Christmas Cookie Exchange 2009!

Well my annual Christmas cookie exchange came and it was as fun as ever!

It is something that I look forward to every year. I kinda over do it a bit I am told but it is something that I love doing!

Some of the ladies that came for the first time were a little intimidated with baking 9 dozen cookies, but hopefully in the long run it was worth it for them! I even had one lady who emailed me wanting to know if I was serious! Hahaha!

Anyhow, 11 ladies were able to make it this year. It was definitely a fun bunch of ladies!

I had friends I knew from ,y childhood, friends from high school, friends from my old ward in Gilbert, friends from my new ward in Chandler, a friend I had made recently at Sam's club, and my cousin too! To me that is what the holidays are about. Spending it with friends and family. It's one of the things that makes the holidays for me!

We had a yummy dinner then we swapped cookies.I think the boxes I made this year turned out cuter than the ones I made last year and the cookies looked so cute in them!

Thank you to all my friends who came for making it such a great night. I am already looking forward to next years exchange!!!

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

We were a little later getting around to decorating the tree this year. Poor Bailey was asking me daily if it was time to decorate yet. The night we finally did was magical for her I swear! She was so into it! I think that the little ones are what makes this time of year so fun. Watching them and getting a different perspective of the holidays!
Even the older ones were sweet about it and wanting to help! That doesn't always happen around here. Nice! And I do think the tree looks fabulous! I splurged last year and got a tree that is one of those always lit ones. See last year my tree had lights that went out and after checking the lights one by one I couldn't find the burnt out one. So I tried to cut away the lights to restring the sucker, but instead ended up with bloody stumps for fingers. So I got ticked and chucked the tree in the trash and went and got another. And threatened the hubs to not say a word! So putting up my tree this year and seeing it all lit was delightful! Best Christmas purchase ever.
Doesn't it look pretty? Oh and one of my favorite things about putting up the ornaments is remembering where each one came from. Zach made this one when he was in Kindergarten, my girlfriend in Utah always bought me a pig ornament each year, the pillow ornament Tony's grandma made. So many ornaments that have special meaning to me and bring a smile to my face as I look at it!
Once we had it up I was thinking maybe Bailey had the right idea, I should have done this sooner!

~ Hem Your Blessings With Thankfullness So They Don't Unravel~

Tuesday night I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I was cooking dinner and after two hours the meal was still not through. And I realized my oven went out! No longer working! And I was just getting ready to bake some pies! Umm time to panic. So at almost 8pm I made my sweet husband hop in the car and drive me to Lowes to look for a new one! We drove like mad and raced through the store. I wanted one on clearance so we ended up going to 4 different stores! Yeah, we were hauling butt! But we found one I liked and I was able to set up delivery for the next day. Just in time to do my baking!

It was delivered and I stayed up after everyone went to bed to get ready for our Thanksgiving. The house was so quiet and as I was getting ready to turn out the lights after finishing up in the kitchen I turned around to glance around and see if I had missed anything. And I saw that new stove. And I was almost in tears thinking about how fortunate we are. You see, a few years ago we were really struggling. Tony had lost his job and the holidays were looking really, really bleak. That year for Thanksgiving I actually pawned a few items to have money for the food. Humiliating I know. Only added to that white trash feeling! I was so worried about Christmas coming. I was pawning items just so I could buy our Thanksgiving dinner so how in the heck was I going to be able to buy Christmas for my kids!

Well, I shouldn't have worried. We were taken care of. Our sweet neighbors did they twelve days of Christmas for us. Gave us food, money, and fun little treats with it!It made it possible for us to provide some sort of Christmas for our family! it was delightful and helped us keep our spirits up during a hard time! I hope my kids will remember when they are older what a gift that Christmas was.

Somehow, somehow we survived. We survived and we thrived. And we were blessed through the kindness of others.

Tony was able to find a great job and we have been able to get on our feet again.I feel so grateful that when my kitchen stove went out, I was able to go buy a new one!

Today Grace spent almost a hour sitting at the table. Just waiting! She was so excited for dinner. The feast she called it! And Ethan kept sneaking olives. And Tony and the teens were joking about who gets his diaper after all of those (Sick). And my sweet Rachelle was so helpful. Spent so much time in the kitchen asking what Else can I do for you mom. Then there was Hannah holding my sweet Adie so I could cook! My kids made fun of me at the table tonight as we sat together eating turkey and drinking our special "Shirley Temples"(the little ones think that is what makes the holiday meals so special!) cause I was a little emotional~ Thinking again about how blessed I am. When times have been tough we have still been blessed. I have known that my Heavenly Father was aware of me and the struggles I was going through. And now~We have enough to meet our needs. We are healthy. I have a husband that loves me and tries so hard to make me happy. I have amazing kids. They are what makes this life such a fun journey!

I just feel such a great feeling of contentment and gratitude tonight. I know that I will be thanking my Heavenly Father tonight for the rich blessings I have been given!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a house into a home,a stranger into a friend.Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow ~Melody Beattie

Bailey's Kindergarten Thanksgiving Program!

Wednesday was Bailey's preschool Thanksgiving program. It was pretty fun to watch her. They sang songs and recited poems. And she was really, really into it!




Ethan was being such a pain in the butt though. It was outside so I had Adelynn in the stroller on the hill above the grass watching and he kept running down the hill to the stage. He got on the stage a few times and tried singing with them. Then the principal gave him one of the hats the kids were wearing and he then thought he was a part of the program! It was really embarrassing! People were cracking up but you know they were talking about "that" kid!




After the program we followed the kids back to their class where we had some refreshments. Bailey read some books to Ethan and made sure all her friends were able to see her baby sister!And she was so cute showing Grace around her class room. They would hold hands as they walked around looking at the different stations in the class. I remember when I had Grace 18 months after Bailey and I worried it would be so hard to have them so close together. It has been hard but seeing them now, such good friends, it makes my heart melt! I love their friendship! I love my sisters so much and it makes me feel good knowing they are establishing a friendship that will last them a lifetime! Getting three kids and myself dressed and out the door by eight was such a chore and I kept telling myself I really didn't want to go but I am so grateful that I did! It was a fun program and I really enjoyed my sweet kids!

Best Commercial EVER!!!

My hubs showed me this commercial and I think maybe he might be a little irritated. Cause I told him, oh yeah, that is the BEST fantasy ever!!
So ladies, take a look. Whatcha think??

Homecoming 2009

Zachary finally decided to go to a homecoming this year. He took his girlfriend Lauren. I was so bummed cause we were out of town camping! I missed seeing them and taking pictures. I sent my camera with Lauren to make sure I got some but it is just not the same as being there and watching the kids getting ready to leave.

He went with his best friend RJ, and Mac,and Tommy. They are so funny. They decided to buy matching Vans and hats to go with their outfits. Zach had a yellow hat he bought also but decided not to wear it.

It was cute but a little over the top with all that Yellow. He and Lauren were so odd getting ready. They actually went shopping together for her dress and then his clothes. Who does that at that age?

They are a cute couple. I really like her. They had a great time and I am still sad at having missed it! Zach kept going back and forth about whether he was going to go or not so we went ahead with our camping trip.

I'll have to plan better next year and make sure we are home so I don't miss out on seeing them off!

Hannah Turns 11!

My poor Hannah, not only am I late posting about her birthday I was late celebrating it too! Her birthday was just a little over a week after I had Adelynn and I just couldn't do a party.So I made her wait. A FULL month! Yeah I'm a mean mom. I told her I just couldn't do it yet and if she wanted a party she had to wait.

She chose to go to Matuku's Island which I thought was a totally weird choice, but they had a blast. The great thing about going there is that I didn't have to do a thing. I had been sick and wasn't up for the party but it worked out fine cause I was able to just sit in the cafe with my Diet Coke and relax while they played. Which was a good thing cause let me tell you six girls and one boy at that age can be obnoxious! They are LOUD! When we were in the party room having pizza they broke out into dance and Tyler even showed the girls his slick moves by dropping to the floor and doing the worm. The girls scream with laughter over that one. They were so silly. I can remember being that spastic when I was younger. It made me smile!

They had a great time and Hannah was thrilled with how the party turned out! She is such a sweet easy going girl. She gets lost in the mix sometimes. I think being the middle child is hard. Yet she is such a huge help to me. I know I can always count on her. I love that she has such a wide variety of friends. She likes everyone. We've lived in places where the girls are really cliquish even at this age. And she was told if you are friends with so and so then we won't be your friend. And she would tell me "mom, that would hurt her feelings if I stopped being her friend" and she chose to remain friends with the one girl and lost being in with that group of girls. I am proud of that about her.

Hannah girl~ I love you and am so glad you had a fun birthday this year! Thanks for being patient waiting for that party. Being your mom is the best thing in the world and I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming!

I hope your birthday was a very happy one! XOXO!

Time To Play Catch Up!

OK, time has somehow gotten away from me and I have not blogged regularly. I find logging into Facebook is a quick thing so I do it more, but it is just not the same. There is something so wonderful about reading posts from a year ago and seeing how much my kids have grown and changed. I love it!
So~ I am going to try to do better. Starting with a little catching up. It may not be super fascinating to others but it is to me, I love it!

I Went To Church Today

With hairy legs.
I Went To Church Today with almost no makeup on
I Went To Church Today With spit up on my shirt
I Went To Church Today Without having washed my hair today

But~ I Went To Church Today!
Was I humiliated? Yeah. But at least I made it there! We woke up a half a hour before church started. Long night with baby. So I wanted to stay home. But we made a commitment to go to church regularly~ Which is not something we have done in the past. And my kids are struggling. And we recognize that this is probably because of the choices we have made as parents.
So we are trying to be better. And dang...it is NOT easy! Do you know that our home teacher told us "Boy everyone knows when Ethan is here don't they?" Cause yeah..he is a animal at church. And the girls love to fight there. We are by far the noisiest family at church. I happen to love it how there is this woman who EVERY week stares us down when they are noisy.And I want to tell her do you know what it took to get here today? The older kids fought us tooth and nail. And we were running late. And I have spit up on my shirt. And my legs are hairy. And I haven't washed my hair today. And I didn't even put on makeup. And church feels like torture alot of the time. But dang it~ I Went To Church Today! So there!
Why is it so hard?

A Purely Blissful Moment

I love, love, love Keith Urban. His music is so romantic, so real. One of my favorite songs of his is Only you can love me this way.Makes me feel so in love with my husband and grateful for him when we listen to it together.

Today Tony called me into the room and I laid down on the bed to talk with him. He put the song on our stereo as we were lying there. We just hung out and held hands and talked. Then the girls came into the room and asked us to play the song again. And as I lay there holding hands with my sweetie I was watching my little ones twirl around and around dancing. They held hands and would hug each other and then spin. Can I just say it felt like such a beautiful moment?

I love finding those moments that fill my heart so full and give me such pleasure. I thought, Yeah, this is EXACTLY what it is all about. These simple moments being surrounded by the ones I love. Pure Bliss!

Reminds me of that saying Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.

If you've never heard this song, you need to crank up this playlist and listen. Maybe grab your sweetie and take a spin around the room! See if you find a moment to take your breathe away too! So delightful!

Thankful For My Hubby!

Yesterday was a little bit of a rough day. Ethan kept taking off his diaper, pooping on the floor twice, peed on the floor once, choked on a balloon he was trying to blow up and then puking on the floor, and then to top it all off dumping paint he stole from Hannah's room.
Miss Grace and he kept fighting all day long. He wanted to wrestle and she wasn't having any of that. So he'd tackle her and she'd cry and cry. Then cry some more just to be dramatic. Or maybe just to torture me. Not sure which.
And the baby wanted to be snuggled. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'd put her down and then she'd cry. And as soon as I picked her up she'd stop. I'd kiss that soft, sweet head and she'd take a deep sigh and close her eyes. Like everything is perfect.Which is how it feels snuggling her.But is does make it hard to get anything done.
So when Tony came home we were talking about the day. And how crazy it was. And how dang tired I am. He was telling me about a girl from work who just had a baby around the same time I had Adelynn. She is having a hard time because she has had to go back to work and her baby is now in child care! Child care! At this age! I can't hardly believe it!
It got me thinking...what if my kids had been in child care when all this happened? How would they have handled Ethan? I ran him ragged then layed down with him to take a nap. A nap makes everything better. Sure enough when he woke up he was nicer. And easier to handle. In day care would he have spent the day in time out??
And Grace has her days. She is super funny and cute some days and some days she is a handful. But I love her and remember those good days so it makes the bad days OK.
And my lil Adie... Would she have gotten those snuggles? Or would she have been set down to cry it out? It just made me so sad thinking about it.
And it made me realize how lucky I am to be able to stay home with my kidlets. Even when they make me crazy!
So Tony...Thanks for working your butt off to make sure that I am able to be home with our kids. I feel so grateful for this blessing!

Blog Posts From The Edge!

Remember that movie Postcards from the edge? That's a little how I am feeling! So close to the edge and it could go either way. It's been a weird, wild ride and I am thinking it's time to get off this roller coaster!

This pregnancy sucked. One of the worst. Hyperemesis. The Zofran pump, Trips to the hospital for IVs, Hospital stay, Placental abruptions, Bed rest,Polyhydramnios, Placental lake, biweekly NST's,biweekly bio physical profiles. Worrying about baby and what her health would be, house a mess, me a mess and the grand finale...a horrific labor. 23 hours! Sheesh!

And then I had her. This beautiful, perfect 5 lb 13 oz. sweetheart. Adelynn Marie Vidal. She is a angel. So good. What a relief to find that nothing is wrong with her. Nothing. What a blessing.

I am having a bit of hard time bouncing back, but it has only been three weeks and does seem to be getting better so I am hopeful. Postpartum depression nails me every time!

She had jaundice so we were having to get her blood tested daily. That finally resolved itself. And she stopped nursing. Completely for about a week so that involved so much time trying to get her to eat then feeding her a bottle then pumping. I was so tired just from feeding her. But with a nipple shield she is now nursing again.

Then I thought we were getting on track and I had this killer, I mean killer breast infection! What the heck? It kicked my trash. Felt like I was dying. And I found myself sitting in the shower, crying and praying asking are you kidding me? You REALLY thought I could handle another one? Is this your sense of humor? I think it felt a little like rock bottom. Sick, overwhelmed, things not improving but getting worse and feeling like a total sucky mom.

And yet today is another day. It feels much more hopeful. And instead of asking my Heavenly Father what the heck I find myself thanking him.Somehow things are getting better. It's a day by day thing.

My parents ordered me a bunch of Dream Dinners. And they sent some money for extra help around the house. I think they totally saved me!On Friday I had the cleaning girls here. And I was feeling better. Got a meal made early and sat down to a clean house, nice meal and all my little ones around me. And it felt a little like heaven. I thought you know when I have it together it is wonderful. Being a mom is what makes me happiest. Yes, crazy, but also so happy. It is who I am supposed to be.

Even my little Ethan who has been having such a hard time seemed to mellow that night! He helped me feed the baby, and when I got the camera out to take a picture of her he told me "Take a picture of me, take a picture of me! Cheese!" He NEVER lets me get a good picture of him. Never! So I even got this fabulous photo of my fun little guy.

So folks, even though I am on the edge and many, many times it felt like I was going over it, today I have faith that I will make it! Today it feels like I am actually enjoying the view at the edge!

Nesting Or Nutso?

Probably a little of both right now. But I am totally possessed right now! I feel a desperate need to get a grip before we have this baby.

I am CERTAIN that this is the baby that is going to sink me! I just know that I am not going to be able to keep up with everything. I feel a impending sense of doom.

Whenever I try to get stuff done I last about 15 minutes before the stomach hernia is too painful or cramping starts. I just couldn't get caught up!

So I decided to minimize the damage and take matters into my own hands!

I had been using a friends daughter to help with cleaning but it seems like we never made any progress. In five hours every week she was only able to clean the kitchen and then mop the two front rooms. Then she would leave. She didn't want to work any more hours than that so I never got the house really clean. You know like bathrooms and stuff. And the mess just kept piling up. So even though it was still helpful to have her come, I was just getting more and more behind. But then I found a flier from a year ago in my car! It was for Brazilian housekeepers. And everyone knows the best housekeepers are Hispanic. SO I called them and they came and gave me a estimate! And I told them to not do the loft and that we would get to dusting the lights etc later cause I had so much work to do. But they insisted I needed it all done. And they went over everything they were going to do. Then they gave me a price quote. And the hormones kicked in and I cried like a baby! I was so relieved. They of course just laughed!

So they came yesterday AND the day before! And they CLEANED really, really CLEANED EVERYTHING!!!! It is amazing!

So I scheduled to have my carpets cleaned tomorrow and the cleaning girls are coming back next week!

Tony thinks I only need them every other week but I told him if they have to eat PB&J for a week so I can afford it, so be it! I need help! For my sanity alone it is worth it!

And guess what? The crying, feeling like I can't breathe, feeling of impending doom has subsided! I feel at peace. Like maybe I'll survive this! All cause my house is in order! Crazy yeah I know!

So ladies...If your kids have to eat PB&J for a week, two or a month even~do it I swear getting the help is worth it. Even once to get a grip! I feel like a whole new lady and you will too!

Man I wish I was one of those ladies that just keeps a perfect house. But since I am not I guess I will just have to pay someone else until I can!

Another Year Has Begun!

I'm not sure if it's cause we haven't done typical summer activities like camping, or that we've been kinda house bound this summer or what but it seems like the time FLEW by!

And I just can't seem to wrap my head around the kids going to school in 115 degree heat. It just feels wrong! Wrong I say!

I always liked back to school in Utah cause it feels like it is starting to cool down. And summer just felt over.

But here we are. in blazing heat the middle of summer and on Monday Bailey and Hannah started school! Crazy!

I was worried for Bailey cause they only offer all day kindergarten ( Which I hate and think it's just wrong!) And I was so worried she would be too tired, especially with the heat, but she has surprised me and done very well. She actually loves school so far. I am hoping it continues!

Grace and Ethan came with me to drop them off for the first day of school and as you can see from the rosy cheeks~ It was HOT! At 8 am! yikes!

Is it just me or does time seem to be flying by? It seems like yesterday Tony and I had just gotten married and moved to Utah and Zachary was the one starting Kindergarten.He was so cute and I remember being so proud of him on that day! And this May it was WEIRD having Anthony graduate from high school. I remember him as this little wild rambunctious boy! And there he was all grown up, graduating from high school and now preparing to serve a mission. Makes me feel sad. Like I was too overwhelmed to have enjoyed the moment like I would have liked.

And I am feeling out of sorts having Bailey start kindergarten. I know I should be celebrating one more out of the house and a little less work during the day but I actually feel kinda sad. I just want to hold on to them a little longer. And I want to chill. And enjoy it a little more!

Definitely feeling a sense of nostalgia today! It's a good reminder once again as a harried busy mom to take some time,slow down and just live in the moment.Enjoy the chaos and the good times. Cause as I am already finding out~ It's gone way too soon!

BTW~ Hannah the booger wouldn't let me get any pictures of her on the first day! Just like my older teens.Oh how it's already begun with her!

ps...anyone know how to get rid of the extra space on a post at the end??

I'm Seriously Considering Having Him Banned!

We have this fight lately. And it is making me furious! You see Tony likes to fart in our room. And every time he does it makes me puke. And puke. And puke. And I feel like if I have to carry this baby for 9 months (OK technically it's 10, but hey who's counting?) and be sick, and be tortured then he can walk his sorry lazy butt to the bathroom to do it.

But he doesn't. And he claims he tried to hold it in, but just couldn't make it to the bathroom. And today after puking what food I had gotten down he tells me to just stop. And not to be a martyr. Umm right. Can I castrate him now with that rusty butter knife?

So I am pissed. And thinking now is the time to reconsider. Being the martyr that I am~ I am thinking I need to have him banned from the delivery room. Cause that's just the kind of girl I am!

I Love Seeing This Little Face!

Got back from the Dr's again today. It is crazy to me to think when I first found out I was pregnant I was angry, frustrated, and DID NOT want to do this again.

And then today, I was hearing news about her that was worrisome. And I felt guilty for not realizing what a gift she is sooner. And I was looking at her sweet little face, watching her sucking her thumb, watching her yawn and my heart melted. And I felt so, so grateful that sometimes my Heavenly Father knows better than I do. And that this baby will be here soon enough for me to snuggle and love. And somehow everything will be OK.

They think there is something wrong with her but just don't know what yet.I was told there might be a heart problem with her. Or it could be a cleft palette,(which I seriously doubt she looks perfect to me. I see no way!), or digestive blockage that requires surgery right after birth. We just don't know yet what is causing the problems so I am a bit of a wreck cause I worry! So when you are saying your prayers, keep my Lil one in mind! I am sure everything will be OK, but you know me, I worry, worry, worry! I am praying they are wrong and it is just a strange, weird fluke and she is perfect!

She Drive Me Crazy And Cracks Me Up!

Lately this girl has been a challenge. I alternate between wanting to beat her and laughing my butt off at the things she says.
Today I came home from the Dr's and this is what she was wearin~ Swimsuit and a Crown Hannah made for her. The reason? She had to look super cute in case Browny (Zach's friend) came over.
And when she came into my room to lay down with me? She told me I look pretty cute with makeup on my eyes~ But Do I know that my shirt is super ugly? She then asked me to go change it so she doesn't have to look at it anymore! Umm yeah she's only 3!
She then told me it would be much better for her if I would put on something that was really cute. Cause that's what she likes. And the boys too...

Ahhh there is no other like Grace! And that's just the way I like it!

Chick Fil A = Fun and Free!!

With summer here I am always looking for cheap fun things to do with the kids that doesn't require me to do much! Yeah.. I know I am a overachiever here but hey~I did go somewhere and find something that was so fun for the little ones.
When I went to get a soda they gave me a flier about their customer appreciation week. Every night was a different theme.
So we decided to go to the princess night of course!

They had free pony rides, crafts to make, Princess pictures,prizes, free milkshakes, free desserts, and free samplings of the chicken sandwiches, free bubbles, and games to play!

It was so fun for the girls to see so many other kids there dressed like different princesses.

They had a blast feeding and then riding the ponies.

Bailey thought the free milkshakes was so cool!

Tony was a sweetheart and came along to help me so I wouldn't have to do much. He has been so AMAZING lately. I think I need to write a post just about that cause I feel so in love and grateful for this man right now!

Anyhow it was a perfect night out and how can you go wrong with free?

If you are looking for something fun to do check them out. They have family night fun on Mondays and on July 10 it is their customer appreciation days. If you wear any cow apparel you get a free chicken sandwich. If you wear the full costume you get a number one combo free. Plus they have balloon twisters, face painting, games, prizes,and contests. Best of all..it's free. I love that!