Sunday, July 12, 2009

The past two weeks have been very crazy. McCabe had a double ear infection and I had a sinus infection resulting from a prolonged allergy season. We are finally both well, however, being sick is the worst...especially when my mind thinks about a possible relapse with cancer (Yikes!).

The 4th of July was fun for Tim and Jacinda. They got to have a daddy daughter date at the lake. They bought ice cream and watched the fireworks. I stayed home with McCabe and watched a veggie tales movie. McCabe does not do well with fireworks. He is etremely scared by the noise and the light. In fact, he bit me two different times when lighting fireworks. He was not being mean. In one firework incident he was crying and I was holding him as he nestled his head in my shoulder a firework went BANG and it scared him which caused him to sink his teeth into my shoulder. The other incident he was standing next to me but as soon as he saw Tim light the firework he started screaming and ran behind me. The next thing I knew there was a loud firecracker noise and I was screaming because of the pain in the back of my thigh. Sure enough, he had bit me. I decided, no more fireworks with McCabe nearby it is just too painful for both of us.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

We are having a very busy summer. Jacinda just finished her swimming lessons. She can now submerge her head in the water and blow bubbles without being scared. McCabe had to sit next to me for 2 weeks and watch. He grew very impatient at times. McCabe is very excited to take swimming lessons, however, that wont’ happen for another year. In the meantime, we take him and Jacinda to the river and the sprinkler park to get his “swimming” fix.


Going to the river.




Loving the sprinkler park and the giant drinking fountain.

Summer is a great time filled with picnics, naps, and water fun. However, this past month we had relatives and friends stay with us. First the Dimond family visited. Bonnie was Tim’s Sunday school teacher when he was 13. She formed a really good bond with her class and keeps in touch with them. We got the honor of housing her and her family for a day or two. Andrew (age 6), her son loved playing with the kids. In fact, he had a very hard time leaving. All of his crying and pleading to stay I take as a compliment.



Jacinda and McCabe having a little picnic on the deck.



Nap time for Jacinda and daddy.


After the Dimond’s left, grandma Fisher and soon to be grandpa John stayed with us. They came for Ashley’s (my niece) wedding. It was great to have them. The kids loved seeing them and I enjoyed talking to some adults. I also appreciated the fact that they watched the kids while Tim and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary (WOW!). Tim had planned a nice little get away, but that got postponed because of Ashley’s wedding. Instead we went to dinner and took a little walk around part of the lake. I could not walk for very long because of the pressure from the fetus. So we had little moments to rest and talk. It was actually very nice.

Among all the celebrating I cannot neglect father’s day. Sometimes Tim is so brilliant with his gift ideas. All he wanted was a video of the kids singing and doing a little program. So I had the kids sing (with actions of course) “Once There Was A Snowman,” and “The Wise Man.” Then we had Jacinda answer some questions about her dad and we asked Tim questions about his childhood. It will be a fun video to watch in 20 years.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Friday we found out it's a girl!! We don't have any names chosen, but we are looking forward to October when she arrives. Jacinda wants to name her Strawberry Shortcake (can you tell what is popular with her?). We are trying to tell McCabe that mommy is having a baby, but every time we say "baby" he points to his belly.

I wanted to upload pictures with this post but at the moment I cannot find my picutre attachment....so you will need to use your imagination. McCabe is big into trains. He loves to play with them, watch them, and hear their whistle blow. He is a huge fan of Thomas the Train and loves to say, "Skarloey."

Jacinda is big into Strawberry Shortcake, Veggie Tales, and playing with her dolls. She is currently working hard to earn a bike. She has a chore chart and for every chore completed she gets a sticker. Once all the boxes on the chart are filled she gets to pick out a bike.

Tim is big into taking small projects and making them huge. This past Saturday he spent the day building a playground/jungle gym for the kids. He woke up at 4:00 am thinking about how to make it better than his original idea. This is one of the many reasons why I love this man. No matter how simple the task, he always goes the extra 12 miles!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Yesterday I got to be an extra in a movie called the “Crowley Project.” It stars Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, and Keri Russell. I participated in two scenes, the school play (as an audience member) and in front of the school as a parent dropping off her daughter. I won’t be seen in either one because both times I was too far away from the cameras. However, it was a fun experience. If you see this movie when it comes out note the outdoor scene when everybody is in a jacket or a sweater and see if anyone is sweating. It was 89 degrees and that segment was shot 9 times. The crew was awesome about getting water and sunblock to the participants.

It is amazing how society builds up actors and actresses. They are just ordinary people like us. I took some pictures but need to figure out how to get them from my phone to the computer. Stay tuned for pictures.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

I wish I knew who wrote this so I can give them credit. Regardless this is a sweet message that shows the true cost of having children.

The Price of Children.

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition .But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is : don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights . First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night..
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus .

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas , hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day , and cards with backward letters for Father's Day .

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool ,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great - grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match...In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I am the luckiest mom ever for 2 reasons….Jacinda and McCabe. They make me so happy. I love how Jacinda sporadically says, “I love you McTabe.” And then he answers back, “I love you.” They both try so hard to be good.

We went to a carnival and the kids had a great time. It took McCabe a little convincing at first, but after the rides started moving there was laughter. Jacinda loved riding the swings. She though she was flying.

McCabe and Jacinda riding bikes.

Jacinda flying on the swings.

Jacinda and mom waiting for daddy and McCabe to finish their ferris wheel ride.

During this past week we were so busy doing things. We bought plants for our garden and Tim made a fire pit from a washing machine. It is the ultimate white trash fire pit but works great. We made some delicious s’mores and enjoyed the heat during a light sprinkle. I love being with my family.

White trash fire pit. (Oh yeah)

Today I got to teach the lesson in Relief Society on the Infinite Power of Hope. It was given in October’s Saturday conference. If there was one message that really struck me, it was that hope should be the first feeling that fills our lives when trials come over us. It is hard to have hope when life gets hard, but having hope (aka trust in the Lord) makes the trials much easier to encounter.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The kids, mainly Jacinda was very excited for the Easter Bunny. She told me to put a basket in front of her bedroom door so the Easter Bunny would fill it. She was sorely disappointed when she awoke and found an empty basket. She said, “the Easter Bunny did not come.” I told her to go downstairs and eat some breakfast. That is when the fun began. She saw a gift for mom, then for McCabe, and then she found her Easter basket. She was so excited she started singing and telling everybody that she loves them. It is amazing what a few pieces of sugar can do for a kid.