I know its kinda late but...

I found a cool video of our Panthers winning the State Championship!

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/section/VideoNetwork?bctid=71843003001#/Latest+Videos/OSAA+Basketball%3A+Central+boys+take+4A+state+title/51426209001/51190050001/71843003001

If that doesnt work, go here...and then scroll down and click on the Statesman Journal video.

http://www.chspanthers.org/

OUR WEEKEND IN SEASIDE II

Well, here we are home again - and almost a whole week gone again since we have been back...

I will try to backtrack a little to finish telling about the rest of our weekend. I think I left off with me waiting for Preston to return from his unit duties....He got back and said things went ok. He had a pretty crazy day with things but felt for the most part that things went well. As a side note, we had chosen NOT to fork out the big bucks for the military ball tickets. We found out that night that it sounded like a good thing we didnt, as the band really struggled and the whole thing was over and done with by about 930pm...not their best year with new people and new music....maybe we will try for next year after they have had some more time to get all the bugs worked out....

We tried another new restaurant for dinner our last night there. It was a recommendation by another of the hotel's managers. It was called "Bigfoot" - the whole restaurant was decorated to look like a huge log cabin - inside and out. The food was amazing there! I got a hazlenut crusted halibut with rice and sauteed veggies. Preston got his favorite - prime rib - and I tried a couple of bites. Now, for me this is a big deal - I dont like prime rib for one very big reason - too undercooked most of the time (I always think of Dr Suess RARE roast beast...) I have a thing that I like me meat COOKED, thank you very much...Anyway - for me to try one bite, let alone two was a big thing. It was cooked perfectly and was the very best prime rib that either one of us had EVER tasted. All of dinner was really extra yummy and we would definately go there again.

After dinner we came back and vegged for awhile while waiting for our friends to pop in on us. Saturday was our official "swap" night - our van for their suburban. They have a smaller family and have been looking to downsize, our family has grown to busting at the seams and we took the opportunity to upgrade. I think both families will be happy with the swap. We still have a few things we need to get figured out on our end, but for the most part I think the space alone was enough to encourage the trade. The kids are pretty excited about the new "beast" and it has already been great for having to pack/haul extra stuff.

After the official swap Preston and I headed out to track down a favorite piece of choc cake. As we made our way towards the restaurant we were surprised to find the (up to this point) quiet streets over-run with teenage kids (rude ones at that) and several sets of police cars with lights flashing from some misadventure. We were really surprised to find things so chaotic, even in the restaurant. We took our cake back to our room and watched more Food Network.
Sunday AM Preston had more meetings, and after I had a rough night I got the chance to sleep in. When he got back we cleaned up and packed up to get ready to go. We had brunch in our room which consisted of all the leftovers we had from previous yummy dinners. We were surprised to have awakened to a day with no rain or wind and it was even fairly warm...of course it was finally nice on the day we had to head home...gggrrrr :)

We decided to drive 101 on the way home. We stopped off at Tolovana State Park @ Cannon Beach and see if we could brave the weather for our long awaited walk. To our surprise the weather was amazing and apparently lots of other people decided to take advantage of it too. We just chose a direction and started walking. Lucky us, we chose the turnoff where the famous "haystack rock" is located. We walked as far one direction as we could along the beach. It was wonderful to just walk and talk and hold hands and just enjoy our last bit of time together. One direction took us an hour. When we got to where we couldnt walk any further we decided to turn around and head back. The view was amazing on every side - the beach, clouds, water, children playing, all the darling beach houses, other couples walking, birds bobbing on the waves...and so much more. It was so wonderful to just BE there together and see all the beauty that has been created for us. All too soon we were back at the parking lot, and it really was time to head home...

We decided to enjoy one more snack, our leftover desserts! They were way YUM - extra crispy, crunchy baked apple crisp, berry cobbler and choc layer cake. We pulled over to a little view area to enjoy our treats and then hit the road. Our way out to the coast was broken up with lots of stops, but we pretty much drove straight home - both of us were feeling extra tired and the drive seemed longer than it really was. The view along the drive home was very beautiful though and there were lots of things to see and talk about.

We arrived home to boys screaming - "the big truck, the big truck!" and "mom, mom!" We gave out all the fun presents that we had collected and everyone seemed to really like them (Wii remote smarties dispensers, books and the girls trunks, plus surprises for the Weatherreds)

I wrote before about the darling little book shop that we found. Below are the 3 books we found for the little boys. I got this one because I absolutely fell in love with the illustrations. I am a sucker for children's picture books, but this is one of the most beautiful that I have seen. It is a wonderful addition to our personal library

When I saw this book I had to get it for Caiden. One of his first Language Arts assignments was about the Lewis and Clark expedition. An excerpt from this book was given in his textbook as a reading assignment. He loved that whole lesson and all of its different activities and he never stopped talking about Seaman the dog. He is our dog lover anyway so reading about one so big and that was such a big part of history was even more fun for him. The illustrations and story are both wonderful and the "Seaman" bookmark is an extra plus. He was SOOO excited when he saw it and took it up to his room vs keeping it in the library. Seeing his reaction and knowing it made him so happy made me glad I had picked it out.

When I saw this book and its darling illustrations I knew I just had to get it for Ky. Bedtime is always a drama every night at our house - the weeping and wailing and knashing of teeth is our normal routine. I was hoping that maybe if we read this book often enough, with all of its cute bedtime suggestions we might make more progress...it hasnt worked so far, but we have really enjoyed reading it. I esp love the illustrations in this book beause they remind me of "Shaun the Sheep (Wallace & Grommit) animation shorts that come from England. We really enjoy British humor and Shaun the Sheep is one of our faves and gets the laughs just like the ones this book also gives.
Even though we had the camera with us for the entire weekend, we did not take one singe picture...sometimes I think I should have, but for the most part it was so nice to just enjoy the time and not miss a thing. While we were walking on the beach I remembered Preston's new cell phone (which he brought with him) and that it had a camera on it. I had him take a couple of picts of Haystack Rock and then he took a pict of us. Kind of silly, but a fun, special memory from our wonderful weekend together. Thanx again, love, for letting me come with you and for all the fun and special time we had together!

OUR WEEKEND IN SEASIDE

We are having a wonderful time here in Seaside - lots of fabulous food, fun shopping, crazy weather (heavy wind and rain) crazy military scheduling, and adventures.

We are calling this our weekend of "new & different". We started off our long weekend together with stopping at an Asian restaraunt in Salem that we have never been to before. From the outside it looks like a total dive, inside is nice and the food was awesome. I will probably talk about food alot, and how much preston is laughing at me about the subject of food....Starting with the fact that I ordered and ate most of 2 different sets of menu items for lunch....

Our next stop was the temple. We got there not knowing what we wanted to do and discovered that they needed help with initiatories. It was really amazing and thought provoking. When we were done, Preston mentioned that he didnt think that he had helped with those since his own (many years ago...) I think we both really felt that it was the right way to spend our time. On our way out to the coast I found that I was hungry.... again...so I worked on our leftovers from lunch while preston laughed at me some more...

We arrived in Seaside to heavy rains and just about everything already closed....We still found a little place (called Pudgy's) to have a light dinner-snack and had a great shrimp salad and choc layer cake - YUM!
Our room at the hotel is great. We have a great view of the river. The staff has been extra helpful, & the little extras have been wonderful. It was a treat to get to actually sleep in and lollygag our first morning here too.

We have enjoyed finding all sorts of new and fun places to eat and shop. Everywhere we have been has been amazing and we are bringing home fun surprises for all the kiddos.
I think our favorite treat shop was this really WOW candy shop. They had everything in old ashioned bucket bins or clear plastic dispensers, and isle after isle of what seemed like a million different candies -both new and "retro" plus they had a whole side of the store dedicated to handmade chocolates. Another side of the store was a "creation" buffet of handmade treats - huge candied apples, fudge that you could watch them make from scratch right there behind the counter - and get this: chocolate covered TWINKIES!!! They had hand dipped this lovely treat in choc, butterscotch, white choc, etc and then drizzled and coated with candies and such. I LOVE twinkies (my one childhood treat I still love, though cant have for now) but I am not sure I would have been able to handle those in the showcases though. They also had hand dipped choc covered oreos and other cookies and treats. The other fun thing about that shop was that you could "sample" 1 piece of fudge AND a saltwater taffy for free! The other fun thing we thought was very appropriate was the name of the store - "The Buzz" - just looking at and smelling all of those candies and sweet treats was enough for a sugar buzz....I can imagine that eating it would put anyone over the top. The store was so fun that they got us in there for a 2nd round where we picked out fun treats for all of the boys.

We also discovered and made purchases from several specialty shops. It was fun to browse all the cute shops and to take cover when the sky literally opened up and a deluge of water fell from the skies off and on the whole day.
They had this darling book store where the town's only "reading" cat resides with his owner. The cat had his own cushions and places to just hang in the children's section and we felt he was very gracious in allowing us to browse through his domain. Apparently he is pretty famous here and had several newspaper articles and clippings all about him (not his owner or the store mind you) posted up on the store's bulletin board. He was pretty hefty and it looked to me like he was really living it up and enjoying every minute of his fame and fortune :)

I think by far my favorite place to eat (and the place we got the best laughs) was the local "Pig & Pancake House". I have not been to one of those in ages and I had forgotten how extensive their menu was. I was able to special order banana-pecan pancakes, which came with a marmalade syrup that was WOW. I also ordered a plate of potato pancakes (shredded hashbrown cakes with onion, peppers, etc) that came with bacon and applesauce. We ended up getting the unexpected treat to eat breakfast with one of our friends from the unit. We sat and chatted and ate for more than an hour - and in that time I finished all but 2 bites of pancakes. Preston just kept looking at me and shaking his head and laughing at me as I kept eating. These were not small plates either - I think I had the "short" stack of regular sized pancakes - which was 3 or 4, plus there were 4 fairly good size potato pancakes, plus the bacon and applesauce and several glasses of water. By the time we were done our waiter was manning the cashier's desk. When we thanked him for such good food and service, he mentioned that he saw I had finished almost all my meal and asked me who (which of the guys) had helped me finish it. When I pointed to myself and told him that I had finished it, he got this shocked look on his face and kind of stood there for a minute staring at me. Then Preston did laugh - a lot. I laughed too, and it kind of brought the young guy around so we could chat for another minute. I told him that the only thing I could think of that would make me eat like that was that I had started a new exercise program and that my metabolism has kicked into high gear. It really is the only thing I can think of that has made such a big change in my eating habits. Preston & I laughed and talked about that little episode the rest of the day.
It wasnt the last time he laughed at me over food though - because even after eating all that and doing some sigificant walking and shopping, I was asking him if he wanted to stop for a treat and we stopped and had dinner at 5pm because I was starving again. He kept telling me that he was not hungry at all and yet I was really and truly hungry. So much that I left a only small portion and a take out dessert from another very large meal. It really is kind of crazy. I never eat like this, and it has been a very long time since food has tasted SOOOO good. I have tried hard to make very good choices - and I apparently am doing a good job because I have been feeling really great instead of yucky and have had really good energy for the most part. It has been really fun to get to go out to "big people" restaurants and have so many healthy choices to choose from. To get to just sit and enjoy a meal and time for just the 2 of us, to actually enjoy foods that I dont get to choose from very often.

Last night the weather held off for about all of 10 minutes - almost long enough for us to walk down to the beach. We enjoyed looking at the diferent layers of cloud banks and the sand blowing across the beach at sunset. When we walked down it was windy, but dry. We lasted about 5 minutes standing on the beach before the clouds plowed across the sky and dumped heavy rain drops on top of us. It was crazy to stand there and literally watch the clouds with the sky streaked with rain move toward us (much faster than we anticipated). There were so many different layers of clouds - big, white and fluffy, dark and ominous, thick and thin layers, with the sun just behind the thinner layers adding a golden hue in between all the heavy black clouds. I was hoping to get picts, but glad I had not tried as the camera would have gotten possibly ruined by the heavy rain we got caught in.

It has been fun and carefree this weekend. We have mosied our way along the boardwalk and in and out of all the little shops. We have held hands and snuggled and talked of so many things. I havent taken one single pict, or even felt the need to. It has just been time to rest and play and enjoy this special time we have had together.

Today has been mostly spent apart as Preston has had many duties to attend to. I have hung out here in our room and have worked on odds and ends. I got the chance to attend a spouse luncheon with a couple of other wives from the unit which was really fun, and again really great healthy food choices. It will be another couple of hours before Preston is back and we will go find somewhere new and fun for dinner. I will for sure write more, or have Preston post about all of his adventures very soon. For now I get to look out the window at the gray skies (no rain yet today) and all the people walkeing and biking down the streets both in and out of uniform. I am thinking a nap might be in order too....we'll see what the rest of the day holds....so much fun. Will post again soon.

SPRING IS COMING! SPRING IS COMING!

Oh, the lovely warm weather, the blue skies, the sounds of the froggies chirping at night, and the first blooms of beautiful and delicate crocus!

Kaeli and I were both SO excited to see this blooming in the yard. I am not sure where it came from, as I dont remember us having any crocus at all in among all of our flowers and plants.... Lucky us!

Of course with Spring comes the chance to use my macro lens filters. I really have enjoyed having them and they have been VERY worth the $ I paid to practice my macro photography until I can maybe someday afford a real macro lens...

I know many people are squeamish about spiders of any size, but it really seemed a great opportunity to capture a moment of nature. This spider was really very interesting and the coloring was very unique...kind of fun
The sun was so warm today and it was perfect for taking outdoor picts...

Kaeli was having lots of fun with the camera and she got this shot as soon as she got it in her hands...It is fun that she is enjoying photography so much too.

SURPRISE VISITOR

We got 2 surprise visitors today. A very good friend stopped by to drop something off to us and more than the usual clamor went up as the kids came bursting back through the house hollering for me to get my camera and to come quick...

Well, we were all very shocked to see this big guy just sitting on our porch! He was so HUGE and just sat there still as a statue as the kids gawked and "oooh'd and aaah'd" over him. Martha and I couldnt even imagine where he would have come from - we live right in the middle of a big sub division and we arent close to what would be this toad's regular home environment. We were really baffled. The kids were blown away that he would actually sit so still and let everyone get so close to him. The little tree frogs we often get are very skittish that way...maybe this guy KNEW he was big enough to be reckoned with and could hold his own if he needed to! LOL

After the kids were all done and were happily galavanting in the driveway (we had GORGEOUS weather today) we had Kaeli find a big box in the recycling and Martha and I gathered him up into the box. She got a surprise as she was loading him in the car when he tried to jump out of the box - bet he could really jump if we would have let him. She took him and let him go in a pond area by her house. It seems the perfect place for him - almost wonder if he came from there....hopefully he will be happy and safe.

It sure was a fun animal adventure for us! It seems that spring may not really be far away when we have fun like this. Seems the last couple of years we have had froggies and dragonflies and all sorts of critters in the yard and spring wasnt far behind them...here's hoping spring is coming soon!

Glimpse of Sunday afternoon at the Baxters

(Posted by Preston)

Here are a few things I heard during our family dinner time after church today. (I can't promise that I heard everything in proper context ...)

“Can you change me???”

“Give me a candy!”

“Please be quiet for a minute while it’s Kylan’s turn. We need to learn to respect …” {BBBRRRAAAPPP!!! from the other room} “when others are trying to talk to us.”

“You can’t have a brownie until after you’ve eaten your horse treats.”

“Oh no, when did THAT happen?”

“Did you play HANGMAN for your class, too?” “Yep!”

“I beat Acorn and Caiden!”

“Ewww!”

{After a particularly gusty belch …} “But everybody does that.” “If everybody jumped off a bridge, would you do it to?” “No, but burping is something natural that happens inside of you, that you just have to let it out!”

“Hey, Ky!”

“We got something from the chwry box.” “Jewelry box?” “No, CHWRY box.” “Cherry chest?” “No, CHWRY BOX.” “Oh … ‘toy’ box?”

“Joseph Smith is kind of like a missionary that always says EVERYTHING.”

“Keegan got his head stuck down there so you could only see his feet hanging out.”

“Look! I know how to squirt ketchup all by myself!”

“Ow!”

“Chad said there was nobody there but him and a bunch of girls, so he left. “ “Josh was there, too.” “Smart boy that Josh.”

“Did anyone say prayer, or did everyone just start wolfing down food?”

The "Shy One"???

As part of "Virtual Education Day" at the state capitol, I took some of our kids to a House Education Committee hearing on one of the bills related to our online school. During the session there were several people who spoke during the public testimony portion, and Kaeli asked what they had to do to be given a turn. After I explained that they only had to sign up ... SHE WENT AND SIGNED HERSELF UP! Yep, the young lady who only last year wouldn't speak to anyone she didn't already know, signed up and TESTIFIED in front of 10 of our state legislators. The audio is archived here and she starts about 46:45 in the link for 1pm on 3 February 2010.

BAXTER FAMILY UPDATES

I have still been struggling with health concerns and have just not been up to doing any big posts, even though I have tons to share. Right now, this brief update is what I can do. Hopefully soon I can catch up with all the fun things and picts we have done in the last couple of months....

1)I have passed 2 small stones in the last 1 ½ weeks. They have gotten stuck on the way out vs in my back. That is improvement, but still uncomfortable. It is good to know that we are maybe doing something right that is helping to break up the big stone still in my left kidney. Even though it is uncomfy, it is better than emergency surgery because the big stone decided to move and get stuck....I dont go back to see my dr. for several months. Hopefully when I do go, tests will show the stones are gone...that would be a wonderful blessing

2)Kaeli and I have developed several food intolerances. We are currently cutting out dairy, sugar, fried or fatty foods. Right now we are still both doing ok with wheat. We will be keeping a detailed health journal to see if there are any other things that might be a problem. Not sure when we will be able to add these things back in. We are working on finding good substitutes (coconut and rice milk) for baking and smoothies and things

3)I am officially on a CPAP machine now. It has taken 2 appts to get things figured out, but I think I finally have the right mask and was able to keep it on the whole night. I had a little window of feeling better yesterday morning, so hopefully as I continue those little windows will get bigger. Unfortunately, it looks like I will be making a 3rd trip to corvallis to get the mask/machine adjusted again. What I thought was a severe reaction to a food ended up actually being the CPAP allowing, and pushing air into my stomach. My whole stomach has been filled with air causing severe pressure/air into my chest and radiating over my arm. It has been very painful. I am glad to know that it wasnt another food allergy starting and that we can get it remedied soon. Hopefully the 3rd time will be the charm and we can get things figured out before my trial period is up. I have only been given 2 months to see if the CPAP is going to be the right answer for me. We havent been able to know that yet because we are still trying to find the right pieces and parts and settings....hopefully this time we will get things figured out and I can start sleeping lots better.

4)T jids did great with school for our first term with ORCA. The kids got all A’s and B’s and we are very proud of them for all their hard work. We are already into 2nd term and trying our best not to get behind already. It is keeping the kids and all of us very challenged and we just take a day at a time as we can. We have made some tweaks to Kaeli's schedule and we are hoping it will help her be even more successful. Colton is learning to read and is getting better at it every day. He seems to really enjoy reading, math and science - just like the rest of the kids....guess it is good they got preston's brain talent for numbers.

5)Preston is keeping extra busy with work, military and bishopbric responsibilities. He has an extra job now as the building coordinator. Not sure if that will be permanent or not. Several things he is currently doing were supposed to be temporary….He tries to be home with us when he can and that time is spent helping kids with their math and science. It is good that he can help them with these assignments.

6)Ceana is an official teen driver – Preston took her for her permit last week and she passed the written tests. Preston has been giving her a crash course in everything. He is having her drive anytime they go anywhere together. He had her drive to and from Salem Monday night. I think she enjoys driving, but it exhausts her. We sit down and talk each time he takes her out so she is more aware of what she is learning and how to do better each time. It has been a lot for her to take on and tons to think about and remember. She is doing an awesome job though.

7)Got a chance to go out to dinner with Jeffries/Weatherred while Sean and Rayna were here this last weekend. It is the 1st time we have been out for a long time. It was nice to just enjoy each other's company and have a very good dinner. Thanx again, guys, for going with us. Hope you had as much fun as we did! Let's not wait so long until the next time -k-

8)We will be having a fun dinner bday party for colton on Friday. It should be lots of fun to have other families here and to have his bday. He has been so excited, and has been counting down the days since Ceana’s bday last week. He knows his birthday is after Ceana's and he has been chomping at the bit for Thursday to come. Will try to post picts over the weekend.

9)Colton lost another tooth. He has been wiggling it for weeks. When he met me in the foyer after church Sunday he came bounding down the hallway to tell me that Kaeli had been his teacher for the day and that he had lost his tooth. It was pretty funny. He is just so excited that he is getting bigger. He is also very patient as the tooth fairy has been a bit absent minded. He finally got rewarded with some fun treats left under his pillow.

10)Preston, Colton and the big girls are at the state capitol today. They are there with many other families trying to make a last fight for our choice of schooling. This last year the state government, including the governor, signed a bill that could potentially close all virtual charter schools in the state. Over the last several months there have been special committee meetings to discuss the options of changing the rules or completely closing our programs. Preston has attended every one and has been asked to speak and has taken Colton with him as well. Families are meeting with a legislative panel today to speak and state our case before the special session starts. We found out late last night however, that the legislative panel session, that was supposed to be held today and allow families to attend and speak, has been completely taken off the schedule. Supposedly the panel will go directly to the senate - which we have been told is very unusual. We are not sure what this will mean. We will just keep our prayers going that we, and families throughout the state, will be allowed this choice to educate our children. Please add your thoughts and prayers too. It is vital that we are allow this choice and to show our state government that we care more about our children than about all the politics and money. We are hoping to persuade them to finally think the same way....wish us luck. I will be sure to have Preston post an update when they arrive home this evening....

I guess that is all for now. Life has still just been filled with school, work and lots of traveling for specialist appts for me and Colton. Seems we dont get much beyond this schedule. We will do our best to post more soon.

LIFE'S LITTLE MOMENTS

I havent felt up to posting - or doing anything extra adventurous lately....so I thought I would just post a list (thanx for the idea W) for now so that when I am feeling all revved up and lots better I can come back and expand on these with posts and picts....

*missionary zone conference lunch went off without a hitch
*being sung to by missionaries with darling "thank you" song
*dear friends to serve with and for
*watching Ky's eyes get big as saucers and see him get excited about a special gift
*thankful for sweet friends who bring unexpected gifts just because, and because they love us
*listening to my 3 year old squeal because he has "discovered" pockets and how many cars they will hold at one time
*friendly, chatty sleep study technicians
*calm, hopeful, encouraging sleep specialist
*the Food Channel and amazing and wonderful shows that I could watch 24-7 (good thing we dont have real TV)
*YM who come over to hang out and play with Caiden even though they are so much older than he is - big thanx to M & A! You guys are the BEST!
*a friend who is always kind and patient no matter how much I cry and fuss at appts
*a friend who has been given great gifts to be used in my behalf, and that of my children
*a husband who continues to put up with me even when I am in total meltdown
*end of school terms and long weekends
*Georgia Mud Fudge blizzards and Keebler's soft choc chip cookies
*eating cheeseburgers and choc chip cookies with my almost 7 year old
*listening to my 3 year old start to recognize letters and numbers
*hot showers, a tub big enough to soak in for as long as I want
*bedroom fireplace that keeps me from freezing
*flannel sheets and my favorite quilt
*sharing homemade loaded nachos with my big girls
*little bits of sunshine
*finding tulips for a close friend in the middle of winter
*naps
*new flannel and cotton PJ's
*a doctor who has become our friend and doesnt mind me emailing him at home when we get ear infections over a weekend
*health, wealth, and prosperity compared to so many who dont have anything around the world
*forward progress, no matter how small
*"ah, hah" moments when reading scriptures or participating in class discussions
*friends who are willing to babysit at the last minute or when life is so crazy we cant coordinate help for all the big/little people at our house - thanx TONS E & M!
*the sound of rain on my skylight windows and on my white noise box
*enjoying an evening of sisterhood and amazing talents
*enjoying every minute of listening to SB talk about her life experiences, projects, classes, just about everything - she is SO amazing!
*sweet VT who come to give me a lesson, and end up folding all of my laundry instead
*naps
*early bedtimes
*DVD player in the van
*insurance that is willing to cover expensive medical equipment
*looking forward to spending fun bday day with kiddos for shopping, lunch, friends, etc
*watching and listening to little Miss learn so many new words to say and sign all in one week
*Listening and watching Little Miss swapping back and forth calling K "sissy" and "mom" and sometimes having her choose K over me - she loves her sissy
*sleeping in past 5am on weekends
*chinese take out (from our local restaurant or Safeway deli)
*watching movies and eating take out with my sweetheart
*laughing and playing on the Wii with just the two of us
*big girls who are willing to take on house stuff and being the "mom" when I am not feeling well or need to be gone to appts
*Kaeli's awesome art skills
*Ceana's excitement about participating in music at school with friends
*Laughing so hard until I cried with C while we watched her band retreat DVD
*Eating pudding and snacks and watching movies with P and big girls
*listening to sweet comments from friends about my big girls' babysitting skills
*shaking my head and knowing my girls are growing up when both girls are each asked to babysit for different families for multiple weekends in a row
*Listening to K hum and sing while she does everything and anything - music just flows through her...
*listening to kids being excited about singing in sacrament meeting on Sunday
*following friends' blogs and seeing how fun and adventurous their lives are, and how amazingly talented they are
*planning surprises for others

I am sure I will think of more....will add a little of this and that and try to post more soon

LITTLE BITS OF HAPPINESS

*Playing "rock, paper, scissors" with my 6 year old
*Sharing laughter, cheeseburgers & ice cream with that same 6 year old
*Listening to Little Miss say "bot-tow" and signing milk
*Laughing out loud while reading a set of newfound favorite books
*Macaroni & Cheese w/ extra milk
*Hot meals prepared by our resident "chef" Miss K
*Hymns
*Dragons
*Flannel sheets
*Ocean waves in my bedroom
*Hot baths
*Grapefruit in the middle of Winter
*Listening to the sounds of little people "wheee, I did it!, laughing, whooping, giggles, etc)
*Watching and laughing at Little Miss "dancing" to Dora at the dinner table just because I said "you did it!"
*Listening to Mr C read a simple book
*Boxed chocolates (fruits, nuts, nougat, caramels)
*Finding a box of applesauce doughnuts in the freezer and eating them warm from the microwave (not the whole box....at least not all at once)
*Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzards
*Sunrises
*Watching little people's faces light up as they open presents from a surprise package in the mail
*Getting phone calls from little people to excitedly tell me about those presents
*Listening to my husband give blessings to our children
*Laughing as Mr C bolts out the bedroom door "Hey! My turn was different than you guys!"
*Listening to Miss K sing as she prepares meals, snacks, does homework, does just about anything
*Tucking Little Miss in bed with her favorite "kay kee's" (blankies)
*Watching Little Miss pout and turn her bottom lip out as she says "No! Don't" - she is so cute I cant help but laugh
*Laughing hysterically as Little Mr. makes all sorts of faces, he is so animated, all the time (happy or sad...oh, the drama)
*Email, blogs, scrapbook programs
*Listening as Miss K describes Little Miss with her new baby doll
*Looking at LJ flopped on the front seat of the van after an "exhausting" vet appt, poor thing...
*Toys, books, little people things scattered on the floor in every room in the house (they will be gone all too soon)
*Talking with Miss C about getting her learners permit at the end of the month....scary
*Listening to my children during their piano lessons as they laugh and enjoy music with their our dear friend whom we all adore
*Seeing another little miss cutie arrive at our house in her hot pink cowboy boots
*Doctors, specialists and friends who I know truly care about our family and have helped us through so much over the years
*Emails and packages from favorite "aunts-by-marriage" who never forget to let us know that we are loved
*Seeing my photography enjoyed, used and shared with others
*"thinking of you" phone messages
*Small moments of quiet
*Feeling the joy of my home filled with happy "adopted" kiddos
*Having Mr C finally caught up with his school work, and working ahead....
*Reading a good book along with eating a favorite snack
*Hot Chocolate Deluxe, in a snowman mug
*Sunbreaks