Happy Birthday, Geoffrey!

Click here to see party photos

*Note* You do not have to sign in to view photos. Just click on picture after you click on link above.

Today we celebrated my nephew Geoffrey's 7th birthday at the Sahuaro Ranch Park in Glendale. It's funny because next to it is the College I attended a few years back. It was Glendale Community College and I always loved the park next to it because of all it's trees and greenery. That's hard to find in this city! : ) We had fun at the party and afterwards we played softball with the kids. Loads of fun.

Waiting for House

You're probably wondering why our house isn't done being built. Well, because the City of Phoenix was on vacation and decided that they wanted to take an extra loooong time getting back. No really, they were just so backed up that it was taking awhile to get the permits. Now we finally got them and they are ready to build. Sigh.... I don't want to live in an apartment for another six months but its not bad because this apartment is 1000 sq feet. Still! I have so many designing ideas and I can't do them!!!! Argh! Those that go to Arizona Mills mall in Tempe.... I love the furniture store called Home Mart. I can walk in and like everything there. That's the style I absolutely adore. The guys KNOWS us there because we talk about what furniture we're gonna buy there everytime we go. Oh man. It'll be so nice to paint the walls from an ugly, dull, boring white to something of color!!! Yes! In a polite way, I don't like looking at white walls. If I'm gonna live here everyday, I need some color. So, I'll be grateful when the house if finally built, it's not huge, but it'll be sufficient enough while my kids are young.

You Have Your Treasures...I Have Mine.

Cute pic. Except for the grass stains on the boys knees! LOL! You gotta let boys be boys. :) Journal:

It seems as if money drives people and motivates their decision making. It's funny, but from what I remember, the bible mentions that children are an inheritence from the Lord. That material things are an inheritence from our fathers. I think there is this notion that you have to "live your life first!", or "reach the certain amount of money you make". I know that I had lived enough of myself to realize how truly selfish I really am. Kids is what brought me to my knees realizing how much I truly needed God in my life. In my day to day living. Without a relationship with God, my energy was spent, my patience was thin, my love challenged. It came a point in my life where I thought to myself, "If God designed women to have children then He will also give us the strength to raise them". Just ask. We are leaking vessels! Daily surrendering of our own fleshly desires. Spending time in God's word and prayer DAILY is what keeps my spirit alive. ESPECIALLY when people are not careful with their words, you need God's strength to forgive and move on. Not only that, but to actually love that person in return and pray for them. No, and I'm not talking about praying that a bolt of lightening would strike them! :P But a prayer that God will touch their hearts and help them.
*Original post March 9, 2006*

Unattended Children

Ha! So funny! I feel the same way. Like loose kids running around a church unattended. I need this sign so people know I am not responsible for their kids while I am visiting or when they're visiting me! This is funny.

McDonald's Scare

This is the machine I just got to start working out on. Trust me. I need it. Whew!.

I was with my kids at McDonalds to get them an ice cream cone. I don't get them ice cream often but with whatever change they could get I let them buy it themselves. So they each had 2 ice cream cones and Ivy had one. She was upset when she saw Ryan have one so Ryan gave his ice cream to her. When I went up to order with the boys, the worker asked if I had four children. I said I did and then she asked me how I stayed so skinny. I told her I didn't diet or exercise. She insisted that I jog or something. I said I don't! She didn't believe me. I said, "look, my dad has a great metabolism and that's where I got it". She started telling the others to look at how skinny I was and I must jog. I said, "okay, don't you see that I eat at McDonalds?" Dieters don't eat here! I should be dieting for sure though. Anyhow, that's not the scare I had, (although embarrassing). I let the boys run up one last time in the playland. This playland is very high. Ryan came running down to tell me that Kyle (our 2 year old) climbed out of one of the windows on the top. I didn't realize what he meant until I happened to look up and see that Kyle had in fact climbed out one of the windows. Not just anywhere, but on the very top!!! Oh my gosh!!! He was like a monkey crawling on top of the tubes and bars really fast. I started yelling. "Oh my gosh! Someone get a worker"! I couldn't see him so I ran around frantically trying to see how to catch him. But most likely if he fell, he would fall right on the concrete where I couldn't reach him. I was frantic. I thought I would fall over from fear. I yelled to him, "Kyle, stay right there!" I was ready to climb it myself to rescue him. Instead, Kyle crawled back through the window to safety. I was shaken and extremely relieved. This playland was those really tall ones where the roof is extended to make it bigger. By the time the workers came running in I had commanded the boys to go up and PULL Kyle out. I didn't care if he screamed, just pull him out. The manager had Chaz and Ryan show him where the broken window was and they showed him at the very top. Thankfully, Kyle wasn't hurt and we discovered it before another little one was injured. Where Kyle would've fell, he would've fell on concrete from very high up and could've either died or been seriously injured. Thank God for guardian angels. Kyle's must be on double duty.

Dogsitting

So cute! I am dogsitting while my parents are out of state. Ivy was so scared of Hank but as each day passed on, she got a little more used to him. After a day or two she would laugh at him from a distance but then scream if he came too close. Now she's rolling on the floor with him.

Here Ivy is laying across his paws. Hank is a very gentle lab that you can trust around your kids. That's why we love them.

She kept playing with him and every now and then he would lick the top of her head and leave her hair sticking straight up. It was so funny.

Allergic to Manna

In lieu of our church fast, I thought this was funny. I doubt anyone would've been allergic to food from heaven though. (That would be a bummer). This comes from the story of Moses leading God's people through the wilderness. So funny.

Day in the Sun

Daddy would kiss her every time Ivy would swing towards him. It was funny because she knew it was coming.

Kyle and Ryan like playing with the sand toys we got them for Easter.

Chaz has loved baseball ever since he could throw a ball. He's good at it too!! I could stand very far a way and throw the ball and Chaz can hit it. He's never liked t-ball. He thinks those things are silly.

Liar, Liar

I love this cartoon!!! It's so true. The devil is the Father of Lies. He will take truth and twist it to make you believe it. I have to remind myself that the only thing he wants is my soul. He'll paint a pretty picture of sin but of course he will always leave out the consequences. He is out to steal, kill, and destroy. This cartoon is great.

Babysitting

Last Thursday I babysat Brianne's little ones. Brianne lives soooo far but her doctor's office is close by me so I babysit when she goes to her appointments. I know how she feels! It's nice to just go to the doctors without boring the kids to death with all the waiting. Then they get fussy, then the doctor looks at you and says, "You want another baby?" Hee, hee.... I had that happen before. Well, hello, of course when you bring kids to a boring office for a couple of hours, they're gonna find it torturous. One time I brought the kids when I was pregnant with Ivy and Ryan told the doctor to stop hurting me. By the time the doctor actually saw me after all the waiting, the boys were trying to figure out what all the gadgets were for, and Kyle was an emotional mess. I wouldn't recommend you trying tranquilizers to calm them. Just get a babysitter. In exactly one month I will have a babysitting service that watches my kids every Friday and Saturday nights. Yes, you have that right. Charles and I can go on dates. Witness together. Walk the mall. Go anywhere for 4 hours on Friday and Saturday. Every week. The kids will love it too because they will get out of the house and play every week somewhere fun. It is sooooo important to have alone time with your spouse. Remember, marriage comes before kids. Not the other way around. These days it seems as if people idolize their kids. That is not God's design of course. God didn't create Adam and Eve with a baby placed in their arms attached to the hip. :) No, my kids have never slept in our beds. Ooohh, bad idea..... When they've burned up with a fever, I would lay next to them on the floor or on their bed. Thank God they don't make family beds! LOL! What a funny thought.

Happy Birthday, Desiree!

We celebrated Charles' sister's birthday today. Desiree is the oldest of the three. She is an absolute sweetheart and we love her very much. The family gathered for her birthday and Maureen made a meal she really loves. The kids all watched King Kong, which they liked a lot. Anyhow, it was a good night. We really had a good time. Take care!

Rawhide

Click here to view Rawhide photos

*Note: You do not have to sign in to view photos. Just click on picture.

Last night we went to Rawhide. I loved it of course because I love everything to do with that stuff. I love the boots, wranglers, horses, country music, the whole works! We really enjoyed ourselves and we watched the gun show while we were there. I had to leave though because it was too loud for Ivy. We liked the restaurant and how they had live music. I requested the same song I dedicated to Charles when we were dating. "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait. Our kids loved Rawhide. They call it Cowboy Town and they brought their cowboy guns. I would love to come back for my birthday and buy wranglers and boots. I keep telling Charles but I think he forgets! Hint.. Anyhow, It's a great place to visit. If you eat at the restaurant, be prepared to spend between $60-70. It was a great place to eat! I wanted to go bull riding but we used our tickets on the gun show. They got all kinds of fun stuff to do there. Definitely worth visiting. I thought it'd be great to have a birthday party there for my kids in the schoolhouse. We'll see though because we're already taking them to Disneyland and Sea World for their birthdays in August. Maybe the year after that. See, all my boys birthdays are in August so we do one big birthday. I did not plan it like that! Sheesh...

Clean up or Clean Out

That was it for me today. I went in the boys room and said, "You can't keep it clean, we're cleaning some stuff out." I filled Ivy's crib over the brim with stuff to sell, then threw bags of stuff out I didn't think was worth selling. So.... Enough is enough. Another thing is their closet. They play hide and seek in there so all the clothes on the hangers end up all over the floor. It's more of a problem for me because their closet is color coordinated. Chaz's hangers are blue, Ryan's red, and Kyle's white. That way when they go to pick out their clothes, they know which ones are theirs. Yes, that has been a problem for me since Chaz insists that his 2 year old brother's clothes fit him. Um...yeah. You should see Chaz when he walks in with high water pants and tiny shirts. It's so funny. So, I told them they can't play in their closet anymore. I threw away their cool race car rug because boys can make things so incredibly dirty and I want to be able to clean their floor real easy. Arrgh! They just had too much stuff. I think I did pretty good. I donated a lot of my own clothes. Probably about 70 or so shirts and pants. I know! That's a lot! But I don't fit my tiny old waist of size 3 and 5 anymore! Ha! I'm a woman now! Yay! Okay, yes I did do some shopping online to replace some because I didn't want to have to sing on stage at church in my jammies! :)

Funny Easter Cartoon

Happy Easter!

Click here to view Easter photos

*Note* You do not have to sign in to view photos. Just click on the picture.

It was a good day. We were extremely tired when we woke up. We woke the boys up in the morning and told them there was a surprise waiting for them. They loved their Easter baskets. Then we headed off to church to celebrate Jesus' resurrection! It was a great service (as usual)! Then we went to Charles' grandparents house for the lunch and Easter egg hunt. It all went well, we hid the eggs and the hunt was on. I always enjoy visiting with his family. A little later talks got into "Religion". It's impossible for me to listen to some things and not respond because I will always defend the gospel. It's very sad that most people will only get their news from TV and just be sucked into whatever "Hollywood" says. I heard talks of Oprah and I couldn't help but say that "No, Oprah is not a Christian". Fornicators will not have a place in the kingdom of Heaven. That got the hornets nest going. I said, "Oprah cannot call herself a Christian and live in fornication". People are mistaken that good works is what gets us into heaven. The bible says that "our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God". "It is not of our good works lest any man should boast". The Christian world today is content with following the flow of the world. Jesus didn't, that's why the world wanted to kill him. Including the "religious people". And they did. But Jesus rose again on the third day. Still today, people will try as hard as they can to hide the truth of the bible. Instead, everyone would rather hold hands and accept sin thinking that the more people accept it, the more it will change the truth. "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Sorry, you can't change the truth. Yes, you can repent (and turn) away from your sin. That's where grace comes in (and not good works). You can't buy your way into Heaven. Heaven can't be bought by good works. Repentance is not only saying your sorry, but turning from sin. You don't have to confess to a priest. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil between man and God was literally torn in the temple. Now we can go straight to God and confess our sins. "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins". Don't let anyone fool you into thinking you can have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. You cannot serve God AND the world. I thank God for my salvation. I was headed down a dark path, I was suicidal and full of myself. God changed my life and now I can live my life with joy and when I lay my head down at night, I can have the peace of God and know that when I die, I will spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven. I wouldn't trade that for Hollywood garbage anyday. Life is but a vapor. These treasures here on earth don't last, and they never EVER satisfy. Therefore, I had a good day yesterday. When people get mad at me for speaking the truth, I know I did something right. :) The devil doesn't kick a dead dog. But...Easter was a great day! I'm glad I spent it celebrating in church (twice on one day)! Happy Easter!

Dyeing Easter Eggs

So I finally finish the boiling the eggs to perfection. It started out as 2 dozen eggs. By the time I boiled them, I had lost 2 eggs because somehow they cracked. I stripped the kids of their clothes just to be safe and I set out all the different colors after Charles ran to the store to grab some vinegar. It was pretty neat except for trying to teach the kids why eggs are so delicate. I think we lost about 6 total. Oops. I'm supposed to bring 24 eggs total. Kyle tried to drink one of the cups that dye the eggs. He didn't get far and thankfully it's not dangerous. After the scare of Ryan swallowing a little Lego, Kyle trying to drink the egg dye, Chaz cracking every egg that came into his hands, and Ivy fussing because she wanted to eat one, I think we can call it a day! I did learn one lesson....start out with 3 dozen eggs. That way we won't sweat the loss of eggs and we can just chow on all the cracked ones.

Rainforest Cafe

Click here to see Rainforest Cafe photos

*Note* You do not have to sign in to view photos. Just click on picture.

One of mine and Charles' favorite places to dine at is Rainforest Cafe. In fact, that was the first date Charles and I had. He asked if I he could take me to Rainforest cafe and I remember sitting under a mushroom with rain drops falling around us. It was really fun and after that we walked around the newly built Arizona Mills. It was Christmas time and we were trying to buy presents for our family but we talked so much we never did find any gifts. Now, we still do that but we now bring our 4 kids with us! Who knew we'd keep the tradition alive 8 years down the road. Rainforest Cafe is a neat restaurant and every now and then the animals come alive and a mock rainforest storm will erupt. We really enjoy treating our family there every now and then. I love the memories of looking over and seeing the little 2 seater table under the mushroom with raindrops falling around that we sat at 8 years ago.

Do You Smell Something?

Charles has days off of work because of Easter weekend so we headed to McDonalds to get an ice cream cone. We got a little more than what we bargained for. After we ate our yummy ice creams, we just sat and talked. Kyle walked up to us and told us his diaper was falling off. I notice he had pooped in his diaper and it was falling down his legs. No big deal. Daddy took him into the bathroom to change him and clean him off. A worker came walking in and pointed out that a pile of poop was sitting in the middle of the floor. Oh gross! We didn't see that when his diaper was falling off, the poop fell out of it too. What made it worse was that right then, Chaz came walking over to us. We tried warning him but he walked right in it. I put my head in my hands while he said, "What?" Then he turned around and walked back into it while he headed back to the playland. Then, on top of that, with every step he took, he left a poop print. Ooooh, yuck. I took his sandal's off and went into the bathroom. I grabbed tissues and started to clean the floor. I was so grossed out. It took several trips. When I went to work on the shoes, I got so grossed out I almost lost my food. So, I ran outside to get some fresh air. I came back in and put the shoes in some bags. Oh man. Only with kids can a little trip turn into a poop fest. I guess you could say it was a crappy experience. :P

Allergist, Chinese Food, and the Park Incident

Today I had to take Chaz to an allergist to get him tested for food allergies and such. I want to see if there is anything aggrivating Chaz's symptoms. So....when I get there they said the insurance only wanted an office visit just to see if he even needs to be tested. Come on! I've fought them so hard on this to cover it. I told the doctor, "what more can I tell you than what I have?" Sheesh. He's got all kinds of allergy problems. The doctor said that after I answered all the questions, she can tell he definetely needs to be tested. So, I'll be back in 3 weeks to do the actual testing. Then after that, we headed to my moms and then we all went for Chinese food. Then we headed to a real nice park and had a great time. We all wore lots of sunblock and I wore a straw hat. I am not going to ruin my skin! Of course then a fight had to break out while we were there. My mom and I saw a group of older kids all of a sudden gathering around. Then you could hear a lot of yelling. There had to been about 40 teens. We all just looked at each other and I started to run towards them but then I had to stop myself. That was a pretty big crowd of older teens and I'm the only girl. It took everything in me to just stand there. I told two older adults with phones and they went running towards them and warned them to stop or they're calling the cops. The poor kid that was getting beat on said these high schoolers wait for him everyday to come home from school and then they start chasing after him. This kid brought twelve friends but they all got scared because they are younger than the high schoolers. So, the 13 year old boy was on his own. That is so messed up. What a bunch of punks! It takes a real loser to beat on a younger kid, especially with a group. I couldn't jump in for 2 reasons. I'm a girl, and because I had my kids. Ohhh.... frustrating.

Weekend Birthday Party

Click here to view photos of birthday party

*Note* You do not have to sign in to view photos. Just click on picture.

Sunday, after church, Charles' little cousin had a birthday so there was a big get together at Aunt Cindy's house. This picture is of me and my sister-in-law Melanie holding Ivy. In the album you'll see a picture of my mother-in-law Maureen with Ivy. When I first saw Melanie and Maureen, it was obvious they were related to Charles! I loved the dark, dark hair and fair skin. Beautiful! When I saw Maureen's beautiful blue eyes, I only hoped and prayed I could at least have one kid with those eyes. Well, I got two with those nice blue eyes. The other two and nice green eyes like Charles and Melanie. I can't believe I have all these blonde children. But...Charles was also blonde till he was about 13 years old and I had it all growing up so it's obvious I guess. We had fun at the party. I actually really enjoy spending time with my in-laws. They are very pleasant and fun to hang around with. We look forward to the get togethers. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much family! We had a little Easter egg hunt but next Sunday we will be having a big one for Easter. I can't wait to decorate eggs with my kids!!! I especially can't wait to make baskets for them. We decided that since this is a Christian holiday, we would fill their baskets with Christian themed items instead of just toys. Like Veggietales story tapes and bible story books and other fun stuff. We're so excited!

Me and My Girl

I had to share this picture because it is so cute. Ivy was being cute in her crib and talking in her little girlie voice (with high pitched squeals). I have to add that because as you can tell, I'm used to boy voices around this house and I get excited when Ivy lets out a ear piercing scream. Yes! I finally got a girl! I'm lovin' every minute of it. But when I feel like getting dirty and playing Cops and Robbers, I know which kids to look for. As of right now they are all carrying around guns and looking for "bad guys" while their daddy is looking at his paintball gun. Charles looks forward to the boys getting old enough so he can have the "Revoir team" when they go paintballing. For now, he's happy with "looking for terrorist" hiding in someplace inconspicuous. Like the bathroom. Or under the bed. Kids are so cute. :)

Mind Whirling Days

The days with appointments have been whirling in my mind. I feel as if I am dizzy with the blur of events and appointments we have to go to. Tuesday we had an appointment. Today we had to have Chaz get another evalution. Then tomorrow Chaz has another appointment. After that, we have to head to the doctor to get Kyle's stitches out of his head. Then on Wednesday, Chaz sees an Allergist Specialist. Then next Friday he sees the speech therapist. I will stop there because it is never ending!! I have been tempted to hire a laundry service to take at least one burden off my shoulders for awhile. But I will be fine since I bought an AWESOME NEW washer and dryer set. It hold tons of clothes and I had to watch a DVD just to see how to work it! I love it! It's a front loader so I'm gonna buy the pedestools they make for them so they'll sit up higher. The kinds that are also drawers so you can put stuff in there. Accept I would never put anything in there that my babies could get to. I'm so behind on things because it's hard to think when I'm constantly interrupted with phone calls for appts and questions. If it weren't for my relationship with God, I would be crushed under the weight of it all emotionally. I am glad I got Chaz started on Reliv. It's going to get better over time. :)

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked questions

Q: Are you still living in that little apartment?
A: Yes, it's not too bad. It's 1000 sq. feet so it's not too little. But it is only 2 bedrooms so that's kind of tough. Chaz doesn't mind sleeping in the tub. Just kidding. The boys sleep in the same room.

Q: Why did you move so far away?
A: Well, because my husband got a new job in Phoenix and I wanted to live as close a possible for a little while. For years, he has worked close enough to where he could come home for a nice hot lunch everyday and I was hoping to continue that a little while longer. Another reason is because Tempe apartments are ridiculously priced and have long waiting lists. Besides, Phoenix is waaaaaaaaaay prettier than Tempe. Especially by the mountains.

Q: Are you pregnant?
A: No. Why, do you wish I was? :)

Q: Do you want any more kids?
A: Yes. Most definitely. We'll see what happens. Because of things going on with Chaz, our lives have become doubly hard. It's pretty rough and I need God's strength daily! Without God, I don't know how I could make it. The news with Chaz was heart breaking for us and has been tough.

Q: What was Chaz diagnosed for?
A: Asperger Syndrome (a milder form of Autism, thank goodness), ADHD, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Q: What made you decide something could be wrong?
A: Ever since Chaz was crawling, he did a lot things that we thought just needed to be disciplined for. A lot of people have made comments that he just needed to be disciplined. That has been hard to take calmly because we are unbelievable consistent. Basically, "we've been there, done that". We've tried everything. But since we've had 3 other kids, we can't believe how much easier it's been with those three. Chaz has been to 3 schools in 1 year and all say they can't educate him. He extremely, beyond just being a boy, aggressive. Okay, since there is such a long list, all you have to do is type in Asperger Syndrome on google and they will tell you everything. It's like reading about Chaz almost exactly. It's too hard to name everything! :P It would take up too much space if I typed it here.

Q: Is he on meds?
A: No, I decided I don't want him to get an addiction to any medication so I would find another alternative that has been proven successful hundreds of time over. So the odds for Chaz should be pretty good. The product I am using is expensive (the meds were free), but Chaz is worth every penny. :)

Q: Are you still going to homeschool Chaz?
A: Probably not because I am enrolling him in a program for Aspergers. This place works with kids who are going to seek help without meds.

Q: What if your method doesn't work?
A: Well, meds weren't gonna cure Chaz either so I'd rather have nothing work than to put Chaz on meds and create an addiction problem.