I will survive....

Here are my three wonderful kids....SULKING, because Kory wants to play the PS2 (Star Wars Lego) and Brock wants to play outside with his friends or watch the new movie we just bought (Iron Man) and Rachel wants to wear her *Princess* shirt DIRTY out of the laundry basket. And I have decided that none of the kids are going to be happy because Brock & Kory have been told that they can't do ANYTHING they want to do until they find their MP3 players that have now been missing for three weeks and well...with Rachel, need I say more? Dirty clothes, yuck!

I am getting so tired of hearing that I am the "worst Mom in the world" and all because my kids are spoiled and don't always get their way! Boo Hoo! I don't want to wish them to get older, just to get past the phases they are in right now. Brock thinks he is king of the castle and what he says goes, Kory is Mr. Sensitive and if you even look at him wrong he balls like a little girl...sheesh! And Rachel...well, you don't have to guess...she definitely thinks she is and wants to be the princess of the house...and that means receive royal treatment in the meantime.

So, where does that put me? I go to bed between 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM so that I can visit with Clint longer, then I wake up at 5:35 AM so that I can exercise and have some "quiet time" in the morning before I have to wake up the rascals to get them all ready for school, then by the time that I even THINK about getting ready for the day...it is time for lunch with Clint. I know that now I am just sounding like a whiner...wah, wah...but I guess it is just one of those days, he he. Needless to say...I am the Mom ("the worst mom in the world" according to the kids), the Maid (not a very good one because their is dust on my hutches & tables), the one that usually looks like a Bum (because there is no time for me to get ready for the day) and the cook...no King or Princess here, just me! I just hope one day I will hear "you are the best Mom in the world" and I don't just mean after I have bought something for my kids!

Last weekend we went to the Sand Dunes with our friends Jared & Dusty Rogers and their kids. We had such a great time...the weather was PERFECT and our friends really make it such a fun experience! Clint's dad went also and so did some of his friends. Jared & Dusty purchased a new Rhino and so Jared & Clint went to pick it up Saturday morning. They left at 7:00 AM so that they wouldn't miss an entire day at the Sand Dunes. After they picked up the Rhino, they had a blow-out on the trailer, but being the handy guys they are they went back into town, got a tire and had it replaced in no time. Meanwhile...me, Dusty and the kids were back at camp riding around in our Rhino, what a great babysitter! When the guys returned we went for a few rides in the Rhino and then went for a ride in the sand-cars...I can't decide which I like better, they both have perks!

This weekend was kind of a crazy one...I think we heard sirens every hour of the day! Lots of people getting hurt..darn! We saw one guy that was being life-flighted, he had ran into the side of a sandcar while riding on his four-wheeler. Then Richard was on the backside of sand mountain and came across a couple (guy & girl) that had rolled their Rhino down a large hill. The guy had bailed out and the lady rode it out to the bottom of the hill. Thank goodness neither were seriously hurt, the stupid guy was mostly concerned about all his beer that had shot out of the Rhino and was all over the hill....ummmm, okay. Richard yelled at the guy and told him he was stupid and that he was just lucky that the lady wasn't seriously hurt...some people! On Saturday we went for a ride (night ride) in the Sandcars on the other side of Sand Mountain and when we were coming back we saw some lights (cop lights) and decided to go and see what had happened. When we got to the scene, there was a young kid (20 yr old) that had gone over a dune, supermanned off his fourwheeler and had landed head first on the sand with no helmet on. We helped by shining our lights on them so that they could see what they were doing and then they asked Clint & Jared to help lift the guy into the ranger truck. The kid had broke his back...they were going to life flight him out too. I am so glad that we were safe and enjoyed our weekend injury-free.

On Saturday, Richard and some of his buddies were trying to see who could get the front of their cars in the air the highest...and so I took some pictures of them, who is the highest? you be the judge....

*Roy*

*Dave*

*Richard*

The kids really enjoy going in the Rhino with their Dad...and this time Clint let each one of them take turns driving the Rhino on his lap, I think it was the highlight of their trip!

The nights at the Dunes this past weekend were my favorite. The weather was so great and I love a good campfire! We roasted Marshmallows for S'Mores and had some Dough Boys (biscuit dough cooked on the end of a wooden dowel, then filled with pie filling & whipping cream), the Rasberry filling was my FAVORITE! I am worried that we now have Jared hooked to them. I am so glad that we were able to go, it is great to spend time with the family and have great friends to go with...it is times like these that make memories to last for a LIFE TIME!

Poor little Rachel

Rachel is going through a tough phase right now...or at least I hope it is a phase that will be over soon. Lately she doesn't want to go to school or nursery at church. She grips on to me as tight as can be and screams and cries. It is the saddest thing! I thought that with Miriam (Rachel's Grandma) being her teacher that school would be no biggie...but so far that really hasn't made a difference. I felt so bad today, I told her that Grandma would be sad if she didn't come to school and so it somewhat convinced her that everything would be okay, but when we got there...Miriam was sick and wasn't at school, so Rachel began crying again. It makes me feel so bad to leave her, but I do know that this is a learning and growing experience for her and it is all for the best...right? I really do hope that Rachel can get past this real soon, cuz I am really having a struggle with leaving her places and having her be so sad. *sigh* Mommy loves you Rachel!

Isagenix 9 Day Cleanse....

Just thought I would share my results of my Cleanse I just did. The cleanse was actually 11 days, if you count the two pre-cleanse shake days. It was TOUGH on the fruit & juice only days, but I feel amazing and saw some GREAT results!!!! From Sept. 12 to Sept. 23 I lost a total of 7.75 inches and 9 lbs. Not too bad, huh? I am done with the weight loss for now, no more stressing about what the scale says, I am just going to maintain, be happy and eat healthy....oh, and don't forget exercise! Clint says I am getting to bony...I don't see it, but you know we are always our worst critic, huh? If he is happy and I am happy...then that is good enough for me! From January 1, 2008 to today I have lost a total of 37 lbs and have gone down almost 4 pants sizes...I guess hard work really does pay off!
(Note: that is NOT a picture of me!)

Primary Activity

Our Ward had a Primary Activity that was themed around Pioneers and Heritage.

Brock & Kory were asked to dress up in pioneer clothes, and since we didn't have any...

they wore their church clothes instead, close enough!

They had such a GREAT time at the activity and were truly grateful that they went!

Brock is made a homemade candle....

Kory worked on a project....

Brock made some butter....Brock was a pioneer pulling the ol' wagon....

Brock really enjoyed the competitive games....(This picture is my FAVORITE!)

Kory (who is pictured at the FAR left) participated in the three-legged race

and since he wasn't fast enough and is such a light weight...his partner felt it would

be faster to carry Kory along the way!

Rachel's Fieldtrip to the Fire Station

Who would have known that going to the fire station could end up being a traumatic experience? Sheesh! I will explain more in a minute....

The fieldtrip was set up in groups, in which we rotated...first we watched a fire safety video:Then...here comes the TRAUMATIC part, we went for a tour around the fire station. First we went into the area where the firemen sleep...Rachel was so freaked out like someone or something was going to jump out of the bedrooms and get her...wow! he he. Then they gave the kids an opportunity to climb inside the Fire Truck and sit in the seat...picture time! (Notice: I am in the picture because Rachel DID NOT want to get in the truck and she was death gripped onto my hip!)

Then there was a Fire Man that was showing his clothing and letting some of the kids try them on, but Rachel wouldn't let me get within 15 feet of the coat or the hat...they were apparantly SCARY too...ummmm, okay. So we just took a picture by the ambulance (on the other side of the room).

After all the drama was somewhat over, the kids did a couple of art projects:

When all the projects were completed we were SUPPOSED to go and do games and play on a blow-up slide...but Rachel threw a fit and broke my watch bracelet, bit me and scratched me....oh, and she wouldn't quit crying. I am not too sure if Rachel had a good time and I think some of her attitude may have been a reflection of her not feeling very good...she IS somewhat battling the cold flu....*sigh*.

O.C.D.???

Rachel is obsessed with matchbox cars!!!

And not just to drive them around... she will
organize the way they are sitting and once they
are all lined up in one area,

she will move them all to another area and
begin the organizing again.

She does this EVERY day for a total of 2-3 hours
a day. Is this O.C.D?

And...if so, I am blaming you MOM!!!!

Going Organic...

Since last Friday I have been doing an organic cleanse...two days of shakes and healthy meals, then two days of organic juice and fruit ONLY, YEAH that was TOUGH!!!! And now, beginning yesterday I will have five more shake days and then two more juice & fruit days (I know I am SO looking forward to THAT! NOT!) Anyways, today I am on some kind of high...I am even typing this faster than I have EVER before, wow...look at those fingers go (I am really amazed!) It is almost 12:00 PM and already I have gone to aerobics class, went grocery shopping at Walmart, Cleaned the ENTIRE main floor and 1/2 the second floor, got out all my fall decor from the basement and decorated the house, completed two loads of wash...and yeah, I still have OODLES of energy! It is so crazy what non-organic food does to us! On a normal day, I would be dragging around the house because I was tired & had no energy...but not today! I originally did this cleanse to get things rolling again on my weight loss, but now...I think I may just continue to work organic foods into my daily diet, not a bad idea..eh? Anyways, just thought I would share......
I am off to clean some more! Oh, and btw...I have lost 7 lbs and a total of six inches since last friday...not to shabby!

My dream last night...

I had the saddest dream last night...one that I actually woke up with tears rolling down my face. I dreamed that I had died...and now that I think about it, I am not sure where Clint was, but he wasn't in my dream...maybe he died too, hmmm? Anyways, back to my dream...I dreamed that Fawn was living at my Grandparents home and that my kids ended up living there...with Fawn & her family and my grandparents. I dreamed that my boys hair had gotten really long and they all seemed so unhappy and out of control. For some reason I was just wandering around and the only two people that could hear me when I spoke was Kellie, my sis & Abby, my sis-in-law...strange, I know (remember, dreams don't always make sense, he he) Anyways, I remember begging them to talk SOMEONE in either families to take my kids and love them the way that I do and do the things that I do for them. The response that I got back was that everyone's lives were too busy and just didn't fit my kids into them...I know, seems so sad and oh so NOT true! However, I woke up like I said with tears and the thoughts running through my head....Rachel is so young that if something would have happened to me, she probably would have forgotten about me by the time she was older...and to me that is so DEVASTATING. I kept replaying parts of my dream and felt like NO ONE could EVER replace me as my kids' Mother and that I am the ONLY one that knows their needs, their feelings and what works & doesn't work with each one of them. Then my thoughts were brought to those children that HAVE lost their parents and not only does my heart go out to them, but my insight on being the parent on "the other side" and watching your kids grow without being there in person to share their sorrows, accomplishments, happiness, etc. I guess I never really thought about that before...or at least it has never impacted me so much....it just made me so sad.
My heart was aching this morning as I layed in bed and so I decided to say a prayer to my Heavenly Father...I was almost pleading with him for the health and safety of all of my family members...now I know that we are not in control of what life brings us...but I tried telling him that I KNOW and feel like having a loss in the family is something that I could NOT deal with. I ended my prayer and was immediately overwhelmed with peace and comfort in my heart...and the fact that Rachel came in only minutes later and crawled up on my bed and said "Good Morning Mommy, I love you" only gave me that much more peace.
I know that I shouldn't read into dreams with whole heart...but in my life, I feel that my days are filled with so much chaos that the only time that inspiration can come through is in my dreams. I am so grateful for my choice to pray to my Heavenly Father for comfort and that I received just what I needed.

Today's Aerobic Class...

For a little over a month I have been attending aerobic classes at the new PG Recreation Center, it is close and the price is just right. The classes that I have been attending are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday....Cardio Mix, Muscle Class & Kick boxing. The instructor, Marci...is pretty INTENSE and would be an EXCELLENT drill sargeant for the military, ha ha. Today my little sis Skyler joined me in enjoying the burn and intensity...thanks Sky for coming! It was such a fun (Muscle) class today and we did something a bit different...we used the bands and did some partnering...in which I partnered with Skyler!

Now let me talk about Skyler for a minute....she is my little sis that is quite a bit younger than me (13 years). She is such a beautiful, sweet and sensitive girl and I LOVE her so much and am so grateful for her part in our family. Now...since Skyler is in her teenage years and busy with friends, guys, drill and life...I don't get to see her very much, *sigh*. I love any and every minute that I get to spend with her...and I think it is mostly because that when she is there, she has such a spirit and light about her that I feel honored to be her big sis.

So...back to the aerobic's class, since I was able to be partnered with Skyler...you can see how this class was EXTRA special. We sweated together, sighed together, grunted together and almost cried together...you know, when the pain was too much to bare, ha! I am so grateful that Skyler accepted my invitation and was there by my side...although it was only aerobics, it is a time that I will remember and treasure! I just hope that Skyler will not be too sore and will accept my invitation again!

Now...if I could only get my other two sisters there (hint, hint), then that would be an extra special treat!

I was tagged by my sis, Kellie...

...and this time I guess I should follow through, sheesh! (Thanks Kellie) So here we go:

8 things I am Passionate about...
- Clint
- My kids
- CHOCOLATE
- Friendships & Being Kind to EVERYONE
- Dancing-whenever there is music, I can't help myself!
- FAMILY
- Being Healthy
- Exercising

8 words or phrases I say often...
- WHY ME?
- We'll See
- Love You...More, Most, Infinity
- Sweetheart
- Whatever
- Where's Rachel?
- Did you clean up your mess?
- Are you SERIOUS?

8 Things I want to do before I die...
- Get Clint to fly on a Plane.
- Go on a cruise.
- Be a Grandma.
- Read the ENTIRE Book of Mormon.
- Have my home paid for.
- Impact someone's life...make a difference.
- Own a second home in Arizona. (also Clint's dream)
- Be an aerobic instructor or personal trainer.

8 things I pray for...
- Clint's Happiness
- Patience
- For more work to come in.
- That I can be a better Mom tomorrow than I was today.
- That my kids will KNOW that I LOVE them.
- The safety and health of my family.
- Guidance
- Protection & Comfort for our troops & their families

8 things I have learned...
- A house with small children will NEVER be clean.
- The more you give, the more you receive.
- It is better to get to know someone than never had tried.
- The largest trials ALWAYS bring the greatest blessings.
- Your children are always watching....live by example.
- Each child is so different...how is it possible to write a book on parenting?
- Being a mom is the HARDEST job in the WORLD!
- More respect for my parents...for what they did for me to get me to where I am today.

***I am supposed to tag 8 more people, but I don't know 8 more people with blogs.....so, if you read this and think this would be fun, then try it!

OUCH!

I took Rachel out to the mall today to get some pretty NEW earrings because she has been asking for quite some time to get some. The experience ended up being somewhat traumatizing. Rachel began to scream when the lady was cleaning her ears with alcohol...ummmm, okay...he he. Then, when the lady put little blue dots on her ears with marker you would have thought that the world had come to an end. (Have I ever mentioned that Rachel does not deal with pain very well and is somewhat a DRAMA queen?) Well, then it was time for the actual ear piercing...Rachel was screaming at the TOP of her lungs while I had to pin her head against my chest with one arm and hold her arms down with the other....TWICE! (two ears...two sides, you get the point) At this point I am sure that Rachel thought I was the wicked witch of the world and I kind of got the vibe that the lady that pierced them thought the same thing...(why in the world would this Mother be putting her kid through such a traumatizing thing?) After we were all done and all the tears were dried up I took Rachel for a CHOCOLATE frozen yogurt...who would have known that Chocolate would fix the problem? Maybe it really CAN be the answer for everything?

Anyways, here we are a few hours later AND Rachel is so happy and proud of her SHINY new earrings...whew! Glad she decided to forgive me!

Labor Day Weekend

Last weekend we went to the Little Sahara Sand Dunes. The weather was GREAT on Saturday and Monday, with Sunday being a touch windy and some showers Sunday night...but over all it was pretty good for normal sand dune weather. We camped in a large circle at the bottom of Sand Mountain with Clint's parents, a few of their friends and one of Clint's friends and their family. The kids had a great time playing with all of the other kids that were in the camp. Brock would ONLY go in the Rhino because he felt like the Sandcar was somewhat intimidating because it was so loud, plus he doesn't like it when we would jump 15-20 feet (which is understandable). Kory, on the other hand, LOVED the Sandcar...actually, when we weren't going out in the car, he would get VERY upset and he kept yelling "More jumps Dad!" as we were riding along, Ha Ha. Rachel was just happy to be there, she LOVED the Rhino and at first was a little nervous with the Sandcar, but every time she went in it she fell asleep, so I guess in a way it was soothing for her.
The weather was SO Hot on Saturday, so the guys decided to get out some water out for the kids to cool off in...they had a GREAT time!

Rachel was so funny when the pool came out, we had to work EXTRA hard to keep ANY of her clothes on, she thought it would be okay just to run around in with nothing on...woops!

Clint is such a great Dad to the kids, he really loves them and works hard so that they can have a fun time where ever we may go, they are so lucky to have him as their daddy! (Don't you just love the look on Kory's face and the PINK hat that Clint is sporting around, he he)



Brock met him a new buddy at the Sand Dunes...they played ALL weekend!

We haven't been to the Sand Dunes for a couple of years now and I am so grateful that we were able to go this past weekend, I almost forgot how much fun it is and I can't wait to go back!!!

Rachel's 1st day of School!

WOW! Rachel is such a big girl...she started Pre-School today! She was so excited to be able to wear her new School Clothes and her PRINCESS backpack! She was so silly when I wanted to take her "first day" pictures so that is why they didn't turn out so well...but oh well, I guess it just shows some personality, right?

Everything went well at school, she was really excited, BUT when I went to pick her up...there was NO RACHEL! She had escaped! (I know, you are all suprised! Ha!) Luckily she had just went down the hall and into one of the other classrooms to play with their kitchen set. I am not sure if Miriam really took me serious when I told her to keep a SPECIAL watch on my little escape artist...but now it has been confirmed! Rachel...you are such a stinker, at least you are a cute one!