M-O-M

Being a MOM is an amazing, tiring, hard, beautiful, rewarding, complicated, demanding, and wonderful gift. Yes, it is a gift… not a right or a job BUT a gift. There are many types of mothers. There are mothers that want to love and hold a child so much that they will travel to China to get them. There are mothers that let the TV and the teachers do the parenting. There are mothers who devote every second of every day coming up with some new craft to make or new recipe to try. There are mothers who are so busy they don’t realize that they are mothers. There are mothers who no longer have their child with them here on earth. There are mothers who live in a hospital with their child. There is my mother….. Who sewed Regan a beautiful Christmas dress that she got in the mail today. There is my mother in law… who ran to help me this morning. She even went to the store and came back with sprite and swirly straws for Regan.

After church yesterday Regan went home with Nana and Papa. This has become a favorite Sunday ritual for her. Jason had to go to work. So, it was just Collin and I on our own. We eat dinner with Jason’s family ever Sunday… Oh, how I love the freedom of not having to worry about dinner. I loaded Collin up in the van and we were headed to Great Grandma Jo’s house to pick her up. We managed to get one block when I heard Collin gasping…. I looked back and Collin was vomiting and seizing. I hurried and pulled over to the side, made sure he was breathing, cleaned him up, and then headed back home. Collin was not doing well and the only way to get the seizure to stop was with an injection of valium. It is so heart breaking to see what TTD does to his little body. He finally passed out in my arms. Later Nana and Papa brought Regan home as well as some yummy soup for me to eat.


I was cuddling Collin in my bed when I heard Regan yelling “Mom…Mom…. MOM!!” Luckily Jason had just gotten home from work, it was midnight. Jason went into check on her and she said “my tummy hurts… I want Mommy!” Before we knew it she was in the bathroom throwing up. It was a hard night. She was up every thirty minutes. I made her a bed on the sofa and I slept next to her in the recliner. When Collin realized that it was Daddy in bed with him and not Mommy he wasn’t happy. So, at about 4:30 in the morning there I was…in the recliner, next to my little girl, and cuddling my little boy. I don’t think I even got an hour of sleep BUT at one point in the early hours of the morning I started to cry. Partly from lack of sleep and partly because of how grateful I am to be a MOM. To be the one that my kids want in the middle of the night. To be the one that makes the pain better when Collin is seizing… to be the one that pulls Regan’s hair back and wipes her sweet little face with a wet wash cloth….. Well, that is a gift a priceless gift that I am eternally grateful for.

This is a hard, smelly, tiresome gig… that of a mother BUT it is the most amazing and important gift and I am so blessed!

Thanksgiving fun! Part 1

Our Thanksgiving fun started on Wednesday at the kids school. Regan had a "feast program". We watched the two kinder classes eat a fest that consisted on fried bread, cranberry sauce, and popcorn... Oh Yuummmmy. wink! Then they sang for us. Jason's parents and Great Grandma Jo came to watch our little pilgrim.



Notice a theme with her friends.... yes, she loves those boys. I think we will have issues when she is older.. wink!

This last picture is of Regan and her buddy Carter. They sang a duet and were OH SO CUTE!!!

After all of that fun with Regan we all walked down the hall to go and see Bubba and watch him in his Thanksgiving festivities. Collin was in the Turkey Trot at this school!!! He was so darn cute!!!

This is Collin's aid... well, she is not a one on one BUT if you ask anyone at school they will tell you that she is. She LOVES him so much and he just adores her. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to know that while he is away from me he has someone taking care of him that loves him.

After all of the Thanksgiving fun at school the kids and I got in my van and headed straight to Disney Land. I had promised to take them the day before but Bubba just wasn't up for it. So, when it was obvious that he was having a good day we took advantage of it.

We enjoyed all of the Christmas decorations and excitement. We stopped and watched the new parade and both kids enjoyed it!!! Bubba was shaking with joy when he realized that Small World had been changed out for Christmas time. He LOVES Christmas small world.

After Small World we headed over to the bathroom where we ran into some wonderful friends!!!! I was so excited when we saw Granny K, Becky and Abby!!! The girls became instant BFF's. So, we decided to spend the rest of our time there together.

We stayed and played with them until they turned on the Christmas lights! Oh, it was magical! I hate it that I didn't get any pictures... my battery died. :( The best part was not only were the lights magical BUT it snowed on us as well! It was so much fun and a great way to start our Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I am Thankful for........

My dear sweet family. Oh, I love them so much!

My wonderful husband who does so much for our family so that I can stay home and take care of our children. He is my best friend and my heart! He tells me he loves me all of the time. I still catch him checking me out across the room. wink! He is my eternal companion.

My sweet little boy who teaches me daily of strength and courage. He has a smile that makes the world right. He has a laugh that makes my heart smile! I can see the love of Christ in his sweet little eyes.

My darling little girl who teaches me so much about love and compassion. She makes me laugh all of the times and has the voice of an angel. She loves to sing and if music is playing than she is dancing! She always tells me she loves me and makes me feel so special!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is no better thing than to know the love that my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ have for me. The knowledge and testimony that families are eternal.

My wonderful Mother and Father in law. They watch our children so that we can have regular date nights. If Collin is not doing well... all I have to do is call. PaPa has helped give Collin so many blessings and Nana has gone with me to so many doctors appointments. They have comforted us and are a huge blessing to our family.

My parents (I already talked about them in a previous post.)

My wonderful Brother and Sisters... don't get me started. They are true friends and would do anything for me. They know how to make me laugh and pick me up when I am down.

My cute little home.

Target.... Oh, how I love you! wink! Your deals... your health benefits.... soda and popcorn for only 1.50 to keep Regan happy!

The amazing team of doctors that take care of my little boy!

My wonderful friends.... you are amazing!!!!!

My children's teachers. They both have amazing and devoted teachers that truly love what they are doing.

Disney Land. Yes, it is truly a magical place. It is the best pain medication that we have found.

There is so much more that I am thankful for but I will end with.....
I am thankful for all of you......
Yes, even you blog "stalkers" that don't leave comments... wink! The support... prayers... and love that you give to our family is felt.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!!

Today I am thankful for....

Loving Parents

I feel very blessed to have loving parents.

They raised me to be the woman that I am. They taught me about Christ. They taught me to forgive. They taught me to love. They taught me to laugh. They taught me to believe in myself.

I am so lucky to have my Mom so close to me. I love our girl weekends together. My mom is such a comfort to me. She is one of my best friends. When ever we get together we ALWAYS laugh. We laugh so hard we get the weak feeling... wink! One of my favorite childhood memories with my mom was driving to Texas to live after graduation. My mom and I had a lot of time to talk and be silly. Then once we arrived to my sisters she took me shopping so that I could get new bedding and fun things for my room. It was such a special time to have her all to myself.

My Dad is BIG and he's BAD and he's my BIG, BAD DAD! I started saying that to him when I was a little girl and I still feel that way today. He has an amazing laugh and is one big kid. It is hard for him to be so far away. My sisters and brother are sure lucky to have him so close in Texas. One of my favorite childhood memories with my dad was flying with him in his airplane. I always loved going up with him. We would talk and often times he would let me fly the plane. It was always special time with him.

I am so grateful to have such good parents that taught me so much through out my life. They have loved me and been there for me when ever I have needed them and for that I am thankful!

A week of gratitude...

I am Thankful... for loving sacrifices.




My heart is full because I know that my wonderful sister and brother in law will be meeting their little boy for the first time today. Last week they started a very long journey to China and today they will be rewarded for their love and sacrifice. They have seen pictures but today they will hold him in their arms for the very first time. What a blessing this sweet little boy will be in their lives. I know that they will be amazing parents and will give him a beautiful life that he would not have had with out loving parents.



So, today I am grateful to the birth parents of Kai that left him knowing that they could not give him the life that he needed. This gesture of love and sacrifice made it possible for my sister to become a mom today.



Dear Kai~

I want to you know how very loved you are. Your Mommy and Daddy fell in love with you the second that they saw your picture. It was a hard and emotional road to make sure that they could be your parents. They did this because they knew that you were meant to be part of their family. They knew that it would not be complete with out you. Your parents choice to adopt was a decision of love. You are a very special little boy with very special parents. I love you so much and can not wait to meet you. You have a very special place in my heart. I love you tons!!!

BIG KISSES,

Aunt Ju Ju

Sorry neighbors

To everyone in my neighborhood that has to hear doors slamming from around 5ish to 7ish every night I am sorry BUT how could you expect me to stop them when they are so darn cute!

A new phase..

in my life has begun.

It is different and a little bit lonely at times. Now that Jason is at work my house is empty and quite in the morning. Don't get me wrong I enjoy it for the most part and get things done so much faster BUT at the same time it is too quite. It has made me stop and think about this new phase that I am in. I have both kids in school all morning and now my best friend is at work all day. I am so grateful that Jason has found work and things will finically be easier but I have to admit that it is going to take some time getting used to not having him around to help me out when I need it. This past week was my first week in this new phase and we stayed busy...

Just the three of us went to Disney Land....

to meet up with Poppie and Coach to

celebrate Coach's birthday.

Regan made sure to give Coach LOTS of

Birthday loves!

We had a blast!!!

On Wednesday Collin and Regan had the day off of school

for Veteran's Day. So, we met up with some friends...

At the Aquarium!

Regan LOVED showing Harrison how to

play with her buddy the sea lion.

Bubba was having a hard day so we had

to leave early. :(

Later we decided to walk down to Target because Collin

was going Crazy in the house. Nothing Regan and I were doing

seemed to help relieve his pain BUT then.....

when we were walking home we rolled over a manhole cover on the side walk and it

made a VERY loud noise. Collin though it was VERY funny!!! After a day of trying so hard

to find his smile and make him feel better it was a manhole cover that did the trick! wink!

(At least I now know for the future!)

On Thursday when I picked Regan up from school she said... "Mommy it is cloudy outside can we please go to the park with Bubba today???" How could I say no. So, we walked down to his class and picked him up and then walked across the street to the park. Collin's favorite thing to do at the park is the slide. No Collin can not walk.... so yes this means that I was having to carry him up and slide down with him OVER and OVER at least a million times wink! Regan LOVED having her Bubba and was wanting to have slide races with him. She loved seeing him laugh so hard every time we reached the bottom of the slide. Collin just LOVED being out!!! I was able to witness a very sweet moment that day. One of Regan's friends that she play with every day after school at the park came up to her and asked her to come play with him. She replied " I am playing with MY BUBBA. If you want to play with me then you have to play with him." I got tears in my eyes. She was so excited and proud to have him there with her. I am so grateful to have a daughter that has an amazing compassion and love for her brother.

My heart is full

Last December Jason was laid off from work when his company went bankrupt. It was a VERY scary time for our family. It was a hard Christmas season. We made it through the holidays and choose to look at the situation as a blessing so that Jason could finish school. He had been going to school at nights as well as working full time. We did not get to see him much at all. So, Jason loaded his schedule up VERY heavy with the last classes he needed to get his degree and finished school that semester. It was such a sweet blessing to see him finally achieve a goal that he had set for himself. It was an amazing day!!

Shortly after Jason graduated reality hit us, as to how bad the job market really was. He started applying and looking for work right away but NOTHING was out there. The good ol’ state of California was one of the hardest hit states for the rate of unemployment. So, not only was Jason applying for every job possible BUT so were hundreds of other people.

I have to say that despite how hard it has been we have felt very blessed over this past year. Just before Jason was laid off I received a increased in hours pretty much doubling my income. This allowed us to stay out of debt and be able to pay all of our bills every month. We had to cut back quit a bit but still very much enjoyed each other and life every second that we could. Jason and I each had our hard moments during this hard time. The great thing is that when I was down he would pick me up and when he was down I would do the same for him. I know that it was very difficult for Jason as the father and provider to be in this position.

It seemed as though nothing was happening for Jason and he was starting to get very discouraged. So, he asked his father for a blessing. With in days of his sweet blessing Jason was getting interview after interview. Nothing much came from them BUT it rejuvenated him and it was just what he needed. This past Monday, almost a year from when he was laid off, Jason started his first day on his new job. Jason was hired by the best store in the world… wink!!! Yes, that’s right Target. He is now an executive manager for Target. They offered him his exiting salary from Advantage and the best part….. Benefits started from day one!!!!!!!!!!

This is such a blessing to our family and could not have come at a better time. We are pretty much at the end of our savings and I have been having HUGE problems with Collin’s insurance trying to get him into to see all of his doctors. I called one doctor begging to let me pay cash to see her but because of her contract she is unable to take cash patients. I was desperate and so worried when I went to fill he last seizure medication and the refill was denied because she wanted to see him. I went to me knees in prayer begging Heavenly Father to please help Collin and to help me find a way to make this work with this doctor. With in days Jason was hired and when he told me that benefits would start from the first day I started to weep.

It has been hard but I have never felt alone. I have felt the Lord’s hand in my life through out this entire year. We have been blessed so much and for that I am so grateful. I am grateful for the lessons that I was able to learn from this year. I am grateful for all of the time that I was able to spend with my husband and the time we had as a family together. I am so grateful that Regan never even realized that there was a problem. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that knows exactly what I need. I might not always understand his plan for me but I do know that with each new challenge I have Heavenly Father cheering me on.

This holiday season will be very different than last year.

Today I am feeling very blessed!!!

To top it off the day that Jason was hired my sister and her husband found out that they will be leaving for China to pick up my little nephew on Wend.!!!

MY HEART IS FULL!!!!!!!

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!!!

Thank you to my Father and my Brother who both served this country honorably!!!! Thank you to all of you wonderful men and women that sacrifice so much so that I can enjoy all of the freedoms that I enjoy!! THANK YOU!!!

So far so good!

I am in LOVE with Collin's new stroller BUT we haven't really tested it out too much. So, it had to be done. First we started at where else but Disney Land. I picked the kids up from school on Thursday and we went straight to Disney from there.... just the three of us. They let me use the ramp with his stroller as if it where still a wheel chair! LOVED that! With Collin's special pass we were able to take the stroller to the front of the lines and it worked great! Regan loved pushing Collin around and got frustrated when I would have to take over.

At the end of the day Regan gave

Collin's stroller a two thumbs up!!

Then on Saturday we tested it out at the Aquarium. Again, Regan LOVED pushing her Bubba around in it. It was VERY crowded because of the Fall Festival that was going on. So, this made it hard to get around BUT it would have been hard with his wheel chair as well.

Collin's bird friends liked

his new stroller!!!

At the end of the day we were all smiles and still VERY happy with the stroller. Now, all I am asking myself is WHY IN THE WORLD DID I WAIT SO LONG TO GET IT???

So far so good!!!

blessed with a beautiful day

This morning Collin woke up, in our bed, with a smile on his face.
He sat in Daddy's lap, in the front seat, while they drove through the car wash.
When Regan was going to the bathroom he kept opening the door and yelling at her, like any big brother would do to torture his little sister.
Today at the aquarium, as I walked next to Collin, he reached out and held my hand.
When it was time to leave he threw a fit just like any other little boy would do.
Daddy was watching football and Collin, with a HUGE smile on his face, kept turning the t.v. off like any little boy would do to torture his sport loving Daddy.
Collin said Momma today.... a lot.
While looking me right in the eyes and with a grin on his face he threw the pumpkins and candle sticks in the middle of my table on to the floor.... like any little stinker would do.
Today Collin laughed a lot.... I think some of his angel friends came and played with him.
Today Collin smiled a bunch...
Today was a GOOD day!

It's November....

So that means it is time to start getting ready for Christmas!
I know.. can you believe it... Christmas will be here next month!!!
I LOVE hand made gifts!!!
So, with that said this month I will be busy making.....

Some Tu Tu's ...

well.. because I have lots of tulle.
Fun, big, and chunky necklaces for
some of the beautiful women in my life.

(I made this one today... but I am keeping
this one for myself.. wink!)
I have had some requests for some pretty hair pieces
AND...

BIG chunky fabric necklaces.

I will have to make some whimsy super hero capes.

WHAT WILL YOU BE MAKING

FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS???

I am in love....

with Collin's new stroller!!!!

I have been having LOTS of back issues and constantly throw it out lifting Collin's 50 (plus) pound wheel chair in and out of my van.
So, I broke down and got Collin this wonderful stroller.
Why did I wait so long????
Ok, well I know... the price.
I had a hard time paying $725.oo for a stroller (anything that is " for disability" is ALWAYS over priced.)
BUT it is sooo worth it!!!
If for no other reason it is going to save my back.
It only weighs 15 pounds!!!!!
Yes, I know.. I can lift it one handed and it doesn't hurt my back.
SO exciting!!!

What does Collin think about it you ask.....

If you can't tell he LOVES it!!!!

Another thing that I am LOVING right now is the time change. I LOVE that it gets dark earlier. Yes, I am probably one of the only ones out there. With the time change we are able to do more with Collin outside!!! We have been going for walks every night and enjoying the beautiful dark nights! We give Collin his first round of night time medications and the go for a walk to break it up before his second round of medications. He LOVES it!!!!!

Oh, Fall.... I LOVE you!

Marathon Halloween

Friday night we went to the our ward trunk or treat and with in thirty minutes of arriving Bubba was done, too many people, too late.... just not his thing. So, Bubba and I headed home while Regan stayed with her Nana and Papa (I will post pics from our fun ward party.)

Halloween was a busy day. It ended up being a Mommy and Regan day. When my mom came down to help with the carnival a couple weeks ago I promised that we would come up and see her on Halloween. Jason and I decided that after the night before the best thing for Bubba would be to just stay home and take it easy. My boys ended up having a blast just sitting on the front porch handing out candy. Collin LOVES sitting on our front porch at night. So, he was happy doing what he loves most... being at home... with Daddy.... on the front porch.... early bed time.

Regan's day and night was the complete opposite. It was filled with TONS of fun... lots of sun.... friends.... costume.... and trick or treating.

Here are some of the highlights from our Halloween day at my Mom's house....

Our day started with a yummy lunch and then it was off to the Pumpkin patch. This is quickly becoming a tradition with her. Last year we went and had a blast. So, it had to be done again this year!

We crammed into this little trailer that the

man insisted was made for three...

(uhhh.. maybe not so much! wink!)

Then we had to pick the perfect pumpkin!

Then we braved the corn maze.

If you remember we got lost last year.

While we wondering through the maze

I saw some very sweet moments.

Guess what.....

Why break tradition...

we got lost and could not find our way out!

Regan managed to lead us to safety!!!!

After all of that fun at the pumpkin patch we headed for more fun.

We met up with some friends at a carnival at their school.

We had tons of fun!

Thank you Aunt Tiffany!!!

Then after all of that fun we went to

a ward trunk or treat up there.

It was a fun day!