Comarsh Crew

Catching up... visit to the cemetery

2011-07-24T22:10:00.001-07:00

So, my Grandma left this world a year ago March. I decided the 3 generations (mother, me and Casey) should go and visit her at the cemetery. We also had to visit Grandpa Fowler since we were there.

T-ball slideshow

2011-07-24T22:08:00.001-07:00

This free slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Just another Funday... I mean Sunday

2011-07-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Finally smileboxed Cayden's t-ball season. The season ended a month ago and I haven't had time to put all the pictures together. Had a few minutes tonight so I figured I better hurry up and get it done.

The lesson for my class this week was on Forgiving ourselves. That is part of the steps to repentance, the last one. I never really thought about how important it was until I was reading my lesson material. I hope I was able to get that point across to the girls. There are so many different personality types in my class. Each one has such a special spirit about her. I continue to look forward to better know them and hopefully will be able to touch their lives somehow.

I ended up making cupcakes and bringing flowers for the girls. Had to bring the cupcakes because last week I made brownies... they never got them. Cayden had went downstairs while I was in the shower and decided to claw into them. He ended up having a sugary, chocolate breakfast and the girls got nothing =( The flowers were to symbolize how beautiful and different they are. I brought in two mixed bouquets which they were able to pick and choose which ones they got. It was fun to see which ones they would pick.

Corey got home safetly today. He went to his cousins wedding in Santa Barbara. It was a kid free wedding so I ended up staying home. I kept debating having my sister watch them over night, but in the end I chose to stay home. Hearing about how fun it was almost makes me think I should have went, but I couldn't leave my kids all weekend and the go back to work on Monday. It's hard not being able to spend more time during the week with them. I know they are cared and loved for at Miss Emy's.

Just updating

2011-07-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Casey 15 Months

Cayden's Pirate Birthday Party

Casey's poor lip
Man... it has been a long, long time. So there has been so much going on in my life I wanted to write it in my blog. In early June my dad called me to let me know that I might have another sister at there. She is 32 years old and this happened before he was married. Fast foward 3 weeks later, we find out that she is my sister. I feel so many emotions... I feel for my dad, his wife and their kids together - this has got to be tough. I also feel that I want to get to know my newest sister - Carrie. So far we have been chatting on-line and on the phone. It is so wonderful to talk with her & learn about her. She lives in Florida, so it is a bit far.

Another thing that has happened was on June 14th, Casey fell and split her lip & her tooth got pushed up into her gums. Oh my goodness, that was scary. I picked her up at the sitters & rushed her to the ER. I ended up calling the chief of Plastic Surgery to come and stitch her up because the laceration was on her face. He was wonderful (so glad I work with amazing people). Poor little Casey had to get a shot to put her out so she would cry/wiggle/move while he was stitching her up. That, so far, has been the hardest thing for me to see. My little one was just laying there on the gurney lucid and "not there". I think I almost cried more than her that day. Since then, her lip has healed very well with only minimal scaring. On the plus side, she is no longer using a binkie or drinking from bottles! That was going to be a battle in itself.

I have a new calling in church - I am the Mia Maid teacher. I am so super excited about this calling. I feel when I was a Mia Maid (14-15 years old) that is the time where I started to rebel and act out. I didn't make all the best choices and made many mistakes. This calling is almost like a "do over". It just feels like I can help them because I know what they are going through, I've made those mistakes. I want to try to help them so when they get to a fork in the road, they know which way to go. The girls in my class are so special. I already can see their sweet spirits shining through. I pray all the time that the Lord will help guide me in the direction I am supposed to be on so I can teach them what he wants me to teach them.

Cayden is doing really good. He turned 4 in March and had a Pirate Birthday Party. Invited all his preschool friends. He finished his first year of preschool and has already decided that he will "marry Ava in the Oakland Temple". He misses preschool and can't wait until the fall when it starts up again. He also finished his first year of T-ball with the Oak Ridge Little League (same league his dad played in). He had so much fun with his team mates and learned so much. He still practices in the backyard with daddy. He is my little lefty hitter. Cayden will be starting swim lessons next week & I am so excited! Too bad we don't have a pool to practice in, but I have many friends who do. We do have the hot tub, but really... practice swimming in a hot tub?!? I think not =)

Corey & I are doing great. Together 13 years this August & married 6 years. He is definitely the man I am supposed to be with. We complement eachother very well. Corey has been going on camping trips with Cayden and his dad and then some where it is just the older guys. If we lived in the woods by a lake, Corey would be a happy camper! One thing I would like to change is to have date night more often and try not to think about the kids when we are out!

Way Too Long!

2011-01-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

Ok... so I have been out of the blog world for many months. I will have to update more about all that has been going on and of course post pictures! You can see some of their recent pictures on my friend Ela's blog

http://itsyphotography.blogspot.com/

T-Ball

2010-04-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

We signed Cayden up for T-Ball through the YMCA. It is so cute to watch him learn the sport with other little 3 year old boys. The lessons are an hour long but he only has 30 minute attention span for it. He wants to play at the playground by the field, it is so funny! Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Cayden's first day of T-ball

Cayden wanted to run around

Cayden wanting to play at the park

Working on Catching the ball

Playing catch with Dad
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Happy Birthday to my Church!!

2010-04-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that only 180 years ago my church was organized - April 6, 1830. We have so many members & Temples across the globe! It's amazing just thinking about how much it has grown from the early days. I am just so proud of my ancesters for believing in this church, especially when it was so knew. They paved the way for the rest of the family to continue that legacy. I love hearing stories about how my ancestors came across the plains to SLC. They were asked to go into south east Idaho to start a community & they did. They were also asked to go to San Bernadino county to start a community & they did that too. They eventually moved back to Oneida county in Idaho. I am also happy that my husband allows me to raise my children in the church I love so much. One day, I know he will also come to love it as much as I do. I'm sure with a little persuasion from the kids, hehe.

Pictures from Cayden's Birthday

2010-03-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of Cayden's friends for making his 3rd birthday very memoriable!

Love you all!

A free digital scrapbook by Smilebox

Happy 3rd Birthday Cayden!

2010-03-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

3 years ago today was one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life, I became a mother. My son Cayden was born on March 18, 2007 at 2am. After 19 hours of labor, Cayden arrived via c-section. My water broke a little before 7am & we called the hospital to find out what we needed to do. They said to shower & eat a small breakfast, drink some juice & come on in. After showering, blow drying & straightening my hair, doing my makeup & calling some family, we arrived in labor & deliver at 9am. No contractions were starting & I was thinking, wow, this labor thing is easier than I thought. We ended up having to be induced around 1pm & by 11pm I was fully efaced & 9 cm. The midwife was delivering another baby & since I wasn't ready to push, we just had to wait. Oh yea, by the way, I decided to get an epidural which was worse than the labor. It took the anesthesiologist an hour of poking my back 5 times!! Then it didn't even work! So around 4 or 5pm it became pretty painfull for me. When I did start to push around midnight, Cayden's heart rate would drop. The MD on call came in & suggested I get a c-section. I'm glad I did because when he came out at 2am he had the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times. There was no way he was going to be delivered vaginally. I didn't sleep for over 36 hours that weekend. Adrenaline kept me going the day he was born because so many people came to see him. He looked so much like his father & everyone could see that. I kept saying he has my chin (which he does). It's the Thommsen chin as my Grandmother would call it. My mom has it, most of my siblings have it, of course I have it & now both of my kids do.
Here are some pictures of the day he was born:

Belly shot on 02-28-07

Families Can Be Together Forever

2010-03-08T21:01:00.001-08:00

Today my Grandmother passed away at 9:15am. Her body has been giving out on her for a while now & it was her time. I know my Grandfather was on the other side of the veil welcoming her with open arms. I'm sure he also had a great big kiss waiting for her too because he has been gone for 28 years. That is a long time to be without your best friend & eternal companion! She was 92 years old. I am so glad she got to meet Casey before passing.
Even though I know we are all sealed together, it is very hard to know that I will never see her again or listen to her stories. I am so blessed that I was off of work last week so I can spend more time with her while she was in hospice care at my cousins home. The last thing I read to her was the story of her life, at least just the first part up until she married my Grandfather. She loved hearing me read it to her. She also loved having her family around. I'm so glad I was able to have Cayden & Casey spend time with her before she passed.

She was the Grand Matriarch of our family, the glue that held us together.
She lived the gospel, breathed the gospel & taught her family the gospel. She was a great example to all of us. I will surely miss her. Until we meet again on the other side of the veil. I love you Grandma!

Her funeral will be this Friday, March 12th, 11am at the Rose Bldg in Los Gatos. She will have a viewing Thursday night. Still not sure where though.

I have a family here on earth
They are so good to me
I want to share my life with them through all eternity
Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father's plan
I always want to be with my own family
And the Lord has shown us how we can
The Lord, has shown us how we can

Goal update

2010-03-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

Ok - so its been a month since I started working out. I would like to go more during the week, but it is hard to find the time. Tonight is my last night with my trainer Erica. She has been so awesome & supportive. I really am going to miss her pushing me to do more. I've learned a lot of what my body can do so I hope I can continue to push myself.

I have lost 2 lbs, but I feel I have lost more because the way my clothes fit. It must be the inches. I am going to have her measure me again tonight so I can see the differences. You can also tell in my face! Thank goodness.

My family took pictures this past Monday, so I have an updated picture to post. I'll try to remember to post one everymonth, but I am going back to work on Monday & I might forget to post these updates.

My Family

Casey 3 Months

Cayden 3 Years

This is one of my favorites!

My other goals have been going ok. I need to encourage more scripture time (usually when I read to Cayden it is out of his child scripture book which tells different stories BOM hero's).

I also need to work on Family Home Evening. We have yet to have one this year. Sometimes Monday's are not good nights, but we need to focus on any night.

On another note, my Grandmother went to the hospital on her 92nd birthday a week ago. She was released last Friday, but she will have to live at my cousin Danene's home. It's either that or a hospice facility & the family doesn't want that right now. My cousin & her family have taken on so much, I hope we can help lighten the burden for them. We have been visiting Grandma more frequently now. She finally got a chance to meet Casey & we took a 4 generations picture with my Grandma, Mom, Casey & I. We also took one including Cayden. (My mom still needs to send me those pictures). It's nice being able to visit with her & chat. I have learned so much from her. I like to hear her talk about how she met my Grandpa, even though my mom has told me the story a thousand times! She met my Grandfather when he was on his mission. He was from Idaho & came here to San Francisco.

Grandpa Jenks on his Mission

They were married in the Logan Temple in Utah. That is were my Great Grandmother was working (Grandpa's mom). My Grandma says this picture was when the left the Temple after getting married.

Grandma & Grandpa Jenks after getting married at the Logan Temple

I am so proud of my family & the history we have. I only hope to make my kids & grandkids & so forth proud of me!

Casey's blessing

2010-02-07T15:22:00.001-08:00

What an awesome day. My beautiful little daughter Casey was blessed. Our good friend Bill blessed her. His wife Emy watches Cayden & will be watching Casey when I go back to work. We are very close to there family. We are so lucky to have there family in our lives!
My cousin Danene made Casey's little dress. I wish I took a better picture of her in it. I have to see how my mom's pictures turned out. It was so nice to have my husband in church with us. We had lots of family & friends come too. Cayden loved having Miss Emy sit behind him. He was talking to her so much! I wrote down some of the words I can remember from her blessing. I want to put them in her baby book so she can remember them. I wish I did the same for Cayden. I didn't think of it at the time. I got to see my friend Amber's baby Jake - he is too adorable. I can't wait until we can get together & I can hold him. Here are some pictures of today.

The Comarsh Family

Family & Friends

Jamie, Bill, Casey & Corey

Service

2010-02-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

I love hearing stories about people serving others. Most of he time I think, wow, I wish I could have done that or why didn't I help out more. I pray all the time for opportunities that I will be able to serve other & I always think that I could do more.
I was reading a friends blog & her husband went to Haiti to serve the people there. I thought how awesome & selfless they were. Her husband for going in such extreme conditions & Cindi for being so selfless to let her husband go. That would have been extremely hard for me, especially with 4 young children. I was glad to read that he came home & see some pictures. I saw a picture of him holding a child & got to thinking that they have small babies there that need breast milk.
I have been blessed to produce a lot of milk & have been freezing it. I have so much in my freezer & have been wondering what to do with it all (I have been giving some to my sister who has a 6 month old). I decided to call the milk bank to see if I can donate some to Haiti. After I fill out the paperwork a nurse will come to my home & pick it up. It's the least I can do & I know it will help those precious little ones who have been affected by the earthquake.
Thanks Cindi for being a great example to me!

I decided to post some precious pictures of Casey that my friend Ela took. Looking at my precious baby girl makes me feel good about my decision to donate my milk. I see her & how she is thriving & thank God everyday for such a beautiful & amazing gift! I love being a mother.

Step 1 to completing one of my goals

2010-02-01T14:48:00.001-08:00

Ok - so I want to loose 10 lbs before going back to work in March. On Friday some friends & I were talking about joining 24 hour fitness which we all did on Saturday. I am so excited. I can't wait to meet with my personal trainer to work out & start a strict regime. Ok, I'm not so keen on the whole strict regime, but I want to see results & that is the only way. Here are some before (kids) pictures:

02-14-05 (on my honeymoon)

10-01-05 (random)

08-12-06 (holding my friend Kelly's first son James) I actually am pregnant with Cayden in this picture

CURRENT PICTURE 01-25-10

I will get back to a healthy weight so I can feel comfortable in my own skin again. Not to mention feeling sexy for my husband. Even though of course he still loves me no matter what I look like. He is such a good man.

I need to follow up with this post on March 1st so I can see some changes.

2 Months

2010-02-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that my little girl is already 2 months old! She is doing so much already. I love holding her & having her smile at me & coo. We have our own conversations now. It's so much fun. I am so lucky to have such great friends with daughters that are only a couple years older than her too. Not to mention 5 of us had baby's within a couple of months!
Aida had Kaylani on 11/20, Casey was born on 12/1, Jenae had Lathan on 12/7, Ela had Taylor on 12/9 & Kimberly had David on 1/15. I am so lucky to have these wonderful women in my life.
My friend Jocelle made Casey the cutest flower hair clip (I still need to take a picture with it on her). She is great at making hair clips. I have made a few & can't wait for her to be able to wear all of them. We need just a little more hair.
I love you Casey!

1-25-10

1-19-10

1-13-10

2010 Goals

2010-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since last night I have been thinking of the goals I want to make for this year. I don't want to make them to ambitious & set myself up for failure so lets hope I can accomplish all of them. If not all, then hopefully most of them.

1. Loose at least 20 lbs
2. Be a better example to my husband by doing the following:
- Have family home evening once a month
- Invite him to church more often
- Reading the Bible or Book of Mormon as a family 4 times a month
3. Attend the Temple regularly (monthly after I can get away for 4-6 hours at a time)
4. Start completing the ordinances for Corey's family
5. Continue to research Corey's ancestry and update family search records & PAF.
6. Become more active as a mother with Cayden & Casey
7. Become more patient with my children

I know some of these will be more easier than others, but I am up for the challenge this year!

Inspired

2010-01-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

I am in such an awesome ward! Our RS activities committee had a great program tonight. It was about "Being the woman God needs me to be".
It started out with my friend Sara talking about setting goals & reaching them, then an awesome performance with such talented singers & it ended with my friend Tess talking about "Celestial University". I can't wait to sign up!

So it got me thinking. I never set new years resolutions or goals at the beginning of the year. That's going to change. I'm going to sit down & really think about things I want to accomplish this year. From going to the Temple to do my families work to finishing scrapbooking projects I have had for years. I am so excited to do this. So my next blog will be what I want my goals to be for this year. I hope I can accomplish them!!

Adjusting to having 2 kids

2010-01-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

So 2009 left with a bang! We had a great year. Having our daughter at the end was the highlight. I was lucky to have Corey stay home with us for a while & then my mom, his mom & my sister Karen helped out. When it was finally time for all my helpers to go back to work I was terrified. How was I going to keep my Cayden busy while taking care of a newborn. Casey didn't latch on (like her big brother) so I pump & feed. Every 3 hours I need to pump for 15 minutes & feed her which usually takes 15-30 minutes. Cayden is so active & I was nervous on how I was going to keep him busy while I was busy with Casey. He gets very rambunctious (spelling?) when he is not getting the attention. We had our cats running for their lives while the "monster" or "vampire" chased them. He would look at me & through something across the room, of course only when I was pumping so I couldn't get up. So 5 weeks into having a new sister he is starting to calm down. I realized movies & Caillou are a great distraction. He has never watched so much tv/movies ever. I realized I can't feel guilty about it because it won't last forever. Pretty soon we will be able to do more activities. Thank goodness for play group on Thursdays!

Fun Times In The Kitchen

2009-12-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

We have had some fun times making Christmas cookies in the last couple of weeks. Cayden made some cookies for the missionaries last night. He loves to be in the kitchen helping mommy or daddy.

We went to my friend Tess's house with all the other play group mommies & their kids to decorate some sugar cookies.

We made some chocolate chip cookies at our home.

Decorating sugar cookies with dad at Nana's house

Casey's Birth Announcement

2009-12-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Some new changes...

2009-12-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I have blogged. I have been very busy on maternity leave since November 10th. Cayden & I have had some great times together. We have been on a pretty good schedule (which I like to have). I have taken him to a really cool sportsplex where he can play forever on inflatable bounce houses & slides. We have played at parks, walking in the hills, shopping at the mall, visiting Santa & so much more! I have done a lot of things with my friends from church - it is so nice having friends around that have kids Cayden's age or close to it. He loves his friends & always likes to play with them. We have also had some fun times at home. He loves to play pretend. We built a fort for him to hang out in & he pretended he was camping.

Here he is dancing to some music (even though we don't allow him to climb on top of his head board, it was too cute)

On December 1st at 12:56pm Casey joined our family. She was 1 week early (which I was glad for). I had a succesful VBAC (I am actually very proud of myself). She was 9.38 lbs & 21 inches. She is a wonderful addition to our family. I am already so attached to her and love her so much.

I feel I have been so blessed in my life. I have a loving and caring husband. Two sweet & healthy kids. Wonderful & supporting family. I have met the best of friends from church & they are such great examples to me. There are actually 5 of us that were due with in 1 month of eachother. I am the 2nd one to have my baby so there are 3 more wonderful women out there waiting for the arrival of their babies. I can't wait until a year from now when they all will be playing together.

I Love Geneology!

2009-09-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

Working on geneology is so much fun. Even if the Temple work has been done, I love learning about my ancestors. I have such great stories about my great grandmother & great grandfather Jenks on my mom's side. They seemed like there were such awesome people who were examples to many of the people they knew. I know that even though I never knew them, they are an example to me of who I want to be. My great grandma Jenks worked at the Logan temple for a great part of her life. How awesome would that be - practically living at the temple. She even has some stories about her parents & there trek west with the saints. I especially love to read the stories from people who knew them & raved on about how they were such good people & were truly examples to us all.
I have been working on my husbands geneology & have gone back a good ways. I love knowing the fact that I can do the Temple work for some of them & look forward to doing so. I have already submitted some names & just need to have the cards printed & held for me. I just feel they are waiting on the other side for this work to be done. I also look forward to researching as far back as I can on the Comarsh side. This is hard because my father in law believes the name changed when the family came to the US from Portugal. I have my work cut out for me, but with the help of the spirit, my family & the family history center, I know it can be done!

Pictures

2009-09-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had so much fun camping - only for 1 night. We also went to the boardwalk. Wish I took more pictures at the campsite!

August 25th was mine & Corey's 11 year anniversary. We had so much fun. I also took a belly pic - 25 weeks prego on the 25th.

Lake Anderson

2009-08-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Our family goes to Lake Anderson a lot during the summer. I finally decided to bring my camera to get some pictres. We had so much fun. I ended up with a killer headache afterwards though. Cayden had so much fun on the boat - he fell asleep twice while we were cruising.

Look What I Found...

2009-08-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, I got back from the Temple & started to get ready to go to the lake. I was checking my emails & looked at the fish tank. You know what I found? I found a killer WHALE! Cayden decided that his whale wanted to go live in the water so he put him in the fish tank with the only fish we have, a sucker fish. It was kinda cute. Lets hope he doesn't put anything else in there though. Corey really needs to clean it out, it is filthy.

Mean Mommy

2009-07-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're a mean mommy? I had one of those days today!

It all started out by going to the farmers market this morning. We were getting some fruit & veges for the week. Cayden has this thing where he likes to stick his arm out to the side & reach for people walking by. He ends up hitting them on the knee or leg. It is so frustrating! After the 3rd person, I told him it was time to go.
I should have known it wouldn't get better.
We then went to my friend Jill's son Braedons baptism. He was hitting Braedons grandma & grandpa who were sitting in front of us. I kept whispering to him that it was not ok to hit people & we need to keep our hands to ourselves. Then he would throw the program to the missionary's behind us. After the 2nd time he threw it I told him it went bye bye (I hope this doesn't affect those poor boys into not wanting kids, hehe). I picked him up & took him to the back of the room (where the baptismal font was). It was finally time for the baptism & he watched it like a good boy. After that I had to take him out. I took him to the nursery room so he could play with some toys. We lasted about 45 minutes at the baptism. I ended up taking him home. Throughout all that, I was definitely loosing my patience.

After his nap we decided to take him to the beach (his favorite place). He didn't do to bad, but the whole car ride (45 minutes each way) he kept saying "mommy... mommy... mommy... mommy..." After the trillenth time & said be quiet Cayden, mommy's sleeping. Well, it continued. I was just so torn between, how cute he is & how annoying it was that he was just talking so much. Most mom's would be so happy that there child talks a lot. He really is a good talker, almost complete sentences.

We got home & he was running all over. After his bath, I went to get him a drink before bed. Dad left his drink on the table (in a can) & of course with me not even 5 feet away, he turns it upside down & lets it poor out. I lost it. I smacked his hand & told him to go to the couch. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. It was Corey's fault for leaving it in his reach, but it I ended up cleaning it up. When Corey came back from throwing the trash away I told him he could spray the carpet & scrub it. I took care of the table & chair. Man, he wore me out today.

Tomorrow's a new adventure at church - I usually have to take him out in the middle of the first speaker. I just need to breath & not loose my patience so quickly. He is only 2 & is very curious & such a busy boy. I love my Cayden - he is such a gift from God!

2009-07-19T21:14:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Oakland Zoo

2009-07-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

We took Cayden to the Oakland zoo on July 3rd. He had so much fun seeing all the animals. He loved the elephants, monkeys & giraffes (spelling?). He also loved seeing the alligator, but ever since he has been saying "alligators coming". At first I thought, how cute, but then he started acting scared. I hope he doesn't really think the alligator's coming, hehe.

A day at the beach

2009-07-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

So much has gone on since I have posted last - let me catch up with everything.

We found out we are having a GIRL!!! Casey Lynn JoAnne Comarsh is due on December 7th. We are trying to prep Cayden in being a big brother. Sometimes he is excited & other times he acts like he doesn't care. He already points to the crib & says "Baby Casey's bed" - It's really cute!

Back in June, my friend Shannon was visiting from Arizona. She brought her daughter Gianna - Cayden hasn't seen her since June 2007 when they were both 3 months old (he is older by a couple of weeks). Her husband was in England with the reserves, so she came to visit his family & her friends. It was so nice seeing them. I took a day off work & we went to play at Vasona park. The kids acted like they were best friends as soon as they saw eachother, it was very endearing. They wanted to hold hands off the bat. They fed the ducks, ran in the grass & played at the park forever! He misses Gianna now when he see's her picture. I think they will be great friends during their lifetime.

On another good note - my mom got her recommend restored!!! I am so happy. I feel like I have someone I can just call & say "ok, lets go to the Temple Saturday morning". We went last saturday & did lots of initiatories. I didn't want to do a session because being prego I have to pee so much! Maybe I'll do one session before Casey Lynn comes.

We had so much fun today & it's not even over yet. Corey wanted to take Cayden to the beach. Cayden has been asking to go to the ocean ever since our Pismo Beach trip in June. We parked at the wharf & walked to Neptunes Kindgdom. Played some games & walked along the beach. Can't forget to add that I got some salt water taffy at Marini's. It's kind of a tradition. Anytime we go to the boardwalk we have to get some salt water taffy. It's the best. We saw some sea lions playing rather close to the shore. Cayden wanted up at that time so he didn't get his feet wet! Can you believe that. He couldn't wait to get to the beach to play in the sand & now he doesn't want to get his feet wet! Oh well. He ended up walking with us & getting a little wet. He likes to dig his toes in the sand. We walked the wharf & ate at Corey's favorite place to go - Reva's. Too much food, but it was good. Cayden watched the sea lions sleep & play on the boat docks. He was barking at them, trying to make their sound. It was really cute.

The Handbook for Life

2009-05-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

My best friends mom has this on her blog & I thought this was so good.
Thanks Anita!!

HANDBOOK 2009

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner
like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less
food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy..
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
* 8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk,
smile.

Personality:
* 11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what
their journey is all about.
* 12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with
his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate
others.
* 20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
* 21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away
like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
* 27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
*30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your
friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
*37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

2009-05-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I found out I was pregnant on April fools day. I couldn't just call Corey because he wouldn't believe me. Plus I think I've done that before. So, I decided to buy Cayden an "I'm a big brother" shirt. After we got home from work, I put Cayden in the shirt & hand him my pregnancy test (dollar store by the way... very reliable & a fraction of the cost of any other pregnancy tests). I tell him to go give that to daddy. So he went in the backyard & runs up to Corey & gives him the test & then runs back to me. Corey looks at it put's it down, then looks at it again, realizing what it actually is. He looked at me with a big smile. We were ready to have another one, so we were both very excited.

Cayden's 2nd Birthday party

2009-03-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Cayden's a big boy now!

2009-03-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Cayden woke up a little earlier than Corey & I wanted to get up so we put the Barney in & he laid between us watching it. Of course we can't sleep while it's on so we just rested & watch Cayden. He is hilarious! He sings a long to the songs & does the hand movements. When Corey tried to sing along to the "If all the raindrops...) Cayden looked at him & said "no daddy no". So Corey loves to bug him so he kept singing it & Cayden looked back again & said louder "no daddy no, I said no" & put his hand up to Corey's mouth... I couldn't stop laughing.

Cayden slept in his big boy bed last night. We have a twin size bed in his room & put the rails up. He was so excited to sleep in it, he didn't even want his bath first. Of course I told him he needed a bath before sleeping in his big boy bed. He did pretty good & at about 1230am, I heard Corey go "WHOA...oh hi little man" the whoa was pretty loud like he was startled. Cayden crawled in bed with us. I don't mind bed sharing, but some day I know I will... I asked Corey if he was startled in the middle of the night when Cayden came up to him. He said that he was because all of a sudden he opens his eyes to a little figure staring at him... I think that would startle me too!

Last Satuday we (Tess & Melissa) went to the Oakland temple for a session & to participate in sealings. That was awesome. It was my 2nd time for session & 1st for sealings. I was overwhelmed with joy during the sealings. I could feel the spirit so much & I knew the people who's work we were doing were so excited! I could just live at the temple.

2 years

2009-02-18T07:22:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that my little guy will be 2 in exactly 1 month. He is 23 months today & after he turns 2, no more using months to tell his age. He will simply be 2 or 2 and a half. What a joy he has brought to our lives in the last 2 years. We have grown so much since he has entered our lives & I know we will continue to grow. It's amazing how they grow. From birth to 1 year are so many changes, they start to become more independant. They can pull their head up from laying down (that is a big milestone), they start to crawl, laugh (one of my favorites), smile, jibber jabber, walk, teeth, little personality starts to show. I love it. I have also loved the milestones from 1-2 years old. He started running, jumping, talking back (not a personal favorite, but cute to see him try to state his point), curiosity with everything, speaking in almost complete sentences, calling me mom & Corey daddy, nana, gampa, gama, Laural - although it sounds like lolo. He loves to play & run around all day long, thank goodness he still likes to take a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Cayden has grown so much since birth & I feel my baby is turning into a little man of his own, I'm kinda sad, yet happy to experienc what this new year brings us.

Pictures from Bryce & Theresa's wedding

2009-02-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

I finally downloaded the pictures to my computer. We had so much fun. What a spiritual experience it is to be there when two people who love eachother so much are sealed for time and all eternity ~sigh~ How appropriate to post on Valentines day!

Temple Marriage

2009-01-31T17:32:00.000-08:00

I had the best feeling today as I watched my cousin marry the love of his life. It was at the Sacramento Temple which was absolutely beautifull. I can't wait to go back with my family that lives there for a session. The feelings you have inside that room are just so peacefull & full of love. Like no wrong can happen. I am very happy for Bryce & Theresa & their decision to be married in the Temple. There are not too many of us who are able to go there & I was just so proud that I was able to be there for him & my aunt & uncle.
It makes me think about my own some day. I can not wait to be sealed to my husband who I have been with for over 10 years. He is the absolute love of my life. I want our kids to be sealed to us for time & all eternity. I know it will happen one day. I will post some pictures of them after I get them on the computer. I just got back about an hour ago & I am exhausted.

Good bye wisdom teeth

2009-01-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

Well, they are finally gone & all I'm left with are 4 large holes in my mouth! I think I am healing rather well, except for my bottom left one. That was a little tougher to get out the surgeon said.

I had a good experience I think. They gave me a valium before I came in. When I laid down on the table I got an IV & then I closed my eyes. Next thing you know I am waking up because it is all over. Thank goodness, I was so afraid of waking up in the middle of it. I know I had a good experience because I received a blessing 2 day before going in. The power of the priesthood is awesome!

I have been eating nothing but yogurt, applesauce & icecream the last couple of days. What I would give for a medium rare piece of filet mignon! On the positive note, It would be so nice to see what the scale says now, hehehe...

Oh Beatiful day

2009-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

Next to my wedding day & the birth of my son, today has been such a glorious day for me. I received the most beautiful gift I will ever receive in my life. I feel I have a few more pieces to this puzzle we call life. I feel I have more appreciation for my husband, my son & my family. I want this gift for my family & friends who haven't yet saught after it. I want this for my husband & all our children we will bring into this world. Oh, what a beautiful day today was.

On another note, Cayden is talking so much more & we are starting to make sense of what he says. We were at Chili's tonight for dinner & he got a kids milkshake. I asked him if I could have a sip & he shook his head no (he doesn't say no, just shakes his head). So when he put it down I of course grabed it for a sip & he looked at me & said that's Caydens'. I was like, what.... Did he just say that. It was so cute. I said yes it is Caydens. He totally caught me taking a sip of his milkshake.

I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled this week. On Wednesday, I will depart from the 4 molars that have grown into my mouth & pushed my upper teeth together to close my gap between my 2 front teeth & that pushed my bottom teeth together so they are now crooked in the front. Oh well, I guess I would rather have crooked bottom teeth than a Madonna gap in my 2 front teeth.

Christmas Time

2008-12-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year, the chill in the air, the smell of pine trees & pumpkin pie, the overall feeling that people really do care about eachother. I noticed it comes out more this time of year. To know that God gave his only begotten son to be brought up by Mary & Joseph, to teach & preach the gospel to all those who would listen & finally to have him die upon the cross at Calvary. I feel so blessed to know about the gospel & to know about the plan of salvation & the fact that we are here for a purpose & not just to live our lives, to brighten up other lives as well. What a sacrifice that was for God. I can't even imagine knowing as I was raising my son, that he would eventually suffer an extremely humiliating & painful death. My heart would break every day that I would look into his eyes. I am so greatful to have the family proclamation framed & in my living room where I can look upon it daily & just feel reassured with life.

Now, onto Cayden & his Christmas. Given the economy, Corey & I didn't go all out like last year, but it didn't phase him. He still made out like a bandit. I got him a few books from the Beehive bookstore & some clothes. Santa brought him this really big monster truck with legos, a bosch drill, a leave blower & some PJ's. (the P.J's were a tradition in my family, we always got the feety pj's from santa). And of course our families spoiled Cayden. Next year, I think I would like to start of with a tradition that we will get him only 3 gifts & he can get some from Santa too. I just want him to remember what Christmas is all about, not just the presents, but the fact that we are celebrating Christs birthday. Christ received 3 gifts from the wisemen & Cayden (and our other children when time comes) will too. I want him to have an appreciation for the non-material things in life.

It's official, I have my recommend & should be going to the Temple for the fist time in January. I need to make my appointment. I am just so excited. I want to be that example that Cayden needs & I want to fulfill what I am to do here in this lifetime.

Is this really happening? Pinch me please!

2008-12-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

To complete my last post - we had a blast. That place is so relaxing & calming. I loved the classes. This is definitely somewhere I would go back & take Corey.

I have finished my Temple prep classes & Corey had his interview with the bishop tonight. Because he is not a member, the bishop needed to explain the temple to him & how it works. He needs to be ok with me going & support me in order for me to get my recommend.

Corey is fine with it (thank goodness) & he respects me enough to know that this would make me happy, so it makes him happy. I am so close to getting my recommend it is driving me crazy (in a good way)!

To think 5 years ago, this would not be happening. I was engaged & going to church, but not doing everything I knew I should be or shouldn't be doing. I am so happy I am not addicted to anything anymore & I do not have anything holding me back. I have my son who looks up to me & I want to be the best example I could possibly be. He is my world!

The first time I go to the temple I will have a few special people with me. I would love to have Corey there sharing those special moments with me, but I know in time I will be there for him when he goes. I want to do so many things. I want to enter the names of all Corey's ancestors that have passed so they get an opportunity to be baptized & sealed to their family. I just want to help so many people that have passed on & I also want to help me become closer with my Heavenly Father.

On another note, one of my sisters is prego & I can't wait to be prego with her. Hopefully I follow her footsteps & our kids can be born the same year. I am so happy for her!

Cayden saw Santa at our church Christmas party - he was too cute. He had a pin that said "Future Missionary" I bought him from the church bookstore! He would make a mighty fine missionary!

My Retreat

2008-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited. Corey's mom Mary & I are going on a girls weekend getaway to Sycamore Springs Mineral Resort (http://www.sycamoresprings.com/). I can definitely use a little time away to focus on myself. I already have some of our time planned out. Here is our itinerary:

Friday

12:30pm leave

3-330Arrive at the resort

430-530p yoga class

dinner at the warf after yoga

relax in our private mineral springs hot tub on our enclosed deck

Saturday

830-930 Pilates class

945-1045 Tai Chi class

relax in the hot tub for a while

go to lunch somewhere & explore Avila Beach

go hiking and walk around the resort

hang out in our room & read & relax in the hot tub

430-530 yoga class

6pm dinner reservations at The Gardens of Avila - organic foods - yummy

715pm soak in the spa's private mineral hot tub before our massage

8-9 swedish massage

relax & read until I fall asleep

Sunday

830-930 yoga class

11am depart back to the real world

I can't wait. I am going to miss my little guy so much though. I have never gone on a vacation with out Corey, so this will be kinda nice. He always goes camping or on fishing trips from 1-5 nights multiple times per year. It will be nice to see how he handles Cayden one on one for 2 nights & 1 full day.

I think he will grow a new appreciation for me and what I do as a wife & mother. I will also appreciate him more as a hands on father. He is already very good with Cayden.

I need to make sure I bring my scriptures since I will have plenty of time to read them with out being interrupted or with only 5 minutes until Corey wants the light off. I also have plenty of Ensigns & OK magazines to read.

Memories

2008-11-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

I remember a young girl with curly black hair who was very shy

I remember a tight striped long sleeved shirt

I remember nirvana boy

I remember planning to run away

I remember watching tons of Brad Pitt videos

I remember 2 friends going into the dirty creek because I said I lost a ring

I remember church dances

I remember April 5, 1994 was a very sad day for us

I remember "So you think you own whatever land you land on" & I totally chickened out

I remember being totally immersed in water in the most beautiful place I have ever seen

I remember we did that together & we felt so awesome afterwards

I remember Tyler Moore asking me out while I was at your house, over the phone

I remember Kriss Kross games in your backyard

I remember the evil eye - Sorry, I had to mention that one =)

I remember doing not so good things, but you were with me so I felt safe

I remember spending the night on your sleep out sofa bed

I remember Christopher making grinding noises in the middle of the night

I remember meeting with President Shurtliff... we were together & we always had eachothers backs.

I remember not taking the sacrament & feeling absolutely horrible

I remember that I wasn't the best influence on you

I remember the worst day of my life was in April of 1997

I remember March 27, 1998

I remember being scared to fly but missing someone

I remember bringing a certain Brad Pitt magazine that I got in trouble for bringing

I remember Jesse & Josh walking us home after a dance

I remember taking the bus to the mall & eating Auntie Annes pretzels

I remember kissing some yuckie guy in some closet on a truth or dare

I remember sitting outside on chairs looking at the Provo Temple at night & thinking, wow, that is where I'm going to get married

I remember a guy named Steve

I remember skipping classes

I remember Sex and the City late at night

I remember sharing a bedroom

I remember Cooper

I remember being jealous

I remember the speech from my wedding

I remember the love

I remember my best friend, I miss my best friend, I will always love my best friend no matter what comes of this life, I will be there for you always.

I love the Rain

2008-11-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Despite the rain coming down today, it was a good day at work. My co-worker & PIC (partner in crime) wasn't there because her Grandma passed away over the weekend. I feel so sad for her because her Grandfather had just passed away in the last 6 months. Maybe they couldn't live without each other.
Cayden was so funny to watch this morning. Every time I try puting on his pants he kicks & doesn't want them on. I have to distract him just to finish the job. He loves puting on his shoes though. It's so exciting hearing him say words for the first time.
I had to set up for our all staff meeting today which was hard because I kept getting handouts that I needed to copy to have at the meeting. The DVD didn't play in the right spot, which was kinda embarrasing, but life goes on. As I started walking to the gym it started to sprinkle. I was loving it, the smell, look & feel of rain! By the time I was done it was raining pretty good. I picked Cayden up & he was getting wet & was making noise, not sure what he was trying to say though. I wanted to take him outside in his rain jacket & rain boots, but he has a cold & I couldn't take him out =(
I just love listening to the rain & seeing it fall to the ground & bounce back up. I hope Cayden appreciates the rain as he gets older.

Missionary experience

2008-11-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to share what I believe in with a co-worker. I really enjoy my co-worker, she is very artsy & open minded about so much stuff.

In California we have a big divide with one of our propositions on the ballet - prop 8. It is basically about yes on keeping marriage between man & women or no so gay marriage is legal. This has really torn me from my moral & ethical obligations.

I realize we are here on earth because we chose sides prior to this in our premortal life. I am here to try to be like Christ (I am so far from it, but I strive every day to make the right choices) & to once again be with him.

This starts my missionay experience. On Friday, my co-worker, who happens to be a lesbian, asked me about prop 8. I tried to stay out of it because I didn't feel comfortable at first. She wanted to know what I thought about prop 8 because she knew I was LDS. She told me that she wouldn't take any offense to what I would say because she knew I was a good person & everyone has their own beliefs. I started out with the Plan of Salvation & what I believe happens in the premortal life, this life & after we die. I explained to her that I believe we must be married in the Temple to enjoy the blessings of exhaltation & to live with our Father in Heaven again. I told her I have a great love for all of Heavenly Fathers children & that included her. I don't judge her for her decisions & she doesn't judge me for mine.

She then started to explain what she believed in, which was very interesting. She believes that when we die we become the air, the trees, the animals & we are reincarnated. She also believes that we reap what we so, in Karma... I also have some beliefs in that. She believes in live life to the fullest.

I had to get back to my office & we ended our conversation with a hug. I thought to myself, wow, I have been praying for a missionary experience for so long & I just had one! Yay!! I often feel very shy when it comes to sharing the gospel to those around me. Maybe it's because my husband is a non member & he knows somewhat about the church but isn't ready to get baptized. I don't want to pressure him so I don't bring it up a lot. I do try to be an example to him & my son though.

Hopefully in a years time & can give the missionaries her address & she can be baptized... wishfull thinking on my part. You never know where your life leads you, you just have to follow it & not to get tripped up on the many distractions along the way.

On another note. I am enjoying my Temple prep classes. I can not wait to walk in to the Temple & be enveloped in the spririt. I pray that I can continue on my journey so my family can be sealed together for time & all eternity!

GO OUT AND VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH 2008!

Saturday 09-27-08

2008-09-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

I want to start writing this blog just so I can keep things down, like a journal. I have never been very good about keeping a journal. I also wanted to start writing so my best friend & I can stay in touch more, even if we don't have time to chat on the phone for hours. So here it goes...

When I was in high school, I played on the church volleyball & basketball teams. I really wasn't very good, but it was fun. Our coach was newly married & she was so much fun. I saw her after I graduated a few times, but I haven't seen her in years. I always wondered what she was up to.

So, I am in a new ward, well I have been there almost a year now & am making new friends. One of them is Heather & she had a "Modesty clothing" get together at her house. Her childhood friend designs Modesty clothing http://www.mollysclothing.com/. This childhood friend just happens to be my coach from high school Jaime Stephens. I love her. It was nice catching up with her & chatting away with the other sisters. I learned a lot about going to the temple... I'm kinda curious as to why my mom hasn't mentioned some of the things I learned.

There are so many kind hearted people I have met in my new ward. I was worried when I first started going there last December, ya know, being married to a "non-member" and I had a child. I was always wondering what others were thinking about me. I know... that isn't something I should worry about, but I did. I thought people would think I was a single mom or divorced or even never married. I never felt like people were thinking that stuff of me. I was called into Relief Society as a music leader. Most people who know me, know I can't carry a tune, let alone hear beats in music. So here I am standing in front of strangers (to me at the time) & waving my arm around looking like an idiot. Oh well... I still haven't mastered it, but I am a little more comfortable up there.