The World Still Needs Pioneers-Something True

Today is Pioneer Day in my home state of Utah.  We celebrate Pioneer Day to commemorate the pioneers that came before us and settled in Utah. 

I am a descendant of the pioneer William Clayton who was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement.  He was also a clerk and a scribe to the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.  If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you will most likely know the song he wrote entitled, "Come, Come, Ye Saints."  He wrote the song when he was out on the plains and received word that his wife who was still in Nauvoo had given birth to a healthy baby boy.

I am very grateful for those who went before me and sacrificed greatly so that I could have what I do today!  No matter what religion you are, you too are a descendant of a pioneer.  A pioneer is someone who prepared the way or was the first to explore or develop something.  Someone who provided us a way to follow.  None of us would be where we are today if it weren't for the pioneers who came before us.

"With the complex issues facing our families and our friends, our citizens, our state, our neighbors, our nation, [and] the world, may we remember pioneers of an earlier day,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.   He noted that early pioneers “persevered against injustice, misunderstanding, some intolerance, occasional bigotry, occasional racism, against differences of custom and traditions and faith, [and] labored against all of that to carve out for us, their descendants, the wonderful day and the marvelous miraculous time in which we live.”

 “We owe the same pioneering, persevering legacy to our children and our children’s children.”

“People working together are more successful, more prosperous and much more happy than neighborhoods or ethnic groups or religious faiths that are suspicious of one another, threatened by one another, and all too often hostile, even violent, toward one another,” he said.

I believe the world still needs pioneers today.  We can continue to be pioneers by standing up for what we believe is right and true and preparing a way for the future generations. 

This is what I know to be TRUE!

Celebrating Freedom

FREEDOM to watch our local fireworks as a family!

I took my kids to pick out a treat and drink of their choice to take to the fireworks.  We picked a spot, laid out a blanket, sprayed on some mosquito repellent and got cozy.  The fireworks began and Kam was busy doing what looked to be a stripper dance around the tree in front of us.  (Seriously? Do they show those kinds of things on iCarly?) Myles picked chunks of grass and threw them on everyone.  The hubs and I can't figure out why we even left our front yard.  Next year we'll stay home, put a blanket on the lawn, turn off all the lights and let them dance and pick grass in the comfort of our own yard.

FREEDOM to camp out in Nana and Papa's backyard.

FREEDOM to go to the 4th of July parade as a family!

FREEDOM to sit wherever the heck we wanted.  (Even if it meant the people behind us couldn't see and we blocked a crosswalk entirely.)

FREEDOM to play in Nana and Papa's backyard!

The kids were in heaven!  Why wouldn't they be?  There were 2 trampolines...

....a kiddy car wash,
(Squint real hard.  It's in the background.  My brother made it out of PVC pipe.  It was adorable.  There was water squirting out and sponges and streamers hanging down.)

a miniature water slide,

and this huge blow up ball that the kids had a "ball" rolling around in!  (Pun intended.)

Moose being Moose!  Up and Over. On. Jumping Back Off!

FREEDOM to play MINUTE TO WIN IT!

FREEDOM to light our own fireworks as a family!

FREEDOM to spend time with cousins!

FREEDOM to visit with my grandparents and my children's Great Grandparents!

I love this picture!  The picture on the left my niece snuck into the picture.  Look how annoyed Kam is.  Picture on the right...no niece.  Now look how happy Kam is.

I am so thankful to live in the country that I love and for the FREEDOM that I enjoy!  I'm especially grateful for the past, the present and the future men and women who sacrifice all that they have to keep our country free!

 

God Bless The USA!

Something Old and Something New

Holy Cow!  Life is just busy but summer is the busiest!  I am soooo behind on EVERYTHING!  Blogging included.  Let's just say it hasn't been high on the priority list.  We have been having too much fun spending time with family and playing lots!  I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I skipped doing my "Something Old" post that should have been done last week and my "Something New" for this week.  So here you go....

Something Old:

I thought that since it was still summer and maybe some have yet to go on a family vacation (like moi) I would throw out this OLD family favorite to make your travels a little more enjoyable and bearable. 

I grew up in a family of 5 kids.  I'm the oldest of the 5.  We are each only 1 year apart.  My mom had me at the age of 21 and was done having babies by 26.  She's amazing!  If that had happened to me.....well I don't even know.  (Obviously it didn't and I'm waaaay beyond the age of 26 and I'm like soooo over birthing kids!)  Imagine traveling in a station wagon or small mini van with 5 kids for a long period of time.  Not fun right?  So as kids my mom or my grandma would pack us little gift bags with surprises to open along the way.  As a kid I remember how exciting and fun it was and how funny it was when one of my brothers received a girl prize and how ticked they were. 

Last fall some friends of ours were moving across the country and traveling in a car with 4 little kids.  My hubs and I decided we would like to do something to help so we went to the Dollar Store and loaded up on prizes. 

We took them home, wrapped them up and threw them in a bag.  I labeled each prize as a girl or boy prize so they wouldn't have any of the drama that we did as kids.  And just to be mean we bought a harmonic that we knew would drive the parents bananas.  Maybe that defeated the entire purpose of our kindness right there. 

You could play games such as: I Spy, or the licence plate game where they have to find a license plate from every state.  They could color, or sing, or read.  In between each activity and every hour or so they could open a prize. 

Several years ago my entire family (parents, brothers, spouses and kids) went to the Oregon Coast for a vacation.  It is a 13 to 14 hour drive by the time you stop 500 times for potty breaks.  I actually did the travel prizes for my daughter who was 3 at the time and she looooved it!  It helped a TON!  Another fun idea if you're caravaning together is to bring hand held radios to communicate with each car.  The kids will think it is the coolest thing EVER!  And to be honest....it's fun for the adults too. 

So there you go!  Happy and Safe travels!

Something New:

So I was trying to think of what I have done that is new and I was struggling.  But then I remembered I read a really good book just this past week that was "new" to me.  It's called ROOM by Emma Donoghue. 

This book is told from the perspective of a 5 year old boy named Jack.  He has lived his entire life in an 11 X 11 foot room with his mother.  The only person he knows is his mother and a disturbing night time visitor he calls Old Nick.  His mother has been held captive in this particular room since the age of 19. 

The way the story is told from the perspective of a 5 year old was very clever and the games, activities, and ways that Jack's mother taught her son while imprisoned in that room were genius. I loved it!  And if you're worried that it may be too graphic don't.  This story is told through the innocent eyes of a child.  It truly was fascinating!  It's a must read!

Weekend And This Weeks Wrap Up

I just wanted to share a few funny stories from my weekend.  

For me the weekends start on Thursday.  Thursdays are my husband's Fridays.  (He works odd hours.)  They end on Sunday for him but go until Monday for me.  Lucky me! Poor hubby! 

Last Thursday while in the shower my 3 year old came in the bathroom for something, left and closed the door behind him.  No big deal right?  WRONG!  Ya see, our bathroom door has one of those child proof door knob covers on it.  The kind that are suppose to keep little boys out that play in the toilet.  The kind that worked perfectly when the little boy was say, 2 and not potty trained.  The kind that the now 3 year old potty trained little boy has yet to figure out how to open.  I suddenly heard him pounding on the door shouting frantically at me to open it.  I started pounding on the wall for the 7 year old to come to the rescue.  She did.  It was too late.  He came in and said he had pooped on the rug!  Dang!  That child proof item backfired on me!  I felt really bad for him at that moment.  I felt worse when I realized the so called rug was the carpet. 

This is the same little boy who walked into the hitch on our SUV and while giving it a disgusted look I heard him say, "Stupid trucker!"  (I'm just glad he didn't replace the T and the R for another consonant.  He did that once when he was trying to rhyme.  He didn't know it was a bad word.  We had to have a little talk about different words that rhyme with the word duck.)

On Friday I ran some errands kid free.  I grabbed a DC, pumped up the jam, and headed on my way.  I made a few stops and then headed to my tax man's place to drop off some tax information.  (We still have to jump through hoops with our taxes because of our adoptions.  As if we didn't jump through enough when we adopted the children in the first place.  I will say though that I would jump through 500 hoops and a ring of fire if it meant having my 2 little beauties.  They are worth it!  As long s they aren't leaving turds on the rug!)  I got to the our tax man's office and realized I had grabbed the wrong folder.  I drove home and grabbed the right one and headed back.  I got to tax man's office again and was missing 2010 tax info.  Honestly!  I drove home AGAIN and couldn't find the 2010 info.  I called tax man to make sure that it really wasn't there. It wasn't.  I finally found it in a heap of papers that belonged to the hubs.  I headed back to tax man's office for the third time!  I guess the excitement of being kid free took over my brain and it no longer functioned properly.

Sunday we celebrated Father's Day.  I made the hubs a cute little treat that said "World's #1 Dad!"  Kam thought it meant, "World's 1st Dad!"  Cute but that would be wrong!

As we were leaving to head to dinner at my folks the hubs asked me if he looked stupid in his t-shirt and warm-up/lounge pants.  I said no.  He really didn't.  Kam started laughing and said, "Uh ya.  But maybe no one will notice."  He then realized he needed to get back in the house and asked me for the keys to unlock the door.  Kam's reply, "Why?  Are you going to go in and change your awkward pants?"  She's 7 and already embarrassed!  This is the same girl who on that same day told me, "Now that you keep the house clean I can't find anything!"  Never a dull moment!

Last night we had a going away party for my BIL.  He's the one headed off to West Point Military Academy.  We are so proud of him but we will miss him!  When I started dating the hubs he was only 2.  He's grown up before my eyes.  I'm sad to see him go but I'm also very proud! I drove home with a lump in my throat!  Kam's biggest concern is that he will get shot now that he has joined the Army.  I can't seem to help her understand that for now he is just going to school. 

Tomorrow the hubs and I are going on an all day date to Lagoon to celebrate our 13 year wedding anniversary.  It's what fun is!  It's the one and only amusement park here in Utah.  The one where you dream of going with your boyfriend and holding hands and making out on the rides.  The one where you hope your boyfriend wins you the biggest stuffed gorilla known to man.  It ain't no Caribbean Cruise but it will do!  Did I mention we won't have the children?  Holla!  Can't wait!  I'm not as young as I once was so I'm not so sure how I will do on all the roller coasters.  We may be riding the Ferris wheel and bumper cars a lot!

Have a Fab weekend my friends!  

Something True- Everyone Is Fighting A Battle

This week is the one when am suppose to be doing my "Something True" from my "Something Old, New, Borrowed, True Series."  But that darn thing called life sometimes gets really super busy.  Sometimes I get really super lazy and other times I am not in any super mood to write.  Because of that I have neglected doing this post until now.  I know I could skip doing the post if I wanted to. After all, this is my blog.  But here's the thing....I've mentioned before how I am a noncommittal type person.  This is something I really want to stay committed to.  So as my day is coming to an end I have had the nagging feeling that I need to do this post knowing that tomorrow I won't be able to.   I've known what I have wanted to write.  I believe it to be true so here it is. 

EVERYONE IS FIGHTING A BATTLE!

Do you ever start comparing yourself to others?  Do you ever compare your house to others? Your car? Your body, hair, weight? Your financial situation?  I know I do.  If I said I didn't I would be lying.  I know we aren't suppose to covet and be jealous of others but I'm only human.  It's bound to happen.  I'm getting better though the older I get.  Hopefully by the time I reach my old age I'll be happy with my wrinkles, dentures and wheelchair and won't be comparing myself to the other granny's in the nursing home. 

When my hubs and I first got married we were young, and dumb, and trying really hard to keep up with our friends.  I don't know if we recognized what we were doing at the time.  Needless to say we ended up in a bit of a bad financial situation.  I remember talking to my dad about it once and he asked me the question, "What do you have to show for it?"  (Meaning the debt.)  The answer:  Nothing!  Absolutely nothing but a bunch of headache and stress!  No new car, no new house, not a closet full of fancy clothes, no elaborate vacations, no nice furniture.  Absolutely NOTHING!  We piddled our nonexistent money away and were faced with the task of trying to dig ourselves out of a hole.  We learned A LOT from that experience!  Not comparing and competing with others was one of the lessons I STARTED to learn.  But that was only the beginning.

As time went by we decided we wanted to start a family.  After years and years of trying to get pregnant and not being able to I think we would have nearly given up every earthly possession to become parents.  Again, I started comparing myself to others.  I thought things such as, "Why do they get to have kids?  They don't even take care of the ones they already have" or "They are so lucky.  Not only are they filthy rich but they get pregnant so easy!"  Yep!  I admit it!  I was a total brat and had those thoughts!  I feel bad for it now!  I can now say that I don't harbor those same feelings that I once did.  I no longer have that ache and longing to become a mother.  I have a beautiful daughter and adorable son who have brightened my entire world thanks to the miracle of adoption.  I know now that I didn't need to get pregnant to be a mother. Adoption is NOT second best!  For me it was the BEST!

So here's the thing:  I was dealing with the battle of infertility while another person could get pregnant easily but didn't know how they were going to pay their bills.  Or maybe my friends were filthy rich but not happily married.   Maybe my friend had the most amazing body but suffered with severe depression.  Do you see what I'm saying?

EVERYONE IS FIGHTING A BATTLE!

Some are minor.  Some are fighting a World War!  Some haven't fought yet but will. 

I wish I could say that I no longer compare myself to others but I can't.  I have bad days!  I forget that someone, somewhere has it worse than I do.

I've had my battles.  I survived!  There will be more to come and I will fight!  But this I know...I wouldn't trade my battles with anyone.  They have made me stronger.  And like I said before, someone is always fighting a harder, more difficult battle than my own.  The only thing I can do then is reach out and help them fight and hopefully help them win!

Moments That Matter

Take the 3 minutes it takes to watch this.  It gave me goosebumps.  I need reminders like this often to remind me of what is truly important.

 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Something Borrowed

My SIL who is a 5th grade teacher (God bless her soul) gave me this gift idea for my daughter's teacher.  I purchased a water bottle, a cute little ice tray, and some drink mix.  I wrapped it up in cellophane and tied it with some rick rack. It looked really cute.  You're just going to have to take my word for it though because I don't have a photo of the finished product.  My camera is a piece of poo remember?  Want to know a little secret?  Cellophane makes a simple, plain, ordinary gift look fab!  Try it!

We attached a cute note that said:

"Thank you for "QUENCHING" Kam's "THIRST" for knowledge!

Isn't that adorable?  Thanks SIL for the great idea!

I know that school is over but the gift idea itself would be really cute to give someone this summer.

You could say:

Stay cute and "COOL!"  Have a great summer!  Save some guys for me! 

(Okay...so maybe leave off the "save some guys for me" part.  I was just having flashbacks of when I signed yearbooks in junior high and high school.)

Or better yet...if your sayings are as lame as mine just give the gift wrapped adorably in cellophane.

This is another idea along the same lines that we gave our kids birth mom's last year for Mother's Day!  

I started with a container of Great Value drink mix equivalent to Crystal Light.  (I promise this is one time that the no name is as good as the name brand.)

 

I wrapped it in some cute scrapbook paper, put it in a cute bucket with an ice tray and a sparkly butterfly pick.  I also threw in some chocolates that you can't see.

Wrapped it up in the magical cellophane, tied it with a ribbon, and it's ready to be gifted!  See how cute the cellophane made it?

(This one was put in a basket instead of a bucket.)

Enjoy your summer!  And remember...You are totally rad and 2 Cute 2 B 4 Gotten!