Great Influences

I am so grateful for such amazing people in my life. Today I had my Visiting Teachers come. I have new ones, and I have to say I was so excited to hear it was them. These two are ladies who I noticed right away when we moved in. Not only are they beautiful on the outside, but they are equally stunning on the inside. They are the type of ladies who go out of their way to make people feel welcome, special, and unique.

They were so kind today to ask how I do when Matt travels. His traveling is a whole new thing to our family and it has taken some adjustment. We love having him around and doing things as a family. So as we were talking they told me that if I ever need some "ME" time, that they would take my kids. One of the ladies just had her 6th child not too long ago. She is a wonderful talented mother who takes such great care of her kids and who also plays the violin in a orchestra. The other lady has 2 kids, and somehow also manages 3 part-time jobs. What amazing ladies!

Here I am with 3 kids and I get to stay at home with them. I don't have as many commitments as they do and yet they offered to take on another! Serious, how kind can you get! They really made me look at myself a little more today. I often feel like I should help out my ladies more often than I do. The other day I went to visit one of my ladies and I asked her if I could do anything for her. She asked if I could take 2 of her children next month for the day while she did an activity at the kids school. I told her I would check my calendar and get back to her. Honestly, I was hoping that I might have something that day! How sad is that!!!! I thought of all the things this person has done for our family and then called to let her know I could take her kids. I shouldn't even have to think about it. I think so often we are so consumed in our own lives that we forget to give a little too! So thanks to my V/T ladies! Your 1 visit already have taught me so much:)

A Day at the Dentist

Taylor and Parker saw the dentist a week ago and they both had 2 cavities. One in a baby tooth and one in a permanent one. The dentist also mentioned that Parker needed to see a Orthodontist soon. Happy Happy Joy Joy!!! So Parker went to the Ortho and we found out that he needs a bumper on the bottom, and a palate spacer on the top. Poor kid! He will have that for 6 months and then braces on his top four and bottom four teeth for a year. THEN he will get full braces when he is 11 or 12 once all his teeth are in! And we also found out he has TMJ really bad and may need to do something for that if the spacing doesn't correct it. Just for his first spacers and mini braces we will be shelling out $2400.00 and who know what we will pay when he is 11. Who knew kids were so expensive:) Actually I am grateful that he is getting all this done while he is young and before it gets any worse.

So here is the best part. I was really worried about Taylor getting her cavities filled. I love her, but she is a HUGE wuss! She freaks out when she has a loose tooth! When she went for her check-up she kept blocking the girl from brushing her teeth because she wanted to know if it was going to hurt. So when I picked them up from school I brought their children's liquid Lortab from when the girls had their tonsils out. I thought it might help take the edge off for Tay. We also didn't know if they would give them much for the pain. So we got there, Tay was first. She had this really cool visor with earbuds that she put on and picked out a movie. She also chose Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream Flavor for the gas (thank goodness they had that!). She got all numbed up and the dentist took all of 10 minutes to do the 2 cavities! While it was being done, Tay started saying "Hi Uhh" and doing karate moves. She was using her arms and legs!! It was SO funny! I guess the gas felt really good. I was trying not to laugh, but I couldn't stop. There was a intern in there and the poor thing was laughing so hard she was crying! Tay would also reach up and touch all the instruments and go "OOOHHH". It was awesome! She did so great! Parker thought Tay was crazy and he said he wasn't going to act like her and he didn't. He said he didn't feel a thing! I am so grateful for that dentist! She did such an amazing job!

Box Houses, HAB, and Easter!

Box houses during Conference. It was so nice and quiet for hours!

P,T, and O at Hill Air Force Base.

Oakley in her seat ready to blast off!

Tay blasting off!

Parker ready to go!

We had so much fun at the Eater Egg Hunt at Franklin Covey Field.

O saying "Hi" to the S.L. Bee. She also got to hug the Jazz Bear!

She was so excited about all the eggs she got!

O at G & Grandma's Egg Hunt.

T, P, and Matt hunting.

Tay filled her bucket and then some!

P trying out the stilts grandpa made for him.

O with some help from Grandpa.

T and Grandma

Matt right before he jumped off. Good thing we have insurance:)

The kiddos on Easter Morning before church

O,T, and their girls walking home from church! Such a hot little group of ladies!

We have had alot of fun these last few weeks going to the Clark Planetarium a few times, visiting with friends and family, and playing at home.

My can do away with list!

Here are a few things I think I could do away with......

1. My Wii Fit saying "OH" when I get on it.
2. The snow in the spring.
3. Everyone in my family having skinny Mii's on the Wii except me:)
4. While sweeping, catching a ball of fluffy dog hair in my mouth from the dogs.
5. Having to watch the Jazz 4-5 times a week. I like them but come on!!
6. Being excited to watch Grey's and then have it end up being a re-run so I HAVE to watch the Jazz again in my room! Come on!
7. Being rushed down the line at Cafe Rio!
8. Kids pooping in the pool, just gross! And then having lifeguards not evict everyone out while they clean it up!
9. Laundry, scrubbing floors, scrubbing toilets and tubs......
10. Did I mention snow????
11. My husband having to work! I would love the millions of dollars to just come off our trees in the backyard and get to spend 24/7 with him. I really do like him that much:)
12. Sick kids. I just feel so bad for them, and I really don't like cleaning up throw-up.

But really, life is pretty dang fabulous if this is all I can come up with:)

What a Suprise!

This weekend Matt and I were under the weather. We got sick Saturday, spent the day in bed Sunday, and yesterday I spent the day in bed again. Matt was feeling a little better and went to work.

I have days where I think of things that I wish Matt would do as if he could read my mind. Sometimes it is bringing home flowers, other times it's not gong to the gym and coming home to help me with the kids. I have noticed that over the years I will come up with something that I want him to do, and I start to convince myself that he is going to do it or buy it for me! Then when it doesn't happen I am bummed, and I think "What's wrong with him!!", and feel bad for myself. I have had to learn that if I want a certain present, or have a certain expectation for him I need to speak up. He can't read my mind. We don't think the same way all the time. Poor guy! He has put up with alot now that I think more about it:)

So yesterday he went above and beyond what I was "hoping" he would do. Parker had scouts after school and I asked Matt if he could be home from the gym in time. He said sure. So my throat was killing, and I sent a text to Matt that soup sounded soooooo good. Next thing I know, he calls me on his way home from work and asks me what kind of soup I want. Then he comes in the house with soup and sprite. He skipped the gym for me~!!!!! If you know Matt and his love for the gym, then you will understand it was HUGE for him to come straight home! What a Man!!!

Oakley Answers Back

I haven't really had much to post so I took a idea from Jenny's blog. Thanks Jenny!!

Oakley Answers Back.

1. What is something I always say to you?No No
2. What is something Dad always says to you? You can't do that!
3. What makes me happy? Giving you a present
4. What makes Dad happy? When we move away and give him a present (what the?)
5. What makes me sad? Not getting a present
6. What makes Dad sad? Not getting a present
7. How do I make you laugh? When I make funny words
8. How does Dad make you laugh? Screams like a girl
9. What was I like as a child? you were like your toys
10. What was Dad like as a child? He ran around
11. How old am I? 4
12. How old is Dad? 2 1/2
13. How tall am I? 9 inches
14. How tall is Dad? 13 inches
15. What is my favorite thing to do? Go on the computer
16. What is Dad’s favorite thing to do?Play Basketball
17. What do I do when you’re not around? I don't know
18. What does Dad do when you’re not around? Plays BBall
19. What am I good at? nothing
20. What is Dad good at? nothing
21. What am I not very good at? hula hooping
22. What is Dad not very good at? BBall
23. What do I do for a job? go on the computer
24. What does Dad do for a job? Buildings
25. What is my favorite food? Fruit
26. What is Dad’s favorite food?Fruit
27. What makes you proud of me? cleaning
28. What makes you proud of Dad? play BBAll
29. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? spongebob
30. If Dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? patrick
31. What do you and I do together? play at home
32. What do you and Dad do together? color
33. How are you and me the same? our vests
34. How are you and Dad the same? blue eyes
35. How are you and me different? we don't have matching glassas
36. How are you and Dad different? He's tall I'm little
37. How do you know I love you? shopping
38. How do you know Dad loves you? BBall with me
39. What do I like most about your dad? Being with him all the time
40. What does Dad like most about me? Huggies

She cracks me up! I guess she knows Matt is really into BBAll and that we day no alot! Crazy!

Forgiveness

The last week or two I have really been humbled when it comes to forgiveness. 6 years ago in June, my sister-in-law was killed by a 16 year old boy from Idaho. She was the passenger in her friend's car. They were going through a green light, she had her seat belt on. The truck with the 16 year old boy hit her side and there is no way she could have survived the accident. It was really, really hard on my husband's family. I remember having to call their family and friend's to let them know what happened. I remember being the spokesman for the family at the funeral and giving a talk that I didn't think I would make it through. I remember somehow the father of the boy got ahold of me to apologize and say they would fight against their own insurance when things got ugly between the lawyers and the insurance company. It was hard. Matt and I were young and it took alot of strength from us. Moving to Hawaii was a very good thing for us. We were able to get away and let go of some hard feelings and frustration we had.

Matt's parents bought a house 2 blocks away from the cemetery where Silicia is buried at. It has helped his mom alot. She is able to go over there whenever she wants. She has really had a hard time though. Silicia was the oldest and the only girl in the family. She was very close to her family, but especially close to her mom. I too am close to my mother-in-law and I have heard for years that she is ready to move on from this world. She has had bitter feelings and rightfully so. No one can know what that is like unless they have experienced it themselves. I love my mother-in-law and I joke with her often that she needs to quit trying to "Check Out" of this world! We need her. We love her.

This past week she has shown me something so amazing, something I wasn't sure she would be strong enough to ever do, and yet she has. She was contacted by her neighbor that a therapist had called her and asked if she was my mother-in-laws neighbor. ( my in-law's number is unlisted.) How did she know that lady was my mother-in-law's neighbor? The Internet:) She told this neighbor that someone needed to make amends with my mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law wasn't sure who she had wronged in the past, but was curious and called. She was told from the therapist that Tye the boy who hit Silicia needed to make amends. He is on drugs right now, and is down from Idaho in therapy for a month trying to change his life. The accident really messed him up. Of course it did. He was only 16. He is now married, and has a daughter that is 2 1/2. I asked my M-I-L how she felt. What would she do? For me this was so heavy to deal with. She said that all she wanted to do was hug him and tell him it's o.k.
This is coming from someone who couldn't believe things happen for a reason anymore. She hard a hard time understanding that it was Silicia's time to go.

She received a letter from Tye a few days later. He said he was sorry and told a little about how he was and that he wanted to talk to them on the phone or in person. My M-I-L called the therapist and they are meeting tonight at my In-Laws. My husband will be there tonight to meet him. I do believe that everything happens for a reason and sometimes we just don't understand why they happen. The therapist also told my M-I-L that Tye and his daughter were driving through the intersection where the accident happened one day and his daughter said to him"Dad there is a girl who is dead in the road and you did it". He said that Silicia has visited gim a few times. His daughter's name is Oakley. Same as my youngest. Coincidence? I am not sure. Is is coincidence that I got pregnant with Oakley unexpectedly while in Hair School and was due with her 1 year to the day Silicia died? I really don't think it was coincidence.

I am so grateful for this lesson that my M-I-L has taught me. She is so amazing. I hope that I can always remember that life is too short. That nothing is worth not having a relationship with your family. Family is all we have.