Can it be this good...really?

It's been too long, but not due to lack of plenty going on around here. I have been talking to so many people lately who are sick, hurt, lost, struggling or otherwise. I am at one of those points in my life where things are so good and I am so richly blessed that I feel bad about it. I am really content and have so much that I feel like I am in store for some trials or some tragedy. I am trying to counter these feelings with extreme gratitude and thankfulness, with a sincere recognition of where these blessing are coming from, keeping my pride out of it and definitely not saying out loud or having a single thought that I am "deserving" of any of it...So where do you go from there? Lots of prayers saying thank you, thank you and trying to stay aware that it's not "lucky", they're blessings. That being said.

We had our primary program late October and it went great. The kids made me cry and the spirit was definitely a part of the program.

Justin's Dad and Little sister Kelsey came over for Thanksgiving and we enjoyed having our dear friends Kirk and Jill and their kids for dinner as well,(we appreciate them caving in to all our pleading and begging:) Kelsey helped me make pumpkin pie filling and homemade crusts and I think this was my favorite part. I really enjoyed spending this time with her, laughing, teaching, and just spending time together. I miss that part of our family and really loved having them stay with us for a few days. My brother in law Chaser was going to come but had to stay home sick. BOOooo. we missed Grandma Wendy and Uncle Chase. If you ask me dinner was really good, none of the nightmares I had about raw turkey, burnt stuffing, or runny pie happened. It was the first Thanksgiving I ever did from scratch. I've contributed up to this point but never planned and executed an entire thanksgiving.
However Dad and Kelsey did come the same week that I started building my wall. Justin and I talked a little bit about turning our formal livingroom into a den/craft/guest room. So I called a long time friend and he came over we framed it up and we hung sheetrock. Then company arrives. It wasn't finished but fun none the less. Justin humored me and helped me finish sheetrocking inbetween visiting and cooking.
The next morning my buddy Jill and I started out to do some black friday shopping. 2:30am it looked a little like this. "testing 1.2. testing..." walkie talkies, CHECK. wallets, CHECK. lists, CHECK. plan, CHECK-CHECK.... we hit toy's R us first, then old navy(the line was ATTROCIOUS) so we bailed, stood in line for a few minutes at Kohls at 4am. by this time we are noticing the walkie talkies were the best thing EVER! (no joke- we really had 'em) then to Walmart for my cricut by 5am, success. Next- bestbuy, where I got us a new canon T1i digital camera on SALE. Then to target. While I was in line at target Jill ran to michaels and was back by the time I got to check out. THEN fredmeyer,K-mart, back to target and I think that might have been it. We got to see the sun come up, laugh, find things we didn't come for, smile about the things we got that we did come for. So black friday was a success. So much fun. thanks Jill.
The family is healthy except for the occassional cold- which is short lived due to our new found winter cold killer YOLI... whoo whoooo.
And I will have pictures soon, but I have a lot of software to upload since I did a PC recovery on my computer. so the computer is happier now, but naked of all it's normal software. I will get it back to normal as soon as possible with fun pictures of my new wall.
Heads up- watch for more fun news on Justins blog soon. If he doesn't post it soon I'll post it. Thanks for waiting so long between posts. we'll be back soon. :)

Z-X-I. I got em back...

I got my laptop keyboard fixed today- only took me a year, but none the less it DID get done. I know have "I, X, Z, and the caps lock" keys. YESSSS!!! It now feels weird to have them work properly verses not. Funny how we get used to the messed up things in our life and after a while they become normal.... Let that be a lesson to us about getting the real broken things in our lives fixed before they start to feel normal. Oh I'm sooo insightful. :) Love ya dearies.

When you say dots...your really mean spots...

I wanted to add Jacey's birthday cake picture and a picture I forced her friends to take so I have a reminder of how big everyone was at this party. So here are those and now for more updates.

I had another one of those weeks here recently, the kind where there is multiple things everyday. I took Lucas to get his blood drawn (which he sat amazing for) early tuesday morning for his pre-op apt later that same morning Tuesday the 13th at 10:40 and then he came with me to mine at 1? or 2pm the same day. (I brought his car seat in and buckled him in it with a variety of snacks and other bribery, he did amazing at my appt. and he is always great for his) He was having his 2nd set of eartubes put in and possibly his addnoids removed. I was having "vein mapping" done for my vericose veins. they draw "dots" on you to show where you veins run and how they branch off and where they will inject different fluids, and anethesias, etc...Mean while my girls are at 2 different sitters because Jacey was going to the pumpkin patch that day for school (refer to Jill Smith's blog) and Taylor needed a nap so she played with Sheila and Chloe that day.

Wednesday morning I go in for surgery, Justin takes the day off to take care of me and Sarah comes in to take my kids. Then we get home, I wave to Sarah (I'm 60% drugged at this point) and fall into my bed where I procede to sleep most of the day away. good sleep too. :)

The following morning, Thursday I wake up at 5am to leave at 5:30 to take Lucas to his surgery which starts at 6:30. Justin's off to work. My mom comes over at 5:30am to watch kids until 8:30 when she leaves to teach school at which point my neighbor friend gets roped into switching with my mom until 9:30 at which point Jill comes over to let him off the hook. Lucas' surgery went great, his addnoids were "huge" says Luky's surgeon (who is amazing) so they were removed. His tubes are once again in place, he is a new boy. AFTER he wakes up from his anesthesia and is all loopy we go home? seems like we made one last stop while we were in town? hhhmm. don't remember. So I limp him to his bed where he sleeps off the rest of his anesthesia. maybe we went to the bank... what was it???

THENNN, friday I went in for a recheck of my surgery and have my bandages changed and leg rewrapped. The ultrasound technician that rechecked my leg saw me come in for my appt. and just started smiling like there was something really funny. Besides the fact that I am carrying my son's carseat into my appt to strap him into.... He then tells me all about how the rainbow is a cleaning system not just a vaccum and such..(this is what I talked about while half asleep in surgery). I try to defend myself for selling my vaccum by telling him "we just had it serviced, so I'm sure that's why it was on my mind" and he then says, "I know, you told us." I'm thinking I must have sounded like a nut case...Ohh mannn. He then said "normally people talk about they're dog or a loved one, but you told us about your vaccum..oh sorry, your 'cleaning system' ". At which point I had no words...I could only smile and nodd and be sheepishly embarrassed. ohhh the things anesthesia will dooo... :)

Saturday.....recooperate from that week. That is as quick as I can make those stories. There are some funny stories that I might have to try to write down later but for now we'll call that good. (personal reminders of the surgery: remembering telling them I was awake, washing off my dots, drawing them back on myself. Justin telling me to chew my whopper jr.

You've had a Birthday shout hooray!!!

Sorry it's been a bit fellow bloggers, We have been getting used to a different schedule around here. Jacey started preschool this year and it's right in the middle of the darn day. It's ok, but nap time is CA-RAZY. So while my kiddo's are sleeping for the last couple minutes I wanted to do one of those cute "show how much they've grown" birthday montages. Here Jacey now from birth to now. It's funny to see how much she grew from 3-4 she really changed that year.
Happy 5th Birthday Jacey you started out as a "hard" baby, you were colicky (I know that know-though I had no idea what was wrong with you back then) we figured that out with some help. I still remember doing power rocking with you because it was the only thing that made you happy when you got into one of your colicky spells. For those of you unfamiliar with power rocking it is a term I made up, it is basically is a power squat with a jump. hold baby like a piece of firewood (not a football) and bend down as far as you can then, jump up and continue this move several dozen times until baby stops screaming. It's also a great glute, hamstring and thigh workout. Once you were old enough to walk you got really good at climbing and hanging and talking. You will always be known for being my baby with adult type enunciation and pronunciation. You had an incredible vocabulary and the general public could understand you from a very young age. Some of you most impressive words were: Mississippi, quesadilla, supercalafragilistic....just kidding. but the other two were really funny to here your little bitty voice say, people couldn't believe such big words were coming out of such a little person.

You were also know for your great blond curls, and always funny expression. Some of those expressions have been caught on tape and in pictures, which are some of our very favorites. Here are a few. You were the reason the term "sprouts" came about as a reference to yours little bitty pig tails. I hope you always stay as funny as you are now, we love having you as part of our family.

It's good to see me...Isn't it???

Taylor got her first haircut a week ago, the "fro-fro" hair was getting out of control, she did good and I got some cute before and after video that I won't fiddle with but here are the pictures. She's so darn sweet. .
Anyone who has gone to see "WICKED" in Seattle knows where I got the title of this blog entry. Though it does also fit for Taylor's before and after picture. I might just be the most spoiled girl I know. I have an amazingly handsome husband who is as helpful and hardworking as he is handsome. And that means VERY VERY helpful and hardworking. ;) I don't know, I just like him more and more all the time. This last week has been as we call it in our house, "wild and woolie". Monday: I took Jacey to preschool, and had a primary presidency meeting, Tuesday: preschool and a baby shower, Wednesday: playdate and babysitting, Thursday: Preschool and a show in Seattle called "wicked", Friday: pres. and my first Yoli Meeting, Saturday: cleaning house and General Relief Society Broadcast, followed by dinner with the girls. My sweet Justin did a lot kid watching and playing along with my schedule. He has requestd that we don't have a week like that again please... WHEWW!!

Mondays Meeting: So our ward split a month ago and now there are a lot of opportunities for callings that will put you out of your comfort zone, and guess what....I got a new calling. The 2nd counselor in the Primary Presidency, it made me feel a little overwhelmed at first. I was trying not to be negative but being in a presidency of any kind puts me outside my comfort zone. It will definately give me opportunities to balance responsibilities at home, at church, and work, forcing me to grow in my planning skills, (which lets be honest- I don't have much of.) I am also learning to have a sense of humor with the kids and learning that music is a great teaching tool. I have MUCH to learn and hope I can give this calling all I have.

Tuesdays babyshower: The baby shower was done just in the nick-of-time. Some of us girls from church put together a shower for Megan Erickson on Tuesday and she had her sweet baby boy Cooper, early Sunday morning. glad we didn't wait a minute longer!

Thursdays "WICKED": Wicked if you haven't heard is a musical production of what came before the wizard of oz. Basically the story of GA-linda the good, and Alphaba the green.

Alphaba (the wicked which of the west)wasn't actually wicked until oz uses her in his plot to give the people of the emerald city someone to hate. So they make her into the bad guy by putting a spin on what really happened, and she really never was wicked, just misunderstood. In the words of Tommy
Boy, "IT..was...AAWEEEssooommmmmeeeee!!!" TOTALLY AWESOME, I would go a dozen times if I had the money and the time. REALLY REALLY GOOD, and if some of you are debating on going. do IT! you'll love it. You know how Justin took me to the nutcracker last Christmas? We enjoyed it but wouldn't go every year. I would take Justin and he would like wicked and I would go EVERY YEAR! Needless to say I'm glad I went. And the company was good too. thanks Sheila and Jill for inviting me. Here's a picture of us "going to wicked, going to wicked" (say that like we're chanting-cause we did that a lot) :0

Fridays meeting: Thanks to all of those who were able to make it to the meeting and sample Yoli's Truth citrus blast, you are among the elite who have had a chance to taste the best thing to hit the beverage market EVER! ok so it tastes like tang, but the health benefits reach way beyond anything in a bottle or powder so the fact that it's amazing in every aspect and still taste good is pretty amazing. Way better than the tahitian noni juices and sludge waters I've tried to get the health benefits that this blast cap delivers. At the saturday webinar we learned that Yoli is now being endorsed by Carl Lewis the Olympic gold metalist, and Bryan Clay an Olympic Decathalete who has now medaled in two olympic games and is being named to medal in the upcoming Olympics, and if he does he will be the only decathalete to medal in 3 olympics. I thought that was really cool. Athletes of that calaber know health and nutrition and their bodies. If they support Yoli I know others will start to get it as well.

Saturdays Broadcast: This is getting to be a long post and I haven't even gone into much detail or the fun stuff. So the broadcast was uplifting and just what I needed. Charity Never Faileth. Let it be our slogan.

And then back to the beginning of September, I woke up one morning and enrolled Jacey in a local preschool, I knew she needed to do something with her brain and get used to a class room setting with a teacher (besides me). Next fall is all day every day Kindergarten which I think she'll do great in but this is a nice stepping stone.
So here she is on here first day of school. She loves going, and loves her teacher, (Mary miss lou). It's really fun to see her enjoy this next step, she has been waiting sooo long to go to school. When I told her she got to go that first morning she jumped up off her stool to get in the car with out finishing her breakfast or getting dressed. I had to stop her and make her finish her cereal, besides that her class didn't start until 12:15. SOOO EXCITED!!!!

Funny kids, love the comments, Old-thello!!

Hi bloggers....I love you guys. Thanks for your comments, they are the cherry on top of a blog sundae. I was just reading my friend Kristen's blog and she made her blog a book! A hard bound colored picture book and it is AWESOME! Then I began reading my blog to see if it might be book worthy and the answer is....YES! I love my blog. These story make me laugh out loud and I wrote 'em. Can you imagine as time goes on how much these stories will mean to me? This is fun journaling thanks for following along y'all! keep the comments coming, I love 'em!! :) P.S. this is some of Othello, and some of the reason we're not moving there, even though those goats look really nice. :)

Taylor being so cute and me with my name sake, we finally met at our Ames family reunion in Aug. 2009. It was the first time in my life that someone would say, "Jennis" and they WEREN'T talking to me!! ha ha. I learned she likes burned hot dogs just like me and carrot cake, I knew we were meant to be bonded in name and spirit. Jacey making some truckers laugh. she looked at me and said "mom that guy looked....then he laughed...then he looked again...hahaaa"
And this is Lucas, do you see what's going on in this picture? why this picture is significant? It marks a time when I "tried" using a refrigerator door lock on his seat belt buckle as a last resort to try and keep him in his buckles! It lasted one day then he popped it off. He's the next Houdini.

The perfect end to the perfect day.....

Alright folks. I don't post this stuff to sound whiny, negative, or pessimisstic. This blog is just about how it really goes around here.
9:15am- scrub cereal milk out of my freshly shampooed carpet. (I just cleaned a few areas 3 days ago because the same boy was mending his "wounds" awhile back and got bagbalm all over a spot and it was attracting a lot of dirt.)

12:30pm- after trying all morning to get ready to go to town, we are finally ready to head out the door and Lucas pees himself all over the bathroom floor. He's horrified that he's getting a cold shower (which he didn't) but after a lot of closed eyed growling to myself he's clean, floors clean, he's dressed, we leave.

run errands all over town, come home put Taylor down for a nap, put Jacey and Luky in their room for a quiet time and tell them very firmly, "this is momma's quiet time too, so DO NOT come out unless you have to go potty."

3:20- find wet spot in kids room. I asked Jacey "are you spitting?" "uh-uh, no! "what's wet?" Lucas pipes up and says, "Jacey peed in a bottle." What??? he then proceeds to show me the bottle...NO Joke! a tupperware dressing shaker thing. I grab a towel and make her scrub the dribble on the carpet. We then proceed with the obvious talk that HAS to be had. More eyes closed growling to myself.....

8:52pm- call Poison control after finding Taylor sucking on the tube of childrens colgate toothpaste, and noticing she's had a "bit" more than a pea size amount.

9:08 Put Lucas in his bed and he says "uh-oh mom, there's pee pee on my blanket." grab the blanket, flip the light and RUN from the room.

And THAT my friends is the perfect ending to the perfect day. It would sound like we are out of control over here but really this was a lot more pee and spills than I normally clean up in one day. However it has been a doosy so I am off to rest up for what adventures tomorrow might bring. Enjoy the fact that your day probably went smoother than this. :) and heres hoping my day tomorrow might go a little smoother as well. No 911 tomorrow, that is the goal.