The 3 C's

For the last few years I've been trying to pick a word or phrase for me to focus on for the New Year.  Sadly, I never find my inspiration right at the new year.  As is the case this time.  But, I've found my word(s):  the 3 C's.

A friend shared this idea of the 3 C's.  It's based on Dale Carnegie's teachings (check it out here.)  At first I scoffed, but it stuck in my head and wouldn't let go.  I'm really anxious to see how it will change ME.

The challenge is to NOT:  Criticize, Condemn, Complain.  Can you imagine your day not doing any of these things???  How will it affect relationships???  Can you imagine this with kids???  Or seeing your kids focus on the 3 C's challenge for themselves???  Just the negativity that will leave your thoughts and world.  The goal is to go 21 days avoiding the 3 C's.  Each time I fall, I change which arm my bracelet is on.  My friend said the person that inspired him did accomplish the 21 day goal ... it took him 10 months.  Ha!  I'll see if I can accomplish such a feat this year. 

Family LOVE

When life gets too busy to document, it's nice when that busyness is due to things you love.  We took a day off of school in January for a weekend road trip to Utah.  Brian's brother moved there this last year, and we are so glad to have family closer.  Their oldest son just returned from his 2 year mission to Brazil.  He is an amazing young man.  He is open and friendly, kind and thoughtful, funny and fun loving.  He is spiritual and has a special light that not all of us have.  He also has no clue how awesome he is.  Jonathan gets it.  Jon has felt a close connection to Ben from the first time they met.  When Ben left for his mission, Jon made us PROMISE we would go where ever they were to welcome him home.  We are so glad we went.

Well ... for the most part.  Ben has always been a 49's fan.  When he realized they were playing a play off game the weekend he got back, we were all warned that football would be part of the plan.  We're not big fans of football ... until this weekend.  Now Jon is HOOKED!  He wants to watch every game and even asked if he could play next year.  We'll see how far that goes. 

This isn't a great picture, but it's the only one we got with everyone all together.  Ben is the 2nd one in the back from the left.  He had so many companions and friends come see him.  It was fun to hear all the Portuguese and feel the love of the reunion of family and friends.  His homecoming talk at church was really good.   He seemed nervous at the beginning, but then he went into "teaching mode" and bore his testimony with ease and sincerity. 

Taylor, the first boy on the left in the back row, is getting set to leave for his mission this summer.  I'm so stinkin' proud of these boys.  So grateful for the example they are giving my kids.  And excited to see what kind of men they become after serving the Lord for 2 years.

Pinterest Project LOVE

It has been so long since I've gotten on the blogosphere.  I'm not even sure if many people are reading through blogs much anymore.  I love reading through old posts and remembering little times in our lives.  I enjoy reading what others are doing and keeping that connection.  So, I'll continue to post ... when there's time.

So, what takes all my time???  Well, my previous post about Primary is one thing.  In fact, I had to quit my little craft group because I couldn't deal with any more deadlines.  I still need to have moments of creativity, so I found a new love ... PINTEREST  --  (let me know if you need an invite!)    Who comes up with these brilliant things???  I find it possible to waste so much time finding all sorts of things I OUGHT to be doing.  Ha!

Here is my first Pinterest project.  The ultimate Menu Board.  I think it's going to be a big time saver.  I spend hours each week planning my meals which includes finding the recipes so I can make up a shopping list.  This is going to be AWESOME.  Each card is a dinner and on the back side is a simple list of ingredients that I need.  The yellow ones are basic "everyday" recipes, the green is for "crock pot" meals, and the pink are "Sunday" or "special" dinners.   On the night I make the meal, I can find the recipe quick.  It's cheaper and easier than before.  The family knows what's coming up, and if I'm late getting dinner going, the kids can see what is planned and they can get going on it.  The whole project only cost about $9.  It adds so much personality to my kitchen, too.  So fun!!!

Primary Adventures

CTR = "Choose the Right"

For most of my adult life I have been working with the Young Women in my church.  That includes girls from 12-18.  It is a very time consuming position, and so awesome.  I love the teenage phase of life.  They are so smart and open to learning new things.  I've always been impressed with the girls I've worked with.  I cried when they told me it was time to move on to a different position. 

At first I was called to work with the 8-11 year old girls in their Activity Days program.  It is a much less time consuming position, and so fun.  It's all about fun!  And I was also asked to head the Humanitarian Projects for the stake.  That one really intrigued me and was right up my alley.  I love service projects, and to work with all the ladies in the entire stake would have been AWESOME!  I say "would have been" cuz they only left me in those 2 callings for 1 1/2 months.  Without realizing my positions, the Bishop came by to ask if I would take on a new responsibility.  HUH!?

I was called to be the Primary President ... over the children's program in the church.  All children from 18 months - 11 years old.  Including the staffing of Sunday School classes, Cub Scouts, and Activity Days Girls.  I've never worked in primary.  This is COMPLETELY new and COMPLETELY unexpected. 

I'm still knee deep in learning everything that is needed to be done.  People have been so patient.  The kids are so sweet and bright.  I'm LOVING it so far.  There is a special feeling when teaching little ones the basics of the gospel.  I'm so grateful to be where I am today.

Puter Time

Today I did just enough house work to allow myself to play on the computer without guilt. I'm not talking "company is coming" clean, but good enough that I wouldn't be terribly embarrassed if someone showed up unannounced (no floor inspections, please).

I have number of holiday projects in mind, along with other computer related tasks that I HAVE to get going. I also wanted to play with "pinterest" and wanted to have time to surf fun sites. Today is my day. I'll take a couple minutes to update:

Baby Quilt -

A sweet friend had a baby this year. It was her first girl, 4th kiddo. Aubrey and I wanted to do something special, so we made this quilt. Aubrey picked out the fabric because it was bright and fun. It is a basic rag quilt, extra large (as both the parents are soooo tall it is guaranteed that this girl will be long). It was fun to do a craft project with Bree.

Band-

Brandon has been enjoying high school quite a lot. Getting everything done has been a struggle, but overall it's been very positive. He is playing the bari-sax in marching band and LOVES it. Great kids, automatic friends, football games. Right now the season is winding down and he's been extra busy every weekend with tournaments. We don't get to spend much time with him right now, but it's sooo worth it. Here he is after playing the Poway Days Parade.

Biz Town -

Jon had a great field trip this year to Biz Town where he had the opportunity to take on a job, understand a checking account, and learn about business loans. He had to interview for 3 job choices. He was picked to be the town's Judge. He loved it. He was interviewed in the Biz town TV station, was able to try 3 cases (mostly students caught running), and other responsibilities. Such a great experience!!!


Brian and I have both gone through church calling changes. He's now 1st Counselor in the Elders Quorum and gets lots of opportunities to visit members of the ward. I've sadly been released from the Young Women (after 4 years). I was called to work with the Activity Girls (8-9 year old girls) and also as Stake Humanitarian specialist. With both callings, I get to work with some pretty neat people. It has been quite a change for me to adjust to, but I'm enjoying it all.

Jon turns 10!

Jonathan - my brown eyed boy!

Jon chose to go to Universal Studios to celebrate his big day. We went last week when school was out, and used our passes from last year. Made for a great day!

Family shot on the tour tram.

Jon & Aubrey have wanted to do this for a long time. They turned out soooo cute!

Jon is treating his class to some "rocking" Ding Dongs.

I was looking through some old pictures of the kids when they were little. My heart melted into a pile of goo. It shocks me how quickly they have grown, and how sweet they are. Jon is still a shy little guy, with big dreams. He is a smart tart, with a tender heart. He is a kid I never have to worry about "doing the right thing". He is a friend to everyone ... once he gets out of his shell. His innocence in endearing. J-Dawg, we love you! Have a fabulous birthday!!!

What's New???

I haven't been as "on top of it" as I thought I'd be once the kids got back into the routine of school. I ended up getting pretty sick and not doing ANYTHING! Now that I'm feeling better I find that I miss my excuse to sit around reading books. HA! So, here's a quick review of what's been going on here in the last week:

The 1st Day of School -

Brandon started High School in great spirits. He spent the final week of summer vacation at the school all day long with Marching Band Camp. He got to know a lot of the other kids and felt right at home on campus. He's also started early morning seminary (a scripture study class that meets everyday before school). He seems a bit tired, but is enjoying both the social and spiritual parts of the program.

Aubrey, 7th grade at middle school. She was ready to get back to school to hang out with friends. She had some scheduling issues, but now is loving her classes and teachers.

Jon, 5th grade at elementary school. He is happy to be "big man on campus", but I think he'd be happy with a few more weeks of summer. We were so busy this summer, we never had a chance to get bored. We are all ready for a vacation. :)

Foster Kitties -

Snuggles, Socks, Ninja, & Fuzzball

These are the shyest kittens we've ever fostered in our home. They are dang cute, but haven't had enough socialization with people. We work overtime to help them get over that. It's a tough job cuddling and playing with them, but it's a sacrifice we're willing to make. We'll introduce them to Chance in the next couple of days. They are progressing really fast!

Socks likes to just hang out in the scale bowl everyday when I weigh them. It looks like the other cats are taking note on his weight gain. HA!

Cub Scouts -

Not a great picture, but Jon earned his Bear last week. He is loving scouts and looking forward to becoming a Webelo this fall when he turns 10.

Summer Days

What I love about summer:


Brian took the kids to the beach last weekend and gave me a few hours to play at the So Cal Shop Hop. This was only Brian's second time at the beach all summer. They had a blast.

School starts next week. Maybe then I can catch up on blogging. :)

Kitten Season

With Spring and Summer come lots of kittens that are abandoned or unwanted.

We can't adopt any more kitties, but we can help out by fostering them until they are big enough to get fixed and are ready for adoption. These 3 look-alike sisters are part of a bigger litter. They are only ounces away from being ready for adoption. They are so cute.

This one is forever hanging out on the keyboard. Even when someone is playing music, she seems right at home!

They seem so calm now. For the first hour they got here, they practiced their "scaredy cat" Halloween impression. They kept jumping at each other and hissing. So funny. They hardly ever stop to sleep. Brandon and Jon have been sleeping with them every night ... and regularly get attacked when the kittens get their energy built up. The kids love having them here!

Family Moments

This last week has been the first of our summer vacation that we didn't have a camp or schedule to follow. I'll be posting pictures of all the kids' activities soon. We've had some really happy family moments and some pretty devastating ones.

Milestone

One of our nephews, Taylor, graduated from High School this summer. Though it was belated, I wanted to send him a card. Right after graduating he found out his entire family will have to move to Utah with only about a month's warning. Their life is cRaZy right now. We wanted him to know we love him and find a simple way to celebrate his moment.

Sorrow

Then we got an email that crushed all of our hearts. Our niece, Deirdre Wetzker Aguigui , passed away. Completely out of the blue. SHOCKING!!! She was young and pregnant with her first baby. She had joined the military and had learned Arabic in order to serve as a translator. Smart girl. Emotional girl. Sweet, giving girl. She died due to a blood clot in her lung. It was a complication of her pregnancy. So random, so tragic.

I made this card for her parents. I really like the sentiment: "May you find peace and love in the memories you cherish." It makes you just want to hold on to every moment you have with your family members. Take those pictures and create those memories that can stay with you for a lifetime.


We took the kids to the temple for Family Home Evening this week. We just walked around and allowed the kids to talk about their cousin, what they were feeling and any questions they had about death and what happens now. Deirdre, we love you and will hold tight to the memories we will always cherish.

Deirdre Wetzker Aguigui