Move Over Martha

Or in other words, I belong to a M.O.M. group where we are in groups of 5 women, who go out of our way to learn to cook a little more gourmet and serve it to the rest of the group. Fun! Lots of fun really. This past week was my groups turn. We spent the time planning a theme, which was "Chinese New Year" and planned our menu around that. Yes, I'm kicking myself that I didn't take pictures of all the amazing food we served. Each one of us chose a couple things to cook. I made Honey Coconut Walnut Shrimp (yum!), white sticky rice, and an Asian Salad. Also on the menu was:

Appetizer: Egg rolls, lettuce wraps
Soup: Vegetable dumpling
Salad: Chinese chicken salad, Asian Salad
Main Course: Beef & Broccolli, the above shrimp, Lou Mein, and Fried Rice
Dessert: Great Wall of Chocolate (cake), homemade fortune cookies, and almond cookies.

It was a ton of food, all delicious, lots of laughs, super fun, and great company.

Amanda S., Amanda B., Linda, Sherry, Me

Some of the goods

 

The lovely guests



Today it's about you.

 You are magical. You are joy. You are sweet. You are fun. You are love. You melt me. You cling to me, and I love it. You are funny. You are beautiful. You are fighsty. You are two. You are a helper. You are a follower. You are a mama's girl. You love your sister. You like your brother. (lol) You love your daddy. You love your Aunt Suzie. You are a big girl. You are still my baby. You are our blondie. You are a fabulous sleeper. You are a talker. You love band-aids. You are a finger sucker. You are a blankie lover. You are loved.

I belong.....

Sometimes do you ever wonder where you belong? I do. So, I was thinking about it and realized I belong a lot of places.

I belong to these two wonderful people.

Which means I belong to this crazy bunch as well.

And boy am I ever thankful for them. I haven't always been kind or loving to them, and yet they still love me.

I also belong to this great man.

and thankfully I do because I also belong to this clan.

And I thank my lucky stars that I belong to them too.

Differences

We are different me and him. I like to be early everywhere, he is usually atleast 10 minutes late to everything. He is meticulously clean, if the floor has no toys I consider the house clean. I like drama, he likes comedy. He is a night owl, I go to bed early. He is an early bird, (so in other words, he's a burn the light at both ends kinda guy) I am a late sleeper. I like trucks, he likes sports cars. I'm a reader, he's a movie watcher. He's ambitious and I'm content. I like chocolate cake, he likes cheese cake. I love country music, he listens to rock 'n roll.

Every once in a while we venture off to the others side to see what it's like.  We are most comfortable on our own side, but have learned to appreciate eachothers side more and more. After all, isn't that what marriage is all about?

Melv's Posts

Suzanna and I met the first year Aaron and I were married in our Fresno, California ward. We were also neighbors in our apartment complex. To say I love this girl, is an understatment. She is FABULOUS! We served in Young Women's together, had picnics with our oldest daughters (who were babies at the time), went on walks together, crafted together, watched movies together, laughed together, cried together, and on and on and on. She is a true friend. AND....we convinced this couple to join us in Utah, where they had no immediate family, and they did it. (I'd love to say it's because they loved us too, but it was just the right thing for their little family).  So, I give you Suzanna!

where you were born -College Station, Texas
when is your b-day -November 11, 1982 (11-11-11 This year!! Wohoo!)
when you got married and a little about the man you married -Jeff and I were married on April 25, 2003. He was serving as the YSA stake representative and I was the ward YSA rep. I was able to watch Jeff in this calling, and I was amazed. I was also a little sad. Guys like Jeff dated and married girls like Laurel (the CES rep's daughter) Who was gorgeous, sang beautifully, and played all the hymns on the piano, (she probably had mormon ads on her walls too, Mel :-) and who never did a rebellious thing in her life. Jeff was (and still is) a quiet guy, when my dad told me to ask out Jeff Nielson I said, "No. I was scare him off. He is so quiet and reserved and I'm loud and obnoxious." My dad replied, "Good, maybe he'll talk more and you'll talk less." I don't think that worked out according to plan. Our first date (I asked him) was actually watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone at my house with my parents. After a few dates I was pleasantly surprised, Jeff didn't say a lot but when he did he was hilarious. He made (and still does) me laugh so much! Jeff is the best man that I know. No, he isn't perfect, but he is the most wonderful person I have or ever will know.
your favorite color- GREEN
a little about your kids Chadley is my 6 going on 16 year old. She can be the epitome of sassy and sweet. She cares a lot for the feelings of others, she doesn't like to see other people sad. She loves all things girly, and loves to giggle. Dallin is my BFG (Big Friendly Giant) he is really big for his age (4), and is the sweetest guy. He plays well with everyone, he never has said a mean thing about anyone (to me), and he is sweet and gentle with his little sister, Ellie. Ellie is 13 months and is already a crack up. She loves to shut herself in cupboards, she HAS to sit where ever the family is, (in a big chair) and I just don't think it's ever occurred to her that she is so much smaller then the rest of the family. She just is always in the thick of it. I love my kids and hope to have many more. (definition of many: I'm not sure.)
favorite food Of course I have a favorite food, but it just depends on my mood, sometimes it's Mu Shu Pork, Ribs, or my BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza,  and other times it's Molten Lava Cake, or Krispe Kreme Donuts.
favorite book Of course the Book of Mormon, Bible, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price are my favorite. But aside from my gospel library, I love anything that is considered young adult fantasy/fiction. I think that life can be sad and hard, and I would really rather not dwell on how awful we brothers and sisters can be to each other, a book is an escape, I'd rather not escape to heartache. You and I, Melissa, don't see eye to eye on this, but that's because you are stronger than I am. I love The Chronicles of Narnia, (I'm reading The Silver Chair to my kids right now) the Harry Potter books, I love The Sister's Grimm series, Fablehaven and The Candy Shop War, I love to escape to worlds where anything is possible and there are always happy endings. Because that is what living the gospel gives us; a Happily Ever After.
any regrets That's an interesting question. There are things that I wish I wouldn't have done or said, but all these things give us experience, and in some cases, empathy. I wish there were times that I wouldn't have been foolish, or that I would have been true to the faith more, but learning from those mistakes, and the heartache of knowing I have hurt others and my Savior helped me to grow, and to sober me up a bit. I hope that I have become a better person then I was. So no, I have no regrets.
funnest thing you've done having a sock war with my family in the living room. We used the couches as barricades, rolled up all the socks and went at each other. It was the best.
what your goals are Not to fail my family. (Family Home Evening, family scriptures and prayers, going to the temple as often as I can, all without fail.) I want to be a good mom and wife for my family. I hope that I will give each calling my all. I want for people I know never to hear me say anything unkind about someone else. (Working on that one!!!!) I want to have the faith that could move mountains. I would like to write a book someday.
something that makes you unique I can change my own oil, I took auto shop in high school, I almost killed someone when I was a lifeguard, I can squirt water out my eye and shake my eyeballs, I'm double jointed in my arms and legs, (in short, I'm a freak.) I have a horrible singing voice. I used to surf (either a small shark or a BIG fish bumped into my leg once, scared me to death.) I could not walk on the ice at all, until you bought my "get a grips," I have horrible pregnancies, awesome deliveries, and huge babies. I cut the hair of everyone (including myself) in my family, without formal training... I feel bad for my kids!! I love to cook, bake, and home make. I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none.
and anything else that makes you FABULOUS! A great friend that sees me through rose colored glasses.

Random things in January so far

All three of us can put our hair in braids.

Nathan and I LIVE in our slippers and wear them absolutely everywhere that we possibly can.

And I love to hear Nate and his friends sing the alphabet song in joyschool.

Motherhood Challenges

Seriously, do we have all day to talk about this? Cuz.....it's a struggle for me sometimes. Remember my previous post about how AMAZING my children are and how well they did with potty training? Well, they are still doing okay, more back slides than I had hoped for, but overall the day part is going pretty darn good. Night time, is a whole nother blog post.

My challenge today is in regards to this little beauty.

She wet the bed last night. She hasn't done that in probably over a year. She wet the bed TWICE last night. I didn't scold, get mad, or really say much at all. I just feel bad. I know why she did it. This girl has been suffering for a little attention for about a week now. She is often the one I get to last. She's the biggest, most independant, so I figure she can get by until I can get to her. Poor girl. I really do feel bad. I expect a lot from her and try to praise her regularly that she is my BIGGEST helper and how much I love her, but I admit, I've really slacked off lately. I've been a little busy with the other two. So I continue to find it challenging to divide myself 3 ways, to give each child the attention they need. Sometimes I do great and other times I do terrible. I think today Hannah and I will play some games together, maybe read a few books (she's getting so good at reading).

In Training

The long awaited post that I've been waiting to blog about is FINALLY here! Abigail, Nathan and I did a 3 day, intense potty training course, with MUCH success.  Seriously folks, I had my reservations, but I followed "the potty training queen" advice to a tee! I sent out an e-mail to family and some friends letting them know I would not be unavailable for the three days, both by phone and e-mail. I made arrangments for Hannah to get to school so I wouldn't have to leave the house for even a second. I got all the underwear required (20 - 30 pairs each), frozen dinners to whip out, treats, juice, stickers, rewards...you name it, I was ready!

First day, the diapers came off after they woke up. I had Nathan and Abby throw away ALL diapers left in our house. Showed them their new underwear, then introduced them to their new spot to use the potty.

We spent a lot of time in here. Their sticker charts started out like this.

Actually, I was impressed that there was not ONE accident in their underwear this day at all. Too good to be true. But then when the night came and there was no more diapers, I thought for sure we were in for a long night with two kids waking up wet. You guessed it, Nathan was totally dry all night. Abby, not so much. I don't think she wet herself though until that morning.

Day 2: same as day 1. They both did great! Can this really be happening, I thought. However, neither of them had pooped yet, so I was just waiting for it. Night came, still no poop. They went to bed. They both woke up wet. Darn! By the third day, they had it down. (the pee part atleast).

 I'll spare you all the details of #2, but lets just say, Nathan gets it and Abby is still going to really need some practice, but overall.....I just can't believe it! We are OUT of diapers!

So, I entitled this post "In Training" because I learned some really interesting things about myself these last 3 days. There wasn't a second (and I mean a second) that I wasn't with both Abby and Nathan. I abandoned all the "things" I normally do in a day so I could put all my attention on them. And do you know what? they loved it and so did I. We read books together, watched movies, folded laundry together, made snacks, colored, and spent a lot of time in the bathroom. There was much cheering and praising in these 3 days. Nathan was the best behaved he has EVER been. He didn't get in trouble for anything. He cuddled with me during the movies. He was nice to Abigail. His only melt down was when he didn't quite make it to the toilet for #2 and he was devastated because there was a very special reward for getting this one down, and he really wanted it. I just loved spending so much "time" with my kids like this. I realized that I spend/waste a lot of time doing things that I have thought were necessary when in reality, their not. My house was never so clean then these 3 days because we cleaned together. I never realized just how much work I do without my kids only to realize that while I'm cleaning they are making a huge mess somewhere else, so my work never seems done. Plus, not being on the computer was really hard for me. I must be glued to this sucker, because I really did miss it, but I realize that I am on this thing WAY. TOO. MUCH! and way more than I thought. I also found that I LOVE "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3". I never got sick of watching those 2 movies and the best part was having Nathan and Abby cuddled right into me. I thought I might be sad to have both my babies potty train because somehow that means they are no longer babies right? But I have to admit not one tear was shed seeing that last trash can of stinky diapers in the garage being thrown away. Hoo-Ray!

So, because they did so well, we had to have a celebration. I invited a few of Nathan and Abby's friends over for cake and to play, 'Hungry hungry Hippos" with us. (Nathan's big reward).

I let Nate and Abby decorate their cake and pre-warned all who ate it that it was deffinately not sanitary since I really let them do whatever (like lick over and over again the frosting as they frosted).

 I did a little jig to show my true excitement of this monumental moment in our families life.

Let the games begin

There was lots of hugs and kisses being spread around to these two

And their charts quickly filled up by the 3rd day

97 Years Young

(got this e-mail from my mom this morning)

"Grandma is here until Sat. morning, so if you would like to come by to see her -- just call ahead so we know you're coming. She would love to see all of you. We got here last night and she wanted to get in the Hot Tub, but the bromine was a bit too strong and we didn't think it would be good for her ----- so we told her we'd get in tomorrow (which is today). We heard her in the kitchen at 7:00 a.m. --- we were still in bed --- we went out and there she was standing -- in her swim suit --- ready to go into the Hot Tub!! We really had a good laugh. We put on our suits and all went Hot Tubbing quite early this morning. She loved it --- a bit hard to get in and out, but she loved being in that lovely warm water. When we turned the jets on she said "Oooo that's going to rip my suit right off". She is pretty fun and doing well down here. She ate a big breakfast and is reading the paper --- it's 11:15 and she hasn't even gone back to bed. At home she's in bed most of the day. We're happy to have her here and I think she's happy to be here for a little change in her life. Come by if you can."



If I live to be 97 I sure hope I'm just like her. Have I mentioned that she still lives in her own house all by herself? One amazing woman for sure! and pretty darn adorable too!!!

Lifers

Do you have friends since your infancy? I have two and another that has been a friend since I was 12. Meet Michelle, Kiersten, and Sam. I love these girls. We see eachother once a year and oh how I look forward to that night every year. We were the last to leave Olive Garden last night and I still didn't want to leave. We laugh, we reminisce, we catch up, we've cried (not this year thank goodness!). It's just so much fun! These 3 are beautiful women. They've always been great examples to me. So, let me brag about each one of them just a little.

Sam: (far left) is the best friend anyone could have. She is really there for ya. And once you have her as a friend, you're stuck! but in a good way. She is fiercly loyal. Such a great quality.
Kiersten: (next to me) is just sweet. She is the mother of 3 adorable children, whom they adopted, and is pregnant with her first child. She has courage and strength and I so admire her attitude about life in general.
Michelle: (with the baby) Just moved back to Utah from Oregon. She now lives only 15 minutes away from me! Yea!!! I love this girl. We used to share a pair of her jeans when we were in middle school that I loved. She used to rub my feet and to this day, may be the very best foot rubber in the world! She is SUCH a great mother! I had the pleasure of staying with her and her family in Oregon a couple years ago and see her in action. I came home so impressed and applying some of the things she does with her children, to my own. She's fabulous!

These are my lifers. Friends my whole life so far and friends for the rest no doubt.

The after Christmas Gingerbread House

Too much going on over Christmas that we didn't get to our gingerbread house. I don't think the kids minded making it after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

The kids were too impatient to wait for it to set before decorating it or eating it. Yum! (actually, they are really quite gross if you ask me).

One Heck of a Dad

This boy LOVES the snow

Crazy kid!

Not a good start to the New Year

I have a pretty intense 3 year old son. I love him. I adore him. I ache for him. I worry about him. I cry over him...way too much! He has recently been the topic of conversation among many. My feelings have been hurt. (I know, women right?) I can't help it. The mama bear in me wants to protect him and me for that matter, from anyone who may think less than perfect of him. (totally ridiculous I know!) Then, there is this side of me that doesn't blame anyone who may think less than perfect of him because, well, he's not perfect. In fact, he's down right difficult much of the time. So, I reacted, and in that reaction I protected. But what I feel badly about is feelings have been hurt, friendships are being tested, and I feel sad. I really just want to cry. Cry for my son, cry for my friend, and just cry for myself. Parenting is hard. Nothing can show your weaknesses quite like parenting. So, I'm off to mend a friendship I hope. One that does mean a lot to me. Not more to me than my son means to me, but does still mean a lot to me.

Melv's Posts

So, many of you may not know that I have a nick name. It's melv. Given to me very lovingly by my older brother, Travis, when I was in the 7th grade. It stuck. Now, only my family calls me this and those of my friends that knew me at that time in my life. I've always liked it.

So, I add a new addition this year to my blog. There are lots of people in my life that I look up to, respect, admire, want to be more like, and never want to forget. So, I'm writing about these individuals 2x's a month. Some may be people I've never even met. In this case, fortunately, I know him well. It's my father.

Preston LaMar Eyre

-Born Dec. 26, 1939 in Lyman, WY
-Served an LDS mission in the East Central States 1960-1962 (Kentucky, Tenn., West Virginia)
-Married Sharron Osborn Sept. 13, 1962
-Recieved a Sociology degree at Brigham Young University and then a Masters degree in Clinical Social Work at San Diego State.
-Professional Work: Wyoming State Hospital - social worker and then later a Program Director; moved to Porterville, California and worked as the Director of Porterville Community counseling center (mental health center) for 9 years. During those 9 years, they lived in 2 homes, one of which was a little farm that my older siblings talk about as the greatest time in their childhood.
-Dad then took a job in Salt Lake City, UT as the Director of Salt Lake Youth Services center. Two years later as the Salt Lake county division of youth services.
-He retired in May of 2008 as the Director of Wasatch Mental Health.

Phew! Now that you all know a little about my dad, onto the questions.

Me: Dad, what is your greatest accomplishment?
Dad: my 9 children who are healthy and happy and my 23 grandchildren.

Me: Funnest thing you've done?
Dad: Being married to mom

Me: What are your favorite callings that you've served in in the church?
Dad: Cub Master,  Bishop twice, being in a Stake Presidency, Mission President of the Oregon Portland Mission, Branch President at the MTC, Temple Worker

Me: Any regrets?
Dad: No regrets

Me: What are some of your goals?
Dad: need to reduce my weight. My knees and back are paying a big price due to my weight.

Some of Dad's Favorites:

Color: Yellow
Book: 2 Nephi
Song: Smoke gets in your eyes
Thing to do: play games with wife, attend BYU football and basketball games

Worthy to note:
Dad is a nail biter, is known for whistling, he's a tease, writes a poem to mom every year for Christmas and Mother's day, and lately has enjoyed sewing quilts for each of his children and is currently working on a quilt for each of his grandchildren.

Not hard to see why my dad has been such a positive influence in my life.