10 Years Old!

Can you believe my boy is 10?!! It seems like just yesterday I hugged him for the first time! He's such a great big brother. He's so smart and funny. And a great helper to me, especially when dad is out of town. We toned down the party quite a bit compared to last year, but we still had fun! He chose an XBOX 360 theme. We had a yummy lunch, played 360 in the media room, ate cake and ice cream, opened gifts and then had a balloon fight in the livng room! He got some pretty nice gifts. He LOVES his 360 game from Gary and Karen...that was a hit guys, thanks! With the money he got from grandparents, he bought a new DS game and a new Webkinz dog. He told me that this was his best birthday ever! He had a great day! Happy Birthday, champ!

Belief-O-Matic

Well, according to "Belief-O-Matic" at Beliefnet.com, I am 100% Mormon. Shocker!

Your Results:
The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking,

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (100%)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I started reading this book last night. I was just talking to a friend this morning and she is in the middle of reading it too, she says its really good. Hopefully it won't take me too long to read it, I figured now was a good time...before all the packing and getting ready to move really starts. Plus, when Mark is gone, it helps me stay preoccupied.

It's Time To Par-Tay!!

Tomorrow after the boys come home, we get to go to the airport and pick up Mark! Yeah! The boys are so excited to see daddy! I have to admit, I'm pretty happy that he will be home for a few days! We have all missed him. Sunday is Caden's 10th birthday! Can you believe it? My oldest is turning 10!!!!!! Two more years and he will be getting the priesthood, and before I know it, he'll be heading to the MTC! *sigh* Time certainly flies! Anyhow....Since Mark is heading back to Salt Lake on Sunday, we are doing the birthday thing on Saturday. We rotate every year....last year he had a "friend" birthday party. Remember, the "Survivor" theme? That was a good party if I do say so myself!

Bug Mountain Cake!

Pulling together as a tribe during challenges!

Both tribes after Tribal Council

Mom and Caden with the Immunity Idol

So this year is the "family" birthday party. We are doing an XBOX 360 theme. Everything is green, white and silver. Even the goodie bags! I'm sure he and his dad will find some time to sneak upstairs and take advantage of the media room (and the 360) while dad is here this weekend! Mark and I are determined to find a house with an unfinished basement, so that we can build another media room. We LOVE ours! That will be hard to leave behind. Anyhow, it promises to be a great weekend!

The Kite Runner

I was able to get my laundry done today because I finally finished this book! I started it Sunday afternoon and that was it for me. I couldn't put it down, which made things difficult, because I'm playing the single mom role and I run a daycare! (Don't worry, I kept it under lock and key during the day so I wasn't tempted...but I will admit that I stayed up later than I should have!) It was difficult to read some parts of it, but it was a great book! I loved it!

Check This Out!!

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Since I am so far behind in my scrapbooking, and this blog serves as a journal as well as a scrapbook, THIS is the perfect solution!

Lite Reading?

I finally broke down and picked up a copy of “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I've heard from so many people, including my mom and several friends that it was an excellent book. I had to see what all the fuss was about!

Crazy Costco Creep!

Can I just say that single parents are my heroes?!! Seriously! Mark has been gone for eight days and I am exhausted! I am not walking, not sprinting, but RUNNING (we're talking mad dash, here) towards the finish line! One week down, six more to go! Ugh! Luckily, my daycare kids will slowly stop coming. That should ease a lot of the stress for me. Plus, we don't have to worry about putting the house up for sale and showing it, because Susie is going to buy it. That in itself is a HUGE blessing! I am so happy that everything is falling together. Mark and I are both thinking, "This is way to easy...when is the bomb going to drop?" Hopefully it won't drop at all and we will be able to move as planned. We are down to 42 days, yeah!

So, being a single parent and needing to go shopping, I decided to take the kids to Costco last night (Friday night) rather than today, a busy Saturday afternoon. I figured that most people would be on a date, or out with friends on a Friday night so it wouldn't be too crowded and I'd be able to grab what I needed and get home quickly. I didn't think about all the crazy loon's that DIDN'T have friends or couldn't GET a date that would be hanging out at the local Costco!

The kids were hungry so I decided to feed them while we were there. Aren't I a nice mom? It was a gourmet meal, I know! Hey, you can't beat a hot dog and soda for $1.50! As we sat there eating a man sat at the table right in front of us, facing me, even though most of the other tables were empty. Borderline creepy. I thought it seemed odd, but I just kept talking to the kids and didn't pay any attention to him. Then he started talking! Way beyond creepy! I smiled and was polite, but kept my answers short and avoided eye contact. Caden's dinner was suddenly very interesting to me! During what I can only describe as an "interrogation", I told him that we weren't from Texas, and only when he asked, I told him that we were originally from Utah. Harmless enough, or so I thought! "Those Mormon's!" he said. Caden's head perked up and my heart sank. I could tell by his tone that this was going to get interesting, and I was a little worried because he had Caden's full attention. I guessed that now was as good a time as any for him to start preparing for a mission! I know he will have plenty of experiences like this in the field.

This man claimed to know Brigham Young the 3rd, and made some inappropriate comments about multiple wives and Viagra and how this particular descendant of our beloved prophet was "livin' the dream" so to speak. I was floored! My poor kids' dinner was cut very short, to say the least! I started cleaning up napkins that were on the table and began urging my children to eat quicker. He kept going on and on! I couldn't believe it! Could he NOT see my children right in front of him? His comments were insulting and crude. I was getting flustered because his misconceptions of the church were horrible! He started talking about Joseph Smith and kept going on and on...I then came to the stunning realization that my kids eat SO FREAKING SLOW!! As I was picking things up off the table, I looked at Caden who was watching me and I realized I had three options here. Option 1: I could just get my kids and walk away without saying a word; Option 2: Completely slam the guy and make sure knew how I felt about him and his "opinions" but in all honesty, what good would that really do, anyway?; or Option 3: "Quiet Dignity" - something that my wonderful mission president, President Pratt, used to talk about often. I opted for #3. As I stood up, I calmly said, "I don't know anything about your friend, Brigham Young the 3rd, but being LDS myself, I do know that he is not a member nor is he associated in ANY way with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints if he is practicing polygamy. That is something that our church stopped practicing over 100 years ago." The man wouldn't quit! I remained calm, put Jack in the cart, took Jace's hand and with Caden following, we all walked away. I knew arguing with him would just cause more contention and it would do absolutely no good. Plus, I had all three boys with me so I needed to remove them from the situation as quickly as possible.

When we walked away I asked Caden if he had any questions about what just happened. He thought for a second and said, "I could tell he was saying bad things about our church, but I didn't understand some of the words he said." Even my ten year old could feel the negative spirit that was there. I explained to him that there are some people who don't know alot about our church, but they think that they do. I compared it to playing one of his XBOX 360 games: If I came into the media room and tried to tell you what to do next to get to the next level, would you listen to me? He laughed and said no because I never play his video games and I wouldn't know what I was talking about. I laughed at his response and told him that was exactly what it was like with people like this man. So when he starts telling us what he THINKS we believe, then we just need to let it go and not listen to him because he doesn't really understand what he is talking about.

Caden nodded his head and a big smiled crossed his face as he asked if I wanted to go play a 360 game with him when we got home....Gotta love kids! Not much ruffles their feathers for too long!

9 Words Women Use

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6 .That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a women's way of saying...You suck!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself . This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

President Hinckley, Remembered

Our Dear Prophet, President Gordon Bitner Hinckley passed away two Sundays ago on January 27th, 2008. I have such a great love for him that the news, although it was expected, was still very difficult for me. I understand how the leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints works, and that the Lord has promised that we will always have a living prophet on the earth to lead, guide and direct us, so I didn't feel lost and confused as to who would be our new prophet. But I did feel great loss because I have felt so much love and admiration for this wonderful man. He was the Prophet who signed my mission call to serve in the New York Rochester Mission. As a missionary, I sat and listened to him as he spoke at our All-Mission Conference in Palmyra, New York and heard him testify that a young farm boy walked into a nearby grove of trees early in the spring of 1820 and actually saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only Prophet my children have ever known. He did so much to make Christ's church known throughout the world and I LOVE that he had so many temples built!

One of my favorite stories of President Hinckley is from his mission in England. He had been sick, he was feeling discouraged and frustrated and he wrote home to his father and told him that he should just come home because he was wasting his time and his father's money. Shortly thereafter, Elder Hinckley received a letter from his dad. It said, "Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work." And he did. He made a pledge that day to the Lord that he would try to forget himself and lose himself in the work and service of the Lord. It is a pledge that he kept until the very end. (Click here to read the article from the New Era.)

I am so grateful for his example of service, charity and love. He was so full of life! One of my favorite quotes from him is on my wall where I can see it everyday:
Another is in Caden's room, so that he has a constant reminder of how to "be."

I am so grateful for President Hinckley's example and that I was allowed to live here on earth while he was our Prophet! I am so glad that he is now with his wonderfully sweet wife, Marjorie, whom he has missed these past (nearly) four years.

With all of that said, I am excited to have President Thomas S. Monson as our new Prophet, Seer and Revelator and I know for myself that he is called of God. I look forward to having him lead and guide us.

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet

President Henry B. Eyring - 1st Counselor

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - 2nd Counselor

I Want To Be More Like Nephi

Today was such a good day! Aside from Mark being gone and dealing with the woes of being a single parent, things here are great. It is usually Jackson who wanders down the stairs in the dark in the middle of the night in search of comfort from mom or dad. But last night I was woken up several times by Jackson and by Jace. I finally gave up and just had them sleep in my bed. Then Jackson, who was taking up more than his fair share to begin with kept getting mad at me for "squishing" him! Oh Pa-lease! Needless to say, I didn't get a very good nights sleep and I wasn't expecting much out of today just because I was so tired! But today has been great so far!

Church was excellent. That is actually what I wanted to write about. Sacrament was really good, but our lessons in Sunday School and Relief Society were great. In Sunday School, our teacher was talking about Nephi being commanded to build this ship, a task that he had never undergone before. This was all new to him, but he never complained, he just did as he was commanded (Oh, how I need to learn to be more like Nephi!).

1 Nephi 17:9 "And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" Nephi knew that he needed tools to build this ship. I find it intersting that he didn't ask the Lord where to find the tools to build the ship, but he asked the Lord where to find the ore so that he could make the tools to accomplish this task. The Lord does not usually do for us what we can do for ourselves. If Nephi would have said, "Hey, I'll build this ship, but I don't have any tools. Will you make me some tools?" I doubt the Lord would have responded in a way that Nephi would have liked. Instead, Nephi knew that this was something he could do for himself and asked the Lord for guidance in finding the ore. 1 Nephi 17:10 "And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools." It was just that simple to Nephi. Sometimes I need things spelled out for me. I am so grateful for the scriptures...because I do have things spelled out for me. Simple little lessons that I learn each time I read. Things that make me realize, "I want to be more like Nephi (or Ammon, or Chief Captain Moroni)!"

Anyhow, I just wanted to say that I am grateful for the gospel and that even though it may be tough at times to get out the door with three young boys who don't always want to go to church, it is well worth the struggle! I love feeling edified and learning more about the Savior and his gospel. Today was a great day!

It's Official...

We are heading home! Mark accepted one of his job offers and he actually starts work on Monday. He is on his way out there right now. I finally told my daycare parents this week. I have to give them four weeks notice so they could find other child care, but we didn't know until this past week for sure what we were going to do. We are still not positive, but at least we have a better idea. I have a friend that I grew up with in California who is now living in Arizona who's husband is being transferred out here. They came out this past weekend to go house hunting and they LOVED our house! So, as of now, the plan is for them to just buy our house. So nice for us because we don't have to worry about sticking around out here and trying to sell our house and our family won't be separated any longer than it has to be! So nice for them, because they don't have to stress out about finding a house while living in another state and they can buy our house at a lower cost (no realtor fees)! PLUS, she is wanting to do daycare, and since when we move I am going to be a stay at home mom and no longer do daycare or pre-school, I am just leaving her all of my daycare stuff! Including (hopefully) some of my kids! There are a couple of parents who are really interested in using her (she comes with a GREAT referrence!). We are hoping that it will all work out! It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?!!

So, our tentative buyers want to be here April 1st and that gives us 7 whole weeks to get packed up and moved. We were actaully thinking about moving during Spring Break, but we'll see. I told my daycare parents that my last day of care would be March 14th (see, I gave them 5 weeks). If for some freak reason this sale falls through, then I will put the house up for sale at that point and we will probably just plan to be out here until the end of the school year. It will be hard on our family to be apart, but it will be good for the boys to finish up the school year with all of their friends. Obviously, we are hoping that everything goes smoothly and we can leave during Spring Break, but there won't be any hard feelings if it doesn't work out that way. The orginal plan was to wait until the middle of March to close my daycare and put the house on the market. So if it turns out that that is what we have to do, then so be it. We are in a great area, great schools, perfect location. Houses in our neighborhood have been selling within two weeks lately, so we are confident that it will sell really fast.

For now though, we are planning on leaving by the 29th of March. The countdown has begun! 49 days left in Texas. I've already started making a list of things we have to do either again or for the first time before we leave because I know that it will be a very long time before we are back here.

Well Caden, Jace, Jackson and I better get to work on that list. We have lot's of things to cross off!

DisneyWorld 2008!

We went to DisneyWorld with Mark's family in January. Even though we got to see everyone at Christmas time, we were all looking forward to seeing everyone again so soon! It was such a fun trip! We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studio's, Epcot Center and Downtown Disney. The weather was nice most days, not too cold. And we were lucky that we never got rained on!

Here are just a FEW of the MANY photo's we took!

Kristie and Mark with Mickey at Animal Kingdom

All the kids at The Seas: Nemo and Friends (yes that includes Mark...and that is Jackson passed out in the stroller!) We went to see "Turtle Talk with Crush" and Jace got to talk to Crush. He called Jace the the "Little dude with the orange shell" and picked him out of the crowd. During their conversation, Jace told Crush that he used to have a fish. Crush got really excited and asked where his fish was now. Jace just said, "He's dead." Crush was horrified! His expressions were hilarious and the audience just laughed at his interaction with Jace. It was really cute to watch!

Jackson and Jace got to meet Bruce!

Jace and Caden At Epcot

Jackson at Epcot

More Disney Photos:

Caden at Epcot Center

My Boys in "Germany"

Tasting the "Flavors around the World"

Jack-Jack and Taylor

At the Hoopty-Do Review