A Picture Can Sure Say A lot!

I have to say that this picture says quite a bit about each of our personalities...minus Aaron of course. Let's start at the bottom:

Austin - He's a quite a rambunctious boy who's constantly jumping & tumbling & pulling faces. He's the toughest Softie in the world. He can be laughing one minute and crying the next but most of the time he's the one making people laugh. One thing that can be heard quite often in our home is "Austin, Settle Down!!!"

Hannah - The only girl in the bunch, she's quite the Princess. She's the mature older sister who sneakily bosses the younger two around with charm and class, of course. She loves to dress herself and it's always a surprise as to what colors the girl will try to match. A lot of times she's right on spot..for example, in the picture above, she's wearing all white for a day at the dirty sand park!! One thing that you're sure to hear directed at her in our home is "You really think you're gonna wear that?"

Henry - What can I say about this child that can't already be determined by the look on his face. Let me just mention what can be heard directed at lil Mr. Groucho in our home - "HEN.Reeeeeeee!" He's quite the lil Drama King in our family and knows that he's the baby. He's plays the role up quite a bit and it can by annoying...at times....but he does have many many cute moments..this day just wasn't one of 'em.

Mommy Ardis - As for me, I'm just happy to be here!

Home Stretch

A few years ago we lived in Hawaii right around the corner from my parents. Aaron worked two jobs and I worked from home. We were happy. 2 1/2 years into our stay Aaron decided that he wanted to go back to school. I was a little shocked but knew that he might decide someday to go back..I just never knew when or where. Well, he decided to apply to Utah State University. It would take us back to his home state and the USU had the program he was interested in pursuing. He put in his application and we didn't hear back for a long time. Finally, in July of 2005, the school sent back a letter saying that he was accepted and the search was on for housing, jobs, and a flight out there. We were excited, nervous, and also sad to leave.

At the end of July of 2005 we arrived in Cache Valley. Luckily, there was a last minute availability in married student apartments and we were able to move in a few weeks after arriving. Finding a job was quite the adventure but Aaron persevered. At one point, he was working a full-time job to ensure that I could stay home with our children. He was only able to carry 6-9 credits at the time. I remember when he came back from one of his first meetings with his Academic Advisor; the plan they had mapped out had him graduating in Spring of 2011....it was the first time I felt dread over our move, BUT I knew that with a degree our family would be better off.

I'll spare you all the other 'fun' details and cut to the chase ~ next week Saturday, all of A's hard work, sleepless nights, working graveyard shift to pay our bills so he could go to school during the day, etc. is finally paying off ~ Aaron is graduating!!! I can't believe we're coming up on graduation day, and way ahead of schedule too!! I couldn't be more proud! I know a lot of times he felt like he was too old to be back on a college campus, attending classes with all the young 20somethings. He may have even wondered if all of his efforts would pay off in the end. Well let me just end by saying it has!! Aaron did an internship last summer in Wyoming. He worked at FMC (a company that mines trona), and they really enjoyed working with him. Aaron was able to secure a job at the end of August last year. He starts work on May 11. We are blessed.

I know Aaron will read this and say "Oh Brother!" Like most people, the man doesn't like to toot his own horn let alone let his wife do it so I can already tell that he'll be rolling his eyes and looking for a way to delete this but I just had to find a way to express my gratitude for such a great husband, dad, and best friend! We're in the Home Stretch A! I'm glad that our three little monkeys and I were able to be here to cheer you on and offer you encouragement, comic relief, and probably more than a little bit of stress, in this part of your journey in life. You're our Hero and we are proud of you!!!!

40 Tips For A Better Life....

My sister Mo emailed me this list a while back and a lot of it rang true for me! I need to work on some of the things on the list, but other than that, I've noticed that doing some of them made for a wonderful 2008, so why not stick to it! I wanted to put my own little spin on some of them, so don't mind any of the humourous addendums. Onward and Upward for 2009!!

40 Tips for a Better Life in 2009

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. (Especially on those days when yelling at your kids just doesn't make you feel any better.)

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep. (OR stop watching TV, cancel your cable, 'cause most shows are streamed anyway..and get MORE MONEY!!....I still need to work on this one.)

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today..' (Most mornings mine is filled in with "to take a shower")

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008. (and try to borrow them from the library because your house can get really cluttered if not..and that does NOT make for a good 2009)

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 80 and under the age of 6. (They really know how to make a person laugh...no seriously!)

9. Dream more while you are awake. (But NOT while you're driving your kids to school..that can be super dangerous!)

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. (Dangit!! What about canned corn??)

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts. (I still didn't see canned corn...did you?)

12. Try to make at least five people smile each day - including yourself!

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and
flowing energy into your life. (Or in my case, try hard NOT to let NEW clutter flow into the areas I just cleaned out!!)

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. (or Postive Gossip...there IS such a thing..Like the other day, I saw my neighbor with this positively divine clutch and I had to ask around to see where she got it at! I felt so much better after I got the same one!)

15. 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. (But like some of Lifes Lessons, problems can still pop up in a nightmare...much like that Algebra II problem I had my junior year. The fix is to get a drink of water..it helps you get back to sleep and have better dreams..oh, and a Better Life!)

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. (Everytime I read this one, I'm still not sure how this will make for a better 2009. It might be because we still are the "college kids" eating on a maxed out credit card...)

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away. (Be careful with this one though, don't overdo it..it could also chase friends away, because they might think you're a bit crazy!)

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. (AMEN!)

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. (I was a bit devastated when I read this one...I hope my kids at least take me seriously...baaahahahahhaha!)

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. (or your perfectly good dinner!)

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. (and your dryer...to explain, the dryer's been shrinking my jeans and that makes me very unhappy! Dang you Dryer...DANG YOU!!)

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything - including yourself.

27. What other people think of you is none of YOUR business. (So Stop Stressin' About it!)

28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything. (yes, even that cut you got from your baby who accidentally scratched you with his scratchy fingernails...)

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. (so don't get your hopes up...baaahahahahahahahaha! I'm just kidding folks!)

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch..(thank you Facebook, for helping find a whole gaggle of friends who will take care of me when Affleck just won't.)

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. (like that aforementioned cute clutch!)

33. The best is yet to come. (Thank you Gillete & Sinatra for helping me realize this!)

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. (And if people laugh at you, it's probably because stripes and polka dots DON'T go together.)

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often.

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________. (Depends; feeling dry today)

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. (and 2Legit 2Quit)

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride. (with the least amount of puking possible.)

40. Please share the wealth of your "new knowlege" gained from this list, with everyone you know!!! (Minus the stuff I had in parentheses, OF COURSE!)

May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but happiness come through your door!

Oh Henry

Alicia States Photography mentioned that you could do photo collages on Picasa..well, I searched and I searched and Lo and Behold I found it!!! I'm sure that you'll be sick of collages after Day 4 of another collage on my Blog, but I just can't help it ~ the tool is just too dang fun!!! Thank you Alicia!! And THANK YOU Picasa 3!! BTW, it's free to upload ~ Just Google Picasa and click on the link, and upload, and Presto!! There you have it, a lifetime full of photo editing fun!! The pictures were taken by my friend Mayumi...she aspires to be a portrait photographer. As luck would have it, she thinks my children are good subjects to practice on. My kids must have that "special draw" to portrait photographers in the making (i.e. Alvord Photography practiced on Hannah, then on the Boys, THEN on the whole Fam Damily.hehehehe! She is AMAZING!!)

Anyhow, Enjoy these special moments caught by Mayumi...trust me, they are fleeting moments! LoL!

Happy 1st Birthday Henry!!

Henry was born a year ago, Super Bowl Sunday..makes me wonder if the Super Bowl was around his birthday last year and who played in it...anybody? Anybody? Anhow, he came into the world @ 7lbs. 10oz. ~ the smallest of all three of my monkeys and has grown into a chunky lil monkey. Who knows he may end up being the biggest of all three!! He's the only one of my three that hasn't seen his granparents in Hawaii yet, but hopefully some day soon. He's a Mamma's Boy and it can make for late cooked dinners and other things being neglected but he's been a wonderful addtion to our family and we wouldn't be complete without him!! Happy Birthday my Baby Boy!

Update: You KNOW I had to add a collage~! hehehehehe!



Henry Highlights for 2008
He was born! Hooray!
Shortly after (so more like 5 long weeks after), he smiled and laughed...my favorite part of all of my babies "Baby Days"
He became a little brother to a big sister and big brother.
He sat up on his own at 6 months and started crawling shortly after.
He broke his first two top teeth at the same time..it was a "wondrous" time for us..hehehe
He slept through the night (only twice so far, so hopefully this will be more of a Highlight for me as he goes into his second year).
He won our hearts the moment we saw him!

Henry's face after shoving cake into it

Henry's bath after he got cake all over himself!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Our lil middle man turned 4 yesterday. He had a fun time with cousins as we also had a family party going on that day. It's been so fun to watch our Bubba grow into the funny guy that he's become. I'm sure he'll be "hilarious" when he's a teenager. As mentioned in previous posts, I'm never sure if I should laugh or cry or scream (or all of the above) with this guy, but at the end of the day when I kiss him goodnight, one thing is certain, I'm sooo very happy that he's a part of our family! We love you Bubba!!

I just want to share a few of the things Austin "Bubba" accomplished before he turned 4..it'll be fun for him to read if and when he ever comes across this blog when he's "all grown up".

Bubba Highlights 2008
He became a big brother when his lil bro Henry was born.
He started Cloverbuds pre-school (and LOVES it, I might add).
He decided he wanted to wear "big boy" underwear! (my favorite highlight)
He's learned how to snap! (just ask him, he'd be happy to snap & do a jig for you.)
And last but not least, he's decided he wants to take a turn praying (eyes open and looking around mind you, but hey, it's a start right?!)

Another Fun Contest...

Why is it I will hurriedly blog about a contest but not about what's going on with me and my family?...because I like contests..that's why..pure & simple. I'll try to think of other interesting stuff to post on, but for now, go check out The Contest. It's all about winning some beautiful Fat Quarters designed by the lovely Lila Tueller!

"What?" you say, "That Ardis is not a quilter so why does she care?" Who says I'm NOT a quilter..have you SEEN my amazing skills? Yeah, that's what I thought...I have yet to hone those skills but just y'all wait...one day (probably in Heaven), I'll be great at it! Until then, I'd love to pretend...and it's fun to do just that at this new nifty site I found: Moda's Fabric Matcher . So enjoy my bloggy friends, or not....either way, I still got an entry! Hehehehehe!