T-licious - D-zire and C-hillins

~Yearly Update~

2012-01-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

Has it really been a year since I blogged? I apologize to all of you wonderful bloggers out there, whose blogs I used to check on faithfully....it is most definitely my loss! Ever since I got a phone that has email and facebook on it, I don't use a computer much....I can honestly say I kinda forgot blogs even existed (please don't shun me, even tho I deserve it). I will try and do better about checking in on all of your wonderfulness. I will also try and update our happenings on a more frequent basis.

Let me give a shout out to Winkfotos for these great pics!!!

DJ is a busy, handsome 4 year old. He loves Legos, Lego Hero Factory and candy. He likes to style his long red hair like Justin Beber, or a rock star on occasion. He makes us laugh on a daily basis.

Lily just turned 7. Boy is she sweet! She amazes us with her talent- singing, dancing, writing, reading, drawing, sharing... If you haven't seen her youtubes, go now, hurry! :)(there's a link on the side --->)

Toby is almost 9. Still as strong and courageous as always. He loves sports. I hear on a regular basis that he is the best singer in primary. :)

Lexi will be 10 in April. She is starting ballet...those long skinny legs are perfect for dancing! We miss her when she's not here.

Kyle is almost 14. I was watching old videos and I really don't know where the time has gone. He plays the violin, piano, guitar and sings...all pretty much self taught....nice! He does a lot for our family and I'm grateful.

Brandon is 16 going on 17, innocent as a rose (or is that a Sound of Music song?). He is great at basketball and always encouraging us to get out there and play! I admire his sense of self and gratitude.

Jahde is 18....getting ready for a mission! I can't believe it either. He just started school at UVU and is enjoying the college scene. I appreciate his efforts to spend time with us despite a busy schedule/life.

I feel busy, really busy, but life is good. I serve as our region (coordinating council) women's sports director, primary teacher and sacrament chorister. Just yesterday in fact, our sweet organist thought the hymn was over after the 3rd verse, but there were 4, so I did a sorta awkward one note solo without accompaniment....it was lovely. haha I am playing on a competative volleyball league after playing outdoor volleyball all summer and loving it. Dave is busy as YM president and coaching Toby's basketball team. He hasn't been to China in a few months and we've enjoyed having him around! I have an amazing family, as you can see! My tiny blurps don't do them justice :)

~How could I not be proud~

2011-06-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

I have the most wonderful fantastic family!!! Toby turned 8 this year and was baptized!!! There were many times I wasn't sure he was going to make it to this special day....So happy for him and so grateful!! Then Kyle turned 13! I can't believe how grown up they both are! Kyle is an absolute life saver in my life....again, grateful!!! Then Lexi turned 9 (although I think she's tall enough to be 12)!! Then Brandon turned 16.....driving?!?! Brandon is a huge help around here too :) Then Lily graduated from Kindergarten! She sure is sweet! Then Jahde graduated from High School!!! Grateful for his example. Dave's birthday is Saturday, and then in August Jahde turns 18!! Where has the time gone? In between the milestones we have a few pics of 'awesome grandparents and family 'Lily getting an award in school' A visit to Hill Airforce Base' Gangsters' A tourist gone bad' Kyle playing violin (he has such an amazing ear)' Lily and DJ getting awards for taking a gymnastics class' Toby getting the Gold Medal in Math (very few ever get this, so it was a big deal!)' Super cute kids in trees' and MONKEYS haha
I recently had a biopsy on a lump on my thyroid. Scary stuff. But I am ok. Can I just express my sincerest gratitude for not having cancer! I kept telling myself I could face whatever was placed before me, but it was usually through tears. It's hard enough keeping up with 7 kids and super busy lives without adding even more meds and hospital visits!!! Yeah, grateful! Dave is traveling to China a lot, and really enjoys it. He serves in the Young Men's when he's home :) I might be bias, but I think we have the most amazing kids in the world!! :) Ahhhh grateful!!!

~months of ketchup~

2011-01-09T14:57:00.001-08:00

I have soooo much more to ketchup on, but it's overwhelming, so here is my short n simple update.
Lily turned 6. She loves Panda Bears (thank heavens they aren't too complicated...I've gotten quite lazy with my cake making these days.... junior mints, ding dongs and flavored tootsie rolls). Lily is so grown up. I'm her mom, so I can go on and on and on, right? She amazes me though! She sat down at the piano and taught herself 3 songs.... jingle bells, heart and soul, and Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (which she played in harmony with both hands! She also sings wonderfully, and draws amazing pictures, has such a great eye and memory. She is smart, sweet, talented and beautiful! What a privilege to be her mom!

And Toby is about to turn 8! He gets baptized next month! I just updated his caringbridge..... it's just hard for me to believe where we are, how much we've gone through, and somehow, I seem to be kinda sorta semi-normal? Toby's a good kid..... all my kids are good kids! And I'm so grateful for each and every one one of them!!!
And just to sum up everything....After vacuuming and sweeping the floor today, someone (I wont say who) spread peanut shells all over the kitchen floor and living room carpet. I wasn't very happy about it. I started mumbling and complaining and said something like "Doesn't anyone care how much I do around here, or how many times I have to vacuum and sweep?" and DJ said calmly "No. No one". haha you gotta love it!

~Beware, I'm angry with the world~

2010-08-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

1. Read at own risk
2. Remember that I am emotional and sleep deprived

I'm here to vent... I'll try to make it short and sweet (sweet venting? I'm a dork)

Anyway, it all started when I looked over the school lunch cost. We are well within the limits to get reduced lunch...... yay! NO! Dave makes good money, yes, but we don't keep even half of it......but does the state take that into consideration.... NO! We get penalized on our mortgage rates because we don't make enough, but we can't get reduced lunch because we make too much?!?! MAke up your minds..... either we make enough or we don't, but you can't choose, depending on the situation, and make it benefit you, and hurt us, both ways! Really hate it!!!
Then Kyle had his first day of Junior high, and his first time having to ride a bus to school. I was going to walk him to the bus stop, but worried that he is too old for his over-protective mother to walk him to the bus :) (I should add that my worry and want to accompany him came because the bus routes has our house in the wrong location, and we were given a different time than some other students in our neighborhood). The bus never came. First day of school.... late for school! A mom in my ward took Kyle and a few others from our ward (thank you!) and when she asked the office they said that the bus driver forgot. She then made sure the bus would be there to pick them up from school. The school says that there is nothing they can do about it. The transportation department says there is nothing they can do about it (they need two tardies before they report someone) SERIOUSLY?!?! Is there anyone who is looking out for our kids??? I suppose I went into this too trusting. The bus did not come to pick them up from school, but luckily a friend of mine was passing by and saw Kyle and brought him home (thank you!) Fortunately, Kyle wasn't too upset with his experience, and actually had a good day at school. I, on the other hand, was so upset, that Kyle asked me to please settle down, for fear that I would take my anger out on him (he was very cute about it :)
So I haven't fully recovered from Kyle's experience, and it's Toby first day at school, and first ride on the school bus. I send him off, and assume all is well. When he arrived home and got off the bus I expected to greet a smiling and excited boy. When I asked him how his first day was, his response was 'horrible, no one even cared about me'. That hurts a mother's heart. When the bus arrived at the school, one of the children behind Toby stood up and threw up on him. When the kids told the bus driver, she said she knew, but did nothing to help. The teacher greeting the kids off the bus did nothing. It wasn't until someone who knows Toby saw him and helped get him cleaned up. And I was never informed of any of this, until my son arrived home from school, feeling like no one cared. :(
I know life isn't fair, and I know there are bad days and good days, but we need to take care of each other. We need compassion. We need to be responsible. We need to be good human beings!!!
*couple days later*both Wed and Thurs morn at the bus stop, the unhelpful, unaware bus driver shouted 'if you get car sick, sit in the front of the bus' when Toby got on, while glancing over at me. Oblivious and rude....... but I'm too chicken to say anything to her for fear she'll treat Toby even worse. UGH*
*several days later*I finally got up the nerve to say something to the bus driver on the 3rd day..... she apologized. Lily's bus was 30 minutes later than the time I was given, 3 days in a row, so hopefully that will get figured out too. So frustrated with our transportation department!*

So on to better and happier moments!!! Jahde turned 17! We had a lot of fun celebrating his birthday with a doughnut cake, cuz he loves Krispy Kreme! :) We also got to go to the Lindon Aquatic Center and swim and mingle with other families we love at the Make-a-Wish Rubber Ducky Derby. Then we went to a fun ward activity, joined by our lovely friends, the Kimmings. It was a great weekend. Jahde, you're awesome. You have a gift of making others feel appreciated, welcome, and happy! You are thoughtful and helpful. You have set a wonderful example for our family. We love you!

~I've fallen (behind) and I can't catch up!~

2010-07-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

I suppose I'll start with Brandon's birthday..... Brandon turned 15 in May. He got a giant chocolate cupcake cake topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream frosting!! :)

Brandon, you are awesome! You are always such a big help. I really appreciate it when you offer to help of your own free will (which you do often). I think it is such a great quality to be aware of those around you and want to help/serve them. I also think you have a great worth ethic and are a hard worker. You are so fun to be around! You are an amazing brother and son! You make our family complete. I hope you know how wonderful we all think you are!!!!! We love you!!!

And speaking of Brandon.... he made me a really cool Mother's Day gift. I love it, use it, and truly appreciate that he made it for me!!! (no it's not the candy! It's the wooden bowl with turquoise in it..... so cool)
For Mother's Day, I also received this from Kyle:
I Love You Mom, The Bluest
I love you the color of the wonderful blue sky that brings on the beautiful color of rain. I love you the color of the waving or calm sea, the color of blue eyes, with a piercing blue gaze. I love you the color of grass, the grass beneath my feet. The color of a tree leaf, that waves in the breeze. I love you the color of fire, that blazes anything it touches. I love you the color of the rainbow.
The blue, the red, the orange, the green, the yellow, the purple, all descirbe you. The orange color of a basketball, that has endurance to keep on doing what you do. The beautiful color of flowers, the wonderful daisies, that are as yellow as you. I Love You Mom, The Bluest.
This is so sweet to me. I truly love it.
And speaking of Kyle.... He won an award for being a Mathlete! He's way above his grade level in math and is doing awesome!
He is growing up so fast! He officially graduated from the 6th grade aka elementary school. It was a bitter sweet day - he was happy to move on, but oh so sad to be going to a different junior high than all of his friends (our neighborhood goes to a different JH). Bitter sweet for me too.... I'm not ready for him to grow up!
Here he is with his 6th grade teacher on graduation day.
And speaking of graduating.... Lily graduated from pre-school. She loved pre-school and had fabulous teachers that started her off on the right foot. She will be starting kindergarten in the fall and is so excited!!
Toby also graduated, although First graders don't get quite same hullabaloo as pre-k and 6th! But you gotta love his toothless grin!!! (speaking of toothless, it's been months since he lost those teeth and tooth fairy still hasn't come..... she's awful!!!)
Here he is with his first grade teacher.

The three older boys were able to attend youth conference together and had a great time!!! They spent time up in Park City and their theme was CTR, Choose the Rock. I know they did a fun 'Iron Rod' type experiment and really enjoyed it (while learning :) While they were gone, Dave and I took the little ones to the CCCF (Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation) Summer Luau! They had yummy food and lots of fun games for the kids. It's always fun to see, and visit with our cancer family friends as well.

Lily and Toby were also able to attend Camp Hobe up in Tooele at Camp Wapiti. Camp Hobe is a camp for Children with Cancer, and their siblings. Kids are elligable to attend camp for up to 3 years after treatment is complete, so Toby still has one more year. This camp was amazing! I want all of the kids to go next year... it's such a great experience for them! I also got to spend time with some other cancer moms (although I think it made me emotional!) and spend time with Vicky (a fellow cancer mom) and her family which was a lot of fun. I am so glad we were able to go.

Oh and this picture cracks me up!! Lily was dancing with a top hat and a cane and asked me to watch her..... she said "Mom, watch me!!! I'm a chippendale dancer!" Chip n Dale..... the chipmunks on Disney.... yeah, scared me too for a second haha

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but just in case: DJ managed to climb to great heights to get a hold of this corn starch aka baby powder. I found him atop of Lily's Dresser, having a wonderful time! When I walked in with the camera, he gave me a huge cheesy grin! What a proud moment! Then I used the vaccum to get the mess (including on him) cleaned up. I opted for the vaccum because he hates it, and I thought it would be a good deterant. haha

And this picture is PRICELESS!

I still have more to update on, but this post is already too long to keep anyone's interest :) I will update again, and try to stay ahead of the game!

~Eight is Great~

2010-05-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Lexi got baptized! :) What a special day! Jahde baptized her (you're awesome Jahde!). And Dave confirmed her a member of the church (You're awesome too, honey :). Sadly, I didn't hear much of the confirmation, because when I told DJ to please keep quiet so dad could give Lexi a blessing, he said 'that's just stupid' over and over. Not my favorite moment! I wish I had thought to bring duct tape with me! DJ is typically a good boy,not perfect, gets into things more than any of my children ever have, but obedient and kind, this was not characteristic of him and seriously made me crazy! --begin random veer-- I have been known to say "I'll spank you so hard your mother will cry", it makes me laugh!--end random veer-- Anyway, Lexi has been looking forward to this day for months! Originally she was going to be baptized on her birthday and had said "getting baptized on my birthday is the best present I will get"....she's a sweetie! Since I'm only a step-mom, I don't get to be a part of things as much as I'd like, or even get to spend the time that I would like..... so I'm going to post something for Lexi here, and hopefully she'll have access to it her whole life :)
Lexi,
I am so proud of you and the decision you have made to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Being a member of this church can be the very best blessing in your life. It gives you opportunities beyond measure. You have the chance to be with your family for all of eternity......that's a long time! Having the gospel in my life, and knowing I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, has really carried me through some hard times in my life. I am so grateful. I know that if you do what is right, you will be blessed. Life wont always be easy, but there are lots of people around you to help you, who love you very much. And most importantly, Heavenly Father loves you, and is always there for you, always ready to give you peace, comfort and guidance in your life. The gift of the Holy Ghost really is an amazing gift! Take time to listen. Take time to pray. You are a special daughter of God. You have a talent and beauty that can, and will, touch the lives of others. You are such a joy to be around... so happy and full of life. You are loving and kind. You help make our house a home. Dad and I love you so much. I am so happy to be your mom and be a part of your life, and I will always be here for you.

Please don't make fun of this cake! It really isn't my best haha..... and I cut the 'dog poop' on the coconut grass lawn out of the picture too! lol I had these great ideas in my head, but once I put it all together, it was BLAH! Lexi loves dogs..... so a doggy dish, itty bitty edible doggy bones.... in the backyard coconut grass, with a cute little chocolate rock path through the grass..... and who owns a dog and doesn't have dog poop in their backyard at some point and time, right? lol OK fine, I'll add a pic of the poop! (make sure and compliment Brandon on his poop decor skills lol) But don't say I didn't warn you about this lame and crappy concoction! (pun intended)

~we love cousins~

2010-05-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Top to bottom, left to right:
Brandon, Kyle,
Annabelle, Lexi, Ethan, Toby, Benny,
Lily, DJ, Jeffrey, Kimi, Dallan, Gracie, William, Abel:)

My sweet sister Kristin and her family (who we very rarely get to see) stopped in for a visit on their way through - moving from Minot, ND to New Mexico. It was so great to see them!!!

Dave and Nikki and their kids came to say hello to the Schlenske's, so we took the photo op! Jahde wasn't with us that weekend, cuz he had a hot date :) so he's missing in these photos...... so is Hannah, Isaac, Gideon, Miriam, Andrew, Lucy, Rachel, Joshua (David and Susan's) Porter, Bradford and Darcee's pregnant tummy :) and Kianna, KC, and Corbin (Kirk and Cherrie's). We love all of our cousins!!! I wish I knew how to photoshop them all into the picture........although it's a wee bit crowded haha

It's amazing how big our family has gotten. It all started out so slow!!!

And I just have to post this sweet note that I found. Toby wrote it, obviously back in early December. It's so sweet! I had him go leave it on our neighbors porch(months later, but better late than never right?), so had to get a picture for my memory :) Dave was in China and it wouldn't stop snowing... I spent many hours outside shoveling, but already had a LOT on my plate (Dave gone, mom and dad totalled our suburban etc...) and one morning, when I was getting ready to go shovel, saw our kind neighbor helping out! So nice!!! Our home teacher ended up helping too. I was/am very grateful!

~eggselent~

2010-04-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

We had the awesome opportunity to meet David Archuleta! I was so much more excited than the kids lol We were provided this great opportunity through the Little Hero's Foundation, that works closely with Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation. We are very grateful.... THANK YOU! David A. is a cute kid and excellent musician. I'm still pathetically giddy about meeting him lol

And you see how happy we are about Easter?! :)

We had a great easter! We got to have an easter egg hunt with our cute cousins on Saturday, and then our own little hunt on Sunday. Dave missed out on the festivities, as he was flying home from China (again). The kids and I made him a little nest out of rice krispies and candy eggs, so that he got a 'taste' of Easter.
We also decorated some boiled eggs. I stayed away from the dye..... I honestly couldn't even think about that with my sweet DJ in the house :) So this was our fun, decorative Easter moment :)

(You guessed wrong... if you decided who decorated which eggs :)

p.s. Lexi's birthday pics and our cousin-fun-extravaganza pics coming soon :)

~Bazooka??~

2010-04-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

First, the funny........ Miss Lily wanted to watch the video of when she was young playing the bazooka!? Yeah, she was so cute and little and did such a good job playing the bazooka!? (Oh, and watch Lily when she starts bouncing to the beat... sooo funny! :)

If you can't figure out what the bazooka is... email me lol

Next...... I had a crazy day yesterday. I posted it on facebook, mostly for some sympathy :). But it was rotten! I took the kids to the eye doctor and found out that Kyle's eyes are just getting worse and worse....really bad, and he needs new glasses. Toby is colorblind and will be needing glasses soon. Then on our way home, we got rearended by a car that thought the light was green, but it wasn't. She hit us really hard. Toby's head flew back and hit pretty hard and he started to cry. Lily and DJ were already shocked, so upon hearing a cry, both started crying as well. The lady that hit us was sooo scared. She really felt bad. I didn't report the accident, even though I probably should have, but I was in hurry to get to SLC and still make it back in time to sub in a volleyball game. And would have made it, had it not been horrible traffic and a hail storm! Yeah, a hail storm in April. Anyway, I am not taking care of myself the way I should while Dave's been in China..... no exercise and very little sleep, so I can't cope the way I should (and typically do). BUT, despite my bad day, it didn't really feel that bad. I know that sounds weird, but I have been through so much worse, that these trivial things are annoying, but not overwhelming. My cousin said jokingly "It could have been worse" (right Andrea :) but that's the truth. I have definitely learned my lesson to never utter the words 'well it can't get any worse', because by golly it can.... it really, seriously, literally, totally can! Anyway, my day was stupid, and it left a sour taste in my mouth, but I finished it off playing volleyball with some great people and then walked outside to see the most beautiful snowfall everrrrrrr. Yeah, most people are annoyed to have snowfall in April, but it was gorgeous! Those little snowflakes served as a reminder to me of the beauty of God's creations. It somehow reminded me how blessed I really am. I drove home from vb in silence, with a prayer in my heart.
And despite my recognition and pondering, I was grumpy today again. :) But I know that I am loved and watched over by my Heavenly Father, and I know he'll help me, even on the days that 'can't get any worse'. :)

2010-03-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful the past few days here! Dave is in China (again!) and each one of the kids has been sick at least once, if not twice, or three times (strep ughhhh) in the last month, so the kids and I have spent countless hours outside and we are really enjoying it! I miss Dave, but it's nice to not feel that wifely duty/obligation to make a pretty meal and have the floor picked up by 5 :) We spent the afternoon Saturday at the park. We took a picnic lunch, fed the ducks, and played! Sunday we went for a couple of bike rides.

Tonight we sketched all of the Spongebob characters with sidewalk chalk (Plankton was eeeeeasy lol), and found a dead bird ..... DJ thought it was just a feather, and you should have seen his face when an entire bird came up out of the woodchips!!! And I really need to get Lily's description on video of 'the bird flying with his head turned sideways, he didn't see the house and crrrrrack, broke his neck' lol. We also spent many fun hours on bikes, scooters, and longboards. The kids and a couple of neighbors were sitting on the longboards and coasting down the driveway, into, and across the road --don't worry, we always had someone on car patrol. :) Kyle helped the younger ones, and made sure everyone was being safe (love how helpful and good with kids he is!). All of the kids were so brave, going off of the bumpy driveway onto the pavement. I was nervous just watching them!! So, I finally tried it myself, but chickened out and slowed myself down with my feet right before the bump..... the neighbor got a kick outa that lol. And Toby had been trying to get more control of his longboard by turning after he entered the road. After a successful run, he happily pushed his longboard in front of him in a proud manner.....hit a crack in the sidewalk....and practically impaled himself with his longboard!!! He seriously hit so hard! He stepped back dazed and confused, and obviously in pain. After a few breaths, he was ready to ride again! I would have been out of commission for at least a month!

~lightyears of catching up~

2010-03-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am behind! Toby turned 7 on January 24th, then I turned, ummmmm 29, and then Kyle turned 12 on February 12th. My boys are so grown up! One more year and Toby will be baptized!!!
We had a bit of a Star Wars theme for Toby's birthday. Toby was beyond excited about his birthday present! He has been begging for either AT-TE or the Clone Turbo Tank for star wars for months now! He really wanted one or the other for Christmas, but we just couldn't pay that much for something. Then right after Christmas, it went on sale.... HALF OFF! I called Marc (his dad) and explained the situation and that we wanted to split the half off cost with him........but he decided to just go ahead and buy it for him :) so we gave Toby the clone troopers to go with it! I have a video of him on youtube opening his present and jumping around and screaming.. quite funny lol (there's a link to my youtube site if you're at all interested :)

We also celebrated Toby's birthday by going to a Grizzley's Hockey game with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society! They had invited us to join them and have Toby stand in a survivors tunnel for the hockey team to enter through, but when they found out it was his birthday, they asked if he wanted to drop the puck! He was so excited and really had a great time! Our good friends, the Kimmings, went to the game with us, as did my dear friend Claire, who is running a marathon for LLS team in training.

Kyle is now 12....a deacon..... and passed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday!!!!! He makes his momma proud! He also got a really cool gift from Marc, an Arizona Cardinals football, signed by a whole bunch of the team. :) His cake.... well, I couldn't decide what to do lol He loves cows and unicorns, so I combined the two lol. He and I went with his good friend Bailey and Bailey's mom to the movie The Lightening Thief....it opened on his birthday :) <
Kyle and Bailey made it to district with their science fair project How Does Light Affect Fish Behavior?. They placed in district, and will now be going on to state at BYU.
Look at these kids! Aren't they the cutest kids ever? (besides your own of course lol) I love being a mom and I love my kids!

Lily's 5th Birthday!!!

2010-01-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby girl turned 5! Lily is such a beautiful princess! She truly blesses our home. I love to hear her sing and play the piano. I love to see the awesome pictures she draws. I love her laugh and her smile. I love her hugs. I love the intelligence, spirit, and love that she embodies. She is a fabulous sister, caring friend, star student and wonderful daughter!!! We love you Lily!!!>
Anna, Lily and Sydney Pie. :) Such cute and sweet girls.

Ok this is just plain 'blog material' as Dave would say :)
Toby is a picky eater.....ever since chemo ruined a normal appetite and caused cravings galore!
So after many choices of what to eat for dinner, all sounding horrible, Toby made his own dinner............

A tortilla filled with broken up chips, spaghetti, pepperoni, salami, green beans, and home-made salsa.

He ate the whole thing LOL

~Ketchup, not just for eating~

2009-12-19T13:12:00.001-08:00

~kids, you gotta love em!~

2009-12-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

These pics are from My Gym.... a hopekids event. The kids had a blast!

This morning I was sitting on the floor folding laundry. DJ was sitting next to me drawing on a magnadoodle type thing. I crawled across the floor a little ways to grab something, and as I backed up to my original spot, I beeped (because I'm retarded). My beeping inpired DJ to want me to draw him a picture of a bus (this is something that I can draw and have it be semi-recognizable lol). I finished drawing, and DJ was happy as a clam! He then said, "turn it on now please". haha I looked at him confused and said "did you just ask me to turn on the bus?" And he answered, "yes, turn it on". If only I had that much power :)
And yesterday at church I substituted in Lily's class. During Sharing Time the leader asked the Children what the greatest Christmas present of all is (Jesus Christ). She called on a few children. Toby's answer was "love"........ nicely done Toby, good guess! Lily's answer was "A SNOW GLOBE!". haha who knew? Christmas shopping for her should be easy enough then hahaha

Here is a picture of the kids at our ward party Friday night. I braved it alone, because Dave is China for a work again. All was going fairly smoothly, until my dad called me during dinner. He informed me that my suburban was no longer driveable...?? Not to worry because he and mom were ok, or at least so they thought. I felt the stress enter my body at that moment. We lent our suburban to mom and dad so they could help my little brother Devin move. On their return home, they hit a patch of black ice on a hill and lost control. The suv slid out of control and then tipped over onto the passenger side and slid into the median. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there were several other accidents there, so the police and tow truck were already at the scene, ready to help. Mom got a good bump on her head and suffered from some shock, so she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Dad just had bumps and bruises. The suburban, not so lucky. :( I held it together (well mostly) until the ward party ended, and then drove to the hospital to pick up my parents. I am so glad that they are ok and safe. BUT, I hate all the drama that is happening while my sweet hubby is gone. The first day he was gone (Thurs) the battery in my van died... not because of a light left on or something, but because my battery was de-ead, needing replaced. Thank heavens my parents weren't gone yet, and my dad helped me take care of that. Then when I got home, my fire alarm was beeping.... you know, one of those up at the tippy top of the vaulted cealing? sheesh! Now I have insurance to deal with, ugh. And then yesterday and today it's snowing SO much and my wrists hurt from shoveling all this crap..... well it's not crap, it's quite clean, and beautifully white, but good grief I need some rest! :)
Watch for my next update (I'm hoping to have pics of my totalled suburban.... man my parents are lucky to be ok!)

~Happy day to youuuu Derek!~

2009-11-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday DJ!! It's hard for me to believe that my baby is 2 years old! He's such a big boy! As you can see, DJ is a fan of airplanes, so that was the theme for his party :) We had all 7 kids here, and had a great time!

DJ...... what a blessing you are in our family!!! I love to listen to you sing! I love the way you say "uh huh" and "uh uh". My favoriteeeeeeeee is when you say "Let's DO this, woo hoo"! I love it when you tell me you lub (love) me. :) I also love it when you see me or dad getting ready and ask us if we're going to volleyball. :) Hehe What a cute little man you are! Our favorite monkey! You're excited about life! You're funny! You're busy. You're determined. You're obedient. You make your brothers, sisters and mom and dad so happy! We all love you very much!!!!!

In this picture, you'll see some "books" that Lily, Toby and Lexi made for Derek for his birthday. If you look closely, Toby's book says, "DJ You are Asum"! hehe sooooo cute! :) DJ loved this little airplane he got! He would stand with his legs apart and use the remote to have the plane go through his legs. He'd watch it as it would go under and lean down and rest his forhead on the floor, to be able to keep watching. He was dancing around and kept all of us entertained for a long time!

~Halloween~

2009-11-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

Our dear friends Annie, Alex and Jono came over for FHE and pumpkin Carving! I toasted up a bunch of the pumpkin seeds and they were delicious!!!
So it's dangerous to have Lily or DJ using knives or sharp objects to carve a pumpkin, right? My idea was to give them markers instead, much safer! So Dave see's DJ with a Sharpie, permanent marker, and says, "who gave him that marker?" in a concerned voice. I proudly admit that I did, and it's safer.....besides I'm right next to him and...........(as I'm in mid sentence- no lie- DJ slowly, but surely, raises the permanent marker towards his face and places a beautiful "mole" on his cheek. HA the irony! And speaking of moles, Jono carved a mole in the face of his pumpkin because "all witches have moles". To which Kyle replied "Hey, my mom is not a witch" Lovely, I know.

We went with Hopekids up to Bear Lake for the weekend. It was soooooo nice to get away! I just can't express enough how much I love Hopekids and how wonderful it is to be part of this huge understanding family, while getting to do things we just can't do on our own.
Here are the kids Halloween costumes. In case you can't tell
Kyle - Dunkin Donut (verrrrrrrry scary skills putting this together, seriously! Toby - Captain Rex (Clone Trooper)
Lily - Black Kitty Cat
DJ - Airplane Pilot (you've got to hear him say this, it's so cute, although sometimes he'd say he was going to be a pumpkin lol)

Ok so this isn't and never was DJ's costume, but his eyes were so funny to me, I had to post this!! :)

The kids got to ride on this train/wagon thing! In this last picture, Kyle is holding TJ, a fellow hopekid, who was unable to sit upright by himself. His parents couldn't ride, and so Kyle kindly helped so that TJ could ride.... so sweet!

The kids had soooo much fun! Just being in nature.... piling and throwing leaves. We really had a great time!

~I still don't remember, but this one's good too!~

2009-10-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

I've wracked my brain trying to remember what Lily said that was so blasted funny! I simply can't remember, BUT, don't fret, she was hilarious again today!!!
So I had a copy of the Relief Society Lesson out today, and she asked me if she could please read it (no, Lily can't read yet lol). I, of course, tell her she can, so she grabs this talk/lesson and starts "reading" aloud. She then states "WE ARE HERE TO DESTROY YOU, by President Monson", totally matter of fact like. hahaha She then added some things like, 'keep the commandments'. So there you have it, you've been warned!! :)

~Congrats Kyle!~

2009-10-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Kyle's flag football team won the "superbowl"! :) The playoff game was really intense..... a close game! Kyle "sacked" the quarterback at a very critical point near the end of the game, which many referred to as 'the play of the game'. He did such a great job!!! The team and coach were great and the games were so much fun to watch! Congratulations Kyle.... you rock!!!

DJ and I went to the pumpkin patch with some friends. They had a lot of fun in the tiny hay maze and just walking freely through the pumpkin patch. Such cute kids!
Kissing a pumpkin! :)

So Lily said something SO funny the other day and I can't for the life of me remember what it was....... sorry! However, I do remember Toby's, since it happened today. The kids were singing this song (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell), The cows give us milk, the cows give us milk, hi-ho the dairy-oh the cows give us milk. The chickens give us eggs....and so on. Then Toby starts singing "The Devil gives us milk, the devil gives us milk, hi-ho the dairy-oh, the devil gives us milk....again" I was totally caught off guard. I asked him what on earth he was singing and his response was "DAD", like, duh, you should know that. Because dad brought the milk in from the outside fridge....again. We tease dave about being evil sometimes hahahaha

~Leukemia strikes again~

2009-10-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

My friend posted this the other day, and of course, having dealt with Leukemia in our lives, I will do what I can to help.

"There is a little girl named Taylie who is 4 years old and recently diagnosed with AML Leukemia. Her family is obviously terrified and drowning in medical bills that are only going to get higher. I came across a link to her blog, and really felt inspired to help out, and any one can do it too. It just takes a minute of your time to help this family. If you want to help all you need to do is write a short introduction about Taylie on your blog with a link to http://www.tayliebug.com/ then go to adashofseason.blogspot.com and leave a comment there indicating you made the link on your blog and you're done! Someone has offered to donate $2 for every blog with her link as long as you indicate you have done so on adashofseason.blogspot.com. So easy for a family that could really use some help."

Sometimes the smallest and simplest things, can mean the world to someone who is going through something like this. I love to see such beautiful acts of love and service.

~I love this time of year~

2009-10-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

After living in Michigan for 5 years and going to apple orchards and pumpkin patches as often as we could throughout the entire fall , I have really fallen in love with the crisp cool air, fresh apples off of the tree, hot apple cider, warm cinnamon apple cider doughnuts, and pumpkin patches where we each pick our perfect pumkpin.
(Thank you Heidi, Kristin, Keirste and Julie for the many wonderful, memory filled playdates there!)

Kyle was a bit younger than DJ is now when we first went to an apple orchard/cider mill. I think he was probably wearing this exact sweatshirt we now see on DJ! haha it's lasted through several children :) It was much easier to keep an eye on just one child.....carry only my pumpkin and his....no school so we could go wherever, whenever.....we could fit our friends in the car with us..... no medical drama and outstanding medical bills......Wow things have changed so much! It really makes me see the importance of 'living in the now', appreciating what we have, right when we have it. I thought Kyle was going to be an only child after 4 years of trying and Dr.'s appointments etc.... and now I have 7 kids!!! :) I never understood the easiness of things with just one or two little ones, with time to spend together. I feel like I did take advantage of what I had, but I look back and wish that I had gloried in that time, instead of just abiding in it. Of course I've had life changing experiences since then and have learned how precious life is, and that life can throw curve balls and isn't always easy. I appreciate everything that I get to do with my family. It makes this trip to the pumpkin patch so much more important and meaningful. When DJ and Lily get so excited, and I hear them shouting "pumpkin patch, pumpkin patch!", it makes me happy, it makes me so grateful to be able to build these memories with them.

This time of year also gives me flashbacks of Toby being so ill. It will be 4 years ago (tomorrow), that we spent our entire day and night in the hospital, thinking we only had one night left with our precious son. He would have been about 8 months older than DJ is right now. He was so young, so little. His life changed in one night.......and so did mine. But boy, have we learned a lot!
So I just went scrolling through old pics to find one from about 4 years ago, and I'm not joking you, Toby is smiling in almost every picture....whether in the hospital, hooked up to IV's, taking yucky meds, or excessively overweight with steroids..... man he's a trooper!!!!! This picture was taken on the 14th, so we had been in the hospital a week at this point, but the steroids and chemo hadn't made any visible changes......yet! :)

good times = picture overload :)

2009-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Good Friends, good sport! Our dearest friends Janeal, Tanner and Cole, came over for a fun game of flag football. DJ and Lily ran in circles around the big boys lol

Happy 16th Birthday Jahde!!!! 16 is such an exciting age.... driving and dating. :) I hope this is a fantastic year for you!!! You are such an awesome son and brother! We love you.

We met our goal!!!! :) Thank you SO much to all of you who donated!!! Large or small, those donations make a difference, and mean the world to me (and lots of other families with children with life threatening illnesses). It's like giving $5 to say you care :) The Hopekids Wasatch Adventure walk was held at This is the Place Heritage Park. The kids enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air with star wars characters, activities like face painting, horseback rides, baby animals and trains :) Hopekids raised over $10,000, which was raised from Hopekids families and their supporters!!! They had an anonymous donor that matched up to $10,000, putting the funds raised to over $20,000!!! AWESOME! THANKS EVERYONE! WE LOVE HOPEKIDS!!! Medically speaking, our burden has been lighter, as Toby has finished his chemo treatment and is only going in for check ups/blood draws. But financially, our burden is heavy, and Hopekids provides us with acivities that we can do together as a family.... things that we would never be able to do or afford on our own. It has also helped us meet other families going through similar things that we have gone through, which provides great support. Seriously, Hopekids is a wonderful, wonderful blessing in our lives.

DJ put some woodchips on this little, innocent goats back. He looked up at Dave and smiled and said "I DID IT" haha :)
Dave sported a turtle on his cheek (probably the signature for our family's speed in the hope walk lol) This sparked 2 more tiny turtles to be born on Toby's and DJ's cheeks :) I had the Hopekids sun logo on my cheek and Lily had a cute flower. Kyle opted out of face painting even though I pressured him to show his support for BYU :) (maybe that turned out to be a good thing- after that sad loss)

Hope

2009-09-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Our family is walking with Hopekids in the "Hopekids Wasatch Adventure 2009". This is of course in honor of Toby. :) www.caringbridge.org/visit/tobywilson . We have to raise $100 to participate, but our goal is to raise $250. We figure if we get $5 per family/household, we will easily meet our goal!!! :)

http://www.active.com/donate/uthopewalk/TobyGage

Thank you to everyone who has supported us the last 4 years. Your prayers and love have been appreciated more than you know!

~a bit about moi~

2009-09-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I always post about everyone else, but rarely about me. And when it is about me, it's typically very whiney.....probably hard to stomach when reading :) I'm not promising that this post wont have some whining :)

Lily took this picture of me..... I was impressed with her camera snapping skills :)

So I get my words mixed up.....ummmm fairly frequently. I am well known for calling my friends Jenny and Kaneal, instead of Kenny and Janeal. I also commented that I could hear a 'DARK BOGGING'. It took my family and friends a while to figure out what I was saying and how I mixed it up. It wasn't a simple first letter swap like Kaneal, it was entire word switching. I was trying to say Dog Barking. Dark Bogging. Nowhere close eh? We laughed pretty good at that one! And most recent, I ran to the store. I pulled into the parking lot, parked my van, exited my van, looked around my van, and then mumbled under my breath to myself " I'm a parky crapper" which of course should have been "I'm a crappy parker". I laughed and felt completely foolish, as I "crapped parky" and laughed at myself out loud in public! And now as I sit here typing and eating, I dropped a pita chip with spinach dip down my shirt. I really know how to impress!!
So my calling is Stake Young Women's Athletic/Sports Director. I have really enjoyed this. We are getting ready to start up volleyball and I'm excited! Volleyball is, of course, my favorite sport! I am still playing with a group of fabulous women on Tuesday nights..... love it! I'm trying to get some co-ed VB going in our stake. Dave and I really enjoy playing together :)
I have moments in my life where fear is present. I know that fear and faith don't coinside, and I do my best, but sometimes I really do 'fear'. I say to myself "what if we lose our home" or "what if Toby relapses" or "what if my life never settles down". But I think in general my faith wins out over fear. I have my momentary panic, but then I'm able to tell myself "even if we lose our home, we have each other and we'll make it" or "even if Toby relapses, my Heavenly Father will comfort me and help us through it". So why fear at all when I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who is constantly watching over me? Because I'm not perfect.
My life hasn't been easy. Ever since Toby was diagnosed there seems to be constant stress. I have found myself wishing I could 'go back, before he ever got sick, back to a normal life'. It isn't that there aren't good parts of my life now, there are, wonderful parts! But there is so much stress that comes with 2 divorcees, sick kids, hospital bills and appointments, and what feels to be constant adjustment. But I know through it all that Heavenly Father has been lifting me up, helping me breathe one breath at a time. He has blessed me so much, even though sometimes it's hard for me to focus on, and hard to notice ALL that I have been blessed with.
So my ankle is healing, feeling better and better (yes a true blessing)! I am able to play volleyball at a skill level that doesn't make me crazy :) I have a court date set Sept 30th to fight my (what I consider to be frivilous) ticket. Even though I get sick to my stomach thinking about court, I do believe this is worth fighting. Ok I think that's enough about me :) lol

So Lily started preschool today!!! :) She did fabulous!

Toby had Miss Mary for preschool, we love her!

And while she was at school, DJ and myself picked up aunt Darcee and her boys to take another tour of the Spanish Fork airport (again) :) If you live close by, you gotta do this..... it's so much fun! Pilot Porter and passenger DJ.

See ya later cousins, I'm done. lol

~Family Pictures~

2009-08-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is not our family picture ;)- - Dave went to China. He was so excited to go, but was ready for a home cooked meal after the second day :) The Jet lag was really hard on him! He will probably be traveling there a few more times before the end of the year, to train some people his company hired over there. The kids and I made some crafts to welcome him home! They each painted a wall hanging on their own with what are supposed to be chinese letters :) Jahde just started 11th grade. Brandon is in 9th. They are such awesome big brothers!!! Jahde and Brandon were so fun when we got our pictures taken.... here's a glimpse Jahde also turned 16! We haven't officially celebrated his birthday yet, so I don't have any pics or details yet, they'll come soon :) But DJ and Lily sang him happy birthday :)

Kyle is now in the 6th grade. He is playing flag football and doing quite well! And Let me tell you how sweet Kyle is.... Kyle, Jahde and Brandon all ran to the store. When they came back, the only thing that Kyle had purchased, was a clone trooper for Toby, because "he knew Toby would love it!!!" :) Kyle doesn't have much money to spend, so it really touched me that he would do that!

Lexi is now in second grade. She is a social butterfly... friends with everyone. She was sad in this picture because she had just hurt her ankle, so it doesn't show her typical smile and the twinkle in her eye.

Toby is now in first grade! He loves school (and school lunch :). Ever since he started steroids, he's had an interesting appetite. Sometimes he'll eat twice as much as an adult, and other times he'll have a few bites and be done. He also hates breakfast. More often than not, he's eating ramen noodles for breakfast. So this morning as he gets his noodles fresh off the stove, he says "Oh Blessed Steam of Victory" hahaha He was asked to give a talk in primary. He cut out pictures of good things (praying, reading scriptures, going to church, bapstism, prophet, temple etc...). He found and cut out the pictures himself. He was going to show the pictures and talk about all the different things he could do to make Heavenly Father happy. When primary started, I opened the folder and there were 2 pictures left.... TWO! I went around the entire church, but couldn't find the missing pictures. I know they were in the folder, cuz we went over the talk a bit during the sacrament. Crazy. He did a great job anyway, but it was a bummer that all his preperation was in vein!

Lily will be starting preschool next week! She's been looking forward to this day since Toby started preschool 2 years ago! I know she'll do great. She said something yesterday which made Dave comment "you've GOT to put that on the blog" but a day has passed and that's as far back as my memory goes! So just know that she said something very clever/cute and it was blog worthy :) She also told me about the Holy Ghost. How we have the Holy Ghost... he helps us when we're lost or scared, he comforts us, guides us, helps us choose the right. He's a tiny ghost in a box that we can't see. Wait, what was that last sentence?... Evidently her primary teacher used an empty gift box to speak about the gift of the Holy Ghost :)

DJ... red eyelashes and all! :) DJ copies everything anyone says now. He makes us laugh a lot. Some of our favorites... "I DO", "Hey, Hey, HEY". As he holds an umbrella and dances around the living room, "It's raining". Or, he'll crouch down and bend his knees....standing really awkward, and then shout "HIKE!". haha We love it when he runs, and when he screams and pretends to panic when the blender goes on, or he's using his imagination with blocks!

Kyle, Toby, Lily and I will be singing in sacrament this Sunday. We are going to sing 'I Pray in Faith'. The kids sound great and I'm excited for them to share their talents. hmmmm I should get it on video as well :) Then after we sing, we will head up to Pleasant Grove so Dave can ordain Jahde.... awesome :)

bruised head

2009-08-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

When you read the title of my blog *bruised head* I'll betcha you wonder which one of my children is spending a day in the dr.'s office...right? But you're so wrong! It's me! Nothing serious....no need to panic.... but totally retarded that my head is bruised. In Relief Society (church) on Sunday, I had the cutest little girl crawling around me. :) She kept reaching under my chair and bumping against my legs and such. I finally realized that she had lost a little toy ball under my chair. I quickly thought to myself 'I don't want her to get hurt and bump her head on my chair or anything... I'll get that for her'. Without a second thought (obviously lol) I leaned forward and BAM! Whacked my forehead forcefully on the chair in front of me! It was loud enough that I was suddenly the focus of the room! The crazy part is, I had been teary eyed through the lesson, and no doubt, some of those women thought I was crying from my bump lol hahaha

Jahde, Brandon, and Lexi are here with us right now (for 10 days). Lexi is constantly saying things that make me laugh. She told me that she was born in the year 2012. I kindly told her that that wasn't possible. She reassured me that she was indeed born in the year 2012. I then explained that the year 2012 hasn't happened yet, and maybe it's the year 2002. She told me to call her mom if I didn't believe her, because she was, in fact, born in the year 2012. I didn't call her mom :)
She also said, while thoroughly enjoying her Doritos, "I wish I was a chip, that way I could lick myself". haha

Toby lost his first tooth! He's very excited about it!!! The tooth fairy keeps forgetting to come (I told him I'd spank her when she finally dares shows her forgetful face)!

My mom and I went to the little local airport the other day with my kids and their cousins. I know I mentioned before that DJ loves airplanes, so I thought this would be the perfect outing. The kids got to sit in the driver seat of both an airplane and a helicopter. They learned about them....how to make them fly, and why/how that works. Then we got to watch some small aircraft take off and land and walked around and looked at some of the planes that were parked there. It was pretty cool

And last, but not least :) DJ followed me out in the garage the other day. I came in and left the door open, assuming he was following me. It had been a couple of minutes and he hadn't returned, so I asked Kyle to please check on him. Kyle was laughing and told me to grab the camera and come check it out. :) haha.

Well I'm off to take Brandon to his orthodontic appointment in AF! Tomorrow it's SLC/PCMC for Toby's clinic visit. Thursday it's Lehi for family pictures, then the YW stake sports night ...... I really need a nap! Oh, and Dave is flying to China on Saturday for work (the same day his kids head home). If anyone wants to come over and force me to take a nap, I wont stop you. :)

~old fashioned photos~

2009-07-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the Hopekids (www.hopekids.org) old fashioned family picnic! It was out at Antelope Island. We had a lot of fun! It was soooooo windy though, it was nuts! So on our drive out there, we told the kids to watch for Bison. Evidently Lily missed that part of our conversation, because as we approached one of these mangy animals, Lily shouted out in pure excitement "WHAT THE! A MOOSE!!" We all laughed so hard! :)

Since we were already up North, we swung by the Hill Airforce Museum. DJ LOVES airplanes, so we couldn't pass it up. :) Ever since Hopekids provided us the opportunity to see the Air show up there, DJ has been obsessed with airplanes, helicopters and jets.
We Love Hopekids!!!
Besides the awesome opportunities they have provided us, we have met many wonderful people/friends. Hopekids sends out a daily inspirational message that I so often need. I find myself quoting them saying "Hope is a powerful medicine".... I truly believe that!
Recently I read an article about T-cell ALL and the 'very high' rate of relapse, of which is not treatable/curable. It got me so sad and scared. But I wont give up hope.

~My pity party~

2009-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

I officially declare myself to be a "lemon" (comparable to an item you buy that just doesn't work like it should). Some people are prone to buying lemons. I feel like I AM a lemon.
It all started a couple of days ago when I got an invitation to my 15 year high school reunion. They want updates on everyone, and sent out a questionaire that asked for the highlights of my life for the past 5 years. I didn't know what to write because my life has just been crazy. Then this afternoon it went into a spiral. I headed up to Primary Children's Hospital with 4 kids in tow for Toby's appointment. On the way home, I stopped at Costco to get some milk. Lily had to use the bathroom, so she and I went in the store. I left Kyle in charge in the car, as DJ was taking a much needed nap. When I came back out to the car, it was surrounded by police officers and Costco employees. Now keep in mind, I have done this before, and Kyle knows all the rules. I left him my cell phone. The car was running with the AC on. Kyle locked the doors after I went in. So my thought is (Oh noooo something bad happened!!) But no, it was just a grandma and bunch of Costco employees who decided I had abandoned my children and they were in grave danger (despite Kyle telling them I would be right back and they were fine). I was so embarrassed (still am) and felt horrible. Come to find out, it's a law that I can't leave my children in a running car until Kyle is 12 (he will be soon, but that doesn't matter ugh). But not knowing this law doesn't matter, because despite the crowds and gossip and drama of it all, I got myself a nice ticket! Ok so that goes on my list for my highlights along with....

*My son nearly died and was diagnosed with Leukemia

*My husband left me

*I had to move from AZ to Utah because I couldn't take care of my ill son and my other children alone

*I moved into my parents basement

*I met a wonderful man and married him, gaining 3 more children, and sending 2/3 of our income off to his x-wife. Hospital bills and mouths to feed (thank heavens for his savings....and thank heavens she'll marry soon so we wont lose our home).

*My best friend since the 3rd grade writes me off completely because 'we are on different paths'

* I got pregnant and threw up every day for 5 months..... DJ was born making "Yours Mine and Ours" and uniting our family (what a blessing he truly is)

*My daughter got kidney reflux and spent a year on antibiotics

*I broke my right ankle

*My son finished chemotherapy treatment! YAY! (with 5 years left of monthly blood draws before he's considered in remission)

*My daughter lost 2/3 of her kidney, and had to have invasive surgery to correct the problem

*My son had surgery to remove his port-a-cath

*My sister got upset with me and wont speak to me

*I got a ticket and watched people gossip and imply that I am bad mother :(

Now, I know that there are more pleasant hightlights and of course many blessings, but out the big things that have happened in my life, the traumatic/bad outnumber the good. And it seems neverending now. :(
I know I shouldn't be so negative, and I really do know that I have been blessed even through the crappiest days of it all, but I just want a normal life without all the drama. Ok enough whining.

Happy Birthday to my amazingly wonderful husband last month!!!!

Don't you just LOVE DJ in this picture.... I think it's hilarious!!!

Dave, thank you for being one of the positive highlights in my life!!! You are such a blessing. You are a wonderful husband and father!!! You are talented and smart and occasionally funny ;) I love you!!!!!

Happy Birthday Brandon!!!!!!!!

Brandon got a 'super pickle' cake (design by Kyle lol) Brandon, you are 1 of 3 of the best children to have entered my life. You are growing up so quickly and becoming such a handsome young man (mushy cheesy, but nice to hear nonetheless right?) You are a great brother and a great son. I love you.

Now here are some pictures that we took on our trip to AZ last week. We didn't take many, but the ones we got were cute. I sure do miss AZ and my friends there. Everytime I go back I feel like it's my home and I cry. Maybe someday we'll be able to move back.Duck Pond (or something like that lol)
Trees in Kanab when we stopped to stretch

DJ napping in the car
Red Rock Canyon

Arizona Science Center.... Knight DJ

~Fun, Education and Religion~

2009-06-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

What is it with kids and their parents' bed?!?! Seriously?! I don't even remember why, but me and all the kids ended up in my bedroom and then they were all having SO much fun climbing in and out of the covers. I guess it's true with almost anything "If it's not yours, it must be better (or more fun) than yours"(this is my proverb for the day lol) . :)

Kyle received an award from school, which, to me, is quite impressive. :) He ranked in the top 10% in the nation in reading, math, core total and total composite!! Woohoo! Way to go Kyle!!! :)

Our family went to the Oquirrh Temple open house last Thursday night. The kids were SO excited to go. I of course knew it would be a cool experience, but I had no idea how much it meant to them and how badly they wanted to go through the temple. We got all dressed up and then went out to dinner first. I was really hoping to make it a night that they would always remember. As we were leaving the restaraunt, we saw a rainbow! It was so vivid and beautiful!

It was a sweet experience. The kids were very reverent (except at one point when DJ tried to dodge through a crowded doorway and Dave stooped down to his level and Lily took that as an invite to jump on Dave's back..... momentary chaos :) DJ loved all the lights, and said "hi" and waved to pretty much every usher.... it was so blasted cute! The kids really were good, and Kyle was learning as much as he could as he went through. He asked on the way out how old one had to be to go to the temple. We told him that he would go through before his mission. He asked how often he'd be able to attend at that time. We explained he could go as often as he wanted. His 'make your mother proud' reply was, "Wow I am going to go to the temple ALL the time!". He really loved it... loves it...it's awesome.

Graduation Day

2009-05-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Toby Graduated from Kindergarten last Friday! I had nooo idea how big of a deal Kindergarten graduation was out here ( a bit over the top if you ask me! ) but it was fun. :) He knew all of the songs perfectly and did a fantastic job!

I was all smiles throughout the program, until they got to the song 'Take Care of Your Body' (I added a short video clip of it --I can't get the vid to upload so I'll post it on youtube -- link at right). It brought tears to my eyes. Anyone who doesn't know our story probably thought I was weird. :) To watch and hear Toby sing ' I WANT TO BE STRONG. I WANT TO LIVE LONG. I WANT TO BE WELL' was emotional. There were so many times when he wasn't strong. He was too weak to walk, or even sit up. I had to carry him and hold him, no matter how much he wanted to do it himself. And there was a time when we were told he wouldn't live long. Most people don't have a second thought about that song (not that I blame them). But once you've dealt with an unhealthy body, the song has new meaning. The lyrics are " Take care of my body. It's my body, healthy I want to be. Take care of my body, and everybody will take care of me. Day-O. I'm gonna feel OK. I want to be strong! I want to live long! I want to be well, and take care of myself!". So anyway, I am so grateful for Toby's strength today. I am grateful that he is here with us, able to stand and sing. Man, he's tough! And I believe him when he says he's going to live long! :)
So now that I'm all emotional, I look at the pic of Toby with his arms around his friends and I can envision him graduating from high school. It'll be fun to compare the two pictures when he does. :)

We had a great memorial weekend! We went up to visit Dave's parents and some of his siblings in Vernal on Saturday and Sunday. It was great to see them. Then we came home and met up with my family on Monday for a yummy BBQ and then went fishing (thank goodness for uncle Kirk when it comes time to fish). Kyle caught 2 fish within minutes of each other! He then caught another, but invited my nephew Ethan to come and have a turn :) Kirk and Cherrie both graciously gave up their catches and let Toby and Lily have a turn fishing. So everyone caught a fish! :) It was a lot of fun!

2009-05-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

We stopped by the Rennessaince Festival on our way to Logan for Mother's Day weekend. We wanted to see jousting, but they didn't have any going on while we were there. It was interesting. The kids came home sporting foam swords and fairy wings, so it was well worth it to them :) We paid a dollar for Lily to ride a horse (good deal! you're thinking, right?) haha well they went in a circle about as big as our dining room table..... haha! At least Lily enjoyed it :)

Then we stayed with my dearest friend Courtney in Logan. We went to a crash derby..... the kids loved it! (I didn't get any pics there dang it.....and we even saw a car flip all the way over -- next time maybe ;) We also went to a little park/zoo that was a lot of fun. The kids made these cutes masks there. We spent Sunday with Chris (I just made and typo... typed Christ instead of Chris lol ironic.....suppose I spent Sunday with Christ as well) and Courtney and attended their church. I had so much fun! I was so glad we went. I swear we don't get out, unless it's to a Dr. appointment! Chris and Court..... thank you SO much for your hospitality and taking such great care of us! And for taking us fun places! It's your turn to come visit us now :)
Lily and her friend Cate

Lily and Toby watching a peacock (showing off feathers) and a big turtle!

So DJ was carrying a baby doll today and I told him to give it a kiss and he totally licked its' face ewwwww! Toby, Lily and I were laughing and then Lily said "DJ! That is NOT an ice cream cone!!!!!!" haha

Here is a cute video of Lily singing........again haha She just was making me laugh when she would try and sing the fast part :) C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song from Spongebob :)

Yo Momma

2009-05-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment and say something serious :) I had the pleasure of listening to two of my children share their testimony today in church. Kyle kindly took Lily up to share her testimony, and then couldn't walk back down without sharing his own. :) We haven't practiced or talked about tesitmonies for quite a while now. The last time we did (which was several months ago), we practiced for Toby's sake, because he was wanting to go up and share his testimony ( I remember that practice very well, because Toby impressed us with a very sweet testimony, then asked if he could try again. At that point, he walked up in front of us, serious as could be, and said "I'm here to tell you that the sun is not a monster" hahaha He cracks us up and has quite the memory for quoting movie lines!) Anyway, on to my sweet story... :) Lily spoke first and said that she knew the church was true and that she knew her family loved her.....short, sweet, and perfect for a 4 year old. Kyle was next. He was so touching. He spoke a bit about Toby and our prayers for him when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He said that he knew the Lord would help us, even in hard times. He said that he was thankful for the gospel...for the opportunity to come to church to learn more about the gospel, and that he looked forward to serving a mission and sharing the gospel with others. He's 11!!! :) Being a mother sure has some awesome moments :)

The previous paragraph, and the following, shouldn't be in the same post! Please be advised, this entry is not for the sensitive or easily offended...

These are a bunch of 'yo momma' jokes that Dave and I listened to on a long drive home the other day. It started with Jahde, who actually had some real yo momma jokes to tell. Then all the kids joined in. I had to start writing them down because they were soooooo random and ridiculous funny! :) *You might do better to read these when you're really tired, or in a giddy mood* **and yes, I'm well aware that many of these don't make sense, that's what makes them so funny to me** :)

Toby - Yo Momma's so fat, that when she touched a power line, she got shocked!

Lily - Yo momma's so fat, that when she slipped on an ice cube, she died!

Toby - Yo momma's so fat, that when she went hiking, her hiking stick broke!

Lily - Yo momma's so fat, that she didn't have any underwear!

Toby - Yo momma's so fat, that she went hiking, slipped, did a front flip, and fell
off of a cliff!

Lily - Yo momma's so fat, she can't comb her hair!

Toby - Yo momma's so stupid, that she couldn't cut, and stabbed her eye!

Lily - Yo momma's so fat and stupid, that she can't walk.......or skip!

Toby - Yo momma's so stupid, that when she was pregnant, she had a bunch of babies,
and didn't do anything about it!

Kyle - Yo momma's so fat, that her bracelets are monster truck tires!

Ryhming and Signing with Love

2009-04-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Lily and I were rhyming. I would say a word, and she would come up with a word that rhymed. She was doing great, and decided to quiz me in return. She asked me what rhymed with 'tree'. I answered, 'three'. She said "no, that's not right, the word is 'bee'". I just kinda chuckled to myself, and we sat in silence for a moment. Then in her sweetest voice, Lily said "Mom, I still love you". It's nice to know that even when I am 'wrong', she still loves me haha :)

For Family Home Evening we were singing the song I Love to See the Temple. The kids know some sign language to this song, and were signing along as they sang. (I'm really not sure I should post about this but it was so funny!) At the end of the song, the lyrics are 'a family is forever'. The sign that the kids do there is sorta like the letter F in sign language, done with both hands, hands starting together, making a circle and rejoining. (Now this is only funny because it was completely and totally innocent!) So when Toby's hands made the circle and rejoined, and as he sang 'a family is forever', his two middle fingers were the only fingers that were standing up tall, they circled around and faced out towards the rest of us. Dave and I looked at each other wide eyed and then we both started laughing. Toby still has no idea what he did. He has no idea he made a sign completely contradictory of the one he was trying to make. I'm glad he has no idea! We of course made sure to show him a more accurate way to sign! :)

K S I S N S G

2009-04-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

I know I take too many videos of Lily, but my goodness, how can I resist??!? And how can I not post this one when she says she loves me??!? :) I thought it was soooooo sweet! :)

I overheard Toby teasing Kyle the other day...... "Two little lovers sittin in a tree, K S I S N S G" hahaha :)

Kyle made his own powerpoint presentation for his honors class at school. I haven't seen it, but he was really excited about it, and I have no doubt he did a fantastic job! (Now he'll have to teach me :)

Derek is growing up so fast! Only another month and he'll be in nursery! He is communicating really well, which makes life a lot easier (usually). My favorites are "boo boo" which is his binky and blanky. He'll ask for "help" or say "ouch". He'll typically try and copy most words we say. He also says the basics, mommy, dadda, bottle, more, drink, hot, no no, yes, and cheeeeeeeeeeeese when the camera comes around. :)

Ok here's another complaint of mine, but I wont go into any detail or long boring stories........but why are some people so selfish and feel like they are entitled????

Blah Blah Black Sheep

2009-04-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Blah Blah black sheep, have you any more? Yes sir, yes sir, three bad bulls. One for the master (incoherent mumbling....guess the dame isn't getting one! ha) and one for the little girl who lives in the lame. Blah Blah black sheep, have you any more? Yes sir, yes sir, three bad bulls.
I asked Lily what a bull was, and she said it must be a black sheep.....so there you have it :)

Don't forget to check out Toby's caringbridge site...it wont be around forever (thank heavens!)

Oh to be young

2009-03-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

I went on a walking field trip with Toby's kindergarten class. We walked from the school to the Library, Fire Station and Post Office. The kids have been talking about neighborhood helpers, and got to go see, and talk to some in person. So, at the fire station, the fireman was explaining what to do in case of a fire. He asked the children what would happen if they got smoke in their eyes and a little girl shouted out "You'll DIE!" ha Then we went outside and talked with a police man and looked at his car. One of the children asked him why the police took people to jail. He explained that sometimes people make bad choices or break the law. One child asked the policeman if he'd ever gone to jail. haha Then another young boy proudly said "my mom has gone to jail!". haha I'm sure she was glad he told us all that!

I then took Kyle and Toby to the dentist (no cavities hoooray!). Toby came out and said he couldn't eat or drink anything for 30 minutes, and then became concened and asked me "mom, can I swallow?". *Aunt Kristin, I hope you're reading this lol* I said of course he could swallow. He then said, but there's spit in my mouth, and they told me I couldn't drink for 30 minutes. I laughed and told him that 'spit' wasn't considered a drink. He said, but don't you remember "Drink your spit!" hahahaha, *Aunt Kristin told one of her children to drink his spit after relentless asking for a drink on their loooong drive to Utah*. You have to know calm, patient, loving Kristin to really appreciate this.......too funny! :)

Then last night Dave was wrestling with the kids and Lily climbed up on his back and said "Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! I got a Dog!" totally random, gave us a good laugh!!! :)

And seriously.......do we ever have this much fun eating?

Calling all parents! sorry this entry is ginormous!

2009-03-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Let me first start by venting! We took Lily to the hospital for surgery on Friday (you can read more about that on Toby's site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/tobywilson). Anyway, we were in the waiting room for about 1 1/2 hours waiting to be called back to surgery, at which time, we saw several other patients (not patience!). I was absolutely appalled and distraught by what I saw. Children disobeying, fighting, stealing toys, talking back, being disrepectful to people and toys, hitting, screaming, throwing tantrums etc.... One young man took every toy that Lily was playing with (luckily she's easy going and didn't get too upset), but his parents would shake their heads no at him, and then watch him take the toys, over and over. Another little girl kept trying to take Lily's balloon. Her mom would say no, but never get up to enforce her words. Her other daughter would then get up to remove the young girl and then a HUGE fit would ensue with screaming and flailing.....all accepted as ok. Another young boy was removing toys and throwing them. Another young boy kept hitting his mom in the face, she disreguarded it. Am I the only parent who tells my child "no" and means it? Am I the only parent who disciplines (and not out of anger, but to actually teach my children)? Who expects my child to be well behaved? Who doesn't allow my child to be in control? I am by no means saying I'm a perfect parent, but by golly I parent, and do it to the best of my ability (I of course know there are others of you out there parenting as well). Children are controlling their parents. Getting away with things, that in my mind, are not ok. I know I'm uptight, but it scares me to see how little some parents are expecting from their children, and how they choose not to do something about inappropriate behavior. I can't even imagine (nor do I want to) what will happen when these kids grow up. I know that some kids are more challenging than others, but say "NO", and mean it, stick to it, and be consistant for crying out loud!!!
OK I feel a bit better now.

I also learned something about my own parenting last night as I picked my niece up from the hospital when my nephew was rushed to the ER. I watched my niece trying not to cry, trying to be brave, while her brother was sick and terrified. I had her sit on my lap, I talked with her and prayed with her when we got home. Then it dawned on me, I don't do that with my own kids!!! I am so preoccupied with taking care of whomever is sick/in the hospital, that I don't take the time to make sure my other kids are ok. How sad is that?? And usually there's no one else there to do that for me. I feel like I communicate pretty well with my kids, especially whoever is having to go through the drama, but how often do I not notice when communication needs to happen? I'm going to be more aware from now on. Lily was so brave!!!

So Lily is doing pretty well. She is off of Lortab completely and occasionally takes Advil, but that's it. She walks on her toes and is verrrrry careful. :) The most drama was caused when I took off the outer bandage and it hurt! She was also scared to have her wound exposed, to be so vulnerable. She was also sad when DJ got to take a bath and she couldn't. She said "mom, I just want to be normal again". How sad is that? Lily's biological dad (Marc) came into town from AZ for the surgery and kept Kyle and Toby during the long day at the hospital. Thanks Marc. Lily's wagon ride out of the hospital Here's her scar....couple inch long smiley face....ugh

So here are the pictures from Toby's Picture Sale! The info on this is also on Toby's caringbridge site (sorry, I don't want to type it all up twice, but I also don't want to copy and paste it for those who are following both, too boring :)

Kyle did an awesome job in his 5th grade program! (a vid on youtube of that as well :) He is the best big brother my kids could ever ask for.

Super cute friends we love!!! :)

I know there's something else I'm supposed to post on here. Whenever something funny or exciting happens, we always hear Dave say "now that's blog worthy!", now if only I could remember! haha
Make sure and check out our latest Youtube video (link on the right sidebar) Nothin like a bunch of screamin kids......what was all that nonesense about parenting?!?! lol no, really despite how it looked, that was a controlled environment haha

One of those things a mom just doesn't want to see

2009-03-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

So I had my 3 youngest in the bath tub this morning. Toby typically showers, but since DJ and Lily were having SO much fun in the tub, and there were some bubbles, Toby decided to take a bath as well. They were all getting along nicely, not too much splashing, no complaints of "not enough room" etc... So I stepped out of the bathroom for a moment, and the kids just start laughing.... all of them....laughing and laughing - oh so much fun. My kids are easily entertained (especially by DJ) so I didn't think much of it. When I went back into the bathroom, DJ had found a new bath toy and brought it into the tub. A mother unapproved, unwelcomed, and unsanitary 'toy'. ewwwww

Needless to say, we drained the bathtub and started afresh.

My 'Lil' Musician :)

2009-03-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

So Kyle's school is going to try the Honors Program. They haven't had one up and running because too many parents were insistant that their child was the smartest haha As parents, I think we really do want to see only the best in our kids! I count myself very blessed to have a student/son who excels and loves to learn, teach, explore, and has the patience for it all. Anyway, his teacher submitted his name for the Honors program and she is very excited for him, as am I. :) I guess there will be 10-15 students in the entire elementary grades 3-6. They will meet once a week and work on projects more on their level. This will hopefully keep up their enthusiasm about learning. Here he is as Abe Lincoln :) His wax museum project. He did fantabulous!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

2009-02-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

Kyle celebrated his 11th birthday this month. He had 2 friends come over, and Dave took them to a movie. He got a backpacking backpack, so he's ready to go hiking with the 11 year old scouts! Kyle also earned his Webelos badge, and some achievement awards tonight. He is growing up too fast! He is such a responsible and mature young man. I know that I can trust him with anything I need. I'm so honored to be his mom. Kyle is the best older brother my other kids could ever ask for. He loves them, takes care of them and sets a wonderful example for them. When Toby was hospitalized in December, it was heartbreaking to hear him cry for his brother Kyle. He just wanted to go home to Kyle. It made us all cry when the boys would see each other, or have to say goodbye for the night. They are more than brothers, they are best friends.
And now, some previous birthday memories....

Steve Nash is one of Kyle's favorite NBA players :)

I think Kyle likes sports, don't you?!

This was such a fun birthday! We took this group of friends to the Phoenix Fire Station. They toured, dressed like firemen, pretended to drive the trucks, and sprayed the fire hose. The kids loved it! This birthday was not too long after Toby was diagnosed. You can see his cute little bald head :)

Kyle wasn't feeling well for this birthday :( Darcee and Daryl had planned such a fun day at an arcade with him, and he struggled to get through it and had a fever. Poor fella.

Yeah, I've made this dinosaur cake 4 times now I think.....and don't be surprised if it's DJ's next cake as well. Maybe he wont be as obsessed with dinosaurs as Kyle and Toby were (but I think it's genetic :)

This is probably one of my most favorite cakes that I've ever made. I used twinkies, junior mints, black licorice, fruit rollups, marshmallows and hohos! (well, and a cake, but duh, that's a given haha)

We've added a donation button through paypal on the blog, to accept donations to The Toby Wilson Leukemia Donation fund. You can read more about Toby on his caringbridge site, which is also posted on the sidebar.

Last Lumbar Puncture

2009-02-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Let me start this entry off on a good note. First, here are a few funny things my silly children have said and done...
I was sweeping the floor and lily and Toby were eating breakfast. Lily asked me to be careful and not get in her way of the TV. After a while Lily said "Mom, you're in my way!" I looked up at her confused as I stood in the kitchen no where near her line of vision to the TV. She paused, and then said "you're not blocking the tv mom, but you're blocking the chair, and I can't see those cups over there" hahahahaha sounds like someone is trying to pick a fight eh? :)

DJ is obsessed with putting things "on". He brings me Lily's shoes on a daily, sometimes hourly basis and wants me to put them on him. He'll put gloves (or socks...whatever he can find) on his hands. He'll find hats or headbands, snow boots... You name it, he wants it "on". So it was a perfect photo opp when he brought me Lily's dress up clothes!!! Toby and Lily joined in for the fun too :) DJ really does make a cute girl (don't tell him I said that!)

My sweet little Derek now says "Hold you". I love it when kids say that!!!

The kids were being very cute the other day. They set up a stool and put a blanket over it and were standing on either side of it.....playing fishing. One would throw a string over and the other would tie on a surprise! It was cute because Toby said to Lily "what have you always wanted that you don't have", but then tells her it needs to be something we already own lol Lily then gave Toby scotch tape as a present hahaha

We went out to eat last night at a little ma and pa burger joint. Toby was on steroids still, and they often affect his taste buds and mood. Last night he was tired - too tired. He ordered his food and was very excited about it. A hot dog, corn dog, tater tots mmmmm. After taking a bite of each, he wasn't pleased with anything. He sat for a while and then said "Can I just order a bed?" :)

Kyle just particpated in the Science Fair at school. He got a participation ribbon and then also got another ribbon for understanding his project so well and being able to explain it to people. I love having a child who just "gets it", and is so smart (but I hate it when he corrects my spelling). lol

So now for Toby's last back poke.....goodbye Leukemia! Toby went to his last appointment in a great mood, knowing it would be his last (at least for chemo and back pokes.....we still have 5 years of blood tests, but that'll be a piece of cake!). I got some pictures of his ritual check in and port accessing. I also got some video of his lumbar puncture. Sadistic of me, but I was hoping the video would show the shaking of his eyes and the pain in his face when the needle went in, but it didn't, and it's probably a good thing it didn't. Toby has been amazing with all of this and I'm thankful for his strength. Some of the staff at PCMC made him a poster, gave him gifts, and sung 'Happy off therapy". Toby's prognosis is good. I have feared ending chemo, because the thought of relapse scares me to death. The Dr. told me that my fears are normal, but not to worry. The chances of it coming back are about 10%. At first that number gave me comfort, but then I realized the odds of Toby getting Leukemia in the first place, and my fears dug in again. But the Dr. assured me.....even if it does come back, we can deal with it. We've made it day by day thus far, so I know we can face whatever else comes our way.

Clinic Check in

Port Access (He wrapped his shirt on his head and pretended to meditate lol) His port access doesn't usually produce tears, but he opted for no numbing cream and then the nurse missed and had to access him twice :( poor guy.

Our Fab doc, Dr. Fluchel and the wonderful aid who always gives Toby Cheetos :)

Happy Moments....especially when we were ready to head home.

I am going to add some video to youtube, but it won't be all smiles so viewer beware :) The link to our youtubes is on the sidebar.

2009-01-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Toby!! :) Toby had a Kung Fu Panda birthday party. It was so much fun. We had family and friends over. What's a party without a pinata, right? Toby cracked that thing open on his first swing! We of course let every kid take a few swings at it even though it was empty. :)
So all the kids at the party got these Kung Fu Panda character masks. We had to pop the eyes out of them. Kyle, Jahde and Brandon then put those eyes to good use!!!

Toby loved the new Jazz Jersey his dad sent him. It even has HIS name on the back :) He also got a remote control batmobile which he's quite excited about. It was so cute as he was opening a present and someone said "oh a coloring book" and then Toby's friend Chase said "Not just ANY coloring book, that's a STAR WARS coloring book" haha Kids are so cute!

In this picture, Toby is smiling ear to ear while opening a greeting card that plays the star wars theme.
Thanks to all of our family and friends for celebrating with us and helping to make it a special day for Toby!
Preparing for and hosting a party on one foot is kinda exhausting lol
And now a trip down memory lane :)

Age 5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme

Age 4 Star Wars Theme

Age 3 Dinosaur Theme

Age 2 Dinosaur Theme (yes, my boys have liked dinosaurs a lot)

Toby turning 1 .... no theme.... no pic of a cake, except what's being eaten!

"Uh Uh"

2009-01-23T11:24:00.001-08:00

The other night we were having fun with Derek's vocabulary. Our entire family was sitting on our bed and asking DJ to say different words he knows. I said "say Momma" he said "momma". Kyle said "say dadda", he said "dadda". Toby said "say bottle", he said "bottle". Say on, on. Say eye, eye. Say no no, no no. Say hi, hi. DJ repeated each word perfectly, keeping us all asking for more words. After a while Dave said "say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", he said "Uh Uh" LOL We all laughed SO hard. It was hilarious!!!! Each night our family does a cheer before we go to bed in conjunction with scripture study and family prayer. We make up our cheer during FHE each week to reinforce the principles that week. Well this week we couldn't resist and our cheer is - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, then in turn we say uh uh(dave), uh uh(me), uh uh(kyle), uh uh(toby), uh uh(lily) and then inevitably DJ will chime in with his UH UH.....usually even in rhythm lol.... it's so funny!
I am learning that having a broken food is much harder than I anticipated. I have so many things I want to do, wish I could do, need to do......and can't. I do not recommend breaking your right ankle to anyone!
And last but not least.....tomorrow is Toby's 6th birthday. This is his last birthday on chemo. I am planning on printing out Toby's caringbridge site and making it into a book for him to keep. I would appreciate it SO much if you would take a minute and sign his guestbook and wish him happy birthday. You can click on the link on the side of my blog if you lost or don't have the address. Toby has been through so much the past 3 plus years. His courage and strength have been phenomial. I want him to know how much he was loved. I want him to know that he has many wonderful people who pray for him and remember him. Thank you All!

What was that pop?

2009-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

So Tuesday night I was playing volleyball with my friends at the stake center. We just signed up for a league team that starts next week. We haven't played for a while because of the holidays, so I was quite excited to be back on the court. I was playing back row, receiving the serve. I turned to reach a ball, twisted all the way around, heard a loud pop, and fell to the ground. Even the other team heard the loud pop. They thought I had hit my knee on the floor really hard when I fell. I told them I thought I broke my foot. I wasn't crying, so they thought It wasn't serious, or I was joking. I knew something was really wrong though. I have sprained this ankle 3 times now. So my dear friends tied my shoe up tight and helped me hop outside. It was my right foot, so I couldn't drive home. Maxine drove my van home, and Savannah followed to be able to take Maxine back home (thanks so much guys!). I came in and shared the news with Dave. At this point, I did start crying, but not because of pain. My sweet mother came over to stay with the kids while Dave drove me to the ER. The wait wasn't too bad there. I did break my ankle. The bone on the outside. I was given crutches and a boot. I am to stay off of it for 6 weeks. 6 weeks! Ok here comes my whinning, but I don't know how I'm going to manage this. I have a 1 year old baby who needs to be lifted into his high chair, crib, car seat etc. He can walk, but is still very much dependent upon me. I have to drive to pick up and drop off my kids at school 1,2, sometimes 3 times a day? Grocery shopping? making dinner? Oh my goodness it's overwhelming to me right now. Not to mention the fact that I no longer get to play on my volleyball team. Volleyball was the one thing that I have done for myself, and the one place that I see friends. Don't get me wrong, my kids and my husband are my very best friends in the world, but sometimes it's nice to talk to another adult now and then. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can manage to do something for myself right now, when I can't really even take care of my kids? haha UGH

Do you want to be smart?

2009-01-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Toby asked Lily if she wanted to go downstairs and go to pre-school with him, and he would be the teacher. Lily said no. Toby asked Lily if she wanted to be the smartest kid in kindergarten when she started school. Lily said yes. Toby got excited and told Lily to come downstairs with him and he would teach her... So Lily had her first class last night, and another one this morning. She earned 300 points and got a treat! I asked Lily what she was learning in school. She brought me a bunch of papers and said "I'm learning all of this". I asked again, wanting her perspective, and Toby answered for her (math, writing, eating broccoli because it's good for you etc.) I asked again, and told Toby I wanted Lily to answer. Toby went and whispered in Lily's ear "tell her you're learning math" (way too obvious - he must think I didn't graduate from my sibling taught pre-school, or my teachers, Dar? Krissy?, didn't teach me much :). Lily then told me that she was learning "laugh". And then with some help corrected herself and said "math".
Lily saw the words 'I love you' and decided she wanted to write them down. She wrote it and then added mom, Toby, Kyle, Lily, DJ. She'll do just fine in kindergarten in 2010 I think :)
Toby and Kyle were playing a game with Jono and Alex (friends from Australia). Kyle and Alex won, but it was such a close game! As soon as it ended, Toby got in Kyles face and said "Curse you, foul beast!" He really is hilarious!
Kyle is playing city league basketball and really applying himself. He's doing great. He continues to thrive at the top of his class. It seems he's becoming popular with the ladies now too....skeery! Jono and Alex went to school with him yesterday to experience a day at an American school....kinda cool. :) It was great having the Kimmings in our home. They are wonderful people.
Derek is getting pretty good at communicating. He says "bottle, more, apple, nanna, momma, dad, hi, ball, bubble". He copies sounds or rhythm that he hears the other kids doing. His personality is really starting to shine through and it's so fun!
I am just so grateful for my children!!! :)

What this time of year brings....

2009-01-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

If you've had eperience with steroids, you'll understand this post. If you haven't -be thankful- and know I'm not exaggerating. :) Toby has had a lazy taco (corn chips, chili, lettuce, sour cream,and salsa) every single day, for both breakfast and lunch for several days now. Not only is he eating it all the time, but he's eating a TON of it. He has an adult size portion with seconds. It is so funny to me how these cravings effect him. Nothing else is even remotely appealing to him. But at least he'll usually eat something else for dinner right?
We went to a BYU basketball game the other night, courtesy of Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation. We've got some BYU fans in our family, so we were really excited and thankful to go. They had us and the other cancer families meet 8 minutes before halftime. At halftime they had us line up on the court and showed a short clip about CCCF and some of the CCCF families. Then they had us walk across the court, smiling and waving. I had no idea what to expect and thought it would be simple. The crowd rose to their feet and started applauding all these sweet children with cancer. They also played John Williams Olympic Theme as we walked. It brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was awesome!

We were bombarded with snow a couple days ago. Lily and DJ really enjoyed playing in it. It was so cute....I had DJ in his snow clothes, but no boots yet and he was standing at the door "talking" and anxiously waiting. I held up his boots and he ran over to me. Once I put his boots on, he bolted for the door and screamed like a girl. It was hilarious. Then Uncle Bret stopped by and he and the boys threw a ball for his dog Ally out in the snow. They had a blast!

2008-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Lily's 4th Birthday! It was a purrrrfect kitty birthday party.

Lily and her friends made these cute little princess crowns and some charm bracelets at the party. The girls were so cute! I honestly think this party turned out to be a success. :).... I know!

Lily is such a beautiful princess!

2008-12-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby girl Lily cut her hair today. First time ever. It's not too bad, or too much, but was quite a shock to me. She doesn't typically get into mischief. I saw the scissors on the floor and asked her to please put them away (didn't have a second thought about it). Then she moved and some hair fell. Then I saw another small clump of hair on the floor. I then asked her what she had been doing, and she just smiled. I added a bit of tone to my voice and asked her if she had just cut her hair. She said "yes", and smiled. I was surprised and asked her why she had cut her hair, and her response was "mom, you're not proud of me", in a sad, innocent voice. I hope she really didn't think that was going to make me proud, but just in case, I didn't scold her, just told her to always talk to me or ask me first before doing something. "At least she didn't cut her face", as she would say. haha She's such a beautiful girl. Anway, this is a picture of her at the piano. She can play Mary Had a Little Lamb and is quite proud of herself. I started teaching her, but she pretty much just took over and learned it herself by ear, practicing. It's very cute. She can also play a little duet with me which she loves.

The other night I read a book to the kids called "The Dumb Bunnies Easter". These "dumb bunnies" get all their holidays mixed up and do very punny, silly things. It is dumb, but it makes us laugh. After we were done reading, Toby and Lexi ran off to dress like dumb bunnies. Thanks Dave for capturing this dumb bunny memory! haha

And last but not least.....we got a lot of snow the other day. Brandon and Kyle built a really cool snow cave in our front yard (big enough for them to fit in, as you can see). :)

2008-12-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

This pictures is intended to help lighten the mood. I've been so stressed out lately with everything going on, (check out Toby's site if you aren't familiar, www.caringbridge.org/visit/tobywilson) so I wanted to take a minute and breathe. DJ will not be happy to see this picture when he gets older. I know, it's sick and wrong, but my goodness his hair is long, red and cooperative. haha :)

He's such a sweet baby boy! I love my kids.

8 blessings in my life

2008-12-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

I have so much to be thankful for, but these are my top 8!

DJ aka DEREK
What a sweet baby! I love the way your smile lights up the room. I love the way you start dancing or rocking back and forth the minute you hear music. I love to hear you say "no no" or "uh oh", when you've done something you shouldn't have. I love the loud squeals of excitement. I love the way you run and giggle when I chase after you. I love your sweet hugs and cuddles. I love how happy you are to see me.

LILY
Our beautiful princess! I love to listen to you sing. I love the random letters you write asking me "what does this say", and when I reply "that says 'blirylana'", you say "I WROTE blirylana!" with such excitement, that we all wish it were a word! I love how you'll carry your books around with you, wanting to read and learn. I love that you're "so happy". I love your sincerety and abundance of love.

TOBY
My hero! I love your strength. I love all the funny things you say, that make us laugh on a daily basis. I love your desire to do what's right. I love it when you say "Hug me Brotha" to Kyle. I love it when you wont let someone walk out the door before they hug you. I love your 'no fear' approach to learning or trying new things. I love the way you belt out primary songs, right on pitch, happy to be singing them.

KYLE
The Wisemaster! I love the understanding you have of OH SO much, especially the gospel. I love the way you help your siblings. I love the example you set for them. I love your drive to learn about, and participate in sports. I love your ability to sing harmony....the tenor is so impressive. I love the quiet hours you spend reading, and time you spend reading to your younger brothers and sisters. I love your wit.

JAHDE
Marching on to Glory! I love the spirit about you. I love your drive in Band, and your skill and successes with music. I love how good you are to everyone in our family. I love that you're a peacemaker. I love the funny things you do to entertain me and the kids. I love it when you want dad to drive faster or slower so you can check out a cute girl in the car next door. :)

BRANDON
Showman with style! I love your confidence. I love your willingness to give, or to try. I love the quality time you spend with people. I love your athletic ability (especially swimming and basketball), and the hard work you put into improving your talents. I love the way you're responsible, with money, and just with life in general. I love your laugh.

LEXI
Our cuddly Princess! I love your excitement for life. I love to hear your thoughtful prayers (especially the one where you said "thankful it's Thanksgiving because we LOVE turkey, and help us to get full"). I love that when choosing which Articles of Faith to quote, you called number 66.:) I love the way you get along with everyone. I love the way hold my hand or give me a sweet hug, just cause.

DAVE
My rock! I love the way you take care of me. I love the way you take care of all of our children. I love your temperament. I love the silly banter. I love your athleticism. I love your intelligence and turtle brains. I love the way you play with my hair. I love your hands. I love the deep converstaions in the middle of the night, full of insight, hope, faith and love.

There are many, many more things than I've listed, and many of you share the same talents, but I had to vary things up a bit :)

~Celebrations~

2008-11-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

DJ turned 1 today :) We had a simple party here with the kids. I'm not sure if it's the weather or the effects of ginormous amounts of candy, but it sounded like we had 77 kids in the house, not 7 :) Fun party anyhoo :) And Halloween was fun... a couple teletubbies, a ghost, a clone trooper, a cowgirl, and a bomber pilot.... you can't go wrong!

So the teletubbies costumes weren't quite as obvious as I'd hoped, but wasn't Dave a good sport? :) I had put together the red Po costume for myself, and the night before Halloween Dave said "Can I borrow your costume for work", so I ran out and got some green sweats and tried to alter a black hat to look like Dipsy. It's much more fun to dress up with someone :) So for the teletubbie belly TV's I purchased some stick-on glittery felt. Lily got one of the pieces and drew a picture of a snail (Gary from spongebob lol) and wrote his name next to the picture. She then wanted to cut out her work. She came to me a while later and showed me her masterpiece and then told me "Mom, I did it, and I didn't even cut my face!" haha If I'd only known that was something to worry about in the first place! Kyle also said something amusing today. During sacrament meeting in church he turned to me and asked me what SACRAMENT meant....as I was quietly thinking he said "I mean, does it have any Foreignese meaning". FOREIGNESE hahaha He knew what he meant, and he knew it came out funny, but it was still a brilliantly wrong word! :) And since I can't recall Toby's latest funny, I'll reminisce..... When Lily was watching Dora, Toby proclaimed, "That will poison your mind and give you evil thoughts". :) I just love my kids!!!!

(in case you haven't visited our youtube site)

seriously

2008-10-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it so cute when babies start getting into everything.... including the dishwasher! haha DJ is a hoot. He is taking steps on his own, wobbly steps of course. He also has learned how to go up and down the stairs and would do it all day if I let him. He is almost 1 year old. I can't believe it.

Am I crazy for wanting to dress up like a Teletubbie for Halloween? I say no! My husband and children will smile and say no, but deep down they are praying I wont do it. Too late! HA! I've got it all worked out :) Think how many toddlers faces will light up when they see a life size teletubbie! Woohooo! I will definitely share a picture when I get one.
So I've officially been released from 2 of my callings in church (my third calling is ward chior - I know :) I was the music (what's the official name?) person?leader?directer?teacher?....ugh, I was in charge of the music in Relief Society, and I was on the enrichment commity. They released me and called me to be a teacher in Relief Society. This is a first for me. I have typically served in the primary, which I have loved!!! I am excited for the opportunity to strengthen my testimony as I study and prepare. I was also called in to meet with a member of the stake presidency. He then told me that they wanted me to serve as the Stake Relief Society President.... haha isn't he just the funniest, ya I thought so too! Then, in seriousness, he asked me if I would be willing to be the stake Athletic Director for the Young Women. I accepted. I have never served in Y.W. either and I'm very excited about this calling as well. Thank goodness my husband is very supportive! My kids too, but they don't know that they have a choice not to be :)

I love this time of year!

2008-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

I really love the fall! I love it when it gets cool, but the sun is still shining! So why am I inside writing on my blog instead of enjoying the beautiful weather out there? ha I have no idea! But the cool, crisp air takes me back to Michigan and our time spent at the apple orchards.....oh so fantastic! I always thought I hated Michigan :) but the fall was absolutely beautiful and fun! I really miss it sometimes. Especially Uncle John's Cider Mill. I hope I get to take all of my kids there for a visit sometime soon.
I really enjoyed conference this weekend. I was really in need of a bit of a lift, and appreciate the opportunity to be lifted up. I also found that I was able to take more to heart this time, and apply things to myself, instead of thinking 'oh so-and-so could really benefit from this talk'.... yeah I'm sometimes quite pathetic. In between sessions, the kids and I made Gingerbread men. We have read The Gingerbread Man a few times lately, and love that book, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to each make one :) We didn't have a cookie cutter, so we shaped them with our hands, so they are a bit....um awkward looking lol It was fun, but also a bit of a pain..... and then our cookies didn't come to life, nor were they very tastey :) Even the frosting didn't entice us to eat them. So our Gingerbread men didn't need to run as fast as they could, cuz we were by no means going to chase them haha
Don't forget to check out our latest youtube videos (the link is in the sidebar) :)

It's not about waiting for the storm to pass....

2008-10-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

It's about dancing in the rain. My dear friend Courtney shared this quote with me one day when I was a bit down ... thanks Court! I will keep dancing! But let me just say...... A 3 year dance, 1/3 of it without a dance partner, sometimes with an extremely fast beat, and four children to teach all the dance moves to........ well, I'm exhausted! I do know that I've been blessed with a lavish dance floor, and an excellent dance partner at the moment, four kids who can really keep the beat, and the best dance instructor in the world, and for that I am grateful. I'm still tired though :)

I need more time!

2008-06-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Once I started this blog I was soooooo excited and I was going to somehow make time to post on it. I obviously haven't done so well. One of these days I'm going to post a bunch of pics of birthday cakes through the years. We've been busy. Toby is playing kickball and Lily is in a dance class. They are both only 6 week classes through the community. This Thursday is the last of the classes. Lily will miss her last class though because she's going up to PCH for a VCUG test :( I'm anxious about it, but I also have great faith in miss Lily and know everything will be ok. Toby went up last Thursday for ultraveinous chemo. It was actually a kinda fun visit because we had Kyle, Lily, and of course Derek with us. The visit was relatively smooth and then we got to meet Aunt Nikki and her cute kids Ethan and Annabelle for lunch. We put our home for sale on the market this last weekend. We are trying to downsize and also get in a neighborhood closer to the school so I don't have to drive 3 times a day 5 days a week when school starts...... ugh! :)

Fix You

2008-06-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

I love this video clip. Lily was an early talker (and obviously singer). She was only just over a year old when I recorded this. Toby had recently been diagnosed with Leukemia and this song had/has a special meaning to me with the title "Fix You". This song really made me cry, but it also made me smile when Lily would sing it. I still wish that I could Fix Toby, but we've learned to plug through our trials in life. We all just keep singing!

2008-05-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Isn't he such a cute baby!!! :)

The time has come....The time is now.

2008-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to start a blog. I have been keeping an online journal....kinda sorta....through my son Toby's caringbridge site, but that's dedicated to him. This blog is for our entire family. I have felt like I just don't have time to keep up with two journals, but no one is expecting anything from me (right?) :) So why not just type in here when I can, and make this site a fun break if and when I can? Obviously a rhetorical question. Sheesh, I don't know who I'm talking to, this might take some getting used to!