The Read Clan

My never ending quest

2011-08-07T20:33:00.002-04:00

I'm ashamed to say this but lately, I have been really struggling with my weight. I've tried lots of things but nothing has really seemed to work. Over the past 2 years, I have managed to put on about 30 pounds. It's really depressing. I hate looking at pictures of myself from 2 years ago because I am reminded of how skinny I used to be. I also hate looking at pictures of myself now because I feel so gross and get depressed when I see how big I have gotten.

So instead of staying depressed and not doing anything about it, I have decided that it is time to take charge and change a few things. I have tried doing this on my own but have realized that I can't do it on my own. I need someone to report to so I have some accountability. That's where the blog comes in.

I plan to record my weightloss journey here on the blog. My goal is to post at least once a week with my stats for the week. That will mainly include my starting and ending weight for the week. Of course if I have time, I will also post more often during the week to share any experiences I am having during this journey.

A couple months ago, I started cardio kickboxing. I love it and I sweat like crazy. It is supposed to be a great workout and help you loose lots of weight. I go 3 times a week and do it for an hour at a time. So, that will serve as my major excercise diring the week.

The hardest part for me is going to be the food part. To say I love food is a huge understatement. I especially love junk food. I have to stop buying the stuff and get this under control. I think once I am able to do that, the weight will melt off (or so I would hope).

So here I go on a journey to loose 30 pounds. Since I am going all out here...I guess it would help to post my starting weight (despite how embarrasing it may be to put it out there). My starting weight is 175. I plan on being really good this week and really watching what I eat. I hope that when I post here on Friday or Saturday, I will be able to report a loss of at least a pound or two.

Wish me luck!!! See you in a week!!!!

I'm Baacckk...did you miss me?

2011-07-27T11:52:00.002-04:00

To say that my life has been crazy the past year would be a huge understatement!! I was PTO president at the middle school, VP of fundraising at the elementary school, I volunteered in 3 classrooms once a week (on different days), took the kids to dance 4 nights a week and tried to be a good wife and mother in between. It was nuts!!!

The worst thing of all is that I was so caught up in being what I thought everyone else wanted or expected me to be that I forgot to think about who I am and who I want to be. All the things I love to do in my spare time kind of flew out the window. Things like crafting, working out and of course this blog. In the past year, I have done little to no crafting, very little exercise (I actually gained about 15 pounds) and of course no blogging.

So, after doing a lot of reflecting, I decided to focus on the things that I want and that matter the most of me. This means quitting PTO (there were a lot of bad experiences and I spent a year feeling completely miserable), starting to workout again (and make a goal to loose about 30 lbs), and of course start doing the things that I enjoy doing the most...which includes posting on the blog.

In the next few days, I hope to update the pictures on the blog and change things around a bit. Also in an effort to help me loose all this weight, I plan to blog my weight loss journey. I haven't decided if I am going to post those fun before, during and after photos just yet. The biggest thing stopping me from doing it is my fear of putting myself out like that. I will become extremely vulnerable by doing this and I'm not sure I'm ready to put myself out that much. But on the other hand, it might be good for me to see the changes...right?

At any rate, it's great to be back and I can't wait to get back to the things I love the most!!!

Feelin' a little low

2010-06-24T21:43:00.002-04:00

Tonight as I write this, I feel a bit sad. I am one of those people who should NEVER be left alone with their thoughts because only bad things can come out of that. But yet here I sit, alone with my thoughts and I can't help but think about the person I am versus the person people perceive me to be.

I see myself as being a person who is happy, honest, true, loyal, forgiving, loving, caring, non confrontational, insecure, and dependable (just to name a few). Of course I can be a bit vengeful if you treat me badly. I will lay down my life for you if I feel that you are a true friend. Of course if I don't see you as a true friend, all bets are off. I am a total people pleaser as well. I want people to like me and in turn will do whatever need be just to make them happy. I've always seen myself as a bit immature when compared to my friends. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. I have a lot of funky little quirks but those who know me well love me in spite of those quirks. I always try to be the best person I can be...even in the worst of situations. I always want people to see me as a person they can come to if they need a friend.

Of course, all those attributes are things I think about myself. I'm sure that not everyone would agree with a good chunk of them.

Having said all that, it breaks my heart when I hear people say things about me that they see to be true. Am I really the bad person they make me out to be? Or are they just picking out my flaws (of which I have many) and magnifying them a thousand times over?

I know my self esteem shouldn't come from what others think of me but it just really bothers me to hear people don't think of me in the way I want them to. Sadly the things I have heard have made me question a lot of things about myself. Maybe I need to try harder to be the positive things on my list. Maybe that would help? I don't know. I do know that I can't make everyone like me so maybe I should just focus on those who do and be the best person I can. As one of my favorite quotes says "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Blog Burnout

2010-06-24T21:37:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted anything on the blog. Yet as I write those words, I can believe it's been that long. I think I suffered a blog burnout. I love writing on the blog but I think I got to the point where I just didn't have the time to write about everything that was going on so rather than drive myself crazy, I decided to take a break from it all. I think (and hope) that my blog burnout is coming to an end. I don't know if I will be able to write as frequently as I have in the past but it would be nice to do it at least a few times a month.

Yummy chocolate goodies

2010-05-19T14:07:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I made some cake balls for a friend. I had so much fun making the cake balls, I decided to make some chocolate dipped strawberries as well as some chocolate covered oreos. Everything tasted insanely good!! Being the person I am, I had to get some pictures. Just looking at them makes me want something covered in chocolate :)

Kyla makes dinner

2010-05-19T13:27:00.000-04:00

I decided that I wanted the girls to start helping me make dinner once a week. Kyla was the first one to go and she decided to make Calzones. It was definitely a trial and error type thing but they turned out great! Kyla had so much fun making them and would get upset with me if I tried to help too much. We learned a lot of things as we made them and have a better idea as to what we need to do the next time we make them!!

Neglectful Parent

2010-05-19T13:10:00.002-04:00

I think this is the longest I have ever gone without posting something on the blog. I am such a neglectful parent!!! In my defense, it has been an extremely busy month. The kids have dance recital this weekend so most of my month has been spent getting ready for the big weekend. I have a ton of pictures that I need to post...the sad thing is they go as far back as Easter. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some time over the next week or so and post pictures and updates about what's been going on. I LOVE this time of year but it sure does get busy!!!

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-30T22:55:00.002-04:00

Since we are headed to Utah this summer, we didn't really have the money to do anything extravagant for Spring Break. I had heard of a great butterfly conservatory up in Massachusetts so I grabbed the kids and headed up to Magic Wings. The kids and I had a great time although Jacob did freak out a little when the butterflies came near him because he thought they were poisonous and would hurt him (no thanks to his wonderful sister who shall remain nameless).

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Future Lunch Lady???

2010-04-30T22:49:00.003-04:00

Emmi LOVES clementines!!! The other day she was playing with the mesh bag that the clementines come in. We had her put it on her head and couldn't help but wonder if she has a future ahead of her as a lunch lady. What do you think? Does she fit the bill?

My Goal

2010-04-25T20:26:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was so inspired by all the talks given at Stake Conference. A lot of the talks had quotes from this past General Conference. While I was able to listen to a few of the General Conference talks, I wasn't able to listen to them all because the kids needed me for one reason or another (tis the life of a mother).

After this weekend, I decided that when I get the May Ensign, I am going to sit down as often as I can and read through each and every one of the talks and either highlight or make note of the things that I find important. I have never done this before and think that it is a great goal to set for myself. I know that I will be inspired in various ways as I read through the talks.

Stake Conference

2010-04-25T14:59:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned last night, we had Stake Conference this weekend. I won't embarrass myself by telling you how long it has been since I last went but just to give you an idea, this morning when I woke the girls up for church, I mentioned that we had Stake Conference and Madison responded by asking "What's Stake Conference?" Nuff said.

Mike wasn't feeling well (darn allergies) so Madison and Jacob stayed home with him. Kyla, Emmi and I took off to the Stake Center to enjoy conference. I was so inspired by the words that were spoken and I left conference with a resolve to make a few changes in my life and family.

One thing that really stood out in my mind was the mention of the "small and simple things". It was mentioned in a couple talks last night as well as today. Here are a few things that were mentioned about the "small and simple things".

*Adherence to the little things can make a big difference.
*The small and simple things will protect us.
*Alma 37:6
*The accumulation of the small and simple things gives us the faith we need.

This made me think about how the small things I do in my every day life really do matter. The little fight that I have with my husband or the nasty attitude that I have towards someone who has offended me, the time I spend on the computer (or doing other things) when I should be with my family, the quick prayers I say or the small, seemingly insignificant discussions I have with my children, the quick note I write letting someone know that I am thinking of them...those things all matter.

There were also a lot of quotes from the April 2010 General Conference. I have been inspired to go and read all the talks and make notes of the things that stand out in my mind. I know that if I will prayerfully read these talks, I will find things that I need to work on and if I show a desire to change as well as exercise faith, Heavenly Father will help me change and become the person I want to be.

Conference was amazing and I look forward to going back and rereading the notes I took and making the changes I was inspired to make.

Quiet Whisperings

2010-04-24T22:57:00.002-04:00

This weekend is stake conference at church. Tonight I had a Stake Girls Camp meeting at the stake center and the adult session of stake conference was immediately after my meeting.

I had planned to not stay for the adult session partly because I didn't want to but also because Mike isn't feeling well and I felt bad making him take care of the kids. As I was walking out to the car with the girls camp certification bin, I got this feeling that I needed to stay. I knew that if I didn't stay, I would regret it and feel bad.

As I headed back into the building, I knew that I was doing what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. I was touched by many of the speakers and even took a few notes (which I'll post later).

Later as I was driving home, I was happy that I had listened to the quiet whisperings that I heard. I know that as I take time to recognize and follow these whisperings, I will be blessed and so will the rest of my family.

All this made me think about how I am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My life has been blessed more than words can say by my membership in such a wonderful church. I will never ever deny my beliefs or the feelings I have about the Church.

Eat! Move! Play!

2010-04-15T19:47:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me well can tell you how much I love Good Morning America (or GMA as us true friends like to call it). My love for GMA is so intense that everytime I am in NYC, I have to walk by the studio...even though I know no one is there. Last September my friends and I were in the studio audience and words can't describe how giddy I was...it was really sad!!

Anyway, today on GMA, they had a pediatrician who wrote a book with the help of Weight Watchers called "Eat! Move! Play!". The book is all about helping your kids make healthy decisions when it comes to food. As soon as I saw the segment, I knew that I needed to buy the book. I headed to my local bookstore and picked it up.

I haven't gotten too far into the book yet (it's been a busy day) but as I was reading the introduction, something struck a nerve with me. There was a study done on girls 5-11 and they found that girls who came from families where the mothers and fathers ate too much and engaged in little physical activity had a greater increase in body mass index and body fat by age 11 that those girls whose parents had healthier diet and excercise habits. The researchers concluded that "The enviroment that parents create, by way of their own dietary and physical activity behaviors may have a lasting negative effect on the children's weight trajectories and their emerging obesity risk behaviors, such as their dietary patterns."

When I read this, I was blown away. I guess when I really think about this, I have always known this to be true. If your kids see you eating a huge bowl of ice cream, they are going to want to have a huge bowl of ice cream as well. At the same time, if children see you eating nice healthy foods, they will want to eat the same thing.

The more I think about this concept, the more convinced I am that I need to get myself in shape and start eating the right foods. I have been trying my hardest to get into shape and I really hope that my kids see that I am working out and eating right. Of course maybe I need to actually talk to them about it rather than hoping that they see it.

For anyone who watches Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC, I would like to start a food revolution of my own with my family. I hope this book will help me do just that. I definitely plan to do the things that the book suggests and even try out a few of the recipes on my family
As I read this book further, I will definitely post my thoughts on the blog.

Time for a happy dance!

2010-04-15T10:19:00.002-04:00

I've been very open about my weight loss journey here on the blog. I haven't posted much about it lately because the weight loss has been non existant and I have been too depressed to blog about it.

Well today, I got some great news at my monthly weigh in at the gym. I am down 5 1/2 pounds!!! I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be down that much!!! I have been working hard and trying my best to stay away from junk food (sometimes you just need to give in though). I go to the gym at least 3 times a week (more if I can) and work out for an hour and a half to two hours.

Words cannot describe the pure excitement I feel right now!!! When I got home, I ran into the house to tell Mike the good news!! I'm on cloud 9 nine right now and have the motivation I need to get the rest of my weight off!!!

June is just around the corner but so is a healthier, leaner Patti!!!!

Funny Jacob Story

2010-04-14T11:59:00.003-04:00

As I was writting about signing Jacob up for Kindergarten, I was reminded of something funny that he did last week.

Early Friday morning as I came downstairs to do my hair, I entered the bathroom and saw the mustard sitting on the bathroom sink. Immediately I knew that Jacob was the culprit. Luckily he was up so I entered his room and asked him why the mustard was in the bathroom. He got a big smile on his face and proceeded to tell me that he used it to brush his teeth the night before. At first I didn't believe him but knowing him the way I do, I wouldn't put it past him to do something so silly!

This is just one of the many, many, silly things Jacob has done and said around our house. If he grows up to be a comedian, I won't be the slightest bit surprised...he loves to make people laugh!!!

My Boy

2010-04-14T11:39:00.003-04:00

This week I registered Jacob for Kindergarten. I can't believe that he is going to be 5 in 2 short months!! As excited as I am for him to go to Kindergarten, I can't help but be a little sad. He is my little man and we have a lot of fun together. He is always doing or saying something that makes me smile. I know that he will do great in Kindergarten and people will love him as much as I do but I will still miss him like crazy. It's just hard to believe that my youngest is headed off to school!!

Definitive Right and Wrong?

2010-04-13T12:06:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking about something that recently happened in my life lately and it caused me to ask myself if there always has to be a definitive right and wrong way to do things? Without going into much detail, there was a topic that I was passionate about and someone I know was passionate about the same topic but their view was different than mine. We ended up getting into a heated argument about it and not only were feelings hurt but I think damage was done to the relationship as well.

I decided to take a step back from the situation and looked at it from both points of view. I decided that just because I felt strongly about the topic from my point of view didn't mean that the other person's point of view was wrong. Both sides have plenty of pros and cons...it just all depends on how you choose to look at it. Both of us feel strongly about our opinions and it's wrong for us to get upset with the other person because we don't agree with each other.

In the end, I think it is important to look at all things from all angles. It's fine to have a constructive disagreement but when feelings get hurt and relationships get damaged, no good will ever come. I hope the next time I have strong feelings about something that oppose someone else's opinion on the same topic, I will remember to take a step back and consider both sides. The world would be a better place if we could all remember to do that (at least I think so)!

Recognize this book?

2010-04-13T07:56:00.003-04:00

I don't know if you recognize this book but I sure do. I remember seeing this book when I was young and learned about Greek Mythology. I wasn't very interested in it and so I don't think I ever really took the time to read it.

I mention this book because Madison has taken a huge interest in Greek mythology. It all started when the movie "Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief"came out. She really wanted to see the movie but I told her that if she really wanted to see the movie, she had to read the book first. She read the book in 3 days. Mike and I held true to our word and took her to see it. She loved the movie but liked the book better.

She has gone on to read all the other Percy Jackson books but is waiting to read the last one until it comes out in paperback in June (I may need to check it out from the library for her before then). She loves the series. I don't think I have seen her read this much ever!!

Now that she has read the Percy Jackson books, she has developed this huge interest in Greek Mythology. She reads as much about it as she can. All the books she checks out from the media center at school have to do with mythology.

The child has always amazed me and she has amazed me once again. I love that she is not your typical girly girl. She loves things that most girls don't and her recent interest is the perfect example.The thing I find most amusing is that Kyla is starting to learn about Greek mythology at school. I wonder if the 2 of them will start discussing mythology with each other??? It sure would be nice if they did.

It warms my heart to see that she is developing her own interests and doesn't care what others think. She is definitely her own person and really enjoys discovering the world around her. She truly is an amazing child!!

Small and Simple Things

2010-04-13T07:33:00.003-04:00

The girls love the Spring time...not only because they get to play outside but because they know there is a better chance of me walking to school to pick them up which in turn means they get to walk home. They love walking home and were ecstatic when I picked them up yesterday and told them we would be walking home.

On the way home, I loved watching them look at all the trees and flowers. They picked out trees that had white bark instead of brown and asked why some trees had white bark (the only answer I could come up with is that Heavenly Father wanted it that way). They looked at all the Forsythias and commented on how pretty they were. They say the pretty tulips and were excited by the thought that we will have tulips of our own soon. Madison saw a tulip that had two colors...it was so pretty we decided to stop and look at it more closely.

Madison also commented on how we need to take care of the earth. She said that if we take care of the earth, it will stay pretty. As we were talking about this, we saw the wind blow a grocery bag past us. We both commented on how sad it is to see litter strewn all over and how we need to make sure that we don't add to the litter.

We also talked about their day at school. It was fun to hear that Emmi's day was fun except for math and that Madison's day was pretty unexciting...as usual (her words, not mine). They even pulled out their books and started reading them as we walked.

The walk home was great as we talked about the beauty that surrounds us. I really enjoyed myself and realized that it's the small and simple things that make life worth living.

Neat Quote

2010-04-12T13:53:00.003-04:00

At the gym I go to, there is a white board that has the following quote written on it:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore, is not an act but a habit."

I feel a bit empowered when I read that quote. Of course at the gym, they want you to think about it in a way that relates to your health and working out. But it works in all areas of life. If we want to attain certain things in our lives, we have to work at them constantly...if we do, those things will become habits and eventually we will reach our goals and achieve the excellence we desire.

I think I need to print this quote onto a large sheet of paper and hang it in a place that I will see it daily so I can remember to always be working to form healthy positive habits that will help me become the person I want to be.

Online Chore Chart

2010-04-12T13:15:00.004-04:00

Today as I was checking my email, I found an email that had a link to a free online chore chart. I am always looking for ways to get my kids help with the chores around the house so I thought this might be worth trying out. I'm sure the kids will love logging in and checking off their chores as they do them. I don't know if this is the thing that will get them to start helping around the house but I am more than willing to try it out and see if it works!!! I'll let you all know how it goes :)

13 Articles of Faith

2010-04-11T21:53:00.002-04:00

The girls and I have decided that we need to work harder at memorizing the 13 Articles of Faith...especially since Kyla will be 12 in a couple months and it would be great if she knew all 13 of them when she goes in for her interview with the Bishop.

In my never ending quest to make things more complicated, I started searching the internet for ways to help us all memorize (or rememorize) them. The best way I can think of is to write down the first letter of each word and hopefully that will help them. A couple other ways I thought of was to have the listen to the primary songs and help them learn them through songs. The final way is as we memorize them, block out words on the chart we have hanging and see if we can remember the words that have been blocked out.

So, those are the ways I can think of. If there is anyone out there that has any other ideas that helped your family and would help us, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Mercy

2010-04-11T21:06:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, our family was asked to speak in Sacrament. The topic we were given was that of mercy. I based my talk on the importance of showing mercy to others. As much as I would like to post my talk here, I won't do that because it was rather long. Instead, I thought I would share a few things I learned while preparing my talk and maybe even include a couple quotes.

As I was preparing my talk, I realized how important mercy is in our lives. Of course we need to have Heavenly Father's mercy but we also need so show mercy to others...even if they don't deserve it. As I thought about this important topic, I couldn't help but think about how many times in my life I have had the opportunity to show mercy to other people. The next question I asked myself was "Did I show mercy to people in those times?" Sadly, I don't think I did and I feel badly about that.

Elder Lance B. Wickman said that "Mercy is the product of His divine charity-the "pure love of Christ". He also said that "Mercy is extended not because it is earned, not because it is just, but because it is rooted in love, even the pure love of Christ." He also said that "Mercy means learning to love others more than we love ourselves. It guides us to turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and render to others more than they justly deserve--because we love them."

Heavenly Father shows that same mercy to us. We don't always deserve His mercy but he gives it to us because He loves us and he wants us to be happy. Our goal while we are here on earth is to become more like our Father in Heaven. One way we can become more like him is to show mercy to those who don't necessarily deserve it.

Since my talk, I haven't been the best at remembering to show mercy to others daily like I should but every once in a while I will think about it and ask myself if I am being merciful to people. It's been a good way to keep myself in check.

I closed my talk by quoting President Hinckley who said "Let us be more merciful. Let us get the arrogance out of our lives, the conceit, the egotism. Let us be more compassionate, gentler, filled with forebearance and patience and a greater measure of respect for one another. In so doing, our very example will cause others to be more merciful, and we shall have greater claim upon the mercy of God who in His love will be generous toward us."

My testimony grew so much over the week and a half that I prepared my talk. I am so thankful that I was able to prepare a talk on such an important topic. I'm even more thankful for all that I learned while I prepared my talk. My desire to show mercy to others has increased so much and I have found that I am much happier when I do show mercy.

Happy Easter...a week late!!

2010-04-10T14:20:00.005-04:00

I know it's a week late but I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We had a nice quiet Easter at the Read house. The Easter Bunny visited us and then we had an Easter Egg hunt in the backyard followed by an afternoon of watching conference on TV. It was laid back and we loved every minute of it.

p.s. The picture above was drawn on the sidewalk by Emmi. It greeted everyone who walked by our house last week.

Is it April already?

2010-04-10T14:00:00.002-04:00

If you are like me, you are shocked that it is already April. I swear, each year seems to go by quicker and quicker!!! April has proven to be a busy month for us...hence the lack of blog posts! We have been busy with Easter, school events, dance, planning our summer vacation and other things. I have been trying my best to take as many pictures as possible so I can post them when I get a few minutes. I am hoping to be able to find some time today and tomorrow to post some recent pictures and update the world as to what is going on in the Read Clan.

Triple Chocolate Bliss Cake

2010-03-28T16:00:00.005-04:00

Thursday night we had a Relief Society event at church. I volunteered to make dessert. Only thing is that I didn't make just one...I made three. I didn't get pictures of the other two because I forgot and they weren't as pretty as this one. Everyone who tried it loved it. I don't blame them...it was really good!! I'm too lazy to write out the recipe so if you want it, click here.

Emmi's school party and dinner with friends

2010-03-28T15:29:00.011-04:00

On Emmi's actual birthday, I took cupcakes into her class for her birthday. I wish I could say that I made them but the school will only let us bring in food that has been store bought so that kind of ruins all the fun. I love going into Emmi's class because her teacher is super nice and the kids are awesome!!! Everyone loved the cupcakes and it was fun to hear them sing songs and just play. I think if I were a teacher I would want to be a 1st grade teacher because the kids are so sweet at that age.

After school, Emmi had dance but after dance, we met some good friends at "Friendly's". The kids all sat in their own booth and the adults sat at a table nearby. We had a lot of fun and didn't get home from dinner until 9:30.

I think all in all, she had a great week long birthday (including her party at Chuck E. Cheese)!!
Here are just a few pics that I took:

LOVE the colors of the cupcakes.

Her classmates are singing "Happy Birthday" to her.

Me serving the cupcakes.

She really liked her cupcake.

The whole class (or at least part of it) enjoying their snack.

The kids in Emmi's class LOVE Jacob!

Emmi and her friend Noelia.

Told you they love him!!

Dinner with our friends!!

Emmi's Chuck E. Cheese Party

2010-03-28T14:49:00.002-04:00

Chuck E. Cheese recently opened near the mall in our town. Emmi begged and pleaded to have her birthday party there. Being the mom I am, I decided to be nice and let her have it there. She was so excited to go and celebrate her birthday with her friends from school, dance, and church. She got to dance with Chuck E. Cheese and even got a crown that had tokens in it. On the way home, she said it was the best birthday ever. I'm glad that I was able to help make her special day so much fun.

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Rainbow Cupcakes

2010-03-28T14:14:00.007-04:00

On Saint Patrick's Day, I decided to surprise the girls and make some rainbow cupcakes for dessert. I got the idea here. Mine didn't turn out quite like the ones in the picture but the kids really liked them regardless. They looked more like a tie dye cupcake but they were still really cool. It was a fun project and the girls think we need to do this every year. I'll have to think about that one :)

Jacob helped me mix the colors for the layers. He had a lot of fun doing this!

The finished colors ready to be put into cupcake liners and baked.

Fresh out of the oven. I was a little sad that they didn't turn out exactly as I had planned but I got over it quickly.

The cupcake topped with Cool Whip...I really liked the cupcake liner...it looked cool to me!!

The inside of the cupcake...looks yummy doesn't it?

My Birthday

2010-03-28T13:28:00.008-04:00

Earlier this month, I celebrated my birthday. Mike and I agreed that my Vegas trip last month counted as my birthday so I didn't get any presents. For some odd reason, I was a bit depressed on my b

irthday. I'm not really sure why I was depressed but I was...until I got a few special visitors that day...all of whom were totally unexpected.

The first surprise was my visiting teaching companion who brought me over some apple cider donut holes. I was so happy that she took the time to think of me. I'm sure she had no idea that I was having a rough day but she totally perked me up.

About an hour or so after my companion left, I got 2 more surprise visitors. This time it was the Relief Society president and one of her counselors who is a good friend of mine. I had missed church the day before and they knew something was up so they brought over a cake and balloons for me. My day got even better after that.

Then Mike came home with a cake for me (which was a total surprise). We also decided to go to my favorite restaurant...the Cheesecake Factory. We took the kids with us and had a lot of fun. The best part of the night for me was when Jacob was trying to tell the waiter that it was my birthday. He kept saying it so quietly so no one could hear him and he kept getting so sad. Finally, he spoke up and was so proud of himself when they heard him. It was really sweet and I loved the fact that he did it. The waiter ended up bringing out my dessert and sang happy birthday. The kids had a blast seeing that.

What started out being a miserable day ended up being absolutely wonderful thanks to my amazing friends and family!!! I have the best friends and family a person can ask for!!! Can't wait to see what next year brings!!!

The balloons and cake the R.S. president and her counselor brought over. The cake was AMAZING!!! I totally need to get this recipe!!!

The cake Mike got for me. It was so good...it was a vanilla cake with strawberry filling...yum-o!!!

My dessert at "Cheesecake Factory". If I remember correctly, it was Dutch Apple Caramel Struesel cheesecake. It was so yummy!!!

The card Madison made me. It was so sweet!!! It says:

"Dear Mommy,

Happy birthday!! You are the best mom in the whole wide world!!

I love you so much! I hope you have a great time.

You are filled with love for me. I love it when you say "I love you"

then I would say back "I love you too."

Love, Madison

A few of my favorite things about Spring

2010-03-28T11:31:00.005-04:00

When I was out taking pictures of the girls, I was thinking about my favorite things about Spring. I took a few pictures and figured that this post might be a 2 or 3 part post because there are a lot of things I like about Spring and I just haven't been able to take pictures of them yet.

Here are just a few of my favorite things about Spring:

I LOVE hearing the kids in our neighborhood outside playing!!

I LOVE to hear the athletes at Immaculate High School outside practicing (this happens ever Spring and Fall).

I LOVE to see the drawings the kids make using their sidewalk chalk.

And finally, I LOVE to see the kids toys laying outside...as long as they put them away at the end of the day. (BTW, this is one of my favorite pictures that I have taken...I was trying to be a bit artistic).

Stay tunned...there may be a part 2 in the future!!!

Fun Pictures

2010-03-28T10:38:00.011-04:00

As soon as it was nice enough to go outside and play, the girls pulled out their scooters they got for Christmas and had a blast riding them. I decided to pull out my camera and practice taking some pictures. I've been trying to learn how to use my camera and I fear that I am far from learning all that I need to know but I do have a lot of fun experimenting!!

I told Madison not to look at me because I wanted it to be a candid shot. I think it turned out cute.

This one is a total candid shot.

Kyla loves to pose for pictures!!

Emmi hard at play!!!

They love their scooters!!!

She's a cute kid!!!

Relaxing after a hard day of school.

It's been a while

2010-03-28T09:58:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything on the blog. I've really wanted to post stuff but we have been so busy in the Read household that I really haven't had time to download pictures and post them. Of course now that we are at the end of the month, I feel that I need to find some time to post about all that has been going on. So, I am going to spend the next few hours here at my computer loading pictures and posting all about our crazy month. Hope you enjoy reading all about our fun filled month!!!

Special K Challenge Day 1

2010-03-22T20:35:00.004-04:00

In my never endinging quest to loose my weight, I decided to do the Special K challenge. Basically, what you do is eat some sort of Special K product for 2 meals a day and have Special K snacks in between your meals. I think I need these strict guidelines to get the weight off. So I decided to post my food intake here every day in the hopes that I will be accountable for what I am eating and doing. Today was a bit stressful so I didn't stick to the challenge really at all. But, since I am all about full disclosure, here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: Special K Strawberry Protein Bar
Lunch: Special K Chocolate Protein Shake, large banana
Snack: Canned chicken mixed with Mrs. Dash and miracle whip
Dinner: Special K Cereal with strawberries and skim milk
Dessert: Girl Scout Tagalong cookie, 6 pieces of candy.

See, I didn't do that good today but tomorrow is a new day and I will do better. I want this weight off more than anything so I am getting back on track tomorrow and plan to do much better with my eating.

When I weighed in on Friday, I believe I was 161.2 (or something close to that). Hopefully when I weigh in this week, I will see some sort of a loss!!!

Still Depressed and still motivated

2010-03-19T10:35:00.002-04:00

This morning was my first official weigh in since I decided to get serious about loosing weight last week. I was a bit disappointed to find out that I have lost absolutely nothing this week!! I know I should be an opptimist and tell myself that at least I didn't gain but I'm still a bit saddened. Depressed as I may be, I am still motivated to get this weight off by the end of June. It may not be easy but I really want to reach this goal. So, come Sunday, I am starting fresh and hopefully at my next weigh in, I will see a bit of a change in my weight. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Depressed and Motivated

2010-03-09T18:05:00.002-05:00

It was a little over a month ago that I decided to go back to the gym in the hopes of getting my butt (and the rest of my body) back in shape. I've been going 3 times a week for the past month and feeling better about myself.

I have to weigh in every 4 weeks and today was my day to weigh in. I knew that I wouldn't do too well as far as the weight was concerned because I haven't been paying attention to what I was eating. I did however have high hopes for the rest of my measurements. I've been working hard and felt like there was some improvement in my arms at the very least.

Sadly, I was highly disappointed. My weight stayed the same but my measurements stayed the same as well(some even went up a tiny bit). I was so sad...to the point where I was almost in tears. Like I said earlier, I have been working so hard but clearly not hard enough.

So, I have decided to turn this depression into motivation. I want to loose 20 pounds before I go to Utah this summer and I am totally going to achieve that goal. I need to loose a little less than a pound and a half each week to make my goal by the end of June. It will be tough but I have the motivation to get it done. And of course, I will be using my handy dandy blog to share my successes and challenges with everyone.

I can't wait to get this weight off and be more comfortable in my own skin again. It will great to get back into my skinny clothes again. This is a journey I have made many times before but I am confident that this time, it's going to work!!!

Wish me luck!!!

Spring is FINALLY here (hopefully)

2010-03-08T16:15:00.002-05:00

Today is the 3rd day in a row where we have had sunny skies and somewhat warm weather. It's been awesome to be able to send the kids outside to play and get some fresh air. I love the sound of kids playing outside as well as the sight of them riding their bikes and running with each other. It's been nice not having to wear super heavy winter coats. There are so many things I love about the Spring (hmmm, I think I just got an idea for a new blog post)...and I am so glad that it is finally starting to show it's pretty little face!!!

Too honest?

2010-03-08T15:57:00.003-05:00

Today at the gym, I saw an old friend who I haven't seen in about a year. It was great to see her and catch up with her. As we were talking, she mentioned how she enjoys reading my blog because (I'm gonna paraphrase here because I don't remember her exact words) I am so honest in my posts and I put it all out there. When she told me that, I was relieved because all too often, I wonder if I am doing harm by putting myself out there and explaining how I feel about life. I was comforted and reassured that what I am doing is fine. Sure there may be people who don't agree with me but that's okay because it's our differences that make us who we are.

When I started this blog a few years ago, it was mainly meant to serve as a way for family and friends to see what our family is up to and to share pictures. As the years have passed, I have found that this is one place that I can come and write down my true feelings about life that tend to get bottled up. It's been a bit cathartic for me. Maybe a public blog isn't the best way to go about this but it's worked for me. I have a small hope that maybe someone out there who is struggling like me will read this blog and take comfort knowing that they are not alone.

I hope that friend knows how much her comments meant to me and how grateful I am that she took the time to share them with me.

I want/need this bag!!!

2010-03-06T16:21:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine posted a link on facebook the other day for these incredible camera bags. They are from a company called Epiphanie. They are super cute and super stylish. Only problem is that they are a bit more than I can afford right now. Maybe I can save up some money and buy one some day. But, for the time being, it will just be a dream of mine to get one. I am a firm believer that dreams can and do come true!!

Yummy Dinner

2010-03-06T15:49:00.003-05:00

The other night Madison came home from school asking if we could make something for dinner that they had for lunch. She said they had ham, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches. When she told me what it was, I was more than willing to try our own version of it. We bought everything we needed and headed home to make our dinner. I decided to toast the bagels a bit and put butter on them. While we were doing that, I fried up some eggs. Once all that was done, it was time to assemble them. We put on the egg, ham and american cheese. Once they were finished, we put them in the oven for a few minutes so the cheese could melt. They turned out so good!!! We will definitely be making these again in the future!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

2010-03-02T11:51:00.004-05:00

In case you didn't know, today is Ted Geisel's birthday (aka Dr. Seuss). If you have a chance, be sure to gather your kids and visit this great website. It's lots of fun for the kids!!

We're all onions

2010-03-01T18:22:00.002-05:00

As you may or may not remember, about a week or so ago, I had a post about outward appearances. After I wrote the post, I talked to my mom and mentioned my post to her. Before I knew it, we started talking about experiences that I have had in my life and how they have made me the person I am today. Some of these experiences are things that I would never want anyone to go through and others are ones that I wish everyone could experience. I find it interesting to look at those experiences and try to figure out how they have helped forge the person I am today. As my mom and I were talking about this, a scene from the movie "Shrek" kept creeping into my head...you know the one where Shrek is telling donkey how ogres are like onions. It got me thinking that humans are all like onions as well. We have many layers and they aren't always as visible as the outside. Some of our layers are sweet (I'm thinking Vidalia onions here) and some are not so sweet and some even make us cry. Regardless, they make us who we are. Because I liked that scene from Shrek so much, I looked it up on youtube and decided to post it here. After I found the scene I was looking for, I saw another video that I got a kick out of so I thought I would post it here as well. It goes right in hand with the whole onion theme. Hope you enjoy it!!

How we spent our snow day

2010-02-28T18:05:00.006-05:00

Shortly after the girls found out there was a snow day, they decided to make a tent. The tent literally took all day to build because they kept changing how they wanted it or because Jacob kept taking it down. It was crazy but the kids had a good time and didn't fight too much so I was all for that!! A couple of the kids even ended up sleeping in the tent. The snow day ended up being quite fun!

Yet another snow storm!!!

2010-02-28T18:03:00.002-05:00

This comes as no surprise to us but we had yet another snow day this past Friday. The kids got to stay home from school and have fun playing inside. Hopefully this is the last snow day we have for the rest of this school year!!!

Our house covered in more snow (yes, I'm a little late in taking down our Christmas decorations). Cute isn't it?

Vegas Pictures

2010-02-28T17:48:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to making a slideshow of my trip to Las Vegas. Seeing the pictures makes me want to go back and see more and take more pictures. It was so much fun!!!

photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

The girl loves her milk!!

2010-02-28T16:10:00.003-05:00

Emmi LOVES her milk. She probably goes through more milk that anyone else in the family. She won't drink plain white milk...it has to be strawberry. The other thing is that she has to have a "big" cup with a lid and straw. Once all this criteria is met, she sits on the couch and drinks it while she twirls her hair. It is the cutest thing!!

This made me laugh

2010-02-28T16:04:00.003-05:00

The other night after the kids went to bed, I was walking by our small end table when I looked down and saw Dora hanging from the table. I don't know why, but the sight of Dora hanging just made me laugh. Being the crazy person I am, I took a picture of it. The sad thing is that even now when I look at the picture, I can't help but giggle.

Madison's Snowman

2010-02-28T15:43:00.005-05:00

So I've decided that it in an effort to keep as much of the kids' artwork as possible but to eliminate the clutter, I would start taking pictures of their artwork and either post here for the world to see or maybe one day make a scrapbook for them with all the pictures.

Having said that, here is a snowman that Madison made at school before Christmas. She wrote an acrostic poem for the word winter. I think she did a great job on it and I am very proud of her! It says:

Wind blows cold snow in my face and freezing air is all around

I love to play outside in the cold, sparkling snow.

Now Christmas is near so we hang up our big colorful stockings.

Time to get green trees to decorate for Christmas.

Evergreens get white with snow, but still they are green.

Rudolph comes with Santa. Ho Ho Ho!

Emmi's Math

2010-02-26T11:59:00.003-05:00

I saw this hanging on the wall in Emmi's classroom and was so excited when she brought it home. I love that her teacher incorporated math and drawing into one lesson. I also love that her teacher took a picture of her working on her assignment.

They do love eachother!!!

2010-02-25T15:23:00.003-05:00

Tuesday was a snow day for the kids which means they got to stay home from school. On one of the rare occasions where they were getting along and having fun with each other, they all decided to pile on top of Kyla. I loved watching them laugh and have a good time with each other. Makes me feel like I might not be doing too bad a job after all.

Outward Appearances

2010-02-25T12:26:00.002-05:00

I'm sure we all know someone who we see at church or school (or any other various social situations) that seem to have the perfect life. They always look really nice, are really active in their childrens' schools, love their church callings. They have the perfect marriage, their children are well behaved. Everything about them just seems so perfect. But then, when we look deeper, we see that all those things are what the people want us to see...we can't see the house that is a mess, the yelling and screaming that goes on, the sadness the person feels on a daily basis.

As much as I hate to say it, I am one of these people. I put on this front that my life is perfect and without problems. I do my best to make people see the person I want to be or the person they think I am or even worse, the person I think they want me to be.

People are amazed at everything I do. They are impressed with how nice my kids look (at times), or how crafty I am, how nice I am, and a myriad of other things. When I try to tell them the truth (such as the fight I had 10 minutes beforehand with my child as to what she should wear or that my craftiness comes at the cost of a clean house or time spent with my children), they just laugh it off.

If people could be a fly on the wall in my house, they would be shocked to find out that there are so many things wrong in my life. They would be surprised to find out how much I struggle with my calling at church, or how much I yell, or the lack of time we spend doing things as a family. They would also see how horrible my self esteem is and how I am always trying to measure up to other people. They would also see that we don't read the scriptures and pray as a family daily. And of course they would see the constant fighting that goes on between my children. Finally, they would see my stong desire to change all these things but the lack of confidence in myself to change them.

On the flip side, they would see the loyal friend I am as well as my desire to serve others and make them happy. They would see how I want to be outgoing and open but am too guarded to do it. They would see my intense desire to learn new things and make new friends.

Now maybe by saying all this, I am being way too open and maybe people don't want to see that side of me so they choose to put blinders up and just see the person they want to see. Of course maybe I have created the Perfect Patti persona as a way to hide what I really feel and what is really going on in my life for fear that if people saw me for the person I really am, they wouldn't like me.

Whatever the reason for me having this outward appearance is, sometimes I just wish that someone would see me for who I really am and love and accept me inspite of all those not so perfect things about me.

To be honest, I don't know why this post has taken the turn it has. Originally I planned it to be about something different but it took a turn and once that turn was taken, there was no looking back. If anyone gets anything out of this post, I would like it to be that we need to stop seeing and judging people by their outward appearances. We all do ourselves a huge injustice when we don't take the time to get to know people for who they are on the inside as well as the outside. This is a lesson that I need to learn just as much as anyone else.

Great Parenting Blog

2010-02-23T17:58:00.002-05:00

The other day, I came across a great parenting blog called Asking Jane. The lady who writes the blog is an LDS mother with 11 children. As I have read her posts, I have gotten some great ideas that I hope will help me be a better mother to my 4 children. I love that she is LDS because there are very few places out there that incorporate the mormon beliefs into disciplining your children (or maybe they are and I have yet to come across them). I'm sure that I will be referring to this blog many, many times (and maybe even ask a question or 30) because I need all the parenting help I can get!!

Crazy Weather

2010-02-23T17:44:00.002-05:00

We are having some crazy weather here in the Northeast. Today we have seen rain, sleet, and snow. It's nuts!! This morning, the snow was falling and it was beautiful. My friend described it perfectly when she said it was snowing cotton batting. The snowflakes were HUGE!!! I went outside to take pictures of it but the pictures just don't do justice to the snow. It was amazing!!

GALS Club

2010-02-23T12:41:00.003-05:00

Kyla is involved in an afterschool program called the GALS Club (I can't remember what the letters stand for). GALS club is basically a group for girls in middle school and they learn about all kinds of things from leadership skills to self esteem and everything inbetween. On Sunday, the girls entered a chili cook off that was help at our local Ice Arena. The theme of their booth was the Oscars. Some of the girls dressed up really nice and the decorations they used were amazing. The chili was pretty good too. At the end of the event, awards were handed out and I am proud to say that GALS club got 2 awards. The first was for the most entertaining booth (or something like that) and the second was 2nd place in the non profit group (second place included a check for $300). Us adults were so proud of these girls for all the hard work they put into planning this. It was great for them to be rewarded for all their hard work. It was a great day!!!

Curly haired girls

2010-02-23T12:02:00.008-05:00

Saturday night, Kyla asked me to put curlers in her hair because she had an event on Sunday that she had to look nice for. When Emmi realized what was going on, she wanted me to curl her hair as well. The pictures below are what their hair looked like after we took out the curlers and
did their hair. Both girls looked really cute!!

Emmi's Wild Thing

2010-02-23T10:42:00.004-05:00

The other day in art, there was a substitute teacher who had the kids make their own wild things. The picture below is Emmi's wild thing. I love how colorful it is. I think she did a great job and I am very proud of her for being so creative!

Valentine from Jacob

2010-02-23T10:41:00.003-05:00

Valentine's weekend, Jacob brought home the sweetest valentine. I love that I got a box of chocolates that were calorie free...best kind you can get!! I love the valentine he gave me and plan to cherish it forever!!

Crazy Boy

2010-02-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

This boy makes me laugh like no one else I have ever met before!! One minute, he is super crazy, running around the house dancing and being a goofball...the next, he is the sweetest thing in the world saying things like "Does someone need a hug?"

The things Jacob says makes me laugh, smile and everything else. I really need to start writing down the things he says because he comes up with some zingers. At any rate, I love my boy dearly and I am so glad he is my mine!!

Miss you Dad

2010-02-18T16:06:00.001-05:00

This week marks 7 years since my dad passed away. The sad thing is that I didn't even realize this until last week when I was in Las Vegas. While I was there, I got a friend request on Facebook from my dad's son. I accepted the request and was looking though his pictures. As I was looking through them, I saw a picture of my dad. I haven't seen a picture of my dad in years and I immediately got all teary eyed and remembered the importance of this week.

I have such great memories of my dad. He was an amazing man and did whatever he could for his children. He always put his family before anything else. He was the best dad a person could ask for!

One thing I remember the most about him was his love of golf. I never really understood this love because to me, golf was (and still is) quite boring. But, he not only loved to watch it on TV but he also loved to play it. There were a few times growing up that he would take me to the golfing range with him and we would hit balls. I remember when he got a new set of clubs, he kept an old putter so that I could go hit balls with him. That simple gesture meant so much to me!

The other day on facebook I mentioned how I was thinking of and missing my dad. I was so impressed with what nice things people had to say about him. Everyone has such fond memories of him and thought he was a great man. To me, hearing other people's memories is a huge comfort to me. I hope the people who left comments on my wall don't mind if I put them here on the blog. They just meant so much to me and I thought it would be great to have them written somewhere so I'll never forget them. What better place to put them than here on the blog so everyone can see what a great dad I had.

"Seven years. Oh my goodness. Mike and I think of him many times. Especially when we see a Fuddruckers. He took his Fuddruckers hat right off his head and gave it to Mike because Mike commented that he liked the hat but at the time had no idea what it meant."

"Your father was a wonderful man. When I was in YW and your mother was at the same time, I remember having many activities at your house. Your father always welcomed everyone into your house. He also was fun at Camp Richie."

My dad was a great man...not just in my eyes but in the eyes of everyone who knew him. He was loved so much. I miss him like crazy but I know that one day I will get to see him again and that knowledge gives me more comfort than I could ever ask for!

Mike's Valentine Present

2010-02-16T21:24:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love to make fun valentines for the kids and their classmates. I also like to do something nice for Mike. This year, I was going to get some Godiva chocolates for him but just couldn't justify spending so much money on chocolate. I was talking to a good friend of mine when she mentioned that her sister had a tutorial for making a box out of chocolate bars. As soon as I heard that, I knew I had to make it. What better gift to give a chocoholic than a box made out of chocolate. If you want the tutorial, you can get it here.
I don't think my box turned out at good as it could have but it wasn't the worst thing ever either. Mike chuckled when he saw it but I think he thought it was pretty clever.

The finished product.

Thought I would fill the chocolate box with more chocolate...

Hershey Miniatures...Mike's favorite.

Snowstorm

2010-02-16T21:23:00.005-05:00

Tuesday we had a snowstorm here in the East. I think this snow storm was meant to make up for the lack of snow we recieved the previous week. School had a 90 minute delay but as the day progressed, it was obvious that the storm was getting worse. We ended up shoveling the sidewalk 3 times that day. It was crazy!! I love the snow...especially when I can stay inside in my nice warm pajamas. I did venture outside and take a few pictures of how pretty everything looked covered in snow. It really is kind of magical and exciting...even if driving in it totally stinks!!!

Madison the artist

2010-02-16T21:21:00.003-05:00

Madison LOVES to draw. She is becoming quite good at it too. She must get it from Mike's side of the family because I have no artistic ability whatsoever and I know that Mike's mom used to be an amazing artist. The other day, she printed out a picture of a fox from the computer and proceeded to draw the fox freehand. Below is the result of her finished picture. I thought it looked pretty good. She did color it in later but I never got to get a picture of it because she gave it to her art teacher. I hope she liked it as much as I did!

Little Footprints

2010-02-16T21:19:00.007-05:00

After a recent snow storm, I went out to get the mail and saw these little footprints in the snow. I have no clue what animal they belong to but I thought they were awfully cute so I decided to take a picture of them. If anyone knows what animal they belong to, please let us know...we would love to know what kind of visitors we had :)

Emmi's 100 Days of School Project

2010-02-16T21:19:00.006-05:00

This week Emmi celebrated the hundredth day of school in her classroom. Everyone had to make a project with 100 items on it. When we were talking about what she could do for her project, she mentioned that she could do 100 hearts since it was so close to Valentine's Day. I thought that was a great idea...especially since I have a heart punch. We then decided to cut a piece of posterboard into a big heart. The project turned out really cute.

Valentines

2010-02-16T20:11:00.007-05:00

Being my usual nutty self, I decided to go overboard once again with the kids' valentines. Every year I say that I am going to do something simple but then I see some really cute idea and I have to do it. Crazy I know. Of course this year was crazier than normal seeing that I was trying to get ready for my trip to Vegas. Then just a few days before I was scheduled to leave, I found this great idea for the teacher gifts and knew that I had to do it. I found the tutorial at

Sarah's blog. I don't know her but I love her ideas. Here is my version of the box:

I think they turned out really cute. Best of all the teachers really liked them too!!

All wrapped up and ready to give out. I bought the ribbon before I decided to make the boxes...love how perfectly the paper and ribbon matched!!

These are the Valentines we made for the kids' classmates. I got the idea from Stampin' Up! I think they turned out really cute. Best part is that the girls were able to help me make them.

The girls and I working hard on the Valentines. We had a lot to get done in an extremely short amount to time (thanks to good old procrastination).

I'm Baaaaack!!!

2010-02-15T22:17:00.003-05:00

The last time I posted, I was in Vegas feeling a bit sorry for myself. Well, after that post, I totally changed my ways and ended up having an incredible weekend!!!

After breakfast on Friday, I went out and did a little exploring. I needed some band aids so I found a grocery store within walking distance that I was able to go to. On the way back, I found one of my favorite clothing stores so I decided to stop in and do some shopping. I bought a few really cute outfits...one of which I ended up wearing to the wedding reception.

Once I got back to the hotel, I called and made an appointment for a manicure and pedicure. I have never had a pedicure before so it was fun to pamper myself a bit. I have this really wierd thing about feet so pedicures have always turned me off. Of course now that I have had one, I hope to go back and get more in the future (I'm sure Mike will be less than thrilled to hear that).

After my trip to the spa, I ran into the bride's family and hung out with them the rest of the day. I haven't seen the bride since before she got engaged so it was nice to spend some time with her and hear all about the wedding plans.

Saturday afternoon was the day of the wedding and reception. The wedding was at the Las Vegas temple. The ceremony was amazing!! The sealer was the same person who designed the Vegas temple which was pretty cool. The best part of the ceremony for me was watching how the groom never took his eyes off the bride. It was completely obvious that he loves the girl he was about to marry.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom came out all decked out in their wedding outfits. The bride looked amazing!!! She has always been a pretty girl but she looked even more pretty. It was so neat to see them knowing they had just been sealed to each other for time and eternity. I couldn't help but think back to the day that Mike and I were married and how happy the 2 of us were.

The reception was held later that day at this amazing country club in Las Vegas. The country club had an amazing view of Las Vegas. Inside the reception hall, everything was simply beautiful. The centerpieces were amazing. The food wasn't half bad either. We had ceasar salad, beef tenderloin, chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Instead of the traditional wedding cake, they had cupcakes that tasted like cinnamon rolls. Words cannot describe how nice the entire evening was.

After the reception, we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready to head to the strip. We didn't spend a lot of time there because we had kids with us and the Vegas strip is no place for children. I wish I had been able to spend more time there though because everything was insane. I have never in my life seen anything like it! The fountain at the Bellagio hotel was amazing as was the inside of the Venetian hotel. I really want to go back one day and finish exploring all the hotels that are on the strip.

I did get a few pictures but I haven't had a chance to upload them to the computer yet. As soon as I do, I promise to post a few of them here.

In the end, I had an amazing time and believe it or not, I learned a lot about myself...especially that first day where I was all alone. I do have a couple regrets though...the first being that Mike wasn't with me and the second being that I wasn't able to take more pictures (just didn't have the time). I hope that one day, Mike and I will be able to go back and do some more exploring...I'm sure he'll be just as amazing by everything as I was.

Greetings from Las Vegas

2010-02-12T12:43:00.001-05:00

As you may or may not know, I am currently in Las Vegas attending the wedding of a good friend who is getting married in the Las Vegas temple.

I have been here less than 24 hours and I have already learned something about myself...I really, really don't like being all alone. This is something I known for years but never truely experienced until yesterday. You would think that I would be so excited to have a weekend all to myself without anyone crying or tattling. While I do enjoy that part, the part I really miss is the companionship. There is no one to talk to,go explore with or even eat with. Sadly, I find myself not wantin to leave my hotel room because there's no one to go do stuff with. Pretty sad don't ya think? I am in one of the coolest hotels I have ever been to and all I want to do is stay on my room.

So, I have decided that I need to change my attitude and get myself out if my little comfort zone. I plan to make today count! I am going to do a little bit of shopping, maybe get a pedicure (never had one) and do a little exploring. I don't want to leave here on Sunday wishing I had done more. I want this trip to be a fun memory...not a depressing one.

The next time I post something on the blog, it will be about the great time I am having here!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Great Lesson in Relief Society today

2010-02-07T21:17:00.001-05:00

Today we had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society. The teacher talked about the Young Women values of Divine Nature and Individual Worth. These are two values that I have struggled with my whole life. It's always been hard for me to find these things in my self. I've never thought of myself as divine or having worth. I have had the worst self esteem for as long as I can remember.

I thought that once I grew up that self esteem would no longer be an issue but sadly it is. Every day I struggle with the thought of whether I'm good enough or not. Often times, I don't feel like I measure up to what people think I should be. In my heart, I know that I am totally fine and am liked for the person I am but my head just doesn't agree. I feel like in order for me to like myself, I have to be liked others. My whole self esteem is based on what others think of me (or what I think they think of me). All these things cause me to believe that I still have horrible self esteem.

The teacher encouraged us to pick out one of the requirements in both of these values and complete them. As I have looked through the requirements, I see a lot of things that I would like to work on so I think I am going to pick more than one and work on them. I'm sure that as I strive to work on these values and really truely understand what it means to have Divine Nature and Individual Worth, I will gain these qualities and hopefully my self esteem will grow.

I'm so thankful for the lesson today. By the end of it, it was in tears...I couldn't even get through the closing hymn (it was "Nearer my God to Thee")because as I said earlier, this is something I have struggled with my whole life. I love knowing that I always have the opportunity in the church to learn and relearn things. Heavenly Father knows that we aren't going to learn everything the first time so he gives us lots and lots of chances to relearn things.

I will definitely post what I learn about myself as I take on this challenge to discover my Divine Nature and Individual Worth. It should be exciting!!

Great Activity Days Activity

2010-02-07T19:17:00.003-05:00

As you may or may not know, I am one of the Activity Days leaders in my ward at church. This past week, it was my turn to bein hard of the activity. Our theme this month is Service. I did a bit of research and found out about the Ronald McDonald House. I asked a friend of mine (who isn't a member of the church) to come and help the girls make cards that we can donate to Ronald McDonald. She said yes and we had such a great time. The girls really enjoyed making the cards and I really enjoyed watching and teaching them that not only is service extremely important but you can also have fun while you are doing it.

I also asked the girls and their families to bring things that we could donate to Ronald McDonald house. In a couple weeks, I am going to get a few of the girls to go with me to take the cards we made and the stuff they donated up to the Ronald McDonald house. I really hope that when this experience is all done, the girls will have gained a testimony of the importance of service.

I think the best part of the night for me was talking to my friend about the church and just briefly skimming what we believe in and how we do things in our church. It was a great experience for both of us and she really enjoyed learning a bit about our church. She was so impressed with the girls and the little bit that I told her about our church. She even said that she would love to come back and do more things with the girls.

I've never been good at being a member missionary but on Tuesday night, I realized that what I did, is being a missionary. I invited a nonmember friend to a church activity. I told her a little bit about the church and what we believe in. Of course there are other things I can do to be a missionary but I certainly think that I am off to a good start.

I am so glad that we had a great activity and that I had the opportunity to be a missionary...even if it was in a small little way!!!

2010-02-07T18:48:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago the girls got out of school early due to a snow storm that we had. Mike and I end up making a snowman. It was a very cute snowman but as the days passed, we noticed that the snowman was leaning a bit. The other day I went out to take a few pictures of him. I swear that the pictures below have not been tampered with at all. This is exactly how he looked. It was crazy!!!

The picture just doesn't do justice to how much he was leaning.

The poor thing even lost an eye.

As I was walking into the house, I heard a crunch. I turned around and this is what I found. Nothing more sad than a dead snowman!!!

4th Day in a Row

2010-02-04T11:28:00.002-05:00

Today was my 4th day in a row of going to the gym. Let me tell you, it felt FABULOUS!!!! I didn't realize how much I had missed to gym (or my friends at the gym) until I went back. I was there for an hour and a half today. In that time, I did my 30 minute circut training, 30 minutes with the hula hoop and then the last 30 minutes I spent working my abs and legs. I feel great!!!! It feels really good to get back into the swing of things and know that I am doing something good for myself. I can't wait to go back next week and workout some more (I can't believe I just said that).

One of the things I like that most about my gym are the women. There are women there from all walks of life. Some are older than me, some are younger, but it is a great enviroment. Even if you don't know someone when you walk in, you instantly become friends. It's awesome!! The best part is that as you get to know these women, you miss them when they are not there and you find yourself hoping they are okay. In turn, they do the same thing with you. These are a great group of women and I am so glad that I am back with them and renewing our friendships!

Gettin' back to the gym

2010-02-01T12:51:00.002-05:00

Last week I decided that after not going to the gym in almost a year, I needed to get off my butt and go back. I LOVE the gym I go to but for one reason or another, I just haven't gone in a long time. I have had lots of excuses for not going but all those excuses stopped working when I realized that I weigh as much (if not more) than I did a year ago.

I went to the gym today and the reception I got was amazing!! One of my good friends (who I haven't seen in months) gave me the biggest, best hug I have ever gotten (sorry Mike). It was so good to see her again. We spent our whole workout catching up. Everyone else was excited and happy to see me as well. It was so good to see everyone and workout.

I wish I could have done more that the 30 minute circuit training but I had to get home and get ready for a baby shower. Regardless, it was great to get back on the workout bandwagon and take the first step toward improving my overall health. I can't wait to go back tomorrow and workout again (hopefully a longer workout tomorrow).

Checkin' In on the New Year's Goals

2010-01-31T22:41:00.002-05:00

So here we are at the end of January. Man this month has flown by!! Today I was thinking about the New Year's goals I set at the beginning of the month and I am proud to say that I am doing well on about 2 1/2 of them.

We are having dinner at the table almost every night. Friday and Saturday nights we either eat pizza in the front room or eat out so those don't count. But for the most part, we do have dinner every night as a family at the table. It is a great thing that is bringing us closer as a family. I really enjoy sitting at the table and listening to the kids talk about their day and about their best and worst of the day. I admit there are days when I wonder what am I thinking by doing this because the kids are driving me nuts but at the end of the day, it is all worth it!! We are developing a closer bond with each other by developing this important ritual.

The other thing we are doing is more family time. I am trying my best to stay off the computer at night and spend time with them. I think having dinner as a family is also aiding in this goal. I love watching my kids play with each other and enjoy it even more when they want to play a game with me or go outside and play in the snow. The time I spend with them is the most important time I can spend on anything.

The thing that I consider the half part is my desire to loose weight. I have my good weeks as well as my bad weeks. Last week I decided that working out at home isn't working for me so I am going to get my rear back into the gym and start working out there again. I haven't been to the gym in almost a year so it's time for me to make the time to go back and get my butt back in shape.

Here's looking forward to February and continuing with my goals and becoming a better wife, person and mother!!!

Adoption

2010-01-31T22:09:00.002-05:00

Today we had a combined priesthood and relief society meeting for the 3rd hour of church. There was a couple from a ward in our stake that came to talk to us about adoption. In a nutshell, the meeting was about how we should council anyone we meet that gets pregnant out of wedlock. The couple that spoke to us has adopted 3 children so they were the perfect people to talk to us.

During their presentation, we watched a video about adoption and how it affects families. It also shared some statistics about birth mothers and the children they put up for adoption. During the video, there was a section where a few teenagers spoke about thier experiences of being adopted. It really made me reflect on the way I felt when I was that age dealing with the knowledge that I was adopted. These teenagers were so smart and had good heads on their shoulders. It made me wish that I had been able to think that clearly when I was that age.

After the presentation, I went up and introduced myself to the people and told them my story. The woman told me that she knows that I was loved by my birth mother and that it must have been very hard for her to give me up. I told her that I know that now that I am an adult. I also said that I am so thankful that she gave me up because I had the opportunity to be raised by two amazing people who have been the best parents I could ever ask for.

I have been thinking a lot about the whole adoption thing today. I did meet my biological mother when I was pregnant with Emmi but at the time chose to not have a relationship with her after that because I just wasn't comfortable with the whole situation (it didn't help that my dad passed away just a few months later).

I got a letter from her a few years ago telling me that she thinks of me every day and that she hopes that one day, we will be able to have a relationship. I never responded just because I didn't know how to. I hope that one day, I will know how to respond and that if it feels right, I will make an attempt to get in touch with her and have a relationship with her. I don't think I want the traditional mother daughter relationship but I might be willing to have one based on a friendship. This is something I had not thought of until today.

Anyway, I am so thankful for the presentation we had today because it reminded me how blessed I was to be adopted by such loving people who raised me to be the person I am today. I am thankful for all the people (both biological and adopted) who helped me get where I am today. Adoption is an amazing thing and I feel fortunate to be a product of it.

Sleepy Kitty

2010-01-31T22:02:00.004-05:00

The other day I walked into the kitchen and this is what I found:

This cat will sleep anywhere he pleases in the house. He doesn't care if it inconviences the rest of us or not. It's kind of funny. He's crazy just like the rest of us!!

Conversion Stories

2010-01-31T21:01:00.002-05:00

Today in Sacrament Meeting, the missionaries spoke to us. One of the missionaries is from France and he is going home on Thursday. For part of his talk, he told us his parents conversion stories. He mentioned how the missionaries that stopped at his mom's house for a drink when she was 16 or how the Bishop's wife that befriended his dad never could have known that these 2 people would end up joining the church and have 2 children that would serve missions.

As I listened to his talk, I thought of my own parents conversion story. It is probably one of my favorite stories. When my sister was a little girl (around the age of 3 I believe), the doctors thought she might have Leukemia. Some friends of theirs who were members of the church hears about this and asked them if they would mind if the missionaries came over to their house and gave my sister a blessing. Of course, my parents said yes. Within a few days of receiving the blessing, my parents got a call from the doctor saying that all the tests they had taken on my sister came back negative for Leukemia. My parents were amazed and started taking the missionary discussions.

I don't know what the time frame was as far as how long it was before they joined the church (I really should find that out) but they did join the church and our family has been blessed because of their decision.

I think of all the things that would have never happened if they hadn't joined the church. For one thing, I don't think I would ever have been blessed to have them as parents. From there, we would have never been moved to Utah and I would have never moved to Connecticut where I met my wonderful husband. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be the person I am today had my parents not joined the church.

My parents have spent their lives living the Gospel the best they could and have been extremely faithful members. My dad's greatest regret in life was that he was not able to serve a full time mission. I admire that about him. He was an amazing example to me...both of my parents are.

Just like those people in the missionaries stories had no idea what would happen to the people who they helped convert, there is no way that the people who helped bring my parents into the church could have ever imagined how they would help the future generations of the Abernathy family.

I am so proud of my families heritage and I am also so thankful to the people who introduced my parents to the church and to the missionaries who baptized them. If I could find a way to thank them personally, I would but for now, I guess writing it here on the blog will have to be good enough. My life has been blessed immensely because of these people and I will be eternally grateful to them for having a hand in bringing my family into the Church.

Pudding Mustache Boy

2010-01-31T19:55:00.002-05:00

When Jacob eats pudding, he really gets into it!! He is such a cute little boy and he has a very handsome smile (even with pudding all over his mouth).

Fellowshipping Others

2010-01-31T19:26:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago in Sacrament Meeting, a member of the ward spoke on the importance of fellow shipping our fellow church members. He mentioned how he always appreciates it when people come up to him at church and take the time to ask how he is doing. He said he always feels bad because he doesn't do things like that nearly as often as he should. He went on to talk about some other things (which I can't remember because it has been a couple weeks).

As I was sitting there listening to his talk, I thought to myself "People rarely come up to me at church and ask me how I am doing. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about." But as soon as those thoughts entered my mind, another thought entered. The thought was "How often do you ask people how they are? You are feeling sorry for yourself and being extremely hypocritical. You can't expect people to do things for you if you aren't willing to do them for others."

I kept thinking about how I need to step out of my comfort zone and make time to get to know those around me. I tend to keep to myself for fear of people not liking me or thinking I'm good enough. I have been my own worst enemy. By being this way, I have lost out on a lot of good friendships that may be too late to develop now. That is so sad.

So, now I have a new resolve to go out and be the nice, friendly, outgoing person I want to be. I want to show people that I care about them and miss them when they aren't around. I plan to go to more social events. Even if I don't talk much to anyone, the simple fact that I am out of the house making an effort will be a huge thing for me.

I never want to feel sorry for myself again. I want to be the best person I can so that the next time I hear a talk like this, I can say that I am one of those people that goes out of my way to sincerely ask people how they are and cares about all those around me whether they are good friends or not.

Fun in the Snow

2010-01-31T17:23:00.002-05:00

On Thursday we had a crazy snow storm that caused the kids to have an emergency early dismissal. Once the kids got home from school, we decided to take advantage of the extra time at home and play in the snow. The kids had a fun time sledding down the little hill on the side of our house. Mike and I tried to get the kids to build a snowman but they weren't interested so the two of us ended up doing it. It was a great afternoon and we all had lots of fun in the snow.

The girls on the sled.

Mike working hard on the snowman.

Jacob loved the snowman!!!

I think she turned out pretty cute!!

What I've been up to

2010-01-24T19:40:00.002-05:00

There is a girl in my ward (who I have known for years) that is getting married next month in the Las Vegas temple next month. My husband was sweet enough to let me go out for the wedding by myself. I was trying to think of a good wedding gift for her when I got the great idea to make a cookbook for her.

For the past few weeks, I have been trying to collect as many recipes from people in the ward as possible to put in this cookbook. As I've been getting the recipes, I've been trying to make some of them and take pictures of the finished product. This has not been an easy task seeing that I'm not a photographer at all. I probably take 5 or 6 pictures of the same exact thing before I get it just the way I want.

This has been a fun process as I have been able to practice my photography skills as well as trying out new recipes on my extremely picky family.

I am still working on the cookbook but once I get it done and have more time, I will post some pictures that I have taken. I just hope the cookbook turns out somewhat decent. I can't imagine anything worse than putting all that time and effort into the cookbook only to have it turn out a complete and total mess!!

Little Feet

2010-01-24T19:00:00.003-05:00

The other day it was raining and I had to go outside for some reason (probably to get the mail). Jacob insisted on coming out with me even though he had no shoes on. As he ran back into the house, I saw his cute little footprint on the floor and ran inside to grab my camera. I can't help but smile when I see this footprint.

Jacob's footprint 4 1/2 years old

January 2010

Jacob's new do

2010-01-24T18:54:00.004-05:00

Jacob is becoming such a big boy. This past week, he decided that he wanted his hair to be "spikey". I found some gel and put it in his hair and made it nice and spikey for him. It's funny because every time I go to do his hair, he always asks if I am using "boy gel". I assure him it is and then he is happy. I wonder what he would do if I said it was "girl gel"?

My handsome little boy. This isn't the greatest picture of him but it's the best I could get at the time.

Happy 9th birthday Madison!!!

2010-01-24T18:14:00.003-05:00

This past week, we celebrated Madison's birthday. It's hard to believe that she is already 9 years old. Where does the time go?

She really wanted to have a birthday party at the new Chuck E. Cheese that is opening up not far from us but since it's not open yet, she said she might be willing to wait until it opens and have her party then. Hopefully it opens soon!!

We did celebrate at home though. She had a cake and got some fun presents. Everything was a surprise to her though. She had no clue that I had bought her a cake or even presents. It was really fun to see the expression on her face when she saw the cake and presents...totally made my day!!!

Littlest Pet Shop cake that we got for Madison.

Yep, she was that excited and surprised to get a cake.

What a great picture!!!

Just a couple of the presents she got for her birthday.

So long old friend

2010-01-18T09:13:00.006-05:00

Saturday marked the end of an era at the Read household. We have had the same washer and dryer for the 10 plus years that we have lived in our house. But lately our dryer has been acting up and making some wierd noises so we decided it was time to get a new washer and dryer. After doing some research, Mike found out that our washer and dryer are potentially 26 years old. What's even more impressive is that the original owners of our house bought the washer and dryer(our house is about 56 years old). These appliances have served 3 families well. So we bid a fond farewell to our old faithful friends. Thank you for aiding us in getting our clothes clean for so many years. You have served us well and you will be missed!!

Out with the old .....

...and in with the new!! Here is a look at the new washer and dryer we bought. They are pretty cool, Mike is having a blast washing clothes. He really seems to enjoy sitting downstairs and watching the wash cycle.

My Little Artists

2010-01-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

The other day I went into Jacob's room to find that he had drawn all over his wall. I wasn't too happy about this but that didn't stop me from taking a picture. It looks like there may be a couple letters on his wall so maybe he was trying to practice writting his letters?

This whole thing made me think of another artist that we have in our house. A couple years ago when Emmi was learning how to write her name, she tagged a lot of things in our house. One of those things was a nick nack rack that we have as you enter the house. She literally carved her name into the wood (because she pressed so hard) and it is still there if you know where to look. I didn't take a picture if it when it originally happened so I decided to do it this time...you know to save it for posterity!!

Gotta love my little artists!!!!

Fitness Friday ~ Week 2

2010-01-15T08:34:00.003-05:00

So today I weighed in on my little Wii Fit and it said that I now weigh 157.4 which means that I lost 1.8 pounds this week. I am so happy!! That means that I have lost a total of 6.8 pounds in 2 weeks!!! WOOOHOOO!!!! I know it could have been more but this was a crazy week and I didn't drink as much water as I should nor did I eat as well as I did last week. But that's okay because I still lost some weight and I know that things will be better next week.

Looking forward to this next week and the great things that will come out of it!!

Jacob is Nice

2010-01-14T21:35:00.002-05:00

The other morning I came downstairs after getting ready for the day and this is what I found on my white board.

Madison and Emmi drew this cute picture of Jacob. It made me smile and I knew that I had to take a picture of it.

Jacob writes his name

2010-01-14T21:10:00.003-05:00

Jacob has been learning how to write his name. He was so excited to show me how he does it the other day on our white board. He has is down pretty good...just needs a little help working on his "b".

Life is a gift

2010-01-12T09:22:00.004-05:00

Today started out as any other day. The alarm went off at 6 am, I crawled out of bed, put on my workout clothes and went downstairs to work out for a bit. By the time I was done, Kyla had woken up for school and was busy getting ready. I headed upstairs to take a shower but before I left, I told Kyla that in case she left for school before I came down, I loved her and hoped she had a good day. Off the 2 of us went doing what we needed to do for the day.

I got out of the shower, came downstairs to finish getting ready when at 7:30, we got a phone call from an unknown wireless caller. I don't normally answer the phone at that time in the morning unless I recognize the number. I decided to answer it and was glad I did because the person at the other end of the phone told me that Kyla had slipped on the bus and that while she was okay, they wanted me to come see her. I had to have them repeat it because I wasn't really sure what was happening. They told me again and said they were at the end of the street at the bus stop. Of course they reiterated that she was okay.

I decided to drive the car down (even though it was at the end of the street) and in hind sight I am glad I did because as I drove to the bottom of the hill, all I could see were police cars, ambulances and I want to say a fire truck (don't quote me on that). I didn't even see the bus until after I got out of the car and started walking. My immediate thought was "All these emergency vehicles for Kyla?

As I got closer to the scene, a police officer asked if I was the mom and of course I said I was. I don't know at what point I found out that Kyla hadn't slipped on the bus but hit by a car instead. The woman who hit her was visibly shaken and I was shocked to hear that Kyla would run out in front of a car like that. I felt bad for the lady and gave her a hug although I don't know if that made her feel better or not.

The police officer took me over to the bus where I saw Kyla sitting on the steps inside the bus. There was a paramedic there who told me what happened. He said that Kyla looked okay but that he would take her to the hospital if I felt there was a need. Kyla said she was fine and the paramedic agreed with her...from what he could see, she wasn't in pain or anything like that. She didn't hit her head and luckily the lady that hit her was going slow. I told Kyla that she could go on to school but if she had any pain at all...no matter how small, she needed to go see the nurse and I would pick her up if I needed to.

It sounds like Kyla saw the bus coming and started crossing the street when a lady came around the corner (slowly, thankfully) and hit her. Kyla got hit on the upper right thigh and even went on the lady's hood. Kyla said that she didn't see the car coming because she was thinking about getting on the bus. The bus had put on their flashing lights but not the stop sign yet so I don't know if the lady didn't see the bus or if she felt she didn't need to stop because there was no sign.
It's funny because Kyla was more concerned about getting perfect attendance than she was about any pain that she might be in. All the paramedics and police officers there thought that was pretty funny because like me, they would have been the ones wanting to go to the hospital just so they could skip school.

As I got in the car and drove home, I couldn't help but start crying because I thought about what could have happened in that split second. Kyla could have been injured so much worse than she was...heck, she could have been killed. That thought scares me so much.

I realized a lot of things today. The first and most important thing being that life is truly a gift from our Father in Heaven. Each day we have on this earth is another gift that he gives us. We don't know how long we will be here for. How sad would it be for us to throw those days away as if they don't mean anything? We need to take the time and make each and every moment of our lives count.

I also realized that all the arguements that Kyla and I have don't mean a thing at the end of the day. What does matter is what kind of relationship we have with eachother. I think of those mornings where we argue right before she heads off to school. What if today had been one of those mornings? What if she had gotten seriously injured? I would have felt so guilty. I don't want another day to go by where I don't give her (or the other kids) a hug and tell them how much I love them. She and her siblings are the most important things in my life and I am so grateful to have them.

I know that Heavenly Father was watching over Kyla today and I am so thankful for that. I'm thankful that he didn't feel it was her time to leave this earth yet. I'm thankful for the knowledge I have of the Gospel and the peace that it brings to me and my family. A friend who stopped by to see how Kyla was feeling told me that we must be living right. I hadn't thought of it that way. I figured that he just choose to give our family an incredible blessing today (and maybe teach me a thing or two) Whatever the reason, I am glad he gave us this second chance or glimpse or whatever you choose to call it. I am also glad that she is okay. Today's incident could have been so much worse than it was and I'm just so happy and relieved that it ended the way it did.

So tonight as you do your nightly routine...whether it be bathing the kids, reading them stories, helping them get in their pajamas or whatever, be sure to give them and extra hug and thank Heavenly Father for blessing your life with these special children because this life truly is a gift. You know I'll be doing that exact thing.

Jacob and Jacob

2010-01-11T21:54:00.003-05:00

For Christmas, Santa brought Jacob a Webkinz monkey. Jacob fell in love with his monkey right away. He even went so far as to name it Jacob. He sleeps with the monkey every night. It is so cute!! I love that he has a little friend that he cares so much about.

Snuggling up to Jacob as he sleeps.

I love this picture!!

New Years Eve Revisited

2010-01-10T18:57:00.004-05:00

Today I was going through my pictures and found that I never posted pictures from New Year's Eve. We had a great New Years. We invited our good friends The Davis' over (it's become a yearly tradition). We have lots of yummy food and spend the night playing Rock Band and other video games. Everyone had a great time. We couldn't think of a better way to ring in the New Year.

Just some of the yummy food that we had. Wish I had taken pictures of the other food.

Even Bear the dog got celebrated with us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Chronicles of Narnia

2010-01-09T17:30:00.002-05:00

A few days ago Emmi and I were watching The Chronicles of Narnia on the Disney Channel. I don't know if you are familiar with the movie but if you are, you will remember the part where Edmund joins his siblings after having been a traitor. He is forgiven by everyone but then the White Witch shows up and tells Aslon that all traitors belong to her and she can do what she wants to with them (I'm totally paraphrasing here). Aslon makes a deal with the White Witch in which he will take Edmund's place and the White Witch and her minions can do what they want with him. They end up shearing his mane and then take his life.

As we were watching this Emmi was asking why all this was happening. I was explaining it to her and as I sat there explaining it, I realized that what Aslon did for Edmund wasn't much different than what Jesus Christ did for us. Jesus loved us all so much that he gave his life for us. To me that is the ultimate form of love.

I am thankful that I was able to share that moment with Emmi and explain it to her. I love being able to have little moments like that with my children

Fitness Friday ~ Week 1

2010-01-08T09:27:00.005-05:00

So here I am at the end of my first week of my diet. I ate right (or at least not as much as I have in the past, worked out twice this week (was sick one day and had delayed start at school the other days so 2 was all I got).

When I weighed in on Monday, I weighed 164.2. As of today, I weighed 159.2 which means that I have lost 5 pounds!!!! I am so excited and proud of myself!!! Just 19 pounds left to go. Of course I am a realist and know that once my body gets used to eating the way I have this week, I won't loose as much every week. There may be weeks that I stay the same or even go up. But with a week as successful as this one has been, I am determined now more than ever to keep up the hard work.

Tomorrow is my free day and while I plan to enjoy myself, I definitely won't go overboard. The last thing I want to do is to undo all the good I have done this week.

So here's to a good week and hopefully a few more like it!!!!

Dinner as a family

2010-01-07T12:36:00.004-05:00

One of my New Year's goals is to have more family time. Our schedules are so crazy between school, dance, work, and church that we rarely get good quality family time with each other. The one day we are all together is Sunday but one day just isn't enough. We try to do things as a family on Saturdays but that doesn't always work out. So, I decided that I needed to do something else to further our family time.

Last night for the first time in months, we had dinner at the table. This may not seem like that big of a deal to most but it was for us because usually the kitchen table is full of craft projects, kids school papers, church stuff, mail...you name it, it's probably there.

I started setting the table and when Jacob and Emmi saw what I was doing, they immediately wanted to help out so I let them. They had so much fun putting out the silverware and cups. They even planned out where everyone was going to sit...they were great helpers.

All the kids were so excited to sit together as a family and eat without the disruption of the TV. We went around the table and talked about our highs and lows of the day. It was fun to hear what the kids had to say. They were also interested in hearing Mike's and my highs and lows. It was so nice to sit around the table talking and enjoying each other. There were no fights or negativity of any kind. I didn't have to raise my voice once (unless it was in laughter or just being silly)It was great...I wished I could have sat there all night just enjoying the good time we were having.

We had such a great time that we all decided we need to eat dinner at the table every night (or as often as we can). I look forward to many more dinners at the table with my family. I know that if we continue to do this, our family will grow closer and we will be blessed for taking time out of our busy schedules to have dinner together.

Great News!!

2010-01-06T08:25:00.002-05:00

I know that a lot of my posts lately have been all about my efforts to loose weight. But, right now, that is a huge part of my life so that's what my posts will be about...sorry!!!

Anyway, this morning was my second day of working out. I haven't been sleeping well so it was really hard to pull myself out of bed...but I did it. I got dressed, went downstairs and decided to weigh myself. I wasn't expecting much...a gain if anything. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I have lost 2.4 pounds since Monday. That made me feel so good and definitely gave me the motivation to keep eating right and working out.

In case you were wondering what I am doing to loose weight (and even if you aren't), here is what I am doing. Like most moms, my schedule is pretty crazy so eating right is not always the easiest thing for me to do. I'm also not a big lunch person...I would rather snack all afternoon than eat a sandwich or anything lunch like. (maybe why I have gained so much weight?). One of my favorite cereals is Kellogg's Special K with strawberries. I have a serving of that every morning usually with a fruit of some sort (just depends on what I have in the house). That usually holds me over until lunch. If it doesn't, I will try to grab a small piece of fruit or something like that. Once lunch hits, I usually have a Special K Protein Shake(can you tell I like Special K?) with another piece of fruit. A few hours later, I usually need a snack but again, I try to have a piece of fruit, cheese stick or something that is somewhat healthy. At dinner, I just make dinner as usual for the family. I try not to go overboard (not always easy for me). If I want something sweet, I will allow myself a couple pieces of candy and then I call it quits. I also give myself one free day a week. This is usually Saturday because Mike likes to eat out that day.

I know I am making this sound really easy but it's not. If it was, I would have lost all my weight a long time ago. This is what has worked for me in the past and I hope it works again this time. I will be 33 in March and I would love to be at least half way to my goal weight by then. What a great birthday present that would be for myself!!

Your Shape

2010-01-05T13:13:00.002-05:00

For anyone who doesn't know, our family has a Wii. We don't use it a ton but I have found that it is a great workout tool. We have bought a lot of the workout games that have come out for it. The newest game (or at least the newest one I am aware of) is called Your Shape. This game is different from other games because it comes with a camera. The camera sees your movements and tells you if you are doing the excercise right. This was the feature that intrigued me the most about the game.

I did some research on the game and found mixed reviews. One reviewer suggested getting it at Costco because of the ease of returning it if you didn't like it. I tend to be an optimist so I went with the positive reviews and headed over to Costco to pick up the game. Much to my surprise the game was on sale so I felt better about buying it.

I played with it for a few minutes when I first got it but with the kids being home for Christmas vacation, I didn't get to spend as much time with it as I wanted...until today.

I woke up this morning at 6:00, came downstairs and started my workout. I have to say that for the most part, I really like the game. The camera does get a little flaky at times and doesn't see your movements even if your are working your rear off to do them. But, I felt like I got a great workout(especially my arms...they were so sore). I definately plan to keep using this game to reach my weight loss goals.

So sad!!!

2010-01-04T10:09:00.003-05:00

One of my New Years goals is to loose weight. I am really excited to get back into shape and feel better about myself. I was all set ready to work out this morning and then I got the call at 6:00 this morning saying that there was a 90 minute delay and no morning pre-school. I was so sad when I heard this because this meant that with Jacob being home, there was no way that I was going to get my workout in.

I figured that I haven't weighed in for a long time so I would at least do that. Well, when I stood on the scale and saw how much I weighed, I really wanted to cry. I knew that I had gained some weight back but I didn't know that I had gained it all back and then some. I am so bummed out but at the same time, I have even more resolve to work my hardest to get this weight off.

A while back, Mike downloaded an app to my iPhone and his iTouch that at the time, I hated but now, I am really excited to use it. The app (for anyone interested) is called Lose it. You can set your goal weight, record your daily weight as well as keep a food journal, and record your exercise.

Basically what you do is record your current weight, your goal weight and how much you want to loose each week. It will then tell you how many calories you should consume a day to loose the weight. It even gives you a projected date as to when you should reach your goal. As you enter the food into your journal, it keeps track of how many calories you have consumed and how many you have left for the day. The food journal has a ton of foods in it's database as well as a lot of restaurants. There is even a section where you can enter your recipes and it will tell you how many calories are in the recipe. I haven't tried that feature yet but I plan to.

So here's to getting my weight off. I know I can do it...I just need to keep the eye on the prize and not give up!!!

New Years Resolutions....er... I mean goals

2010-01-03T15:16:00.004-05:00

Like most people, I make New Years resolutions. The only problem is that I really don't like the word resolution...not really sure why. I think maybe I heard a church talk about it one time or something like that...I can't remember. Anyway, I like to think of my resolutions as goals. These are goals that I really want to achieve and maybe by calling them goals, I have a better chance of attaining them.

I have been thinking a lot about what my New Year's goals would be. As I was thinking about them, I wanted to make sure that I didn't make so many goals and then up not following through with any of them because I just felt way too overwhelmed. I also wanted to make sure that the things I chose to improve in my life were things that really mean a lot to me and would make me a better person in the long run. There were also a few other things that came into play as I was making my decision but I won't go into those reasons right now.

So without further ado, here are the things I have chosen to work on this year:

Lose weight-I know everyone makes this goal and I made it last year and was doing great but then I fell off the wagon and gained it all back. I want to get back into shape and feel as good as I did last March.

De-clutter the house-I did a whole blog post about this yesterday so if you want more details, go check out the post before this one.

More family time-I had a lot of fun spending time with the family over the holidays. We didn't do all that I had hoped for but we still had a great time and I want to make sure that we continue to have fun with each other.

Eat dinner at the table-Our kitchen table is a huge pile of clutter...I can probably count on one hand how many times we have eaten on it I cleaned it off for New Years and I was amazed at how much the kids have enjoyed spending time at the table since then. I want to keep it clean so we can have nice family dinners with each other.

So there you have it, those are my goals for this year. I have a few other goals but I don't think I will post them here...at least not right now. I am eager to get started on these goals. I know that if I work hard, I will accomplish them and I will be a happier person in the long run.

Confessions of a Clutter bug

2010-01-02T17:32:00.003-05:00

I have a deep dark secret that you would never know unless you knew me really, really, really well. This secret is so big that I rarely invite people over for fear that I will be judged and or teased relentlessly once people find out my secret. This secret is something I have harboring for years. I am embarrassed by it and do my best to not bring it up ever to anyone. Having said that, I have decided that it is time for me to let this secret out and let the world know. I don't know why I am doing this...maybe it's because I need some accountability, maybe it's because I'm tired of carrying this secret on my shoulders, maybe there is the possibility of me helping someone else who is in the same situation. Whatever the reason, it is time for me to let it out. SO here goes nothing....

...I am a major clutter bug!!! I have been for years. I'm not talking about the kind of clutter that sits on the kitchen table...I'm talking about the kind of clutter that accumulates after 12 years of cleaning off your kitchen table. It has gotten so bad and it has stressed me out for years but every time I look at it, I get incredibly overwhelmed thinking about all that needs to be done and then I don't do anything about it. The other thing I'll do is start working on it but after 30 minutes, I get bored or distracted or the kids need me so the mess never gets worked on. The mess just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

The worst part is that my children have started using my problem to their advantage. Perfect example...Mike and I will ask them to clean their room...they get all upset with us and then say "Your room isn't clean." This bothers me more than I can even begin to say (because I know it's true) and I get all defensive. I am a horrible example to my children and if the saying "you lead by example" is true, I am doing a horrible job of leading my children. I need to show them that cleaning is not fun or easy but sometimes we have to do those things we don't want to in order to be happy.

So now that I have admitted to being a clutter bug, the question is What am I going to do about it? I have thought about this a lot and I have come up with a conclusion that may not be the best or the fastest for everyone but it is something that is doable and attainable for me. I have decided to spend 15-30 minutes a day working on the clutter. I know that this is a totally attainable goal for me. If I set a time limit, I won't feel overwhelmed and I won't get bored. Plus I will know there will be an end.

So that is just one of my goals for this year. I will post periodically and let you know how I am doing. I know this is a goal I can attain because it is something that I want more than most things. I look forward to the day that I will be able to come to the blog and say that I have a clutter free home!!

Wish me luck(I'll need it)!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T11:12:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that 2009 has ended and 2010 is here. When I look back at 2009, there are a lot of things I wish I could forget but there are also a lot of things I hope I never forget. I have made a lot of memories...ones that I will cherish for years to come.

I hope I never forget the lesson in forgiveness that I learned or the lesson of being a true friend. So many other lessons that I learned that will help me in the future. I just hope that I can help my children learn those same lessons through my example.

Some of my favorite memories celebrating Madison's wonderful baptism, our family trip to DisneyWorld, having my friends from Utah come visit me, my many visits to NYC...two of my favorites being spending 5 days there with my friends and taking the girls to see "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway. Other favorite memories include helping out at the girls school and dressing up as super heroes for Halloween. These are just a few of the memories from 2009 that I will always hold dear.

As we look forward to 2010, there are lots of memories that will be made like Kyla turning 12 and going into the Young Womens program at church. A month after she turns 12, she will get to go to Girls Camp for the first time. Jacob turns 5 this year which means he will start Kindergarten in the fall. Hopefully we will be able to take a trip to Utah and visit family. I can't wait for these memories and many others to happen. I know this will be a great year and I can't wait to see what all it holds in store for me and my family.

I hope that 2010 brings much happiness to all my friends and family. May 2010 bring you everything you want and deserve!!!