Going Private

I am not a fan of private blogs. I'll admit it, I like to look at "a friend of a friend's blog" and I don't mind if "a friend of a friend" looks at my blog. I think that it is a great way to stay in contact with friends, reconnect with old friends and get to know new people.

BUT...yesterday I had the feeling that I really need to go private for a while. With all of the No on 8 stuff going on, I have to do it. My husbands company is under attack and they have been getting hundreds of threatening phone calls and emails. They are even boycotting and picketing in front of several of his stores. His name is on several lists floating around cyberspace and we feel that this extra layer of security is needed for the time being.

If I don't already have your email address leave it in the comments (even if you are a friend of a friend of a friend).

Thanks & Sorry (seriously, this is so annoying!).

She Turned One!

November 1st, my baby turned 1.

I can not believe it! She is growing up way too quickly!

We are so lucky to have Leah in our family.

She loved her cup cake.

She ate it all!

My parents and Jay's parents came over for some pizza and cup cakes.
I felt so guilty that I didn't do some "big" party for her. I know that she doesn't know the difference, but I do (I even cried about it afterwards!).

Leah is starting to stand all by herself.

We don't have to worry about her walking for a while.

Her other favorite things are:

playing with her brother and sister, anything with daddy(she lights up when he is around!), crawling to the stairs (both up and down, keeping me on my toes!), ripping up magazines, clapping, and putting her arms in the air when you say,"How big's Leah...So BIG".

Halloween Fun

At the Pumpkin Patch

Carving Pumpkins with Dad

Travis was not very pleased with his pumpkin. He drew what he wanted Jay to carve, but Jay had to modify it a bit. Travis thought that he had a weird looking pumpkin, but we told him that it was a really scary one.

Ready to TRICK or TREAT!

The Strawberry, Sleeping Beauty & Darth Vader

We had a great Halloween. The kids had a party at their friend's house in the afternoon and then Trick or Treating and playing with lots of friends that evening.

Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Over it!

I seriously feel like this has been my life for the last month and I am over it! Poor Sara. Her asthma has been acting up. She had a week where she was ok, but then it hit again. It is so sad to see your kid struggling to breath.

I'm it

Becky tagged me...Post the 4th picture from your 4th folder.

Here is mine

Can you guess what this is a picture of?

This is a picture of my great room after we went into escrow. Look like the same room? I took pictures of every room of the house from every angle before we moved in. This picture was taken about 4 years ago.

Jay just came up and looked at the picture and asked what it was of...he didn't even recognize our house! I guess the only thing that is the same is the fireplace mantle and the windows.

I tag Laura, Ann Marie, and Sara W.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I took the kids to Disneyland on one of the hottest days during our last heat wave. We had a great time! It was not very crowded. We went to Woody's Halloween Roundup. They had things for the kids to color and a show. The kids liked it (and it was shady!).


I can not get a picture of Sara posing. She will not look at the camera.

He Can See

Jay has wanted to get Lasik eye surgery done for years. After getting 2 eye infections in the last few months, he decided it was time. Last Friday, Jay did it. No more contacts, no more glasses. He can now wake up and look at the clock and see what time it is. Other than some annoying dryness, his eyes are great. He is so glad he did it.

Back to Normal

Today, I am finally back in the swing of things. Last Friday, I came down with a bad kidney infection. I had a fever of 103+ from Friday through Monday. Tuesday it finally came down to 100'. Not fun. Thank-goodness I am married to Mr. MOM. Jay did a great job taking care of all the kids last weekend. My mom came up to help on Monday and Tuesday. Today, I finally feel totally back to normal!

I had to go on an antibiotic that you could not breastfeed while you take it. I was told that I could not breastfeed for 2 weeks. Leah does not take a bottle, and doesn't drink out of a sippy cup. She went 5 days on less than 5oz. It absolutely killed me! My milk was drying up. On Wednesday I had a huge breakdown about it. I decided that I would not take the antibiotic any more. Thursday I called my Dr and told him that I will not take that antibiotic any more and he would need to find one that I can breastfeed with. He did! My milk came back, and all is well. I have a happy, hydrated little girl.

Jay gets sick a lot and several times I have told him, "it sure would be nice to stay in bed all day". It is really not that fun! It makes me thankful that I really don't get sick very often. I think that this kidney infection is the sickest I have ever been in my life. It was actually quite painful to. I really don't know where it came from, but I hope to never get one again in my life.

Back to School

Finally, the kids went back to school after a couple weeks off.

Sara started preschool in July. She goes 2 days a week and loves it! She talks about all her new friends (especially Tanner). Preschool makes her feel like a big-girl!

Travis started going to pre-kindergarten. He missed going to kindergarten by a couple of days (and yes, I would have sent him, really!) and I thought this would be the best alternative. He goes 5 days a week, which he needs. Unfortunately, he goes from 8-11:30, and 9 is Leah's nap time. So, I really don't have time to run any errands and there is definitely no time for any mall trips. I guess that I might save a little money. He really likes going to the elementary school, especially since most of his friends started kindergarten.

Jay and I really can't believe how big our kids are getting. Time is just flying by! Before we know it, they will all be at school, and then in high school, and then....I don't even want to think about it!

A Day of Miracles

Yes, this is Leah standing...but no, that is not the miracle...

Miracle #1...

Today Leah had a doctor's appointment with her orthopedic surgeon. She has not had x-rays for 3 months on her hips, so today they took some. Don't get too excited, her hip displacia is not cured, but there has been significant improvement. This is the first time since she has had the brace that there has been any change in her hip at all. It looks really good! The doctor said that he does not think that she will have to have surgery anymore. It was not a promise, but still. She still has to wear her brace to bed, but that is it. That means no more guilt for me that I don't always have her wear it 16-18 hours a day! I am really excited about this. Honestly, I did not think that the brace was going to work at all. I really thought that she was going to wear it all that time and still have to have the surgery. I thought that she would be really physically delayed, have funky-crazy flexible legs that won't go together and miss out on all the cute outfits all for nothing! I guess I was wrong...THANKGOODNESS!!!

Miracle #2...

Many of you know that a couple months ago I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Crohn's is an incurable, auto-immune disorder that attacks anywhere from the esophagus through the rectum. For a couple of weeks I was really upset about the diagnosis. I wondered how I could have this. Most people who have it seem so sickly. Mostly, I could not stop wondering how bad it might get someday. Lately, I don't think about it at all. I feel fine, other than the occasional achy joints, but no big deal.

Recently, I took a new blood test that is usually pretty accurate at distinguishing Crohn's disease from some other ones. My gastroendonologist called today and told me that the test came out NEGATIVE for Crohn's. Interesting, especially since some biopsies revealed that I had it and I have a lot of the symptoms, some of them for 14 years. She told me that she is not going to label be with Crohn's now, because the label will never go away on my medical records.

I really see this as a miracle. Since I had my colonoscopy and endoscopy, many of my symptoms have been in remission. Actually, everything except for some minor, annoying joint pain.

Who knows if I have it or not? I guess that it really doesn't matter when it comes down to it. I feel good. It can't kill you, just make life uncomfortable. Lately though, I am comfortable and happy. I feel like this test result was some sort of little miracle...THANKGOODNESS!

Welcome Sweet Baby Trey

Joseph Charles Wilson, III

AKA Trey
7 lbs. 12oz.

20 inches

Early Saturday morning, Abi had sweet baby Trey. He was a surprise, coming over 2 weeks early. We are so glad he is here! He is cute as can be. Congratulations Joe & Abi!!

Sara Turned 3

This post is long overdue. Better late than never. July 25th

Sara turned 3 years old.

You know, I remember my 3rd birthday like it was yesterday. I can not believe that Sara is 3! She is getting too big too fast. Literally. Size wise, Sara is almost as big as Travis. She is maybe 1.5 inches shorter than him and just 1 lb. lighter than him. Sara is a girly-girl. She loves make-up and brushing her hair (or my hair). She loves ballet and gymnastics. She loves to go shopping and always wants to go to the mall. When we go into stores that have both toys she can play with and clothes, she goes right to the clothes and pick out outfits and says "look mom, this is so cute..." (I have to admit I LOVE it!!) Princesses are her favorite, especially Sleeping Beauty. For her princess party, she got to go to Downtown Disney and pick out her favorite princess dress to wear to her princess party. Sara loves to eat. Macaroni & cheese is her favorite. She would eat it for every meal if I would let her. Sara is a little mommy and a busy-body. She is also very helpful (maybe too helpful sometimes!). She can be very sweet, but also has a mean streak. Travis gets battle wounds quite often. She has mastered rolling her eyes at me already. Sara is very independent and thinks that she can do everything by herself (especially if it has to do with climbing up high to get something). She likes to watch her favorite movie or show over and over. Last month it was Tarzan and this month it is Caillou. Her brother is her best friend. She loves her daddy very very much and can get whatever she wants from him. We love Sara very much and are so glad that she is in our family.

The princesses posed for pictures after they got their nails done and some lip gloss on...

The princesses danced and played games and made crowns...

All the princesses helped open presents (don't forget that prince). Cinderella made a special appearance too...

The birthday princess tried out her new scooter after the party and wanted to go to Rubios for dinner afterwards.

Who Would Have Thought...

I can not believe that Leah is over 7 months old. Where has the time gone? She is growing up too quick! She just got her first tooth (and it is a sharp little thing!). There have been no miracles with Leah's hip. There has been no change, but it takes time for it to reshape. At Leah's last doctor's appointment, we were told that we should take off her brace a few hours a day so that she will not be super physically delayed. She loves her freedom. The moment I take off that brace is just wiggles her legs and gets a huge smile on her face. Well, last weekend she was not wearing her brace. I sat her down, and she can SIT UP! Then Jay was watching her and she ROLLED all the way across the loft! Then when she lays on her back she SCOOCHES across the floor! Maybe she isn't going to be that far behind!!

A Little Get-Away

On Friday, Jay & I headed to Newport Beach for a little weekend get away. My parents took Travis and Sara, but being that Leah has yet to take a bottle, we took her with us. We stayed at the Newport Marriott Villas. They were really nice. It would have been a great place with the kids. We had a 2 bedroom and it was almost 1300 sf. Leah made the vacation a little difficult. We couldn't get a babysitter who could drive to the hotel (prom night on Sat.) so we did not even go out without Leah. She is at the fun stage where she just wants to be held and she will only sleep in a crib, not the stroller. I swear, every time we went to eat, right when we got the food, she started crying. We came home a night early because Jay wanted to watch the Laker game at home rather than on the little tv in our room. Thanks mom & dad for giving me a break from the kids!

Happy Birthday Jay!

On May 21st, Jay turned 32. He was in Las Vegas for work, but came home that afternoon so that we could celebrate with him. We did not go out because Jay just wanted to eat some pizza and watch his Lakers. I guess that is a perfect birthday to him! Travis and Sara are always so excited when Jay gets home from business trips (ok, I am too!!). They just can't get enough of their daddy.
On Saturday night, we went out to dinner to Riptide with some of our friends to celebrate Jay's birthday. We had a wonderful time! We are so lucky to have such great friends!The Eks & Larges
The Walkers & Wallins
The Wilsons & Abi's brother & sister in law

Happy Birthday Jay! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.

I love you!!

Mean Mom

You know, I am not the nicest mom. When my kids fall and scrape their knee or bump their head, I say "you're ok". When they are scared of going on a ride at Disneyland, I make them go on it anyway (and I might hold their arms up too!). If they don't want to jump off the diving board, I will throw them in. Like I said I am not very nice.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Disneyland with Abi and her kids. It was fun because Abi watched the younger kids while I took Travis and Taylor on a couple of "real" rides. Well, I took them on Tower of Terror. Neither of them had been on it before, so they had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. While on the ride, I looked over at my son's face and just saw the most frightened look in his eyes that I could ever imagine and I actually felt bad...really bad. It really surprised me that I didn't think or say "suck it up...you're fine, you're fine".

You know, I am not quite sure why I am like that. I hope that someday my kids don't remember me as the "mean mom".

Taylor and Travis right before going on Tower of Terror

All the kids

ps...Travis and I were on an elevator the other day and I told him that we were on the Tower of Terror and the doors were going to open up and then we would drop. He said that he knew we were not, but then he grabbed onto the bar just in case. Now it is our joke every time we are on an elevator.

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom & Dad

April 10th was my parents' 50th Anniversary. 50 years...that is a long long time! We surprised my parents by having a little family party for them. The great surprise was that our whole family was there (except for my nephew K-Neal and niece Stephanie). The surprise started out by my sister Cheryl and her family showed up at my parents house from Utah. Then a little bit later my brother Clint and his family showed up from Arizona. Then Joe and Abi showed up unexpectedly. Jay & I showed up and then my sister JC and her family came over. It was so great to be together as a family!! On the first night we were all together I insisted that we take some siblings pictures. Good thing I did, because we were going to take a family picture on Sunday, but it didn't happen. At least we have this:

Clint, JC, me, Cheryl & Joe

This past week...

Lately, I have not been very good at keeping up with new posts. I haven't been spending much time at the computer--enough to look at other people's blogs, but not enough time to do a new one. I feel like I am so "far behind". Well, I finally downloaded some pictures tonight...

I had to get a picture of the kids before church.

It is so hard getting a cute one of all of them!!
On Monday night we went up to Long Beach to Jay's parents house for dinner and some swimming. The kids had a fantastic time! They are little fish. Travis is getting really good at swimming. I hope that Sara will learn to swim this summer too.

I took these pictures of Leah while the kids were swimming. I think that they are just adorable (if I do say so myself!)
This picture is just a typical Leah face. She doesn't smile much, especially for the camera. I love this little face though. Sometimes she seems a little bit serious to me.

Tagged...

I got tagged on Kjrsten's blog, so here I go...

10 YEARS AGO...
I was living in SLC with my sister and her family. I was deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I never really thought I would have to get a "career". Not knowing what I wanted to do, but knowing that I loved traveling I thought that I should be a flight attendant. I was waiting for training to be a flight attendant for United. In the meantime, I was substitute teaching. Right after spring break I had just gotten a long term sub job at Eastmont Middle School for a world history class because the teacher had gotten fired. The classes were mine until the classes until the end of the year. I was getting paid something like $38 a day. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I loved it and needed to go into teaching. That summer I went home (Carlsbad) and started working on my teaching credential and master's degree.

5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST TODAY...
1. pick up my bedroom
2. mall returns
3. get present for Lisa's bridal shower
4. outdoor training class
5. go to Carlsbad for Lisa's shower

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I BECAME A BILLIONAIRE...
Move!!! I have to be honest, I would have a dang big house with a dream pool, tennis court, basketball court, in-ground trampoline, lawn the size of a football field, big swing set, playhouse, batting cage, guest house, etc (just have to keep it real guys...) Make sure Jay & my families were taken care of... Travel!!! DONATE LOTS!!: Set up scholarships for college; donate to school districts; clothe, feed and build homes and schools for many villages in South Africa; set up afterschool programs for kids in the inner-city...



5 OF MY SECRET BAD HABITS...

1. I am so cluttery. I have a hard time throwing anything away (it is not a secret if you know me!)

2. I love to grab a handful of chocolate chips out of the freezer when I walk by it.

3. I drink lots of diet coke everyday!

4. I don't take my vitamins (esp. calcium-diet coke depletes it and my mom has osteoporosis)

5. I rarely wear sunscreen. (I used to never wear it!)



5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED...

1. Carlsbad, CA

2. Provo, UT

3. Belhar, South Africa (Cape Town)

4. Long Beach, CA

5. Aliso Viejo, CA



5 JOBS I HAVE HAD...

1. Lifeguard

2. Swim Teacher

3. Rich's Bagels (made all the cream cheeses for 2 stores..loved it!!!)

4. Substitute Teacher

5. High School Teacher



5 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME...

1. I love BYU football. When I was in jr. high and high school I used to go to the church to watch the games on satellite. It was me and the old men and the missionaries. In college I was obsessed with football (ok, and the players too). I am not as fanatical about watching the games like I used to be, but still love it!

2. I took a semester off at BYU to become an EMT. I never worked as one, but I loved getting certified. It was so fascinating to me. I really wanted to do something in the medical field, like be a midwife or a nurse, but I thought that it would be a waste because I really wanted to be a mom. (ok, and I decided this my 3rd year of BYU, and I had so many prereques to take and I would never pass the classes....chemistry--ya right! I would never get into the program anyways, but I did get the paperwork for UVSC.)

3. I stepped on a piece of glass from a bottle of olive oil when I was a kid and I got blood poisoning.

4. I cry whenever someone gets an award or succeeds, whether I know them or not. For example, I bawled when Tony Gwynn got his 3000th hit. I mean bawled! I even cry when I watch Miss America. My eyes tear up when someone on American Idol gets good comments from the judges.

5. I love to try new food at restaurants, but I rarely ever like it!

I TAG...
1. Patience Roney
2. Laura Ek
3. Sara Walker

The Time Has Come...

Leah is now 5 months old.... I have to be honest, I have not dieted one single bit since I have had her and I think I might have gone on 2 walks, total....and I have some weight to loose. For some reason I have not been motivated one bit and Jay has even given me a really good incentive, but that still has not worked. Finally I have decided that I am ready to loose the weight.

I signed up for this program that I am really excited about. It is 4 weeks long and I go 4 times a week. Once a week I will do a gravity/GTS resistance session, a private reformers pilates session (I am so excited to try it!!!), a outdoor boot camp session, and a session with a trainer. Today was my first day and I worked on the gravity machines. They are awesome! I am feeling it right now. After working out I went on a walk with Allyson in Laguna Beach. It was a good walk, great company and beautiful scenery (can't complain when you get to see the dolphins playing around in the water). I do think that I am going to be sore tomorrow though.

Gravity Session

You might be wondering why I am posting about this. I will tell you why. I thought that if I blogged about it, people would know, and then I would be held accountable. This is my incentive to make it work! So, I have 4 weeks to get back to normal... Wish me luck!!

Wanted: Decorating Ideas

Love this one! Seems classy and love the pink and black...

What color on the walls...need 2 colors...

Alright...I need help. Those of you who know me well know that I have the hardest time making decisions. I come up with lots of ideas, but just never have the courage to pull the trigger. Well, I am really trying to improve and I am tired of not having the rooms in my house "done". (I am sure I will never have one done either, because by the time I ever get one done, I will be ready to change it). I have already bought stuff for Travis's and Sara's rooms, but I am really struggling for what to do to my little "froggy's" room ( that is Leah...remember, she has frog legs now!). I have a time limit...I have to paint by next Monday....less than one week. Next Monday we have some guys coming out to put crown moulding and a high chair rail (about 2 feet from the crown) in her room. Then all workers will finally be done in my house and we will be getting the carpet.

I found a few "inspiration" rooms. What do you think? ps...just so you know, my furniture is white and I have a white glider, but might recover it (white not good color on a chair...duh!). Just so you know these are only inspirations, between me, my mom and Abi, we can make this stuff, hopefully!

Love the colors! Seems like a cheery room.
Pink & Animal print...enough said!
Simple and classy...and love the color on the wall...a bit different
The whole time I was thinking pink and brown...pink on the main part of the wall and the brown at the very top. Don't love his one, but like I said, "inspiration room".