full Hands, full Heart & all of my love muffins

2011-12-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

One of the crafts Maren made was priced at $80 then slashed to $78. After the girls tried to peddle their handmade good for a good 30 minutes without any luck they decided to take their sales door to door. They finally made their first and only sale to a little neighborhood girl a year younger than they who opted for the .05 price over the two dollar bill price..that is what the sign said either 5 cents or two bills. After a while I told them to come on in and they said that they needed to leave the goods outside just in case somebody came by and put a dollar into their basket. Now that I am thinking about it I should have snuck a dollar into their basket when they weren't looking. I guess I don't feel all that bad because later that afternoon they charged me to watch their performance on the front lawn. I sure hope that when they are 22 they still think their crafts are as pretty as they thought they were today. Yay for the pipe cleaners that kept us very busy today.

2011-11-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Well we finally made it home after 10 hours each way in a car to have Thanksgiving with family. Those long hours in the car lend for many a deep thought. I have always loved Thanksgiving for many reasons but this year I especially could not get the thought out of my mind about how much thoughts and acts of gratitude help to replace those thoughts of inadequacies and feelings of being insufficient. As we drove through Flagstaff, AZ I had flashbacks of the first Thanksgiving trip we took after the triplets were born. After a three hour stop in Flagstaff to get diapers changed and the kids fed I thought we were never going to make it to our final destination. In fact we almost turned round. My girls were hungry and still only two so they needed attention. We settled on The Little America exit where my husband would take the girls to eat at the cafe while I would get the boys fed in the car. Clearly it became a joke and I needed some assistance so I loaded two of them into the stroller while carrying the other and marched into the hotel and asked if I could rent a room for an hour. The person at the front desk said no but that I could rent one of the bathrooms that they had set aside for the truckers. I think I paid $10 for an hour then set off to see my accommodations all while I shook my head thinking, "really a truckers bathroom, has life come to this?". Luckily the bathroom wasn't too bad. I then thought to myself about the fact that I had no business taking such a trip before either the babies were fed with formula or they had hit the one year mark. The whole time I remember at least one of the kids crying. Anyway I was too busy at that time to think about what life would be four years later. As we sped past that same Little America exit on Wednesday I couldn't help but reminisce about that day four years ago. Was I really that girl because certainly in my mind it just seemed like I was peeking into somebody else story. I was feeling like that would not be something I could handle today..but somehow I did it. I then thought about reasons as to why I made it during that time and feelings of gratitude flooded my heart for those who have and continue to help me. I have been blessed to know that there is a purpose of life and a God above who knows each and every single one of us...really He does.

Besh-Ba-Gowah

2011-10-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went on a little jaunt over to Besh-Ba-Gowah which is an archeological park located in Globe, AZ. Besh-Ba-Gowah has one of the largest single site archeological collections in the southwest and is one of the most significant finds of Southwest archeology. We had planned on going over to the Tonto ruins as well but found ourselves spending a little more time stuffing chips & salsa amongst other items into our mouths. Oh and we also found ourselves a little lost on lets say a primitive road. It was so great to be able to spend some time together as a whole family. I am pretty sure this will not be the last Indian ruin we will visit. For some strange reason both Waylon and I are very interested in the old Native American ways. Perhaps Waylon's love of the culture stems from his Grandma Brian. Grandma and her parents used to take their grandkids on arrow hunting trips. When I first went to visit Grandma at her home in Loa, UT I remember marveling at the perfectly intact white Indian pot that was displayed in their living room under glass. Great Grandpa Smith had found in along the banks of the Colorado river before they damned it up and made Lake Powell. Grandma donated the piece to BYU before she passed on.

P.S. - Maren & Maile added another rock to their collection. The rock came from the local copper mines.

2011-10-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

‎"Motherhood is what God gave me time for." Elder Anderson

I know the above quote to be true for me. Motherhood will be my most noble calling in life and feel extremely blessed to feel this way.

In our home there is a half a room that you can only get to from my bedroom. It is small but is packed full of the sweetest spirit. For this was the space that we hauled in three cribs and the shortly after hauled in three baby boys. Miracles happened in that room. I was just recounting today to a friend about the fact that after two months of Kim and Jaime coming over to take over the 2am feedings during the work week that I finally told them to not come just to see if the babes would sleep longer through the night. I still scratch my head wondering how shortly after that all three of them starting sleeping through the night at the same time without even trying to coax them...it is like they just knew and did it on cue. I didn't even have to break out Baby Wise...which I was prepared to do after using it on the girls. It took one of the girls the full three nights to "learn" their new sleeping patterns. Those were some very long nights. Anyway this last weekend we finally decided to clean up the little room and make it a functioning space. It will be used as the work-out room..ok so I realize it will only be functioning room if we even get our hineys in there. Nonetheless I will always cherish this space and will always have some of the best memories when I am in there. I don't know why I just thought about this but I used to feed the boys in the middle of the night with bottles so that I could get get back to bed quickly. I always sat on the ground next to them right in from of the mirrored closet doors with our body pillows. Another triplet Momma taught me how to use body pillows to feed the babies and it worked like a charm. Now I am thinking about the below picture...I love how I look so dazed. Hiding behind the blanket was my lovely catheter.that thing was AWESOME. I took it with me wherever I went.

boys will be boys

2011-09-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

When you have boys you have to figure out how to use the big guns or how to speak their language.

Christian rolled around for 30 minutes without his shirt on after I offered repeatedly to help him get dressed. Now we were in danger of being late for school. Then I remembered all of their infatuations with their Dad's big Jeep toy that sits outside and rots. What was a mother to do? That is when I said, "All right boys if you are all dressed then I will take you to Miss Violeta's in the big Jeep. I smiled all the way to the Jeep after I witnessed the results that were happening right before my eyes. This wasn't the first time I'd used this tactic and probably won't be the last I reckon. Two of my older man neighbors got a kick out of watching the sight of us loading up that they had to come and inquire of what the special occasion was to fire up Jeepy. I wonder if they saw me having a hard time getting out of first gear as we jerked back and forth. Sheesh the things we do as mothers.

P.S. - While driving to school, Christian corrected my usage of calling the Jeep a car by saying, "Mom it is not a car it is a truck Jeep". His Dad would be proud.

quiet moments

2011-09-14T11:08:00.001-07:00

Everything was so quiet. I had just dropped the boys off the preschool after a rough 24 hour bout of mothering. I have completely not been playing my best Mom game these last few days. There usually isn't very much that can get me to slow down but this morning I had already given in to the fact the I just didn't want to do anything today...like nothing..like sit on the couch and watch movies all day kind of nothing. I was not in the mood to execute all of the busyness that I had already had outlined...just have plain lost my mojo. As I walked around observing the mess that I clearly needed to pick up but did not want to pick up, I wondered if life is extra hard because of having 3 four year old boys or was there something else I need to be doing that would help me snap out of this little slump? I mean I don't know any different and think I have pretty great stamina but I also think it may be a little hard right now with all of these little kids in the same age bracket...but not quite sure though. Then I looked over at the window in dining area and saw Maile's kitty cat and her polka dot blankets that she has had from birth and that helped to spark something in my mother heart that gave me a little extra push to just keep on trying. I am so thankful for those quiet moments that help me when I just want to give in to life.

California

2011-09-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

My camera went a little whack - a - do and I lost the majority of my pictures from our recent trip to California. What I really do not want to loose is the memory of all of us in a small hotel room. Every single day after we came back from our activities, the kids were beat so they actually fell asleep very quickly. We made a nice little beds out of sleeping bags for the boys. They still seem tho sleep better close together so the sight of 3 little kids sleeping close together on that sleeping bag is my favorite. Maile and Christian were partial to the beach and Maren loved the ferris wheel at Knott's Berry Farm.

As much as I almost wanted to go a little crazy from the whining and little spats that the kids had I realized that I was very lucky to have all of these kids very close in age... should make vacations fun being that everyone should be on the same page as far as all of the activities they want to do.

This week I will be focusing on all of the positive things because life as a Mom has been a little trying. My nerves are extra sensitive these days I suppose.

Dont Leave Me...But Just Kidding..But Not...

2011-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Miss Violeta is having a hard time telling the boys apart.

That's funny.

I had the worst but best feeling in my heart when I left them for their first day of preschool. Can't wait to see what transpires this year. I am so glad that I still get them all to myself for "Field Trip Fridays". What I am really wondering is if this is it for me. When you have a grouping of kids in 2 years they just seem to leave really, really fast. Still wondering what it would be like to have just one baby..hmmmm.

They are so stinkin' cute.

wildflowers

2011-08-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

It is very hard for me to sit still for too long. We had been at Grandma and Papa's house out in the middle of no where for a couple of weeks so it seemed that I had gotten to the point to where I could only go a couple of days of staying at the homestead before I had to just get in the car and go somewhere. The fact that I didn't want to wear out my welcome just fueled the footloose and fancy-free way that I already lean towards. Besides I like the freedom that a car provides and sometimes I feel my best when I am behind the wheel. I had long told the kids about Fish Lake so decided to pack a lunch and spend the day exploring. The first place we came upon was a grove of trees with the roots exposed. It looked like we were in some kind of enchanted forest. We then made our way over the bridge and that is when we came upon the most beautiful patches of wildflowers. I love wildflowers. In fact when I was married I wanted everything to be full of greenery and wildflowers. We picked a few to bring back to Grandma and hoped they would stay nice until the ride home. The flowers proved to be quite hearty indeed. I think hearty and beautiful make a great combination. Anyway we walked around and did plenty of exploring. I'm sure we were not hard to miss especially with those little flutes a tooting everywhere we went. Finally Maren and Maile gave the flutes a rest and they somehow made their way under my belt and when we went to the old store at Fish Lake again the old man selling the Smokey the Bear items inquired as to where the flutes went because he could not hear them this time around. We truly must have made our mark the first time around with all of our tootin' and hollerin'. I wouldn't classify ourselves as the quiet type anyway but sometimes I become a little numb to how noisy we really are. I am just glad that when we got home we had something to offer Grandma so that her senses would be diverted from her ears to her eyes and nose with the beautiful wildflowers.

2011-08-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Wellsie, Wellsie, Wellsie -

I woke up this morning hoping you did not pee pee in your bed because I did not put a Pull-Up on you in fear of disturbing your sweet slumber. You see I found you yesterday evening at 5 pm all ready for bed. I tried to get you up to eat dinner with no luck. Don't worry though I did take off your boots, blazer and hat...which by the way was such a great look with those shorts. I wouldn't recommend wearing that little get-up again until the weather cools down though.

Lots of loves, hugs and kisses.

Love,

Mom

1st grade and nonsense

2011-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today was the day. First time for ALL day school. First day to eat lunch in the cafeteria. I felt I went easy on these two today...only a half sandwich, chocolate milk, applesauce, cashew bites, chocolate covered granola square, water and a fruit snack. They better not get used to that. I told them they get carrot sticks tomorrow.

I noticed the following few differences in my girls this morning:

One got right in the shower without a fight..opposite day for the other.

One insisted on her shirt tucked in..the other out.

One said no way to any sort of hair accessory..the other would have worn five at one time.

One would not wear socks while the other could not live without them.

One wanted a kitty and a puppy on her folder..the other wanted a picture of a bug eyed cartoon girl in her bathing suit by a dolphin..with brightly colored peace signs.

As I drove away from the school this morning I took great comfort in the fact that they both were sitting right next to each other in nestled in their little desks on the front row.

Back to the girls school folders..I am still smiling about the little scenario that transpired after the girls came home from buying their school supplies with their Dad. After Maren walked out Maile came up to me and made sure that I was aware that she likes "nature and stuff "and that is why she chose animals and flowers. Then after a moment of silence she said "I don't buy the same kind of nonsense that Maren buys" (referring to Bratz looking type dolls). I had I good laugh inside. Seriously she had just called her sisters choice of school supplies "nonsense".

sweet

2011-08-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

As I got everybody dressed for the day I thought about our plans to go and pick berries. I thought my little girl's strawberry shirt would be perfect for the day. Then I chose a red ruffly shirt for myself and decided to use the daisy broach that I had loved ever since I saw it at the antique shop. The wheels were in motion for a good day and I could just feel it in my bones. We loaded up and took the scenic drive to the U-pick farm. Upon arrival we met the lady in charge for a set of instructions and our buckets. I was very happy when she told us that part of the experience was to eat as many berries as we wanted to while we were picking. Seriously this place was a dream. How could somebody possibly eat too many perfectly sweet berries for free? As we gathered all of our berries and were on our way out I looked down to find a few mini white daisy plants growing wildly at the end of the strawberry patch. It was meant to be...the strawberries and and the daisies..afterall I had good thoughts about both of those items before the day had even began to unfold. You know what else is meant to be...a family. I can't even begin to express my love for the opportunity I have to learn & grow in my family unit. I truly believe that the theology of the family is based on the Creation, the Fall and the Atonement. Of course the Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live and even though life isn't always the easiest with them, I still get excited to think of spending eternity with my family after some of the sweet moments I get to experience here with them on earth. I also appreciate all of the challenges that come with being committed to the family..pretty sure I would not be able to have as many opportunities to become a better person without them. One thing I do know for sure is that I would go strawberry picking again with any of the above scallywags...especially if Annie would make homemade fruit snacks out of the berries again. Now I can finally forgive Annie for getting our sticker books thrown away on our trip to Indiana..if only she wouldn't have thrown a fit about wanting to trade back the sticker that I had felt was a rather good trade on my behalf. So maybe it was my fault? Twenty five years does things to ones memory, ya know?

P.S. - I love how Uncle Andrew (pictured above with Maren on his shoulders) was willing to ride in the car with my 5 kids for 15 hours at a time. He deserves an award.

summertime {candy colored dreams}

2011-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am hoping that the summer of 2011 was magical for the kids. They had enough parades, candy, puppies and kittens to last them until next summer.

A couple of great memories that I have from this trip consist of afternoon rain storms and reading stories out of Grandma's old fairy tale book. It was such an enjoyable time to sit and read the children stories because there were no distractions. I still have images imprinted upon my mind of laying on the king size bed with the kids laying beside me as I held up the book above us so that I could read to them. There were not too many pictures so the children had to imagine the story come to life in their little heads. Plus it was also fun to see how some of the original stories read as opposed to how Walt Disney made them come to life. I do have to say that the illustrations that were there were so darn charming that I had to take a picture of a couple of the pages. Then almost every single day an afternoon rain storm was welcomed as it came through to cool the temperatures down while sending a slow rolling thunder that felt so fun and fresh every single time. We sat on the porch swing enjoying the rain while often holding the new white lab puppies & eating popsicles. Besides having to bathe the very dirty children every single day, fighting to keep them in bed all by myself, breaking up little tiffs, being tired from being woken up by little children who I shared a bedroom with, feeling a little cooped up and stressing out whether the kids were annoying their grandparents because they were SO loud then I would have to say I am very fond of summer. Thank you to Grandma and Papa for having us.

2011-06-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

Whenever I need a good pick me up, I just pick me up one of the latest crafts the girls made all by themselves from random tidbits from around the house. Oh and yes that is part of the plastic that came off of the tortilla packaging.

creative parenting

2011-05-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Some kids just require I little more creative parenting.

Choney Baloney is just one of those kinds.

I always say that it is a good thing he came so darn cute or else....

Good ol' Choney stuck a little orange bead in his ear. To be quite honest I do not know how long it was in there before he started complaining about his ear bothering him. I finally took a little look to see what was going on and to my dismay could not get the bead to budge that was lodged into the ear canal. Afraid of pushing it in further we devised a plan that included a hose attachment, a juicebox straw and an vacuum. Like the game of Operation, Waylon carefully sucked that bead right out.

P.S. - Christian loves that big blue backpack and hauls his treasures around wherever his non-matching Crocs will take him.

I hope you dance

2011-04-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

Maren thinks it is an option to either go to first grade or ballet class. I laughed and tried to explain in a very "fun" way that she will get to go to school for about 18 more years. While we were on the subject of extracurricular activities I asked her if she would rather me sign her up for dance class, piano lessons or sports. With a funny little expression in her face she said, "Sspoorts'? "I probably wouldn't want to do that because I might fall down and get hurt." A little silence followed and then she piped back up and noted that I may want her to do sports so that she could get a trophy. I smiled and told her I wanted her to pick what she thought she wanted to do. Of course she went back to ballet because she thought that they would give her candy after class. I think I am just going to go ahead and offer her double the candy if she chooses piano....

I can't wait to see what life brings for that little girl.

On a separate note the girls (mostly Maile) were getting nervous to be recorded saying the Pledge of Allegiance at kindergarten today. The school does this and then gives the videos to the parents when the kids graduate from 6th grade. Anyway trying to ease nerves I told them that we would practice this morning. They did good. It made me think about the time I had to get up in front of 50 people for a group interview and give a small speech without more than a 5 minute notice. What was to follow was one of my most embarrassing moments..."Hi, my name is Christina and I am from America". The thing about is that everyone there was American but possibly at best had driven in from as far as New Mexico or California. I really had meant to say Arizona and not America... I thought I was going to die right there. It was so quiet until I let out a little laugh. Everyone else in the room followed suit. Yah I didn't get my 19 year old dream job. It all worked out though because the next time around when I was offered the job I actually turned it down for a better opportunity. Sometimes it is so hard to see the whole picture and to just keep on getting back up and trying and not being afraid of failing.

I think I am going to go and sing "I hope you dance" to my kids now.

I am a huge fan of my them.

Tender Moments

2011-03-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I need more time. I only have approximately 12 hours a day to do some good for my kids and for some reason that has really hit me hard as of late. That is just not enough time. Just when I think I have learned to slow down enough to fully savor EVERY single moment with my kids I really haven't.

I recently was recounting the time right after the boys were born to a friend. As much as the whole experience is a blur, I still remember the permanent imprint that was left on my heart because of the sweet spirit that was in our home. It is so interesting that in times of trial you can make it through only to come away remembering that it was some of the best parts of life. I can not describe the sweet feeling in out home other than saying it felt like a big protective bubble was placed around our home. It really felt like angels were protecting our home. Yes and some of those angels came in the form of real life people who came to serve out family. I even remember waking one night to hearing sweet Jamie singing ever so softly to my boys as she got through the 2am feeding which often took between 1 and 2 hours to complete. When I finally healed up enough and had the catheter removed 2 months after the boys were born I took over those 2am feedings. I was given so much strength to not only make it through all of the broken up sleep but to really enjoy all of those quiet moments with those heaven sent little miracle babies. I am so grateful for all of the tender moments I was blessed with. I need to recount these moments more often.

2011-03-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

2011-02-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

good enough

2011-02-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

One of my kids goes to the beat of his own drum and I love how I sort of captured that on my camera. He's kind of off doing his own business while everyone else is hanging out...like pushing a stroller like a crazy man all around the field. For us this field is sort of magical because whenever we go on walks the kids get out and have to pick the dandelions or just run around chasing each other and it is a great time to stop and observe these sweet children in action. I will forever have images of their laughs, happiness, and sunshine on their little bodies ingrained upon my memory all courtesy of this field.

********

I went to parent teacher conference yesterday to talk with the girls teacher. Right after I walked in I apologized to the teacher for getting the times mixed up and subsequently arriving a little late. She just looked at me and said, "I just don't know how you even do it". I almost started to cry because on the way over my heart felt heavy with the thoughts that I wasn't doing a good enough job. I maintained but told Mrs. Stradling that I could certainly be doing things to improve. She just looked at me and said, "Don't beat yourself up because you are doing a great job". I wonder why that is such a constant battle with so many Moms. What is good enough anyway?

********

Today I decided that good enough would mean that even though the house was a mess that I would take the time to at least go for a walk with the boys while the girls were away. No errands, no naps but just some good old fashioned play time. I then decided that I am good enough at something and that something was liking to be with my kids. Sometimes that is what matters most...your kids knowing that you like to be with them. From here on out I mostly focusing on the things that I am good at and hoping that only those quick glances at what I am not good enough at will be just enough to make me want to keep getting better without being so darn hard on myself.

NOTE: Lately the boys have been obsessed with their boots and they are not taking their mattress off their bed as much as they used to.

get on with your bad self

2011-02-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well then there is Wells..

He came a titch on the stubborn side.

Some may call him a whiner.

But I can tolerate him more than others during his rough moments.

Bless his heart.

Yesterday Wells was not a very happy young man and wanted to make that fact known. As we finally got in the car to pick up the girls from school he fell asleep so I took the opportunity to call "Eliza Sissy Girl". We hadn't got too far when he woke up. The conversation went as followed:

"Wellsie do you want some chicken nuggets?"

Reached back and handed him the box.

"Don't throw them Wellsie."

"No-ooo"

"Don't you throw them."

"Aarr"

Then under my breath forgetting I was on the phone I continued with, "Okay I am just going to pick these up and then get on with my bad self."

Eliza laughed and then I laughed because I realized how I probably must have just sounded. The thing about is was I was serious. You see I promised myself that morning I would not loose my cool. I prayed for extra patience. I actually pray for that many times a day. Sometimes it works and sometimes not so much. Always happy for another chance and another day.

Today when Wellsie was a wailing, I busted the camera out and took a picture of him in action. It made him wail some more but I didn't want to forget that moment so I continued to take more photos. One thing led to another and the next thing I found was a little boy in my arms after he said, "Hold me Momma".

We then had ourselves a little photo shoot.

We were friends again.

I love that little boy in all of his whiney glory.

soggy cooking

2011-02-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today Maile said in a very serious voice, "Mom I still like your cooking even if it is good & soggy"...referring to the cookies.

Hopefully there is still hope for my cooking @ dinnertime tonight.

sunglasses {girls trip to Forks}

2011-01-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

I saw the above picture of sunglasses and it made me think about my Mom and sisters. You see we have always had a thing for crazy glasses and when we were traveling to Victoria, B.C. a few months ago we were in need of a couple pair to assist us in our scooter ride because some of the party left theirs behind. Well nothing a little walk to a mall kiosk couldn't do to help us on our endeavors for fun, inexpensive & disposable eyewear. We were laughing so hard at Mom's huge pink glasses but that's what made it even the more entertaining. Everywhere we cruised on our scooters, there was Mom with a helmet and HUGE pink glasses glaring out. The above picture of the 1946 Vogue cover with the glasses then made me think about our boat ride over to Port Angeles as we were making our way back to Oregon. My sister candidly snapped away capturing life in action (in a previous day in college she studied photo journalism). Our little Twilight adventure was about to unfold as we first landed at the port and headed straight to Bella Italiano to partake in the mushroom ravioli (which by the way has been there before the book was written). It was getting dark and with the prospect of an hour drive in front of us we did not fret that there was not a hotel reservation to stay in Forks. After all it was off-season so why would there not be any vacancies. Forks is not exactly a big town but as the night unfolded we soon found out that ever since Stephanie Meyer came to town the lodging industry has been booming...no rooms were available that night....except one little cabin down a dirt road next to the drunken hunters. Oh don't think the hunters weren't nice or anything and didn't invite us to feast upon their words, I mean grub that they had just slayed...we passed. After slumbering through the night with a stuffed bobcat staring down at us, we awoke to find a very overcast day in the Washington forest. It certainly made for a perfect setting to have vampires thrive. So far this place looked exactly how I envisioned it would look after reading the first book (it only took one book for me to give up on the series). Whether one is a fan of Twilight or not Ms. Meyers did a great job of surveying the land and then bringing the story to life. The town has also seemed to embrace its new found fame. I mean seriously, a parking space @ the hospital for Dr. Cullen. Oh and don't worry the town also mocks all of these tourists that come on a hunt in hopes to find Edward or Jacob because we observed it first hand. Our final stop took us to the cliffs and beaches at La Push. We enjoyed the scenery as the sun came out for a nice walk along the shoreline.

A quick synopsis would lead me to end in saying that if you ever decide to go to Forks, DO NOT go alone, for many many reasons..but mostly because it wouldn't be as fun;-). I also predict that there will come a day that the busloads of crazed woman coming to town will start to dwindle as pop culture hops on a different mode of transportation that just may not include vampires anymore. What will that next craze include? I can't wait to find out. Only one request would be that it would be something I could actually get me teeth into...dun dun dum. No seriously I want something that would keep me interested in enough to read the whole series.

P.S. - If you live in the Portland area and see my sisters feel free to give them big hugs..they won't think you are weird or anything. Just tell them that I sent you. My one sister in the denim shirt just had a baby come out of her belly..cute little Anna.

encapsulate

2011-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

I never want to forget playing hide-and-seek yesterday with the kids because they could not keep themselves from giggling as they hid in showers under cabinets. I especially never want to forget the way their sweet little innocent voices sound as they were so easily pleased. I wonder if they thought I would not find them if I could still hear there cute little voices even though they were out of sight. These kids do something to me that make me want to be better. No doubt that there are many long exhausting days but they are so worth it right now. I wish I could encapsulate so much of what the kids bring into my life at this time. Tomorrow I might want to change my mind..but the beauty of it all is that the good usually always outweighs the bad.

A good ol' fashioned birthday party

2011-01-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

It's interesting but I do believe my environment has played a big role in the way I have gone about doing some things in rearing my babies. My Momma was not a big believer in throwing friend parties every year or every other year for that matter. In fact I had one when I turned 6 & 12. The girls turned 6 and wanted a party and guess what they got a party. I pretty much planned the same things that I did at my party for their party..a pinata, pin the tail on the donkey and if we would have made it to another activity it would have been red rover. I started out with big plans with all of the inspiration pictures I had saved to my folders but as time quickly approached I had to keep editing and simplifying. It turned out to be so much fun and I am really glad I had not planned some elaborate party that included crafting or painting glitter nails because when it came down to it the girls had more fun jumping and chasing each other around more than anything. One thing that I observed that warmed my heart was when Maile noticed a little girl that was off by herself. She went over to her and asked her if she was ok and if she was having fun. She then invited her to join the other girls. I guess she really did listen to me the day before when I talked to her and Maren about making sure nobody ever felt left out. Well they are six now and I am really happy to have been able to celebrate another year of our lives together. I sometimes feel like they got the short end of the stick when the boys came. They sort of lost me as their Mom for a little while. I am thankful for those other women that step into my shoes to help in taking care of them and making them feel loved. I am thankful for the sweetness my little M & M's bring into our home.

YESSS!

2010-12-26T21:44:00.001-08:00

The best Christmas present ever!!

It's just a picture of a boy sporting his new "big boys". No big deal just two more to go.

{fullness}

2010-12-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

I wonder if my kids will ever know that sometimes after I drop them off at school or at the bus stop I wait there for a couple of minutes and marvel in my love for them as I watch them on the playground or driving off on the bus.

Who knows maybe they will read what I wrote someday and will totally understand why I do what I do because they will be doing the same things..but hopefully better.

I love that fullness in the heart kind of feeling...usually only comes via events that break through the surface and make you have to really get in there and work hard.

intentional

2010-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have frequently been reflecting back to the day when I found out that I was having three babies and my girls were only 23 months.

Waylon had stepped out to get me something to eat during our very long wait in the doctors office. It was the day we were to find out what that positive pregnancy test was going to reveal..was there one baby..was there two babies. When you use assistance to get pregnant (fertility) then there are certain percentages that come into play. Just a couple months back the doctor had told me that there was a less than 7% chance of having twins again and less than 2% chance of having triplets so I wasn't that worried except for in that deep down part of my soul. The ultra sound technician finally called me back but Waylon had yet to return so I shimmied on back by myself. She very quickly and confidently delivered the news that there were three strong heart beats. At that moment I just wanted to plug my ears and run away. I cried. In fact I cried for a week straight because I didn't think I could ever do this. After much counsel, blessings and prayer I made up my mind that everything was going to be fine & I never looked back. In fact I think it took a month before I could start to tell people because I wanted to make sure I could deliver the news in a happy celebrated fashion..as it should be. It was amazing to see miracle after miracle unfold, only confirming that this event in my life was intentional.

Well today as I watched those sweet, healthy little boys entertain themselves for hours while catching potato bugs I counted my lucky blessings. I can't believe there was ever a day that I questioned that all three of those boys were meant to be in my home. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing.

Today was a good day. The zoo in the morning and potato bugs in the afternoon. These are my three sons and my three little buddy boys.

the boys are 3

2010-06-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

If I have learned anything @ all during the last three years then I would say I have at least learned that I can only control certain things like how I am going to react. I have also learned to roll with the punches in a much better manner, that there is a time and season & that simplifying is not over-rated. Through the course of the last three years there has been many occasions that I have just wanted to short circuit because I couldn't do things the way I wanted them to be done. Well I would be fried by now if I didn't soon learn how to just let some things go and to just do my best knowing that it still probably wasn't enough. It truly is all about perspective and if I didn't have the Lord on my side then I wouldn't have made it thus far. He has made up the difference on so many occasions. I can't do it all but can certainly try my best. The tricky part is figuring out what I can handle and being fine with that. One thing is for sure and that is I probably wouldn't be talking about the above jumbalaya (side note: did you know that Jambalaya is traditionally made in 3parts?) without having experienced my 3 boys coming into this world with such zest...So thank you, thank you to the glorious day when I was gifted the above 3 great spirits from above. Without them I would never have learned some of the most valuable of life's lessons. I am better off because of those sweet little boys.

Well apparently I haven't totally learned all of my lessons because yah, about the above photos..well let's just say I had envisioned a certain set up for taking the boys 3 year old pictures and left feeling like my vision was a failure. What!... I only thought that my boys would summon the spirits of beautiful little birdies and butterflies that would make them want to wear their cute hats and head pieces all while they held hands in a circle singing and dancing with such glee. Not even close cause we got WORKED! That is why I was so surprised to see the cutest photos by Michelle show up in my inbox today....what a miracle worker is she. I think I love the pictures because not only are they cute but it shows real life. I have three wild "engines" for petes sake so why wouldn't one have a black eye that just happened in nursery two days before pictures and why would they only NOT wear their indian bands and hats for pictures and why wouldn't they feel the need to cry and have only their Momma carry them when usually they want to walk all by themselves and why would one want to keep biting his toy snake and why would we have to try and bribe them to take pictures by throwing suckers in the teepee and telling them to get in.

WHY, WHY, WHY????? Because. We all have our agency and our very own Plan..that includes a very loving God...that I can't deny.

preschool graduation

2010-05-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here I sat two weeks before the boys were born in all of my almost 190 lb. glory after being on 4 months bedrest and gaining 68 lbs. I remember I had long put the fear of having triplets behind me. I actually felt @ great peace with what was about to transpire. The above pictures were probably the last of some of my most clear memories over the last few years. Being put in survival mode these last three years has caused a whirlwind of time to flash by in a mili-second. Then today it happened, I went to the graduation from preschool of my two sweet little girls. For some reason it really hit me hard because I realized my girls are now moving into a whole new frontier...elementary school. Where has the time gone? I don't think I have been this overcome with this many unsettled feelings in a long time. The thought of the girls going to kindergarten scares me almost more then having another set of triplets. I feel so tender towards the experiences I have been able to have with having a handful of children in such a short amount of time. I truly feel so loved by my Heavenly Father & I have been so blessed. I wish I could just bottle up my sweet innocent little children so I can enjoy them forever in their current state. I know that is not part of the Plan but change has always been so hard on me. I don't want to ever forget this experience & the tender feelings that have come along with raising such sweet little spirits.

Today at preschool they gave out awards to all of the children. Maren had quite a few that went along with being a leader, creative and artistic. Maile's awards consisted of being creative, always having a smile on her face and being a friend to everyone. I love these little girls more than anything. I hope they truly can come to know of their great worth.

Christian

2010-05-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

This is a daily scene around the home. Christian loves to be all wrapped up in a blanket.

Note to self: Pls. don't ever forget how cute he is.

little tykes

2010-05-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

How much longer will all 5 of my children fit in a little tykes picnic bench? I don't want to think about them getting bigger.

Bridger's date night

2010-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

What is it about taking a child out for one on one time that makes them so happy. I took Bridger out by himself for what I call a "date night". We only went on a simple walk by ourselves but it somehow was one of the best moments he and I had all week.

I really hope to make each and every single one of my children feel special.

Maile's artwork

2010-05-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

All in a morning, the above collection was transpired. Maile loves to draw and was very proud of her centipedes. She said that tomorrow she would draw mermaids and whatever else she likes that is from around the world. She is such a smarty pants.

scenes from a Saturday morning hike

2010-03-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

As Waylon and I hiked, we talked about how blessed we feel to have all of these children no matter how tricky it is at times. The kids have taught us so much and have truly made our lives full in every way. We are grateful for this opportunity to be stretched a bit.

Maren

2010-03-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

"Let's make a deal, you pick out whatever you want to wear today but I get to pick tomorrow" That is a direct quote made by me to Maren. Now that I have had a chance to think about it I think she should pick out her clothes every single day if she wants...the only request is that she always puts on a smile to go with that outfit. So much joy can be found in all of the cheesy grins.

2010-03-13T07:45:00.001-08:00

For some reason this little scene brought me great joy this week. A decade ago I would have never thought little cars all lined up would be this cool.

2010-03-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

I almost got mad but then I just laughed...PHEW!

I hate it when I get mad unnecessarily..I'm really trying hard in that department.

Now if Christian dumps one more pail of water out of the tub I am going to get ticked:-)

{half-wrapped}

2010-03-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

These were the best presents ever. Half wrapped Barbie's etc. The girls wanted so badly for me to have a great birthday. I love that they brought out all of their used toys and tried to give them to me.

Honestly, they made my day.

Happy birthday Nana!

2010-02-11T17:25:00.001-08:00

Where is Nana you ask...

Nana is off serving others...on this very day called her birthday.

Nana knows how to be a lady.

Nana knows how to love.

Wouldn't be where I am today without Nana banana.

Happy birthday to a lovely lady AKA as Mom.

xoxoxoxoxo

{crumb cake}

2010-01-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I am really stressed out I like to make various bakes goods. This morning it happened to be sour cream crumb cake. This was the second weekend alone with all of the children and the thought of getting everybody to church and then to behave once we arrived seemed like the most daunting task. The kids were already fighting and whining about really important things like who was going to sit in which chair. One "awesome" daughter came over for the fifth time and said, "Mom, Bridger is in the seat that I want to sit in. At that point I didn't know what to say so I just blurted out, "Then just go sit on the floor and eat". "Did I really just say that", I thought. Trust me though I wanted to say something much worse. I had finally gotten around to dishing my own serving of crumb cake and wished I could go eat mine outside in peace. Instead I took my own advice and settled for the floor. Funny thing happened after that. Every single one of our moods lightened up and before I knew it I was surrounded by 5 active children who had come to join me. Not the most conventional way of eating crumb cake but it was then & there that my prayers were answered. Mandy walked in the door unannounced to help us get ready for church. She was so amused by the sight of all of us sitting there that she went to get the camera. What I remember most was that we all ended up making it to church in rather chipper moods which is a miracle. You see it was just the day before that I sat in the shower telling my Heavenly Father that I could only do my best. I told him that I would try really hard but that I need a little extra help to make it the rest of the way. Again, my prayers were heard.

As I sat in church and listened to the speaker talk about putting ourselves in a position to not only hear promptings to help those in need and to be an instrument in thy hand but then to be bold enough to act on those promptings, I felt inspired to try even a little bit harder. I can do great things with the Lord on my side...even if they are hard. When it is His will, He always helps to make up the difference. Usually through angels here on this earth.

P.S. - "Awesome" is code for not awesome. I love that sister always says, "My kids are being so awesome" when they really are being little scoundrels.

{crazy}

2010-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I seriously feel like a blue heeler trying to heard cattle.

Sometimes I think I may be making a spectacle of myself when I try to take all of the kids places by myself. People are probably thinking, "Lady, you are crazy".

I will never again bring all the kids to Fountain Hills where there are lots of duckys, and a hill to chase the ducks down that leads to a small body of water. It has taken a full 12 hours to recover from that little trip that I started out thinking that I was such a fun mom.

Perhaps I am CRAZY!

Oh well.

What am I to do?

Stay home?

Perhaps I will next time:-)

2010-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Time is speeding by way too fast. I'm not too sure I am doing the very best job @ this motherhood thing. Sometimes I am not very patient and sometimes I do things I said I would never do as a mother. All I know is I feel such a great responsibility to make sure my kids know the importance of the family unit and how it plays into the role of the great Plan of Salvation.

As we recently celebrated Maren & Maile's birthday I have reflected on how fast all of this aging business has crept up on our family. Just yesterday they were born on a snowy Jan. evening and now they are embarking upon elementary school. Five years old seems so much older than four years old and apparently they seem to think so too because we have had morning talks of what to name Maile's 7 boys and 7 girls when she becomes a mom. Funny thing, just yesterday she didn't want any kids. Nonetheless she has settled on the following names thus far:

Purple Lightning

Red Scarf

Olivia

Good thing we live close to the reservation so that she can find herself a nice Navajo boy...haha! I don't want to think that far into the future.

That same morning as I observed all kids eating breakfast my heart melted. I turned to Waylon & told him that I wanted to pour choc. syrup all over them so that I can gobble them up. Without skipping a beat Maile & Maren both said, "Eeew Mom that is disgusting because then you would have to eat blood & bones & eyes"

Smart cookies I say.

Happy Birthday little girls!

{table for two}

2009-12-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

Maile kept pointing to her cup this morning and telling Maren that her cup was called clear. Maren kept saying, "my cup is not "Claire". Out of frustration Maile said, "Maren not your friend Claire..ccleeaarr"

The conversations between these two are quite entertaining.

The best was when the girls scurried down onto the floor to reap the rewards of a large shattered candy cane. Without thinking I said, "girls stop picking things up off the floor like little rats. Maren looked up at me and said, " Mom we're not rats we're mouses". Well then, carry on, carry on, I thought. What was I suppose to say to that one except its mice, not mouses. They really put me in place on a daily basis. I mean why did I even have to tell them not to eat the candy cane off the floor when there are many more real problems out there in the world.

They are the best teachers.

Motherhood & family pictures

2009-12-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Life has been so busy but really quick here are a few of my thoughts on why I love what I do:

"The biggest thing that I do right now is being a Momma and the thing that I love the most about it is that my kids have given me an opportunity to learn how to love and serve more fully. Lots of satisfying life's lessons have been learned through this venture & it's been a very refining process. Makes me realize how far I really need to come in this life but how far I have come all @ the same time. It's also very satisfying to know that I can do things that I never thought I could do. Motherhood is not always the easiest so when I experience little successes along the way I am on cloud nine. I love that being a Mom makes me feel stronger. Also when you try to look through the eyes of a child it makes things more magical & you want to celebrate the "ordinary" a little more."

Family pictures this year were very fun...sort of:-)

My boys....

2009-11-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

so sweet...so tender..

This is what we deal with on a daily basis. I like the vein sticking out of Christian's neck...no he's not mad. The joys of two year old boys. At least they're cute.

Halloween

2009-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Halloween is not my most favorite holidays. The boys costumes were a big hit. Maren wanted to be Fancy Nancy and well Maile just wanted the zip up rabbit costume and let me tell you I was just fine with that. Her costume was so low maintenance and took zero creativity. I kept thinking she looked like she was wearing the aardvark costume from Better Off Dead. All in all it was a fun night especially because Papa & Grandma came for a visit. The girls kept wanting to hear the "Beetles" play. Next year I swear I will have every ones costumes lined up at least a month in advance rather than 2 days in advance.

{savor, relish, enjoy, bask}

2009-11-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Today I had the overwhelming feeling that time just decided to hop on the Concorde. There's a small problem though...I don't want to be on that fast plane. I want things to S L O W down. In fact sometimes I would like to hop on a time machine and rewind to go back and hold my small babies (or go back and even be a baby myself...but that's only when I'm feeling a little done with the day...you know when every single kid screams while trying to keep the basic groceries just to survive. I love it when people stare.)

Anyway, here we are in the holiday season again but I swear we were just there yesterday. When I was a kid it felt like I was riding a boat, maybe even a sailboat all the way around the world to get to Christmas. It seemed like it took forever.

*******

On Sundays we are always in a big hurry to make it to church by 8:30 AM but for some strange reason that is the only morning the girls sleep in or are not hungry & do not want to eat their breakfast. I always have what I call the big Sunday knot in my stomach. I'm thinking that is probably no way to start one of the most uplifting days of the week out. I always have to convince myself that who really cares anyway...at least I am going even if we are 20 minutes late. "Remember S L OW down", I reminded myself again this morning. That is why when I came out of my room ready to go & found 4 out of the 5 sitting on the green chairs, I didn't care that we were already late because I was going to live in the moment and enjoy these crazy houligans.

NOTE TO SELF: In case I get all grouchy and forget about my feelings in this post then please refer to the above "buzz words" in the blog post title and try again to savor, relish, enjoy & bask in the moment, which means to S L O W down.

Sisters are my inspiration

2009-10-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of the day I am tired. I have dirty kids. I do not feel like putting them in the bath because let's face it there are those days that I am done and just want everybody in bed. Then I think of my sisters and my recent visit to Oregon. If I were in Oregon right now observing my sisters, they surely would have all of the kids bathed by now with dishes done, floors vacuumed, and stories told. Of course that was only after a nice meal had been cooked. I don't think I have fully seen what my sisters were capable of doing as mothers until I was observing their every move as I sat all by myself without any distractions from my kids.

*******

As I sat in the back of my Mom & Dad's car after picking me up from the airport I recounted my trip back to them. "Annie is sure efficient", I told my parents. She knows how to get any job done quickly and is always cultivating herself in the knowledge sector My sister Liza once said, "Annie is pregnant and she still runs circles around me". I have no idea how she is able to do it all. She is the real deal. The kids are constantly getting all of the stimulation they need and more. She really loves being a Mom and it shows. When we had gone to church she busted out a notebook where she had already studied the lessons and jotted down some notes. She made me want to be better.

Then there is Liza. How could just one little Momma make everybody feel so loved and important. I really do not know how she does it. I know she is tired but she always finds time to make a welcome or birthday banner to any special person in her life @ that moment. She also seems to be so in tune to receive personal inspiration. Liza's plan of action is completely different from Annie but easily just as affective. She is fine staying at home having and basking in laughter, dancing & games. She tells me of feelings that she really needs to keep things simple so that she can enjoy life @ home with the kids. She also makes me want to be better. (I also need to include that when we last took the kids to the park she and I had a race on the swing set to see who could get the highest first, just in case I were to forget)

Two sisters that go about doing things different but pretty much hoping for the same end result and that is what is most important, THE END RESULT. In the meantime I just need to figure out how to get from point A to point B in the best way possible for my family to achieve my own personal goal. I know there are different ways of doing things to achieve the end result of having well-behaved, well-adjusted & well-learned children who understand the Plan of Salvation that was defined by our Savior. Both sisters approaches seem to be working.

I am inspired my them & want to be better. I came home and truly wanted to be a better Mom.

Thank goodness for sisters who help to fill my cup.

P.S. - We mustn't forget about Mary. She will make an excellent wife & mother, for this I am sure of. She inspires me in many other ways and because of her I wished I would approach things with less judgement & with less guile. I love all of her sweetness. She is pure sunshine. All of her service to me will never be forgotten. Last time Mary was in town she called the girls up to take them on a date to Jamba Juice.

2009-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

I pee my pants.

No need for frowning @ our house when there are such character(s) that live here.

{Fancy Nancy in the house}

Oregon

2009-10-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

When I was 10 years old I told my Dad that I wanted to move to Oregon. He was a bit perplexed as I had never been there or had any family that lived there. I think deep down at an early age my soul must have known how much Oregon would speak my language. Last night when my Dad & Mom picked me up from the airport from my very first trip to Oregon, I told my Dad that I still would like to live there. It was so much fun being with sisters & their kids. I have a dream that someday we will all live on the countryside 40 minutes outside of Portland. Isn't Fall so beautiful...I could not help but want to jump up into the air when I saw streets lined with brightly colored trees.

All was well when I arrived home.

I miss you sisters.

stanky

2009-10-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

It's a GREAT day because all 6 sippies have been located. No more uba stank underneath the couch.

Sippies & shoes would rather stay lost than found.

{dusk & veggies for breakfast}

2009-10-11T22:50:00.001-07:00

I love that time of day where the last bit of sun shines before it says good night. Today I especially loved dusk because as we sat finishing our dinner the remaining patch of light shone on my little girls face. So many things to be grateful for today. ...

The gourmet meal that the man of the house made tonight was so scrumptious. All of the times he has watched cooking shows seems to have paid off. He loves to go here for some of his recipes. Trust me there are some really good ones there & this roasted halibut with garlic sauce was no exception.

I think today I was especially grateful that I made it through the day on my new health diet. Some people run marathons. My personal equivalent to a marathon is the candida diet. Wish me luck because this one is a doozy. I have never been on any kind of diet, except occasionally the cookie diet so to just go all out extreme is plum crazy. I was told though that if I could stick it out that ALL of my dreams would come true...that is if my dreams consist of more energy, no allergies, eczema, a vacation in Hawaii etc., etc...just to name a few. Want to hear what it entails...

1st 2 weeks - veggies,nuts, eggs, turkey & fish

2nd 2 weeks - add grapefruit & berries

3rd 3 weeks - add quinoa & legumes

My diet prescription was a little more strict than what the protocol actually called for, in which I'm trying not to get all offended over.

I want some cookies. I NEED cookies. I eat them or something equivalent almost everyday. The chippers @ Paradise Bakery & I are friends.

Oh mercy I don't even know what I was thinking when agreeing to give this diet a whirl but by putting it out there then I feel like I have to be a bit more accountable. I'm just glad that my woo woo doctor didn't put me on a bunch of herbs & tinctures like my parents. Husband thinks I am funny to put so much trust into a natural homeopathic practitioner. He would though because without doctors he wouldn't put food on our table. When I went to see my new "doc" for the first time husband said, "Have fun at the palm readers". My new "doc" got a kick out of that when I relayed that message. All I have to say is if husband starts to have a pain in his left shoulder than it wouldn't be because a doll & a push pin. I mean really, what can this new diet regimen hurt. If I make it to the finish line hopefully I will not fall over from exhaustion but I will fall over from the excitement that I can have one of my peanut butter cream cookies.

COOKIES....

Anyway next subject, I think I also really love it when the sun light's glimmer comes to an end because that is when we usually take our family walks. So many of our family's hopes and dreams are defined on these excursions. Tonight we definitely set a goal to go arrow head hunting. Auntie Camille (one of the last true & remaining hippies) who lives in God's country @ the entrance of all of that beautiful southern Utah colored rock is our ticket to uncovering treasures left by some of the original inhabitants. You know the ones that used to live in cliffs, make beautiful pottery & write all over the canyon walls. Grandma used to be the expert on the land up there but since her passing all of the secrets were pretty much left with Camille. Except I did over hear husband telling the girls that when arrow hunting to make sure & do it with your back to the sun. Did I ever mention the time Grandma went over to Camille's house & chopped down a bunch of plants...Camille apparently thought she needed it for medicinal purposes, if you know what I mean. I really feel lucky to marry into such a wonderful family. Truly, if I ever made a movie it would be easy because I would just base it around some of the characters from his Klan. I love every single one of them.

Here's to vegetables for breakfast.

{grow}

2009-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

"You know what I mean chili bean", said my cute little girl for the 20th time.

Why do kids have to be such sponges. It scares me quite frankly....you know that whole teaching by example thing. I didn't think I said the whole chili bean thing THAT often. What else have I taught her? I hope it's mostly good because I don't want to fail her.

My little girl is pretty much not a fan of sitting still. Did she learn that from me too? No she just came that way as I remembered back to a little 3 lb 10 ounce baby who would never close her eyes. I used to make late night visits to the NICU after her sissy came home from the hospital. I remember whispering into her tiny ear to pls. eat & to pls. sleep so that she would grow & then we could bust out of the NICU together. I actually made up a song called grow. I think that was the only time when the clock stood still as I would just spend time rocking & starring out of the window @ the snow covered earth. Time since has managed to fast forward @ a rapid pace & many things have changed but one thing still stays the same & that is my need to look to my biggest example, Jesus Christ who knows how to love in the purest way. Whenever I am fearful of everything that comes with being a Mom then I will look to Him for He will never fail us. It's amazing that whenever my heart turns to Him things become simplified. I still feel overwhelmed about the responsibility that comes with being a Mom but our Brother has already showed us the way we just need to hold onto it & then pass it on. He is the way.

To this day I still tell little Maile to slow down. Perhaps it really is me who needs to slow down. I love my little Maile (mymy girl). I still want you to grow.

Boost

2009-09-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we could all use a boost...

I happened to be very lucky to sit by dear sweet Jamie in the third block of church.

Funny thing is usually the meeting is referred to as Relief Society & this same dear sweet Jamie brought much relief to me after the triplets were born. You see I came home from the hospital with a little friend named catheter as my bladder had to be reconstructed after in exploded from getting nicked during the c-section. Mr. Catheter actually wasn't very nice but seemed to do his job. He made it very hard for me to get around & take care of 3 brand new babies & a couple of 2 year olds. He stayed with me for a month & a half & I was not sad to see him leave. Perhaps this is rude for me to say but even though he was trying to be my friend I didn't want to even be associated with him...especially as friends. He wasn't very cute, he made people give me funny looks when I went into the public & he sort of hurt. Not to deviate away from the purpose of why I write but after all they are my memories that go along with all of the times Jamie came over & 2am to take the feeding shift so that I could get some solid sleep. She would always tell me, "It is very important to get 5 hours of consistent sleep so that your body will heal". Actually she is a nurse & had to remind me of the 5 hour rule everyday as I struggled to have people come in and give so much to me. It is hard being on the other end of the service spectrum. One of the nights I happened to wake up as I heard her singing so softly to those babies in the next room over. What kind of people come over for almost 2 months in the middle of the night to take care of babies and do it completely unpaid? That room had never felt so peaceful until my angels here on earth came to truly rescue me all hours of the day. I love Jamie. I actually love all of the women from my church who came to serve me...but Jamie has a special place in my heart. Today my emotions over flowed with gratitude & I will take her example of love & service to the grave & then beyond. It's safe to say that Jaime continues to give me an extra boost.

Oh and about the above picture. I love it. The boys sure have learned to work as a team..whether for good or bad.

Baca & his magical lawn mower rides

2009-09-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

Seriously, who needs to go to Disneyland when you have a Baca & a riding lawn mower?

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we especially as women or mothers are so hard on ourselves?

This past weekend my friend or shall we just say cousin invited our family to her cabin. Within 2 hours we had gotten all packed up and into our cozy little van & headed up to the mountains. This was a big deal for us because we had never travelled anywhere except to Grandma's house with all kids in tow. To be honest the thought of it has just plain scared us. Well for some reason we thought this little trip was a brilliant idea (and it was) but after the first nights sleep I seriously questioned my brain power. Stacey & husband slept in one queen bed with their 2 kids & we slept in the other room with 3 portable cribs and 2 beds. It was pretty cozy to say the least.

The next morning we ended up going on an outing to go fishing. The only problem was it was a steep 10 minute hike to get down to the water's edge. Seriously not a conducive place for a family with little kids who have a hard time hiking & a hard time understanding English (it seems). Anyway it was quite an adventure to keep everyone out of the water & to stop throwing rocks. Waylon & I ended up getting the boys back to the car a tid bit earlier than the rest of the crew if you know what I mean. Needless to say the kids had a great time collecting all sorts of dirt & mess. They loved every moment....it was so worth the work & the sleepless nights.

As we were driving home I was somehow a little hard on myself for not taking more pictures. I mean I was really disappointed with myself. That is when I decided that no way am I going to focus on what I didn't do but what I did do. Taking this trip was a huge feat & I shouldn't in one sense of the word be disappointed with myself. Plus I gained some strong arm muscles from hiking while holding lots of loot & kids so I'd say we'd done good.

Let's get together...

2009-09-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

A family get together in pictures.

Always welcome any reason to get together with family. When is the next family reunion?

{beautiful reflection}

2009-09-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am secretly glad when my little girl is too sick to go to preschool but well enough to run errands all by herself with just Momma.... especially when somebody is over watching the boys while they are napping and the other sister is at school. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to only have one child. For now I will welcome one on one time even when technically the little one could have gone to school.

Maile filled her time entertaining herself in the mirror while waiting for her date to take her to such magical places as Trader Joes, Wal-Mart & The Dollar Tree. I hope that when she looks into the mirror she will always see her worth. It was a good day.

{a happy place}

2009-09-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

For me a piece of Heaven on earth exists while sitting with a child in the glider that is in the corner of the boys nursery. I almost didn't buy that chair 5 years ago when I found out that I was finally going to be having my first batch of kids. It was so darn expensive that I went back and forth on the purchase & in fact it was the very most expensive item we purchased for the nursery. It has certainly paid it worth back in dividends. Every night when I put the boys down they all will remind me of that chair when they say, "I wan rockie". You can say it has become a tradition. I often feel so guilty wondering if the kids get enough love & attention but the chair has helped to make many of those feelings go away. I'm pretty sure it makes all of the difference for the kids to even have just a few minutes to themselves in that glider...I know for me it does. Guess you could say that if anyone were to come and ask me what my top picks on a must have list for a Mom, then I would without a doubt say a gliding chair.

Our Saver

2009-08-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

As I sat looking out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes, I couldn't miss the commotion going on in the pool. My pool was beginning to take on an algae green appearance so could it have been a fish who had found it's new pond? I looked closer thinking it was a lizard but then realized it was a big beautiful dragon fly struggling for life. I couldn't help but find the nearest shoes to go aid the struggling creature. Both Maren & Maile followed me outside to investigate. Together we found a bucket, got the little guy out of the pool and quickly drained the water. I thought once the water was gone that he would be able to fly away instantly. As he flipped & fluttered around he struggled to even stay right side up because his wings were still heavy as they were saturated with water. Sure enough he dried out a bit and flew up to the nearest safe spot to catch his breath. Five minutes went by and then he finally just up & flew away.

As we were walking inside Maile said, "Mom you are a good saver". "Thank you, Maile", I said. That was when I thought about our greatest Saver, Jesus Christ. I explained to Maren & Maile who our biggest Saver was & even though we couldn't see Him that He would always be there to save us even when they didn't think so. If they were ever having a hard day or something sad had happened they could go to our Savior. I told them there are going to be times that you will struggle, be weighed down or burdened by sin or maybe flip flop a bit but those would be the times to especially go to Him for strength. I explained that their rescue wouldn't always happen instantaneously but would often happen in a step by step process. Isn't that is how the Plan of Salvation has been laid out?

They later asked if Heavenly Father created the dragonfly. "Yes" I answered. Maren then said, "Well Heavenly Father must have created the pink bunny that brings me candy". Funny thing though, I associate pink bunnies & candy with Easter another celebration of Him. I think she sort of gets it.

3 + 5 = 8 (two year olds) + another 2 + 2 = 12 or (CRAZY!)

2009-08-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

There really are times that I feel like I'm done, that's it I'm out of here. Then I will think about my awesome friend Rachelle. From the time we were in jr. high & highschcool I always looked up to her. We were both on bed rest @ the same time. Sometimes I would talk to her on the phone to see how her contraction monitering was going as we used to have these moniters that had to hook up to us twice daily for an hour. After the hour was up we would fax the results to the Matria nurses who were there 24 hours a day. If we contracted more than 6 times we had to re-test for another hour. If the contractions still persisted then to the hospital we went. Good times! Anyway Rachelle always had the best attitute and I thank her for all of her positive energy. If only that came in a bottle.

Well Rachelle came to visit Arizona so we got all of the kids together. Rachelle + Christina = octomom. I know not really something I would like to be compared to but one must keep things light when you have lots of 2 year olds. We went to Chick-fil-A for our little field trip. I think the other moms there were bitter because we monopolized all of the highchairs. I will never forget all of the looks we got. I over heard somebody say that they thought we were on a daycare field trip, and I guess we kind of were. I learned that Rachelle really is very organized, structured & is always prepared. She busted out some shears to cut up the chicken into tiny pieces for all of the babes. With the help of Mandy (my old nanny), our Moms & Jason (Rachelle's husband) I think it went off as a hit.