An "A-ha" Moment...

On my way home from helping with Kylene's class today, I came to the sudden realization that the vision I had of myself nearly 9 years ago had come to be!! As a naive teenager, my future dream of being a wife and mother seemed so distant. This memory, however, seemed like it happened just yesterday. I was in the driveway of the house I grew up in with my best friend at the time, Amber. Our silly girlishness led us outside to enjoy the fading days of summer when suddenly, I decided to try on her baseball cap. Amber told me I looked like a "soccer mom". I gleamed on the inside (trying not to appear too pleased with what I knew wasn't a compliment) and proceeded to check out my reflection in the window. We went on to "joke" about the minivan, the kids in the backseat, the juice boxes that littered the cupholders, and the constant driving in order to shuffle the kids to their designated sporting events. The thought of cleaning my car out when I got home triggered this sudden memory and produced an immediate sense of accomplishment within the essence of my being – I believe Oprah would call it an “a-ha” moment. :) At times, the troubles and trials of motherhood get me down but moments like these make me realize how satisfying my role as wife and mother to my little family truly is. I'm right where I want to be....what more can I ask for? :)

Valentine's Day Summary

My hubby and I have tried to "boycott" Valentine's Day since we were engaged! I don't think we are very good at it because we have always done something sneaky and romantic for one another on V-Day. Perhaps it is an over-commercialized "Hallmark" holiday in which many rush to the stores to overstock and over-indulge in chocolate. But maybe there is something more to this day of love...

My sweetheart took me to the Blue Fin Restaurant here in Howell. We had delicious sushi rolls made with fresh salmon and our buddies Lara and Steve had us try raw eel and octupus! I didn't care much for the eel but the octupus was really good! This surprised me. In fact, liking sushi to begin with surprised me. (I first tried it a few months ago and LOVED it!!) I think it helps that I've only eaten well-made sushi. :) But, before we dined on the delicious feast of raw fish, Alan and I got to attend a temple session together. We haven't been to the temple in a long time but I am so blessed and have a wonderful visiting teacher and amazing friend who offered to watch our crazy kids. I really can't think of a better place to spend Valentine's Day with the man I love mostest in the world!!

So I've come to the conclusion, with this being our 8th V-Day together, that devoting a day to simply show love for the ones you love and care for the most isn't such a bad idea after all. I guess it's not such an awful thing to have a day set aside especially for that. Life is busy and crazy and scheduling a day of romance definitely has its perks!

Random happenings...

I know these pictures are all of my kiddos when they are really little - but I came across them today and simply had to share the cuteness!!!! :) And it dawned on me that the picture of Camryn was taken exactly one year ago! :(

Ok! Since it has been a while since I wrote...I thought I would share some happy adorable moments of my life - the ones I will live off of when I'm an old gramma rockin' in my chair knitting a doily. Just a few weeks ago, Kylene was playing "this little piggy" on Camryn's toes and said, "This little piggy goes to Hutchings....this little piggy got married!" And just when I thought she couldn't get any more adorable she continued, "This little piggy goes to college...and this little piggy goes to work! And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee all the way home!" I don't know that I've laughed so hard in my life! What an intuitive little 5-year-old that I have!

Then there is my Tanner. One evening when Alan tucked him in for bed, Tanner asked, "Am I your son??" Alan replied an exuberant, "Yes!" Tanner sweetly replied, "I like it." And then he rolled over and fell fast asleep. What a heart melter!!



Camryn is a sweetie all around and lately her favorite phrase is, "You! I love you!" Every time we say thank you she says, "Elcome!" And she ALWAYS says, "Bless you!" every time somebody sneezes.....or coughs! I love her to pieces and enjoy just about everything that comes out of her mouth....even when she says, "No!" Sometimes it is SO cute....I guess the key is to not let HER know that! :)

It's a New Year!!

Ok, now that it's 2009, I made it one of my New Year's resolutions to make more posts on my blog! So here I am! I guess I want to start by apologizing for being "technically challanged". :) I didn't even realize until today that people had posted comments! Wow, I feel so lame! I'm sorry - I promise to be more diligent about blogging and following others' blogs.

With that said, we had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Christmas '08 was our first one with just our little family. It was definitely different but it was very nice, too. Although a little quieter than our other Christmases, our kiddos are finally getting the hang of this Santa Claus thing and were very excited this year! (Well, Kylene and Tanner at least!) Kylene was the first one up and was thrilled when she discovered all the presents under the tree. Once Alan and I rolled out of bed and got the camera and camcorder out, the present opening began. There was plenty of snow on the ground from prior storms but I've always wanted a true "white Christmas" with snow falling as we opened presents. I grew up in Colorado Springs so you would think I've had plenty of white Christmases but actually, it only snowed once on Christmas that I can remember and it was extremely early in the morning, so I really don't count it! LOL, anyway, this year I got my wish. The snow was gently drifting down just like a snow-globe! The ambiance it provided was perfect - I couldn't have asked for anything more! :)

My First Day of School

Today started out much better than I anticipated. I signed up to help in Kylene's kindergarten class at the open house the first week of school. At the time, I was fine with the idea of devoting every other Thursday morning to helping a class full of kindergartners and actually thought it to be the perfect opportunity to get to know other moms in the community; not to mention the added bonus of being able to "spy" on my daughter to see what she was really up to while away at school. :) So when this morning arrived, I didn't expect the slight anxiety that caused small butterflies to swirl around in my stomach. "What if the other moms don't like me? And what if all the kids are terrible and talk back to me?" I found myself reciting these ridiculous notions in my head. I quickly combatted the negative thoughts that crept into my mind, grabbed the leftover waffle from Tanner's plate, and headed off to my first day of school. After the first five minutes of being in the classroom, I was totally at ease with my assignment of "mommy helper". I took on my tasks with enthusiasm and got to know the other mommy helper as well. I soon realized how silly it was to be afraid of these amazing children. After playing a simple game with three of them at a time, I got to know each of them on a more personalized level. I didnt' realize that a simple 5-minute game involving the alphabet and a basket of plastic picnic food would cause my popularity to shoot through the roof! Before I knew it, I felt like a celebrity and the children were begging me to stay for recess. I, of course, stayed and took turns pushing kids on the swings and helping them slide back and forth on the "zipper". After the whistle blew, we filed back inside to eat lunch. Kylene and I grabbed a chocolate milk and a hot lunch tray and sat at a table full of girls. One adorable boy took his place next to Kylene and whispered and giggled to Kylene the entire time. The table full of boys just across from us displayed their disappointment when I took my seat next to my daughter. "Next time, you should pack a cold lunch - you need to buy a lunch box!" They said with huge smiles across their faces. The time came for me to leave but I really could have spent all day every day with that class. Amazed at my rejuvination, I headed to my car and drove home to my other two kids.

The Cleveland Clinic

This past weekend Tanner was admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Tanner was diagnosed with epilepsy as of March of this year. After attempting four different medications and suffering an array of different seizure types and side effects, Tanner's neurologist referred us to the Cleveland Clinic to get a definitive diagnosis and (hopefully!) a better plan of action for treating his epilepsy. I would consider the trip a success! Tanner "performed" quite well and demonstrated all of his different seizure types while being hooked up to the EEG. The physicians even felt they gathered enough information to cancel one of the tests they had scheduled. This news was quite a relief for me because my little Tanner would have had to have been sedated for this specific test. All of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful and they even had a HUGE fish tank and awesome play room that Tanner could run around in. I was so pleased with how well he did.....for being three years old and extremely energetic he hardly complained about being in bed so much. I suppose it helped that he got plenty of new Disney Cars, ice cream, and all the movies a kid could ask for.

Kylene's Very First Day of School

Wow....I can hardly believe my Kylene is old enough to start kindergarten! I know that everyone says this but my how time flies!! My sweet girl has been looking forward to this day for a long time. All summer long, she would eagerly tell anyone who would listen that she would be attending Hutchings Elementary this fall. This morning it was no surprise when she woke up an hour early and obediently dressed, ate breakfast, and sat still while I combed her hair. I knew she was ready and she knew she was ready....I just wasn't sure I was ready. When the clock read 8:20, we stepped outside and snapped a few pictures of our elated kindergartner. We hurried across the street to wait eagerly at the bus stop but when the massive yellow form of transportation pulled up, there was NO WAY Kylene was getting on. The reality of the enormity of what she was taking on was finally sinking into her five-year-old head. Fear and a sudden twinge of uncertainty crept in and going to school didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Luckily, Alan was able to drive her to school on his way to work that day so she climbed into his van and tentatively buckled her seatbelt. After arriving at the school, Alan abruptly guided her to her teacher, gave her a quick kiss and hug, and said good-bye without looking back. I know for sure I wouldn't have had the strength to do that, especially because Kylene was screaming between sobs, "No Daddy! Please don't leave me! No Daddy....Nooooo!" Completely unaware of this at the time, I was having my own reality check. After a good cry, I went about my morning thinking nonstop of how empty my house felt! This feeling caught me off guard because I was certain that once she started school, the house would feel the same. After all, she was my most independent child and she has always been proficient at self-entertaining. I found myself glancing at the clock more often than necessary throughout my day. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked her up from the bus stop but once she unzipped her backpack and gleefully explained her wonderful day, I felt much more at ease. Hopefully on her next day of school she won't be so afraid to ride the bus to school.....we shall see!