Take your Family to Work Day....

So last Saturday, (yes, I know I'm behind on blogging...sorry...) Matt's work had their annual Book Fair. This year families were invited to come and get a look at the new office in the Gateway. The boys thought this was sooo awesome. And so did I for that matter! I like to see where my husband spends 75% of his life!!!







Matt gave us the grand tour of the office including the ever popular..."break room". This was the kids favorite room because Daddy bought them candy from the machine. I actually liked the break room because there is this nice floor to ceiling, window room with nice chairs that overlooks the Gateway. It was peaceful. Matt says he goes there often on break because it is a nice area.














Both of the boys liked to try out Matt's office chair and sit at his desk.

I think they look so handsome sitting there!















Maybe someday boys! You might get to work in a big office building just like Daddy!














What a hunk!!! He looks so cute at his "cube" as he calls it! He has a window seat, which is super nice. He says it's one of the best seats in the house!
What a cute hubby I have huh?
I'm the luckiest girl ever!
We love you Daddy!! Thanks for working so hard for our family!!!












(What's up with the color scheme? I'm not sure if I could look at that color of green and blue all day...yucky!)

Camping with just the boys...

So this past weekend was the ward's annual Father's and Son's campout. My boys LOVE this yearly family tradition. I'm not sure if it's because they LOVE to sleep in the trailer or if it's because Daddy let's them go potty in the trailer...(Mommy will not, because it's small enough it stinks up the whole thing)



I forgot to snap a shot of our AWESOME 1983 Hi-Lo trailer, so you'll have to wait until later in the summer when we pull it out again... It's a family heirloom. We LOVE it!!! Why camp in the cold, when you can just turn on the furnace?

Whatever the reason, this is the highlight camping trip of the season.



I usually have Matt take the camera to bring me pictures of their fun over-nighter. This year he actually pulled the camera out of the car and snapped a few shots...I'm so glad!! YAY Daddy! I've always wanted to see what goes on at these "all boys" shin digs!




Apparently, nothing out of the ordinary...just the usual "let's see how much stuff we can throw in the fire and watch it burn".







Spencer is so proud with his "fire stick". I'm sorry, it just reminds me of Ice Age..."Hey, Lord of the flame...your tail's on fire..."
Luckily, no one's "tails" were lit on this trip...(that I know of)






I think he's trying to putt some kindling into the fire pit....









This was raging right behind them...Thanks again Daddy, for keeping them safe and away from this potential disaster!





And now I present....Fire Warriors...A Young Boys' Obsession with Fire...






Yes, Spencer, you are VERY impressive. (Notice all the other similarly aged boys gathering around for the same reason.)







Well, while the boys were away, the girls were at PLAY!!! (And of course no pictures, because the boys had the camera)

Sadie and I had lots of fun hanging out, just the two of us. We went to Lowe's and bought flowers for the yard and came home and spent the rest of the evening planting them all and weeding the embarrassing amount of weeds growing in the yard. I think I'm just going to talk myself into the beauty of morning glory and dandelions. Because I sure can't seem to get rid of them! Any ideas???

I did get seriously tired of Sadie asking me every 2 seconds (and that's not exaggerating) "Where's Daddy?" "Where's Ethan?" "Where's Spencer?" "Oh, OK. They go Paancking." Finally before they got home the next day I taught Sadie the correct way to say camping. It was super cute the first few times, but after 24 hours, Mommy stopped answering.

For the most part, Sadie is the perfect daughter. She is pretty easy to handle. Like anyone, she has her occasional freak-outs, but then she recovers and it's on with her day. She is trying to potty train herself; but is a little inconsistent at best. She is getting a little better each day, but I'm not pushing the issue. She'll decide when it's time to get rid of the diapers.

I am so lucky to have such a great family. You really appreciate each other more after being apart for a little while.

The boys got back around 2pm on Saturday and later that afternoon we had another fun activity we attended...I don't have time to blog that right now, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I've been busy with my photography business. Things seem to be going pretty well. I'm on the hunt for the best deal to upgrade my equipment, so that's keeping be busy researching. I have 3 photo shoots this week..YAY!!

I'm still here!!!

Hello people!! I'm still here...yes, I've just been sooo busy lately with a bunch of photography projects, home projects, and now because the weather is better...it's out in the yard I must go!! I have some fun posts coming up, but literally have had no time to get the pictures downloaded to my computer. There's some fun pictures coming...so try and be patient.

In the meantime, pop some popcorn, grab a box of Mike and Ike's, and curl up for an exciting American Idol tonight. Go David's!!!

Racing Through Tears...

Saturday was the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It's a family tradition at our house since I joined the "cancer club" 5 1/2 years ago. Each year we haul the kids downtown to the Gateway and walk (or run) in the race. It's one charity I completely support since over 75% of all the money raised stays in Utah to support all kinds of breast cancer research, support and other kinds of funding. Plus the kids (and I ) have lots of fun collecting all the free samples they hand out each year. Here we are collecting our stuff when all of the sudden Ethan is attacked by the Grizzly's Hockey Bear!!!


Then it's off to the starting line......
(Matt is pushing Sadie in the stroller along side his brother Joe pushing their two kids)

Ethan walked along with Matt and everyone even though he was only 10 days out from having his tonsils out.

The kid is a real trooper I'm telling ya. When I asked him if he felt up to walking the one mile, he said, "Um, ok Mom. That's fine." He's such a good kid.

Last year, Spencer and I ran the 5k together. It was the first time someone in our family had actually "ran" the race. Spencer got pretty tired, but really stuck with it and made it to the end. So I asked him this year if he wanted to run again or just walk with Dad and the others. He said that he really wanted to run....I asked him why he wanted to run again, and he said that he had so much fun last year, because he LOVED that half way through the race someone hands you a cup of water and when you are done with it, you get to drop it on the ground. He said that was the best part of the race!! How could I argue that? I agreed we would run the 5k together again this year.
So here he is drinking his water and then happily throwing the cup on the ground.... I think I enjoyed this part of the race just as much. The cold water was necessary to keep me from passing out!!!

There were over 17,000 participants this year. You couldn't really even "run" for the first few blocks of the race because the street was packed full of people.It is at this time during the race that I start to become emotional.

This is my 6th year participating in the race and each year I think I'm not going to cry this time. I know many of the survivors now and there's really no reason for me to get emotional every year is there? Yes, there is. I guess the sight of so many thousands all running for someone...the signs pinned to everyone's back showing who they are running in celebration of, or in memory of, or both. Sometimes you see the sweetest stories printed on people's shirts. The race encompasses a great feeling of love and caring. You just can't ignore it. So, you cry. I guess it's kind of like in church when you're bearing your testimony, you've done it before, you cried before, but every time you do it, you cry again and again...

This year was particularly emotional for me. I was running in memory of my dear friend and fellow Young Survivor Sister, Aubrey Arnell. Aubrey was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27. She has a sweet husband and 2 kids Caleb and McKaela. She did all of the regular surgeries and treatments at the time of her diagnosis and was cancer free for 2 years. Then Dr.'s discovered a large tumor on her liver. The breast cancer had spread to her liver. She continued on extremely aggressive treatments for another year until the chemo just stopped working. Through all of this, Aubrey was a big supporter of our survivor group and was always upbeat and positive. Never once did I see Aubrey complaining, frowning, or saying something negative. She would always say things like, "I need a Care Bear stare over here!!! Send me some luck you guys!!!" It wasn't until the last couple of weeks of her life did I notice a slower-paced Aubrey. I was able to have breakfast with her just 10 days before she passed away. I will never forget that morning. It was such an honor that she shared 60 minutes of her final days on earth with me. I love ya Aub. I miss ya lots.

I could barely finish the race through all the tears. It gets a little tough to breathe when your crying and running at the same time!!! Finally we crossed the finish line. And then at the finish line I see Aubrey's husband and kids just finishing their race. I said hello and gave them all a big hug. Spencer said hello too, since he came and played with Caleb once, while Aubrey and I visited. At that moment, I couldn't help but hug Spencer a little tighter. Just because I could.

So after the race is completed all of the survivors line up and "march" through the crowd and line up on the stairs. A motivational song is sung and lots of tears are shed. Lots of CHEERS and lots of applause are given. It's such a cool feeling. This is what my view looked like...I zoomed in and was able to find Matt and Sadie, my Mom and sister Larena in the enormous crowd of people...

I even found another survivors daughter clear at the back of the crowd cheering her mother on!
This is little Hannah with her pink pom-poms cheering for her Mom...

After the song the crowd starts to break up and our little group stays for pictures. As I mentioned earlier, this group is called The Young Survivor Sisters. Another survivor, Ginny Nelson, and I started the group after discovering there was no support group for younger women with breast cancer. Our group has over 35 people in it now. Everyone in the group was diagnosed UNDER the age of 40. Most of us in our 20s. We get together every month and have lunch and talk cancer. It's been a tremendous help in my life. Not only have I gained a lot of knowledge and help, but I have made forever friends. Love you sistas!!!

Here's my real sisters....(from left to right) Larena, Danielle, Me, and my Mom. Thanks you guys for coming to support me! You guys are the best!!! Love you!

Even though my Dad wasn't there, he ALWAYS donates quite a bit to the fund each year and has always been so supportive of me. Thanks Dad! I really appreciate you!

My mother-in-law also signed up to come, but at the last minute couldn't make it...(she was being wonder woman again) so I really appreciate her always being there for me too. Love ya mom!

My sister-in-law Robyn ran with Spencer and I...until I got too slow and I begged her to go ahead....Thanks Robyn for coming and supporting me!!! (And kicking my trash at the race..you are quite the runner!)

But most of all thanks to Matt, Spencer, Ethan and Sadie who are always there for me every day. I have the best family ever!! Thanks for being my rock and helping me every day through all the crap cancer can dish! I couldn't do it without you...

I know there are a lot of you out there who are very supportive as well. So thanks to all of you too! The kindness I received from my old neighborhood when I was diagnosed will FOREVER be locked in my heart. Some of the best people EVER were there for me during the hardest times of my entire life....thanks Edgemont Ward!!!
After such a great day, it's nice to have a little perspective....hug a little longer, listen a little more carefully, take time for the things that really matter and always remember...even when you fall flat on your face, at least you're still moving forward!!!

Soooo tired....

Yesterday, Sadie was one tired little girl. I'm not sure what it was that wore her out so bad, but at about 6pm, she literally stopped in her tracks and fell asleep.....on the bottom stair!!!

She had just come inside from playing and was still covered in dirt. I think she was on her way upstairs to come and tell me all about her adventures...when...she got so sleepy, she just had to lay down for a nap.


I love this picture, because It shows she was still in motion when she fell asleep! I think it's so funny!!

What a sweet little girl!!! I can't imagine the kind of headache she must of had after waking up from sleeping in that crazy position!!

Love you Sadie!!!

Mom's day

So I have the best Mother-in-law...she sent this great article from the Deseret News about Mother's....I can completely relate....

Motherhood's tough times are normal...

By Michelle Lehnardt

Thursday, May. 8, 2008

I was chatting with my darling neighbor who has three tiny kiddos, is pregnant with her fourth and in the middle of tearing up and remodeling her home. She's feeling a wee bit stressed.Soon tears were flowing and she said, "But I shouldn't complain. You've got twice as much going on as me and you are always so pulled together."Ha! Me? Pulled together? "I sincerely and honestly apologize if I've ever given you that impression," I told her. "I would never want anyone to think that about me."As the mother of five wild boys and one crazy little princess, I am not trying to create any illusion of perfection. Ten days out of 10 I have moments where I simply can't handle life. And I also have really great happy moments 10 days out of 10. I choose to believe that's a normal part of motherhood.

My friend Missy told me a story of hiking with her dad when she was 8. The hike was easy and fun for the first few miles, but as the elevation increased and Missy's energy wore down, she struggled for breath and fought to keep up with her father. Convinced that something was truly wrong with her body, she called to her dad, "I can't do it. You go on. I'll wait here."Her father stopped, sat her down and gently explained, "You're OK. We're higher on the mountain now and the air is thinner. You have to take deep breaths and I need to slow down and walk slowly with you. You're going to make it. You're going to be fine. This is normal."For Missy, those words made all the difference. There wasn't anything wrong with her; it's normal to struggle when you are not getting enough oxygen.And I guess that's my message to all my fellow mothers. None of us are getting enough oxygen. Every mother I know, whether she has 10 kids or one, is pouring every bit of her energy into the bottomless pit of motherhood. It's meant to be hard. This is normal.I don't ever anticipate being the pulled-together super-mom. I don't want to be. Forgetting a birthday party or serving cereal for dinner is fine with me. If I ever get too organized I may not have time to sit and hold my Gabriel while he tells me about last night's dream or I may not be willing to leave the beds unmade and go on a walk with a friend.Inadequate, imperfect, scatterbrained, messy -- it all makes me a better mother.I should stop here, but I won't. My cute neighbor said she tried to explain her stress to her mother, but her mother's reply was, "You have no idea how lucky you are. There are so many people in the world with bigger problems than yours."I beg to differ. My friend is a nurse in a child abuse unit; she served an 18-month service mission in Guatemala. She is acutely aware of the problems in the world and often expresses her profound gratitude for her husband, home and children. Just talking about her blessings throws her into guilty worries that she isn't grateful enough.But taking care of three small people, growing a new one in your belly and picking out tile for the kitchen are exhausting, oxygen-depleting tasks. Not life-threatening, but exhausting.It's OK to be frustrated. It's OK to be overwhelmed. This is normal.(Michelle Lehnardt never folds laundry and her car is a mess. She runs through the streets of Salt Lake City, takes lots of photos, plays Uno with her five boys and buys too many dresses for the little princess. Her husband is the most romantic man in the world because he does all the Costco shopping AND hauls it into the house (sorry to make you jealous, girls).) "

So I guess what I need to realize is that I'm completely normal. And yes, it does help a little bit with the struggle for oxygen. Just when you feel like pulling your hair out, I can take a deep breath and go on...

I don't think you ever truly appreciate your own mother until you become a mother yourself. So thanks Mom. You are the best. Thanks for being so patient with me through all the weird years, thanks for forcing me to play the piano, (I'm so glad now!) and thanks for giving me a chance to try every sport or dance I could dream of. How many Mom's enroll their kids in Accordion lessons, ballet, tap, gymnastics, soccer, softball and ask is there anything else you'd like to try? My mom is the strongest person I know! She would put up the trampoline all by herself. I've never seen such guns on a woman! We would always call her "SHE-RA, Princess of power!!!" Go Mom! Even still, she shovels horse poop 2 times a day and works harder in one day, than most people do in a month! She still drops everything and drives an hour to come help me out with the kids whenever I ask...I've got the best Mom. Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!!

I couldn't ask for a better Mother-in-law. Some people complain about their in-laws..I have only the nicest things to say!!! My mother-in-law is there at a moments notice... even when she has dinner cooking for 3 of the neighbors, 4 (or often more) grandkids over that she's babysitting, and her own elderly Mother she's caring for in the basement all while she's quilting a quilt for the humanitarian aid, dry pack canning for all of her kids, neighbors, and friends, working on the latest Stake Relief Society project, organizing family get togethers & birthdays, and updating all of her genealogy files. Can you say WONDER WOMAN??!!! I could go on and on... I love you Mom! Happy Mother's Day!!!

So to all of you Mom's out there...way to go...you know being a mother of 1 child is like having a full time job...having 2 children is like having 2 full time jobs...

Here's my career description:

"I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (both indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have three credits (2 sons, 1 daughter). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

If there were an ad placed in the want ads for Mom's, it might look something like this: ( I know this is getting long...but bear with me...it's sooo true....)

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately.On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis..
WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right..

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!

Do you Pee Pee in the potty?

Funny story. Over the weekend Matt was so great and told me to take a break from the kids since I'd been "house trapped" due to Ethan's tonsillectomy. So I jumped at the chance and enjoyed some "alone time" at the grocery store. While I was gone Matt told me that Sadie said the cutest thing.

See, recently Sadie has showed a lot of interest in using the potty, like a big girl. So I have been taking her potty and she has gone several times!!! I always immediately clap and praise her saying, "Good job Sadie! You go pee pee on the potty! YAY Sadie!" Followed by lots of clapping and cheering.

Well, Matt went on the potty and when he came out of the bathroom Sadie said, "Daddy go pee pee in the potty? OH, YAY DADDY!!" And she jumped and clapped and clapped. Matt said it was the funniest thing he'd seen in a long time. What a cute little girl we have!!!


OK, so serious apologies here...I have dropped off the "blog world" for several days. My computer does not like me. I have been dealing with some pretty crazy hard drive stuff with all of my picture files, and let's just say there's been a lot of tears, stress, and some not nice words.
I have no idea why my pictures from my last post did not work. It might have something to do with the fact that all my pictures are gone from my hard drive. I'm not sure. I think I can fix the problem, but just hang in there ok readers? (anyone out there???) I know it's hard without lots of little pictures, but hey, I have great news....

Comcast is coming to install the internet tomorrow! Hey if you call and talk to them long enough, they will magically find some "special" out there that's almost as cheap as dialup! Ok, not quite. I guess with taxes and fees we'll be paying $14 more per month for phone and internet than we are now. But I thought that was a pretty good deal. We still don't have cable or satellite TV. I think we'll just wait for the signal to drop next year and then just turn our TV into a giant "digital picture frame".

So if you can stand to wait a couple of days, I think my blog will be filled to the brim with pictures! No more 20 minute per picture wait time on uploads! What will I do with all my extra time? Sleep.

Toothpaste and Sanity....

Ok. So having all three children clinging on to me at once is fine...for about 20 minutes...then showering, getting dressed, trying to do dishes and just functioning in general become a little tricky. So by 8pm when I finally locked myself in my room the house got really quiet. After 15 minutes I decided I better go see what the kids were up to.

Well, this is what I found Sadie doing. My messy little perfectionist. She managed to put her bib on, (knowing that she was about to make a mess) and proceeded to quirt ALL the toothpaste out of it's tube into the sink. What a great time she was having. Bless her little heart she was trying to keep her hands clean by using the hand towel to wipe them off.

Part of her creative play was disassembling the spray bottle and using that to smear toothpaste all over the bathroom.

It's all just a memory now, but at the time I think I went insane...
Ya know how sometimes you just hit your limit? Well my limit was hit about 3 hours BEFORE this lovely "play time" happened.

Matt was very helpful and tried to get Sadie out of Mommy's hair for a few minutes.

So today is a new day. Let's hope Mommy can keep her sanity a little longer than yesterday!

ETHAN UPDATE: Ethan is doing really great. Still no complaining, he just gets a little grumpy when his pain meds wear off. And no more puke...so far...so that's great. He managed to eat his first solid food today...WHITE bread. We'll see how that agrees with him.

Thanks for everyone's encouraging comments...I'm glad to know there's other people out there...sometimes I forget...

Poor little Ethan...no more red jello!!!

Yesterday, Ethan and I went to Primary Children's Hospital for Ethan to have his tonsils out.
His tonsils are so huge and have always been large, but recently the Orthodontist said that his lack of airway is causing him to strain his neck to breathe, causing his teeth to grow in wrong. So...off to the ENT we went. And sure enough the ENT thought tonsil removal would significantly help Ethan.

Here is Ethan right before surgery. They had him draw a face on a "mini me" so he could feel comfortable about being there. He even got to play video games while we waited.




This is Ethan right after he came out of surgery. He was really groggy and didn't talk at all. He just kind of nodded his head and then went back to sleep. We let him sleep for a good hour after surgery.






Here is another picture of Ethan sleeping after surgery.

Finally Ethan started to wake up a little and he was so cute, because I said I'm going to take a picture so you remember ok? And he sat up and smiled. What a sweetheart.
It's really hard to see your kids hurting and hooked up to stuff. (As many of you Mom's out there already know.) It was definitely another "teary eyed" moment for me. Ethan is such a good kid. He never really complains and just kind of goes with the flow. He has such a nice personality that way.

So after spending about 5 hours at the hospital, we were finally cleared to go home. Ethan slept the entire car ride home. He stayed on the couch for a little while after getting home and then asked for his bed.

Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly, until about 9:30pm when the red JELLO he had been eating all evening decided not to agree with him. Well, of course he didn't quite make it to the bathroom, so right on the carpet lies a lovely pinkish hue to my carpet. The light blue bathroom rug is now a red polka dotted rug despite all my cleaning efforts.

Poor Ethan, can hardly swallow and then loses his dinner everywhere! I got him cleaned up and back in bed, while Matt bathed Sadie. (since she was right in the line of fire, but luckily only had a diaper on). We got all the kids settled and I started the cleaning process. I got out my steam vac and began steaming the carpet. After 20 minutes, the stain was still as bright red as ever. I got the spot cleaner out and began to scrub...and scrub....and scrub...and steam more and scrub more...after 4 hours of this I looked on the Internet for help. I tried salt, ivory soap, laundry detergent, everything listed...and it did help a little. But there is still a basketball sized pink spot in the middle of my floor. So if any of you have any suggestions...other than replace the carpet...I'm up for anything!!!

At 1:30am when I finally decided to quit trying, I checked on Ethan one last time and then went to bed.

Ethan slept all the way until 7am. I thought his first night went great (if you don't count the red jello puke stain on my carpet).

I gave Ethan more pain medicine and he seems to be doing fine. He's really excited to have a milkshake for breakfast....vanilla of course...nothing but white things are going in this kids mouth for the next week!!! I've learned my lesson. I was just so excited to see him finally interested in eating anything, I didn't think that the anesthesia could possibly have such a bad effect on him.

So for the next 10 days, Ethan is restricted to bed rest. (not that he'll be up for anything else) But that means Erin is home bound. If my blog gets a little cranky as the week goes on...you'll know it's because the cabin fever is taking over.

Ethan is really a great patient. He hasn't complained 1 time. He's really a good sport. I look forward to 2 weeks from now when the results of this surgery will start to really pay off. He should be able to sleep better, run longer, eat better, speak better and his teeth should start growing in a normal direction (as opposed to straight out). I love this kid!!! I hope in 2 weeks I can still sing the same tune!!!