InterFaith FAST

I got this email from my sister-in-law that people of ALL Faiths will be holding a FAST. I truly believe this is something everyone can do. Doesn't matter what religion you believe in. Please join in this Sunday so that we can help keep marriage solely between man and woman. The LDS church has asked us to do our part to help this Prop pass, I think this is a great way!

Read the email below.....

There will be an interfaith fast on Sunday, October 12th. People from all over the United States and from all faiths will be joining together to fast for the 'building block of society,' the Family. Religious fasting involves both prayer and fasting (abstaining from food and drink for a period of time). Whatever your professed faith may be, your faith and fasting can bring forth the powers of heaven. On Sunday, October 12th, and please pray for a positive outcome for California Proposition 8 and Arizona Proposition 102, that hearts may be softened, that understanding and wisdom will prevail, and that marriage will continue to be defined as between a man and a woman to protect families.

Isaiah 58:6,8-9

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.

Jealousy

This is why I get so jealous of Elli. She does this to her dad all the time and he has fallen completely in love with her. She is a better girlfriend than me! LOL

The Good 'Ol Days of the Skateland Parties

Braeden's school had a Skateland party last Thursday night. I thought it would be fun to invite his cousin along. When we were just about to leave, I noticed Braeden doing his hair (without me asking him to) and changing his clothes. I told him that he looked so good looking and this was his reply, "I know, I am trying to look handsome for Kali. I hope she goes tonight."



OK . . . . what? My 6 year thinks of these things already? I knew he had a "girlfriend" because he came home one day and told me he "got a girlfriend" that day. But it was completely cute when he was trying to look good for Kali. So that was kind of funny. But she wasn't there and Braeden was kind of sad.



We went to pick up Cade and the boys were just dying to know what Skateland was all about. Braeden was trying to figure out how it works and asking all these questions. Cade was nervous I wouldn't help him skate. When we walked through the door, I watched their faces examine everything. It was funny watching them take in all what was going on.





But we got our skates on and off we went . . . . . REALLY SLOW!! I had 1 boy holding each of my hands, falling down every so often. I was completely amazed I never fell. (Thanks to my "Skating Skills") None of them had ever skated on a slipery floor like that and they were lucky to have me catching them. But I honestly had so much fun. It probably helped having such old school music being played. I was skating and totally singing to every song. I missed all the GREAT nights of skateland I had when I was in elementary school! But Braeden & Cade had so much fun. They actually got better at skating towards the end of the night and skated by themselves. When it was close to being over, they had everyone take off their skates and do the CHA CHA SLIDE. Braeden had no clue what to do, so he did his own thing, Cade was trying to figure out what to do though. So this is a video of that!

A Sneak Peak!

SLADE has a rough version of their new song, "The Wrong Dress" they have recorded. Go to their blog and check it out! It's a fun new song!

CLICK HERE

Every other week!

DISCLAIMER: All you pet lovers out there, understand that Elli is just a KID and does crazy things.

I watch my nephews every other Wednesday while my sister works and I love it. I actually do! They have this dog. A weiner dog. (Not that they don't have enough "weiner dogs" running around....she has 4 boys and no girls.) (We think Paul, my bro-in-law, got this dog just for laughs.) Well, Elli is an all time DOG LOVER! She says "AHHHWWWW" everytime she sees a dog. Even a massive huge dog. She absolutely loves dogs.

I actually forgot to tell my sister this story so this is going to be the first time she hears about this. Elli always wants to go outside and play with Copper (the weiner dog). Well, all the older kids were at school and Elli was outside. I am inside feeding my starving baby and she comes inside whispering something to me. Actually, she was mouthing something to me. I couldn't understand a single word. I asked her like 5 times what she was saying and finally I understood what she was saying. So I run outside and lift the garbage can lid and this is what I found.

She was telling me she put the dog in the trash. She just thought it was funny.

Ahhwwww, see how much she loves this dog. We are just glad it's at Aunt Lisa's house and not ours. :)

Our Chub-A-Lub

Well, he's now 5 months old! Where does the time go?

First let me explain the name. About a week ago, I called Caleb chubby. He is chubbier than our other babies...not by much, but he is. Each kid has gotten a little chubbier than the one before them. So we decided that we would nickname him Chubs. Well, our witty little Elli started calling him Chub-a-lub to be funny and we have called him that ever since.

Caleb James is one sweet baby. Mark & I have been so blessed with the sweetest babies .... but we sure make up for it when they reach the age of 2. All 3 of our kids have been AMAZING BABIES!! They all started sleeping through the night since one month or month and a half. They hardly ever cried except for the usual hunger, sleepy, change my diaper cries. But this Caleb baby is very different. He definitely took after me! :) He hardly ever makes a peep. He always has an INSTA-SMILE! Even when he's crying, if you look at him with a smile, he'll smile while he is crying. Quite cute! He can tolerate his older siblings when they CONSTANTLY bug him...especially Elli. He is soooooo easy going and just makes having 3 kids easier. I'm ready for another one. haha!

The only beef I have with Caleb is that he is losing his hair....therefore, his curls are not as thick and curly like they were. They better grow back. I am BITTER about this. It's a sore subject with me.

But I seriously can't get enough of this boy. He smells so dang good. Mark always says that even his sweat smells good. And he's right. It does! There are so many features on this baby that I love. The first is that face he makes when his lips are together and his cheeks get big. Ohhhhhhh! I wish he's was awake right now!

My second favorite feature of Caleb is how he is always eating his toes. It usually is his right toe that he eats, but for this picture, he decided to use his left toe.

But I think this is my #1 favorite feature. He always sticks his tongue out! OOOOOoooohhhh, how does he manage to get me so wrapped around his little finger? Things like this make me so crazy. Just look at that cuteness!

Oh wait, maybe this is my favorite feature. Here he is sporting his INSTA-SMILE. This is the smile he gives to everyone he comes in contact with. Cute, ugly, scary or weird looking. It doesn't matter what you look like, this kid will give you a smile just like this one. How is a mother to act when her baby does this. This kid just might get away with anything if he keeps it up.

Love ya Chub-A-Lub! You make our whole family happier having you with us! Even though your brother and sister maul you, they absolutely adore you. They say how much they love you everyday and are constantly telling me that he is the cutest baby.

I love this motherhood thing!

Here's The Rebuttal

My dad got home Saturday afternoon and tried to explain to us that it wasn't as bad as we were making it to be. He tried to prove it to us by pictures. It's been about 5 days since he has been home and he is limping just a little on one leg. He "says" it was like that before he left. Ummmm, OK! :) He did manage to get some BEAUTIFUL pictures though.

This is a picture of how far he went in just a couple hours. I guess his truck is parked somewhere in that valley. He pointed it out to me, but hard to explain where. But it's down there.

That is how far he was going.... to the top. Go Umpa! (As the grandkids call him)

Just a little bit further! Oh wait...let me take a picture of my handsome, scruffy self! (He did come home with a full, scruffy, gray beard and he was actually quite handsome with it. I never see him with a beard. I was mad I didn't get a picture with it.

Hhmmmmmmmm..... this place looks cozy, let's just stay here. Forget about going to the top. Let's look inside!

It looks nice and clean!

With a fully stocked fridge!

A SWEET stove to cook on!

Comfy matresses to sleep on.

And if the matress isn't good enough for you... you got a RAD couch to crash on.

Don't worry if you get lonely, you'll have some company to join you. I hear they don't run from you in this place. They hang around long enough to take it's picture!

I guess this is a family cabin up on Mnt. Grahm. I never actually heard of this place before but I guess I was there. My dad carved all our initials in this rock. I was only a year and half old.

Too cute! We're glad you made it home! We are also grateful for the burritos you brought home with you! MMmmmm, they were good. Next time, take me with you so I can enjoy that rad cabin with you!

Wildlife Man AKA Stubborn Old Man

This is my dad... Isn't he handsome!! Keep in mind during this post that he reached the age of 59 this past July. He has loved hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. ever since....well, FOREVER!! He has also always been a little stubborn, but would give up anything to any of his 5 kids, even his sleep. Sometimes he would get woken up in the middle of the night to go downstairs to kill a little spider. We could always count on him to save us girls from even the littlest bug.

But my dad has reached a new level of STUBBORN this past week. Like I said earlier, he loves hiking! He has decided to hike the Grand Mountain. Which is OK, even at his age, he is still capable of doing such things. The part that bugs all of our family is that he WILL NOT let anyone go with him. My sister-in-law warned my dad that she was going to hide in the back of his truck when he left and when they got to the hiking trails, she would whine and complain the whole time just so he would turn around and go home.

We just worry that he could fall and brake a leg or something, or get stuck and there won't be anyone to get help. But he feels he will be OK. He took 2 guns with him, food, water, and other things to keep him prepared. He left real early this morning and my mom was laughing at him. Just picture in your mind, if you will, a man with a gun on each hip, a fanny pack in front (yes Traci, my dad wears one too!) with sunflower seeds and his famous homemade jerky in it, a big huge backpack on his back hiking a mountain. He cracks me up. He plans on spending 2 nights in the middle of nowhere in just a sleepingbag. I get grossed out just thinking of all the bugs crawling around close to him....eeewwhh.

My dad has been planning this for a while now. There was no stopping him. He was going whether or not we wanting him to. Just be careful dad. We love and need you too much!!

What a Night!!

We had such a fun night last night at Mark's concert! His country group did an AMAZING job last night! I couldn't be any more proud of them. They practiced so much and it showed! Great job for your first performance SLADE!!

There were so many supporters there. A lot of my family came and we danced along. And Mark had a lot of family come too! Thanks to everyone for being there for Mark's big night!

Now for those who decided they couldn't go missed out not only on SLADE, but they missed out watching the amazing LADY ANTEBELLUM. They were so entertaining and I loved almost every song they sang. I could have watched them all night.....seriously, I'm not just saying that! After the concert, they signed autographs and took pictures with people.

What a nice counrty group they are. They have a greay album out and I am very excited for them to come out with another one!

SLADE has a single out right now that was recorded in Nashville. You can get it by leaving a comment and I'll get it to you! They sell for only $3.00 or 2 / $5.00

Come on... you know you want one! These guys already have more concerts lined up. You can check them out by clicking here.

Just a video of the song "We Build A Home"

written by Aaron Ballard

QUESTION.....

Why is that almost every time I am in a public restroom, people go straight from the stall and then out the door? Did they really forget to wash their hands? I mean, come on. Here I am at the sink scrubbing my hands and probably one of my kids, they walk out of the stall, sometimes even make an effort to walk to the mirror (by a sink) to check themselves out, we make eye contact, they smile and then walk right out the door! Did they think I really didn't notice? They rubbed their stinky dirty hands all over the door handle for people to touch after they just washed their hands. My kids KNOW not to open the bathroom door with out the towel they used to dry their hands with. I even make sure my paper towel is ready to go so I don't have to use my clean hands to get it out. I can't believe people do this. Sometimes I go to the restroom just to wash my hands. I am so disgusted by this. This actually happened to me today... I was so angry because it was the 3rd time that the person who touched the door handle right before me was a nasty woman who decides not to wash their hands.

Maybe after reading this next paragraph, people would think twice about not washing their after using the restroom. How many times have we heard doctors say that to help prevent sickness is to wash your hands A LOT! It's common sense.

Handwash Disease Away
The US Centers for Disease Control says proper and frequent handwashing is “the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection.” But, researchers in a study for the American Society for Microbiology found when it comes to public restrooms, only 77% of people wash their hands after using the restroom. And if you’re a guy, watch out, one-third of the men spied on didn’t bother to lather up, compared to only 12% of women. Some studies show there are, on average, 229,000 germs per square inch on faucet handles that see frequent use, and about 1,500 on a square centimeter of a person’s hand. The easiest ways for germs to get into your body is through your eyes, mouth and nose; the average person touches these areas with their hand about 200 times per day.

To help those out, I have even posted some easy steps on how to do this. Technically you should wash you hands for 2 minutes, but even 30 seconds is good. SOMETHING TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!!

Those who know me know that I am somewhat of a germaphobe. I say "somewhat" only because my lovely sister and sister-in-law are WAY more germaphobes than me. And they will agree with me and back me up on this matter. I am pretty easygoing on most things, but I get completely offended by this.

JUST WASH YOU HANDS!!

Where did the kids go?

Mark has a rule where there are no kids allowed in his studio without mom or dad. There are too many things Mark doesn't want broken. Well, he was in Nashville for a couple days and I forgot to keep the door locked while he was gone. All of a sudden I hear a guitar. I didn't think anything at first, but then I realized Braeden and Elli were in his studio playing guitars. So I go in there and Elli is strumming this little armadillo guitar (Mark got it on his mission) and singing a Cinderella song. No it's not a song we all have heard, it's her own version of a Cinderella song. Braeden was in a corner playing one of Mark's song with his electric guitar. It was too cute. I couldn't get mad at them. I had to get my camera.

Elli is a Preschool Girl!

Our 2nd child is getting too big. She is a preschooler and definitely had no problem saying bye to me. She gets out of the car, waved and said bye, then ran to the door, waved bye again and ran inside. It makes it so easy for me to take my kids to school, nursery/primary, friends houses, etc. when they absolutely love it. They are outgoing kids and enjoy being around other people. Hope she is having a great day. I miss her right now. Wait, it's very quiet right now. No one is bugging Caleb while he is swinging, no one asking for a drink or food. Yeah, this is nice!! I can handle this 2 days a week for 3 hours!!

It FINALLY happened!

Braeden has had a loose tooth for about 5 weeks now.  And the only reason I remember how long it has been because he was hoping to have it fall out on his birthday.  I remember thinking his birthday was 2 weeks away and it would probably fall out before then.  But no, it took a little longer than I thought.  I told Braeden that my dad would take his pliers and yank out my teeth when I was young.  Well, he believed me and before he went to school that day, he told me he wanted Grandpa to use his pliers to get it out.  So as soon as he came home, Mark told him he needed to wiggle it A LOT with his tongue.  I don't think he was wiggling it enough.  Mark kind of made it looser (is that a word?) and then my dad tugged (is that a word too?) on it and it started bleeding.  I told Mark to help Braeden with it since I was feeding Caleb.  Next thing I know, his tooth was gone.  He has been waiting for this day for a while now.  Well, the tooth fairy came.  Braeden actually asked me if I was the one who put the money under his pillow.  But hopefully I gave him a convincing no.  So he has another one loose right next to that one, so we'll probably be calling the tooth fairy again real soon!