Cops and robbers

I have been meaning to tell this outrageous story for some time but for whatever reason haven't until now. Dylan and his 2 good friends had quite the night about a month ago. Here's how it all went down. The 3 boys were at one of their houses for a late night. This particular boys' parents left for dinner right after his older brother and his friends left for the night leaving Dylan and the other 2 home alone. They were playing Xbox and happened to look out the window to see several figures sneaking across a field towards the house. They started to panic, locked all the doors and kept watch out the windows. The perps were dressed in dark clothes and were getting too close to the house - right on the walk around porch so the boys turned on all of the lights inside but still heard door nobs being moved. Here is where I get a little hmmm... mystified at their actions. Instead of staying inside and calling the police they sneak out a side door and start running away from the house. They run about 6 blocks to an aunts house to call for help. Keep in mind that they had cell phones on them and could have, at any point, called while running (which I still wonder about) and had police there sooner, not to mention call their parents sooner. So - I go to pick Dylan and one friend up at about 10 pm. I'm in my pj's and really not looking so cute. They come out and tell me I need to come inside and talk to the police. First thought - "What did you do?" I went inside (in my pj's) to talk to the parents and police and get the whole story of what happened. Finally, by 11 we were on our way home and I got more details of what happened. They ran because they were worried that the perps were getting in and would hurt them. Still no phone calls to police or parents??? There have been several break in's in the area lately but they haven't been caught yet. Grrrrr! But my cute Dylan and his best friend told me that while they were running they felt comforted and knew that angels were with them. They didn't tell the police this little bit but I was sure happy to know they were being watched over. At times I think it's so fun having him get older, but sometimes, I worry myself to death because of the world he is growing up in. He is such a good kid and I know would never cause harm or do anything wrong. I'm so very blessed to have such a great boy that remembers what he believes and relies on it often. It was quite the experience that we don't want to do again.

6 months....

It's been 6 months since I was released from Young Womens. The first 2 months were TORTURE - worse than I ever anticipated. It was a huge part of my life and I LOVED IT! The funny thing was, I knew I was having the best experiences while I was having them. We had such great times together. I felt like the girls were learning and growing which made me learn and grow. I also didn't anticipate that - me learning and growing right along with the girls. By, oh... around 3 months, I was starting to deal with it. I knew they were ok and I knew I needed to be with my family more. I think I put it to the back of my mind for a couple of months, which was good. I am now the Bear Den Leader (not exactly my cup of tea) and it's nice to just follow the book and just have to do a one hour activity once a week. But now that it's been 6 months I'm going through withdrawals again. I don't necessarily want to be back in now, I just wish I could do it all over again. Same experiences, same girls, same leaders. I've watched the farewell video multiple times today and just cried. I miss my girls. I know they have moved on and are doing great with the new leaders. I know that the new leaders are doing a fantastic job. I know that I am where I need to be and that it's all good. But man.... I miss my girls!!

A mothers love....

I am of the opinion that mothers are angels. They come in all forms - some are short, some are tall, some dark hair, some green eyes. The combinations are endless. I have to write about one particular mother right now. She is truly an angel. She brought one amazing girl into this world. This girl changed my life when she picked me to raise her baby boy. This girl knew that what she was going to do would be one of the hardest things she would ever do. But.... she had her mom with her every step of the way. Her mom raised 3 kids on her own and they are such great kids. Her mom was amazing. We were only around her 3 different times but she had such a gracious presence about her. She had been there - done that and come out shining. She taught her kids right from wrong, how to love, how to love music like she did and what family really means. This wonderful lady passed away last week. She was diagnosed with cancer last year. She fought a good and valiant fight. I love her for what she did while on this earth, the people she raised and the example she was. Like I said, we only were around her 3 times but you could just tell what kind of person she was. Jason and I took Braxton to the funeral. We got to see our angel for a few minutes before the funeral. She was, once again, so strong. I loved getting to give her a hug again. I know she's all grown up now with a new baby but I still think of her as my girl. She is so talented. She has a love of music like her mom. She shared that love of music during the funeral. She played the piano and sang at her moms funeral. I find that astounding - she played the piano and sang and she was incredible. She was my hero again. Braxton heard her play and said "Wow". So, to my girl: I love you and am so amazed by you. Your mom was one of a kind. I hope it's ok that I share this photo of placement. I LOVE THIS PICTURE! It says it all - me being overwhelmed with love and gratitude, Jason being speechless, a young lady doing a very grown up and hard thing, and a mom with her hand on her daughters back giving her support and love.

Life

Life is a crazy thing. When you're younger (let's say in high school), you think that when you're all grown up life will be great. You will be married to the man of your dreams. He will dote on you 24/7. You'll have that fantastic home with the white picket fence around it. 3 or 4 kids would be perfect. Oh, and they will be perfect kids - cute, polite, smart, always willing to lend a hand, tidy, respectful, and they would love to be with you. Your husband would have the perfect job - 9 to 5. You would never be tired, or stressed, or heaven forbid - a little grouchy. You would never have to worry about watching your weight or finances. Your house would be immaculate and you would always be the perfect wife, mother, and hostess. Bags under the eyes would not exist, along with the need for Red Bull. Extra hours in a day - why ever would we need those? Patience would not be a virtue because we would always have an abundance of patience. Life would be perfect!
Maybe it's just January. Maybe it's just me. My life is good. In the grand scheme of things, I have it really good. But..... every once in a while when things start to happen I have to take a step back, look at the issues/problems, and take inventory of what's really important. I did this yesterday. It's been a rough couple of weeks. Nothing life threatening. Just.... life. Dylan, who is 90% of the time my easy child, has been experiencing some teenage hormones/issues. He wants it all and thinks he deserves more than he has. While I take a deep breath, I remind him of how blessed he is and how spoiled he is. He threw out attitude about wanting to go to Disneyland, him getting a new phone (as if!), and me picking him up 10 minutes early from a friends (how dare I?). This was all in an afternoon. Then, after firmly declining the Klondike for days, he decided he wanted to go. He wanted to go and we had a few hours to get everything ready. BLESS HIS HEART!! Unfortunately, I started to cry. I had had enough of him and I cried. Which brought him back to reality and he was once again the humble child. Now on to Braxton - he is so smart, and can be the most loving kid on the planet. He gives me huge hugs every morning and every night and often times in between. Lately, he's been getting, shall we say, sassy and mouthy. He doesn't want to get ready for school which makes it difficult 5 mornings a week. I'm sweating by the time he leaves and ready to crack open a can of Pepsi. I'm hoping this is a phase. It could be because he has a hard time going to bed. It could be that while we think he is sleeping he is rearranging furniture, or turning his tv on, or dressing and undressing himself and his stuffed monkey. As a reward for his night time activities, most of his toys have been taken out of his room, leaving his bed, dresser and when we feel generous, his tv. BLESS HIS HEART! Now Nati. I've said it before and I'll say it again. She is pure sass. I know this is just normal "5 year old girl who has been spoiled her entire life" but lately - grrrr! To be honest, I can handle the sass. She's so fun - loves to dance and sing and loves everything girlie. Our issue and a HUGE part of my stress is her development. She's in kindergarten. She knows all her letters and sounds but reading has been a monstrous challenge. I have resorted to hiring a tutor to help her because everything I do seems to be backfiring. I have sight words taped all over the house. We read books and books every day. Her speech is another worry. I met with the speech therapist yesterday. She has come a long ways but still needs a little help. They approved her to be pulled out twice a week for 15 minute sessions. This is all good and I can only hope that she will really kick it and finish it out.
So, at the end of the day, after I have shed tears and worried myself into a frenze, I took a few minutes to take inventory. Yes, my kiddos are causing me some worries but they are healthy and happy. They know I love them more than anything. They have the necessities required to be a kid. We have fun together and laugh til we cry. They have strong little testimonies that I love to hear. They are smart, loving and kind (most of the time), and have made my dreams come true. I love to hear about what they want to be when they grow up, and when their faces light up over simple things - like a snap decision to make orange julius, and when Dylan recognizes that the moment we are having is one he will remember forever. I often hear that the teenage years are the hardest and I know that we are just starting them, but I have really enjoyed it so far (aside from the occassional hiccups). We hang out together - him teaching me how to shuffle and me threatening to chaperone a dance. I love seeing Braxtons creations with his monkey (we've made monkey a bed, a coat, and blankets) and how excited he is when I make him chicken for dinner - who would think that chicken could be such a happy thing? I love seeing Nati light up whenever she hears Lady GaGa (I know - not the best example but wow! My girl can dance to that music) and the squeal she gives when she hears the back door open announcing that her dad is home. I love that they all want me to pay attention to everything they do all the time. Ok, I love this most of the time because, let's be honest, I can't pay attention to everything while driving down the road or while attempting to not burn dinner again (which happens often lately).I know that I am truly blessed! I might not have the white picket fence but I'm ok with that. I have a home I love, a husband I love and that loves me, 3 kids that are my joy, and friends and family that are wonderful. I have a great life!

My Boyfriend's Back....

One of my most favorite things about having a girl is the opportunity I have to watch her dance. She absolutely loves it! Actually, I don't think the word "love" is accurate. She compares all other activities to dancing, all other days of the week to Thursdays because it's her dance class day, and compares music always looking for the best song to dance to. It was time for her recital and, this is no exaggeration, she has been talking about it for over a month. We have been counting down weeks, then days, then hours. We got her all dressed, hair done, make-up on, glittered up, and went to the recital. It was so great. Grandma's and grandpa's and aunt Randi and Alexa came to watch Nati. There were several other classes that danced before Nati's class and they provided lots of entertainment for us. I love seeing these little girls, especially the 3 year olds, get up on that stage and try to figure out where their parents are, why spotlights are on them and why there are little giggles while they are dancing. Nati got out there and went to work. She was all business. She has improved so much over the last year and I couldn't have been more proud of her. Way to go baby girl!

Christmas Vacation

I'm not sure what I was thinking or where the idea came from but I, shockingly, did lots with the kiddos while they were on their break for the holiday. We went to Trafalga and played some mini golf and 3D movies and to the Air Soft gun store (the latter was a bit tortureous)all in one day. The next day we went swimming with Danny, Jentry and the kids up at Jentry's dads house. Water might have been a bit cold even though it was all indoors, but the kids had a blast and Nati is begging uncle Danny to take her again. The next day we - Brax, Nati & I went with some friends to see Happy Feet 2. Where was Dylan you ask? He lucked out and went to a different movie with the guys. And Friday - ah, Friday was "Chill Out Day" and it was fabulous! Although we did go launch the boys rockets. Dylan has a new-found love of rockets from his science class. We bought the boys each one and had the scheduled launch for Friday afternoon while the weather was good. It was great! They put them together, planned everything out and the launch went according to plan. Jason is roped in and now they are working on an official launch pad. It was a fun break and now I'm excited for my break away from all of the fun :)

The magic of Christmas

Christmas Eve at Grandma & Grandpa Larsen's. Braxton found the remote to the lights on the tree and one little girl thought she was magic. It was the best part of the evening and a great reminder that the magic is in the simple things!!