FAMILY

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.


I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."


I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."


I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."


FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

Halloween '09

The majority of us were themed to 101 Dalmatian's. My cape, wig, and Coh's costume were made by my sister-in-law. They were fabulous. Payton rebelled and was Snake-Eye's from G.I.Joe (minus the eye shield that he couldn't see out of). I was Cruella Devil, Tate and Cohen were puppies, Tessa was a Mini Cruella (you can't see her polka dot dress and fur jacket), and Jared was my henchmen. If you look carefully you can see a puppy tail hanging out of Jared's backpack.

This was for a grown-up Halloween party so we had to be more scary. Jared is now my........ PUPPY KILLER. AHHHHHHHHHHH! (notice the puppy tails?)

Pumpkin carving with a little Paint. I didn't take a picture with all our pumpkins but I think they were the best yet.

Coh and Tess getting ready for the big event. Have to look Perfect!

Pumpkin Patch '09

Two Saturday's ago we went to the same pumpkin patch that we have gone to for years. We usually go with our wonderful with cousins/Aunt/Uncle. It was the only weekend that worked so we HAD to fit it in. I had my 10 K run that morning in the same area so we though we'd just go from there but Mother Nature had different plans. As soon as my race ended it started pouring rain, lightning, and thunder. Quite the difference from just a few minutes earlier...sunny and warm (thankfully, my race would have been miserable). We then made the decision to go to a pizza and play place until there was a break in the rain. We saw a break in the clouds and went for it. Once again, we lucked out and the rain stopped long enough for us to go on the boat ride with sharks and dragons popping out of the water, pick our pumpkins...

get some faces painted...

then ride the mini train back. It is a great place to go. Beautiful area and fun things to do. Thanks to Ashley all this was possible for our family. Thanks Ashley and Ryan for such a fun day!!!

Payton's day as a Redhawk

Our neighbor is a pilot for the Redhawks and thought Payton could use a special reward for being so brave during his treatments. So, we had the opportunity to go to the Air-force Base to be a special guests at the 123nd squadron, the RedHawks. We toured the facility and saw jets being worked on, where the pilots dress, and what gear they have to wear. Payton and Tate sat in a training cockpit and got to be a pilots for a few minutes. We were also able to see a few different take offs. They were loud but amazing. The F15's were off to do some "dog fight" training. There was another take off we saw (can't remember the name) that the pilot went straight up in the air, you can even see his after burners (movie below). Payton was glowing; smile from ear to ear. It is all he talked about on the way to chemo and told the nurses all about it. He had the time of his life thanks to wonderful friends.

Tater's ready!

Captain Rico (Aaron) going over all the gauges, switches, dials, knobs, and of coarse...how to fire all the guns!

For the take off's we had earplugs but every time we went outside Tate had to be sure his ears were covered.

Payton and one of his hero's, Captain Rico (Aaron).

Utah Trip '09

We had a wonderful time in Southern Utah visiting my parents. My Mom flew up to help me drive down. It was 7 hours to Meridian, ID where we stayed the night at my sister's house. Then we continued on for 12 more hours to Escalante, Utah (by Bryce Canyon). The kids we all amazing and VERY well behaved.

When we arrived everyone got colds and the babies didn't sleep at all. We planned on staying a week and a half but I was only able to take a week of no sleep. We headed home early. We could have spent months going to all the amazing places my Dad has discovered. Another time.

I had to make a slide show because there were too many pictures to choose from. I am so glad we were given this opportunity by my parents. I love them and thank them for putting up with us.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Back in School

Tate's first day of Preschool at Little Lambs.

Payton's 1st day of Kindergarten at Mt. Pleasant.

Party Time!

"Messy Tessy" living up to her name.

Cohen HATING the mess.

Comparing the two.

August is the Birthday month. We have 4 kids but only two birth dates. The 8th and 26th. We decided to have a little bowling party for Payton and a BIG party for all of them later in the month. I did not know the best way to handle this. I did NOT want people to be buying 4 gifts, I did NOT want to have people feel obligated to do anything and especially for ALL of them. A huge dilemma for me. So, I just tried to make it simple and just had to let it go and not worry about it. I will do things differently next year, but not sure how or what.

We had an amazing turn out. Everyone was able to come: 31 kids and 21 adults. I tried to make it simple; a few balloons, a pinata, some good food, and just let the kids go wild in the back yard. I was hoping for a hot day so the pool would take up most of the time, but it was cloudy. Luckily, the kids didn't seem to mind and they did go wild. The pinata wasn't thought out as well as I would have liked. There were tears. I am still learning.

Tessa lived up to her nickname "Messy Tessy". She destroyed her cake and was covered in frosting. Cohen touched it and started to cry. We let her finish his off too. She didn't actually eat too much of it; just had to enjoy the mess. When Tate turned one. He ate the ENTIRE thing. It was huge for a 1 year-old and it didn't even faze him.

I have to say a special thank you to Kelly and Aundrea for the awesome meat. I am a selfish friend. I invite them to a party and make them work. Kelly did all the marinading and BBQing and Aundrea helped with the babies (Logan and Maika too). If you could taste taste some of it you would understand. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! It really was the best!

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. I it really hard to believe Cohen and Tessa are 1 already. The first 6 months seemed like 6 years but the last 6 have gone so fast. Tate is 3 now. Honestly, I have thought he was three for the past 2 years. He has always seemed older to me. He is such a funny little guy. Payton...6? Crazy. I am the luckiest Mom alive to be able to have these 4 amazing kids!!! Happy Birthday Payton, Tate, Cohen and Tessa!

I love you.

Babie's 1st OREO's

You can see why we call her "Messy Tessy". She is always 10x's more messy then Cohen. Cohen would prefer to be spoon fed so he doesn't have to touch his food. We can't believe they are turning 1 this month...how time fly's.

My first 5-K run

My friend, Tifny, and I have decided to change our lives, do something for ourselves, so we decided to start running. I need to loose a lot of baby weight and get myself healthy. I wanted to start slow so I wouldn't get discouraged. With the advice of a few friends with experience they suggested we set a goal for a race. So, we did. A 5-k. We found a schedule to follow and we DID it. I was 51st out of 103 and my time was 30:01 (9:68 min/mi). I am so proud of us and it felt so nice to get out and be active again. We are going to do a 10-k in October and another 5-k in September. We couldn't have done it without supportive husbands that help with the kids at night so we can go out on our runs. Thanks Jared and Aaron...you're the best!

ps. I found out that I was 3rd in my age bracket (old).

Caring Cabin 2009

We had the opportunity to go to the Caring Cabin this last week. It is a 3,900 sq ft. $1.5 million home that was built for families that have children with cancer. It had everything. Huge toy room with everything a kid could ever want to play with, a meditation room, beautiful bed and bathrooms, huge kitchen, and it's own private lake with boats. The kids played on the boats for hours trying to tip Uncle Micah and Uncle Sean with much success. My dad brought up 2 of his 4-wheelers so we could ride on the beach. All my brother's and sister with their families (minus Shae, my bro and Kellen mt nephew) were able to come (16 kids & 12 adults). They all traveled from UT, AZ, ID, OR and WA. It was an amazing experience and it was a perfect place to celebrate life, love, and family! I am incredibly bless with such a loving family. Thank you all for driving so far to be together. I will never forget it and I sure hope Payton doesn't.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Oaks Park

We were able to go to Oaks Park, an old amusement park, in June with my brother and his family. It was to support the Candlelighters Foundation (for families that are going through cancer). They fed us lunch and gave us an afternoon at the park. We had an amazing time. Cohen wasn't feeling well. He threw up all over himself right before we got in the car to go home. Payton and Tate loved it. Tate tried every ride; Payton decided he doesn't like roller coasters.

Payton get's his wings (7 of 7 new posts)

Our wonderful neighbor is a fighter pilot for the Redhawk squadron in Portland. Captain "Rico" gave him an invitation to be a Redhawk for a day and an official Redhawk patch. Payton will be able to sit in a jet, they will do special takeoff's for him, wear the helmet, and some other fun things. This came on a day that he was in need of a pick-me-up. He has been having a hard time after these last 2 treatments. His energy has been sucked from his body and he had to be taken into the hospital 4 times in 8 days this past week. This invitation brough the biggest smile to my little man's face. He was in heaven, and for a moment he didn't look sick. It lasted until the next morning but soon after slipped into his worst day yet. He is beyond excited for this event. It should happen within the next 2 or 3 weeks. He has told us he wants to be a Jet piolot for a long time so this will be awesome. Thank you Captain "Rico"!!!