We ran away last Friday...

AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!
We really have been missing all the best friends in our family... so we pulled Cam out of school (hokey at 7! :0 I am such a naughty mom! *grin*) and the boys and I hit the road! We met one of our favorite families in Delta... about half way between our houses!

We converged on the McDonald's playland and stayed for a few hours...

We ate... we talked... we laughed....

We ate.... *grin*

Oh! And we drank....

But most of all we played! We played with our bestest friends!

These two especially needed this time together... it's hard to loose the chance to have your best friend 2 doors down at age 7 man!

Where has the time gone?? This little princess is SO big!! :(

Ahh... and of course these two really needed this time together as well!

Laughter, Smiles and Fun...

I don't think any one of them would be upset if we did it again!

I think even for the little ones the drive was worth the trip!

Hey Momma! I want some ice cream too!

OOOO.... what in the world is that??? That is cold!!! LOL

We are plotting another rendezvous... Good friends are always worth the effort! ;)

3 years ago today...

We moved into our brand new home!

I can't believe it has been 3 years! This move forever changed our family's lives...

I don't know if many of you know, but our last home, which was our 1st home, made our family sick. Very sick. It was a lovely older home in American Fork. We LOVED it! It had a great covered front porch with a swing! It had original wood floors and was completely re-done inside. It was LOVELY! And cozy! And well... it was home!

The problem was... the kids started getting sick... a lot! Emma was the 1st. She started with a cold the weekend of my only sister's wedding and within hours of the ceremony we had to have her admitted to the hospital because she was turning blue and couldn't breathe! So the flower girl was not there and the Matron Of Honor was torn between two places she really needed to be! LOL It was a mess!

In the months and years that followed we had kids admitted to the hospital over and over and over again. Asthma turned into pneumonia. Collapsed lungs. Every cold, flu, cat or hairy dog would trigger a endless array of breathing treatments, steriods, Dr. visits and hospitalizations. All in all between the 3 older kids they have been admitted to the hospital and stayed more than 3 days over 15 times.

Shortly after Cam was born we had one 14 day period where we had BOTH Emma and Cody in the hospital at once! They were so little that they shared the top of the bed while baby Cameron and I snuggled at the bottom of the bed at night, while Jess worked hard trying to keep things going at home and at work. Those were some really dark times for our family. We felt as though we walked on egg shells, never knowing what would set them off this time. Cam was only 9 months old when he started his bi-monthly hospitilaztions... and there were many visits when his lungs would collapse and we would wonder if this was his time to go home to our Heavenly Father or if he would pull through. Many times his only saving grace were priesthood blessings. It was one of my hardest trials. As the mom, you just want to be able to fix it for your kids... and there was nothing I could do but pray and pray and pray!

During this same time frame, Jestin was laid off multiple times - we are talking 11 months out of 20 with 4 different jobs in between. It was post 9/11 and the economy was bad for electricians. He worked handyman jobs, odd jobs and we even sold almost all we owned in multiple yard sales to make ends meet and to pay for the crushing medical bills. But we always paid our tithing, and our fast offerings, and somehow we made all the payments. Somehow they were never late. Somehow we made it through.... but only with our faith and God's help.

After about a year of the kids in and out of the hospital, we noticed some strange substance on the kids bedroom wall. It was black mold. When we tore out the sheetrock we found there had been a hole in the foundation which the people who re-modeled it (flipped it) filled with bathtub chalk. It was bad. Add that to the fact we learned that our home used to be a meth house and we were 2 for 2! We had to stay because of our financial situation and felt so trapped and uncertain!

For months we prayed and fasted and prayed and fasted. We HAD to move! Our kids lives were on the line! After another year and half it finally worked out and after looking at over 100 exisiting homes we realized our only safe option was to build.

Thank heavens for our new home!! Our children's health has improved by leaps and bounds! Cam has only been hospitalized ONCE since we moved here! Emma still gets pneumonia often, but we can manage it at home and Cody's asthma is almost non-existant! Our greatest blessing is that Caleb has no signs of lung damage. He survived his 12 months in that home with no adverse effects!

It was SUCH an exciting time for us to be building! We moved into an apartment while it was being built and EVERYDAY we came to check on the progress!! It was so fun!!

Our first night owning the new house - the night before we moved in - we ate dinner on the kitchen floor. We ordered Pizza and laughed and talked and could barely sleep that night! We had a new, clean, safe place to bring our babies!

We love our new home! We love our neighborhood and neighbors. We are so thankful for miracles such as these in our life! We know this home was an answer to earnest prayers... and we thank our Heavenly Father everyday for this gift!

Finding Joy in the Journey...

Spewage Removal

My apologies for anyone who read my "spewage" post tonight. I really needed to get some uglies out and thought I would feel better blogging about them. I was wrong. It didn't feel good to leave it here.

So I need to post some GOOD. I need the good tonight... :)

* My heart has only been "naughty" to me twice this in the last month. That is HUGE.
* My calling is coming together! I love my new assistant! We have some great plans to bless some families when they are ready to receive what we have to give. Emergency Preparedness is all about giving peace to others. I am really excited about it.
* Cody was messaging with my sister telling her we have done very little "big stuff" for home school. I am thankful to know that my teaching methods are natural to receive. He has learned a TON the last few weeks with canning, finance and business management. Science, math, chemistry, home ec... what more could a boy want? LOL. Apparently tomorrow we need some worksheet work. *giggle*
* Caleb has been so naughty lately I felt at my wits end with him - until tonight. He did something good... and I got on his level... eye to eye... and thanked him and gave him a hug... he was SO GOOD the rest of the day! He was LOOKING for ways to please me. I need to be better at showing affection, acknowledgement and appreciation.
* Cameron and I did his homework tonight together. He is the spotlight tomorrow and we made a book all about him. It was a lot of fun.
* Emmalee had her first crash on the skateboard she saved her money for. I am so thankful it was only a skinned up knee. So thankful!
* Sadie (our adopted yorkie) was actually well behaved today.
* I bought the kids some of their favorite cereal today. They were all really excited.
* I got to spend a few minutes alone being just a friend with a dear friend today that never has time to herself, let alone time for friends.
* My sweetheart and I snuggled up on our bed and watched our favorite TV show together tonight. It was nice to be near his warmth and presence.

Life is good. I am blessed. I need not fear or worry or stress. FAITH NOT FEAR! Gratitude brings forth the blessing from heaven!

You know those moments when you are awake at 1am and wonder what you doing with your life? Well... this brought me back to my thoughts on what I want... and in turn got me thinking about what I am thankful for. And boy howdy if I don't get some of these things expressed I think I may pop!
And so... if you are feeling really bored and want to know how my heart and mind work here is my small list of things I am thankful for.... of course not all inclusive *by any means*

* First and foremost for a wonderful husband who sets a great example for me. He often shows me who I would like to be. He is always quick to answer the call when anyone needs anything - regardless of how inconvienent or unavailable he really is. He loves to help others. It is in his very essense.
* For the chance to live my life without fear.
* For the gospel that reminds me that *yes* I am imperfect, but that as long as I repent try to do what little I am asked to do (which really bless me in the long run anyway!) and keep trying each time I fall, Jesus Christ CAN make up the difference if I let him. I will be the first to admit how short I fall on a daily basis of who I could/should/want to be... but what comfort to know I am a child of a loving, tender parent, of a God who listens to my woes and whines and likely smiles and thinks to himself, "just wait my child, it will all work out in the end".
* For the free apples my mom sent home and for the free tomatoes Jestin's sweet grandparents sent home... My pantry is being filled with yummy things!
* For the window cleaning mop thingy I bought almost a year ago and finally used today. I can't believe it! All the windows on our main level are clean... and it only took me the 20 minutes I had between being home from errands and picking up preschoolers! SWEET! A new favorite toy!
* My Camper... I went out to get a griddle today and the smell of it made my heart leap. I LOVE spending time with my family in there! Even if it is just for Family Home Evening games because the power went out! I feel so blessed!
* For my friends. I have some many friends on so many levels. Each one of you that read this blog are dear to me. I feel blessed to know I am not alone on this crazy journey of life.
* For my soft warm bed, and Jestin's warm feet to rub my cold ones on.
* For Maria's sister April. Words do not convey the joy and happiness her weekly stop in's mean to me.
* For my little Sophia. She is the best little dog. I love that she is a cuddler.
* For my little Sadie (aka Zoey) - she teaches me patience and long suffering! LOL And her playfulness is fun.
* For Caleb and his speech problems. I love hearing him say zuchinni (ateenee) and guacamole (a-ta-lo-lolly) He is so darn cute!

My heart just feels full. My gratitude runnest over...

Quick Updates

* All the kids are home today - everyone of them has a sore throat, cough and headache. Fevers were mild and quick - let's hope the rest of the bug is too! :(

* We got our Wii back! It had been making circular scratches on our games. Nintendo is AWESOME! They replaced the Wii and all 4 games that had the scratches... no charge! We played Wii Fit last night for FHE. We have missed it around here! (ok...so it was only 2 weeks, but still! My Wii Fit has been scratched for months!)

* Jestin has been super busy with work. I hope it doesn't slow down! (I *really* want to hire soon!)

* We are still getting flooded every few days - blasted Fieldstone grading! :P

* Fruit flies are everywhere - it must be canning season!

* The boys enjoyed their 1st Father Sons Campout last weekend! I forgot to send a camera! They said it was a good time! Emma and I went out to dinner with our friends Maria and Rachel. We went shopping, ate at Red Robin, saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs & stayed out at Walmart until after 1 am trying on clothes. Then Emma and climbed into our bed and she showed me the new Hannah Montana movie. It was cute! I didn't realize one of my favorite songs came from that movie... LOL... I still love it simply for the motivation it gives me! It's all about the climb after all! ;)

* We got 4 eggs for the 1st time yesterday! Finally some of these girls are pulling their weight! Silly chickens!

* We got to enjoy an impromptu meal with my parents on Sunday! It was LOVELY! They came down to bring me something and we had dinner almost ready so they joined us! I forget how much I miss them! Can't wait for the opportunity to visit just them at their house without feeling like we are intruding on another family's chaos/business/lives. It will be lovely to have it be just "Grandma's & Grandpa's House" again. :)

Well... Jello is being requested, someone needs a breathing treatment and children are crying because "somebody touched me" - *sigh* I guess it is time to tend to the ill again... that's all from our house today! :)

What do I want?

I have been pondering many things the last few weeks. One of which is "what do I want?". I know who I am. I know where I am going. But what do I want on this road of life? And why do I give myself limitations? In pondering this there are a few things I want to give voice to. Some of my "wants" aren't things I want to share with just anyone... but some are! And what better platform than my own blog? LOL

I want:
* to run - At this stage of my life I cannot run well. I tried to run half a block the other day and could not do it. Now... I know I know... heart surgery and over a year of being down has contributed A LOT to this... but I WANT it. Doesn't that mean I could strengthen myself to do it? Doesn't that mean it doesn't have to happen tomorrow? I may never be able to run a full 5k - I get that... but to be able to run while playing a game of soccer with my kids... I want it!

* to have Jestin's company JWD Electric expand and hire employees full time. I know this means much more work for me... paperwork will quadruple... but this is his dream. And why not wish it big? Why not hope that one day he could hand it over to one of our sons or a trusted co-worker and use it as a retirement income? He has the work ethic and drive to make it happen... and so do I. I want it.

* to get back out of debt. This last year really knocked us off our feet. Every penny saved was used to live, and then every credit line we allowed ourselves to have was maxed to live as well. It is not gargantous amounts of debt... but it is WAY more than I ever wanted ourselves to be in again. In hindsight I am SO thankful for it - we could have lost our house otherwise - but I am ready to take back control of our own funds. I want it.

* to have a temple date with my spouse at least once a month and to go by myself multiple times a month. I want to peace I find there. I want to commune with my Heavenly Father about my children and spouse and calling and family and friends and work etc etc. I really want it - so why haven't I sought after it more fully?

* to take my kids to Disneyland again. We had SO much fun. I am ready to go back. Debt paid off and we are GOING! I want it. They are small for such a short time - I want to make memories!

* to finish my yard. I really want a gate to hide the junk behind the fence. I really want concrete on the RV pad to limit the flooding and to park the Camper on. I want grass and sprinklers in the backyard for my kids to enjoy and the dogs to be able to play outside. I want flowers. I want the easement paved and the concrete sealed. I want to feel peaceful in my own yard - instead of the nagging feeling of failure to complete things whenever I go outside. I want it.

* to have a more structured plan for Cody's homeschool. Right now we pursue the basic and whatever he wants - I want to be able to offer more ideas to him than I do - be able to expand more on his interests. My mind works so slow sometimes it feels as though I come up with ideas long after his interest has died. I want a sharper mind.

* to spend more time with old friends. I really miss my old friends. I have a good friend, that lives in the same town that I do, yet we rarely see one another. I feel so out of touch. I have friends close to where I used to live that I never see anymore and rarely talk to anymore. I wish my days had 3-4 hours more in them for chatting with friends and catching up. I would love that.

There are many other things I want. Sadly... the list of things I *have* to do is taking over and I must cut this post short. It feels good to voice some of my desires... maybe now I can turn them into goals and decide how to achieve each and every one of them! *wink*

Randomness by Heather

* Salt is called salt... and pepper is called brown salt - in case you wanted to know ;)LOL (thanks Caleb)

* Having 3 computers in one room makes for a hot room! :P But I love our home school room!

* Thank heavens for cheap computers.

* Pulling tithing out in cash during each deposit sure makes being sure it gets paid first easier... though I wonder if the bishopbric members couting it cringe? LOL Better ask for the biggest bills from now on? hmmm...

* Oatmeal & honey everyday for breakfast has yet to get old. LOL

* Fresh pear honey is HEAVENLY! (check out my tasty happiness blog for the recipe)

* Emergency Preparedness is on my brain... and there are so many directions to go with it... I am struggling to pick a course to follow... more prayer is needed I think!

* I wish I lived closer to my cousin with her new baby... he SO SO sweet... I want to go back out and have a whole night of loving on him to myself again! I dont want anymore babies of my own... but sure could find joy in lovin on her little one for a while!

* I can't wait to be a grandma. (said at age 33)

* I want a new puppy. I want a little boy Yorkie. Call me crazy... I have this deep longing for a little man with a spirit like Sophia's (my little girl) and we would call him Sam. Sophie & Sam. How cute is that?

* I miss my dog Sara. Sara Jane was the best dog ever. She was just like a person.

* CCCB's are my weakness. We have GOT to get them out of the house! *giggle* I can't stop craving them!

Any guesses on what CCCB stands for? It's our code word so we dont have to share with the kids! *grin*

* Fall makes me happy.

* Canning in fall makes me happy and tired.

* I need to run Preschool Carpool today...

* The boys going with Dad on Father & Sons is SO exciting! A whole evening with my little girl and no guilt for ditching the boys! SWEET!

* The papers on my desk need neutered. They keep having babies! LOL

Better go start tammin some of them! ;)

MIA

Any wonder why?? LOL

Eric Dodge

Hi my Family and Friends! I want you all to go to You Tube and listen to my good friend Eric's song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sRXkOHYi4g&feature=related

If you remember he came and did a benefit concert to help raise enough funds that I could have heart surgery. He is an amazing performer and gets more talented everytime I hear him! His song (the one I am sending you to) is one of my most favorites! He wrote it for his grandpa, but I know so many of us KNOW someone this song reminds us of... it is an amazing song!

Eric deserves to get his song played on the radio! If you agree please call your local radio station and request him! We as listeners should get to hear who we want to... not who pays the most $ to get sponsored! *wink* (it only takes a few minutes of your time! *grin*)

He has played at numerous city festivals and he will be at the Utah State Fair here soon! Don't miss his shows! I know this man is going to go far with the talent he has been given! Both he and his brother are awesome!!

A New Family Photo

We got together at Grandma Ewell's for her birthday and Jes' cousin Kimball brought his camera and took some shots... :)

Thanks Kimball! It looks great! And Caleb is true to form... little pickle! *grin*

Spiders, Wasps & Birds...oh my!

I have had the priviledge of helping one of my dearest friends (and FLYSistah) look for a new home the past few weeks. It has been an adventure and a TON of fun! But then! Oh my! We went out last friday....

We had 34 houses to start with! We wittled it down to 21. Whoa Baby... lets hit the road running! We were doing awesome! Most of the homes were vacant (read:short sales) and in need of yard attendance. We saw more black widows in one day than I have seen in one summer!!

At one point, my DFS (darling FLYSistah) was following me around a waist high weed trail to the back of a house to look for a key box. Suddenly...not sure why...I looked up. There hanging is a disheaveled web above me was THE BIGGEST black widow I have EVER seen! It was on the 2nd story, so quite above us, yet we could see her hourglass like we didn't need glasses!

Now, bless her heart, if my DFS has not been standing behind me, blocking the path and preventing my escape, because you see I NEVER would have ventured into the weeds to go around her as I knew that husbandless spider up there likely had offspring, I would have run screaming to the car! *SHUDDER* just thinking about it. Needless to say we both quickly hightailed it and that house was not one we explored further. (Note to other agents: TAKE CARE OF THE YARD IF YOU WANT TO SELL A HOUSE.)

Another of our adventures brought us a new kind of terror. At almost EVERY home there were wasps nests of some kind. Yellow jackets, mud dogs, you name it... we saw it. Aplenty! At a particular home that tickled DFS fancy from the internet pictures, there were large bushes over growing the front porch... and each and every flower was entertaining AT LEAST one wasp. I got the key gingerly off the gas meter and we debated on entry. Being that it was a favorite, and hoping my door open skills would not fail me, we counted to 3 and dashed as fast as we could through the bushes and burst through the front door. Happy to report narey a sting. And sadly... the same procedure was followed upon exiting. I must include here that neither of us are as young and spry and we used to be, nor do our scales make us terribly happy these days... so the sight of us bursting forth from the house with some girly squeals likely would have been America's Funniest Home Video foder!

And last, but not least by any means, as we are driving the wonders of Saratoga Springs Redwood Rd we had the fright of a lifetime!

We were driving along, enjoying our chit chatting and chili cheese corn chips and skittles, when lo and behold some birds in a nearby field decide to take flight. At first it seemed harmless... but oh! it was not! There were likely 40 or more birds, and they flew low. They were big and fat and grey. And there was NOTHING I could do about it!

Fat little grey bird? Meet car windshield, roof, mirror, grill, etc!

My mirror was knocked in to the car and the glass on the back popped out and beat on the side of the car until we stopped attached only by the wiring that de-fogs it in winter.

The glass was shattered...

And look closely... do you see a perfect bird imprint??

How about now?

The both of us had a hard time getting our heartrates down... and likely this would have been the ipitimy of laughter on slow motion replay and we screamed like little school girls as the car was pelted with our fat feathered friends!

Oh! I promise you, if you need help finding a new home, appearantly I can offer some good life altering excitements as well!

BWAHAHAHAHA!! Do you think I can write off car repairs as a Real Estate expense since it happened while showing houses?? hmmmm...

Backyard Updates

Amy & Becky ...this post is in honor of you! *grin*

Our chicken coop all completed and set up! :) Jestin wants to paint it before snow flies... I am thinking maybe an October project??

Here is the side doors... one for water, one for food and the long one on top opens to the laying boxes where the kids collect eggs.

The chickens LOVE weeds freshly pulled from the yard (at least we know they wont starve! LOL) The kids love climbing in the coop and playing with them...

They peck at their toes and sandals and the kids hold them and love on them... just like regular pets!

Mmmm.... I see toes!

Underneath the coop is a shady place for them (added shade is added by the plywood along front you saw just while we have such hot temps) and Jestin hung their food from the floor board so the kids can just shake down fresh seed and their water gets changed daily.

We have grasshoppers in abundance... but as well we have preying mantis'. We keep the later... and the first.... well...

The chickens run and chase to see who gets to actually eat the treat! *grin*

Jestin has peaches on his little tiny tree!

And a couple pears! No apples yet this year though :(

I have grape/cherry/pear tomatoes like crazy! But only ONE large tomato on all 14 plants so far!! :( Either I am going to have a HUGE crop late in the season... we did something really wrong! Nothing seems to work!

We have Zucchini coming out our ears! (Bless the Elder's Quorum President and his "share the wealth" table! If ya need some... check there... if I haven't made it over... check here if ya'd like some! ;) )

These are another sad disappointment... we have beautiful plants... and have not gotten even a pots worth of beans! I think we are short on honey bees!

Sadly... these are our weeds. As tall as the kids and almost as tall as the fruit trees! *blush* We hope to get another shot at the bobcat to plow down and get ready to do some sprinklers? We have all the supplies saved up from 2 years worth of jobs... just need to trench. :P

And the weeds where the shed will go... I am telling you what... after seeing what Jess can do with a chicken coop...! We are BUILDING a shed next spring! *WINK* Lucky man!

1st Day of Pre-School

Caleb started his Farm Fun Preschool last week. He L-O-V-E-S Teacher Lynda! And going with his best friend Jesse doesn't hurt him any either!

And they're off! Growing... growing... gone!

It was no big surprise that he and Jesse headed straight for the trains!

*CHEESE*

This is such a good little Preschool! And he loves it so much! We are also starting a Joy School here in the neighborhood this tuesday... so he will be gone all day! What a big boy I have!

Pinewood Derby

So... my Cody got to enjoy his one and only Pinewood Derby a couple of weeks ago (I know... I am behind on picture posting! :P) He and his Dad searched online and found a design that they loved... then got to work. They named it the Blue Racer. It was too light the night we got there - so we added a dollars worth of quarters to meet the weight. (Mom called it the Quarter Horse after that! LOL)

They ran 4 heats - Cody won 2 of his 4!!

SWEET!

See his Blue Racer crossing the line with all the other cars behind him?? (edge of the photo is one trying to make it into the picture) (Needless to say his Mom was tickled to get this shot! LOL)

We figure he won 4th place by his times and such, and he won the "Classic" award for his car design. We had a great time and are thankful our ward was able to do at least one Derby while he was Cub Scout age! SO MUCH FUN!

Caleb-ism

Jess and I were hugging and kissing...

Caleb sighs loudly and says...

"You and Daddy's need not go to da Temple no more! You too much in love already!"