Mothers Day May 13th 2018

Anna made this lovely sign!! 

Parkin made this blue bird at school with a kiln, it was beautiful!

Holman made me breakfast in bed again, what a champ, it was delish!! He even included baked chocolate pudding my favorite!

Bella and Olivia bought me a purse and matching sandals, they are so cute !

If i cut my hair and dyed it this is what it would look like....not my best look!

We had Mom and Dad over for dinner. It is always great having them over and makes every occasion that much more special.

 Parkin and Anna made this board game, it was so creative!

Overboard Girls trip May 4-6!!

We had Holman Women Weekend to San Diego, what fun!! Unoftuelty Robin ended up not being able to go and poor mom had herwst in a cast and her other wrist in a splint. We went to a tea party, went to see Overboard at the movies, went to Balboa Park, saw several museum exhibits, participated in an art class and went to the beach. A truly relaxing fun filled weekend. I finally got to appreciate my sisters who normally drive on our trips, driving in California is no joke. We also attended church on Sunday, it was a really lovely ward. 

Mom and I almost got into a fight with an ex con.....

When traveling on a girls trip what happens in the car can really set the tone for your whole adventure. When my sister suggested we listen to "The Gift of Fear" I was intrigued. Basically, I learned how to be a cop in 6 hours, specifically Jamie Reagon. The very next morning we woke up just in time to catch the last 10 minutes of our complimentary breakfast which happened to be located on the 4th floor...odd that it wasn't held in the lobby. When we arrive I see a woman in a white sleeveless hoody nearly unzipped (with nothing underneath), a dressy skirt, and combat boots; an odd combination. Instinctively I tell myself "don't stare and most definitely don't look into her face." She proceeds to load up 10 plates of every food item they have, mumbling as she goes. "Stick to the plan cadet don't look up." My mom and I are the first to sit down, my mom speculates if she could use a carryout bag to make the trip out the door. The suspect walks right by our table and begins to quietly threaten us, "my daddy taught me a lot....I know you B#$!% are talking about me... I dare you to look into my face and I will show you how tough you are...LOOK INTO MY FACE!!..LOOK INTO MY FACE!!" "Sweety that is the last thing I am going to do." If we would have locked eyes that lady would have wiped the floor with me. Later my mom said I knew you could take her, Are you kidding me?! A suburban woman of 40, maybe but an ex-con who has been fighting in the streets since birth, no. She would have done moves on me that I didn't even know existed. Who knows where she was hiding her shiv, not the hoody... People read "the gift of fear" by Gavin De Becker it is now required reading for my teenagers.

May 3rd Parkin turns 11!

I love this guy! He is so sweet and kind and super smart too. He is a great singer and draws amazing pictures. He loves anything to do with Japan. He joined his older brother and sisters at the big campus and has adjusted so well. He is quick to give a compliment and quick to say he is sorry, which consequently makes others quick to love him! I will always love you Parkin. You are such a pleasure to parent. XOXOX

Earth Day April 29th 2018

 We got a new adorable desert tortoise. He is so cute and little! He loves to take a stroll around his pen and get into the water dish. Unfortunately, the stroll attracts our cat, named Fish, attention. 

 The three youngest made a toilet paper/ paper towel thrown in the small "Harry Potter"cupboard.

 For Earth day last Sunday 4/22/18 Benjamin wanted to drive up the mountain and look at Gods creation. Of course, it was beautiful.This handsome guy pretending to take my photo but taking his own, how could he not?!

I love this picture of Olivia and I. She does not take a bad picture. Photogenic. I love this picture of me because I still have a forehead crease and wrinkles but I don't have a root canal face!

I love these two. They are our Phenius and Ferb They always have big plans.

This handsome guy celebrated Earth day by playing a trick on me. I had asked him earlier to cut down a tree stump. A while back we had a mesquite tree snap in a in a storm and the stump visually bothered me. Unbeknownst to me, he had sawed right through the stump and just had the dead wood resting on the stump. When we got back from the mountain he stopped the car and told me to give the stump a "sturdy" kick. I gave it a great bick hiyah! and went flying through that tree and scraped my leg up pretty bad. I figured he had sawed almost all the way through the stump but no he sawed clean through....not funny. To quote Benjamin he thought it was a lot funnier in his head...

We went to Roper lake this last weekend. We love that place. Great lake, great tiny cabins, great natural springs. We always eat way too much junk food and watch a family movie. This year we watched "Wonder" not a try eye in the cabin. Bella and I are adventurers, we swam across the lake and then canoed across like Pocahontas :)

Bella's from April 13, 2018

This dress spoke to Bella so naturally we had to get it! Mormon Prom was a success. Her friends from school convinced her to go to her School prom so the dress had two nights worth of dancing. Now that's worth it!

Bella's date was Nathan. A close family friend. He also takes care of our goats and helps house sit for us when we're out of town, we think he's pretty swell. He got his mission call the very next day he's going to Chile in June! Luckily he will be here for the our goat babirs (They are due in June!) I know he didn't want to miss it 😂

They doubled with Jasmin Lopez and her date, we just love theoprz family!

Fresh Hell April 2-7 2018

The term fresh hell is a very horrific phrase. When someone says something is a piece of fresh hell you know that they are serious. This week I went to my dentist because one of my teeth felt extra sensitive, like I had chipped it. Much to my dismay I learned that I needed to get a root canal and had a pretty bad infection. With the help of my mom I was able to get the root canal done a day early. The root canal was a painful process in and of itself but the days that followed were horrific. Pain medication did nothing to ease the pain except for some oxycodone. I know many people abuse this drug and it's been said that we should take it off the market but I am so grateful that they have not done it. Ibuprofen couldn't touch this pain with a ten-foot pole. It is because of that drug that I am still here today. As the days went on my face began to swell I contacted the surgeon and sent a picture of my face and they had me come in for an emergency visit on Friday. The infection was so bad that they had to open my face up so that the pressure and infection could drain. Because the infection was so bad the doctor told me that most likely the anesthesia would do nothing for my pain. He was right. I have never felt that kind of pain in all my life, that's after natural childbirth and an appendicitis. I cried like a little girl. The moment I met this doctor he said this is going to hurt and you're not going to like me. I think I internally cried first because I've been hurting so bad all week. I gripped the armrest silent cried like nobody's business trembled and just prayed for it to be over. He would stop every now and then and ask me if I was ok, no I'm not ok but just keep going. Lindsey told me if your going through Hell just keep moving. So true!The the doctor said he's never seen that much pus in all his procedures, and he wasn't a young man. This experience was a fresh piece of hell. It's what I imagine kidnappers and Terrorists do to their victims. It was horrific. I'm not out of the woods yet I have watch out for fever, additional swelling and not making sense. If that occurs i need to go to the ER for IV antibiotics. Arguably one of the worst weeks of my life. I couldn't even teach preschool. I'm so glad my mom was able to run the show with the help of my daughter Olivia and my niece Brighlynne, there is no way I could have worked. I can count on one hand how many days of preschool I've missed in the eight years that I've been teaching. Fresh hell.

See that big black circle above the tooth, that's not supposed to be there.

The Tuesday afternoon when i went in for the initial root canal I texted the kids to have them clean their common rooms (the rooms they are in charge of keeping clean) and make sure the kitchen was clean. Coming home to a clean house can really speed recovery :) I went straight to bed. We said prayers as a family in my bedroom and facetiously thanked them for cleaning the kitchen thinking there is no way it got done. Then they all piped up on how they were the ones to clean up, fighting on who should be the one getting thanked. I bit me lip thinking that no one had and flet glad I didn't say what i was thinking. The next morning I made my way down stairs and looked in the kitchen and this is what I saw.

They literally were fighting over who crammed all the dirty dishes in the sink! Are you kidding me?!  the island was cleared off though...

To make matters worse I get a colonoscopy on Monday. Hoping for a clean bill of health. They don't usually recommend them till 50 but I'm having complications. Being 40 blows!

Benjamin has had his own close calls. Coming out of the temple two weeks ago he couldn't feel his left side of his body and his chest felt tight. Urgent care thought he had a TIA and sent him to the ER.  Luckily there were not signs of a heart attack or stroke, but hey wanted him to follow up with specialists as soon as possible. He saw a cardiologist on Friday he has had a heart murmur since birth that they want to keep an eye on. He also has to follow up with a neurologist.... Long story made short (too late) it seems both Benjamin and my warranties are up! 

Kids protesting their hearts desire and fish

My kids are all fired up for gun control much to their Dads dismay, but Benjamin couldn't be more proud that they stand for their convictions. I'm all for raising gun purchases to 21 with background checks and consequences for families who  don't lock up their guns.

Do you see the sweet little cat cuddling with Olivia? This sweet little kitten named Fish brought a ground squirrel to an inch of his life. Anna and Holman rescued the ground squirrel and put it in this secure Tepee in the hopes that the little fellow would recover...he joined little critters in the sky the next day.