A Little of This, A Little of That...

So this is a completely random post, but I need to record a few of the happenings around these parts. Here are the pictures/movies in random order...

If you have ever been fortunate enough to experience living in student housing, you know that change accompanies spring. Around these parts, we have major change every spring and summer. Just to put things into perspective, we're losing about 50% or more of our ward soon - that's about 30 - 40 families (I've lost track!). I refer to them as the "lucky ones," and then I remind myself that my turn is coming up soon. Anyway, here are a few pictures and movies of our goodbyes.


Jacob was in Joy School with Camryn and Brittani. They were the 3 Musketeers. They played great together. Well, usually. A favorite treat of their's was getting "Juicy Gum," (aka Juicy Fruit Gum) from Camryn when she'd walk over for a play date.


David was part of the 3 Amigos: Christian, Katelyn and David. Oh my, these 3 were hilarious. During Joy School, we'd swap babysitting so the toddlers could play together and give the moms some peace. They started getting so naughty towards the end. It was hilarious! David and Christian were soul mates. It took very little to entertain these two: a dish rag to hide under, or a ball to roll down a hill. One day David crossed two parking lots on his Spiderman scooter just to see Christian - they could've gotten into some serious trouble if David hadn't moved! Darn, it would've kept us on our toes!

I can't forget the 3 Chaquita Mamas: Michelle, Tanya and moi. We enjoyed the occasional "girl's night out" and pedicure, but most of our fun was just hang'n out. Anyway, we already miss the Mower's around these parts, but hey, it comes with the territory I guess - it's all good.



This is JD saying his goodbyes to his best buddy Johnny. He and Johnny were best friends for a couple of years. It's never easy to see your kids feel the pain of losing a good friend. They never cease to amaze me though: kids seem to bounce right back and make new friends without a problem. We have so many things to learn from these munchkins!



Here are some pictures of our kids enjoying a local treat at the "WD". The "WD" is an ice cream joint that serves ginormous kiddie cones! How can you not love that! Camryn can be so darn cute sometimes!













Here is a video clip of Christian and his favorite outside activity: the bullet drive. Watch and you'll see. I still need to get a video clip of Camryn pushing Christian down the hill. He loves loves loves an adrenaline rush! I'll have to keep a close eye on this little dude!

Here is a video clip of Christian singing one of Camryn's Joy School songs: Oh boy, I've got joy. It's amazing what these guys pick up without us knowing. I never taught him this song, he just started singing it one day when Gammy and Grandpa were visiting. He hasn't stopped since!

So there ya go - some totally random things
for a totally random post!



Now go take on the day!

Angels Watching Over Us...

So all of this talk about our next big trip to the west started me thinking about how much I LOVE riding in the car with my kiddos. Ha! Also, I've been recalling some of the scary car accidents I've been involved in through the years. Hmmm....not such a good thing to remember before heading out on a big road trip! So I thought I'd jot down a few of the accidents (that I can remember anyway - my head's been knocked around a bit!) that I've been involved in through the years. They are a constant reminder that there are angels watching over us.

1. Before seat belts were a big deal, my YW class piled into our leader's car to get some ice cream. I was sitting in the back passenger seat with some other beehive chaquita on my lap. We were hit from behind by a large pick-up truck. We were at a stop sign and the dude hit us so powerfully that we didn't stop until we were right in front of the fire station. Poor guy - bad timing! The saddest thing about the ordeal for me was that all of the ice cream cones came slamming into my face upon impact! That taught me not to go to mutual anymore. JK!

2. My first job was as a waitress at a local country club. The road I took to get to work was a fairly busy highway. I remember listening to Mozart. Suddenly a stupid blue mini-van pulled out right in front of me. I swerved, lost control, did a 360 and ended up facing oncoming traffic. The miracle of the whole event was that the oncoming traffic must have been stopped at a light because no cars were coming. I whipped my Subie into reverse, managed to avoid the huge UTA bus barreling towards me and made it to work safe and sound. I was shaky all evening. I think I said my prayers that night.

3. This is a good one. It happened during college. Joel was flying home after spending an entire summer in Jerusalem. I had racked up $1500 in phone bills and Joel had spent even more on my wedding ring. Yeah, we were excited to see each other again. Anyway, on my drive to the airport, some loser kid pulled out from a gas station and slammed right into me (while I was driving 55 mph!). The first thing I did was get out of the car and ask the guy if he had insurance. There was shattered glass all over the highway. The entire passenger side was smashed all the way in - the car was totaled. My poor Subie. Long story short, I eventually made it to the airport. Late, but alive. Joel's parents were late too. No one was there to welcome him home. How sad. The good part was I bought a cheaper car with my insurance money. $1500 cheaper to be exact. Yeah for paying off phone bills.

4. Man, I'm remembering tons of accidents, or near misses. I could write for hours. Really. Anyway, I'll end with the best of them all. It's the reason why I avoid making left hand turns. It's the reason why Nathaniel calls me a "granny driver." It's the reason why my dad had to rescue us in Arizona. I've piqued your interest haven't I? So Joel and I were in med school in AZ. I took JD to the movie store to reward him with a rental of his choice (he was really good at preschool). Thankfully, I left Camryn (merely 6 weeks old and nursing) with Joel. I was turning left onto THE main street in our city. Boom, it was over. I didn't even see the oncoming car. Yes, this accident (the only I might add) was my fault. Very, very, very long story short...we all survived, but there was a HUGE, GINORMOUS, HUMONGOID traffic back-up. Oi vey, what a disaster! There was an ambulance and life flight helicopter. Luckily, no one had to use the helicopter. It was such a miracle. We hit perfectly to avoid me being seriously injured or killed. JD was completely fine - other than the fact he kept reenacting his mom hitting her head against the window over and over! So I totaled our "nice" car a couple of days before a big road trip up to UT. Perfect. The passengers in the other car were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. They ended up being ok, but I was sick about it for weeks. I remember calling hospital after hospital trying to find out if they were ok. I was scared for 2 years that they would sue us (AZ law prohibits it after 2 years). Luckily they didn't - their lawyer must have discovered we were worth zilch. The sad thing was that they were an older couple from Chicago visiting their son. I know, it's awful! Anyway, upon hearing our crappy news, my awesome dad told us he was going to drive all the way down to AZ and drive us and our remaining "unsuitable for driving long distances" car up to UT (we needed to be in UT for a med. school rotation). What a stud!

OK, why did I just write all of that? Now I'm paranoid to drive! I do have to say that this totally random post has also reminded me that I definitely have some angels watching out for me.

Mother's Day 2008

I have 4 people that love me. That's pretty sweet. Each member of my family has been fully aware that it's Mom's day today & they've tried to show it in their own unique way...

Joel...

"So what do you want for Mother's Day this year," Joel asked a couple of weeks ago. He was visibly relieved when my response was, "You don't need to buy me anything." He tensed up when I followed that up with, "I just want to have a day of solitude. You can handle everything, right?" Joel usually gets a little tense when faced with that prospect. He's such a trooper though. He came home from a 36 hour moonlighting shift this morning (he can sleep at this one) and has tried to make my day special ever since. He did some laundry (I know, I know, it's Sunday, but I'll take it man!), got the kids ready for church (with my help), and invited us to the Olive Garden to celebrate. JD said, "But it's Sunday Dad." DANG THOSE RIGHTEOUS KIDS! So we had french toast sticks with eggs and sausage instead. Eternal salvation never tasted so sweet :).

My Kiddlins...

I reminded JD and Camryn like a dozen times yesterday that they had to be good for me because it was Mother's Day tomorrow. When they were fighting I'd say, "You're not making my Mother's Day very special." That got them to stop. It lasted for a bit until they became desensitized to my guilt trip. They were way cute today though...

JD...

He crawled into bed with me this morning and we snuggled for a while. Afterwards, he darted downstairs to retrieve his Mother's Day present for me (that he made at school). It was this cute mama bunny holding a book. The pictures inside of the book were meticulously colored by JD. While we were hanging out in my room waiting for Christian and Camryn to wake, he told me, "Mom, I'll get Christian when he wakes up and take him downstairs and play playdoh with him. Will you get the playdoh out?" Hmmm....adorable, but a big mess to clean up. Instead, he brought Christian to me and we all snuggled until Dad came home. Later in the evening JD came upstairs and presented me with a cute watering can made out of clay. I hugged him and said, "Ohhh, you're so dang cute! Thank you!" "Acutally," he said,"I made it for me. Will you bake it?"

Nice.

Camryn...

She wanted to make my day special too. She kept giving me these totally random things that were laying around the house as my presents. She would come with her head tilted and say, "This is your present for Mother's Day." She would then hand me things like a yellow paper clip, a peso from Mexico, pieces of paper that were "cookies" and sheet after sheet of her handwritten alphabet. Really it was just the letters A B B over and over with an H thrown in periodically (for Heather of course). She was quite proud to present me with her hand beaded necklace that she made in primary. I put it on immediately and she thought that was just glorious. She asked for it back later that evening.

Nice.

Christian...

He showed me his affection by refusing his nap, hitting me in the face and drawing me lots of cute pictures on my dresser.

Nice.

I'll work on him so that by next year I can guilt him into good behavior too.

Mom...

Well, after breakfast Camryn and JD had a great time playing with my jello tummy. I told them, "I sacrificed my flat tummy to bring you into this world!" They just laughed and kept pushing and poking in amazement. I think Camryn's hand disappeared at one point. I soon tired of the abuse and folded my tummy back into place.

I got to be a "Mystery Mom" in primary today and the kids thought that was pretty fun. I was hidden behind a partition and had to answer random questions with a funny voice. I got to have a day off from Nursery. I got a big chocolate bar at church that JD decided looked good enough to sneak pieces from. I got to have my "solitude" with the kids while Joel kept sneaking upstairs to check on the Jazz vs. Lakers game.

Sweet.

It's all good. My kids love me. My husband loves me. What else could a girl need?

Actually, I can think of a few things....

Spotlight of the Month: My Mama!

Well considering the nature of this weekend's holiday, I felt it would be quite appropriate to honor my own madre.




My mom pretty much rocks. She raised 7 kids - enough said. She survived 7 pregnancies, 7 toddlers, 7 teenagers and 7 weddings. There has got to be some kind of "Is That Even Possible" Award that she should win. Now that I'm a mother, I so appreciate the magnitude of raising one kid, let alone 7!

We share 2 professions: Mothering and teaching. I say this because I know she is completely burned out from school right now and maybe this can lift her spirits - I KNOW exactly how you feel Mom!

So I've discovered something about mothering: WE JUST WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED AND APPRECIATED! I know you're nodding your head in agreement right now if you're a mom. Good mothers are the ultimate examples of service - usually thankless! So here are 7 (see the pattern??) random acts of service that you did for me over the last 33 years. These are totally random memories that I plucked out of my attic of a brain today...

1. You used to sit in the hallway and read stories like Winnie the Pooh and such as part of our bedtime routine. I recognize now how amazing that was considering how tired you must have been at the end of each day - 7 kids still blows my mind.

2. You are a great example of obedience. I remember a time when you wanted us to read the Book of Mormon. Consequently, each Family Home Evening was dedicated to achieving that goal. I think it took us 6 years or something, but hey, better late then never! You always tried to do the right thing. We noticed.

3. This one baffles me: We always had meals prepared for us! I know that sounds simplistic, but DANG is all I have to say. There are days when I want to hurl at the thought of preparing another meal! I remember having warm breakfasts when I was little, fresh bread, weird homemade yogurt and of course, our traditional Sunday roast.

4. You paid for all of my singing lessons with your own money. I have such fond memories of my musical experiences because of those lessons. I think it paid off, because I remember all the times you cried while listening to me perform. Or could it have been sorrow at all that wasted money?? Hmmm...

5. I recall being financially saved a few times during medical school. Those random checks really helped out!

6. I'm so grateful that I'm independent and not afraid to "get in and work!" I'm pretty sure I got that from you. If you wanted something, you just did it. Yard work, housework, education, vacationing, it didn't matter, if you wanted it, you'd find a way to get it done. That's probably one of the greatest legacies you could have left me. I love knowing that I can stand on my own two feet and do anything I want to do if I just work.

7. Oh and there was that little thing a few years back when you donated your kidney so that I could keep mine for a bit longer. Just a small thing.




What can I say, my Mom rocks! So I hope you have a relaxing, memorable and joyous Mother's Day. I know you won't get around to reading this any time soon so Dad, tell Mom to read this will ya??

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

I love you!

Oh Boy, I've Got Joy...

So I had the privilege of being one of Camryn's Joy School teachers this year. Joy School is a preschool curriculum where the teachers are the students' mothers (basically, a preschool co-op). We had our fun little graduation this week and I can't believe it's actually over! The year completely flew by. We were fortunate to have a fantastic group of preschoolers and teachers. We didn't have any serious issues with discipline (students or teachers!) and the moms were pretty laid back and agreeable about everything. I couldn't have asked for a better year.

I spent a chunk of time putting together a cute DVD as a graduation present for the teachers and preschoolers. It turned out really cute and I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that our little preschoolers experienced a year of learning about the "joys" of the world together.

So here's to you my Joy School Posse....you rocked my year!

So we'd always start our day with a welcome song. This gave the kids an opportunity to open their "Joy School Window" signaling the start of school. I really enjoyed this part of the day. I' had so much fun with the kids while we were singing...they totally ate it up!

This is the Joy School weather, calendar, helper chart. Each child had his own specific job to accomplish on the chart. They really got into this - and never tired of it either! It was hilarious to see the kids race to the window to figure out the weather of the day. Camryn was sooooo excited when Joy School was at our house because that meant she was the designated "snack helper." In fact, there were MANY nights where she'd cry to me, "...but I want Joy School to be at my house!" At first I thought it was because she liked me best - HA! Actually, it was because she wanted to be the "snack helper" every week! Funny girl.

They were always excited to do any kind of craft or art activity - who isn't at that age?? I busted out the play-doh on occasion, but they had the opportunity to do so many other fun activities throughout the year too.


"Free Time" was a favorite of the preschoolers. They got to do whatever they wanted during free play time. It served a great purpose: They were forced to get along with each other! It was usually a time of smiles and laughter, but it did get ugly a few times too! Good times. Outside free play was always a favorite...


We had some cute little programs throughout the year. It usually consisted of a few songs and always ended with some treats. I'll let you guess what the kids liked the best.

Halloween...

Thanksgiving...

Christmas

And of course....Graduation...


Here are the amazing teachers on graduation day....
I was the group leader and I loved working with these guys....
I felt like we just kicked back and enjoyed the year...

And here is a shot of the whole gang....


I truly loved teaching these little dudes - I grew quite fond of each one of them. I loved loved loved the enthusiasm they brought to each and every lesson. I completely enjoyed the cute songs that were incorporated into each lesson (I actually thought they were totally cheesy initially, but they really grew on me). I have gotten so much joy out of listening to Camryn sing the songs in random places...like on the toilet. Anyway, the best part of this whole experience was bonding with my baby girl. She told me I was her favorite teacher.
It doesn't get much better than that!