The Princess & The Pea

As a child I learned about the princess who couldn't sleep 

because there was a pea under her mattress. 

But how when the pea was gone she missed it. 

In the real life version of this story, 

I am the Princess and Josh is my pea. 

He is THE most annoying bed partner. 

But through this deployment I have realized I miss my pea. 

I have attempted to use 

the smallish versions of him in his place 

but it is just not the same.... 

and I do sleep better when they are not there. 

So in 44 days (ish), I get my pea home and I will sleep again.

Some times in life you just wanna...

Scream! 

Punch Something! 

Cry to the point of hyperventilation! 

Punch Something Again!

No? Okay fine.... maybe that's just me. 

Well tonight was one of those nights. 

I have been preparing and studying like a crazy person every night until 1 am or later to get ready for the 2 mid-term exams I had to take this weekend. So yesterday I go to the testing center all prepared to show that art test "who its daddy was". Upon arrival, the testing center attendant took inventory of my #2 pencil, my student ID and my keys. She then asked me the question that ruined my whole mojo...

"Do you have your index card cheat sheet with you"

Ummmmmm...... no, no I don't. And of course because I ALWAYS wait until the 11th hour to do anything, there was not enough time to go home to get it or make a new one. So instead of my proving my superiority... I was quite efficiently put in my place. I got an 80 on the test which is not that bad, but had I had my "who's who & who painted what using what medium" card with me, I would have rocked it. 

New day, new opportunity. I had a great day today. So productive and so fulfilling. My granny came over to watch my boys so I could do some last minute studying before taking on the accounting beast, I mean test. I went to the college. Found myself the perfect little study nook. I ran through the vocabulary terms a few more times until I knew them verbatim. I redid the chapter quiz twice just to make sure I was ready. I can honestly say I have never felt so confident going into a test. 

I arrived at the testing center with plenty of time to spare. I had my index card of formulas, my TI-84 Plus calculator, my #2 pencil, my nice crisp scantron & my student ID. NOTHING was going to ruin this for me. As I sat down at the assigned desk, I said a quiet little prayer that God would help my mind to be open and the information that was stored, to be readily accessible to me. And between my studying and his favor, I was rocking that exam! I breezed through Ch. 5 like none other and was about half way through the Ch. 6 portion when I glanced down and saw something unexpected. There was another section... and it read...

Chapter 8.

WHAT????? I haven't even finished the Ch. 8 homework. I knew there had to be a mistake so I promptly raised my hand and notified the worker that there was a problem with my test. I explained that there was no way this was the right test because we haven't even gone over chapter 8 yet. As if it couldn't get any better, if I would have flipped to the next page I would have noticed the Ch. 9 section that concluded the test. Long story short, I guess my teacher decided to forgo the syllabus that I had been following and combine the two smaller tests into one big one. I happen to have a few kiddos and a deployed daddy and a few screws loose, so I missed this memo I guess. 

To top things off, the test isn't even due until the 10th. 

So what did I do? I finished the Ch. 6 portion, turned in my scantron and quickly emailed my teacher to explain why I only took half of a test. Who knows what is going to happen from here. I totally get that I am the only one to blame. I am not trying to put the responsibility on anyone else. BUT.... owning up to this screw up does not make me feel better.... if you wanna know how it makes me feel, refer back to the first four statements. 

weekly wrap-up

Here is a snippit of our week:

Me: accounting test, art test, art mid term project, dance company rehearsal, chair-bench up-cycle, pallet to curtain rod project, armoir makeover, garage overhaul and about 50 loads of laundry.

C: No school, SEP's, lots of Star Wars, beginning creative writing, dance class, hair cut, lunch with nana & playtime at Little Valley, won his first Mario Kart race and playroom cleanup (with mommy)

T: letters & number workbook time, counting to 20, Dr. Seuss day, lunch with nana & playtime at Little Valley, learned to do a front flip on the couch, and helped Zannah cook dinner

A: WEANED OFF THE BOTTLE!!!!! (yayyayayay), slept through the night 2 nights in a row, played with some cute little girls at Little Valley after having lunch with Nana, learned to sign 2 signs in a row (ie: "more milk"), talked to daddy & said "hi"

It was a good week for us! 

Only 48 more days until we are a complete family again. 

We are ALL so excited.

An End & A Beginning

Today was such a productive day for me. 

I love having these days. 

They are my fave.

I finally made the returns to Target that I have been meaning to get to for about 2 months. Luckily for me Target has a 90 day return policy. I also payed my questar gas bill... for whatever reason this is the one bill that always slips my mind. I seriously need to get it on auto pay or something. I am totally that lady who gets the pink slip on the door for disconnect purely because the check that I wrote 2 months ago is still sitting nicely in my wallet. I went to Urban Renewal and dropped off some gently used items that I finally gave the eviction notice to.... it was hard to see them go but they had definitely overstayed their welcome.

I put away the boys' clothes that have been taunting me in a huge pile on the floor. It's like they were saying to me...

"oooo I'm gonna get cha"

every time I walked by. So I gave in and finally put them in their proper place.

I attended a modern class and I taught my pointe class today, so me and my old, worn out & out of shape body is tired.

But the thing I did today that was the "big thing" was a really big thing for me. 

Today was the day I said goodbye to one chapter of my life and hello to another. 

Today I packed up my car with 4 big Rubbermaid containers full to the brim of all of my babies clothing, bottles, blankets, receivers and shoes. One tupper contained the last set of baby bedding I will buy (at least for a while, God willing). And lastly I piled in the infant car seat and base that had been the mode of transportation for my tiny & very premature baby.

I remember putting his teensy little 4 pound body 

into the seat 

when he was a month and a half old 

and thinking that the straps would swallow him whole... 

and they did. 

We went all the way to Las Vegas just to get this car seat that would go down to 4 pounds. See the NICU has regulations that preemies must pass a car seat test and that the weight requirements are met. ie: if you have a 4lb 6oz baby and a 5lb & up car seat... no going home for baby. So... we had the special preemie car seat ready to go. (ps... Ash hit 5lbs the day before he went home so the very expensive, i mean preemie-safe, car seat was not needed after-all.)

Long story short, my sister in law Lyndsie will become the proud new owner of our gender neutral baby bedding and my soon to be step sister will be the proud new owner of the rest of it. (Sorry Lynz... I had already promised that stuff out. I will work on getting new stuff for the little padewon inside your belly.)

I cried a little bit as I left the UPS store with nothing but a bunch of empty Rubbermaid totes that had contained such important elements of the last 6 years of my life. Every onesie, every pair of shoes, every blanket, every everything triggers such a sacred memory of my babies lives.

I know they are only things and that the memories stay with me but it that knowledge did not help the twinge in my stomach as I unloaded the empty totes into my garage that had stored all of these memory keepers for so long.

I am so thankful for the stages that my boys are in now.... 

but I will always cherish those precious first years with my little ones.

It's a Wrap!

I know most people consider that Sunday is the beginning of the week... I am not one of those people. For me, Sunday is the end of my week. Sunday is the day we go to church (which is always an adventure), we come home and we catch up on all that has happened over the last week.

As the days go by and Josh's homecoming draws closer, I get more and more excited and anxious. I feel like I am nesting because I am on a mission to complete all my unfinished projects around the house and yard... and there are a few. I just want everything to be perfect when he gets back. Not that he will care honestly... lets be real here. The man has been gone for over a year. All he is going to care about is a good meal in his belly and well you can guess the rest. (he-he) But I am an annoying woman who feels like my house must be in perfect working order before he arrives... just as I did before the arrival of all of our children.

Currently I have been working on the kid's bedroom and playroom. Cohen was in his own room and the two little ones were sharing. Then C & T decided that they wanted to share a "sleeping room" and then have a playroom. So that is exactly what they got and mama loves it! Only one room to clean up!

I have also been working on downsizing a lot of our stuff. It is so refreshing to clean out the closets that always seem to be bursting at the seams with way to much stuff for one family. So out with the old... I swear we have enough hand towels to wash everyone's hands in St. George without having to share a towel. Well we did. Now the Hope Chest does.

I made a turkey this week which turned out amazing thanks to Deana Hansler's awesome "turkey in a paper bag" trick. The kids and I named him Bernie. This may have been a bad idea because Bernie was a huge turkey who weighed about 23 lbs and I had to get C & T to help me put him into the bag. T has been traumatized since and keeps asking if I am cooking Bernie for dinner. He has told me on multiple occasions how killing Bernie wasn't nice. I may be turning my son into a vegetarian.

The Highlight Reel:
C tried to cook T eggs with about 3 cups of olive oil.
T attempted to change A's CLOTH diaper in his crib.
A has attempted to eat dog food, legos & crayons all week.

Then we have the normal stuff that keeps us busy: school (me & C), doctors (everyone it seems like), Church (all of us), Ballet (me & C) and lots and lots of playing (all of us!). We have a great time together (normally) and are seriously ready for Daddy to be back with us in all of our adventures.

When I grow up I DO NOT WANT TO BE...

I have recently discovered that there are quite a few things that I am completely okay with not ever having to experience again. One of which has truly broken my heart. My sister in law and brother in law had to go out of town for the weekend and left their family pets home. They have a cat named Fenway (yes after the field where the Red Sox play) and a dog named Chewy (after Chewbaca from Star Wars). Chewy has been a part of their family forever it seems. He is a golden retriever and is a very sweet dog. He is annoying as all get out but over all he is a great dog. Recently Chewy has gotten sick and is riddled with tumors. He had a abscess grow on the back of his back leg that so graciously decided to burst open when I was babysitting my niece and nephew for my sister in laws birthday. So I played veterinarian that night and tried to clean the abscess and get him all bandaged up. It was awful but we got through it. So since that night he has just been not himself and I was starting to think maybe it was time for this old guy to run crazy in doggy heaven. Note to self... next time I think that I will recant... immediately. So fast forward to yesterday when I was over at my in laws house checking on things and getting Cohen from Kathy (a family friend who is watching my niece and nephew). I was running late trying to get what felt like a million things done so Kathy had picked up Cohen & Teagan from school and met me at the in laws home. So We get there and sure enough old Chewy was not looking so great. When we tried to get him to come inside he attempted to get up but then laid back down. After looking at him further, I realized he was panting and shaking pretty bad. I called my sister in law and then the vet. Long story short, after lots of phone calls, I loaded a 100+ pound dog into my car and off we went to McDonald's. I fed Chewy two huge cheeseburgers and an XL french fry..... in about 2 minutes. He as fat and happy, which was my goal because of the next stop I had to make. In that moment I became the grim reaper... off to take Chewy to meet his maker. As we got the the vet's office I began to cry. I walked in and the nurses were all very kind and the vet himself came out and got Chewy out of my car. After the vet examined Chewy, he explained to me that Chewy had some sort of neurological problem now, on top of the thyroid & tumors & abscess & whatever else problems there were. This neurological problem had spread and caused Chewy to lose control of his back legs.... which is why he couldn't stand on his own. The vet was so kind and reassured me over and over to let my sister in law & brother in law know that we were doing the right thing and that it was the best thing for Chewy. As Chewy laid there looking up at me with these big brown eyes, all I could think was that he seemed almost relieved and at peace with what was happening. It was like he knew and that he was happy to not have to be in pain anymore. I stayed with him as hte doctor inserted a very tiny needle into his vein in his front leg. I noticed the vet's hands were shaking and asked him if this ever got easier to do. He told me in the most gentle voice ever... "no. i hate every second of this." I felt the exact same way. I balled like a baby as he injected this pink liquid into this big old dog who was so loved by his family... the family that wasn't there. Chewy stared into my eyes the whole time and in what seemed like only a few seconds he laid his head down into my hands and took his final breath. I lost it completely at that point. They placed Chewy into a cadaver bag and into my car and I made my way back to my in-laws house. When I got there I was on a mission.... dig the best grave I can for this dog. So dig i did. I dug that grave in a perfect rectangle and about 3 feet deep. I was so caught up in the emotions of what had just happened that I didn't even notice time passing by. Some guys from our church came by and helped me put Chewy's body in the grave and we slowly replaced the the dirt back into the hole. I made a simple cross and placed it at the head of the grave site and painted Chewy's name right on it. I said a little prayer for my sister & brother in law and their children then made my way home. When I got home I hugged my baby boys so tightly and in that moment realized I have the very best job in the world.... and that when I grow up I NEVER want to be a vet.... their job is by far one of the worst!    

From where you are

This song came on my pandora today and i found myself sitting "criss cross apple sauce" in my kitchen floor bawling like a baby. 

I miss my husband. 

Some days are better than others. 

Today is hard.

Today is a struggle to get through dinner. 

Today is another day just like any other but for some reason today is harder than its been in a long time.

Maybe its because its almost over and the night is always the darkest before the dawn. 

I am ready for the dawn.

Lifehouse - "From Where You Are"

(Click here to listen to this amazing song)

57 days

As you may know, Josh has been gone for about 430 days. Yes... that is more than a year! More than a year without my best friend, more than a year without my partner, more than a year without the father of my children. This has been the best and one of the hardest things we have ever had to do.

Josh & I at Christmas time 2011

Ashten when Daddy left (8 months)

Ashten was only 8 months old when Josh left.... he will be 22 months when he gets back. Josh has missed almost ALL of his baby-ness. The boys and I all have changed in the 15 months. Change is inevitable and constant. I think that is what I am most worried about honestly.

Josh has changed so much during this deployment. He has become such a strong and mighty man of God and I am so proud of him. He is a man of his word & not too many men are these days. He works hard and he is so smart! He has always been all of these things but not ever to the extent he is now, if that makes sense.

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole

And I have changed so much too! I mean for starters I COOK!!! :) That is a big one! When Josh left my version of a home cooked meal was heating up a Stouffer's lasagne. Well no more buddy... this mama meal plans, makes whole foods from scratch & can turn a pantry of nothing into an amazing 4 course meal. Needless to say I am pretty proud of myself. I have continued to dive deeper into the word of God and I have truly made strides in my effort to become a Proverbs 31 women.

When I was working for the City and going to school, I always thought I was a good mom. Well.... little did I know I was just playing mom and missing ALL THE GOOD STUFF!!!! My babies give me loves and cuddle and talk to me and we read together. For the first time I can honestly say that I feel like I am a GREAT MOM... well most days I feel like I am.

Cohen has now lost 2 teeth!

Cohen is so smart. He is way above grade level in every way possible but because of the downsides of public school he is having a hard time in class. Frankly, HE IS BORED OUT OF HIS MIND. So.... Josh & I have talked and weighed the pro's & con's and have decided that starting in June we will begin homeschooling our children full-time. We are going to start first grade with Cohen and probably end the year out ending second.

I absolutely adore his fashion sense & his cheesy smile!

Tallen will start the kindergarden curriculum and he is soooo excited about it! :) We have combined the boys into one room that we call the sleeping room and have turned the other room into the playroom/schoolroom. I am excited to team teach with my husband.

Ash now a days. (20 months)

Ashten is doing so great too. He is so fun and loving. He is a big time kisser and I am going to have to teach him that those kisses are only his mama's... well and daddy. ;)






Josh and I will both be back in school full-time starting summer term and it will be an adventure for sure. I am praying for a smooth transition back to being a whole family.

 

God knows my heart and he knows my desires. 

And I am keeping the faith that his love will carry us through this adventure... 

he always has! 

PS.... 57 more days!

Busy Bee

I have been working on something non-stop since the time I think I was born.

 I am a busy bee for sure.

 I LOVE to have something to do...

and normally it doesn't even matter what it is.

 Lately I have been working on crafty things for my house or family/friends.

I am LOVING it!!!

As soon as I find my camera...

(which has obviously grown legs and headed south for the winter)

 I will be doing the first of what I hope to be many tutorials and postings of what this amateur

"stay at home mom"/"interior designer"/"Martha Stewart wanna-be"

 has been up to.

Monday Shumnday...

Last night it rained OH SO BEAUTIFULLY… I "heart" the rain! I slept with my backdoor open (which is conveniently in my room) just so that I could hear the pitter patter of the droplets falling from HEAVEN. It was wonderful. I woke up in the best mood EVER!!!

Happy Monday Everyone!

These are a few of my favorite things...

It is midnight and I cannot sleep. So... I have compiled a list of my favorite things for this week:

1) Watching Cohen shimmie (sp?) his way up the slot canyon at the Dixie Rock Red Cliffs today like a big man.

2) Hearing my hubby tell me dinner was yummy... and mean it. (ps... I DONT COOK!)

3) My CLEANED OUT car!

4) FALL BREAK!!(need I say more?)

5) Yard Sales... especially when its a moving sale and the owner worked at urban renewal! I totally scored big on that one! (pictures to follow soon)

6) Ashten/Bruce/ Fat-Fat sleeping for 5hrs at night

7) Tallen telling me he loved me "A big-big one!"

8) The Momma song that Josh & the boys made for me. (also to follow soon as soon as I can figure out how to upload it.)

9) Filling out my timecard (cause it means I am going to have a little extra cash this month)

10) Having an opportunity to take a test, which I missed. My teacher is amazing! :)

YAY!!! For amazing weeks filled with love, laughter and hope for a great one this week!

Domestic Goddess... Yes Please!

I am loving my some "Stay-At-Home Mommy" fun!!! Yes Siree... With the help of my next door neighbor Mary, alot of You-Tube tutorials (you can laugh its okay... i did) and some super cute craft blogs i found as a reference guide, I have officially learned how to sew... and i can do more than just a square now. I feel like I am the "awesomist" as Cohen likes to call me. I think I may have found the inner domestic goddess in me after-all. I have conquered carseat covers! I think my next project will be making fun hair accessories & broaches out of wool. I have seen a few here and there at cute little boutiques and have always loved them. So why not try and replicate?

PS~ If you know of anyone who is if having a baby and may want a custom carseat cover let me know. I am going to be selling custom made ones for $30. These are the kinds with the tabs (with velcro), soft warm inside fabric and lots of extras for the "cute" factor. They make a great baby shower gift too. :)

Weekly Reflections

Aaron Winning

Rec. Center Kickball Team
(ps~ i didnot play but Josh did)

As you may know I am one of the most eclectic people... no comments needed on this one. I love so many different and wonderful things, including my friends! I have my friends that I have basically known my whole life who are more like family at this point in my life. Then I  have my family that do double duty and serve as my friends also. Finally I have my new friends... these are some of my favorites! Josh and I moved here in December of 2008. I started working at St. George City in Feb. 2009. I not only have an awesome job (one that I am having to take a hiatus from right now.. sad) but the people that I work with are AWESOME!!! This past week one of my most dear friends WON the St. George Marathon that one of my other very dearest friends coordinates. I spent all morning (well basically from Thursday to Saturday) getting ready for the Finish Line. Aaron (my friend that won) is an amazing runner. He used to run for University of Michigan in college. He runs like a 5min mile. He is soooo good. So when he decided that he was going to run the marathon we all got super excited. Then as the months dragged on and he continued to train for this amazingly crazy race we all started to get a little nervous. This guy doesn't lose. He actually tells people he won't run a race if he doesn't think he has a good chance of winning. So as the days began to get closer and closer I got ancier and ancier. So the morning came and here I was waiting at the finish line with the entire Recreation & Marathon staff. I was surrounded by my most amazing hubby (yay!) and all of my work friends.

Rec Center staff hard at work

When Aaron crossed the finish line I looked around and just took a deep breath. I realized just how lucky I was that I could consider all of these people my friends and I was able to experience such an awesome thing with these people. It was a very overwhelming experience for me.

Today I had another moment where I just thought to myself "Wow! I am such a lucky girl!" I have a very dear friend who I get the pleasure of living right next to. (I hope this doesn't embarass you...) I randomly drop in an hang out with my next door neighbor friend all the time. I just love our conversations. We have babies that are very close in age and they all love to play with their "friends". I love to call myself a crafty lady but the truth is I am really not. I try so hard to be crafty but I really am jsut learning. I have been even contemplating starting a craft blog (which I follow religiously) for beginners such as myslef. Anyway so my friend knows my secret... I can only really sew a square. I am really good at squares but that is about it. So when I was asked to make a cute girly carseat cover I figured that I would be fine. Then I got this cute fancy fabric and ribbon and buttons and it became a little bit more intricate... and a little out of my league. So off to my Mary's house I went. "Help!!!" She is the most amazing little mommy... she does all these cute little things with her 5 BOYS! I can barely manage 3... haha. She totally helped me figure out how to do this super cute little girls carseat cover. I am totally gonna mimick it tonight and do one for Ashten. But as I sat there just hanging out I thought to myself that I really am such a lucky girl. I have the most supportive

hubby ever! I have an amazing family that is soooo uplifting! I have these 3 beautiful baby boys who just amaze me everyday at how smart & creative they are. And on top of all of that I have some off the best friends in the whole world!

 I am truly blessed! 

So as I reflect on the last week, I am not focusing on the negative things (being sick or having to drop 2 classes & forfeit my Fin. Aid for next semester) but I am focusing on the positive things in my life... God, Family, Friends & the Love I Have For All 3!!! 

PS~ Ashten started to SMILE!!! YAYAYAY! 

Accounting is the stuff that makes the weak quit!

I am an accoutning major! This is a matter of fact statement... for sure.

I will conquer these theories & equations & the crazy way that FASB (financial accoutning standards board) has decided that things should be run.

 But for real... it is SOOOOO HARD!!!

On Monday we had our second test of the semester. The first one I, along with 60% of the class, BOMBED! I got a 55. ewww.... So to make up for the less than par grade I got last time, I decided that I was gonna rock this test! Well, today in class the teacher posted the spread of grades on the board:

A - 2

B - 4

C - 4

D - 10

F - 10

Umm... excuse me for being "glass half empty" on this one but seriously??? I just knew that i was one of the 20 that bombed it! But... dah dah dah duh! I totally got a C!!! Now normally I would not be that excited about that but when 20 out of the 30 fail and i didnt I am so stoked! Wa-hoo!

I am NOT WEAK!!! I Will Beat This!  (my new mantra!!!)

Its been awhile...

Lately I have been thinking that I really want to start getting back to the "things" in life that make me feel very passionate... not just the things that I have to do. Most of my time, it seems, is taken up by meaningless motions. I am better than that. Yes, I am a wife and mother of 3 small boys but I REFUSE to let that be the only thing that defines me. I LOVE my husband and my children more than life itself but I am still Lacey! So... I have this huge blank wall that i will be working on in the next few weeks.

I am going to paint a mural using canvas' in all shapes and sizes that goes across my wall. My living room is one of my favorite rooms in my house. It is cozy and eclectic. I have no idea what I am going to paint but whatever it is will be bold and full of color. Robust may be a good term for what I invision.






Other things have been going on lately, too:

• Ashten & Tallen both were dedicated to the Lord on September 6th. It is always an emotional thing when you stand in front of your congregation and openly say:

"Yep, I am totally giving this (or these) child(ren) back to you God. They are yours. Hold me accountable."

That is a very powerful statement. I pray that I upkeep that declaration everyday in all my actions. 

• Ashten, was born on June 15th and if he would have come home with me then I totally would have done his newborn pictures within about 2 weeks. Well, my children like to come early and like to live in the NICU for a few weeks so here the little bugger is 12 weeks old and we just got them done. But hey he was 8 weeks early so if you subtract... 12-8=4... so he's really only a month old. So here they are. I LOVE THEM!!! 

Pumpkins and Career College Students

Saturday we went to Staheli Farms to do the pumpkin patch thing. It was fun.. I miss real pumpkin patches though. The animals were cute though. Cohen & Tallen got to get up close and a little too personal with some goats, cows, pigs & a donkey. Tallen screamed bloody murder when my brother in law Kyle tried to put him on the donkey which was pretty freakin' funny to me. We got a "perfect pumpkin" according to Cohen. It was fun though hanging out with the Ostermans', Maikranz', Valleys', Wilsons' & the Wallis'. Yeah basically everyone in my family and close friends.

Today I had an epiphany that I am a career college student. I have tried almost everything that there is to try and have "seriously decided on my major" a BAZILLION times. My husband confirmed to me today that I "really need to figure out a school and stick with it." He is on a roll today with school and our future. We have seriously started thinking about and praying about our futures and what God wants us to do. What direction we are supposed to be going in. And this is what we are thinking. We may possibly within the next year or so be going on a 1.5 - 2 year sebatical where Josh will work on a degree in Christian Ministries & Biblical Studies. I will just continue to work on my Recreation Managemet degree (hopefully). We will see what path the Lord takes us on, but I know that he will make a much better decision on our future than we ever will so that is why I have NO problem leaving it ALL to him! FYI... a major component of Josh wanting a Biblical degree is to work in Ministry but also to "argue" our religion. Anyone who knows Josh will get a kick out of that. I wish they had a Christian Law degree. It would be right up his alley. :)

Little boys are worth more than gold!

Today was my nephew Austin's baby dedication. Everyone came into town and was at church to be part of the celebration. As part of our faith we put high priority on the whole family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc) to be a part of a Christian upbringing. My sister in law Kale' was very emotional about the whole thing which was very touching because she normally is such a strong person. I really admire seeing people like that show their emotions, it just means so much more to me. Kale' has a daughter who is 3 and this is probably going to be her last and she prayed very hard for the Lord to give her a son. She spoke about Hannah and her barren womb and how much she yearned and prayed for a son. Hannah made a covenant with God that if he gave her a son she would give him right back to him as on offering of thanks. Kale' is very much like Hannah in this manner that she has devoted her children back to the Lord and it is evident in their upbringing. I am very proud of her for the mother she is. She is very much my family but also one of my closet friends. She is the picture of love and devotion to the Lord through her children and it is an amzing example for the rest of us.

As the day has gone on I have been overly emotional (probably lack of sleep or something) but I have really been thinking about how much I influence my children by everything I do & say. They are my number 1 imitators and I do know how important that is. I didn't always have the best examples as I grew up but what I did have was a mother who loved me more than anything else. I want that obviously but I want to add to it and love the Lord with everything I have and in turn be able to love my children more because our God gives us the ability to love more than humanly possible. He is the Lord who multiplies everything in my life uncluding my love for my children.

I just want to take this time to point out the sons ARE a special gift from God. As mothers we should feel HONORED to have a son for God has called men to be the leaders of their homes which is such a huge blessing & responsibility. Men carry our family names, traditions & values so we should be extra careful of what they learn. I love my sons so much and am so honored to have been given them. Thank you to my heavenly father for giving my the opportunity to be the mother of the most vivacious little boys in the whole world. Little boys truly are worth more than gold!

Blogging is like Running... painful yet rewarding

So I have decided that blogging is a lot like running. I love to blog & i love to run... HOWEVER i can not seem to do it more than, i don't know every few months. Last month I trained & sucessfully ran the Red Rock Relay ( yeah umm that thing was amazing and COO KOOO!!!) about 17.5 miles to be exact. Problem is it killed me so bad, both physically & mentally, that i didn't run again until this week when i decided to start a 120 mile challenge in 30 days. This is just a little challenge to me... ya cause i really do enjoy gasping for air & burning muscles. i think that once the pain stops i will enjoy it while i do it but for now i only enjoy it after its over.

so back to my statement that blogging is like running. i love blogging but ya i do it in spirts. weird. its not like i have nothing to say and a lot of time i think i am quite witty but i cant seem to get over the innate fear of writing that i developed in middle school. see my condition started when i was in science class and i was told i had to write a lab report. since then i break out into a horrible rash, hyperventilate & rock in the fetal position in the corner until its over. ha! that might be a small exaggeration... but onlky the part about the rash, that just comes and goes.

so to fix my phobias i will be playing the part of Lola, my new alter ego who likes to talk with accents. Lola loves to run & is very good at it. She also loves to blog and is very consistant with everything she does! so in my day to day life Lola will be coming out to help Lacey with all of her issues. well not all cause there is way to many (remember she is insane) but with a few. so without further ado i would like to introduce you to Lola...

"Allo everyone. It is very nice to meet you all. I am very excited about this little bugger I am writing. Hell I think you and I will have a bloody good time writing about Lacey's crazy life. To start I would like you to know that anyone who thinks they can attend university while working for the suits and still preforming marital duties and also being the mother of to bloody crazy boys is absolutly one of the most delusional people that I know. This is her daily life. She and her husband are attending university with full credits and also working for the suits about 30 or so hours a week. That alone should knock someone on their keister. But she trecks on and still attempts to keep track of her house (not very well you should see it, its close to a small hiroshima disaster site) and spend time with the children. The eldest, Cohen, is the most darling little bugger ever. He is always say that Lacey is his best friend. Its so adorable. However he is like the squirrel on over the hedge. Here and there and here and wait where is he. He makes everyone stay on their toes. The baby, Tallen, is like a real life Bam Bam, from the Flinstones. We used to watch that on the Tube when I was a child back in the mother country. He doesn't say hardly a peep but makes his needs &/or wants very much known! Lacey's husband Josh is a really great guy. Always helping out with the chores and the children. He is a very happy right now because he gets to watch his bloody football all week. His beloved Ducks are doing decent this season so we never hear the end of it. Tooda Loo!" 

Amazing Rally Tonight...

We had our elimination games for our softball league tonight and honestly knew we would lose. I know that sucks to say but I just didn't have a lot of hope. However we had this huge rally in the 5th inning. We came back and ended up winning by like 5 runs. It was awesome!!!! Now we have a game next week at 7:30pm. I am excited about it because I really think that our team has got our groove back. We are going to Primary Children's tomorrow for a check up for Tallen. He has a birth defect in his heart that we thought got fixed... guess not. Please say a little prayer for him tomorrow. Work is awesome like normal. I truly do love my job. We have the Skateboard Competition on the 2nd of May then the Midnight Run 5K on the 5th of June, that my baby is going to run! I am so proud of him!!! Everyone should come out that night though because it is one of the best events the city has. On top of that we give all our participants an awesome GLOW IN THE DARK T-SHIRT!!!!!!!!!! That right there should be enough reason to come out and join in the fun.

Tri Time....

I am working like a crazy person right now.... I have a bazillion things I am doing and way to many things to balance. The kids, Josh & I are trying hard to balance family and work. It is hard though. We are used to me being at home and doing all the stay at home mom things where now I am working basically full time and it is super hard to get all the housework done and spend any time at all with the boys too. We will find the balance soon enough though. I am sure of it. Easter was this weekend and the boys had a blast. Tallen was hilarious because he only wanted 1 egg the whole time and horded it after he got it. He cried when we put it the basket and then stopped when he got it back. Cohen only wanted the yellow eggs which was funny because everyone was pink, blue & purple except like 6 out of like 30. Needless to say Teagan, my niece, made out like a bandit with her eggs cause my kids only got 7. ha ha ha. My kids are easily pleased and a little anal if you can't tell. The boys are doing really great right now. Tallen just learned how to walk and Cohen is learning his letters. They are a lot of fun when they aren't fighting. They act as if their sole purpose in life is to annoy their brother. So we break up quite a bit of tifts. :) Tallen is going back to Primary Children's on the 22nd to see the ENT then we have a tentative surgery scheduled for the 23rd. He is having reccurent problems that resemble what he had surgery on back in August, so they are going to see if there is another issue that they missed or that has shown up. Hopefully it is nothing though. I will be giving updates though.