What About Jonathan???

I stole this cute idea from a friend's blog (thanks, Jessica). There is a website that will rank the words you use most often in your blog and place them in a cool random display. The more you use a word, the bigger that word appears. Clearly, I'm too obsessed about the "rooms" in my house since "room" is as big as "kids" and even larger than "Brian". That's just wrong!!!

My biggest sadness was that Jonathan didn't even make the list. Brandon is there just as large as Aubrey, but no Jonathan. No mention of Jon, J-Dawg, Jon-Jon, Juan Paco (the German Taco), or any other derivative of Jonathan.

I like seeing the words: becoming, friend, daddy, sooooo, fun, home and many others. But it hurts my heart that Jonathan isn't there. Really??? How is that possible? Soooooo, with that in mind, I'm trying to change the stats. Let's see if this helps: Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan. After posting this I'll go try my luck again and see if I can be saved from shame! (sorry, Jon-Jon)



UPDATE: After my experiment with adding Jon's name, here is the new word display. I think this is a testimony that you can repent and experience true change! That should satisfy my feisty 4th grader! Ha!

What a Difference a Day Makes ....

... or many, many months. ha! I have a lot of catching up to do, but since I had the last post being our destruction job, I might as well show off the "after" picture. Then I can say I'm officially working on my blog.


See the little critters that are happily resting. The dog is our sweet Chance, and the kitten is one of our newly acquired fosters. (That will be a future post.)

We picked a burnt orange for the accent in this room since Aubrey and I both love fall colors. I now wish I would have been bolder with the accent color, but it really is a great room to hang out and watch movies. It is one of our favorite rooms for gathering together! We still have to finish installing the surround sound, but even with the speakers leaning on the edge of the couch, the sound is AWESOME!!! :)

If I Had A Hammer ...

Memorial Day weekend had us focusing on a new home improvement project. The kids especially loved that they could get so involved. Here is the before picture.


This is in our upstairs "bonus room". The previous owners added walls so that there was a TV room, an office and a laundry room. We didn't like that the computer room was so insulated and separated from the rest of the house. We couldn't monitor what the kids were doing. Not a good idea.

So, Brian gave the kids some safety glasses, hammers and very few instructions and off they went to make their parents proud!


It took most of the day to tear it all down, and clean up the mess. They ended with a good long swim and a fun night bar-b-que'ing with friends. And the final results:


We still need to figure out paint and curtains, but it is soooo nice to have the room open. We will be bringing in real office furniture so that we can get organized again. This is a long awaited, and much appreciated project! Brian had to work out the electrical (with only one big threat of zapping the kids) and the patching. Aubrey went to bed saying how "cool it is that daddy can fix anything". She's got him so high on a pedestal that she's going to have to marry "Bob the Builder" in order to be impressed with her husband. Ha, ha!!!

Foster Kittens

A friend of mine works at the Helen Woodward Animal Center. She told me they had a LOT of kittens who needed a foster home and wondered if I'd be interested. We've done dogs before, but cats are easier in our home. We brought 5 little siblings home. They are soooo fun!!!

Can you see the black one in the back? Their names from left to right: Sophie, Everest, Pinky, Cali, and the black guy in the back is Jack.

We will keep them until they reach 2 pounds, then they will be "fixed" and come back here to recuperate. After that they will be returned to the center to be adopted out. I hear they have a lot of kittens right now that are ready to go. If you're thinking of getting a new friend in your home ... that's the place to start!

Thought for the day: "Why isn't it ever the Tooth Fairy that's under the bed?"

We always assume the worse when we're alone in the dark! Maybe that applies to the extra anxiety we feel when change comes along.

Terrific Day!

There are days, few and far between, that are just so great that it makes me so grateful to be alive. Today was one of those. It promised to be wildly crazy, but turned out to be so satisfying!

1. Math Equation:

Kim - 20 lbs = on the right track!!! I woke up and first thing this morning I saw that I hit that fantastic milestone. That is a sure fire way to keep me motivated and my spirits high!!!

2. Visit from Helen Woodward:

I have a friend that works at an animal adoption center. They are in need of foster parents for kittens. We, read as the kids and I, thought it would be fun to have kittens around. Then we, read as Brian and I, thought the best part would be to give them away when the novelty wore off. We're going to bring home a litter of 5 kittens tomorrow afternoon. The entire family is so excited. Well, Brian is more lukewarm than excited. Ha!

3. Lunch with my Honey

We don't get to have many date nights. There are always things happening on Friday nights. Lately it's been camp outs. This weekend the father/son camp out is planned. So since the kids are at school, lunch is our best time to meet and actually speak to one another. It's been so long since we've accomplished anything. We were able to PLAN some of our upcoming projects. Not just talk in generalities. What a feeling of accomplishment! Not to mention the joy of just being with my sweetie!

4. Open House

The elementary school had their open house and art auction tonight. Because of our unusually busy night, we had to arrive early and run through everything. This is our last year at this elementary school, so I wanted to savor every little tradition. The art auction was so fun. Each class creates a piece of art and then the parents do a silent auction. These pieces go for hundreds of dollars. We bought a piece a couple of years ago that hangs above our fireplace in the living room, but we're not willing to shell out the cash this year. There were great things to see, though. And going to the kids' classrooms was so fun. They are so proud of their work and what they've learned. I couldn't have been more proud of who these guys are becoming. Such good kids and smart tarts!

5. Festival of the Arts

The middle school also had their spring festival tonight. It was crazy getting from one event to the other. We placed our blanket and picnic basket on the field early when we dropped off Brandon for his rehearsal. Then we just showed up minutes before the performance started ... and went right to the front of the crowd. SWEET! It was great weather to sit and eat a picnic dinner while the dance team showed off their talent. Followed by the orchestra and then the band, and finally the band and orchestra doing a finale of Michael Jackson songs. Generally, Brandon is in the back and we can't hear or see him. This time he was right in front and was given a pretty big part to play. He did great! He is really embracing his bari-sax this year. He enjoys practicing and is getting really good.

I am now exhausted! But, seriously, I spent the day doing what I love. Being with my family and celebrating their talents and interests. It was FABULOUS!

What??? Me, in Politics?

In January I picked a "word of the year" (well, I picked a phrase) to focus my goals: "Just Do It!" Although, I am actually altering it to be: "Do It Anyway" based on a fabulous article by Orson Scott Card. That, combined with an impending feeling of "something is coming" (can you hear the music playing from "West Side Story"?) led me to take on a new challenge this year.

A friend of mine is running for School Board. I very much support his choice to run since he is an amazing man. Very honorable, very smart, very good for the job. He sent an email asking if we could talk about the opportunity of me helping "significantly" in his campaign. I teased Brian that he must be fundraising and is starting to hit on friends already. Well, after our chat, I almost wish he was just soliciting a donation. Ha!

He asked me to be his campaign manager. It took me a weekend of really considering if I want to take on this sort of time commitment. I prayed, talked to Brian about pros and cons, and we had a family meeting. In the end, I am very willing to put my time and energy to make sure a good person is put into this position. I'm actually very excited about all I will be learning, and the opportunity of getting involved in the community on a real level. I'm not looking forward to any ugliness that may come when working in politics. I'm hoping school board is under the radar since the city is also having their mayoral race (which promises to be much more juicy!).

So, I'll start now: Vote 4 Davis!!! Check out his website: davis4pusd.com. Let me know if you have any comments or concerns about his platform.

The BIG 4-0 !

This weekend has been so fun to focus fully on Brian and celebrating his big day! His birthday was Friday. He celebrated with Brandon on a scouting camp out. The boys got to learn some rock climbing skills. They had a blast!


The only thing that Brian really wanted was to go to a Brazilian BBQ. He's been wanting to go since he moved here ... over 16 years ago. We just have never done it. So, we invited some friends and made the reservation.


At one point, the music got REALLY loud and a new visitor came to our area. Brian had no problem getting up and dancing with his new friend.


At the end of the night, he didn't seem too sad to go home with his "tried and true" friend.


It was a great night, with comfortable friends. Just what Brian wanted! A perfect way to celebrate!


Aubrey wanted to try out cake decorating and was thrilled when Brian gave her the okay to make his cake. She worked on it for hours, using 2 different types of frosting. She played with tips, colors, and filling. I think she did great.

It was a great weekend, celebrating a great man! Here's hoping that there are many more birthdays to celebrate together!!!

Snow Days

We have only taken the kids skiing one time in their lives, and they LOVED it! I'm still scared to get out there, but the kids ask to go every year. Our school district gives the kids an entire week off of school for President's Day (it all has to do with getting more money ... doesn't it always?!), so we set off for a trip to Utah.

The first day was rather "ify" since the kids didn't get lessons this time. They just had to try to remember all the tricks. It only took them 2 times down the mountain to get the hang of it.

While we were in Utah, we got to visit a few special friends and family ... of course, we didn't actually take pictures ... DUH! We also went ice skating. Since I didn't ski, Jon made me promise I would skate. Man, it's been a long time. I stayed pretty close to the wall while the rest of the family went zooming around. We went with our good friends, the Chuns, and even got to chaperon their 16 year old son on his very first double date ... so cute!

The scary part of this day was watching Brian escort Jon off the ice with blood dripping from his hand. He had fallen and another skater went right over his finger. We rushed off to the Emergi-Care only to be told he was lucky they were rental skates and very dull. Otherwise, he could have lost his fingers. As it was, no stitches were needed, and they didn't even charge us for the visit. Gotta love Utah for that one!

While the kids & Brian skied, and during every down time, I worked on the computer. Just before our vacation, I was asked to help co-produce a musical fireside for the youth in our stake. I got to work with some of my favorite people, and it promised a lot of opportunity for learning. We had over 100 kids (ages 12-18) participate. We only had 6 weeks to prepare, and it looked a little sketchy when the weekend to perform arrived.

They performed the music of Janice Kapp Perry and her son Steven called, "Let the Morning Come" (a musical celebration of Joseph Smith and the restoration). The lady in charge of costumes really out did herself. Even the boys were wearing corvatts. I didn't think that was going to happen, but they all looked really good! There were some minor sound issues (that caused many tears and much frustration), but still the spirit of the program was very special. Listening to the testimonies spoken of Joseph Smith, Jr. What a great man and Prophet he was. It reminded me of how grateful I am that Heavenly Father still provides prophets in this time to understand His will. So glad I was given the opportunity to be part of the production ... and relieved it will be 2 years before they put another show like that together. Ha!

Something to Smile About

This week has been a hard one. So many things happening in the world to hurt little spirits and make tears flow from even the strongest.

The earthquake in Chile has brought so many sad moments. The areas where I served as a missionary seem to be the ones directly hit. Either by the quake, or the tsunamis that followed, or the prisoners escaping due to the jails crumbling down. The information has been slow getting out since power and internet has not been available. The big city of Concepcion seems to have had so many problems with destruction and looters that the officials can't get to the small towns that have literally been wiped out.

The miracle I have seen in both the Spanish and English speaking groups is the love! The unity! The blessing of technology. There are facebook pages where I've been able to communicate with dear friends in areas where there isn't even running water yet. The spirits are high. Chile is a strong country and the people are good, hard workers. They will unite and get past this. Fuerza Chile!!!

Last night Aubrey slept in our room for the first time in many years. The discovery of the body of a teen age girl who had been missing since last week really bothered her. She said she kept seeing Chelsea King's face whenever she closed her eyes. She said she was scared of the bad guy who did this and sad for the family of the girl. My heart aches that this sweet little girl has to know about these evil things. My spirit yearns to reach out to the King family. No parents should have to know their daughter died in such a violent way.

My family needs laughter and a loving reminder that things are okay, even when things go very, very wrong in the world. Our spirits need that peace to help mend us and give us strength to reach out and help others. Though it will take more effort than it usually does, we must seek to find something to smile about!

Missionaries safe

SALT LAKE CITY 27 February 2010 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement today following the earthquake in Chile:

"We, along with the rest of the world, are watching with concern as reports from the massive earthquake in Chile continue to unfold. As with any disaster, immediate details are difficult to confirm.

"We have confirmed that all of the Church's missionaries in Chile have reported in and are safe, including the two elders on the Juan Fernandez Island." (This is an update from a report earlier today when some missionaries had not reported in).

It will take longer to hear how many members were affected. Everyday a little more news comes in.

Amazing how many natural disasters are happening all over the world. Sign of the times? Maybe. Overdue occurrences of nature? Maybe? Whatever the answer, ask yourself if you're ready. Can you take care of your family if something like this happens? Both spiritually and physically are you prepared for any emergency? Well, that's what we're asking ourselves this weekend.

8.8 Earthquake

My heart hurts so much right now. I woke up with a simple Saturday before me. I checked Facebook and started seeing my old missionary buddies with strange comments about prayers going to Chile. Finally I read what the situation was: Chile Earthquake.

This is the area where I served. Bio-Bio is at the heart where the mission home is. So far, the church hasn't made any comments about contact made with the missionaries. One friend posted the following:

"We have a friend serving there now. Interesting thing is they were given earthquake instructions and water filtration equipment two weeks ago. thankful for heavenly inspiration!"

My prayers are with my brothers and sisters. I wish I was there! I want to don the yellow "helping hands" shirt and get to work.

They say the prison in Chillan was damaged and many prisoners escaped. Chillan was my first area!

Disneyland

Every year the middle school bands audition for the right to play for the crowds of Disneyland. They play for a few minutes and then are free to play for hours. This year, the band didn't win the privilege to play. Instead, they had to pay for a clinic experience. Personally, I think it was a much more valuable experience.

They didn't perform in front of the masses (all the moms and dads that go watch their kid play). No, they were taken behind the scenes (no pictures were allowed) and sat in a large studio. They were given music to sight read, and had to play for a professional director. Our director is currently working on the traveling Broadway show, "Peter Pan". He talked about what it meant to be a professional musician and how music and movies went together. Explaining how dynamics make such a huge difference in the mood of a scene.

So, the kids were able to practice their music about 3 times. It was Disney music to a scene of a movie. Then it was professionally recorded. Behind the director was a HUGE screen. After the music was recorded, the kids got to watch the scene of the movie (they did something from "Emperor's New Groove" and "Atlantis") with their music playing. It was so neat. I think they came away with a new understanding. The director was great. He was tough, but funny.

I went as a chaperon, but was disappointed that I wasn't assigned to hang out with my own kid. After the assigned "stay with your group" time, the kids were free to roam around in their groups with no chaperons. Brandon made it clear that he didn't want me hanging around. I know it is totally natural, but it was the first time he chose his friends over his mom. After a few hours riding rides with another mom, I got a call from Brandon. He told me they were stopping for dinner and asked if I wanted to join them. That made me happy. Am I a mush heart, or what?! It was a great day all the way around.

A Teenager In The House

I once heard that if your kids aren't causing you real grief in your home, it's only because they aren't old enough. Each year we knock on wood that our kids are still young enough to skip over the fore warned grief. And each year we wonder if this will be "the one". :)

Brandon turns 13!

The kids have all read the Percy Jackson "Lightning Thief" series. Brandon was so excited when he heard it was opening on his b-day weekend. All the boys had a great time (although the overall feeling was that the book was better).

Brandon has really good friends, but like all kids this age ... they are all CRAZY. This poster seemed to fit them. It's a movie called the "Crazies". Ok, the movie is actually scary, but the title is funny.

After the movie and pizza, the boys came home for cake and ice cream. It was a little cold for a swim party, but these boys REALLY wanted to play in the water. I am very impressed that none of the boys ended up in the pool anyway. Great restraint, right?!

Anticipation

It seems that these days kids get what they need/want at the moment. They don't have to wait for birthdays or holidays to get their heart's desires. But there are times when they are left to anxiously anticipate events to come. It is very fun to watch the process and even better when the event meets or beats the expectations.

Aubrey and her best friend, Hannah, received a fun Christmas gift from their moms. (Is it okay to just say that Heidi and I rock?! That feels wrong! ha, ha!) They were each granted a certificate good for one lunch at the American Girl Store in Los Angeles. They knew that we would drive them, and pay for lunch, but it was up to them to save their money and purchase what they wanted. They were thrilled! (And yes, Heidi and I accept that we're cheap and love that our girls are okay with that!)

The girls even dressed up for their big day. They are growing up so fast and are so beautiful. The cafe is beautiful and the chandeliers are over the top. I bummed I didn't get a picture. Note the cute high chairs they give the girls to put their dolls right up to the table. It was pricey, but it was so fun.

One of the things the girls did was leave their dolls at the store to get their hair done. The wait was over an hour before their dolls' appointment, so we went out shopping at "The Grove". Great weather, great company, great girls' day! We got home tired, but we all loved it!

We went 3 years ago, and the girls were so excited. We noticed that the luster of the dolls has worn off as the girls are growing up. I'm sure this will be their last trip to American Girl, but we are already planning to keep this a tradition of a girls' day. We'll have to come up with something new next year! :)

Moving on, Jon has been anxiously awaiting the day when he could compete in the Pinewood Derby. He got his car and started on his design right away. He worked with Brian who taught him how to cut the wood, sand it down, paint the design, and perfect it as best he could. He named the car Shark Bait.
He proved to be a really good sport. He didn't pout when he lost a race, and he didn't boast when he won. The people in charge of the event did an amazing job decorating and organizing it. With the computer set up to rank the races, it was very quick. Jon was thrilled when he learned that he came in 3rd place!

More Home Improvements

I was just going to label this entry, "Home Improvements", but I think I've already used that one. Besides, I have a feeling there are going to be many more of these same types of entries throughout the next year. :)

1. Bees Were Buzzing ...


This by far was the most interesting and entertaining. When we moved into the house we knew there was a bee infestation on the roof. We were told it had been there a couple of months and we were credited some money to get rid of the critters.

We finally got someone out to see if they could remove them all without killing them. Turns out the bees weren't in the roof, but rather in the wall behind the chimney. The only way to get them out would be to open the wall into the living room and let them free. NOT an option. We decided we'd be okay if they killed the little guys.

When the guy opened up the wall, the honey just started to drip out. He said there were probably 10,000 bees in there and they must have been there for more than a year. While the man was scraping the honey combs out I asked him how often he gets stung. He replied by asking, "what, you mean right now? Uhhh, about 4 already." He didn't even flinch.


In total about 4 or 5 honey combs were removed. No telling how much honey. Sadly, we have oleander trees in our back yard, and were advised the honey could be poisonous. It sure smelled sweet in the house though. Kinda reminded me of one of my favorite books, "The Secret Lives of Bees".


2. Pond Scum ...

We didn't do good with before and after pictures here. When we moved into the house we were a little nervous about the cute pond with the little bridge in the backyard. We had no idea how to take care of it. There were fish in there, but no telling how many. We couldn't see them. The previous owner told us we didn't have to do anything for them (regarding food, etc) that they just ate what was in the pond. It was so over run with lily pads and gunk, there was no telling what they had to eat. Our only hint was the time Chance jumped into the pond and came out smelling something like ROT.


The nicest guys came out to clean out the pond. These bags are all filled with the gunk on the bottom of the pond. Seriously, there was a least 2 feet of scum on the bottom. They said they'd never seen a pond so neglected.

There aren't any after pictures of their awesome work since it's basically just an empty pool. We can't replace the plants until spring, so I'll try to put in an update when it looks nice. The good news is we are now able to see that we have at least 15 fish and will inherit 3 more (thanks to our new friends at the pond and garden shop). Another bonus is that now that it's so peaceful to sit by the pond and listen to the water fall, I was back there long enough to notice a hummingbird fly to its nest. I guess our neglected trees have been a haven for little birds. I wonder how many little birds we'll have around come spring.

Holiday in Review

I thought I would have updated the blog by now, but I'm a little slow. Let's do some catch up.

1. House Guest

Brandon wanted to bring this cute little guy home from his science class. He's a boa constrictor, about 6 feet long. Not all that cuddly, but pretty cool. We got to feed him live rats, which about made me hurl. I used to have rats as pets, and watching them become dinner was a little sad. Seeing how quick the snake went to work on them was very impressive.


2. Projects

Over the holidays, I decided to make this baby quilt for a sister in the ward who just had a baby. I'm her visiting teacher, and not quite sure if we're connecting. She's not a member, but is super nice. Aubrey helped me pick the fabric. It was a fun project and turned out pretty cute.


3. Family Traditions

I think Brian is still shocked by how beautiful the weather is here during winter. For the last few years we've made it our Christmas Eve tradition to go on a family hike. This year we went up a new trail that ended at a nice lake. It was a fabulously warm day. The kids were extra eager, and Chance was thrilled to be part of the fun. To be honest, we started the tradition with ulterior motives. The long hike would leave the kids exhausted and fast asleep very early so we had lots of hours to take care of things. This year it did NOTHING! The only ones tired from the trip were me, the dog and Brian. Aubrey stayed up until after 11:30 pm and Jon woke up at 4 am because he was too excited to wait. Brian and I didn't go to sleep until after 1 am. We were busy putting together the new foosball table. (Fun Fact: during college I earned the nickname "Kimbo the Barbarian" because of my mad foosball playing skills.) I guess next year, we'll have to re-think our family hike. It might be a family triathlon in order to get these kids tired! Ha!


4. Holiday Quiz

We were a little late with this one. We decided to make gingerbread houses this year. We did the graham cracker version. And we finally got around to it way after Christmas. Still, it was a fun family night. Brandon got a little graphic with his war scenes. The gummy bears impaled with candy cane sticks were a little too much for this G-rated blog. So, you get to see this creation. Can you guess what famous building it is?

Joy In The New Year

I stole this picture from a girlfriend's blog (thanks, Trish) as it really intrigued me. I'm not really a resolution setter, more of a goal breaker within a couple of weeks. However, I really like this thought of creating JOY in our own lives.

"JOY" is our family theme during the holidays. During my mission, my mission President's wife gave a lesson about using JOY to help direct our focus. Things should be done in order:

Jesus first
then Others
finally, think of Yourself.

Trish used this phrase in a UFO (UnFinishedObjects) challenge regarding sewing/craft projects. What a great relief to get all those things that have been started, but not finished, out of the way. I was thinking about all our projects, and in a new house there are MANY, but I was also thinking of relationships. How many unfinished resentments, grudges, or appreciations do I have stored up about people that I need to get out? Just plain letting go of the negative, and sharing the positive with those who really need to hear it.
Consider this a challenge for your own UFO's.

Another New Years idea that I read about was picking a word for the year. Then tacking that word up somewhere so you'd remember to live by it and help you make a change. Some examples were: "finish", "persevere", "nurture". I think my mantra for 2010 will be "DO IT". I know it's an oldie, but it's still a goodie. There are so many times when I feel inspired to talk to someone, reach out, or want to try something new, but fear holds me back. This year I want to step out of my comfort zone and grow a bit in different areas of my life. And also, use it as a motivator to get to work and do the things on my list, not just keep adding to my list. :)

However you mark this New Year, I really hope for you peace. Whatever trials/pains, joys/happiness that comes to you, I hope you have a good foundation to get you through. Peace is such an amazing gift, and I'm grateful for the peace that I'm starting 2010 out with.