Day 310

So sleepy today!  But it was a fun, sunny, day and I am thankful for the sunshine that I found.  Certain people can make you feel certain ways.  Sometimes you have to learn to adjust YOUR attitude in order to keep it light and happy.  I tried to find happy moments today and I did.  I am thankful for that.  I have learned so much in the last 310 days.  One of my most important lessons that I learned is even in the darkest of times.  Sometimes it is when you are in the most physical pain you have ever been, or you are reminded of times when you were in the most painful emotional situations.  It is so important to find those happy moments, write them down, and keep moving forward.  You have to take what you know and what you have learned from ALL of the painful experiences of life and use them for good....or else that pain that you felt was just that, pain, and not a lesson to be learned.

So today we went to my dad's work with my in-laws and the kids got to play on the kid side while my dad took my father in law over to play at the big kid side :-)  I am so proud of my parents.  They are such good examples to me of being kind to others that have not been kind to them.  They shared lunch with my in-laws today and we all had a really nice time.  It was a happy moment indeed to see us all together at one table eating chips and salsa.

We came home from a fun lunch and playing and Joel, Connor, and I took naps....it felt so good!  When we woke up, Joel went off to have a fun night of swimming and playing with my mother in law, David went off to go Go-Kart racing with his dad, and Connor and I stayed home and got to enjoy a night together.  I gave Connor a bubble bath, fed him dinner, read several stories, and put the little guy to bed.  It was a really fun night spending quality time with Connor and reading quietly. 

After I put Connor to bed, I made myself some popcorn and flipped through the channels and found a movie to watch.  After a while, I got sleepy, so I am ready for some snuggle time with my kitty cats and will probably be asleep before David gets home.

I hope everyone is having happy moments out there. Love what you do and do what you love :-) Have a good night all!

Day 309

Sunny day today!

We got up this morning and I got a lot accomplished by the end of the morning!  2 loads of laundry, the car packed and ready for the beach, and everyone dressed and sunscreened up!

We met up with my in-laws and headed over to Baby Beach in Dana Point.  What a fun place that is for the boys!  The weather was beautiful and the sand was soft.  The boys had fun building sand castles, playing in the water, and eating.  It was fun watching them do all of those things!

After nap time, we went out to dinner with my in-laws at a really nice restaurant and the boys ALMOST behaved...Connor needed a bit of an attitude adjustment due to his new favorite thing to do (spitting...UGH!)  but we had a nice time together and then ate some dessert by the bay.

Joel is spending the night at the hotel with my in-laws and we got to spend some nice one on one time with Connor.  Connor even snuggled with me in bed watching a kid's show tonight!  He went to bed without a peep....I think the day wore him out!

Well, I am off to get ready for bed and go to sleep!  Looking forward to the fun adventures tomorrow brings.  It was such a great day in the sun and I enjoyed every minute of the Sunshine that I was blessed with, by people and the weather!

Day 308

Kind of a blah day today, but had some happy moments or I wouldn't be able to blog!  SO,

My in-laws came into town tonight.  We had a nice time with them and we did a barbeque with hamburgers and sat around and talked.  It was a nice time and the kids were so excited to see their grandparents!

Work was good today and I had a really great day with one of my kiddos in particular.  He is a two year old with quite the attitude sometimes, but today he did a fabulous job and is talking a lot more now so yea!

After my morning shift at work today, I ran some errands and got to get a pedicure....I know have pink polka dotted toes and I am ready to strut my feed around the beach and pool this summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  I am loving all of the time I get to spend with the boys and it is extra nice today because today marks the last day I work in the morning, so happy moment for that!  I will get to spend every morning with my boys now and I can't think of a better way to start the day than at the breakfast table with Joel and Connor.  Have a good night all!

Day 307

Happy Tuesday all!

 A very busy day for us today, but lots of fun and happy moments!

• I dropped Joel off to be with Daddy at work today.  He got to hang out, play LOTS of computer games, eat lunch with David, and enjoy some time learning what physicists do!
• I took Connor with me and we enjoyed some time with my friend Lynn at the mall near where we used to live.  I always get so nostalgic when I go back there!  I have SO SO many happy memories there and it is fun to remember all of the good times we had before we moved to where we are now.  My friend and I ate at one of our favorite girly restaurants, had LOTS of girl talk, and walked around for a bit.  I found a store that had clothes for boys and REALLY good shirts that were 2.99 EACH!  It was an amazing time filled with happy moments and I always leave my friend sad that we don't see as much of one another as we wish we could.  Until next time!
• We got home and Connor took a really good nap while Joel went out to play with the neighborhood kids.  He met ANOTHER boy (I think we are up to about 7 that we know now) and he went to his house to play for a while.  Then he came home and said he had to wait until 6:30 to play laser tag with all the kids.  So sure enough, at 6:30, all of the kids re-grouped and headed out for an hour and a half of NON stop running and shooting these really cool laser tag guns with back packs strapped to them.  It was really nice going out and meeting new moms and talking with the moms in our community.  I am SO happy that Joel is meeting new people this year!  Last year when I was on the couch recovering from the latest surgery and he was at my mom's house, I used to wonder what it would be like for him to get out and play with other kids.  We are so blessed to live where we do where he can play every day.  This summer is going to be SO fun for all of those boys!

It was a fun but tiring day today.  Flaring in my hands and feet tonight.  I hope tomorrow brings more happy moments and that I can make it to tomorrow night for Mom's Night Out!  ALWAYS filled with happy moments!  Have a wonderful night all!

Day 306

Well, crazy busy day today!  I did so many errands, we never made it to the pool, but the kids had a good day and Joel got to go out and play with the neighborhood kids at the end of the day, so it ended well!

Just another crazy Monday morning today for us.  I didn't get to bed until really late last night thanks to our neighbors and some weird movie that they blasted through the walls.  So I woke up on the groggy side this morning.

Connor had speech therapy and then a speech evaluation out in another town so we did that and then had lunch at Round Table Pizza!  That was a lot of fun and then we went grocery shopping at the new Whole Foods Market.  I love that place!  I bought some chia seeds and brown flax seeds to add to my smoothies I drink for breakfast or dinner.  I also found a great recipe for some chia pudding that I can't wait to try...fun fun!

The boys had a fun time playing this evening and at about 4 o clock, I took off Connor's diaper, gated downstairs, and gave him a bunch of apple juice.  Well, he finally went poop, but no pee...3 hours later!  So we will keep at the potty training, but I was so happy for him that he finally figured out to go potty in the toilet!  I know it was a one time thing and it is going to take lots of practice like it did for Joel, but we are going in the right direction and it was a happy moment for all tonight!

My little boys are growing and that makes me happy.  Here is a photo from the photo shoot that the photographer took this weekend.  Makes me SO happy just looking at this photo so I want to post it as one of my happy moments for the day.  Have a good night all!

Dasy 305

Pretty good Sunday today.  Nice and relaxing and a stress free day that started off the week. 

Went to church, came home, and made a nice family lunch.  Well, I accidently added 1 and 3/4 cup milk to the muffin recipe instead of 3/4 cup milk lol, so I added a bit of Bisquick....they turned out very....um...wobbly?  But happy moment because the boys all ate em up so no one was complaining!

After lunch we all went down for some much needed naps (especially after getting home at midnight the night before!)

We woke up and went to dinner at a nice Hawaiin restaurant with my parents.  Then we went back to my parent's home and let the boys run a bit in the back yard.  Joel got to spend the night at their house so he was one happy kiddo!

It was a mellow day today, but still one with happy moments!  Looking forward to many things this coming week and can't wait for work tomorrow and some summer fun!

Day 304

Well, 10 min to midnight here so better get the blog of the day in!  SUCH an amazing and fun day today.

We started off the morning by packing up the car and going down to the University of San Diego.  Many many months ago, I won a silent auction to have our family's pictures taken.  Well, one month led into another of hospital visit, after surgery, after surgery....just read the blog and you get the picture lol.  SO, today was the first time we felt sure that there would be no more hospital visits and so off we went!  It was such a beautiful day on such a beautiful campus!  I can't wait to see how the pictures come out!  One truly wonderful moment was when the photographer gave us chalk and told us to write some words that were meaningful to us that represent all that we went through this past year.  She liked "survivors" and so we all got together and helped to write that, but we couldn't forget Daisy's mantra and our family's words that we have tried to live each say since last June: Find the Joy!  So we got to write those down as well.  Maybe Daisy got to be with us today as we were all happy and having a great time getting our pictures taken!  I even cried when it was over.  Tears of joy because we FINALLY got to capture happy moments on a camera to hang up in our home...so happy!

After the photo session, we headed over to Sea World and spent the day walking ALL over the place.  Joel and I got to ride the new rollercoaster.  He had me laughing so hard as, when the ride was over, he told me "ugh! I am NOT going on that until I am 18 years old, that ride is just TOO fast for me!" Such a cutie pie and dramatic kiddo all at the same time!  The boys had so much fun running around, and we saw several shows.  The last one was Shamu Rocks and then the fireworks.  Both boys passed out before we made it to the exit. 

It was truly a fun filled day today!  Lots of laughter and giggling.  I am SO sleepy, but I feel such a sense of contentment in today.  There were so many happy moments....looking forward to tomorrow and next week with all the happy moments to come!

Day 303

Happy Friday! 

We started off our morning by heading over to the local water park.  Most of our community AND neighboring community friends were all there, so for sure no shortage of friends to play with today!  Joel and Connor spent 3 hours running and splashing and playing.  I went and met up with some of the moms from my mom group, but there were moms there from MOPS and friends from my parent's congregation and people from our own congregation as well.  I was so happy to have the boys play and share their toys!  It was a really fun time with my two boys and such a fun way to kick off our summer!

We got home and Joel got to play the computer while Connor and I took naps.  After naps, I saw some kids playing out front....well...Joel went out and played with them, it turned into a group of about 7 different boys and they had THE best time playing for the next 3 hours (would have been longer but Joel HAD to eat dinner and get to bed!) with Joel's swords and shields, and tridents, and other weapons he has collected from Legoland for the past couple of years.  They all did "battle" and played "Knights" and it was really fun to meet other parents who are our neighbors.  Connor even got in on the fun bringing out a toy shotgun to play with!  LOL hope no one ever moves onto our street that doesn't like boys pretending to fight and kill because that is ALL that they did tonight and loved every minute of it....so fun to see boys getting to be boys!

I also made a really yummy dinner tonight and everyone eventually got to try it...love those ribs and watermelon!  I also made some canned Ranch Style Beans, but spruced them up with molasses, ketchup, and a bit of brown sugar so they would taste more like baked beans.  They did not disappoint!

After we got the boys to bed, David and I got to watch some TV and have some alone time.  We were so proud of how well Joel played with the other kids today...really great to see him becoming a neighborhood KID now and not a toddler anymore.  Can't wait to see what the future days of summer bring, but today was just fabulous and all about PLAYING...as summer should be!

Day 302

SO SO SO SO happy that today has come and gone!  UGH!  Such a busy day today, but I did find happy moments along the way and here they are....

I walked Joel to his LAST day of kindergarten today.  Wow!  I can't believe I will have a first grader in just about 8 weeks!  We had some extra time, so we played at the park by the school for a few minutes.  That was a lot of fun and it made my heart so happy to see Joel and Connor running hand in and and Joel making sure his brother was keeping up...so loving!

Next up came swim lessons for Connor and he did an incredible job today!  Not only does he NOT freeze when he goes under the water, he kicks his legs, rolls over to breath, and rolls BACK over to continue kicking to the steps or side of the pool....so happy about that and it was a great moment to be IN the pool with him watching him go and then say, "I did it!"  Yes he did!

I picked Joel up from school today and thanked his teacher for all that she did this year.  A great end of the school year and so happy that Joel had such an amazing teacher!

Next up was swim lessons for Joel and he did a great job as well!  He got to jump off of the diving board several times and he is SO long in his legs and arms that it took very few strides to make it across the pool....perhaps a future Michael Phelps in the making? :-)


My parents came over after I got the boys fed and put into PJs.  After this crazy month, it was so nice to meet up with David at the VIP movie theaters and see Rock of Ages.  We had fun rocking out and eating dinner and got to laugh a lot.  Such a nice happy moment to do a date night with my husband.  Sometimes they are too few and far between, but today was THE perfect day to get one in...feeling very stress free tonight.  With the thought of being able to sleep in...SOOOOO happy, I bid everyone a good night.  So grateful for today.  As I was driving home, I was listening to a Katy Perry song and the words "after the hurricane, comes a rainbow" played.  How true that is.  I feel like my hurricane and clean up might finally be coming to an end, and there are rainbows each day lately...how lucky I feel.

Day 301

Nice Wednesday today...happy to be able to bring some happy moments to here....

It was a crazy busy morning, but when I got done with work, I was off to Joel's Safari Day at school for the kindergartners.  It was SO much fun!  They had a DJ for dancing, face painting, games, coloring, and lots of parents to see and talk with, AND a picnic lunch with Joel.  It was a very happy few hours that we spent together and Joel was so excited to see me when I first showed up...so worth it to be home and be able to do things with my sweet guy while he is little!

Next, I was back to work and had a really great afternoon with my clients.  It always brings a smile to my face when I have made progress with my kiddos.  After work, I headed to dinner with my parents, David, and the boys at a pizza place that was doing a fundraiser for a local kid who is terminally ill.  After paying many many many a hospital bill, if I can help out another in any way with theirs, I am happy to do it!  We had a nice meal AND got to see several people from our community, even one of Joel's classmates.  It was nice to visit with friends and family for the evening.

It was a fun day full of lasting happy moments.  I cannot believe that tomorrow is Joel's last day of school!  I am so proud of him and how well he has done this year.  I was thinking about my past job and when I started, I worked with kindergartners.....well, THOSE kids will be in 6th grade this coming year!  It goes by in the blink of an eye and I hope every day I look for the joy and find those small happy moments with my boys while I can :-)

Day 300!!!

THREE HUNDRED days of blogging!  65 days left!  Can't believe it!  WOW!  I don't think I have done anything every day for 300 days ever in my life other than sleep or eat lol.  What an amazing journey this has been and just think how many happy moments I have blogged already!  Well, here are a few more!

Connor can swim!  I took him to swim lessons today and he finally kicked his little legs and swam to the steps, AND swam across the pool while rolling over and breathing!  YEA!  It has taken him a while to understand the dynamics of swimming, but I am so proud of him!

After swim lessons, we headed over to our community water park and played in the water for a long time!  My friends Lauren and Jen brought their kids after a while and I got to chat with Lauren about her recent trip and getting out of a speeding ticket.  She always has the best stories and she is one of those people that never fails to make me smile.  Her energy is contagious!

After the water park, I put Connor down for a nap and Joel and I hung out together and played.  During our playtime, I got a call from one of the MOPS coordinators asking me if I would be a table leader for next Fall.  I am SO excited about this!  Not only will I get to meet new people as a table leader, but I will also get to finish the prayer at our table each time for the women at the table.  It is an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful for this blessing!

After making the family some dinner, I headed out to the Cheesecake Factory and met up with some moms from the baby group I joined.  Well, our kids aren't really babies anymore, but that was why most of the mom joined was because the babies were the same age...now they are 3-4 year olds lol.  It was really nice meeting a couple of new people tonight and we were there from 6:30-9:30 eating and talking!  We had a great time and I am really grateful to have had the chance to meet so many new people this week!

What a great week so far.  I am counting my blessings each day.  I am looking forward to this crazy week being over soon, SO much to do this week, but at the same time I am really enjoying the happy moments that are just FLOWING my way as well.  Here's hoping that while all of this joy is happening, that my arm is healing so that my joy can finally be complete :-) So thankful for the happy smiles and blessings of friendship all around me today!  Night all

Day 299

Hello blog, time for some happy moments...here we go

• after the crazy Monday rush to school and speech therapy, Connor and I headed out on an adventure to the Orange County Zoo and Irvine Park Railroad.  We had the BEST time with other moms looking at animals, walking around, taking pictures, and riding the choo choo train!  I think Connor was pretty wiped out by the time we were done because he asked for a nap when we got home!  It was so great meeting more ladies from the moms group I recently joined...they are such sweet, amazing women and it was fun sharing mom stories and listening to their recent mom adventures.

• My dad picked up Joel from school today and had a nice lunch with him so I could spend more time at the Park with Connor...happy moments all around for that one!
• After work, I came home to an amazing cooked meal of potato bar that David and the boys put together.  We had a great dinner and then Joel helped me make the Bisquick strawberry shortcake recipe.  We put it in the oven and began Family Home Evening!
•  FHE lesson of the night was being reverent and I showed the kids different body parts and asked them what we could do (for example with our eyes, ears, or arms) to be reverent.  Then I read a little poem about being reverent.  I then asked them to SHOW me "reverent" and both Connor and Joel folded their arms and bowed their heads...it was such a sweet moment and hopefully it ALL transfers to their classes at church on Sunday!
• Then we had our strawberry shortcake dessert and it was bedtime!

Long day today, but lots of happy moments to remember!  I am so thankful for my two little guys!  Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Day 298

Happy Sunday all! Father's Day was a great day today....as David said, he could have done with LESS yelling at the children, but I told him THOSE kind of Father's Day are a good 15 years away lol.

We woke up and headed to church today.  Not only were my kids in MY class little angels, pretty much the entire primary was great today...it was a good day to be a teacher!

After church we all finally got a Sunday nap in...haven't had one in a while and it was blissful!  We woke up and headed to dinner with my parents for Father's Day dinner at a Tempanyaki grill place.  Connor SAID he loved the fire after it was over, but during the fire portion of our dinner show, could have fooled me!  The kids ate really well and the food was amazing!  It was fun to give my dad his Father's Day gift that we got a while back at Disneyland.

After dinner, we headed home and got to Skype with David's parents for a while.  The kids settled for a bit so they could all chat and Connor was pretty cute teaching them the letters he knows. 

It was a good day today but we are tired tonight!  Looking forward to making it to next Friday and having this week DONE and over with.  If I can make it through this last crazy week of June, we can finally relax and do some fun summer things!  Have a great night all and enjoy the lovely weather we have been having in California...flare free for the most part today and loving every second of it!

Day 297

Happy Saturday! Fun day with exciting happenings and happy moments to share!

First, we went to a pre-Father's Day breakfast with David this morning.  Church starts at 9AM for us, and with me flaring badly in the AM, making breakfast in bed was not going to work for us this year.  SO, we went to a crepe restaurant at the mall and had an amazing breakfast! 

After breakfast, we headed to Long Beach to visit the puppies! We got to meet all three of Daisy's sisters and they are all so cute!  We are going back in a couple of weeks to officially pick ONE out...it is going to be so hard to do!  It was neat seeing Daisy's mom and dad again though.  We were so blessed that Daisy's mom had one last litter!





After visiting and snuggling with the puppies for about an hour, we headed over to the Queen Mary area and walked around for a while.  We didn't go in the Queen Mary today, but we looked at the Submarine next door on the outside and watched a little video on the Cold War...it was fun.  Then we headed to the other side of the arena to Chili's for some lunch/dinner.

After we got home, I took Joel to the movies while Connor took a nap.  We watched Madagascar 3 and I LOVED watching Joel watch the movie and laugh a lot!  After the movie, we headed over to the stables and visited Jazz and pet some of the other horses.  We got to meet the pony my friend Kathy recently purchased...it is a feisty little thing!

We came home and Connor snuggled with me and watched Yo Gabba Gabba for a while.  Then it was bath and then bed time.

 SO many happy moments today!  I am off to watch a TV show with David and then bed time.  Hope all of you are having a great Father's Day weekend!

Day 296

Friday is here once again and I am enjoying the happy moment of being able to say it is Friday!  We had a busy day today, several melt downs, and some interesting times, but happy moments along the way.  So here they are tonight bullet style...because it has been a while!

• Connor and I hit up the Great Park in Irvine for a few hours today to enjoy the free carousel rides...4 of them to be exact.  We rode the big orange balloon (all the while I kept my eyes looking out and NOT trying to think what would happen if the big cable snapped and we floated away lol)  Connor had a fun time looking out this time and wanted to find the carousel on the ground. 
• After our balloon ride, we met up with some moms from a local mom's group and we had lunch while the boys played.  It was nice spending time with friends!
• Throughout the day I got a lot of texts from various friends saying hello and wanting to get together soon...it made my day!  I love getting texts from people I haven't seen in a while and I am really excited about seeing some friends soon!
• We went up to Orange today to do an interview with a company.  Joel did some product testing and then got a nice toy for it!  After (ok after 2 hours of not being able to start my car and getting my battery replaced by AAA...not so happy lol) we went to In and Out for dinner.  Joel has been wanting to go there for FOREVER.  He was happy to get to go and then we headed home.  I put Connor to bed and Joel got to play with his new toy for a while tonight.

It was fun to play with the boys today and I am glad that I got to spend alone time with each one of them.  I am really looking forward to this weekend and all of the fun times we are going to have!  Hope everyone has a dad they will be thinking of (or father figure) this weekend!

Day 295

Long day today but David is home tonite so YEA!

We began the day by trying to find a parking space and then some chairs for Joel's choir concert this morning.  My parents came and it was a nightmare trying to find a place to park and sit because the ENTIRE school was having a performance at various times all morning...oy!  There are 10 kindergarten classes (that is 5 early bird and 5 late owl classes) at Joel's school, so for just the Kindergarten class there were a TON of parents and it was standing room only.  Thankfully I snuck in and was able to grab 3 seats for myself, my parents, and we shared Connor on everyone's lap during the performance.  The performance was great and it was so wonderful to see cute Joel sing and do all kinds of hand motions to go along with the 12+ songs he memorized!

Then it was off to swim lessons with Connor where he did a great job kicking in the water!  He has come such a long way in just one week even!  Can't wait to practice more this summer!

Later on, we picked Joel up from school and went to Panda Express for a late lunch/early dinner.  The boys were so excited to get to eat teriaky chicken and rice.  We came home and all sat on my bed and watched Finding Nemo....I almost dozed off, but I was sitting in between two boys, so it didn't happen lol.

I went to the movies tonight with my friend, Lori, and saw Snow White and the Hunstman.  It was really nice to see our friend Lisa on the way into the theaters as well.  Always fun running into friends!

Well, that is my day today!  I am super sleepy but so happy that the weekend is almost here!  I had a great time with the boys this week.  We survived many days without Daddy, with Mommy and her one arm, and now it is time for some weekend fun!  Have a great night all!

Day 294

Glad my work day is done today!

It was a nice day and I had some unexpected joy to go along with this crazy week!  I had very few clients today, and as a result, I got to take Connor to the Mission.  We walked around, looked at all of the beautiful flowers and plants, walked inside the gift store and bought a cook book, threw pennies in each and every penny fountain, fed fish Kix (yes you read that right lol), and then had a great lunch at a Mexican restaurant down the street!

It was a great time and I am so thankful that I didn't have to work as much today so that I was able to enjoy extra time with my Boo Boo.  I could have left him at the babysitter and had a "me" day.  With David being gone and me being with my kids 24/7 right now, I could have used the time for something, but I would have missed Connor laughing as the Koi fish sucked up the Kix, and I would have missed him running on the grass, and being able to take pictures of the AMAZING flowers blooming all over the Mission grounds.  So spending the day with Connor...worth it!

We picked Joel up from school and came home.  We all sat down and snuggled while we watched a Baby Einstein video.  Then my mom came over and it was back to work for me for a bit.  Work was good, but I couldn't wait to get back home!  We went out to dinner with my parents and had a great time eating and laughing with them.  I am so thankful that my parents were able to be around so much this week!  They help out so much and I am eternally grateful for wonderful family members!

After dinner, the boys went to bed and I turned on the first episode of Dallas in about 20+ years!  My mom and I used to watch it when I was really little.  She would stand behind me while I would sit on the couch and she would iron and we would watch the latest episode of Dallas (taped on VHS) from the previous day....those were the days!  Tonight I watched it while on the phone off and on with my mom....so much fun!

David is doing well in Colorado, but I am so thankful he is coming home tomorrow!  I am grateful for all of the happy moments that I got to blog about tonight!  Looking forward to more as we approach the end of this week!

Day 293

Day two of David being gone....DONE!  We started off our morning dropping Joel off at school and doing swim lessons with Connor.  He had a MUCH better day today in the water and even kicked his feet instead of freezing when he went under the water! YEA!  It is fun being in a swim class that is mommy and me for one more year...this is it after this year!  It is nice too because I get to talk a bit with my friend from high school and our boys get to try swimming together and gave one another high fives today...so cute!

I brought Connor home and fed him lunch and did story time and then naps. 

After Joel had swim lessons, I met up with my friend at a park and the boys played while we chatted.  It was nice being back at the big park where I used to take Daisy.  I have not been over there in a long time, but the boys had so much fun kicking their balls all over the field and it was nice catching up with one of my favorite people!

We walked home and I decided to take the boys out for pizza tonight.  It was one of the BEST ideas I have had in a really long time!  Not only were they SILENT as they ate the pizza, which means I got 30 minutes of quiet time at a restaurant, but they also were really happy, which made me really happy!  After dinner, we walked outside and ran into my friend Jennifer and her son.  They were on a mother/son date night as well!  The boys all ran around for a bit before Jennifer went into the restaurant to eat.  We also got to talk and catch up...HAPPY TIMES!

I brought the boys home and put them to bed.  Then it was chamomile tea and bath time for me!  Then I snuggled down and watched Deadliest Catch.  Now it is off to bed with me so I can get up and work in the morning.  I only have 3 weeks left of working in the morning time and I am really happy about that.  I don't have to get up so early from then on AND the boys won't have to be at day care all day for one day.  I like being home with them and 5 hours of work a week will be enough for me while they are growing up...I don't want to miss too much!

Have a great night all and happy Tuesday!  Tomorrow begins the final stretch of this week...WOW!

Day 292

Day one without David here down!  Ok, he WAS here this morning to help out, and I am so so grateful for that!  It was a busy Monday morning getting Joel ready for school, Connor off to speech and back, and then dropping David off at a car repair shop to get his car.....not such a happy memory paying that repair bill lol.

After all of that, Connor and I went to the Santa Ana Zoo.  There is this mommy group I recently joined and, while I have a lot of friends in this group, I never seem to see any of them at these designated mommy days lol.  This is my third event I have gone to and no one but Connor and I have been there.  Well, we will see if anyone is at the next one on Friday...hoping to meet some other moms!  Connor and I had a lot of fun looking at all of the animals.  He really liked watching the little monkeys and I enjoyed looking at the Bald Eagle.  We took a train ride around the farm animal area and then headed out for lunch.  We got to eat lunch down in Tustin at one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio, and then it was back home to get Joel and for Connor to take a nap.

It was a fun but busy afternoon!  After Connor's nap, my neighbor and friend from church kindly accepted my plea for help and watched my kids so I could go to work...so thankful to have her around but she is moving across town in two weeks and then I will be all alone on this side of town again :-( 

After work, I had a few minutes at home before the boys arrived...so nice to enjoy the quite 2-3 minutes!  I got dinner ready and when they came in the house, we all sat down and ate!

I am so happy I made it through my first night without David!  I am hoping tomorrow will go just as well and that I can keep it up.  The only thing I truly can't do without him here is put the trash in our dumpsters, but I am so thankful I have wonderful neighbors and people from church I can call for help on that....oh how I hope to be able to help someone else someday as much as people have helped ME!  Have a good night all....off to watch the Bachelorette!

Day 291

The beginning of a new week is here!  With that, I am hoping the beginning of a new attitude for my kids as well! OY! What a week last week!  So happy that we get new weeks to try and start over as parents AND hopefully children.

Today was good, but different.  We went to church, my kids in my Sunday School class were very good and I had a great time teaching them and singing.

We got home and got the news that my parents BOTH have the flu.  We were supposed to visit my great-aunt at my grandma's old house today.  So we DID end up going, but without my parents.  We had a nice time chatting.  My great-aunt is my grandma's last living sister and she is 94.  It was really nice being with her, giving her presents, having all of the little kids and big kids sing to her, and share memories.  My brother, sister-in-law, and niece were there as well.

After the little birthday party, we went to a restaurant called Tony Roma's.  When I was younger and after my grandfather passed away, for many many years we would go out to eat dinner on Sundays with my grandma.  That particular restaurant was one of her favorites.  It STILL doesn't disappoint...man is the food good there!  It made me very nostalgic, though, to go back in time and be there with my parents and brother and grandma.  Those were some good times!

After dinner, we drove back home and got the kids ready for bed.  David is heading out in the morning for Colorado for the week, so it is just me versus them for a while lol.  Hope everyone had a good day today!  It is going to be an interesting week flying solo with the kids, but hoping that happy memories can me made along the way.

Day 290

Saturday has come and gone and I am not sure I am ready for that!  It was an exhausting but fun day today.  My two boys have been fighting SO much lately!  Not such a happy moment.  The happy moment was finding this app called Pandora on my phone a while back that plays preschool music.  I hook it up in my car and the kids stayed quiet almost all the way down to Legoland today! 

We went to Legoland for the day and spent about 4 hours there riding rides and having fun.  It was nice to get out on this beautiful Saturday day and I am thankful we had a free pass to get David in.  Connor loves to ride a dinosaur coaster, and Joel had so much fun excavating fake dinosaur bones.  Fun was had by all and the boys were really tired on the way home!

We pulled off the freeway and had dinner at Panera Bread...David hadn't eaten at that one before and he LOVED the dinner!  The boys sat and ate nicely while this total crazy child screamed, ran around, and threw things at people.  This is not a very large restaurant and I can't help but wonder if the parents heard the man who came up to US and said, "I would just like to thank you for doing such a great job with your kids.  You have such well behaved children and my wife and I really appreciate that!"  Not sure if they did hear it, but it meant a lot to me, especially after how Joel and Connor have acted this week.  It is SUCH hard, exhausting work being a parent 24 hours a day, so I am glad it is paying off with the discipline and love.  It was a happy moment to get that feedback!

We came home and the boys snuggled down on my bed together to watch Finding Nemo while I went to my parent's house and fed their dog (both of my parents are down with the flu today...REALLY hoping they caught it AFTER they left my house yesterday...don't want any shared germs lol)

We got an e-mail from our puppy's human mom saying that we can go visit the puppy next week!  So excited about that and I LOVED the pictures she sent to us as well!  Hope all of you have a great rest of the night and enjoy the one day left of the weekend!

Day 289

Friday is here!!!  This week has given me a run for my money, and body, but I made it to Friday!

Started out the day by dropping Joel off at school and then I took Connor to Pretend City.  I was doing this because there was a group of moms who were supposed to be there as well...so said the Evite anyway, but I didn't see one other person there that I knew.  Didn't stop Connor and me from having a great time walking around and playing for the next 2 hours!  It was some really great one on one time for us and he was SO tired when we left....YAY!

We picked Joel up from school and I put Connor down for a nap.  Joel and I got to hang out and talk about his school day and what he was going to do this weekend.  Nice time with my two boys today!

David came home and we made chimichangas for dinner and had my parents over.  We had a nice family meal and then my parents watched the boys so David and I could LEAVE them and go to the movies...I honestly can't remember the last time the two of us went out alone...sometime back in May maybe?  It was nice to get out for a couple of hours.  We saw Men in Black III and it was really good!

We came home and are now ready to go to sleep!  Big Saturday tomorrow, and hoping for a happy moment filled weekend!  Have a great night all!

Day 288

I thought today would be a lot sadder for me.  It wasn't.  There is that old cliche that time heals all wounds.  When you are in the thick of it, you don't want to hear that, but it is true.  Our sweet puppy that we had for just 11 months and was a little over a year old died a year ago today.  She was struck by a car after running outside after a bird.  The events that followed, I will never forget.  That day, Daisy's story came to be.  One puppy taught so many people to find the joy and to remember what is really important in this life.  I will be forever grateful for the memory of our sweet girl.  There are times I still think about her and shed a tear or two, but the horror of that day and the heartbreak really has faded.  What a gift it is from God to have time.  I do not believe that there is "time" in Heaven like there is here one Earth, but we are so blessed to have "time" to move us forward in life, experience new things, appreciate other things, and have space in between the really bad things that happen to us.

Today was just a day.  Not a sad day.  Very much like a year ago today, the boys had swim lessons.  But unlike a year ago where going to swim lessons was the thing I needed to do to keep breathing and being able to not crumble into a million pieces from our tragedy, today was just about focusing on keeping Connor floating and kicking and watching Joel move through the water with his ever growing arms and legs.  Today was about going to the local library for craft time and reading books with the boys.  I didn't even cry today like I thought I would.  Time has passed, and I absolutely understand my Heavenly Father's plan for me and WHY Daisy had to leave us when she did.  I could not possibly have taken care of a dog that needed to go out many times a day to the bathroom and to run around, be fed, brushed, and loved.  I was in the hospital so much in the past 12 months that I feel like I missed most of Joel's Kindergarten year.  How COULD I have taken care of a sweet animal all the while trying to just survive and take care of my children as much as a did?

Today was about teaching Joel a lesson and figuring out the best way to discipline him for being unkind to his brother.  It was a day of shopping and getting shoes for David for church.  Today was simply a day....and that is a happy moment.  I will always miss my sweet dog, but as we look forward to getting a new one, Daisy's biological sister, I know that Daisy has been looking down on us and reminding me in little ways to continue to live as she would want me to...finding the joy in the little things, like the wind on my face or the laughter of my children.  I believe in the past year I have done well to honor Daisy's memory by being the person she thought I was.  Have a blessed night!

Day 287

Well, here I am on a Wednesday night!  Today was a bright sunny day full of happy moments and sunshine.

I started off my morning at work and only worked for one hour because my caseload is changing a bit in the next month.  It was good to get home and spend a few hours, before I had to pick Joel up from school, doing laundry and putting away the kid's clothes.

I picked Joel up from school and we got to go to Soup Plantation for lunch!  It was a nice treat and it was SO funny because Joel wanted to get the salad items himself.  Well, he got to the shredded squash and scooped, and scooped, and scooped.  I knew what he was thinking, but just to make sure, when we got to the cheese, I asked him if he wanted some cheese on his salad.  He told me that he already HAD cheese on his salad, so no thanks.  I put a little cheese on his salad anyway.  He ate a TON of the shredded squash....I finally asked him, "You know that isn't cheese right?"  He told me it tasted like cheese to him! LOL Good to know!  Maybe the next time I make tacos or taco salad we will have shredded squash instead of cheese! A healthy alternative!

On the way back from lunch, we stopped by my dad's work to say hello.  Well, there was a little bird outside of my dad's office.  At first we thought it might be hurt, so my dad had headed out to put it out of its misery.  It was ONE angry bird full of life!  So we put it in a box and I brought it home.  I am not sure if baby birds (this one if it lives can fly off in about a week) can live without their mothers, but we will see.  It has been chirping all evening so fingers crossed that it will be alright!

I did work this afternoon and Joel came with me to wait for David to pick him up for Occupational Therapy.  We had a nice time spending all afternoon alone together. 

After work and dinner, David went upstairs to watch a hockey game and Connor and I sat on the couch and snuggled and he ate my orange...that was nice of him lol.  He was so cute sucking on it and munching that I couldn't resist....little kids eating just amazes me sometimes!  They have the cutest mouths and are so happy when they chew...it is fun watching my kiddos eat....is that weird?

So off to bed I go!  Swim lessons in the morning and then hoping to make it to a playgroup craft time with some other mothers before Joel's swim lessons.  Have a great night and appreciate your loved ones, animals, people, whomever....time goes by so quickly and you might miss out on the joy of having them around.....

Day 286

Happy today has come and gone! WHEW! The next few weeks are going to be SO busy!  My swim teacher for the kids accidentally mixed up our swim lesson schedule.  So instead of starting AFTER Joel gets out of school, we are doing it right now, and doing swim lessons twice a day, plus everything else right now...it...is...CRAZY! LOL

So this morning we started off with swim lessons.  Connor was assigned to a group of pretty good swimming kids.  As with everything Connor, he takes things on his own time.  So we bumped his session up to the 11 O clock group where I can be in the pool with him, teaching him basic swimming skills....maybe next summer for that other group!  It was fun because I saw two people (one from church growing up, and one from high school and Pinterest)  It was fun to chat a bit and watch their kiddos swim!  Always happy to bump into people!  I even got a prospective play date with my friend from high school!  We both have two boys, the same ages, so it should be fun!

After swim lessons, it was home for lunch and Connor's nap.  Got Joel from school and we had a nice chat while he ate his lunch.  He was so cute, he remembers a music class I took him to when he was three, he wanted to know if he could do it again sometime....it is sad when they are in school all year and can't do fun things like that anymore...makes me thing of Home Schooling him...for a few seconds ;-)

After Joel's fun time at swim lessons this afternoon, we came home and the boys had some free time while I was making dinner.  It warmed my heart to hear Joel up on the computer and asking Connor what shape or color he should chose next on their Sesame Street game.  Sometimes they can be SO kind to one another!  Other times, not so much, but I am glad I get to be around and hear the times they ARE nice and praise them like crazy for being kind :-)

After dinner, I washed the dishes, cleaned the counter, and got the kid's bags ready for the morning.  I felt quite productive!  It is amazing the little things you appreciate being able to do after NOT being able to do them for a year!  I sure hope this arm is healing.  Our future puppy's mom sent us a picture of her yesterday...SO cute!  How I pray my arm might heal so that we can focus on the happy moments coming our way this summer! 

Day 285

Monday was here and now Monday is gone!  Today went by fast as I had to wake up super early and get over to my physical therapy appointment.  To my surprise, my female PT was back!  She had emergency surgery for her appendix a while back and had been out a long time!  It was great working with her and telling her my progress on the arm...looking forward to more work and strength in my arm!

I came home and did the usual crazy Monday schedule with the boys.  Playgroup was at my house today so I set up toys all over downstairs, and the little kids (only 3 total today) had fun playing while I did some dishes...with both arms...by myself....oh if only it can be this way forever to be a productive human being once more!  I would love it!

After playgroup, naps, and David coming home, we had a really nice dinner and then Family Home Evening.  The topic was "Honor thy mother and thy father" and we talked a bit to the boys about showing good listening and being respectful.  I HOPE that at least some of that message makes it through to their brains lol.  Sometimes it is hard teaching little ones and knowing whether or not the messages being taught are being understood.  Joel has been sassing me lately and arguing with us, so we are hoping this little lesson on being kind to parents helps a bit.

After we put the kids to bed, I went over to my friend, Lauren's, house and with her and another friend, we watched the Bachelorette.  I must say, it is a lot more fun watching that show with other ladies than by myself!  There are things that I am thinking that they both thought as well and we had fun laughing about what the guys on the show were saying and doing...and how they were dressed at times!

It was a good but busy day today!  Looking forward to tomorrow and all of the joy it holds!  Have a good night!

Day 284

Well, the weekend is over once more....goes by faster and faster as I approach the 365 day mark!  So sleepy tonight so happy moments in traditional bullet form it is!

• We stayed home today and got to eat a nice family meal together.  Usually Sunday mornings are crazy because we have to be out the door and to church by 9 AM, but it was Stake Conference this weekend and we were not about to struggle with two kids for TWO hours trying to keep them quiet and get NOTHING out of a sermon....so home it was :-)
• My visiting teachers came over today and we had a great time talking.  I am blessed to have two amazing ladies who give me spiritual strength each month!
• We made a delicious dinner and had my parents come over to join us.
• David made a pie...Apricot, Peach, and Raspberry....SO delicious and the whole thing was almost gone by the time we were done in one sitting!  So happy my hubby likes to make pies!

Well, there are my happy moments from this lazy Sunday day.  I missed going to church today, but it was nice to be with our family and have that special time at the table where we sat and talked with the boys.  I treasure those little moments of happiness!  Hope today was a blessed Sunday for all.  Until tomorrow....FIND THE JOY!

Day 283

Bullet happy moments tonight and then off to bed!

• I got to sleep in this morning because David was home and he took care of the kids, went on a bike ride, and when I woke up, I wasn't flaring as much today! YEA!
• David took the boys out to play and have some fun in the sun and I joined my mom for some shopping with my niece.  We bought her some REALLY cute outfits, and it was nice to get to spend some time with her reading stories and snuggling on the couch at my parent's house.  I think my mom was grateful for the break in taking care of her as well lol.
• I came home and we had a nice family meal together tonight.  After the meal, we got ready and headed out to Stake Conference (a meeting when all of the local congregations...they form one Stake) meet together and hear from our local area leader.  There was babysitting there so the boys had fun running around until WAY late tonight!  Hopefully they sleep in in the morning!
• Our adult meeting was really great and very spiritual.  I am grateful for our church leaders and all of the messages they gave to us tonight.
• We came home and the boys were super sleepy.  They were so sweet and didn't put up a fuss at all tonight when we got them to bed!
• Now the house it quiet and it is time to get ready for bed myself.  Hope everyone had a great day today!

Day 282

  The AMAZING X-ray of Joel's teeth!  Forgot to post it yesterday, but how crazy are those two front teeth?!

So happy Friday!  So excited that the weekend is here again!  Looking forward to tomorrow and the BEAUTIFUL day that is coming our way.  But for now, onto the happy moments of TODAY!

I got to walk Joel to school again today.  After that, I plugged in my phone to the stroller speakers and took Connor to a little park up the path that we walked.  We had a nice time there and then I walked home.  David worked from home today so I was able to go to my doctor appointment to get my arm x-ray without him...SUCH a happy moment that was!  It is always nice to not have to haul the stroller and my survival doctor bag for Connor with me!

My x-ray at the doctor showed that the bone graft is still in place and that the arm is not re-breaking.  I didn't take a picture this time because it looks almost identical to the last x-ray.  I am hoping that by the time my next appointment in 6 weeks comes around, there will be a more solidified bone look to the arm....only time will tell!  But for now, the bone is not re-breaking or forming a non-union....I will take it!

I WALKED and picked Joel up from school today while Connor was at home taking a nap.  Again, yea for Daddy staying home to work so I could do that!  Joel was SO happy to get to walk back home and I was happy to have that time to talk with him all the way home! 

After Connor's nap, I took Joel and Connor out to the park to play.  We had fun blowing up these fun balloons and letting them go...they make noise...and then playing at the playground with some new friends they made.  It was a nice afternoon, but I was pretty tired when we got home...so out to dinner to Hometown Buffet we went!  I haven't been there in years, but the boys have gone with my parents.  We had the nicest time sitting, eating, and talking at the dinner table.  It made my heart so happy to be with my children and have a really pleasant dinner!

When we got home, we planed the sunflowers that Joel has been growing at school.  I am hoping they grow nice and tall...that would be fun!  Time will tell.

Well it is Friday night and time for bed.  I am not sure what we will do tomorrow, but I am hoping for a little fun in the sun at some point!  Have a good night all and I wish any who read this many happy moments for the coming weekend!

Day 281

Happy Thursday all!  I feel like I have a full blown cold tonight and I didn't get to get my walk in this evening with my friend because she is pretty tired too.  After this blog, I am heading to bed with some cold medicine and hoping my stuffy nose goes away soon!

Pretty good day today!  Even though I was flaring, I walked Joel to school this morning.  He was so happy to get to walk with his friends and it made me happy to be able to walk!  I was able to plug in my phone to the speakers on the stroller and walk for a bit listening to music.  That was really fun and I hope I get to do it again.  I found some great dance music on Pandora that makes me walk quicker than if I didn't have music.  A bonus is that Connor likes the music as well so we are all happy walking and strolling!

I was in the car from pretty much sun up, until sun down today.  I got to go to the Temple this morning while Connor was at a babysitter's house.  After that, I met my mom for lunch, then home I came to take Joel to the dentist where we found out his adult teeth are coming in YEA, but his two front teeth are coming in where all FOUR of his baby teeth are...BOO!  As the dentist said, "Um yeah....start saving NOW."  We are in such trouble!  Hopefully it won't be painful for Joel to have those adult teeth come in...time will tell.  My little guy is growing up and has the HUGE teeth to prove it!

After the dentist, I got Connor from the sitter and we took Joel to swim lessons.  After that, I was SO tired from the day that I called up my mom and asked if we could join her and my dad for dinner.  They said yes and off we went in the car to meet them at a great BBQ restaurant.  The boys had a great time with the grandparents, I was SO happy I didn't have to make anything for dinner, David did a session at the Temple during dinner, and we had leftovers to bring him. 

We got home and David was there.  He helped me get the kids to bed and now I am ready for bed!  Time to take some cold meds and hit the hay early tonight.  If I don't wake up until 8 in the morning that would be SO lovely!  Have a great night all!  SO SO happy this busy busy day is done!

Day 280

Happy Wednesday all!  Today was one of those days that wasn't sad, it just was a busy day full of living life.  Not too much happiness because I didn't stop to take the time to FIND THE JOY like I should have.  There were still a couple of happy moments, so here they are

One of the kiddos that I work with came in, sat down, and got to work with me today.  He has thrown temper tantrums and screamed at me for WEEKS now, so today it was so great to see his little smile and have him talking more than ever before...makes what I do worth it!

I feel like I am getting a bit of a cold, not sure what is going on.  I DID get to work out on my eliptical machine tonight.  Happy to have burned off a couple hundred calories!  Hopefully that will help with my cold as well! 

Well, that is pretty much it for the day.  It was a busy day full of life.  I love my children and I enjoy every hug and bedtime kiss I get to give them!  Hopefully everyone had a good day and enjoys the fact that tomorrow is Thursday!  The weekend is almost here!