Happy 14th Anniversary...

I am married to my best friend, and to think that when I first met him I did not like him. He was too "vain", would be the center of attention everywhere he went, had to crack up jokes all the time and wouldn't stop talking. I just thought that I could never handle someone like that. He just had too much energy. I felt I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Besides he was dating my college Roommate. But he soon broke things off after he met me. You just don't date your friend's ex-boyfriend. Anyhow, he won me over with secret admirer stuff and my roommate convince me to accept to go out on a date with him. I am so glad I did! He has become my Prince Charming. He's beyond my dreams. He exceeded all my expectations of the perfect eternal companion and still exceeds them. He never ceases to amaze me and he spoils me. I could just go on and on about him. I am definitely more in love with him than ever, and I know that he loves me more and always will. Happy 14th Anniversary Rob...you are the best and a dream come true. You are everything to me and you can still take my breath away as well as make my heart skip a bit. Thanks for giving me 14 fabulous years and four gorgeous children.

"What do you do all day?"...

So a friend of ours sent us this awesome e-mail. I thought I would post it and Wish you all a Happy Mother's day early! We will be on vacation from May 3rd-May 10th. So, no new posts until we get back. Maybe a few more this week before I go...Enjoy this one: What do you do all day?? A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and 20 wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, and so the front door to the houseand there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found aneven bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug waswadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and thefamily room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sandwas spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or thatsomething serious had happened.He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out thebathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toysstrewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smearedover the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in thebed in her pyjamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you comehome from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day? 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

None Were with Him~ Jeffrey R. Holland

Family and Friends: Love, Dedication and Sacrifice...

It seems like more and more people are becoming more aware of Cancer. We have had many close friends and family members be affected by it. Some have had happy endings and others have experienced their loved one pass away. I am amazed every time at how committed and dedicated people become towards helping their loved ones get the proper treatment and work towards recovery. Even those that dedicated so much time and effort with dismay, gain a greater appreciation for life. The love, the support, the much sacrifice is a witness as to how wonderful life really is and of how important people are to each other. We all, in one way or another, would do anything for the ones we love. A friend of ours have a relative suffering from cancer. He has been since he was 9months old, he is now 4 years old. Her Son and Husband shaved their heads off in honor of this little child that they love. I was touched by their love and sacrifice. I am moved by the amount of selflessness this family shares. Then there's my Dad's little sister in El Salvador, who just won the battle with cancer. She was told she only had about 6 months to live and on her last results there was no trace of it anywhere. That was a complete miracle. I know many had been praying for her and she was healed. Another friend of mine from High school just survived Breast Cancer last year. Thus another Miracle. Yet, about two years ago a close friend of ours, and Neighbour battled with Pancreatic Cancer and he didn't make it. We all prayed for a miracle, but he had to go. We were distraught and still are from his loss. But, we know that we are all in the Hands of a loving Heavenly Father and He will answer our prayers according to His Will. He will take care of our loved ones. So, may we all continue to have faith and pray for those we love who are suffering from cancer or any other type of infirmities. May we all have the faith and trust in our God and accept His Will. Thank you all who have set such a wonderful example of courage and charity. Of compelling love and dedication, of selflessness and sacrifice. Of faith and hope. Especially through difficult times. Thank you!

Gotta Blog the Hens...

This has been fun. Having 21 chickens has been a joy! We still don't understand how come we don't have enough eggs to use. We know where 2 dozens go every week, but what about the rest. I did bust Rob taking 18 eggs to work without me knowing. I went to the fridge one morning to make some scramble eggs and to my surprise and huge disappointment, there were NO EGGS! So, I called him up on it. He gave away some and came home wtih the rest. Funny Guy! He is just so proud of his hens and the gorgeous, delicious eggs they lay.P.S There was this one egg that came out looking perfect for Easter. The green spots were awesome! P.S.S We are definitely considering more seriously about getting rid of our rooster "Rubbsih". he has become quite the Brut. Does anyone want a rooster...?

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Abuela and Abuelo Visit ...

My parents came to visit for a few days and celebrated Sophia's Birthday with us. We did a lot of fun things with them. They couldn't of come at a more perfect time this season. The weather was incredibly gorgeous and warm. It is always such a delight to see them and to have them around. They are such hard workers and do so much for us in the little time that they spend visiting from Utah. The kids really got to enjoy them and play with them. There were a couple of soccer games played, some art, some baking, some cooking, some dancing and wrestling, cleaning, laundry done, loads of hugs and kisses exchanged, many "I love you's" expressed, and of course some Shopping. We wanted to tell Abuelo and Abuela thank you for their love and selflessness. Thank you for all that you did in our home and with our kids during your visit. We can't wait to see you again. Thank you Mom, I really enjoyed baking breads with you. You are such a fun Mom, I love your heart! P.S. Here are several slideshows of our fun visit with Grandparents...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

After my return...

Rob and the kids made me this wonderful dinner after I got back from Illinois. We ate outside and the weather was just perfect. We enjoyed homemade "Fish and Chips" with my favorite french bread. Then we enjoyed some ice cream cones with the most delicious chocolate "muslide" ice cream flavor. Thank you Rob and kids. I just love you guys!

Rob's First....

It has taken almost 14 years of marriage for me to hear my sweet husband say these words:

"Let's go for a run today", and then

"Let's run to the end of our trail and back"

Wow, I was impressed! He hates running, but because he is training for Ragnar with me this year, he is motivated! Rob and I ran 7 miles total in 1 hour & 11 min. He has never ran more than 5 miles in his entire life. This was his longest time ever and his very first long run. I am so very proud of him. Now he has only 7 more miles to go, so a total of 14 miles by mid July. He can do it! He has shown me that he can with today's run. Poor guy, at his five mile mark he did a fake cry and I just laughed. I kept picking up the pace on him unconsciously. Heeeheeeee! He is such a good sport. I just love him. He is my best friend and now my running buddy for life....I hope!

P.S. He tells me that he was dying, but I thought he did pretty good!

Happy 4th Birthday Sophia....

My baby girl is 4 years old today!! She was so excited and so very happy! My parents are here visiting and celebrated with us this special day! Happy Birthday Miss Sophia! Time really flies. I cannot believe she is four. She is still my baby girl. We love you.

P.S She chose brownies for her birthday instead of a cake and Arepas (South American Tortilla like food) for dinner. Abuela made them. What a girl!

Back to Life, Back to Reality....

So, Rob and the kids survived without me for 4 days. I am really touched with how Rob was able to take over during my absence and manage both roles and all responsibilities. I am also impressed with how James just stepped in and helped out with his sisters and household chores. He is turning out to be just like his Daddy. He never ceases to amaze us.

I had the delightful pleasure of going to visit Rob's family. His little sister Wendy is getting married today. Rob and I could not attend the wedding but Rob's parents offered to fly one of us out to visit since all the siblings have gathered for the special day. I jumped right into the idea and flew to St.Louis without hesitation. I had not seen his family in over 2 or 3 years. I had a chance to meet the newest babies in the family and see how grown up our nieces and nephews are. I also met our soon to be "brother-in-law" and participated in the traditional Tobler Grocery Shower. This is where the Bride and Groom get interrogated to death and then enjoy opening gifts/bags with food and kitchen supplies and any other things that they could use as food storage to start off in their marriage.

I had the pleasure of asking the questions and had fun hearing their answers. During my visit I also had a great time venting and seeking advice from Rob's sisters and Mom. They are such wise women. I admire their faith, strength, dedication, patience, and so much more. They have so much to offer, and they are such great listeners. Dad introduced me to more of the Geneology world and showed me what he does as a volunteer online. He has gathered over 5,000 names from reading these old name logs/records. It was quite fascinating. He is such a wonderful man.

On Wednesday, the day before coming home, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the St. Louis Temple with Rob's parents who serve as Temple workers there every Wednesday. I did a little bit of everything and it was so refreshing. I felt so renewed by all that I was able to do there and by the Spirit that I felt being in the Lord's Holy House. That is definitely a place that I love to be in and desire to visit more often. I was able to be away from the world for over 3 hours and be filled with so much peace and joy. I was filled with a feeling of serenity and hope. I came out wanting to be a part of such great place more often. I felt happy to know that I was able to do the work for many that could not do for themselves. I am thankful for Temples and for the great work that takes place in them. Thank you Mom and Dad for taking me there.

I was really sad to leave. I was wishing that Rob and the kids could fly out and then I could enjoy some more time with his family. But, it was a great little break to be without kids and Rob and realize how precious they truly are to me and how I need to take the time to enjoy them more. I came home with the desire to make some changes and to put into practice the much great wisdom that was shared with me while in I was there. I had an AHA moment and I just have to follow through. I really struggled to say good-bye. I had such a wonderful time and I loved hugging and kissing the kids. Especially the newest babies. They are so Yummy!

Thank you Mom and Dad for flying me out to be with you and the rest of the family. I had such a great time and enjoyed everyone so much. I can't wait to see you all again. Perhaps it will be sooner than 2 years. I was thrilled with my visit.

I arrived Thursday night an hour late. I had a five hour flight from Houston, TX. There was a bit of a detour, and I was so pooped and tired by the time I got in the van. I was so excited to see Rob and the kids. Juliette just burst out into tears the minute she saw me. What a sweetheart? I hugged and kissed all of them so much. It was a joy to see them again. It was definitely hard to get back into the groove of things. I started with a busy Friday morning, and forgot about a few things already. Thank goodness for calendars. I haven't fully gotten myself together but I am sure I will be back to Reality in no time...heeeheeee!

Now, I have to get ready for my parents to visit this weekend and for Sophia's 4th B-day tomorrow. She is very, very Excited! I love Life and everything that comes with it especially if it involves FAMILY!

Test Results...

I had some tests done over a week ago in relationship to my miscarriages and I finally got the results. I was tested for Prolactin, Progesterone, ovulation, thyroid hormones, FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), and LH (Luteinizing Hormone). All came back good and normal. I am not hormonally out of control, although it may seem like I am at times. This just strengthens my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father that truly loves me and answers my prayers according to His Will. He let me have my pregnancies (answered our prayers) but He also took back what He gave. "He giveth...and He taketh, blessed be His name". This just goes along with how I thought I heard an answer to a prayer correctly, yet I didn't listen to the whole answer. I only heard what I wanted to hear and acted on what I thought was the right thing to do. Perhaps it is the right thing to do, but not the right time to do it. I have to trust in God's time table. He has my welfare at heart and He will let His plans unfold as He sees best. I have also taken this experience as a time of much growth and strength (I have been shaped and refined). Much good has come from my miscarriages and I know that the Lord watches over me and will bless me with these little angels that I couldn't have here on this Earth, to have and to raise at another time in my life. I am at ease and have found peace. The Lord has a Hand in all things. He sees what we don't see. He knows it all and He has had a perfect Plan all along for us to follow. I have accepted His Will and know that He will always answer our prayers according to what we need and has planned for us. I am grateful for His love and I am at His mercy. Great talk that goes along with my feelings and testimony as to how the Lord has a Time and a Place for all things to happen... "Timing" by Dallin H. Oaks http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=684

...."timing is everything" surely overstates the point, but timing is vital. We read in Ecclesiastes: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; . . . A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; . . . [A] time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; . . . [A] time to keep silence, and a time to speak. [Ecclesiastes 3:1­2, 4­5, 7] In all the important decisions in our lives, what is most important is to do the right thing. Second, and only slightly behind the first, is to do the right thing at the right time. People who do the right thing at the wrong time can be frustrated and ineffective. They can even be confused about whether they made the right choice when what was wrong was not their choice but their timing."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said: "The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord's timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes. [Even As I Am (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982), 93]"

ECCLESIASTES 3: 1-8

1 To every thing there is a aseason, and a btime to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A atime to be born, and a time to bdie; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to alaugh; a time to bmourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to aget, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to arend, and a time to sew; a time to keep bsilence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to ahate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

My Baby gets her First Hair Cut...

I gave in tonight and allowed our sweet neighbor Heather to cut Sophia's hair. I have been putting off this day for years. I love her hair and it had never been cut. So, i did it. I allowed 6" inches off. Sophia was gloating and loving the attention. She was the perfect customer for Heather. She smiled so big when she saw herself in the mirror and made this cute surprising sound, it was like a squeel of pure excitement, but it was very girly! I didn't catch it on video. So, cute! She looks like her sisters even more from the back now. I saved her hair, of course. I couldn't throw it away. I know, it is so silly! But, she is still my baby. James was next. I don't understand why we have such a hard time getting this kid to get a hair cut. Rob normally cuts it for him, but he is never happy with Dad's hair cuts, so we asked Heather. He especifically asked for just a trim. A TRIM??? He needed a good shave...but, I had to back off and be satisfied with the sideburns being gone and the hair off his ears. I would have loved a BUZZZZ! Oh, well! I definitely chose not to fight this battle!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Easter Came Early....

Since I will be gone for Easter Sunday (I am going to Illinois to visit Rob's family for 4 days), we decided to celebrate it early. Rob only has one day off this week, and so we chose this day to do it all. We had the easter egg hunt, a roast lunch/dinner, a FHE about the Resurrection, made a cake to celebrate the Savior's birthday and the Church's restoration. We also enjoyed a fabulous day of Sunshine and warmth. We washed cars and got some yard work done. I went for a nice run and was sweating to death, even my feet felt hot. It was just a perfect day! The kids are off for their Spring break as well, so it has been non-stop around here. I hope the warm weather is here to stay. It has been gorgeous with the sun out with all the trees and flowers blossoming. The Hummingbirds are back, there are butterflies, and even flies around. The kids even got a bit of a sunburn from being outside all day. I didn't think that Sun blocking them was necessary. Besides, their rosey cheeks look so cute! Anyhow, we hope you all enjoy a wonderful Easter week and remember our Savior.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A welcoming dozen hens...

We have adopted 12 more hens this weekend. Our sweet friends the Hawley's are moving soon and they have given us their gorgeous hens. We have been excitedly awaiting their arrival all week. Unfortunately we had to go to Soccer games and the Hawley's delivered the hens while we were gone, but what a delightful surprise it was to see them once we were home. I got to see them later that night after the Ladies Night Out. The kids were already thinking of names and couldn't wait to hold them and go get their eggs. This morning, in between conference, I let the kids go out and see the hens. I noticed that our original 9 chickens were checking out the new hens. Rubbish, our rooster, kept Crowing and walking tall around the fenced coop. He was also very protective of his hens. We didn't let them out, we let the new ones roam around free and check out their new home and environment. They seem to be adapting just fine. We even got some eggs today! This is a different variety that just goes well with our already array of hens. They are all absoultely beautiful chickens. Thank you so much Hawley's for blessing us with such a wonderful batch of beauties. We will take care of them for you and love them. I can't wait to get a full batch of new eggs and take a picture of them to show you. We can have up to 21 eggs in one day, wow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow