That's Life Folks

March Friday Family Funfest Ideas Week 1

2011-02-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello. Let me start by saying Friday Family Funfests are not just for mom's. If you are an aunt/uncle, grandma/grandpa, older sister/brother, just THINK of how many memories you could create with YOUR little one. Always remember, it takes a village to raise a child. And in my case, I think three villages per munchkin.

This blog started out as a photo stop for family and close friends, but my continued frustration on uploading photos with any speed, has led me to ignore it.

But here's a new post, YAY!

March 2011 Friday Family Funfest Ideas:

Over breakfast one day the children started fighting over where they wanted to travel someday. I know, kids, right?! So we are going to spend some weekends discovering new countries. Here are the steps I'm taking and the relative cost of each adventure.

1. If you go to most big box stores they are happy to give you...big boxes! For free! By taking simple scissors, used cereal boxes and straws/sticks/leftover from summer skewers sanded down, you can make pretty good box airplanes. My kids LOVE the boxes and they make great indoor weekend activities for the winter. (we'll be making these February 26th and saving in basement until our travels in March)

2. Our local bank, and maybe yours, still have the old fashion savings passport books that you can make into F.F.F. passports. Also, easily created with inside out cereal boxes, blue paint, gold marker, second side of failed print jobs and stapler. Then collect stickers that match the countries of your destinations and each week they can add a sticker and fun fact about your "vacation". (we'll be making these February 26th and saving in basement until our travels in March)

3. Our first trip is to China!
Dinner: Chicken Helper Fried Rice (under $5) egg rolls bought at the Chinese Restaurant ($4).
Activity: Books on China from library, stamping/stickering passport (FREE)
Movie: The Great Panda Adventure (being put on hold at library this week so available for March 3rd) and Karate Kid (2010) now available on Netflix instant queue ($9.99/mo)

Because I'm lazy...

2010-07-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

Because I'm lazy I'm not going to add photos. My posts take 3 times as long just for adding the pics. I don't know why my computer and blogger fight me, but they do and today they've won the battle...but not the war.

Ellis has started walking. Jacob announced that he is only going to read his book at the sitters and speak to no one. And Mena has finally decided to start wearing princess shoes I bought her over a year ago. They are all growing and maturing at their own rate.

Friday night I took Mena on a date to see Toy Story 3. I cried uncontrollably for the first ten minutes, and NO!... I'm not pregnant. Watching the animated Andy pack for college just broke my heart. When it's late at night and I'm exhausted from a day of mindless cartoon chatter, bickering siblings, and the need for a giant cold Diet Pepsi that doesn't exist in my refrigerator, I really do pull out the calendar and start counting down the days until their adulthood.

But then there are nights like last night. Mena fell asleep in the car coming home from Grandma's and had to be carried upstairs to the potty then put to bed. Jacob and I made up a new game "Kiss & Tell" where I kiss his nose, toes, fingers, etc. and tell him one thing about him. After that, those who were awake, went through the scrapbooks to find a page I could enter in the county fair this year, choice made, putting them away. Our sweet little Ellis finally began walking. Those are the nights when our home truly is our refuge from the world and our garden out back is eden.

Ellis then was up through the night with a runny nose and I am reminded that I'm too old to keep trying for more ( a thought this weekend) and that right now my job is to just adore the children I have and be grateful for the time we're given.

So instead of a photo this post, take a moment, close your eyes and imagine:

The bottoms of three, separate right feet belonging to an almost seven year-old, a four year-old and an almost one year-old. Lined up with their cute little toes angling down.

Those three feet belong to three amazingly beautiful, bright children who may cure cancer, travel around the world, or live in space. They may buy a home with their spouses and children in Fremont, Ohio or move to London, England. I don't know. But their mine, and I love them even when I'm screaming.

Mommy, Mommy, how does your garden grow?

2010-06-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Cousins, Riley and Ben, were spending the night. The late afternoon sun was shining, the children playing, the plants growing...the perfect photo opportunity!

A New Post!

2010-05-05T02:21:00.001-07:00

This first photo is part of our traditional documentation of our babies' first Mama's meatball. She of course loved it. Our kids are awesome eaters until they attend pre-school, then they think all meals should be "snacks" and begin a hunger strike that Jacob is just now coming out of.

Well, my dad was in town last week to help us put in our first garden. Poor guy, he was as sick as a dog the whole time. But he persevered even when I asked him to just go in and rest. That's the macho man in him but I wish he hadn't felt so lousy.

We're calling this our practice garden. We've planted potatoes, corn, cherry tomatoes, big tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, peas and carrots. I thought I had a big area but it sure got smaller as my paths between veggies became tighter.

I love my house. It's not big but it feels like the right size for us. I love my yard because I have so much dreaming room. This time of year I check out loads of gardening and landscaping books that I pore over. But in the end I only have the time and money for one new project, and this year it's the vegetable patch. I did buy 2 hanging pots and impatiens from daughters of friends that were a fundraiser. But that's just my usual spring, curbside appeal, planting. And so I still have the library books and dreaming of next year's project. I'm thinking it's going to have to be my made from scratch patio planters and bench. I've been waiting on those for awhile.

Jacob

2010-04-05T04:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Megan asked me to update her on Jacob's gifted panel results via my blog. So here it goes.

He's a smart kiddo. We already knew that. So I'll start from the beginning of Jacob's story.

The day our son was born, his father picked him up out of the clear cradle that the nurses wheel into the room after birth. Dad puts his son up to his shoulder. Our little baby then proceeds to amaze the nurse and look around. She says she has never seen a baby at 1 hour do that. He then proceeds to stay awake for his first twelve hours of life, apparently another first for these ladies. He has never gone back to sleep. Jacob's never required much sleep and loves to "look around". His Aunt Jean Yowpa, who has two VERY smart sons of her own, told me early on that non-sleeping can be a sign of intelligence. Not much comfort to an exhausted law school widow far from home.

At 18 months I started counting his words because What to Expect the First Year told me too. He was suppose to have 50, he had a 100. Then sign and word recognition began at 22 months, though not true reading, still ahead of the curve. By 26 months he was asking to follow our finger and repeat our words as we held family scripture study at night. While a solid 2 year old he could put together puzzles all by himself up to 50 pieces without looking at the box. He just recognized how the shapes should fit.

We knew he was smart. We knew he was smart when he started reading Harry Potter and the Book of Mormon by himself, half way through his second pre-school year. And when he went into kindergarten testing (one month shy of his 5th birthday) and tested into the 2nd grade. So why didn't the school know it?

They did. In pre-school the principal would come in and work with him one-on-one because the teacher wasn't "allowed" to teach reading. In kindergarten his teacher told us he was the smartest child she had taught in 30 years. But the principal was tried of stealing drugs from the nurses office this past summer and the teacher spoke to the principal who told her gifted programs weren't available until the 4th grade. And every year he was asked to be an "aid" to a special needs child. Which of course I said yes, so as to continue his emotional education.

Last summer I spent a lot of time on this issue, and talked to most of you about what to do. My biggest sounding board being Kristen, who is HIGHLY gifted, hard working and ambitious. As well as having grown up in rural Ohio until sixteen. But after much prayer and meditation last May I thought I found my solution... they can't make him stupid.

I felt that the lessons he was suppose to learn by attending our local public school would be respect for all people, kindness, compassion, humility. He's not the best artist in his class nor is he the most athletic, these too have a place in a child's education. And then we would support his academic interests at home.

For crying out loud, the child read the dictionary and encyclopedias of focused topics for fun! At 5! We spend a lot of time at the library and conducting science experiments at home. As well as a zoo pass and science institute pass.

I was good with this solution, while trying to manage a third child, Phil being gone so much building his business and Church calling, and finishing college, and my returning to work.

Then I learned he was being physically bullied by 4th graders during lunch. Now mom's mad!!!

I went straight to the office and sat down with the principal and vented my anger at what I feel has been a completely wasted year with a nasty old worn out teacher who loves the Jacob sits quietly and completes homework while the other 23 children run amok. AND now his isolation is furthered by these fourth grade punks.

"Isolation?" she asks. YES! He reads at a 5th grade level and doesn't want to play the same games as the other children in his class. "I didn't realize". Well of course she didn't, she's young and new. So she hasd the gifted coordinator call me and he kind of poo-poos me that all moms think their child is gifted and if he was, why isn't he on our radar until the 4th quarter. Good question. Why don't you ask his lazy , sour-puss teacher? Who by the way lives three doors down from us and I have had social run ins with. Even though I thought we were both playing nice while Jacob was in her class.

So they test him.

And the results are in.

Two weeks after the first talk, a panel of five very smiley adults, and one blank face stare, look across from Phil and I. Each take their turn. The gifted coordinator gushes about how much fun he had the couple of days he tested Jacob and what a pleasure he is to talk with. Oh and I'm retiring on Friday but am running a kiddie kollege at the local community college this summer and you should sign him up.

The woman who tested his reading had to stop after the 6th grade levels, but feels confident that he would've passed into 7th easily. The literacy specialist swooned with pleasure at having this conversation with us because usually she's discussing IEP's, instead of how to advance a 5t wearing 6 year old. His teacher? Oh well he does finish his assignments on time.

GAH!!!!!!!

She was of course, a waste of space. The asst. principal relayed how she regularly eats lunch with him because he's so much fun to talk too. And the school psychologist then proceeded to share how his cognitive testing went. She had to score his as average because he didn't complete enough to be bumped into the gifted area. Why? Because he finished each with such precision that the quantity of completed activities were low. He would have scored much higher if he had done more even if they were wrong. So she HAD to score him low even against her personal judgment just to fit the parameters of the test. That's cool, I was ok with that. But she was very apologetic.

They talked, we talked, for two hours. For now, he'll be attending a 3rd grade class for reading, so as to have more advanced conversation than he's getting in the 1st grade while still not being too far ahead socially. He also will be visiting with the school counselor, and two other "gifted" 2nd graders, once a week for smart games. It's something. They can't do a whole bunch because the state of Ohio doesn't provide funding or services to schools until the 3rd grade. In fact he's still not technically "identified" because the tests aren't suppose to be given until the 2nd grade. So he'll have to do them all again next year. Which he's good with because he thought they were lots of fun and of course, he enjoyed the adult conversation during his day.

It was nice to sit and hear how wonderful your son is not only because of his intelligence but because they each enjoyed their time with him on a social level. And again the inspiration came very clearly to my mind, he will always be smart. That is his God given gift to him. But it is my responsibly as his mother to teach him to be a productive member of society who is gives back, who is loving and thoughtful and hard working.

Plenty of smart people end up in the gutter. It's not the numbers, it's the package that contains them.

I love that kid. He drives me crazy. He makes me work too hard as he follows me from room to room with his incessant questions and thoughts. But I'm working to live up to him. Not bring him down to make things easier on my ears. Though a new conversation in our home is....

Jacob please pay attention to non-verbal clues for when others are just not available to listen.

Hello again!

2010-02-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

I suck...I suck...I suck...I suck...I suck...

So I bought a new camera before Christmas so as to not miss any more photo ops. But I can't figure out why the exact same brand one generation later doesn't download as easily as my last camera. Which was found at the end of January.

I still have crappy Christmas pics.

We went to Nashville to visit the Gates for New Year's and had a blast and I never remembered my camera, EVER!

We've had great snow storms and kids playing but I think I just have them at the door and one of Rudy.

Ellis has broken her first tooth and is crawling. Still in spurts but definitely crawling. We had a lovely Superbowl evening and mom and Rob's and a sweet family breakfast to celebrate Valentine's day.

Jacob is becoming a momma's boy again. And I kinda like it. He's hurt himself and called for me twice in two days. He's always been so tight with his dad, which I encourage, but it's still nice that he needs mommy to kiss the boo-boos.

Mena is a GREAT big sister and just adores "her" baby. She even likes to play baby school where she "reads" to Ellie.

I like working for Phil and look forward to adding a day when Ellis is in all-day kindergarten and I won't have to pay for a sitter. But I'll always only work 4 days. I'm still going to need a day for bon-bon eating and hulu, am I right my sisters?!

So Very Sad

2009-11-29T03:35:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you how sad I am this morning...I can't find my camera.

Now, let me tell you how happy I am that this is the only thing I'm sad about today.

But because I can't find my camera I can't upload pictures of my beautiful children. I have gone Thanksgiving, decorating the tree, and now Fremont's Holiday Parade without any pics of Ellie's firsts! And I'm close to having a panic attack. I'm already behind on Mena's scrapbook (please don't ever let on that I STILL haven't scrapped her first birthday and have to get pics from Aunt Allie to boot). But now I'm REALLY behind on Ellis. And I love that little sweetie pie and want to scrap it!

Ellis is my pretty, pretty princess. Mena I've always called my little pink princess and now we have a pretty, pretty princess. She totally rocks our house! When she makes noises to be fed at 3 in the morning, you go to get her, and she's kicking and giggling. No joke! It's hard not to like those early mornings when she makes them so pleasant. She only screams when she's super hungry. And well heck, that just makes her a Wylykanowitz...

It's funny, but all she asked from Santa was a cropper hopper 24 drawer scrapbook organizer. And that lucky girl is going to get it! She whispered in my ear to tell Santa that her greatest Christmas wish is to help Momma clean up her supplies so that she can have a super duper baby book.

But I can't find my camera!

Her Ruby Slippers

2009-11-12T02:57:00.000-08:00

So I've finally started working on a story that's been percolating for over a year. And Stephen King says that you shouldn't share ANYTHING that you write until you have finished and done an initial editing, but....

Here it is. The story is about a woman who is looking for herself again after 15 years of marriage and two kids.

Her Ruby Slippers

Chapter 2:

When Taylor was around five, she asked me, “Mommy, is Daddy your prince?” Of course I said yes. What do you say? “Well actually sweetie, River Pheonix was my prince, but because of a particularly stressful, college freshman, dying mother, day I led your father astray under the stars in the back of his pickup truck. I used the line that I was so cold that March night and needed his body heat. I was real smooth honey and now my prince forgets to take off his black socks when he changes into shorts after work.”

It makes me smile to myself when we receive wedding invitations that say things like, “Now I marry my best friend”. Really? Does he just love to go shopping with you and listen to you prattle on about weight loss/gain and the fashion industry’s vanity sizing? Can you just not wait until he gives every last minute detail of his fantasy football team and his standings in the league comprising of every known male relative in a tri-state area? Because honey, that’s marriage.

If you’re real lucky you might like a couple of the same shows in which you will belabor plot and character to death just to avoid the boredom of talking about the kids…again. So if you’re truthful that invite should read, “Today I marry someone I think is relatively attractive and who isn’t repulsed by me”. And when the gods look favorably on you and your significant other, ten years down the road you can say, “I’m married to a great guy who is sometimes the only person who is friendly to me when I’ve been acting like a real shit”. I love Tom. And thank heaven for “Law & Order” or I’d have to hear about every single old lady patient who forgot to turn up her hearing aid, and I’d be left to anecdotes from the produce section.

p.s. Jacob LOVES karate, Mena is still in heaven as our little ballerina, and Ellie is a giggling, smiling doll who is just the joy of our home. Will post pics very soon. Really looking forward to BGSU's writers weekend, Winter Wheat, tomorrow. Here's to crossing my fingers that I got my 1st pick for classes.

What is a blog?

2009-11-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

I never wrote further about Mena's dancing, because the last time I posted it wanted to underline everything. And I couldn't have that.

I have been so restless lately. I'm just a bundle of nerves. I've restarted Weight Watchers again because of a friend's little girl who asked when the other baby is going to come out of my tummy. My friend thought this was cute and passed it on thinking I would laugh the same way. I didn't. I smiled for her sake, and have been just furious inside. Mad at her for passing along something hurtful, and mad at myself for just not taking care of something that has bothered me ever since it was brought to my attention in the fourth grade that I'm soft. I have spent the first half of my life eating as a way to...survive? Emotionally? I don't know, but I don't want to waste the second half like this.

Another thing that's taking up useful brain cells is my writing, or lack there of. I have excused myself for not working on my craft by writing (usually) witty little notes on facebook. I've also not blogged because these fb sentences have felt creative enough. But there not. Of course there not. Nobody pays you and publishes your facebook sentences. I'm constantly whining about my financial situation (which drives my husband ABSOLUTELY bonkers! I might add) but at the same time I don't want a "real" job. I want to be a writer. I want to publish and walk in literary circles. I want to be a visiting professor at universities, discussing the actual craft of fiction. The importance of setting, character and plot. The boring yet pivitol need for well maintained sentence structure. How varying sentences size and style lends itself to a reader's understanding of character.

So it's 5:43 a.m. and I'm thrilled because I've gotten up the second day in a row before the gym to work on writing. But instead I signed up for BGSU's annual writer's weekend next week. I hope I get all my first choices for workshops, I'm very excited. And now it's time to go work out and be proud of time well spent, blogging and FB-ing. The novel will just have to wait until tomorrow...again.

Mena, Mena, Ballerina

2009-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Pics of my darling little Mena in dance class on Wednesday the 14th of October.

Upon the roles of the church she'll be known as Ellis.

2009-10-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 27th, Ellis' dad Phil, along with Grandpa Elison, Grandpa Ridoutt, Uncle Ron, Uncle Ammon and Uncle Robert and Branch President Smith gave her a special blessing conferred upon an infant. In it her full name, Ellis Grace Wylykanowitz, is stated so as to be placed upon the roles of the church.

This blessing is special because it is the beginning of her journey in the gospel. Though she won't be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until she accepts baptism, her name is now recorded for genealogy and posterity. Then the blessing continues and a child is given specific blessings according to how the Spirit inspires the priesthood holder administering the blessing.

The morning I dress my babies in their blessing clothes I try to take a quiet moment alone with them to think of how special their little spirits are and where they have so recently come from. I also think about how this white outfit is just one of three very important spiritual experiences they have the opportunity to partake in. Their blessing, their baptism, their marriage through the sealing ordinance of the temple.

Ellis' blessing gown is my favorite of the three. Jacob's I bought at Deseret Books in Portland, Mena's was a dress I had found in a thrift store when I was 20 and had held onto all those years in the hopes of someday having a baby girl, but Ellis' was handmade by her Aunt Emily and the "E" on the bodice came from the monogrammed handkerchief of my Grandma Elizabeth, the mother of my mother Joan in California.

This morning my little family will gather in our back room on the red couch and listen to General Conference being broadcast from Salt Lake. These semi-annual conferences are like holidays for me. They are my favorite four days of the year. It's a chance to truly feel like our home has a place in Zion.

In the Book of Mormon, Mosiah, Chapter 2, versus 5-6, it reads,

"5: And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.
6: And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;"

That's what General Conference means to me, it's an opportunity to sustain living prophets and to turn our home towards them and the words they share with us. Words that lift and inspire us to be better in all that we do and that help prepare us to be an eternal family.

First Day of School Pt. 2

2009-09-16T03:38:00.001-07:00

Mena started school last Wednesday, September 9, 9009. She is in Miss Dori's class and her assistant Miss Kris. Her good buddy from church, Alexa LeJeune, is in her class. And so far her favorite part of school is playing outside. She also likes the puzzles and reading time.

We were a little worried that she wouldn't be going to pre-school this year because over the summer she kept saying that she didn't want to ever leave me. But we said she had to give it one week. If she really wanted to stay home this year she could. She is only 3! And barely three at that. But she really likes it, except for having to do her hair ever morning, those la-la's come out the minute she comes in the door.

She's our little cutie! And such a big girl, even though she is the smallest in her class and her book bag is almost as tall as she is, LOL!

First Day of School Pt. 1

2009-09-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

What a handsome big guy! Jacob's been doing some growing this summer.

He now has two little sisters who he has said he'll "lay down his life" to protect. (he gets his flair for the dramatic from you-know-who) On Saturday he rode his first "adult" ride at the county fair with a wristband saying he's TALL enough for the 42" rides. And today he went off to school for his first full day and a lunchable in his backpack!

We'll also be working this month on having him walk home by himself. Even though we live across the street I have been trained by the news and NCMEC to be a fearful mother. He did walk home alone by the end of last year but I stood on the porch until he was in front of the house and then I'd walk him across the street. He also was let out with only other kindergartners. This year he'll be walking home with big kids as old as 6th grade! But in talking with my friend Kristen Truong and having been doing a little self-educating, I'm ready (sort of) to assist my children in being free range kids.

I don't know how my mom was able to put Emily and me
on a airplane by ourselves at 7 & 5 to fly each summer to visit our dad. (I do know she couldn't sleep the week before and often spent her nights crying) BUT she did it none the less. I walked to and from kindergarten, 3 blocks away. I've moved all over the country, many times just me and a pal with a loaded down car or truck. I was a free range kid and I'm very self-sufficient and independent. Yet, as a mother I'm a hoverer! Completely! Especially after the broken arm.

But here he is, the first step of the rest of his life as a full-time little man!

A little summer photo shoot.

2009-08-16T16:24:00.001-07:00

It would be nice if she opened her eyes for one of these photos, but one can I say? She's a sleeper.

Ellis Grace Wylykanowitz

2009-08-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

My little darling is now 11 days old and I haven't written about her yet! What the heebie-jeebies is wrong with me?! Well I HAVE been awfully busy looking into her beautiful blue eyes and stroking her very strawberry (sometimes red) blonde hair.

She was born July 28th at 8:28 am, 7 lbs. 8 oz., 20 inches long.

She sleeps like a champ! We didn't even need to buy our customary television series box set to get through midnight wakings. We feed her and she's down again. Her brother and sister love her and enjoy feeding and holding her.

I'm more tired and sore than with other two and am still taking minimal pain killers whereas before I didn't need any. But hey, I'm older and she is #3, at least that's what the doctor and nurses kept telling me the difference is. I'm not really complaining, it's a great excuse for not cleaning, doing laundry, or well...anything. I just sit in the rocker and hold her and usually Mena is on the other leg and we three girls just kick it, lazy style.

So here she is! All my worrying and tears for naught, really, thank heaven.

My last night of possible sleep....

2009-07-27T04:49:00.000-07:00

But it wasn't. Jacob manipulated himself into our bed last night claiming he needed some mommy cuddles before the new baby came. Oh, he's good, isn't he? How could I resist? Then I forgot my Tylenol PM and so was up from 12:30 am until 3:30 am in which I got so sick of tossing and turning (which requires getting up on knees to accomodate massive belly) that I went downstairs and read a chapter of my homework that I need to finish before we leave at 4:30 to drop Rudy off at Ammon and Margarida's and then off to Emily's.

Because of being so far from the hospital, love that rural livin', (ok a GOOD hospital) we are staying at Emily's tonight after eating dinner with her family and our dad who just got in. Then we are spending the night with her since she's only 20 minutes from the hospital and we are close to an hour. She's taking care of the kids for us and with her being close they can come and go with Dad.

I have to admit that I'm scared.

With Jacob's arm, my appendectomy, the financial strain of our medical situation on top of having come to terms with no more babies only to find out I was pregnant after all with only a 3 day window before loss of insurance. The loss of my grandparents in such a bizarre manner, our continued insurance nightmare. Oh yeah, no one will cover us for six weeks after Ellis's birth so all of our follow up care will be out of pocket. I keep thinking that the rug underneath is not finished being pulled out.

When I did sleep last night I had horrible dreams with lots of pain, blood, and death. Gruesome? Yes. But our year didn't start January 1st. It started July 31, 2008 when my son shattered his elbow 2 1/2 hours before our insurance kicked in and has left us $20k+ in the whole and ending on July 31, 2009 with a daughter I pray with all my heart, will come home with us, because sometimes they don't.

But this is my deepest fear. The one I've only begun to admit to myself this weekend. That everything is going to be ok should be a given, but the one thing I've learned in the last 12 months is that life has no givens.

And yet, at the same time, I have really grown in my understanding of repentance and faith. But fear and faith cannot co-exist. One comes from love and the other... I have especially come to a fuller understanding of the power of Grace. And it is these powers that I am trying to draw upon 24 hours exactly from when Ellis's and my operation begin.

* Rane, Walter: Add to Your Faith. Unframed giclée print (www.ldscatalog.com)

I'm faced with the reality that I'm a loser!

2009-07-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

So I go on my sister Allison's blog this morning and see her live feed widget. I have seen this nifty little gadget on other blogs I follow but have not succumbed to using it. Until...TODAY! in which I think it's a great time to get rid of my "Suggested Baby Names" section and put in the feedjit instead.

Great plan, right! EXCEPT, now I know that I am the only one who actually returns to my blog with any regularity. FOUR, count them, 4 times today! Now I do this as part of my return to the computer ritual each and every time. I log in, delete spam from my yahoo account, check my school e-mail for new grades, check blog only to check my blog list to see if there's anything new that you have written, and then head to facebook.

I swear, I am only checking my blog list every ten minutes. REALLY, it's not a cry for love or to see if anyone thinks my posts are witty, intelligent, and life changing. really. really. ok, maybe, a little.

Please, comment. Please tell my that my little blog is as important to you as the latest issue of People magazine. That when I post I am claiming my 15 minutes of fame that is an American inalienable right!

Maybe I should remove the feedjit. It's tapping into my psyche and playing havoc with my insecurities.

The Wanderer

2009-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Put an X by the states you have been to. The average is 8; how do you match up?

Just for fun, put an O beside the states where you have lived.

Airports don't count!

Alabama -
Alaska -
Arizona - X
Arkansas -x
California -XO
Colorado - X
Connecticut -
Delaware -X
Florida - X
Georgia -
Hawaii-
Idaho -XO
Illinois - X
Indiana- X
Iowa - X
Kansas -X
Kentucky - X
Louisiana -
Maine -
Maryland -XO
Massachusetts - X
Michigan - X O
Minnesota -
Mississippi -
Missouri - X
Montana -X
Nebraska - X
Nevada - X
New Hampshire -X
New Jersey - X
New Mexico -X
New York - X
North Carolina -
North Dakota -
Ohio - XO
Oklahoma -
Oregon - XO
Pennsylvania - X
Rhode Island -
South Carolina -
South Dakota -X
Tennessee - X
Texas - X
Utah - XO
Vermont -
Virginia - XO
Washington - X
West Virginia -
Wisconsin -X
Wyoming- X

That would be 33 visited and 8 lived in.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose...

2009-07-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

So it's official. Little Baby Girl W. has a name. (drumroll please....)

Ellis Grace Wylykanowitz!

ELLIS: My grandmother's full name was Miriam Ruth (Ellis) Elison, and we wanted to name her after my grandma long before she passed away.

GRACE: The way she was able to join our family sandwiched between my appendix operation and the end of our maternity insurance was a truly lesson in grace.

Thank you all for your suggestions, it was fun! I'll be copying them down for her scrapbook.

For John

2009-07-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I had promised my brother John that I would create a photo essay of my town for him back in April. Only I didn't really know how to go about doing it until I saw a smilebox creation on my friend Heather Goodworth's blog.

Emily and I hired a babysitter and spent an afternoon tooling around the countryside and many of these photos come from that afternoon in June. A couple are from 2008 as well as the Sandusky County Fair. Jacob and Riley on the trampoline was taken at Emily's house and the final photo was at Maddie Householder's blessing at the Findlay LDS ward building.

I hope you enjoy the tour!

The Swingset

2009-06-29T04:02:00.000-07:00

So here's the joke:

How many Mormons does it take to screw in a light bulb?
10: 1 to screw it in and 9 to bring the refreshments!
(ha ha ha)

This was our swingset adventure for the last year. We had decided, as a family, to save up for a nifty new swingset last August. We had a huge glass pickle jar that we put our change in every night and watched as the funds grow. It was supposed to be a lesson for the children in planning, budgeting, delayed gratification and patience. But I definately think I had much more fun finding and counting coins than they did. As a family we saved around $160 in almost a year. Phil also donated $200 when an old case from his solo days paid off then the kids received WalMart gift cards and money for their birthdays which went into the pot. All total we only paid $100 out of pocket!

BUT...we still had to build the darn thing. Which we KNEW was going to be the real test of endurance. So, we asked for help. Phil as Elders Quorum president is constantly setting up and running service projects for those in need and I felt we were in need. The two of us would love to be DIY-ers, but we just aren't. Our kitchen ceiling STILL needs to be painted from the bathroom disaster at Christmas.

So I asked him to just go in there and ask for any help anyone could give and think of it as an old fashion barn-raising. We would provide as much food and drinks as people would need to help us get this thing built.

Our volunteers were: My mom's husband, Rob Ridoutt and sons (our brothers, we just love these guys, even before the swingset), Ammon and Rob. The elders and Brother John Jiskra. And a little help from Jacob and Mena. Everyone was awesome! The missionaries could only stay an hour but Rob and Robert are engineers and they had that thing moving. Phil had worked since 6:30 am sorting and marking wood sizes and when everyone showed up at 9 they just really took off. I did construct the glider and swings as my contribution. And...It only took them half a day!

The day wasn't as hot as earlier in the week but they still needed LOTS of Gatorade and ice pops. I had bought a dozen doughnuts and Rob brought a dozen as well. I had also ordered a meat and cheese tray from the deli to feed 20-25 because when I ordered I didn't know how many had signed up, plus sides That was the best. I think I'll be getting one week until our little girl is born so that I don't have to cook anymore.

After it was constructed we let the kids stay up until after 10 pm playing, and in fact at 7:30 Sunday morning Jacob was out there in his jammies swinging some more. We love it.

And it has been a good lesson. In family home evening two weeks ago we were discussing our pickle jar and what to do with it now. And Jacob helped make the decision that we are now saving until Christmas to help a family in need. So the first half of the year is for something fun for the house/yard and the second half is for service. The jar has a new name: The Wylykanowitz Love Fund.

p.s. A half day really means 9p.m. (5 men:12 hours). But hey! It IS half a day!!! :-)

Mena's Third Birthday

2009-06-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Mena celebrated her third birthday on the 30th of May. She is such a big girl. She's strong willed yet loving. A no fear thrill seeker, yet is terrified of water in her eyes. She'll tell anyone who listens that she starts ballet classes in the fall but clings to me in private, "I don't want to go to pre-school, I don't want to leave you".

She can't wait to have a new sister now that she's seen the ultrasound and accepts that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. Now she likes to read to the tummy and has even offered to share her Lambie with the baby!

I've been sleeping in her room at night because the twin mattress on her floor gives more support and is more comfortable for my girth right now. Last night she climbed into bed with me because she was scared by the "monster" pile of clothes in her room that need to go into storage. Finally waking at 9 a.m. she looked up at me, "Last night I got lots and lots of cuddles".

I've come to believe that most of her fits that went beyond the normal two-year-old tantrums came from a place where Mena knew that I have spent too much time at school or on schoolwork, Jacob, church responsibilities, housework, etc. and not enough time cuddling her. Her favorite place to be is on mommy's lap and now that I'm home my lap is too big to hold her comfortably. And there are days that I just can't get enough of my beautiful Mena and worry that I have failed her in some basic way.

I remember when she was born and we were in the hospital together without anyone visiting. I would put her little naked, diapered, body inside my nightgown so that we were skin to skin and we would lay together for hours. My princess. I promised her that she would always be my special little one. As family came to visit I would become anxious if they held her too long and she wasn't in my arms.

All mothers have to make sacrifices when raising their children. Whether with time, money, other responsibilities, and sometimes even self.

I really appreciate this quote on motherhood:
"Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together." ~Pearl S. Buck

And I'm grateful to all the mothers who are part of helping my children become their best selves. Grandmothers, Aunts (and my children are blessed with LOTS of aunts from many generations, those with children and those without, who absolutely adore them), friends of mine, teachers at church and at school.

Yesterday, Mena and I were talking again about her baby sister in my tummy, when I added that someday she might have a baby in her tummy too. And we giggled and tickled over that. While tickling I thought about how someday she is going to go on her first date, have her first heartbreak, then another, and another. She will go to college (YES!), she may serve a mission, most likely get married, have her own children (through birth or adoption) and live a very full life, if we are so blessed.

But like usual I get ahead of myself. I'm really working on living in the present. My theme song these days is: "Slow down, you move too fast, you've got to make the moment last. Just, kickin' down the cobblestones...doo doo doo doo, and feeling groovy!"

Here's to my groovy little 3 year-old Princess Baby Mena!

Amy's 35th Birthday Party - All are invited!

2009-05-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I had my now bi-weekly baby doctor appointment. Baby W. will be arriving on July 28, 2009. I had big dreams of delivering on my birthday, the 29th, but Dr. Bass only delivers planned cesareans on Tuesdays. So there you have it.

We thought we had a name but now I'm no longer sure. So all the names posted on the left are still in the running. And I'm being sincere when I say I am poring over all of them and my baby name book. I think this one may be a wait and see situation. Yesterday I had a brainstorm. "Phil! What about Matilda Ruth and calling her Tillie?!" Uh, that was a no go. So feel free to let me know if you are having any inspiration.

But on July 29, 2009 I will be hosting my own 35th birthday party at the Wood County Hospital in Bowling Green, Ohio. Most of you know I'm kind of a quiet birthday gal but there will be streamers and balloons, cake and ice cream for all who would like to come meet our sweet little one.

I am posting the photos of all the babies born by my fellow bloggers/friends/family thus far in 2009:

The year started with my cousin, Sharon Pearson's 5th child, Jaiden Pearson (also shown with 4th child/2nd daughter Valencia):

and our friends from Portland (now in Blackfoot Idaho) Heather and Tim Goodworth welcomed their third daughter Meg:

Then came Kathryn Conser. My dear friend Megan, from Portland, gave birth in February to her third child/second daugher:

Last Tuesday, Aaron Choate was born to my USU roommate, long time friend and blogging celebrity, Loralee. This is her fourth son and baby:

Yet to come in 2009 are:
Collin Knapp (#2) to my sister Allison - due date 7/27/09
Baby Gates (#3) to my other Portland bosom buddy, Julie Moyer-Gates- due date 10/09
Baby Resek (#2) to my LA/DC roommate Adrianne (Smart) Resek and if it wasn't for her I would never have moved East and met my sweet Charlie Brown- due date 10/09
Baby Webb (#3) to my sweetheart Paula (Yokum) Webb - due date 12/09
Baby Kinnunen (#2) to one of my very oldest and dearest friends, Nicole (Coloff) Kinnunen-12/09

I keep a scrapbook page at the end of each year for annual baby announcements I think 2009 is going to bring us a bumper crop!

P.S. I stole these photos from their blogs which can be found to the left. If you would like to see more pics of their little darlings just click and enjoy!

Princess Baby Mena!

2009-05-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

I was wishing my mom in California a "Happy Mother's Day" and telling her about the kids. She loved Jacob's soccer photos but I realized I had never posted Mena's dress-up pics. This is what Mena calls "playing make-up". The above is my favorite. It has such a sense of joy and freedom. Enjoy, she's a CUTIE!

Jacob - MVP

2009-05-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Our son Jacob has many, many talents. But focus and teamwork aren't two of them. Or the love of nature either, for that matter. His two favorite sports are swimming and gymnastics. Where one is safely indoors.

This spring we offered him either T-ball or soccer. He chose soccer. Great! Thought I, there is a lot more room for social visibility. You know, no one ever says "Hey, look at that cute T-ball mom." Whereas soccer moms are just so suburban chic ;-) And of course it's all about me.

But here's the kicker, vanity gets me every time. I'm still not the cute soccer mom. My huge tummy crowded in sweatpants, they are all that fits. Stained t-shirts because my wardrobe budget can't keep up with the tornado that is Mena. And sporting the ponytail while my hair shows off my bad roots because I can't figure out a hairstyle I want or the time to get to the salon.

So I'm actually having to pay attention to my son playing the game instead of flaunting my cute soccer mom self.

These pics are from his first game last Saturday. His team, Crew, lost 0-4 but then won on Tuesday 2-0. On Tuesday he even helped defend the goal with a his head. All the parents cheered and asked me his name. Beaming, I said, "Jacob, and he meant to do that!" But of course moments later he is galloping to the bench yelling, "Ow, ow,ow..." Later, he made a successful pass to a little girl teammate who made a goal. And he even attempted a goal himself.

We're very proud of him, this year he is no longer twirling in the back corner like lasts year's attempt at Rugrats Sports. He's actually listening to his coach and watching the ball 50% of the time.

When Tuesdays game was over he came running to me for some H2O. "Honey," said I, "your coach is talking to all the kids you need to go over there". In which my little "Beckham" spins and begins skipping back to his group. "Run, Jacob run! Don't skip, sweetie."

p.s. At the library today I checked out "Great Hair: Secrets to Looking Fabulous and Feeling Beautiful Every Day" by Nick Arrojo of TV's "What Not to Wear".

Spring's Annual Geological Dig

2009-04-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Some count the first day of spring by the calendar, March 20th. For some it's the first shoots of daffodils or tulips peeking their heads above the thawing ground. For me, well, it's the day I decide to finally unearth the floor of the mom-mobile from beneath the layers of winter snacks and corroded sippy cups.

I've known for a week or two that something was definately "rotten in the state of Denmark". But it's still been so cold and rainy out that I've ignored it. Just lowering the windows long enough to not soak the seats but still give a bit of fresh air. On Friday, I had no excuses, it was a warm and gorgoeus day. The kids had a vintage Mickey Mouse video from the library and I set to work with trash barrel and hose at the ready.

The culprit: not one, not two, but FOUR! Deteriotating little gremlins of milk needs past. I couldn't, of course, just throw them away because we parents all know how much we get suckered punched in the wallet for those things. So I lined them up along the house for Phil to spray down before attempting the dishwasher.

Photo Op For Your Benefit:

Alas, the cups couldn't be saved. But the hose did create a nice little splash zone for the youngun's. And beneath the layers of trail mix, cheerios, chips, books, toys, discarded clothing, and the such was my van. The one I never wanted but couldn't live without! Next year, I look forward to fermenting fiends of formula lying amongst the other rubble. Proof that our lives move forward as time marches on.

Returning To Normal...

2009-04-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have had so much time to think about family, life, death, and what it means to grieve.

When my grandfather passed I was so relieved. His life without Grandma would have been cruel in its living. And flying out to California gave me time with family that has helped me to heal. Phil and I chose to leave he and the kids at home. We didn't really feel this was the appropriate time for hJacob to be hanging out with cousins. He would understand too much while emotionally not being able to cope with any of it. As it is he and I have had many conversations concerning death. We still have a family vacation planned in October. And we are all looking forward to that.

I have a really awesome family. Some get along better than others but that's in every family and with one as large as ours the odds are still pretty good. I'm grateful for the reunion last year which helped to bring us closer and gave us the foundation to lean on each other in our time of need.

I'm grateful for my dad, and all that he had to shoulder as oldest son, and now patriarch of our Elison branch. I'm not sure he sees himself that way, but my generation is now looking to him. I'm grateful for my brother, his wife, my sisters and their spouses and children. I especially enjoyed getting in some quality time with my nephew, Quinn, who I haven't had much time with.

I'm grateful that my cousin Sharon is still excited in planning our next in 2011. And the opportunity I've had these last few years to build a sweet friendship with. I'm grateful for my cousin Stewart, who created a beautiful video for the memorial luncheon and made copies for all of us. He was such a goof as a kid, but now he's come into his own as family photographer and video-historian. He's still a goof, but I'm so much more appreciative of his sweet nature and quick laughter.

I'm grateful for elderly great-aunts and uncles who came and supported our family and who hugged us grandkids who still so desperately need our grandparents. We range in age from 40's down to teens. But we still need to hear the stories from grandpa and to hold hands with grandma. We love our parents. And we know that they loved their parents. But our grandparents had such a special relationship with us grandkids seperate from their own children.

They were what grandparents were suppose to be. Warm, inviting, treat giving, unassuming, fun and simple. They didn't have much but what they had they gave with an open heart. My grandma has always been my hero, my best friend, my ideal. She wasn't very syrupy sweet but she loved us. I literally have tried my whole life to walk in her shoes. As a teen, everyone made fun of me because I was always borrowing her old lady sandals. And I loved them! I still do. I have her feet. As many of us kids do, and my feet have always been my favorite body part.

My faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ is my own. My testimony comes from my own studies and experiences but its seed was planted at the knee of my grandfather. I love the scriptures because he taught me how. I cherish family history because I spent countless hours listening to him and begging for more. I will miss calling him up after each General Conference to discuss the talks given. That was something we could share even when separated by so many miles.

I am grateful to have been blessed with peace during this past week. But today I'm sad for me. Today I've had to fight tears in each of my classes and have finally given way to them while I sit here and write. But I'm ok. I know I'm ok. Years are going to pass and I will still have moments of sadness because there will be times when I will need to sit hand-in-hand with Grandma and share a diet Coke and can't. I truly believe I will be with her again when it is my time to leave this earthly sphere. But those quiet porch moments are now gone forever.

Now it's time to take my children to the park across the street. They've been waiting patiently for an hour and Jacob has become so sensitive to my crying. He's a sweet boy. It's time for us to play. So here we go, me and the next generation, hand-in-hand looking to the future.

Follow Up

2009-03-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. I've just received a call from my sister Tiana, Grandpa has just passed as well. I leave tomorrow night for California to help my family prepare for a double funeral on Friday.

A Time of Sorrow

2009-03-28T03:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I was on the phone with my dad, so excited for the day. My anticipation of my Uncle Ritchie Elison's scheduled visit for dinner, and Emily's family joining us for a mini- family reunion, was so great that I skipped my last class to go grocery shopping. It was the only reason I was even on the phone.

Another call beeped through dad's line and he quickly hung up with me. 40 minutes later I learned that Dad had received what will probably, and hopefully, be the worst news of our lives. This shared by my family, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins.

Our grandmother, 86 years old, died yesterday and our grandfather, 90 years old is in the hospital after a tragic and violent turn in time. For 67 1/2 years they had been devoted partners, loving parents, and honored grandparents.

Even though their age may suggest it was just their time to go. This is not that story. In fact I'm only blogging about it because I need a release and an opportunity to reach out to my family who I am so far away from.

Dear family, our hearts are knitted together. Each of us have our own spiritual faith as our foundation. But we are united in our love for one another.

I'm posting the poem Grandpa read at my wedding 7 years ago. It is how I will choose to remember him always.

Home
by Edgar Guest

It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,
A heap o' sun an' shadder, an' ye sometimes have t' roam
Afore ye really 'preciate the things ye lef' behind,
An' hunger fer 'em somehow, with 'em allus on yer mind.
It don't make any differunce how rich ye get t' be,
How much yer chairs an' tables cost, how great yer luxury;
I ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king,
Until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped round everything.

Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;
Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;
Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then
Right there ye've got t' bring 'em up t' women good, an' men;
And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn't part
With anything they ever used -- they've grown into yer heart:
The old high chairs, the playthings, too, the little shoes they wore
Ye hoard; an' if ye could ye'd keep the thumb marks on the door.

Ye've got t' weep t' make it home, ye've got t' sit an' sigh
An' watch beside a loved one's bed, an' know that Death is nigh;
An' in the stillness o' the night t' see Death's angel come,
An' close the eyes o' her that smiled,
an' leave her sweet voice dumb.
Fer these are scenes that grip the heart,
an' when yer tears are dried,
Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an' sanctified;
An' tuggin' at ye always are the pleasant memories
O' her that was an' is no more -- ye can't escape from these.

Ye've got t' sing an' dance fer years, ye've got t' romp an' play,
An' learn t' love the things ye have by usin' 'em each day;
Even the roses 'round the porch must blossom year by year
Afore they 'come a part o' ye, suggestin' someone dear
Who used t' love 'em long ago, an' trained 'em jes' t' run
The way they do, so's they would get the early mornin' sun;
Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome:
It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home.

From the book "A Heap o' Livin'" ©1916

Friends, I'm going to be unavailable for the time being, I'll call when I'm ready.

Spring Is In the Air

2009-03-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday we actually hit 57 degrees. It was lovely. Mena and I went out back and decided to have a little photo shoot in the tropical breeze. She was so cute! At first she wanted to show me her dancing moves which she calls “shakin’ my body”. We attempted action shots but every time she hears the camera click she stops and asks to see the picture.

We then played soccer and food stand. Food stand consists of her taking my order from the window of her playhouse and then bringing me my food. Are my children spending too much time at fast food joints? Hmmm….something to ponder.

Mena’s fits haven’t lessened in intensity but the last week has shown an improvement in frequency. She’s actually been a little doll who likes to sneak attack me with beautiful smiles.

She was also finally digesting the reason why mommy’s middle is getting bigger but then yesterday told me “There’s no baby in your tummy!” But she does love other babies and talks about her cousins and friends who have babies in their homes, so I’m not too worried. Plus, we’ve been spending a lot of time looking at Jacob’s and her baby books.

She loves to “do it herself” and be mommy’s little helper. By the time baby comes I know she’ll be a fantastic big sister.

My Raven Haired Beauty...

2009-02-26T02:37:00.000-08:00

This is the update. I had trouble sleeping last night because of the news that it's a girl. Even though I was early for an ultrasound that would sex the baby, she was an acrobat with legs wide open. The magic three lines were there and the tech gave us a 98% chance, offering this little tidbit, "I'm saying it's a girl". I had been feeling all along that I would have another daughter, even before I conceived and was giving up hope, I knew if we ever had another child she would be a girl. So I'm not surprised at all...just a little tired.

When Mena hit her two's in stride, fear took over and I REALLY wanted another boy. One that would maybe play in the dirt, and like trucks, and perhaps spend hours outside in the summer rather than crying because "the sun blinds me!"

Though I probably wouldn't have had that boy anyway. That boy would have asked for a chemistry set for his second birthday and would be building a time machine, powered by the 4 main elements (earth, wind, fire, water) and creating historical gene maps to help pinpoint the exact date of arrival for this time machine, with his older brother by his third. What I wouldn't give for a child that begs to play outside!

So here are the dreams I shared with my friend Loralee via facebook: "...this [girl] is going to be different. I'm going to name her Lucy or, or Anne and she's going to recite The Highwayman while wearing soft summer frocks...sniff...and play with dolls...whimper...and tea sets...and she WON"T scream "Don't help me! I hate help!" (cyring softly into my own shoulder).

Also, I'm praying that this little widget will have black wavy locks like her father, and sparkling blue eyes that stay blue like her grandfather. And we are going to lean towards more soft purples in her wardrobe so as to differentiate her from the pink princess that is Baby Mena as well as a nod towards her grandmother Marie who LOVED purple. If you have any lilac infant outfits ready for the goodwill we will happily swallow our pride and accept them ;-)

If you've been under a rock...

2009-02-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

So as you already know Allison and I are pregnant. She is approx. 10 days ahead of me in gestation but because I am a lucky NW Ohioan who can't have VBAC's I'll probably deliver before her depending on the doctor's surgical rotation.

That being said she had her ultrasound last week and found out she is having a boy. I on the other hand am having mine tonight at 6:30 and am prepared to not know a gosh darn #@#$@#$ thing! My doctors have scheduled my dating ultrasound so early! I'm only 16.5 weeks along and they don't usually date until weeks 18-20 and this is after I pushed it for three weeks. So I'm sitting her with my fingers crossed that we'll know since I'm only given 1 ultrasound by my insurance.

This is it until the end of July and this writer has got to start working on names! Especially since this my last chance to create the perfect name. I've never been shy about the fact that I've never loved my kids' names. At least aspects of them were not my first choice. And I kind of feel that a child's name is a gift, a blessing if you will, from mom (and dad too, I suppose, blech). Wish me luck that this widget is floatin' free and uninhibited!!!!

One Proud Doggie Mom!

2009-01-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

Just a very short update for bragging purposes! This being our family blog I of course spend much time on my two beautiful children. But today I'd like to talk a little bit about my furry son.

Rudy (Rutherford B. Dogg) is our adorable Shepherd/Beagle mix who will be 4 on April 23rd. He is absolutely the best dog ever. He barks madly at the mailman who he thinks is an evil home invader but loves most people. Ok, so he doesn't really like our neighbor Earl either. But besides that he is just an easy going dog who's biggest fault is that he is almost too affectionate and loves to french kiss.

Yesterday he had an appointment at a new groomer's where my mom takes her dogs. He looked so sad when I dropped him off but was a good boy and didn't make a sound when they led him to the back. I didn't pick him up until much later in the afternoon but the woman who helped me said he was FANTASTIC! That he never made a sound and was such a good boy. She asked if he ever barked!? Then she added that, "Rudy is welcomed back anytime!"

Well...I just received a phone call not 10 minutes ago letting me know that Rudy was one of four dogs picked this week to be featured on their website. I'm as tickled as if Jacob or Mena were nominated for a Nickelodeon slime award! We mother's always know how special our little ones are, but it is so nice when others see it too...LOL!

The site is:
http://www.groomerscorner.com/Pictures.htm
they said his pic will be up after tomorrow, January 31st until February 6th

The Widget - 12 weeks...

2009-01-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

So most of you had read my post on November 2nd about my chances of getting an insurance covered pregnancy had ended. That was as true as I knew it at that time. Then four hours later I doubled over in pain with what ended up being my appendix but at the time I thought I was dying and being punished for not appreciating the children I had. OK! OK! I SERIOUSLY thought I was dying and my mind went all over the charts because I have never been in that kind of excruciating agony in my life.

Then...two weeks later a new little life was introduced. Now most of you know this by now by word of mouth even though my husband swore me to secrecy until 12 weeks. Which little by little that promise deteriorated. The vomiting, 20 hour sleep days, and extended stomach also gave me away. I'm 5'2, even being a bit round, there's just nowhere for my uterus to go!

But the promise was made with good intentions. We've had 3 miscarriages that we know of. The last being in July. We didn't want to get too excited until week 12 because of obvious reasons especially after trying so hard for the last year. We really didn't want the kids to know because how do explain miscarriages to a 5 & 2 year-old who just love babies.

But I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and I'll have my first doctors appointment at 11:30 a.m. I'm finally allowing myself to add the baby widget I see on other friends' blogs. I'm finally getting excited!

As for insurance....here's the kicker. I'm due August 7th, my maternity insurance runs out July 31st, but because I have to have cesareans I will be delivered between July 26-28th. I will probably walk out those hospital doors just hours before my insurance runs out! The jokes on you, legal organized crime purveyors!!

Simplify - 09!

2009-01-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

Phil and I have been talking for a couple of months now about pruning the excesses of our life. We've become so crazy busy since moving to Ohio. And the whole point of living in this sleepy little town was to enjoy a slower and more serene family life.

So we've taken inventory of some of the things that we're making us crazy. Mostly it was busy schedules with us passing in the night with our school, work, church and family responsibilities.

Then I found this quote by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the LDS Church, "Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are- as though our busyness defines our worth...We can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don't matter. That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls...is essential."

So after thinking about it for sometime, and a month of panic attacks, I've decided to turn off the cable. WHat!? you cry! How does that help anything? Well, my kids addiction to cartoons was driving me nuts. The constant mindless happy noises were grating on my nerves and making me cranking when I was home. Plus, they would fight over shows. Now they are forced to play with one another and be creative. Phil and I cut the umbilical cord to our DVR which was just another to-do list that we never felt we could keep up with. We still have very basic $5 cable which gives us the broadcasts channels, two local channels and PBS so the kids still have some cartoons before school and we can still watch primetime television. BUT, now if we aren't able to watch a show when it's not on we just miss it...how revolutionary!

We also kept our internet for shows if we want to log on and we still love the hulu. Funny, I was so anxious the day it all went away, what are we going to do with ourselves? But then when it was gone it was like a huge weight was lifted off.

Now I don't think everyone has to go to this extreme, we were extreme t.v. addicts and needed a little moderation, but just look at these cute photos of my wee ones building blanket castles...isn't that what childhood was meant to be about it?

Now what's next to be pruned this year? Cable was just the beginning...

So long...

2008-12-12T00:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been almost a month since I've posted. A lot has been going on. Our bathroom finally started coming through the ceiling and so we have been in demo and construction since November 17th. I had to postpone our annual cookie swap until this Sunday and put off a visit from the Gates since showering at the house meant wearing flip flops to the basement and cleaning yourself under the bizarre shower nozzel, no joke, in the middle of the ceiling. It's a very bizarre feeling to be scrubbing yourself clean while also taking inventory of your food storage.

But right before that on the 14th, Emily, baby Madelaine, Emily's friend Ali and I went down to Nashville to visit the Gates family (the Georgia Peaches blog) and attend Time Out For Women put on by Deseret Book with Julie and her friend Allison. We were able to go to both Friday night and Saturday meetings. And of course we went WAY OVER BOARD shopping in the mobile Deseret store. Ok, EMILY, went way over board I just stuck my toes in the water then quickly sat back down. But if I had had the means you know I would have been swimming with her. But I knew I was coming back to a mess that would probably have to be my Christmas and birthday present this year!

The Gates were wonderful hosts. My favorite parts were Sean waking up early to make us breakfast before our 7:30 am departure to the conference center and the girls performing their puppet/talent show Saturday night. They were darling!

Then came Thanksgiving and now finals and Christmas. We weren't able to go to New Jersey this year because of Phil's schedule but look forward to getting back on track next year. I'll be done with school next Wednesday and hopefully will be getting Christmas letters and cards out very soon.

Hope all is well, and I'll write more later! Love, Me xoxo

Finally...Halloween!

2008-11-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

So here are my little darlings on Halloween. Mena was a
"pumpkin" witch and Jacob was Ben 10. So cute! Our October festivities included a trip to the pumpkin patch with Grandma R., Aunt Margarida, Le Le and Ya Ya (while Daddy was in San Diego, the Truongs annual Halloween party, Trick or Treating with family at Aunt Allies (look to her blog for a much better entry) and then our branch's trunk or treat. Halloween was tons of fun. Especially for Mena who is an expert trick or treater. No fear!

Mommy's lost a body part!

2008-11-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

After post lasting Sunday about no baby, I started to have some really severe pain with throwing up...nice. By about 7 in the morning on Monday, Phil had called my mom and had me taken to the hospital.

Well at least it wasn't the flu again. By 12:30 I was being prepped in the O.R. for an emergency appendectomy (aren't they all? Who just asks for an appendectomy? I think that is kind of funny actually). Jacob was horrified that I could lose a body part and was needing to talk to me in the hospital regularly.

They were going to keep me until Wednesday but I asked to go home Tuesday night. I can get better sleep with my little insomniacs than with all those well meaning, every 45 minutes vitals taking, nurses. So I came home.

I've done a lot of sleeping and catching up with the DVR. Unfortunately I've also had too much time to redecorate and reconstruct my living room in my mind again. Get out your checkbook babe!

p.s. We didn't win McDonald's millions.
p.p.s. I will post pics of kids at Halloween this week. I promise! Also, I can't drive for awhile so nothing else can distract me from those lil' lovelies

baby news...

2008-11-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hi...

I only post today because I have managed to make my desire to have a third baby the business of everyone whether they liked it or not. I have even told my school advisor and one of my theater instructors from fall '07 so now that I have a good portion of american citizens alerted to my conception schedule, here's the news.

There is no news. We can schedule to have fertility tests this week, when they would be the most optimal, but I'm going to skip it. With our maternity insurance running out July 31, 2009, time has run out at least for now anyway. We are interested in adoption but I'm just not up to thinking about it, at least until the holidays are over. So many of my friends are pregnant right now, and I really am VERY happy for them but... you know.

I wouldn't even bother posting about this with Halloween photos and all (which I will add this week) but my mom in California had asked a little while back how the baby experiment was going. It then occurred to me that people are going to start asking because I've made such a big deal about it.

I have two really great kids who keep me busy and usually content. I have spent the last year so caught up in my baby hunger for another #3 that I've forgotten to enjoy the son and daughter I have now.

I'm sad.

I'm very sad, I tried to not let it interfere with Halloween weekend but I found out Friday that it's just not going to happen right now.

You don't need to post any comments or anything I'm just putting the word out in case you were wondering.

IMPORTANT! This requires a second post today!

2008-10-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm completely memorized by this blogger I was led to by my favorite little crackerjack Loralee at looneytunes.com (look left at the blogs I follow). Yes, I like to brag that "I knew Mistress Tunes when". Lo was my first roommate at USU and one of the shining stars in my universe. But you know that, right? So, like, I only talk about her ALL the time. Well on her blog today she is wearing a t-shirt sent to her by a fellow blogger TAMN.

Anyway, look left again and you'll see I added TAMN today. She is the only non-friend/family blogger on my list. Why would I add a stranger to my family blog, you ask? Because I "KNOW" her, and scary, I think I may be her in another dimension. Except not the cool, thin, FABULOUS her. But the elastic pant band, frazzled hair, scary her. The one who actually DOES have a family blog for journal purposes. You know, just so I don't have to write long hand and still follow the prophets' admonitions to write our personal history.

TAMN is a fictional Utah, young, 1st time "Mo-mom" (Mormon uber mother)who shames even the most seasoned LDS Relief Society presidents and Enrichment leaders. The real author hides her genius behind anonymity. Now you don't have to be a Latter-day Saint to appreciate her but the levels of glee and recognizable embarrassment definitely is increased.

So for example...this excerpt comes from her October 13th post (it made me laugh so hard I cried and peed at the same time, REALLY!)

...I started asking this other preggo chica there if she was nervy about labor. Not to be rude but she was seriously HUGE so I figured she was due like next week, only suprise, we're the same amount of weeks.

Um, awkward. Not to mention SAD.

We're way close of friends but things got a little weird when I said next time I'd make us sushi (which I do way well, but I didn't say that) and she said "Um, I don't know if you know this but your not supposed to eat sushi while you're preggo." Thanks, downer. So I said "Um, I don't know if you know this but your not supposed to be so huge." I smiled after so she knew not to take it personal, but she still bawled her head off and I about died.

I meant it nice, you guys!! Didn't mean it RUDE. She's super darling (at least, she use to be) and we're way close so I was suprised she got so ticked. But, it worked out good bc I was able to use my patient response to her lame preggo hormone overreaction as an example of forgiveness, which "just so happened" was the YW lesson! SO greatful for the empathy I was able to take away from that experience. I mean, can't rilly blame her for crying. Guess it isn't very fair for her since she's double my bigness and I'm double her cuteness.

Read her. Love her! And if anyone is looking for Christmas gift ideas for me, each t-shirt on her site is now on my wish list.

Just a couple of cholesterol cuties....

2008-10-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow Moms/Friends/Family Members With Nothing Better To Think About,
How are you today? Have you heard this one?

So what do a two moms, one who does not gamble because of religous leanings, do when they want free money but do not want to lend support to state education institutions by purchasing lottery tickets? They eat McD's until they have to hurl. Oh! Did you guess it was me? Well me and my sister Allison.

Here's the deal. We just know that we are going to find a Board Walk game piece in the next week and a half and split $1 million dollars! If you would like to get in on this action we are calling for all game pieces that you would normally just throw out anyway. We are willing to share with anyone who mails theirs to us. But remember, they are due November 3rd. So if you want in on this little project they have to be to us by the 2nd.

Wait! Stop laughing!!! We're going to win and we aren't sharing ANY of it with you if you keep pointing and giggling. Sheesh. Who'll be the loser then?

Sincerely,
the very rich,
cholesterol cuties

Is there really a depression?

2008-10-17T04:15:00.000-07:00

This is just quick blog today. It's more of a reaction to my girlfriend's blog about budgeting (check out Meagan's blog on my list). I commented on her site but I think this is something we are all thinking about it. Especially with Christmas coming on. How do we handle the money we have as well as that which may start coming in more slowly. Please respond here with any great ideas you have for making Christmas special not spendy!

Part of me, admittedly a sick part, has always had this romantic notion of the depression from the 1930's. Having to be scrappers and hardworking. I love movies like The Cinderella Man, Annie, etc. I use to ask my grandparents about what it was like for them when they were growing up during the bottom of the depression. And I liked how creative they had to be to accomplish their needs let alone their wants.

I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a story of a woman who is married with three kids of their own and the guardianship of her sister's three who has passed away. Her husband is in construction in Las Vegas, and business is slowing down, and she recently has lost her job. They were featuring her because with her hair down in a clean ponytail and clean clothes she was panhandling on the freeway off-ramp to pay their, $650-something, electric bill. I really don't believe severe tragedy is our determined future. But I do believe that now is the time to be smart with our resources until this is worked out.

I'm a mom who's trying to stay-at-home. When I'm done with school I won't be above working midnights at a care home or taking care of kids in my house to stay here until the youngest is in kindergarten and I go back for a masters. But as a SAH I realize that my job is not to bring money in, but to utilize all of my talents in keeping it. I pore over grocery ads, and coupons, doing a little shopping all the time with where my driving routes take me. I also have been very thankful this summer that I live in walking and biking distance to just about anywhere I have to go in town. I try to not have the t.v. and computer on at the same time and am vigilant with lights (energy efficient of course) and heat/AC that's what clothes and windows are for! I'm realizing how hard it really can be. I think about our budget all the time. The first things I'd like to get rid of would be our cable. I hate how much time is suffocated by the t.v. I'd like to be better about utilizing our library for movies. If it wasn't for keeping in touch with you guys I frankly would do away with the Internet as well. Of course...hmmm....well I'll come back to that. Who would like to start writing letters with me? It's fun to get snail mail sometimes, right?!

As I was reading Meg's blog and thinking about this topic Jacob came up to me, "Mom, what's for dinner?" Phil's in So.Cal. and I've been trying to keep the kids occupied. Swimming at the YMCA yesterday (free and in walking distance)/Halloween specials on cable ($3.87/day) tomorrow a trip to the pumpkin patch for games and pumpkin buying/painting (approx. $8 plus gas) and dinner at Grandma's. Tonight I planned on a trip down the frozen crap aisle with a movie rental, not big money but bigger than we usually do on an average friday night; especially frozen food which I think is pure garbage and in someways worse than drive-thru. Kid Cuisine? Are you kidding me? It has more fat and sodium than a plain hamburger at McDonald's with apple dippers which my kids, LOVE! Of course that's why Jacob thinks Kid Cuisine is so wonderful.

I digress, when I offered the frozen aisle this was his reply. "I KNOW! How about PBJ's?!" Ahhhh, I love that kid, and I think we'll be taking a little trip to the library as well.

Just a little stream of consciousness for you this morning, not really so quick. :-)

My Sweetheart

2008-10-12T13:11:00.001-07:00

Most of you know how Phil and I met and married. If you are reading this blog with any regularity you are probably close family and/or friends and don't need to have our funny song and dance act shoved down your throat ONCE AGAIN!

But I thought I'd take some space and just remind myself, him,and all of you, how much I love him.

Yesterday, my sister Allison had an all day crop at her house and it was a blast! 8 hours of gossip, food, and crafting. Phil then had 10 hours of quality father time. Lately, he's been having a lot of that. You might say, well of course, he IS the other half of their DNA! But it goes beyond that. He really looks for ways to serve me out of love. Sometimes the effort is a hit and sometimes it's a miss. But it's always done with the right intention and many times I'm not appreciative enough of that.

Unfortunately, marriage in our culture isn't given the respect that it deserves. I'm grateful for my marriage and the companionship that I share with my sweetheart. He is my intimate on so many levels. We share inside jokes, our thoughts on world headlines as well as opinions that sometimes have to be held close to the vest in most social situations, we share fears, embarrassments and bitterness. It's all there, laid bare on the table and I still love him and more importantly, today I'm secure in knowing he still loves me too. And I'm grateful.

I love you honey, happy 6 1/2 years!

TAG - I'm it!

2008-10-03T03:11:00.001-07:00

This is very cute. I was tagged by my sweetie in Oregon, Megan Conser: http://meganeconser.spaces.live.com.

And I honestly don't think I can come up with 7 random facts about myself that she doesn't know but here goes nothing....

1. When I was in Jr. High I wanted to only adopt 5 children. The oldest was white boy, Brigham LaMar, then an African-American girl, an asian boy, a blonde white girl, Emma Ruth, with a girl of eastern european descent as the youngest. I had a sketch card from a charity group (UNICEF or something) that I kept on my bedroom mirror until college because they seemed like the perfect family to me.

2. I count steps because I want to be prepared for when I go blind, childhood habit.

3. For YEARS I thought bi-racial people were called Mandarins because when I was in the first grade I had a friend who was bi-racial with very curly BRIGHT ORANGE hair. And when I talked about him my mom must have called him the old fashion term "mulatto" (remember this is the 70's) and I mis-heard her as having said mandarin which made sense to me because his hair was the same color as mandarin oranges.

4. Even though I grew up on planes, now that I have children I am terrified of flying alone and dying leaving them motherless. I just plead when I have to do it that nothing will happen to me. If we're all together I'm much more relaxed because then no one has to be left behind. Kinda creepy?

5. My favorite "sick time" movie is Clue with Tim Curry. It is very relaxing for me to watch. And I'm still counting figures in every scene trying to remember who was where, when.

6. Monopoly is my favorite game but when I'm not doing well I start to have panic attacks because it becomes too life like and I can't handle the pressure.

7. When I grow up I want to be an accomplished gardener with lush overgrown English gardens and stone walk-ways.

8. Um...I'm kind of eccentric... oh wait! you already knew that....

TAG, YOU'RE IT! (I don't know if I should tag my sisters because I'm not sure I want to know what I don't know about them...hee hee)

1: Nicole Kinnunen: http://iapet.us/nicole/index.shtml
2: Julie Gates http://juliemoyer-gates.blogspot.com/
3. KayLyn Wescoatt and kids http://wkidsgang.com
4. Loralee Choate (who is a professional blogger so I don't expect her to post this on her blog but maybe she could do a list in my comment section as her dear old friend) http://loraleeslooneytunes.com/
5. Jana Brown: http://jimandjana.blogspot.com/

Oh I give up, I have limited friends and lots of sisters which actually puts me over the 7 count.

6. Tiana Gates: http://randomgates.blogspot.com/
7. Allison Taurence http://acat16b.blogspot.com/
8. Meghan Elison http://paganmeghan.blogspot.com/

The NY Giants Largest Ohio Fan Base...the W's!

2008-09-29T05:03:00.000-07:00

This actually happened a few weeks ago but I'm just now getting to it...

Phil and I came to a compromise when we were first married and he had just joined the church. I came from a strong stance of "no sports on Sundays" and he came from a family was sports on Sundays (and any other day in which any sport of any team might have air time) was how they connected and enjoyed their time together. So as the brand new heads of our new family unit, we decided that when the NY Football Giants play Sunday games, that are broadcast in our local area, we would watch as a family.

This year their first game was on Thursday, the 9th, against the Washington Redskins, which we won! It was extra special because Michael Strahan, who retired after their Superbowl win, returned to present NY with the championship trophy. I'm going to miss him. He was my favorite player. Now I'll have to pick a new favorite teammate to cheer on for equally obscure and ridiculous reasons.

As part of our tradition we all dress in gear for the game and I make a big deal of making tailgating cuisine for dinner for the first game of the season. Chili, soda pop, wings, am I a fantastic wife or what? Not a single vegetable or fruit was forced! Both of my babies have scrapbook pages of their first televised Giants game in their baby books. This is actually a big deal for us and a really fun family tradition.

Hey, hey, here I am!

2008-09-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

So I've been taking pics of the kids and mentally creating awesome blog notes about the fam, and work and school, BUT... then I get caught up in fam, and work, and school...and voila! Here I am 10 days later without a post and that on the 3rd was a cop out.

I do beleive in getting out the vote. Please remember that I was a voting deputy registrar and Perot campaigner in the '92 elections. I am a complete POTUS08 and NPR addict this go around but I'll be honest, cutting and pasting on the 3rd?! I didn't even make one single comment on how I FEEL about this election! What kind of blog entry was that? One in which I didn't have to download and cut and paste any of my adorable pics. So I'll be getting to the new family photos soon enough.

So about school.

I am in an awesome craft of fiction class that is already kicking my butt and making me fabulous. Oh yes, brothers and sisters I think this may be ticket on the train of stardom. OK maybe not. But I love my two stories this week and one still makes me giggle and when I get back it back on Monday from my instructor and tinker with it a bit more I'll post it for you guys to read.

The second I think is well crafted for an amateur of my experience but it does have two bad words, which are character appropriate, but I won't post. If you are interested in a suspense driven non-traditional story arc with a handsome rover who says "1" bad word that isn't even one of the terrible 5 but on the fringe, just let me know and I will e-mail it to you. My mom read it, gasped, and wouldn't let my grandmother take a turn because she said Grandma wouldn't look at me the same. There you have it, I like it, but I have to own up to the word choices.

In fact I'm only posting now at 7:30 am on Saturday because I'm at my mom's taking care of her dogs for the weekend and ignoring a 3-5 page paper on how character and setting effect the short stories "Cold Snap" and "Brokeback Mountain".

I'm in two other classes as well and besides having to memorize a speech for Wednesday (I chose Emma Goldman's "An Anarchist Looks at Life") and trying to stay awake in a warm dark classroom from 4:30-5:45 to look at slides and read from a pre-composed lecture handout. They are boring and not worth talking about today, even in avoidance of my paper.

Love you guys, talk to you later.

In honor of Labor day - and because I forgot to take pics of family picnic

2008-09-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

My apologies to the creators of this e-mail that was sent to me. I don't know who you are but I stand by the thought...

A Message for all women

THIS IS MOVING. HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET.....IF ....WE EVER KNEW......

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920

that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed
nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking
for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing
went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of
'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

(Lucy Burns)
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above
her head and left her hanging fo! r the ni ght, bleeding and gasping
for air.

(Dora Lewis)
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her
head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate,
Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging,
beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917,
when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his
guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because
they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right
to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their
food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks
until word was smuggled out to the press.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because-
-why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work?
Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new
movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle
these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling
booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the
actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote.
Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege.
Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history,
saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk
about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought
kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said.
'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use,
my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just
younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The
right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history,
social studies and government teachers would include the movie in
their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere
else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing,
but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think
a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so
hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

History is being made.

The Sandusky County Fair 2008 Edition

2008-08-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Phil and I first visited Fremont for my mom and Rob's wedding in March of '03. We saw nothing but the historic district around the Hayes Presidential Center and were mildly impressed with what we saw. We returned a year and a half later, and that was when Fremont really wooed us. The county fair! I love county and state fairs. They bring real tears to my eyes! No joke...the whole America-ness feeling of comraderie and history in cheering on our fellow citizens to win the blue ribbon for fattest pig, or tallest sunflower, how about a blue ribbon for mixed art media ages4-8 and it's a velvet picture from K-mart that some kid colored. How great is that!? I especially love the horse show as riders of all different ages and levels compete against each other. Unfortunately Jacob finds it B-O-R-I-N-G so until Mena can take my side I'm usually out voted.

I was afraid this year I was going to miss it because of Jacob's arm. We didn't want to take him and have him disappointed that he couldn't ride any of the rides, which is the only reason my son wants to go anyway. One cool thing about our fair is that your $7 entrance fee covers all attractions and rides except for Nighttime grandstand shows. But we did end up going on Saturday and had a great time.

This year there even was a small family circus that was surprisingly good.

From there we went the animal barns, which is Mena's and my favorite. We went on to the home ec buildings to look at 4-H and American Campfires and Girl/Boy Scout projects.

Next was the Sandusky Historical Society barn which has items and family history charts from the area. They're pretty involved for such a small county and I always enjoy their exhibits. Phil even had his annual deep fried cheese curds at Mike's Cheese Curds of Au Claire, WI. It was pretty hot and Mena was falling asleep so we walked home (That's right folks! One of the reasons our house attracted us was its proximity to the fair grounds!) .

After cooling down and having dinner at home we returned for the rides after dark. Even though Jacob had to stick to baby putt-putt rides they were much more fun all lit up at night. We had a great time.

Thought of the week: Walking home in the bright summer afternoon underneath the canopy of trees that lines Rawson Ave and the two blocks between the fairgrounds to my house it occurs to me, that though New York is more exciting and L.A. more glamorous, there are days when my small Ohio town amongst the cornfields, is just a little slice of heaven.
If you wish to publish a post, share with us your favorite thing about your town.

p.s. Jacob's pins were removed yesterday, Monday, without needing a cast! He did see the last pin in his arm before it was removed which tramautized him pretty deeply. He just screamed "Mommy" and clung to me. But he's ok now and again thank you all for your concern and prayers. Love the W's.

Blog Entry...blah,blah,blah.

2008-08-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

So I've had this goal since May to blog every Sunday in place of my journal entries like when I was single. Of course when I was single I had TONS to write about. So and so is cute, or "I'm so lonely!" , or how do I deal with a life that is so absolutely average when I should really be a "SUPERSTAR!"

Then I met Mr. Right and had children and have had to work harder than I ever thought I would just to be the wife and mother I would like to brag about being in my silver sneaker years. And so even though I have had tons to journal about it fell to the wayside. Besides, I've never been into handwriting because it takes so freakin' long! And so my entries were always short so as to not get hand cramps.

I have absolutely nothing to say this week. This little space on the information highway is suppose to be a peaceful little rest stop for friends and family to gather and visit with the W's during an otherwise harried day of cyber-surfing. But I've not nada.

Jacob still has the pins and is suppose to be getting his hard cast next Monday, but the doctors think it's healing well enough to just have the pins removed. So it's a wait and see situation. Mena is becoming shoe obsessed and her mother is very VERY proud. She has a new pair of princess flip-flops from the Disney Store that I bought on clearance a size bigger for next summer but she loves them "Ena's ip-ops".

Phil works extremely long hours but he's home just enough for me to still stick him with bath duty. Next Monday I start school again and am excited to be taking the first half of a fiction writing course. We'll see how it goes but if I do well I'm seriously considering a Masters in Creative Writing which BGSU offers and it would allow me to teach gen ed English at the university. A couple of my professors have approached me about continuing with a masters either in Creative Writing, Pop Culture, or Theater. All equally useless in the real world when tied to a family in Northwest Ohio, but at least with the writing I can teach there.

Then there's my new fantasy of being the next Stephanie Meyers and finally having the moolah to rid ourselves of our bat infestation. Oh yes, my friends, THREE in the house this week. No wonder we've never had to suffer much in the winters without insulation. Their furry, black and brown bodies are creating a nice little barrier between us and the blustery elements, BLECH!

The Olympic Spirit!

2008-08-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know we once had big dreams for Jacob and his men's gymnastics future. But now that he lives in a huge hamster ball, at his mother's bequest, that no longer seems likely.

Of course I should have been prepared for the end of my son's sports career when he asked me a few weeks ago what a jock is. "Mom, what's a jock?" "Hmmm, well a jock is a boy or girl who likes to play sports a lot usually outside, like your cousin Spencer". "Oh, ok, I'm a jock" "No, honey, playing video games inside doesn't count" "I AM a jock! I like to play frisbee!!" Ah, clue number one your child is destined to be president of the Audio/Visual Club.

But we have been enjoying the Olympics in Beijing safely from our couch.

I'm going to try to add video of Mena and Jacob dancing to the music from Sunday night's women's floor exercises. As you can see Jacob is doing much better and thank you all for notes, calls and cards we really appreciate your thinking of us.

ok I can't figure out the video aspect of my camera so here's a picture of someone that is not me.

Maria Valentina: U.S. Fencing...um, not me.

Mommy You Were Suppose to Catch Me...

2008-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

On Thursday at 9:10 p.m. my sweet son fell and shattered his elbow. Phil was an hour away at a stake Priesthood meeting and I was home alone with the kids visiting teaching. I had asked my Relief Society sisters to stay and visit for a little bit because I was kind of having a bad day and Phil had been working late all week and I just needed some adult interaction. Luckily they were there because when Jacob fell from the playhouse I completely panicked. But my good friend Kina picked Jacob up, told me to stop screaming, and put us both into her car. Carol then stayed with the girls while Kina stayed with me until Phil showed up. We spent 2.5 hours at Fremont Memorial and then transferred to St. Vincent's at midnight. Jacob had surgery the following morning at 9:30 a.m.

He was such a trooper he of course cried but he still remembered his manners and thanked the doctors and nurses for helping him as well as just being such an awesome kid!

On the way to the hospital he kept saying, "Mommy this is your fault, you were suppose to catch me". That just made me cry harder. "Oh, my beautiful boy, I'm so sorry I couldn't catch you, if I only knew". How many times in his life is he going to make poor decisions and then wonder why I wasn't there to pick him up? How many times do we blame our Heavenly Father for not catching us and then we have to face consequences that hurt us physically or emotionally. I've been thinking a lot about this since that eternal car ride to the ER.

Once we were finally put into a room in the pediatric wing, I could hear other children screaming and crying. And I just pleaded in my heart that they and their parents would be comforted, that they would be ok and I know that some of them weren't going to be, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for their pain and their potential loss. I'm particularly sorrowful for the children who are hurting and don't have a mommy or daddy to kiss their boo boos and tell them that it's going to be alright.

Is that what it's like to be God, to hear the innermost cries of His children and carry his own sadness of not being able to cradle us in our pain? He has given all of us the comfort of the Holy Ghost but at times he must want to physically hold us, and gently caress our tear stained cheeks. Much like I wanted to hold and comfort my Jacob but could only hold his hand.

These are my thoughts this week. This is my testimony that I know God and Jesus Christ live and that each of us has the right to a personal relationship them as children of a Heavenly Father. In the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

p.s. Jacob did have surgery Friday morning. They put four pins into his elbow and he was back in his room by noon. He was released and home by 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and is on bed rest until Tuesday. But he's in great spirits and is loving all of the visits and goodies from loving friends and family. Each of the primary kids even made him get well cards and a bag of Hershey kisses, one from each of his church friends, delivered by Kina, her husband Ken and their daughter Alexa. Jacob's doing awesome whereas his dear ol' ma is fighting the internal battle to not put her babies into child size hamster balls.

Introducing: Madeleine Ruth Householder....

2008-07-22T05:51:00.001-07:00

She's here!!! I knew it! She's a GIRL! And this is one proud Auntie!!! Have I used enough exclamation points?

Stats: Madeleine Ruth Householder
July 18, 2008, 12:37 p.m.
7 lb. 5 oz.
19 in.
One mom, one dad, 7 big brothers and sisters!

It's finally time to kiss my baby boy, goodbye...

2008-07-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I've just really struggled with Jacob's 5th birthday. It's a big one for us. As a family tradition we only have birthday parties for 1st, 5th, 10th and 16th birthdays. Otherwise it's just cake and ice cream with mom and dad and whatever family members are available. This is good for many reasons. It makes the big birthdays BIG, doesn't teach entitlement to scores of gifts, and when in a large family you aren't having to plan parties every month which is expensive and time consuming.

I loved it when I was growing up. I had no problem only having friend parties every 5-6 years because my mom did such a great job of making them super cool and exciting. I don't really remember my 5th too much other than I think it was a traditional kids party with cake, ice cream, games and church friends. For my 10th I had a slumber party with 10 friends and a treasure hunt that went all around the neighborhood. Even as a kid I recognized that it took a lot of time and talent on her part. For Emily's 10th she and five friends were picked up at school in a limousine and taken out for treats. On my sweet sixteen I was thrown a surprise party with 150 invited guests, a dance floor, and a super cute performer (actually a guy I had a crush on in grade school/very good friends with and had lost touch with) it was AWESOME! These are the kind of birthday memories I would like to give my children.

So this was Jacob's 5th year and it was time for his first big party. It was held at Aunt Emily's house and our good friends, the Michigan crew, and his church class were invited. By the way, I love the MI kids to death and in every way think of them as family. Those girls, Nicole and Kristen, have had to put up with my growing pains, in some ways, more than my sisters. And I just struggled.

Jacob informed Phil and I in California that he would no longer call us "Mommy and Daddy" because he's a big boy now. It's "Mom and Dad" but because I cried about it for two weeks he still call me mommy in the privacy of our own home. The other day we were taking a walk, holding hands, and when he saw some other boys close to his age he dropped my hand and fell behind. The day is here, he starts kindergarten in August, and he's beginning the journey of leaving my nest and I can't stop crying!

This is why I'm so late in posting his birthday photos. I just haven't been able to deal very well. I also promised myself I would write him a letter for his scrapbook and that hasn't happened either, but it's a goal for this week.

So here they are. Pics of a really great birthday. One that included, family, friends, cake, ice cream, presents (Wii & wii accessories, a soccer ball, puzzles, Kung Fu panda, fart putty, and so much more) and even a surprise guest: Grandpa Blake all the way from California!

Goodbye baby bear, Hello son...

June 24, 25, 26, 2008 - The End of the Road

2008-07-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

We had left Sea World to go straight to my friend Paula's new place in Redondo Beach with her husband, Mark, and daughters Jennifer and KayDee. We thought we had to be to Las Vegas Tuesday night for a midnight flight so we only had a short visit after waking with breakfast at Carro's and a trip to the park. But, horribly, that was not the case. We didn't have to leave until the NEXT midnight. So after much teeth gnashing and crying on my part, we checked into the Excalibur hotel. Here is a picture of my darling children attempting a dramatic interpretation of how I was feeling...
To make the most of it we spent Tuesday night walking the strip.

Wednesday we spent the morning at a time share sales pitche (come on...what else did we have to do?) and then went to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.

By the time we arrived at the airport at 10:30 p.m. I had had enough of fun and was actually looking forward to a long deep sleep with Cleo posted at my head and Rudy at my feet in my own soft, cozy, bed upon the floor.

June 23, 2008 - Shamu, Shamu!

2008-07-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

The last family day of our little vacation that could was Sea World. We went as early in the morning as we could possibly manage. We had Mom/Dad (cough, cough, sorry won't make it to work today),

Tiana/Ryan/Quinn,

and my cousin Meagan/her hubbie Tim, and Elizabeth,
John and Meghan weren't able to make it because of it being the first day of school for them at MSJCC, and of course us...
We saw Shamu and friends:

The tide pools, dolphin feeding

and shark encounter:
We also saw the Cirque de la Mer show which is just an amazing water acrobatics show

and Sea Lions Tonight . A hilarious, and should not be missed next time you visit Sea World, parody of all the show with sea lions, otters and one very large walrus:

We ended the night at the dolphin stadium and then Shamu Rocks! Unfortunately I don't have any pics because my little camera's flash couldn't fight off the dark, but needless to say we had a great time and Mena is practicing her swimming to become a Shamu trainer someday.

p.s. pics of Quinn and the starfish, and the Stroller Brigade are compliments of my lil' sis, Tiana's blog. Visit Tears and Rainbows for her version of the big trip.

July 21, 2008 - The 1st LaMar and Ruth Elison Family Reunion! EVER!!

2008-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying, "FAMILY Rocks! FAMILY Rocks!, Hello Hemet!"

So let me tell you little story about a man named LaMar, an Idaho dairy man who liked to drive the family car, then one day he was wadin' through some poo, when out from the town came a doctorin' dude, allergies that is, dander, farm life. Well...the next thing you know LaMar ain't a millionaire, but the doctor siad, LaMar you gotta move away from here, said Californie is the place you gotta be, next thing you know he's moved to Calvary, street that is, orange groves, punch buggie cars.

Last summer my cousin, Sean Reid, passed away. While my family was calling each other in the need to feel connected, my cousin Sharon (Elison) Pearson said that she wished she had grown up knowing her cousins better. I really wish that for her too. Her desire plus my grandfather's fear that he would never sit in the same room with all of his posterity, helped me make up my mind that a family reunion was long over due. So I did it!

I along with EVERYONE else who helped me: My sister Emily who listens to me whine on an almost daily basis (and because of her inpending 8th child wasn't able to make it, even though she was with us in spirit), my sister-in-law Meghan, who ran around with me all week mostly to cut out apples for our family tree, my DAD! who did all of the pre-reunion work in Hemet which was most of it, my mom for giving Meg and I free reign of the Ellison machine at the library, my sister Tiana and cousin Sharon who helped set up for the luncheon with me. My brother John who made me long envisioned family tree, Aunt Jeane and family for providing drinks, Uncle Brent and family for breakfast food and lunch salads, Uncle Ritchie's kids (Marsha, Kathleen and Patricia) for chips, Phil for manning the breakfast grill and for everyone who just came and supported us. Patricia Elison, Uncle Ritchie's daughter, received the furthest traveled award; all the way from Virginia Beach! And if I've failed to remember something please chalk it up to my too human weaknesses.

So the morning started with an 8 a.m. breakfast at the park. We had Aunt Jeanie, her son Stephen and family (wife, Heather, Matthew, Rebekkah, and Kaylie), her other son Stewart, her daughter Kaelene's boys (Ethan and Evan, Eli was at a baseball game), my clan, and Uncle Brent's family, and of course Grandma and Grandpa! I think Phil's favorite part of the reunion was manning the grill.
Then kids with parents and grandparents went to the library to a bug specialist who was kicking off this year's Hemet Library summer reading program "Buggy for Books" while Sharon, Tiana and I set up. Because so much was done by everyone in advance, this part was easy, and we gladly excused the adults to enjoy the Bug Doc with mom. Unfortunately, opening and closing day of the summer reading program are mom's two busiest work days of the year. So the reason you don't see her in my pics is because she unfortunately couldn't get any time off until Monday. But she was able to join us later for the luncheon.

Our theme for the reunion was "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree". We had 49 people attend the luncheon and it was so much fun. I especially enjoyed Jacob just running and running with so many boy cousins. There were the Necochea boys (Ethan, Eli and Evan), Nicholas Reid, Matthew Reid, and the Pearson boys (Rodney Kale and Gavin) who unfortunately aren't in this picture.

John, Meghan and I had made a great big apple tree with the trunk representing Grandma and Grandpa, and each limb representing their children's families, apples for each member of their posterity. It was fun and kind of awe inspiring to see how many people have been given the gift of life because of the marriage of two people, Ruth and Lamar Elison. And how each of us fits into our great big family.
Two of my favorite verses in the Old Testament of the Bible. There it is written that the prophet Elijah will return to the Earth again before the second coming of Christ. It reads, "(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (6) And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." (Malachi 3:5-6).

This has been my blessing this past year. I have had the spirit of Elijah in my heart and in my home as I prepared to reunite all of my family for the first time. Many couldn't make it because of money, time, work conflicts, etc. So my smaller goal wasn't accomplished but my larger goal was, at least they know that we love them and we wanted them with us.

I just want to say thank you, to each of you who participated, for making this so much fun and as I pass the hat to Sharon for the next reunion, my heart is a little saddened to miss out on what I hope is as a great an experience for her as it was for me.

June 20, 2008 - Da Beach!

2008-07-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

Friday morning we headed off to the beach.
Dad, Phil, Jacob, Mena, Tiana, Ryan, Quinn, John and Meg. There we met up with my Uncle Brent, Aunt Alice, cousin Sharon and Sharon's kids (Rodney Kale, Gavin, Aspen and Valencia). Other than a few runaway child scares, we had a REALLY good time. We had such a good time that my hubby and wee ones and I wished we had an extra day or two at the beach. Maybe next time. The highlight of the day for me, was when Ti and I took Sharon out and taught her how to dive under the breakers. We got to laughing so hard it was like being 13 all over again.

Sharon is one of my favorite cousins that I have never gotten the chance to know very well. While Emily and I were growing up between Michigan and California, she and her family were back in the ol' country. Otherwise known as Blackfoot, Idaho. Whenever they made it down to So. Cal. it was in the fall after Em and I had left for school. But when I transferred to Utah State I spent a few Thanksgivings with Uncle Brent, Aunt Alice and family. That's when Sharon and I really met and learned how much we liked each other and wished we knew each other better. IN FACT! I remember having a conversation with her when she was at Ricks and telling me about this guy she liked who was going on a mission. Hmmm....well that guy returned to be her husband and father to their four children, Rodney Pearson! Poor Rodney, he didn't make the beach. He just started a new job at the John Deere headquarters in Des Moines a couple of months ago and wasn't scheduled to join his family until Friday night. But some ill timed tornadoes in Lincoln, NE actually delayed his arrival until Saturday afternoon.

So here our some pics of the beach, enjoy!

I love to see the Temple - June 19, 2008

2008-07-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

Another exceptional part of our trip was going to the Redlands LDS temple with my dad and grandparents. It's so beautiful and peaceful on the temple grounds, it doesn't even matter which temple you are visiting, there is just a peace that comes from our Father in Heaven that can be experienced there. This was our first time attending in Redlands and I would have liked to have more time to walk the grounds. Even though it is still larger and more ornate than Detroit and Columbus, it's smaller than San Diego or Los Angeles, and considered a small temple. I always love going with Phil and being reminded of our sealing covenant and also the promise of eternal families that comes in understanding and accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ol' McNecochea had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, June 19, 2008

2008-07-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

My cousin Kaelene, who is two weeks younger, but married 12 years with 3 boys, Ethan, Eli & Evan. Has always loved animals. When we were in high school she had shown lambs, goats, and a cow with FFA (Future Farmers of America). Now that she is a grown woman with a family she continues her passion for animals as a Vet Tech and in assisting her oldest, Ethan (11), with his 4-H projects.

After the Temple and before the Gates' came into town, Phil and I took the kids to visit Kaelene and her fam out at their house. They now have dogs, cats, pigs, goats, sheep and horses. Mena REALLY liked the goats. Jacob REALLY liked playing Guitar Hero in the house with the boys.

Quinn Quinn, Quinn...Quinn Kelly - June 19, 2008

2008-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

My sister, Tiana, and her husband, Ryan, welcomed their first a child, a son, Quinn Kelly Gates on March 21st. Lily, his cousin on the Gates side, calls him Quinn Quinn, Quinn...Quinn Kelly. He is such a smiley and good natured baby! Except when it comes to water, then I have NEVER heard a child who can howl like that!! It was so much fun to get to meet and hold the little squirt. I definately didn't get to hold him as much as I had wanted too because of all the goings on, and I'm sorry that he has to live so far from us. But Emily and I are going to try to make a real effort in getting his mom and he out to Ohio real soon!

There's No Place Like Home: June 15-18, 2008

2008-07-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

We had a quick visit with Mom and Dad, John and his wife Meghan when w got in at 10 p.m. Then it was off to bed.

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with breakfast, cards, and church with my parents. It was so cute. Jacob went up with their Primary to sing because he wasn't able to sing with our Primary in Fremont but he really wanted to sing for his daddy. They sang completely different songs than he had been learning in our branch but you would never know it as he gave it his very best.

On Monday Jacob, Daddy, Uncle John LaMar and Aunt Meg all went to see "Kung Fu Panda" while Mena, my dad, Grandma Elison and I went out for the traditional spaghetti and meatball lunch. One of the funniest things about my Grandpa is his Idaho Swedish pallet. The man hates all spices, sauces, ethnic, etc... food. So what started out as Emily and I taking grandma out for some spaghetti one in awhile when we lived there, over the years, has turned into a granddaughter tradition with whoever is in town visiting, taking grandma out for a little italiano fare. Last year, after John and Meg's wedding, it was Emily, Tiana, Meg, Mom, my cousins Marsha, Katherine, Baby Ben, Mena, Grandma and me. But this year we went out before everyone arrived just because of the time crunch once the reunion was in full swing.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we went camping with my Dad at Big Bear lake in the mountains for a little canoeing. I could really kick myself because this was one of the highlights of our trip and of course I forgot my camera. DOH! It was absolutely gorgeous and serene. Mom and Dad as well as the kids took turns going out in the wood canoe with grandpa while the others played on the shore. We told family history stories by the campfire and roasted hot dogs as well as making s'mores. It was so lovely and I just wish that I could share it with you in photos. The pictures in my mind are memories for a life time.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas! June 13 & 14, 2008

2008-07-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying this was the little vacation that could. I was starting to think this trip was never going to happen. Gas prices going up, Phil started a new phase in his career, not having the vacation savings I thought I had been saving. (Yes, we thank you Mr. tax man for being so proficient at your job.) But we did it. We made it out west.

For starters, we had decided to fly instead of drive because the van is such a guzzler with the cost of food and lodging across the plains. It did mean not visiting with our Utah and Idaho friends which was disappointing but at least we were able to make the reunion. We flew into Vegas because we were able to find such incredible deals on flight and hotel as well as a 12 day car rental for a lot less than driving. But it looked like we were going to be in trouble because when we arrived at the rental desk it was 12:05 on the 14th. I KID YOU NOT! And Phil's driver's license expired at midnight on the 13th! His birthday. Because even though he had to get a new license last summer because of a wallet theft from the YMCA (blah, blah, blah, Fremont crime rate) they didn't re-new his license then and Ohio's are only good for three years. BUT...because of my license being stolen I was using my Oregon one, which I never turned in because I like my picture, and Oregon's are valid for 7 years. ha HA, so we rented the car and my thinly legal license.

We finally made it to our room at 1:30 am @ Circus Circus (don't recommend it). Woke up the next day and had breakfast at the Excalibur buffet (yummy yummy goodness) and then Jacob played in CC's adventure dome while Mena and I napped. We then all went swimming before our late check out and finally left Sin City after a quick bite at the Denny's around 5 p.m. And then it was off to good ol' So Cal...

June 10, 2008 - the First day of Summer

2008-07-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Jacob finished school on Wedneday, June 4th but
Emily's kids weren't done until Monday the 9th. So that Tuesday we went with my sister-in law, Margarida, her daughters, Alessandra and Ayana, and Great-grandma Ridout for a little end of school, first of summer celebration. We eat ate too much food and played extra hard. Emily's sisters-in-law Melissa and(who was in town from Wisconsin) and Kathy also came to visit with their kids. The kids had a great time together and the mom's of course loved the chit chat. Cousins are awesome! Having a family that accepts you for who you are, warts and all, is one of the greatest blessings of life!

Way Back on June 8th!

2008-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago we went to the annual Nimelli garden party at our friend's Katrin and Jim's house. This was our first time making it but apparently it's been running for about 8 years. We had a great time with lots of food and two wading pools for the kids and even a croquet championship with the winner keeping the coveted flushing toilet bank for the year.

Just to clear up the relationship for those of you out west and not in the know. Jim Nimelli is my high school best buddy's older brother whom I was terrified of for years. And Katrin is his awesome wife that I've really enjoyed becoming friends with over the years. We are so excited to finally be on the invite list of their family and close friends annual gathering.

One of the great things about moving to Ohio has been spending more time with good friends.

I'm back...

2008-06-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am without any photos...AGAIN! I can't seem to save any pics from my camera to my computer. It's telling me that it is restricted. It seems when I log onto the computer as AMY I'm actually now the default user and I can't, I don't know, AAARRGGGHH!! We had a great time in California and as soon as I can figure this stupid thing out I will have photos and a play by play of our fabulous vacation.

Yes Ma'am!

2008-06-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this me the prodigal blogger. I'm writing now because I've just received an e-mail from Nic K. DEMANDING I post. That's correct. She was clear and concise that it must be done. Here are her words: "Post on it. Tonight. I know your in california. But do it."
I must obey. Ma'am, yes, ma'am!

I wanted to post about our lovely time at the Nimelli Annual Family Picnic, BUT...I was having computer issues and so gave up so that I might get us ready for our Family Reunion in sunny So. Cal. Here we are it's Wednesday and we've already have had a full and fun time. We arrived in Las Vegas on 10:44 pm but didn't get to our hotel (Circus Circus) until 1 in the morning. We brunched at the Excalibur, rode rides in the Adventuredome and then swam on Saturday before driving to Hemet, Saturday night. Jacob and Mena struggled Sunday and Monday with heat exhaustion and dehydration but yesterday we went up to Big Bear to camp overnight and canoe on the lake. I'm very very sorry to say I forgot my camera on what was a photo op dream. It was so beautiuful and serene. So far it's the highlight of our trip.

Tomorrow we are going to the Redlands Temple, visiting my cousin Kaelene and getting ready for the reunion. Friday is the beach and Mexican fundraising dinner we are ALL going to. Saturday is Official Family Time. Sunday is church with grand'rents, meet and greet with my new nephew Quinn, Monday- amusement park choice still in question, Tuesday- visit with Paula, P-Diddy, Yocum- Webb and family then drive back to LV,NV at 1 pm and arrive at DTW 7 am on the 25th. I will have several posts and pics to cover the last big events next week.

Love you guys! We'll chat later....

Mena's 2nd birthday

2008-06-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

Mena's #2 birthday was fabulosa. Complete with Dora pinata, decorations, cake and party dress, Mena was the star of her own Super Silly Second Fiesta! The party was kicked off by an exciting delivery of her balloon bouquet and B.B., a new lovey, Batholamew Bear sent by Grandma Joan and Grandpa Blake. Then as Aunt Emily, Uncle Ron and the cousins, Grandma & Grandpa Riddout, and Aunt Margarida, Uncle Ammon and the girls arrived; Daddy started up the grill. We had a great time even though the San Andrea like winds kept us inside on an otherwise beautiful day. We missed those of you who couldn't attend and want to thank you for the birthday wishes that were sent.

Our May Celebration.

2008-05-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

To begin with...thank you Uncle Mike W. for helping us buy our new camera with your Sears discount! We left for Piscataway, NJ early Friday morning (2:45 a.m.) so as to finally meet our new little cousin Ian Yowpa and to celebrate his Grandpa's, Uncle John's, graduation from Rutgers University and his retirement.Before the party began on Saturday Phil, the kids, and I went and walked around campus a little bit. The day was beautiful and the flowers were so pretty that we took some time to have a family photo op with our new camera.

What a beautiful day!

The party began at 2 pm and boy did we party!

Here's Mena being adored by Uncle Johns' niece, Erica with her sister Elizabeth looking on.

On Sunday we went into NYC to have brunch with an old D.C. friend, Kelly. It was so nice that we walked all the way from Penn Station to "The Diner" in Chelsea. After we ate Kelly joined us and we walked back up to Times Square where there was a street festival. We ended the afternoon in Central Park for a sit in the shade. Phil says it was one of the nicest days he's ever spent in the city and we wished we had an extra day to just be tourists. When the kids are older we'll have to take a week to visit the museums and eat at fun restaurants.

We loved our short trip and look forward to seeing more family and the other coast in just 2.5 short weeks. This is the year of vacations from sea to shining sea. Stay tuned for the further adventures of the W's.

Fremont Purse Snatch - The 411

2008-05-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

So on Friday morning I receive a call from a Mrs. Williamson (who sounds well into her 2nd century) and she has been passed one of my stolen checks. A guy who she describes as a hillbilly, had done some yard work for her last summer, stopped by and asked for more work. She said she hadn't any but he pestered her until she found a job for him. He then came by the next day and told her that he had overcharged her and would like to write her a check for the difference and would he mind if he added on $10-$20 for cash because he wasn't able to make it to the bank that day.
Needless to say she did and when she went to the bank she was told it was bad. She found our number and called me letting me know she had one of my stolen checks. The very low functioning criminal also gave her a name and number in case she had any more odd jobs to be done. Well I am now hot on his trail and Officer Dickey is bringing him in for questioning this week as well as being able to get surveillance video from another bank in which he tried to use a check. That's right baby, mess with this heffer and you get the udders!

Now for the silver lining to my story this week, oh yes, you've heard the rumors...they're back!

Memories-priceless

2008-05-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd love to post pictures of Jacob's and my date day on Saturday but I can't.

Today I was trying to be eco-friendly, so Mena and I walked to the grocery store with coupons, list and tote bags in hand. I'm proud to say that by using coupons and in-store savings I was able to shave $33 dollars off my bill. I'm ashamed to say that I have cost us more than $300 to have our car towed to the dealership to have new EXPENSIVE electronic keys programmed, the cancellation fee for the remainder of the checks in my checkbook, new locks for my mom's house since my ID has her address on it still, and my new digital camera with Jake's date photos. All because my purse was stolen off an empty check-out lane while I loaded my bags in the bottom of sleeping Mena's stroller.

I'm devastated.

I have cancelled everything. I filed a police report. And I have been crying so long my eyes are puffy and sore. But more than the money or inconvenience. I'm inconsolable over the loss of photos when I had been telling myself all morning to get those pics downloaded.

So just imagine, if you will, that this week's post was suppose to be about a mother/son outing where Jacob mini-golfed for the first time. He was adorable and so proud of his par 9's in which he told me to just watch him and I could be just as good. Memories-priceless.

Happy Early Mother's Day To Me

2008-05-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

It will be 3 years on May 23rd that I have to do 2-3 loads of dishes by hand per day! My hands are cracked and bleeding but I am DONE! !! My beloved sweet hubbie (with very little cajoling, really, it was only a few mentions per day) has bought me a brand new Whirlpool dishwasher. Is this what love at first sight feels like? I had no idea there were corners of the U.S. where dishwashers were not standard in the average house in town. Me and my big city ways....Well my very handy brother-in-law Ron did the install assisted by DH. While Emily and I watched, gossiped and ate, as the children ran barefoot in the grass. It was a good day for all. Enjoy the pics and please don't be too jealous of the Walt the white Whirlpool...envy just isn't good for the soul. :-)

Happy Mother

2008-05-04T17:26:00.001-07:00

Same Night

2008-05-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Thought I should post a pic of Jacob too. He's awesome and fun but has many more scrapbooks dedicated to him than Mena so this medium might be a little more daughter centered.

All homework and no bloggin' makes mommy outta touch...

2008-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is my Mena spring 2007. Isn't she just the most beautiful?! The pic is a year old but I Iwanted to get my blog up and running again since I've never actually used it even though I created it almost two years ago. What can I say? Keeping up with Jones' blog hasn't really been a priority as of late. But here I am. I'm going to make it a goal to post on Sundays. So anytime you want to catch up with the Wylykanowitz's you'll know where to find us.
Here's a shout out to Loralee, Tiana, and Julie who have reminded me to keep on keepin' on!

Testing 1...2...3....

2007-11-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my world!

I live in Ohio
I'm married
I have kids, 1 cat & 1 dog
I live to close to my mother
I live to far from NYC
I am never EVER going to graduate from college at the rate I'm going
I received my first 4.0 in college last semester, and was invited to join Honor society
I am older than the majority of my instructors
I'm an eternal Weight Watcher who has never made goal
I sincerely LOVE my life...most days.