Happy 8th Ginny Christine

Today, my first born turned 8. Ginny is a joy and blessing in our family. She is the best big sister ever and full of compassion towards others. An example of her compassion and concern for others is the concern that she had for her brother the other day. Will was feeling a bit under the weather with a cold and Ginny offered to forgo her trip to Disney World if we needed to use that money to take him to the doctor. What a sweet and logical girl she is. She is very excited to be 8 and be able to be baptized and start activity girls. Ginny excels in school and is an example to others. Currently, she is missing most of her teeth but does have one that has grown back in the front and center of her mouth. Despite, the childhood missing of teeth, Ginny believes that she is already an adult. She engages in adult conversation and loves to text or e-mail people.

Happy 31st Jake

Today the birthday festivities begin for our family this year. Jake is now 31. To me, he is remarkable but that is known already, so I thought I would share some of his current favorites like I do with the kids. I feel blessed that he is mine.
Favorite Cereal(s): Cracklin Oat Bran and Super Golden Crisp
Favorite Dinner(s): Roast and Shredded Pork burritos
Favorite Color: Utah Red
Favorite Sport: basketball to play, football to watch, and skiing
Favorite Drink: Chocolate shakes
Favorite TV show(s): The Office, CSI, and I shouldn't be alive
Favorite TV station: The Weather Channel
Jake also enjoys working in the yard when the weather is nice, meaning it is not too cold or humid. Over the past few months, he has tried to perform an act of service daily and has enjoyed that too. He is a very patient husband and father. In this family, we like him a little......

Age 2 favorites

My little ones each have distinct likes and dislikes; they are apparent at an early age.
Here are a couple of the favorite things of my babies at the age 2:
Favorite Foods:
Ginny-- pinto and cheese from Taco Bell
Aubree-- macaroni and cheese
Will-- raisins and pizza

Favorite Movie:
Ginny-- Jurassic Park
Aubree-- Barbie as the The Princess and the Pauper
Will-- Madagascar II

Okay, that is about all I remember.
Now, here are 3 of my favorite things:

My Little "Thing"

The girls celebrated Dr. Seuss birthday at school and enjoyed all the festivities. I think the favorite part of the week was Friday when the entire 2nd grade was asked to dress like a Dr. Seuss character. Ginny is in 2nd grade and wanted to be "a thing". There was no way that I was going to pay for a costume for her to wear one day but I wanted her to be a part of the celebration, so we opted to make her a costume. I am not that talented but Ginny liked it and she received several compliments.

Accidents, accidents, and accidents

Recently, I am not sure what is going on in my life. I seem to be in lala land most days and not fully with it. As a result, I do not pay attention like I should and do not even seem to realize. About two weeks ago, I was at a stop light and somehow eased off the brake, I am assuming, without realizing and bumped the car in front of me. I was not comfortable giving out insurance information without a police report, so we had one taken and I was issued a ticket....which I knew I would be. However, the lady did not pursue anything because it was such a light bump. Then Sunday evening, we went to Jackson for my dad's birthday and to get the kids because they spent the weekend there, so we could continue to "declutter" the house. Well, we had a pleasant day but as we were leaving I saw all the families cars and did not bother to look over my left shoulder and it slipped my mind that someone else was there too. So, I backed into their car. Instead of filing a claim, we wanted to pay out pocket, thinking the damage would be a few hundred back but it came back at about $1300. So my negligence has costs us more than anticipated. However, mom, dad, and Sandra were great. Mom let us borrow her van and dad was able to repair mine pretty good. Sandra offered to pay for the damage if we needed and us repay her. Despite their kindness, I still feel like crap and beat myself up for it. I feel like an emotional roller coaster, oh did I mention our computer crashed....I am hoping I have all the photos on it uploaded to get printed. I spent an hour uploading photos 2 days before it happened, maybe it was the Spirit. So, I feel like my life has had a little rain but I still try to see the rainbow. At least, I have a supportive family that provides unconditional love. The kids make me smile. Last week, Aubree informed us that there are "millions of car crashes....trust me, I know, I ride with mom", how cute is that. Ginny tries to see the upside pf everything and is plans her baptism everyday. Will is working on potty training, working is the key word there. Daily, I try to remember my blessings and I know other people have far worse issues than mine. I am alive as is my family and we are all healthy. Oh, the night of the accident, I called to make sure the person made it home and that her husband was okay. Jake spoke with her to ensure she gets the car fixed at a place where she is comfortable and then I hear him say...do not worry "Renee is the woman of my dreams". That may be one of my 2nd favorite things I have heard him the say. the 1st is before we were married and I heard him assure his mother that he loved me....he was not aware at the time, I heard it. I do not ever doubt his love for me. He was upset but never said an unkind word and like my mom and sister, he tried to reassure me it was just a mistake and things would be okay. He says I always need to pay attention though.

Lessons our children have taught us

Recently, we had stake conference. One of the speakers spoke about learning from your children. Jake and I were discussing it later that evening and he said he had learned the following from our children: From Ginny--OBEDIENCE, from Aubree--LOVE, and from Will--SERVICE. So, I elaborated but was all wrong. My thoughts were that Ginny is a mini-mom and can be a bit bossy, so we listen to her, Aubree is sometimes is pill and can be difficult, and Will requires us to do things for him because he is so young. However, after I elaborated, Jake corrected me on his thoughts. He believes that Ginny is very obedient, she does all she asked to do and usually does not complain about it. Aubree loves unconditionally and is concerned for others, and Will is always trying to help, although most of the time, he is in the way but we let him try. Boy was I off. We have been blessed greatly with out children. I love them..... I also told Jake that all those things, they must have learned from their mom.