My Steve!

I think of all the gifts I've ever bought for Steve, his plane and controller are among my favorites and his too. He gets A LOT of use out of it. It is so fun to sit and watch him fly. He is just in another world, content, calm, relaxed ... like there isn't a care or stress in his life. He so needs and deserves that. I'm sitting in my office right now, with my window open, listening to some birds chirping and about every 30-40 seconds a BUZZZZZ as the plane flies close enough to the house or street for me to hear it. He's out by himself, but content as could be.

This isn't a new picture but I wanted one that shows him with his plane and I don't get to take those very often. Usually the plane is high in the sky doing rolls or flips or inversions or some other variety of tricks or just speeding by at 50+ mph and hard to catch!

I love him so much. I fell in love with him because he could always make me feel happy, make me smile and laugh something I didn't do a lot of as a teenager and early college years. He also always made me feel beautiful, confident and secure. He's just that cool! A friend invited me to go out to dinner last night. Earlier in the week, when I talked to Steve he wasn't really thrilled about the idea - I don't know if it was because he didn't want to put the kids to bed on his own, if he wanted me to hang out with him or what - so I didn't schedule it. Yesterday morning, he was out mowing the lawn. I went out to talk to him and he asked what time I wanted to go to dinner with my friend. I told him I wasn't going and he told me he thought I should. What a sweetheart. He's always telling me how proud of me he is - about my business, about being a mom, about working out. And he encourages me to excel and work hard and do better while reminding me that I'm already doing great. What a great guy to have as my best friend and forever as my husband! I love you Steve!

Quirky

I wasn't actually tagged for this one, but like learning about my friend so I thought I'd share and maybe some of you will too. If you do this on your blog, make sure to comment so I can check out how quirky we all are!

Rules: Link the person who tagged you. (She didn't tag me, but I found it on Jennifer and Duane's blog - link at the side) Mention the rules on your blog. Tell 6 unspectacular quirky things about you or your family.

1. I can't stand to have email without reading it ... I check my email at least 20 times a day. I just leave it on all the time and as I switch between projects or tasks (computer related or not), I check my email. I especially hate to have junk mail in my junk box...

2. The night before a trip, I start packing late in the evening. I plan it all in my head and on paper for days but the packing actually starts late. I used to stay up all night that night and pack. Now, I try to be fair to Steve and at least go to bed for a couple of hours so I don't keep him awake. : ) I think it started when I was little. I remember packing to move to NC (after I had stayed the summer with a friend's family) and we packed the very last day. I had lived with them for 6 weeks so my stuff was EVERYWHERE in her room and some around the house. She and I worked most of the night trying to find it all and get it all packed. The night before I came to college wasn't much different. Two of my friends came over and I threw things on my bed and they helped me box it (although that time I had an excuse, my mom was in the hospital so I'd been kind of distracted).

3. I like to pile things ... I always have piles of papers and things on my desk and counter and even beside my bed. It drives Steve (who is almost OCD about the house) NUTS!

4. This one should come as no surprise ... I'm a talker and even bigger writer! Anyone who knows me, knows I can carry on a conversation forever and I can write the longest letters, emails and blogs of anyone on the planet! I remember writing MANY letters when I moved to NC and then when I came to college that required multiple stamps to mail them!

5. I hate breakfast. I almost NEVER eat it. I like the foods, just not at breakfast time. I almost never eat before 10am.

6. I'm a huge sentimentalist! I thrive on memories from the past and daydream all the time!

Bonus one ... I'm a planner. I HATE to not have plans for things set in stone way in advance. That's probably why the current no job situation is so hard for me! I can't PLAN things. I can't plan when or if we'll have money, what we can or can't do ... I just can't plan!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look into my quirky life! Now it is your turn!!! Go do it!! :) I hope you all are well and up to the challenge!

A little Sunshine ...

A sweet lady in my neighborhood was at Costco today. She said she was thinking of me. She told me that what she was bringing me wasn't very original, but she hoped they shed a little sunshine on my week. She brought me these.


A little sunshine for my counter!!
And a little "paradise" too because I have so many great friends around me.

How blessed I am! This lady isn't a really close friend, she's not someone I've done much with outside of church activities. But she is someone who listens to her heart and reaches out to others. She is an example and someone I look up to so much!! Thank you!

Another friend called this morning to just check up on me ... nothing really important to say, just wanted to see how I was doing. Thank you! It really is the little things!

I've had so many emails, facebook comments and notes, I just can't say thanks enough. When life is tough, friends who care have really come out in droves to be there to support me. Even with no job at the moment, I know my family is so blessed! Blessed with friends, great neighbors, a great family, many tangible things, our educations and experiences and so much more!! Thank you to my friends and family who keep reminding me of what life is all about and who keep helping me smile. And I want you all to know that right now, Steve and I are both being blessed with a lot of faith and peace that this will all work out.

Makeup Queen!

The pictures didn't turn out very well, but you can imagine the results! Dark brown eye shadow was Jessica's favorite thing in my compact and for some reason, she thought that it should outline her eybrows... so, no that isn't bruising on her nose and eyes ... its makeup! She knew she shouldn't be doing it because she came into my office afterward and covered her face ... I sent her back in my room and made her tell me what she had done. Then we washed it off and cleaned up the counters. Little joys ... they make me laugh or was that cry? : )

MORE Spaghetti!!

She did it!! This afternoon, I was telling Karianna (my assistant/babysitter) about Taylor eating spaghetti last night. She told Karianna that she didn't chew it, just swallowed it. Karianna asked her if she liked it and she still said YES!!!

So, I tried again tonight. Two bites was the goal this time and the goal was for her to actually bite into it. Its all about the Jolly Ranchers... she wanted them, and I told her she could have them if she ate 2 pieces and actually bit one! She did it!! It was a fight at first, but finally I just walked away and she did it. She was so proud of herself. She finally got past that fear and just did it!! Once the first piece was down, the second one was a BREEZE!! I am so proud of her for trying it and who knows, MAYBE I'll get her to eat 5 pieces next time (almost the equivalent of one bite!)! I'd sure love to see her get past these eating issues, especially since I can't find her "choca" (Chocolate Atkins Shakes) ANYWHERE. My friend checked one Albertsons and I checked another and they didn't have them - out of them. I checked WalMart which is where I've always bought them and they don't even have a place on the shelf anymore! I hope that the changes they made to it a few months didn't destroy their sales. If they stopped making it I don't know what we'll do for her! Here's hoping she'll eat more noodles and maybe someday a whole meal without crackers or yogurt! : )

Great Advice ... Little Joys

As you all know (or if you haven't read my blog recently, you will know as you read the previous posts), this has been a tough week. I've been a mess. Just when I think I'm holding up well, I fall apart. But a great friend of mine reminded me of some advice I gave him last week about some big challenges in his life. He had told me "I guess I need to learn how to deal with things and still be happy." I told him, "Remember to keep finding the little joys in life, it helps make the big things easier to handle. And remember, one of the best joys in life is friendship." When I gave the advice, I really thought it would help him, but I didn't realize that I'd need to remember it this week. Thankfully, when things got rough this week, he reminded me of what I had said. Find the little joys and use them to make it through. Thanks to a great friend who not only took my advice but reminded me of my advice to help me make it through!

Little joys in my life right now (some are actual big joys):

• GREAT friends ... neighbors, ex-co-workers, clients, college friends, HS friends and even childhood friends.
• Fun memories from my past.
• Chocolate chip cookies from my mom.
• A friend who offers her yummy chocolate cake.
• Job openings ... : ) the more he applies, the more likely something will come, right?
• Friends who share info about job openings.
• Friends who call and email just to be there for me.
• Birthday party invitations.
• Little twin boys who want to sit on my lap and cuddle.
• Going to the gym and hurting like heck after.
• A jetted tub to sit in after the gym when I hurt like heck - that's where I'm headed now!
• Protein shakes.
• Good weather.
• No need for air conditioning.
• Friends blogs that make me laugh, smile and even cry that happy kind of cry!
• Facebook and the chance to get back in touch with old friends and strengthen friendships
• Cute free easy-to-use borders for my blog!
• Comments on my blog from my great friends.
• 16 tiny baby guppies in my aquarium
• My business doing well.
• A great assistant (office, home and babysitter)
• Carpool for school, preschool and dance!
• 2 hours on Tuesdays and 2 hours on Thursdays of quiet time
• My lasik surgery so I can see without contacts or glasses!
• DVR - so I can watch my shows when I want
• Coupons.
• Child-like excitement over little things (Jessica making a rainbow "fish" picture for her friend, Alyssa singing in choir, Taylor doing cartwheels, Steve and his remote-control planes)
• Taylor eating SPAGHETTI!!! (ok, so it was only a noodle about 3 inches long, but its a FIRST and she actually smiled after and said she liked it - of course, she quickly refused more, but I think she actually realized that she could eat other things!!!)
• My craft room and all my supplies so I can still scrapbook and craft without spending money!
• Books to read.
• Food storage.
• No major health issues for me, my girls, Steve or my immediate family.
• .... I'm sure I could come up with lots more! But I think you get my point and I actually feel better.

And of course the biggest joys: An amazing husband, 3 beautiful daughters, my family and a Father in Heaven who loves me!

Thanks MR for reminding me of the advice I so openly gave and had quickly forgotten to apply. Nothing like eating your own words, but hey, I'm feeling better. Must be something to that saying "Count your blessings".

Staying in the area

Just so everyone knows, we do plan to stay here. With the market as it is, selling our house isn't much of an option. We can get by for awhile, so as of right now, we are only looking at things in this area! If nothing pans out here and things start getting really bad, we'll consider other options, but hopefully things won't come to that.

When life gets tough ...

... the tough get going. We've all heard it, but sometimes we don't think about having to be tough and get going. : ) Its our turn. The market downturn in the last couple of weeks has caused some problems for I3, the company Steve works for. They lost their investor. He called the managing partners on Saturday and told them the money is gone, close the doors. Evidently, he had too much in one investment and that company folded last week so he lost it all. When Steve got to work yesterday, his bosses pulled him in and told him. They then had to go into their Monday morning meeting and tell the rest of the employees. There is no money for payroll or anything. He's out of work and technically, as of 2 1/2 weeks ago he was out of work ... we just didn't know it.

We knew this risk when we started there, but never imagined it would be so overnight. So now what ... Steve has started applying for jobs elsewhere. He applied for a couple last night and sent some resumes to friends and ex-co-workers hoping that one of them knows of openings. The managing partners at I3 are still trying to find some other source of funding. Steve and his co-workers all discussed their options. Of course, they are all facing reality - no paycheck yesterday so they are seriously looking for jobs elsewhere. But they also realize that you can't spend the entire day looking for a job so the extra time they have, they are still going work and try to get their product to market. They are VERY close to having a product ready. They truly believe they can get it done in 30-60 days so they are going to work like crazy until they get other jobs and see what they can manage. If they can get it done, they will have instant revenue and they will be a viable company again and it will have been worth the sacrifice (at least that's what we are trying to believe, but I'm not sure anything is worth this feeling). But, it just depends on how soon everyone gets jobs elsewhere and whether or not they can meet their goals.

Most of you know that Steve is a part-owner in another company, audioShare (DHC). That company is still moving forward, but it is not an option for employment at this point. They are still struggling to keep their heads above water and so hiring Steve is not an option for them now and not in the near future.

Keep us in your prayers. Keep him in mind if you hear of any openings in software development and/or electronic engineering. He has had a lot of managerial experience so management positions in his industry are also possible. If you hear of anything email or call me. I'll keep you all posted. Right now, we're still in the overwhelmed, purly scared out of our minds phase so we'll keep you posted!

Oh, and we aren't telling our kids right now. Honestly, I'm just not sure how or what to tell them and not sure I'm ready to tell them. So as I don't mind you talking to others, I'd rather kids not hear too much about it. Thanks!

I did it!

I finally took some time to figure out the cute borders! This one is actually from http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ but I didn't like their tag in the top corner so I moved it. SHHHH... I'm not sure I am supposed to do that. Anyway, they have lots of cute free backgrounds in all kinds of styles and some cute "accessories" (like the "Child of God" one I chose - I taught a lesson to our young woman yesterday about how divine and eternal we are as children of God, so I thought it was perfect with everything I've been thinking and talking about lately).

And now I'm so excited to change the background for all the different holidays, seasons and my moods! : ) I started today with a Halloween one - (I LOVE HALLOWEEN!) but decided I should wait until at least next week. I've been dying to put up my Halloween decorations in my house but have promised myself I will wait until this weekend. Guess my blog should be the same!

Thanks Jenny for using thecutestblogontheblock so I could find them! I'm sure there are other great sites out there, but this one was easier than the others I had looked at. Thanks Robyn for giving me some ideas of how to do it. I'm still going to create some of my own too! What great blogging friends I have!

Fun Run!

Our elementary school does a Fun Run for their PTA fundraiser. All 3 of our girls participated. We pledge money based on whether or not they meet their goal. Our goal was for Alyssa and Tay to keep going the whole 30 minutes (walking or running). They did it! What a great way for kids to get exercise, understand the importance of exercise (they talk about health and fitness all week long) and help earn money for our school.

Here are some pictures.

When they are done running, they receive a medal and a water bottle. My girls stopped early to get their medals and water bottle, but then kept running. : ) They wanted that water (even if it did end up dumped over Alyssa's head).

At the end of the Fun Run, we bought the girls a snow cone and some popcorn while they waited for all the prizes to be announced. Alyssa won a book on CD - Leven Thumps. : ) She was super excited. Jess and Tay didn't win anything, but they had fun running/walking, eating their snow cone and playing on the swingset. After we went to dinner (LATE dinner) with Hansens and part of the Webecke family. There were 12 of us - 7 kids and 5 adults. We put all the kids at one table (except the youngest) and the adults at the other. They actually did really well at the table together and my girls ate really well too! : ) Maybe that's the key to relatively good behavior at a restaurant - lots of friends!

So patriotic!

My dad is very patriotic. He's great at putting out his small flagpole for every American ocassion. I have always known my dad to be a very proud American and grateful for our freedoms. I'm grateful for that example!

For Father's Day, my mom gave my dad a flagpole. He finally got it all ordered and at his house a few weeks ago. He poured the cement 2 weeks ago so last week, we put it up. Its a 20 or 25 foot pole so he needed some help. I LOVE doing projects so I went over to help him. It took us about an hour to put the pole together and get it standing up. They live right on a corner, so the flagpole will be very visible for everyone who drives by. My girls love it too!

Jessica kept coming outside (she was inside helping my mom bottle tomato juice) to see if the flag was up yet. : ) And to drink my protein shake!

I think for my mom's birthday we are going to give her a BYU flag to put under the US flag ... for those of you who know her, you might know she is a Ohio State Buckeye fan ... but Steve can't resist the temptation of flying a BYU flag on their flagpole! : )

I also helped my dad the week before with cutting some wood. He's quite handy with building things and is working on building cabinets and a work bench for his garage. I really enjoy doing projects, working on something and see it be completed. Guess that's why I've always loved doing crafts ... but big projects like his garage cabinets are even more fun to me. I'll probably go help again in a week or two and when I do, I'll take pictures of our progress.

Potential! - With a new note!

This post is a lot more personal than most of mine. A lot more introspective (I think that is the word I want). A lot more serious. Its one I'm writing for me as much as anyone else. I'm just kind of thinking out loud (or at least in B&W print). Hope you don't mind! If you do, remember it is MY blog! : ) No comments are necessary, I'm ok, just doing a lot of thinking.

Why do some people not live up to their potential? Why do some people just not make it out of a bad childhood but others find a way to overcome? This week, I heard about a really good friend of mine who made a life altering choice, a mistake that will be very difficult to overcome. This friend didn't have a lot of support or many examples growing up. Its one of those people whose life starts out so far in the gutter, you just hope and pray they can somehow climb out of it. This was a person that classmates thought I was better than, they thought I shouldn't waste my time, couldn't understand why we were friends. People told me I'd get hurt, that this person wasn't good for me and didn't really care about me. My parents even cringed at our friendship for a long time. This person almost quit high school at one point, even had a high school counselor say there wasn't a chance they'd make it. But they did it. Even succeeding in starting a business that was doing well, last I heard. But despite everything everyone else said and the lifestyle this person lived in and led, this person was someone I always counted on, someone who truly cared about me and wanted the best for me. Someone who despite what everyone said, never hurt me, and was always there for me. I really cared about this person, one of my very best friends, someone who had and still has a place in my heart. But as time has passed and life has led us in different directions, I stopped keeping in touch a few years ago. We were two individuals living our own lives far apart. This person was never great at keeping in touch so I just stopped trying so hard. Its been 4 years since we last talked or I wrote other than the standard Christmas letter. The news I heard this week almost broke my heart. It was news that everyone else probably expected years ago.

But as I think more about it, I wonder how things could have been different. I truly believed in this person, believed the potential was there. What went wrong? I wonder if I did enough, did I do my best? What could I have said or done to help this person more? Did I fail this person or did this person just need more than I could give? Friendship and influence of others is such a powerful thing but I know in the end its not up to me what others do ... its up to each person to make their own choices and that each of us are held accountable for our own decisions. This person just finally made the decision everyone expected long ago.

I hope I'm living up to my potential and I hope that I'm being the best person I can be. But I also hope I'm helping others live up to their potential. I hope I'm pulling others up, doing everything I can to lift them. I hope that when I come to the end, I can look in the eyes of my friends, family, aquaintances and Savior and say, I truly did my best. I hope I don't have to say sorry to those friends for not being a good enough example, for not being a good enough friend. I've always tried to live my life so that I don't have to experience this situation in the life to come. Sometimes, I wonder if this isn't the friend I failed but I truly hope I did my best. And I wonder if now, after all this time and distance, is there something I can do? All of these thoughs, reminded me of a poem that my brother gave me when he was on his mission for our church. It has always stuck with me and been a favorite of mine.

My Friend (I don't know who wrote it or where it came from)
My friend I stand in judgement now and feel that you're to blame somehow. On earth I walked with you each day and never did you point the way. You knew the Lord in truth and glory and never did you tell the story. My knowledge then was very dim, you could have led me straight to Him. Though we lived together on the earth, you never mentioned the second birth. And now I stand with joys deferred because you failed to share his word. You taught me many things, its true. I called you friend and trusted you. But I learn now how much I lost. You could have saved me such a cost. We walked by day and talked by night and yet you showed me not the light. You let me live ... and love ... and die. You knew how much I'd lose on high. Yes, I called you friend in life and trusted you through joys and strife and yet on coming to the end, I cannot call you now my friend.

Anyway, food for thought for all of you... and mostly for myself! Are you doing your best? Are you being the best you? Are you loving others and being a friend? Are you lifting others? I guess it goes back to the simple phrases of one of my favorite hymns ... "Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheerd up the sad, made someone feel glad? If not I have failed indeed. Has anyone's burden been lighter today, because I was willing to shre? Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way? When they needed my help was I there?"

I hope I did my best, but I am also using this experience to remind myself to do a little better, be a little better every day. A better mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, boss, ... a better me. I once heard someone give a talk to women encouraging them. He said, "do your best, which you usually do." I just have to remind myself, that I usually do my best, and its ok to slip sometimes because that is my best! I can only do so much and then I have to rely on a higher power, on Christ and his sacrifice to carry me the rest of the way. So, I have to stop wondering "why" and "what if" and trust that I did my best and focus on doing my best today and tomorrow and the rest of the days to come.

New Note: I finally had a chance to talk to this friend today and there were good reasons for what happened. The information I was given sounded so bad. I am sorry for not believing more in this person. As sad as I was, I didn't want to believe it and I wanted to be there for this person. I believed everything I read about what happened, but there was actually much more to the story. It is still a bad situation and this person made a choice to be somewhere at a time when things got ugly. But, after hearing their side of the story, I am so grateful that I cared about this person and was there for them. They really did rise above so much and today, gave me new hope that I did my best and that it made a difference. Things aren't as bad as they could be for this person. Lots of prayers to make sure all goes well from here! This friend has taught me so much about friendship, not judging others, seeing deeper than the surface and finding the best in others! Thanks PMW!

A funny from Jess

Today, on our way home from my parents' house (where the two little girls had been playing), Taylor pointed out a VW bug. For some reason, Alyssa started calling them Pinch Buggies this summer instead of Slug Bugs and the whole family has been in a debate about it. We play the game everytime we are in the car. Taylor has strangely sided with Alyssa on this debate (very unusual for Taylor to not side with me on EVERYTHING - she is a Momma's girl to the max).

Anyway, Taylor pointed out a VW bug and said "Pinch Buggie." I teased back "SLUG bug!" Not two seconds letter, Jessica yells out "PIZZA MAN". She was so excited about it - as if it was the game we were playing. Of course, Taylor says, "Where?" and is equally excited about it (as if Taylor even liked pizza!) Jessica points out the car to her. Then, as we drive past the car (it was in the left turning lane) Jess yells, "Its a GIRLY pizza man!" Evidently the pizza man was a pizza WOMAN. Jessica thought that was pretty cool! I loved the way she accented "GIRLY" and didn't even understand the contradiction in her statement. Little kids are just so funny.

Memory of Taylor!

As I was reading my post from last night, I remembered this little story about Taylor and thought I'd share.

Taylor is my shy child - even more so a few years ago. She especially didn't respond well to men so my 6'4" big tease, brother-in-law was not exactly her favorite. When my sister and her family first moved here, they were living with my parents. When we'd go to their house for dinner Taylor always stayed away from Ron UNLESS he had RPB Cups. She TRULY LOVES RPB Cups! He'd have one in his hand and offer it to her. We'd make her at least sign please and then she'd stay as far from him as she could and reach out and grab it and then run back to the safety of mom. Anyway, she discovered where he hid them in his room. She would slip downstairs to their room and get them. We NEVER knew until they moved out and they noticed the PILE of wrappers under the bed. She is the only one small enough to even get under the bed. She had also carefully covered the pile with tissues so nobody would notice. We're talking handfuls of wrappers all tightly squished up. I think that had it not been for the calories in her "can cans", she would have been a lot worse off when her diet was even more limited than it is now.

These pictures were taken in Dec of 2007 at M&M World with 2 of her other favorite food items. M&Ms and "Treats" (Peanut M&Ms). M&M World in Vegas was one of the fun things we did with the kids when we went there for the Bowl Game (BYU - obviously - vs UCLA ... oh and who won that game? Yes, BYU!!) I think the look on her face is so funny. I just imagine her being hugely disappointed that this wasn't a real "treat" she was standing by. Actually she was being kind of grumpy at the time. The 2nd picture she is at least smiling.

Breakthrough for Taylor!

So, I have to tell about our small breakthrough for Taylor this week.

First, for those of you who don't live around me and/or haven't heard our dilemmas with Taylor's eating, you have to understand that Taylor has some serious eating issues - more along the lines of a disorder than picky. It really isn't just a picky little kid. We did an eating class when she was 2-3 to try to hlep, but it didn't at all. So, the whole eating thing has been something we have all fought since she was little and it hasn't improved that much.

Taylor's food during a typical week:

• **about 40 go-gurts (no exaggeration here - today she had EIGHT of them, she prefers blue, but will tolerate purple or pink IF she has one blue with it and/or there are NO blues in the house - but 6 months ago she wouldn't even eat the pink or purple ones at all),
• **about half a big box of crackers (Wheat Thins "yellow crackers" or Cheez-Its "red crackers" - the box is red!)
• **probably close to an entire family size bag of chips (a combination of three chips: Doritos "Red ones", Cool-Ranch Doritos "Blue ones" and Cheetos)
• **6-8 packages of fruit snacks (fruit by the foot or shaped fruit snacks )
• **5 or 6 small bowls of Reese's Cereal with some Cookie Crisp on the side!
• **and of course, her "Cocha" (Chocolate Atkins shake with equal amount of milk mixed in) about 10 shakes a week.

That's the normal for her in a week. Actually, she might eat ONE serving of Mac n Cheese, ONE serving of peas and one or two apples during that week too. If I offer those things too often, she won't have anything to do with them. She is getting much better about apples though. Oh, WAIT ... I forgot her favorites ... the things she gets her calories from ... she also eats "green icecream" (Mint Chocolate Chip - at least she knows what is good!), Otter Pops, grandpa's "white milkshakes" (banana, but don't tell HER that!) and of course about ANY candy you give her but especially "treats" which are Peanut M&Ms, M&Ms (the regular ones) and her ABSOLUTE FAVORITE "can cans" which is Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (but only the miniature ones).

Some might say, force her to eat, don't let her have anything else, but believe me ... it just doesn't work with her. ANYWAY ... her breakthrough, and you are going to laugh at this! She ate the BIG Cheez-Its. Yep, that was our breakthrough. I truly remember a time when she wouldn't even eat BROKEN Cheez-its! If they weren't completely a square, she'd give tehm to her sister or throw them away. At her eating class, we tried different brands and she flipped. We tried all kinds of different crackers - ones that were similar to Wheat thins but different sizes/shapes and she always FLIPPED out. Wouldn't even touch the things. But this week, she didn't even flinch over it. I told her they tasted the same but were bigger for bigger kids and she just ate them!! WAHOO! Maybe, just maybe, she will start expanding. Anyway, I was actually very pleased!

Oh, and she read the box too! She looked at BIG and told me it was BLG because of the way the I looked. I told her that it was an I and she proceeded to sound it out for me (without the box even being in front of her). And this is a child who at the age of 3 qualified for special ed preschool becuase her speech and communication delays! This is a child who during her first year of preschool (age 3-4)did NOT talk (more than one word mumbles) until JANUARY! She was 3 1/2! In January, the kids in her class pointed out to the teacher "Tay can talk, she talks!" They were surprised! Because of her special needs, she also qualified for special ed preschool that year (age 3-4) and attended that the other 2 days a week for 3 hours (we had Monday off). The teacher of that class told me at our final parent teacher meeting in the middle of May that Taylor had FINALLY started saying her NAME during their hello song. Yes, the teacher didn't even know Taylor was talking until MAY! That's how little this kid talked at almost 4 years old! And now, she talks all the time and is actually reading words! I know she isn't advanced for her age but it is the biggest deal to me that she is an AVERAGE kindergarten kid. She still has speech therapy (not as much for pronounciation but the amount she says, her sentence structure or lack of sentences, etc, she's bottom 10-15% for that area), and of course the eating issues, but otherwise, she is a normal little girl!! I am so grateful to be here. There were times when she was 2 and 3 and even a young 4 year old that I wondered if she'd be ready and ok in kindergarten. I knew that eventually, she'd be ok, but I only hoped she'd be this good by this point in her life! Now, we just have to work on the eating issues and the compulsive routines/habits/desires/tendencies but we won't go there in this blog!

Anyway, that's my little breakthrough for Taylor! I'm proud of how far she has come, how much she has grown and I'm proud of the little girl she is becoming! I know it hasn't been easy for her (or for me) but she's really growing a lot!

"Bye Momma!"

That's all Jess had to say as she jumped out of the van in front of preschool on Tuesday - her first day. Actually, first she said, "Where's my packpack?" (for some reason all my kids call a backpack that). Once that was on her back she said, "Bye momma". And she was ready to go in. I wanted pictures though so I asked if Icould go with her. She said ok. So grown up!

My camera batteries were dead ... how do I have such bad luck ... but fortunately, Michelle was there with her camera again! So these are the pics she took for me. What a sweet little girl! (Yes, this is the dress that matches the one Tay wore on her first day! Tay picked this dress out at the store and insisted Jess have one to match ... so when it came time to pick out an outfit for Jessica's first day of school, Taylor helped her choose this!)

Me and my baby! : )

When we got inside, Jessica started to play a little shy ... when it came time for the next picture, she suddenly wasn't so sure. But she posed with her teacher, "Miss Suzee" although made some faces about it. After the picture, I suggested she head downstairs to the classroom and she looked at me like I was nuts. Our neighbor, Tess, was standing there so I suggested they hold hands and go together and Jessica liked that idea. She smiled big and took Tess's hand like she was being the big girl and down the stairs they went. : ) So, what did I do with my first 2 hours of "all-my-kids-in-school-time"? I went to the dentist - finally after postponing 3 times! And I didn't get back in time to pick her up from preschool! AGHH! It was supposed to be a one hour thing, but took over an hour and a half. What a morning. Fortunately, again, I have great neigbors - one that rallied and picked her up for me, and Michelle thought to take pictures after her first day too! So, here is Jessica with Tess.

Her class is filled with friends. When I signed her up for the class, I didn't know who else was in it but knew that a lot of kids in the neighborhood had been to this class in the past. Turns out, she has 3 friends from our block (and there are only 12 houses on our block) in her class and 2 other friends, plus some others she at least recognizes. There are only about 14 kids in the class and I think I know parents of 9 of them. Kind of nice! This is some of the kids she knows!

She was really proud of the hat she colored - even if the only color was red and it was all on the headband! She had a lot of fun and got up this morning asking if she got to go again today. Nope, not today, but tomorrow!! Hmmmm... what will I do with my free time?!

BIG BUSINESS NEWS!!

Well, I can now share what has been happening for Steve's business!! audioShare (Steve's company) has signed a letter of intent with RBH Sound (a well known and respected speaker company throughout the world)! RBH will be the exclusive distributor of audioShare products. They have an established distribution channel that they will utilize and a lot of marketing and sales power that they will also use. So, audioShare will continue to design and manufacture the product but RBH will license and brand audioShare as their own product and do all the marketing and distributing. They will have minimum quantities that they must purchase. Its big news, very exciting and has happened rather quickly. It was announced this past week at CEDIA, which is the biggest tradeshow for this industry. Anyway, its great for Steve and his partners and their 8 years of work can now really start to pay off.

Side note, one of Steve's parnters sustained a head injury a week ago yesterday while being a good samaritan. He is now recovering ata home after emergency brain surgery and has 33 staples in his head but doing very well. He and his family are in our heart and prayers during this time!

PREschool for Jessica

Jessica is so excited to start PREschool. She asks me every day if she gets to go today. Her preschool FINALLY starts on Tuesday of this coming week but we got to meet her teacher, Miss Suzee last Thursday. Jessica is quite excited but wouldn't count for her! She did, however, recognize her colors and shapes and paint a bee bright yellow. She is 100% ready to go! She doesn't like it when you call it school though ... she emphasizes the fact that it is PREschool. I don't think she really gets the difference but she knows hers is different than her sisters and she thinks its cool.

Someone please help me!

My 8 year old came downstairs this morning, dressed in a "costume" for her dance that she has created for us. Using pieces of dance costumes and dress up clothes (that are much too small for her) she created THIS ...

Move over rockstars, Watch out world, - here comes Alyssa! SOMEONE HELP ME!!! Can you imagine her as a teenager? And you should see some of the dance moves she makes up ... A week or so ago, she had cranked the music up in my van so she could dance in the yard with her friend. My friend, Lisa, told me I was hating it when she gets to be a teenager. I told her I hope she is in the young woman's program at church when my daughter is a teenager so she gets to deal with her too. : ) Steve still says he's excited for teenagers! Me, I'm not so sure.

Pitter, Patter!

Last week, my neighbor had a birthday. I sent Taylor and Jessica to her house with a card and gift. They got to the end of the garage and realized it was starting to rain ... big rain drops, pitter patter!! They refused to go out in them. So, I got them an umbrella as the drops came down a bit harder. And off they ran, sharing the umbrella.

And then, Tay decided she didn't mind the rain so much ... and she ran ahead of Jess!
She even ran back to get Jess!

But Jess was quite content under the umbrella and even wanted to pose some! Isn't she cute?
But where did she learn to shake her bum at the camera? : ) Oh wow, are we in for it when we have 3 teenage girls!

In case you ever wondered ...

Yes, we are loyal Cougar True Blue Fans! Go BYU!!!! This is our family flag raising ceremony!! It was missing the Fight song music, but it was in our hearts! And don't put it past us to add the music next year! I did sing a rather rough rendition of it that morning! This was just prior to Steve and I leaving for the home game on Aug 30th where we watched our RANKED Cougars beat Northern Iowa and racked up over 500 yards! Go cougs! This past week, the RANKED Cougars played Washington and again WON! Wahoo! Longest winning streak in the nation and its just going to keep on going! We now await next Saturday when we play against UCLA.

Notice the red skirt ... we couldn't find a skirt that matched BYU blue except her red and blue skirt and since she must have a skirt ... well, its red but she's a Coug at her heart!

The morning of the game, I went to pick up the girls at my parents house - where they had stayed the night. On the way home, as we were all dressed in our BYU shirts, Jessica asked if we were going to BYU. I told her that mommy and daddy were, but not the girls. She replied "Why not?" I told her that we just had 2 tickets. She told me "Alyssa will give me a ticket" so she could go. The faith a 3 year old has in her big sister's "tickets". So cute. Not sure that any of them are ready to sit through a 3-4 hour game. : ) Maybe in a few years.