Pa's Pumpkin Patch

On Wednesday night the boys and I went to Pa's Pumpkin Patch in Long Beach with Grandma Driggs and with the Fongs :) while Thad worked on tiling my back splash in my kitchen. It was a bit pricey but the boys, especially Sammy, had a blast. There were bounce houses, giant slides, bumper boats, a petting zoo, a carousel, a train and more! Here are some of the highlights!

Nathan :)

Danny and Lizzie
Thank goodness Grandma came too!!
Sammy and Jared

On the train (after rode this Sammy kept trying to break back into the ride!)

Nathan and I
Cathy and Lucas
Sammy in "mococycle" heaven
And here are some pics at the petting zoo...(sorry my lenses got dirty)
The rest of the pics (mine and Cathy's) can be seen on Smugmug!

Leo's Club Trip to Teresita Pines

I'm the co-advisor for a new club on campus this year and we had our first big shindig last weekend. It's called Leo's Club and it's a part of Lion's club International. We went up to Teresita Pines, and helped clean up and maintain the campsite to get it ready for campers. Thad and the boys went along (maybe a mistake?) but I think that it was a good experience (it's just hard to camp with little boys!) They provided yummy food and a cabin (with 10 sets of bunk beds that we got all to ourselves) but that was enough to drive this set of parents bonkers. I passed out with Nathan before Thad ended up taking Sammy driving to see the stars and wear him out until they finally returned and then Sammy had to try out every bed but eventually fell asleep. Nathan decided to wake up at 5:45 am and what do you do when you're all in the same room? I took him outside when he began to scream and scream and scream and so we played up by the dining hall until we were both frozen and we went back to the cabin. Anyway...the cleaning up was fun and I know that Sammy loved it but I'm not sure that Thad or I did.

Here are some pictures...

Sammy playing in the dirt...his job was to get the rocks off the paths.

Here are some of the kids working on one of the areas by the pool.Here is a cute pic of Sammy on the way home... :)
And one of Nathan even though he was a stinker during the trip and has a dirty, snotty face here!

Quick updates...

We went to the doctor's office for both of the boys last week (since they just turned 1 and 3) and it was a good trip. Both of them are off the charts like usual and Dr. Cheng said that Sammy was "the size of an average 5 year old". No wonder his 4T pants are starting to flood. LOL. He's growing like a weed (pants, shoes, etc) I can't keep the right sizes out for him--it's like Nathan and his clothes but babies are supposed to grow that fast!

School for me is good, too much grading, not enough free time (free time? what is that?), caught two kids cheating today :( and i'm getting bunches of emails/phone calls since the progress reports just arrived home! Not fun! I had my first conference today with one of the happy parents.

More than that...I'm just trying to stay afloat. I feel like I have way too many things to do, not enough time to do them, not enough time to spend (or see) Thad, and barely enough time to sleep. When I finally do "see" Thad I'm so tired I just fall asleep on him or next to him or snore on him and then he gets angry :( because I said (before I fell asleep) that I wanted to spend time with him. Anyway...I digress.

Oh, some cute things to share...

• I sang "BINGO" in the car for Nathan because he was screaming and it calmed him down and he started clapping...he loves that song! But then when I said, "It's Sammy's turn" and started singing, "Old McDonald had a farm" I was quickly interrupted and stopped by Sammy who said, "No! 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' is my favorite song!" LOL.
• Speaking of Old MacDonald...Sammy always says, "There's Old MacDonalds" when we pass by the golden arches of the McDonald's by our house!
• Nathan loves to groove to the sound of our Leap Frog Fridge Farm and has his own little get down dance...if I can ever get my videos/pics off my camera I'll post some of his latest dance moves. He looks like the high school kids where he squats a little then bounces!
• Sammy just gets older and older :( and wants to be like the big boys on our street! I'll have a teenage boy on my hands before I know it!
  

Family...something to think about

I received this forward from my mom today after arguing with my husband and getting angry at a naughty little boy who kept jumping into his brothers crib and was up giggling and laughing until after 10 pm tonight. It brought me back to where I needed to be and I thought that I'd share it.

--------------------------------------------------
F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, 'Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still..

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken..
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abus e.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.'

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.


I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'
He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'
He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway.'

I said, 'Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

6 months after the Surgery!

Can you believe that it's already been 6 months since we had the surgery? I should have done this post last night but I was finishing grades, so I guess it's actually 6 months and one day! Oh well! I do remember signing our taxes and dropping them off while Nathan was still in the hospital. Fun times. Here is a look back at what he was and a look at how great he looks now. I notice a lot of traffic coming to my blog from countries all over the world to look at info about Sagittal Synostosis so I'm sticking all of the links about Nathan and his story on the left for easy viewing!

I'm so grateful to live in this country where this type of surgery is possible, and to have had some of the best surgeons in the US work on Nathanael! We are very blessed...

Nathan pre/post surgery... (click to enlarge)

Nathan now! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Sammy! :)

Sammy turned three today and after of all of the commotion/work today, a four hour nap by him (he was pooped I guess?!) and waiting for Nate to wake up from his second nap, the kids and I went to the Towne Center with my parents (without Daddy since he Daddy installing my brother's new appliances). We had Rubio's and it was yummy--and we supported the school at a fundraiser night too! Then we got a free ice cream cone for his birthday at Cold Stone! :) He has been enjoying his train that he got for his birthday with a " 'mote control" and some other fun things that he got on Saturday!

Here are some more Sammy memories....

Going into labor because of the dumb midwife (not my doctor) who hurt me and made me go into labor against my will and on the day of the biggest game of the VB season...but then my assistant coach taking over (while I got play-by-play from my Dad and Thad) and leading the team to beat Mayfair's 10 year league winning streak and win league!
I remember when he first came home...He had those super skinny arms and long bony legs! And his old man face...the middle name Clifford after his "grumpy" great grandpa just fit!

And now he's getting so big but will still sit in my lap, lay down to snuggle, and read books with me. Soon enough he'll be too big for that...and then...sigh...I don't even want to think of the days that will come...

I always loved this pic of him and Thad at 6 months
Here he is at around 1 year...
And again around 2 years...
And now...at 3 years...Happy Birthday Big Boy! :)
(Check out our favorite pics of the boys at SmugMug or if you're crazy enough, our month-by-month galleries here!)

A quick trip to Disneyland (instead of doing what I needed to do...)

:) So instead of grading we went to Disneyland with the boys. We have been wanting to go for weeks but things kept coming up and Thad and I snuck out on Friday without the boys but that was a disaster (Disneyland was bursting at the seams, the parking was awful at the structure and in Downtown Disney so we had to park in some back parking lot and I think we finally left after going on two rides!) So, today we went after the boys got up from naps. We went on the new Monorail (the red one) that they often don't have running because it gets too hot, the Jungle Cruise, the Carousel, Some flying high spaceship ride and then Buzz Lightyear's ride. I didn't know that they took pictures but Thad saw the kiosk and emailed it to us (for free). Thad and Nate's didn't turn out :( we'll have to go again. Today was a lot of fun. It wasn't crowded, the weather was great, and the boys behaved well! :)

I'll try to post more pictures if my computer will read them, it keeps saying please insert disc. Oh well. But without any further ado, here is our picture (not posed-I look that dorky naturally). I thought about photoshopping it so that you wouldn't see how badly I scored but I need to leave for work. Oh well. ;)

Tagged...

4 RANDOM THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MY HUSBAND:

1. He puts up with my late night grading and tucks me in sometimes when I pass out trying to do late night grading!
2. He has a huge smile!
3. He loves being a stay-at-home dad (I think?! :) )
4. He is a Mr. Fix-it that actually knows how to fix things! :)

4 JOBS I'VE HAD:

1. Hostess
2. Waitress
3. Campus Recruiter/Office worker
4. Teacher

4 MOVIES I'VE WATCHED MORE THAN ONCE:
(*This is hard...Thad and I watch all of our movies more than once since we don't have a TV that works! Thank goodness for our laptop!)
1. Enchanted & Ella Enchanted
2. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
3. Sabrina
4. Holes...A Knight's Tale...the list goes on and on! :)

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH :
(at my mom's house on her Tivo)
1. Ace of Cakes
2. Little Einsteins/Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
3. Random Food Network Cooking shows
4. Grey's Anatomy

4 PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME REGULARLY:

1. Cathy
2. Stephanie
3. My Mom
4. My students

4 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:

1. Ice Cream
2. Cheesecake
3. Yummy Salads with all of the fixin's (i.e. Mimi's Chinese Chicken)
4. Food that I don't have to cook!

4 PLACES I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:

1. Europe
2. Mexico (I haven't been there since I could speak Spanish!)
3. Argentina (and take my family to visit my mission!)
4. Alaska

4 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR:

1. Finishing more of our extreme home makeover!
2. Moving completely out of my parents house!
3. Getting rid of more stuff since it won't fit in our new house!
4. My summer vacation (especially not having to grade papers!!)

4 PEOPLE I TAG:

1. Carrie
2. Grace
3. Cassie
4. Lisa

Birthdays!!!

Today we had a small family get together in the park. It was nice! We went to Rosewood Park and it was smaller than going to a place like Heritage where you can lose your kids easily! It was fun, a bit chilly, but very nice! We celebrated Nate's bday (he turned 1 on Sunday!) and Sammy's birthday (he'll be 3 on the 15th!) Here's a picture (post cupcakes) of all of us! :)If you'd like to see more pics head over to SmugMug!

A few more pics from the trip... :)

2nd Cousin Mattea

6 month old Baby Rachel

Sammy with Great Grandma Gen (Nathanael just wasn't cooperating!)

Our Trip to Utah...

We made a super quick (almost last minute) trip to Utah for conference and to see a few family members (we couldn't see everyone) but here are a few highlights and stories...I'll add more when we get home...

We had to wait until after Thad's class on Thursday night, and also get the cars switched (Thad and his dad fixed the clutch, brakes, and alternator in the Maxima, and then bought new tires and had them aligned) so we couldn't load the car up until all that was done. We finally left at 2 am and Sammy, the stinker who had been asleep, decided that he'd stay up too, and didn't sleep at all until his nap the next day at like 10:30...

We stopped in St. George to get gas and breakfast and let the kids run around...it was fun even though when we walked into McDonald's I had a little culture shock because there were so many white people there (LOL). We went to a park and Thad napped and they played on the toys. After that we jumped back on the road and they both crashed! Phew! We finally arrived in Utah about 2:30 pm that afternoon! Friday we just played with the cousins a bunch and hung out.

Saturday morning Becky (Thad's sis) and I headed down for the Saturday Morning session of conference. I never cease to be amazed at the feeling that I get when the prophet walks into the room. The room gets super silent all of a sudden but you can just feel it before you can even see him...it's so awesome! :) It was a wonderful session and I was so excited about President Monson's announcement of the new temples. They'll be in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; the greater Kansas City area; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Rome, Italy.

After conference we drove back and hung out with the kiddos until the boys (Thad and his brother Chris) went to the priesthood session at the Conference Center. Jana (Chris' wife) and I took the kids to the "Mormon Mall" to shop the girl's sales. I ended up winning a tie in the drawing! Woo hoo! We'll have to pick it up before we leave tomorrow...

Sunday we watched/listened to conference, visited my Grandma Gen in SLC, kind of celebrated Nate's 1st bday (it is today) and then visited my cousin Jamie and her family in Pleasant Grove. Sammy loved it there--she has a girl and twin boys that are 4 and they have some neat toys!

We'll head home tomorrow so that I can go to work on Tuesday...my kids are in the hands of a trusty substitute teacher... we'll leave about 3 pm tomorrow--I hope the drive is easier than it was on the way here!