Road Trip Queen

I'm getting really good at this road trip stuff. As hard as it is to get prepared for, we sort of have it down. I know the best places to stop, and I know it is 800 miles no matter what I do. The kids do well. Peyton has the hardest time for sure.

This time I had Alyson, my niece, with us. She acted like a seasoned road-tripper. And the girls thought it was fun to have a cousin along for the ride.


At one of our potty stops, Peyton requested to go potty too. It actually works out well because she empties her bladder so much that her diapers never get too soggy during the drive! Well, on this particular stop, I took her diaper off to find the most disgustingly poopy diaper....and I hadn't brought in my extra diapers! Luckily I had wipes, and I cleaned her up well. I figured I'd run out to the car to get the other diapers (which is annoying with three other kids lagging behind and 100 degree heat), but as I was walking out I noticed there was a diaper dispensing machine!!!! Isn't that funny? So, $1.00 later, we had a clean diaper on her little bottom.

The girls thought it was so fun to get the diaper out of the machine.

And this should probably be a different post, but I've listened to my ipod a lot on this trip (when the noise level of the car has allowed) and I finally started the book "A New Earth". I know Oprah raved about this for a long time, but I just wasn't that interested then. I'm halfway through it now and have really, really enjoyed it. It's sort of deep, but very enlightening and uplifting. It's almost therapeutic to listen to. I'd recommend it for sure.

Cousins!

Alyson-7, Jordyn-6, Lexi-4, Lyric-3, Peyton-21 mo, and the lone boy Paxton-1!

One of the things we love to do - especially for Grandma - is to get pictures of the grandkids taken. Since Alyson is here visiting, we thought we'd do an updated one! I love it.

Oldest Child and Learning to Parent

There's just something about your oldest. You see them different, you treat them different, and even when you try not to, it happens!

My mom would tell me all the time when Jordyn was younger, maybe 3, "she's still a baby" or "don't be so hard on her". And it would frustrate me because I'd think she doesn't realize how much I am at my wits end with her behavior. I didn't always like that my mom saw Jordyn as a "baby" when I saw her as my smart, big girl who knew exactly what she was doing. Plus, Jordyn seemed big compared to her 1 year old little sister.

At six years old, Jordyn isn't by any means old, but I've started to understand why my mom thought of her as baby-ish still. It hasn't been until my third child that I've learned to relish in the age and not push them into an age or stage that they aren't ready for. People could have told me this would happen (and my mom did) till they were blue in the face, but you don't "get it" completely until you experience it.

It has been quite the journey to get to know my three very different girls. Jordyn is my oldest and has a very strong personality. She and I do a little more head-butting than I'd like and there seems to be a tendency for a power struggle between us. I noticed this happening around age three and it escalated at age 5. It was so hard for me, and I'd get so frustrated with her TOTAL disregard for me that I'd want to stick my tongue out at her or something childish! (don't worry, I never did). Over time, I started to realize that these power struggles were starting a horrible pattern that would be so hard to un-do.

As an example, Jordyn would hit Lexi for some simple reason. Then I'd say "Jordyn, please go to your room for a break from Lexi" and she would immediately give me the dirtiest look and say "No, I'm not listening to you". I would then say "You do NOT talk to mommy that rudely, go to your room now". And she would not budge. And as she could tell that I was getting increasingly upset, she'd actually start laughing. Oh my gosh, it was so frustrating.

I have tried so many things, including positive reinforcements. And I started noticing that once she crossed a certain point, a point that I am still learning to recognize, then it does no good to try to reason with or teach her because she literally can't internalize it. I've started learning that I have to stop her from getting to that "point" or teach her to recognize when she's passed the "point" so she knows what to do.

As I've tried to understand this "Point" I'm talking about, it's sort of hard to explain. But its like her brain doesn't have a regulater to help her feel when she's too tired, too bored or overdone with something. So, her brain switches and she gets out of control. She'll hit, or do childish things (write on the couch) or completely disrespect me. This can happen when she's playing too hard for too long, or even when she's too unstructured for too long. I started to understand this when she would come home from school - which is very structured and she LOVED it - and she wouldn't know how to handle the let down when she got home.

Anway, we are making progress. We seem to clash less and instead of getting mad at HER, I try to help her to recognize what she is feeling. Like the other day, we were getting ready to go swimming after a long, lazy morning and she had hit her "point' of floundering around with not enough direction and she started flopping all over the couch, sitting upside down, teasing Lexi, saying rude things to me, and just had an overall "I don't care, this is sort of fun to make you guys upset" attitude. I kept threatening that we would NOT go swimming if she didn't stop it, but it didn't help for longer than a minute. Finally, I pulled her aside, got down by her and said "Jordyn, you need to stop and take a deep breath. Remember how mommy has talked about that feeling inside? That feeling that you can't control yourself? You need to listen to that and when that happens, that means you need to either go to your room and read, you can color, you can go outside, whatever, but you have to pull yourself back and focus. Focus."

For some reason she seems to get it, and I think she is learning to recognize that feeling. I always wonder how much of the whole overstimulated issue is due to being a preemie. That is totally likely and possible, but regardless I have to teach her to deal with it. Lexi doesn't seem to have this same issue. She seems to have an internal regulator and when she is overdone or tired, she calms down or removes herself naturally, rather than getting more wild and obnoxious. Anyway, this has been a good phase with Jordyn. We've had less power struggles, and I feel less frustrated at her - so that's a good thing.

I love my girls. I can't believe how much better you get to know your strengths and weaknesses when you are a parent. Again, it's something people might TELL you before you do it, but it isn't until it's a firsthand experience that you really start, just start, to get it!

At Least I Have My Girls

Ahhh, you know how life can be good, but feel SOOOOOOO hard sometimes? That's how I feel right now.

There are so many good things, I can't even count them all. But at the same time, I feel so much inner confusion about so many personal thoughts and feelings. I wish I could get them "out here" in blogland, but they are much more personal diary-type things. I sure wish I could get myself to keep a diary! This blog is about as good as I can get to right now! The problem is, when I feel like this, I want to shut down, completely and just veg. Eat and watch mindless TV. And, sure, I do that for a night, but much longer than that and I get behind on my life and it only makes the feeling worse.

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Okay, on to capturing some of my life's current blessings that won't always be this way: My girls. I love to look in on them while they're sleeping. They are so peaceful and cute. And I love to see the ways they sleep. Here's what I saw last night when I checked on them.

Peyton (21 months)

Lexi - 4 1/2 (Lexi and Peyton have shared a room since Pey was born and it works well, but I think when school starts I will combine the two older girls)

Jordyn - 6
And every night (for like 2 years now) Jordyn HAS to sleep with her closet light on, and her primary songs on her little pink CD player my mom gave her.

Big Project

Me and Georgeanna on one of our evening interviews

So, a few months ago I was asked by the Stake Presidency to help with a big Stake History project. This year marks 30 years since our particular stake here in California was formed (for a pretty good explanation of what a "stake" or a "ward" and how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured, go here). They asked if I could put together some sort of slide show or video presentation to show at a celebration gathering in August.

"Sure!" I said. I'd done lots of slide-shows and figured if everyone handed me the pictures they wanted for their own ward (several wards, or congregations, make up a stake - maybe 8 or 9 congregations in our case), then I'd just throw them together.

Well, months later, I've realized that this thing has taken on a life of its own. Oh my gosh. It's really turning into more of a "E True Hollywood Story" or something like that, which I am definitely not equipped to handle. Georgeanna and I have been traveling around the stake boundaries (maybe a 90 mile diameter, and who knows the radius) video taping interviews with people who have been here forever. Georgeanna is the most energetic 70 year old I know, and we both look at eachother like "what have we gotten into?".

So, with a mixture of interviews, photos, and narration, I will (cross my fingers) come up with something half-way decent to present on August 23rd in front of the entire Stake (which can be up to 2,500 people). I am SOOOO not professional and feel completely inadequate for this. Pray for me!

Then and Now

Sadly, Jessica is leaving in the morning. We've had such a fun visit! And considering we've had so many kids around, it's gone very smooth.

Before this visit, it had been 3 1/2 years since we'd seen each other - and it hasn't even felt like a day went by! We are totally able to pick up as if no time had passed.

I met Jessica my Sophomore year of college. We were both inexperienced 19 year olds. I was on my second "try" living in Utah for college (wasn't really convinced the first time). I moved into Liberty Square (apartment #31) in June 1996. The next day, a new roommate started moving in (there were 6 of us in an apartment). That's when I met Jessica! I helped her carry in her things from her car, and from that minute on we were non-stop talking and hanging out. We just totally clicked and lived together for the next two years. Jessica is one of my most favorite friends and lived with me during some of my most memorable years!

From that point on, our paths parted, we both met our husbands and moved onto the next phase of life. We've kept in touch, but haven't seen each other as much as we'd like over the years. And after Jessica moved to Texas two years ago, I really thought we were destined to only be pen-pals! But, luckily, Jess takes a huge trip each summer to visit all of her family in Utah and California, so our goal is to see each other every summer somehow!

Here are some fun "then and now" pictures:

THEN: 1997

NOW: 2008

Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOO much for coming to visit us Jessica!! We loved it!!!

Girls + Swimming = FUN!

So, we've been having a great visit with Jessica and her girls. It is really so funny to look around and see seven girls under the age of 8 running around and to think that we created all of them. We've had lots of fun reminiscing on the good ol' college days and all the hours spent wondering who we'd marry, when we'd marry, when we'd have kids.....and now we know the answers!

We've done lots of hanging out, talking......and, thanks to the girls, my bedroom has been set up like a Barbie village for days now :-). Most of all, they've loved swimming! In this heat, what the heck else is there to do? Thank heavens my parents have a pool!

6/7 of the girls in our backyard

Jessica and her youngest, Reyse (9 months old)

This is everyone voting to make COOKIES! (I always crave baking when it's 110+ outside)

Peyton thinks Reyse is a baby doll and wants to love her too much. Luckily, their naps have been opposite eachother a lot!
The moms - aren't we still just 19 year old college kids?

Jessica was quite fun with all the girls. Kindly throwing them off the diving board over and over. This is her oldest, Baylee doing a fun acrobatic jump!

This is the line-up of girls chasing after Jessica....

And Peyton is a determined (21 month old) kid and wants to copy all the big girls. She was obsessed with the diving board, but wouldn't jump.

"C'mon Pey, Mommy will catch you!!"

Jessica, with three of her girls Baylee (8), Taytum (6) and Payge (4).

More fun to come..................

111

All I can say is 111 is not a fun temperature to live in. It feels like an actual sauna outside. Disgusting.

On a happier note, I'm really excited because my great friend from college, Jessica, is coming to visit us from TEXAS today! Not only that, but she's bringing her FOUR daughters with her! So we will have quite the house full of girls!! Stay tuned for updates on the adventure.

Paxton is 1

My cute little nephew Paxton turned one on Saturday! It's so fun to see this little boy in the midst of so much girly stuff! He's such a cutie pie and it was fun to have a little celebration for his milestone!

I made him a football cake. I haven't done many (any) boy-themed things, so it was a fun change! We all went over to Lindy and Mike's for yummy BBQ dinner. It was fun to have cousin Alyson there! She hadn't seen Paxton for a year, since he was first born!

I Went North Instead of South

As I was getting ready to leave Manti and make the 700 mile drive home to Cali, I had this wild idea to just drive to Salt Lake instead. I really think it began with me wanting to do ANYTHING to avoid the loooooonnnnnng drive. And it evolved into me offering to take my niece Alyson back to Cali with us. Carly agreed that it was a great idea...only she couldn't leave until Friday.

So my trip was extended and I was able to spend a couple of days in the Salt Lake area. Although I felt (incredibly) strange being so close to some of my dearest friends and NOT seeing them, it ended up working out great because I divided up some of my visits. I was able to spend time with my sister Carly & Alyson, Tiffany & Eliza and Tucker's family. And in a few weeks when I come back to UT, I'll get to see everyone else! What a fun month with lots MM (making memories).

Although trips like this are exhausting and rigorous, they are also priceless. I was SOOOOO wiped out when I got back from traveling with the three kids (four on the way back including Alyson!), but I am already looking forward to coming back soon. I love making memories with the kids. My mom did such a great job doing that for us growing up and I'm passing that on to my kids. Jordyn kept saying "I miss Daddy so much, but I want to move to Utah! Can Grandma and Grandpa and Lindy and Mike move here too so we can ALL be here together?". I remember those feelings as a kid. I always wanted to live in Anaheim, where ALL my relatives were. I just longed to be closer to my family. But since we have no intentions of ever moving from where we are, I find comfort in the close relationships I was able to have with my relatives from a distance and I know my kids will have the same thing. They will have such fond memories of our summers in Utah visiting family and close friends.

Here are some pics of our short little addition to the road trip:

A short swim at Carly and Alyson's house. Elisa and Calli were there visiting too!

Peyton and Eliza, as you can tell, have similar skin tones. :-) They are 8 months apart (Peyton 20 months, Eliza 28 months)

Eliza, Lexi and Jordyn. My girls thought she was the cutest thing and she thought it was fun to have big "sisters" around.


Tiffany got a new camera, and took some really cute pics of my girls. Here's Peyton diving into Tiff's blow-up pool with her dress on.

My Lexi Lou. I love this kid. She's my (Mexican) "flower child".

And Jordyn could not get enough of Heidi's new Pomeranian. Jordyn loves to take care of anything (she's definitely the oldest!)

Here's my little nephew Brock who is 2 months older than Peyton. Their hair is identical.

Jordyn and Lexi with their cute cousins Abby (7) and Hayley (5).

The girls with "Gam and Pa". They sure love their Gam and Pa!

This is the crew on the (ridiculously long and expensive on gas) way home.

And this is me. Sorry for the ugly pic, but this is how I felt. D-O-N-E! I'll recooperate so I can jump back in the car in a couple weeks!

Our Last Day in Manti

So Beth convinced me (didn't take much) to spend an extra day in Manti. I was absolutely dreading the drive home with Peyton, so I gladly postponed it.

We took a nice walk down the road to the Manti LDS Temple. It's an amazing building, on a HUGE and steep hill. I'd never been there and it was beautiful. The kids had lots of fun running up and down the big hill.

We had a blast seeing where they now live. It was also therapeutic for us. And, despite the thousands of mosquitos and me sleeping with five children in the room with me, it was a great trip and it was hard to say goodbye (again).

Scuba!!!

Hey everyone, This is Tucker.

Every year my scout troop decided to go on one HUGE trip. Last year we went to Zion’s National Park. This summer the scouts decided to get certified for SCUBA DIVING!!! The Scouts raised money by selling flag subscriptions, and had to buy their own snorkel, fins and mask.

They all worked VERY hard. It took 3 weekends in a pool, countless class time, and a weekend trip to Monterey to certify the boys, but it was all worth it. We went on our "Aquatic Adventure" to Catalina Island. We camped out to save money and did five dives.

In addition, last week, Mike, Ryan & I went back to Catalina for a separate trip! Mike did his first dive in 32 years!!!!!!

Here are a few pics of both adventures. The underwater camera didn't work out that well...but you'll get the idea. If not, here is a link to a video filmed where we dove - it's an INCREDIBLE area for diving. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g2KAL8cK4Ic

Our entire crew - 11 certified, 4 went for advanced, 2 masters

We found lots of Lobsters

(This is right before an eel came out to my left to say "hi")

Mike Blasco Feeding fish On the boat to Avalon
Scouts getting out of the water

Garibaldi Fish - California state fish - They are everywhere!!
(they really are that bright!)

Mike, Ryan & me at the Dive Park

Here comes Ryan