Growing up

So I have been thinking a lot lately about being a teacher/mom and if I am doing enough. Well I am grateful for days like today where my kids make me proud that they did learn something.

As I sat in church today trying to listen and get snacks for the kids and remind them to turn around and whisper to them to be quiet I was looking over to see my sweet boy reading his scriptures. He looks up and tells me mom I am trying to think about Jesus, but sometimes church is pretty boring! Oh well I had to chuckle and the talk was actually on finding joy! Well I was having a moment of joy and happiness to be together and spending time learning to be more like Christ. I was thinking how I need to keep in mind the joy of life and not make such focus on tasks and chores. I do run a pretty tight ship and sometimes am reminded that it is ok to have a few dishes in the sink and laundry unfolded. My kids want to play and that is what will bring them and I joy!

I am thankful for today

I was able to paint my girls toes and make them "princesses"
listen to my sweet girls play house
watch my husband and son play indoor soccer
see lots of primary kids be excited to share their testimonies and sing sweet songs
smiles given so freely by people
coloring sheet by my 2 year ole that says "Love one Another"
a great meal made with love by my mom
"Skype" to see my sweet nieces far away and talk with my little sister too
the end of the day and a sweet freshly bathed baby
kisses goodnight from my kids
a sleeping little boy in the backseat
great songs and words to remind you-You are loved
going to bed early to get a great nights sleep

Here's to a great day tomorrow and finding Joy!

please remember

If I knew this would be the last time I would watch you sleep,
I would hug you tighter. I would plead with the Lord to protect you.
If I knew this would be the last time I saw you walk out the door,
I would hug and kiss you and call you back to hug and kiss you one more time.
If I knew this would be the last time I would hear your voice in prayer,
I would record every gesture, every look, every smile, every one of your words,
So that I could listen to it later, day after day.
If I knew this would be the last time,
I would spend an extra minute or two to tell you, “I love you,” instead of assuming you already knew it.
If I knew this would be our last time, our last moment,
I would be by your side, spending the day with you instead of thinking,
“Well, I’m sure other opportunities will come, so I can let this day go by.”
Of course there will be a day to revise things,
And we would have a second chance to do things right.
Oh, of course there will be another day for us to say, “I love you.”
And certainly there will be another chance to tell each other, “Can I help with anything?”
But in my case, there isn’t one!
I don’t have you here with me, and today is the last day we have—our farewell.
Therefore I would like to say how much I love you,
And I hope you never forget it.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old.
Today might be your last chance to hold tight to the hand of the one you love and show all you feel.
If you are waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
Because if tomorrow never comes, you certainly will regret for the rest of your life
Not having spent some extra time for a smile, a conversation, a hug, a kiss,
Because you were too busy to give that person what ended up being their last wish.
Then hug tight today the one you love, your friends, your family, and whisper in their ears how much you love them and want them close to you.
Use your time to say,
“I’m sorry,”
“Please,”
“Forgive me,”
“Thank you,”
Or even,
“That was nothing,”
“It’s all right,”
Because if tomorrow never comes, you will not have to regret today.
The past doesn’t come back, and the future might not come!

MLK

So I was reading one of our friend updates and they just had a baby and wrote about the birth for memories sake and I was looking back and I didn't start a blog until 2007 after Mya was born so here goes.....
We found out we were pregnant with Mya in January and also so was one of my great friends from work. I kept ours a secret though until I could no longer hide the crazy non stop sickness that she caused to me! We went to find out what we were having and then changed our minds and had the lady write it on a paper and put it in an envelope. Well that was soon opened as we went across the street to breakfast and opened it. I went to buy a few girl clothes and already started talking names and nurseries! We decided on Mya Laine(after grandma Kobel)So fun to have a girl and we were ecstatic! Well we were moving in the meantime and beginning to build this house so a nursery wasn't started :( Well the pregnancy went along pretty normal however they noticed some cysts in her brain and made me a bit of a worried mom even more. No one wants to have anything wrong with their baby and so they closely monitored them and I was able to see her a little more often because of it. Well the sickness wasn't going away either and I ended up going to the ER for IV fluids a couple of times because I couldn't stop barfing! I was finally up to my due date and had my appt in the morning of the 8th. I was pretty determined to have her and so I met my sister at the mall and ate Mexican food and walked and walked and walked. We left and went home for some naps and I made Adam walk and walk some more that night he was done but I still motivated kept walking and walking. Finally with contractions coming but not regular I got on the computer looking for signs of when I should head to the hospital. Sad and depressed that I had to work the next morning headed to bed at 1030 well I was awakened about 230 with contractions and some blood. I told Adam to get up and we woke up your brother and took him to our friends the Calhouns. Your dad drove like a maniac and ran a bunch of red lights he was so excited! We got to the hospital and they thought I was crying wolf. They asked me a bunch of questions and put me on the monitor. Your heart rate was really low and they checked me and said you were ready to be born. They all got a little nervous and I could tell, I told dad to call Aunt Molly and Bobba. Your aunt was mad at us for not calling sooner and they rushed me up the elevator telling me not to push! You were quickly born a few minutes later at 352 am. Bobba and Molly got there as they were checking you out and getting all the fluid out of your lungs. Your dad gave you a special blessing right then and asked to help guide the doctors and nurses to make you whole. You were 7lbs 5 oz and 19 1/2inches long. You were held by bobba and molly and your dad and I right away. I also had some special visitor from work at 5 in the morning asking if I was calling in for the day which I happily said yes! We enjoyed our morning with you and later you got to meet your big brother and Aunt Danielle and Kennedi and Brekin came. Also Grandpa and Grandma Kobel came and old papa. You are a true miracle and the doctor told us after the craziness that if we got there 20 minutes later you probably wouldn't be here because my placenta had torn away and there was a lot of bleeding going on. We are so blessed to have you in our lives and be one of the best early birthday gifts ever!

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth


This was a great thing that I needed to see. I hope I will take the time to teach and listen today!

Birthday Boy!

So it's the great husbands birthday and I would like to make a shout out to him and the gem he is!
He is 32 tomorrow and has at least 32 things that are great and unique about him.

happy
loves to make jokes
likes to fish
loves to eat cereal(especially late at night)
loves Gatorade
really enjoys his YM calling
is a great dad
a fantastic boss
a music fan
hard worker
really likes fishing
the color blue
Pork chops and rice (his mom's specialty)
speaks Spanish
went to Peru on mission
A good DJ
loves to camp
soccer
has a bachelor's degree in Business
likes fishing
has 1 brother
loves to go to the movies
loves me
is computer savvy
loves to fish
likes Doritos
has 3 children
likes to shop at Cabella's
smells great
a good listener
loves to fish
Is the greatest man to me!!!!!!

I do love him so much and hope he has a phenomenal day!!!!!

Celebrate Life!

So I read Nienie, and today is the anniversary of her accident and she had dedicated today as "Celebrate Life". What a great reminder and day to have that to remember! I am grateful for my life because:

My husband
My children
health
music
prayer
the spirit to guide me
parents who love me
siblings who are my best friends
my job and the ability to help people
smiles from anyone teeth or not:)
babies and their delicious smell
girls nights with great movies
great food
diet coke
friends
holding hands
exercise
cute shoes
scriptures
the temple

I am thankful for this great reminder and that life is so fragile and I am trying to live life for today because we never know what the future may hold.

What we have been up to

Well what a busy week! Lots of talking and catching up with the kids on the day, driving driving and more driving anyone! This gal thinks she can dress herself and carry a purse just like her sister. I am in for it, 2 bag ladies will drive and mother to drink!
Tuesday take to school, come home, go to back to school brunch, come home, go to take Mya to preschool, come home, go to pick up M from school for dance, take to dance, come home, pick up from dance, pick up J from friends, come home, go to scout meeting, come home,
in the process of this driving was making dinner, laundry, cleaning dishes.

I really love a schedule I hope I can get into a good one soon. I love to see my kids happy and busy. Hopefully homework doesn't throw us for a loop next week. I am grateful to have the chance to chat at night with the kids and ask them if they had any problems or questions during the day. Last night I got to read aloud to them the Ramona book and I sure do love the humor and silliness of those sisters. Reminds me of my childhood a bit! Teasing is gonna happen so let it and hope they survive. Well I am off to see my sibling and hopefully laugh and enjoy a fantastic Friday!!!!!!!

ICE CREAM ANYONE??????

So for my dad's birthday we went to a famous place called Mary Coyle's. Well there is a thing called the Mountain and this is what it looks like! That is 7 pounds of ice cream folks!!!!!
My dad was giddy as ever to have all of us together(we missed all of the SA family though!!!! Ash and Brie too) Well his was so happy to share his huge treat with us!
Here is the after effect of all 15 of us stuffed and trying to finish it off!
Whitney loved every morsel she got! She loved the marsh mellow topping and hot fudge!
So excited she could hardly contain herself all that sugar!!!! So fun for the family to spend FHE here!
The pre picture Elliot was really happy too! We had a fantastic time and I am so grateful for my dad and the great family we have !!!!!!! Here's to next year!

First day for Bubba!

So I have a 2nd grader now and I only teared up a little. He was so big and just walked on in and found his desk and started unloading his stuff. Such a big boy!
He was a little too cool to take a pic with sister and was not about to give her a kiss goodbye. So old he is!
The walk away for mom. He was so sweet and said have a good day without me mom!

Jaxson will have a great day with his new teacher and classmates. He recognized a few when he walked in and that made him smile! I sure do love this guy and have missed him tons today! Hope you have a fantastic day bub!!!!

Stress

“Stress is a choice. Do you buy that? Some people have a hard time with the idea. …Yes, bad things happen: The economy sours, our business struggles, the stock market tumbles, jobs are lost, people around us don’t follow through, deadlines are missed, projects fail, good people leave. Life is full of these. But still, stress is a choice because whatever the ‘trigger event,’ we always choose our own response. We choose to react angrily. We choose to stuff our emotions and keep quiet. We choose to worry. …Stress is a choice.”
-John G. Miller

Summer will be over in two more days and while I am looking forward to a little less fighting, I am going to miss lazy mornings late night outings and fun! I feel like this summer was filled with lots of fun family and friends and we didn't miss out on anything. I hope my kids cam remember
swimming lessons
PPP
park days
slip n slide
water party at our house
trip to San Antonio
sleep over's
movies
Chuckee cheese
mud fights
Fishing
Otter pops
more swimming
reading program
Fireworks
late bedtimes
morning doughnuts
splash park
bowling
more swimming

and lots of fun times wrestling, soccer, and laughing
I love summer and even though it is a bit hot I will miss not having the extra time with these sweet kids and seeing their sad and happy faces all day.

Here's to a new 2nd grader that I have and a last year of preschooler! Hope we all make it through homework, schedules, sports, holidays, and still have a lot of fun and memories along the way! Happy school days to you!

Happy birthday Papa!

Today is my best dad's birthday and he is on a flight to see up right now!!!!!! I am so grateful to him and the hard worker he is and always has been to support our family!

He is so funny
He loves me
He loves my mom
He loves his grand kids----ALOT
He likes movies
He loves a good neck rub
He makes the best popcorn
He always says he loves you
He is kind to everyone
He likes to laugh
He is a great helper with advice
He is so young at heart
He is a risk taker
He loves the gospel
He loves candy bars
He is a sensitive one usually sheds a few tears every once in awhile
He is the BEST dad a girl could ask for and I am so glad he is mine!!!!!!
LOVE YOU MUCHO