Under the pillow treasures

I went to make Claire's bed the other day and found these treasures under her pillow. I wonder how long she stays up at night after we tuck her in?

One End Zone to the Other

Here's Logan running from one end zone to the other last week. He was inches away from making the touchdown. They got it on the next down. His team won 26-13. He got in the car and said, "That was really cool when I ran all that way!" Yeah, it was!!

Twitch is in the House

Logan is thinking about being Twitch (from SYTYCD) for Halloween. I'm not sure where he found these classic glasses. Some adventure, I'm sure. I love the things kids do and think up. I played 'Eye Spy' with Claire today and it was so cute to hear her excitement when I'd guess the item she spied. She would shout, 'YES!' and throw her hands up, like I was the most brilliant Mom in the world.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to the concert of a great master pianist. After they were seated, the mother spotted an old friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

"When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered, to her horror, that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In disbelief, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

Then leaning over, he reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy.We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing Music.However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God may seem to call the equipped, but in truth, He equips the 'called'.

My Birthday

The Day began with sleeping in a bit and having my favorite breakfast...oatmeal with fresh raspberries! Yum! Then it was off to the Ortho doctor for Kathrine to get her real cast on. We made a little morning of it and shared a 'Juice it Up' before she went to school to get her cast signed by everyone.

In the afternoon I was delighted by visits from friends bearing flowers, gifts and a cake! I was touched by these women, some who I hardly know. The kids and I enjoy a leisurely afternoon together after school with NO HOMEWORK!!

Chris came home early and made a delicious dinner for everyone along with a homemade cake.

Mmmmm! Then we were off to see the Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA. The exterior of this building is amazing, the interior concert hall....just beautiful, and the musicians..... unbelievably talented. It was a memorable night!

We didn't get any photos because we thought we'd forgotten the camera at home, only to realize the next morning, it was in the backseat of the car! :( Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate. Thank you to my family members who made me feel special, I love you. I had a wonderful, wonderful day!

Strange FHE

Careful!!

This is an interesting story...from the last post you'll see that it's really Logan who spends the most time on his Razor, but in fairness, I forgot to mention the girls spend their share of time on the Razor's too. Not nearly as much as their brother, but they like to pull theirs out now and then, and Taylor uses hers almost everyday on the way to school. Last Friday, Taylor had quite a fall on the way to school and hurt her arm. She was able to move it and rotate it, so things looked good enough to send her to school. She arrived home from school saying her arm still hurt. I gave her some Advil and didn't hear anything else until Saturday afternoon. She complained of it aching again and a-g-a-i-n, (being the sensitive Mother I am) prescribed more Advil. She was happy....Sunday...same thing. More Advil. I begin to think...'if it's still hurting tomorrow, I'll take her to get x-rayed.' After school Monday...same thing. Achy arm. I gave her some Advil, whipped up an early dinner and took off with Taylor to the Urgent Care. The Urgent Care is about 2 minutes from my house. Right before I put the car in park, I received a desperate phone call from Kathrine, crying, saying she'd fell off the Razor and hurt her arm. What?? I thought....'no way', but if you know Kathrine, she's a pretty tough cookie and I could tell this was serious. I turned the car around, picked her and the other kids up. She looked green with pain. We drove back to the Urgent Care and I gave her some Advil too. We sat in the Urgent care for about an hour before they took us in and x-rayed both the girls. The verdict was Kathrine: broken wrist.....Taylor: perfectly healthy. I could tell Taylor was slightly bummed she wasn't getting a cast too. Can you believe that??? So, to finish off our strange FHE, we met up with Chris and went to Baskin Robbins for $1 scoop night!! I guess our Family Council night will have to wait until next week, we'll have to include a Razor Safety course!

Kathrine smiling through the pain. :)

Getting her soft cast on. We follow up with Ortho on Friday morning.

My two danger girls.

After School Activities

If Logan's not on his skateboard, he's on his Razor after school. These ramps are worth every penny we paid for them 2 years ago!! And, yes...he usually wears a helmet.

This is what Taylor does after school everyday. Homework, homework, and more homework. She does homework from 2:30pm to dinner, and from dinner to 8:30pm. We are headed to a parent teacher conference tomorrow to see what's up.

Best of EFY

I was lucky to take a bunch of girls to the Best of Especially for Youth over the weekend. The speakers were fantastic! I had such a great time getting to know new people, getting to know the girls better and I even ran into someone from my old ward. The speakers were followed by catering from "In-and-Out Burger" and that was followed up by one of the best talent shows I've ever seen. I was amazed at the talent in the stakes here. It was very fun. There was a dance after (which I heard was pretty great!), and for the girls not quite 14, a little party was thrown in their honor. We are loving our new ward and stake.

Audge & Soph's Visit

Audrey and Sophie came to visit us. Audrey was here to take Taylor out for her birthday date. They had a great time and I can't express enough what a great Aunt she is to my children. They adore her and Sophie! She was a trooper and hung out with Chris the two nights she was here. I was bummed, I had something both nights, but we made up for it during the days. We did the pool, Juice it up, the park, Pacific Whey, hard-core bike riding (well medium-core) and, one of my favorites....naps! We love having you here so close!!!

Patriots Day

The kids wore their red, white and blue in honor of Patriots Day last week. It was interesting to reflect on those awful events and hear all the questions the kids had. We had some good discussions and I was glad their schools made it a special day. I had a chance to talk to one of my friends who'd also been to New York and how it was really hard to fathom the gravity of the event until we'd visited ground zero. I hope we will continue to be protected and kept safe. That was a scary time in American History. It sounds cliche with all the politicians who over use it but, I truly hope God blesses America.

Girl's Night in Laguna

Last week my neighborhood friends threw a baby shower for Tina B. It was at this amazing place in Laguna Beach called 'The Rooftop.' It's a resturant right on the beach on (you guessed it) a roof. The view is incredible and the food was tasty. (Even though I didn't get a chance to eat enough!!!)
We had a great time celebrating Tina's up coming arrival of #4. She has 3 boys already, one that's become fast friends with Logan, and they are going to be surprised with #4 tomorrow. She is being induced in the morning and we can't wait to see if it's a girl. Brian and Tina say it would be just great if it's another boy, but we know down deep Tina's rooting for a baby girl! We'll keep you posted. :)

Homeschool Homies

My fears of homeschooling in a nut shell. This is funny! Don't forget to pause the music on my blog before you watch this.

The First Day of Preschool

Well, the day has come, my last little one is in preschool. She was dying to start school with the big kids, and now is her chance.

The first day was a 'get to know you' type of day. Claire and I met all the other kids and Mommies in our co-op. We both really enjoyed ourselves. These women are awesome and SUPER organized. I'm happy to be part of something done so well. I will be teaching Claire and her little classmates every 6 weeks. I'm excited to do this with her!

She asked me to stay with her while they played all the little games, and then when it time for free play...she turned to me and said, "You can leave now Mom." I was like, 'Hey...guess what...I get to stay all day today', and she responded, "But, I'm going to be playing with my friends." I was trying to hang on to every last minute, but I guess she was ready!

Flag-Football Starts

Good Game Bud!

1-0 Ravens

Name this Building

Carefree Fun

I think the title of this post speaks for it's self. (A little In-and-Out Burger set the mood for this fun afternoon)