Reflections of Jordan Age 4

I can not get over the Jordan is 4.  He was still in diapers when I got him, barely off of a bottle could barely speak and just all out still a baby...my baby!  This year I have learned a different kind of patience with Jordan...the patience of letting Jordan talk......and talk and talk and TALK! He talks...ALL THE TIME! We are frequent user of the 1.2.3 quiet game at home and in the car!

This year Jordan moved from the nursery at church to a Sunbeam.  His hardest struggle (and still is) is that he just wants to play at church, not sit and listen.  So, well, that is still a work in progress.  But he loves to come home and sing...and he also loves to brag that he is the first one to get a sucker from the Bishop after church.  He knows his entire alphabet (which I think is cool because we were still working on David's alphabet in kindergarten) so makes me know he is a smarty pants!

He has to do everything on his own...going potty, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, etc.  And this morning while we were getting ready for the day as a family he informed me that he is 4 years old (held up four fingers on his hand) and said "mommy I am this many now so you don't have to take care of me anymore!" :-(

So this year he gets to start pre-school as well.  And he is SUPER excited.  He is always jealous that brother is doing homework and reading (might as well hype that up while I can before I start to argue with him about doing his homework). 

So here's to his 4th year and getting ready for age 5 and the big word...wait for it...KINDERGARTEN! I don't think there is enough meds in America for when my last kid starts kindergarten.  Oh yeah and I feel bad for his future teacher as well.  He sure does keep his Sunbeam teachers on their toes...and you think I am kidding? Trust me...my kid I am sure is the kid they hope doesn't show up...lol!

So Happy Birthday BUGS! We love your little fiesty heart!

Reflections of David Age 7

I am a day late...but here is my year in review with David for his birthday.  First off, he said he doesn't want to turn 8 and he doesn't want to get baptized.  I think he is scared because his dad has joked with him about keeping him under the water when he gets baptized...Jordan is scared too...good one honey. :-) But we assured him that is not how it works and Shon will practice here and there with him in the next year so he has a better idea of how it really is. 

Anyways, this year was almost tougher than last year with David.  I thought it would get better and instead it got worse.  We had David in counseling and I really did not like how that was going (blaming the counselor more) with David.  So I pulled him and things seemed to be fine, but in the last 4 month it has taken a drastic turn.  I found myself more and more angry with him.  I was losing a lot of patience with him and found I was walking away from him way more than I should as a mom because I was going to freak out on him.  David was more sad, more angry and acting out more than he ever has.

Recently, thanks very much to a very very dear friend of mine whom really came to my rescue.  I was literally in tears with David. I felt like a failure, I had no idea what to do next.  The help I knew we needed to get him was WAY out of price range for us.  I was praying harder than I think I ever had for me AND for David. I was asking my husband for priesthood blessings.  I knew that this was beyond my power and strength as a mother.  I needed something more. 

My friend introduced us to something call color therapy.  He works out his "story" and emotions with colors and makes a book of his story or what he wants to talk about that day.  Her mother is going through school at the moment and needs some clients as she is going through.  I have met her mother and I felt very comfortable with her processing David.  Sessions can cost 35-200+.  Since her mom is still working on her license, she agreed to do some sessions for free! And to boot she knows someone who is working on getting us some discounted sessions. 

David has so far gone to one session of color therapy and we already noticed a difference. IN ONE DAY! And we weren't the only ones.  I didn't even go to therapy with him and I realized I was having more patience with him, I was apologizing more to him when I was losing my patience with him and I was making sure I was telling David I love him more...I do several times a day (well in the morning and night) but I was making sure he aknowledged that I said to him that I love him.  I won't go in to detail on what came out during his color therapy session, but it was deep and it was heart breaking.  It was all about his past and how he felt today about his past.  I said my prayers that night and my heart broke for my precious child. The things he really does remember and the things that affect how he feels today about his family.

I know my family is blessed with the great friends we have, and David in particular to this true blessing of a friend that introduced us to this type of therapy.  We can hopefully now resolve most (I say most because I don't think he will ever be able to forget his past) of what has happened in the past.  I pray my child can look to the future and know that we love him with out a doubt in our minds, biological parents or not and that he will always be apart of our family no matter the good or the bad that comes from him.

David,  I love you with all of my heart and I will make it my goal as a mother to you to make sure you know what that love feels like and means.  I would never change anything about how you came to us.  You are a special part of this family and we all love you so very much.  I love you son and happy 7th birthday!

Deep Breath...

We have been pretty busy, not that anything else is new right? On the 25th Shon, myself, David and Jordan were all sealed together in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.  It was such a sweet spirit that was there.  We had so many friends that showed up, it was amazing! Even the friends that couldn't make it were so kind to text that morning or email.  We truly have great friends!

I started my new job at Intermountain Healthcare.  I have been there for...well about a month I think...
I LOVE it there.  Everyone is awesome.  They are work hard and play hard which is totally what I love! Everyone is so willing to help...management too! It's a nice fresh breath of air. 

Afterwards we ate at Chuck-a-rama. It was pretty low key.  That is really the only place most people like in the family, so we went with it (even with rude comments from others).  But it was our day and we tried to make it comfortable for most people. 

I know my blog is getting less and less updated.  I am working full time as does Shon and even though others may not agree with that, it is our decision and our kids will learn the true meaning of work. 

I love my job as does Shon so why change something you like? So in my free time, I am writing less on my blog and spending it with my children.  That is how Shon and I were raised and I think we turned out just fine.  We may not own our own home or have money come out of our ears but we can provide for our children and give them what they need with no hesitation.  We have learned our lesson of making rational decisions and we have worked for the things we have in our home now that we own as well as two vehicles that run great! Who could ask for more? :-)

Anyways, with that said I am working on Christmas gifts! Yup that's right! I know exactly what I want to make my nieces and nephew so I am working on it now! They will all take some time to do, so I have to get started now or they wont be Christmas gifts...well they will be Christmas gifts in like 3 years...hahaha.

In other news it's March, which means David and Jordan have birthdays this month!!!  I have no idea what we are doing yet, but it will be fun!

Will keep ya posted!

Love,

Time away...

I just can't ever seem to get some time to sit on here and make a post! Things are still crazy as ever! I love the weekends where I have NOTHING to do and NOWHERE to go! Sadly, those are few and far between. 

I boringly dont have much to annouce besides THIS!

Yes, we know...it has taken us a VERY long time to get here.  You never think how many things come up and excuses you make when it comes to the temple.  So we are OUT of excuses are super excited to have our two precious boys sealed to us!

Oh, I guess I do have MORE news.  I have accepted a position with Intermountain Healthcare.  I start on Monday! And Shon is quitting his second job for another job with slightly less hours.  In other words, I have him home on the weekends again! Cleaning here we come...oh I mean, quality time with my husband (wink).

I am still not quite sure how I schedules are going to pan out but we have faith this is what we are suppose to be doing and this is the direction we should be going at this time.  So here's to some movie/family nights!

House of chaos...and we LOVE it!

Feel priviledged...y'all got two posts in one day...in ONE MONTH at that! So I was looking at how many posts I did this year, compared to last year and the year before.  Well now it's like less than half posts from two years ago.  I'm a busy mom, ok?

Anyways.  Ashton is getting his Arrow of Light for scouts! We are SO proud of him and his accomplishment.  He has been working really hard for this.  I will hopefully take some pictures and post them later!

Blessed!

Let's face it.  Sometimes Shon and I do things backwards...well ok, most of the time.  So...the boys are finally getting blessed in our Church. My cute sister in law made our little annoucements again.  Like always...cause she loves me. :-) So here they are.  We have invited family and close friends/ward members.  But look for the Sealing invite in February.  They are being sealed to up on our wedding anniversary.  Cute eh?

Mommy and Me Interview 2011

I want to get Ashton's answers too, cause, well, he is my son too I mean he was 18 months when I met Shon and now he is almost 11! Eeek! Anyways, enough of that tangent.  I saw this a few years ago and I keep stumbling across is, so I gave in.  Hopefully I will remember to do this every year.  Their answers are really funny and I can only imagine what Ash will say! Please note my outbursts initial reaction to their answers are in (parenthesis).

Done October 2, 2011


What is something Mommy always says to you?

Dave: I love you

Jordan: Be quiet

What makes Mommy happy?

Dave: Giving you a hug

Jordan: Being Good, and being in trouble doesn’t make you happy (with a scrunchy face)

What makes Mommy sad?

Dave: When you ask for a soda and we tell you “no” but then daddy gets it for you.

Jordan: You are sad when daddy drinks your soda.

(Do you think my children know that I am obsessed with soda?)

How does Mommy make you laugh?

Dave: By tickling us

Jordan: um, tickle!

What was Mommy like as a child?

Dave: Happy

Jordan: At church! (I am not sure what that means)

How old is Mommy?

Dave: uh…I don’t know…86! (Really Dave? Really?)

Jordan: Um, 6! (I will totally take that age!)

How tall is Mommy?

Dave: Kinda big!

Jordan: You are bigger!

What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?

Dave: cook, make stuff!

Jordan: make clothes (hmm, never done that)

What does Mommy do when you're not around?

Dave: Sew, watch movie or go shopping

Jordan: go shopping (he kinda got that idea from Dave)

If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Dave: guitar playing, if only we had a guitar

Jordan: uhm, Jesus Christ… (what?!)

What is Mommy really good at?

Dave: Sewing (um, not so much)

Jordan: at church (this kid is cracking me up!)

What is Mommy not very good at?

Dave: you are not really good at moving the couch by yourself

Jordan: church (lol)

What does Mommy do for her job?

Dave: get shots for the children (actually I don’t, but I see it everyday)

Jordan: um, movies?

What is Mommy's favorite food?

Dave: Chinese food! (good answer Dave)

Jordan: um, let me show you (then he points at the dirty pot of potatoes that I made for dinner)

What makes you proud of Mommy?

Dave: that you give me some food and drink

Jordan: um, pizza? (seriously child?)

If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Dave: a camel (seriously?)

Jordan: Lightning McQueen! (lol)

What do you and Mommy do together?

Dave: watch movies and go to the store

Jordan: watch movies

How are you and Mommy the same?

Dave: We have the same skin

Jordan: I don’t know

How are you and Mommy different?

Dave: Cause boys don’t have long hair

Jordan: Eyes are different

How do you know Mommy loves you?

Dave: giving us ice cream (sounds like a bribe to me)

Jordan: be happy and give you a hug

Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

Dave: McDonalds (barf!), oh mommy, I mean In N Out Burger.

Jordan: grandma’s (I think he thinks I was asking his favorite place)


Hope you enjoyed a good laugh...

Where have those Frary's been?

Holy cow, our house IS a mad house!  The past month since school got in it has just been so insane with everything! David is in first grade.  This year I decided to be more involved with Dave's school.  I joined the PTA the end of last year and continued in to this year.  This year I signed up to be in charge of safety week at his school.  Huge project for me while I am back to trying to work full time hours at work.  It was crazy! Planning a week's worth of events, treats, etc for 500+ kids.  Phew! I am so GLAD it is over!  But I have seen the change in Dave knowing that I am at his school serving.  He is so happy and I can tell it makes him feel better.  So I will make it happen.  Next up...SEP's (parent-teacher conferences), book fair, red ribbon week, and SO much more! Good thing someone else is in charge of those! Haha!  I love the moms I am working with and we all love that we are there for our children and their school. 

We found the BEST babysitter for Jordan! I was stressing about this ALL summer long.  It was expensive, too far, no room for him, etc....all the excuses in the book!  The first day of school a friend of mine let me know about a lady in our Ward that does daycare from home.  It was total news to me! So I asked around about her and everyone loved her!  So we have been there since! Jordan loves her.  He calls her Grandma Amanda.  Such a sweet lady.  She truly takes care of him and I have zero regrets going to work and I am never wondering if my child is being taken care of! Such a relief!

Work has been insane! We had a couple girls move out of the state within a couple of week from each other! I hate change there.  We all love each other and get along--it's like a sisterhood love/hate relationship that it is hard to part ways sometimes.

Football. Enough said.  It's fall so football season  has begun both on my television and for Ashton.  Because of some things we are working on with Ashton, we decided to keep him in flag football again this year.  All of us (lol, all 4 parents) agreed he was not ready for tackle just yet.  His coach is a little intense for flag football but at least he is learning. 

Gold's Gym is kicking my trash.  Another friend of mine decided to sign up so we have been going at 5am a few times a week.  Didn't take long for me to get shin splints.  But I think I have since recovered.  Those suckers hurt!  But no pain no gain--or is it loss? Right? 

Shon is still working as hard as ever.  We all move him for it and we cherish the nights when we are ALL home.

I have accepted a calling in the Relief Society presidency.  It is keeping me on my toes.  But I love it and I love serving and helping the sisters in my ward.  Now if I could just remember names...that would help! :-)

So this year's school season is definitely not leaving any dull moments, or moments of sleep in our house...but we love it! Happy Fall Y'all!

Summa, Summa, Summatime!

So, I suck and I am JUST now getting to posting some of our summer pictures.  Yes, yes, I know.  Shame, shame, shame.  BUT, here they are!

Ashton's team took SECOND place in STATE! Woohoo! It was a LONG journey in baseball this summer and I am really SO glad it is over...however football is now just around the corner.  Anyways, Ash had a great team and an awesome coach.  Ashton also got to try his hand out at pitching this year as well.  If my memory serves me, his team only lost 2 games out of a million (literally) games this summer.

We got a little burnt this summer with all of our outdoor festivities...

 "Yes, mom.  I am awnry cause you didn't give me sunscreen!"

 Yes, I was in pain...

David...the trooper, even with aloe vera gel ALL over his face.

So baseball, baseball and more baseball pretty much sums our whole summer up.  That and carnival after carnival.  Our typical traditions. :-) We hope you all had a wonderful summer! Here's to fall!

Random thoughts and blogging...

There hasn't really been a lot of changes in our house, but some things that we are really just adjusting to.  Ashton and David finally finished baseball which we are SO happy about.

Shon is working about 70 hours a week and I am back up to about 40 hours a week.  And I love that we are both working and loving our jobs with a few exceptions that come to mind which I will talk about later.  But my mom and dad always worked when I grew up and I feel that it tought me a lot about responsibility and taking care of my family.  For the most part David and Jordan are with Shon or I if the other is working which is awesome and I am so thankful that we both have job positions that allow us to do that.  We are able to pay our bills with no hesitation now and even able to get some things paid off!  We were able to finally buy our second vehicle which has helped us out tremendously!

I have been a little down lately.  Someone whom I invested a lot of time with and helped out seems to have "replaced" our relationship. And without going all "high school"--their loss.

I miss my mom and sister.  I need them.  I am having a hard time with babysitters and people just wanting to help without asking what they get in return.  How about the good 'ol feeling of knowing you helped someone out?  A lot of my friends have been wanting to hang out or go out...well as you know I can't just drop everything and go like I use to.  So I feel like some of those friendships have simmered (at no one else's fault mind you). 

I have really clung to my church callings and substitute callings.  The past couple of months have been visiting teaching, Enrichment committee and teaching in Relief Society.  I have learned SO much about myself through all of these.  I love those that I am working with and the great spirits they have.  I have made some great friends so I couldn't ask for more.

Many nights I miss my husband but I know he is serving our community and loves doing what he does.

I have had a lot of people ask me why I just don't quit working.  I was not raised that way and I just am not a lazy person.  I like work, I like the responsibilities I have and the people who surround me.  I may miss my kids during the day while I am at work, but it just makes coming home THAT much better. 

So with all the said.  I am ready for school to start.  I am ready for fall and I am ready to just keep swimming.