A Family Fordever

This one's for you Coil!

2011-09-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

I know nobody reads this...and why should they? It's been almost a year since this baby has gotten any action. Call me a slacker! I'm okay with that. Just thought I'd update my blog about my life for the one person who will read this (and you know who you are)!

This last year I spent transforming a lot of things about myself. I decided last fall that I wanted to join the Coast Guard reserves! I know, pretty random. So I lost a ton of weight, made it through the drama that is MEPS, interviewed in Alameda, CA. AND...didn't get in. No biggy, I'll try again next year. So in the meantime I decided to do something that I NEVER thought I'd ever do and that is to run a marathon. I've been training for the last few months and will run the Long Beach Marathon Oct. 9. I think I'm ready! I had a 21 mile run a few weeks ago and I DID IT! So what's 5 more...I got this! I've also been feeling like I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I feel that I'm done having kids (cross my fingers)! So I guess that's the next step. I enjoy my children and love the rare moments here and there when they all get along....of course those moments are followed by long moments of fighting, yelling, and whining. Such is life.

Hmm.....anything else interesting? Well, Sydney, my now 1 1/2 year old broke her little arm yesterday by falling off the Tramp...poor little thing. Cameron, my 5 year old started Kindergarten and is in the same Chinese immersion program that Alyssa is in. It's fun to see them use Chinese words back and forth. And here I am with just 2 kids home and only one in diapers....WOW, what to do with all the free time!!!!!

The wrinkles are coming in fast and furious along with the gray hairs and life just keeps on ticking by whether I blog about it or not! Hope all is well with my few friends in cyberspace who may read this. OUT!

2010-11-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

I was messing around the other day and thought I'd learn how to do this....this is what I came up with.

Family

2010-03-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have become a crappy-ola blogger. I rarely get on the computer these days. Having five kids takes some getting used to...I think the trickiest part is just having a newborn. Little Sydney is settling into the family nicely, today is her three month birthday, where does the time go? She is awake more, smiles a ton, and even had her fist little chuckle the other day, love her. Brian had his birthday on Valentine's day and we had fun celebrating him. He is an awesome dad and a wonderful partner in life. He make me laugh more than anyone I've ever known. This picture was taken that day with our timer on the camera. I think it turned out pretty well minus my overtired looking self. Sometimes the stars align and all the kids do something we ask at the right time. They are all gifts and I feel so blessed to have a wonderful husband and fabulous kids! The dog I could do without....kidding Prince, love ya too!

I'm BACK!!!

2010-02-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

Soooooo Look who decided to come back to the blogging world!!!!! A lot has happened in the last few months and as you can see I've taken my time getting back to the world. We've had some birthdays (Alyssa, Cameron, and mine) and a birth day!!!

Here is Sydney Katharine Ford the day she was born...Dec 17, 2009 She weighed 7 lbs 2oz. and was 21 inches long...She is now two months old. She's an amazing addition to the family and we all love her so much and just can't get enough of her

She's ready for Easter!!!

This is the kids on Christmas morning for our annual Christmas stair picture!
They were all 'relatively' good this year so Santa dropped a generous load!

Alyssa ready for her Chinese New year program. What a cute little China Doll!

Halloween partay

2009-11-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

Our church had a Halloween party and Brian was in charge of the 'donut on a string' game. As you can see, he had more fun than Cameron when his turn came! Cameron didn't care though, he laughed the whole way through and got a donut in the end...everyone wins!

8 is GREAT!!!!

2009-11-06T11:35:00.001-08:00

Lindsay had a Bday and turned the BIG 8!!!! she had a great time at chucky cheese (why do they like that place so much???) With a few friends and of course the highlight of turning 8 is that she was able to be baptized by her dad on Halloween! Her birthday was lots of fun and she made it through the whole day with smiles (which is rare!) and her baptism was a really special day although she woke up that morning with a fever and couldn't go trick or treating later. I can't believe she in now 'accountable' and growing so fast!!! She is a fun and responsible big sis and we all love her so much!

Alyssa knows Chinese!

2009-10-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

warning....infomercial

2009-10-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Everytime I'd see this infomercial for the Touch 'N Brush all I could think was.....BRILLIANT!!!!! I have the problem of kids spreading their toothpaste from one side of the sink to the other. The other day while at Target I found the 'as seen on TV' section. Thinking to myself, " if they had that toothpaste one I'd buy it!!" Low and behold, there it was, and I couldn't resist! This thing does two great jobs: 1) NO MORE MESS and 2) the kids think it's super FUN to brush their teeth!

How dreamy of a product is that, and all for the small price of $19.99!

Popcorn...but better!

2009-10-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

I need a new post on this baby. So I'll talk all about the yummy caramel popcorn I made the other night. The recipe is soooooo easy and from one of my new fave blogs I even became facebook friends with the two gals that run the blog cuz I think they are so witty and clever. The recipe has only three ingredients....well four, if you count the popcorn, but it's ALL done in the microwave and can be made in minutes!

That's my kind of treat!

Autism Carnival

2009-09-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

Every year Sahara Construction has a free Carnival for Autistic kids and their families. My kids look forward to it every year and have such a GREAT time playing games, jumping in the bouncy houses, eating lots of food, and the "best" part is coming home with lots of plastic little prizes for them to scatter all over the house. There are always lots of tables set up from groups in the Salt Lake area that offer services and great info for autism. It really is a great service Sahara does for these kids and there families - to provide a fun day with no judgements from ANYONE about your "difficult" child.

contest

2009-09-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

click on the picture and check out this site....super cool bike and if you click to the link it'll put me in a drawing to win one. It's a long shot, but worth a try.

The Power of Communication

2009-09-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

Although Natalie can only say a handful of words, she can sign many. Here is a sample of a few. It's amazing the things she can tell me without saying anything at all.

Check out this site

2009-09-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

So my husbands sister, aka my sister-in-law, is quite the talented one and has a great blog for those trying to get tips here and there on this and that. It seems as if she knows how to do a little bit of everything and I think EVERYONE should check out her blog to see if she has provided any life-changing tips just for you!!!! Here's the link in case you didn't catch that you should click on the word 'blog!'

http://damselindisdress.wordpress.com/

Drum Roll Please!!!!!!

2009-08-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Here she is!!!!!!!

Making her debut appearance on the Fordever Family blog

FORD BABY #5!!!!!

I love that you can even see her little hand up next to her face. Unfortunately for her, It looks as if she may have inherited my nose. All my other kids have gotten their daddy's nose, hers might change....She's still got a few more months to cook! Isn't it amazing that at just 24 weeks along she's already a little person with every part she needs?!

1st day of school

2009-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Every one needs a first day of school post......so here's mine!

Lindsay just started 2ND grade and Alyssa is now an official Kindergartner!

...this is them ready to go!

I can't believe Lindsay is a 2ND grader, how does time go so slow....yet soooooooo fast?!

Waiting outside the school for the flag raising and the anticipated bell. Alyssa immediately found a friend and left my side....she'll have no problem in Kindergarten!

This year at our school they are beginning a new Chinese Immersion program which I am very excited for Alyssa to be in. It begins with the Kindergartners this year and they'll stay with it through sixth grade. For her it's an extended day and she'll spend the whole morning with some cute teachers hired from China. Only Mandarin Chinese will be spoken and they'll learn all lessons in Chinese. They stay for lunch then afterward they get an hour and a half with an english kindergarten teacher. Through the years they will do half the day in all chinese: math lessons, reading, writing and everything totally immersed in chinese and the second half the lessons in english. What an amazing opportunity it'll be for her to know the chinese language, which is a language spoken by millions or billions (I don't know the stats). She will certainly have a leg up when she is older! I know she'll excel in this program, because although she is still considered 'special needs' she has a brilliant mind and picks up quickly on things like this.

I had to throw one in of Cameron...he doesn't get enough exposure on this blog! As you can see I try to inundate him with boy things and brain wash him to like spider man. He'll be so surrounded with sisters his whole life....like I was, So I need to try my hardest to 'boy' him up! Any suggestions are welcome...especially when it comes to potty training this little guy...he is so stubborn and just won't do it!!!

My new fave show!

2009-08-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

The beginning of this summer I watched a great new show on Fox called "Glee" it's basically a weekly High School Musical fix. I LOVED it! I have found myself singing this song all summer long and can't wait for it to start up this fall(they just previewed one show, so if you missed it you can go to fox.com and watch it!)

I thought I'd put this on my blog so I can watch it anytime I want. Hope ya'll enjoy it too.

If the video isn't working go to this link to watch it....it's awesome! http://www.viddler.com/explore/Fragua/videos/1/

ps

2009-08-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

IT'S A GIRL!

Announcement

2009-08-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Lindsay's worry is that this will "be so much more work" for her! She's right!!! The joys of being the oldest!

RIP Katie-you'll be missed

2009-07-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

Brian's younger sister passed away last Thursday. It's been a crazy and emotional week for the family. Brian's sister Margot wrote this beautiful obit and I thought it was a perfect tribute to her along with this touching slideshow of Katie that another sister, Shauna, put together.

Katharine Rose Ford 1979 ~ 2009

Katharine Rose Ford passed from this life into her Heavenly Father's arms on July 23, 2009, surrounded by her loving family.Katie was born November 5, 1979 in Richland, Washington, youngest of the nine children of Rodney and Marcia Ford. Soon thereafter the family moved to Utah, where Katie lived the rest of her life. Katie was a beautiful and brilliant child. Her sparkling personality made her a joy to be around. She loved music and performing, and her keen mind eagerly drank in what the world had to teach her. At age 13 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and her life took a different path than the one she'd expected. Although her physical difficulties grew with each passing year, her spirit remained beautiful and pure. Toward the end of her life, her humble acceptance of the Lord's will for her was an inspiration to all that knew her. Katie was exceptionally compassionate and loving to friends, family, and strangers alike. She loved everyone. She had an unwavering knowledge of Jesus Christ's love for her. Katie is survived by her parents, grandmother Verla Zesiger, siblings Margot Hovley (Art), Cheryl Ann Jensen (Ray), Shauna Christensen (Cory), Michael Ford (Melissa) Janis Reeves (Brad), Brian Ford (Rachel), and Carol Lee (Gilbert). She was preceded in death by grandparents Hugh and Rosalia Ford, Lloyd Zesiger, and brother Rodney John Ford. Funeral services will be held at the Bountiful 54th Ward, 540 N. 1200 E., Friday, July 31 at 11:00 a.m. Friends and family may visit Thursday evening at Russon Brothers Funeral Home, 295 North Main in Bountiful, from 6-8:00 p.m., or one hour prior to the services at the church on Friday. Interment will be at the Bountiful City Cemetery. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com The family suggests donations to the LDS Missionary or Perpetual Education funds in lieu of flowers, and wishes to express heartfelt gratitude to all the many people who have served and loved Katie throughout her life.

Centerville.....the 101st best place to live!

2009-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the most current MONEY MAGAZINE?

It's feature article is covering the 100 best places to live in the U.S.

Check it out and see if your town made the list.

As it turns out, Farmington, Utah (which is just north of my town) is number 14

And Bountiful, Utah (which is just south of my town) is numer 71

I truely do live in CENTERVILLE!

It may not be one of the 100 best places, but if I'm just between two that are...it must be pretty good!

3rd of july centerville kids parade

2009-07-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

on the 3rd my cute little town has a childrens parade. My sister was in town with her kids and all the cousins spent the day decorating thier "floats"

this is us waiting in the very long line of red, white, and blue dressed kids waiting to begin the parade.

Natalie and her cousin Kendra were ready to go in their matching shirts. I made patroitic flower for all the girls to wear in their hair. Unfortunately the only boy was Cameron and he was pretty upset I wouldn't let him wear one.

Cameron and Alyssa enjoying riding in the street!!!! Once in a lifetime!

At the end popscicles were waiting for all the kids....followed by fireworks that night made for a super fun day!

Hope you all had a happy fourth and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends!

what i've been up to

2009-07-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

We've had many adventures in the last few weeks....we had a quick trip to the white mountains of AZ to see some fam, then my sister Joanna and her kiddos stayed with us for a week while her on there drive through to San Fran(their new home) We did lots of fun stuff with the cousins.

the kids decorated their bikes, scooters, stroller and wagons all day for the kid parade on the fourth of july eve (aka the 3rd) they had a blast!

this is the kids decorating t-shirts. How creative they all turned out to be.

We went to a tour of the new Oquirr Mountain Temple. It was beautiful and the kids enjoyed seeing the inside.

All of us at the temple. Brian stuck with three Beste sisters...what a lucky guy!

this is some of the kids in AZ, it's so much fun to get together with cousins....even though the 11 hour drive by myself with four kids was horrible, the fun the kids have while there is all worth it...then of course I had to drive home :(

Footloose and fancy free!

2009-06-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Now that Natalie has her cast off she has picked up right where she left off with the walking. She is holding a cell phone that is playing "dancing queen" by ABBA and she sure knows how to shake it with lots of support from her sisters.

This made me cry

2009-06-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

All your children should watch this.

My little corn shuckers

2009-06-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

Corn on the cob has become one vegetable that really brings us together. Although they make a mess.....the kids love shucking those things and finding the treasure within.

Natalie loves it when we throw her our scraps (she only has two little teath) she loves one in each hand while the third is shoved in her mouth!What a summer treat!

Free at last!

2009-06-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Natalie went to the Doctor's office yesterday to get her cast off.
The whole experience of getting a saw that close to her leg was a little traumatizing for her (and me I might add) so she found solace in sucking hard on her bottle of water.

Here's her brand new leg! But don't you dare take away the bottle!

The sucker at the end was the only way to pry that bottle out of her hands. Maybe the docs office IS fun????!!!!! Now let the walking begin!!!

midnight sun vs. twilight

2009-05-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

So the last couple days I've been reading the book Twilight again, but with a whole new twist. Stephenie Meyer was working on a book called Midnight Sun that was Twilight from Edwards point of view, she was about halfway through when it got leaked on the Internet somehow. She explains it all here...

http://stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

She decided to just put what she had on her web site, but is so angry about the whole ordeal she can't finish the book.

Any who, I've been reading a chapter of Twilight, then reading the corresponding chapter of Midnight sun. It gives the story a whole new depth when you really get inside Edwards' head and view things from his view point. It's like a whole new story. Of course it only gets to about halfway through the book....but it's very enjoyable. So if you're looking for a good read, I highly suggest it. If you scroll to the bottom of the above link you can click on the Midnight sun book.

Taylor Swift meets Coldplay....you'll love it!

2009-05-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

broken bone

2009-05-20T11:43:00.001-07:00

Last week little Natalie climbed on an office chair and stood with both feet on the arm of the chair while holding on to the counter.....the chair spun out from under her and this is the result.

Just when she was starting to get the hang of the whole walking thing....this is really gonna set her back. She's a trooper though, she keeps a happy disposition and she's figured out how to get around just fine with her new purple accessory. It's back to crawling for her, walking will just have to wait.

Barry concert

2009-04-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

A dream for me has been realized! I went to see Barry Manilow in concert!

My whole life I've wanted to see him in concert and I just happened to be going to Vegas last weekend and staying at the Hilton for a convention. I couldn't find anyone to go with me to the concert so I went by myself and just loved every minute.

Growing up Barry Manilow was the only music EVERYONE in the family could agree on, mom, dad and all 8 kids. So we listened to him a lot...especially on car trips, which there were many of.

I was able to sneek a few short video clips of "Mandy" and "Copacobana" my favorite!

ENJOY!

Mandy

Copacabana

Barry is very old and he is very quirky, but he is just delightful and endeering and has some amazing songs that are timeless! Love you fordever Barry!!!!!

Natalie's first steps

2009-04-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, Sunday the 26th of April, Natalie took her first steps!!! It was fun to see the excitement on her face as she reached this milestone with all her family cheering her on!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

Everytime I go to the store and see how many plastic bags I use I cringe a little inside. So today in honor of Earth day I finally broke down and bought some re-useable grocery bags. There's a coupon in the Albertson's add this week where you can get up to 6 bags for a whopping 59 cents each. $3 and some change is worth the good feeling I will now have in my heart when I can refuse those Earth-eating plastic poisonous bags!!!!

Now, I don't claim to be a tree hugger, but would like to do my part here and there. If I could stand to use re-useable cloth diapers...I would. But I'm not quite that dedicated. I have changed my light bulbs to the energy effecient ones. If each of us do a little...we can make the world a better place....I feel a song coming on!!!!!!!!

lime in the coconut

2009-04-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is the kids favorite youtube video, we watch it at least once a week! So gather your children around the computer, cuz this one is gonna be a hit!

Opening presents.

2009-04-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Progression of a birthday girl's first experience with chocolate!!

2009-04-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

Who knew chocolate could be this great???!!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday to my little baby Natalie.....The first year has been AMAZING, we look forward to what the ones to come have in store!!!!

Happy Green Shirt Day!

2009-03-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

This is the best we could do....if you want a smile then you're gonna get closed eyes. Open eyes=frowny face!

What mormons believe.

2009-03-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

I recently found this and love it. It is a 20 year old Harvard girl on a religious panal answering Q's about mormonism. If you've ever wondered about some of the basic questions, she does a great job explaining.

Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

Sisters with LIPS!

2009-03-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Us Beste girls sure know how to work the RED lips!

I have a little problem.....

2009-03-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

The other day as I cleaned my garage I noticed that I have a stroller addiction. Who needs 9 strollers? Maybe Octo-mom.....but I sure don't!

someone I love had a Birthday!

2009-02-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

Look at this handsome guy with his kids....he's another year older as of Valentine's day! When I first met him and we were playing the 'get to know you game.' I asked him when his birthday was. He said, "considering what you know about me, guess when my birthday is." Well, I had no idea...I think I guessed groundhog's day! Low and behold he considers himself a 'loverboy' and his Birthday is indeed on the day of love!

So here's to you my little "LOVERBOY!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Favorite Superbowl commercial....HILARIOUS!!!

2009-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

South Paw

2009-01-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

I finally watched my tivo-ed Inauguration yesterday and noticed something fabulous about President Obama....he's a LEFTY! The commentators commented that the last 4 Presidents were also South Paws. This is so interesting to me, being a lefty myself. I've always been fascinated by the uniqueness of a lefty for some reason. In my opinion.....we are SMART, CREATIVE, AND GREAT LEADERS, and now my theory is confirmed! Here are some other famous lefty's.

A fun random fact about my family: My parents are both right-handed....and 5 of the 8 kids in my family are LEFT HANDED!

bobble-heads

2009-01-20T17:59:00.001-08:00

Did you see "the office?" I can't believe Dwight threw his bobble-head in the trash!!!!! We love that bobble-head....so much so that we got one made for Brian too! Hopefully Angela figures things out so they can have a happy ever after.

LDS Church museum.

2009-01-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

The Ford and Hoelscher kids at the Salt Lake Temple

in the Museum: preaching at the pulpit

Alyssa building a temple

Moroni

Haircuts in a car

2009-01-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

This is the way to do it!

The National Vaccine Information Center's Youtube Channel

2009-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

I found this on one of my fave blogs and thought it was so interesting...so I copied it. NVIC STANDUP

Christmas Morning

2009-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Brian grew up with a tradition of taking a pic of all the kids on Christmas morning...we've carried on the tradition. Here they are happy and excited to open all the presents.
My mom gives the most random gifts... the kids always love them. this is this years fave gift!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T11:28:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

colorflirt plum pucker + blonde hair w/overgrown dark roots = ?????

2008-12-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you are bored and have a box of this??????

Answer.....PURPLE HAIR!!!!!
Good thing it comes out in 8-12 washes!
I sure don't look like the girl on the box!

Santa

2008-12-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

"Ya.....I don't think so mom!!!!! This guy is creepy!"

Cameron is 3!

2008-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is my cute little Cameron just a few months old in his blessing tux...his eyes have always been his defining feature and I know they'll take him far in life.

This is him now on his third Birthday, December 5

Yay for Birthdays!!!! Poor Cameron, by the time his comes around we've already gone through both of his sisters recent b-days, so I'm a little worn out. But he did get a football cake (gotta love that Pamp. chef batter bowl!) and I got some gals to meet us at a carl's jr. playland with there kids...fries on me! So I can consider myself a good mother cuz he had a fun day.

This is how we have been used to seeing him in his three short years of life...paci in mouth and blanky in tow. Big eyes looking up at me to give in whenever I tried to take them away. But recently we had a break through. We were in AZ for Thanksgiving and on the drive home he had been sucking on that thing for HOURS. so I thought it was time for a little break. I took the paci away and he screamed at me and cried for thirty min straight. I was loosing my mind, so I did something CRAZY!!!! I said, actually I screamed "see this paci....it's going out the window!!!!!!" I then threw it out the window!!!! VICTORY!!!! Of course the screaming got louder and longer, but we endured. for the last week whenever he asks for it I say, "sorry, it's out the window!" He saw it go, so what can he do??? (I just threw the others in the trash and let that one paci represent ALL paci's) He is CURED of his paci habit. There's probably a nicer and less scarring way to get rid of it....but this way works too. I'll pay for therapy when he's older.

A Twilight Thanksgiving!

2008-12-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

During Thanksgiving this was my favorite picture that was taken the whole weekend. Brian read the book on Thursday, we went to the movie on Friday. That night my family had a great time coming up with some ideas for some good Twilight T-shirts.....

My husbnd's sparklier than Edward
And you thought Victoria was a B*$#@!
My mini van is faster than Edwards Volvo
I make a casserole even Edward would eat
I want to be part of the Cullin-y....so Bite me!
Hey Edward...Utah's cloudy! ps-leave Bella in Forks
Forks sucks!
Alice, what's the stock market gonna do tomorrow?
I'll keep my bedroom window open for you Edward

At the time we thought we were hilarious....'Twilight' really brings a family together! Thanks Stephanie Meyer!

Alyssa is 5!

2008-11-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

Alyssa turned 5 on the 24th. She had a great day full of Chucky Cheese fun, presents and cake! As I watch this video of her opening presents I can't help but remember the video we have from a few short Christmas' ago when she had zero interest in presents. Didn't want to touch them, pull the paper off, or want us to even be by her...just wanted to watch the same baby mozart on TV over and over....she's come such a long way and brings so much joy to our family. Happy Birthday Alyssa!

Coast Guard Academy 10-yr reunion.

2008-11-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

About a month and a half ago Natalie and I went to Conn. to go to a Coast Guard Academy 10-yr reunion. We had a great time and I was able to see lots of old friends from my military days. I posted all my pics on my facebook page, But apparently this good friend and old roomy Katy, doesn't have facebook and got mad at me for not putting something on my blog about it. So this one's for you old roomy. This was the room we shared in Alpha company back in '95. Boy we had some good times buffing that floor! Love ya K-dawg!

This is the class of '98 about to walk on to the field before the football game. Ya, I used to wear that uniform!

While at the Academy we had a classmate, Kevin, pass away. The class was able to put together this memorial patio for him and we had a ribbon cutting ceremony with those classmates who made it out for the reunion...it was beautiful to be a part of. We miss you Kev.

After the weekend of fun and friends Natalie and I took a quick trip to NYC to visit another friend , while there we got to spend a couple short hours walking around the city. This is across the street from Ground zero and is a makeshift cross made from some of the rubble from Sept. 11. It is truly a sacred place in the middle of a busy city.

Isn't it about.......time?!

2008-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

this and that

2008-11-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted in a while...so here's the rundown:

Halloween was a success. The kids acquired lots of candy which I of course ate the next few days while they were at school.

Congrats to the new first family, not my vote, but I support President-elect Obama as the man in charge. More importantly PROP 8 passed!

This last weekend I went to the Xango convention. It was tons of fun and Xango launched its new product Glimpse.

This is me and my partner in Xango crime Daniela...WE LOVE XANGO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

2008-10-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

LAGOON...fun at any age!

2008-10-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Lagoon...Utah's version of Disneyland, the other night. Lindsay opted not to go cuz she's now 7 and is too cool for her family. She went to a friends Halloween party instead. Everyone else had a great time.
This is Alyssa dancing to some tunes playing at the entrance. She insisted on shaking her booty...so we let her...hilarious!!!!!

Protect marriage.....Yes to prop. 8

2008-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is very disturbing to me....just wanted to get the word out, and I encourage all to do the same, escpecially if you live in California.

How did I get a 7-yr old?

2008-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Look at this cute little girl!!!!!

I Can't believe she is now 7 years old.Her dreams came true and she got an American Girl and went to Build A Bear for the big day!
Happy Birthday Lindsay Rose Ford
I love you!

The ring fits!!!!

2008-10-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

See this ring, with diamonds that go up to my knuckle...this is my engagement/wedding ring.

I haven't been able to wear the whole set since I started having babies....almost seven years ago, why you may ask? The answer..... cuz kids make you FAT!!!! So for seven years I've just been wearing this skinny band. But as you can see, I can now fit the whole ring on my un-chubbified little finger.
How did I do this you may ask?

For about 8 weeks I've been trying so hard to loose weight with good old fashioned treadmill running, weight lifting, and trying to watch what I eat...But the problem...I'M JUST SO DANG HUNGRY! I had lost a total of five measly pounds. Then about a week or so I found this. It's Called Form and is a Polyacrylic Acid Hydrogel that is a filler used in things like geletin, frosty's, pharmaceuticals just to name a few. It's basically a bulking agent, you take two capsules of the stuff 40 min. before meals, it bulks in your tummy like this making you get the FULL feeling, so when you sit down to eat, portion control is easy....cuz you're NOT hungry!!!!! It stays in your system for a few hours and then returns to a liquid state and exits your body aka you pee it out. This is totally safe, doesn't absorb into your system, mess up you metabolism, it just makes you feel FULL, you eat LESS, and you loose weight. SIMPLE! That first week I lost SEVEN POUNDS!!!! Hence, the ring fits!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I know I'm always trying to push my good finds on people (aka Xango, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE and if you don't know what that one is, scroll to the bottom of my blog and find out :) But this one is truly a find! There's a promo going on right now (for another week or so) if you want to try it you can sign up to get it for cost without a fee, if you sign up for a monthly autoship.... you can cancel this the next day, It's only $36 +Taxes, S&H for a bottle!

(make sure you buy the Experience pack, which is 1 bottle of form and 1meal replacement mix (which is yummy!!! )

If you do want to try it go here and on the right upper side of the screen under "what's hot" you'll find the "sign up"

One more thing...tonight I went to a "skinny party." This company's spokesperson is Heather Hanson...from "the biggest looser" a couple years ago. She's from Utah and actually told her story at this meeting and told us why she picked this product (I guess she was approched by many, like nutrisystem) to be the face of. She showed a her biggest looser audition tape and it is HILARIOUS!!!!!

Feel free to call my cel if you have any Q's about this 801-390-9892. Rachel

halloween!

2008-10-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Someone's ready for Halloween!!!!

Lindsay even lost her first front tooth to complete the look!

"Ready, OK!.....Go, Deigo, Go!"

Boy

2008-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Look at this little boy.....

He's ALL boy!

Sundance

2008-09-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

When I was young and would go on family vacays, it was an inside joke for us kids to constantly try to get into one of my dad's snapshots. He would take pic after pic of scenery....and when we'd see the pics afterwards we were like "uh, why didn't you take any of us?!"

Well on Saturday the kids and I went to Sundance, Utah with some friends (Cheri and Diana from the mission) and we rode the skii lift and I could not help it. The veiw was soooo BREATHTAKING I couldn't help but take pic after pic of how BEAUTIFUL it was. The leaves were starting to change and the mountain ranges were SPECTACULAR! No wonder Robert Redford chose this place to be his home.
Dad-I guess I'm more like you than I thought.

Sahara Cares Autism Carnival

2008-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to a Autism Carnivial put on every year by Sahara Construction. The kids had so much fun playing the games for little prizes, jumping and sliding on the blow ups, eating lots of food, riding the train, and so much more....I even won a door prize! This is a fun, safe place for Autistic kids and their families to go and have fun without being judged for having a 'hard to handle' child. I'm so grateful for people that do a little extra to make these children feel extra special. Until next year.....

For all you dog owners.....

2008-09-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you're too lazy at the end of the day to take your dog for a walk???? I just figured it out!!!!!!

Memories....

2008-08-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

I stole this post from my awesome friend!!!!!

Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember....next, re-post these instructions on your blog and let people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty fun to see the responses. Let's hear them...

ps-if no one has any memories with me....I'll feel like a lay-hoo-ser! So please share!

Baby Laughs

2008-08-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Is there anything sweeter?!

mangosteen

2008-08-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is a copy of the first page of the July Ensign!!!!!! Do you see what I've circled?! That's right...it's a mangosteen!!!!!! Even the Man Upstairs knows it's good for you!

Sister Hasler/Hoelscher!!!!!

2008-08-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

This is me and my missionary trainer (1st comp) sister Hasler (the cute one in the blue-in the middle-dont' remember who the short girl is.) This little get up was worn as a dare. This is the day I was transferred to meet my new companion...and my first meeting with a lot of the other missionaries. The dare was that if I wear this flowery dress with a huge bow in my hair....and to make it more interesting she added....lead the music during the opening song of "Called to serve" at this HUGE transfer where about 1/3 of the missionaries from the mission were....then she'd name her first born after me. I know...we missionaries had to find ways to have fun. Well, as you can see I DID IT! Her first born was of course a girl and she is now 7 and her name is Alexis Rachel Hoelscher. Worth it all!!!!!

The point of the post is because I am so proud of her. Since that mission (10+ years ago) she has become accomplished at everything she does. She currently travels around and gives motivational LDS firesides to youth and adults. She is published with 5 talk tapes/CDs out. Her fifth just came out:

She has an amazing ability to help you to feel the spirit while laughing and crying at the same time. She inspires me to be better daily and to constantly work on my relationship with my Savior.

SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

You know that line in the song

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

that goes:

And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.....

Now I totally get it!

New Slide Show

2008-08-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

I have this new slide show on my Xango website....whether you are a fan of network marketing or not-or of miracle juice;)....you have to admit, this is pretty impressive!

http://rachelford.mymangosteen.com/@40841

My awesome I-phone knock off!

2008-08-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THIS PHONE!!!!
This is my new phone, the Sprint Instinct. It is AWESOME!!!!! I can hold down a button and say "pizza" and it will tell me the closest pizza place to my location, give me the phone # and turn into a GPS and give my driving directions. I say to it "Call home" and it does....I say "do my dishes"....and wammo! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Hula Hoopin'

2008-08-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Lindsay has been asking for a hula hoop for a long time, so we finally splurged and spent the $4 to get her one....she's actually really good at it!!!!

Alyssa tried it and couldn't quite figure it out....so she got a little frustrated!

But she did a great job trying to hula hoop with these frisbies and really has some great hip action going!

Follow the Money

2008-07-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

What more can I say? Just follow the money! If you're looking for some more interesting reading...I found this on a blog I frequently visit. (it's the same blog I stole this very interesting youtube video from!)

THIS IS THE PLACE!!!!!!

2008-07-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

I spent pioneer day at the perfect place this year....This is the place pioneer park. I had two of my sisters and mom and dad in town and we had a fun day learning about Utahs heratige. This statue is of Brigham looking over the SLC valley and proclaiming...."This is the right place!!!!" I'm sure those words were sweet to those walking and walking and walking with him! Happy Pioneer Day!

cousins

pony rides

Cute new train around the pond.

Can't imagine fitting all my family's crap in this one little handcart! How did they do it?

grandma and Cameron

Pioneers and ZCMI...a Utah heratige

A statue of Brigham Young along with some pioneer wives!!!!!! Maybe he wouldn't notice if I joined in on the 'sister-wife' fun!!!!

Great way to bond with your husband!

2008-07-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

We just got Rock Band for our Wii and it is sooooooo fun. Last night Brian and I stayed up til one in the morning jamming....him on the guitar, myself on the drums. We really ripped it up!!!!

Xango and the Grand Cayman

2008-07-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Natalie and I on the balcony of our room at the Ritz. Ready to go to a swanky Xango party by the pool!

This is us out to dinner with some of Xango's heavy hitters. Dwayne Dyer who is the first dist. in Xango, Anton Garrity a 500k (means he makes a crap load of money), and Chris Peterson a 200k...He's the guy that put together the web site I use. these are smart and successful people and it was fun to get to pick their brains.

This is me and my friend Daniela...along with our traveling buddies, our newborns! We had a great time in paradise this last weekend on the Grand Cayman hanging out by the pool, snorkling in the crystal clear water, and rubbing elbows with very successful people and learning the tricks of this crazy trade.

Cayman or Bust!

2008-07-05T16:12:00.001-07:00

LOOK WHERE I GET TO GO!!!!!!

On the 10th I get to go on a Xango sponsered trip to the Grand Cayman Island and stay in the Ritz-Carlton! I'm very excited. I'll be taking Natalie with me and going with my friend/biz partner - Daniela. We're gonna have a GREAT time!

Birthmark

2008-07-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Natalie started to form a birthmark on her nose!!! Can you believe her luck?! Out of every place on her body her nose is the LAST place you'd want a birthmark. If you look at the pics it's on the left side and has started to become a little bit raised. I took her to a dermatologist last week and have an apt. for a pediatric derma in a few weeks. I'm hoping they'll be able to take care of it for her. Even though her nose is a little purplish...she's still beautiful to us!!!!!

funny faces

2008-06-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

for some reason the sound doesn't work on this one...but I like it, so I posted it. Keep an eye on Natalie in the bottom corner watching her sisters make funny faces.

STOMP

2008-06-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Brian and I were able to go out the other night!!!!! AMAZING I know! We went to see the show STOMP that is in town for a few days. It was AWESOME! Here's a little preview of what we saw.

sisters

2008-06-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to see if I could figure out how to put a video on this...hope it works.

Alyssa update!

2008-05-30T11:49:00.001-07:00

In March I had a post about Alyssa's battle with autism. Yesterday I had her final evaluation meeting with her teachers at NUAP (her preschool) She has some amazing test scores that I wanted to share. She tested at the age of 56 months old....and the highest level they test to is 72 months old. If they score higher than that they just say she is at 72+...which means off the chart. Well for all the areas: Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Cognitive, Language, Self Help, and Social/Emotional she scored 72+ !!!!! In just one area: Prewriting-she scored 68 months. One of her teachers mentioned that in all her 9 years of teaching at the school she has NEVER seen test results that high!!!! WAY TO GO ALYSSA!!!! I'm so Thankful to all the teachers who worked with her all year, they did an amazing job. Alyssa still has another year before she starts Kindergarten. I found a Montessori preschool for her to go to next year that combines the preschool with the kindergartners and only has 12 kids in the class. I think she'll will continue to grow in that setting and have amazing success. She is my amazing little miracle!

Stuff!!!!

2008-05-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Lindsay is offically done with kindergarten....she has a construction paper hat to prove it too!

Way to go Lindsay! This is Alyssa at her end of the school year program(posing with a cookie!). I'm so proud of the progress that she has made and continues to make!

Way to go Alyssa!
Today Cameron got his green cast off!!!!! He just needs to wear this little brace for a few weeks. As you can see he is still in LOVE with his paci and blanky!
Way to go Cameron!

On Sunday Natalie was blessed. Her Aunt Rebekah made this beautiful baby blessing dress for her. Thank you Rebekah!
Way to go Natalie!

wink! wink!

2008-05-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Natalie totally look like she is giving you the wink/elbow nudge...."you know what I mean!" face! All dressed up for church!

5 weeks old

More than just Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 8 year anniversary to the most FUNNY AND PATIENT AND SEXY man around!I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT 8! AND 8 AFTER THAT! AND 8 AFTER THAT! AND 8 AFTER THAT! AND 8 AFTER THAT....then I'll die first and you can finish it up with someone else!!!!

My little rain man!

2008-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Alyssa put all these puzzles together the other day. Seven puzzles in total in about 45 min. They are all 63-100 piece puzzles. One of them I started to put together the same time she started one....she finished hers and I was only half done....so she helped me finish mine! It's like she memorizes the puzzle, she'll pick up a piece and knows exactly where it goes - without even looking at the picture on the box. All I can say is three words..........VEGAS OR BUST!!!!!!

Cameron's new cast!

2008-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

BEFOREAFTER

He picked the neon green all by himself! At least he didn't choose the pink!

Cameron's broken

2008-04-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Look what happened to my poor little guy! This morning he got out of a shower and I was getting him dressed for church and noticed his left arm had a huge bump between his wrist and elbow. He whimpered when I touched it and Brian said, "oh my gosh, it's broken!" So Brian took him to the children's hostpital emergency room...he'll do anything to get out of church! Seriously though, poor Cameron, the doc thought it had been broken for a while and just for some reason this morning it was very swollen and we noticed. On and off for months when I'd get him dressed he would act like it hurt and then when I'd ask more Q's he'd just act normal. I feel like such a bad mom! You can see in the X-ray the the bone next to the broken one is also kind of bowed weird. They also had to do some painful straightening of that one too...I have no idea how that happened. Of course the nurses asked if we have a trampoline...which we do- and the kids spend ALL day on the thing. According to the ER...tramps are what keep them in biz! So needless to say we are going to get rid of the evil bone breaking tramp and the kids are VERY upset about it.
Brave little Cameron was so good. He and his dad were at the Hostpital for seven hours. They did X-rays on every bone in his body to see if there was somewhere else that could've been broken without us knowing about it. He's so brave! He definitely gets an extra helping of dessert tonight!

All my girls look the same!!!!!!!

2008-04-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Lindsay as a baby! Alyssa as a baby!

Natalie is a baby!!!!!

Do all these little girls look the same or what(especially Lindsay and Natalie)???!!!! I'm going to definitely need to label all of their pictures so when they grow up they won't get mad when I have no idea which baby is who.

Say hello to NATALIE LYNN FORD!!!!!

2008-04-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

BEFORE!!!!! AFTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So look who has arrived! Natalie came to join our family on Tuesday, April 8, 08.....4-8-80....isn't that a great birthday?! I went in that morning to the hostpital to get her turned.....she was breech. When the doctor checked- Natalie had turned head down on her own....good girl for not making me go through the 'getting a baby turned' process, I hear it's very painful. My doc decided just to induce me because if she turned breech again the chances for a C-section were much greater, I didn't want that! So we forced the little cutey out. I did get the epidural and it was FABULOUS!!! Natalie arrived at 8:47 that night (it was a long day!) she weighed in at

6 lbs. 15 oz. She was 20 inches long....10 fingers, 10 toes and perfectly perfect everywhere else! She is a great eater...and sleeper (all day she was anyway-we'll see how her first night at home goes!) So weird to now have a family of four children....bring on the chaos!!!!!!

E! news...star siting!

2008-03-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

See these two....do you know what movie they are in????!!!!!!! I know you do...HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL! So the other day I'm sitting at the dinner table with the kids having our usual dinner..spagetti-no sauce-and listening to High school musical 1&2 soundtrack as background music, when the phone rings. "Who is it?" you ask. My sister Katy who is a massage therapist at 'The Grand America' hotel in SLC...the nicest hotel in town. She tells me she just massaged Corbin Bleu(Chad)!!! He got a couples massage with Monique Coleman(Taylor). Just in case your wondering....ya, she got to massage his head-said he has amazing hair! She said she saw the whole main cast, they'll be staying there until July while filming 'High school musical 3.' So if you're around downtown SLC, go hide behind a bush with your zoom lense and see if you can get some good shots!

BUBBLE FUN!

2008-03-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

I got this bubble blower a while back and we just opened it yesterday....who knew it would provide hours (not kidding) of entertainment and pure joy for these guys....a seriously GOOD investment!! CHARGE!!!!!! Those bubble are toast!

taking some time out to give the dog 'prince' some love!

So much fun with just soap!!!!

I'm gonna get this one!

Easter

2008-03-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of the kids on Easter. (Cameron wouldn't let go of his little pot filled with his Easter jelly beans) It was a really fun day! To begin I was able to get Lindsay into a dress(she will ONLY wear skirts!) We were able to get all three kids to sit for a picture(usually one is crying or refusing) and three....we were only 5 min. late to church(usually about 10-15) So ya, pretty successful day! To top it off the girls got barbies in their Easter baskets and played nicely with them ALL day.

Check this out!

2008-03-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

So I found this article writen a couple of years ago by a doctor about vaccines. It is so so so so very incredibly interesting. In the autism community there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic. I'm not sure exactly where I stand....but reading this opened my eyes a little, that's for sure. Let me know what you think?

A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedulehttp://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html

Drugs or No Drugs....THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!!

2008-03-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

If you look to the right you will see a poll I am taking. I can't decide on how I want to have this baby. I had an epidural with Lindsay...and although there was no pain...the recovery was brutal. So I had Alyssa and Cameron with nothing...although the delivery was BRUTAL!!!!!! The recovery was awesome and quick. I've had to be induced with all three, thus far, and so am assuming that'll be the case again. I've heard it's a harder labor when your body isn't ready and you are induced....but I'm sure it is Hell on earth no matter how the labor comes. All for a Heavenly purpose of course! It is amazing how you have to experience the most excruciating pain for the greatest joy and miracle I can think of!!!!!! What a contrast and emotional ride! So.... if all who read this will leave their vote and maybe a comment why I should do one way or the other that would be much appreciated. If the winner is 'no drugs' there better be some dang good encouraging comments!!!!!! Thanks!

Thank You XANGO!

2008-03-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's good to have hook-ups! I work Xango with the sister-Daniala-who is awesome-of two of the Xango founders. Tonight she was able to hook us up through her brother, Joe-to get tickets to see PRINCESS DISNEY ON ICE! Not just any tickets...but we got to see it from the Xango suite, which is beautiful and orange and was filled with lots of yummy things to eat. It was an amazing show and the girls had so much fun.

Alyssa was so funny and refused to wear a disney princess dress and insisted on wearing a princess and the pauper (erika) dress....Disney's rival! Lindsay wished it was a Hannah Montana concert and wore her HM shirt....she's too big for princesses!!! I would've worn a princess dress, but I don't think they make them in maternity-about to explode-size!Thanks Xango for a fun night out with the girls!

Alyssa's journey through Autism

2008-03-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Alyssa is my second child. Her journey through life this far has not been an easy road, nor has it been easy for her mother! When she was 18 months old something in her changed. She gained language until that point...but didn't seem to progress after that. Her behavior and temperment changed and she threw terrible tantrums, she had no desire to be social, she loved puzzles, she had a weird diet, she would do strange self-stimulatory things....these all should've been signs for me. Whenever my mother, who is a speech therapist, came to time I would bombard her with questions and concerns, just reaching out to someone for answers. When Alyssa was 2 1/2 my mom suggested I get her tested for her speach. She threw in at the end that I might want to ask for a psych evaluation as well...my mom so lovingly as only a grandma can do pointed out that she did have some odd social behaviors. I followed my mother's wise council and had her tested. I remember the day the therapist called and gave me the results of her tests...I'm crying right now as I write and remember the flood of emotion. "Alyssa is on the Autism spectrum." she said. I went through many emotions with this news. At first I just would watch her and see the things she did that were 'normal' and cling to those things. She was three at this time and qualified to go to a public preschool two days a week for a few hours. For a few months I thought that would be plenty.

About three months after the she was diagnosed I heard her talking to herself (she did this a lot, but it was in jabbering languange) late one night while in bed. I went in to see her. As I sat by her bed calling her name she wouldn't even look at me or acknowledge that I was there. I went back to my room and started bauling...my daughter is autistic!!!!! And here I am doing nothing! My eyes were finally opened and I went right to work! I begain researching the internet and reading books...I needed to educate myself. I found a great preschool, but she had to have her name come up on a waiting list...this could take years to happen. I talked to everyone I knew who had, or assiciated with someone with an autistic child to ask what they did. One mother told me of some energy/ meridian testing work she had done on her autistic son and told me of her amazing results...why not. Almost a year ago I went to an appointment for Alyssa. I had an amazing experience and she began to make progress almost immediately. Don't ask me how or why, but I was blown away by it. My husband who is and was very skeptical even admits(which is hard for him to do) that she improved.

A couple months after that I got a phone call from the autistic preschool in Ogden, Ut saying that they had a few last minute cancelations for spots and Alyssa's name was up! What a miricle for our family! I took her in the next day to have her accessed and check the school out and although she had to wait all summer, she was in for the fall!

So Fall came and she began the school, while still three years old- on Sep. 24 2007. This school is very intensive ABA therepy. the kids go to school everyday, mon-fri. Picked up by a van in Layton (15 min north of Centerville) at 8 am, taken to Ogden which is 15 min north of Layton, and I pick her up again in Layton at 3pm. She eats Breakfast and Lunch at this school. I am required to volunteer 3 hours a week. She has blown me away with her progress! Today I went for her 6-month evaluation and these were her results:

She was first tested on Oct 22,2007 and again on Jan 28, 2008. The (mos.) means months. When she was first tested her age was 47 months old and current test scores she is 50 months old. the number indicates which level of age in months that she tested at.(does that make sense?) Here are her results!

Date 47 mos.-10.-22-07 1-28-08

Gross Motor 54 mos. 67 mos.

Fine Motor 52 mos. 72 mos+(means she is off the chart)

Cognitive 55 mos. 63 mos.

Language 38 mos. 47 mos.

Prewriting 32 mos. 56 mos.

Self Help 52 mos. 58 mos.

Social/Emotional 39 mos. 70 mos. WOW!!!!!

The only area that she is behind in and not advanced in is her language(which has improved leaps and bounds!!!!!) She has come such a long way and I am so proud of her. She has taught me so much about patience and love and I am so grateful to have her in my life. She still has another year after this before starting kindergarten. The school has basically said she can finish out this year...but doesn't qualify for another year because she is too.....'normal'!!!! Isn't that a beautiful word...'normal'. Alyssa-I love you, I'm so proud of you, and I'm so blessed to be your mother!

A clean kitchen!!!!

2008-03-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

I cleaned my kitchen yesterday....I mean really cleaned it! For me it seems like there is always a pile of papers somewhere or toys that just get left in a spot, or vitamins that don't get put away....and weeks go by. Maybe this is just an issue I have! To have my kitchen really cleaned is something that needs to be documented! By this morning of course it was messy again, but for that brief moment in time, all the stars and planets aligned in my favor!!!!!