The TILTON BUNCH

So... not the most consistent blogger on the block

2012-01-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

I just came back to my blog and realized the last time I posted was in August... of last year. I'm sorta taken aback by my laxidasical attitude toward blogging. Of course, my schedule has been a bit tight, what with five kidlets, and working graveyards, going to school full-time, and taking anatomy from UVU. Piece of advice for any student at UVU who may need anatomy as a prerequisite.

RUN!!

Run far, far away and take it from ANY other school you can.

Unless you have all the free-time in the world, and an amazing memory (of which I have neither), this course has been made so incredibly difficult it is ridiculous.

Anyhoo. On to better and brighter things.

The past several months have been intense, but great. So many things have happened. I will post a sort of year in review soon, but for now, here are some goals I have set for myself.

1. Get healthy! This will hopefully include some weight loss, but my main goal has no number. I simply need to reduce my chances of becoming diabetic, and of having a heart attack or stroke at a young age. i also want to be able to chase around with my children without feeling like my lungs are being ripped out and my chest will explode. Oh, and drink lots more water!!
2. Reduce stress. Stress is simply a part of life, but I intend to change how I deal with that stress and how I let it affect me in all of its varying ways.
3. Begin my support group for "regular" single-mothers. I have some lists created, and am gearing up for a big kick-off event and trying to get it all going. More details on that to come! ;)
4. Apply and be accepted into a Nursing program. Just gotta get it done, and see what happens there.
5. Get control back of my children. Jenna our nanny is literally a gift from Heavenly Father in our lives, but it is time for me to step back in (as much as I can) as the main caregiver.

I have more in my head, but these are a few important ones I thought I would mention. I also want to get back in the blogging swing of things. Let's see how I do! LOL

Dangerous weapons, and, like, such as...

2011-08-22T01:48:00.000-07:00

So... I just have to say Something about a certain person giving a certain 9 year old boy-child a dangerous weapon to have all for himself. I don't care that it was given to him in order to "help" him be better suited for a camping trip... or survival in a rain forest, for that matter.

Before you deem a young child prepared to weild a Foot-and-a-half long bladed instrument; perhaps you should speak to the Custodial parent of said child regarding this decision.

Perhaps the custodial parent would be a bit put off by the thought of her young son trying to cut wood or other random objects with such a dangerous weapon. Why would a machete be the first option for such excursions. Not that a child should have sole posession of something like a hatchet, either; but I think this might have been a better option for the given circumstances.

Also, when said custodial parent has other small, younger, and oh-so-curious children in the house; considerations for safety must be made regarding what is allowed to come into the home.

I am sure the custodial parent loves not being offered a choice in the matter regarding the giving of a dangerous weapon to her child. And I am sure said custodial parent adores the fact that in attempting to relieve the boy-child of this dangerous weapon, the boy deems that as a direct attack on themselves, as well as the non-custodial parent. Leaving one of them feeling a bit backed against a wall, so to speak.

I am so happy I don't have to deal with situations such as the above circumstance. ...Not ever...

Yep... We Did It!!

2011-07-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

So...

Yes.

I did it.

After over a year without any of our own pets besides a couple of very short living goldfishes, and soem stray animals my kids tried to bring home...

We got one.

A pet.

A kitty, to be precise.

The concensus is that her name is Maria, and she is about 8 weeks old. She is litter box trained and we are going to eventually get her outside trained so we won't even need a litter box.
I am hoping this newest addition to our family helps the kids feel better. You know, because they say that pets help with anxiety and stuff.

We will see!

Snapshots in the Ol' Backyard

2011-05-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

A little while back, I decided that it was time to get some current photos of all of my children.

So after letting them know we were going to do a "Photo Shoot"... and having to convince Xander that we wanted his normal look, not a gangster with a drawn on beard look...

We got everyone dressed and headed outside. We had a bit of a disadvantage dealing with the sun in people's eyes...

We tried a variety of poses, because I was trying to do something creative and have them pose all artsy.

And finally, I captured a couple of them that I really like of all of them together.

We got some individual shots that I LOVE as well, but I will save those for another post on another day...

Aren't my children just adorable?!?!

My BABY turns 3!!!

2011-05-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

O.M.G... I can't believe my baby is already three. Seems like only yesterday he was kicking around in my tummy while I hefted around my newest sack of potatoes Gavvy...

Then he was soon thereafter brought home from the hospital, the smallest of all of my children born at only six little pounds...

And we have celebrated three birthdays with him since then. Now, to be honest, I don't have issues with my age. I am in my early thirties... SO WHAT!?!?

But to have children that are getting older really rocks my boat from time to time. I know. I know. I am strange!!

But can you blame me, look how big and handsome he is!? I mean, he is just the baby of the family. The oldest is turning eleven next month!

WOW!! Is all I can say. Love you PeyPey!!

Some catching up!

2011-05-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Obviously I have a little bit of catching up to do on the old Blog-a-log. Following this post you will see a few of the things we have been up to the past few months...

Wow! 30 Days didn't last very long...

2011-03-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't already given up on me yet, I am finally back. At least for the Moment! Between work, school, five kids, homework, church, and everything else that comes about on a daily basis in our household, I don't get to my blog much lately! I feel even slothful about it. But...

I do want to set a goal to post at least once a week. And then we will see how that goes. I can't make any promises, but it is on my To Do list.

Loves to you all!!

Day 6: Something You Hope You Never Have to Do

2011-01-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

There are so many things in my life that I hope I never have to do, along with things I hope I never have to do AGAIN!

The first thing to pop into my mind would be to have to bury one of my children. The second thought was to have been at fault for the death or the injury of my own child.

As I thought further about this topic, however; all sorts of ideas came into my mind. I hope to never get divorced again. I hope to never be homeless again; ESPECIALLY with my children involved. I hope to never hurt people. I hope to never lose my Faith… The list seems endless. But one thing came strikingly into my thoughts and I discovered what I truly hope never to do.

I hope I am NEVER responsible for the death of someone else’s child; whether by accident, some sort of misconduct, carelessness, or… ANYTHING really.

Though the death of my own child would be a tragedy and cause me complete and utter devastation; I could not imagine the guilt that would be associated with causing that devastation for another Mother or Father, another Sister or Brother, another Grandmother or Grandfather…

Just typing these words gives me chills. Yep. That’s the one!

Day 5: Something I hope...

2011-01-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Something I hope to do in my Life…

I have many, many things that I hope to do in my life, but most of them seem so very basic, that I struggle to move beyond them to any sort of a “fantasy” type of hope. I don’t mean some crazy outlandish hope, but things like, “I would love to travel the world”… because I just can’t even see that far right now. The things I hope for in my life are not at all fancy, or exciting (to most people, at least); but to me, they are the world!

I hope to someday be sealed to my children and my husband for Time and All Eternity in the LDS Temple. I does not really matter which one, though I think I would like the Salt Lake City temple the best… (Mostly because it looks like a castle and this moment would be like a Princess’s dream come true!)

Someday, I hope to (more like, I AM GOING TO…) completely take care of my own family without the aid or support of any outside sources. To any of you who do not know what I mean by this, you are blessed! To those of you who do, I know you can completely relate.

I also hope for menial things like; owning my own house, having a running vehicle that fits my entire family, finishing school… WITH a degree, cooking dinner every night, keeping my house clean for more-than a day, owning NICE furniture (by that I mean something that we didn’t get for less than $100 at DI or a yard-sale), and being able to take my children on vacation.

So, yeah! Not the most grand of dreams, but they are mine and I work my tail off towards them EVERYDAY!!!

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

2011-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Today is also a deep one in my book. Honesty can be scary when I have to start putting other people's names into the equation. There are a couple of people I must forgive in the near future, but I believe the most important person for me to forgive right now is my "almost" ex-husband, Matt.

As people, we can only do the best we can with the knowledge and the abilities that we currently have… And that is all. I know Matt did the best he could based upon his life experiences, the knowledge he had acquired, and the tools he had accumulated.

But I felt as though that was not enough. I felt that he should have done more, learned more, taken new directions when the ones he was exploring were not working, and TRIED HARDER. These expectations were my own, and for that; I must ask Matt for forgiveness.

Matt, for all of the actions I did not agree with, or were unhappy about; I forgive you.
For all the moments where I felt sad, or angry, or scared; I forgive you.
For the moments when your voice was raised, or the words were hurtful; I forgive you.

Matt… I forgive you. Please Forgive me?

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

2011-01-11T19:29:00.001-08:00

This is one of those topics that can get really deep, and in some respects, somewhat difficult for me. You see, if you paid attention to my first two days of truth, you probably noticed that I have a tendency to find fault in myself and accept blame even for things that I have ABSOLUTELY no control over.

Those words having been spoken, I probably should forgive myself for that… but that forgiveness is for another time, on some other day.

Something pressing in my life that I must forgive myself about is the times with my children that I have lost my temper and not walked away, AND for the times when I allowed others who had lost their tempers to negatively act upon those little people most precious and dear to me. I am their Mother, their Caregiver, their Protector, and their Guide. I often failed to do my job in the past. Sometimes I failed BIG TIME!! And even though some challenges have been completely unavoidable, I have moments where I want to just BAWL for what my children have gone through.

…And I still feel as though I fail E.V.E.R.Y. D.A.Y!!

The difference between today and the past is not truly that significant. But at the same time, I think it is HUGE!!

The difference is that today, as I struggle with my children, my job, my spirituality, my college course-work, my housework, my broken down car, and my personal health, I know that I am pressing forward and doing better. The choices I make are moving my family, and my-self, towards a better tomorrow. That makes TODAY superior to yesterday, and tomorrow will be even more amazing!

Though I will never forget losing my own temper or not stepping in when someone else did; I can forgive. I will forgive… I DO Forgive.

Wow.

What a load off.

Forgiveness is Amazing, and such a gift from our Savior!! Love it!

Day 2: Something I Love About Myself

2011-01-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Something I LOVE about myself…

Now, this is a much more difficult subject matter for me to tackle. I have that stupid girl tendency to constantly look at my failures and short-comings, instead of focusing on the good I have to offer. Let’s see what I can come with, shall we?

1. I love that I can look at most people and see their potential. I long for those around me to become the amazing souls that I know they can be. This can also be considered a downfall, but in general, this is a great trait!

2. I love that I am patient, and loving, and kind, and only want the best for everyone I encounter. Especially my children! I want everything in the world for them… minus all the yucky stuff.

3. I love my eyes, because they are a pretty blue, and have always stayed steady, regardless of my weight, or my hair length, or my hair color. Always blue, and always clear.

4. I love the children that I am so blessed to be called Mother to. I personally thing they are the most beautiful children ever, and I am willing to argue that point until the ends of the Earth.

5. I love that I have many talents, though I would like to use them more often. I love to sing, and write, and dance, and act… Yeah. I guess you would have to call me a performer. Oh!! And I do love to cook, AND I am pretty good at it, if I do say so myself! Just ask any of my dinner guests who have been lucky enough to experience my Amazing Mashed Potatoes!!!

Once I actually started to think about the things that I could love about myself, I actually came up with several, and that makes me very happy. I am excited for this 30 days of truth journey, though I know that many very personal posts are still to come. Wish me luck!!

Day 1: Something You Dislike About Yourself...

2011-01-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

"Oh, boy! Where do I start?" is the first thing to cross my mind when I asked myself this question. Then I realized that this is not about vanity, or about my struggle with my own body, or that the dark circles under my eyes never seem to go away. This is more than just beyond the shallow. So here goes:

1. I dislike that I lose my temper with my children sometimes. I know that to get angered is human nature, but to react in anger is under my control. I dislike that I react sometimes in ways that I wish I had not.

2. I dislike that I worry about what others think of me… A LOT! I wonder what people think about what I am wearing, how much weight I have gained, whether or not I am wearing makeup, if the color of my hair makes me look older, and what they think of me as a twice divorcee with five children, a part-time job, a full-time school schedule, and the seeming inability I have to keep my children sitting at least semi-quietly on our row during Sacrament Meeting.

3. I dislike that my family has to struggle so much right now, because I am currently ill-prepared to support them completely on my own.

4. I dislike having to feel dependent upon others, while at the same time, I don’t like that I cannot simply allow myself to lean on others during my times of need.

5. I dislike that I cannot keep my house clean, or pay my children allowances, or attend every single school activity that they are involved in. I want to be their supporting their little spirits in each and every endeavor they pursue, but I cannot. At least… not right now.

The good thing about the things that I dislike about my self is that I know that I can change them. I am only human and I can only work to be better than the day before. Though I fail EVERY DAY, I am striving for the best life I can offer Mariah, Alex, Mikayla, Gavin, and Peyton. I love them so much, and they are my world!

Awesome Idea!! 30 Days of Truth...

2011-01-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

So, my Amazing and lovely Blogger friend Lola, has started this project on her blog, and I think it is a GREAT idea. I think this is a good project for myself, even if no one else in the world reads it, or even cares!!

Here is the list of things that I will be sharing with all the World over the next thirty days(or 40, or 50 days, or even next several months...):

Day 1: Something you dislike about yourself.
Day 2: Something you love about yourself.
Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 8: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like {poo}.
Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days. (write a letter.)
Day 14: A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30: A letter to yourself: tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

So, here we go! Off on a new adventure!!

My Bubbah, Alex. Gotta love him!

2011-01-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

So Alex has picked up a habit lately...

There are some days that I really wonder about this kid...

He is staying awake until all hours, acting completely zoned out from time to time, ignoring a variety of people at various times during the day, shirking his responsibilities around the house, and sometimes not even wanting to come to dinner...

Think I should be worried?

Yeah... If this is the worst habit he pickes up, I will almost promise that I will never complain about it. (Cause, you know, I can't ACTUALLY promise never to complain about him when he is reading...cause the ignoring and staying up to all hours can get to be a bit much.)

He's also a goof, for those of you who didn't already know... Oh, wait! Everyone already knew! Oh, well! Here's a photo just so we have some concrete evidence should his goofiness ever come into question:

Gotta love my Baby!!

2011-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Peyton can never just be happy to play with his own things. He likes to wear everyone else's shoes, clothes, and play with EVERYBODY else's toys. Here's a photo of Peyton in Alex's new skateboard helmet. He seems to have gotten back into the habit of squinching up his face when he smiles or we say, "Cheese!"

Goodness gracious! I love all of my children, and in photos like this one, I really LOVE MY BABY!!!

Lots and Lots to catch up on...

2010-12-31T23:08:00.000-08:00

In fact, I don't think I am ever going to truly catch up on what turned out to be a very eventful 2010. But I can sure try! Here goes. A snapshot of the Tilton Bunch's 2010... the good, the bad, and the extremely ugly!! Heehee:

The year started out with my new job working for the best company in the world, NuSkin Enterprises.

We had fun as Gavin got a fish hook in his foot and ended up in the ER:

We celebrated Peyton's 2nd Birthday:

We experienced the "Dog at Large" incident with Butch and Angel...

...Where they alledgedly attacked a horse. This led to our family having to get rid of our beloved animals. Sadly, we missed our Butchie the very most! We were very happy that he could go stay with Shalecia's Dad in Delta, and didn't have to be put down.

We really miss this big 'ole Teddy Bear!!

I made the Dean's list after successfully completing Spring 2010 semester!

This also helped me receive a Dean's Merit Scholarship for the 2010-2011 school year.

We celebrated Mariah and Alex's Birthday with a really exciting Luau. Unfortunately, our camera had broken at that time, and we don't have any pics from that awesome day. But we had a ball. Sorry to any of you whom missed it!

Shortly after we celebrated the kids' Birthday's, we were forced to move from our home and began our adventure of moving from house to house, while we lived out of our car for the summer. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, and we got to spend some great time with family and friends!

We stayed with Aunt Christy, Jan, and Lukas:

We celebrated Mikayla's Birthday with our good friend Kim, and her daughter Kloe!!

We got to enjoy a few different Parades. Here's my crazy kids standing on the sidelines, with my friend Dustin hanging out in the background.

We spent some afternoons playing at an amazing park in Pleasant Grove called Discovery Park!

We got to spend some time down at Aunt Catherine's House:

...Where Gavin decided to use Uncle Cade's beard trimmer and give himself a haircut!

Around this same time, Grandma Judy had surgery and we took the kids for a visit while she was in the hospital. She was on quarantine, so our required attire looked something like this:

I continued school throughout the summer. As a project for my Psychology class, I cut my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. Here was my hair before:

And here is my hair after...

And then again after, when I dyed it red:

I think the all over color makes me look older, and I am working on getting some highlights back in this hair 'o mine. We'll see what it ends up looking like.

Fall semester started, and we were FINALLY able to get ourselves into our own home once again.

Along with the new house, came a new addition to our family! Jenna is our new Nanny and we LOVE HER!!!

Mika and Laura got their new house finished in September, and shortly after that, Mom and Dad got to move into their "Master Suite" built just for them.

We had the opportunity to get the kids dressed up on a couple of different days to celebrate Halloween. The first time was at Spanish Oaks Elementary for the Costume Parade:

The second time was on the Saturday before Halloween, since it fell on a Sunday this year. Here's the whole gang, including Isabel and her little peeps!

As we marched into winter, snow fell, and kids played...

and snow fell and kids got buried...

as snow fell, and Fell and F.E.L.L.!!

The Holidays approached and the kids decorated Cookies with Jenna:

And NuSkin gave us the BEST Christmas Party Ever. They had Comedian Brian Regan come and perform for us, which was AWESOME!!

Then came Christmas Night. I happened to wake up after Santa had made his visit and I snapped a couple of photos. Here are the stockings:

And here is the Christmas tree surrounded by presents. It seems like a ton, but if you consider that I have a whole gaggle of kids all by myself, well, ya know...

Now we have come upon the end of the year. The Ball has dropped in Times Square and it is well beyond midnight in my little home in Spanish Fork, Utah. I am excited for what the New Year may bring. I am hopeful that things will be Amazing.

I wish you all my Blessings and Joys to you and your families in this time of new beginnings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!! ;)

It's been a while!

2010-10-23T09:57:00.001-07:00

Sorry to the like four people who sometimes read my blog! I truly did not intend to abandon you! I have been crazy busy and dealing with all of the excitement of life! I am happy to report that we are officially in our own place and the kids even got to stay in the same school. There has been a huge series of events in my family, but I won't go into detail here. All I want to say is that I can't believe that we are so quickly approaching Christmas. And does that FREAK anyone else out like it does me? Just curious.

Here's my Hair!

2010-09-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

So here is what I ended up doing with my hair. It has been about a month or so since I cut it, but I think I am liking this length.
In other news, lots of things are still going on in the lives of the Tilton Bunch. We are still looking for a home for the kids and I to move into, but now, school has started for the kids and I, as well as my work becoming more frequent.
One good thing that happened through this chaotic summer was that I still completed my Summer semester classes. And I even did well! Here's my final grades:

Self Defense: A
Psychology: A
History: A
Career Major & Exploration: A-

Woohoo!!
This just goes to show that no matter how herd things are, or how difficult the struggle, I CAN DO IT!! Exciting.

I'll give a better update later. See y'all later!!

Locks of Love

2010-07-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

I recently did something some people would consider absolutely CRAZY! I had been thinking about cutting my hair short and possibly donating it to Locks of Love. In order to do that, you must be donating at least 10" of hair. So one night last week, sort of on a whim, and for lack of any professional around to do it for me, I cut all of my hair off.
This was my hair before.

I cut off about 13 inches. All. By. MYSELF! Sort of scary actually, but in an empowering sort of way.

SO, how many people do you know that can say they cut their own hair off. At least I didn't do a famous shave off of all my hair. Just a trim... right...

Well that was my end result. My apologies for being in such a beautiful state when I took this photo. I had just finished moving, my allergies were going crazy, and I had just gotten over some fat lip issues from another allergic reaction.

Lovely, right!!

Now to get it professionally cut and figure out what I want to do with it...

Where, oh where?

2010-07-08T23:28:00.001-07:00

Where have I gone? Sometimes I don't even know. Just hanging out in limbo somewhere. Don't you hate limbo? I would almost rather something negative (not that I am asking for negativity... Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts...) than just to be stuck in limbo regarding a decision, a task, or where we go next. I. HATE. it!

At the moment, however; we are not-so-much in limbo. Myself and my children are working feverishly (well, not exactly feverishly, more like, as often as I can get the kidlets to help me!...) to get our house all packed up and ready to move this weekend. Ummm, yeah. That's like tomorrow. I know.

"Moving Where?" you may ask. Well, nowhere really. All of our things except the bare necessities are going into a storage unit here in Spanish Fork, and then the kids and I are going to stay off and on at my sister's house in Elsinore, and sometimes (when I have to work up here) at my parent's right next door to the home we are currently moving out of.

This amazing adventure and more will be ours to live throughout the next couple of months. Once school starts again at UVU and I get my financial aid, we will find a suitable housing situation and once again move all of our things. Only this time, out of storage and into whatever home we have acquired.

You wanna know the MOST exciting part of it all?!?! This place will only be temporary as well. I will have to make sure we move into a place that will allow us to rent on a month-to-month basis so that when our Housing Assistance comes through, (some time in the next several months) we can move out ONCE AGAIN and move everything AGAIN! Did I mention that we would get to move ALL of our furniture and ALL of our belongings AGAIN?!

Come on! You can say it! You are all totally jealous of me. You know you wanna be living my life, right?!

Deans List

2010-06-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of the certificate I got.

Drum roll please....

Okay! So I am not the best photographer, but there it is.
I found out that I can qualify for this honor in the Fall and the Spring, provided I am enrolled Full-Time and achieve a 3.7 GPA or better.

My plan now... To get one of these each semester from here on out!!

Guess What?!?!?!

2010-06-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today, I received the following letter in my UVU email box:

Dear Samantha,

Congratulations!

I received the Spring 2010 grade report and I am please to inform you of your place of honor on the Dean's List in University College at Utah Valley University. I take great pleasure recognizing you for your hard work to achieve academic excellence.

By attaining this honor, you have shown dedication, perseverance, commitment, and intellectual capability. But, more importantly, you have demonstrated a desire to learn.

If you would like a certificate to mark this accomplishment, please stop by the dean's suite during regular campus office hours by September 1, 2010, and we will be happy to provide that for you. The dean's suite is located in room 210 of the Liberal Arts building. If there is anything else the dean's staff may assist you with, please let us know.

Best Wishes,

Bonnie G. Henrie, Ph.D.
Dean, University College

I was so excited when I read this. I am DEFINITELY going to get a certificate to celebrate this occasion. I am guessing this may not be that big of a deal to some students, but to me; a Single-Mother to five children who is working, and struggling, and fighting all sorts of challenges each and every day, AND going to school; this is a MOMENTOUS occasion.
In this moment I am happy! At this crossroads, I know I have chosen the correct path and am moving into my amazing future. YEAH!!!

A Bucket Worthy Event!!

2010-06-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

This morning the kids and I went up to the Strawberry Days Parade in Pleasant Grove. It was a good parade filled with all of the good stuff. Lots of people. Lots of candy. Lots of freebies and coupons. Lots of kids running around everywhere hopped up on sugar and excitement. It was a good morning adventure, and something that I will have to make sure gets put on our bucket list for next year.
The day is still young and we have more adventures to experience today. Talk to you all later!!!

Summer Bucket List

2010-06-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

So I have an AWESOME blogger friend and she created a post wherein she described her family's bucket list for the summer and how they work it all out. She took her list and cut the items into strips and they got placed in a bucket and are drawn out to create a plan for their day. I think the is the the BEST idea ever.

So forgive me Lola, for stealing your idea, and for using quite a few things that you had on your Summer Bucket List. Here is what I have come up with for my family. I think that I am going to wait to officially start doing things on our list until I have decided if there are any other things I would like to add.

Here it is...

The Tilton’s Summer Bucket List:

Go to the zoo
Visit an Aquarium
Go Fishing
Go to the Utah County Fair
Go to Seven Peaks Water Park
Go visit Family far away
Volunteer Service Project
Go “caroling” patriotic songs to the neighbors near 4th of July
Have a neighborhood Cookie exchange
Plan a potluck picnic with the neighbors
Go Bowling
Drive the Nebo Loop
Go on a picnic
Go to an outdoor movie
Go for ice cream
Visit a playground
Go to the Art City Museum
Go to a concert in the park
Go to an activity day at the library
Visit Krispy Kreme
Fire Station Tour
Complete 4-H projects for the fair
Go to yard sales
Go Camping
Go Feed Ducks
Have an art party
Have a Karaoke Party
Roast marshmallows
Have a backyard campout
Make popsicles
Make s’mores
Make treats to take to neighbors
Go to the Reservoir
Go to a fun Swimming Pool

I know some of these things may be used multiple times, but that is Perfect! As I work to create a rigid structure in my home, I am also working to create better and happier memories for my children. And I am a Need-to-plan-things-out sort of girl.
Please, please, PLEASE, let me know of any other FUN and FAMILY FRIENDLY activities my family can enjoy. Just remember we are on an extremely limited budget, so we gotta get a bit creative here!

There's always a message!

2010-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

I went visiting teaching this past weekend and was so grateful for the opportunity, as well as for the lesson that my incredible VT companion shared with our Sister. It was very meaningful and touched my heart. Along with that great message, I was reminded of another message that was written upon the wall of the home in which I was visiting. I can't remember the exact words, but I have heard it many times before.
It is something like,

"It's not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning how to dance in the rain."

I love this statement and completely agree with it. As my head is becoming more and more clear each day, I had a moment in which this message came streaming into my thoughts.
This is where I am. This is how I feel...

...And for just a moment, the storm ceased, the clouds parted, and the delicate rays of sunshine revealed a fresh beginning. All manner of plants perked up as they stretched and reached for the life giving light and warmth those beams brought forth... and She was there.
She was all alone and surrounded on nearly every side by what appeared to be great darkness, overwhelming hardship, and intense sadness; yet She remained. With a gleam of determination in her eyes, and a ring of Faith surrounding her soul, she was joyously Dancing. Through both rain and shine, her graceful movements continued. In her mind, she knew nothing could hold her back, and in her heart, she knew the hurt would eventually fall away, and she would again be complete.
Life is truly Amazing! Even in those times when it leaves you a little bit wet!

With a Little Help From My Friends...

2010-05-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I am dancing my way (sometimes not so graciously) through a tremendous life transition. A few things I know for sure: I am determined to dance, to sing, to play, to write, to learn, and to love (especially myself) throughout the entire process.

Some friends of mine have recently posted some great thoughts on Facebook and this post is the perfect place for me to keep them while I grow, as I change, and move towards true acceptance of myself and my life.

A few days ago, my amazing friend Rachel put the following words as her status: "Saying goodbye to a toxic person frees us to nurture so many other beautiful and healthy relationships....and I think once we (as graciously as possible) can let go of that person, we'll find that we aren't brokenhearted, but may even feel profound relief! I know I have..... :)"

In response to Rachel's post, her friend Diana said:
"There is so much happiness in my life that it made the path to forgiveness and let go a lot easier to get through. I can never thank my sunshine and my sweet children enough for giving me the gift of happiness. I have been thinking about the process that has taken place and I am amazed at how little room there is in my heart for sadness. I feel peace and tremendous love that comes to me in so many perfect ways, so pure, selfless and full of charity."

The sentiments from these two incredible women were absolutely what my heart was yearning to hear, to believe, and to understand; and somewhere deep within, already knew.

In response to these inspired words, I commented the following to Rachel's original status:
"Oh, my, my! This is so immensely profound and an absolute truth! Those of us who have a tendency to try to "fix" broken things are all too often enveloped so deeply within our loved one's toxic and deathly world that it becomes our own, we lose our selves, Our REAL, TRUE, DIVINE selves. And even more devastatingly, (and on our part, selfishly) those little, precious, prefect and pure spirits who dwell among this sickness, can also become sick themselves. In that moment, a tragedy occurs. In that moment, a cycle continues.
I am overjoyed to say for myself and for the special spirits over whom I hold charge, that though this road may seem treacherous, and lonely, and often overwhelming, I am moving forward, step be step, in Faith, and in the knowledge that I will soon feel the sunshine upon my cheeks.
So regardless of how it looks, to myself or to anyone else, I am walking hand-in-hand with my sweet babies, into a brighter and limitless future."

Then again today, my brilliant Rachel posted a very interesting piece of information as her status:
"A Howard Gardners Study on the genius level in society found that at 4yrs old, nearly 100% were at genius level, at 20 yrs old it went down significantly to 10%, and at 25yrs old, down to 2%!! This proves that we LET authority figures, self image and environment dictate us and take the genuis out of us. Thats a problem!"

Because I am in complete agreement with her, and because of some other truths I believe, I commented back to her the following:
"That is pretty much how it works with one being their true self. From the moment the first person said or did something hurtful to us as a child, we built a wall,then the next person, and more wall, and so on, and so on. Sometimes we ourselves are even the one creating the hurt that moves us away from our true self. We live in a Mad, mad world!..."

I am ready to truly live and create the Amazing life my children AND I deserve! Look out world, here we come!!!

Needing a little reminder...

2010-05-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

So as I continue through my life and endure the inevitable trials that come along with mortality, I often forget about myself and about who I am. I came across a statement I created several years ago and I think it is time to give myself a little reminder of just who I really am!...

I am a RADIANT, BEAUTIFUL, LOVING, PASSIONATE Woman of Light. Through being that, I bring forth Enthusiasm, Peace, and Purity; creating a world where all of God's children are surrounded by Joy, Acceptance, and Freedom.

I have also decided to add another line that came to mind tonight and I think it is one of my new favorite things!...

My Influence has no Limit, and no Limitation can stop my Influence!

I am truly thankful for the days when I can remember my true worth. I appreciate the days in which I am reminded that I am a Divine Spark of my Heavenly Father and was lovingly created in his image.
And as I recall a saying I heard when I was young, "...Cause God don't make no Junk!"
I can only smile to myself, embrace my children, and offer up complete appreciation for the opportunities I have been given, and the lessons I am learning in my life.

And the Results Are...

2010-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

My Spring 2010 Final Grades are up! Yeah! I am so happy that I FINALLY get to know how I did in all of my classes.

So here's the Basic Rundown

BIOL 1010 General Biology... B

ENGL 1010 Introduction to Writing... A

HLTH 1200 First Aid... A

MAT 1010 Intermediate Algebra... A-

PES 1300 Swimming I... A

I am so HAPPY! The only way I could be happier is if the A- was actually an A and the B was an A. But really, I am totally OK with these grades. I did struggle a bit with Math and was truly afraid I would end up with a lower grade than I got. Biology, was my own little torture. Because it was a self-paced class, that meant I could put it off until the end of the semester (not a wise thing to do AT ALL!!) I hadn't intended to do so, but it was really easy to tell myself I could just do it later. A B in a Biology class where I didn't watch hardly any of the 32 hour long episodes, and did all of the assignments and studying within the last two weeks of the semester is nothing to complain about. I am just glad it wasn't any lower than that.
Now, that I have officially gotten my Spring 2010 grades, Summer 2010 semester classes start TODAY! I don't actually have a class until tomorrow, but, hey... Gotta love my 5 day summer vaca!!

Green Smoothies... My Newest Adventure!

2010-04-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

So I was recently introduced to green smoothies.
A green smoothie is one that consists of a greens base with your choice of fruits.

Even though they are green, these pictures make them look somewhat appealing, right?!
They really aren't that bad. Especially if you put your favorite fruits in them.

When I was told the greens that are recommended for you to put in, I was like, "WHAT? I have never even tried three of those four veggies!"

The greens that I include are:

CHARD... both red and green

KALE

COLLARD GREENS

SPINACH

... Now that last one, I am familiar with. Not my favorite thing, but I have eaten it before.

So here is what I have done with my smoothie:

I put between 5 or 6 cups of those greens listed above (smashed and crammed into the blender as much as I can) in two cups of liquid. I say liquid because I was told to use water, but I used a cup of water and a cup of G3 Juice (a super fruit drink from NuSkin/Pharmanex) I also added a couple of tablespoons of flax seed (for those happy Omega-3's) I pureed that up for about a minute or so. The liquid and greens mixture now fills the blender between three and four cups. I added 2 bananas (cause they mask the not-so-yummy flavors pretty well) frozen berries (I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries)
I blended that for a bit and then filled whatever room I had left in the blender with a cut up apple and a broken apart tangelo. (You can use whatever fruit you like, but it needs to have seeds. SEEDS = LIFE... or so they say)

I think it tastes pretty good for all of the interesting things that it has in it. The berries are supposed to help change the color from green to purple, making it a bit more appetizing. Mine hasn't really hit the purple stage. It looks a bit more like this...

I don't know if this looks any more appetizing than the green does. Well, to be honest, it is a bit less appetizing in my book, but I can just close my eyes.

I have already noticed a marked difference in my energy level. I drink mine at night so it can digest as I sleep (or whatever... that's just what I heard) There's so many options as to what you could put in this smoothie. One of the cool benefits of my newest adventure is that each glass that I drink contains an entire days worth of fruits and vegetable servings. So if I don't eat very well during the day, this has me covered! (OK, I know. Not really, but I can dream, right?)

I'll keep you posted as I progress through my adventure!

PeyPey's Robot Shoes!

2010-04-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

A while back, we took Peyton to an orthopedic specialist and discovered that the reason he is so pigeon toed, is because his tibia bones in both legs are turned inward. To correct this, he gets to wear braces on his legs at night-time. The braces go from his toes, to his upper thigh. They place his legs into a bent position. One like his legs would be in if her were sitting down on a chair.

The braces work because they hold his feet and legs in the correct position and eventually train the muscles to naturally hold his legs that way. As the months progress, they will adjust the braces so that they turn his feet to a more outward position.

He got fitted for his braces this past Tuesday and has been wearing them each night. Yes, those are tights he is wearing. He has to have something thin underneath the braces and after a couple of nights with Matt's trouser socks, we decided this was a better option.

After Peyton struggled through the first night, Matt joked around with him that his braces were robot shoes. This made him laugh and so even though he does not like them while they are on, and he can't walk, he gets excited to put on his "robot shoes" before bedtime.

Mariah's First Choir Concert

2010-04-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the 1st Annual Maple Mountain Music Festival. Mariah got her first taste of a "big-time" Choir performance. She had fun and the kids loved watching her on stage. Her Choir sang We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You by Queen. It ROCKED!!
Here's a smidge of their performance...

They had choirs come from Spanish Oaks Elementary, Mapleton Elementary, two Choirs from Mapleton Junior High, a Mens and a Womens Choir from Maple Mountain High School, and the Mapleton Chorale. The finale was all of the choirs joining together and singing together as one HUGE Chorus. I just caught the tail end of this song...

Despite my extremely cruddy camera skills, the whole performance was awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Especially after Matt took the kids outside to play and I got to enjoy the remaining performances in peace... Did I really say that out loud?... Oh well! I will teach my children proper audience etiquette, well, hopefully...

someday!

Storm's a Comin'!

2010-04-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

The other day, a storm was rolling in. All of us were outside in the backyard when we realized that we should get some pictures of how cool the sky looked. Here goes a cloud photo extravaganza!

I started out taking photos from the backyard...

But they just weren't...

Capturing what I had wanted to capture...

So after I took this one...

I decided that I needed to get to higher ground. Now me being a big fat scaredy cat, and not having a ladder of my won, I had no intention of trying to climb onto my roof. Luckily, Matt was there and hopped right up there and took some photos for me.

He took this series of photos and then handed the camera down to me to see what I thought...

And though I thought these were some awesome photos...

I wanted some that showed more of the sky and less of the ground below. So Matt went back up and took some more for me. I think these clouds just look so interesting. I love cloudy sky shots!

Now, I don't know about anybody else, but I can see an eye in these clouds, like the eye of an Eagle. What do you think?

I love these pics! I just had to share.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

This year, amidst all of the chaos we have been living through, Easter came the first week of April.

Our morning began as the kids discovered their Easter baskets and dug right in! I have created a tradition of getting the kids each a new basket for laundry at Easter, and that is what gets left for the Easter Bunny to fill. My only problem with this little ritual is that as my kids have grown, so has the size of the baskets!

As I searched for baskets (that wouldn't empty my pocketbook), we got a bit creative and ended up getting buckets for each of the kids. Like, actual, brightly colored, cleaning buckets... with handles and everything! The kids loved them, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what they are going to do with them. Oh, well. They're fun!

As the day progressed, little people came down from their sugar highs and crashed where they stood. Here's one particular crash I though was priceless...

Easter was also conference, which was AWESOME!! I loved the many speakers and the messages spoke straight to me. As usual! It was nice to be able to just hang out with the family all Easter day long. Don't get me wrong, I love church. Just different is good from time to time.

My family was gathered together and we all had dinner before going our separate ways. That's our family! Tell us there's gonna be food and We Are THERE! I love them all! Even if they are crazy from time to time...

2010 Kindy 500

2010-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Kindergarten at Spanish Oaks Elementary participated in a really awesome activity. Each year they do Kindy 500. This is where each child (with a little help from their parents ;) creates a car or some other mode of transportation out of a cardboard box. They are open to create whatever they choose.

On the day of the "race" we, as parents, got to watch the kids perform a program and then they "drove across the country" in their cars. As the day progressed, they visited various historical landmarks from throughout the United States.

We had a ball creating Mikayla's Pink Glitter Convertible, though it looked a bit more like a jeep when it was finished. All of the kids helped and enjoyed themselves.

We even decided that we want to have a day of races at our home and let each of the kids create a car. We'll make a track in the backyard and have fun all day!

I am fully anticipating chaos, but it will be so much fun!

Shall we say... Difficulties?

2010-04-06T01:26:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks, my family has been going through a bit of turmoil. If you didn't already know, Matt and I have separated for the moment. There are individual issues that must be addressed for each of us and I feel as though they need to be dealt with before we can attempt to conquer any of the issues we have between the two of us.
I just want everyone to know that we are all OK. Struggling and sad, but OK. Thanks to those of you whom have offered support and love. I appreciate everyone that I know right now.
The statements I made underneath Who I am to the right of this post are truly what I am working on. I am also determined to create a home that is full of peace, love, safety, and happiness...and of course and greatest of all, The Spirit. I feel as though the spirit hasn't been able to dwell in our home on a full-time basis for a VERY long time and I need him here. My children need him here, and if we are ever going to make it as a family through this turbulent existence, the entire household needs him here!
Love to you all!

Correction to the Great Mold Migration...

2010-03-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I just found out a few details I had posted incorrectly. My brother Michael was the one who had been speaking up about wanting the molds, and not-so-much just my Mom. Also, The load that I thought was their first, with the Uhaul Trailer was actually their 3rd or 4th. And they made more loads between their truck and Explorer before we were working on them for the last couple of days to get them out of the house.
So, yeah... tons and tons and Tons and TONS of molds have been moved during the Great Mold Migration of 2010.
I am certain Michael and Laura are Soooo looking forward to when they buy a house and have to move again. Loads of fun for everyone!

The Great Mold Migration!

2010-03-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

No, this post IS NOT about some nasty, moldy, mildew problem, or the fact that I cleaned out my fridge and came across a few interesting specimens that used to be leftovers. in fact, this post has nothing to do with that type of mold at all. I am talking about ceramic and porcelain molds.

You see, for those of you who don't know, my Grandparents used to do porcelain and ceramics all the time. Over the years they had bought and collected hundreds of molds for those ceramic and porcelain items.
When they moved up to Utah from California, of course they brought up this vast collection of molds with them. These molds vary in shape and size from a few inches big, to feet across and deep. They are also VERY HEAVY! Well, the big ones are.
When Grandma passed away last year, the house was left with this huge collection of molds ready for the taking. The problem was, not many of the family members were interested in keeping these molds. Here is where the fun part begins!...
My mom was one of the main people who had been asking about the molds and after much deliberation, she was told she could have them, except the few that were already spoken for, of course.

So started the Great Mold Migration of 2010. My brother Michael, his wife Laura, and my Mom went over to Grandma's house with a Uhaul trailer and loaded it up to capacity. This was just the first load. Yes! There were TONS and TONS of molds there. After two more truck loads, a van load, and then some, all of the molds have safely been transferred up to Michael and Laura's house in Clinton. Yeah! Let me tell you how much fun that was... ... ...

... Oh, yeah. No fun at all.

I really want to thank my brother and his awesome wife for helping Mom get these precious items loaded and moved from Grandma's. Laura did some of the loading all by herself... Yep, Laura is Super Woman!

Just thought I'd let you in on all the fun!!!

My Little People Make me Happy!

2010-03-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't already noticed, I love my children.

They may drive me absolutely bonkers from time to time, but I wouldn't trade a single moment for all the chocolate in the world! (and that's saying something, considering my love affair with smooth, sultry, milk chocolate in all of it's many forms...)

My children are an endless source of joy and laughter. Lots and lots of Laughter. A few examples of these moments are...

When they fall asleep in odd places, in weird positions, and on top of whatever happens to be around!

which often ends up being a dog!

They also flash me the most interesting facial expressions!

Here's Mariah being "Cool"

And Alex giving me his Goofy look right after I cut his hair.

and would you believe this is Peyton just smiling for the camera?

now here's a face that could haunt you at night... If you weren't chuckling so hard!

Sometimes I just catch them when they least expect it...

Like Gavin while he is scaling the Family Room wall. He's such a monkey!

or Mikayla while she just wants to be left alone to go to sleep.

Sometimes I can't get a straight faced picture if my life depended on it.

And then there are times that I am not even the one who catches the moment

So let me say it again. I love my little ones so much. They make each day full of giggles and grins. Who couldn't love that, huh? They lift me up when I am down and make me smile when I couldn't bring one out myself.

I love you Mariah, Alexander, Mikayla, Gavin, and Peyton.

More Randomness!

2010-03-13T15:23:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. It would be great if I could blog things in order of their happening, and perhaps do it a bit more often. Yeah I KNOW! But who know's when I will ever be able to do that so today, I have brought you some more updates and photos of some of the fun we've been having lately!

First of all, I have officially gotten my horrible Fall Semester grades changed to W's, meaning they no longer get factored into my GPA. Which mean... I have a 4.0 GPA for last semester! Yeahaw! What do you think of that?!

Second, if you didn't already know, my Mom's dog Archie was hit by a car the other morning. (and...by the way... the jerk-head people who hit him didn't even stop!) We figured he had a broken hip and that he had some internal damage or bleeding. He had a large bulge in his lower belly that was discolored and would periodically drip a fair amount of blood. Not a whole lot we could do so we decided the best route was to put him down. That was a few days ago and I felt so bad for my mom. She wasn't even home. She didn't get to say Goodbye to her furry little friend. Just so you know Mom, I petted him TONS and gave him lots of luvin's for you before he was put down. I love you Mom!

On to a happier subject...
My baby sister-in-law is getting pretty close to having her first baby and I got to attend her baby shower on Saturday. It was great. It was at a little place called The Chocolate, in Orem. It's a small bakery in what used to be a home. They have tables and chairs, couches, and other odds and ends throughout the rooms. It's a super cute place and the cupcakes are SO YUMMY!!! If you haven't been there, we'll have to make a date and have a treat some day! Oh, I digress. Back to the baby shower.

We all had lunch and visited and then Kristy opened the numerous presents she received. I am so glad that she was given so many wonderful things for her little fella, and a few things for herself too. I got her a bunch of random things I think a Mommy can't live without, but I still plan on making a blanket for the new baby and giving Kristy one of my "Birthing Survival Kits" Once I get it put together, I will have to photo it and let you all see what it is.
So check out this picture and tell me what you think.

Would you believe that these two women are within a week or so of the same due date? And given the size of little Kristy on the right, can you believe she only has like 7 weeks left until she delivers? She is such a Cutie! I love you Kristy! ... and I guess I love you too, Jake!

I have been enjoying playing with photography over the last couple of years and since I forgot about picture day a few weeks ago (don't ask!),I have been taking photos of the kids myself to put on the wall. I have been doing it one child at a time, cause I think that it much easier. Here is the photo I think I like best of Mikalya.

I am going to print them all out in black and white for the wall, but I may see about putting little dabs of color into them... Perhaps her eyes and the bows in her hair or something. I don't know. I'll figure it out later.

Well, off to do more Math homework. Gotta love working with radicals!

Really not sure why I blog...

2010-03-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

So, I am the type of person who randomly LOVES to check out everyone I know's blogs and see what they are up to. I just think that it is AWESOME that we have the technology to keep in touch, though we may not physically be "keeping in touch". I also find it super interesting to see how people I know are doing and how their families are growing. I LOVE IT ALL!
I know that I don't have very interesting posts, just daily random information from the life and times of the Tilton Bunch. But I sometimes feel that I am just writing this for me, and NO ONE is reading this measly page. Which, in reality, is really OK. Since this is the closest thing to scrap-booking that I can fit into my crazy schedule, I get to post pics and stories from my life. I really wonder, though, if anyone else reads my nonsense. I have had a few random comments here and there. I know that I don't really post all that regularly as of late. Plus, what do I have interesting to post besides children updates and crazy work and school stuff. Gosh, if you only knew the stuff that I don't blog about... You wouldn't believe it. I just think some things in my life should stay private, ya know!
I am also concerned at times with how the things that I could post may affect some of my family members or friends. I am by nature very non-confrontational in person, and it would appear that little quirk of mine has rubbed off onto my little blog too! I try not to stir up trouble, or post things that are difficult for me to discuss. Partly because I have my blog public right now and I have no idea who may read it. Things like addiction, divorce, ex's, stupid people in my life, alcoholism, my longing for the temple, dissatisfaction with life, medication, feeling totally out of control, feeling helpless, the need to strangle children... I guess all of the truly negative stuff in my life, I try to leave out somewhat.
I am not trying to paint a rosy picture of my life, though some may think that is exactly what I am doing by leaving those things out. I DO post many of the not-so-good things we have going on in our lives. I guess I just leave a lot of the specifics out.
I think there are a lot of things that go through my mind that I would rather not have down in print for all of eternity. Perhaps that is my semi-conscious and semi-unconscious reasoning behind leaving stuff off of my blog. I don't really know. But I guess if I ever post something that seems vague, or something in which you don't have details that you feel are pertinent, then comment to me, or email me, or even call me. I am sure we can have a great conversation and I can chat your ear off about my crazy details. Perhaps we can even make it a date! I love getting together for a catch up session.
Well, I am off to chase my kids around since the naps are definitely over. See ya!

Always Playing Catch Up!

2010-03-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

In my life right now, I feel like I am just getting by and trying to catch up on EVERYTHING! School, Work, housework, homework, Church, FHE, special time with kids, special time with hubby, Carpool, Cooking, Sewing those two dresses for both of the girls who want to be in this years Cinderella Pageant,Our monthly value challenge, and, yes...Even this blog of mine. It has always been something I toy around with, but I still like to keep up on it. We'll see if I can get better at consistent blogging in the future, but for now, here's the "cliff notes" on some of the events I had not posted about or didn't have pics for...

Family Get Together!

My entire family was able to get together and even get some pictures taken for the first time in...well, forever! It is so exciting to see how the families are each growing. This is one of the pics we got of EVERYONE. Quite a feat if you consider how many littler ones we have to keep still!

Here's one I took of Mom and Dad:

And another of them with all of the Grandchildren:

Here's my parents and all of the children:

We took a ton more photos, but these are supposed to be cliff notes, right?! Right.

Nana's Birthday!

Gavin's First Fish Hook in the Foot!

Peyton's 2nd Birthday!

So, there's a Flash into the past couple of months around these parts. So many others have much more exciting happenings, but I do enjoy my mundane life from time to time. We're happy and that's what counts! Till next time readers! TTFN!

No more dogs

2010-02-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

Well, today is a hard day in our home. After a couple of years of having Butchie Man in our family, he went to live somewhere else today. His leaving was stemmed from an incident that happened a few weeks ago where both Angel and he got out the front door and allegedly attacked a horse. It wouldn't have been so bad, but he was caught attacking a cat in December, so the Spanish Fork city attorney told us he was pretty sure the judge would make us get rid of him or have him euthanized.
Ahh, sad! We knew this was a possibility as soon as the incident occurred, but we were hoping if we got rid of Angel, (who was the more aggressive of the two dogs) we could get Butch to settle back into his ways. Other than his hatred of cats and an occasional chewing up of something, he is the most AWESOME dog ever! i think it is sad for a family to own a cat and for a dog to attack it, don't get me wrong. But I do also think it is in a dog's nature to attack a cat. We have simply tried to breed that out of dogs over the years.
Anyway, now that my little rant is over, I am just going to say that we love Butch so much and will miss him a ton. We are just glad we got him a great home to live in if it can't be ours.
Now, we're not going to have another dog for quite a while. there won't be any way to replace Butchie, so we're not even gonna try right now. Bye bye Butchie Man!! :(

COURAGE ... February's Value

2010-02-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

As I talked about last month, all year long my family is learning and strengthening 12 core values each month. Last month, we worked on HONESTY. This month, we are going to work on the value COURAGE.
In the book, Teaching Your Children Values by Linda and Richard Eyre, there is an opening to each chapter. The opening to this one is great!

"Daring to attempt difficult things that are good. Strength NOT to follow the crowd, to say NO and mean it and influence others by it. Being true to convictions and following good impulses even when they are unpopular or inconvenient. Boldness to be outgoing and friendly."

These statements are indeed what I consider to be Courage.

I'll let you know as our journey through the values progresses.

January 2010 is ending? ...Wow! ...Already?

2010-01-31T17:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe tomorrow is the first of February! It's been a busy month in our home, which would explain why the time has seemed to fly by so quickly. Not only did Matt, the kids and I all start back to school again, we also had to take care of lots of loose ends from our last semester at school (well, Matt and I did!) In addition to that, I started a new job. It has been great. I have worked my first week actually on the phones and I am still employed, so I think that's a good sign. Also, Matt had teeth pulled, the three older kids have gone for a visit to their Dad's, and I have been working on our Monthly Value Project of HONESTY, from the Teaching Your Children Values book, which I LOVE!!!
Today is our last day concentrating on the value of Honesty, though that doesn't mean we are not still going to work on honesty in our home. With 5 little ones, we work on that value on a daily basis! I'll devote an entire post to next months value within the coming days and you can all be absolutely enthralled with my efforts :) (Yeah, right!)
Now, back to school for a moment. I am feeling good about this semester, though balancing everything can be a huge challenge. Especially since the weeks I was training for work, I worked nearly Everyday. I am still caught up with all of my assignments and tests for the classes I am enrolled in and have gotten A's in everything so far! Let's hope that trend continues.
Well, TTFN to all my lovely readers! I must chase after my naked, wanting to potty train, almost two year old little PeyPey!

UW's

2010-01-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

I was able to get in touch with Professor Howard, my Math teacher from last semester. Initially, she sounded as though she was not going to change my grade from an E to a UW. This was because of the Policy that states that a student receives a UW when they have not turned in any more work after the last withdrawl deadline. I had still turned in work and done pretty well after that point. Once I explained to her about the deaths in the family and some of the ensuing chaos, she graciously fulfilled my request. She is changing my E to a UW and I can now petition to have both of my UW's changed to W's and they will no longer affect my GPA whatsoever. Yeah!

Academic Probation

2010-01-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Because I did so "well" with all of my classes last semester, I have been put on Academic Probation. Yeah, Me! Basically, that means I had to go through an online workshop, fill out some papers, and meet with an academic advisor. And then of course, I have to get my grades up this semester. Sounds pretty fair to me.
I did also find out some great information from the meeting with Marti in the Advising Office. The most important piece of info that I gleaned from my visit was that I can contact my Math professor from last semester and request that my E grade be changed to a UW. From there, I can petition the board to change both of my UW's to W's. Then they would have a neutral effect on my GPA. In English, that means they will no longer be bringing my GPA down. Awesome, huh!?! She told me that with the extenuating circumstances we had happen last semester, she saw no reason why the board would not approve the change. Yeah! Yeah!!! This makes me Happy.
Now, I just have to wait for the Professor to get back to me and hope that she will change my grade. I really, really hope that she will.
I think "W" may be my new favorite letter! ... Well, after the letter "A", of course!

Week One of Training, Done!

2010-01-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

As of 9:30 this evening, I have completed my first week of training at NuSkin. I ended the week with a 100% score on our test, but they told us this one was easy. We also have another, more comprehensive test next Friday after we complete our Mentoring hours on the phones. Fun, fun for me, don't you think?
On another note, I am done with all of my English homework for this week and it's been turned in online. My Math homework, however...we've got tons of it! All due Monday! Like between 100-200 problems. I guess it may just seem overwhelming right now because it's 1 o'clock in the morning and I am still going on 3-4 hours of sleep. Plus I had school, errands, and then work training. So, yeah. Just another day in my life! Gotta love it, right. Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

Wow! Who doesn't love constructive criticism, right?!

2010-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

I have recently been informed that the meandering and sometimes nonsensical thoughts which I post to this blog (a.k.a. diary of sorts), are setting a bad example for my readers, and for my children. I was also told that my blog is not worth reading. Well, my only answers to the constructive criticism I have received are listed below:

*I often use this blog as a journal for myself and for my family. I have family and friends that live far away and they love that I post about what is going on in our lives. They also do not care if I am using proper English, or jumping from topic to topic. They've known me all of my life, and that has been how my brain works for as long as I can remember. They can typically follow along and completely understand my jumbled mess of a post.
*As for setting a bad example, I simply do not agree. I have not ever considered myself an example to my readers. I believe that every person has the right to be themselves, regardless of how imperfect they may be in another's eyes. I think teaching this to my children is of the utmost importance. I teach my children to be tolerant and loving. We believe every soul is of great worth, regardless of circumstance, background, and even bad grammar. I know that I am setting the best example for my children that I can, regardless of what I post on my blog. I am going to college full-time, being a Mom full-time, working outside of the home part-time, teaching my children Faith and the Gospel full-time, and holding our family together through addiction, alcoholism, divorce, abuse, and so many other circumstances that I cannot list them all here. ...Just a thought for my criticizer; live my life and see if you keep it all together all of the time.
*In regards to my blog not being worth reading, well, that's your opinion. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion. I am sure that to some people, the random thoughts of a 30 year old Mother to a gaggle of kids, would be of no interest. That's fine. If you don't think this is worth reading, don't read it! You are not being forced to read my words, nor are you being forced to even visit my meager blog. If you don't like it, you don't have to come back.

::Sigh:: Now I feel better!

Just checking In!

2010-01-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

Well, school has already officially started for this semester and I have officially started the training for my position at NuSkin Enterprises. I AM CRAZY! Time is short and so is my patience! I am working my behind off (well, at least I wish I were physically, but that's another story...) The funny thing is, I am enjoying myself for the most part. I have typically been happy being busy and now that I am getting back in the swing of many things, I think I am feeling better about myself and better motivated to continue doing more and doing what I am already doing better.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I am wanting to take on anything new right now. I simply mean that I am feeling much more motivated and seem to be accomplishing more than I had before. I think I am getting back to being more efficient about how, why, and when I am doing things.
We'll see, though! It has only been a week since school started and I have only been in training for two day. Tomorrow, I could be insane. Who knows?!
I anticipate good things! Happy Evening to you all!

As of Today...

2010-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I had an interview with NuSkin Enterprises, for an End of Month Call Center position. The position, after initial training, will be 4 days a month. So, obviously, it is a VERY part-time position. At this point in my crazy life; however, that Totally works for me.
This afternoon, Natalie, from NuSkin's offices called to offer me a position with the company. Wahoo! So I am now officially hired as a NuSkin employee, and I start my training Monday morning. I will essentially have two weeks of training before I am put on the phones to work on my own. Yeah! I have a job. My kind of job for this point in my life.

Another great thing that happened today was that I finished the appeals process for my Financial Aid to come through for my classes at UVU. Which is really good since classes officially start tomorrow. I don't actually start class until Thursday, but I am prepared either way. Now it's just a matter of the money getting credited back to me and deposited into my bank account.

Here's my class schedule for Spring Semester 2010:

Biology 1010 (TV Course) Work at my own Pace class...
English 1010 (Online Course) Weekly Deadlines for class assignments...
First Aid TR 9:00-9:50
Math 1010 F 10:45-1:15
Swimming TR 10:00-10:50

I'm registered for 13 credits and I really feel like I can handle this semester. Last semester had some HUGE curve-balls thrown in and, though I don't anticipate entirely smooth sailing; I do anticipate my ability to handle things a bit better... And for things not to go so crazy!

Go Wolverines!

One of my projects for the year!

2010-01-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

I just started reading this book and we are going to be working on it throughout the coming year. The book contains tools and techniques to teach your family 12 major values. It is laid out so that you can focus on one value each month for a year and then start all over again if you want to. I figured I'd blog about it and keep everyone posted about how we are doing on our quest to teach the Tilton Bunch Values.

The book opens up answering some general questions and giving the author's thoughts on creating this book. Their first chapter is called "Why? When? Where? Who? What? and How?" A few great tidbits from this chapter include the following quotes:
"We should teach values to our children because it is the most significant and effective thing we can do for their happiness."

They offer a definition:
"A true and universally acceptable 'value' is one that produces behavior that is beneficial both to the practitioner and to those on whom it is practiced."

They further, offer some criteria that separates it from other good behaviors we should teach our children.
"A value is a quality distinguished by: (a) its ability to multiply and increase in our possession even as it is given away; and (b) the fact (even the law) that the more it is given to others, the more it will be returned by others and received by ourselves."

So...
"Values, then, are other-and-self-benefiting qualities that are given as they are gained and gained as they are given."

The 12 values can be taught in any order and whenever we deem appropriate or needed in a particular month. January is the month we are teaching our family HONESTY!

Welcome to our newest Journey!

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have seen several people post a year in review type of thing on their blogs, but I figured if you want to review our year, go ahead and check back through the posts. Frankly, there are many events of this past year I would rather not repeat right now. As for me, I'm going to post about the New Year and move forward from there.
Well, since I was feeling on the verge of death for the 3 days previous to New Years Day, I vehemently welcomed a great meal in celebration of the New Beginning that 2010 is for us. I decided to make Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Sweet Corn and Rolls. Yummy, yummy! I even used a new recipe for my chicken and was so excited about how it turned out, I had to take a picture of my First official meal in the new year.

Mmmmmm... And it really did taste as good as it looked. Though after not eating for more than three days, I couldn't even eat a third of what was on this plate. Oh, well. We had plenty of leftovers!

So it is with this great meal, a great family around me, and the Hopes for a Fulfilling, Successful, and Joyous new year that I welcome the passing of the last, and the Ringing in of the New.

Happy New Years to You!

Gavvy's Birthday Party

2010-01-02T20:25:00.001-08:00

Gavin's birthday party was simply a few friends and family coming over for dinner, then us having cake and ice cream. Before we got to the cake, though, we opened a few presents!

So, yeah! ... A birthday only three days after Christmas is almost a given to use Christmas wrapping paper, right? Or is it just me?...

OK, so now let's get to the cake. That's the most important part for a Three year old Boy, anyway! When I ordered Gavin's Handy Manny cupcake cake, it looked So much cuter than the one I brought home. I was actually VERY disappointed with the way it looked. What was supposed to be a hammer shaped cake, looked more like a brown and blue Cross. It was quite odd, but Gavin still wanted it so I brought it home. Everyone couldn't believe I still paid for it, but... well, what do you think?

Ummm, so, yeah! Blue and brown cross. The kids had fun anyway and made a grand mess enjoying their yummy cupcakes!

And of course, the wonderful evening ended with a Very, very, thorough Bathing!

So, I say it again... Happy Birthday to my Gavvy Man, Mr. Gavin David Tilton

Just when I thought I was ready, ... BLAM!

2009-12-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

So I thought I had gone through everything I needed to get situated for our upcoming school semester scheduled to start on January 6th. Yeah, that's a week away! Little did I realize a process that still had to be gone through before any of our financial aid money will come through. I figured I would get a letter, an email, or SOMETHING that would tell me if I was on Financial Aid Probation or something like that because I didn't do well in two of my four classes.
Oh, no.
I found out because a friend of mine told to double check my Financial Aid status to make sure I was good to go for next week. (I guess that would have been an obvious thing to do, but I didn't think about it!)
Turns out, I'm not so much, ready. I have to go through an Appeals process with the Financial Aid office at the School before I will POSSIBLY qualify for financial aid...

Wait... What?! STOP, Rewind and Repeat...

"Before I Possibly qualify..."? You mean I may not qualify?!...

I know last semester sucked, but I thought I could still make up for it and do better next semester. Oh dear, oh dear!

Well, here I am after Midnight still putting together the information I need for the appeals process. I must show what circumstances that led me to do poorly this semester (with 3rd Party Documentation) and why I will be able to successfully complete all future semesters. I think I have put together a pretty good letter outlining all of the fun we had this fall. Plus, it was my FIRST semester back to college after a long break and with 5 little children at home. I feel that I have learned many lessons (see those in a previous post...) and am ready to continue with my school successfully. Especially because I DO NOT want to have to repeat classes again! And, yes, I want to earn my RN ... before I die!
Here's to hoping I can get it all taken care of and have our Financial Aid disbursements come sooner rather than later!

Have a good night y'all!!

My Gav Man is Three Years Old Today!

2009-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today is is Gavin's third Birthday. We got a cake and invited a couple friends over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Gavin loves Spaghetti, so we had our version of Chicken Parmesian. Then we sang Happy Birthday and let all the kids have at the cupcake cake.
We forgot about the ice cream until Uncle Aaron stopped by with his kids and then we all enjoyed another sugar rush. We took some great, messy pictures, but the camera has died, so I'll post pictures later.

Just wanted to say Happy 3rd Birthday Gavin David Tilton!!

...And the results are!...

2009-12-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

I got all A's! Yeah!!!

Well, I guess not all A's. I got an A in my Nutrition 1020 class and an A in my Psychology 1100 class. Next semester, I am redoing the Math 1010 class and Biology 1010 class. I had already chalked up my other courses as a learning experience.
The lesson's learned:
1- Do not EVER take a Math class strictly online. Especially if it is your first Math class since High School. Not a good idea!
2- When a class says "Self-Paced" truly make sure you pace yourself. In other words; do the work throughout the entire semester instead of letting it get further and further behind so you get stuck doing an entire semester's work in a few weeks... or less. (They tell you that at the beginning of the course, but with 5 kids and a bunch of life happening, it's easy to continually put it off.)
3- I can really do this! Regardless of what's going on, so long as I suck it up, do the work, and don't let anyone or anything make me think I can't finish. I KNOW I CAN!!!
Good lessons in my book!

So, school for the kids starts on January 4th and school at UVU starts on January 6th. I do have quite a load of classes next semester, but I am confident that I can do it. I am retaking my Math (not online) and Biology (not procrastinated) along with First Aid, Swimming, and English 1010...
Yes, I said English 1010. When I was an English major at college originally, I took upper division classes. I never had to take what used to be English 101. Well, those upper-division courses do not count towards the English 1010 prerequisite for the Nursing program at UVU. So here I am, a published writer and I am taking a Beginning Writing Class. Oh, well! I still think it's going to be fun, and probably not too hard for me! We'll see.

Drumroll Please........Christmas!! It's Finally here!

2009-12-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

The children all woke up sooner than Mom and Dad did. ... Well, kind of. We heard them awake and told them to steer clear of the gifts until we got out of bed. You parents out there know that Mom and Dad get to stay up and help out Santa sometimes. So we were seriously tired! We finally decided to drag ourselves out of bed at the late hour of 8am, but we had to keep the kids at bay while we waited for Grandma and Grandpa to join us from next door. It was so hard for them to wait! But they did. They're good little people! They had; however, managed to have gone through some of their stockings. We figured that was OK, and they did try to put everything back in order before we came downstairs from our room.

We started out our Christmas Morning Merriment in an organized fashion...

But as things progressed...

We slowly disintegrated into total and absolute madness!...

The end result being that you can barely recognize our furniture, let alone our entire front room.
Is this a garbage heap, or the Tilton's house on Christmas Morning? I'm not entirely sure. You tell me...

Either way, Christmas this year was absolutely Spectacular! Thank you to those of you who helped us make this day amazing for our little ones. We love you all and hope you had a great Christmas day as well.
And now, it is with mixed emotions that I get to say, It's all over. Merry Christmas!
Next up, Gavin's Birthday in three days. Yeah!!

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

This year, we did a big dinner for Christmas Eve with our "little" family and my Mom and Dad. We had a turkey and most of the fixin'. It was yummy and the lot of us scarfed it down like we usually do!
Following the filling of our tummies, it was time for the kids to open one of their presents. This is an annual tradition, and one that I intend to keep living on forever. Just because it's fun. The kids always hope they get to pick out which present they get to open, but, hmmmmm, not so much. Mom or Dad, or even one of the Grandparents gives them out. The older kiddoes are starting to figure out that it's ALWAYS new PJ's. Even though we've got pictures of the whole night, we'll skip each one of them unwrapping and go straight to the "after" photos! ...And here they are! The Tilton Children adorned in their Holiday Evening Attire...

Now, off to bed they go! Awaiting Santa Claus's visit to our humble household. One by one they drift off and undoubtedly dream of the wonderful things they hope to get upon awakening tomorrow. Gavin took the longest to get to bed...as usual, but we finally made it. Now, here's our blessed little tree on Christmas Eve night, before we all "settled our brains for a long winter's nap!"

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!

Almost Christmas...

2009-12-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

So we're on the downward slide towards Christmas Morning. Yeah!!! We have a few presents under the Christmas tree from my brother and sister-in-law for the kiddoes, but even those aren't safe right now. Peyton and Gavin will probably have them unwrapped sooner rather than later. Ahh, there goes one of them down the stairs. PeyPey is a pretty good throw. I hope there isn't anything breakable or fragile inside that package for Mikayla. If so, it's probably not still intact.
My other grand adventure for today is to continue with the various baking Mom and I have been doing. Yesterday, we did Caramel Krispy Treats and Haystacks. Then Mom did some oatmeal cookies with a variety of chips. (Variety because of some little helpers at her house who emptied all her bags of different types of baking chips into one container...at least those chips they hadn't already eaten!) Today, I baked a bunch of Snickerdoodles, and made my Grandma Stillman's Smitty's Christmas cookies. I had also made our Yummy meat rub in advance and have some of it jarred up to go out with treat plates too. I am going to include the recipe so everyone can enjoy this FANTASTIC Meat rub.
Mom and I still have Pretzels and Peppermint Sticks to dip into three different types of Chocolate and Caramel. We are also planning on Pumpkin Bread, and some Spritz cookies. And then, I think that's all we're doing for our treat plates. I think that's enough. Oh, but Matt just suggested I get some square caramels and dip them in chocolate too. I asked him if he had a specific treat he wanted and, well, that's what I get for asking.
Here's to a late night of baking and wrapping... Yes I get to help Santa wrap some gifts tonight, so we'll probably be up quite late. Fun Fun!! Merry Merry!! See ya soon!

Family Pictures, check. Dive bomb off the stairs...Wait, is that part of Christmas?

2009-12-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

The day I decided to take Family Pics was quite an eventful one. Not only did the day start out hectic and stressful, but it ended the same way. I got us all Red shirts to wear and made each of us an off white scarf. Ya know, to be cute and matching and all that stuff. I even made scarves for both of the Doggies! In our haste to get ready, my darling, clumsy husband tried putting his jeans on while approaching the top of the stairs and fell face first all the way into the kitchen. OWWW! He not only knotted up his head, he really got his shoulder good. He was in Tons of pain, but we had to do pictures. We had all the kids ready and everything! Matt was really working to gain his composure...

So, we got it together and ended up taking some pretty good pictures. I have been trying to decide which one to use for our Christmas Card...if I ever get them out! I have two favorites. One that you can see our dogs in and one that you cannot. I think the family looks much better in the one without, but it's our family to a T in the one with the dogs. What do you think?...

With the Dogs!

Or Without the Dogs!

Either way, at least we got some Photos taken this year that were a little more formal than last year's. If you remember, Matt wore pajama pants, so yeah. Not formal at all!
After the fun that was our family photo shoot, Matt went to the Hospital and was diagnosed with a severe contusion. Though they said there may be a break but all the swelling makes it hard to tell. He has a sling for his arm and is supposed to be VERY careful because the injury could get worse. This is what his shoulder looked like after some ice at the hospital...

So ends our adventurous Family Picture Extravaganza. Did any of you have as much fun with Family Photos as we did?
Only one more Week until Christmas. Boy, we're Sooo not ready!

Christmas Tree up, Check...

2009-12-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

We finally got our Christmas tree up and we think it looks Great! The only problem we are having is that Peyton keeps taking the ornaments off of it. He pulls them off and takes the top off of them as well so I have to find each piece of the ornament before putting them back up on the tree. I think I have finally decided to leave the lower ornaments off of the tree until Christmas Eve night, at least the one's PeyPey has taken off. Then I'll put them back on for Christmas Morning since the kids will be too busy with the festivities of the day to pay attention to the Christmas tree ornaments. Only 14 days left...Are you ready?!?

Who Let the Dogs In?...Oh, yeah. We did!

2009-12-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well, after checking everywhere, posting lost signs online and around the neighborhood, and checking the shelter everyday, we have come to terms with the fact that Neiko found herself a new home. We are sad to have lost her. She was a sweet dog!
But us being a fast movin' crazy household, we have already found another Doggy to be Butch's best friend, ANGEL...

We found Angel on KSL. Someone was having to get rid of her and she was within days of going to the pound. We are so glad to add her to our Insane family and keep her out of the Animal Shelter. Butch and Angel are getting along GREAT! In fact, they keep kissing each other. I think it's super sweet and the beginning of a Beautiful Friendship.

Angel is 8 months old so she still has some growing to do. She is already nearly as big as Butch, and they are very similar in coloring. She is a bit more Grey and some of her spots are bigger, but they look quite similar. She is 1/2 Great Dane, 1/4 Pit Bull and 1/4 Rottweiler. We can definitely tell she's a Great Dane and you can see the Pit in her, but we haven't been able to see the Rotty in her yet. We'll see as she gets older.
Well, now that our household is once again feeling really full and complete, it's time to take our Family Christmas Pictures. We should be doing that within the next couple of days. We'll see if we can get all of us to hold still to get a picture, including the Dogs!

Gotta love that toddler Independence!

2009-12-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well, as any of you parents out there know, young ones quickly move into a stage wherein they CAN and WILL do everything on their own. My little Gavin and Peyton are there. Well, more like Gavin is there and Peyton has recently begun to follow him around and do everything his big Brother is doing...

Here's my Little Men exerting there independence!

They each got dressed themselves and of course, Gavin put on Peyton's clothes and Peyton put on Mikayla's PJ's top and his cousin Matthew's slippers. So then Matthew was really excited to get in on the fun as well.

Then, in a picture taken later, you can see that Peyton likes to choose where and when he lays his precious head. In this instance, Butch appears to have been chosen as the designated pillow...

Even though these times can get a bit frustrating, it does make me melancholy to think that these wonderful little people are going to grow up Sooo fast. Then they'll become even more independent, and a bit crazy too, I am thinking. We haven't made it to puberty with any of our kids yet, but I know we're close. Mariah wants to be so grown up already. I miss everyone being tiny babies. Don't get me wrong, I love them at the ages and stages they are right now. I just do love that little baby smell right after a bath, and how they just will lay with you and snuggle forever. My kids are all still really physically affectionate so we do get snuggles a ton. I love it!
OK...
Now that I've had my moment, it's time to get my last little person off to bed. Good night!

The Polar Express

2009-11-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

This year, after a few struggles to get there, we made it to the Heber Valley RailRoad's Polar Express Ride. The kids were so excited. I believe this was all of the kids' first train ride. They had a ball the whole time. Me, not so much. I mean, I guess I may have been expecting too much from this activity. Polar express makes me think there'll be people singing as they serve Hot Cocoa, and professional type actors or something. I don't know what the other cars were like, but ours seemed quite a bit unprofessional. Like, I said. I had expectations that were way too high for this trip. It's all good though. What the kids thought of it was what matters most.

We were served Hot Chocolate and Homemade Cookies. They were like chocolate chip cookies but with a bit of a Gingersnap taste to them. They even gave us the recipe for the cookies, so I'm going to try them soon. We did have a couple of elves that were telling jokes and trying to sing. ;) There was also someone dressed as a chef who actually had a great voice. The elves were close to tone deaf, but oh well. We had a short visit from Mrs. Claus. She's the one who gave us the cookie recipe.

Then later, we stopped when a visitor flagged down the train. Guess Who?!?...

Overall, I probably wouldn't pay that much money to do the same activity again, but it was a great experience for the family. My goal has been to do things that would create lasting memories. Whether or not I thought it was a "perfect" Polar Express, it was a Memory we will have forever.

Neiko is Lost!

2009-11-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

While we were gone visiting family on Thanksgiving Day, someone let our dogs out of the Back Yard. Butch came back, like he always does, but we have still seen no sign of Neiko. I have posted a listing for our lost dog on KSL and I know that as of this morning, the Animal Shelter does not have her. My guess is that someone found her and took her in. We had not gotten her licensed yet, so that's our bad. I feel awful!
My kids are working on posters to put up around the neighborhood and they have been out looking every day for her. I told them she was probably in someone's house and that she was probably warm and safe. Alex said that's all he is concerned about, though he does want her back. If anyone happens to see her anywhere, please let me know ASAP!
If and when we do find her, we will make sure to get her licensed and taken care of first thing. We miss her so much even though she is a pretty new addition to our household. She's such a cutie and would probably be very cold is she were still outside.
Here's to doing everything we can to find her and bring her back to our family!

The Countdown begins!

2009-11-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, actually, I have two countdowns...
The first one is the Countdown to Christmas. Now that it is the day after Thanksgiving, we have entered the official countdown to Christmas. I LOVE Christmas! The sounds, the smells, the lights, and the good spirit that people possess. If only the world could enjoy the Christmas Spirit throughout the entire year! I get to decorate my house, make Christmas gifts and treats, and remember those who are less fortunate than we are at this tough time. We have struggled, but I know there are MANY many people who are in much worse circumstances than we are. We have a home. We have food. We have family. And we have a few gifts to give to the children. For these things and Many others, I am absolutely Grateful!
We are going to the Food and Care Coalition to serve others and we are donating items of food and toys like we usually do. We have already sub-for-santa'd a family a couple of weeks ago with items we were lucky enough to have, and fortunate enough to be able to offer to someone who could truly use them. I still feel as though there is more for us to do this Holiday season, so we will keep our eyes and Hearts open to those who could benefit from our family in any way. I have been assisted much through times of trial and I do everything I can to pay it forward. I pray that everyone can do the same!
The Second countdown that is soon coming to an end is this First Semester back to college. I only have a couple more weeks of school and only that amount of time to work on finishing up all the papers, studying, and testing I must complete for class. Then we'll see how my Grades turn out and go from there into next semester. I already know that I am going to take Math 1010 over again because the Math took me by surprise in regards to what I couldn't remember. Almost Everything! That's OK though. I'll be more prepared for next time.
So off I go to write my Nutrition 1020 Research Paper and study for the test I am taking on Monday. Wish me luck...or at least Happy studying. :)
Happy Black Friday to you all!

Let's get creeps off our streets!

2009-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

So I know most of you who actually read my blog already know what happened to my Uncle Lynn and are with us in doing what we can to get his murderer off of the streets. But just in case there's even one person who comes to my blog who doesn't know, and is willing to join our cause, I'll post information again. Here's the contents of an email I sent to some friends and family members. Let me know if you have any questions or are willing to join the fight!...

Hi Everybody!

I am writing with a plea for help. As many of you know, my Uncle Lynn Patterson recently passed away after sustaining injuries in a hit-and-run accident with a drunk driver last month. As of right now, the man who is responsible has only served 5 hours in jail and is working on a plea deal that could give him a mere 9 month sentence in jail after he not only rear ended my Uncles car, but then ran him over before fleeing the scene, causing his death. Many friends and family are writing letters to the Mayor, the attorney general, and anyone else that might be able to make this repeat offender serve his full sentence.

If any of you (and anyone else you know) wouldn't mind joining me in writing the officials, I will give you contact info and even a copy of the letter I am sending to them. You can just copy this letter, or write your own. I think that what has happened is absolutely ridiculous, and any assistance our family can get to accomplish justice would be hugely appreciated!

Here's a link to the one and ONLY news report about the accident:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=8432975&nid=148

Here's my version of the letter I am sending to officials:

"Dear ,

I am writing to you as a very concerned citizen who is deeply disappointed in how justice is not being served in regards to the hit-and-run death of Milton Lynn Patterson.

Lynn Patterson, was tragically murdered by a repeat offender (DUI), Ron Torres, in West Valley City late on the night of October 23, 2009. After having part of his skull removed and remaining unconscious in the ICU, he passed away on October 30. He was only 58 years old. He is the father and step-father to 12 children. His youngest child is barely 14. She keeps hoping she'll wake up and these events will have all been a bad dream.

I say "murdered" because after rear-ending Lynn at a red light on Bangerter Highway, Torres ran him down with his car when Lynn got out to assess the vehicle’s damage. There were witnesses to the accident, including a Deputy. Torres’ defense is that he was scared because he was driving on a denied license with prior offenses. How does he think Lynn's family has felt?!

I heard that Torres' attorney is working on a plea deal. This should not be allowed to happen. As of May 12, 2009, the new hit-and-run law on the Utah books (H.B. 237), sponsored by Rep. Chris Herrod, states that motorists involved in a hit-and-run collision in which there is death or serious bodily injury can be charged with a felony if they previously were convicted of DUI. Torres has been previously convicted of 2 DUIs, and on October 23; fled the scene, falsely called in his vehicle as stolen, and even disabled the court mandated breathalyzer interlock system in his car. Letting him plea and get off with a slap on the wrist would be an enormous perversion of justice, and the biggest disrespect to his Wife--who now must make ends meet on her own. She has severe type 1 diabetes and is a kidney transplant survivor. Lynn took amazing care of his wife and his family, along with every person he ever met. This injustice would also extend to the children who have been robbed of their father, to the grandchildren who have been robbed of their grandfather, to the extended family who have been robbed of their Patriarch, and to the community who has been robbed of a true Angel among men.

Lynn Patterson was a hard-working, honest man. He was a man who delighted in serving others and did so at every opportunity. He was a man who proudly served his country in the U.S Navy protecting our freedoms. He was a man who did not deserve to be run down like a dog and left to die on the side of the road just because another man made completely irresponsible, and might I add criminal, choices.

Please do all that you can to see that Ron Torres is made to take full responsibility for the hundreds and hundreds of people he has affected with his careless and reprehensible behavior (Lynn Patterson had an extremely large heart, and an even larger circle of family and friends).

In light of the seemingly ever increasing number of hit-and-run crimes, I sincerely hope that you, and all of our elected officials, will do whatever you can to see that laws are put in place and upheld to protect the citizens of this state and not the offenders. Hit-and-run crimes need to be a felony, period! We need to join the rest of the country (except Montana and Kentucky) in ALWAYS classifying these serious crimes as felonious--not just when a previous DUI is involved.

Thank you very much for your time."

Here is contact information for the people I am sending this letter to:

West Valley City Mayor and City Manager

Mayor Dennis J. Nordfelt
Wayne Pyle,City Manager
3600 S. Constitution Blvd.
West Valley City, UT 84119
Ph: (801) 963-3220
Fax: (801) 966-8455

http://www.wvc-ut.gov/index.aspx?nid=98
You can also go to this webpage and fill out an online statement to the mayor

West Jordan Mayor

Mayor David B. Newton
City of West Jordan
8000 S. Redwood Rd.
West Jordan, UT 84088

City phone: (801) 569-5105
Cell phone: (801) 381-8111
Home phone: (801) 255-5415
e-mail: daven@wjordan.com

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff

Questions, Complaints, Requests, or Suggestions
General Office Numbers: (801) 366-0260, (801) 538-9600, (801) 366-0300
Toll Free within the State of Utah: (800) AG4 INFO (244-4636)
E-Mail: uag@utah.gov
Please leave your name, phone number or address so you can be contacted.

Utah State Capitol Office
Office of the Attorney General
Utah State Capitol Complex
350 North State Street Suite 230
SLC UT 84114-2320
FAX: (801) 538-1121

Utah State Capitol Office Mailing Address
Office of the Attorney General
PO Box 142320
SLC UT 84114-2320

Heber M. Wells Building Offices
P.O. Box 140811
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
FAX: (801) 366-0221

I am also seeking out who the judge is in this case so that I may write to him or her as well.

You can check out more pictures and information on Facebook in the group "In Memory of Lynn Patterson we should have stricter laws for DUI "

Thanks to anyone who wants to help with this cause. Bless you all and I will let you know (if you want) what happens as this process comes along.

Bad Blogger, Bad Blogger!

2009-11-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

As if I really have any time to be blogging, I still feel bad that I haven't updated for a while. Lots has happened, though, so let me share...

The first major thing that happened over the last few months was that my Grandmother passed away. She's the one that we have lived with in the past. And of course, turmoil ensued over STUFF. But I'll not go into that, because it's not really that important. Grandma Watters passed away on October 8, 2009 and we had her funeral on October 12. I, along with one of my cousins from each of the Sisters' families spoke at the funeral. It was great, but sorta long. Lots to remember. All I know is Grandma is back with Grandpa and they are both happy and out of pain and their imperfect mortal bodies.
Shortly after Grandma passed away, Matt got the devastating news that because of his history, he is currently unable to become enlisted in any Military service. They did leave a thread of hope and tell him that things change and it's possible that at some point in the future, the rules may change, but I'm not holding my breath. I sorta feel like the ROTC program keep stringing him along in order for him to stay enrolled, but I could be wrong. In regards to the rest on Matt's classes this semester, it's gonna be a wash. We've already got him signed up for the same classes next semester, but at night.
The next major event was my Uncle Lynn Patterson being rear-ended by a drunk driver, and then when he got out of the car to assess the damage, the guy ran him over and took off. That night, Uncle Lynn had to have part of his skull removed to relieve swelling and he lay unconscious in the hospital for a week. At that point, the Doctors determined that he wasn't going to get any better and so the family decided to take him off of life support. He passed away around 7pm on October 30, 2009. We attended an amazing funeral the following Tuesday, November 3rd. My Aunt Donetta was doing extremely well in my opinion. I'd be a basket case, I know it. I can't imaging losing my Mom and a couple of weeks later, losing my husband. All I can say is Families can be Together Forever!..and they will be!
We have had other smaller events, like extended family member contracting H1N1, and us luckily, not getting it. Though, I am not sure that we don't have it in our house right now. We'll see.
Matt just started a job with a masonry company, so we have a paycheck coming in , Finally! The position is for the next 4-6 weeks, but could become permanent. He is earning prevailing wages, so it's good pay. We just have to get him to and from Pleasant Grove everyday to meet his boss for a ride to the job site.
Our other stroke of good luck is that our car has broken down. SO that means, we're having to find rides for Matt to get to work, me to get to school, and anywhere else we have to go. Fun, fun for Mama.
That's pretty much a breakdown of the major happenings over the last few months. I have to go chase down my little boys and clean up whatever mess I am sure they are making. Talk to everyone very soon!...I hope!

Already a month in and still Alive!

2009-09-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well! We have made it through our first month of the new school, the new house, and all the new schedules to coordinate. We are all still alive! What an accomplishment, at least in my eyes. I am enjoying school, though I am nervous about tests, especially my Math test.
The kids changed from Mapleton Elementary and are now attending Spanish Oaks here in Spanish Fork. They were sad initially to be leaving one school and going to another. Mariah was especially upset that she was going to have a "Boy Teacher". But now she loves her teacher and all the kids have adjusted really well. They love the neighborhood and we have moved into a really great ward as well so that's been fun too!
Matt ended up changing his online Health class to a face to face one, because online is WAY to easy to put off til it's too late. He's doing pretty well otherwise. He is actually gone right now on his ROTC "Tip of the Spear" 16 Mile Ruck March...or something like that. He'll be back tomorrow night, undoubtedly sore, and tired, and all pumped up from whatever they accomplished while out there. Wish me luck on dealing with all that tomorrow! The kids initially though he was going to war and got really upset. They were crying and didn't want him to go until I told them he was going on a training thing. Mariah told me, "That's good, cause I wouldn't let him go to war." I can't imagine what it'll be like when he's actually in the Army and actually being deployed...Isn't that going to be a special time!?!
So, ya. What am I still doing up on a Friday night with not too much homework to work on and children all asleep?.. Well, I guess that says it. I'm goin' to bed. See y'all later!

School...Wow!

2009-08-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

We all officially started school this week. Mikayla had her first day of kindergarten with her new teacher Mrs Gillies on Wednesday. She is in morning kindergarten, so she rides the bus with Mariah and Alex and then gets brought home before lunch. Matt and I also had our First day at UVU on Wednesday. My first class was nutrition and Matt's was Math. It was fun. My Nutrition class, I think I'm the oldest one there besides the teacher, but my Psychology class I take on Thursday nights has lots more adult and family people in it. I like both of my teachers so far so that's great. Matt loves all of his military classes, of course, and he thinks his Math teacher is awesome. I think he likes his English teacher, but he hasn't talked much about it. Doing the internet thing for some of our classes has proved to be interesting, but I think once we get the hang of things, it'll be no Problem.
I have also decided to start doing Usborne Book sales. I love the books and figured why not possibly make some money and get free books for my kids. I am having my first big "Break Out" book party on September 8th, probably about 7pm that Tuesday night. I'm inviting everyone I know, so even if you don't get sent one, please come. Call me for info if you need it! (801) 734-0482, for anyone who may not remember it. Also, I have a Usborne Books website and those of you who can't make it or live farther away can come to my party online. I'll give you details for that as well in an upcoming blog. I look forward to this school year and the great things I see coming! Luvs!!!

We are Independent Again!!!

2009-08-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

We have the keys and are preparing to move all of our stuff in a bit today, and the majority of everything will go over tomorrow. i think we're gonna get a day rental Uhaul since we're moving only a few miles away. Our new address is 2644 East 1600 South in Spanish Fork, UT 84660. We will still have our PO box in Spanish for mail and our cell phone will also stay the same. We probably won't get a land line, who knows... Anyway! The kids are going to keep going to Mapleton Elementary for the time being and Matt and I start at UVU Wednesday. Craziness, here we come! But at least we're able to do it from our own house! I am so excited! Happy day for our family!

Saturday's Warriors

2009-08-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

This picture is one that I took at Mikayla's Headstart graduation this past summer. Her and her dear friend Adelaide were so cute and I loved them together. These are some of our greatest "Saturday's Warriors" They are here at the perfect time, in the perfect place, in these latter days. I think how strong their spirits must be to be coming here now. My children are pure Greatness and I must remember that always!

I was just visiting a loved one's blog and they were very concerned with the world we are living in. I am as well and I get afraid for my children from time-to-time. I worry for them about what they will have to withstand in their lives. I want so much for them not to have to bare deep sadness or go through intense trials. but I cannot stop that. I must remember what I told my cousin..."We are truly the "Saturday's Warriors"...The Strongest and Bravest Spirits in Heaven. We have volunteered, and been chosen worthy to be here at this time; to prepare ourselves and our families for the Amazing and tumultuous events to come in the new millenium. "...And even though at times it freaks me out; just imagine how great it will be! Prepare and be saved! I love everyone!

Bad Blogger, Bad...

2009-08-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, yah! I have really seemed to be neglecting my blog lately. I guess that's what happens when you are so busy getting the whole family ready for school, still job hunting, still house hunting, but having to wait until our financial aid comes to us. Oh, and the fact that we are still in the basement of Grandma's house with my parents and a few extras on a daily basis.
We got home a little while ago from Nana and Heather & Aaron's house having a going away party for Matt's brother Sam and his family. Sam is flying our tonight to Florida, and his family will be shortly behind him once he finds them a house. We're sad they're leaving, but glad they have gotten such a good opportunity.
Nana even rented a Bouncy Jousting thing for everyone to play on. The kids had ball! We missed Wade and Rachael and their family, but pretty much everyone else was there. It was loads of fun, lots of good food, and great conversation. Good luck and many blessings to Sam and his family in their new advernture! We love you guys!

Great News!!!

2009-07-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

I have had two spectacular things come into play this evening that are making me so excited to be where I am in my life right now.
First; My husband just put his application in to UVU. We decided to quit waiting for vocational rehabilitation to get things going. We started the process and they will hopefully just carry things on as it is necessary. Either way, I am excited that he is progressing in his life as I am right now. I truly think that only by us both progressing within ourselves, can we make our relationship together a successful one.
Second; I just found out my "Big" Little Brother Michael and his wife Laura are going to be stationed at Hill Air Force Base very soon. Utah has the medical care available that she requires. I am so happy for them to be close and I hope they feel the same way! Hooray! One more sister-in-law to get to know better... And I really am excited about that!
Other than those things, life keeps progressing on it's own. I look forward for what the future has for my family! However that looks!

Last Day of vacation!

2009-07-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow afternoon I go and pick my kids up from my sister's house. I know they have been having a blast, but I am excited for them to get back home. With us not having a vehicle yet, our little "vacation" without any children for the week has been more like just hermiting up in the house but, not worrying about my kiddoes. We have still had Matthew and Madison here, so it's not like it's been silent. But it has been good. I am working on the laundry and am planning on having somethings cleaned and caught up before I leave tomorrow to pick them up.
I am also excited because Matt and I are going to go and look at a house for rent in Spanish Fork. It has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, fenced in yard with doghouse and it is even in a ward where I know people already. I am very excited, but they are looking to rent ASAP, and we're going to have to wait until our financial aid comes through. That's the end of next month, so we don't know if they would hold it for us that long or not. We are going to discuss that with them as we go through the house tonight. I know I shouldn't get worked up when things are so up in the air, but I do anyway. We will just have to see!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we celebrate 233 years of our country's Independence. Today is a day that I am truly Thankful for. I am thankful to have been born in this Great Country. I am thankful for the numerous men and women who have Sacrificed in order for me to attain and keep the Freedom I enjoy. I am thankful for every soldier who has ever served and every family who has Faithfully stood behind them. I am thankful for the choice I have to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for the Freedom of Speech I enjoy every day. I love this country, I love my Family, and I love Fireworks! Hurray for the USA!

We have a full house!

2009-07-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, now that we've got Alex back home, our family is whole again. But now, we have some extras! Chris and Michelle had to get everything moved out of their house as of last night, so they and their kids and Chris's brother Matt, along with a whole bunch of stuff, are all camping out here for at least a few days. How exciting! Wish me luck. I hope I don't lose my mind!

UVU Orientation!

2009-06-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I had my UVU Jumpstart Orientation. It was what you would expect from a normal school orientation. I got a few T-Shirts, lots of pens and random items from various organization on campus. The thing that surprised me was that it seemed lots of the people attending didn't know what they were studying, what classes they were going to take and I don't think any of the other students in my tour group had even started registering for classes. And I thought I was behind on things! I am really excited because I believe that I have everything ready for schol to start in August. I am registered, I have my student ID, my grants and loans are alredy set up and I have direct deposit situated for my money to go into for me to get books and everything else. The only thing I have left is to be able to move into our own space, but I don't think we can do that until after I get the money left over frommy financial aid, so that's the end of August. I hope this summer goes by pretty quickly so we can move on to the next step in our lives! Yay!

I'm a Blogging loser!

2009-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

So, ya! I haven't posted for quite a while. So here's a brief update to those who follow this. Along with Matt still being out of work and all of our fun personal issues, I got in a wreck and totalled my car, got notice that we had to move if we couldn't catch up our rent, moved into my Grandmother's basement along with all of our stuff, still don't have a running car, have registered for school for the fall, helping Matt do the same, and we have Mariah back from her Dad's house. Oh, ya, and there's so much more that I can't even talk about. We are making it and I will work on blogging more often from now on! Love Y'all!

Easter...Little late, I know!

2009-04-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

This Easter was the first ever holiday that I did not have all of my children with me. Mariah stayed with her Dad for his first Holiday visit in I don't know how long. I figured it was only fair. We'll see how things keep going once she is back at home with us again for good. So her basket is waiting for her in her room, untouched. I am excited to be picking her up this weekend for a visit. We took plenty of pictures on Easter morning, though we didn't have our traditional Easter outfits in their baskets as we usually do. The Easter Bunny was a bit dead broke this year. Good thing we had Grandma to help!!! Here are a few of the most fun ones! Enjoy! We sure did!...

Swine Flu?!?

2009-04-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone else worried about this Swine Flu breakout? I recall hgetting an email a while back about people predicting a pandemic coming soon, but they thought it would be the Bird Flu. They said it was only one or two mutations away from being very dangerous to lots of humans. Now we are hearing about this Swine flu and that it has mutated to infect humans and that people are getting masks and preparedness things together...Oh, my goodness! Everyone have their food storage and working on their 72-hour kits if they're not already ready? I know I am feeling more anxious to have them completely ready ASAP. Well, things will happen how they happen and those who are ready, will be ready. We will see what is to come! Good luck to everyone! Prayers go out that Swine flu goes away soon!

Salem Pond

2009-04-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some really cute pictures of the family on one of our many trecks to Salem Pond. There's also our favorite picture of Gavy from when Daddy took the boys with Uncle Clay to Yuba. The kids have a blast every time we go to the Pond. I can't upload very many pictures, so that kinda sucks, since I took tons. And, I just wish Mariah had been with us. I miss her tons and I hate having her gone! I just hope she gets what she needs for her heart during this stay with her Dad. Anyway, enjoy some pics!...

On the withdrawl train again!

2009-04-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well, since I can no longer afford my medication, I am getting to go through the really fun process of withdrawl until I get something else figured out. Stupid insurance, and stupid pharmaceutical companies for making their medications cost so much. One month of my Effexor is $160. Can you believe it? Crazy, is all I can say. I have been taking the meds every other day once I found out I couldn't afford them, for the past week or so. I hope that makes the effects not near as bad. We will see. I just get to remember all of the very many other blessings I have and concentrate on those, rather than what is going on to stress me out. Calm thoughts. I just get to think calm thoughts. Anyone have a Zanex??!!...

2009-04-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, with Matt being home for an unexpectedly long time, we have been doing many fishing trips and outdoor outings. It has been really fun. Matt took the boys with his cousin Clay down to Yuba. They had loads of fun. We have been to Salem ponds several times, and Matt has gon ejust about everywhere with all of the guys he knows at various times the past several weeks. I like having Matt home, but I also like having him at work. He does drive me crazy, but I know the feeling is mutual. I am trying to get myself off of my Effexor XR, because with our insurance changing, we can't afford it anymore. Which is great, since it helps alot and I'll have sme great withdrawls once I run out in a few days. Should prove to be fun! Here's some pics of the kiddoes having fun!...

Thank Goodness for Ibuprofen!

2009-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

I am finally feeling somewhat better. Finally! But Matt has still not gone back to work. This Sucks!!! He still has a job, but they are waiting to start the next site. So he's technically been temporarily laid off. Guess it's to be expected in our economy. That is why I am looking into going back to school. Matt's 2 weeks off has turned into 6, and we still don't know when... Yay!

I have a Computer again!!!

2009-04-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Finally! I got the cord that had broken to power the computer up. I have been in serious computer withdrawl! Isn't that sad? Not too many years ago we didn't even have computers in our house. Now, I feel lost without it. I use it way too much! I even use it to find recipes and phone numbers or answer questions I have. But beside that, we've had a roller coaster of a month. Seriously too much to cover. But on the other end, we a re still waiting for Matt to get back to work. He still has a job, but they are waiting for Provo city to tell them to start. Also, Mariah is still at her Dad's, and I am recovering from surgery to remove a mass I had. I am excited to get back to normal and be able to start working out again. Right now I am working on staying horizontal to control the pain. Oh, life it beautiful!

Gone Again

2009-03-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

So Mariah is gone once again to her Dad's house. I loved having her home with us, though much of her visit she was with friends that wanted to see her. I love my daughter with all of my heart and I truly believe that whatever the outcome, she really needs this experience. It's just really hard. Plus, he will have her for Easter. The first holiday EVER that one of my children hasn't been with me. It's OK, though. If Eddy'a really stepping up and going to be a consistent part of Mariah's life, I better get used to splitting up the holidays. I am concerned with the fact that I think they smoke inside their home. I stood at the door last night and the smell of cigarettes just permeated out. I am going to have to talk to him about that, because I am not OK with that. We'll just get to see how it keeps going!

And there it goes!...

2009-03-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

So this morning we got our long awaited tax refund. Yay, right?! Well, we knew long before we even filed that it would be gone before it ever arrived. For a moment, just a moment, I held $6,504 in cash in my hand before slipping it into my wallet. Sadly, within an hour, I had a mere $300 and some change left. I am happy to have paid off a major bill and a couple of smaller bills we had been waiting on, but it is still sad to say that I had all that money in my hands and now I am already back to feeling broke! The money leaves more quickly than it comes. Matt only has one more week without a paycheck, and then we'll be good to go. It's just getting from here to there. We'll make it! We somehow do, regardless of how bad the circumstances may seem. And our circumstances aren't bad right now, either! We are just being responsible. Too bad being responsible can't be a little more fun some of the time!!!

Monkey Man, Turtle Boy, and Daddy!

2009-03-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

Matt, and the babies, Gavin and Peyton were all playing in our room together the other morning, and Matt along with Gavvy, decided that his new name was Monkey Man, and that PeyPey was now Turtle Boy. gav kept runing around and calling himself his new name and climbing all over Pey and calling him Turtle Boy. They were all tumbling around and wrestling with each other. They all growl...even Peyton! It was a pretty interesting site to see, that's for sure!

Ya, Ya...I'm 30!

2009-03-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Woo, woo! Who is that Old Lady?...

Oh, ya. That's ME!!!!!

Well Friday was my 30th Birthday. Really no biggie. We just had a regular day, and then hubby and I went to dinner at TGI Fridays...Which is Soooo compatible with the new health and fitness challenge I am doing. In many ways. It was after 8 before our babysitter could even get there, so the dinner and then the getting to bed was really late, and the food was loaded with calories...but OH, it was SO GOOD! That's OK, though. I can splurge, right? After all, how many times am I gonna turn 30!

Peyton's 1st Birthday!

2009-02-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

Peyton had his first birthday on February 18th. It was so exciting, but he so didn't like the cake itself...just the frosting as you can see! Happy Birthday PeyPey!!!

Today, I start!

2009-02-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of a 90 health and fitness challenge I am doing. I have already been up and ate some breakfast and I am getting ready to do half an hour of cardio on my new Gazelle, or whatever this machine thing is. It's not actualy new, it's one I found for sale on KSL, but it's new to me. We'll see how this goes...
Mariah has been doing OK so far. She spent the weekend at my sisters, but I guess she was being a bit bossy and jealous if she wasn't the center of attention. I am betting she's getting what she wants and is being allowed to be in charge of the little ones at her Dad's house. Oh, well. I have to let things be as they are there, and then make sure she remembers the rules at home when she's here. Here's to almost a whole week of her being gone! I miss her, but have not been a wreck like I thought I would. That's good, right?!

Mariah is Gone!

2009-02-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

I took Mariah down to her Dad's house on Tuesday, and got her all set up in her school for what could possibly be the rest of the year if all goes well for her. It has been the hardest thing I have ever done. However, if this is what she needs to feel better, then so be it! This is the biggest leap of faith I have ever taken. We'll see how this goes...

Yeah!!! So Happy!

2009-02-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

So those of you who know my husband very well know that he cannot keep something to himself. What I mean by that is that if he buys a Christmas gift before Christmas, I guarantee it won't make it under the tree because he HAS to give it shortly after he gets it. I have known this for a quite a while, so I knew last night when Matt was going to pick out my Valentines gift, that I would more than likely get it as soon as he got home. Of course, he had to give it to me in case I needed to have it sized, since it was the only ring they had left like it and Matt really wanted it, no matter the size. It's beautiful, and I do have to size it down. But that's OK. I think this ring is gorgeous! We have been talking about me getting a new ring for a while. Actually forever, because the ring I was wearing for my wedding ring, was actually a Valentines gift from a few years ago, and last year a Diamond came out of it, so I haven't been wearing a ring at all. I am taking it today to the jeweler to get it sized. I will finally have a ring that fits, and I love it! My husband has great taste! I am so excited to get it back and wear it forever. Oh, and I got to get my nails done last night and that always makes e feel pretty. Heehee...Happy Early Valentines!!!!...

I Wanna Get Together!

2009-02-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

I have so many friends that I have been keeping in touch with through Facebook, my blog, and Myspace, but most of us haven't seen each other for a while. I really want to get together. We all deserve a night out with the girls, and even though many of you may not know each other, I think we'd have a blast! Also, any of you out there who I haven't talked to about the 90 challenge I am starting soon, get in touch with me and I can explain what we are doing and see if you want in on it. It's going to be fun and could be profitable, too!... In many ways. I love you all!

Wow, a whole week!

2009-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a whole week since I last blogged. I have been busy with kids, husband, tiredness, and just overall stuff. The children are adjusting to being back from their Dad's. We had a bit of attitudes, but they have been OK overall. I just hope thir dad sticks with it this time. He has been writing and Mariah has been using the cell phone her Dad gave her to call as often as she can. Sometimes I think he still needs to call her more, not leave it up to her. But we'll see. Well, I am working on a few different projects that should prove interesting. Oh, and I got a makeover! It was so much fun! Here's a picture of me at Union Station in Ogden right after I had it done. My hair's pretty good looking Blonde, huh?...

Just us and the Babies

2009-01-31T16:35:00.001-08:00

Right now the only people home are Matt, me, Gavin and Peyton. It's more quiet and relaxed with out the older kids here...well, just a tiny bit, really! And that happened through somewhat interesting circumstances. However, because of those circumstances, Matt and I had a fun night out on our own and are still recovering today.
So, lots has happened in the past couple of days since I blogged last. First of all, I had court with Eddy for his child support review. The hearing itself was just a regular review, but I got the opportunity to talk to Eddy about what I have been feeling may be best for the kids. I also gave him the letters that the kids had written. We talked some, but he didn't read the letters while he was at the court house. He initially seemed like he may be willing to sign, but not so much after he called a couple of hours later, once he had gotten home. He talked to Mariah and Alex for a bit and then me for a while. Along with other things, he said that he will probably never sign away his rights. He also said he is doing everything he possibly can for the kids, so we will simply get to just maintain the status quo.
Then yesterday, Eddy called and talked to Mariah about the fact that he had gotten her a cell phone so she could call him whenever she wants to. So, Ya! My eight year old will now have a cell phone. But so long as I am not paying for it, I guess we'll see how it goes. I am not, however; going to let her take it to school or to every random place she goes. Anyway, Eddy was going to put it in the mail for her. Then about 8 o'clock last night he called again to see if he could come and pick up the kids to take them for the weekend. I hesitated at first, but the kids wanted to go and I figured if he was willing to find a ride and work everything else out, I should let them go. Even if it was late. So now Mariah, Alex, and Mikayla are in Richfield until tomorrow. So we will see how the kids are once they get home and see if Eddy really is going to be doing more for them. Only time will tell!..

Gavin's new Favorite!

2009-01-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

I was visiting my cousin's blog and she posted the following YouTube video. I played it for Gavin and now he wants to watch it over and over again. So I thought I might post it here, for him, and all the world to see! Just make sure you go to the bottom and pause the music so you can hear the video. ENJOY!!!

Nervous, but excited!

2009-01-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am getting a little bit nervous about court today. It is a child support review hearing with my ex. I am not nervous about court itself, I am nervous about what I am going to do for my children today before court. Mariah and Alex wrote letters to their dad. Neither Matt nor I gave the kids suggestions or told them what to say And because of that, it actually took Alex about an hour to write two sentances. I helped him spell words he had questions about, but other than that, it's how he truly feels and what he wants to say to his Dad from his wonderful 6 year old little heart. Mariah, on the other hand, wrote two full pages and drew him two pictures displaying how she feels. My intention is to go before court and speak with Eddy. I want to show him the letters and then tell him what HAS TO HAPPEN! Either he steps up and consistently contacts his children so they really know he cares about them, or I want him to sign over his parental rights to all three kids. If he does that, he can be absolved from any future child support ordered monies... Because all he is doing right now, especially to Mariah, is Screwing up their heads. Mariah has been a wreck. I will see howitgoes about 1:00 this afternoon. Wish me luck!