Argh!

 Around Thanksgiving, the kids and I went with Angie and her girls and her in-laws to Disney.  Grandma and Grandpa took the older girls, the little ones fell asleep while we waited in line for the Aladdin show and then we snuck off and got something we always wanted .  .  .  . a TURKEY LEG!!!  It was barbaric, messy and oh-so-good!

Birthday princess!

Belize was giddy with excitement for her 4th birthday girl's outing! We went to Disneyland (yes, we do this a lot) and left Rio with our sweet neighbor Silvia. She received this pretty princess dress in the mail and WORE it (SHOCK!!) the entire time. She whispered to me while waiting for the train, "Mom! Everyone thinks my dress is BEAUTIFUL!" She and Brighton also made up a birthday princess song that ended in a break dance move on the ground- hilarious! I thought I got it on video but turns out I don't exactly how to do the video mode on Angie's camera- whoops!
Now that she is tall enough her favorite rides are all of the roller coasters, especially Thunder Mountain Railroad!
She reluctantly wore her birthday button but warmed up to it as all the "cast" members said, Happy Birthday.
The gorgeous princesses in the charming pink dresses!


The whole crew- Brighton, Angie, Cheznie, Snow White, Belize & Mom!
Belize got to pick out a special music/jewelry box as a present from Mom. She chose Ariel and as she was going to bed that night she said, "That song reminds me of something" (It plays Under the Sea). I replied, "What does it remind you of?" "I love you Mom" Hands down best part of the day, I love my four year old!


Belize requested a glitter party which sounded like a wholly disaster so we settled for glitter crowns, glittery princesses and a glitter cake. No glitter was technically used in the making of this birthday- thank goodness!


Rio missed us apparently cause he hammed it up at the party. ;)

Pre-Birthday

The kids sang to Belize in Primary this week and the Bishop gave her a ring-pop (hence her blue lips in the video), it was all she could talk about non-stop for a day, a mile a minute. :) Belize is really growing up- here is some evidence:

1) She has decided to be a missionary when she grows up and prays that she can preach the gospel every night. I finally convinced her that she could indeed have multiple professions and she's decided she will be a Missionary/Doctor/Mom.

2) She has been developing super powers. She says they are her "particulars." And when probed further, elaborates that they are the intelligence in her brain. Specifically her particulars allow her to pick up and be a good helper. Now that's my kind of hero!

3) She has asked Max Harmon if he will marry her, to which he is giving a lot of thought but only if she becomes a paleontologist like himself.

4) She learned the days of the week in order to keep track of how soon her birthday is coming.

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE this girl!

Birthday interviews and pics will follow in a few days.

A Rosy Day

First off, thank you Carmen, as you can see I am getting FULL use of my new phone!Brannon had Veteran's Day off (which was fantastic because he had a black weekend) so we made the most of it. First we went to Belize's last Ballet and Tap class of the session, she did so well we are going to look into other studios that offer more than just jumping around.
Then we drove downtown to the LA Air and Space Museum (not sure of actual name). The kids and Brannon had a great time exploring.
Then we made a stop in the Rose Gardens so Belize and Rio could run around like crazy people in a gigantic labyrinth of rose bushes. Brannon and I also ran around like crazy people after them trying to take pictures. I'm sure we looked a tad out of control, pretty much the norm.








Just after this picture was taken, Rio fell down and got his hands covered in poo (of the human variety (we did see some bums in the park)).
So we hightailed it into the nearest bathroom while a cop watched the stroller and then we drove to get frozen yogurt, Target, and Petsmart.

The Boy comes thru!

Brannon came thru last week and whisked me away when I needed it most. Cuddling in a booth (we SO sat on the same side), laughing and eating yummy brie and caramel sauce helped me through a serious down funk and I have lived another week since then! Whew! I just love that man!
When Dad comes home the kids get a little mushy . . .
and then things get crazy!



They are his most adoring fans. ;)

No Greater Love

I've just started reading, Mother Teresa's "No Greater Love". Actually I've just finished reading the first chapter on prayer. The writing is different than what I am used to (scriptures or talks) and I'm enjoying the complexities, although complexity is not the correct word- deeper or more simple is better.

I've been having some thoughts that I feel compelled to write down otherwise they might be a fleeting thought and I want to make them a part of me. So here goes:

Heavenly Father desires for us to be happy. We NEED to figure out what that means in order to have a fullness of joy. Individually but collectively we can all come to the same conclusion (because there is only one truth that we can find in different ways). God sent His perfect, may I be so bold as to say "happy", son. Jesus Christ carried knowledge with him that was not taken from his eyes by birth because God was his earthly father and He had a mission and He always chose the right. Because of this he was able to set a perfect example of how to be happy.

So we are counseled to, "be like Jesus." How many of us truly take that to heart? Have we searched in the scriptures for Christlike attributes, have we knelt in sincere prayer to ask? It seems a little daunting because Jesus is perfect and we all feel so imperfect but the path is simple and the Lord has made a map.

We are all unique but loved the same by our Father in Heaven. It is not our particular selfish desires that make us individual but the divine attributes and the ways in which we are capable of loving others, our neighbors, our friends, our families and even our enemies that set us apart from one another. God wants us to understand these unique talents and capacities of love so that we CAN become like Jesus. God is our father too, we have a mission too, and we can choose the way that will bring us joy. It is by serving others that we learn of true happiness. Letting go of our wants and desires and letting the Lord lead us to that precious fruit.

"Today, more than ever, we need to pray for the light to know the will of God, for the love to accept the will of God, for the way to do the will of God." -Mother Teresa

Thank you to my dear friend Kristen, who is so passionate about seeking knowledge that she inspires me to improve my own understanding. I am loving this book!

The Yearly Dr. Visit

This week we visited Dr. Berman for the kid's annual check-ups (usually highly anticipated by Belize). This year however she'd convinced herself that she didn't want shots (usually she BEGS for them) so in the morning we practiced having an exam, Rio didn't want to be left out of course and so by 11:00 they were pretty well prepared. The kids did fabulous and although Belize "claimed" that the shots hurt when we got to the car, she didn't cry or fuss at all. Rio held still but did cry his little heart out when he got his shots, other than that they were model patients. Dr. Berman did discover that Rio has an innocent heart murmur, apparently that is nothing to worry about and he should out grow it, although I guess Brannon still has one. Here are the stats:

Belize weighs 35 lbs and is 39 3/4 in. high (I guess Belize has Disneyland fooled! She recently started riding the big roller coasters, which she LOVES!!!!!).

Rio is 29 lbs and 35 inches high. Recently random strangers have been asking if they are twins and I guess it will only take a few more months before they are almost the same size!

The Monday Blues

The day that Brannon has a day off is glorious, it's exciting, rejuvenating. The day afterwards- a bummer, a let down, a reality check. Today was no exception. I was feeling a little sad that I wouldn't really get to see him for another week. Soooooooo . . . in an attempt to cheer myself up whilst bonding with my children, I decided on gelato then beach. The kids behaved well and kept clean (which is a miracle in itself) at the gelato shop and then we parked it at the beach to watch the waves, yell, "Hi!" to every passing person and canine and climb silly nilly over the seats. I started to feel a little less stressed. My kids are happy. The ocean is so massive and beautiful and makes me feel little. My problems are pretty little compared to the ocean. Belize started to pretend that she was saying hello to someone but getting stuck at the front window (that was a really poor description of what she was doing). Suddenly Rio decides to copy Belize, he bangs his head on the front window (on purpose), I look over and this:

He didn't even cry (THANK GOODNESS) but my day just got a lot worse. Man, his head is hard, unnaturally so.

And tonight I overheard Belize teaching Rio how to say, Catastrophe. "Tatophee".

Happy Haunting!

Dr. Bones was dead tired from working the graveyard shift but he came home, dug up the rest of the family and had a bone-chilling time at the trunk-or-treat- muhahahahahaha!






Get it? Brannon is a bone doctor? Oh man, I crack myself up. What to be next year, that is the question! P.S. Belize insisted on being her own make-up artist.