Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sunday thoughts!

Today in Relief Society, we recieved our March message from the R.S. Presidency. Honestly, I very rarely take the time to read through the whole thing but I am so glad I did this morning. I know that motherhood and womanhood is hard and it's easy to get wrapped up in the things that don't matter, wallowing in self pity and comparing ourselves to everyone around us (I am very guilty of this), but I found these thoughts very helpful and uplifting... I hope you will too!

President Uchtdorf said, "In our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow... to me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities - they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are... this can lead to frustration, exhaustion, and unhappiness."

It continues... Elder Gerald Lund writes..." One of Satans' most effective whispering campaigns goes something like this, 'Look at all the times when you fall short of what God expects of you. Therefore, you must be failing.' This can be very effective because he is always right in that argument. We are not perfect. There are numerous areas of our life where we know we could and should be doing better... therefore, it is not an uncommon thing for members, especially some of our sisters, to always be comparing themselves 'upward'; that is, they find someone in the family or the ward or the neighborhood who always seems to do things better than they, or who does more than they are doing, or whose children seem better behaved or who... The list is almost endless! And the end result is a constant, nagging feeling of failure, of inadequacy."

Have a wonderful week and focus on the blessings you have!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Girls Night Out!

As any mom can attest to, every once in a while there is nothing better than a good girls night out. I am so grateful for a husband that encourages me to take a break when needed and is supportive of my late night girls night out. Last night was one of those nights! I have the best girlfriend in the world who is my girls night out partner in crime...Sarah! She is just amazing and she doesn't even realize it. It's such a breath of fresh air to hang out with her. Between laughing, crying, confiding in each other and just being able to relate to one other about the joys and struggles of motherhood, there is never a dull moment! Last night we started off by pampering ourselves as we enjoyed a much needed pedi, then it was over to Sweet Tomatoes for salad and a yummy brownie sundae and then to a chick flick (of course)! Thanks Sarah for a great night and for your wonderful motherly advice... I actually tried it out today and it's amazing the difference it made! Let's do it again soon!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Power Ranger Training Camp!

So for some reason, Glen David is still on this Power Ranger kick and I am about done with it. He would not stop talking about how he wanted a Power Ranger birthday party this year, needless to say, I had to plan a Power Ranger party. Well, I was at a loss for what to do but thanks to the internet and my little friend we like to call "Google", I was able to find a very creative mom who thank goodness documented all her amazing ideas for a Power Ranger party. The party theme was a Power Ranger Training Camp. By the time the kids left, they would all be official Power Rangers. When they got to the party they had to make walkie-talkies so they could all communicate with each other and then the training began. There were 5 activities they had to complete in order to become official Power Rangers. 1st was CAREFUL (they had to cross a bridge that was over an alligator infested pond), the 2nd was TEAMWORK (they had to seperate the different colors of blocks from a pile of mega blocks into laundry baskets), the 3rd was SAVE THE GOOD GUYS (they had to find little army guys who were buried in a sand storm (sandbox) and fix them with band-aids), the 4th was STRENGTH (they had to see who could throw a ball the furthest) and finally the 5th one was an OBSTACLE COURSE (they had to run to the scooter, ride across the sidewalk, climb up on the trampoline and jump three times and then run through a maze of cups to the finish line where they all received a medal for becoming Official Power Rangers!) Oh what fun! After they all became Power Rangers, they got to decorate their cupcakes, then we did presents and the rest of the time they just played until their parents picked them up. It was a fun time but I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the entire 2 hours! The kids loved it and more importantly, Glen David loved it!

Here is the alligator infested pond where Glen Allen and Broden both successfully made it!

The kids fixing all the good guys who were buried in the sandstorm.

All the fixed army guys! Good work kids! (with a few of the walkie-talkies in the mix)

Getting ready for the STRENGTH test!

Glen David making it through the maze of cups to the finish line to become an official power ranger!

Cupcakes, cupcakes... who loves cupcakes?!? ME!! (my camera batteries ran out while I was trying to take a picture of the candle and the singing... crap!)

I'm glad that is over, for AT LEAST another year! YEAH!

Boys will be BOYS!

Glen Allen and his little brother Colter decided to take advantage of the rainstorm we had last week and hit the slopes. Sunrise got 57 inches of new snow... how can one pass that up? They can't, especially my husband! They had a great time, the snow was perfect, it wasn't too crowded and there were no big injuries!


Ahh... the POWDER!!
Exhausted but still happy!



Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Happy 4th Birthday GLEN DAVID!

I can't believe it... my little stinker is 4 years old! Where does the time go? Glen David turned 4 yesterday and he is so excited to be another year older. He keeps talking about all the things he is going to do when he grows up and I just want to tell him over and over again to enjoy being young... but he doesn't understand. For his birthday, we decided to spend the day together as a family. Glen Allen had an appointment for work so we ventured over to Glendale for his appointment and spent some time over there. For lunch we went to Swensen's (oh the childhood memories!) and Glen loved it because of the Mr. San Fransisco Ice Cream he got for his birthday. He was so excited to eat all the ice cream so he could finally have his bubble gum! After lunch and Glen Allen's appointment, we headed back over to our side of town. For dinner we went to Filly's which was Glen David's choice (he is so much like his dad) with Grandma and uncle Shawn. At dinner he got to open one of his presents which was the Leapster. He loves it and won't put it down. After dinner, Grandma continued to spoil him by treating him to ice cream from Water and Ice and told him he could pick out 4 things of candy since he was 4 years old! Thanks Grandma... we already had more candy at home than we know what to do with! :) After dinner and ice cream with grandma we headed over to Chuck E. Cheese for a little game action! This was the hit of the night. All day Glen and Jaxon both kept asking when we were going to go to Chuck E. Cheese. After games we headed over to the mall to buy him a hat (just like daddy's) and a shirt (since he out grows his clothes in no time at all). After all that excitement, we called it a day and decided to wait for more birthday action on Saturday at his Power Ranger Birthday Party! Oh, I can hardly wait! :)



My handsome 4 year old (I am getting old... how in the world do I have a 4 year old?)


Making funny faces at Swenson's as we were waiting for lunch!


Aren't they handsome??

Mommy and Jaxon!

Mr. San Fransisco! YUM!
The much anticipated GUM BALLS!


Game time!!!
I am so grateful for Glen David and the blessing he is in our family! He is so kind hearted and is such a smart, loving little boy! We love you! Happy Birthday Glen!

Going on a treasure hunt, "X" marks the spot!

Some of my Glen's co-workers introduced him to the world of geocaching (geo-cashing) a few months ago and ever since, he has wanted to show the boys and I what it is all about. On Saturday we had some time to just spend as a family so we decided to take the boys on a "treasure hunt"! They LOVED the idea... especially Glen David. If you are not familar with geocaching, people from all over the world have placed small objects and log in books all over the world (like a treasure hunt). You find the locations online, download them onto a GPS and between the clues given by the person who placed the "treasure" and the GPS you are able to find these locations where objects/log in books are found. You sign your name and then leave it there for the next lucky person to find! Here are our findings on Saturday!

The boys looking for the treasure!

The clue was "peppered piping"... it was a pepper shaker located in a metal drainage pipe. Inside the pepper shaker was a log in book of all the names of the people who have found it and the dates they signed the log in book and a little matchbox car.


Glen Allen signing the log in book.

This one was another geocache we found in a medicine pill bottle.




Tuesday, February 3, 2009

London's Run

I did it! I survived the 10K run this past weekend and I felt like I did GREAT! As I mentioned in a previous post the 10K run was called London's Run (http://www.londonsrun.org/) which benefits those who suffer with or have already lost their battle with cancer. In 2006 this event began to support the enormous medical bills for the Solomon family who lost their adorable daughter London at the age of 6. This event has continued each year to support another family who is loosing/or has lost a family member to cancer. This year the proceeds went to the Merkley family who lost their 18 year son to cancer in November. The race was incredible! They began the morning with a few comments from London's mother and Lorin Merkley's father, followed by a prayer and then the races started. The feeling was wonderful... everyone was happy, there was excitement in the air and everyone knew that what we were doing was for a good cause. The race itself went really well. I felt good, my heels were cooperating and I felt like I could have run all day. One thing that I was not expecting throughout the race was the emotions I felt. About every 1/4 of a mile there was a poster along the side of the trail with a picture of one of the cancer patients (London, Lorin, etc.) with encouraging words like, "You can do it! Don't give up! Hang in there! You're doing great!" etc. It was heartbreaking. It was hard enough to keep my breathing down while running but throwing in the need to fight back the tears every 1/4 mile was really tough. It almost got to the point where I couldn't even look at them anymore. As hard as it was to see the pictures, they were definitely helpful. As I saw each one, I would think to myself... if they can go through that, I can survive this 6 mile run... or... I know they are cheering for me right now on the other side. I'm not kidding, I am tearing up right now as I type. It was such a wonderful feeling and between the fresh air, the beautiful scenery, the constant picture reminders, it gave me time to think about what is important in life. I really struggle with that. As my husband can attest to, I am just a huge ball of stress 99.9% of the time, worrying about everything and anything I can whether I have control over it or not. Moments like the run really help me stop and think about what is important in life. Although I continue to struggle with that on a hourly basis (don't ask me about today) I need moments like that every once in a while to give me a huge reality check. I am so glad I was able to run for such a great cause. Like I said, I felt GREAT and I was proud of myself and the ability I had to finish the race as well as I did. I am also thankful that my family came to support me! Of course my husband and my boys were there and my parents came out to fight the cold in the morning before I took off and waited there until I finished. It was so comforting to hear my friends and family members cheering for me as I neared the finish line even though I wasn't able to immediately spot them in the crowd of people. I can't help but relate it to what it's going to be like when it's our turn to go and our friends and family members on the other side are waiting and cheering for us. Wow... I didn't mean to get all spiritual and sappy in this post but it really was an unforgettable day! Thanks for the support and words of encouragement! Who's joining me for next year?!?!

Nearing the finish line!

Right after the race!

My friend and training partner, Amanda Strebeck.

Amanda and Preston Strebeck and me!