Santa Claus is coming to town...

Took Jack to see Santa today.. He had me write a letter and he adorned it with stickers and took it and hand delivered it to Santa Claus..

Pumpkins!

the pumpkin patch right by the house...

Jack!

Jack pooped on the potty allll by himself...

It was really quiet and my mom went to investigate what he was up to and he was sitting on the toilet.. This is momentous for Jack. He has not had any interest in potty training for the last several months..

After he washed his hands, he came up to me and said "Can I have my Geo Traxx now?"
(we have been promising him a new train if he would go)

Yay Jackie!

Matt and the Tooth Fairy

Matt lost another tooth Friday night. HE was soo excited and pleaded with him to wait. But it fell out and the tooth fairy was very sleepy that night.
She cleaned bathrooms, the litterbox, did lots of laundry and it was 3:30 before everyone was completely asleep and the tooth fairy felt safe enough to come out...

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yesterday was my birthday.. Today my un-birthday... Technically speaking - I was born on or about midnight on August 22 or Early August 23 in an emergency c-section and both my mother and I were so critical at the time of my birth, none of the attendents looked at the clock until after midnight. Since they had wheeled my mom into the room right before twelve they put August 22 on my certificate. This VITAL information is something I learned only a few years ago. Which leads me to wonder am I really born today?? Most likely.. So for the past four years I have two birthdays.. :) Which is good only if your NOT getting old..

I was bad yesterday.. The thing I wanted most, what I had not had in months. A triple shot caramel macchiato with extra caramel and extra foam. It was heaven in my mouth.. I enjoyed every drop, licked the straw ( as usual ) and for several hours I was buzzed on the esspresso zipping through my viens....

I went on a hunt for ebay shopping at the local thrift store. Here in Utah its called DI, or Deseret Industries. Its better than any thrift store I have ever been to, the selection, price and sheer volume is uncomparable. I have had so much fun buying from them. Last hunt we found a pair of brand new Oilily Jeans that we paid $3.00 for and I sold for $17.50. I can shop and then make a little extra money doing it.

It was hot yesterday. 104°. Originally the plan was to take the kids to the zoo, but there was NO way I was toting 4 hot and cranky kids around in that heat.

We went to dinner. Steak is always good. I love a good steak. I was really, really bad and ordered an appletini. I couldn't help it. Applebees - they are my favorite. Of course I felt silly, but that was as crazy as I get.

I am officially 32 now, anyway you look at it. I cried last night. I don't want to be old. I hate this part of life.

On a top note, I bought gap skirt SIZE ONE! when into a kid shoe store and bought myself shoes and found a kid gap sweater at the thrift store. So maybe after all I am really am still a that child I feel like I am inside ;)

A sense of getting somewhere!!!!

I just checked the mail and this came!!! I am sooo excited.. I don't have to pay the fees for the divorce. They will be waived and I can get through this. Its such a relief.. AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......... :D

Brownies and Cookies??

Thanks to Shanna who introduced this awesome product into my life. I finally, finally found it in the grocery store.. I guess shopping at Target all the time doesn't always pay off ( for the record I found the mix at Walmart :X )...

Darienne begged and begged me to make it all day long and finally I did. We waited for some piece and quiet and enjoyed them... Here is our story :P

Here I go....

Its Official...
I am naked without any medical insurance for the first time in almost 18 years. I went to the pharmacy counter last night to pick up three of my meds and discovered that my insurance was terminated the day before, and NOT at the end of the month as I had been aware of..

I am scared. My meds are a big part of my life. Without them I cannot function normally.

I cannot afford them by myself. Imitrex alone is $856.00 by its self.. That is essential.

Not to mention the other meds I have that are going to be more than I can pay and I will have to NOT have.. somethings GOT to give!!!!

Frustrations....

ACKK!!!

I am frustrated..

I just got off the phone with Child support. I swear they employ nit-wits down there. 8 months my case has been active and they haven't gotten to it. Infact he was completely fine about the fact I am getting less than $500 a month for 4 kids!! When I informed him that according to Utah he should be paying $1500, he asked me where I got that information. I told him the divorce papers, and that was their calculation. Now, he is telling me that since there is already an order for Andrew, Matt and Darienne for the amount set in 2002 I need to let Utah know. ACKK.. I really hope this doesn't put my case here up in any way.. I don't understand why they are so lame down there at Child Support Services in Oregon.
So here I sit, upset, nervous and really wishing I hadn't talked to the worker in Oregon. What good did it do, other than make me feel more insecure about things??
At least he did put an order in for the new job with the information I have been calling him incecently for the last TWO weeks. Way to go, If I had access to my information I would have done it back in freaking JANUARY!
I also gave him David's address.. He said he would have to confirm it, and it wasn't confirmed. Ok.. Thats great. Now, do your freaking job!! BLAH..

Ok.. :/ I'm just a little cranky now...

At least the boys are being good. Matt is taking a cat nap and Jack and Andrew are watching cartoons..

Sometime you feel like a Xanax, SOMETIMES you don't ;)

French Toast! :)

To Matt and Jack's encouragement I made French Toast for breakfast.. Something I haven't done in FOREVER. YUM! If I made it every morning oh how fat I would be :)

I am trying to do better today, but its a slow go. Laundry is going, so thats good.
I am fighting the urge to crawl back in bed and have the comfort and soothing feel of the sheets and pillows make everything better..

The boys are being good. Getting along and being boys. Darienne is sleeping in. No surprise..

I am reading the Stand (again)... One of those books that is big enough that it never gets old...

Now if I could only find the motivation to scrapbook today.. Thats what I need...

lost...

I need to get it together.. I am seriously slacking the engergy, motivation and desire to do much of anything these days..

I did manage to find my domestic side enough to make dinner and that is about it..

The laundry is piling up, the bedroom is littered with scrapbook stuff that I went through DAYS ago, but have since lost the want to do any... I should pick it up, put it away, but if I do that, when will I get it out again???

I made my bed, only to crawl back into it. I battled a migraine most of the day. I am low on meds and didn't take any thing for it.

I guess I am just feeling lost...

Blah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ughh..

Another tag game with the child support worker..

I have been trying to reach him for the last two weeks off and on and I have given him information and YET he has still to update our information, contact me or anything. I won't get any child support until he does.. How frustrating...

LAME-O!

This poor woman is still dealing with this psycho... I can't help but LMAO at the title of her book and hope she makes $$ from it. It makes me sick that he has the nerve to even think he can sue. What a lame ass.. I might have to find this book and read it...

Here is the article c/p"

Joey Buttafuoco will be holding a press conference Wednesday to discuss his lawsuit against his ex-wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, and the "defamatory content" in her new bestseller, Getting It Through My Thick Skull - Why I Stayed, What I Learned, and What Millions of People Involved with Sociopaths Need to Know.
Such a fantastic title!!!!!!
Joey's lawyer claims the allegations made by Mary Jo in her tell-all are "venomous lies," primarily the "countless references… describing and diagnosing him as a sociopath."
His lawyer also goes on to say that the "defamatory statements are beyond the pale" and has transformed his client into "a pariah in the community, causing him not just public embarrassment but the loss of business."
Oh, boo-hoo!
Buttafuoco is not only suing his ex wife, he's also suing Publishing Company Health Communication Inc., the publisher responsible for distributing Mary Jo's book.
His affair with an underage Amy Fisher, charges of auto insurance fraud and picking up hookers tarnished Buttafuoco's name - not the book!

Pissy, Pissy!

Frustration.. The kids are home. They spent the night with their "dad" and Darienne has come home acting strange. She was mad at me because she wanted to go back and help him clean his house since it was a disaster, but the day we left I had it cleaned, vacuumed and there is no reason he can't get off his ass and throw HIS things away especially if he is only taking care of HIMSELF!!!! I am so pissed off right now..
Its Sunday, we are all supposed to be getting ready for church and Darienne wants to sit on her bed and ignore me. Be pissed at me, and I can't deal with it today.
So, Off I go, to get the boys ready, and myself halfway decent since this is the first outing since my hospital stay. I am kind of nervous about it....
Blah...
Can I go back to bed yet????????????

The Lovely Bones...

Finally!!!! My book is going to be a movie!!! I can't wait to see it. Its been years since I heard it would be going into a movie and finally this winter it will be released!

waste of time.

Yesterday was a full day. I had a dr. appointment ( who didn't do a freaking thing) It was a follow up from my Hospital stay and the damn doctor didn't even take my vitals. He was absolutely UN-Professional, UN-Personable and didn't give a rats ass how I am doing. He said I needed t0 be seen by a phychiatrist and that was the just of my appointment. Waste of time, waste of co[payment. Blah... How hard is it do get a dr. that actually cares about their patiends. Why was no blood work up done? and why the hell did they not take my sugar level??
Bllha.. As always I have pleanty to bitch about, but such is life.. He would no write me any RXs; and I am out of three rx's.. Its been more than a month.. I hate being treated like this. Its retarded. My Doctor is out of town and I got some towel head to treat me yesterday. Yes, I know its a racial slur but when I have been going to the doctor for almost 20 years, and have him not only deny my whole relationship with their doctor, Meds were my purpose for going to keep my migraines in check. So, this is my life.. I have four pain pills left to get me until When??? You better believe the next migraine we aer going to the er and they can treat me there, A-hoes
My insurance is ending at the end of August. I am terrifed..
I also had the divorce papers turned in yesterday while we were out and about and filed that he has recieved the documents. 30 days from now and it will be over.. Strange to think..

Darienne was babysitting with Andrew but decided to go to their dads and we met them in the parking lot of our aptartment building heading out. Really kind of confusing because we were NOT expecting the kids to leave...

But it was a nice, quiet night were we layed in the living room all snuggled up watching Animal Planet ( lol ) and wound up in bed watching Hide and Seek before I totally konked out.....

My vision is still really blurry and I am having a hard time with my balance. I keep fallling over and there is nothing I can do, exept try and not do what is it I am supposed to do. I can't read my scripture yet, its too blury

BUUT!!!! On a happy Note, I am feeling devious today and want to get a Startbucks.... Its been MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I can justify it :)

Last WWI Veteran :(

WOW.. I am just getting really old.. I can't believe this is it.. I remember when there were still Civil War Vets still around!!! This is amazing/incredible/sad all at the same time. How honorable that he is being recognized.. C/P caption and article below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090806/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_last_tommy

The coffin of Britain's last World War I infantry veteran Harry Patch, is carried away after his memorial service at Wells Cathedral in Wells, England, Thursday, August 6, 2009. As a mark of reconciliation, soldiers from Britain, Belgium, France, and Germany, at left, walked behind the hearse carrying the coffin as it was driven through Wells, where thousands of people lined the streets to watch the funeral procession of Patch, who died aged 111, and who was a veteran of the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917

Scrap Fever

I am trying really hard to be positive.. I am surrounded by my scrapbooking totes and trying to organize what I have left. I think I feel some scrap-i-n-g coming on!!!! :D

Blank...

So.. I have been sitting here thinking a lot about what has transpired over the last week.
I left my apartment on Friday night in an ambulance and woke up almost three days later, with no knowledge of being totally unconcious for that time. When I woke, I thought it was a few hours, not a few days..
I can't imagine what it was like. I don't remember any grand close to death light at the end of the tunnel. It was just Blank. Painless but blank.
When I woke up, I have been slowly relearning my motor skills... I can type better today, the first day back home, it was like Jack typing. I still can't read ( unless I make the font HUGE), everything is really blury and I am really thirsty all the time.

Snake!

So this is the snake that caught my eye and I made Justin stop so I could get a closer look at it. Seriously, I am terrified of anything that slithers but there was something intriguing about this one. We stopped to pet her for about 20 minutes, even got Darienne to pet her. Jack had a ball, and Me... Well... At least I got close enough for a touch... Something I have never done.. Something my Andrew would have enjoyed.

MIA

Ohh its just me... I'm back from a 5 day vaction to the ICU but things are looking much brighter.. I can't remember being an inpatient without having a baby involved, but I made due.
My blood sugar was uncontrolable - 390. Bleck.. I received insulin shots for two days. My arms look like I fell victim to a mad scientist. I have bruses and marks all over them from getting new iv lines and shots.. My fingers are tender because they were checking my blood sugar that way. Finally they managed to keep it under control earlier today and I got to com home.
It was an awful experience, most of which I was not conscious or can remember. I went in Friday and I woke up yesterday. Where the time went I will never know.
My blood pressure was off the wall high and my pulse rate went as high as 160 ( resting! ).. Can we say STRESSED A LITTLE??
But I am home now, safe in bed, next to my Jack and Justin and just waiting for Mr. Sandman to bring me some dreams so I can follow..

And in the news....

Shopaholic died under purchases

The body of an elderly shopaholic was found underneath a pile of clothing and other items after she died of natural causes, an inquest heard.

Joan Cunnane's bungalow was so crammed with purchases it took five visits to the house before she was found.

She had refused to let her friends into the house in Heaton Mersey, Stockport Magistrates' Court was told.

Her friend Roy Moran said the 77-year-old started shopping to escape youths who once plagued her home.

Mr Moran told the court: "She said it gave her pleasure to buy things, she only bought things she really liked."

Mr Moran last saw his friend on Christmas Day 2008 when they had lunch together.

'Substantial pile'

He visited her bungalow in Rosgill Close four days later and found the side door ajar, but the premises was stacked from floor to ceiling with "bric-a-brac".

"He couldn't see her anywhere and got no response," said coroner John Pollard.

Mr Moran said he visited Miss Cunnane's house on three occasions without seeing her.

Shopaholic died under purchases

Concerned neighbours called police on 6 January but the first search of her bungalow was unsuccessful because of "the large amount of personal property and papers within", Det Insp Kevin Dolan said in a statement.

Police returned the next day with a truck and a skip to clear it out and conduct a second search.

Det Insp Dolan said Ms Cunnane's body was found in a bedroom "under a substantial pile of clothing and other items".

Pathologist Philip Lumb said Miss Cunnane died as a result of bronchial pneumonia, and also had cancer.

Coroner Mr Pollard recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WOW! Can you imagine!!?? I love to shop. I hope I don't turn into one of these old ladies who compulsively shops to make herself feel better :::: looks away innocently::::

Busy Day....

Yesterday was a hard day. Everything finally hit me and I had a hard time holding myself together.. Actually - I didn't.

David is campaigning against me via Facebook mostly with Andrew. He is the weakest link and David knows it. Why put a guilt trip on an 11 year old? He wasn't taking care of them at his house, and I can. There is no reason for them to live like that, and if he treated them like he treated me in the last week, he definitely doesn't need to have them there. Darienne, Jack and Matt are happy as clams to be home and are settling nicely. Darienne even took the boys to the pool by herself (with Andrew's help) today. A really big FIRST for her. I need my family together and having all four children together is crucial. I need to know they are safe and taken care of. I will not let ANY of them go back with him without a fight.

I called a cab today. I had to go to the Federal court house (AGAIN) and refile for divorce. Last week I had retracted my claim because David had convinced me to. I went to Kinkos (23.00 for copies!) The post office to serve him his papers (10.00 to serve by mail) and for the cab (60.00!!!!). But it is done, and I feel good about it. Next week I will find out if they will waive my court fees or not ::: Crossing fingers & toes ::::

I have almost everything back in order now. All of the ebay items that were in limbo this past week have been shipped, the house is clean, everything is almost put away and the laundry.... Well.... The laundry. :/ I'm working on it.

Saturday...

Yesterday was Pioneer Day here in Utah. It is amazing how Patriotic the LDS faith is. The neighborhood was lined with American flags and people took the day to celebrate the pioneers that were persecuted by the government for their religion. It amazes me. They suffered so much yet the Church has so much respect for the government and its laws. We didn't do anything (of course) but hopefully next year we will be full fledge Utonions and honor it.

Last night we had a lightening storm for hours with fire works also lighting the sky. I layed on the trampoline with the kids for a while watching.

Today David was baptised. It was a pinnacle part in his life. I am glad he did it. Darienne gave the opening prayer, Andrew read scripture and I got con'ed into giving the benediction. We sang Closer my God to Thee ( I picked it!), and the pianist played it while we were waiting. Again, I thought of the brave band on the Titanic, playing for the passengers, giving them comfort in the last few minutes of their tragic lives..

Afterwards we went to Hollywood where we rented "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

Since I have been pretty much in the dark about anything going on these days, I had no idea if it was even watchable. I <3'ed>

Happy Birthday Andrew Reid!

Today is Andrew's 11th birthday! Eleven years ago I held my newborn son in my arms in a tiny hospital room in Corvallis, Oregon. A little more than two hours of labor and he was born. Of course I had been on bedrest since week 26, and he was born 3 weeks early.
My sweet Andrew... I am very proud of him.

Vanilla Sky....

My life has been chaos. Friday night was a turning point and Saturday morning was the lowest I have ever felt.
I had made the decision to do what my children wanted the most. To be together. To be a complete family. In that decision I had to give up the love of my life.
Saturday morning I called the paramedics to the apartment we shared to save his life. A bottle of ambien that he swallowed, nearly killed him. My ambien. My fault. I was the reason for his feeling.
The kids are all very happy. Their prayers are full of thanks for the family again, but my heart will never be whole again.
I love my children more than they will ever know....

72 year old Trying to have a baby???!!

wow. Just wow. Can you even imagine? I pulled this from the AOL news:

72-Year-Old Woman Trying to Have Baby


(July 14) - The last thing on the mind of a 72-year-old woman just might be having a baby. But that's not the case for Jenny Brown. The British septuagenarian who lives in London is desperately trying to get pregnant, according to The Daily Mail.
So far, Brown has spent nearly $50,000 on six in vitro fertilization treatments in the United States and Italy, and has been unsuccessful in getting pregnant. She says she's ready to spend more and will travel to IVF clinics around the world that offer treatment to women her age.
Brown said she waited until later in life to try to conceive because she had been busy pursuing various academic degrees when she was younger.
"My studies meant that children kept getting delayed. The right time finally came in my early fifties and since then I've been attempting -- and failing -- with IVF," she told The Daily Mail.
If Brown does have a child, she would become the oldest mother in the world. Critics have called her irresponsible for trying to get pregnant at her age.
"She is at high risk of preeclampsia, miscarriage and diabetes. She also won't have enough energy to care for the child properly and is ultimately being irresponsible," one critic said.
But Brown, who's never married or been in a serious relationship, said she's ready for the challenge.
"I know it'll be hard work. It'll change my life completely and I'm prepared for that," she said.
Brown is appealing for women aged between 20 and 35 to come forward as possible egg donors.
"It's important that I carry the baby myself because I believe that even if I get pregnant with a donated egg I will pass genetic material on to the baby while I carry it in the womb," Brown said.
Read more about her story on

Sobe Water! YUM!!!!!!

Today was a good day... I got up early, got through my morning. I put in a couple job applications ( YUCK ) and found an awesome coffee table at a thrift store for a steal ($20). I am very proud of my find....
It was another scorching hot summer day in Utah.. I managed to stay cool with lots of A/C and my newest found love Sobe Life Water - Fuji Apple Pear. Its the next best thing to my iced tea I gave up, and its good for me. No cals, no sweetener, just water with a yummy aftertaste. Now if I could only buy it in a case, I would be set!

My Nerds :)

Dare and Jack being goofs :)

migraines suck..

Migraine... I hate them..
I had an awful one yesterday, one that I could NOT get rid of. After three vicodin and two Imitrex I finally gave up my fight and went to bed.
Church was good yesterday. I missed Matt and Andrew, they went with their Dad to his Ward, so I felt a little empty with just Jack and Darienne at my side. Jack slept the entire service across our laps, so it made for a nice peaceful sacrament meeting.
Today is going to be a productive day. It needs to be, now I just need to make it happen.

Ahhhhhh XANAX!

Today is just one of those days where Xanax came to the rescue. I am just having a tough day..
I bought some material to make some throw pillows for the couch but I didn't have the desire to start sewing so I put it in the closet for something to do tomorrow...
Finally, finally went to best buy and was able to get an ink cartridge ( they actually had it in STOCK!) and bought a few movies. Vanilla Sky - love how messed up it is, and Raising Arizona. Classic.
Now I am off to sleep...

A couch!

Today was a good day. Much better than it has been. We finally found a couch! Yay! It was my bright Idea to leave our couch in Oregon and get one out here. I had no idea that money would be so tight. Finally we have something other than pillows on the floor to watch movies on in the living room.. We are getting civilized!
It was really hot today.. 105 degrees. Definitely summer, and definitely July...
Finally this evening it cooled off and we were able to enjoy it some. Went for a walk to the park and let Jack play on the playground until the mosquitos were eating Darienne alive..

WOW!

WOW!!! This is insane!

A woman possessed by the "most beautifiliest angel lusefer" and claims to be the "reincarnation of Venus Aphrodite Demilo" has filed a $3 billion lawsuit against Hugh Hefner, suing him for ... well ... it's nearly impossible to tell. Sheri Allred -- who also calls herself "the biggest hat in the world" -- claims Hefner is a member of a pedophile organization and once hid under her bed when she was five-years-old in order to do naughty things to her.And that's just the beginning ... seriously, just read it for yourself.

http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0709_hugh_hefner.pdf

Fireworks!!

Just sharing some pics of the kids on the 4th of July. I bought a few firework and a package of sparklers.. They had a ton of fun with the sparklers, they were the real deal, metal ones, not like what they have been selling in Oregon for the last 15 years so they were pretty... Jack keeps asking for more.. ;)

7/8/9

Yesterday was a big day for me... I went to the store first thing in the am, bought a new print cartridge and came home and printed the divorce packets AGAIN three times. I ran out of ink AGAIN. Went to the courthouse and filed for divorce on 7/8/09. I served him via certified mail. He should recieve the papers today in the mail... I am anxious and ready to get this over with...
Darienne went to her Dads yesterday and her and Andrew and Matt went with their Dad to the Temple open house.
We ran around all day and finally at the end of the day Jack was exhausted and grumpy and worn out from everything..

Some Pics from the 4th!!

waste of time....

Today was a complete waste of time. Nothing was acomplished. I was up until 4 am working on the divorce paperwork. I went to the courthouse to file, only to find out I need THREE copies, and my printer didn't complete my paperwork. I went to the store, bought paper, came home, printed it again, only to RUN out of ink.... Seriously.. I want to scream. Poke my eyes out. Something...

I am at my breaking point today.. I wish I could run into a hole and hide for a while..

Now I sit here, with a stack of papers that make NO sense, trying to figure it out and knowing I am going to have to go to the store and buy ink with money I can't spend... BLAH!

The "D" word!

Soo its 2 am and I up filling for divorce. This time its official, the real deal. I am only 46% done filling the forms out but I am getting there. I hoping I can get them served today.

I can't even begin to tell you how I spent Saturday night....

Confirmation!!!

Today was our confirmation day! We were confirmed with Andrew and Darienne. Something that hasn't happened in our Ward, ever. They have had one or two from a family but not four. So it was a special moment, for us and the church.

Inspiration....

Since Andrew and Darienne had been baptized last Sunday, the calm and safe feeling I have gotten from that definitely inspired me to speed up my own baptism and I was able to get in 6 days after my kiddos were.

I was baptised into the Christ of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on July 4th, 2009. Justin was baptised on the same day, following mine.

Elder Epps came back from his other service to give us both the baptisms, Elder Heath came from his other services to give prayers and talks, many people from the ward showed up for support (even though it was a holiday!) and the twins that sang at the kids baptism brough some friends (TWIN boys) and they sang a quartet. It was beautiful.... Of course I picked a patriotic song for ours, Battle of the Republic and Closer thee to God. It was a beautiful service..

Afterwards we met the most amazing people. They took us to lunch and we had a great time getting to know them. I really hope we can meet up with them again. They were incredible!

Tales From the Laundry Mat....

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to the laundry mat. Having a functional washer and dryer is something you definitely take for granted. There is no joy in having to take your clothes to a public place to be cleaned other than the fact they are all done at once.
BLECK!

Happy 13th Birthday Darebear!!!

Yesterday was Darienne's birthday... We had a small party for her. Just family. I made a very yummmy chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. I decorated the top with a Tyranosaurus Rex ( Darienne's request ) and put pink candles on all thirteen.


It was just us and the kids, and a few missionaries to celebrate but it was a nice little time. She opened a few presents, we ate cake and ice cream and voila! Darienne is NOW 13!!!!

Lego Delight!

What happens when you have missionaries at your house everyday???


----->

Why its a Lego Temple! Complete with Angel on top!! The kids had a blast playing on the floor with the legos this weekend but I think the missionaries had even more fun.

Baptisms!

Today was a good day. Had a rough start. Darienne didn't exactly want to get up and get ready this morning but we got everyone ready and out the door and we got to church a few minutes late but we got there.

Matt had a skit in which he played the Pharoh in the story of "Joseph and his Coat of many Colors".

We came home, ate dinner and got dressed up again for Andrew and Darienne's baptisms. We got down there early ( yay! not late this time ) and actually found the stake house ( this was the third time we were supposed to go to it and hadn't found it ).

Andrew went first, Darienne second and Elder Epps Baptised them. So many people in the church came to support the kids. The Relief Society President played the piano for the hymns. The missionaries Elder Heath and Elder Manjerrez did a presentation on baptism and did the opening and closing prayers. The Bishop talked twice, some girls from another ward came and sang a beautiful song. And our closing hymn was "Nearer my God, to thee". It was ultimately an absolutely grand experience.

Darienne was also voted in as Secretary for her Young Womans group.

Elder Epps played the piano afterwards and we stayed until he was done playing. They all came home with us afterwards.

Now its quiet. Just Darienne and Moo are making noise, taking a bath. She is almost ready for camp in the morning!!!!

darebear...

Darienne is almost 13! Ackk.. Officially one more hour and I will officially be OLD.. OLD enough to be the mother of a teenager. Scary stuff...
Earlier this week she stood in line for three hours to get Ashley Tisdale's autograph and was pretty proud of herself. Matt stood in line too and got an autograph for Lili.
They wouldn't allow any pictures but here is Dare all dolled up on her way to go...

Rainbow!

This afternoon after a short and sweet thunderstorm a beautiful and brilliant rainbow appeared in a perfect arch right in front of our building.. I tried to take a picture but since I suck and my point and shoot camera doesn't do panaramic I didn't get the entire Rainbow in one shot but I had to share..

itchy and scratchy.....

Hmm...

I am itchy.. I have hives all over my legs and now my arms. I don't know what is causing it. Blah. I haven't been this uncomfortable in a long time.. It hurts and itches..

Darienne

My Darienne who loves to take pics took this picture of her feet when we were at the park.