boy news. They are so soft and make me hungry for the little warm body to fill them with!

5. A very unexpected letter from a dear elderly friend of my husband Mike sent days before his death (cancer). We knew he was about to pass and had been thinking and talking about him when a friend of his called Mike to get our address a few weeks ago. This kind and generous gentleman sent us a significant monetary gift that we were stunned by. In his honor we decided that we will only use the money for things for the baby since they will be "passing in the night" so to speak. We were so touched by his kindness and I am warmed by the knowledge that Mike was considered such a close friend to a dear man.

It is so wonderful to have such thoughtful and inspiring friends in our lives. Thank you all for thinking of us!

The boys win again!

2006-07-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am meant to wash dirty socks and sports uniforms for the rest of my living days because the boys team takes another win in our family! I know that I have always said and firmly believed that I was somehow meant to be a mother to a daughter but we found out this morning that get to have another go with a boy. Its a good thing I love having these rough and tumble creatures in my life! Actually, in many ways I am relieved to be getting one more of a great thing. I know what to do with boys and they seem to love their mama. This pregnancy has been tough and because I was so sick this time and not with the first two I was pretty convinced that this would be a girl. I even allowed myself to think mostly girl and bought a few things that will either have to go back and be exchanged for something a little less pink or will be gifts for future ballerinas! It was fun while it lasted but this also means I have a lot more of what we will need already on hand. Last night we actually watched the video recording of McCall's and Landry's ultrasounds to get us all really excited for today. We brought the boys with us for the appointment and they loved watching the screen and guessing what baby body part we were looking at. They had seen their big "reveal" on the video last night so when the doc got to that point they raised up their hands and cheered for a new addition to the team! It was so fun to see how excited they were. Mike and I were surprised but of course we are so happy that the baby is healthy and looks strong. We are thinking of the name "Elliot" but I'd love to hear any of your great suggestions of favorites. My favorite thing about knowing that I will have another boy is that I still get to keep my title of "Princess Mommy". I do have to say I adore the special treatment of being the only girl in the house!

They're Back!

2006-07-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

At last my little critters are home with us again! They had a great trip full of swimming pools and beaches and fireworks and golfing. McCall says that his favorite thing was Boogey-boarding with his Poppie in Santa Cruz. Landry loved playing his favorite sport with his dad and brother-- golf. They went to the driving range one day and he hit a ball 90 yards! It was almost 5 full weeks of major playtime for these boys. I am so glad that they are so loved by our various families but of course we missed them terribly and couldn't wait to see their little faces coming off the plane-by themselves! Eeek! Yes-their dad made the decision to send them alone on the plane, very much against my wishes, but they did okay and felt very grown up. It is a long flight-3 hours and 40 minutes but they were entertained by dvds and backpacks stuffed with art supplies. It is amazing how brave they can be when given the chance. I still don't love the idea considering all the many factors that could change a flight plan while in the air and I think I have heard rumors of changes to the laws for unaccompanied minors in the upcoming year so we'll see what will happen in the future. For all we know we could be moving back west (my secret wish and hope) at any point so maybe someday soon these flights won't be such a normal part of our routine. It is just great to have the boys home. We moved them into one bedroom while they were gone to make room for the nursery and it seems to have sparked some nice changes to their cooperative relationship-at least for now. Last night they decided to set up a tent in their room and have a movie night and "sleep over". In the end Landry opted for the comfort of his top bunk and I spent much of the night getting McCall to calm down enough to sleep. It has been pretty emotional for the boys to hear about Jackson when they got home and landry seemed to get out his tears on the first day but McCall's have kind of taken time to develop. Last night they watched "Beethoven" and it triggered some sad feelings for McCall. We talked a lot about what Jackson might be doing in "doggy heaven" and we decided that it made us feel better to imagine him chasing bunnies and ducks and swimming in a pool and going down a slide into the water. We also thought he probably would be eating hamburgers from a dinner table. That must be heaven for a dog! In the end we all felt a little better but we also agreed that it was okay for us to all feel sad for a while since we all miss Jackson. This is tough stuff! Mostly we are just happy to be home together again. Give your kids an extra squeeze today!

Saddest Day

2006-07-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

I hate to even write about this but yesterday we had a very sad day for our family. Thankfully the boys are with their dad in Utah and didn't have to witness this but our sweet dog Jackson had to be put down yesterday. Before I give the gruesome details (even though I will spare you most of them) I should say that he was almost 11 years old and has been with us since he was 8 weeks old and has had a very happy, climate-controlled life. He is a most loving and most-loved animal. It all started on monday morning at 7:15 when one of our famous Cleveland summer storms blew in. The storms are very loud and since we live very close to Lake Erie the thunder sounds like it is right on top of our house. Jackson is terribly frightened of loud noises like fireworks and thunderstorms and he goes into anxiety mode long before we hear the first crack of thunder. A vet even prescribed Xanax and Valium for him to treat his symptoms when this happens. As soon as I heard the thunder start and Jackson started whimpering and pacing I gave him his usual dose of meds. I went back to what I was doing in the kitchen and continued to talk to him to try to soothe him which is our normal course of action for our big furry baby. After about 10 minutes I noticed he was quiet and had gone down into the basement which would be way to soon for the medication to help at all. When I found him he was a mess. Apparently he had a seizure which made him collapse and do other things I don't need to describe for you. I panicked and called for Mike to come down (thank goodness he was home!). Mike immediately called the vet and we took him right in. He had never had a seizure before and I had no idea what was wrong with him. He was completely lifeless and seemed very disoriented and I didn't realize it right away but he had become temporarily blind as well. The vet was really concerned when he saw him and tried to take his temperature and couldn't get his temp to register on his digital thermometer because it was so high. They took him right away and put him in a bath of cold water to bring his temp down. At this point they sent us home because hearing our voices but not being able to see seemed to be agitating Jack further. They gave him more valium to calm him down so he could rest and they promised to keep me posted at home. After a few hours they called me at home and said there hadn't been any improvement and that he could possibly be blind and paralyzed so I needed to prepare myself for the worst and consider putting him down. I was so upset but knew that his life would be miserable if he couldn't even stand. They wanted to keep watching him and see if there was any improvement. I got the next call at 4:00 and the vet sounded so positive and upbeat when he let me know that Jack's vison had come back and he was standing but still weak. He also said that we needed to take Jack to and internal medicine vet because Jackson's organs were experiencing shock as a result of the temp spike and drop and that there was a problem with his blood platelets causing internal bleeding. So we went to see the specialist and his prognosis was not so positive. He gave me a long list of procedures that they could try to manage the bleeding but added that the DIC (the name for the condition) was a secondary condition and his guess was that Jackson may have a brain tumor or some other mass that may have triggered the seizure to begin with. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "We can go ahead with exhaustive measures to try and save Jackson but it would not be wrong of you to let him go now." I know that vets can't really recommend euthanasia to you other than as an option but I really got the feeling that this man was telling me what he would do if this were his pet. So I called Mike and he came to the vets office to help me make this horrible decision. I sat with Jackson while we wated for Mike and he was hooked up to IVs and a heart monitor and it was the saddest thing I have seen. I was bawling and everytime Jack heard me sniffle he would try to lift up his head or put his paw on my leg almost as if to comfort me. He is such a little protector. I was crushed but I could also see that this was really bad and not going to get better. So Mike arrived and he was shocked at how bad Jack looked. We sat together with Jackson for at least another hour because I just hated to say the words that needed to be said. I just couldn't bear the thought of putting him though any more procedures and risking him dying alone in the middle of the night in a strange place. His breathing got worse and finally we made the decision to let him die peacefully. We sat with him as the vet gave him the medicine and he just went to sleep. It was so sad but I felt really calm and knew that we were doing the kindest thing for Jack. We have so many happy memories of Jackson that we get to keep with us and that pup had a pretty sweet life for a dog! It will be really hard to tell the boys when they come home but this is an important part of life and they will make it through. I think this experience will make it difficult for me to have another pet for a long time because it was so traumatic but maybe one day we wil be ready to do this again. I do love having a dog in our family and this one will be greatly missed. Any happier pet stories than this one today? I could use a laugh!

PS-This is a picture of Jack alive and just sleeping-I'm not completely morbid!

Travel Log

2006-06-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to have to tell all of you this but, I have the best husband ever! It has long been in the plans and has become an annual tradition that McCall and Landry spend most of June and July with my parents in California and their dad and other family in Utah. Last year Mike and I got married on june 18th so we spent our honeymoon in Italy while the children had a blast playing with Cookie and Poppie and their dad. It is a nice way to travel guilt-free knowing they are having so much fun. This year Mike and I had talked casually about taking an eastcoast driving trip which sounded nice. We were planning to fly into NYC spend a few days and rent a fun car and drive up the coast stopping in Boston and a few spots in Maine. Well, as plans sometimes do they changed when we started to cost our the trip and realize how much it was going to cost with gas prices and the cost of hotels in Manhattan. So when Mike said to me, " Jen this is going to cost so much to do this trip. Do we really want to do this?" my heart sank a little, but only for a moment because then he followed up that question with, " Why don't we just go to Hawaii instead?" Well, of course there was no hesitation on my part since I have a secret belief that I must have some South Pacific blood in me because of the way I love summer and the beach and especially Hawaii. It turned out that we had enough frequent flyer miles to get there for free and we found a good deal on a hotel package that just turned out to be a wonderful and very relaxing vacation for us. It is hard not to love Hawaii but this trip was a very welcome one especially for Mike as work has been so stressful for him and since it will be our last chance for this kind of a trip for awhile since we have a little one joining us this Fall. While we were there we were talking with a man about how much we loved to travel together and I realized that for us, travel has always been a vital part of our relationship and such a time for us to renew and revive our relationship away from the day to day stuff. I feel very blessed that we have the opportunity to do this. It couldn't be done without my wonderful parents and their love for my children and of course Mike's hard work that provides a comfortable lifestyle for us. I can't possible forget to thank another really important person in our lives, our Kerrie, whom I have grown very dependent on. Kerrie is our amazing "Mary Poppins" helping us maintian our fairly regular date nights by entertaining the boys and cares for our home and our beloved Jackson, whenever we are away. She is fabulous and we just love her! Before meeting up with Mike in Hawaii, I spent a week with the boys and my parents in California and we had a great time. We were able to celebrate my dad's birthday and Father's Day together which was really nice. My dad is going through some stressful changes with his chiropractic practice which is hard to watch, feeling useless to help, but I was glad to be there to offer my support if nothing else. Our family went in together to help buy him a new banjo-his new love. He has always been interested in music and plays acoustic and electric guitar. It is so fun to see him visibly relax when the music starts to flow. Can't wait to hear our banjo-playing Poppie! Here are a few picks from the trip but you can always see the full albums at my Sumgmug site. The rest of our summer will be full of swimming lessons and t-ball so we plan to be close to home. I will be updating more often (I know, I know, I have said that before!) and I should have exciting news about the gender of our mystery baby on July 24th! Can't wait to share the news and start taking suggestions for names!
Aloha!

Last Day of School...at last!

2006-06-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Last year we started the tradition with McCall and continued a long-standing tradition in my family of the daily lunch napkin note. Today was one of my favorite notes to write-the Last Day of School note. I think I look forward to the end of the school year as much as the kids. Our pool is open and Landry and I have already spent several days in the sun and chlorine. McCall has waited with envy for his day which will come tomorrow, barring some impending rain.

At our year end party today we made the second grade teacher, Miss Sperli into a "Queen for a Day". Now some of you may remember that I have not had the fondest regard for our second grade experience so this was one of those moments where I tried to be appreciative of the good things that happened this year and put aside my angst over the rotten things that went down. Of course I was asked at the last minute to co-host this party and come up with a wonderful class gift that was queenly in nature. I made a fun apron and embroidered "Queen Miss Sperli" on the front and had the kids sign it. It turned out really cute and the teacher was so touched by the gesture. I had to repent for my bad private attitude a bit (even though I have done my best to disguise it) especially when I opened McCall's year end portfolio. His teacher had compiled a wonderful collection of his work and photos of McCall at every big event and field trip throughout the year. Each child received a packet and I know Miss Sperli had gone to great lengths to prepare the packets for each child. I know that in spite of our differences in ideas for helping my son academically, she had a genuine care for his progress and his second grade experience. I am glad that I did make the effort to show her our appreciation. I also feel somewhat humbled.

On a lighter topic...I live for summer. I don't mind Fall and Winter so much but I really do love the hot hot weather and the fun to be had in the sun. I like our lazy days and I love our summer trips. I love eating outside on the deck and grilling almost every night. I love giant Cherry Cokes with tons of ice and Lemon sorbet at Mitchell's. I love tan feet and my kids' hair turning toehead. I love the smell of sunblock and my favorite summer skin indulgence, Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter. I even love washing an entire load of swimming suits and pool towels nearly every day. There are endless more things I love about summer but most of all I love lazy mornings when the kids crawl into bed with us and we plan out our entertainment and even yes, our chores for the day.

What are your favorite things about the season de Sol?

Aloha Landry!

2006-06-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

So the day that Landry had waited 6 months for finally arrived.
Landry's birthday is the day after Christmas when we are usually travelling and it is way too cold to try and have a birthday party for a dozen screaming 5 year olds. So we held off this year and celebrated in the sun (barely) Landry's Hawaiian beach party.

The days leading up to the party had been full of gray skies and rain. We all held our breath up until literally moments before children started arriving and alas the clouds open up and the sun shone and we had a beach party right in our sunny, albeit soggy backyard.

We all had a great time and we all agreed it was well worth the 6 month wait. I think we may just stick with this plan and do it again this way next year. We'll probably have to pick a new theme since almost all of his gifts were water toys! He loved it to say the least.

Viva Niagara!

2006-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I find myself doing a catching up post once again but this will seem like so much new news for all of you that it should be fun. So over Memorial Day weekend we decided to take a driving trip to Ontario, Canada and see the Niagara Falls. It was definitely an amazing site but let me just say that for all the city could be it was that times way too much! It is basically Vegas with a really big waterfall. We did enjoy taking a boat ride down at the base of the Falls and we explored the botanical gardens and a butterfly conservatory which was pretty incredible. I think the kids liked the hotel swimming pool the best which always seems to be the case. All in all it was so nice to get away and have a few days of just enjoying our family away from the hectic pace of our lives of late.

Landry has finished up with preschool and has a big announcement: "NO MORE TRAINING WHEELS!" Mike helped him for a few hours and he took off! Now he is way too independent for my taste and he is travelling all around the cul de sac. Three of his neighborhood buddies have learned to ride sans training wheels as well and they are like the JR Hell's Angels. There is even a biker babe in the bunch. He is so proud of his new skill and daily suggests that he is ready to ride around the corner now. We still have limits!

McCall has 4 days left of school and he couldn't be more ready. Yesterday our Goldwood Games (school field day) got rained out halfway through and we had flash flooding in areas close to our town. Disappointing but at least the morning was beautiful.

McCall cracks me up with his sense of humor and all day I hear, "Mom, do you get it?" after his many jokes. Can any of you relate to this famous line? He has surprised me lately with how sensitive he is becoming as long as nobody notices. He prays for his brother's swimmer's ear to go away and he prays for Jackson, our Golden Retriever to calm down when he is upset by our many summer thunderstorms. He has stood outside the bathroom door lately asking, "Mom are you okay? " when all of my meals of the day seem to be reacting to my pregnant body. He can cause so much angst and strife in our family and then just as easily he brings tears to my eyes when I tuck him into bed. I know you all know what I mean.

Speaking of pregnant bodies-we got to hear Baby Vu's heartbeat at our last appointment. our doc says it sounds like a girl heartbeat. Of course we still don't know for sure but we keep thinking girl this time. It is hard for me to picture anything else in my mind and for Mike it is impossible so hopefully our ultrasound in July will be revealing. I already know what to do with boys so I would be totally fine either way but I also think Heavenly Father knows that this body probably won't be giving birth to any more children so maybe we'll get to have a little pink in our house-oh Kristi, the envy!

Landry's long awaited summer birthday party is happening on Saturday. He turned 5 in December but since Cleveland is the Ice Planet Hoth in December we decided to wait for some warm weather this year to celebrate. It is a hawaiian beach party theme and we are having a blast getting ready for it. We are set for games and decor and music but if any of you have any great ideas for hawaiian themed kids food for lunch I would love it. So far we are doing fruit kabobs and punch in plastic coconut cups and we are making the sandcastle cake tomorrow night. I think we are just going to do a sub sandwich cut up in kids size slices for the lunch but if you have any great suggestions feel free to send them our way. I'll post photos after the big event!

That should catch you all up to date on our latest. I hope to be more current once school is out. The boys will be spending some time with Cookie and Poppie in California and then with their dad in Salt Lake City so they will be gone for almost 4 weeks! I miss them so much when they do this each summer but it is also nice to have some time away so I really appreciate having them home. Mike and I will work on the nursery and take an East Coast driving trip which should be wonderful.

By the way-I received my first issue of the new Martha Stewart publication, Blueprint. Love it-tons of cool ideas and product reviews. Definitely check it out. Also-we had our first haircut at a new kids hair salon that opened in our area called Snip-Its. It is a really fun franchise type hair salon that caters just to kids and has comupter games and cartoons to keep the kids busy while they get their hair cut. At the end of the cut they get to stick their "Adventure Pass" and a snip of their hair into a prize machine and out pops a little prize. Landry loved it and since he got his summer buzz cut it was only $9.95 which is a great deal in our area. We give it a thumbs up!

Catching Up!

2006-05-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

At last, we are all systems go on our computer so now I have to catch you all up on what has been happening in my life. So the highlights:

Backing way up to nearly a full month ago, McCall was baptized by his "Poppie" on April 15th in Logan, Utah. Many of our family members live in Utah and grandparents flew in from California and New Mexico to be there. It was a really great day for McCall and our family.

We spent spring break in Utah and enjoyed seeing friends (loved seeing Michelle and Jill!) and family. Mike wasn't able to come with us because of the recent primary election (now past, thankfully) so in spite of the fun of our trip, I was anxious to get home to him. However, I did find once home that we weren't going to be seeing much of Mike anyway. He was working crazy hours and sadly still seems to be.

The conversion to electronic voting has been a challenge for Ohio to say the least. Have any of you voted with new electronic voting equipment yet? Here is what our machines look like. It is very cool and we hear that people love using them. The challenge is in the technical responsibilities of operating and troubleshooting the machines-which is typically managed by volunteer poll workers with a wide range of technical skill. So Mike is dealing with big changes and ruthless fault-finding media and politicos. He needs a vacation!

Baby news is good. The pukey feeling is subsiding-yeah! Not completely gone but food is seeming a little more interesting to me at points throughout the day which is a good thing. It is such a huge blessing that my boys are fairly independent and can do a lot for themselves because I have been very slow-moving. I feel for any of you that have had pregnancies with small children. I have respect! I definitely feel like I am rounding the first trimester corner though so this is good. I'll keep you posted as things move on but for now the only real news is that nothing fits! I didn't even need stretchy waitbands when I was pregnant with McCall until I was almost 6 months along. This body is not quite the same one it was back then!

Drechsler family news is about missionaries. Emily is now in Erfort, Germany and has gotten off to a great start. She spoke in her ward, in German, on her first Sunday in the country. The town is small-more like a village and is picture perfect Europe. I understand that it is amazing at Christmas. I'm sure anywhere in Germany is wonderful at Christmas but apparently this village goes all out. Can't wait to see photos. Here is a stranger's photo I found on the web-sorry I can't credit the photographer. Looks wonderful. Reminds me of our Italy trip. My parents will hear from Em on Sunday for Mother's Day and we can't wait for the real time update!

Scotty is in Germantown, Tennessee (coincidentally!). He is working hard and has a great new companion that he really likes. It turns out that this guy is the grandson of some of my parents' old friends from southern CA so they were excited to make the connection. Scotty will also call our family this weekend so we are all looking forward to hearing his voice. My boys really miss him. He is such a great example for them. They bless our missionaries in every single prayer!

Spring news is the best! We couldn't be happier for the beautiful Spring that has sprung at last! The yard is coming alive and I have to really drive slow down the driveway to the garage so that I don't squish any of the wildlife. Here are a few shots of our signs of spring-even though it shows up a bit later in Ohio. I am definitely in my prime in the springtime. I am a much happier person when I have dirt under my fingernails.

I haven't been abducted by aliens!

2006-05-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
My absence is not a result of an abduction or any serious tragedy but may continue for a bit so I wanted to send a temporary update. So we went to Utah for Spring Break which was a great time. McCall was baptized and I got to catch up with Michelle and Jill as well as a lot of family and other Utah friends. I checked up on my renters and found everything in good order as well as the fact that property values have skyrocketed over the last year and house in my little Sugarhouse neighborhood are selling for over $300K--amazing! My mom decided to have emergency gallbladder surgery in the middle of our visit so that was sad for her but I was glad we were there to help her a little. She is home safe and tucked into her own bed and recovering much better now. But...the best news that I was able to share with friends and family in person is that we are expecting a Turkey Baby! We can't wait to find out the gender but I have been a lot sicker with this baby than McCall and Landry so I'm crossing my fingers that that might mean a girl and not just the fact that I am getting old! Of course we will keep you posted.

The bummer I came home to was a computer that was completely taken apart and has yet to be reassembled by my very busy husband. I'm hoping to catch up with some photos and recaps of our adventures over the last few weeks as soon as Primaries are over and counted this week. I miss you guys!

Love you all-Jen

It's a zoo!

2006-04-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the zoo with friends on a day that turned out to be really drizzly and wet but we had such a great time. The zoo was pretty empty so we spent all the time we wanted at our favorite spots. This photo is of one of our favorite things to do-feed nectar to the rainforest birds. Landry used to be afraid of this so it is fun to watch him eager to do it this season. He is growing up so fast.

2006-04-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is one of those great email reminders of the joy of being everything to our little ones. Thought it was worthy of posting for my fellow moms.
Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Any thoughts on what you couldn't imagine about being a mom before you became one?

Aren't we handy?

2006-04-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Home Depot is the best! While I philosophically object to its big box operating style and its declining quality of customer service, I have to admire the marketing genius who decided a workshop for kids to build stuff like birdfeeders (as we did) would be a great way to get their parents into the store. This was our first experience with the kids workshops and we had a really great time. To be truthful the project was a little beyond this bunch and the moms ended up doing most of the assembly but they sure had a great time donning safety glasses and applying way too much wood glue.

By the way, as a note to Home Depot, they really should have called this the "squirrel feeder" project as that seems to be what we are attracting most. I don't know about the rest of you but Ohio has way too many squirrels and I basically view them as more hairy and germy rats that come a lot closer to my children but that's a paranoia post for another day...

Oh Girls!

2006-04-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

We were invited to celebrate our neighbor Grace's 5th birthday this weekend. We had a lot of fun at the party but I think I had the most fun making her gift. I embroidered this cute little kid-sized apron for her to wear when she helps her mom in the kitchen. The whole time of course I was wondering what fun it must be to have a little girl in the house. Don't get me wrong...my rough and tumble, dirt covered, boys are amazing and heart-warming, but a girl! It would just be so fun. Of course, I have heard the tales of drama queens and grudge holding princesses but I feel like I was one of those women born to be a mother of at least one girl. For now, one can only hope and enjoy other sweet girls in the neighborhood.

Acting...Brilliant!

2006-04-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

"Mr. Popper's Penguins" was a huge success at our local primary school. Mr. Popper, played by McCall, was a loveable and funny hero in the story about a surprising delivery to of tuxedoed friends from the Antarctic to the Popper home. Emma, the Penguin, impressed the audience with her complicated lines, "Gork, gork" and Jake, in the roll of the refridgerator repairman gives Desperate Housewives, Handyman Mike, a run for his money!

The entire cast gave a smashing performance and reviewers give the production two thumbs up!

Pump it Up!

2006-03-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

Okay-if you have a "Pump it Up!" franchise in your area you have got to take your kids there right away! This place is madness but the kids had a blast. It is basically a warehouse full of inflatable slides and bounce houses with music blaring and a million kids. We were there today for a birthday party and after 1 hour the kids were sweaty and completely wiped out. Naps were looking pretty likely for those still inclined and the rest of us who wish we had the time.

This blurry photo is Landry whooshing down a 20 foot slide screaming. What I wish I would have captured was the head over heels flip/crash that took place at the bottom of the slide and terrified me but apparently was hilarious to Landry as he jumped up howling with laughter.

McCall is invited to a party at the same place with friends in his age group (7-9 ish) and I think it will be interesting to see the different levels of bouncing interaction. He can't wait of course.

I really think they could probably come up with some crazy exercise class on this equipment because it is quite a workout for those of us over the age of 5.

This is definitely a must try for your kidlets!

Our Pet

2006-03-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

This is funny! Mike had a "cutest pet photo" contest at work so this is the photo he entered! While we do have an actual pet-Jackson, a very furry 10 year old Golden Retriever, Mike favors this pet. When Landry is shy he growls rather than speaks. He is not shy very often but this response seems to make him feel much larger than his tiny 5-year-old self. I think its a pretty sensible response myself. As far as pets go this one is pretty smart and yes, adorable!

Bombay Dreams!

2006-03-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mike! Yesterday was Mike's birthday and we had the best day! The morning started early for Mike as he left for his Saturday 7:00 AM run with his buddies. His first gift of the day was a Mountain Hardwear running jacket that he has been eyeing for some time. I placed it by the back door so he would find it on his way to run. He called me to say how much he loved it and of course he wore it all day! I had to do some convincing to get him to change to go out that evening. We went to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's, "Bombay Dreams", and it was so amazing. (This might explain Mike's goofy pose for his jacket photo.) The choreography and music was spectacular-I am definitely downloading the soundtrack. Afterward we went for a late dinner at Vivo in downtown Cleveland. It is a very swanky Italian place that had an amazing menu and made us wax nostalgic for our perfect honeymoon in Italy.

Mike's other gifts during the day included the famous Brooks Brothers "No Iron Shirt" and a new filing cabinet for our office. He couldn't have been happier! He said that it was the best birthday he has ever had and I was so happy to have made that happen for him. Mike works so hard and takes such good care of our family that he really does deserve to be celebrated. He's not a big celebrater of anything so I am trying to slowly convert him to my love of the "extravaganza"!

So-we definitely recommend the show if you have the chance and if you are ever in Cleveland we'll be happy to take you to Vivo. It was a great day.

Shakalaka Baby!

A few of my favorite things

2006-03-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

So, one of the things I have discovered that I enjoy most about reading my friends' blogs is the wealth of sharing of even the tiniest details of each others interests, ideas, families and plain ole cool stuff. So I thought I might take a minute to introduce you to a few of my favorite things of late. So here goes:

1) this great new magazine for multi-tasking, gadget loving, and creative moms called, "Cookie"

2) Aveda's great new product line, "elements", namely the Smoothing Fluid. My hair has become more curly each year and the 80% and above humidity levels of our lovely Lake Erie climate seem to create a frizz that until now has never survived in live captivity. Alas, upon my latest perusal of the intoxicatingly anice scented Aveda store I was given the best piece of hair advice I have ever received, "don't leave your bathroom without this and a flattening iron!"

3) A new home for my digital babies-Picasa --and no, I'm not pitching for Google. I just happened upon this new gem when i started my blog as some of you may have and I have been so impressed with it's interface and simple functionality-to sound not a little geeky! It is a really nice way to organize your millions of photos and it works well for creating unusual collages-especially for blog display (see my posting about creating stationery).

So there area few to mention for today so check them out.

Keep posting your favorite things because I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of it!

The Luck o' the Irish

2006-03-17T08:46:00.002-08:00

The Leprechauns visited our house last night! Landry and McCall carefully prepared their leprechaun traps last night with coins and all matter of sticky substances but somehow the sneaky leprechauns escaped. We could tell that they got into the house through the mail slot because they left a trail of gold coins and goodies behind while they were trying to check every door and window to get out. It was sheer madness at 7:30 AM (the earliest my children ever wake up on their own!) and we had so much fun! Of course we had shamrock cookies with our breakfast and McCall's lunch box was full of shamrock paper punches and stickers stuck to the ziplocs. Later tonght we are going to a St. Patrick's Day and birthday celebration at our friends' Neil and Lisa's. Neil is turning 40 so we can't wait to give him a hard time. Cleveland is basically Little Ireland so everything shuts down for the big parade and citywide celebration. It is fun to get swept up in the excitement!

Don't forget to wear your green today!

The Family Jewels

2006-03-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

You have to love little boys! This lovely jewel was a gift from my little Landry Jack (5). He made this bracelet especially for me. I had a hard time keeping the sticky note tab on the newspaper rubberband but when I picked him up from preschool and he saw that I was still wearing it, he couldn't have been happier. This kid is such a honey. He fills my well daily.

I love you, Landry Jack!

My Mantra

2006-03-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

After my earlier post this morning I have realized I need to redirect my passion today! Here is my latest mantra combined with a favorite playtime activity of mine, designing stationery. I designed this one especially for my sister Emily that is in the MTC right now getting ready to leave for Berlin in April.

I'm not generally one to quote scripture but this is poetry and couldn't fit my life better right now so I'm certain there must be divine intervention in there somewhere. Here is the quote since the photo is a bit fuzzy:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Ecclesiastes 9:11

"I can't grade this."

2006-03-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Okay-today my post is a rant about teachers. My second-grade son McCall is making his way through the academic year in a way that can only be described as "slogging". Everything has been a monumental effort on his partas well as his parents' part. I consider myself a very involved parent and do my best to stay in touch with the teacher as well as volunteer in his classroom weekly to both help and be visible to him and his teacher. His teacher is let's say not the most positive person in the world yet, she is generally concerned about McCall and his needs. She must have "days" though like we all do and several times this has come through in revealing notes home on school work or adressed to me personally. I think I received one last week though that was the final straw for me.

On a weekly spelling test (which by the way is one area where McCall excels and is very proud of his success) McCall has clearly rushed to complete the sentences that included challenging words such as "Iditarod", "Anchorage", and "veterinarian", because his handwriting left much to be desired. Well, as his mother I was able to read through the sentences without too much effort and noticed that all of the test words were correct but he missed a letter in a basic word in one of the sentences. However, one would not have any idea of the fact that the purpose of the test had been fulfilled because across the top of the paper in red ink (of course) it read, "McCall, you have to write neater. I can't grade this."

Where is the supportive and caring teacher in that comment? And where are the assignments sent home to help him work on his handwriting and fine motor skills? McCall is not academically deficient in any way but anything related to writing is avoided, even dreaded. I am just so frustrated that this teacher is missing out on the opportunity to help by blotting out his efforts completely. Am I neurotic about this? Well, probably but I guess that is the mother's prerogative. I just hope I don't have to go to college with this kid to get him to write legibly. Maybe I should encourage Medical School! In the mean time I am getting really good at borrowing from the tens place.

My new toy!

2006-03-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kristi C. my children have a new Brother-no, Kristi was not a surrogate and we don't have a new baby but I do have a new sewing/embroidery machine that is so much fun. Here is a picture of my first project (after much practice). It is a pistachio green microfleece blanket backed with chocolate velour. It feels so yummy and this baby's mom is begging for one in her size. The baby is another "Max" (our McCall is often called "Max" too) so we have a real love for this little one! He seems to be happy with his new snuggle and I was so happy to document his birth details for Tara and Ben. It's not perfect but not too bad for my first go and a fun start to this new hobby.

Here I am!

2006-02-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

With a little pressure from my creative gal pals I am convinced that my existence in this modern age of technology requires my web presence. I have so enjoyed reading about my friends daily lives and "musings" and I am so excited to document some of my own discoveries, ideas and creatives whims. Of course, I can sense that this new pursuit may swiftly become yet one more reason to neglect my family so I may be a slow start! I find it almost addictive to check in to see what my friends and now their friends are up to and I am just amazed at how I feel so drawn in. I must thank Kristi C., Michelle O. and Jill S. for your inspiration to get my own techno-journal going.