Wordless Wednesday

Take Me Out To The Ballgame. . . .Or Not.

Dan got front row tickets to a recent Bees game. We sat right behind the dugout, next to first base.

We have three boys

Tyson's been playing baseball this spring.

You would think this is a good idea, right?

Nope

Despite the smiles in these pictures these boys were bored out of their minds. We only stayed for half of the game. And for nearly the entire time I was tortured with a constant

"I'm tired, I'm hungry, I need a drink, I need to go to the bathroom, I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm hungry, I'm bored. I'm hungry."

and that was just from Tyson.

Preston kept trying to run away. He was convinced if he could just get away from us that somehow he would get some cotton candy.

They did have fun when the Bee (Bumble?) and the cheerleaders came right by us.

Unfortunately, we were a little too close to get a good picture.

Next time Dan and I are leaving the boys with a babysitter and going by ourselves.

Summer Goals

I've been dreading summer. But whether we like it or not summer is here and I'm going to make the best of it!

First I've revamped our chore lists. Tyson has more time on his hands and so I'm increasing his load of chores. Preston is also getting old enough to start doing chores so I've added him to the rotation. My goal is to teach them responsibility and life skills. A clean(er) house is just a benefit.

Secondly, I've scouted out several activities to help us fill our days, and keep boredom to a minimum. (It also helps to have motivation to get chores done in the morning).

Our elementary school library is open for a couple hours each week during the summer. We plan to take a walk to the school to check out books once a week.

Cinemark has a great Summer Movie deal going on. You can't beat 10 movies for $5! The boys are really excited about this, especially because several of our friends will be there too.

We have also decided to put Tyson in an all-boy gymnastics class, at least one session of swimming lessons, and a three day Cooking Camp.

I *think* all this should keep us busy and help the summer fly by. In addition to all these activities I have few goals for my family

I want Tyson to get rid of the training wheels on his bike. I am also determined to help him improve reading skills over the summer. His reading ability has skyrocketed in the last year. I attribute this to his awesome school teacher and family Book of Mormon reading. We will continue reading the BOM throughout the summer (maybe even finish Alma!). I also encourage Tyson to read at least one book everyday. He really likes reading to his little brothers.

Preston is ready for potty training, and I am determined to conquer it this summer. We made the move from diapers to pull-ups this week. Our biggest obstacle right now is his hesitation to poop in the toilet. If any of you veteran moms have any tips for overcoming this Please let me know!

Nolan is doing so well. He has life figured out. He's amazing (but I'll save that for another post). This summer we will be working on rolling over and sitting up. And by the end of the summer we will be working on eating baby food!

And for me: In addition to everything listed above I want to finish my 2009 Blog book and my 2009 Family Scrapbook. They are both nearly done, I just need to put the finishing touches on them. My biggest task will be organizing my office and my storage room. They are both in really bad shape, but I need Dan's help with both of them. I also want to run at least two 5Ks this summer.

Wish us luck! We are going to need it!

What are your goals for the summer?

Wordless Wednesday

Life Comes At You Fast

What Do You Do During Breakfast?

I think they may need to spend a little less time watching Alvin & the Chipmunks and a little more time listening to Primary Songs.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm Eating My Words

I hope you are sitting down for this announcement.

I've officially started running again.

Crazy, I know.

I haven't run since 1999.

(Well, there was that one time in 2001 when I tried to run around my block and I nearly passed out while dry heaving. But I don't count that.)

One of my sisters started running again this year. Then my other sister and her sister-in-law decided to start training for a 5K this summer. Somehow they talked me into joining them. I'm still not sure how they did it.

This may have had something to do with it. Isn't she beautiful?

With this baby I can run with my babies!

Tyson is finally big enough to run or ride his bike along side me (or I can run while he is in school).

I can even run during naptime ;) I just get the added workout of carrying Preston upstairs to his bed when we're done.

I've been running for about three weeks now. I am working my way into it,

r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y

using my own variation of this training program.

So far, no shin splints, side aches, or burning lactic acid.

I can now run about two miles without walking. I'm not amazingly fast (especially when pushing the stroller) but I'm proud of myself.

I still have a few weeks until the big 5K. My goal is to finish the race without walking. A time near 30 minuets would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath for that. If all goes well, I will try running other races this summer.

Tyson's Birthday

Tyson birthday is a very big event every year. We usually spend at least three days celebrating. First, there is the visit with his birth mom. Then there's a friend party. And finally we have cake and ice cream with extended family.

Tyson's friend party this year had a Scooby Doo theme. It was crazy and hectic but all the kids (I think we ended up with 17 kids) had fun. I was so busy trying to pull off this party by myself that these are the only pictures I took during the whole party:

The kids eating the sub sandwiches after solving the Mystery of the Birthday Phantom

Tyson's birthday this year fell on a major deadline for the Real Estate market. Dan wanted to help with the party but he was SO BUSY with work. (It was the equivalent of April 15th for an accountant). He was able to make it to the party for his staring role as The Birthday Phantom, but not much else. Thankfully my sister stayed during the party. I made her hold Nolan. And as an additional favor, she kept Preston from being trampled by the crowd.

I asked Tyson what his favorite part of the party was.

Without hesitation he said, "The presents!"

When I looked a little put out that he didn't love all the games and activities I had slaved over he quickly amended,

"The party was really fun mom, but you know, kids love presents!"

The following Sunday we had cake and ice cream at my parents house.

We reminded him to make a wish before he blew out the candles. It didn't take him long to think of something. And despite telling us what it was, his wish quickly came true.

He wished that the cake would taste good.

Beauty is Only Skin Deep

I realized lately that I must either be getting

better looking or less vain

in my "old age." I don't seem to wear make up as often as I used to. And I not as bothered/embarrassed to go to the store bare faced with messy hair.

I am leaning more towards the "less vain" theory after having this conversation with Tyson:

Tyson: Mom it's a beautiful spring day

Me: Yes it is.

T: Do you know who I think is beautiful?

M:No, who?

T: You! But you could use a little more make-up.

M: Um, no thanks

T: Yeah, you need lipstick

For the record: I was wearing make-up the day of this conversation. And lipstick is dangerous when you have lips like mine.

They Are So Polite

Ok, I admit this may only be funny to me.

Perhaps it's one of those "you had to be there" moments.

Tyson and Preston were playing in the basement when an unintentional injury occurred. Something about a bucket and Preston's head.

Both boys came upstairs, Preston was crying.

Tyson explained his innocence in the situation and Preston got a kiss.

All was better.

As they were going back downstairs to play I over heard Preston say,

"Tyson, I sorry for hitting your bucket with my head."

Tyson followed with, "No Preston, you are supposed to say 'You're welcome.'"

You Are My Sonshine

Tyson loves his brothers to death.

Can't ya tell?!

A New Set of Wheels

Tyson's birth mom and birth grandparents gave him roller skates for his birthday.

He loves them. But knowing how unbalanced he is, I wouldn't let him skate until I bought knee and elbow pads.

He is doing better than I thought he would, but he obviously still needs practice. Luckily Lisa and her parents also gave him several passes to the skating rink.

I have to keep the skates hidden though because Tyson isn't the only one who loves them. I catch Preston putting them on all the time.

Rollerskating can't possibly be good for my hardwood floors!

Put Your Hands Up!

Thanks to Alvin and the Chipmunks

my two boys have started singing Beyonce'.

Yes, my boys are singing to the Single Ladies.

I try to get them to sing a different song.

Unfortunately their next choice is "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend was Hot Like Me."

I came across this video on YouTube today. I thought it was hilarious. And I LOVE that the family has used their sudden, unexpected 15-minutes of fame to promote adoption.

Dan's Home

As I mentioned in my previous post, Dan quit his job at the car dealership.

It has been such a blessing.

He is now home for special occasions like dinner and bedtime.

There is also a bit more of this going on:

Life is good.

In the Hollow of His Hand

I was sitting in my rocking chair in the quiet of my bedroom early Sunday morning when Tyson came in to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. With a hug and a kiss I thanked him for making me a Mother six years ago. I told him he was the best Mother's day present I have ever received. I was suddenly hit with a wave of understanding. Tyson was born one week before Mother's day. He was three weeks early. I suddenly knew that his being born early was a tender mercy of our Heavenly Father. He allowed Tyson to be born early so that I wouldn't have to endure one more Mother's day with empty arms. At the time I thought it was just lucky coincidence but the burning in my heart let me know that it was no coincidence.

The more I thought of this the more I realized that my entire life has been filled with these tender mercies and great blessings. They came to my mind one after another. They came with such clarity that I know, in hindsight, that they were perfectly orchestrated by our Heavenly Father. I want to hurry to write them down so that I will never forget. Please forgive my self-indulgence here, but I want to share some of them with you. Although they came to me in a random order I will share them with you chronologically so that they make more sense.

Before Dan and I were married, Dan gave me flowers for Mother's Day. Although very sweet, I found this strange because I wasn't a mother yet. It didn't bother me yet to be excluded from the circle of Mother. Little did I know that I would need to get used to celebrating Mother's day without children. Because Dan had always honored me as the mother of his future children it wasn't as painful when I spent four Mother's Days with empty arms.

During our first few years of marriage Dan worked for a phonebook company. It was a sales job that was commission only. He often didn't get paid for the work he was doing as many commissions were tied up in paperwork. It was a struggle at the time, but because we had very few expenses and food storage we squeaked by. What seemed like a trial at the time (I was buying groceries with quarters) became one of our greatest blessings. After months of living like this we had several large commissions all come through at the same time. We suddenly had a large sum of money sitting in the bank. After paying our tithing and restocking our food storage we realized we had a down payment for our first house, something that would have been very difficult to get without this "forced savings plan."

Dan worked at this job for several more years until December of 2003. Dan suddenly lost his job. This job loss seemed very poorly timed. It just happened to be the same week we met Tyson's birth mother for the first time. It's a little awkward meeting a potential birth mother when you are unemployed. We chose to look on the bright side. Dan was still in school at the time and he had finals coming up. Dan suddenly had time to study for and take his finals. Dan was only unemployed for two weeks. During that two week period he was able to interview at many local companies. By the time he was done with school for the semester he had multiple job offers, including one at the car dealership where he worked for the next six years. The dealership was only a mile from our house and he no longer had to travel around the state like he did with the phonebook company. This new job was much better suited for life with a child. And as icing on the cake: the new job's insurance policy had adoption benefits.

When Tyson was 18 months old we started the adoption process again. In preparation for having a larger family we moved to a new home, one with an extra bedroom. But after we moved that extra bedroom sat empty for months. My heart ached every time I walked past that empty room. One day as I passed the room for the billionth time I said to myself, "I just wish that room wasn't empty anymore!" The next morning I received a phone call from our adoption agency. They had a birth mother who needed a place to live for the remainder of her pregnancy. Even though we had never expressed an interest in hosting a birth mother they felt prompted to call us. It was an answer to my prayer, not at all the way I expected it to be answered, but an answer nonetheless. By that afternoon we had turned that empty room into a bedroom for a beautiful 19 year old birth mother. She lived with us for two months until her sweet baby girl was born.

During this time we were still trying to adopt a baby of our own. I was becoming very frustrated with the wait. It wasn't the actual waiting that was bothering me, it was the unknown. I didn't mind waiting, I just wanted to know how long I would be waiting for. I expressed this complaint to my Visiting Teachers one month, "I don't care if I have to wait another nine months, I just want a light at the end of the tunnel!" Just a couple months later I discovered I was pregnant with Preston. And I got my nine months of waiting, which was great because I had that light at the end of the tunnel.

After three years of working at the dealership Dan grew restless. He wasn't happy there. He had an interest in Real Estate, not car sales. Despite everyone's advice that there was no money in Real Estate, Dan knew that was what he wanted to do. He enrolled in Real Estate school and completed all his education and certification while still working at the dealership. Dan sold his first house when Preston was born. The commission from that first sale paid Preston's medical bills from his week stay at Primary Children's.

Dan spent the next couple years working two jobs, full time at the dealership to pay our bills and spare time/part time doing Real Estate to keep himself happy. Then the economy took a turn for the worse. Car sales plummeted. Dan's job at the dealership was no longer enough to support our family. Thankfully we had a second source of income already in place. Yes, Dan had to work a lot more hours, but we were able to survive this recession with very little problem. While many people were unemployed Dan had two jobs. Now Dan's Real Estate career has taken off. He is way too busy selling homes to bother selling cars anymore. He was recently able to quit working at the dealership. It is wonderful to have him back.

These are only a few of the examples that came to my mind. My whole life has been spent sitting in the palm of God's hand.

Later in the day at church a dear friend came over to talk to me. She said that she had been admiring Nolan in Sacrament Meeting. Then with tears in her eyes she said, "I was thinking of your struggles today. I am so happy that you have him now, but I can't help but think where Tyson would be if he and Preston had come right away." With tears in my own eyes I said, "I'm grateful now for the struggles because I can't imagine where Preston and Nolan would be without Tyson as their big brother."

It all happened the way it was supposed to and God was carrying me the whole time.

A Sign of the Times

Dan's phone started acting wonky the other day.

Like Dan, it's obviously been working too hard.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

Let me give you a hint:

Yeah, it's 1970.
I told Dan that the reason his phone wasn't working properly was that it hadn't been invented yet.
Dan wasn't even invented yet!

Dan can't survive one day without his phone so T-Mobile overnighted him a new one.

The next day my phone stopped working.
Here is the key difference between my life and Dan's life:

It took me three day to notice it was broken. Then I spent a week without a phone. During that week I only missed two calls (one of them was from Dan).
Now I am borrowing an old one till next month when I can upgrade for free.

Wordless Wednesday

Tyson Loves Lisa

In honor of Tyson's birthday we had a play date with his birth mom, Lisa, and her family.

We met at Boondocks for pizza, mini golf and arcade games.

Everyone had a lot of fun.

This was the first time we had all the kids with us (six in all) so it was a little crazy.

Tyson loves seeing Lisa. He feels a great bond to her. I know he will always want her to be part of his life.

Tyson told me her son Gage is his favorite!

Those two have way too much fun together. They may not look alike, but they are two peas in a pod.

All the kids (minus Nolan, who insisted on being held all night long.)

I know it's emotional for Lisa to see Tyson again. But she has said again and again that she knows she did the right thing for herself and for Tyson when she placed him in our arms.

We will be forever grateful that she did.

Happy Birthday Tyson!

It's been a year of super heros and lost teeth.

He's learned to play sports and be an awesome big brother.

He's played hard and grown so much!

We'd be lost without you Tyson!

We love you Buddy!

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