Nastia Luikin

Oops, sorry Jake :(








O.K. we loved the Olympics over at our house this summer...every party of it! It seemed like some nights we were glued to the TV and couldn't get away! A bit cheesy, but we felt so much love for our great country and each of us wanted to achieve our dreams. Anyway, if I were to choose, I think swimming and gymnastics were our favorites. We cheered on Nastia Luikin because she lives in Plano and because she's so darn talented. We were excited to hear she was going to be at a Kroger 8 minutes from our house today.

I took my kids out of school (questionable...I know, but the school receptionist approved & said her lips were sealed. Just for that we brought her back an autograph :) The 5 of us got lunch and waited in line. After an hour we left with 2 signed Wheaties boxes, 4 signed papers, 10 pictures and 5 smiling faces. Fun times! It was memorable for the kids AND me.

Waiting anxiously in line.

Financial Bailout

I love this post that my sister Noelle just posted! It is a must read!

Never A Dull Moment

Each day has been packed full, so I decided I needed a "creative outlet" :) So... I decided to redecorate Matthew's room. It has been the guest bedroom/M's room since he was born, so we decided to make it Matthew's "own" room.

This morning I tried another shade of green on the wall (which also DID NOT look good), so I put the lid on, pounded a little, and left the room. I was getting ready to watch Natalie's little Mia when Matthew walked into the kitchen and this is what I saw.












I couldn't tell what was all over Matthew, but then it hit me! I slowly walked up the stairs finding green paint all along the way...on the stairs, railing, toys. This is what I saw when I walked in the bedroom. Yes, a whole gallon of green paint on the carpet!













The first thing I did was call Sean and he started laughing. The 2nd thing I did was call the carpet cleaners and they said they can't do anything. Paint always leaves the carpet crusted and discolored. Although, they can patch the carpet. I'm not sure what we'll do, but for now the door is shut and hopefully I can laugh about it soon.

The 2nd Time & A Calm Sunday Morning

Well, Friday morning I was so proud of myself because I finished exercising and showering at a decent morning hour. It was then that the school nurse called and Jake wasn't feeling well. I told her I would be right there, called a neighbor to watch the boys, and was out the door...almost! The phone rang (thinking it was the school nurse)I answered it and here's how the start of the conversation went:

"Hello"
"Hello, this is the police department. Is everything O.K.? Someone just called 9-1-1!"

Ahhhhh! My mind immediately went back to 2 minutes before when I was in the bathroom getting ready and Matthew was pushing buttons on the phone. Who knew a 1 yr. old could push the exact buttons! I explained the situation to the woman, but of course they had to send an officer out anyway!

I should know that because when we 1st moved to TX we were all getting ready for church and Jake dialed 9-1-1. They also called back then and an officer had to come out. Was this really happening for a 2nd time??? (Jake had dialed "on purpose" because the day before we had talked about what to do in an emergency, etc. and he wanted to try it out. I knew after THAT police officer talked to him he would NEVER do it again.)

After many minutes or more of waiting, getting anxious to get Jake at school, an officer did come to the house. This man was very nice and understanding. I was thankful. Maybe Matthew just wanted to help commemorate 9/11.

Hurricane Ike looked like it was coming toward Dallas, but we just experienced the "outskirt" effects of it. The clouds swirled all day in the grey sky, but all we experienced was rain and wind! It was wonderful to wake up Sunday morning and the skies were as blue as ever. Everything had settled down and we went to Stake Conference on a beautiful, cool morning.

Elder Nelson was there (the other leaders split up to other stakes). He said that people in the airport looked at this group of men strangely because they were headed TOWARD Dallas...along with hurricane Ike. He said, "We'll have a contest to see who gets there first."
Elder Nelson talked about teaching our children: about the atonement, prophets, Joseph Smith, keeping eyes focused on the temple, prayer, and that revelation works! He also invoked a blessing on our new stake. What a blessing to be there and feel of his great spirit. I know that he is a special witness of Jesus Christ.

Precious Moments

Each day brings sweet moments. Here are a few recently:
We had a babysitter and while we were gone Taylor said she'd put Matthew to bed...when we came home she was in the crib asleep too! Precious!

Sean came home from work and when I walked out in the kitchen I saw these...."crazy daisies". Yes, that was their name. He wrote a cute little note. I thought he might say something like...most days you're a crazy lady, but he didn't:) I love the short and sweet thoughts like that. He's fabulous.

This one happened a little while ago, but I was in bed and Austin was the first one awake. I hear this sweet voice say, "wake up mom". When I opened my eyes, Austin was holding a cookie sheet with a banana, yogurt, toast (he did all by himself...I didn't know he could do that) and an apple. It was the sweetest moment. I love breakfast in bed.

Friends that bring over "Extra-Strength" banana bread after a lively morning at church. Something that made my day. Friends that go buy ice cream for a birthday party when your baby is sleeping. A mom and sister that said something so unselfish it brought tears to my eyes (nursery). A mother-in-law that took my baby during the birthday party.
For my own record, I hope to capture moments like this when Matthew is still exploring the world. He was standing on the stool in the 1/2 bath, playing in the water, and making faces at himself.


On Sunday we have our 1st Frisco Stake Conference and guess who's coming??? I am SO excited! President Uchtdorf, Elder Nelson, Elder Bednar, and Elder Acosta. Our bishop encouraged us to write a question for them and put it in our pocket on Sunday. I'm hoping at this conference there will be another precious moment.

Happy Birthday Austin!

Our Austin turned 5 on Monday and I feel like we've been celebrating all week! What could be better. It started out when Kelly and Kristen were in town and we celebrated Austin AND Kelly's birthdays. They each got their own birthday cake. Austin got a big Pokemon set from them and kept saying, "I love you one thousand times!"

Then,ON his actual birthday we decided to do "fondue". The kids weren't into it as much as Sean and I were, but still fun! Austin opened presents and then rented his all time favorite...Scooby Doo. I feel very blessed to be Austin's mom. He is definitely the comedian of the family. He loves to have fun and talk to anyone. He makes new friends wherever he goes. He's a blessing in my life. He still loves to snuggle...I hope that lasts forever.

Today, was the finale. It was his 1st birthday party with friends. We were going to have a pool party, but of course it rained all afternoon, so I had to call all moms and change the location to our house!!! I have to say it got a little crazy, but the kids had fun (especially shredding apart the pinata which I've had in our pantry for like 3 yrs. I'm so happy to get rid of it). I think the peak of the day was when we arrived home from Costco with the cake. Jake got out of the car and accidentally stepped in the cake! Fun! Jake's expression was priceless. If you noticed in the pictures I tried to piece it together and cover a part with plastic balloons. The kids still ate it.




HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN...WE LOVE YOU!

Diapers, diapers, and more diapers!

I wish I started counting how many diapers one little guy can go through a day. A few days ago Matthew started with a runny nose, then progressed to dee-a-rrreea, and now after changing his diaper at least 10 times today...his little bum is so red. Poor guy! Sometimes he'll just stop walking and start crying because it hurts to even move. I just took him to his 15 month well check and he was perfectly healthy. I swear he got something from the doctor's office. Oh well, germs are good, right? Needless to say, today I was homebound and boy did I get a lot done! (I cleaned out J and A's room, closet and attic. We have 3 bags and 2 boxes to give away, plus 2 bags to throw away. It feels great!)