Because My Sister Told Me Too...

Thoughts on serving a mission

2012-10-10T15:02:00.003-07:00

Following President Monson's announcement concerning the lowering of the missionary ages I received this Facebook message from my niece Natalie "Sooo, list of of pros and cons of going on a mission: Go!" I wasn't surprised to hear from her. She and I had talked about serving missions and now with the new age requirements she could leave immediately if she wanted to. What did surprise me is my reaction to her request. I told her that I would put together a list for her but the more I thought about it, I didn't think a list would work so I'm wrote her this letter instead.

Dear Natalie,

Pros and Cons of a mission huh? If you had asked me this 10 years ago, I probably could have have given you quite the list of Pros and Con's, but 10+ years out I honestly can't think of one negative to serving a mission. I don't know how much you know about my experience serving a mission but I had a pretty rough mission. I had a few companions that struggled with health issues, both mental and physical. Towards the end of my mission I was diagnosed with depression and every day was a struggle for me to go out and do the Lord's work. When I got home I was a very angry, scared and bitter person. I could think of SO many reasons for someone to NEVER serve a mission but with time and age has come a perspective that I never thought I would have.

I look back on my mission and it seems as though all those struggles and trials that I went through weren't so bad. They made me the person I am today and for that I am eternally grateful. The truth is that I had probably been dealing with depression most of my life, but it wasn't until my mission that I understood what it was. On my mission I learned things about myself that would've taken me years to figure out at home. I learned how to recognize the signs of depression and coping skills that I still find useful and valuable to this day. I know without my mission I would not be the mom I am today.

Serving a mission brought me closer to my Heavenly Father. While in the depths of my depression I remember calling out to the Lord and begging him to release me from this torment and pain. I just wanted to feel joy again. I remember feeling a great peace settle over me and I thought of Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail. This scripture came to my mind "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversary and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." (D&C 121:7-9) "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:8) I knew that the Lord had not forsaken me. He knew my pain. It was on my mission that I learned what the Atonement really meant to me, in my life. I learned to believe Christ. I learned to trust him, to love him, and to be perfected in him instead of doing it on my own.

So, here is my advice about choosing whether to serve a mission.

1. Know that there is never going to be a good time. There will always be school, auditions, family obligations, relationships, work.

2. I know Josie and Amy said that if they had gone on missions they wouldn't have met their husbands. I know that if I hadn't had gone on a mission I never would've met mine.

3. Finally, just make a decision. Decide Yes, decide NO, but make a decision. Trust me, the Lord will let you know if you've made the right choice or not.

I'm sure you already know that I had originally decided not to go on a mission. For days after making that decision I had a weight on my chest that wouldn't go away. When I finally knelt in prayer and told the Lord that I would serve that weight was lifted and replaced with a sure knowledge that I was supposed to serve.

Yes, it will be hard to leave your family behind and have minimal contact with them. It is hard to leave your friends and all that you've known to go someplace new. It can be a joy and a struggle to live and work with someone so closely day after day. But the blessings that you'll reap, and that will be showered upon those you left behind, by your service are beyond compare. They cannot be measured and are worth every sacrifice that you'll make.

You will love and bless the people that you serve and they will bless you. Thanks to this modern age, you will be able to keep in contact with them. You will be able to see some of them, after accepting the gospel and choosing to get baptized, get married in the temple and start eternal families of their own. The joy you will feel as you watch them progress in the gospel is indescribable and you will thank your Heavenly Father everyday for allowing you to be a part of their story. Trust me, I know.

I'm sorry I couldn't give you a concise Pro/Con list but I hope this will suffice.

Let me leave you with this, I never have nor will I ever regret serving a mission. I look back now and I see no cons to missionary service. I only see the pros and how they helped me change and grow. I am honored that the Lord deemed me worthy and capable of missionary service. If you choose to go it will not be easy. There will be times you want to quit but if you hang in there and spread the good news of the gospel, I PROMISE you, you will find joy in your journey.

Love,

Amy

S#x Education...Animal Style

2012-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Recently we make a pilgrimage to the promised land that is Utah. We spent a glorious/gluttonous week in the cooler weather (in the 90's is cooler for us) touring temple square, going to the "beach" (a man-made reservoir with a man-made beach with trucked in gravel/sand), celebrating birthday's, eating dessert everyday, running because we ate dessert everyday, drinking real soda vs. diet, setting off fireworks, playing games, and mugging on the cutest baby with the sweetest dimples. (Gratuitous pictures to come...)

To celebrate Carma's 6th birthday we made a trip to Utah's Hogle Zoo. We met 3 of my sister's there and had a great time catching up, looking at animals, riding the train and carousel, and getting a surprise/graphic lesson in s#x education courtesy of the gorilla's.

Upon arriving at the zoo Cyrus made it clear that he wanted to see the gorilla's. So I made sure that one of our first stops was the primate building. We were told that the gorillas are sometimes sleeping or hiding in the back so we may not see very much of them.

Well...

Not seeing very much of the gorillas was NOT a problem for us AT ALL.

Before I had made it all the way into the building my nephew Chandler came back out and said that maybe we shouldn't go in there right now. I was like, "Why not?". He looked at me with a goofy grin and whispered, "The gorillas are having S#X!".

I laughed. Ha ha ha! I told him my kids won't even know what is going on and if they ask, I'll tell them that they are wrestling. Come on, let's go in!

This is what we saw:

The gorilla's were quite clearly having s#x, the male was using some pretty powerful thrusts to get his point across. But, in case we were confused about what we were viewing Cyrus, MY Cyrus told my sister, "That's a male and that's a female, and they're mating."

Say what?

Did my 7 year old just describe this s#xual encounter correctly?

Why yes, yes he did.

Thank you Netflix for your informative animal shows that I didn't even bother screening because I figured they were safe and educational. Well, they were educational alright!

So, do you think we can consider the "s#x talk" taken care of?

Ya, I didn't think so.

*Please pardon the # sign in place of the e in s#x. I don't want people searching for s#x and coming across my blog.

Urine Trouble! (but not really...)

2012-08-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is Cyrus.

Cyrus sleepwalks.

It is usually the urge to pee that pulls him out of his bed in a sleepy stupor. Most often he comes into our room lost and confused. He tries to climb into bed with us, but I have learned through trial and error (and bathroom floors covered in an insane amount of urine) to steer him in the direction of the bathroom. I have also learned through trial and error that it is in my best interest to accompany him to the bathroom, lift the toilet seat, help him...ahem...aim and shoot, flush the toilet, wash his hands, and guide him back to bed.

We don't normally worry about Cyrus and his sleepwalking tendencies because he has, for the most part, always come into our room and made us aware of the situation. His relatively consistent sleepwalking routine lulled us into a false sense of security.

That is, until the other night that Dave found him sleeping on the couch at midnight.

He roused Cyrus and asked him what he was doing on the couch. Cyrus said, "I just fell asleep." Well, we know he didn't happen to "just" fall asleep seeing as how we tucked him into his bed safe and sound at 7:30 pm. Dave put him back in his bed, then he did a quick check for any pee puddles in the bathroom and called it good. He came in and told me what happened. We giggled, said goodnight and went to bed.

I honestly didn't give Cyrus' strange appearance on the couch another thought until later that day when I noticed a strange smell coming from the laundry room.

Our "laundry room" if you can call it that, is basically the hallway that leads into the garage with the washer and dryer shoved to the side. As we left in the morning to run errands and see friends my nose was assaulted by an offense smell. I looked around for a forgotten poopy diaper, or a rancid washcloth. I couldn't find anything so I thought maybe it was just me and we left.

The smell was still there when we got back.

Every time I went into the laundry room or passed by it I could smell something awful. Through years of experience and missed aiming in the bathroom I was able to identify the smell as urine, but I was still at a loss to find out where it was coming from. I looked in the corners, checked for dried puddles, no luck. It is not a very big room and the smell was getting stronger by the minute.

I started sniffing around and using my Super Mom sense of smell I found the area where the smell was the strongest....

the Shoe Box.

I moved some shoes around and gagged both from the smell and sight of a large puddle of urine that had accumulated at the bottom of the Box.

All I could do was laugh/gag. And I laughed HARD. I showed Cyrus the results of his sleepwalking escapade. Thinking he was in trouble he tried to pass the blame onto Carma. That made me laugh even harder as I pictured Carma popping a squat over the Shoe Box to relieve herself in the middle of the night. When he realized that I wasn't mad he started to relax and started to laugh at himself as well.

I then spent the next 45 minutes cleaning out the Box and washing shoes. I also had to spray everything with disinfecting/odor neutralizing spray because even after washing everything I COULD STILL SMELL THE PEE!

Life lesson(s) learned:
No more water for Cyrus at bed time.
Make sure he goes to the bathroom before bed.
Put a deadbolt on the laundry room door.

Valentine's Day Happenings

2012-02-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy busy around here, but not too busy for some fun Valentine's Day Happenings.

Valentine FHE:

On January 31st, we had a Family Home Evening about Love. We read and discussed Matthew 5:43-44. For our activity I had cut out a TON of hearts from pink, red, and white construction paper. On the hearts we wrote things and people we love/are grateful for. Examples: Each other, Family, Gospel, Days off Work, Jesus Christ, School, Jobs, etc.... Then we taped all of the hearts to our pantry door with signs that said, "We Love..." We finished off the night with homemade Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was one of those rare FHE's that was a success. I see the start of a great family tradition. Love it!

The 14 Days of Valentine's:

I used the FHE to also introduce another family tradition that I hope to continue, The 14 Days of Valentine's. I found these cute little mailboxes in the dollar section at Target. I cut out the kids' names in vinyl using my Cricut and put them on the front.

Here's how it goes, for the first 14 days of February when the flag is up on their mailbox, my kids will find a small treat or token in their box. It's nothing big. A Dove Chocolate, a Hershey's Kiss, a Valentine Pencil, a small heart balloon. I found most of their treats at the Dollar store. I also plan on leaving some notes to tell them something I love about each of them. This new tradition has been a HIT! The kids love it, and to be honest, so do I.

I have to admit, I've never really been one to decorate or really get into Valentine's Day or some of the other lesser holidays BUT my kids have changed me. It's not the Holiday's that make the day special. It's my kids that make the Holiday special.

Stay tuned for:
Handmade cheap Valentine's decorations
My first ever banner
Great gift idea for a friend
Our Valentine's Day Dinner
My second 5k that I trained for in a little over a month
WICKED....eeeeK!!!! So freaking excited!!! and....

LOTS of catching up. (Seriously didn't even realize that my last post was three weeks ago!)

7:18 PM....

2012-01-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

and I'm already in bed. Yep, dinner is put away, kids are in bed, my contacts are out, and my benadryl and melatonin have been ingested. I'm guessing that I am going to be in dreamland sometime after Happy Endings and before Law & Order: SVU.

There's laundry in the washing machine, but I'm ignoring it.
My family room looks like a tornado (aka the Beast) went through it, and I'm ignoring it.
My counters are dirty, and I'm ignoring it.
The sink is full, and I'm ignoring it.

Why?

Because it's been this kind of day:

Yep, it's official, I'm losing it.

It's been a long couple days. My frustration level on a scale of 1-10 has been consistently at a 9 over the past couple days. Cy chose to pee in the wood chips on the playground yesterday, Princess won't stop talking and asking me "Why?", and the Beast is in a throwing stage. I've gotten pretty good at dodging flying objects like the TV remote, wooden blocks, and remote control cars. I dragged all three kids to two stores yesterday where they repeatedly asked me for candy and other crap. Any effort I make to clean up is immediately destroyed by the Beast. I've been battling a migraine for two days now. There's a painful bump on the top of my head that actually woke me up in the middle of the night, and I can't even remember hitting my head. I worked late last night and then got up early this morning to work some more. I'm tired and just plain done.

So earlier this evening while I was in the kitchen attempting to get dinner started and some muffins made, the Beast came and started pushing on my legs, pulling at my pants, and screaming "Milck". I got him his milk and then I started to unload the dishwasher. I noticed my mistake with the milk WHEN I went to put a stack of plates in the REFRIGERATOR. A STACK OF PLATES IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

Click-Clack. That was the sound of me punching my time card. I'm officially off the clock. I'm going to bed with a positive attitude that tomorrow WILL be better.

Tomorrow I will tackle my messy house.
Tomorrow I will exercise.
Tomorrow my head will FINALLY stop hurting.
Tomorrow Princess will ask "Why?" one less time then she did today.
Tomorrow my son will NOT pee in an inappropriate place.
Tomorrow, the Beast will be nice and obedient and he won't throw anything at my head.

Well, a girl can dream right?

The Rest of Christmas 2011-Instagram Style

2012-01-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

After getting home from church, putting our jammies back on, opening all our presents, eating our traditional Christmas Breakfast (bacon and eggs, with a new twist, waffles!), and taking some much needed naps, we headed out to Gramma's house for Christmas dinner AND to spend the week with the Bergy clan!!!

It was a very Bergy Christmas, so EVERYONE came. Some even from far off distant lands like Texas, Utah, and Colorado. Very, very exciting!

So of course I documented the rest of Christmas with my new Iphone, because like I said I am now addicted to Instagram! So, here is it goes....

Over the river (the Aqua Fria River, that is. It's bone dry. The most water we see in it is some puddles after it rains and those usually evaporate within the hour it stops raining.), and through the woods (Woods? What woods? Who are we kidding. This is the Arizona desert. We're lucky if trees grow here at all!), to Grandmother's house we go (DON'T EVER call my mother-in-law Grandmother OR Grandma. She says Grandma was her mother-in-law and she is Gramma. Honestly, I don't hear much of a difference when pronounced, but whatever makes her happy.

We had a very yummy dinner of ham, potatoes, salad, and rolls. Unfortunately, we got there 2 hours late and everyone had eaten without us. C'est la vie. Those naps were worth having to reheat Christmas dinner.

This my niece Katie. She dislikes having her picture taken. She asked me if I was taking her picture. I told her no, that I was just playing with my new Iphone. She believed me. Silly Katie.

The Beast broke up crackers into little pieces and then handed them to Grandpa. It was a fun game, just ask Grandpa.

This is the Pit. It is where all the Bergy's gather after meals to get horizontal and let the food digest.

After dinner we exchanged gifts, ate goodies, and enjoyed each other's company. It truly was a great Christmas.

Dave had the week after Christmas off. So we packed up and spent the week at Gramma's house. It was a busy week filled with bouncing (Gramma rented a bounce house), birthday's, cousins, games, food, and more food!

Decisions, Decisions

2012-01-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Beast is sleeping.

Dishes?

Downton Abbey and blogging?

Decisions, Decisions.....

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011 was a banner holiday for the Bergy's. We had church at the unearthly hour of 8:00 am (luckily, that changed at the new year and we are now at 10:00 am, hallelujah!). We made an extra effort to be on time, something we hadn't done much of this year (shame on us), and it was lovely to start the Savior's birthday with partaking of the sacrament and singing praises to Him.

We went with a purple, black and gray theme for our church clothes. I'm thinking next year we will go red, SO much easier to find.

Santa came and brought the kiddo's 3 presents each off of their lists.

We gave Cy a new stegosaurus piggy bank since the Beast broke his other one earlier on in the year.

Each kid got Dave a small gift card and I got him a larger one to Amazon. With his cards and the other money he had hoarded away he was able to fulfill his most recent technological obsession. Dave was thrilled with his very Amazon Christmas and I continued the tradition of family calenders for his offices.

Cy's Christmas consisted of Lego's, the Cars 2 Wii game, and more Lego's. We also got him and Princess new sheets and comforters for their beds.

The Beast celebrated Christmas with the arrival of a new bike, cars, Elmo, and lots of things that make the most annoying sounds known to man.

Princess' letter to Santa Claus was filled with all things Barbie. Her wishes were fulfilled and she had a very Barbie Christmas.

There are no pictures of me seeing as how I was behind the camera, but trust me I had a great Christmas. My kiddos under the direction of Dave got me a much desired waffle maker and waffle mixes, and Dave surprised me with a beautiful new white Iphone. I LOVE it! I've been wanting one for a while and am now Instagraming everything in sight.

I loved watching my family open their presents. My kids are still talking about how that was the best Christmas EVER.

It's coming...

2012-01-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

The second season of Downton Abbey starts this Sunday night on PBS. Check your local listings, clear your schedule, pop some popcorn and prepare yourself to be thoroughly entertained as only PBS Masterpiece Theater can entertain.

I am rewatching season one this weekend while I catch up on my blogging. If you're interested, and you should be, it's on Netflix Instant Stream. Seriously, GREAT SHOW. You know where I will be on Sunday night. Dave, on the other hand, will probably be playing video games and staying as far away from this British inspired TV show as he possibly can.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

Why?

2012-01-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

This kid..

peed in the backyard today. Not in the grass, or against a tree (we don't have any trees in our backyard yet), but next to the house, in the dirt, basically making a mud pit. It wasn't a little pee either. It was A LOT. I'm dumbfounded. Speechless. I know, I know, he's a boy, it's what they do, blah, blah, blah.... BUT this is the same kid who just last year peed off the top of his bunk bed and he didn't just pee in one spot when he did this, oh no, he showered the room with his urine spraying the closet, the wall, the dressers, and the toys. We ~~screamed~~ talked to him and explained why this behavior is not only unacceptable but disgusting, unsanitary and just plain Ewww. We talked about appropriate places to pee, um, like, IN THE BATHROOM, and .... oh yeah, IN THE FREAKING BATHROOM!!!!

Now, while I admit that peeing in the backyard isn't quite up to disgusting level of spraying your room with your bodily waste, it's still pretty gross AND completely unnecessary! Um, hello, you're in the backyard...OF YOUR HOUSE...you know, where YOUR bathroom is located a whole 30 ft away from the spot you just urinated on and that the Beast is now trying to make mud pies out of!

Why, why, why?????

The Beast

2012-01-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

Have I told you about the Beast lately? The Beast turned 2 right before Christmas. He chose to celebrate his birthday by throwing, not 1, not 2, but 5 screaming, writhing on the floor, fits all before 8:30 in the morning. Oh and did I mention he woke up at 6:30 am? Well he did, and I don't know how it works at your house but here 6:30 is freaking early.

It was a rough day but I think it was a pretty fitting way to usher in the Terrible Two's, which he actually started about 8 months ago. We had a treat when our good friends the Carr's brought over birthday and Christmas on the Beast's actual birthday.

After Christmas when all the Bergys were still in town we had another celebration at Gramma's house.

What isn't pictured above? The pink and purple grocery cart/stroller that Aunt Sue got him and the set of tools that Aunt Teri stuck in it to make it seem more manly. HE LOVES THEM, the cart and the tools. He uses the drill as a gun and today I caught him trying to climb into the cart so Princess could push him around.

Thank you everyone for helping us celebrate his 2nd birthday. I guess this is one of the benefits of having your birthday around Christmas, chances are he'll always be surrounded by family and lots of them!

I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Aunt Amy and Uncle Matt for their awesome wrapping job (Pictured above). Want to know the secret to a perfect wrapping job? Target bag and tons of tape.

And because I am now a Instagram addict (thanks to my new Iphone, YOU ROCK DAVE! follow me, mrsbergy, you know you want too) here are some more photos I took of the celebrations. Instagram style....

Beast I love you, more than you'll probably ever know. You drive me crazy and then you melt my heart with those big blue/green eyes. Anytime I want to get something done you're at my feet screaming Momma and pushing on me until I give in and pick you up. Then you grab me by the cheeks, plant a big kiss on my lips, lay your head on my shoulder, and remind me that dishes can wait but you will not be 2 forever.

You love Princess, you tolerate Cy, and you adore Daddy. You and I, we're buddies, amigos. I couldn't imagine sending the older kids to school and not having you to hang around with. We go for walks, do laundry, make treats, learn our ABC's with Elmo, and travel to imaginary places with The Cat in the Hat.

I love you Bubba's! Here's to another year of chair climbing, door unlocking, stove playing, knife throwing, face slapping, kiss giving, water splashing, milk drinking, cheeto eating, and technology stealing.

Happy Birthday Beast!

my new standard

2011-12-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday Princess came into the office where I was working, to report that the Beast was taking things off the Christmas tree. He's been doing this pretty consistently since we put the tree up. He thinks it's a game, I think it's annoying. The bottom of our tree is completely naked.

I told Princess, "Listen, he's not on top of the stove and he's not pulling out knives. Leave him alone, he's fine."

This is my new parenting standard.

No stove...

No knives....

No worries.

Tis' the Season....

2011-12-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

for yummy treats:

and air dried jeans:

Here's a little tip I'm sure you already know, but just in case you don't...jeans shrink when you put them in the dryer, leaving you no room for that extra holiday padding. If you hang them up to dry you will be able to fit into your jeans even after those cookies, cheese balls, candies, pumpkin logs, rolls, hams, pies, breads and muffins.

The Lowdown in A-Town

2011-12-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been over a month. I feel like I should apologize, but I don't want too. Life got a little crazier this past month. I hit a blogging wall. And, well, it is what it is. Truly, the main reason I'm blogging again is because lately I've been thinking thoughts like "That would be a fun post to put on the blog." and "I really should write about that." So here I am, and here is what's been going on around these parts....

Cy - Got on Honor Roll. So proud! Reading like a champ and getting the attitude of a 14 year old. Seriously, where did this come from? His favorite phrase right now, "I don't care.".

Me - "Cy, that pencil is broken, go get a new one."

Cy - "I don't care."

Me - "What do you mean you don't care? That pencil won't work, you have to get a new one. It doesn't matter whether you care or not, these are the facts. Go get a new pencil!"

Cy - "I don't care."

Me - "What?!?! Do you even know what you're saying???"

Cy - "I don't care."

You get the picture. He never uses that phrase when he gets in trouble and loses something, oh no, THAT he most certainly cares about! It never seems to make sense when he says "I don't care." So frustrating. He is still doing soccer. He loves it although he barely touches the ball. It's kind of frustrating to watch. He runs his little heart out, gets within inches of the ball and then comes to complete stop and waits to see what everyone else is going to do. Sigh. At least he's enjoying himself, right? That's what I keep telling myself on the sidelines while I count to ten and take deep calming breaths. Today Cy gave me a Thanksgiving card that said "You are the best mommy ever and I love you very munch." Kind of made me feel bad for yelling at him to hang up his jacket, put away his backpack, etc. etc. He really is a sweet, smart, and funny kid.

Princess - Got perfect attendance for the first quarter. She was so proud and so were we. She is breezing through her phonics and ahead of the game in patterns and penmanship. Now if only I could get her to understand why shot doesn't rhyme with shoe, we'd be in business. She just can't seem to grasp the concept that rhyming sound happens at the end of the word, not at the beginning. Personally, I'm at a loss. Any help from the teachers out there, ahem Aunt Kol, would be appreciated. She finished her first dance class in October and she lost her first tooth last week. We discovered that she is a bleeder. We will keep more paper towels on hand next time we pull out a tooth to save our carpet and her clothes. She loves to talk and will ask me question after question. When my frustration starts to show through she will end her 20/20 question session with this:

Princess: Mommy?

Me: (Exasperated) WHAT?!?!

Princess: I love you.

Me: (Deflated) Oh, I love you too.

That girl, she's a smart one. Oh, and she gives the BEST hugs. Sigh. I hope she never grows out of those hugs.

The Beast - is still, well, beastly. He's also become quite the little manipulator. At bedtime he'll snuggle up with you and be perfectly still and sweet so you hesitate to put him to bed. Next thing you know it's been an hour and he's still snuggled up on your lap. Smart kid. I love it and it melts my heart every time he does it.

He says Thank You, hello, you, more, momma, dadda, Carma, Cyrus, no bar (cereal bar), no gurt (yogurt), no, no, and no again, bed, sah (sorry), ball, bebe (baby), ruf, and many more that I can't think of right now because it's midnight, and I'm tired. He is a "Sour Patch Kid". Remember those commercials for the sour patch candies, where the candy does something really naughty like cut off someones pigtail, then it immediately turns around and apologizes for it? Ya, that's the Beast. He'll smack you in the face with one hand while stroking your cheek and saying "Sah" (sorry) with the other. He is coming into his own personality wise and he keeps me laughing a good portion of the day. Today he licked my cheek while panting and saying "ruf". It was gross and cute at the same time so of course I sent him over to Dave so he wouldn't miss out on the puppy action.

Dave- still working for the Boys and Girls Club. He got a new video game that he enjoys playing whenever I am occupied elsewhere. I'm pretty sure that he is looking forward to the end of the soccer season as much as I am. We've had more 8:00 am games than I care to remember. Great dad, great husband. Yep, that pretty much sums Dave up.

Me- well, lately I've been busy being Holly Homemaker. I've been making soups/stews from scratch and yesterday I successfully made bread. It was quite yummy and I enjoyed the finished product so much that I will probably make it again. I don't know how long this spurt of homemakingness will last, but I'll ride this wave till it peters out and I move on to my next thing. Am I the only one who does this? Goes through stages of being super clean, or super organized, or super homemakey

That, my friends and family, is what is happening in our neck of the desert. Now, that I'm done writing this, I see that it reads just like a classic Christmas Newsletter so instead of sending one out with our Christmas cards I will refer everyone to this post, scan a copy of our Christmas Card, and call it good. Two birds with one stone and another thing crossed off my to-do list. I feel so efficient.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from a squinty Snow White........

a confused Captain America.........

and a reluctant Dalmatian.......

This year Halloween wasn't just a one day, wham bam thank you ma'am celebration. Oh no, it was a full on, four day party extravaganza. I'm exhausted and THRILLED that it's over. Halloween shouldn't last this long. Thanksgiving? Yes. Christmas? Yes. Halloween? NO!

Our Halloween celebrations started on Friday with the kids Storybook Parade and Boo Bash at their school. They went Trick-or-Treating and got to paint oranges, good times.

The Beast threw a fit every time we put his costume on. He had to wear it three times. It was a nightmare. He only wore the hat thingy for that first picture then he screamed and cried until we took it off.

On Saturday we had our ward Trunk-or-Treat. The kids made their way through the trunks till the candy was gone and people started closing their trunks and driving away. The kids got hyped up on sugar and ran through the parking lot like they were being chased by zombies. I spent the majority of my time chasing the Beast up the row of trunks, and down the row of trunks, then back again. It was fun, let. me. tell. you. Afterwards, we had to wrangle the kids into the car, get them home, showered and in bed for 8:00 AM church the next day. Yep, you read that right, 8:00 AM church. I don't know what our ward did to deserve this starting time, but whatever it was, I'm sorry and I beg for forgiveness.

On Sunday we did our first ever Spooky Dinner. I made these spooky licorice trees (idea from pinterest) for our centerpieces.

Our menu consisted of Lizard Eyeballs......

Mummy Pizzas..........

Mummy Hot Dogs........

A Healthy Salad (possibly the scariest thing on the menu)..........

Witch's Brew............

and Bat Cupcakes...........

To scare the kids, I wore my glasses. They were freaked out.......

We finished off our Halloween Extravaganza with our traditional neighborhood Trick-or-Treating with Grandma.

We've got a LOAD of candy. Most of it will probably find it's way into the trash over the next few months. It's been fun but like I said, I'm SO glad it's over.

Till next year Halloween, till next year.

Crazy Hair Day and A Birthday Shout Out to Tess

2011-10-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's Spirit Week at my kid's school. Today was Crazy Hair Day. We braided Princess' hair the night before in a bunch of tiny little braids. In the morning I took out all the braids and then put her hair in 4 crazy ponytails. For Cy we went for the spiky look. He loved it. They thought it was a lot of fun and proceeded to act crazy until they left for school.

So fun!

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my ever young, older sister Theresa who celebrated her 45th (?) birthday yesterday. Now, there's a girl who has had herself a few crazy hair days. Right, Tess? In case you haven't seen this post that I did for her birthday a couple years back here you go.

Enjoy!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Da Nuh, Nuh, Nuh, Nuh, They say it's your Birthday......

Hello all! And greetings from sunny Arizona. This is Theresa's baby sister, Amy, here, and no I'm not a baby, I'm actually 29 years old. I thought I better clarify that for all of Theresa's friends. I know it can get confusing how she always refers to me as her baby sister. Makes you wonder how old our Mom is, doesn't it? No worries, she quit having babies at 39. No, crazy 70 year old giving birth in our family! Phew!

(Yeah, she's sitting on the toilet, but she's not doing what you think she is, at least

I don't think so....)

Alrighty then, to veer back to my original reason for doing a guest post on Theresa's blog, today is Theresa's 45th birthday!!! 45 years ago today Theresa Marie Vorwaller Fisher came into this world.........hang on.........my sister Kolette has just informed me that Theresa is only 42. Oops, my bad. So 42 years ago today Theresa came into this world. It was a dark and stormy night. Utah had just seen it's worst snowstorm in 34 years. The roads were covered in black ice and my parents skidded off to the side of the road on their way to the hospital. The car got stuck in a ditch. My mom was in active labor. The contractions were less than 30 seconds apart. She had no choice but to put her feet up on the dashboard and push with all her might. As her head popped out, my Dad caught Theresa before she hit the floor. He wrapped her up in his coat, handed her to my mom, and went for help. That is the story of how my dear sister Theresa, was born in a ditch somewhere on the back roads of Utah......well not really. I made that up. She wasn't really born in a ditch, although tell me that wasn't a awesome story! How cool would that have been! Theresa was born in a nice and cozy hospital, although according to Mom, she didn't even realize that she was in labor with Theresa until her neighbor told her to stop cleaning and get to the hospital. So, technically, she could've been born in a ditch if my Mom had waited much longer. Hmmm...let's just go with my version of the story it's so much more dramatic!

(Me, Yvette, and Theresa striking a pose! I've already got more flair at my young age than both of them put together. What's up with that?!? I mean seriously

check out that hip thrust!)

Theresa is my elder by 13 years. She was around for my birth. She timed our Mom's contractions when she was in labor with me. (I'm another one that could've been born in a ditch had our Mom waited any longer, but that's a story for another guest post, back to the birthday girl). When I was eight years old, Theresa went on a mission. We used to write back and forth about my hair. She loved how long my hair was and she would always ask me long my hair was now. She was jealous and envious of my hair. But that's okay because she was my older sister and I was jealous and envious of everything about her. I can honestly say that a very young age I worshiped the ground she walked on. I remember her doing my makeup and hair. There's a rumor floating around that at one point I stole her makeup and hid it because I was mad at her. I don't believe, I would never do anything that devious or ill spirited. The makeup was never recovered, no evidence, no proof, no case. Total rumor! Theresa and Yvette (another older sister) used to put on that song Maneater and I used to dance, much to their delight. I sure I could be a pain in the arse, but let's face it, Theresa was infatuated with me. She adored me. I mean, really, who didn't. Sorry, I digress.

( Awe shucks! Aren't we just two of the cutest things ever! I think the glasses tinted in the sun, or the flash from a camera...Mom's idea.)

I can't remember how old I was when Theresa moved out and started her own life up in Utah. But I do remember being devastated. Once, she took me up to Utah with her. I got to stay in her apartment with her and her roommates. I don't remember a lot of the specifics, but I do remember having a great time, and loving every minute of it. I also remember thinking how cool it was that Theresa could drive with just her knees. Yep, she's got mad skills!

(Getting married is apparently part of the whole starting your own life thing)

borns. Very kind of you)

Theresa, on this, your 45th birthday,...oops, your 42nd birthday, I want to say Happy Birthday. I love you, admire you, learn from you, and want to be like you. You have taught me much over the years and while we've had our bumps in the road in the past, I am grateful for the friends we've become. I look forward to many more years of endless laughter, merciless teasing, and general good times. My only regret is that we live so far away. I hope you had a wonderful birthday and many, many more!

(Don't know why it looks like I want to get away from her?!? Maybe it was those glasses. Seriously Theresa, what were you thinking? Did Mom make you pick them? I blame all my bad glasses on her, that way no one questions my fashion sense, it's just easier that way. Sorry Mom!)

(She probably made me that birthday cake. I remember one time she made me a Panda birthday cake. I'm telling you mad skills!)

(and to end it all....a view from the rear..."my humps, my humps, my humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps, in the back and in the front, check me out")

HAPPY BIRFDAY TWESSA!!!!!!!!!!!

Me, A-Z

2011-10-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

Age:32

Bedsize: King

Chores that you hate: Bathrooms. Especially the kids'. I can scrub it till it shines only to have toothpaste in the sink, pee left in the toilet and spit all over the mirror 5 minutes later.

Dogs: Maybe. Someday...but right now, that's the last thing I need.

Essential start to your day: Checking my email and facebook. It should be pray and/or exercise. I need to work on that.

Favorite color: Used to be orange....now, I'm not so sure.

Gold or Silver: Silver, but I'm warming to gold.

Height: 5'6"

Instruments you play: None. Took piano when I was younger but probably couldn't even play chopsticks now. Although, I really would love to learn guitar or relearn piano.

Job title: Mom/Data Entry/Blogger

Kids: 3. Cy, Princess, the Beast

Live: Hotter than Hades, AZ

Mother’s Name: Carma

Nicknames: Louie, Lou, Pituitary gland, Megan, Munch

Overnight hospital stays: Birth, Asthmatic Pneumonia, Appendicitis, Staph Infection, Childbirth x 3

Pet peeves: People that think they're too good to follow rules and pretty much every parent in the pick-up line at school.

Quote from a movie or tv show: "I'm listening, so you get back in there and stop procrasturbating." -Virgina Chance, Raising Hope

Right or Lefty: Righty

Siblings: 5 sisters, 1 brother

Time you wake up: 6:45. BUT only because I have to. Dang school!

Underwear: Yep!

Vegetable you hate: Eggplant.

What makes you run late: My kids and my extreme reluctance to leave the house.

X-Rays You’ve Had: Lungs and probably everything under the sun after a pretty major car accident.

Yummy food you make: Homemade Peanut Butter, Taco Soup, and to die for Pumpkin Bars.

Zoo Animal: Orangutans. I find them both fascinating and disgusting. I once saw a little one throw poop at an adult. It's something the Beast would do, so I could relate.

Updates on the Beast

2011-10-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

*I've started timeout with the Beast. I turn his booster seat to face the wall and then I buckle him in for 2 minutes. Afterwards, I tell him why I put him in timeout and then I make him tell me, or whomever he's hurt, that he is sorry. (not really talking yet, so I'm teaching him to stroke the side of the person's face as his way of saying he's sorry)

So far, he's not a fan. Which means, that it's WORKING! Yay! Today, I put him in it once (for hitting Princess) and then I only had to threaten him with timeout and and he would straighten right up.

*He PEED in the TOILET today! No, I am not officially potty training him. He's only 22 months old and he doesn't really talk yet. I prefer it if my kids can actually tell me when they have to go to the bathroom instead of just guessing. However, I do start putting my kids on the toilet at around 18 months so they start getting used to it. So, tonight before I put the Beast in the shower with Princess I put him on the potty. I told him to go pee pee (which he totally understands. He likes to wander around, after his bath/shower, in his birthday suit and push out little pee puddles for me to find) and he did! I started dancing and singing! I was SO proud of him. He got all excited too and started pushing out as much pee as he could. It was awesome!

* The Beast can be quite beastly. But, he can be SO sweet. He gives the best kisses. He loves to snuggle especially when he wakes up in the morning, wakes up from his nap, and right before he goes to bed. He cracks me up all day long. He makes the funniest faces and gets in the goofiest moods. He LOVES his daddy. He loves to GO, GO, GO! When I am getting ready for the day he screeches at me until it's time to go and practically pushes me out the door. If you are at the computer he will crawl up on your lap and insist that you put You Tube on so that he can watch Baby Einstein and other funny videos. He wants to be just like the big kids. He likes to take showers like them, he tries to put on his own shoes, he wants to get himself dressed, he likes to carry his plate to the table, and he chases Princess and Cy around just trying to keep up. He melts my heart with those beautiful green eyes and long eyelashes. I am so grateful that he is a part of our family.

Things I'm Lovin'......

2011-10-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

1. Raising Hope. Have you seen this show yet? It's freaking awesome! Think Modern Family meets White Trash. The first two seasons are on Netflix. Watch it. What are you waiting for? Stop "procrasturbating" and go watch it!

2. Camelbaks. Dave got me my first Camelbak the Christmas after the Beast was born. To a nursing mother it was like manna from heaven. Best. Christmas. Present. Ever. I always have two Camelbaks at a time. That way when one is in the dishwasher, I still have one to use. My first one was pink. I accidentally left it in a Target shopping cart. My second one was orange. The Beast loves my Camelbaks. He started drinking out of them when he was 6 months old. In classic Beast style he trashed my orange one. I currently have a blue one and a shiny new purple one. I {heart} Camelbaks.

3. Purpose Facewash. I have been using this stuff for 12 years. Dave's been using it since we got married and last year I told my sister Yvette about it and she now buys it for her teenage son. It's good stuff, and it's affordable. You can find it at Target, Wal-mart, Walgreens, etc. It's about 5-6 bucks.

4. Along with the face wash I also love Purpose Dual Treatment Moisture Lotion with SPF 15. Great stuff and I don't feel like a total greaseball after I use it.

5. Homemade Sea Salt Spray. It gives my hair that wavy tousled look like I just spent the day at the beach. It makes my newly blond hair (pictures to come soon) look great and it smells like coconut. It's so easy, I love it! If anyone is interested in the recipe let me know and I'll do a blog post about it.

6. Merona Women's Essentials Cardigan Sweater. I love these. I keep finding them on the clearance racks. They're an easy and affordable way to jazz up a boring old t-shirt and it is so fun to wear layers again (even if it is still 100 degrees...stupid Arizona).

7. My Droid X. Yes, I still want an Iphone, but until I can upgrade I am perfectly happy with my Droid. I'm not sure how I got through life without being able to check facebook, email, Words with Friends, and my bank account wherever and whenever I wanted 24/7. And don't even get me started on the GPS! Smartphones really are smart.

8. Imagine Dragons. They're a band originally out of Utah, but now in Las Vegas. They're coming to Scottsdale THIS Wednesday. I really want to go but alas, no babysitter. Sigh.... Here is one of my favorite songs, Tokyo, it's on their new album It's Time.

9. Burt's Bees Chapstick or any chapstick for that matter. I can't help myself, I'm addicted. I swear I buy a new chapstick every time I go to the store. If it's a flavor or brand I haven't seen before I feel like I've got to try it. I have chapsticks in the bathroom, on my nightstand, in my nightstand, in the diaper bag, in my purse, in the junk drawer and multiple other places that I can't even remember.

sorry

2011-10-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry.

That was a very unplanned and unintended blogging break.

That was a: sick with a nasty cold, switching sides ALL NIGHT LONG so I could breathe out of at least one nostril, husband leaving town for 3 days to go to Utah for a family wedding, parent/teacher conferences, early release days, start of fall break, start of 8:00 am church and teaching 6 sunbeams all by myself, one day of a 3:00 am wake up call (thank you sinus congestion), a night of uncontrollable crying and frustration thanks to the 3:00 am wake up call and a thwarted nap for the Beast and I, soccer games and practices, dance classes, friends, Wild Kratts, cereal picnics in the park, work and housecleaning blogging break.

Sigh.

I'm SO glad to have my hubs back and SO glad he doesn't have a job that he has to travel for.

Here are some pictures from my phone of the last few days.

Tomorrow we'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming.

Enjoy!

sick

2011-10-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

princess self-portrait. only her and dave aren't feeling miserable.

the beast had a temp of 101.5 last night and fought us like a tiger when we tried to give him advil.

cy has been feeling cruddy for a few days and when he woke up this morning he had a temp of 102.0.

i went to bed all achy last night, and woke up even achyier (is that even a word?)

i have so much i want to blog about, the rest of cy's birthday, his parent teacher conference, our menu for october (i haven't forgotten tess), my a2z, my top ten can't live withouts, why i blog, greer, the list goes on and on.

but every time i sit down to write all i can think about is how much my head hurts, where the nearest tissue box is, how tired i am, how much my throat hurts, etc, etc.

i think i'm going to go and take some nyquil, crawl under the covers, and pass out.

night ya'll

amy, out.

Cy turns 7: Part 1

2011-10-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Cy's birthday ended up being WAY more hectic than I thought it would be. Not only was it his birthday, but he also had a soccer game AND it was the first day of General Conference (LOVE GC. It seriously fills my soul and helps me charter the course of my life through the next 6 months until we have it again). I thought everything would move along pretty smoothly. I was prepped and prepared for everything, or so I thought....

On Wednesday, Dave had 2 surprise root canals that were started. They told him he needed to come back on Saturday to finish the job. His first appointment was scheduled during the soccer game which I was seriously stressing about. We have to park pretty far away from where the games are held and I was trying to figure out how to pack 3 chairs, an umbrella, an umbrella stand, a diaper bag, 4 water bottles and 3 kids across 2 parking lots and 4 soccer fields BY MYSELF when Dave called to tell me that his appointment had been moved to first thing in the morning. HALLELUJAH! The appointment was going to take place during the first session of GC, but I figured that wouldn't be a problem. I had been very proactive and made Conference Packets for Cy and Princess. I had printed up pages of Conference Bingo, bought M&M's and Skittles for bingo markers, and bought prizes for the winners.

I imagined a serene enjoyable experience watching conference. I envisioned Cy and Princess happily playing Bingo and coloring pages out of their packets, the Beast quietly stacking his blocks and playing with his toys while I sat on the couch, folding laundry, absorbing the good Word of God.

I was wrong.

Perhaps, I was being a bit naive. Perhaps, starting out the day with sugar laden donuts (Cy's breakfast of choice) wasn't the best idea I've ever had.

You can read what the Beast did during the first session of Conference here. Cy and Princess weren't much better. They had spent the half an hour prior to Conference starting, coloring in their coloring books so that by the time Conference actually started they were stir crazy and hyper. Oh, SO hyper. The sugar from the donuts had kicked in ten-fold by then. Add onto that the excitement of Cy's birthday and these two were LITERALLY bouncing off the couch and the walls.

I solved this problem by breaking out the Conference Packets and the Conference Bingo. I told the kids they could eat their candy markers once they had won a round of Bingo AND they also got to pick a candy treat out of a grab bag when they won. What? You're supposed to fight sugar with sugar, right?!?! Nothing like the hair of the dog that bit ya...if ya know what I mean. Conference Bingo was a SUCCESS (except for the parts when the Beast would kick their boards, displacing all of their markers, and take off with the bag full of their candy markers "laughing all the way, ha ha ha!").

In an effort to keep the Beast occupied I gave him his own bag of candy to munch on, but that wasn't good enough. Oh no. The Beast had to have whatever the other two had and he had to have it NOW!

After each winning a game of Bingo and picking their prizes the kids wanted to start coloring their Conference Packets. Cy got right to work and was left alone to color in peace. Princess was not so lucky. You see, she had picked a Ring Pop out of the grab bag as her Bingo prize. The Beast wanted a Ring Pop REALLY bad. I wouldn't give him one. I didn't think he needed anymore sugar than what he already had. When he realized that I wasn't going to budge the Beast followed Princess around screaming at her like a banshee and tormenting her mercilessly. He kept stealing her crayons, ripping her papers out of her hands, pulling her hair and trying to snatch the Ring Pop right out of her mouth. She tried to seek safety at the kitchen table to no avail.

She finally finished the Ring Pop and being the "generous" sister that she is, she gave the Beast the plastic part of the Ring Pop. The Beast was thrilled! He popped that plastic in his mouth, stopped, ripped it out, looked at it, noticed the candy was gone, gave Princess the dirtiest look an almost 2 year old can muster (he's actually pretty good at the dirty looks. My sister-in-law Teri recently told Dave, "I'm not too comfortable with the looks that the Beast is giving me." Ya, he can be pretty intimidating.), threw the plastic part on the floor and then proceeded to scream and cry for the last 20 minutes of Conference.

So much for absorbing the good Word of God.

To be continued......

Coming up next in the Cy turns 7 Series:

Lunch, Alarms, and a Present...Oh My!

Cy turns 7: An Intro

2011-10-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

This sweet boy turned 7 today.

I have like 30 pictures to post and stories to tell, but Blogger isn't cooperating.

I am exhausted. It was a long, fun, busy, hard day. Dave went and had his root canals finished today and then had an alarm call from one of his clubs. We attempted to watch the first session of Saturday General Conference. ATTEMPTED being the key word. If it had just been Princess, Cy, and I, it would've been a breeze. But the Beast, OH the Beast. He ran around tormenting everyone. He kept stealing the kids coloring sheets and candy from their Conference Bingo boards. He would jump on the kids and kick them. He pulled my hair, screamed at me, started the dishwasher, opened the oven, pushed over the trash can, got on the kitchen table, and ran around smearing chocolate all over the walls. Ya, I REALLY felt the Spirit during Conference.

Hopefully I'll be able to get Cy's birthday post up tomorrow.

Goodnight, I'm off to work. Sweet dreams!

It's like brushing your teeth with toilet water...if you know what I mean.

2011-09-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that when you flush the toilet millions of tiny, little bacteria particles are released into the air and can get on your toothbrush? Ewww! Right? Imagine flushing the toilet with the lid up, washing your hands and then brushing your teeth. Why even bother with washing your hands? If you're not careful and you left the seat up so that bacteria can get all over your toothbrush you might as well lick your hands clean because eventually that bacteria is going to end up in your mouth...if you know what I mean.

So here's a little tip from me to you. PUT THE LID DOWN BEFORE YOU FLUSH THE TOILET. Also, just to be safe, KEEP YOUR TOOTHBRUSH AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN FROM THE TOILET. Because, let's face it, if you have kids you can't always guarantee that they will flush the toilet let alone put the lid down. Keeping them in the medicine cabinet (your toothbrushes, not your kids), if possible, would be ideal. Better safe than sorry...if you know what I mean.

One last tip, skip the courtesy flushes in public restrooms. If you do a courtesy flush, that means that all those millions of particles of bacteria are headed up into your "yoohoo" and I ain't talking about the drink....if you know what I mean.

So there you go, my little pearls of wisdom, from me to you.

Now, aren't you glad you read my blog!

Ya, you're welcome.

I MISSED Modern Family....

2011-09-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those days. You know the kind I mean. You run yourself ragged working, taking care of your kids, your home, and your husband (who had a surprise double root canal). You spend half your day in the car taking kids to school, picking them up, going to Wally World (twice), soccer practice, and a surprise guest presentation for the young women.

You also help your father with Facebook by hacking into his account and declaring yourself his favorite daughter. Ya, I'm thoughtful like that.

When I finally got home and snuggled into bed a thought occurred to me that made me sit STRAIGHT UP. My chest got tight and I couldn't breathe. I felt this sick sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I HAD MISSED MODERN FAMILY!

Ya, I know I can watch it tomorrow online, but I NEVER miss a Wednesday night of Modern Family.

While I'm not exactly proud, I'm also not really ashamed to admit that TV is pretty important to me. It is what it is. I have my shows that I love that bring humor, drama, and suspense into my life. It's my way to wind down after a long busy day. I know what shows are on what stations, and the times that they come on. Dave says he never needs to subscribe to the TV guide because he has me. After the kids are put to bed and we're settled on the couch, he will turn to me and say, "So what's on tonight?" I list off the shows that are on and we get to watching.

I have been known to turn down invitations, make appointments, and plan events around my TV schedule. "Don't you have a DVR?", you may ask, and the answer to that would obviously be NO. If I had a DVR my life probably wouldn't revolve around TV so much. Then again, if I had a DVR I could record different shows, while watching my regular shows and have twice the amount of shows to watch. Whoa. Overload. I'm getting giddy at the very thought...Hmm...I'm not sure I could handle a DVR. Perhaps, it's better that we don't have one.

Anyhow, back to the point of this post...wait, what was the point of this post? Oh yeah, it was a pretty crazy day. So crazy that I even forgot to watch Modern Family although I did catch Law & Order: SVU so today wasn't a total bust.

Dang, I'm going to have to give up my nap time tomorrow to catch up on Modern Family and the other shows I missed tonight. Man, the things I have to do to stay on schedule.

Priorities, you know? Priorities.