????????????????????

Well I am sitting here at the computer at 5 in the morning. I have already been awake since 4. I didnt go to bed until 12:30(shopping at Kohls until midnight LOL). I have so much on my mind. The family that wants to purchase our home ( still feels weird to say that) is waiting on getting money from a 401 k for the down. I still cant believe that we are selling. I love this house. I love the ward and my neighbors and amazing friends! All the houses that I have been looking at have something wonderful but just not the package I am looking for. 2 of them have amazing yards!!! They are both in Lehi! The first one is a little squishy but has a HUGE unfinished basement with the option of buying later down the road. The second one is so cute with a huge yard but is further south than we kind of want.  The last house is in Sandy , which is not really South enough, and is owned by..................... HA! MY EX BOYFRIEND!!!! Yes Yes!!! Can you imagine my surprise when I walked in the house with the property management women and as I turned around to be introduced to the husband, I take his hand and then look up...... OH MY GOSH!!! Seriously!!! Needless to say his house is the largest as well BUT the kitchen is not quite up to date at all! Funny as it sounds I truly have no problem with the fact that I would be renting form Cody and his really sweet wife! Im sure eventually I will stop laughing at how I ran into him. LOL. Can you imagine running into one of your sweetest boyfriends after 14 or so years. So Funny! It actually was not a really fun break-up but more because of his friends than him and I. Ok so this is taking an unneeded turn... Back  to the subject.

Anywho. Everyone of the owners, when asked about their wards, neighbors, Bishops etc. of course say they are wonderful! What else are they going to say! This is the worrisome part of moving. This is almost as crucial as the house. If you are miserable in the ward, it pretty much ruins everything! Two of the wards have more than one nursery!!! One of them actually has 3, now that a lot of kiddos!  The last thing I want to do is move again and again! The ideal would be to buy the home we are renting some time down the road! I hate moving! So as I look I have to ask myself, if this home is what we could live in for a long time!! Too much on the brain!! 

Now the OTHER side of this is, that this may not happen at all! It looks like it will but there are things that go awry when selling or buying. You have the appraisal, which we are praying comes in where we need it! But with the housing market and the banks being so cautious, who knows what could happen. Then the inspection! I truly dont know of anything seriously wrong with our house but something could be lurking. After all, part of this house is over 50 yrs old.  Ugh! We are still having to wait for the initial approval from the bank as well. I dont know what is more stressful, purchasing or selling! Both are so nerve racking. Right now we cant put any money down on a rental because we would lose A LOT if for some reason this sale doesnt happen. At what part do we move forward.

Ok I am so rambling here! Thats what happens when your mind is wide awake and yet sooo tired! 

Thanks for listening anyway! If anyone has any suggestions, feel free! It will be GREAT when December is over! I am not a fan of sitting and waiting! So many things are up in the air! Where are we going to have Christmas, Are we having Christmas in December( If all goes well we will probably be moving during Christmas break and I dont have my kids until the 29th of Dec.) Will we find a house in time! What about the weather! Moving in winter bites! ON and ON! *sigh*

Happy Sunday everyone! Wish us luck and say LOTS of prayers!!!

Brennan Donald Challis

My sweet baby boy is 1 years old today! What a year it has been. This sweet little man has been a challenge! In the past few weeks, we are finally able to sleep at night! He has struggled with waking up 2+ times a night. When he was an tiny baby we found out he had acid reflux. The medication was $75 a month, plus the special formula at $25 for a small can, which lasted 3 days. He is finally off the medication. Although his tummy seems to revert back at times. 

Brennan is such a happy smiley baby! He giggles, and claps and wrinkles up his nose when he is playing.  He loves to cuddle with me, at least until Mark comes home. When I sit on the couch he loves to come over to me and lean his head on my lap. If I brush his face with my hand he lays on it and snuggles into it. TOO sweet.

Brennan adores his brother and sisters. Talia is the only one, however, that he will turn Mark away for. He gets so excited when she gets in the car. His little squeals are too funny! Cayden is another one he loves. I hope the two of them continue to be so sweet! Taylor loves to play with him and hold him. He is not quite sure of her picking him up all the time yet. Probably because he is so close to her size. Its a little awkward.

 Brennan also LOVES our dog Takara. If he sees her nothing else matters. He squeals and crawls right to her. He pats her and giggles. When she is lying down he lays on her and uses her like a wrestling buddy. Thankfully she is extremely patient.

I look forward to watching this special boy of mine grew up. Although I do think it should go a little slower than it has so far. These sweet moments will stay with me forever, but there is nothing like holding and kissing the little baby faces, hands and toes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENNAN (BUBBA)!

Body For Life

Ok so this is an invitation. If you have been wanting to get back in shape, come join me for Body for Life!  This plan is one of the easiest as far as food goes. The workouts are intense but the results are Amazing. If you want to see what some people have accomplished go to www.bodyforlife.com . I have a membership at Golds Gym. I know right now the economy is awful. But if you have been trying to decide about joining a gym or not, Golds has been a pleasant surprise. I love the daycare. You get 90 min a day to use there. The is  womens workout room, so we dont have to feel insecure about working out with the men. I pay about 40 a month for my membership, but I believe right now they have a special going. 

Since deciding this, I have felt so much better through out the day. I get one free day a week to eat whatever I want. However if you have been following the food suggestions, you may not enjoy it as much as you think. I usually feel kind of crappy about an hour after I indulge. I love it though because it just pushes me to continue because I like the change in my body.

If you have done Body For Life let me know. Tell me what you  think of it. If you want to come with me, let me know as well. 

Happy days!!

Back to Sobbing Every Tuesday!

I am such a boob. I am easily moved when I see people struggling, yet working through a difficult issue. Watching others break through barriers is so inspiring!! And then after it all realize their goals, sometimes even surpass them. 

Do you have any idea what Im talking about??? Im so excited that one of my all time FAVORITE shows is BACK!!!  Another round of JILLIAN and BOB!! Its BIGGEST LOSER TIME!!! YEAH!!!!

Ok so that was a little drastic. LOL. But seriously, who does not love this show?? When the commercials first ran for it, I was skeptical. The title sounds so mean. But one episode and I was hooked. And now I faithfully watch or record every episode. With so may mean, or trashy, sneaky shows out there, its nice to find one with heart! Sure its still a game. But lives are literally saved before your eyes. Families are brought closer as issues that have been hidden or ignored have no choice but to surface and be dealt with as the weight falls off!  Now granted the weight falls off so quickly because they are in a setting where this is the only focus, as well as trainers that are pushing them harder than anyone usually pushes themselves. But it does, in my opinion show those struggling with weight that there is a way. No not as quickly as on the show, if its done in a healthy way. And it takes WORK! Im so sad for all those people that spend hundreds of dollars on diet pills that promise miracles. True results come from hard work. Eating right, exercising, and getting rid of ghosts that plague progress. Negative thoughts need to be replaced by positive realistic goals. Well actually there is a study that might toss out that last comment. Mark was reading an article, in it he was telling me that when people, mostly women were used, set high expections on their weight loss goals, more met the goal and continued onto  more weight loss, than those that set smaller weight loss goals.  Interesting anyway. 

Just one more thing. If you have not seen this show, I suggest tuning in for an episode. Judge for yourself. Its on Tues at 7PM on channel 5. Let me know what you think.

So it begins....Again

School YIpee!!! Talia has started 9th grade ugh! Cayden and Taylor will start on Monday the 25th.  Ive heard a few uneasy things about Taylor's teacher, and hope they are wrong. We shall see. Cayden has a great teacher, but is a little disappointed. He likes the one he has but would prefer another one that is supposedly funnier. My girlfriend and I have totally slacked on the gym. Maybe slacked is the wrong word. July was crazy, and August has been about the same, so the gym has been put on back burner until monday. Im excited to get back! 

One thing I am relieved about is finding Caydens baptism date. Its a really long story so here is the shorter version. 

Cayden was baptized 3 yrs ago, at his dad's ward. Well come to find out ( ONLY because I had the records sent to my ward about 6 months ago) that whoever was supposed to enter his baptism in the records....didnt! Nice dont ya think. Anywho, I have been going crazy trying to remember when he was baptized. The problem being, Cayden had to wait for his dad to be able to do the job. So it was not around his birthday. I was not given the certificate, his dad was.  And of course he cant find it. Now after 4 months of constant harassing from me, he still has not found it or spoken to anyone from the ward or stake. So I take it upon myself to call Caydens old primary pres. and OH MY GOSH!!!! She has his program saved on her computer!!!!

YEAH!!! Now the killer thing is, maybe ironic is a better word, she tell me the date and I realize  that he was baptized the SAME weekend that Mark and I were sealed. LOL Seriously!!!!! MY BRAIN IS SO........UGH!!!! How I did not remember this, is beyond me. Its all in my journal. HAHA! The important thing is that now when he turns 12 in Feb. He can be ordained. It makes my stomach turn to realize that this would have never been known if I had kept the records at his dad's ward. PHEW!! So BAD! Talyor is turning 8 in Dec, so we were going to have her wait until Feb. for family to be able to attend both occasions. That would have been terrible to find out then. It was such a blessing to discover this now. Life is crazy !!!! Someday things will slow down .... right????

Jib Jab ( u gotta love em)

Check out this video: JibJab - Time for Some Campaignin

Time to move on

So Mark and I decided with the economy as it is, and the counsel to be debt free that we have been hearing for as long as I can remember, to sell our house. Im torn on how I feel about it. Im heart broken because I LOVE our ward. I have such close friends here. Our house is unique,which I love. This is where Mark and I were married. So many things have happened since then. 

On the other hand Im excited. To be nearly debt free ( depends on the amount we sell), or completely debt free. What a feeling. To move to a neighborhood that has more kids my childrens age. There are a few here but most are younger. One thing that drives me crazy about this area is the lack of sidewalks. Especially since we are a corner house. My kids really cant play outside our yard. Since we have decided to rent for a little while, not having to pay property taxes, or be responsible for fixing problems that arise in the house. Yippee!! 

Right now we are working on finishing projects not quite complete. Im packing everything not absolutely necessary. 

Im not quite sure where we will decide to move. A lot depends on whats available when the house sells. Mark goes all over for his job, so that isnt a huge factor, although he may not completely agree. I would like to be closer to Talia, who lives in Orem. However Orem is not even an option. Im not a fan. I think Lehi would be the farthest we would go. But again who knows. I will keep you posted on any news. Wish us luck

Trek

Today is such a cool day! My oldest daughter Talia, left for Trek today. Trek is an activity in our church that the youth ages 14 and up go to. Its a reenactment of the pioneer journey. The items that the kids can bring are VERY limited. She actually had to give up even deodorant ( Yikes ). The Trek is today until Sat. It takes place in Wyoming on some church land. They sleep under the stars and are dressed in pioneer clothing. Im so excited for her, but kinda of sad too. Tomorrow is her 14th b-day! I sent a little token to be given to her. Its a collar that the pioneer girls wore sometimes like to church etc. Its a girlie version of a bandanna. Its white with lace around the edges. I also sent up a tatted handkerchief. Both can be signed by friends and those in her "family". I hope she likes it. I just wanted her to know we were thinking of her. Trying to find something that wouldnt distract too much from her experience was difficult to find.  

Everyone that has been on Trek before says it is AMAZING to see the kids "get it" and see the changes that come. They are more grateful for what they have and humbled by what children their age had to go through. One cool thing that they get is a pioneer nam

e. Its someone that actually was a pioneer. They learn where they were from, their age, when they came. It kind of personalizes it even more. Soo Cool. 

I kind of have a hard time sending her on these things. I think it is so important though. It does take up my schedule with her for the summer. Four weeks is usually filled with alot of time between us, but when she goes on Trek or girls camp I have to use one of those weeks for it. I do want her to experience these things. I hope it will give her strength to become the young lady I see in her. 

It was so sweet last night.Mark gave her a "fathers blessing". I asked her if she felt ok about it. She adores Mark! I asked her if she wanted him to bless her with anything particular. She said she didnt want Trek to be just a trip. How perfect. I hope she truly discovers and "gets" what Trek is all about. I cant wait to talk to her when she gets home!!!!

Here are some pictures of her before she left today.

Summer

Ugh summer has begun!!! I guess Im kind of spoiled. I have a set schedule when my kids are in school. Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri I go to the gym. Now I still go, but I feel a little guilty about not hanging out with the kids. Its only 1.5 hrs but still. Cayden is 11 and so does not want to hang out at the child care. And of course Talia is too old as well. Taylor doesnt mind as long as Savy is there. Brennan of course could care less. He is held the whole time he is there. IT so pays to have a cute baby.  

Im also looking into getting a home based job. Photography is awesome but is not something anyone has to have. Convergys now has a positions for those wanting to work from home. And the training is done at home as well. Ive worked for them before and it was one of my favorite jobs. Mark and I have discussed  preparing in different ways for the serious slowing in construction. It is scary since we totally rely on it for our living. But if we plan ahead I think we will be ok. 

The summer is also crazy because of the change in schedule with Talia. I love having her much more often.  That is actually something wonderful about summer. I pray she will always love the time we spend together. That it will be something that is important to her. Being 14 is the start of more independence. Friends are a higher priority. I dread the day she calls and tells me she is not coming because of  a "friend" thing.  Is that selfish?? Probably but I truly enjoy being around my sweet daughter. 

Cayden wants me to sign him up for some drama camp. LOL It is very fitting. He is so funny about acting etc. He "practices" all the time. I have never seen anyone make so many faces in the mirror whenever he passes it. And I say that with all the love I have for him. He is also choosing to become more active in helping with Brennan. Tonight he asked me to show him how to rock him to sleep. How adorable is that!!!!

Taylor is still trying to find her place. She is kind of struggling about not being the youngest anymore. She is still super sweet but is always right at our heals. One really nice thing is all the hugs we get and the " I love you's" But it almost seems fearful. If that makes sense. And she truly loves Brennan. She reads to him and sings to him. She loves to act crazy just to hear him laugh. Hopefully she will realize he is not here to take her place. That would be impossible.

For all those friends out there in "blog" world I hope your summer is fun and full of family.

Too fast!!!

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies!!! From my kids, to my marriage. Talia is almost 14!!!! Yikes. Cayden just turned 11 in Feb. 12 is just around the corner. I cant believe he is almost priesthood age. Taylor will be in 2nd grade next year and will be 8 in Dec. And sweet Brennan will be 1 in Nov. Oh and Mark and I have been married for 4 yrs on May 8th.  My children are going to have major milestones this next year. Church dances, make-up, Priesthood, Baptism and turning one. Phew. Life is so short. Its hard for me to feel old enough to have kids this old. That is a funny sentence to me. lol. I feel like it was yesterday was having the SAME arguments with my mom as Talia tries to have with me. Exasperating. Oh but how I love that girl!!! Beautiful, smart, loving. I hope she and I become closer every day. How lucky I would be. I hope she knows what she is capable of becoming. She truly has NO idea how crazy I am for her. Really none of my kids truly know that life would just not work with out everyone of them. Poor Cayden among all of these girls!!! Super sweet and sensitive, but still such a boy. He truly has( in my opinion) picked up on some great things his future wife will adore! Taylor, oh such a crazy girl. She does things that make no sense but she wouldnt be her without them. I hope that makes sense. Such a spunky sweet little thing.  Brennan so far is my challenge. From conception to birth to today, he is my mover and shaker!!! So much that he still does not sleep through the night 90% of the time. Power naps are usually all he takesduring the day. Sensitive tummy. EXPENSIVE formula and prescription. UGH! But oh that boy has my heart!!! The sweetness is overwhelming when I look into those beautiful blue eyes. He is an answer to so many quiet hopes and prayers. Conference weekend was filled with my kids and amazing hubby playing and spending time together as a family. My favorite time is when I have all of them home with me.Divorce is so difficult on the idea of family. It truly is broken. I treasure the few moments they are all gathered around me. The talk on mothers was truly inspired. I am blessed to have 4 amazing beautiful angels to hold in my arms. I thank my Heavenly Father for the sweet spirits I have to hold my hand, give me kisses, brush my hair, paint my toenails, and the best thing of all, call me mom.

  

 

 

                                                                                            

Waiting Bites!!!

Ok so I have now finished the Twilight series. The first book took the longest because I just couldnt get sucked into it at first. Once I did I flew through it. The second book took just a little over a day. The third was about the same. Now just like everyone else.... Im waiting for the 4th. I think I remember someone saying in August or something. Yikes that is awhile. At some point after the next book the movie will be coming out. I am always hesitant about what the movie will be like after I have read a book. So far I have been totally disappointed by them. Hopefully it will not be the same with this series. If anyone has a book or books that they really enjoyed let me know Im in the mood to read. Have a great day!!!

Finally!! I finished!

So many people are reading the Twilight series. I borrowed the book like a month and half ago from my friend Ashley. I fell terrible it has taken me soo long  to finish it. However it was not because I didnt like it.  Every time I sat down to read it , my son woke up or needed me. At night I was just too tired to read. I was beginning to think I was going to have to give it back to her unread. Well my mom is in town and was spending time with us and holding Brennan etc, so I started again from about page 60 or so and read 99.9 % in one day. LOL. I was very pleasantly surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I LOVE fantasy. I really LOVE books about vampires. My favorite Author is Anne Rice. I was completely ready to not really love Twilight because I am picky about how people describe vampires( silly I know). I like a book that makes it seem totally natural. Or atleast believable. The unfortunate thing is, is I cant get a hold of Ashley!!! UGH. After  reading the sneak peek Im very anxious to read the next book.

Such A Cutie!!!

Ok so I was in the mood to get some new shots of Brennan.  Its been a little while. He is going to be 3 months on Sunday the 10th.  The kids still think he is wonderful. I still am not getting much sleep! But we are thrilled to have him in our home. Its funny to me, I love to take pictures, but I rarely pull out the camera for my own kids! I guess its like the electrician or the carpenter. The last house to get fixed! Or in my case the last kids to get pictures( shot just didnt sound very good)LOL.

Crazy how it looks like red hair here!!!! LOL

Could this be THE night????

So my sweet hubby is taking the boy tonight!!! I might actually get sleep tonight!!! Hopefully I can turn off the mommy in me for one night. I get to sleep in the living room on the air matress and he gets the room. That will help to block some of the noise. If I do hear him I am going to have to fight the urge. Mark is perfectly capable of handling Brennan, but there is still a part of me that gets nervous. Again NOTHING to do with Mark.
I am suprised that Brennan does not have more of a sleep routine down by now. It looks like he could be like Cayden. He did not sleep through the night for over a year! I pray that is not the case with Brennan. His fussy time is in the evening, so that is not helping! His 2 month appt is on Weds. I will ask his Dr if I can start to slightly thicken his nighttime feeding with cereal. I will probably have to wait one more month. We shall see.
Well I am so tired I am going to bed. I have to get up like at 7 to get ready and go pick up Cayden and Taylor from their dad's house. Ugh!! But it will be worth having them on more than one Sunday. Hopefully I will be able to keep this up.
Wishing all a happy sleepful night