Over Coming It

Today was THE day. 

My dad had called me a week & a half ago & told me he had been thinking of me & felt like I needed a break from the stresses of life. So he set up a time that my kids could go over & have a sleepover at Grandma & Grandpa Gifford's. I was so blown away & super excited. We all worked together as a family & got the house nice & clean so I would be able to relax once I dropped the kids off at my parents house. 
I had every minute planned out. I was going to pick the kids up from school at 12 (half day today) & take them to my parents house. Then straight to the temple to do a session. I figured that was the best way to start the relaxation process. After the temple, I was going to pick Phil up from work a little early. Come home, do my workout & then do some crafty stuff together. Take some time to read & maybe go for a little hike. Then in the evening, Phil & I were going to go out with some friends to dinner & a movie. I would probably thrown in to the mix a little grocery shopping & buy doughnuts from Bashas (Friday is doughnut day at Bashas, buy a dozen, get a half dozen for free). Then Saturday, wake up & do my work out, eat one to many doughnuts. Then go pick up the girls from my parents & go out to Glendale to model for a studio photo shoot. 

But alas, it WAS all to perfect. My Dad called me this morning and broke the news to me that their son Hayden has come down with the chicken pocks... I was absolutely devastated! Words cannot describe my feeling at that moment :(

So after a some overwhelming moments & trying REALLY hard to get over the HUGE pity party that I was throwing for myself. I have come to the conclusion that I will try to make this fun regardless of the lost perfection I almost had. I am going to take my kids on a little hike & then still go buy the doughnuts. Next I am going to still try & do my craft stuff & find a babysitter for tonight. Here's for hoping I don't let the feeling of frustration filter into me & ruin my day.


Wish me luck!

Things

There are far to many things in life...period.  


Things that distract you, things that confuse you, discourage, stop & frustrate you.


There are also those things that Inspire you. Things that challenge you & lift you up. Things that teach you how to have that magical "thing"...that certain quality you see in other people.


But with all of those things before, there are also those things that you love. Your husband, your children, giving birth to your new baby, your talents & dreams. Laughter & sunny days. Surprises, and good books. 


All of these "things" are a part of our lives. Without them, our lives would be incomplete. But yet with them, things are often times overwhelming. 


Now to the point of my thoughts. sometimes the things we fuss over the most end up making us run in a circle. Why? Because they never end. They are here today and will be here tomorrow. 
But then there are those things that we forget will only be here today. We can't get them back. Yet, those things are almost always put off so we can finish just one more "thing"...
  Riding bikes with our kids, stopping what were doing to go & watch a new trick. Listening to their day, helping with puzzles & reading their favorite books. Beautifying our homes & creating something new. 

I want to make a goal for myself...
I want to commit to let go of the feeling of failure if I don't have everything perfect before I go & spend time with my kids.  Because in the long run, what is going to be remembered: Mom always had a clean kitchen or Mom was so much fun, we use to go hiking & ride skateboards together, bake cookies & cakes, color & make fun crafts together?

I am so excited about tonight! I am going to go & see this movie tonight with my cousin Alison. We lived around the corner from each other almost our entire lives & we are only 5 days apart. It will be so much fun to just hang!

I also have to accredit my happy & energetic attitude to a few other things. 1- Prayer & Scriptures. 2- Working Out.
Oh yes...I started doing P90X. It hurts SO bad & I totally rely on my work out partner, Jen, to be my personal cheerleader. But, I love it! I also walked my kids to school this morning. Which was so fun. I feel like I am becoming the best me. Now if only I can keep this up!

The other night my girlfriends & I were celebrating. We were talking about our husbands and a friend of mine made the comment that she loves how dedicated Phil is to me. I was shocked at first & then realized how incredibly true that is. I love my husband & am so incredibly grateful that he makes me feel like I am the only one he sees. 

Hello to all, So I know that not to many of you will actually see this, because so many of you have given up on me, well as far as blogging goes. But I am here and still breathing. I was thinking about life and how it can seem so overwhelming, and suffocating. But then I went to the one place that helps me look at reality, and be grateful for my Savior, and all of the amazingly wonderful blessings he has blessed me with, NieNie! I don't mean to sound like a "Debbie Downer," but, there are definitely times in life when my chest feels so tight, and I can't breath. Times when all of a sudden there are so many emotions to deal with at the same time, it feels like a waterfall is coming down on top of me. Then somehow I find myself sitting down and reading what she has so sweetly and lovingly shared with the world. She is such an amazing example of letting her light so shine. Her honest and uplifting attitude is magnificent. To be able to go through such experiences with such unyeilding faith, and charity, is indescribably amazing! So here is to Stephanie Aurora Clark Neilson! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have not only inspired me to be a better mother but helped me to laugh at those times when I just want to hide under my covers until my children stop screaming! Thank you for showing me how to love and flirt with my sweet husband. We have four kids of our own, and I dream of our lives being filled with as much love and appreciation as your family shows for one another.

Hello Ladies, Believe it or not, the rumors are true!! It's time for Craft Night! It will be Tuesday, April 21st @ 7:30pm. Candee & I have created some pretty amazing stuff, if I do say so myself, and we are looking forward to this months Craft Night. It's going to be held at Candee's house. If you can't make it to the craft night, you are always more then welcome to order the craft, and do it at home. So check out the pictures and let us know what you would like to order. As always, we would appreciate everyone spreading the word.

The Breakdown of items goes like this:

~Kiss Me For Good Luck- $12 -8.25''h x 15.25''w

~Frame- $40- Frame opening is 15''x15'', the frame is 5.5'' wide. If you want to use a paint color underneath the black, that would match your house, please bring it.

~Home is where your story begins- $25- 12''h x 24''w Rhinestones not included

~Monogram Sign- $20 14''h x 15.5'' w. Each one is personalized with the Initial of the Last Name and then the Last Name.

~Spring Sign- $10- 2''x 6''x 18'' Rhinestones not included

~Think Spring- $13- Think & Spring-2''x4''x6'', Flower- 2''x6''x8'' Accessories not included such as- flowers, ribbon & rhinestones. INCLUDED is wood, paper & vinyl.

My Sister is Amazing!!

So my sister Amelia and her husband Devin, did an amazingly HUGE favor for Phil & I!!!
They agreed to watch all four of our kids, for 3 days!!! to watch one kid is a breeze, two kids isn't to bad, three is HARD, and four is ABSOLUTELY PSYCHOTIC!!! Not to mention that they have their own sweet little baby girl who is only 8 months old.

Millie & Devin did an amazing job!!! My kids were happy and my house was beautiful. I highly recommend their services!! LOL! But to top it all off my sister went the extra mile and took advantage of a little photo opp. I just love these pictures of Aubry, they are like looking at her in a dream!!

Seriously my sister is an extremely talented photographer!! I highly suggest checking out her blog rylinphotography.blogspot.com
Phil and I went to Cali for a few days. It was so nice to just chill. We went to Santa Monica Beach, and it was so beautiful there. It was only 60 degree's but the beach itself was awesome. We did a little shopping at the outdoor mall, which rocked. Then we walked a street over and went down the cliff to the beach and flew our 10' foil kite. After that we skipped some rocks that I collected, and then build sand towers to protect our pebbles from the attack of the waves. LOL!!! It was seriously cute!! By then my feet were completely numb, so we walk up to the pier and got hot chocolate, and watched people on the carousel. When it started to get dark we walked back to the car and turned the heater on, so as to defrost my feet. It only took 30 MINUTES for me to regain full feeling in my big toe!!! But after that, we changed our clothes and I dolled my hair up, and we went to this really neat restaurant called BOA. It was REALLY yummy food, and the waitress even put our napkins in our laps, LOL!!! Seriously, that is a first for me. She acted like it was run of the mill, so it wasn't awkward for me. But you could tell it was awkward for Phil, even though he knew it was coming.
The next day we got to go to Disneyland, California Adventure & Club 33! My Aunt & Uncle are members of Club 33, its a really exclusive club inside Disneyland. So they offered to get us in to the Parks for free and then have lunch with them at Club 33, which is a 5 star restaurant. Let me just say that is one fancy pants club. We got to see Justin & Renae Alexander with their kids. They even had us cut in line, and go on a ride with them, which then happen to have technical difficulties, and we had to sit in the sun and wait for about 20-30 min. But we still had tons of fun with them. All together it was an amazingly awesome day!! Thanks Uncle Bob & Aunt Nikki!!!!

Hello All
So I found this super cute blog that I think I might be in love with!! It’s called
The Benner Daily- http://shealynnbenner.blogspot.com/
They are having a contest to win some fabric, and if you know me, then you know that I am seriously, and dangerously obsessed with FABRIC!!! I love to sew, and I love to embroider. The fabric comes from a shop on Etsy called LanieJane . If your anything like me I get seriously tired of the same old, same old, at JoAnns. So here’s for hoping I win!!! Selfish…I KNOW!!!

I'm SORRY, Okay?

Hello to all of my friends and family. I first and foremost want to apologize for not posting anything really personal for eons of time! I can't promise to continue this but, I can at least say that I would like to.

Now, with that said. I would like to focus on a topic that I feel needs to be seriously addressed...! LUNCH TIME. What the junk? Why is it that somehow in the middle of the day all my energy magically gets transported from my body, into my children's bodies? Lunch time is when, I no longer have any brains and find myself wandering aimlessly through my kitchen in circles.

While my child follow me around saying..."Mom?..Mom?..Mom?..MOm?..MOm?MOM?MOM!!?" (I finally respond) "WHAT?...(this time calmer)..what?" (kids, almost in unison) "I'm hungry, can I have toast?" Mom,"no" Kids, "But why not?...well then can I have wheat thins?" Mom-"no." Kids-"But MOM, I'm hungry" Mom-"Well then, lets eat real food, like a sandwich." I then proceed to wander my kitchen aimlessly for about 10 more minutes trying to figure out how to make my brain start to work.

Seriously what is up with that? I'm sure some of you are thinking...well if you started your day with working out. Or even... If you ate more of this or that for breakfast... I know, I know, and those are very valid points. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, some day I will be able to conquer the world, AND lunch time!! LOL!