Ratliff thoughts, news, and silly stuff!

Year in Review.. Lucia's perspective

2011-12-15T14:33:00.010-05:00

It's usually about this time of year I start thinking about a review of what we did this year, but as I thought of what we did for the year my memory went something like this:

January: Mysterious aches and pains increase while all else fogs into bare minimum survival

February: " "

March: " "

April: " "

(this is a little twilight New Moon-ish isn't it?)

Athen turns 3!

May: Diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis, and beginning of steroids, weekly low-dose chemo pills, and just like that my body becomes a hazardous environment for any living thing, so, no more babies folks, but hope in sight for those awful joints!

Lincoln turns 1!

Diego turns 5!

June: Jason leaves to summer internship in NYC, mom comes to help for the summer. Trip to Iowa!

July: Jason spends my birthday weekend home!

August: Jason is home for good! Linlcoln and I get the cozy job of escorting Grandma back to San Diego where Grandpa is waiting for her.

September: Diego's first day of kindergarten. Lucia's first Humira injection (fancy!)

October: Brooklyn's Birthday

November: Thanksgiving in Buffalo

December: Christmas! YAY!!!

So... as you can see I have been distracted this year, it was a tough year, and I can't think of any way to describe the shock of it other than comparing it to the first few days/weeks after labor where you shutter at the thought of going through that physical trauma again. Removed from the daze of survival mode, it's still terror-inducing to imagine another such year. However, the fact that I am indeed removed from that survival mode means I have LOTS to be thankful for! What a relief to be on the upswing and functioning again. So many others are not so lucky with their trials, and that fact has really sobered me on those days where I just needed to get over it, get over myself already! It's cliche to say, but so true that when I look at the trials of many others compared to my own, I couldn't imagine trading. I feel like mine is an easy, minuscule, watered down version of the challenges so many other's face. I am so so so blessed! So, while my memories are still recovering from shock, I can't think of this as a bad year. How can it be bad, when everything is so good? But I do think we might have better luck and more accuracy of the details if Jason posted what actually happened this year!

Some Diego-isms you've missed out on...

2011-11-10T14:32:00.002-05:00

Oh man, we've had some really good Diego-isms as of late. Remember when Diego would make our lives exciting by doing the darnedest things (corn starch snow in the living room, "cooking" eggs, tomatoes, etc.)? Well, luckily he has outgrown a lot of those kinds of shenanigans ...well except for last night*...

***********Side Story**************

Last night!ARG! So while they were "brushing their teeth" Diego and Athen were in fact getting a slightly old pumpkin out of my bedroom(don't ask- there's no good explanation) and pulling out its innards, which they then tried to cram down the bathroom sink, unsuccessfully, thanks to the blessed stopper. So, naturally they pulled out the stopper to fill the drain, and then went to bed. So after they were asleep and it was safe for me to go upstairs (you can't go upstairs while kids are trying to procrastinate sleep, it makes the process dramatically longer!!), and low and behold my ladies room trip was greeted by a clogged sink and moldy pumpkin guts all over the sink and floor. ARG!! You know how they say children look like angels when they sleep? Well, I thought peeking at their little angel sleeping faces might calm down the tremors quickly turning full scale earthquake in my psyche, but it was NOT helpful. Rather I ended up quickly leaving the room, quite disturbed by my strong inclination to wake them up and spank their little tooshies. WHOA! HELLO, CALM DOWN WOMAN! So anyways, I scooped the crud from the sink, went downstairs to cry/pray. Jason has this joke saying in a deep southern accent "I need Jeeeezus!" which basically means "I'm about to to have a colossal freak out to be tempered only by some severe divine intervention" I was needing some "Jeezus" in a bad way, but all joking aside, the praying worked, and after some very specific scripture study about Patience (which I could stand to study a whole lot more!), we all ended the night on a good note.

****************************************

So, not to be diminished by the goings-on of last night, I thought it'd be a great time to catch you up on the most recent hilariousness Diego has come up with.

1- On Saving the world! Recently, upon learning of the naughty bad guys (drug cartel) in Mexico, Diego announced that he knew how to handle the problem. " I'm just going to go there, and teach those guys about Jesus, and if they're mean to me, well I will KEEP teaching them, and when they learn, they wont want to make those bad choices anymore!" Oh man, that was the cutest thing! It might even work, who could discount such a sincere little guy?

2- On being a Spy! Diego has been having a hard time trying to decide what he wants to be when he grows up. Doctor, farmer, ninja, and spy are all so tempting! One day he decided he was probably going to be a spy, and explained to me "I didn't tell any of my preschool friends that I'm going to be a secret agent spy, because then when they are grown up, they will know and it wont be a secret! And what if they grow up to be a villain or tell a bad guy who I am?" Hehehe.. so clever, he really thought that out.

3- On homeless dogs! The other day, we were headed to school and I could not convince him to get in the car. He was standing at the sidewalk making a loud exaggerated whimpering sound for a good five minutes. I was annoyed that he wouldn't get in, but curiosity vetoed the annoyance so when he finally gave up the mission and got in the car I listened very intently as he explained to me, " I saw a dog catcher drive by (probably a rectangular truck or something) and I was making puppy sounds to get him to come catch me, and take me to the pound. Then when he went home, I would sneak out and open all the cages of the dogs and they could be free and go home! And if they didn't have a home, I would bring them to our house and we would be their family."

4. On Camouflage. A while back we were at the sporting goods store when Diego noticed a rack of camouflage jumpsuits. I was surprised to see how expensive those things are (seriously over $100 for something so ugly and random), but more surprised when Diego picked up a large one from the rack and backed away with it. He stood against the wall and in a loud whisper said, "MOM! Can you see me??"

5. Upon learning there was free popcorn and Philly cheese-steaks in the box seats at the football game: "This is the BEST PLACE EVER!"

6. On blood. There was some blood on the kitchen floor from a cut Athen got, and upon seeing it, Diego tried to step on it. Disappointed that it was still there when he moved his shoe, he exclaimed, "Oh man, if only we had a pet vampire!"

Oh man, I love that kid!

2011-09-27T17:35:00.005-04:00

I have been going to physical therapy as of late, and whoa, it's no walk in the park (which isn't really fun yet either). It makes me feel like such a whimp... well, not me per say, all name calling is designated to the whimpyness of a few pesky joints. But I guess it's not their poor little fault either, they were attacked... *dramatic pause*... by some rouge immunity cells. But then again the immunity cells didn't mean any harm by it either, they were just doing their job, defending their honor etc, albeit with mixed up instructions about their target. And who mixed up their instructions? Who knows! And beyond that it just gets too complicated to track down a culprit, so for the sake of simplicity I am declaring all parties absolved of guilt, and shall heretofore not be held liable for damages nor be referred to as whimps though I reserve the right to wrinkle my nose at them on occasion. I have spoken.

Gosh I'm so easily distracted, back to physical therapy. Well, the nice physical therapist kept demonstrating seemingly simple exercises.

Step onto the block, step off of the block.

Lean on the wall, roll back onto your heels, lifting your toes as high as you can.

Stand on the board, tip toes forward, then heels back, then side to side.

10 wrist curls with the rubber band.

Stand on one foot for 30 seconds, holding a bar for balance. Switch.

I am totally capable of doing all of those very simple things with ease, theoretically. I was not prepared to break a sweat, or to be pep talking my ankles. "Left ankle, you are a rockstar! Right ankle, you are a redheaded step child."

Wow, in retrospect, that sounds so mean to my right ankle... okay, I'm going to go try and sweet talk my ankle now.

I am losing my mind!!

2011-09-08T18:31:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am losing my mind! Not in terms of sanity, that comes and goes with lovely hormones, and steroids, and the occasional sleep deprivation, and having 4 kids by golly! When I say I am losing my mind, I mean the part of it that I heavily rely on in order to think and function.

Exhibit A

Time: 4 years ago

Place: At church in Georgia

Evidence: I was standing in the hallway talking with some other ladies about official church stuff when Jason came around the corner and asked if Diego had come my way. He saw me in the middle of a discussion , said "Oh." and went the other direction. A couple minutes later, when the conversation was over and Jason had not returned with Diego I decided to see if he had wandered into choir practice, so I popped my head in and asked a friend if she had seen Diego. She looked at me with a strange expression, paused a second, then pointed to the left of me. Sure enough, there in my left arm was Diego. And on my face: an embarrassed blush, and in my brain: not much apparently.

Exhibit Y (Y stands for You don't even want to know how many times that stuff has happened)

Time: Earlier today

Place: My house

Evidence: Lets begin with a question. What is worse than getting everyone in the car only to realize your keys are NOT in your purse, and then remembering exactly where you last saw them in your now locked house? I'll tell you what's worse: Having your hubby walk home in the rain to open the house, while your friend takes your children to school for you, and then and only then realizing your keys are... in your pocket.

SHEESH!!!

What do you do when your brain stops being reliable, and all of your contingency plans for the situations that may arise also depend on A FUNCTIONING BRAIN?!?!

I'm chalking this up to yet another reason why I'm going to be really excited when that old Resurrection rolls around. I was already looking forward to being flawless, preferably size 12, with hair unaffected by humidity (Its not like I actually know what that"Resurrection" package specifically entails but in terms of frizziness, I'm allowing myself come creative license okay?).

And then more recently it occurred to me that the irreversible, incurable, and fairly annoying rheumatoid arthritis will be cured AND reversed. SWEET!!! All that stuff I mentally prepared myself to never do again can be amended to "Not for a while" instead of "Never again" which is obviously so much better.

And Now: A brain in consistently, good working order is sounding pretty darn good too.

Summer of mom!

2011-08-02T23:03:00.004-04:00

So, my mom has been here with me and the kids ALL summer while the hubby was interning in NYC, and for the record:

SHE IS THE BEST EVER!!!!

First off, you can't talk to my mom for more than 5 minutes without realizing she's the sweetest lady on the planet. She instantly cares about everyone and is always plotting ways to help even random people she meets.

Secondly, I'm so lucky to have a mom that's so easy to get along with! She is pure pleasant company.

Thirdly, you just don't even understand what an immense difference it makes in the cleanliness and organization of a house when Mom AND Grandma are home all day. Wow! After months of chaotic "survival mode" it has been SUCH a relief to just maintain some housekeeping stability. Don't get me wrong, it's still exhausting trying to catch up with the care and feeding of four little ones, but my house has just been so nice while she has been here!

Fourth, my parents are so so so wonderful for offering the loan of my mom for FOUR MONTHS! Can you imagine putting your life on hold to go help someone on the other side of the country for so long? It's especially amazing that she stuck it out the whole time considering that fact that while her presence meant that my load was physically, socially, and emotionally lightened, her load was significantly more burdened.

And lastly, a shout out about my dad: it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen to see card after card, day after day that he sent her while she was away. My mailbox was well acquainted with love notes, newspaper clippings, cards, jokes, and general greetings for my mom nearly every day!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Ah, this is nice!

2011-06-07T00:34:00.001-04:00

The short List of what’s SO MUCH BETTER about life for the past month:
My stairs: I can EASILY walk up them
My hair: I can lift my arms to comb it, even keep them up to *tada* braid it!
My daughters hair: My arms and hands are strong enough to do it again.
My couch: I can get off of it without a 30-90 minute mental pep talk/threats.
My sheets: I can pull them over myself at night.
My toilet: Aaah the relief. Okay, couldn’t resist that, sorry! But seriously, if you’ve never looked at those toilet extension things that make a toilet higher and coveted it... you are normal... I cannot say the same for myself.
My medicine bottles: Now visited only once a day!
My keys: I can turn them one handed.
My clothes: I can handle them myself. If you really want to know what an overachiever I have become, I even get dressed standing up! Try not to be jealous of my skills.
My sleeping kids: I can carry them most of the time. Even on stairs, mostly.
My dreams: They are no longer about being helpless to save my kids in an emergency.
My basement: What do you know, it does still exist after all. Convenient since my washer and dryer live there.
Tornado season: Okay, tornado season is not cured, but we are better prepared since I can access the basement again, and I even put together a tornado watch kit in foot lockers which I carried downstairs myself!
My deodorant: I can now reach my full arm pit. Those of you close to me should be happy it was winter, and that I couldn’t exercise or even move enough to work up the slightest sweat.
Things on the floor: I can step OVER them, instead of hazardously shuffling through them, sometimes unsuccessfully. Not that there’s much of anything on the floor these days- did I tell you my mom is staying for the summer?
Shoes: I tie them.
Typing: 10 fingers again!
My shampoo bottle: I can squeeze it with my hands instead of my teeth.
Jars: I don’t have to ask my preschooler to open them.
The top shelf: Accessible again! Without even propping one arm up with the other.
My arms, elbows, hands: I suspect I could use them again to help me stand up, that is, IF I needed them, which I don’t, by the way. Although, I’m not likely to test that theory in the bathtub any time soon. It only takes once being stuck in the slippery buff to no longer think of a bath as soothing.
Seat belts and car seats: No longer a feat of frustration and sheer willpower.
Disciplining children: Much more consistent. When all you have is your voice to manage the small to large issues, they figure out pretty quickly you can’t actually enforce many consequences. (ie, Can I have this junk food? No? It doesn’t matter since I can finish it before mom can get to me to put it out of reach.)
Nurturing Children: Snuggles, holding them, energy to do fun stuff again, even singing them to sleep again since I'm not physically demolished and mentally/emotionally at the last frayed strings on the end of my rope by bedtime.
Morning: It is not only a part of my day again, but its pretty much the same as the rest of my day- normal!
Jason: Well, he hasn’t changed per say, but he does get a little awesomer every day, so I deem that of note. He’s had to be both parents the first 1-4 hours of every morning for months and months, without ever treating me like anything had changed, or like I was sickly.

I'm sure I will think of more things to add, but this is what popped to the top of my head as I wrote in my journal tonight.

I got a new theme song... and rheumatoid arthritis at the same time!

2011-05-10T14:27:00.006-04:00

(to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)

Hands, shoulders knees and toes,

Snap! Crackle! Pop! they go.

Wrists, elbows, ankles, feet,

I'm my own rice crispy treat!

added by Taryn:

Crinkle, Pop, Crispy, Snap!

I'm more fun than bubble wrap!

Isn't it great? You love it right? I'm working on further verses, or variations of other tunes. Ideas are accepted, but if I break a big arthritis record deal/ retirement community tour, or something else amazing off of your genius, i'm claiming it as my own and you're out! (This means YOU, Taryn!)

Diagnosis

So as you probably read in the title, I very recently learned that I have acquired rheumatoid arthritis. A nasty case of it too, which is actually a relief since i've had symptoms since December and they have progressed rapidly over relatively few months as i've been in doctor limbo, waiting to see a specialist (What can I say, I've always been a little advanced) . I was in emotional limbo too. Waiting for answers, and nervous there wouldn't be any. Nervous there would be answers, answers I wasn't willing/able to deal with. Supremely nervous of what would become of my family in the meantime since i'm so much less capable than ever. I thought of all the parenting scenarios where you must act quickly to avert crisis, and agonized over the possible outcomes of me being powerless to get there in time. Tornados, fires, busy streets, stairs, bodies of water, my inability to hold anything( let alone anyone) with any amount of strength, county prosecutor intervention for getting my kindergartener to school late too many times (we got a letter!)and even just tantrumming toddlers. All that waiting gave me too much time to worry, I think.

I now have a newfound appreciation for old people though! My aunt says "Growing old aint for sissies!" and it is SO true! You're body degenerating is bound to make anyone feel geriatric! It's hard not to think that your body is 'on its way out' when it declines so drastically, and I've had a lot of 'this might be it' moments where i've held my kids extra close, and read a few more stories, sang few extra songs at bedtime, and snuck them a few more jelly beans here and there. Almost as alarming as the prospect of nearing 'The end" was the idea of being like this indefinitely. So sad to think of my kids growing up with an incapacitated mother. Jason aspirations and plans being shackled to a sickly wife. And me being the incapacitated mother, the sickly wife.

But now, hallelujah! We have a specific reason!I'm NOT in doctor limbo for years, hoping someone somewhere will figure out what's wrong with me! It's NOT cancer. I'm NOT dying. We have a direction to head in, and hope that it will improve! Sure, we also have an incurable disease that makes my immune system attack healthy joints. Sure i'll most likely be on strong medicine for - well, until the resurrection. BUT, we also have a knowledge that we've been led through this in the best manner and timing possible (that's another post in itself!).

So, you win some, you lose some. Mostly, I have won. And hey, you know what else? Doesn't this just sound like the PERFECT excuse to hire an occasional housekeeper? I'd be thrilled to delegate that little gem of a responsibility since I already didn't love it, and its now pretty non-existent!

My friend Taryn thinks I have all the luck... hehe, yes Taryn, I do. And you're right, I am more fun than bubble wrap.

Conference Weekend!

2011-04-03T00:43:00.003-04:00

Well, it's that weekend again where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints around the world pause Saturday activities and skip Sunday's three hour worship, opting instead for an EIGHT HOUR BROADCAST ! (TEN if you are a male over the age of 12) Yes, it's time for General Conference. You're probably thinking "Jimminy Cricket! That's a lot of church!" and you are right, it is! That's probably why my earliest memories of it include curling up on a bench in a dim chapel for a relaxing weekend of naps. Four naps to be exact, in two-hour installments. But gradually those memories changed to passing the time by doing sketches of the speakers, dozens of speakers!( I really got that podium down to a science.) Later I decided to label the sketches, even putting little words around the sketch if something they said stood out to me. It got to the point where I was hearing so much worthwhile, really great stuff that I found myself scrambling to finish the drawing while the speaker was wrapping up, and finally I abandoned the sketches all together after pages of just the podium and an outline of a suit surrounded by lots and lots of notes. So even if it sounds a little kooky, I sure love those EIGHT hours of hearing our Prophet, and the 12 Apostles, and several other regional leaders from around the globe. I love the new stories, and gospel insights, the laughs, the smiles, and the sweetness of truth well shared. Though it takes a different form these days with 4 little ones piled onto the couch that we've moved in front of the computer, instead of the sleepy chapel from when I was little, I can't help but hope my kids will remember sitting with us, listening for key words for two hours in order to color in their conference bingo squares. Maybe they'll remember the new box of crayons and notepad, or even just the whopping jackpot of 4 Starbursts for a completed bingo square, but either way, I hope they will look back and remember their own conference beginnings, and how out of small things, proceedeth that which was great.

Why I'm afraid of taking a shower these days...

2011-03-15T11:31:00.005-04:00

This is what was waiting for me after I took a shower and got dressed Saturday morning. Oh, and also 3 HYPER, giggling children. Not the "Oh, how I love my siblings, life is grand!" endearing laughter, the "Mom's coming! look what we got away with while she wasn't looking!" maniacal laughter. Then an abrupt change to sassy "NO!!!!! I'm NOT!!"s when I sent them to their rooms.

Well, it stands to reason that the responsible thing to do would be to calmly have them clean it up, but "calm" wasn't really an option since my blood was quite nearly boiling and I was feeling the onset of spontaneous combustion. For some reason, on occasion my state of mind links itself with the state of my house, so in this instance while it looked like a hurricane came through my living room, the same hurricane was making it's way through my psyche.

Great time to have the kids to exit stage left.

They went upstairs (to quite probably wreak havoc there too).

I looked at the aftermath. I cried. Twice. Okay, thrice.

Turned on saturday morning general conference for ambiance.

Cried again at the perfect first talk.

Called for back-up.

Enter sister missionaries looking for service ops and in an hour, it was back to this.

So, as a side note, my whole house gets messes of this magnitude almost constantly(at least it feels that way) but this mess was just compacted into a smaller amount of time, I didn't see the progression, and it had more unusual components (ie taking the stuffing out of the couch and a PUDDLE of yogurt schmeared into the carpet. Really kids?)

For my own amusement here's the rundown of the specifics. Also, this is my reference for when my kids call me from college wanting money, or to come home for Christmas, or when they wonder why I wrote them out of their inheritance. For the record, this was the day. (Since you were upstairs in your bed Lincoln, you're safe kiddo- in reference to the inheritance AND from the wake of destruction.)

Oh, and for inquiring minds: The kids had to stay in their rooms for the entire clean up, missed their lunch, had all toys confiscated for the day, and have yet to earn back any toys that were part of this particular mess, and they also owe me 20 chores if they want to play soccer in the spring.

But hey- I got a shower and everyone survived!

things you might not know...

2011-03-01T23:20:00.002-05:00

Since I haven't posted in a great while, I thought I'd send out a quick pic and some updates. we went to Gnomeo and Juliet for Family Home Evening tonight and the kids were thrilled to find out it was in 3D- and WE were relieved to find out it's $2.75 Tuesday so the added 2.75 for it being in 3D didn't have to break the bank. Phew! This picture really doesn't even do Lincoln's cuteness in those 3d glasses justice but oh well! Trust me- he's just SOOOO adorable! The other kids are too- they had just scattered by this point, hence no pics.

What else have we been up to?
- Most recently, Jason's father passed away so we had an impromptu trip to North Carolina. Bitter reason to go, but made sweet by the chance to get together with Jason's family, most of whom the kids and I have never met! We even got to see Jason's great grandfather. Five generations- can you imagine?!

- Jason is progressing steadily in his program, and already getting ancy about having his ducks in a row for what's next- internships etc. Speaking of school, the older kids are sure loving it!

- I'm doing well, enjoying it here a lot, although I feel to mention that I'm GETTING SO OLD!!! Seriously, I think I'm somehow aging exponentially! I've been achy in the joints and generally feeble for a few months now and the rheumatologist doesn't have an opening until May (!!!!!! WOWZA!! Seriously if you are considering going into medicine, now would be a great time to tap into the wealth that is baby boomers and arthritis!)- well, my poor family just has to have a decrepit mom for the time being. Most people try to find their inner child, but apparently I needed to find my inner Granny.

Well- that's all I have for you whipper-snappers. Now turn off your interweb thingy and git to bed!

(See, aren't I a great granny!- now if I could just get my hands on a light purple wig)

a quick list...

2010-11-24T00:22:00.004-05:00

There's nothing like the smell of raw sewage coming from tour basement in the morning... but enough with the complaining, here is my top 10: Nice Things Lately

10- Pretty fall colors and raking leaves with the family.
9- I learned how to make cinnamon rolls!
8- Honey crisp apples
7- readthescriptures.com emails me my scripture study every morning.
6- The awesome people in my Sunday school class that make my week!
5- My kids ARE hilarious!
4- My baby thinks I am hilarious
3- The plumber cleaned up the sewage and bleached my basement. (and since we're renting we didn't have to deal with the the "how much is this going to cost?" panic!)
2- Teaching the preschoolers and kindergartners to sing Albuquerque Was A Turkey, and A Turkey Ran Away.
1- The holidays are upon us!!

Athen's haircut!

2010-09-20T00:08:00.004-04:00

This is not Athen's first haircut, but I understand everyone getting re-attached to his curls while they have been growing out all year. They are beautiful- even on a boy. But trying to convince as busy two-year-old to sit still so you can comb out ALL THE TANGLES in his hair is not beautiful. Nor was the mat of curly mess on the back of his adorable litle head, so it was time for a cut. Lucky us one of our new friends works in a salon!

Go Falcons!!

2010-09-19T23:11:00.003-04:00

Jason loves all sports, and I love going places that have a social element, so how is it we have never attended a sporting event together until this weekend?

We went to a Falcons game... with ALL the kids. And what a blast! Jason was in charge of logistics (tickets, schedule,parking, etc.) while I, of course, couldn't resist making everyone look cute for the event, I even threw in a crafty project for good measure. Jason, Brooklyn and I found clearance Tees for under $10, but three little boy falcon t-shirts for $17.99 each? Not happening, I object on principle. So.... $3 brown toddler T-shirts+ $3 cheap felt mini-flags+ iron-on transfer paper = Falcon Wear for the boys! Hooray! What a great start to the day. Add some glitter ribbons and facepaint and it turns out this sports thing could really grow on me.

JUNE?!? My last post was in JUNE?

2010-09-07T22:51:00.005-04:00

I had no idea how long it had been since my last post. Yikes!
Double yikes that blogger just ate all my text for this post.
Well, it is almost midnight so you'll just have to trust that it was poetic yet vague and not really worth the energy of recreating. Without further ado... Pictures from my phone!

Father's Day

2010-06-21T09:58:00.002-04:00

This is my dad. He used to take an entire week off of work every year to be the door guy at my junior theater's show week. I'm glad he was able to spend Father's Day in sunny San Diego.

Poor Jason spent Fathers Day in the fathering trenches because I'm sick, but because he really is the best father and husband ever, he didn't even mind, and even said he had a good day.

My very own catch 22

2010-06-19T23:33:00.003-04:00

My sweet hubby has been bringing me treats... A LOT. Probably not because grew so fond of those few weeks of weighing less than I do. Not that he minded, or at least mentioned it to me that he minded rather, I think its because of the reaction he gets when I see them- I have been SO sugar crazy, and they are a BEAUTIFUL sight and I love them! ( Deliciocity wrapped in a creamy, carmel, chocolatey, energy pick-me-up bundle!) Who doesn't love to be the bearer of good news? Meanwhile I am getting into a dangerous cycle.

Caring for a newborn + 3 small children
=
Fatigue
=
NO desire to expend energy (and annoying post surgery repurcussions and stress when I DO)
(enter sweet tooth)

THUS
I can't help but think a little exasperated sigh at people who tout breastfeeding as a huge weight loss help. Granted, if I wasn't nursing I'd probably be gaining a lot more that those 6-7 permanent lbs in that first few months, and those 300+ free calories are great, but I think even fantastically happy exhaustion takes it's toll ( and it is not helping my wardrobe options either).
Okay- so that is what is in my head this week, well that and the fact that i'm in need of divine intervention as far as what in the world to do about the tantrums in my house ( my own desire to tantrum included)

Perhaps i'll buck up and follow jason's lead by spending some quality time with our exercise bike, Wes, after the sun goes down each night.

But, that's enough of my anxieties! The truly great endnote is that I have this adorable little bit of heaven to enjoy all day, cuddle close to me every 2 hours (and then some just for the fun of it),

and 3 more little angels in their own right who can't get enough of him either and like to announce to me that he's the "greatest baby in the world." And no to forget one big, but not that big husbandish angel who knows I'm stressed and brings me king size Twixes, and the occasional mint chocolate chip ice cream.

2010-06-02T19:00:00.002-04:00

Jason is in Kansas City. I am sitting on my sister's couch in Pocatello. The two littlest Ratliffs are napping. I hear: the next two Ratliffs happily playing with cousins, birds chirping, my nephew clicking on computer keys, baby snores and quiet. It's a good time to tell you that life is fine. I hope you are having a good day too.

Lincoln is here pretend I am humming "Hail to the Chief"

2010-05-22T14:36:00.005-04:00

Well, these ended up in reverse chronological order, and it would take me 7 years to sort them out, and I only have about 20 minutes until this little cutie will be hungry again, so mix and match, or start at the bottom and ENJOY. As for me, I will be enjoying watching the cute little faces he is making in his sleep.

Not much new here...

2010-05-15T23:54:00.004-04:00

... but I just wanted to show you a picture of the little house we are renting when we move to Ohio in August. It has hardwood floors throughout, W/D hookups in the basement, and you now know as much about the inside of it as I do. But it is less than a mile to campus, a few blocks from the school we want to send B to, equally close to a great big park, has plenty of storage (basement AND garage), is the price we need, recently became available, and appears to be a lovely answer to prayers!

Oh by the way, we are moving to Ohio in August.

Things I would have taken a picture of this week had my camera not been broken by a toddler.

2010-05-04T14:28:00.006-04:00

My camera is broken, so here's what I would have taken pictures of IF it was functioning.

This is my pregnant belly- trust me, it has grown. I am starting to suspect there's not enough room in this body for the both of us. Also, I'm getting a little nervous about surgery- mostly the panic attack I get after the spinal block/losing control of my body from the ribs down, but before going loopy and thus contented. Well, and also the whole taking care of a newborn while skin, muscles and a major organ are trying to grow back together.
Mostly though, I'm excited to meet the little guy, and SO excited it is so soon!

This past weekend we drove to Ft. Collins to check out CSU and for Jason's assistantship interview. Naturally I was in constant alertness for possible signs of labor as we drove though the random snow storm that would have really spiced up the trip. But now we are back, and it was a great trip! The city/school/ ward were all lovely and the hotel had cable so the kids were fantastically content.

And last but not least, Jason is bringing me entertainment to no end with a new pedometer challenge at work. He lost it at the park last night and spend an hour walking back and forth across the park, getting more aggravated with each uncounted step he had to take before he found it. You would have thought he lost a diamond as opposed to the little $3 plastic thingy. The pedometer was found and now Jason can return to his all day potty dance that is his effort to get in more steps. I'm counting on that to distract me while I'm on the operating table.

I was on TV! ksl.com - High winds hit northern Utah

2010-04-28T11:02:00.001-04:00

ksl.com - High winds hit northern Utah

So, it's kind of embarassing trying to think of something new to say about the weather for 10 minutes in front of a camera, but thank goodness for editing!

(so the picture looks like it will play the video, but it doesn't, only the above link works. I just added it as a visual record for when I print my blog book. BTW- I love the "snipping tool" that makes taking a still of a video possible.)

Winter is totally over!!! *

2010-04-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

HOORAY!!!!! Winter is out and Spring is in!

"But Lucia, haven't you seen a calendar lately? Winter has been out for a while," you might remind me. Well no it has not been out for very long at all in Utah. Spring here was greeted by a fresh snowfall, and extra chilly weather, but now, it is actually, truly, really Spring! Tulips, daffodils and blossomy trees are in their full brilliance. I, personally, am dying of the heat already but even that is welcomed when it also means that:

-We get to go on walks to the park every day.

-The watermelons have come on sale again and they are actually sweet unlike the tasteless teasers of these past months. (here's a chart about picking good fruit!http://www.dvo.com/newsletter/monthly/2000/july/freshfruit.html , but it's not as fun as looking for the mystical "bee stings" or trying the straw trick, or just making a show of thumping each melon in the bin. Also, you can feel for ridges around the middle of the melon. ridges = ripe)

-I've offically packed away the winter clothes neatly in their bins, and brought out the summer stuff.

-I've even finished some extra spring cleaning to-do's like vigorously scrubbing my tile floors, and cleaning out everyone's drawers of the things that don't quite fit or don't get used often enough to warrant the space they take up.

- My feet have an obvious flip-flop tan, which makes them always look dirty, even if they are clean, but who cares?

So, when does it offically FEEL like spring/summer to you?

* since I started this post we've had snow. Crazy utah weather.

the baby grows

2010-04-16T13:19:00.006-04:00

So, monitoring my belly growth through pictures is pretty anti-climactic. I love seeing my friends blogs, and how their bellys get bigger, and I keep getting excited that i'm feeling tons bigger and taking pictures only to find out it's not much different than the last one. Especially in these last 2 pics, you can only tell time has passed because my hair is longer.

15 weeks (barely showing at all)

22 Weeks

28 weeks (in a particularly large hour)

The latest pic. That actually looks smaller than the one 4 weeks prior.

So, you see, not much to show, but in 32 short days, little Lincoln be encircled in our arms instead of squished between my vital organs. A step up for both of us.

Jason is a funny guy

2010-03-31T22:38:00.009-04:00

I am always surprised when I hear people say that Jason seems so serious. Really? Are we talking about the same Jason? The man that wears bowties every tuesday without fail (and any other day he can get away with it) and liked sweater vests before they came back into style BECAUSE they were obviously not in style. The guy that forgot to pack his belt with his work clothes one morning, and promptly aquired a pair of suspenders, never to miss an opportunity to be a little awesome. This is also the guy that picked me up over his shoulders (when we were dating, mind you, not now with 3 babies and 7 weeks away from the next) and lollygaged across the lower quad BECAUSE the sprinklers were on. Jason who talked to the gas station attendant like they were old friends for a good 2 minutes only to follow it with "You don't remember me, do you? That's probably because I've never seen you before in my life. Have a good night though!"

*sigh* He's so entertaining, and I'm excited to add yet another little guy to follow in his silly ways, and even sport a few bowties.

For your enjoyment, here are a few of the pics we took for a special multi-media event at the ward talent show entitled "The cheesburger song"

The ever changing Ratliffs

2010-03-09T00:06:00.003-05:00

With 2.5 more months until this baby comes, it's getting pretty obvious that I'm "with child" Here is exactly what I look like tonight- no glamour, just the facts (except I really needed to apply at least some lip gloss for the sake of my dignity before this end of the day, tired mama hit the world wide web) Notice the bulbousness of my belly these days. Notice also that it's 10pm, and my shirt is fairly clean still- even more momentous with 6 sticky hands around me all day!

Oh, and not to leave out Jason, he had his hair done today. It took us 2 hours just to comb out/cut out the tangles last night so he could let the proffesionals at it today. We love it! Although, I think I'll take a crack at doing the whole thing myself next time, and I wont charge Jason $80. (i'll give him my $79 special!)
ALSO- did you know Jason has lost about 90 lbs in the past 9 months? So, with 30 more to go, stay tuned in a few months for the final before and afters! He's amazing!

MSU FIGHT SONG

2010-03-05T20:18:00.003-05:00

Brooklyn's little metamorphisis.

2010-02-12T16:29:00.007-05:00

Well, even in the midst of kids being quite sick with croup (especially poor Athen), things have been exciting here.

1. Last week, Brooklyn lost her first tooth and was VERY excited for a visit from the tooth fairy. It's a little early because her front teeth got knocked loose by Diego's cranium about 9 months ago, and the bottom two never tightened back up. But finally, one gave out, to Brooklyn's delight! They've been talking about it in preschool, and she was so happy to be the first, although, she'll most likely be the only one for a WHILE.

2. Today the kids happened on little keepsake boxes for a baby's first curl, and first tooth. They have been so excited about the baby, so I knew they would remember and be anxious to get lock of his hair in there. They had other idas, and wanted their own hair in it, which I figured out when I saw Brooklyn on a kitchen chair taking the scissors to one of her braids, I stopped her double quick and sent her to her room... about 4 minutes too late. It would appear the kitchen chair was the second scene of the crime. Time to blog. Well, first, time for naps, then to the blog.

No no, 1- Take a picture

2-NAP TIME!

3- Email my hairdresser friend for advice.

4. Inform the blog world.

Yes, she cut almost half of her braids, luckily none too short. Rather than leave her with this braid mullet, we will even off the rest and attempt for the Shirley Temple short ringlets.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ UPDATE * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Is that all? NO, because while I was posting this, I heard a cry from the bedroom. Can you even guess? Another run in with Diego, and the other loose tooth GONE. So, here's the latest picture of Brooklyn in all her hairless, toothless glory.

* sigh* Aye caramba.

Thanksgiving in Florida!

2010-01-11T11:44:00.009-05:00

This Thanksgiving, we went on our long awaited trip to Florida with Jason's mom, grandma, uncle, brother and sister, and it was a blast! There are plenty of stories and pictures, but I am just posting some pictures here. Sorry they are not in order, and as far as the details on everything, well, they are either relaxing at the resort, or playing at one of the theme parks.

Look how cute our little green neighbors were!

Waking up!

2010-01-05T14:16:00.004-05:00

So, it's no coincidence that I've had 4 months of morning sickness/extreme fatigue and 4 months of blog neglect. The past couple weeks, I've begun to wake up from survival mode and remember that it wasn't always like that, and I would eventually feel like myself again. That's common sense right? No. With each pregnancy, even common sense is lost for a while. But the dawn is breaking! Hooray!

Saturday was: A major freak out realizing what exactly happens to a house where only the RAW essentials of housekeeping are done so my limited energy can go to the peoples inside the messy house.

Sundaywas spent: Resting. Enjoying tender mercies from heaven. Hope, even opptimism!

Monday was spent: Gathering organizing supplies, and a day out at the movies with the kids. Taking 3 little kids to the movies during nap time by myself is further proof that I have regained my ambition! And it was even fun! Finally, getting a bed off my porch and delivering it to a friend- without even Jason around to help!

Today I: Went to town with just 3 of my 10 new storage buckets and put away halloween costumes, christmas decor, outgrown baby clothes, too big summer clothes, and random stacks of bedding. I also washed the dried mustard painting off my favorite bed spread from a praticularly artsy 3 year-old about 3 1/2 weeks ago. Yee-haw!

Welcome back world, I'm glad to see you. (But please don't drop in until further notice, as 4 months of housework neglect is one thing, but an audience is mortifying! Seriously, it's too grevious even for a nasty before picture, because I want you all to still be my friends.)

Meanwhile, you can look forward to posts about our Thangsgiving in Orlando, my sister's wedding, Christmas and New Years in Idaho, and in about a week you'll get to hear the OFFICIAL gender of baby #4, the adorable little culprit of all this fatigue, since apparently the last ultrasound was too soon, even though it looked obvious to Jason and I.

Love ya all!

PS: I saw a tutorial for THIS luciously beautiful do-it-yourself headboard, and I would SO be making it if the wall behind my bed wasn't plaster over brick. But what do you think Sochi, wouln't this look lovely behind your bed? Maybe we should tackle it next time I'm in Idaho!

A much needed recap...

2009-11-18T11:24:00.005-05:00

Wow, has it really been a month since I posted? Luckily, my last post mentioned morning sickness, so i'm sure you understand where I have been all month! Well, here's the run down of what I remember of what you missed:

Last weekend some gals and I all went to Time Out for Women in Salt Lake, and it was a BLAST!

We had so much fun at the conference, and just as much fun hanging out all the time to, from, and in between!

The weekend before that, we were in charge of a Luau at church, which turned out great and from which I still have decorations stacked 2' high on my kitchen table, and a bunch of tablecloths to iron.

This next picture is from the day brooklyn INSISTED on having her hair straightened, though it a little hard to see, it was cute, and she was excited about having "long hair"

And before that, Halloween! Jason needed a wizard hat and beard for work, and we could NOT find one anywhere, so we made one. Although, on my dad, it looks more like the Travelocity gnome! As you can see, my parents came for halloween, which was such a nice treat! It gave me time to whip up a peter pan costume for Diego, since Brooklyn was Tinkerbell. Athen was the little brother that's always in PJs and carrying a bear, but it was not quite enough of a costume so we opted for an adorable borrowed pumpkin suit instead.

(this was the best picutre I could get out of them, funny huh? Pretend Brooklyn's hands are not across her face, and imagine Diego's peter pan hat on his head instead of behind his back. Oh, and you can't even see the awesome little green boot covers on diegos little feet!)

I still haven't put away costumes yet either, but hopefully it will all get done soon because we go on vacation next week, then it's the christmas RUSH! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Oh yeah, and we have an ultrasound on Thursday to figure out an exact due date, and by the guesses, we might even get a peek at the gender! Cross your fingers for the latter!

"Time marches on...

2009-10-12T21:29:00.002-04:00

... and at some point you realize it's marching across your face" (hey, name that quote)

Well, actually my face feels fine, it seems to be marching across my gag reflex. But still, life continues and here's our top 5 of what we've been up to:

5. Babysitting the preschool tarantuala, Webby. Brooklyn REALLY wanted me to take it out so she could pet him... no thanks, not even with the protective oven mits they sent home for that purpose. I'll gladly let the preschool teachers trump me in bravery.

4. Brooklyn and Diego telling EVERYONE that there's a baby in my tummy.

3. Babysitting Snowy, the class rabbit. So cute. I think I enjoyed him almost as much as the kids.

2. Brooklyn's BIRTHDAY! A new bike and gum ball machine at the crack of dawn. Gusher fruit snacks for her preschool friends. A tinker bell costume with her birthday money. Pizza, wings, root beer floats for dinner. Chuck e Cheese to play, and a tradgic heartbreak averted when chucky made an announcement over the loudspeaker that he would be out to celebrate the "Birthday stars" but bypassed her for someone elses very expensive and official birthday celebration, even though he "knows it's my birthday, he sent me a birhtday email for free tokens" The heartbreak pouring from her eyes nearly brought me to tears, not Jason though. $20 from daddy's wallet later, bingo, out comes Chucky with a birthday star crown, medal, and some TLC.

1. Athen started nursery, and loved being able to follow Diego around and charm a whole new audience. Although, now that we don't have a toddler to distract us, Jason and I need to re-learn how to pay attention in Sunday School.

You know what this means, don't you?

2009-09-22T19:30:00.002-04:00

My camera needs to be charged, so this will have to do, but it's exactly what it looks like!

You know what that means right?

Yep.

JACKPOT!

I know, it's ridiculously exciting!

When I look at the stars...

2009-09-21T00:15:00.004-04:00

At the end of a lazy day, I was feeling physically and mentally exhausted looking on the mess that had only become worse than earlier that morning when I initially decided I didn't want to clean it, after what seemed like only a few short hours since the last time it was clean.

Sleepy @ 9:30 pm: Not a good time to evaluate my self worth, and muse on the idea of possible failure in the grand scheme of things. "By their fruits ye shall know them" and yesterdays fruit was rotten. I was rotten at this life of mine.

Out of sheer frustration and desperation to escape from this YUCKY train of thought, and REALLY not wanting to wake up to it in the morning, I began picking up the floor.

Toys to the toy room.

Clothes to the laundry mountain.

"What's wrong, Lucia?" Jason asks. "Nothing, I just... nothing."

Trash to the bin- nope, too full, that would have to wait.

Books to the buckets.

A refreshing encouragment from a prophet in my memory: "Don't dwell on negative thoughts"

Camping chairs to the closet.

About a dozen mismatched shoes to another closet

Dishes to the overflowing sink.

More stray toys, books and laundry.

A whiny prayer in my heart:"I'm failing, I know I shouldn't dwell on negative thoughts about myself. I don't want to be cleaning this house. I don't want to feel this way. Please help. I just..." trilailing off into nothing because my whining just feels like an excuse. "Will You help me please, I need to get this done, and I need to feel better. Okay, i'll just take this trash out first"

Apple Jacks swept into a pile next to the the trash can.

Lift the trash bag out of the bin and shake it down to make room for the new additions.

Tie up the bag and take it outside.

Wow, those stars are beautiful. The sky is so peaceful- and always so fresh and clean. Maybe Jason and I should just go lay out on the grass under these pretty stars for a minute. No, that's not really his way. "Ask him." Maybe i'll just ask him, maybe something inside him will tell him I could use a break from my thoughts.

"Let's go out on the grass and watch the stars, just for 10 minutes?"

"Sure, you get the blanket, i'll get dressed" -yup, he IS amazing, how did I not know that?

As we lounged on a cotton sheet, in breeze of fresh cool air, making pictures in the stars, and creatures in the clouds, I felt the burden lifted, my thoughts refreshed. Reminded of the love of my sweetheart, and the Love of God that sheddeth itself abroad unto the hearts of the children of men... and a silly, self-concious, tired woman. And I savored the peace that flavored this fruit, growing in abundance from the Tree of Life, this love of God. Peace in your body and your spirit at the same time, enough to wash through and remove anything else. Yes, Nephi was right. Most desirable.

Preschool has finally arrived!

2009-09-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

Brooklyn LOVES her new Preschool! Her world revolves around what happens during those 2.5 hours and it is so fun to hear her talk about it!

Diego is enjoying the one on one mommy time, but is always ready to wake Athen up from his nap so we can go pick up "Brookly"

I do NOT love walmart.

2009-09-19T00:30:00.002-04:00

So, over the past few years we have tried to trim Walmart off our list of necessary errands, and just get stuff elsewhere. It's the same old anti-Walmart stuff: destroying small town business, the cheap overseas workforce and the faces of those young adult workers basicaly slaving away their lives so I can buy socks for $1.50 less, or their irresponisible employment practices, you know, same old complaints. Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert, but I just can't get over the feeling that I'm hand-feeding a blood-thirsty beast when I shop there. Okay, that's overly dramatic, it's not that graphic, but I simply do prefer to shop elsewhere, especially considering how mind numbing walking into that gigantic place is, and the high likleyhood that I will spend a portion of the trip wandering aimlessly, having forgotten what I was supposed to be looking for, and too distracted by clearance tags to notice!

So anyways, today I found myself there again, after a few months absence, and what's even more torturous than the fact that I was there, was that the stuff I bought was SO much cheaper. ARG!

The $37 protien shake powder was out, and I couldn't stomach getting it again (especially since you pay all that money and when you open it, it is only about 40% full! What is that about?).

But at Wallyworld, the stuff is $11- ish, and you get MORE. Are you kidding me?

And then there was the wickless candle wax, just like my EXPENSIVE scentsy stuff, for $2.88

agony.

We don't even need to go into my personal favorite, Vlasic Kosher Dill Pickles.

It's like an unhealthy relationship. Dependant on something you are catagorically opposed to.

Okay, well, enough of that, but I just had to get that off my chest.

Sorry workers in Malaysia, I caved.

The Contest!

2009-08-31T14:20:00.004-04:00

Well, I told you guys about the ccontest I was in right? Well it was last friday, and it was fun! We arrived a little early just in case it was a mad house, but it was totally relaxed!First item of business was getting my name into the Golden Drum, then onto the activities. There was a bounce house for the kids, and lots of food, and sugary drinks, and local mini-celebrities like Miss Utah, the Grocery Guru,the radio station DJ, and the guy that owns Colosimo Sausages. Not to mention 40+ people hoping to win the $5000 in groceries for the year!

Can you believe we were the ONLY people with signs??? Come on people, this is a YEAR of groceries for goodness sake!!

So... in goes Miss Utah's hand, and out comesthe name of....

this very excited guy from Clearfield :

He was GENUINELY overjoyed, and although we didn't win the grand prize, it was sweet to see!

Congrats, whoever you are!

And no worries guys, I still made out like a bandit with all this free stuff:

1 t-shirt

2 boxes of Fat Boy ice cream desserts

1 package of golf balls

1 pack of spicy sausages

1 gallon of milk

1 tub of cottage cheese

1 SWEET trapper keeper thing (I am not kidding when I say this thing is sweet, it has built in speakers! and comes prestocked with coupons, and various couponing supplies like scissors, hole punch, etc)

AND

$50 Maceys gift card

not to mention, two weeks of excitement!

THANK YOU MACEYS!!! (and Fat Boy, and Colosimos, and Meadow Gold ) :o)

Hey did I tell you that Jason entered in hoped of me getting TONS of junk email, as part of our on going email war... haha... he's nice even when he's TRYING to be mean. I love that guy.

Everything is an Apple.

2009-08-22T12:52:00.005-04:00

Athen says:

"Dee-go" for Diego
"wa-wa" for drinks
"dada"
"mama"
"bella" for the babies that live by us
"NO!"

and for anything that looks delicious to him, he refers to as "Apple!"

BTW, the voice you are hearing is my older sister, not me. How's that for similar genetics?

What's new with us? Oh, just the same 'ol ...wait, it's totally NOT the same 'ol stuff!

2009-08-18T17:30:00.003-04:00

Why is it that I can never think of what's actually new with me when someone asks?And then 2 minutes later actually think about the question and realize A LOT is new! So in case you've asked "What's new?" and I have ansered "Oh, nothing." It is a lie, here's what's new:

- We found out Jason is Diabetic so we have spend more time than I care to remember wandering confused around the grocery store, but equally as much time, I am HAPPY to note, incorporating very healthy food, and plenty of exercise into our daily routine. I am so proud of Jason, he has been SUPER vigilent about his health and is doing great. Ths time next year, he will probably be the poster boy for healthy diabetics! (I only say next year because it will probably take the ADA that long to find him and have him on an actual poster)

- We had a mini car drama when we found out on saturday afternoon that our tags expired 4 months ago. Can you belive we didn't notice that? What's more amazing than going four months without anyone noticing is getting pulled over twice the same day for it. So we took it to get it registered ( yes, we got pulled over on the way to Jiffy Lube) and it failed the safety inspection. Luckily, I managed to get it to the next mechanic for the fix-its without any police presence. So, a few hundred dollars later our favorite transportation will be up and around again. This all seems pretty insignificant looking back, but I was quite beside myself saturday evening. I should really learn not to be such a spazz.

- The time for our grad school search is coming to a close and we still have NO idea where we will be in fall '10. Colorado? Michigan? North Dakota (Fargo... even the name sounds frigid, and we'll probably end up there just because I said that out loud. LOL) Vermont? Minnesota? Ohio?

Jason did the top rank- top price degree for his Masters, and this time around I think we are leaning more toward the little letters behind his name without the big $$$ added to our student loan debt. But who knows, maybe a few bigger schools will still be in the running.

- I guess anything else I put at this point would be just fishing for interesting news, but all is well with the kids, preschool starts in a few weeks, and we will be entering foreign territory of afternoons without Brooklyn. Before you know it, she'll be in college. Diego still doesn't understand he's not going, and Athen wont care, except that rough housing with Diego will be a far cry from playing Babies with Brooklyn.

- OH WAIT! I almost forgot! I won some coupons, and get to be a finalist (1 of at least 50) in a $5,000 grocery shopping spree drawing this friday!! I can't begin to wrap my mind around the prospect of wnning, but am surely enjoying the excitement of it- and hey, FREE COUPONS! Wish us luck, and don't be suprised if your christmas presents next year are groceries :o)

So now I ask... What's REALLY new with you??

ABCs of me

2009-08-08T13:15:00.002-04:00

I love reading your posts for stuff like this TAG, but if you have overdosed on tags lately, this is yet another one, so feel free to click "mark as read" on your reader.

ABCs info about me

A - Age: 25

B - Bed size: King
C - Chore you hate: washing dishes AFTER they've been through the dishwasher
D - Dog: someday... already trained.
E - Essential start your day item: glass of water
F - Favorite color(s): always changes
G - Gold or Silver: each in their place
H - Height: 5'11 ish
I - Instruments you play: piano, guitar both poorly
K - Kids: 3 - and more someday
L - Living arrangements: 3 bed. apartment in old brick house
M - Mom's name: Jennie Sue
N - Nicknames: Guadalupe
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: no
P - Pet Peeve: Useless junk that renders an otherwise good movie unwatchable.
Q - Quote from a movie: "Sink Me!" -Scarlet Pimpernel
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: 3 sisters, 3 sis-in-laws, 2 brothers, 2 brother-in-laws
T - Time you wake up: 8, sometimes later
U - Underwear: The best kind.
V - Vegetable you dislike: canned peas
W - Workout style: random at best
X - X-rays you've had: fingers, teeth, leg, I don't remember any more.
Y - Yesterday's best moment: Late night guitar practice with Laureen in my kitchen also, shopping with the gals from my ward and the Grocery Guru and spending $29 for a weeks worth of groceries.
Z - Zoo favorite: San Diego!

I Tag EVERYONE!! I want to read yours!

All I want for christmas...and next christmas... and the next

2009-08-04T01:17:00.002-04:00

Are her two front teeth!

Brooklyn took a fall into Diego's hard cranium and now her two front teeth have a case of the wiggles. No bleeding and not much pain, but they are definitely loose. The dentist's office said since they are baby teeth, there's not really anything to do but hope they tighten up, or pull them if they get discolored.

YIKETH! Poor Brooklyn might THpend the next couple yearTH wiTHing for her teeth to come in THo her liTHp can go away.

Time will tell...

My shopping spree!

2009-07-24T18:31:00.002-04:00

I have always liked my mommy-in-law. First off, she brought about my really great husband and gets eternal props for that. However, less than 48 hours after we met, she took us to Disneyland (without even knowing how much I LOVE Disney, for that matter) , making our marriage feel more like the publishers clearing house sweepstakes.

So here we are, almost 6 years later, and the spoling continutes. Last week, she sent me a JCPennys birthday certificate which has been burning a hole in my pocket pretty much since it left my mailbox. Yesterday, I even did a dress reheasal, so to speak, on jcpenny.com just to scope out the territory. The thought occured to me this morning to let that lovely little card remain on my fridge as a weight loss incentive- GREAT IDEA!! But too bad, so sad, I'm just not that patient and my $10 off coupon expires tommorow, so off I went while Jason spent his day off chasing the kiddies.

Anyways listen to all the stuff I got for LESS than $50 (about $3 less, any ideas what to do with the last little bit?) :

- A great pair of jeans that are actually long enough!

- A nice little black blouse (made out of t-shirt material, so cute AND comfy)

- A patterned silky blouse

- Some chocolate trousers

- A purple wrap-around shirt, reminiscant of my long lost favorite shirt of all time that met it's end back in '03.

I'm pretty sure the $29 jeans, and the $17 purple shirt were the most I have ever spent for jeans and a shirt, so my inner clearance addict doesn't want to take them from the hanger on the off chance that I might find something just as good for much less in future days, but even still, I loved* my day!

* Love (luv): v. strong like, not in any way resembling the feverish obsession of a shopoholic, for example.

Oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE a good bargain. My tombstone will probably read:

Lucia Ratliff

Found this

tombstone

for 75% off.

Priorities

2009-07-06T16:21:00.003-04:00

So, I always try to turn on some music to do chores (it seems to drown out my inner spoiled brat of a little princess that is aghast at the idea of ' moi' being required to do manual labor, and overall helps me feel less blimin' cantankerous!) Anyways... so today, however, I'm following my 1 year-old's good example and enjoying a little dance break, because I mean, really :

Dance first?

Clean first?

I am not devoid of priorities here people. Obviously, we dance!

Here is Athen getting his mini groove on, eating an otter pop off the floor (YUM), and making a great face at the extreme temp. change in his mouth, and since I don't have the ability to edit the video, you also get an in depth close up of his noggin. Lock up you baby girls folks, this kid is as SMOOTH as his own bottom, and as cool as the other side ofthe pillow!
You know how we roll.

Okay, off to clean up from a fun holiday weekend. Happy Monday everybody.

On the mend

2009-06-29T13:59:00.003-04:00

We have been blessed to have this influenza thing easy with only Jason and Diego suffering real symptoms, and all of us on Tamiflu to treat/preempt the flu. Poor Diego had some chest aches that gave all of us a scare, but after a chest x-ray and EKG, all was found to be normal and we are on the mend, looking like doctors courtesy of AF Hospital's mandatory face mask policy . No lingering aches or pains to speak of, except for our stunned pocketbook after the expense of Tamiflu ($87 x 5 people = ouch!) and you can bet we will be getting a bill from the hospital for the x-ray and EKG, but we're not too upset since you can't really put a price on a health.

So all in all: we are fine, but I wish we would at least get Pandemic '09 shirts or something cool to show for it!

We have been incubating...

2009-06-21T12:29:00.003-04:00

Influenza is circling our neighborhood, and with the rise in the swine flu, the doctors are treating all the flu cases like H1N1 . We had a fun week, and played with some neighbors all day for 3 days before they found out their baby had influenza. Considering that fact that Athen had been loving on his best baby friend all day, and sharing half eaten strawberries with him, I was pretty sure we were exposed. We stayed home for 6 days, to play it safe with the 4-5 day incubation period, but apparently, it wasn't long enough because today, day 9: Diego woke up with the first symptom, the dreaded high fever *Dum dum dum!*

So, here we go. Forgive me if you don't see me for a while. I'm really hoping we never find out if it is actually the "Swine Flu" since they only run that test if you have to be hospitalized. Meanwhile, what does this up the ward count to Jessie? Are we at like 10th family?

Watermelon in the strawberry patch... and other weekend fun!

2009-06-01T09:20:00.005-04:00

Diego has been telling people about the watermelons growing in our garden, which seemed a little tragic to me since those plants were the some of the first casualties of our garden this year (second only to the poor little cucumber plants, and soon to be followed by the carrots I am afraid) So as part of the shower of little birthday festivities for Diego, we bought a watermelon and put it in our garden where the watermelon plant used to be. (Well, it was meant for his birthday, but if you know me, you might have guessed that I could not wait for his birthday so we did it the evening before.) I asked him to go out to the garden and see if there were any strawberries or watermelons we could have for dessert, while the rest of us watched his excitement from the porch, and what show! He was so excited that I gave him this important mission, and even more excited a few minutes later when he finally noticed it! It was my favorite part of the weekend, but with such a fun weekend, there are some other little tidbits that I can't leave out:

-Diego opened a new toy train and Brooklyn said, "Wow Diego, it is Thomas!" to which Diego replied, "Yeah!! Thomas S. Monson!" Brooklyn told him it was Thomas the tank engine, but Diego seems to prefer calling the little blue train Thomas Monson, and has been calling it that all weekend. Too funny!

- A friend of mine pointed out that Diego loves clocks, which is true, although I have never really noticed until she pointed it out. We got him a little plastic Spiderman watch and he has LOVED it!

- We played at a friend's water birthday party, at which they very thoughtfully added Diego's name to the birthday song. A water party with friends was a PERFECT middle for his day!

- We had ice cream!

- He open presents throughout the day, whenever we had a dull moment. It was fun to scatter the festivities throughout that day.

- Our neighbors, the Leckies came over with birthday surprises for Diego.

- Our other neighbors came over to have a last meal with us before they move to Japan. Jason made delicious Zuppa Tuscana, and the kids got to play, for the last time, with this sweet young couple that they LOVE .

- The afore mentioned sweet young couple brought water ballons for Diego so we played water balloon toss after dinner. A BLAST!!!

- We ended the day with a nice walk to share the leftovers and recipe with some Olive Garden loving friends.

In other, non-essential news, my neighbor fixed my straightener, which has been broken for a YEAR. HOORAY!!!

check out the DO!

2009-05-20T17:27:00.005-04:00

To say I like positive feedback as much as the next guy is true,
.... Unless that "next guy" happens to be Jason, in which case, he appreciates it MUCH more than I do. I've been brushing up on Chapman's Love Languages today and remembering that Jason is totally a "Words of Affirmation" type of fellow. So, keep that in mind for this next post, and feel free to leave lots of comments, since they go right to his inbox as well as mine!

And now, the many hair stylings of Jason

Jason has been downright anxious for me to post these pictures! He has been growing out his hair for quite some time for lack of a good barber, but he found a couple months back and got this tapered fro (which looks a little like the sillouhette of "Squidward" to me, or a fish bowl or something ...hehe, Jason is so entertaining!),

and after some more length accrued he got CORN ROWS or, as Brooklyn likes to call them, Carrot Rows! If you ask Diego, Daddy just got a "looooong haircut"He kept them for a week an a half, and then was tired of them, but it was cool anyways. Way cooler than the first time he got cornrows (which was in our first year of marriage, and I almost didn't recognize him, and it kind of freaked me out at first) . This was kind of fun, especially because he was so excited to get them.

But the greatest part was taking them out because of this AWESOME fro-hawk!

and this very pooofy hair...

And my personal favorite, these lucious little curlies the next day! People always ask my how Brooklyn got her curls, and are amazed when I say it is from Jason. I guess most people don't realize the Jason's fro is just SOOO curly that it would have to be significatly relaxed to be straight enough to produce ringlets. Two weeks of being held straight in braids is enough relaxing to produce ringlets about 1/8 the size of Brooklyn's tight curls. I just loved playing with his little strands of hair that stuck straight out and looked like they had been curled around a bobby pin. The picture does not do it any justice, but I hope you enjoyed the FRO 101 in any case.

On babies

2009-05-09T03:08:00.004-04:00

A friend mentioned that they'd like to have baby, but can't afford one. It was then that someone else said that if you wait until you have enough, you'll be waiting forever because very few people ever feel like they have enough, they also mentioned that this particular friend really will be an awesome mommy. Of course, I think every couple needs to decide for themselves when is the right time to do something that big and important, but I also think there is a lot of wisdom in the latter comment. (And yes, she will be a great mommy too!)

Burden or Blessing

I wanted to tell my friend how wonderful children are, and how you would never say, while snuggling that precious little bundle, "You are pretty cute, but if I could do it again, I think I would prefer a bigger apartment, or maybe a newer car." It makes me laugh just to muse at that, it's just so ridiculously out of the question. I am reminded of when I was in the hospital with Athen, my third baby. I was in physical shambles after a routine C-section, and I could not even sit up on my own to get out of the hospital bed to go to the bathroom, let alone take care of a little baby, and particularly not while I was chasing the two toddlers that waited at home.

"What were we thinking?" I asked myself. "There is no way I can handle this much more work on top of the responsibilities I already have. Just because I can make a baby, does that mean I should have?" etc. etc.

You know how the mind works. When you give one little nagging thought an "open mic" so to speak, you've turned on a noise that will be multiplied and amplified to deafening levels. Well, anyways, I was mulling over all these things, and feeling pretty terrible in the early hours of the morning and for the hours preceding General Conference, which came on the hospital TV mid-morning. (That's twice now that I have had babies at conference time, and boy is that great timing, let me tell you! )

" Okay then, Heavenly Father. Since You like to address concerns and answer the questions Your children need answered by way of your prophet and apostles, then fine, try to answer this impossible situation," I half-heartedly, and not very reverently prayed as the music began.

I barely remember what anyone said. I remember feeling grateful for what was said. There seemed to be little tidbits of answers that uplifted me, though I'd have to look at my notes to recall anything specific from the half a dozen, maybe more, talks I heard that morning. I do, however, distinctly remember something else. It was that last talk, so it was our prophet, Thomas S. Monson speaking. He quoted a scripture, something that the Savior said as I recall,

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I shall give thee rest..."

Yes, that hope filled docrtine, coupled with a dose of love and a testimony boost that this was REALLY a prophet of God, and the things he spoke were not only good, but true (this feeling coming via the Holy Ghost, naturally) was especially soothing to my soul, and then the prophet continued to speak, only the words from his mouth were not the words I heard in my head. I remember the initial surprise when the phrase in my head seemed to continue clear and unbroken, but did not match what was coming in my ears from the television, though it still seemed like the same source. "Whoa, this is the Holy Ghost," I recognized, quickly squelching the surprise so I could pay attention. The words continued and though I don't recall them all right now, my jumbled memory remembers these, or the gist of these:

" 'Where much is given, much is required', and the same holds true in reverse. If much is required of you, it doesn't mean it is a trial, it means you have been given much. The nature of a child is a blessing. You question if it was right for you to make this child? You did NOT make this child, I made this child, and I sent him here to you with full understanding of what would await him, and what it would mean for you. I'm taking care of you both. This is a rich blessing for, and nothing else, don't you forget that. And by the way, I love you."

It felt like a loving and merciful embrace, and a rebuke for my bad attitude all in one pretty package. It was so true.

I'm nothing more than a just a "lucky stiff" in this equation, and for that I am SO grateful.

How Many is TOO Many?
Oh gosh, I hope you don't expect me to have an answer to that heading. I just know that in my family, there were a lot of things we all did without, and some might attribute it to so many kids. I really don't know though. My sweet parents made their choices the best they could, like we all do. But I can say, and maybe this is just because I was the last, that although some of their most difficult and heart breaking financial stuggles came after I was born, I like to think that my family would consider that even if it was because of me, and I'm not sure that it was, but even if it was the case, that I was worth it. I hope that Heavenly Father sent me as a blessing too, and I hope my family would agree, and I hope that I don't just reap the benefits of their sacrifices, but that I can make their lives better too because I really love them a lot, and I'm so glad that they are my family.

Okay well, if you made it to the end of this long post, kudos to you, and goodnight. Thanks for your ear, or I guess your eyes in this case.

I'm a sucker for a good contest!

2009-05-04T16:27:00.002-04:00

I joined a contest for a $25 gift card on a blog I follow ("Good or Free Deals" I just added a button on the bottom right of this page), and the only reason I'm telling you and decreasing my chances to win when you join too, is that I get an extra entry for doing so! Shameless, I know.

But really, if you win,you have to blog about it, so I get the warm fuzzies of knowing real people actually win these things.

2009-05-03T16:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I had a very busy week with a trip to Idaho, the circus, illness, some yucky messes, a niece's birthday, playing with puppies, meeting a new niece, putting together a photobook, a walking baby, and missing Jason, but I have very little to show for it! So, you go ahead and imagine all the fun times and craziness while I imagine what my house would look like if I could muster the desire to put it all back together. Meanwhile, Jason is sick with some mysterious body aches and severe fatigue. I've nicknamed him PD. Pan-Demic, although without the fever or other symptoms, i'm pretty sure it is one of the million other viruses going around and keeping us from church today, yet again!

I mop my floors every day, and make homemade bread.

2009-04-23T21:43:00.003-04:00

I'm a mom of 3 little ones who makes homemade bread and mops the floor every day.

HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!! No, seriously, ha ha ha!

Okay, now that we've all had a good laugh...

I guess I could say that statement dabbles in truth from a certain perspective. You see, my almost 3 year old drenches my floor almost daily. ARG! WATER!! I have a love hate relationship with H2O. Diego loves it unconditionally: in the bath, falling out of a cup, puddled on the kitchen floor, dripping into the cupboards under the sink, cascading down the front of his clothes, in a kiddie pool, splashing onto the bathroom floor from tub waves, from a sprinkler, at the beach, in the fountains at Sea World, from a pitcher, from a jerryrigged sprinkler (this one is a real gem, he covers the bathroom/kitchen faucet with his fingers to make a "SPRINKLER!"), from the water fountain at the park, from the inside of his mouth ("it's raining!")

Well, you get the point. These are getting funnier as I type them out. So anyways, I like water just fine, but my love is not nearly as all-encompasing as my little dude's. So, in truth, a portion of my floor gets mopped each day as my little one lovingly supplies the water, and the "dirties" supply a towel waiting to be washed for me to mop with. Wow, my homemaking skills estound me.

Meanwhile, the bread thing is true occasionally. More especially since Jason and I made a bread for dishes pact.
I make bread = Jason automatically does the dishes.
I like the simplicity of choosing which one I'd rather do. I like having an escape if I REALLY DO NOT feel like doing dishes. Heck, yesterday when I didn't want to do the dishes and didn't have to (because I had made bread that morning) it was so liberating that I really did mop my floors instead- no puddles to clean even. Go figure. On a side note, I've tried to find that same liberation in just deciding not to do the dishes until I *feel* like it, and that's not at all the same, it does about as much good as waving a fist at a rain cloud; it's still looming overhead, not so liberating!

Well, it's almost 10pm, and there was no breadmaking today, so I guess I'll go wash those dishes.

New video

2009-04-17T11:01:00.003-04:00

I have been trying to catch Athen standing up on his own for weeks now, and I FINALLY got it! So here is his latest trick for all the grandmas and grandpas and aunties and uncles out there!

You are about to be susan boyle's newest fan!

2009-04-15T18:59:00.003-04:00

Have you seen this you tube video of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent yet? Well, you NEED to watch it! Right now would be an excellent time, so click on the link... wait, you might want to go get a tissue first. No really, we'll wait for you.

Okay. Are you back, and ready? Good. Now clickety click click click!

Clip of Susan Boyle

Wasn't that so great?? Hooray for going after your dreams!

2009-04-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

We have a couple extra boys to play with today. The kids are at the age where they LOVE having friends over. My biggest amusement today is how Brooklyn, although she is definitely outnumbered, is still running the show. A minute ago she very sweetly instructed all of them to sit quietly on her bed, while she stood on the other side of the room and taught them a "music class" and they actually did it! Do you know anyone that can get a little boy to sit still for a lesson, let alone 3 little boys (Athen can't reach her bed yet, but he would have been there if he could, he is also totally wrapped around her finger) I am basking in the cuteness.... and slightly worried about future teenage years. Do you really want your 16 year old daughter to have an arsenal of boys? Yikes. Maybe we'll pray for acne :o)

What to do, what to do?

2009-04-13T13:24:00.004-04:00

With more grad school in the planning stages, we've been measuring a lot of possibilities for various situations. For example:

Pro: Going to a great 3 year program in sunny southern California.
Con: a ton of student loans to afford the closest safe apartment and a long commute.

So many things to think about and the planning is almost dizzying, but what's really pressing on my nerves right now is this: What to do, what to do?And this:

I'd prefer a box of corn starch snowed into my living room over this right now. VASTLY prefer it. I keep hearing how patient other moms think I am, but a mess like this really erks me and is amplified by the HOURS I spend cleaning, sorting and undoing just such a mess just a few short days ago. Not that there's any evidence of that today.

So back to the main question of " what to do? "

Well, eventually I decided exactly what to do:

1. Make flowers, bugs, and shadow outlines with sidewalk chalk.
2. Fly a Lighting McQueen kite.
3. Sweep my steps.
4. And after 2 + hours outside, we went on a wagon ride to the park, but never made it past the kiddie pool in our friends front yard.

Can I just say, I LOVE Spring for avoiding the inside of my house. Now we're back, all cantankerous feelings dissipated, and I'm ready for a late nap and snuggle time with my kids.

*ah* Life is good.

Sometimes the sailor needs more calming that the storm does.

Athen's Birthday

2009-04-05T01:48:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that Athen has been in our family for a year, and even harder to imagine our family without him. He is so pleasant and such a little peacemaker since his happy manners are absolutely infectious! We all just love him more than words can express! Happy Birthday baby!

You really can't turn 1 without getting free run of some cake!

In the clear!

2009-03-27T17:10:00.002-04:00

I hope I didn't make you guys all worried about me all week over a couple bad days, but I just want to say THANK YOU SO much for all the kind thoughts and support! Your sweet comments have definitely brightened my days!

I love you GALS!

- Lucia

To: All my gal pals

I.O.U.
This blog post is redeemable for one item of your pick to cheer you up on a bad day.

- Babysitting so you can get out (go to the temple, take a nap, etc)

-A shoulder to cry on

-A chick flick, to borrow, or watch together

-A play date for some "mom" company

WHATEVER you need, I am at your service!

EXP. DATE: never

TMI * warning: if you are a GUY, you SOOO do not what to read this!*

2009-03-24T16:14:00.003-04:00

* So, I'm giving you fair warning that this post is GIRL stuff, and by "stuff" I mean ... you know... stuff! Not very many guys read this, but if you are a guy, seriously, just stop here because this is more than you EVER wanted to know about me *

Okay, now that the guys are gone, I am just venting about being a girl. So, since I got married almost 6 years ago, I have had a grand total of 4 monthly visits from you know who. I should write a thank you note to Pregnancy and Nursing for staving off "the curse" for so long! You would think that by my age, I would be used to it, but it is still totally traumatizing! Granted, the whole messyness is irritating and uncomfortable, but when combined with the hormonal rebalancing, well, "irritating" is a gross understatement. Do you know that I almost burst into tears in the produce section of the grocery store today? What for? That's an excellent question. For which I have no answer and I can't even remember what I was thinking other than that my house was messy, and appearently the fruits and veggies seemed like something to cry over? Or maybe, it was empathy for the produce since I was feeling like a FRUIT today, and it was not pleasant.

Well, I obviously can't get out of this since we don't have any babies in our immediate future so I'll just have to rebuild my "How to deal" arsinal of tricks for conquering this little emotional hurdle. *sigh* Oh well.
So here's what I've done so far:
- reading scriptures
- visiting teaching (always nice, but I was definitly more harm than good with my toddlers running a muck!)
- do something productive (went to the store- hence the produce drama)
- treats (this didn't help, actually I think the high sugars and fats made it worse since my only clean pants are already too snug, and I do not need more mood altering chemicals in my system!!- mental note: AVOID brownies! Plus, they were not even very delicious.)
- took the kids to a quiet park

Will you PLEASE tell me what you do to feel better when you're overwhelmed, or feeling *blah* about life in general! I'd love some more ideas!

sunday slacker

2009-03-15T16:51:00.002-04:00

I wish there was a way to skype in to church on the Sundays that my kids are sick! I think I have only averaged church like twice a month this winter. :oP I can't stand missing church- it throws the whole week off. Ah well, to everything there is the season, and with little kids, it is the season off drippy, germy noses.

I my gosh, you guys....

2009-03-13T11:22:00.004-04:00

For the past week I have been LIVING in the world of twilight, and "holy crow" it has been so much fun! <--- Okay, isn't there punctuation stronger than an exclamation point here, because it has been ridiculously fun to read this series/saga/whatever you call it! (<-- oh, that's much better)
When I woke up in the middle of the night, I debated whether I should go back to sleep, or turn on the light and keep reading.
My shampoo just wouldn't rinse out fast enough, and the towel has got to be the SLOWEST way to dry off.
The water would not boil quick enough for the mac and cheese we had for lunch every day.
Snacking between meals was OUT of the question (not for the kids of course) because it was uneccesary time away from the book, what with the preparation and excessive hand washing to avoid the possibility of getting the book dirty. (but would you believe I lost 6 lbs this week from the Twighlight enduced dieting! funny huh?)
Meanwhile, the kids have loved having free rein of the toys all day, and my permanent presence on the toy room floor as their personal jungle gym/snuggle station.

*sigh* What a fun week!

Kudos to:
Tina for inviting me to see the movie, and then locating a copy of the book for me since I couldn't make it.
Christie for lending me twilight...
Amanda for letting me run over and borrow New Moon in the middle of the night, and...
Jessica for making a house call with the last two books!
and of course..
Stephanie Meyer for writing the awesome books, and ....

JASON for making me confused at all the "why can't all men be like edward?" comments I have heard/read. Isn't everybody's sweetheart that sweet?

Athen's favorite game to play while I am blogging!

2009-03-03T13:12:00.004-05:00

On a sober note...

2009-03-03T12:32:00.002-05:00

The follwing is an excerpt from the LDS Gospel Art Kit:

"Mary Fielding Smith was left a widow when her husband, Hyrum, was killed with his brother the Prophet Joseph. She had to care for not only her own large family but also several other helpless or ill people. Hyrum and Mary’s son, Joseph F. Smith, who would later become the sixth President of the Church, was only five years old at the time.

Mary and her family left Nauvoo in 1846. Joseph, then seven, drove “one of the ox teams from Montrose [across the river from Nauvoo] to Winter Quarters,” which was about 200 miles (see Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., Life of Joseph F. Smith [1969], 131).

In the spring of 1848 most of the Saints were leaving Winter Quarters to travel to the Salt Lake Valley. Mary determined to go with them. She had no money, no oxen, and no provisions, but she relied on the Lord and managed to reach the starting point with seven “almost ready” wagons in her care. When the captain of the group to which Mary was assigned saw Mary’s situation, he told her she was foolish to attempt the journey. He said she would be a burden to the company the whole way. Mary calmly replied that not only would she not ask for his help but “that she would beat him to the Valley”! (Don Cecil Corbett, Mary Fielding Smith: Daughter of Britain [1966], 228).

And so the long journey began. Nine-year-old Joseph and his 15-year-old half brother John cared for the cattle and helped guide the huge oxen along the trail.

Despite hardships, it seemed Mary’s group would make it to the valley. Then one hot day, one of Mary’s best oxen collapsed. The wagons behind Mary’s were forced to stop. It looked as though the ox would die. The captain came and declared that the ox was dead. He said he would have to find a way to take that wagonload the rest of the way and that he had known all along Mary would be a burden.

But Mary’s faith never faltered; she “went to her wagon and returned with a bottle of consecrated oil. She asked her brother Joseph and James Lawson to administer to her fallen ox” (Corbett, Mary Fielding Smith, 237). So Joseph Fielding “knelt, laid his hands on the head of the ox … , and prayed over it.” When the prayer was finished, a moment passed; then, to the astonishment of the onlookers, the stiffened ox stirred, gathered his legs beneath him, stood, and “started off [pulling again] as if nothing had happened” (Corbett, Mary Fielding Smith, 237).

Not far from the end of the journey, some of Mary’s cows were lost. While her stepson John went to find the cattle, the captain ordered the rest of the company to move on. Mary waited for John and prayed he would be able to find their cows. Then a sudden rainstorm came, and the company that had moved ahead was thrown into confusion. The cattle scattered, and it took all day to round them up. Meanwhile, John had returned with the lost cows. The Smith party moved forward, past the rest of the company, and on into the valley.

Mary had kept her word. Her courage and faith had led her family across the plains and finally into the Salt Lake Valley, 20 hours in advance of the captain who had tried to discourage her."

I couldn't help but think of this story this weekend as we prayed over a washing machine. I'll spare the details of why this was such a big deal for us, but suffice it to say, it was the veritable straw to the camel's back. And when the washing machine came back to life- so to speak- yesterday, error codes gone and working great, I couldn't help but drop to my knees and pray.
I am thankful for this tender mercy.
"And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
1 Nephi 8:8

Yummy!

2009-03-03T12:20:00.003-05:00

Bugga sent the kids a box of Chocolate lollipops, which they loved, of course!

Even Athen decided he needed one too, when I wasn't sneaking him a lick, the other kids were.

The funniest thing was that Athen was sure that anyone else eating one, meant they must have taken his away, so even when he had his own to hold, he would CRY and cry if I was eating one too. He has one in this picture, but is still sure I took his.

What? The zoo is free today?

2009-03-03T01:39:00.002-05:00

Yes that's right, the zoo was free last Wednesday so we HAD to go! Here are some of the highlights!

Love that $1 train!

It was so much fun, and we got to see and play with everything we wanted before the rain started sprinkling down. The rain was perfect too, seeing as it gave me an easy explanation for why it was time to go home, even though it was time anyways. The fact that I did not have to be the villain that ruined the fun by saying its time to go was a definite plus!

Saturday is a special day..

2009-02-28T15:14:00.003-05:00

...it's the day we get ready for Sunday, but along with that, we have a few other things to get done today.

Buy fruit for the relief society birthday breakfast. CHECK
Help set up the breakfast. CHECK
Eat yummy breakfast with great gals. CHECK
Go on visits. CHECK
Wash the smashed bannana and lasagna residue off the couch covers. CHE- not done yet, but I SO love being able to throw these kinds of messes into the washing machine, and as soon as I move the current load to the dryer, I will be doing that.
Break up the war that brooklyn and diego have declared on each other today. CHECK.
Early naptime. CHECK!
Sigh about how lovely it would be to have a furnished dream home and new car in Sonoma.
Clean my house for just in case the HGTV camera crew pops by this week to tell me I won their 2009 Dream Home Sweepstakes. - Whoa, I better get to work.

Here's a picture of our future home. Pending the big win, of course.
( courtesy of HGTV)

Thank YOU!

2009-02-13T12:45:00.005-05:00

100 ways I have been blessed by the kindness of others:

1. You always kept the cookie jar stocked for our visits.
2. You read to me even when I was plenty old enough to read for myself, just because I liked to hear what was so funny about the book you were reading.
3. You took an entire week of leave from work every year to help wrangle immature kids putting on a play.
4. You always let me pick something special from the produce section at the store.
5. You made me a fort under your desk.
6. You always had glazed doughnuts ready to eat after church on fast Sunday.
7. You still get me extra presents and say they are from Santa.
8. You bought me piano lessons.
9. You took me out on sister outings
10. You scratched my back before bed.
11. You let me come have the time of my life at your house two summers in a row.
12. You gave my shoulder rides.
13. You let me come to school with you when I was 5. It was so GREAT!
15. You proudly brought me to work each year for bring your daughter to work day.
16. You drove me everywhere!
17. You made me lemon pepper chicken, even though it was the most expensive kind.
18. You made me alien finger puppets, and a crochet space ship to play with on the big move to California.
19. You always took me out to the latest Disney movie, and then to whatever restaurant had the matching kids meal toys for my birthday.
20. You had me over just to teach me how to make pineapple upside-down cake.
21. You wouldn't let me quit at young womens when I wanted to.
22. You welcomed me like I was already a loved member of your ward.
23. You brought a bag of surprise christmas presents, more than once.
24. You made sure I had babysitting jobs so I could pay for my fancy show choir.
25. You took me to my first job interview, and told me it would be fine.
26. You wrote me the sweetest card when I had Brooklyn.
27. You are a stranger, but you brought me back to shore when I got caught in a rip tide after the life guards went off duty. (sorry mom and dad, I didn't think it would do any good worrying you about that at the time :) )
28. You listened to the spirit, and saved us from many things.
29. You made is mickey mouse pancakes.
30. You took me to Disneyland.
31. You took me to Disneyland, too.
32. You took me to sea world.
33. You took me to the zoo, and bought me an annual pass.
34. You got me treats at the snack bar where you worked.
35. You took us swimming all summer.
34. You took me out to try a blizzard, and didn't mind when I wanted a dipped cone instead.
35. You are SUCH a great friend!
36. You made crustless pumpkin pie for us to share. yummy!
37. You sat next to me in seminary, and have been my friend ever since.
38. You came to my choir concert.
39. You four snuggle me every day!
40. You planned the coolest prom.
41. You made my prom dress.
42. You whipped up my pretty purple formal in a matter of hours.
43. You helped me add sleeves to my choir dress.
44. You didn't think you were too mature to be friends with a teenage girl.
45. You gave me a home/family for a summer, and a job for 2 years.
46. You treated me like a sister.
47. You always did fun things with me, like gluing a puzzle to a water melon.
48. You and I made the craziest cakes.
49. You cried with me when I had a broken heart.
50. You never embarrassed me with the "let's just be friends" line, but actually showed me you wanted to be friends by your friendship.
51. You were the BEST roommates.
52. You let me use the extra meals on your card when my 1 a day meal card was empty.
53. You were patient when I had no idea you were asking me out.
54. You prepared pretty much everything I needed for college.
55. You made me quilt for school.
56. You sent me a lot of letters when I went away to Rexburg.
57. You are the reason this list had to be 100 instead of 50.
58. You didn't tease me about falling on my rear while puddle stomping.
59. You made me the cutest valentine.
60. You invited me, my roommates, and FHE brothers to thanksgiving.
61. You had me over for Sunday dinner every week.
62. You gave that scruffy looking boy who came to take me on a date a good, long stare, just like a dad would have.
63. You made me beautiful cedar chest, just like the ones you made for your daughters.
64. You pitched in and tied up many loose ends to make my reception beautiful.
65. You helped in the kitchen for HOURS without being asked.
66. You helped me pack up my room for college.
67. You invited us to Washington for EFY.
68. You made us feel like family, just because we were renting your basement.
69. You have treated me like a real daughter since the minute we met.
70. You cooked me a bag of chicken to keep in the fridge, so I wouldn't have to cook meat when I had morning sickness.
71. You always said positive things about my piano skills, even though I rarely practiced enough.
72. You spent the first 5 minutes of my piano final helping me figure out how to get liquid foundation out of my carpet.
73. You didn't date a million other girls while you were dating me.
74. You took me to Yellowstone with your family.
75. You were, and are patient when my emotions go hormonally haywire.
76. You went to the store in the middle of the night when I was craving steak and ranch dressing.
77. You made an extra point to tell me I was beautiful when I was pregnant.
78. You took off work to come to prenatal appointments whenever possible.
79. You taught me how to drive.
80. You deal beautifully with my nervous back seat driver habits.
81. You make dinner when I haven't thought about it, and it is past 6:30.
82. You always help me organize something when you visit.
83. You gals went on walks with me every morning.
84. You are a great visiting teaching companion.
85. You are so proud of that funny little associates degree I got.
86. You all take a nap at the same time so I can nap with you.
87. You frequently call to chat. I love that.
88. You are always up for something fun.
89. Your cute laugh makes me laugh.
90. You promised to be with me forever, and you mean it.
91. You let us use one of your air conditioners in the HOT summer.
92. You take care of me when I'm sick.
93. You always have something nice to say.
94. You always tell me when you like a comment I make.
95. You let me go to Spain to sing.
96. You are the sister I never knew I was missing.
97. You treat me like a daughter, instead of a pesky in-law.
98. You will drive any distance to visit us.
99. You brought me on an impromptu adventure to see MoTab.
100. You have done 100,000 other things that I can't put all here, and that many more that I don't even know about.

Dentist

2009-02-09T00:17:00.003-05:00

Time for Brooklyn's check-up and Diego's first trip to the dentist chair.

Brooklyn held super still for the x-rays, exam, and fluoride treatment. However, she was expecting the fluoride to REALLY taste like strawberries, but I guess it wasn't what she expected because when she saw this picture, she said it was like "a gross strawberry that died."

You wont see Diego in that chair, since the 10 seconds he opened his mouth for the dentist to count his teeth had me too busy to take pictures. He was fascinated enough to stay and watch Brooklyn's check-up.

Thanks to the nice staff, and this great treat basket, I'm hoping Diego's next trip will be a little more productive!

No cavities!

Draper Temple Open House

2009-02-08T17:46:00.004-05:00

The kids were SO excited about the open house for the new temple in Draper! First we watched a quick video at the church where we parked, then we were bussed to the temple. After the tour, there were cookies and water in the visitors center, then a bus ride back to the cars. It was quite the adventure for the kids!

In case you didn't catch that, here are their favorites:
Brooklyn: Um, the bus that we're on right now.
D: To see all the cows and where people could get baptized.

There are not REALLY cows inside the temple. The 12 oxen that hold up the baptismal font represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Here's roughly what it looks like:

Thoughts: How morbid can I be?

2009-02-08T11:12:00.003-05:00

So, I was daydreaming the other day about going to Time out for Women. Cherrie Call would be performing, and by some fantastic twist of fate, I would get to sing one of her songs with her. And I would remember all the words and be so familiar with singing it(from all the times I sing her songs in my car, and while putting the kids to sleep, of course) that it would actually sound decent. Granted, not as cool as Cherrie Call herself, and even in my daydream I imagined people thinking "some people think they can sing, but probably shouldn't", but still it was adequate enough that it wasn't completly mortifying, and Cherrie was nice and very encouraging.
Very quickly, my mind gave me the reality check of "YEAH RIGHT! Not unless you contract advanced terminal cancer and someone in high musical places pitties your tragic existance enough to call in huge favors" And the daydream part of my mind agrees, "Yeah, that's probably true."
Which brings me back to the title. How morbid! Luckily, some other secondary reality check in my brain kicked in, "You can't live your life secretly hoping for someone else to make your life what you want it to be. Make -A-Wish is for people who don't have enough life left to pursue their own dreams, YOU have plenty of life to pursue talents and dreams. You just have to get crackin'!"

So of all the times I have thought of the terminal cancer scenario, this was the first time the other, clearly more healthy thought had a say in the discussion. Which brings me to something I have been thinking about a lot. Watch your thoughts! I've been trying to monitor my thoughts and really try to take control of what thoughts I let hang around, and what I should be pushing out. The Make-A-Wish idea that has been an icon on by brain's desktop is getting a little click and drag to the recycling bin, which will be emptied. Ooh, my brain as a personal computer...now there's a metaphor i'll be exploring. Decluttering the desk top, defraging the drive, anti-virus software, ... so much potential there. I just can't resist a good metaphorical hiatus.

it starts...

2009-01-29T19:17:00.001-05:00

Can I borrow your purse, because I emptied it out?

-Brooklyn

And the grammy goes to...

2009-01-28T18:46:00.002-05:00

Someone else! And that is just fine- not really going for a grammy these days- or any days in the future, for that. But man, have I told you that I really love music (and apparently hyphens)? Which leads me to another goal I have that I forgot to mention with my resolutions: Writing music! The only thing I have ever written was a very simple piano piece for 6th grade theory class. Writing an actual song is going to be a bit more challenging, but I just have to do it. I know I need to be developing musical talents, I know it! It's not just that I enjoy music, and that it relaxes me, and absolutley touches my heart, and can change my mood in minutes, and song lyrics stick to me like nothing else. Those are all fine, but what really tells me that I need to be active in doing musical stuff is the very real and unrelenting ache in the bottom of my chest when I taste the sweetness of other people's musical gifts.

When Jenny Oaks Baker (she's about my age you know?) played the violin BEAUTIFULLY and I realized she was good enough to attended Juliard* (*whoa!) at the age of 19:Impressed in my head, tiny ache in my heart.

When Cherrie Call stood on stage and played guitar and sang some of my favorite songs that I didn't know were by her, and sounded just as amazing in person as on CD: My heart was uplifted, and yet ached, and I wanted to hear more.

When Janice Kapp Perry, the woman who wrote the first song I ever sang in public, and a LOT of the songs I sing to my babies, sang to us and told us how she hadn't written a song until she was older, and various other musical heights she reached that she never fathomed would be part of her life : I was inspired, I never thought of writing a song, I felt determined and achy, but excited!

So i've been brainstorming songs, and the more I do it, the more ideas I get. I am nowhere near being piano literate, but practicing gives me musical insight too. Same with the little bits and peices I am learning about guitar. I'm excited to see what comes of this new goal. It's so intriguing!

And it has been occuring to me that the way my brain functions almost completely in metaphors, though occasionally random, might be just right for coming up with lyrics.

That's it for my thoughts, no news, but I do have a reccomendation for silliness: I did my hair in a completly crazy way to make the kids laugh while doing our chores this morning, and it made the chores a little less tedious, and a lot more giggly.

Watch out for "The Man"

2009-01-22T17:32:00.003-05:00

You think you know a person.

(the official story is not nearly as exciting as the creative assumptions. Jason's office was used for interviews today.)

resolutions

2009-01-21T13:31:00.002-05:00

1. Learn family history indexing. A friend of mine boasted(with every right!) of indexing the most records in our stake at one point. I don't know enough to really know the feasibility of blowing the current record out of the water, but i'm going to try. Might as well make it fun right?

2. No sweets for 2009. ( an 80 calorie/day limit for really special occasions)

3. Do something every day that doesn't have to be re-done the next day. So far i've actually enjoyed picking my poison, so to speak. I've emptied my vaccum, cleaned out the filter, cleaned under the entertainment center and couches, and gone to the dentist, just to name a few. As you can see, some days are less laborous than others.

what are your resolutions?

2009-01-21T11:47:00.009-05:00

It's almost time! Camera's are ready!

Get seats before they are gone!

THERE HE IS!!

Brooklyn with "oh-rock Obama", the president of the "nided states"

We loved the inauguration, and I really loved the president's speech. It is amazing to me that 12 years before Jason was born, interracial marriage was illegal. And yet yesterday, I could watch that inauguration with my beautiful interratial babies, and be tasting the sweet fruits of the courageous and loving acts of people like Matin Luther King Jr.

I thought of a video clip where MLK Jr. was telling about an amusement park that his family often passed by, and his little girl always wanted to visit. Just like when we pass Lagoon, and Brooklyn is awestruck by the huge colorful rides; kids are drawn to stuff like that. And then he went on to say that their little girl kept asking about it and trying to figure out why they had never gone. They had sheltered her from the truth as long as they could, but their answers weren't enough, so they were forced to exlpain. Brooklyn knows that when she is bigger, she will be able to go to Lagoon, and she mentions it each time we pass, and my heart sank as I thought of my little angel, and tried to fatham how you would go about explaining to someone so young and full of love and innocence that the people didn't like her brown skin, so she couldn't ever go. Can you even imagine? I feel so grateful that I never have to have that conversation with her, she will not live under the shadow of such blatent and systematic hate. And this little blip of a glance at the past gives me a greater appreciation for the bitter steps that thousands of others took, that changed the course of their future, which is my present.

I have high hopes that we will have courage to face the hard choices of OUR day, from the very small to the very large , and that we will likewise witness miracles great and small, and go on to leave our little ones a world with an increasing amount of love.

2008: in 24 words.

2009-01-16T23:02:00.005-05:00

December: Hi Santa!
November: Diego's "snow"
October: Complete Incredibles

September: Family Night
August: Summer outings

July: Baby fun

June: Lost Camera!

May: Watching rockets

April: Welcome Athen
March: Egg Hunting
February: Hello Utah!

January: Farewell Georgia.

The BEST invention!

2009-01-15T17:15:00.002-05:00

There has got to be a way to install one of these in our yard, better yet, in the toy room! It's like when you were a kid and wanted to build a house with trampoline walls- someone did! Brilliant!
Diego LOVED this thing!

Sea World

2009-01-15T15:52:00.008-05:00

Along with this big box of Christmas presents, Jason's amazing mom sent us Christmas fun money. That, combined with my Aunt Becky providing wonderful lodging (and lots of treats!), and my parents driving us, and so many people being so wonderful in a hundered different ways served to make it a one-of-a-kind Christmas in San Diego we will never forget!Thanks Family!!!

One of things we did with Bugga's fun money was to buy sea world passes. All in all we went FIVE times, with 6 different aunts and uncles, did everything there was to do, saw all the shows, went on all the rides, and since we could go so often, we could do it all at a relaxed pace. Here's some of our fun!

2009-01-13T22:05:00.013-05:00

Here's a peek at a fun, quick, morning run in with the beaches in La Jolla. The kids loved the ocean, and especially loved being able to enjoy it with cousins!

Diego wasn't sure how he felt about these waves that kept chasing him. But he was thrilled to have an endless supply of mud to trow into the ocean.

When he did go into the waves, he cried "HELP! HELP!" as soon as the wave touched his ankles.

And this is Brooklyn's dismayed little face after getting knocked down by a strong little wave, and swallowing more that a mouthful of the Pacific Ocean. Yuck!

Poor Issac was the next victim, but he handled it like an expert!

Aside from Jason's sand writing, he enjoyed the beach from a distance to keep the teething baby dry and happy. Wipe outs and all, the kids loved the beach! I loved taking my own family to the same place where we had FHE each summer monday when I was growing up!

Family Resemblance?

2008-12-11T19:27:00.003-05:00

My family must have mostly dominant traits because we have a very strong resemblance to each other. I never really noticed it in my extended family, but today I saw this picture of my cousin making some delicious tamales for Christmas.
Can you tell which one is my cousin?

Maybe this is just in my head,really, is it just me, or does my cousin totally look like me?

Either way, (she'll hate me for calling her out like this!) she is so beautiful- you'd never guess she'd been slaving away for HOURS upon HOURS. Have you ever made tamales? Hard work! And yet, still so lovely!

Bribery?

2008-12-09T18:43:00.003-05:00

I think you better get your "A" game on Mr. Ratliff.

Flashbacks to 5th grade

2008-12-08T17:30:00.004-05:00

October, 5th grade: I won the honor of Best Haunted House in our much anticipated graham cracker Halloween project. Mostly I incorporated all the other kids' ideas that I liked into one haunted mansion. I felt bad for winning, and still remember my friends mom making me feel better by telling me that the talent to improve an existing idea is very impotant in society, and a lot of the best developments in civilization have been making something good into something better. Many years later, I still don't feel very original, but still have fun building on the shoulders of more creative folks.

Dec 2008: In a more relaxed, non-competitive setting, we combined with some folks for family night and made Christmas houses. I think I should do elementary school crafts more often!

Thanksgiving!!!

2008-12-02T22:46:00.009-05:00

We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving, and it was SO fun! My mom decided we would have a Hawaiian theme, so we dawned bright floral prints and shell necklaces (thanks to Tzenni)

We even ate a pineapple for good measure. No luau, but James did try smoking a turkey, which was a hit!
Otherwise, the food was the traditional thanksgiving feast! I was in charge of potatoes and rolls so:

Mashed potatoes tip #1
Use your apple corer/peeler/slicer to peel potatoes. So much easier, and even fun enough to get plenty of little helpers to volunteer!

Mashed potatoes tip #2
Do you think we should add more butter?
The answer is always "YES!"

Rolls: Rhodes frozen roll dough is awesome! Brush with butter to fake out the picky eaters.
The Gals went to Walmart to develop the family picture, and played a fun game while we waited. We divided into teams and picked random things to fill the cart, then traded carts and had a race to see which team could put their items away the quickest. It was HARD, but fun! I guess we are a pretty competitive group of girls because we really pulled out all the stops to confuse each other, but luckily we were still friends at the end of the day.

My old roommate joined us for Thanksgiving! Hooray- I love Bates! This is she and Tzenni helping me scope out good light for the family pic.

more fun

2008-11-28T23:36:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Too much fun!

2008-11-28T23:30:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Deep thoughts from a deep mess.

2008-11-26T14:35:00.003-05:00

As I was putting the freshly laundered cover back on the baby swing, Diego ran in (looking a little powdery) and said

" I made snow! "
I thought it might be like the time I came out of my shower to a similar exclamation of,

"Christmas came!" (Meaning, the kids had discovered the christmas decorations stored under the toy room bench, and unpacked them all.)
Naturally, I proceeded with caution, to find the "Snow" and quickly discovered the blizzard.

As I was GRUMPILY cleaning the mess, I was reminded by my conscience that I need to be more patient about things that come along with my blessings, since I AM grateful for my blessings. So here's what I REALLY appreciate about this situation:
1. Having a healthy, happy, SWEET little boy that I LOVE.
2. My vacuum and broom.
3. The handy little attachments on said vacuum.
4. Bragging rights in the "you wont believe what my toddler did" conversation."
5. A husband who wont mind a layer of dust on everything for the next few months.
6. The eventual humor I saw in this, and that I know others might appreciate.
7. A baby that is happy to play in his walker while I take care of things like this.
8. I'm really grateful that Diego didn't decide to make it rain before he came to show me this project he was SO excited about. Cornstarch is so much easier to clean than PASTE! Whew!

On a side note- when people warn you to be careful what you pray for, you pretty much know that someone who prays for patience is really asking for a whopping serving of hair pulling scenarios. Yet, I did it anyway the other night. I even mentioned that I already had enough to be patient about, so sending more opportunities to develop patience was not necessary. I was comforted by the knowledge that God doesn't require anything of us that we are not capable of. So I assumed he would just give me a little extra umph in a kindness and patience. And now that I think of it, He did just that. I didn't feel the need to pull my hair out, or cry, or huff and puff all day. I think He sent the help, and without Diego's little blizzard, I might not have noticed the extra help, I would have had nothing to measure it by.

So, last of all, I am thankful for a Father in Heaven that I KNOW loves me, and provides me opportunities for growth that are tailored to my needs. Not because He wants to make me something I am not, but because He wants me to have true happiness, and He knows more than even I do what will bring me happiness. He knows that if He doesn't help me get over the things I struggle with, they will eventually get the better of me. He is acutely aware that slight discomfort of purging things like impatience, and quick tempers pales in comparison to the misery that follows letting those weeds infest and canker the beautiful life he has for me. He wants me to have the joy that He knows, but He wont force it on me.

So I guess I'll keep praying for patience, and I encourage you to do likewise with whatever troubles you, but most of all I hope you will FEEL the love of God in your life because you are His precious child, and I believe He is anxiously engaged in loving you with everything He has !

I thankful for tin foil

2008-11-26T14:28:00.002-05:00

First: Tin foil dinners. YUMMY!
Next: It doesn't stick itself like plastic wrap. (Don't worry plastic wrap, I LOVE you too!)
Last: EASY pan clean up since I DETEST scrubbing anything that has been baked on.

jason is funny

2008-11-24T11:27:00.006-05:00

Jason REALLY wanted biscuits with dinner last night, so we mixed up the ol' bisquick and while I was reading Jason the instructions :
" Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased pan.."

"Oops" Jason already greased the pan and had begun putting on the biscuits. They might spread out a little. Oh well right?

Well a few minutes later I found Jason hunched over the oven like so.
What are you doing?

He was carefully sprinkling bisquick mix in between the biscuits to *ungrease* the pan. Apparently, it had been weighing heavily on his conscience, and like I said, he was REALLY looking forward to biscuits! This is why Jason will always be a better cook than I am, he cares about the instructions.

This is also another reason why I think this man is So cute!

knowing.

2008-11-19T11:13:00.002-05:00

Okay, so if you know me very well you might already know this, but a random fact about my post-wedding self is that I only have 2 states of being these days:
1- Thinking I am pregnant or..
2- Actually being pregnant.

Right now I'm # 3- I know I'm not pregnant, because I JUST took a test (the 4th in 6 weeks mind you- I told you I am pregnancy minded!). Notice I didn't even add #3 to the list because it is SO rare that it's almost obsolete.

So for any of you out there that might deal with this same fascination with *knowing* , I thought I'd share this money saving tip: You can get pregnancy tests at most dollar stores. Shocking, I know, considering that the cheapest you'll find at the grocery store is nearly $12 a pop! I wasn't sure if the dollar store in my new place would stock them seeing as it's fairly small, but sure enough it did. What was I thinking? I am in Provo aka. Babyville. They had THREE ROWS of pregnancy tests. This amuses me.

Rare Talent!

2008-11-16T22:26:00.005-05:00

Athen has his own dance, and no, jason is not making him dance- it's totally his raw skill, with only a little structural support from jason.
And this is a modern take on Diego's classic "chocolate" dance. We can't believe he still remembers it. He made it up OVER a year ago.

And Brooklyn didn't want to miss out on the fun. This is an original arrangement of :
Did jesus really live again/ I am a child of God/ *random lyrical narrative*/ Caillou / and some sort of love song.

2008-11-12T01:59:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of the marines

Veterans Day will always hold special meaning for me because of the many veterans and memorial days that I spent helping my Dad in activities to commemorate his fellow soldiers and more especially those that never came home. Mostly I remember seeing vivid emotions in my father's face, and imagining the memories that must have been on the other side of his glossy eyes. I love you dad, and thank you to all the others that serve our country in many capacities.

Famous by association...

2008-11-08T23:32:00.002-05:00

You guys, I am totally famous because I just found out I have a famous friend! It was a wonderful moment in my life, so I will let you in on my elation.

I was at my friends house tonight having a delicious dinner of leftover chinese food, mac and cheese, and fresh fruit. The kids played, we discussed college days, and politics and when it was time to go the kids were not keen on leaving so my clever friend offered to show the kids the "Special Candy Room" and let them pick one if they got their socks and shoes on. If you know anything about kids, you know that was sufficient motivation. So we get all ready and go to the room which really is FULL of candy. My friend responded to my astonishment by casually explaining that it was just a little side business: Dearelder.com

Hello!! I have been using that for years, all over the country might I add, and it's my friend's "little side business" I'm so happy to have a famous friend to add to my list of:

FAMOUS PEOPLE I HAVE MET OR SEEN IN PERSON:
1. Gordon B. Hinckley
2. Jack Weyland ( he was my bishop at school)
3. The 1929 mother from "Split Infinity" who was also in "Finding Faith in Christ"
4. Janice Kapp Perry (she spoke at our stake R.S. meeting because she went on a mission to 0ur stake!)
5. Me. Okay, i'm not REALLY in Mr. Kruger's Christmas but my look alike is totally building a snowman with Jimmy Stewart in that show. I dare you to find that part. And if you get borred, you can find my other look alike in the finale of Moulin Rouge, when Ewin McGregor starts to sing, and the audience turns in shock to see, there is a lady in the audience with a red hat,who is also my look alike. Only a lucky few were born with this face, kids, and appearantly a flair for the dramatic comes with it.
6. Reggie Bush. Don't know him, but he attended my middle school, so he's definitely in my yearbook, mostly in various athletic club pictures of course.
7. The owners of DearElder.com. hooray!

Who will be next?

no pictures!!

2008-11-01T11:10:00.002-04:00

Okay- we dressed up as the incredibles this year, and we have the whole package this year with the addition of Jack-Jack... but I can't find my camera, so no documentation :(
If you happened to get a snapshot of us, will you email it to me? Thanks friends!

tag 2- crazy eights!

2008-10-31T01:25:00.005-04:00

No- I have not been cleaning for 7 hours. I cleaned for 1 hour, chatted with my awesome visiting teachers , had a mini surprise visit from Sylvia , went to a carnival at a nursing home, came home and saw Jessie strolling to guitar class, went to guitar class (even though I don't have a guitar... Yes Michigan friends, it has just gotten worse since my 'go to book club without reading the book' days!), came home, put kids to bed, ate dinner with Jas, had the 'What if you/I die tomorrow?' discussion, decided we must not die, and finally I returned to blogging.

I decided to tag Jason- so here are his answers to TAG #2
as dictated to lucia

8 TV shows I like (liked) to watch:

1. Office
2. 24
3. heroes
4. Life
5. Gi Joe
6. Transformers
7. Sports Center
8. CNN

8 Restaurants I like to eat at:

1. Rancheritos
2. KFC
3. Chipotle
4. McDonalds
5. Red Lobster
6. Sams club
7. sizzler
8. Ramirez

8 things that happened today:

1. Heard presentations for new boss
2. advised students
3. ate free lunch
4. got a grip of pens and paper FREE from the bookstore
5. rode the bus
6. talked to a stranger
7. went potty in the public bathrooms @ BYU
8. went to class

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Birthday
2. Going to bed
3. Going potty
4. end of school
5. San Diego for christmas
6. Rexburg offering me a job one day
7. Owning a house in Rexburg
8. Eating at Ramirez in Rexburg.

8 things on my wish list:

1. Audi TT
2. Lucia not to die. Ever. For me to die before her.
3. World peace.
4. To be able to slam dunk one day, just once.
5. Diego to become an amazing soccer star.
6. A massive raise
7. MSU would freakin' go to a BCS bowl game.
8. Visit every country in the world at least twice.

I tried really hard to just be a scribe, not a contributor... hehe, jason does enjoy going to the bathroom. Men.

oh yeah, and Jason says that he tags BENJAMIN FORSYTH!!!

Dito Kilger...

2008-10-30T17:34:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of tags going around my blogger circle... so here go 2 more. Doing these is more appealing than cleaning my house... maybe i'll do one, clean, then do the other.

TAG #1

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.

1. Where is your cell phone? nonexistent

2. Where is your significant other? work

3. Your hair color? Brown

4. Your mother? Thoughtful

5. Your father? Humorous

6. Your favorite thing? socializing

7. Your dream last night? odd

8. Your dream/goal? missions

9. The room you're in? Living

10. Your hobby? creativity

11. Your fear? loss

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? abroad

13. Where were you last night? visiting

14. What you're not? rigid

15. One of your wish-list items? guitar

16. Where you grew up? california

17. The last thing you did? park

18. What are you wearing? pink

19. Your TV? disney

20. Your pet? Nope!

21. Your computer? SLOW

22. Your mood? procrastinatant

23. Missing someone? always

24. Your car? disheveled

25. Something you're not wearing? make-up

26. Favorite store? clearance

27. Your summer? confined

28. Love someone? many

29. Your favorite color? depends

30. When is the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? unknown

It's done?... okay, here goes picking up my house, well feeding the baby, then picking up the house.
In the mean time, you've probably done this--if not, have at it! It's fun!

A lovely day!

2008-10-28T00:58:00.003-04:00

I had a great day!

The dishes were clean when I woke up.
My neighbor tended my babes while I exercised, showered, and blow dried my hair. (We trade off every other day- LOVE IT!)
Went visiting teaching- Both ladies had toys for my kids to play with, and the weather was perfect for the walk between appointments.
Enjoyed an impromptu play date while the kids played outside and a few ladies and I visited in the shade.
One of the above mentioned ladies was cleaning out her freezer and gave me a ziplock bag of the most delicious diced mangoes!
My kids looked SO cute in their costumes for J's work Halloween carnival. Jack-Jack was an adorable improvement on last year's costumes!
I carved a pumpkin for the first time since like... 1994.

I can't figure out where I put my camera to document any of this- but oh well. I'm basking too much to care.

"You've certainly got your hands full!"

2008-10-28T00:42:00.003-04:00

I should start a tally of how many times I hear this phrase- but it wouldn't be accurate, because I've already heard it too many times to count. This last time the woman added a "little lady" on the end for good measure. I like it when people switch it up a little bit. I usually reply with something like, " Yep, it's the best kind of busy." And I mean it too.

Meanwhile, on a side note, I keep hoping someone drop me the sarcastic line of "Don't you know where babies come from?" so that I can use this AWESOME line from my friend Emily's grandmother:

"Well, i'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with sneezing because every time I sneeze, someone says 'God bless you' -- and then He does."

Ouch!

2008-10-15T18:04:00.003-04:00

This guy was a little fussy yesterday, and for good reason, seeing as a sharp little baby tooth was making its grand entrance. Aww, my baby is growing up. I couldn't get a good picture, but trust me, it's in there and this little grin has begun the process of becoming a Toothy Grin!

So, my internet privilges have been revoked...

2008-10-14T03:14:00.004-04:00

because Jason just can't trust all the other internet people to refrain from getting me paranoid about silly things. Okay well, clearly not REALLY revoked but theoretically revoked.
Here's how it started:

- Noticing unusual smells
- Queezyness
(are you thinking what I am thinking?)
- Slight freak-out (the "caught of guard" variety, not the "OH NO" kind, just to clarify)
Pregnancy test: negative
- Tugging of the *family* heart strings while listening to the living prophet at general conference.
-Feeling a pulse in my belly button that I have only noticed during pregnancy
- Crying over nothing... twice.
- Random prickly feeling in the bottom of my lungs- another thing that has only happened when I have been expecting.
Second pregnancy test: Nothin'! (though I wised up and bought the 2 pack)
Next...
- Saw a clip of a lifetime movie where a woman thought she was pregnant but it was cancer
-Jason's response :" oh brother"
- I then found this little treasure on the WEB : "The motion of the child is regarded by women of experience as an unfailing sign. But cases are common where the throbbing of a tumor and other causes have been mistaken for fetal movements," ... and so naturally I sent it to Jason, to which he replied,

"That's it, I'm revoking your internet privileges"

So there you have it. Meanwhile, i've been a girl for all eternity, and been in this body for a couple decades now, yet the inner workings of being a girl are still a mystery to me. Despite this, i'm so glad to be a woman, 'cause how boring would life be otherwise!

Blog comments!

2008-10-09T14:23:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I have two problems with blog commenting.

1.) I hardly ever comment on blogs because I can't do it right from google reader- Does anyone know a way to leave comments without having to open a new window for every blog I check??

2.) I never know when someone has commented on my blog, but other people seem to always know when there is a new comment on their blog. Every once in a while I happen upon a comment on an old post that I never knew about. Is there a way to change the settings or something so I get a notice when someone comments on my blog?

A little quirky...

2008-10-09T12:23:00.003-04:00

Amanda tagged me!!
Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know.

Lucia's Quirks

#1. My taste buds never tire of flavors I love hence: when watermelon is in season, I will eat it for breakfast, lunch, and all the meals in between. For that same reason, it is not uncommon to find me sitting down to a bowl of pickles.

#2. I will let my house get A LOT messier than most folks before it bothers me enough to do something about it.

#3. My mind frequently wanders off to random things. Jason can tell by "The Look" on my face that I have gone on a silent tangent, and asks what I am thinking about- usually it's about 4-8 topics off from what we were originally talking about.

#4. I am very easily intimidated by regular tasks. For example: Taking prenatal vitamins- I can't get over the pressure of needing them EVERY SINGLE DAY, and the guilt when I inevitably miss a week... or a month... or a whole pregnancy.

#5. Oh, this one is a good one! I can't stand when things are stacked unevenly, thus making it inevitable that this next item will cause the pile to come crashing down on me. No, seriously, I really can't take it. The closest I ever come to cursing is when I put something on a shelf, and it falls back at me because the other stuff on the shelf is out of place. I am actually cringing just thinking about it.

#6. I always call my close friends "Dude" even if they are a dudette.

I will TAG Sylvia, Emily, Kelly, Jessie, Megan, Ginger, and whoever else thinks this would be fun!! You dudes are "IT"

the next best thing

2008-10-02T19:18:00.004-04:00

Since only a lucky few of you have actually been able to play with my SWEET little guy in person- here's the next best thing. Without further ado, I bring to you (drum roll please) Athen, in his almost live internet debut:

Note: yes, he's this cute and this happy every day- so if you happen to be a movie, commercial, or magazine producer spending valuable time and money trying to get a fussy baby to be happy for your camera: sorry about your life.