We have made it! We are now enjoying the California experience. Everything is now finding a place and getting into a schedule. Here has been our last 2 weeks ......

March 27-29: MOVERS COME! I tried to pack as much of the house as possible. We didn't want to be charged a full move, so I wanted to make sure that we packed as much as we could. Yes, we were given a chunk of $$ for Dans relocation.... but whatever we didn't pay the movers we got to pocket. So because we are greedy we wanted to save as much mula as possible (-; THANKS to all my family for helping out ! Whether is was helping me pack, clean or just taking my unwanted "stuff"(or re-wrapping the basement, getting us a new window etc. ). I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITH OUT YOU! I LOVE YOU!

March 31: Fly out from DEN and into LAX. Thanks to my mom and Dave for driving our brood out to the airport, and thanks to Renae who flew with the kids and I out to CA. Dan and his Dad drove out (they left the 30th). That was in itself stressful getting 4 kids and a dog through security. We even got through with some things that we weren't supposed to. Maybe they saw me as this pathetic looking lady and thought if she wants to blow herself up maybe we should let her.... J/J. The highlight of our travel was we got to be waited on by my Sis-in-Law's sister. It was so nice to have someone we know as a flight attendant, so again I could get some sympathy with the 4 kids and a dog. THANKS AGAIN TO FAMILY!

April 1: Movers meet us at our new residence. It was chaotic... needless to say. Trying to get everything unpacked, and boxes and packaging back on the truck (FYI- if you are moving and they charge by the weight, have them back load the truck so the packaging doesn't count in the weight. If that makes sense. Again, we are greedy [-: ) It was a tiring day!

April 2: Dan goes back to work, leaving the kids and I to unpack the rest of the boxes left. My In-Laws were going to go visit some mission friends that day. While in the midst of everyone getting ready for the day, we realized something that apparently happens quite often here (CA) when there are so many trees....... SEWER LINE BLOCKAGE! Not to dwell on the disgusting. My In-Laws canceled their plans and stayed with me to get this "problem" figured out. Since we are renting, I called the Land Lady and she got a plumber to come out. IT WAS GROSS! Moving on ....

April 3: Spent the day as a family, that will now be together in the same state for a while. The In-Laws went to Bob's sisters house for the night. It was so nice to be together!

April 4: Enjoyed Conference, Easter and my birthday. Dan's Aunt(Dan's mom's sis) invited us over for lunch and to watch conference and to celebrate my b-day. We had a WONDERFUL time!

April 5: Got up and started unpacking. Dan invited us to meet him for lunch, because we can , now that he is only 10-15 minutes away. After lunch drove down to Malibu to show the kids the ocean. It was a little chilly, so we just drove around. After getting home, we walked into our house where a swarm of bee's had decided to try to invade the house. I just happened to be talking to the land lady about the plumbing, so I asked her if she had ever had bee issues. She didn't believe me, so she and her husband came over. Boy were they surprised! The bees were coming into the house from the CLOSED fireplace flew. We vacuumed up the live bees, started a fire and she wanted to see if they would go away. That night when we finally turned he fireplace off, the bees were NOT gone. Dan and I taped some plastic over the fireplace hole, so the bees couldn't get into the house. We lived like that for 3 days, before the land lady decided to call a Bee "person" ( she didn't want the bee's totally exterminated, just relocated). So Day 5 the bee guy came and "kidnapped" the queen and put her into a box. The majority followed her into the box, but the stragglers got terminated anyway. The bee guy said that there were over 10, 000 bees in the chimney! That's right..... OVER TEN THOUSAND! Aaaahhhh! He told us to leave the plastic up for another 3 days or so to make sure that the stragglers don't get in.

Those are all the dead bees. They tried their best to get out, but it didn't work.

I told the land lady that if there was an influx of locusts, frogs or crickets I would be leaving before my first child died! ( She did find that humorous, she is VERY religious).

In the midst of all this unexpectedness, we have enjoyed Cali. The kids have started school, and are really enjoying it. We seem to have a really great ward. It is HUGE..... the rows go into the cultural hall and almost to the stage ( Brighton Ward revisited). I had one lady stop by unexpectedly to see if she could help clean or unpack.... she had 30min. before she needed to pick up one of her kids from school. The elders quorum presidency visited us last night. The church makes the world seem so small (There are a few Colorado connections with people already).

We miss our friends and family, but really are excited to have a new adventure here in Cali. (hopefully they are more enjoyable then the adventures of the last couple weeks). We know that the Lord has plans for us here. We are in the right place for our family.

We are MOVING......

I posted this on Facebook, but there are some that don't follow that, so I thought I better post here too.

We are moving to some place in Ventura County, CA (click on link to see a map) Dan's office will be in Westlake Village. We would, of course, like to stay close to his office so he doesn't have to have a too awful commute.

We have known for a while that to "move" up in Farmers, we would have to pay ours dues in California at their "home base". We just didn't think it would be in such a whirl wind. A few weeks ago Dan was "told" to apply for a job opening in the home office. So he did. Then, last Thurs. he was given the official word that he had gotten the job, but that he will be leaving in a week. WHOA! A weeks notice to figure out what to do with 2 houses, a wife, 4 kids, and a dog.
Well, we are trying our best to keep it together and figure all the things out we need to. We have a little bit of an idea about where we would like to live. We will be renting in CA. We have decided that the kids and I will move the week of their spring break and try to be back together as a family by April.

If any of you know the area of where we're headed let us know..... Any info would be great!

Car Accident.......

Well last Fri was my first EVER car accident. And of course if your gonna have one you might as well make it worth your while.... and your kids'........and the state troopers..... and the insurance.

We were headed to the stock show to meet up with the Lewis'. As I was changing lanes on I-25 the box delivery truck in front of me slammed on his brakes ( not sure why. All the traffic was moving along just as they should. And it was the middle of the day, so it wasn't rush hour or anything). I tried to swerve and slam on my brakes, but hit his driver side back bumper to my passenger front fender. But to my surprise Mr. Box Truck didn't even stop! He drove away with the flow of traffic (about 65mph). Needless to say I and my children, all 4, were STUNNED. I didn't get his license plate #, but I did get the company name on the back. I pulled over and of course called the hubby first. I was hysterical, and the kids followed my lead. I don't "lose" it hardly ever, so Dan knew it was bad. After I called him I called 911 and then called the insurance. Must express some gratitude at this point: 1- That NO ONE was hurt. We all had our seat belts and car seats buckled 2- No air bags deployed 3- That the hubby works for the insurance company.

The lady State Trooper was really nice, as they should be. She gave Jayla a trooper teddy bear to hug (Tanner is too "manly" and by the time she got there Zach was listening to an ipod and Jake was playing his DS). Dan had called our agent and already had a claim started, even while I was on the phone with them. G'pa Lewis came and got us ...... we were still gonna go to the stock show, darn it! And the car got towed to a body shop.


Luckily, the car is NOT totaled. It will be in the shop for at least 2-2 1/2 weeks, after they get all the parts in. Dan just got a new company car last week, which left his old one available. His boss was kind enough to let me drive that until the suburban is fixed. We can't fit everyone into one car but we never ALL have to go the same place except for church. So it will do. I still have to figure out school car pool.

So there you have it! That's my story and I'm stick'n to it (-:

I have become a very private person these last few years (sorry to all my friends). I don't know if there was anything that triggered this response, but I don't "talk" much anymore. I like to blame kids and busy schedules, but I know really that those things are really not to blame.

I have decided to make this blog private...... or maybe this is just really a test to see if anyone reads it :-) I don't really care who reads my blog, but I would like to know if anyone does. So if you want to continue to read about this Crazy Lewis Family leave your response or just email me, call me, text me etc. I haven't decided how quickly this will happen so act swiftly!

Have a great Day! :-)

Pictures......

We took 2nd in our League. Our championship game was played against a Broomfield team that hasn't lost in 3 years.... and is the ONLY team we've lost to in 3 years.

This team has played so well! These boys are so great, and so are the coaches.

Of course you can't win football games with out CHEERLEADERS! There are 2 girls I am missing in this picture.

The CUTEST cheerleader!

After our season was over, the boys (and coaches) weren't ready to quit playing, so they decided to play in The Golden Classic. A weekend tournament... 3 games in 3 days, playing different top teams from the Denver area. A team from Denver, Aurora, and Golden.




Well, we took 1st place! It was so much fun watching them play. You could tell that they were more relaxed since they were done with their season. Not all of the boys on Dan's team could play in the tournament, so we picked up some boys from a different team in our league. They turned out to be great assets.


Dan had surgery on his elbow on a Fri morning and was coaching that evening. He doesn't listen to me, of course.


We had a great season. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED US THROUGH IT! FAMILY ESPECIALLY! WE LOVE YOU!

H1N1

Well the kids and I have gotten our H1N1 Flu vaccinations. Our Tri-County Health Dept. put together a bunch of clinics around our area on different days (probably to keep the masses at bay). There was one last Sat. at one of the local High Schools. No one knew about it until the school district had their "computer" call all the families that have kids enrolled in the district. We weren't able to make that one, but when I got onto the districts web site they have a bunch of scheduled sites. Mon. there was one at one of the middle schools. Again wasn't able to make that one, so Tues. they had another one at one of the other middle schools that Dan has football practice at. I took the kids after football practice expecting a huge long line. I was pleasantly surprised, when we were able to walk right in. It helped that I had already printed and filled out all the consent forms. And for once it helped that I have asthma, so we got bumped to the front of the short little line there was anyway!

I had tried to prep the kids before hand about what to expect and that they would have the choice to snort the vaccine up their nose or have a shot. I told them that I was going to have to get the shot and I didn't have a choice regardless (the asthma thing). Tanner went first and was a little nervous about having something stuck up his nose, but he did fine. Next was Jayla. She CRACKS me up! She sat down and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. The lady asked her if she wanted to have the mist and to my surprise she said NO and that she would do the shot! The tech lady and I both were shocked. We both tried to talk her out of the shot and to do the mist. She just kept crying and said that she didn't want the mist and she would do the shot. Finally after a bunch of coaxing she snorted it up her nose and was totally fine. I still don't know why she wanted to do the shot. After watching the 2 before him Zach was brave and had the mist. The tech let him touch it so he knew there was nothing sharp being stuck up his nose. He did it with out a hitch. Jake was just being 3 and was throwing a tantrum about toys before we even walked into the clinic. So needless to say he was already crying. He got the mist, too. He didn't quite understand, so after he snorted he told the tech that he snuffed up a needle and thought it was funny. Whatever..... he's 3 and I don't understand his thought process. Then it was my turn. Again, I HAD to have the shot. All my kids were watching to see how brave I was going to be. I don't mind shots, that doesn't mean I like them, though. I didn't flinch when I was stuck. I took it like a real woman. But, as soon as she pulled out the needle the blood gushed down my arm. The kids gasped, and Tanner gets a little freaked out by blood. So all I heard was "AAHHH.... my mom is bleeding EVERYWHERE!" in a chorus of 4 freaked out kids. The tech told me I was her first bleeder that night ( surprising since we only got there 45 min before they closed and they had already been there for 3 hours). I wasn't so surprised. I always bleed. Of course now I can't hardly move my arm, and NO I didn't tense my arm during the process, I know better. It's bruised and a little swollen. Oh, well......... at least we won't turn into pigs now (-;

side note- Dan couldn't get one yet because of his surgery that's scheduled for Fri. So he will have to get it after. They have another clinic up this was on the 30th. The best part was that these vaccines were FREE!! YA!

A "Peeve"........

WARNING: very open hostility. Read at your own risk!

I have this nagging peeve about people who talk about needing "Me"** time. Anyone who knows me, knows this. I get tired of listening to whining wives saying that they don't want to "lose" themselves, through their roles THEY have chosen as being a wife and mother.

This blog is not big enough to hold my rants about this topic.

My answer to this is........ LOSE YOURSELF! I have found a much better "me" as wife and mother than I could have ever imagined!

** I am all for keeping up on certain interests and such (ie. mine being going to the gym or taking time in the day to read part of a good book), but not at the expense of my family. Do people really need girls nights every day or every other day for that matter! Yes, those people do exist.

Prematurity Awareness Month............ Giving our support.

( my camera didn't get changed from "action" mode so the picture is grainy)

Farmers Insurance is a big donor to March of Dimes. Every spring we do the March for March of Dimes. It is a BLAST and the whole family has fun. Well last night we were invited to THIS (click) event. Farmers "bought" 2 tables and we were invited to sit at one of them. We had such a great time sampling all the fares. Two of our favorites was the (1) Butternut Squash and Smoked Trout Bisque from Jax Fish House (2) The Halibut from McCormicks. I haven't been to either restaurant {of course Dan has :-) }, but I may have to make him take me now. There were SO many vendors/restaurants there. While the food sampling was going on they had silent auctions going on as well for a plethora of things. Trips, cooking lessons, football tickets, basketball tickets just to name a few. After all of that they had a live auction and a live donation. It's amazing how much money people have to spend at things like this. I guess its all for a good cause, but I was a little overwhelmed. During the live donations they started the first donation at $5000.00 . One guy immediately raised his auction number and said to times it by 4! $20,000.00 (yes I can do math.... sometimes)! What was interesting is that Dan knows this guy. This man is the Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer for Jackson National Life Distributors LLC, Clifford James Jack . The company Dan left, to come work for Farmers. They said that every $5000.00 will fund one March of Dimes program in one Denver Area Hospital. Wow, that's 4 hospitals (again, my knack for math). I became more educated on the role that March of Dimes plays for premature babies, and the research they've funded to help these babies live and thrive. Deborah Takahara, from Denver channel 31, was the Host. She gave a story about how her 7 yr old son knows about breast cancer, but how we need to make the topic of premature babies just as "popular". I didn't know this, but November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Did you know this? Check out the stats at March of Dimes

What we've been up to........... (I have a new camera and have FINALLY uploaded pictures)


Jayla had a "Grandpa Lewis/ Granddaughters date" that he took all the granddaughters in the area (Jayla, Cora, Rachel) to Wicked. She had such a GREAT time! He took them out to a nice restaurant for dinner before the play. I had talked to her about the story line before hand so she wouldn't feel lost as she was watching. She said that some people at the theater told them all how beautiful they looked and how appropriately they were dressed for a "night on the town". She thoroughly enjoyed the production and having a night out with Grandpa! She didn't get home until almost midnight- it was even a school night. I had told her that I would call her school the next day, but circumstances made it so I didn't have to ......

Jayla all dressed up before her night out.

Which brings me to how I didn't have to call her in. We got a nice bit 'o snow the next day and they cancelled school. I'll be honest, I was shocked that they did. Our school district hardly ever cancels school! So needless to say the kids.... ok, and I.... were totally excited about no school. Dan went to a half day of work, and then came home to work the other half. After he felt he had sufficiently done enough, we took the kids to some little hills over by our house to sled. The kids loved it. Jake decided it was even more fun to fore go the sleds and just roll down the hill in the snow. We were there for quite a while, before Dan and I decided to call it a night. My kids LOVE the snow. It did make me excited for the winter. Maybe Dan and I can get up on the slopes and do a lot more snowboarding this year and even get the kids to enjoy it this year!

Dan pulling the little boys. I have more pics of sledding, but they are on my phone.

Our next event was approx. 3 days later..... Football. You gotta love Colorado with it's extremes in weather! All these pics are sunny and drier. Our season is now into the play-offs. We have only lost 1 game this season. In the last 3 seasons we have only lost 2 games. Yes, I am bragging. We won our game, so championship here we come!

Jayla scrunching her face because the sun was in her eyes.

My cheerleaders at half time. We are missing 1, but the little girl in the pic decided she would fill in. She is a daughter to some of our good friends. We have had a fun season. This is the last season I will be able to coach.


Tanner is #53. He isn't as small as he looks next to these other boys. The tall kid next to him is 5ft. 8in and about 190lbs. This team is made up of mostly 10 yr olds, and a few 11 yr olds. Tanner loves football!

Tanner is warming up.

Coaching staff. There is one more that isn't in this picture. Look at the hot stuff tucking in his shirt. I think I want to get to know him better ;-)

This was during the game against Lafayette.

All the parents and cheerleaders do "the bridge" after each game for the boys to run through. After all the boys run, the cheerleaders run through while all the parents cheer. The kids love it!

Then there was Halloween in the mix. My kids can't make up their minds of what they want to be until the very last minute. We went over to some friends house to go trick or treating, so the kids could go with some friends. They had such a great time.

Here's all of them after getting their "loot".

Jake was the Hulk, but didn't want to look at the camera.

Zach started out as the Blue Power Ranger, but when Tanner got to have a mustache, he wanted one too. He didn't want to wear his mask so that everyone could see his "make-up". He decided to wear a baseball hat instead (like Tanner) so then we started calling him a NASCAR driver.

Jayla wanted to be a cat..... AGAIN. She thought it would be funny to be a cat walking the dog.

Tanner came up with the idea to be a Black Market Assassin....... whatever that is. Once he told me what he wanted his make-up to be, we just started calling him a spy. Although, he could totally fit in with the CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) office, don't ya think Pratt Fam?!

My kids are not know to be the perfectly reverent children, who sit quietly with their arms folded all the way through sacrament meeting. We are probably "that" family that no one wants to sit next to because our children, namely the 2 little ones, have no volume control. Luckily we have found some wonderful friends who bring our kids snacks (I bring them, its just more fun for the kids to get them from someone else. Aren't things ALWAYS better when they aren't yours?!) and don't mind sitting next to us. I'm not delusional enough to think that some of this isn't due to parenting.

Anyway, yesterday was our typical sacrament mtg. Children having to go out because they hit someone, getting thirsty, and of course having to go to the bathroom. During one of those brief moments of togetherness, which happened to be right in the middle of the sacrament, Zach in his not so quiet voice told me....."Mom, your never too old to rock 'n roll!" Needless to say it started a chain reaction of snickering through the rows around us. I was glad that some of that snickering was from our friends who get a regular "kick" out of our family antics. I think there was one of "those" families sitting close by that had to just give a look of concern. They probably think we are teaching our kids how to bite the heads off bats or something.

Oh, well! I LOVE MY ZACHIE!

Maybe I'm reading into people too much...........

So the last 3 days Jayla and I have been going to a dance camp that our league sponsored ( on top of our other obligations) . Of course 2 of those days I had to take my little boys with us. MISTAKE!

The first day was managable. We only had a few close calls of toys hurling through the air and almost decapitating a few cheerleaders. The second day was a non-football day so that Tanner could watch the little terrors at home(Dan works late on non-football days to try to make up for the days he is coaching). I didn't mind being outside in the cold and rain that day, when there wasn't the stress of making sure that one of the little boys didn't try to slide tackle a cheerleader to her knees. The 3rd day was inside, but I had to bring the 2 little devils. Unlike many parents, I try to teach my kids to behave in public. Not more than 2 minutes after starting the camp, the discipline started. Again toys flying through the air, name calling began, running through the cheer formations turning into a "frogger" type game. Who can run through them as fast as possible without getting knocked down by cheer moves. The boys spent more than half the time sitting with their backs against a wall, with the threat of loosing limbs if they dare escape. The 5 year old is smart and takes his punishment, the 3 year old thinks it's funny to try to run away, while yelling "Ha, Ha! Come and get me mommy!"

I love the stares I get....... Some as if to think "it serves you right!" Others just glare, even while their children are playing the same "frogger" game and sliding their toys through cheerleaders feet. I find I get defensive and end up in a starring contest. Who ever wins is the better parent. I find that I feel that where ever I go I am always being judged by people. I have had people flat out tell me "That's why we've stopped at one".

Generally my kids are well behaved. A lot of the stress I feel is self imposed. Yes my kids act like kids, but I do try to give direction to them so they have minimal effect on others around them. Though I have those days where I think "What have I done!?" and maybe want to sell a few to make a buck. Those days are really few and far between. If they are not harming those around them I find myself laughing at their antics. I really wouldn't have it any other way.......... but "the buck stops here", uh I mean at 4.

Vote for Sidney to be on a Jones Soda Label! Click HERE

Things I love.........

I have been trying to have better thoughts go through my head, than the negative ones I have been having lately. So this morning as I dropped my kids off at school I was trying to make a list in my head of all the things I love. Here is just a few things that went through my head.......( some are deeper than others, but it's MY list of things)

The blessing I have to be a wife
Being a mother
taking my kids to school so I am the last person they get encouragement from before entering into their long day of learning.
Picking my kids up from school so that I am the first person they talk to about their immediate reactions of what that day at school brought them.
Spending time with my family, even if its as little as driving them around. (as you can tell most of my life is in the car)
Having a devoted husband and father to my kids
Watching my husband in his working capacity (it's fun to see him interact and see how co-workers interact with him) I like seeing him in a different angle.
Having the ability to see my kids learn at such fast speeds
My opportunity to volunteer in such a great school that fits my children's needs
I love the gym, with the mental break it gives me and learning the importance of my body
The gospel, and how it affects my daily decisions for the better
Ice cream
the friends I have
My husbands ability to work hard, and provide me with the option to raise my kids.
Learning

Those are just a few things. I have an on going list in my head that I will hopefully be able to recall when I am having those negative things pop back into my head.

I really need to get a camera! I can't keep storing all the pics I take on my phone. And for some reason I can't get the pictures I do have to post on to the stupid blog! There, that's said.


My kids have started school. It is a love/ hate relationship. We love having a schedule but now I feel we (I) am too scheduled. My kids are everywhere and I am with them. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, I feel. It makes me feel sort of guilty that now I have 3 in school I can't wait for #4 to join them! Is it wrong for me to want some of my own time again?

Tanner is back into football, and is already learning to work through some physical pain. He has a slight muscle tear in his chest, which was making any pushing motion kind of difficult. We did have him x-rayed to make sure it wasn't something more. I keep telling him that if he wants to take some time off he can, but he doesn't. He looks so small with the other linemen he has on his team. It's really weird seeing those tables turn . He is as happy as a 5th grader can be about being in school. It really freaks me out that he will be in middle school next year! UGH!

Jayla decided to cheer again this year and is doing cross country as well. She is LOVING school. She always does. She has her best friend Isabelle in her class for the 3rd year in a row. They are quite a pair. Both are so shy it's almost painful, but when they get together they are hilarious! Just a bundle of giggles. She is really liking cross country, but is still a little reserved. She is such a great daughter and sister!

Zach is LOVING school as well. He is so happy to have homework (we'll see how long that lasts). He is OOZING personality. And will talk to anyone or tell people how it is. He is a crazy man in soccer, and will talk trash to the other team (again, PERSONALITY). He tells Dan on a weekly basis he is going to score "like 10 times". He has score multiple times each week, but hasn't hit that goal yet.

Jake is LOVING school, too. Because then he is the only one home for part of the day. The first week of school, we would drop the kids off and he would tell me "lets go home so I can play the Wii, ALL BY MYSELF!". He wishes he could do something in sports like the other kids. I keep telling him that next Spring he will get to play soccer. He can't wait.

I have been in a "mood " it seems for the past couple months. It's all internal, but I have been really trying to work on a better attitude towards "things". Be patient with me as I may vent sometimes on this blog. Or write cryptic messages. It's just LIFE.

Ya... I know.....

I haven't been blogging. It's my frame of mind. Its the old adage, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

There ya go folks. That's it, for now. Until I am in a better mental place. Or just a better place..........

Testing testing.........
Trying his mobile blogging thing.

PLEASE SHARE!

I have been thinking about the upcoming events in my life (namely football/cheer) and am trying to plan out schedules already for when we are in the "throws" of this chaotic season. One of the biggest issues I have have is "what's for dinner?!". Here's where the title of this post comes in.....

What is yours, your families, or your friends favorite slow cooker/crock pot recipes? Or 15 min and under recipes?

During this fun time of events we generally don't get home and eat dinner until 8pm, so the quicker the prep to finish time, the better. My family gets tired of eating sandwiches and chicken and dumplings.

Thank you for any and all suggestions! Love ya all ! And here's to all of our busy individual schedules!

Goings On.......

Not really feeling the need to blog right now. I still don't have a camera so I can't post pics (I've tried my phone, but I can't get them to post from my phone.) Here are some random things .......

Went to Chicago...... It was AWESOME!

Jayla and Zach have been doing track since May- I love to watch both of them run :-)

Just signed Jayla up to start Cross Country in a couple weeks.

Zach will play soccer this fall

Tanner has been doing speed and agility training since May (3x a week) and this is the last week

Tanner and Dan have started football (that doesn't end til November)

Jayla and I will start cheerleading in a couple weeks ( yes.... I am coaching! {sigh} )

School is going to start Aug. 13 :-(

Zach will start kindergarten the week after :-( - (3 down one more to go)

I've been in a sort of slump lately...... Life just seems to need a change. What, I don't know. (And NO...... I will not be having another kid)

As always, is totally in love with Dan!

I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life! I have so many and need to be better about acknowledging them.

Have the BEST family. Both immediate and extended!

Have been going to Water World and the pool at the gym. ( We really should live in a neighborhood with a pool. It would save us so much $$)

Is not sure what to do about my calling in church (due to the CRAZY schedule that will be starting). Would I be that bad of a person for asking to be released?!

I love going to the gym. More for the mental boost it gives me, but with the perks of being a little more healthy.

There are so many more random thoughts/things to blog.... but MUST quit and get on with the things that need to get done today.

Uh oh.... they think it's MONO!


Poor Jayla has had a headache for a couple days now. She didn't even feel well enough to go to the last day of school (may 21) , so I knew there was really something wrong with her. She has either been a sleep on her bed or a sleep on the couch for those couple of days. She is on the couch sleeping as I type this.

I took her to the Dr. yesterday, not really knowing if I really should. She wasn't running a fever or throwing up. Her main complaints were headache, dizziness when she stood up, and a little bit of a sore throat and TIRED. Her rapid strep test came back negative, but her lymph node in her neck is swollen. Her spleen isn't tender and , again, isn't running a fever. The Dr just looked at me and said "I think she has Mono. We can't give her anything, other than you just treating her symptomatically with Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. " She showed me where to feel for swollen node and said " if she starts raising a fever and the node is bigger or staying the same bring her back".

Our Dr. didn't want to do all the "mono" tests because it requires a lot of poking and drawing blood, which neither of us wanted to do to Jayla (she looked so pathetic :-( ).

So we are just waiting it out. What a way to start summer..... with mono! (maybe....hopefully not!)

I get this question all the time..........

I am asked "where are you all the time! You are never home." Some say it in a kind joking manner, but others have asked me in sort of an annoyed tone. Well here's where I am. (you asked for it)

Mon. 8-8:45 Getting kids to school
11:25-11:30 picking up Zach at preschool
11:30- 1:30 driving to the gym, working out, then driving home
3-3:45 picking up the other kids from school
6-7:15 taking Tanner to speed and agility camp
Tues. 8-8:45 Getting kids to school
8:45-11:00 driving to the gym, working out, then driving home
11:25-11:30 picking up Zach at preschool
3-3:45 picking up the other kids from school
5-6:30 Tanner Baseball Practice
6- 7 Jayla soccer
Wed. 8-8:45 Getting kids to school
11:25-11:30 picking up Zach at preschool
11:30- 1:30 driving to the gym, working out, then driving home
3-3:45 picking up the other kids from school
4-5 Piano lessons for the kids
6-7:15 Tanners speed and agility
6-7 Cub scouts (I'm the Bear Leader)
6:30- 8 Tanner Baseball practice
Thurs. 8-8:45 Getting kids to school
11:25-11:30 picking up Zach at preschool
12:30-2:30 driving to the gym, working out, then driving home
3-3:45 picking up the other kids from school
Baseball Games sometime in the evening
Fri. 8-8:45 Getting kids to school
8:45-11:00 driving to the gym, working out, then driving home
3-3:45 picking up the kids from school
6- 7 Jayla soccer
Sat. Soccer and baseball throughout the day

Now, I don't write this all out to complain or anything. I am just a mom, who loves her kids. Who enjoys watching her children learn and grow. This schedule (this is just all the stuff that has actual time allotted for these events) is probably close to every mother who enjoys what she does. And I know there are many who are more scheduled than I am. To them I say........ Way to go!!!!!!! I LOVE BEING A MOTHER!

I don't want to leave out the very important father in all of this. Dan is very supportive of us and, when he is able and not trying to support our family, he is right there "going and doing" right along with us.

So when I am not answering my phone, or screening my calls, or just plain not available this is why. Please don't take offense. I don't when you do it to me.