TWILIGHT

Okay, so looking over other blogs...I feel like I need to make my contributory opinion about Twilight the movie. I absolutely loved it. I've seen it three times. Every time I see the movie, I like it more.

From what I hear, those who have most recently read the book are disappointed with the movie. I read the book 2 years ago. That leaves me with just enough of a skeleton of memory that I think the movie was perfect to the book!

The book may be a little slow for those who have not read the book, though I haven't found many people in that category!

The truth is, I am a complete chick flick, romantic movie fan. I might be what you call obsessed (this is what my sisters tell me). I watched "Sweet Home Alabama" recently, but wasn't satisfied until I watched the beach scene 10 times or so (in a row). Romance makes me so happy! I love how Edward looked at Bella, I love how she fell for him
(who the heck wouldn't?). When he said to her, "The lion fell in love with the lamb" I thought I would self-combust with joy.

Now, you may have thought the movie was so-so, but can you deny how adorable that last scene was at the prom? Or the kiss scene? So, all technicalities aside, whether if followed the book exactly, how expensive the production was...it was raw romance. Robert Pattinson, I love you! You are the perfect Edward!

Let's hear it for romance putting a smile on your face!

I believe in these boys

We live in a culture that is increasingly expecting boys to act like girls. I'm a little tired of it. I love the rough and tumble of my boys. I love how they get over things quickly and don't hold grudges. I love how they don't judge others or keep score or get jealous. Sure, when they are angry they have a tendency to charge like a rhino at each other. That can be stressful for a mother.

See, I was raised with two sisters and only one brother. I loved my brother and we played, but it wasn't like MORE than one boy. I remember once a wise woman (who had raised 4 boys) told me shortly after the birth of my second son, individually my sons are angels, but when together, they are complete devils. I laughed and thought surely my boys would never be devilish. Was I a new mother or what? My boys can shake the very ground of my faith as a mother. I pray as much for them as I do for a sustaining of my faith as a mother of boys.

Lately my belief in them has come from a determined belief that we are here on earth to learn from our mistakes. My faith in them has come from reading in the scriptures about the sons of Helamen. These boys went to war for their family. They fought and risked their lives for their family and freedom. What kind of young children do you think these boys were? Perhaps they didn't always sit reverently or act totally appropriate at all times. I find so much strength in the scriptures. There are so many examples of men that used to be boys, that became strong and honest men.

So, I say bring on the judgemental looks from teachers, store clerks, and friends, I refuse to doubt my boys. I will continue to believe in them. When they put their arms around me when I'm exhausted and tell me they will read to Heidi because they want me to go to bed, when they get up in the morning and finish all of their chores before school (including reading their scriptures...these boys are incredible), when they help me unload groceries without complaining, then hold open the door for me when I'm coming in with bags also. I believe in them.

Do they lose their tempers with each other and even sometimes with friends and neighbors? Yes. Do I lose my temper too? Yes. Let's face it, nobody is perfect...but Heavenly Father hasn't given up on me yet and I won't give up on them. I have thought and pondered on what I wanted to focus on in Primary with the children. It has come to me how much Jesus cherished children. He asked us to become like little children, meek and submissive. I believe in my boys when they are censored by their mother and humble themselves, when they apologize without a prompting. If only we as adults could be as meek, as forgiving, as humble and as sweet. I believe in the goodness of boys and men. I am okay with them acting like boys. I don't think life would be as interesting if everyone acted like girls. Let's face it, we wouldn't be living in a free country without boys that became good men and chose to fight for their freedom. All of the privileges we enjoy from this free country we can directly attribute to those brave and honest men that fought for the independence of this country. What will my boys have to fight for? I pray when the time comes they will fight for goodness, and still I continue to believe in these boys.

HALLOWEEN 2008

We had a fun Halloween this year. Lets see, we had a movie star, a special ops soldier, and a...I'm not really sure what Sam was, but he mentioned something about a zombie or some horrific creature. His friends were all impressed, of course..they are a bunch of boys, wouldn't they be? I liked Sam's costume this year because we actually got creative and shredded some of his old clothes. The costume was totally Sam's idea, and he can be very creative, so I was impressed, even if the fake blood was intimidating to say the least!

Heidi was glowing as a movie star. Let's face it, she was born royalty. Part of living with Heidi is facing that we are her subjects. She was as happy as can be in this girly costume. I loved how she sighed "Pretty" when I put some pink eye shadow and eye liner on her.

Josh was as straight forward as ever. He wore his costume for about three days after we purchased it earlier in October, so it had been broken in. Josh runs around the house with his costume on making boy noises and singing powerful tunes that he randomly pulls out of his musical mind. I love watching him. Josh becomes the costume. He makes me wish I could transport to a fantastic imaginary world from time to time.

We had some friends over for taco soup and burned cornbread (long story...but still got eaten, I couldn't believe it). The dinner was total chaos, but not bad chaos. The dinner was fun, exciting, anticipatory chaos and friendship. I love my house, and I love entertaining. I love the Holiday season and fall leaves and rainy days like today. I love these kids and I love Halloween! Did I mention Sam and his friend Mclain weighed their candy bags? Yeah, Sam's was 11 pounds. Oh, to be a kid again.

Happy 40th Dustin!

Happy 40th birthday baby! In celebration of my now being married to a forty year old, I threw Dustin an over the hill party. He even helped light the candles on his tombstone cake and wore a black button that said "Aged to Perfection". Now you know why I married this guy...he is so sweet you wouldn't believe it. Dustin got more than one package of adult diapers and even some baby food for when his teeth go out!

We played charades with elderly words. I was wondering how someone would handle the word Viagra...well, turns out I drew it! I didn't have to do much but laugh and people were yelling out the word. We had so many good friends show up and support Dustin in his elderly state! Yummy munchies, cake and ice cream, charades, and lots of laughs! I love a good party, and I love this man. Happy birthday baby!

Friends and Four Wheelers and FREEZING!

Recently we were invited to go to a friend's cabin in the Uinta's and go four-wheeling. Wow...we had so much fun! We four wheeled like champs in drizzling rain, ponchos and all. Below you see the guys doing some man poses...heisman etc.

We played games like Phase 10 and Golf (with cards), had delicious food, watched "What Happens in Vegas"(which is hilarious!), and celebrated Tina's 30th birthday (30 is just a few years off...hee hee). The guys even got off to the Priesthood session Saturday night and then we met them for some delicious pizza in Kamas!! Even with the rain, the four wheeling was really fun, and the fall leaves are beautiful this year! What did we ever do right to deserve fun times and fun friends like this? We feel very blessed. Thanks for an awesome weekend Brett and Tina. We love you!

Tired of Being Tired

I wanted to import some fancy, cute picture of a sleeping baby or lady or dog to show how tired I am right now, but this darn right click at work is not working. I can't really describe what these graveyard shifts do to me. Some things in life can only be understood by those around you in the trenches. I look at the nurses around me, we have bags under our eyes. We yawn in between talking about the latest fiasco at home, or the latest fiasco with our colorful patients. I have plenty of both.
Nothing against the PTA, but participating is demanding. Okay, I guess that is something against the PTA. I am the official Red Ribbon Week "person in charge". This really took me off guard when at the school one day the PTA president (who also happens to be a friend of mine, the kiss of death) approached me non-chalantly to ask me if I would head up Red Ribbon Week. The 'yes' just seems to fly out of my mouth. I think yes may be the first word I learned in this life, even if my mom says my first word was no. I must have gotten tired of the word no early on, because I am no longer practiced at using it. Okay, so I can say, "No, don't choose drugs" to the kids...but I can't seem to say no to others. Or maybe, I can't say no to myself? Dustin calls it "Nicalee, to the enth degree". He's right. I actually think I'm invinsible. I may be the only person on the earth that actually thinks that they are bionic (that is not temporarily off their psych meds). Truth be told, I guess I'm not. I'm pretty tired right now and I'm tired of being tired. Bear with me, next post...goal: be positive.

Love, Deuce, and Advantage

So, my latest obsession is tennis. Yes, it is true I have given in and actually bought a tennis skirt. I've been lucky to make some great friends in our new neighborhood (we've been here a year, and I already feel so at home). These said friends have introduced me to tennis all over again. The last time I was familiar with tennis it was through my awesome Dad (he was a tennis pro for most of my growing up)...which doesn't say much for MY skill. I don't know if I've EVER had a tennis lesson, so that says something about where I was coming from when we started playing this summer. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning we play. I am having so much fun. Whats more, I am actually getting exercise that is fun. The last time I enjoyed exercise was in college when I'd run umpteen miles a day. Yeah, working on an orthopedic floor and seeing people get their knees replaced, that cured me. I miss running very much, but have found I look forward to tennis like I used to running. What Heavenly Father has blessed me with, I am overwhelmed. I am so thankful for my healthy body, this beautiful earth (seriously, have you been outside at 8:30 in the morning lately?), good friends, incredible children, a sweet and kind man to share this life with. I can't say enough good. I bet you didn't think this would all come from tennis? Well, you should try playing!

Florida and baby Claire

Kristine and I recently went to Florida to visit Deb and meet little Claire Stillman! We were so excited to see this precious new family member. I am so happy for Debra and Tyler. They are as cute as a button, hovering over Claire when she cries, with all of their questions and worries..it takes me back to earlier days. The sleepless nights, the fussy episodes..wanting to just know why this baby is crying or not sleeping, or what they are looking at. Newborns are so warm and miraculous. I felt the same spiritual feelings all over again as I held Claire and wondered if she sees guardian angels around us. New life is so miraculous! While Kris was there, we ate like queens, and Deb took us to some of the best restaurants in town. We even made special Chick-fil-A chocolate shake runs just for the whipping cream and cherry on top. We went to the Florida University campus and saw Tyler's office and met some of his fellow students. Best of all, Deb and Tyler got a date and after dinner got dumped on with rain (and I mean a warm torential downpour..if you've ever been in the south) while stranded in a park. I couldn't have been happier to see them have a nice alone time together. The changes that come with that first baby...they are blunt to say the least. This darling little inquisitive child..she couldn't be loved more. Welcome to earth Claire!!

Labor Day Camping, PIT, and kids with a hatchet?

Over Labor Day weekend, we went camping with my brother and his family and my sis, Kris and her family. We had a ball. Mostly, the kids loved the game PIT. I bet we played over 100 times. The kids also loved chopping on a log with a hatchet. The picture on the left is a testimonial of how small my viewfinder is on my camera. Josh did kind of sneak in a very disturbing and seemingly homicidal picture...oh well, they'll grow out of it right? The kids all had a very big laugh though, when they saw the picture...which is what Josh was going for. Josh is always the entertainer...loves to play the clown, a happy kid.

We hiked up to Donut Falls, had yummy breakfasts and dutch oven dinner. We played lots of games, roasted smores, hot dogs, and some very obscure things too, like oranges. Roasting obscure things was our little camping science project, and the kids loved it. We were lucky to camp by a small stream and the kids loved crossing on logs and finding a treasure trove of tadpoles on the other side. All in all, with the exception of being rained out by a torrential downpour on Sunday night, we had a fun and relaxing camping experience! Now, let's play PIT...one, one, ONE!

First Day of School...they're all gone!

The first day of school already? With a tiny bit of worrying on the kids part and a lot of worrying on the mom's part...we are off for another year of adventure. Heidi met her new first grade teacher and was happy. We did have a bet going about whether her teacher would be old or young. I said young, so Heidi owes me a Slurpie...even though I'll end up treating her, no matter..our bet was fun. The boys came home with all kinds of stories about their teachers, new kids they met, etc, etc, etc. The kids talked over each other they were so excited. We had to go one at a time..and they were all bursting at the seams waiting to tell mom about the first day. I was so pleased with how everything went. I remember grade school, everything is so magical then. I'm so glad they had a good day, even if I did cry....here and there.

The "Hidden Mickey" and Last Day Beach Fun

Did you know that there is a hidden mickey on every ride in Disneyland and California Adventure? We were informed of this by that nice magic maker. We decided to ride the Tower of Terror one more time...and Sam found the hidden Mickey on the ceiling while we waited in line. Can you see the blue ears? What a smart kid!

Sand castles, digging pits, boogie boards...we really did it up our last day at the beach. I had to get a picture of the two kids who were our die hard beachers...Sam and Ivy. They stayed the longest of all of the kids and we had to pull them away at 7 p.m. We had a nice vacation all in all. I hope our family continues to be a happy one, with more fun times in the future.

Disneyland...it's not for wimps

Here we are, we finally reached Disneyland, and with a little too much pushing by mom all day, about 7 p.m., we were tired. Sam suggested we sit down on some park benches (below) and take a rest. The little urgent voice in me screamed no, but gave in to watch out for the kids. Sam was inspired! Shortly after we sat down, a cute little lady sat by us and said "Your family looks like you need some magic". Turns out her title is "magic maker". She gave our family 4 fast passes to our favorite rides...AND front row VIP seats to the parade the next afternoon.

Just above, there sits our magic maker, what a nice lady! Below, here we are in our VIP spot just by the teacups...to watch the parade. Not only did we get a shaded front row seat, but the princesses and characters came up to the little girls and shook their hands. I thought Heidi might have a heart attack, she was so excited...she was practically singing!

My baby is 7...where did the time go?

Happy Birthday Heidi Anne. How did my baby turn 7? Here she is, the day after her birthday (which is Aug 9), complete with a sand castle cake. Recently Jack and I were joking that she is, as always, the perfect child. She is a peacemaker, a sweetheart and a sensitive child. She cares very much about making her parents happy, probably too much. I remember when she was much younger, just learning English, she became attached to words like 'indeed' and 'certainly'. She would answer me with these words instead of a simple yes. I remember thinking how could a 3 year old act so refined. Heidi was born feminine (from the way she held her hands as a baby) and refined. I'll stop my gushing, but needless to say, we're not joking Heidi, you are the perfect child! Happy Birthday.

BEACH FUN!

The older kids hit the waves with Dustin all day long. The did find a live star fish while out in the deeper water, that was exciting. Towards the end of the day, the activities turned to digging for sand crabs (the kids probably put over 30 in a bucket before letting them all go) and climbing the rocks to search for pincher crabs. Throughout the day, I probably buried Heidi and Camille three times! I tried to get into my book "Breaking Dawn"...but I couldn't bring myself to do it, the beach was too exciting!

Lucky Find

Well, we made a lucky find on our trip. We got up Sunday and decided to go to just Sacrament meeting at a local Newport chapel. Turns out we had to choose the later time due to our sleeping in and having a slow morning...which ended up being very lucky, due to it being the church building right across the street from the Newport Beach temple. There are two church meetinghouses in Newport, and we were lucky enough to attend the one by the temple...what luck! Oh...and if you're wondering about Dustin's church attire, he was so busy taking care of other details while we packed, he forgot his church clothes! While we went to Sacrament meeting, he ran home to the house to get our camera, so that we could snap this shot in front of the temple. I guess things all work out one way or another in the end, huh?

YES! We made it to Newport Beach!

The same night that we reached our rented beach house after 12 hours of driving...we did make a little trip to the beach! So what if it was 10:30 p.m.? The water was surprisingly warm that night and there was enough sound of delight to please any parent. What fun to watch the kids have fun....now here comes beach fun!

Perfect Primary Activity

Thanks to the former Primary President and her good preparations...we recently had the perfect Primary activity at the Museum of Church History. I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed with this new calling, and to have this already planned was a beautiful thing. The Museum of Church History runs like a tight ship, keeps the kids interested with costumes, skits and crafts, and they learn fantastic information about church history. We had a ball...and we had a great turn out. I learned about the sacrifices of our early church leaders and loved it! (in case you're wondering...that is in fact, my Joshua as Brigham Young!)

More Summer FUN!

How does the saying go? "Snakes, Dead Beetles, and puppy dog tails"? I think I didn't get that one quite right...but it is a pretty good description of my boys interests this summer. We were able to nourish old and new friendships this summer with this kind of fun! Sam with his buddies from the old neighborhood...Nate and Jack, what good kids and friends. Collecting dead beetles..what could be more fun?

How about ice cream sandwiches and watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"? That is my kind of summer leisure! Simultaneously with all of the critters being collected outside, we were having a girls day inside. I find so much joy in my children! Their dear friends are some of our greatest blessings. Summer is now over (I'm posting this after the fact), and as I sit at home and cry...since my last child is now in 1st grade..I am grateful that I have these precious summer memories and other summers to come. I loved our summer...and I love these funny kids!

We were lucky to get discount tickets to Lagoon recently! Thank you Wheeler Machinery! My sister Kristine, her husband Rob and their three kids came too. I love those kids like they are my own. I did not have many close cousins growing up, I count my children's cousins as one of our family's greatest blessings! We had so much fun at Lagoon, after all, that's where fun is! We rode the Carousel (my personal favorite), hit the roller coasters (wow, it's fun when the family is at the point where you don't check height any longer!), had ice cream in Pioneer Village, Laguna Beach (Sam, way to go on that super fast water slide, mom chickened out) and rides galore. We had a yummy dinner, included in the price of the ticket! To top the day off, the men tested their strength on a hammer game...turns out the Lagoon attendant flips a switch before the hit which is dependant upon the size of the man...so it's really not fair. However, it was pretty fun to watch Kristine gloat that her score was higher than her husband's score! (who is about 1000x's stronger than her, no offense Kris)


But the highlight of the visit to Lagoon was being able to share such a fun time with close family like the Watterson's. Avery loved the rides (what a sweet smile), Brody loved chasing Sam and Josh around, and Gracie was, well...just Gracie as sweet and unassuming as possible, she did almost escape the park, much to her surprise and distress..by becoming stuck in a gate, but a Lagoon worker man came along at just the right time and set her and Heidi free. We feel richly blessed to have such grand times with our children and extended family! Here's to many more Lagoon day's to come!

Manti Get-Away

Dustin and I were fortunate enough to get away recently to Manti, UT!! We stayed one night in the Manti House Bed and Breakfast and had planned on doing a session in the Manti Temple....now get ready for this story...

Half-way on our drive to Manti, I realized that I had forgotten my temple recommend. We were so stressed about this! I called my Bishop to see if he could vouch for me, and he said to call the Manti temple to see. I called and there was a message..."the Manti Temple is closed for cleaning"...ugh! Now, if you know mine and Dustin's luck about temples, this will not surprise you. In the last 5 times we have gone to the temple, 3 of those times, the temple has been closed for cleaning. We laughed at the irony. We thought, we'll go to the Provo temple tomorrow. I called and the Provo temple was closed for cleaning also! I called information to get the Mt. Timpanogas temple phone number and the operator connected me to the phone number...in SPANISH!! FINALLY, when I got ahold of the Mt. Timpanogas temple..I found it to be open and my Bishop did in fact vouch for me! We had a wonderful stay at the quaint little B&B and did take a walk around the Manti temple that night (see left). Dustin did not especially like the walk though...he was being eaten alive by mosquito's...which ended up being 2 bites...nonetheless, it was an anxious experience for him (mosquito's love him) and we enjoyed a brisk walk. The Manti Temple is sooooo beautiful lit up at night. We think we'll go back next year and actually do a session!