My Thoughts on September 11th

Devastation... that really is a good word to describe the country right now.  Hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes have been plaguing this country and the world in full force these last few weeks.  That doesn't even touch on the political and social upheaval that is currently happening.  It can make you start to question and wonder and lose hope, but we cannot lose hope. This country was built on hope.

Today is the anniversary of a day I will never forget.  I found a post I wrote several years ago on the anniversary of September 11th and it is still so relevant today, so I am going to re-share this post, as my hopes and dreams for this country and this world remain the same.  

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Since I was no longer a single student staying up way too late, hanging out with my roommates or my boyfriend; I figured I could handle an early morning college class.  It was the beginning of my junior year of college; I was a newlywed of 3 months and loving life.  Eric and I were both going to school full time and working part time.  We had a little 1 bedroom apartment but felt like we were rich with our little box TV and brand new DVD player. 

I trudged into class, students were all gathered together talking.  'I heard a plane hit the Twin Towers' some of the students were saying.  We all wondered if this was true.   A few more students came into class saying the same thing.  It must be true.

There were no smart phones, no twitter, no Facebook that we could quickly turn to to confirm if this was true.  I had a cell phone, a large brick of a phone that was actually pretty advanced with a black and white game of SkipBo on it.

We all wondered what had happened.  As soon as class ended we all hurried to the nearest TV.  It was true.  Planes had hit the Twin Towers in New York City.

We were all shocked and not quite sure what to do.

I had a doctors appointment after my class and headed to that as I normally would.  The waiting room was silent, everyone's eyes glued to the TV they had brought into the waiting room.  I sat there watching the coverage, watching people run, hearing the speculations as to what could have happened, then I saw it live, the second tower collapse.  

People cried freely and held each others hands.  What happened to our country?

I will never forget that day.  I will always remember.  

I also remember what happened after; flights were canceled, security went to all new levels-- but so did something else.

The country's pride.  The number of American Flags that were flown by peoples homes.  Peoples desire to step up, help out, be a little more kind, be more united.

Those terrorists wanted to hurt us and they did but they also made us stronger.

Now 12 years later in a world of instant communication and instant gratification, too many have forgotten.  They have forgotten that his country was founded on freedom.  A freedom to work, the freedom to prosper and have the American dream because of hard work and determination.

Far too many want the American Dream for nothing; they feel entitled to have it handed to them, to be taken care of.   This is not the America I love.  This is not the America that everyone cried over that day 12 years ago.

The American Dream is not meant to be handed out like a participation trophy to everyone who plays. It's meant to be worked for, fought for, something that we desire with everything that we are.

It is our right to work, our right to try hard, our right to try and better our lives.

It is not our right, or our children's right to be given a free ride, a place to live, or even a phone.  Just because everyone has one is never a reason for anything. Things that we have should be earned because we have helped in the home (and in the world), shown that we are responsible, and have earned it.   

Sometimes life is hard and it will be and it will seem unfair; this is the time to tighten our belts, cut back and work even harder.  It is not a time to keep trying to live like the Jone's just because 'it isn't fair'.

Life is not fair.

Something needs to change and it starts with you and me.

It starts with us understanding that in life there may be times that we all will need hand-ups but never hand-outs.   This country, our children, this society needs a little tough love.  A little wake up call, a lesson in life.  As moms we know all too well that there is only so much we give before we totally lose it.  How can this country survive by just giving and giving?  It is going to lose it. 

I will not stand idly by and let that happen.  I will fight, in my own way, in my own home, in my own city and state. I will fight by educating myself and my children and by stepping up and speaking out.   I will help those in need by helping them learn how to help themselves.  I am not going to hand out free fish, I am going to teach a man to fish.  To whom much is given, much is required and I will give- but my giving will be in ways that can help change a life forever not just for a day.

This is the American Dream, this is what those terrorists tried to take away from us on that awful September day.  Don't let them win! Don't let them win through entitlement, laziness and dependency.  

I am living the American Dream because I have worked and am working to deserve it.

A Belated Birthday Post

Last month my baby turned 7.  I cannot believe how fast time has gone.  I remember all too well, his surprise delivery 8 weeks early.

The 19 days in the NICU.

Finally making it home for the first time after almost a month away.

When he turned 1

I remember his smile, the way his siblings would make him laugh, and now he is the one that makes his siblings laugh.

I remember lunch dates, just he and I when his siblings were at school.

And now, now he is 7-years-old, going into second grade... I cannot believe it.  

When I asked him what he wanted on his cake, my only child who still likes themed cakes, he said a Ryder truck.  

My red frosting was way too runny, but he liked the cake anyway.

This year he and I celebrated the day together as his birthday fell on Mother's Day.  I was happy to share with my baby though, which he hates when I call him that.

But he always will be my baby.  

To my Ryder-- happy birthday! 

When Did You Last Blow Bubbles in Milk?

When's the last time you blew bubbles in milk?
When did you last stop to notice a pretty flower, a rainbow, or the way a child seems to run everywhere they go?

Last week I was looking through old pictures and observed a few things; first that I used to get my "real" camera out for pictures all the time.  Possibly because there weren't really good phone cameras then, but my Canon was never far from my hands, and there are so many pictures I love.

It also made me realize how quickly it goes.

I don't photograph the little day to day moments nearly as often as I once did.  Let's be honest, my kids have much less desire for me to photograph the little moments now.. plus they sure were cute when they were little!

They are still cute now, but there is something about little chubby baby hands, little toddlers discovering the world that is just so adorable and amazing to photograph.

I sometimes miss those little moments, the little kids with little problems.  I know, I haven't yet entered the teenager years with my kids, though we are so close, and I really do like the ability to just run to the store by myself... but sometimes I can't help but wish for those magical days.

But I can't live in the past, instead I need to find the magic now.

What can I do as a mom to help pull them back to some of the magic, out of the ruts of busy lives, school work, homework, and after school activities?

The answers is-- in some ways I can't.  It will never be back to the days of kids being home all day and a days worth of activities about the Letter A being enough.  I will no longer be the center of their universe every single day.  I need to adjust as a mother and find a new kind of magic, new adventures and things for us to document, to remember to live and enjoy.  Mostly, I just need to really be there-- to be-- as it goes so fast.

For those with tweens and teens, what do you like doing as a family?

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2016

Can you believe it is 2017?  It is still crazy to me.  Today I am sharing the Top 10's of 2016.

((Don't Miss Out on the Previous Years Top 10's-- 2015//2014//2013//2012))

Top 10 Blog Posts

1. What I Hope for My Son's Teenage Years

2. What We Ate This Month

3. Finding Joy in Motherhood 

4. Favorite Soccer Gear to Keep Kids Safe

5. Crispy Fish Tacos

6. Parenting Made Simple

7. Fun Family Traditions

8. 5 Tips to Save Money at Home

9. Tips for Making After School Great

10. How I Became a Photographer

I really do love looking back like this.  It is sometimes surprising which posts make the top 10 and I love going back and reading the old posts.  Click any of the titles or pictures above to take you to the original post.

Top Referring Sites 
1. Pinterest
2. The Dating Divas
3. How Does She
4. Facebook
5. l.facebook.com (once again not quite sure what the difference is)
6. Blogger.com
7. Twitter
8. Stumbled Upon
9. The Joys of Boys
10. Cedar Fort Publishing

Recent Search Terms that Bring People to My Blog
-Many have several similar variations of these search terms, listing top 10 ones that take you to to different posts 
1. How to make a box cake moist and fluffy
2. Four part apology
3. DIY Grandkids sign
4. Chalk Paint bookcase
5. Date night poem
6. Yes day rules
7. Kindy 500
8. Lunch ideas for 4 year old
9. Lego table for six year old
10. Best Broccoli salad recipe ever

I posted 208times (15 times less than last year) with worldwide readers, the top 5 are:

1. United States

2. Russia

3. Canada

4. Ukraine

5. China

Another year of blogging complete, 2017 will mark 9 years of blogging for me.  It often baffles me when I think back over it all and read some of those old original posts.  Here is hoping for a wonderful year.

** Tomorrow I will be sharing my kids' answers this year to the Annual New Years Kids Interview**

The Bike I Didn't Get for Christmas

As a child, Christmas is just magical.  Growing up we would always draw a name for which sibling we were going to buy a present, when there is 6 kids you really almost have to do it that way.  It was always so exciting wondering who's name we would get that year, wondering who had your own name.  

I remember one year I really wanted a bike.  This was not a sibling gift, but my main present, probably one of the few presents I got that year.  

My old bike had been a hand me down from my brothers- green and black and definitely showing it's age. One night when I didn't put it away, leaving it in the front yard, which I had probably done many times before, it got stollen- that old green and black boys bike was never seen again.  I can't say I was totally sad about that.

I wanted a real bike, a girls bike.  

It was the one thing I asked for, so I had a feeling I would get it.

Christmas morning came.  I woke up early, as I always did, having to then try and patiently wait for the rest of my family to wake up.  My oldest brother was the worst, we employed all kinds of trick over the years to try to get him out of bed on Christmas morning.

Finally, it was time for presents.  I ran into the family room, where our tree was that year and looked around, disappointed that I didn't see a bike, even stating such outlaid to my family.

My family all began to laugh.

"What is funny?" I asked.

"You didn't get a bike?" they asked, "are you sure?"

Me 1980 something with my new bike on Christmas morning

As you see, right in front of the tree, covered in a sheet was a very big present, a very obvious bike.  

I have no idea how I missed it as it was literally right in front of the tree.

This is one of those memories I will never forget of past Christmases. One of those things I will always remember, kind of the like the "Best bother" sign I made my for my brother, spelling never was my strong suite.  

Did you have a present you really wanted as a child?

Why I Have Three Christmas Trees

We have three Christmas trees.

In a world of consumerism and wanting more and more, this might seem a little crazy, but in this case there really is a little bit more to it. 

I met my husband my sophomore year of college.  We quickly began dating, fell in love and were married less than a year later.

Those first few years of marriage were fun and busy yet so simple.  We were both going to school full time and working part time.  Eric had a great job installing composite, okay the so the job was actually literally crappy, but it paid $15 a hour.  Between my part-time job, his job and partial and full scholarships we felt like we were doing pretty good for ourselves.  

We drove two old junky cars, my husband's was a $500 dollar special, one in which the engine literally dropped out, which we wired back up with a coat hanger.  I remember saving up all our rewards points on the one credit card we had, so we could have a fancy meal at Red Lobster on Valentines day.  But we were happy.

Our first few Christmas as newlyweds, were spent at our parents houses and even though we weren't usually home Christmas morning, I really wanted a Christmas tree.

Growing up, we would always go and chop down a live tree, always ending up with one way too fat as they seem so much smaller out in the woods surrounded by other trees.  I didn't have to have a live one, in fact I wanted a fake one so we could leave it up all month long; but even with how "rich" we felt, money for a tree was just not in the budget.

One year, around my birthday, Eric took me to Michaels and told me to pick out a tree. I was ecstatic!  The trees were on sale and I picked out a beautiful tree, definitely not the biggest of fattest one there, but one we could just barely afford at about $60.  

I loved that tree!  My mom gave me some ornaments that I had made growing up and my Mother-in-law for part of my birthday present bought me a tub of red and green ornaments.  It was perfect.  

Eric and I by our First Christmas tree

I loved that tree for years.. but then some of the branches began breaking and falling off, leaving a few bald spots, and we had a little more money now.  I saved up my money and ordered a tree on-line, something new that we could not have done when we were first married, and bought a tree.  

When it arrived it was just as tall as I thought, but it didn't seem nearly as fat and wide as the picture on-line.  Eric suggested we decorate both trees.  One tree we filled with home-made ornaments, some of which our kids were now contributing to with the things they made at church and school and the other had some of those original ornaments my mother-in-law had bought for me.

I loved my trees, but I still really wanted a big fat tree, kind of like the ones I had grown up with.  This time I went to the store and made sure to see the tree with my own eyes before purchasing and got my tree.  I assumed we would get rid of one of the trees, the obvious choice was our first tree as it was the most worn-out, but we just couldn't do it... there was too many memories, to much sentiment and so we kept all three.

Now I have my winter tree, or BYU tree, our first original tree that we adorn with our homemade and mismatched ornaments and our tree with the ornaments (and some additional we have bought over the years) my mother-in-law gave me.
Now every year, when we decorate for Christmas we pull out bin after bin with our three tress and ornaments and we pull out years of memories and love. 

Looking Back on 8 Years of Blogging

November 23, 2008-- I wrote my very first blog post, right before we moved to California.  Over 8 years ago now.  Sometimes it astounds me that I have been blogging that long.  So many things have changed in both my life and in blogging.

I honor of my "blog-anniversary", I am going to share my most popular, based on page views, posts from each year over the last 8 years.  Since I started blogging at the very end of 2008, my blog years will be from November through November of each year.

--Click on any of the titles to take you back to the original post--

2008-2009

How to Make a Lego Cake

This year I made Lucas a Lego cake for his birthday, it wasn't super easy and well it really wasn't the prettiest either, but he loved it and it by far has the most page views of any of my posts in 2008.

2009-2010

My Preemie Baby is 6 Months Old

Oh my this post, the memories, the feels-- it was really just a update 6-month post, but for some reason it got a ton of page views. This preemie baby is now 6 years old!  So crazy!  And oh my old Photography Logo-- glad I updated that!

2010-2011

Painting Laminate Furniture and Picture Frames

DIY tutorials, especially since the advent of Pinterest (which did not exist when I first started blogging), definitely gets a lot of pages views.  I still have this table and these pictures frames on display today.

2011-2012

Easy School Lunch Ideas

This was a big year for my blog.  I had several posts that have well over 100,000 page views; this particular post comes in well over 200,000 page views for this post alone.  I often refer back to this post myself when I am getting in a school lunch rut.

2012-2013

Best Broccoli Salad Recipe

This really is the best broccoli salad recipe.  I still make it all the time and everyone always asks for the recipe. It is so good!

2013-2014

The Four Part Apology

This-- this post is parenting gold.  Since we taught our kids about the four-part apology, it has made a huge difference in our home and how our kids say and show they are sorry.  Definitely read and pin this one!

2014-2015

New Years Interview Questions for Kids

This is very timely, as it is almost time to ask these questions again to my kids.  This wasn't the first year I started this tradition with my kid, this year it just had a lot of page views. I am so glad we started this tradition and it has been fun to see their answers over the years.

2015-2016

What I Hope For My Son's Teenage Years

This actually seems kind of fitting to end this recap with this post, as when I began my blog, this almost teenager was only 4-years-old.

I truly am grateful for my blog and for the memories, pictures and part of me that it has and I have shared over the years.  I often wonder what direction I want to take with this blog, how much longer I really want to keep doing this.. then I look back over old posts like this, and I never want to stop.

To those who have read my blog over the years, thank you.  Thank you for following me on this journey of life and for allowing me to share a little piece of me.

Kids Halloween Costumes Over the Years

Halloween is next week!  My youngest son's costume is supposed to arrive in the mail today and my oldest, isn't dressing up this year.  I am feeling a little nostalgic because of that, so today am sharing kids Halloween costumes over the years.

We will start way back when my youngest first dressed up

2005

This is technically Lucas' second Halloween, but his first one he was only a couple of weeks old, so we didn't do anything.

2006

This was his last Halloween as an only child, as his sister was born less than a month later

2007

Alex was almost a year old but already walking- she loved her kitty cat costume

2008

A Bumble Bee and a Fairy 

2009

When your big brother is your SuperMan! Will be one of my favorite pictures forever

Alex dressed up as an fancy witch this year-- look at the attitude!  

(Just don't look at the groceries I hadn't put away when I took this picture-yikes!)

2010

The first Halloween with all three kids! 

2011

The same Superman costume Lucas wore in 2006! 

2012

The one (and probably only) year all three kids costumes coordinated.  We even made a fun little movie to go with it.

2013

From princess to ninja- guess the princes learned how to fight for herself

2014

Alex didn't even need a wig to be Anna this year

This year I did a themed Pirate photo shoot with Ryder - click here to see that post

2015

This year Alex got the themed ghost photo shoot

It has been fun taking this little trip down memory lane.  One thing is apparent, my photography skills have gotten a lot better over the years.   Also it was funny to me how some costume ideas got repeated, like Lucas as Superman.  

Before I know it all of my kids will be saying they aren't dressing up anymore.. so for now I am just going to enjoy it.

What has been your favorite Halloween costume, for yourself or your kids?