Full of Great, that makes me Greatful....

I guess that would be spelled grateful.  And indeed I am!  Here's just a few of the greats that keep me full:

My adorable husband and companion that my soul was destined to find
The most genius and creative girl I've ever met, Mekena
The sweetest cored girl I've ever met, Kirra
The coolest most dapper boy I've ever met, Reef
The most loving, snuggly baby in the WORLD, Kaia
My home {although a huge mess right now}
The amazing nature right outside my door
My parents, all four of them; My siblings, all five of them... emotion too tender to even begin noting why I'm grateful for each of them individually - eyes already welling up, must stop
A sister that makes long drives because she craves us weirdo's and her wonderful new hubby that is willing to oblige her crazy request to visit us again and again
Super fabulous in-laws that love us and support us
Being a member of the LDS church, couldn't imagine a life without it
The Henry's, every single one of them - I can't get enough!!
A very healthy and capable body
One incredible client that allows my creative side to stretch, and stretch, and stretch
A girl named Tristin, a girl named Reyna and a girl named Anggie
My garbage men, I'm serious
Upcoming family visits
Being able to stay at home with my fascinating children, I don't want to miss a thing!
And GRATEFUL that this is just an itty bitty list of all the greats.  I could go on, and on, and on...

... oh, one more, and of course frozen yogurt.  Yes for that I am grateful!

halloween [booo]...by mekena

I have always loved halloween. The reason that i love halloween sooo much is because you get to dress up and get so much candy[yummm.] This year i wanted to be a vampire,then i wanted to be strawberry
shortcake. Yesterday my mom had me see a picture of a cute jipsy costume for halloween my mom is the best for showing me that cute,cute picture of that jipsy.
have a spooktackuler night

good boo, love mekena.

Recovered Addict

So if you've known me for some time, you know of my addiction for, no not frozen yogurt, but cereal.  And almost any kind of cereal at that.  Any type, any time, any place.  The love for cereal could possibly have paralleled my love for my most favorite humans.  If you ask me for a bite of my cereal expect to hear an inner grunt, I DO NOT like to share my cereal, not because I'm stingy but because it messes up the cereal to milk ratio.  This ratio thing is no joke.

Cereal o'clock is the same time every day - 4:00pm.  And sometimes there's a second cereal o'clock around 11:45pm. 

A change occurred a few months ago.  I began noticing that cereal and I weren't getting along.  My lifetime commitment to its scrumptiousness was coming at a price.  I was feeling grouchy, almost mad and knew it was nutrition related.  I couldn't ignore the feeling anymore and couldn't ignore that maybe just maybe it was the milk and cereal.  According to Dr. D'Adamo Eat Right for Your Type (a book I found about 12 years ago and find it to be brilliant, worth the read!!) milk is the culprit to such feelings and should be avoided.  And I've never felt great about milk, seems a little unnatural to drink from a cow.  I know we'd all rather just drink the stuff and not consider where it's actually coming from... but the studies, the hormones, young children and early maturation... blah, blah, blah - bottom line I bought almond milk.  Mekena liked it at first but wants to try rice milk now, Reef loves it and I've noticed major changes in him, Kirra never liked milk anyhow and doesn't like the almond milk either, Kaia is addicted to mama milk and Rand goes 1/2 cow 1/2 almond, and as for me... I can't bring myself to try it - it's so slimy looking.  But I cut out cereal and milk for a few weeks and wow big difference in how I feel.  I've tried to eat a bowl a couple of times and couldn't stomach it.  I'm a little sad, it's weird I don't crave it, and although I cut it out for a three month period way back in 1999, I think this time I'm really a recovered milk in the cereal addict.  Cereal may be welcomed back if I can become more friendly with the almond milk.

And I know there's milk in frozen yogurt, but it's different - don't know how, don't know why, but it is.  Maybe it's the hot fudge and mochi.  :)  Not sure how Dr. D'Adamo feels about frozen yogurt but I know I feel great about IT!  And I love the way I feel after I eat frozen yogurt, love it, love it, love it!  Hmmm, all this talk about frozen yogurt, I'm gonna go get me some!! 

Good bye cow milk!

GOOD to know!

I am so thankful to know that I have not wasted my life!!! 
Packer people and messes are around the pinky tight!

My LIFE is yummy!

Kids begged me for yogurt again today... went a little something like this...


Me:  "Hey guys want to go out and get some yogurt?"
Mekena:  "Um, sure"
Kirra: "Maybe a cupcake mom"
Reef:  "no, I want ice cream"


So we went and got yogurt cause they begged so much for it and I didn't want to hear them keep begging alllll day long!  {or something like that.}

I love how Kaia just goes from person to person seeking out a spoonful of yumminess!

The NEST is lighter....

 

Kirra has joined the ranks of school attenders. 

And she loves it as we knew she would.  She tells us how she pulls out her classmates chairs if she sees them walking towards their desk - warm fuzzy!  She has a quiet sweetness that I've grown to recognize and adore.  She loves her teacher and all of her new friends. 

I miss her being home.  But I guess it's time.  :( 

Reef, Kaia and I are getting into a new rhythm.  It's quiet and calm, relaxing and easy... well almost. 
I actually kind of like these new days.  Stacking blocks and learning about letters and numbers. 
It's been a while since I've been with itty bitty's.  And they are so cute, especially together. 

Two is easy, I forgot. 

Here's proof that I've let my big girls leave the nest - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...

 

 

Mekena loves to walk Kirra to her class every day to make sure she unloads
her back pack and gets settled. 

  

*************************************************************

And a look back to Mekena's first day of kindergarten in 2009...

 

So it begins...

I got a little taste of being a parent this week. 

Granted I've parented for 2,740 days already (yes that's really the amount of days, who's counting), but this was real parenting I had to do.  I had to say NO to something my two older girls really wanted to do and something I would have loved them to do.  Their cheerleading teams were having a team party.  The challenge, the party was from 7:30pm to 11:00pm.  Rand and I talked about it and neither of us were comfortable with them being there so late and because of a prior commitment neither of us could go and be wall flowers.  I hoped the girls would just somehow forget about the party and never bring it up, ya right! 

I overheard them talking about how much fun the party was going to be and decided I had to break the news... I said a little something like this:

"Girls, I know you are very excited about your team party.  Unfortunately, dad and I talked about it and we've decided it's best you not go.  We don't feel it's safe and we feel that it's a little late for girls your age." 

Suprisingly there was not any grumbling or pretty pleeeeeease's that I would have expected to follow.  Later that same night while we were laying down for bed I asked them how they felt about not being able to go to the party, Mekena said "Mom I understand, thank you for wanting to keep us safe".  And then Kirra followed with "at first I wanted to cry and then I realized it was ok".  REALLY???  Thanking me for not letting them go to the party... wasn't quite what I expected.  How thankful I was that they understood.
I'm thinking this may not be so easy once we approach teenage years, but I'll take the ease for now and be hopeful!  I feel with all of my heart that my job is to nurture and stay in tune to what Rand and I feel is right and wrong for our children, it's tough out there and I'd rather them miss out on some of the "fun" than for them to be in a bad situation where we don't get a second chance to make the right choice.  I probably won't always be the cool mom, but that's ok.